Tag: reading

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

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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.

Join The Team!

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Firstly, it looks like I am not going to get to Writer’s Quote Wednesday today. But, the good news is that I am going through my list of email contacts and while I am at it, have decided to share this message with you, my blogging buddies. Since undergoing a change in my first author website (I really didn’t like all the clutter I had going on). I have had to do away with my previous newsletter along with the website but I have finally settled enough to spend some time getting it back up. I am asking if I may invite you to subscribe.

Below is a link to the recent newsletter that went out as of today 10-28. If you like what you see, and you hate spam (I really just get straight to the point) just find the Subscribe button and sign up! I promise these Newsletters are few and far between so they won’t invade your email’s privacy! (Don’t you hate when that happens?) If you decide to sign up please just remember to check your Spam and Junk folders periodically, just in case these newsletters try to hide around in there. For those of you who are subscribed please check your folders if you did not get today’s letter.

I am still working on getting a widget up on the new site, in the meantime visit this link and hit the subscribe button. If you have any problems with the subscription button just comment to this post and I will add you manually.

http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=8c80adcc06970972a9d53f7aa&id=377bd30b6b

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I am extending this to my blog only because of the changes I’ve recently had with switching sites, but I will not always do this. Being a follower of this blog is not the same as subscribing to the newsletter, as there is information I will not always share here. That said, I will not always post the link to the newest issue. This is my first and only time doing it in the attempt to update you all on the change.

FYI: My husband said my cartoon’s eyes looks a little too big in this picture. I promised him all I had was vitamins.

Things Bloggers Need To Stop Worrying About by Elena Peters

As I am accustomed to doing, if I can’t find a re-blog button for your article and I really enjoyed it I’ll share it the old school way: Link up.

So anyway I found this article on Twitter (after promptly following Elena) and I really love what she has to say about what bloggers need to stop worrying about. To her credit I am only going to except a few key points. Please visit her blog for the entire article.

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From Elena Peters Blog

Google/Alexa Ranking
I am no expert and unless you are on this topic or you can afford to pay someone to handle website optimization, you need to stop worrying about your ranking. I am not saying that you shouldn’t use Yoast, add keywords and complete alt tags on your pics. However, I find the excessive obsession with ranking a complete waste of time. I do what I need to do when I create a post and then I step away.

EC – Psst: (This is a good point. Good thing I don’t even know what Alexa Ranking is or Yoast for that matter lol)

Number of Followers
And by this I mean on your blog and all of your social media. I know a lot of people look at my accounts and see that I don’t always follow back. That is because I refuse to get on the follow me and I will follow your back train. You must understand that on some platforms, particularly FaceBook, having a huge number of followers that never look at your page actually hurts you. I personally have seen accounts with thousands of followers and no retweets, no likes and no pins. How did their huge following help them? In reality, not at all.

Automatic follow threads and follow backs do not necessarily bring you more traffic and can be a huge waste of your limited time. If it doesn’t work for you, stop.

Reciprocation
I am here to tell you that you don’t have to read, comment, like, tweet back, pin etc. to absolutely everyone that has been nice enough to do that for you. Unless you have figured out time travel or your days have more than 24 hours, you will never be able to keep that up forever.

Conversely, you need to stop obsessing with keeping track of which bloggers you have done the above for. Be understanding. Maybe that blogger that didn’t read or comment back on your post isn’t interested in your topic or maybe they have a niche of bloggers that they are already committed to sharing with. Don’t keep a scorecard.

KEEP READING ON ELANA’S BLOG

#Book #Review for Stella Book #2: Beyond The Colored Line by Cynthia Brooks

Title: Stella Book #2: Beyond The Colored Line
Author: Yecheilyah Ysrayl
Published: July 27, 2015
Released: August 24, 2015
ASIN: B013PQCKK8
Pages: 64
Rating: 5/5

Genre: Black Literature, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Short Story

Although “Stella: Beyond The Colored Line” is fiction, the racial tone is very real. The setting is within a time when Blacks (Colored or Negro at that time) were trying to find their identity and struggling for civil rights at the same time. Even within the Black (Colored or Negro) community, there was a color division. If your skin was lighter, you were hated by those of a darker complexion, and vice versa. But nothing has changed in these modern times. Blacks are still identifying each other by color, but still struggling to find their own identity.

