Your Custom Text Here
Welcome to Lit and Lettered: A Cozy Corner for Readers, Writers, and Black Culture Lovers
If you've read Confessions of a Frustrated Millennial, first of all, thank you. Writing that book changed my life, and hearing from readers is still one of my favorite parts of being an author.
Since then, so many of you have asked what I'm working on next and where you can find more of me. Here's the answer: Lit and Lettered, my Substack newsletter, is where I write about books, storytelling, and the cozy, creative life.
So, What Is Lit and Lettered?
Lit and Lettered is a weekly newsletter for people who love to read, love to write, and love Black culture, TV, and literature. Think of it as a living room with good lighting, a warm drink, and a stack of books nobody is judging.
Every Tuesday, a new post lands in your inbox, and it's free. Here's what you'll find:
Book recommendations. At the start of each month, I share a handpicked list of what to read next. I include a mix of genres, and I always try to feature authors of color.
TV storytelling. I break down what makes our favorite shows work, from the characters to the writing to the nostalgia. If you grew up on the shows that shaped us, you'll feel right at home.
Reading lifestyle. Cozy reading nights, drink pairings for your book's mood, self-care that actually fits a reader's life, and ways to make more room for the books you love.
Tips for writers. If you're writing a book, or dreaming of one, I share what I've learned about writing and marketing as a self-published author.
Who Is It For?
Lit and Lettered is for you if:
You're a reader who always has a TBR pile that's taller than your free time.
You love Black culture, humor, and stories that feel like home.
You're a writer, or a someday-writer, looking for honest, encouraging advice.
You want a quiet, joyful corner of the internet that isn't trying to sell you anything every five minutes.
What's Coming for Paid Subscribers
The free posts will always be here. If you want to go a little deeper, you can upgrade to a paid subscription. In 2027, paid subscribers get:
A quarterly book club, starting in Spring 2027. We'll read a book together each season, check in along the way, and talk it out on Zoom.
A summer serial. A brand-new original story from me, delivered one chapter at a time.
Bonus posts on writing and marketing, for anyone building their own author life.
Upgrading is completely optional, and being here for free means just as much to me.
Something Special in 2027
On February 27, 2027, Confessions of a Frustrated Millennial turns 10. I'm celebrating with a special post, and I'm also putting the finishing touches on my second book, a contemporary romance. Subscribers will hear about it first.
Shop the Vibe
Lit and Lettered also has a shop. Over on Etsy, you'll find book-lover candles with scents like Chai and Chapters and Fireside Epilogue, plus mugs with Black culture, humor, and good vibes from my second shop, Melanin and Happy.
Join Me
Lit and Lettered is free to join, and it takes about three seconds. Subscribe, and your first post will be waiting for you the next Tuesday.
And if you haven't read the book that started it all, you can find Confessions of a Frustrated Millennial on Amazon.
I can't wait to read with you.
Happy reading, Eugenia
Confessions of a First Time Author
Hello…
Hello…
Is this thing on?
So I “confess” I haven’t really utilized this blog function on my book’s blog website. But this year is about to be different! I want to make this blog active and give my “confessions” of being a writer, being a millennial, being an introvert, being a comedian…over the next couple of months. So lookout for a new post from me about once a month. I can’t dedicate a huge amount of time to blogging because I do have a 9-5 job, writing my second book along with other writing projects, but I want to give you a bit of insight.
So, I can’t believe it but it’s been three years since Confessions of a Frustrated Millennial has been out….I can’t believe it. I remember being so nervous putting it out there. My initial thoughts were:
1. Would people like it?
2. Should I put my full name?
3. What if people don’t like it?
My anxiety was high before putting out this book. First off, this was my first book and some of it was deeply personal so my thoughts were all over the place. I wrote the book when I was in between jobs – so you can see some of that “frustration” in my book was really real. I started it in 2013 with Natasha’s story and then I created the other two because I didn’t want to focus on one character and wanted to give the story a bit more depth. Each character has a bit of me in them.
