Tag: blogging

Embedding Amazon Previews on Your Website

Nice.

Harmony Kent's avatarStory Empire

Hello, SEers! Harmony here 🙂

Recently, I had to update my webpage to reflect a book release due out soon. I realised that I had forgotten completely how to make the book previews that I’d done for my other books, lols. So, good old Google came to the rescue. Then I thought that it might be useful for folks if I outlined the process of Embedding Amazon Book Previews into your website here. If you know all this already, then of course feel free to ignore me! The other benefit of sharing this is that, in writing it all out, it might actually embed in this brain of mine! (Miracles have been known to happen.)

Happily, unlike donating digital gifts (including ebooks), this feature works on both Amazon UK as well as Amazon US. Yay! (Sorry, but being in the UK, that’s one of my gripes, ha ha.)

Anyhooooo …

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Don Massenzio’s Author Challenge: Where Do You Write?

Last Tuesday one of my favorite bloggers, Don Massenzio, posted a fun challenge for authors called: “Where do you write?” This is my post in support of the challenge, though, it’s not nearly as fun as his! (Like, who can beat Homer Simpson??)

OK so here’s an overview. I will do a close-up of everything and try to make this interesting. I do warn you though. I’m a nerd and not very exciting.

So, yea, that’s the basic work-space there. I work from two computers. Or, I did until my desktop stopped working. Boo. Now it is the holder of my sticky notes (see pic below).

These notes in particular are notes on Renaissance, Book One in The Nora White Story. Book One is finished but I’m writing book two and need to make sure I don’t contradict myself.

These are my awards! I received the glass one in Atlanta last year. It was a gift from my readers and supporters and a wonderful surprise. It is not something I won as a result of a contest or anything like that but I cherish it more because it came from the most important group of people out there: readers!

The standing one is an award I received for my work as a member of my women’s organization Blessed Handmaidens in honor of  hard work and dedication.

Poster-sized image of The Road to Freedom! I got this blown up at Walmart and keep it in front of me as I work. It helps to keep me motivated. I also take it down and use it for any book signings for this book. Under it are some envelopes that somehow found themselves in the picture.

On the PC is a YouTube video of Shahrazad Ali doing interviews for The Blackman’s Guide to Understanding the Black Woman, one of my favorite books. It wasn’t supposed to be in the picture either. I think these inanimate objects have a life of their own. I wonder what they are doing when I’m not looking….

Another thing I do for inspiration is blow up pictures of some of my favorite book reviews or the ones that give me the most hope. I appreciate your book reviews! If they are really moving, I will put them on a poster. This one is by Colleen Chesebro on Beyond the Colored Line. It says:

“Even more revealing, is how relevant Stella’s story is in America today. I wonder how many people, faced with the same dilemma’s that Stella dealt with, would be able to reconcile their feelings about their own ethnicity. Stella’s story helped me to discover connections with my own family I never had before. It just proves that even in my own family, nothing is ever just black and white.”

This one is from Anna Kopp on the same book. It says:

“If I had the power, I would put this book in the hands of every middle school child in America and let them truly understand what it means to be beyond the colored line. The thing is, the literary classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Huck Finn definitely bring up the issues of race, but they’re incredibly removed from what is portrayed  as in today’s world.”

And now, what we’ve all been looking at. The Bookshelf!

Well, one of them.

This one is filled with mostly research material.

The other one is in the living room and that’s where most of my novels are.

We just moved so there are some books missing. Here’s a close-up of what’s on the shelf.

The top shelf is biblical reads:

Bibles (starting with the gigantic one on the end there with the black man’s face on it) Apocrypha’s, The Book of Enoch, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha’s, The Book of Jasher, the 1611 version of the King James Bible, and the Scriptural Translation published by the Institute for Scriptural Research in South Africa.

The next shelf is Black Historical reads. Let’s see what’s on the shelf:

A Pictorial History of Black America.

Roots. I have no idea what happened to the cover but the book is old. It’s the original 1976 version my husband got from….I don’t know where he got it from but I’m glad we have it.

The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. I’ve had this book for a long time as well (and the Book of Josephus is on the wrong shelf. That’s a biblical read. Well, Historical too but it is out of place. Again, these things are moving around on their own. I am sure of it).

