When I works, I works hard.

When I plays, I plays tough.

When I thinks, I falls alseep.

 June 2008

I was listening to an author on talk radio share her experience. She says one agent turned her down and the first publisher bought the manuscript. Bitch! May hair grow between her toes.

Good reviews Yee haa! I never expected such a positive response. Unexpected but welcome. Now comes the task of spreading the word of good reviews. I need a rich benefactor like Gene Kelly in An American in Paris. Maybe I should marry a rich widow. Naa, that didn't work too well for Anna Nicole Smith. I'll just keep plugging away one day at a time.

Thanks to Good Reads Book Club

Thanks to heartland Writers

Thanks to Sisters of Essence Book Club

Thanks to New England Informer

Thanks to San Diego Book Club

             May 2008

   Thanks to Sister 2 Sister magazine.

  Thanks to Georgia Writers assoc.

  Thanks to Alpha Phi Alpha

  Thanks to Delta Sigma Theta

In the mini series Roots, George Stanford Brown  takes his newborn baby, holds him up to the night sky and says, "behold, the only thing greater than you."

 April 2008

Now that the book is finally out the most common question I’m asked is who is Queenie? That’s quickly followed by who they think she really is. The answer is Queenie is Ella, and Sarah, and Sammy, and Sidney, and James Brown, and Little Richard, and Sojouner Truth, and the list goes on. She’s as much Oprah Winfrey as she is Madam C.J. Walker. She’s as much Diane Carroll as she is Dorothy Dandridge. She’s as much James Brown as she is Prince. She’s as much Dr. Cornell West as she is Dr. George Washington Carver. She as much the Little Rock nine as she is the student that faced down the tank in Tiannaman square. She is the underdog that perseveres.

It's the story that proves through adversity there's triumph. Disappointment only exists to show the will to recover is stronger.  I believe it was Little Richard that had a song, I hear you knocking but you can’t come in. That doesn’t mean you stop knocking. That’s the moral of Queenie’s life, that she persevered. She didn’t turn away, give up, become discouraged, or angry, or bitter, she just kept knocking. When life feeds you lemons, make lemonade. She made the best of whatever situation she was in, wherever she was, and whomever she was with. These circumstances would have destroyed a weaker person, yet she found the will to survive. Not just survive, but as the many that came before her and stood beside her, giving up was never an option.

Even after her body failed her, she continued fighting that Steven would understand. Forming the relationship with Queenie and Steven was probably that hardest part about writing this story. They had to connect, yet they couldn’t become too familiar. They had to be intimate, yet from a distance. They had to have envy yet adoration for each other. It has all the elements of a love story.

If Queenie were a real character alive today she’d say things like, everyone missed the opportunity with the Jena 6. The tragedy wasn’t kids were jailed without due process. The tragedy was the kids were not in school. The tragedy was no one took the school work to the boys every day. The nooses were put on the tree to get these boys so excited they would not have their head in a book because the word is power, the word is truth, the word is freedom. The plan was not to hang the kids physically, but intellectually. It seemed the plan worked.

There might even one day be a part two, Steven’s story.

I was recently asked how does it feel to be published? The answer is simple, my perspective has changed. I now see myself as a writer. I now feel like a writer. At work, things that may have bothered are no longer a concern because I'm not focused on the next 20 years at that job, I'm focused on the next 20 books. There's not just a sense of accomplishment and pride, but there is no substitute for the knowing. I know I can do this, all that's left is finding my audience. I went to the Post office to mail review copies and one happened to be in an old photomailer I had lying around. The clerk asked me if i was a photographer? I replied, "I'm a writer."

All things are possible if you believe. Years ago I saw a documentary about this woman in Baltimore. She was laid off from work and was about to be evicted, so she did the only thing she knew how. She learned to bake as a child, so she baked muffins and sold them on the street. She then moved her "business" to the downtown district to catch the early morning professionals. She went to this particular office building every morning to the point the women came expect her and bought her muffins. One woman had a red wagon her child no longer used and gave it to the muffin lady, and I can still see the image of the lady pulling the wagon full of muffins in the early morning light. The board of health closed the muffin lady down because she was using her residence for a business, however one of the muffin lady's stop was the local firehouse. They told she could use thier kitchen and she was back in business. All things are possible to those that believe and put forth an effort. And contrary to popular belief, there are good people in this world that will help those trying to help themselves. Life truly is one day at a time, one foot in front of the other.

Thanks to Sister2Sister magazine.

  March 2008

Finally finshed this book. Finally. Whew. Thanks to everyone for thier patience. I can't put into words the joy of this accomplishment. Makes you just want to sing Ole Negro Spirituals.

So far so good. There's interest and sales. Hmm, how to celebrate? Maybe I'll go get something pierced.

A quick story. The Washingtonian magazine has two issues that stop the city. One is the 100 most powerful people in Washington. The other is how much people in Washington make. This year, some of you may remember the dog Millie, of the Bush Sr. Well the book about Millie the dog grossed $900,000. I'll do that again NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. I'm no Hemmingway but I can write better than a dog. Since word processors have spell check everyone's a writer. I've yet to figure out how she got her paws on the keyboard, but again this is Washington and 4 legged creatures with paws and hoofs type everyday. To this day I have that article.

Kind words are very much appreciated:

    Feb 2008

Just a minor inconvenience. My plans were to have the book available to market with Black History Month. But when dealing with others, sometimes they don't share our sense of urgency. Sometimes the best laid plans go awry and in the end, it is what it is.

My advice to those that choose to take this road is understand marketing is a killer. There's alot to do and never enough time. Pace yourself as not to get burned out early in the process. But if you're not commited longterm, don't start. If you are commited longterm, the rewards can be overwhelming.

