Author Guest Post with Lena S. May, The Signs We Missed

Thrown out by his mother, 17-year-old Luke hopes to overcome his narcotic addiction and depression by changing his surroundings.

Welcome to one of the August 12th stops on the blog tour for The Signs We Missed by Lena S. May with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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Author Guest Post

Been there, Done that – The Best Writing Advice I have

Over the last week, I’ve been talking about the release of The Signs We Missed a lot – about the book, the journey, the vision, the feelings, the influences. Since this is the last stop of the virtual book tour, however, I want to share something else: writing advice, or, more specifically, the writing advice that has proven the most valuable for me, personally. The best advice for you might be something entirely else based on your habits and goals, which takes me right to my first point.

1. Advice, feedback, criticism: Especially in the early stages of the writing journey or of a new draft, constructive advice, feedback and criticism are invaluable. I’d like to encourage you to be mindful of who is talking to you, though, in particular when it’s something that feels discouraging. I don’t mean to say “take only the compliments and ignore the rest” – being able to grow and improve ourselves, I think, is an integral part of being an author (and human). But pay attention to: What’s the other person’s expertise? What’s their intention? Are they trying to help you grow or trying to protect you from potentially experiencing disappointment? When receiving unsolicited advice, criticism or feedback from someone, I find an extremely helpful question to see whether you should listen to it or not is:
   Would you have turned to this particular person for advice on this particular topic?

• Been there, done that, also known as “write what you know”. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should exclusively write about things you know – that’d be impossible, just think of Fantasy. But I do think the heart of your story should be something that you know, something that you have experienced, something you deeply care about, in order to write an authentic book and stick with it. And as for the things you do not know, I feel that it’s crucial to find out about them, if possible by a person who has experienced them first hand. A writer whose protagonist’s relationship with their siblings is relevant in their story should talk to people with siblings if they’re an only child themselves; if your protagonist is a seventy-year-old professor, talk to an (approximately) seventy-year-old professor, and so on. Talk to as many people as possible to make your story as authentic as possible. In my experience, the more authentic the story is, the more likely you are to finish it.

• You cannot edit a blank page. We’ve all heard that one before, right? But I couldn’t leave it out because this is what I keep telling myself when a white screen is staring at me and I can’t think of anything meaningful to write for the life of me. So, what if it’s not meaningful? Write anyway. You can always edit it later, and if you really don’t want to work on your book, you could just sit with your characters, tell them about your day or why you don’t feel like writing, see what they say or what they’re up to – if nothing else, you’ll at least get an even better feeling for the characters you’re writing about, again making the story more authentic and maybe providing you with some inspiration.

About the Book

The Signs We Missed
by Lena S. May

Published 2 August 2022
Cinnabar Moth Publishing LL

Genre: LGBTQIA+ Contemporary Fiction
Page Count: 297
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Thrown out by his mother, 17-year-old Luke hopes to overcome his narcotic addiction and depression by changing his surroundings. At his new school, he quickly becomes friends with Sean, but finding that his developing feelings aren’t returned, Luke retreats into old habits. Determined to hide his self-injurious behavior and an advancing eating disorder, he soon risks much more than a broken heart.

When Sean meets Luke, the last thing on his mind is falling in love with a boy. Grappling with his own conflicting emotions and trying to keep them from his suspicious girlfriend, he brushes off Luke’s strange behavior. But when Luke suddenly cuts him off, Sean is forced to confront the truth and take action to save his best friend.

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Excerpt

Luke was lying on his back, his phone in one hand, a cigarette in the other.

He had missed the ashtray several times in the past hours, resulting in black burns on the sheet beneath him. It didn’t matter, and they weren’t visible in the dark anyway.

The blood wasn’t, either.

He was still fighting to forget the pills and the water on the nightstand.

Today had been the first day in a while he had felt well enough to leave the house. Still lousy, but well enough.

He had decided the lightness in his head and the nausea in his stomach were the outcome of him not eating much lately. Hardly anything, except for dry bread, tea, and an apple.

That led him to the conclusion that not taking his pills was no longer the cause of his miserable condition; at least that was what he had tried to convince himself of on the way to the emergency room.

He should have thought of that earlier.

It was Sunday, the only doctor on duty had looked fatigued and stressed. He’d probably been glad all he had to do for Luke was to write him a prescription.

Warning him to get a new prescription earlier next time and keeping the emergency room free for emergencies, he had let him go in no time.

Luke’s hands had been shaking when he tried to open the package at home.

Then, at the very last moment, he had changed his mind and slammed it down on the nightstand, almost angry.

About the Author

Lena S. May is a Germany-based author and student. Living with her dog, she enjoys long walks, ideally followed by a cup of tea and an equally long reading session. After graduating university with a degree in English and American and German Studies, she is working towards her Master of Education to become a secondary school teacher. With her writing, Lena hopes to raise more awareness for mental health and the importance of looking out for one another and oneself. Her debut novel will be published in August 2022.

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Giveaway Alert!

Lena S. May will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B&N giftcard to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.