From there, I wrote on and off for 2013-2015. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to make it a novel because I never finished any of the writings I ever had. But I remember talking to my cousin who is a music producer and he told me the importance of creativity and investing time into an intellectual property project…it was right there I realized that I could create something that was uniquely mine! I could mold it into whatever I wanted to make it –without permission from others. It was then I decided in 2015 to finally finish my book when one of my freelance job contracts ended. I treated writing like a job and wrote the outline and wrote every day until it was finished.
When I finished I cried…I couldn’t believe I actually completed a novel. Mind you, I NEVER finished any stories that I wrote until this point. I would start a story, but never finish. So I decided to make it a reality and explored self-publishing in 2016. Throughout that year, I copyright my book (ALWAYS do that writers – people will try to steal your work…I’m a witness – I’ll get into that topic on another blog post) I worked with an editor and working my self-publisher to create the look of my book. In late 2016, I literally held a proof of my book and it felt like a dream. I saw my name and the cover was super cute with the characters. It still feels surreal to see my name on a book to this day.
In February 2017, I made my debut with my book to my Facebook audience to my friends and family and got such a big reception that my video was shared hundreds of times and had over 5K views. It was crazy. I had people that I didn’t know reaching out to me. I had people asking me for speaking opportunities and book reviews. I even heard from a production company about film rights… To this day, I’m still flattered that people love my story. Being an author has always been a dream of mine and now it’s an actual reality. I love connecting with other aspiring authors because we all have a story that is uniquely ours. I believe there’s space for all of us.
To the people who are writers and working on releasing their first work. Here’s my bit of advice I would provide:
1. Write often: It’s easy to make excuses of why not to write, but write when you can. If you have downtime find time to write.
2. Have a plan: Outlines for me were essential. It was the blueprint of how my plot would go about. While some authors might not do this, I do recommend that you know where you’re going and your ending. It’s the whole purpose of the story.
3. Find a good editor: We can only edit our stuff so much, we will miss stuff so find an editor that can give you constructive feedback on spelling, grammar, and story flow and structure….learned this the hard way. It’s important.
4. Repeat after me. You’re a writer. I had people tell me they’re an aspiring writer. No, you’re a writer – whether you put our published work out there or not, just say you’re a writer.
5. Celebrate – once you publish your book – celebrate your accomplishment. It’s not easy to put it out there. I wish I celebrated more, but trust me you deserve the pomp and circumstance.
Alright, hope this “confession” was good for you all. Look out for another one next month.
- E. Jefferson
Welcome to my author blog
It has always been a dream of mine to write a novel and my dream has finally come true. It took me about three years to write this, but I felt it was a novel that will resonate with many people.
Confessions of a Frustrated Millennial explores the frustration that can come about when transitioning into adulthood. While there are many books and articles that prepare high school students for college and undergraduate students for grad school, there’s no handbook when it comes to graduating out of college.
The fact is that life happens, sometimes life turns out the way we dreamed and sometimes life just isn’t fair…I could argue that most people could agree with the latter part of the statement. Which is why we have the popular phrase #FML – F-- -My Life.
However, you don’t have to continue with the “FML” mindset. The fact is life gets better. It might be bad or look hopeless, but eventually it gets better. The journey of my characters varies, but they all have different dreams they would like to achieve. Achieving those dreams are not easy, but if you trust God in the process, He’ll do “exceeding and abundantly above all you could ever ask or think” (that’s what my God will do!)
Confessions of a Frustrated Millennial was published in February 2017, but God has blessed me with some amazing opportunities such as being in the Chicago’s Black Women Expo and speaking at various churches.
I invite you to follow my author’s journey through my blog. You’ll be able to see new book developments, speaking engagements and upcoming book projects :) Also, my blog won’t be a solely focused on my book, but occasionally I’ll provide motivational messages.
Would you like to book me for your speaking engagement? Fill out the contact me box! But no spam, ya’ll or weird stuff!! You’ve been warned.
Thank you all for following my journey!
- Eugenia