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Before The Week Ends

Diversify your bookshelf

I just want to share one final thought before I snuggle in for this week and that is to remember to diversify your book shelf. This can be a project we can all do over the weekend. Look through your books, do they repeat themselves? Are there three rows of Toni Morrison on a five row book case? Do you have 300 books and 250 of them are Chit-Lit? Are there 50 Sci-Fi novels all right next to each other? If you fit this criterion, I want you to take every last one of those books off of the shelf and re-evaluate your reading life. Then go to the thrift store, independent bookstore, flea market, library, Wal-Mart or Barnes and Nobles and buy a book that has nothing to do with your interest. That’s right; pick something you can never see yourself reading. Got it? Great. Now you’re ready.

We all have those books we absolutely love, authors we cannot get enough of or just books we can never throw away. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about reading it is the importance of having books covering a full range of subjects. I have cookbooks, medical books, dictionaries, bibles, concordances, and textbooks from back in the day, encyclopedias, journals, literature, urban fiction, poetry, general fiction novels, how-to books and the list goes on and on and I just think you should kinda be like me in this respect.

When you expand your readership to cover a range of subjects it broadens your perspective and opens you up to a whole world of experience right there at your fingertips. It also helps you to learn. Have you ever wondered how people can go to prison and come out scholars? It started by reading and reading and reading on a wide range of subjects. Sure I love history, specifically African American History. I also love poetry and black literature and literature in general but if these are the only kinds of books I have around my outlook is one sided. I will be limited in my way of thought and miss so much knowledge in regard to those other great topics out there and the information these authors have to offer.

6 Tips To Hook A Reader on Page One

This is really good advice. I’m going to print these bullet points out and check off a list 🙂

Carly Watters, Literary Agent

I’ve read thousands of “page ones.” Very often I don’t read page two.

Sometimes all I read is that first page and I make judgements based on what I see there. As an agent and a reader my practice is that if I’m not connecting with the material I move on–and quickly.

I wish I had time to give writers (and their books) more of a chance but I can tell a lot by one page: sense of dialogue, setting, pace, character, voice, and writing talent–yes, usually all from one page. Five at the most.

So how are you supposed to get us past one page?

6 Tips To Hook A Reader on Page One

1. Learn how to balance what readers need to know vs. what you, as the writer, want to tell us. I can sense a writer who is trying to show off very quickly. It really only takes…

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Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Jahnavi Chintakunta

This week has been great so far in the writing world. It’s my first week in Blogging U’s Writing 101 course! I’ve met a lot of new bloggers, followed a lot of them, and am really enjoying the process of networking the blogosphere overall.

Anywho, in honor of Writing 101, my Writer’s Quote Wednesday quote is from an Indie Author I met named Jahnavi Chintakunta at Recharge Your Day:

I like this quote because there’s a duality about it. On the one hand its just funny and yall know how silly I am. I also like it because it’s real. It does not sugar coat the truth. Writing is hard work and without the motivation, the discipline, or the drive to keep at it, it can easily fall by the way side. The other side to this quote, for me, is that it’s a subtle reminder not to allow these things, TV, and social media, to become such a distraction that it prohibits us from writing. When it does, it becomes time to cut off or separate that distraction until the work is done. I do not believe it is an option, but separation is mandatory when something becomes a hindrance if we are serious about staying focused on our writing endeavors. Speaking of life, Chintakunta is also an Indie Author! You can find out more about her book at the end of this post. In the meantime, here’s more about her.

About Chintakunta

From https://jahnavichintakunta.wordpress.com/:

“I’m a stay at home Mom, a former IT professional, a writer, a toastmaster, a book worm and an Indian who moved to the United states. Above all, I am an eternal optimist who wants to spread good cheer”

Jahnavi Chintakunta is a stay at home mom with a wide range of expertise. Electrical Engineer turned Software Professional turned Author, Jahnavi Chintakunta, believes in simple solutions for problems, small or big.

Gold medalist in Electrical engineering – Postgraduate degree holder from a prestigious university – Manager in an IT bellwether- Chintakunta is a Techie who traveled around the world. While trying to connect the dots of her life, she found that the one thing which encompasses all her diverse credentials is the vast experience she gained fighting against all odds to achieve her dreams. A bibliophile with a flair for writing, she sought out to share her knowledge with the world. Thus her first book ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’ is born where she shares a simple remedy to all the maladies of life.

About Ctrl+Alt+Delete

When a computer is not responding, what do we do? We press Ctrl+Alt+Del. Similarly when your life is going nowhere, then do a Ctrl+Alt+Del. It is a 3 step process where you move from Controlling your emotions to Altering your perception to Deleting the problem.

This book contains the details of the Ctrl+Alt+Del process with simple practical tips to deal with any tough situation in life. It alters your perception of life and motivates you to get the best out of your life. You can thrive in your life irrespective of your current situation. However tough your situations may be, as you begin looking at the positive aspects of your life, you will not only begin to appreciate your life, but you will also find a way to emerge as a winner.

Ctrl+Alt+Delete is available now on Amazon.com.

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That’s it for me. Yall be great.

