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.
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.
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.
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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.
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…
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?
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.
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?
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?
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!
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
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.
They were in total bliss when Jason and Kathy Miller married in June 1985. Like any young couple, they are happy, giddy, and excited to start their lives together. A little too happy for things to be all peaches and cream.
Twenty years and three children later and the fire dies. Once happy-go-lucky, Kathy is starting to feel unfulfilled. The life of a housewife is now her duty where it had once been so much more. It had once been fun. Now that the children are older, Kathy seeks work to rekindle the excitement in her life, but her husband is not pleased.
Jason can’t understand why his wife is so discontent and is unsure of Kathy’s love for him. After revealing that she’d like to start work, Jason is unhappy but leaves it to Kathy to decide. She decides to work, and though it makes her feel like she has a purpose, things do not improve.
When Kathy meets the owner of Giordano’s restaurant where she works, everything she feels she is missing in Jason is handed to her on a gorgeous silver platter. Kathy is feeling Antonio Giordano, and as hard as she tries to fight it, she begins to change, and so does her marriage.
I like how the author lets us into the not-so-good parts of marriage and the realness of Jason and Kathy’s feelings concerning their responsibility in the relationship. The author developed the characters’ persona well so that it is easy to see them as real people. I enjoyed knowing what each person was thinking, how they were wrong about the other, and ways in which they were right.
Kathy is representative of many women who feel differently after children, especially if they are stay-at-home moms and have focused so many years on raising children and taking care of husbands that they forget how important their self-care is.
Jason is representative of many men who also get comfortable in the relationship. Too caught up with work that they don’t realize how they are neglecting their wives in ways they might not be consciously aware of.
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