I'm an author whose 2nd novel Trippin' will be re-released in May 2008. It was a Blackrefer.com Fiction Novel of the year. My debut novel, Bulletproof Soul, was released in May 2005 and re-released in November 2006. I've also written 4 screenplays. I'm an uncomplicated Gemini who believes that meaningful conversations and pursuits are strength training for the mind and smiles and laughter are aerobics for the soul.
TRIPPIN: Seven crazy people in a travel club are determined to get buck wild and enjoy life to the fullest. But during a trip to Vegas, all hell breaks loose when envy, lust, lies, betrayal, greed and emotions explode and they discover there is a serial killer among them. These folks are trippin' -- so sit back and enjoy the literary ride!
BULLETPROOF SOUL: A reporter struggles (often comically and unsuccessfully) with love, life, work, family, friendship & volunteerism while at the same time, her grandmother learns a thing or two about life & love. Cheer them on as together they learn to embrace their bulletproof souls.
SOULS OF MY SISTERS: This is a collection of real-life inspirational stories written by black women for black women. This self-help tome/workbook covers issues like self-image, money management, racism, sexism, abuse, spirituality, family, self-expression, love, aging, illness and death. Included is my essay about a young friend who died of cancer, entitled "Young, Gifted & Dying."
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE playing and watching tennis and I HATE, HATE, HATE that I am not in Flushing Meadows, New York this week experiencing all the sights and sounds of the U.S. OPEN.
I HATE, HATE, HATE that I missed Monday's tribute to Althea Gibson (the 1st African American woman to win the U.S. Open, 43 years ago), who was inducted into the U.S. Open Court of Champions. I HATE, HATE, HATE that I'm not witnessing tennis' super divas, the Williams sisters -- in all their ghetto-fab tennis gear glory. I HATE, HATE, HATE that I can't gawk at the celebs who've been seen in the stands like Janet Jackson, Christie Brinkley, Aretha Franklin, Dr. Mae Jemison, Gladys Knight, Star Jones and hubby, Roberta Flack, Martha Stewart et al. And I HATE, HATE, HATE that I can't try to sneak onto the same courts that were once graced by tennis greats, Billie-Jean King, Chris Evert, Steffi Graff, Lindsay Davenport, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles, Pete Sampras, Borris Becker, Jennifer Capriati, John McEnroe, Arthur Ashe, Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Tracy Austin, etc.
ARGHHH...DID I MENTION I HATE THAT I'M NOT AT THE U.S. OPEN?
Living vicariously through the tennis reporters for Fox Sports on MSN...I've learned some of my fav players won their matches and are advancing to the next round -- Yayyyy to Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Venus Williams and James Blake for wins earlier this week!!!!! Three of my fav players are playing today: go Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena!!! Personally I'm hoping for a Venus vs Serena final face-off for the ladies and a Federer and Nadal final showdown (ala French Open '07) for the men!!!!
Arghhh -- I can't wait until retirement -- I promised myself when I retired I would make a trip every year to either the French Open, Wimbledon, the Davis Cup or the U.S. Open. Forget retirement, I'm going to try to make at least one tourney next year, and yes, I'm taking donations... :>))))
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. ~Les Brown
There was a beautiful, picture-perfect, bright full moon out last night. It seemed so close and so luminous, it's almost as if you could easily reach out and touch it. It really left me starstruck. It was beautiful in every way . . . a perfect ending to a perfect day. Seeing that full moon took me back and allowed me to relive an old fond memory as well as create a precious new memory with the one that will forever satisfy my soul. <3
For those that don't know, there are four moon phases: New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter. A full moon occurs when the Earth, Sun and Moon are nearly in alignment, with the Earth in the middle. A Full Moon is when the moon has reached its zenith and forms a perfect silvery sphere in the sky. The Full Moon phase is known as a time for transformation, fertility, strength, power and love. The phase of the Full Moon lasts from 3 days before to 3 days after the actual full moon.
In case you missed it, the next full moon is predicted to occur on Sept. 26th.
Above is a pic I took last night and below are some great artistical interpretations of full moons and more moon fun. Lots of great moon images can be viewed on FLICKR and at other sites online!(Man...I feel overdue for a trip to a good museum...)
Anyway...enjoy...