Black Spark, White Fire.

The Miss-education of the Negro, Willie Lynch Letter

From Babylon to Timbuktu.

The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey, The Eyes on the Prize: Civil Rights Reader, and….The Dead Sea Scrolls? I gotta organize this ya’ll lol. Wrong shelf again.

Remembering Slavery, Introduction to Black Studies, From Slavery to Freedom, Bullwhip Days and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry which should be on the bookshelf in the other room where the novels are.

The Blackman’s Guide to Understanding the Blackwoman, Negro Slave Songs in the United States, and Medical Apartheid.

The Strong Black Woman in American Life and Culture, Black Man’s Burden, The Isis Papers, and

100 Years of Lynching

20170410_102105

This could go on forever. To the bottom…

The next to the bottom of the bookshelf is the controversial shelf. More research, Masonry, Fallen Angels, The Watchtower and the Masons, Secret Teachings, Dictionary of Angels, etc. All the “Forbidden Knowledge” type stuff. So, yea, that.

I was in a play two years ago at The Dusable Museum of African American History. Yea, it was awesome. The program and tickets are also hanging on the wall for inspiration:

I think I’ve showed you everything. Oh, wait! The Calendar. My husband went out and got me a calendar after seeing way too much yellow…

I’m kinda obsessed with sticky notes.

I admit, they are everywhere.

And of course, throughout this tour of my office one thing remains:

Coffee! Lol

And water. See. I have water too. So, yea.

That kinda justifies it. ; )

So, authors, why don’t you join us? Show us your writing spot! It’s  a fun challenge and helps you connect more with your audience. Be sure to check out Don HERE for details.

Introduce Yourself: Introducing Guest Author Colin Guest

Welcome back to 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 Colin Guest. Welcome to The PBS Blog! Let’s get started.

What is your name and where are you from? 

Colin Guest, from England.

What would your perfect writing / reading room look like?

I like writing while sitting on the sofa, which I find less stressful than at my computer desk.

I feel you. I love the big comfy couch in my reading room. What is the most annoying habit that you have?

Being sarcastic.

Lol. Are you employed outside of writing?

No.

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What job do you think you’d be really good at?

Working at a Wild Animal Rescue/Rehabilitation Center.

Aww. I love animals. I really really want a dog. Do you have a dog? Any animals?

Until moving to Istanbul when I married age 72, I have had several dogs, and three parrots. As dogs are not allowed in apartments here in Istanbul, I had to leave my dog Oscar with a friend back in Kemer, nr Antalya, where I used to live. I see him each time I go down there, and pay his vet bills.  I have adopted a Tiger named Jasper from Care For the Wild/ Born Free for the past ten years, with my wife and I having a cat here in Istanbul.

A Tiger? Wow! What skill would you like to master?

Writing.

There are so many aspects, right? What skill do you think you’ve mastered?

Quality control of inter fit-outs to high-class projects.

Cool. In your own words, what is love?

Love is something you feel when you meet that someone special in your life.

Awwue. I’m definitely feeling the love up in here! If you had unlimited funds to build a house that you would live in for the rest of your life, what would the finished house be like?

Eco-friendly.

I know that’s right. Gonna get a little personal here, what’s your favorite drink?

Vodka Tonic.

Alright now! I’m scared of you.  Now, blogging, does it help you to write?

I like to think so.

What’s your favorite color?

Blue.

Who is your favorite writer? 

Le Child.

What kind of music do you like?

Many, but I like Jazz.

Ohh me too! Give me a glass of wine with some Jazz in the background and I am good. Now, inquiring minds wanna know, when did you publish your first book? What was that like?

  1. It was a great experience.

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Who is your best friend?

My wife.

Awwuee! Tissue! How long have you been married?

4 years on 29th March.

Happy anniversary! Do you have children?

Yes.

What takes up too much of your time?

Writing and spending time with my wife.

Lol! Wait, how you gonna butter her all up like that then come back with this. I hope you not sleeping on the couch tonight Mr. Spending time with your wife, sheesh.

What do you wish you knew more about?

Writing and good books.

What small things makes your life easier? What makes it difficult?