Stella makes a decision to use her light skin to blend in with the white community to gain status and to become more accepted by “society”. What would you have done if you were in her shoes? Would you go “beyond the colored line”?

This book will make you cry, it will make you laugh, and it will make you angry at times. The theme is easy to follow and it’s a Must Read for all!”

–Cynthia Brooks

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Thanks Cynthia!

 

Purchase Beyond The Colored Line on Amazon Kindle or any of the major eBook distribution outlets. (Click here for all eBook links or to get it in print)

#Book #Review for Stella Books #1 and #2 by Constance Humphrey

Title: Stella Book #1: Between Slavery and Freedom
Author: Yecheilyah Ysrayl
Print Length: 58 pages
Publication Date: January 20, 2015
ASIN: B00T3G2KLE
Rating: 5/5

Title: Stella Book #2: Beyond The Colored Line
Author: Yecheilyah Ysrayl
Print Length: 64 pages
Publication Date: July 27, 2015
Release Date: August 24, 2015
ASIN: B013PQCKK8
Rating: 5/5

Page Turner!

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In the books Stella: A Short Story and Stella: Beyond the Colored Line, YecheilYah Ysrayl discusses a sometimes uncomfortable conversation and reality. The character Stella carries both the burden and freedoms of racial diversities making her story a reality check for some and a hard truth for others. These intriguing stories will most definitely play out like they are on a big screen in your mind, allowing you to want more to relate to Stella as a friend, sister and or Mother, and for some she already is. Eloquently written these books allow you to experience a time where you could have had to live beyond the colored line. May the story of Stella’s hardships and successes continue. These are truly wonderfully written and captivating stories. Great read for those of all ages. Get your copies now, don’t miss out. – Constance Tehilayah Humphrey

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Thank you Constance!

#Book #Review by Anna Kopp “Beyond the Colored Line” by Yecheilyah Ysrayl

Special Thank You to Anna Kopp for this wonderful Review. Beyond The Colored Line is Available now in Print, Amazon Kindle, B&N NOOK, Kobo, iTunes and Google Play.

View this Review on Goodreads

#Book #Review Stella Book 1: Between Slavery and Freedom by Lisa Tetting

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Stella is a story that resonates with me and challenged the sensibilities of people who judge others based on the color of their skin. It starts with Cynthia and her boyfriend Alex discussing the fact that Alex is not as invested in the relationship as she would like for him to be. Cynthia wants him to meet her beloved grandmother Stella, but he is not amendable. They instead go to an after-hours spot to get something to eat and meet up with a friend in the parking lot. It becomes apparent that both Alex and Cynthia strongly dislike black people.

Eventually, after some months Alex agrees to meet the grandma. We are introduced to a charming elderly lady in her 80s who loves her granddaughter, but dislikes the boyfriend. Stella overhears them talking negatively about blacks and decides they need a history lesson, more so for her granddaughter than the boyfriend. We find that Stella was named for her great grandmother who was a former slave. We hear the trials and tribulations that she endured during her life on the plantation, the heritage of her family and how it came to be they eventually became known as a Caucasian family.

Cynthia’s world is turned upside down with the knowledge that she is black and Alex abandons her as a result. The lesson in this is we are all tied together in some way and God did not intend for humans to be separated simply based on skin tone.

After the story is over, the author provides a history lesson for us about the existence of slavery in the North and the misinformation we are prone to believe. She also explains how slaves chose to change their names after being set free with some great examples to back it up. – Lisa W. Tetting, Author, Blogger

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Wanderlust
Books 1 and 2 of The Stella Trilogy are available now:
literarykornerpublishing.com

*Buy 1 Get 1 Free!*

*Buy Stella Book #2: Beyond The Colored Line in paperback and receive a FREE download of Between Slavery and Freedom*