Writing 101: Assignment #2 – Write a List –Things I Learned

1. I’ve learned that music is better than medicine, and that the sound of laughter is better than music.

2. I’ve learned to be humble in confidence, but courageous in character.

3. I’ve learned that to love and to be loved is the true measure of success.

4. I’ve learned that goals must be directly related to purpose.

5. I’ve learned that childhood is precious; things actually don’t get better after 21.

6. I’ve learned to respect elderly women as mothers, men as fathers.

7. I’ve learned that to fall and to overcome is better than to not have known struggle at all.

8. I’ve learned to appreciate the small things first, the insignificant, the lowly, and the taken for granted.

9. I’ve learned that with great authority comes greater responsibility.

10. I’ve learned that everyone has something to teach me.

#8: Respect Award

Thank you Lisa for paying it forward, as you always do, by nominating me for my 8th Blog Award, The Respect Award. I am truly honored about this award in particular because it’s something I strive to extend everywhere I go. I do not hesitate to give and it sometimes perplexes people but it is real. I’ll give you the shirt off my back if need be because that’s just the kind of person I am and its not fabricated. I strive to keep it real at all times and to give the same kindness and the same peace to everyone around me while at the same time remaining firm. I am kind but I am not naïve , thus discipline and firmness is just as critical to me as being a peacemaker only because these are the qualities of a good leader. In short, I appreciate you appreciating me and I hope that I can continue to display the same kindness to all of my bloggers in general; those who follow this blog today and on into the future.

Here’s a little history on The Respect Award:

The Respect Award was created by Robert Goldstein, who says:

“The “Respect” Award is my personal award for fellow bloggers who consistently reach out to other bloggers, offer support, are kind, struggle to understand differences in people, and who treat themselves and other people with kindness and respect. You don’t have to do anything for this award. You can choose to copy the Award Picture and give the award to the people who have earned your respect or you can do nothing. This is my way of saying thank you. You have earned my respect.”

Writing 101 – Assignment #1: Why I Write

I bleed words for a living. How did this come to be? At what point did I decide that I would write? That I would be a writer. Since I have always loved to write, it is challenging to pinpoint the exact moment I felt compelled to confide in words as a source of strength. My life has not been perfect in childhood, and having attended eight different schools before High School, I developed a love for reading. Ah, there it is. I write because I love to read. There are deeper reasons why I write but this is the starting place. Reading has always been my foundation. I could not trust in people so I trusted in books. Ironic isn’t it? For authors are people too. Nonetheless, by the age of twelve I developed a love for stories. Understand that my love for stories and my love for reading are two separate occasions. I have always, and still do, love to read. But it is that moment I took notice of how stories were written that I began to love stories. The emotion of the characters, the surrounding landscape, and even the way the words tippy toed across the page fascinated me. I wanted to be part of this process on a level that went deeper than reading. I wanted to become an architect of this kind of skill and just like that I began to write stories of my own.

Today

Today my love for writing and my purpose for doing so have spun into greater depth as I have experienced many different things, traveled many places, and interacted with many different people as opposed to when I was a girl. I write today not so much to merely entertain, but to do so while also educating. I write to free individuals from the limited ways we tend to think and to feel. I hope to provide a kind of “edu-tainment”, a made-up word meaning to educate through entertainment. Everyone wants to learn but it does not have to be dull. We all wish to enjoy ourselves as we learn and I hope that my books can provide and has provided this kind of nourishment. In short, my reasoning for writing has developed but at its core it has remained the same. I love writing because I love reading and every book I read is inspiration to write.

Stella Book #3: Book Cover Reveal, Blurb, Release Date

Title: The Road to Freedom – Joseph’s Story
Author: Yecheilyah Ysrayl
Release Date: Friday, February 12, 2016
Event Details: TBA

Cover Reveal:

Cover Design by Melchelle, Copyright © Melchelle Designs

Blurb

Wealthy and clueless are just some of the words Joseph uses to describe his family. Deeply concerned about the state of Black America, a fight with his brother compels a young Joseph to leave his mother’s house and join his friends for a trip to Atlanta for SNCC’s (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) second conference. Excited to live life on their own, Jo and his friends have left school and the lives they were living for a chance to become part of the movement. With no money and essentially no plan the seven friends, three black and four white, set out for the road when they are stopped by a racist cop who makes them exit the car. The teens are unaware that a mob of Klansmen also awaits them at the New Orleans bus terminal.

Find out in the 3rd installment of the Stella Trilogy how Joseph and his friends discover the truth about themselves in the Jim Crow south on The Road to Freedom.

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That’s right people. Promotion for Book #3 of The Stella Trilogy has officially begun! I want to give a special thanks to M.S. Fowle, digital artist for Melchelle Designs for the excellent cover. I’d been searching for a long time for a cover that would capture my vision for this book and I’m so happy to have come across Mel.

Fundraising for this release will start soon and your support would be most appreciated. Until then, be sure to grab your copy of Beyond The Colored Line. All proceeds will go toward the release of The Road to Freedom.

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The Stella Trilogy is Almost Complete!

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