Undone and Uncensored

This post has been long overdue. I have been busy with revisions of Blood in the Paint, readying it for my beta reader team, and my good friend and fellow author (and member of said beta reader team, teehee), RH Ramsey, has been busy doing her own thing. But I wanted to invite Ms. Ramsey here to discuss her latest release, Undone, and also to share my review. And now I’ll turn it over to her…

First, I have to thank you, Jordanna East. Thanks for the extra nudges and for calling me out on my recent procrastination…with this guest post. Thank you for this opportunity and thank you for your support. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Muah!

Enough of that 🙂

About Undone.

Undone is a collection of short stories, essays, monologues and excerpts from novels, both released and soon-to-be released.  I think of this book as a way for me to introduce myself. It is a way to sort of shake my hand, look into my eyes, get to know me as a storyteller. I am not one to force myself, my opinions or my thoughts on another individual, and a two hundred page novel is a lot for some people to commit to – especially from a new author.

I thought to myself: Expecting you to download an entire novel, before you have an idea of what you are getting into, is sort of like a road trip – with a blind date. Not everyone wants to waste an entire week, on the awkward silence, finding out they have nothing in common, or complete lack of chemistry.  For this reason, I wondered if there was a way to offer a piece of me, without forcing readers to commit to something that may not be for them.

I think it is only fair that I offer something that represents me, and gives a glimpse into the worlds that I create – see things through my characters’ eyes. Read the short stories – take this short, intense ride. Then, see if you want to go around the world, and read the novels.

Why “Undone?”

There is an eerie glow in coming undone. It is a raw, honest, vulnerable state, and no one is exempt. No matter what falling apart looks like to you – a tear, words you cannot take back, instant gratification through substance or some type of emotional release – we are all connected in that we all come undone. We have seen someone else fall to pieces, whether directly or indirectly.

I write to establish a connection between those who are oblivious, those who are numb, those who are searching desperately for a reason to come away from that lonely ledge.

The stories

Undone is not written with happy endings or lighthearted walks through fields of daisies in mind. It is a collection of stories about topics ranging from grief, to young love doomed from the start, to a son and mother desperate to exist in an unfair world, and much more. The excerpts and monologues are from my novels, Where were you, Just Beneath the Surface and Just Beneath the Surface 2.

As I wrote these stories, it was as if I had watched something horrific unfold, and the only thing I could see, feel and process, was the emotion. Anytime I write, it seems that I see inside of a soul undone, and this is what I try to recreate. I do not see the paintings on the walls or what happened outside the window, but I see instead the way the hearts beat, the colors of a broken spirit.

Again, I thank you for allowing me a place to give some insight into me as a writer and what I wanted to convey with Undone!!

You’re so welcome, Ms. Ramsey! Wow, that was one of the most powerful guest posts I’ve ever seen! RH Ramsey has a way with words, everywhere, I tell ya! If you aren’t convinced, peep my review of Undone:

I received an advanced reader copy of this book months ago and I was vastly impressed by the author’s gift for dialogue. The exchanges are powerful and really pull the reader into the emotions at hand. As in her previous work, I still wish she would add in a little scenery once a while. Scenery adds a realism that dialogue lacks and I think it’s probably the one thing her writing is missing, which is hard to say, since her writing is so powerful.

I enjoyed Kendall’s monologue, although it got a little rushed at the very end where she’s saying where she sees them in ten years. Slowed down, the poignancy of what she’s trying to say would really hit the reader. It was also intriguing to read Spencer’s monologue, to see the abuse from the perspective of the abuser.

My Mother’s Shadow, from Olive’s point of view, was amazing, probably my favorite. I enjoyed Reggie’s half of the story as well. The excerpt of Where Were You, and the short stories Oxytocin and Two Green Chairs, were all exemplary pieces. The collection is a really excellent representation of Ms. Ramsey’s writing and her gift for delving into broken human psyches and portraying their words and actions so masterfully.

The links for RH Ramsey’s current releases, Just Beneath the Surface and Undone, are embedded above, and Just Beneath the Surface 2 will be available soon. If you’d like to learn more about Ms. Ramsey, you can visit her at her blog. 🙂