The Creation of the Sun and Moon (Michelangelo)
Scarecrow Moon (unknown)
Blue Moon (Stevon Lucero)
Full Moon (Kevin A. Williams, WAK)
Moondance (unknown)
Moon Children (Charles Bibbs)
Moon over Harlem (William H. Johnson)
Ocean Moonrise (Christian Michaels)
Moonlit Ocean (unknown) Moon Dreams (Marta Wiley)
Whimsical Angels/The Mask (Kathy Ostman-Magnusen)
Starry Night (vanGogh)
Moonrise (vanGogh) Madonna and Child on Cresent Moon (Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto)
Hina, Moon Goddess (Paul Gauguin)
The Moon Offering (MontanaRaven)
Flirting with the Moon (unknown)
Moon Energy (Mohan Deep)
The Sun, The Moon and The Stars (Julia Cairns)
Mooning Elf
More Moon Fun
4 Moon Movies Black Snake Moon (Samuel Jackson, Christina Ricci) Man on the Moon (Andy Kauffman) Moonstruck (Cher, Nicolas Cage) Apollo 13 (Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon) Bonus: From the Earth to the Moon (HBO tv miniseries)
4 Moon Songs Full Moon, Brandy New Moon Daughter cd, Cassandra Wilson Fly Me To The Moon, Frank Sinatra Moon River, Audrey Hepburn
4 Moon Books for Adults Over The Moon, MaryJanice Davidson et al (erotica) Dark of the Moon, John Sandford (thriller) Once in a Blue Moon, Lenora Worth (romance) Shoot the Moon, Billie Letts (women's fiction)
4 Moon Books for Kids Shanghaied to the Moon, Michael Daley (teens & tweens) New Moon, Stephanie Meyer (see 8/16 post below) (teens & tweens) The Moon Goes Pop, Ann Twigg (children, audio book) Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown (children)
4 Moon True/False Trivia Questions The Moon is the 8th largest in the solar system? Is there a such thing as a black moon and a blue moon? If the moon were placed on the surface of the continental United States, it would extend from San Francisco to Cleveland (2,600 miles)? An Eclipse is caused when the moon comes between the earth and the sun?
In August 2007, the National Book Club Conference (NBCC)is offering a double dose of literary fun. Earlier this month, NBCC celebrated it’s Fifth Anniversary in Ghana West Africa (Aug. 4-12) with hundreds of booklovers, one of my favorite authors Bernice McFadden (Sugar, Bitter Earth, The Warmest December, Loving Donovan, Nowhere is a Place) and other writers.
Here's a link to Bernice McFadden's blog for Ghana pics.
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Coming up this weekend . . . in Chicago, NBCC will host another conference (Aug. 24-25), featuring Tina McElroy Ansa, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Virginia DeBerry, Donna Grant, Mary B. Morrison, Kimberla Lawson Roby, Lyah Beth LeFlore, Eisa Nefertari Ulen, Terrie Williams and singer-turned-author, Eddie Lavert. The event is being presented by Black Issues Book Review and will be held at the InterContinental Hotel in Downtown Chicago.
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And looking forward to 2008 . . . NBCC will return to Atlanta (Aug. 1-3 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis), with Iyanla Vanzant, J. California Cooper, Carl Weber, Eric Jerome Dickey, Terry McMillan, Omar Tyree, Tina McElroy Ansa, Walter Mosley, Terrie Williams, Kimberla Lawson Roby, actress-turned-author, BERN NADETTE STANIS (yes . . . Thelma from Good Times!), among others. Registration has begun! LITERARY LOVERS OF ALL GENRES WILL LOVE THIS EVENT!
It seems several people are reading Eric Jerome Dickey's latest tome, WAKING WITH ENEMIES ... here's a bit of insight into this best-selling author courtesy of USA TODAY.
Private guy: Readers don't know if Dickey's love life rivals that of his characters because "I keep my personal life personal," Dickey says. (Photo: Curtis Wilson Photography)
5 questions for Eric Jerome Dickey By Deirdre Donahue, USA TODAY
Best-selling writer Eric Jerome Dickey specializes in action. Action in the bedroom. Action with a gun. USA TODAY spoke with Dickey, 46, about his new novel, Waking With Enemies (Dutton, $24.95), a sequel that stars a hit man named Gideon. He's on the run in Europe — with plenty of sexy women after him.