Being able to phone and have meals delivered to the house. The over-crowded roads.

I feel you. Home delivered meals sounds nice. Colin, are you a political man?

Not really, but I am more of a Conservative.

What’s the most difficult thing about being a writer? The most exciting thing?

Getting publicity for what I write. Satisfaction on completing, having it edited and publishing my books.

Why is writing important to you?

By writing, it gives me satisfaction that others might learn something by reading my books.

I love it. What do you love about yourself?

My understanding of what’s what.

What don’t you like about yourself?

I get angry about the lack of thought by others.

Lol. Whew, Colin you’re something else. What genre do you write in?

Fiction & Non-fiction.

In your own words, what is truth?

Truth is what too many people and politicians don’t know the meaning of. You cannot trust a liar.

I know that’s right.

Thank you, Colin, for spending time with us today, we enjoyed you!

Colin Guest, a retired Englishman, is married and living in Istanbul Turkey. Colin has written three books: An Expat’s Experiences of Living in Turkey, Follow in the Tigerman’s Footsteps, sub-titled the Adventurous Life of an Expat, a memoir and Terror Holiday. He is presently working on a short fiction book and a romantic novel.

Colin also enjoys writing poetry, with several of his poems doing well in contests. As a result of one poem read out at a festival, he was so taken by the reader that he is now working on preparing an audio version of his memoir.

When Colin has the time, he enjoys reading books by Le child, Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler and Eric Ludlum.

You can find out more about Colin at https://colinguestauthor.com and htps://tigerman74.wordpress.com and the other  links below! Go show him some love.

Twitter: @TigermanGuest

https://www.facebook.com/tigerman55

https://www.pininterest.com/colinguest9

https://www.google.com/+ColinGuest

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9857414

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-john-guest

https://www.tigerman74.wordpress.com

Home Page

https://wwwcolinguest992@gmail.com

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

Black History Fun Fact Friday – Mary Seacole

Mary Seacole was born Mary Jane Grant in Kingston, Jamaica in 1805. A mixed raced woman, her mother was Jamaican and her father Scottish. In her autobiography Mary referred to herself as Creole. Legally, she was called a Mulatto, a term equivalent to Negro or Colored. In fact, Colored is a term that originally meant one of mixed race before being widely accepted as something to which to refer to all blacks. Although retaining its name in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, in Britain it was the accepted term for black, Asian, or mixed-race people until the 1960s.

In any event, I find it interesting that blacks are the only people whose nationality changes in such a way. We have been and are called: Colored, Negro, Mulatto, Creole, Black, Afro-American, African American and of course the N word. Blacks from different eras literally have different classifications on their birth certificates.  These are not nationalities. These are bywords, proverbs, and mockeries.

Nevertheless, Mary was a nurse in the Crimean War and learned from her mother who was also a Nurse and worked in a boarding house nursing soldiers. Mary’s mother was also what was considered a traditional healer. Traditional healer usually refers to the use of natural herbs and earth grown roots that are used instead of modern medicine. It combines knowledge, skills, and practices based on beliefs, and experiences of different cultures.

In 1836, Mary married Edwin Seacole, a naval officer who sadly, died in 1844. I imagine this was hard on Mary since her mom died shortly before her husband.

Mary traveled a lot which I love considering I also love to travel. She visited other parts of the Caribbean, including Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas, as well as Central America and Britain before her marriage. On these trips, she combined her knowledge of traditional medicine that she got from her mom with European medicine and after her husband’s death remained in Kingston where she spent time in Panama nursing during the start of the Cholera Epidemic.

Mary-Seacole-photo_1_1

In 1853, Mary applied for the Florence Nightingale’s Nursing Team at the start of the Crimean War but was refused. Instead of giving up, Mary went to the location anyway with her own money and came to assist in the healing of people at the military hospitals and distributed remedies for cholera and dysentery.

Mary also opened the British Hotel near Balaclava in 1855 which served also as an officer’s club and served food. Using the Hotel as a foundation, Mary loaded mules with food, wine and medicine and brought these to the battlefield to help the soldiers. She received special passes that allowed her to look after the wounded and the dying.

Mary Seacole
Awwue! She was beautiful!

