Writing Outside My Race
My life is an eclectic mesh of bi-racial, same sex and mixed gender relationships. This rich tapestry of cultures, ideas and people grounds me, letting me know what's truly important in life. These unique relationships were a catalyst in my creating an interracial couple for my Progeny Series.
I consider myself a ‘Gothic flower child’ and listen to a broad range of music—pop, top 40, heavy metal, decade music. I’m a huge Rob Zombie fan, though I'm not in his target audience. My play list contains a diverse mix of Bruno Mars, The Whispers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foster the People, Jay-Z, Tonic, White Zombie, Maroon 5, Muse... to name a few.
Hosts of experiences have shaped me into the person that I am today. As a gifted youngster, I experienced racism on its most elemental and basic level. This taught me to love everyone and gave me intolerance for prejudice. In my twenties, I wrote country songs for the shock value of seeing people's faces when they realized that the person behind the words and melody wasn’t quite what they expected.
My late mother challenged me to be more than my surroundings, and encouraged me to remember my past but never let it dictate who I wanted to be. Coming from the less desirable side of my town, that was easier said than done. Today, I choose to remember my roots but aspire to be so much more.
It's no wonder that most of my characters are younger and have little racial resemblance to me. Writing outside of my race has its challenges. Those who support black authors don't necessarily take me seriously because my characters aren't all black. While my characters don't look like me, I do a lot of injecting of myself into them. For instance, I gave Shauna a love of the color pink, a fear of heights and a very open mind—a lot of the things that she thinks and feels, mirror my attitude.
Ascher and Shauna resemble a growing number of relationships in society. I wanted my couple to mirror this trend and to be different. If you aren't instituting change and acceptance for our differences, what's the point?
I'm accustomed to being different and too much of a rebel to ever conform. When I was a teenager, being different got me picked on and made me unpopular. This gave me a thick skin and the attitude that it was better to be myself than to graze with all of the other "sheep."
Being different gives me an unusual insight and a deep respect for those who are different from me. I have a close circle of friends who support and encourage me, listen to my whining about my characters and love me to my core. I think of my friendships in terms of quality, not quantity. Those in my life, I trust and are there for a reason.
So to the subject of this blog...Why do I write outside of my race when it makes things more difficult for me?
1. I do it to be different. Sure, I could fill twenty books with all the drama I've experienced, but there are already black authors doing that (and doing a great job at it too, I might add).
My heart just isn't there.
2. I do it to be rebellious. I love the look on someone's face when they realize that the person behind the story isn't who they expected.
Most importantly...
3. I do it because this is where my heart is. I've always read that an author should write what they love. For me, writing edgy, erotic tales appeals to the misfit in me. To me, it's important to push the envelope, shake things up and stretch myself beyond what is familiar. When I finish a novel, I need to feel like I've grown both as a writer and as a human being.
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The Progeny Blurb (The Progeny Series #1)
“No fate other than the one I choose.”
The timeless creed, and tattoo, bore by the Rousseau’s— a vampire clan with the purest bloodline of any vampire family. Out of this clandestine group came one who was different, yet the same: Ascher-a half-bloodling— half- human, half vampire.
Ascher questions the purpose for his existence and which world he truly belongs to: the human world or the vampire world. Two months from sealing to Ursula— a prearranged union to a woman he abhors — he’s at his wit’s end. He knows if he calls off the sealing, the Romanian clan will strike with deadly force, but he cannot see eternity with a cold empty shell of a woman like Ursula.
Just when he thought life was complicated enough, he meets Shauna— a beautiful, bi-racial human Wiccan — and immediately develops an unshakable attraction to her. She makes him feel alive and vital despite his origins and Ascher makes a decision that turns his immortal world upside down.
Blood Bonds Blurb (The Progeny Series #2)
“Forever. For always. For eternity.”
The ties that bind two hearts are powerful. For Ascher Rousseau and Shauna McCutchin, it’s more than just a blood bond. Their union is that of vampire legend. Their love is a predestined prophecy foretold centuries ago.
It’s a week before Ascher and Shauna's sealing and the couple is making final preparations for their eternity. But Ascher's ex has other plans. Ursula is hell-bent on revenge—revenge fueled by lover's scorn and her father's death—and she begins breeding a fresh army of newborn darklings to do her bidding.
When Ursula finds a new weapon—an ally with the capability to dismantle the Rousseau clan— Ascher and Shauna's bond is tested and they must stand together against Ursula or lose each other for eternity.
The Progeny by Ashlynne Laynne (Book One of The Progeny Series)
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
The Progeny Blurb
“No fate other than the one I choose.”
The timeless creed, and tattoo, bore by the Rousseau’s— a vampire clan with the purest bloodline of any vampire family. Out of this clandestine group came one who was different, yet the same: Ascher-a half-bloodling— half- human, half vampire.
Ascher questions the purpose for his existence and which world he truly belongs to: the human world or the vampire world. Two months from sealing to Ursula— a prearranged union to a woman he abhors — he’s at his wit’s end. He knows if he calls off the sealing, the Romanian clan will strike with deadly force, but he cannot see eternity with a cold empty shell of a woman like Ursula.
Just when he thought life was complicated enough, he meets Shauna— a beautiful, bi-racial human Wiccan — and immediately develops an unshakable attraction to her. She makes him feel alive and vital despite his origins and Ascher makes a decision that turns his immortal world upside down.
About Ashlynne:
Ashlynne Laynne has always had a soft spot in her heart for vampires but grew tired of the garlic fearing, sun-loathing creatures of old. An avid horror movie fan, she tends to enjoy media and music that is of a younger, more eclectic nature. This was the catalyst for her writing The Progeny. The vampire/witch pairing is unique and different when most books pair vampires with werewolves.
There is no shortage of romance, steam and surprises in The Progeny Series. These books are for adults and contain adult sensuality and themes. She loves writing on the edge and teetering between the erotica and romance genres, and thinks of Ascher and Shauna as the wicked and damned version of Romeo and Juliet.
Ashlynne is currently working on books three and four of her Progeny Series, book one of her upcoming Rocker Series, and an untitled WIP. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her family. She juggles the hats of wife, mother, full time employee and part-time writer, hoping to write full time one day soon.
Book one of the Progeny Series—The Progeny—re-released on May 7, 2012. The “revamp” is a second edition full of extended scenes new details and tighter editing. Book two—Blood Bonds—will release Summer of 2012.
Ashlynne lives in North Carolina with her husband and teenage son.
Connect with Ashlynne Online:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/qlane
Facebook Progeny Series Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Progeny-Series/129418917161599?bookmark_t=page
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Ashlynne-Laynne/118945981513261
Romance Book Club Author Page: http://www.romance-book-club.com/ashlynne-laynne.html
Author Blog: http://ashlynnelaynne.blogspot.com/
Website: ashlynnelaynne.com
Email: ashlynnelaynne@aol.com
Buy Links
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Progeny-ebook/dp/B0074535P6/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328127665&sr=1-1
Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Progeny-Ashlynne-Laynne/dp/1470141604/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330639326&sr=1-1
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Progenyebook/dp/B0074535P6/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_2
Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-progeny-ashlynne-laynne/1108540255?ean=2940014108355&itm=1&usri=the+progeny+by+ashlynne+laynne
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/128489
All Romance E-books: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theprogeny-726383-139.html
Sony e-book: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/ashlynne-laynne/the-progeny/_/R-400000000000000646821
Praise for The Progeny...
Fallen Angel Reviews
http://fallenangelreviews.com/2012/February/teresa-theprogeny.htm
Paranormal Romance Guild
http://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/reviewsashlynnelaynn.htm
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