1: You've written 14 hit novels. What's your secret? Conflict. If you don't have conflict, you don't turn the pages. My characters are troubled souls with a lot of inner struggle and outer struggle.
2: Your earlier books Sister, Sister and Milk in My Coffee were more relationship-oriented. Are you getting more gritty? I don't read just one genre, and I don't want to have to write just one genre. I used to write gritty short stories before I was first published.
3: What writers do you like? I just bought these books: The Stolen Heart by Joyce Carol Oates (writing as Lauren Kelly); Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer and Quiet Days in Clichy; William Henry Lewis' I Got Somebody in Staunton; Sarahbeth Purcell's Love Is the Drug; and Kathryn Harrison's Envy.
4: Do friends or family ever say your books shock them? They might have thought that, but no one has said it to me. It's like picking up Playboy and complaining about the centerfold.
5: Would your readers be disappointed if you didn't have the incredible love life of your characters? How would they know? I keep my personal life personal.
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Congrats to Eric for successfully branching out into other genres! My fav EJD books are Between Lovers and The Other Woman, but I will be checking out his latest because I've heard good things about it. How about you? Are you reading Waking With Enemies? Please feel free to share your reviews...
Click here to read an article in USA TODAY about another author's seemingly overnight success story. Author Stephenie Meyers is writing a fantasy series aimed at teens featuring a girl teen whose boyfriend is a vampire. Stephenie's success is starting to rival that of Harry Potter creator, JK Rowling! The 33-year-old stay at home mom's latest installment in her series, ECLIPSE knocked JK to #2 on the USA Today bestseller list. You can also check out a video interview with Stephenie on her book's amazon.com page.
Saturday, August 18th, is the final day to register for SORMAG'S Online Conference. The week-long conference is free and will take place every day, all day online from Sunday, August 26 - Saturday, Sept 1st.
This is SORMAG's 5th annual conference. I was a panelist during the last conference in 2005, and this year I'm giving away copies of Bulletproof Soul and Trippin' as well as Bulletproof Soul tote bags as door prizes to conference participants.
SORMAG, via creator LaShaunda C. Hoffman, was one of the first sites to encourage me as a newly published author. I just want to say it was an honor to be a part of such a well put together online event. Every year, the conference offers a wealth of information that's beneficial to both aspiring and published authors. Plus there will be free book giveaways, a first page writing contest, a chance for story critique feedback, and opportunties to pitch your work via query letters to agents and editors!
Here's a taste of what's planned for the first day:
DAY ONE – NEW WRITERS – SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2007
Panel Discussion: Debut Writers - Roxanne Rustand, J. S. Hawley, Michelle Larks, Jill Nelson, Margo Candela and Carmen Leal will discuss what you can expect when you get the call. What happens after your book hits the shelf? And what they wished they knew before becoming published.
Workshop: Basic Writing - Host: Dee Stewart
Workshop: Plotting - Host: Barbara Custer
Other topics covered during the conference will include: networking, self-publishing, editing/revising, staying motivated, character point of view, marketing, promotion, publicity and the business of writing.
Plus there will be Meet the Agent, Meet the Editor and Meet the Author sessions (featuring Romance, Christian, Mainstream and Erotic authors like Zane, Marissa Monteilh, and Jill Nelson.)
I encourage everyone that reads this post to participate in this worthwhile event. Enjoy and happy learning!
Photo: Paul Scott, St Boniface's Catholic College in Plymouth.
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Last night -- I had a heavenly encounter. I had the chance to witness God at work painting a peaceful masterpiece across His lush firmament canvas. Yep, that's right, I got a peep at the annual Perseid meteor shower that takes place every summer. Astronomers estimated as many as 60 meteors per hour could flit across the sky at the shower's peak. (I only saw 4 -- a sistah got tired -- but I got my wish on! Sadly, I didn't see the rare red glow of Mars.) Watching the show left me in awe and wonder at God's divineness and it reminded me of how small yet connected we all are in this big global universe. If you missed it, not to worry, you can catch it this time next year...or the next...or the next...or the next!
Interestingly...the annual Perseid meteor shower, is also known as "The Tears of St. Lawrence."
Laurentius was a Christian deacon who according to Christian lore, was entrusted with the safekeeping of the Holy Chalice and the Holy Grail. He is said to have been martyred by the Romans in 258 AD on an iron outdoor stove. It was in the midst of this torture that Laurentius cried out: "I am already roasted on one side and, if thou wouldst have me well cooked, it is time to turn me on the other."