One of the things I love about Mary’s story is that it does not end badly as many stories do. When she returned to London she was bankrupt because of the soldiers who ran up tabs at the hotel, but newspapers started a campaign to help raise money for Mary backed by money funded by the British Army. In 1857, her autobiography, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, became a Bestseller and the Seacole Fund helped her to live comfortably in Paddington, London, until her death in 1881. All the good Mary had done to others had been returned to her.

Movie Night Friday – Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit

The Dog EC Hired to Help Host Movie Night Friday.

This isn’t my favorite movie (It’s actually been a long time since I’ve seen it) but it is one of those coming of age movies I liked growing up. While I don’t like everything about it, like all the movies I enjoy, it does combine elements from some of my favorite things. Before we get into some of what I love about it, let’s get a quick glance at what this movie is about.

Wikipedia:

In this sequel, Las Vegas performer Deloris Van Cartier (Whoopi Goldberg) is surprised by a visit from her nun friends, including Sister Mary Patrick (Kathy Najimy) and Sister Mary Lazarus (Mary Wickes). It appears Deloris is needed in her nun guise as Sister Mary Clarence to help teach music to teens at a troubled school in hopes of keeping the facility from closing at the hands of Mr. Crisp (James Coburn), a callous administrator. Can Deloris shape the rowdy kids into a real choir?

As you can see this is a sequel but I am not a fan of the first one. I’m not a Christian/Catholic and I just wasn’t moved. I think what made me enjoy this one though is the element of the youth being involved. To me they literally made the movie.

Letters to a Young Poet – The first time I heard of Maria Rainer Rilke was watching this movie. It’s funny because in the example Deloris used to encourage one of her more rebellious students (Rita played by Lauryn Hill), she used an example in which she talked about writing. saying:

 

“Don’t ask me about being a writer. If when you wake up in the morning you couldn’t think of nothing but writing, then you’re a writer.”

She was comparing this to the young woman’s desire to sing and that if she wakes up wanting to sing, then she’s supposed to be a singer. Not only did I believe what Deloris said (that if I woke up and all I could think about was writing then I’m a writer) but I also went out and bought the book when I grew up. (You gotta understand I was only six when this movie came out and didn’t see it until I was a little older). Sometimes I would watch the movie just to see this one part. Since I thought about writing, I knew she was talking about me.

Comedy – Of course, I love Whoopi’s comedy in the movie as well as the other women playing the nuns. I love to laugh and will rarely pass up a movie that gives a few chuckles.

Music – One of my favorite things about the movie is obviously the music. I loved hearing the kids voices and watching them transition as the choir began to take shape. And of course ya’ll know they jammed at the end.

Investing in our Youth – Just the fact that the movie is about someone taking the time to invest something positive into the lives of children is a huge plus for me. Now, it’s no Lean on Me but its still cool. The students were, as the description calls them “rowdy” when Deloris first met them. Talking back and playing cruel tricks on their teacher. Largely Black and Hispanic, the children live in the community and are barely being taught as the school does not have enough money for books. In fact, the school is in danger of closing down due to a lack of funding and of course, this will displace the children to schools in other districts. I liked seeing the different personalities of the children and seeing how they grew throughout the movie. With a passion for singing it is possible that they could be the first in their families to graduate and do something with their lives they never thought possible.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“If you wanna go somewhere, if you wanna be somebody, then you better wake up and pay attention. Cause the world out there don’t care how cool you think you are or who you kick it with. It don’t matter. If you don’t have an education, you don’t have anything and that’s the truth honey.”

“So because you think they sang it better, ya’ll are ready to leave cause you got scared…Let me remind you of something OK? If you wanna go somewhere and you wanna be somebody you better wake up and pay attention because if every time something scary comes up you wanna run, ya’ll are gonna be running for the rest of your lives.”

Sister Act 2 Trailer (even though to me they didn’t really show the good parts lol)

90s Throwback Thursday Jam – The Notorious B.I.G. – “Juicy”

Ya’ll know this was the song back in the day. (Fun Fact: Biggie’s mom, Voletta Wallace, said in a documentary that Biggie was a good guy and that he didn’t really struggle like that growing up lol)