#68: the stories in my head

happy 2024 my friend

hey - i know. i know.

it’s been a while since we got together. a lot has been happening.

let me start by saying i still want to have lunch with you, the way we been having lunch since our lunch dates began - nostalgic ki-ki’s about 99s and 2000s.

apparently, using gifs is not “in” anymore, according to genZ, but look imma use them because i like what i like.

i’m still here. but instead of consistent lunch dates, imma be a little more sometimes-y with our lunch dates.

i’ve been saying for years that i want to write books — novels. fiction. adult fiction. young adult. and maybe even a children’s book or two.

i have so many stories in my head i’ve begun to [hand]write them down just so i don’t forget a character’s backstory or whiplashing plot twist.

and with each book i read - i read 38.5 this year, my .5 book is thiiiiiiccckkk - it made me want to start my journey to becoming an author.

~

i discovered the author freida mcfadden this year. the way she writes is the way i write. her books are so captivating and twisty that they had my brain spinning.

then i discovered she self-published her first book 10 years ago [2013] on Amazon, and still continues to self-publish, occasionally.

the first book of hers i read, the housmaid, came to her in a dream. i can’t tell you how many plots and storylines came to me in my dreams.

i need the time. i need time this year to focus on the stories in my head and bring them to life.

lunch with you is always so fun. i love your reactions and comments. it warms my heart that my deep dives bring you [and me] joy.

but i need that time back.

when we have lunch, i don't like to tell one piece of the story. i want to immerse myself in it and then find tiny details of connections that you would never know unless you went deep.

like how charlie baltimore received flowers at her job at the mall from biggie after he died. he ordered them days before, not knowing he wouldn’t be able to hear her say thank you. the fact she was still working at the mall while dating big still blows me. the girlies today would never.

or how food network tv chef antonia lofaso was [is] heavy d’s long time love. they share a child and she was with him until the very end.

but one of my favorite lunch dates is when we played make-believe with some of my favorites who went on home to glory; that’s what my uncle says.

i love every moment i spend digging through the internet to find a hidden gem. and i need that time back if i’m ever going to begin writing books.

i’m sharing this with you because i want you to hold me accountable. ask me how my writing is going. that will be a big help.

~

we will still have lunch. but imma be sometimes-y. and if i’m honest, when i’m not as consistent, you show up to lunch more often.

i hope this year brings you so much joy and happiness. and whatever you want to achieve or accomplish happens.

xo, jemia

p.s. i’ll be sharing my writing journey on my bookstagram @a.littt.life, follow along if you like.