(How's that for unflappable?)
The saint's death was commemorated on Aug. 10. and the abundance of shooting stars seen annually between Aug. 8 and 14 have come to be known as St. Lawrence's "fiery tears." Behind the tears
These meteors are actually the dross of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Discovered back in 1862, this comet takes approximately 130 years to circle the Sun. With each pass, it leaves fresh dirt and debris -- mostly the size of sand grains with a few peas and marbles tossed in. Every year during mid-August, when the Earth passes close to the orbit of Swift-Tuttle, the bits and pieces ram into our atmosphere at approximately 132,000 mph, creating bright streaks of light.
If you haven't been watching AMERICA'S GOT TALENT -- you're missing a real treat! There is a young lady on there known as BUTTERSCOTCH and she is hands down gonna take the competition and win the $1 mill prize!
She has a classical jazz singing style, she can play the piano like it ain't no joke and she combines all that with a beat-boxing twist. She looks and sounds like Alicia Keys and beat-boxes like Timbaland. (And did I mention she appears to be doing it all at the same time -- WTH? How she do that? Hee...)
The girl is B-A-D and I'll be first in line to buy any album she puts out. GOOD LUCK TO YOU BUTTERSCOTCH...keep doing your thang, sweetie!
For those of you that have been sleeping...there's a taste above of Butterscotch channeling Lena Horne while performing Summertime. Also, here's a link to her performance last night of My Funny Valentine (one of my all-time fav jazz songs.)
Enjoy -- and get your vote on for Butterscotch every Tuesday night!
The voting process is now underway for the 3rd Annual African American Literary Awards Show to be held September 26, 2007 in Harlem. Be sure to cast your vote for your favorites in the genres of general fiction, mystery, romance, christian fiction, urban fiction, erotic fiction, memoir, television writing, stage writing and more!
Nominees include esteemed authors like Eric Jerome Dickey, Carl Weber, Walter Mosley, Zane, Kimberla Lawson Roby, Sidney Poitier, Tavis Smiley, Barack Obama, Nikki Giovanni, Kendra Norman-Bellamy, Victoria Christopher Murray, TD Jakes, David E. Talbert and Shonda Rhimes.
This morning, I bought my copy of Patricia Woods' LOTTERY and I just read the first page. In a word, it's -- WONDERFUL!
For those of you that don't know -- Pat is a blogging buddy that I encountered for the first time late last year. And she has really made the big time!!!!! Patricia Woods (see earlier post) -- author of LOTTERY -- which was officially released today, made the front page of yesterday's USAToday Life section. She's also been reviewed in Redbook and Good Housekeeping.
Redbook Magazine says LOTTERY "... tickles your funnybone, tugs your heartstrings, and redefines the word 'fortunate' all at once." Good Housekeeping calls LOTTERY "... irresistible ..."
Next stop? The top of THE LIST!!! Congrats to Patricia Woods! I remember her many posts when she was still in the process of looking for an agent. Pat's success with LOTTERY is well-deserved. The 54-year-old first time novelist is the poster child for the belief that NO DREAM IS TOO BIG -- ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
Here's a writing competition that begins TODAY, sponsored by one of the big boys, Simon & Schuster!
The Gather.com First Chapters Romance Writing Competition is a first time author's gateway to publication. From August 1 - 22, aspiring romance novelists will have the opportunity to submit a 1000,0000 word, full-length romantic fiction manuscript for consideration (erotica prohibited).
One novelist will win a guaranteed publishing contract and a $5,000 advance from Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books. Enter from August 1-22. Voting starts August 27.
During the competition, authors will post their first two chapters in the First Chapters Romance Group. These chapters will be rated by the Gather.com community along with the Gather Editorial Team. Five finalists will be selected through two rounds of voting. The Grand Prize Winner will be chosen for publication by a panel of judges.
The Romance contest winner will be announced on October 30, 2007 and publication (in mass market format) will be no later than July 31, 2008.
The winners for the first First Chapters competition which took place in January 2007, were announced in May. They are Terry Shaw, author of The Way Life Should Be, a murder mystery and runner-up Geoffrey Edwards who wrote Fire Bell in the Night, a historical thriller. Both novels are scheduled for release next month. To learn more, check out: Rules and regulations!Q&A
