I am finally settled and have some much needed catching up to do. I don’t even want to look at my TBR pile but reviews will start trickling in here again pretty soon.
Instead of having to search all your wonderful blog posts, I thought I’d open the opportunity for you to share them with me. Help me to catch up with you by sending me your post links. Just comment on this post with a link to your most recent post or the one you’d like me to see. Now, I know Halloween just passed but I don’t do Holidays. I think I should put that on out there. I am not particularly interested in that but anything else you’ve been up to is cool. If you have a new book out, send me the link to that too so I can tweet you out. Just as long as you’re patient, I should be able to touch base with most of you (depending on how many links there are.) Let’s have some fun.
I look forward to seeing what you all have been up to in this crazy world we live in. Chat soon.
Peace
-EC
Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including her soon-to-be released short inspirational guide “Keep Yourself Full.” Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at yecheilyahysrayl.com. Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is her latest novel and is available now on Amazon.com.
It has been a while so I thought I’d take these few hours I have here to update you all. I have been and still am to an extent out of the loop. Life pretty much happened.
That said, pull up a chair! Which would you prefer? Coffee? Tea? Water? I also have Almond Milk. I’ll go grab the cups while you take a seat on the sofa.
*Walks into the Kitchen, grabs drinks. Walks back into the living room*
I’ll just sit this on the oversized coaster here. There you go. Comfortable? Good. Let’s begin.
If we were having coffee right now I’d admit it’s been a challenge getting back to this blog. I am in the midst of a big life transition (no worries, good things…we’ll talk about it later) and it’ll be a few weeks before I am settled in enough to get back to my regular schedule. I will, however, be checking in every now and again with some articles and throwback Jams. I am actually drafting an article now. I am doing lots of travel and am for the most part without internet most days so it’ll be a while before I can post it. In the article, I’d like to address the #TakeAKnee protests taking place, among other things, and the importance of staying focused. I am feeling that people are not paying attention.
If we were having coffee right now I would tell you that I am closing the Book Review Registry until I can catch up. I have not been doing much reading during my time away (as I wanted to) and still need to start on some books I committed to reviewing. No worries though. Book Reviews will return on this blog soon. I have a few books I’ve finished that I just have not had the time to sit down and write a review for. When I do, I’ll be scheduling those posts. Again, it may be rare until we are settled but I’ll be posting things every now and again.
If we were having coffee right now I would remind those of you who are authors and are interested in being interviewed on this blog in my Introduce Yourself Feature to emailme your questions. Though I am on and off with this blog at the moment I can still schedule interviews when I am near a connection if I see your questions in time. To learn more about my Introduce Yourself Feature, click through to the original post HERE. The feature is free and the authors featured so far have seen positive results (some have even sold books!)
If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that I am working to release a book this fall, time permitting. Keep Yourself Full is a thin book and won’t have a big launch. It is something I am putting out to keep you encouraged and charged. A combination of the most inspiring posts on this blog as well as some new words of encouragement built around the concept of Self-Love. It is a reminder that self-care nourishes the quality of our life and makes us fit to be of service to others. It helps to keep us grounded and to care about something greater than ourselves. The book is just about finished and I am hoping to set a date real soon.
In the meantime, you can read Keep Yourself Full free when you sign up to join my Advanced Review Team. CLICK HERE to join. I’ll be sending the team’s copy over to read in the near future. To learn more about this book, see a previous post HERE.
“You don’t have anything to give that you don’t already own. Keep yourself full.” – Yecheilyah
(*I am looking for serious readers only for the ARC Team. Anyone who proves inactive (offering me no feedback) will be removed from the list so please be sure you have the time to invest in this before you sign up. *)
If we were having coffee right now I would say that life pretty much slowed me down for September but that I hope to be back in the swing of things for October. I have not been doing much work outside of writing (we’ll talk about that more later as well…focusing on one task at a time and balancing family and work life to be more productive) and will be looking to catch up on some of your blog posts. I’ve been staying in the loop via social media but I haven’t been able to participate in much beyond my mobile device. That said, if you haven’t seen much of me know I am at most times without internet outside of my phone but that you’re in my thoughts.
As you all know, I am preparing to go away from the online scene for awhile. Before I do I am running an eBook sale on Renaissance for any of you who’ve been waiting to get your hands on it. From now through Wednesday, August 23rd you can get it for the low price of 99cents.
