The Lost Publisher’s Weekly Editorial Review of Renaissance: The Nora White Story

I forgot I sought an editorial review from Publisher’s Weekly two years ago. When I didn’t hear back, I assumed they declined me.

Turns out they did publish the review but I don’t remember being notified so I never saw it.

I know I haven’t blogged much. I have not felt up to it too much.

My focus instead has been on some background maintenance right now.

In addition to the personal things I have going on, I want to seriously focus on advancing my author career and better my writing business from this point forward. As a result, I have been spending less time on social and more time researching and putting an effort toward being more proactive in my book marketing. (Check out this excellent podcast I listened to yesterday on launching your books from the Indie Author Lifestyle Podcast.)

I have been updating my website and preparing for a smooth transition into 2021. This transition includes combing through my email list and social media accounts. I am not a numbers person when it comes to social media. I don’t care how many people follow me. I care how many people follow me that are interested in my content and have exemplified this interest through engagement with me.

In the fourth quarter of the year, I usually go through my lists, and accounts that are spammy or email addresses subscribed to my newsletter that have not been active are removed.

I would also really like to put my older books back up online. Only two of my five poetry books are available, so I’d like to get the other three up. Now that I know how I want my brand to look for poetry, I want them to have similar covers. I would also like to get my first novel back up, The Aftermath (2012), which has had a new cover for years, but I have not got around to getting it edited and republished. I have too much new material I need to invest in first, but Yah willing, I will get to it.

I want to get back to publishing more Historical Fiction. Admittedly, I’ve been lazy because of the level of research required to write in this genre, but my lazy streak is over. I am ready to get back to it. I have not been feeding my #HistFic readers, and I apologize for that. Got ya’ll over there starving.

To the point:

The discovery of this review is a significant confirmation that I need to get back to it. In this browsing of accounts and books, I found the Publisher’s Weekly Editorial Review of Renaissance on Barnes and Noble. I have just added it to the Editorial section of Amazon so it should be showing up soon.

This review is two years old! Sheesh.

Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book 1)

“Ysrayl’s well-crafted historical novel—the first in a planned series—centers on 17-year-old Nora White, the child of black landowners in 1920s Mississippi. Though her parents expect her to attend college, Nora instead escapes to Harlem’s outskirts to pursue writing. She works as servant to a wealthy white woman who, while unpleasant, is benefactor to the writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance whom Nora so deeply admires. Nora meets Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Dubois, and other figures, and she finds a mentor and friend in Hurston—whose outsized personality and charisma are genuinely conveyed. Ysrayl smoothly integrates poetry and literary references into Nora’s narrative, and she writes with awareness of Jim Crow Era laws and racism in the North and South. Chapters told from Nora’s mother’s perspective focus on their turbulent family history but somewhat lack the urgency of Nora’s sections; even so, Ysrayl captures the crackling energy of the Harlem Renaissance. This first installment of Nora’s story offers little resolution, but it sets up an intriguing set of dramatic circumstances for subsequent novels. Ages 12–up. (BookLife)”

Publishers Weekly

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Note: Amazon has this book listed as Book 1 of 1, but please note this is book 1 of 2. I am currently trying to link the books. I thought they were linked but, whatever I’m tired lol. They will be linked soon enough.