Tag: wordpress

So Far So Good

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Today was a good day in the writing world and I didn’t even write! This morning was crazy busy as I strive to finish the last minute details for my upcoming signing and tend to house duties as well. As I was preparing dinner, I got a text from my sister stating that my GoFundMe goal has been met. For those of you who have been following me, you know that I am raising money to assist with my Book Signing in Atlanta in about a week. So any who, I am very excited to see that level of support pouring my way and to know that all of the money I set out to raise is done. Not only is it done but I raised more than I set out to.

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The promo sale is also doing well so far. I set out to reach the Top 100 and according to last hour I was at #17 in the Amazon Kindle African American Historical Fiction section. So it appears I have exceeded my expectations in another area. Of course, the numbers fluctuate so this is only the beginning. I ask for your continued support in keeping me at the top as we get closer to Launch day. I also want to thank everyone who have been supportive of my work so far. All of the re-tweets and Facebook / Blog shares are monumental. As I put in this footwork on the ground, I ask for your continued online support.

Now, time for me to get my grub on.

TheWalkingDead-S6cast

Oh, and BTW, The Walking Dead comes on at 8:00p CST, just saying.

99 Cents to Help Me Launch!

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Help Me Launch for just 99 cents! Pre-Order Stella Book #3 on Kindle before the price goes up! You have until Wednesday, February 24th. Your downloads will help me to move up in rank. I’m trying to make the top 100 before Launch Day!

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(Don’t look at me like that, yes I said Top 100. I believe in setting reasonable goals. Gotta crawl before you walk!)

As of today, Friday, February 12, 2016, there is exactly 2 weeks left before The Stella Trilogy is complete. The early reviews are vitally important to authors like myself and your support is greatly appreciated. While you can’t leave a review now, here’s what you can do to help spread the word about this book:

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Just spread the word! (you were waiting on something fancy huh? lol hee hee). Let your friends know they can download Stella Book #3 for $0.99! They will have from now until Wednesday, February 24th  to pre-order the Kindle Edition at this price. Don’t have books 1 & 2? Don’t worry! Request the first two books in the series free in exchange for an honest review.

Throwback Thursday Jam – Another Again, John Legend

This is always on the playlist when my husband and I hit the road and we know its going to be a long drive.  Groove into your Thursday with this smooth sexy jam here….lol

Two Weeks Before Book Launch

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I can’t believe its two weeks before launch day! Where did the time go? In just a short while, I’ll be wrapping up The Stella Trilogy with the release of the 3rd installment. I’m excited but I’ve been keeping things pretty chill. So here’s what’s going on.

Editing

I was excited to see that my editor sent me the copy of the final edit last week. There was a lot that needed to be changed and some things I just completely took out. I am so grateful for the revision process and the extra set of eyes. I think my ARC readers are going to really enjoy the revised edition.

Ebook Formatting

I have decided this time around to pay for professional eBook formatting! I don’t want my ebooks to keep looking like: who did it and why did they do it? So, while I have the basic understanding of how to format, I think its best to let someone more experienced handle it until I can perfect the skill. I am really excited about this change and should be getting the newly formatted manuscript back this week.

Print Book Proof

I am always very excited about my print book proofs! This is the final FINAL check where I get to read the book in its print book format for one final run through. I am expecting the mailman to deliver me the copy sometime this afternoon. Of course, I’ll do a FB blast when it arrives (that one part where I stand in front of a poster and hold the book up like I just made The New York Times Best Sellers List).

Photo Collage

I am thankful for all of the people who have submitted pictures so far for my Stella Photo Collage! Or at least the first one (I’m sure more pictures will be taken in ATL). I’m going to wait until a week before launch to put it together though. I want to wait until almost the last minute for the collage because I don’t want to miss including anyone’s picture.

Atlanta Event

Primarily, I’ve been focused on the Atlanta Stella Book Signing Event taking place in ATL the end of this month. It will be a combination of my Book release for Book #3 and a book signing for all of the books in the series. I am using these two weeks to finalize my Power Point Presentation and pick up the decor for the event. Which, interestingly enough, seems to be a lot bigger than anticipated. It wasn’t exactly an event per se at first but I actually have a staff now (special thank you to the six women who have come forward to assist me on the ground!) I am also going to be in a play the day following the signing which is keeping me busy. As we get closer to the date, we are rehearsing more. I am now in practice four nights a week. Speaking of which, I need to buy more coffee.

Future Works

The funny thing is that while I have this book coming out, I’ve been focused mostly on the next project. I’m reading so many books I can barely keep up and the research itself has been mind-blowing. I would tell you more about the project itself but its somewhat on the low right now. I will say it is another short story and I think Stella’s going to get a run for her money on this one! In the meantime, I am considering a Stella Book Tour to help keep me busy as I write this next story. What do you think? Would you like for me to visit your town?

Harriet Ann Jacobs – Our Self-Published Ancestor

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By now many people are familiar with Harriet Jacobs, the African American writer who escaped slavery in 1842 after hiding in an attic above her grandmothers home for seven years. Harriet’s testimony was one of the many inspirations for the first book in my Stella Trilogy. Stella, like Harriet, was born a slave but did not know it as a young girl–not until after her mother died. But that’s not all Harriet and Stella have in common. Harriet’s biography “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” was also a Self-Published book back in 1861, under the pseudonym Linda Brent.

Critique a Piece of Work – “A Raisin in the Sun”

I love experimenting with symbolism and imagery in my writing and in my poetry. Last year, I participated in a Writing 101 assignment that asked us to Critique a Piece of Work, in which I shared my thoughts on Gwendolyn Brooks “We Real Cool”. I thought that would be fun to experiment with again today.

Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” is the classic play by Lorraine Hansberry that was performed on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. A Raisin in the Sun is a piece that is loaded with symbolism.

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To start, heat from the sun is very intense and it drains just as much energy as it gives. It is exhausting and causes death to those who cannot escape a temporary refuge away from its obvious danger. While some sunlight causes plants to grow, too much sun can be destructive.

Raisin

Raisins come from grapes that are dried out by the sun. The sun sucks its moisture and nutrients until it has withered dramatically. However, dried grapes writhe and get small, but they do not turn to mush and rot. (Which is totally awesome. I love raisins!)

A raisin in the sun is symbolic of a family’s dreams under the intense struggles they must endure to reach it. It symbolizes that the family’s dreams and hopes for a better life will never dry up, but more importantly, their dreams will never rot despite the intense struggles they are under.

The Plant

The plant that Mama keeps near the apartment’s sole window is barely surviving because it lacks adequate nourishment.  Yet she is completely dedicated to the plant and lovingly tends it every single day in the hopes that it will one day be able to flourish. This is by far the play’s most overt symbol because the plant acts as a metaphor for the family.

Cockroaches, Rats, etc.

These creatures heavily reinforce the Younger family’s undesirable living situation.

Sunlight

Hansberry writes about sunlight and how the old apartment has so little of it. The first thing Ruth asks about in Act Two, Scene One is whether or not the new house will have a lot of sunlight. Sunlight is a symbol for hope and life, since all human life depends on warmth and energy from the sun. Light is also symbolic for truth. It is the truth that truly sets a people free.

 

A Cam Newton Quote

Let’s go Killa Cam!!

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“I’m an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing they can compare me to. It’s like here I am, I’m doing exactly what I want to do, how I want to do it, and when I look in the mirror, it’s me. Nobody changed me, nobody made me act this certain way, and I’m true to my roots. But yet people are going to say whatever they’re going to say.”