About.
When seventeen-year-old Nora White successfully graduates High School in 1922 Mississippi and is College bound, everyone is overjoyed and excited. Everyone except Nora. She dreams of Harlem, Cotton Clubs, Fancy Dresses, and Langston Hughes. For years, she’s sat under Mr. Oak, the big oak tree on the plush green grass of her families five acres, and daydreamed of The Black Mecca.
The ambitious, young Nora is fascinated by the prospect of being a famous writer in The Harlem Renaissance and decides she doesn’t want to go to College. Despite her parent’s staunch protest, Nora finds herself in Jacobsville, New York, a small town forty-five minutes outside of Harlem.
Shocked by their daughter’s disappearance, Gideon and Molly White are plagued with visions of the deadly south, like the brutal lynching of Gideon’s sister years ago. As the couple embark on a frightening and gut wrenching search for Nora, they are each stalked by their own traumatic past. Meanwhile, Nora learns that the North is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Can Gideon and Molly overcome their disturbing past in time to find their daughter before it’s too late?
From the most recent review:
“I’ve never felt more at home when reading a book until I read this. It felt like I was in history class, but I actually learned history. You know what I mean? A teenage girl aspiring to become a writer during the time of the Harlem Renaissance – that’s literally what’s going on. Within that, there’s life. Life of her, life of her parents, life of people around her. I have to say that this is my first time reading something that I had a COMPLETE grasp on. I understood everything from how they spoke to how they thought. Very impressive in my opinion. I don’t only recommend this, I think this is something that can be read in class.” – Amazon Customer Review
ARC is short for Advanced Review Copy and my ARC Team is a group of amazing men and women who have jumped on the bandwagon to be among the first to read my work before it releases. In fact, I have just sent them the first four Chapters of Book Two in The Nora White Story to help me to make some changes.
I am looking to grow my team and am looking for individuals who are interested in one or more of the following:
Black / African American History
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Coming of Age
Women’s Fiction
If you enjoy reading books along these lines (or are interested in trying something new!) I’d love to have you.
This program gives you free access to my work in exchange for your honest reviews and feedback. As an ARC / Beta reader, you get to help me to improve my writing by telling me what works and what doesn’t. If at any time you do not want to review or offer feedback, you can email me or unsubscribe at any time. While you are under no obligation to assist, your silence in regard to what doesn’t work literally does nothing for my growth. That said, I am looking for readers who are honest, kind, and genuinely intend on being active members.
The duties of an Advanced Reviewer are as follows.
Read the manuscript within 2 – 3 weeks of receiving it
Offer any feedback you feel I need to know in the form of an email.
Post an HONEST review of the book on Amazon, Goodreads and any other retailers you like.
Since you are receiving an ARC Copy (unless you have already bought the book) it’s important that you place a disclaimer at the front end of the review so that it’s published on Amazon: “I received a copy of this book as a gift from the author” is a good example.
If you are interested CLICK HERE to sign up. I’d love to have you!
What a pleasant surprise. Just found out this blog is listed on Reedsy’s Best Book Review Blogs of 2017. Neat. ☺
Important:
If you would like me to consider reviewing your book, please register your book through my Book Review Registry HERE. I do not accept unsolicited submissions.
(I always use a disclaimer at the front end of any review to books in which I have not bought / given as gifts. Bought books that show as reviewed on this blog, of course, does not have the disclaimer and does not count toward the ‘unsolicited submission’. I know, this is obvious information but you never know.)
Failure to register will automatically disqualify you from consideration. You must register your book if you want me to consider reviewing it. Emailing me your book does not count.
“It’s not just because she reviewed my novelette, All Good Stories, and gave it 5 stars, I’m writing about her because she gives great (and helpful) reviews. In a market, so full, it’s hard to choose what to read, isn’t it? We really need reviews these days that go beyond the minimalistic, “I liked it,” to know what we’re investing our money in. Because money doesn’t grow on trees. Neither do books anymore, for that matter.”
(To support the authors featured on this blog (or those who have been featured in my email), go to my Indie Author page here. All reviewed books are listed there. Introduce Yourself Interview Authors will be listed soon.)
The PBS Blog 