Month: April 2017

No Whining Wednesday – Don’t be a Negative Nancy

Welcome back to another episode of No Whining Wednesday, the only day of the week where you do not get to whine, complain, or criticize. Now, if you are new to this blog or new to this segment please visit the first post HERE for more on what this post is all about.

The No Whining Wednesday Badge

What is a Negative Nancy or Neil? She or he is someone who cannot find the good in anything. There is always something wrong with the world and if there isn’t anything wrong with the world they will make one. A Negative Nancy or Neil tends to use his or hers personal problems, past or present, as the catalyst or crutch for which they have this grudge. A negative Nancy or Neil complains about everything and anything. These are the people who look for the bad in things first and if they can’t see the bad then maybe they will acknowledge the good. Maybe.

“Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings and emotions”

– Will Smith

Usually, Negative Neils and Nancy’s are born from putting energy into other people. We get so caught up in how other people see us that we allow them to use us. We become their toilet stools, their waste baskets, their garbage. A heaping pile of negative energy consumers. People just dump themselves on us. Their views, their perceptions, and their way of thinking.

Now, these aren’t people who have a stake in your life. These aren’t the people who are there for you, who support you or who believe in you and are trying to encourage you. No, these are people who do the least for you and yet, how they feel about you is more important than how you feel about yourself and as that negative energy is dumped into your lap, you now have nothing good to say about anyone or anything and worse, you now project this attitude to the people around you.

Did you know Negative Neils and Nancy’s can be spotted for miles away? It’s not hard to spot that one person who has something negative to say about everything:

“How’s the weather?”

“It’s nice out but I shole wish it would rain.”

Why you can’t just enjoy the nice weather? It’s gotta rain too?

“Sure glad it rained today, don’t ya think?”

“I guess. Would have been nice if it did all this yesterday.”

When the rain comes, Negative Nancy’s and Neil’s still aren’t happy.

“What’s taking so long? I haven’t eaten anything all day.”

“I got some leftovers I’m about to put on. You can have some.”

“Leftovers?”

Negative Neil’s and Nancy’s are never content. There’s something wrong with everything.

I think we get the point here.

Today, as you strive not to complain, think about what’s causing the complaint. Nine times out of ten it is not you or someone who loves you. Nine times out of ten it is from people who do so little to nothing for you. Don’t let them control so much of your thoughts and feelings. Don’t let them have so much control over you and turn you into a Negative Nancy or Negative Neil.

Sky

Who can regret the wind’s chill and the smell of the air in the spring when the sun sets? I love it when the heavens bleed crimson with splashes of leftover daylight prophesying hints of yellow like screaming oracles; burnt orange clouds cementing inside the belly of the sky. I love the way birds defy the darkness to find refuge in the path of light, soaring on the backs of colors like they were some tangible thing and how beige highlights swing low like sweet chariots. Even the wind rejoices in the sunlight’s shadows bouncing off the concrete. It hopes to capture as much of its essence as possible before it retires into its chamber. Whether you’re driving home from work or sitting on the front porch mesmerized by the brisk wind, the silence of nightfall, and the sky, it’s the little things that bring calm. Let it fill your empty. Turn your distress into dancing, solemn into singing. Good night.

How can we encourage more readers to leave reviews for our books?

Excellent idea from Sally on encouraging reviews. I think some people think leaving a review means writing a literary critique. A small reminder that it is just them leaving their opinion about the book is most excellent.

Author Interview: 21 Questions With Yecheilyah Ysrayl

Today, I’m hanging out with Dan Alatorre. Come on over!

Dan Alatorre AUTHOR's avatarDAN ALATORRE

Your humble host.your humble host

Occasionally on the blog we will talk with one of our author friends, gaining valuable insights into their behind the scene world. Today we meet with Yecheilyah Ysrayl, an extraordinary writer and book blogger, among other things.

Join me as we delve deep – or as deep as we can in 21 Questions; not everybody gives up the goods – with Yecheilyah.

.

  1.  DAN: Welcome to the blog! What is the working title of your next book?

Yecheilyah: Thank you, Dan, for having me. The working title for my next book is Renaissance and it’s Book One in The Nora White Story. It releases in 116 days, 15 hours, 30mins and 40 seconds from now. Not that you care.

  1. That’s more precise than my alarm clock! Tell me, how hard was it to hit that “Publish” button the first time and send your book into the…

View original post 2,053 more words

Introduce Yourself – Introducing Guest Author Hope Destiny

Its that time of the week again!  Welcome to another edition of Introduce Yourself, a new and exciting blog segment of The PBS Blog dedicated to introducing to you new and established authors and their books.

Today I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Hope Destiny. Welcome to The PBS Blog! Let’s get started.

What is your name and where are you from?

My name is Latisha. I write under Tisha as well as the pseudonym Hope Destiny. I live in Orlando, Florida.

The Sunshine state. I love it. Your pseudonym is beautiful. What made you decide on this name in particular?

I was airing out my dirty laundry to the world about what I did when I was younger that I shouldn’t have been doing. As well as the violations I endured and my feelings about my parents. I just didn’t want any family members to know it was me or read it so as I was writing it the name just came to me. I questioned it at first and tried to change it, but God already had planted that seed so it was no way around it or giving it up.

Photo: Latisha “Hope Destiny”. Used with permission.

OK. Tell me, what would your perfect writing / reading room look like?

Quiet. No sound.

To the point, I like it lol.  I enjoy silence myself. I understand you are employed outside of writing? Tell us about your job.

I am a Controller at a telecommunications company.

Cool. What’s your favorite color?

Baby blue.

If you could shadow your favorite artist, who would it be?

Eminem.

OK OK, I see you. Cleaning out my closet was my jam back in the day, Lol. Seems like a lifetime ago. Speaking of music, what kind of music do you like?

Slow throwback R&B.

Yaass! Me too. You’ll love PBS Throwback Thursdays. Let’s talk about writing. When did you publish your first book? What was that like?

May 2014. It was exhilarating.

You Don’t Know My Story: I Don’t Look Like What I Been Through was published in May 2014. (You Still Don’t Know My Story, and Let Me Finish Telling You My Story was published after that and each about 6 months apart).

Part One chronicles my life from a child to the age of 18 years old with the subsequent books from the age of 18 and up. It was heartbreaking to write. I cried a lot. It was hard to recall memories that I had locked up in the attic of my memory to forget and to move on. Then I realized how that only caused the anger that shrouded my heart which in turn lead to failed relationships and failed marriages. I had a wall up. I didn’t love anyone. Not even my own children so it was sad. I gave them things in place of love sort of like I was given growing up. It was an endless vicious cycle that needed to be broken and I wanted…no, needed to break it.

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON.

You Don’t Know My Story sounds like a gripping read. I like that cover too.  I’m gonna have to check you out as soon as I find the time to read all these books! Hope, how long have you been married?

Almost one year.

Awwue! Go ahead Newlywed Lol. (alright now fellas, you heard it here first, Hope is married, tee hee). Children?

Yes. One girl and two boys.

Total preciousness. What takes up too much of your time?

Life obstacles.

Can you explain that?

There is always something that keeps you from doing things that you want to do. I would love to write every day all day but I can’t. I have a job. No. I have a career. While my imagination runs wild with stories and ideas all day, I crunch numbers as it does. I am the main breadwinner in my entire family. So many responsibilities. My parents. My children. Nieces and nephews and etc always needing things and I have to be the one to give it. Granted…everyone (my siblings mainly) had the same opportunities that I had but no one wanted the responsibility of doing what it took to get it. I am the responsible one. Everyone depend on me so I can’t live in my fantasy writer world that calls me. I have to live in the now so what really takes up a lot of my time? The need and want to put others before my own needs and wants. Other people problems take up a lot of my time.

Yea, I can imagine that’s a huge responsibility and some serious stress. Praying for your strength. Speaking of life, what do you think of the world we live in?

Its hectic.

Hope has a lot of reads for you to explore! Visit her Author Amazon Page HERE
What’s the most difficult thing about being a writer? The most exciting thing?

The time to write. Finishing it.

As noted above….time is what I have so little of with a demanding career and family as I have so that is just it…so much to do…so little time….that is my mantra.

Once I do finish a novel, it is euphoric. I have completed a task (a most difficult one) that I had set out to do. It is always exciting to complete a difficult task with very little time.

Indeed. And speaking of finishing, why is writing important to you?

It gets me out of my head.

GET THIS BOOK NOW ON AMAZON

What does that mean?

I am always thinking about stories all day, everyday and scenes and such or an idea pops in my head and I always wrote poetry as a child to deal with a lot of anger and hurt of growing up with parents that were there but not there so writing became an outlet as it has now.

Thru all the hurt and pain I endured from a child and on, I learned that writing takes me places and gives me that release I yearn for. A release from pain and misery and I can make it continue or end.. in a story. In a story, it is a life I really control. The characters life is in my hands and they don’t have to be miserable like I was. It is wonderful.

Thank you for spending this time with us. I am sure you’ve given many new authors some Hope today!

Latisha “Hope Destiny”. Used with permission.

Blog website https://penpointpub.wordpress.com/

Instagram handle authorhopedestiny

Twitter handle athrhopedestiny

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHopeDestiny

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/authorhopedestinywrites/

 
To stay up to date on new releases and giveaways from Hope, text PENPOINT to 22828 and stay tuned for my next awesome author.

Are you a new author? Looking for more exposure? Learn more about my Introduce Yourself Feature HERE.

Virtual Reality

We live in computers
and communicate
telepathically
wirelessly crossing dimensions
the deafening silence of
connections
that ain’t connected
how do you know
if I wrote this poem in my own
tears
or scribbled these letters
with the sharpened edge of my own
backbone
how do I know
that you didn’t throw me a smile
minus the jagged tooth remains
of a dilapitated heart
cause the grass is always greener
on social media
when we live in a world
where emojis digitize
the masks we wear
until our differences melt the pride
and phony personas
hanging off the edge of gravatars
profile pictures and WordPress walls
that captured nothing but smiling faces
and not the lies behind them
because virtual realities
is anything but virtuous
for we hide
behind usernames
and cartoon ourselves
into the people
we wish we were
speak in a language we are too afraid
to utter
outloud
tremble in the presence
of flesh
and bone
too afraid of human connection
to connect
how would you know
if I wrote this poem in my own
tears
or scribbled these letters
with the sharpened edge of my own
backbone
how could I know
If you emojied me a smile
minus the jagged tooth remains
of a dilapitated heart
here, in this place
where we log out of life
to login

Renaissance: The Nora White Story by Yecheilyah Ysrayl

I am off today as usual and I’m actually not at home but I wanted to share the first official review for Nora. A special thank you to Rachel for taking the time to read and review my book. Her honest feedback is just what I need to make improvements before the big day.