People are fascinating. I've have met some truly kind people yet I've also met some that take pride in just being rude. Perhaps they thought thier hurtful words would interrupt my quest. Perhaps they thought thier rudeness would lower my self esteem in turn raising thiers. Perhaps this is just part of the journey I'm meant to travel. Every vessel must turn into the headwind to test it's strength. Today I'm still afloat.

Thanks to Divas Read2 for the support. You know I'm psychic and I'm seeing signed copies in your future. :-)

Thanks again to librarians. You ladies are AWESOME and might I add sexy too ;-)MWAH

           2008 will be GREAAAAAAAT!

I heard a book review on NPR. The reviewer went on and on about the story, then finally ended with, “but left me flat as a pancake.” I guess this reader was not one of the authors 8 people.

I saw an episode of Entourage where Drama is in a TV pilot and is terrified about reading the reviews. It's funny as everywhere he goes a copy of Variety is there almost like it's following him. Finally he reads the not so great reviews and anticipates the show will be cancelled sending him into a depression (hence the nickname Drama). The end shows the public liked the show even if the critics didn't. VICTORY!!

Geez, more drama with this publisher.  I could not be more frustrated and disatisfied. This is yet another delay.

Thanks to Historical Black Colleges.

Thanks to Janae Cox and the crew at WJAB 90.9FM and Alabama A&M for their support.

Thanks to Alabama State Univ. for their support.

Thanks to Albany State University, Albany Ga. for their support.

Thanks to Alcorn State, Alcorn Ms. for their support.

Thanks to Allen University, Columbia S.C. for their support.

Thanks to Bennett College for Women, Greensboro N.C. for their support.

Thanks to Clark Atlanta Univ., Atlanta Ga.

Thanks to Elizabeth City College, Elizabeth City NC for thier support.

Thanks to Fayetteville State, Fayetteville N.C. for thier support and Ashley Smith and Alexander Scott of The Voice newspaper.

Thanks to Livingstone College, Salusbury NC.

Thanks to Morehouse College, Atlanta Ga.

Thanks to North Carolina A&T for their support.

Thanks to Shorter College, Rome Ga. for their support.

Thanks to South Carolina State Univ. Orangeburg S.C. for thier support.

Thanks to Spelman University, Atlanta Ga. for thier support.

Thanks to Winston Salem State Univ, Winston Salem N.C.

 December 2007:

I hope one day to meet Billy Bob Thorton to thank him. Years ago Thornton was on Leno who asked him about his latest movie that bombed. Thornton replied, "If I make a film and only 8 people see it, I made it for those 8 people." I didn't get it then. Boy do I get it now. Art is subjective, some will like it and some won't. And some that won't will have nothing to do with the art itself.  It may not be "thier" style, or thier shoes may be too tight, or they might have just had a fight with the spouse and hate the world. It's all subjective. The point is to do the best work you can and put it out there, eventually it will reach it's target audience. Even if its 8 people, it's worth it.

Thanks to all the Libraries for thier support.

Thanks to Chapter 11 Booksellers.

This process has been with the publisher Xlibris, which I chose because they are a subsidiary of Doubleday. This has not been a pleasant process. The copy I sent to them had 8 errors (yes I missed them), yet the copy they sent back to me had 152 errors. Yes their formatting process created 146 errors in the text and no one saw it. So I took time away from marketing to correct their errors, and the text they resubmitted to me had 8 errors. 8 of the same errors that should have been corrected with the 152.

Now to the cover. I submitted the cover text in font courier new. The cover they sent me had the font of some cheesy romance novel. Then they resubmitted to me a font that, well I’m really not sure what it was. And the first word Memories was twice the size of the second word Vision in the title. WTF!? Why on earth would a two word title have one word larger than the other? I started thinking do these people even look at what they’re doing? This has been a a very frustrating exeperience. I do not recommend this publisher.

    November 2007:

 I've started marketing to independents books stores. I've   decided not to market directly to the big box stores. Books on the shelves of the big box stores don't sell, it's the books on the tables that sell. To get on the tables you must be a former president that's had sex with a white house intern or a former high ranking government official now on the U.S. Supreme Court. The closest I'll ever be to the Supreme Court will be  C-SPAN.

So I'm hoping the indies will be willing to help a brother out. I've gone too far to turn back now. If the book doesn't have atleast moderate success, it's not because I didn't try. Of course I'm promising anything, signed copies, book signings, my Beatles collection, well you get the idea.

• Thanks to the Gulf Goast Writers Assn. Much appreciated.
• Thanks to the reviewers, book clubs, and book sellers that have already requested review copies. Much appreciated.
• Thanks to the San Diego Writers Assn. for the plug in your newsletter. Much appreciated.
• Thanks to all the divas that have shown interest. Much appreciated.
• Thanks to Molly for help setting up the website. Much love.
• Thanks to Gloria at WCLM. I'm no Steven Colbert but I do have a face for radio.
• Thanks to Maine in Print for the publicity. Much appreciated.
• Thanks to the American Urban Radio Network for the interest.
• Thanks to the Midwest Book Review.
• Thanks to the Kentucky Book Fair.
• Thanks Elizabeth and the San Diego Democratic Club. Much appreciated.
• Thanks Lavender magazine.
• Thanks Suzanne and Dear Reader.
• Thanks to the Conversations Book Club.
• Thanks to the Circle of Friends Book Club.
• Thanks for the support of the California Writers Club.
• Thanks to the Hudson Valley review.
• Thanks to all the book clubs that have expressed interest. I hope to thank each of you personally at a book signing at your local bookseller.

     October 2007:

I've written a marketing plan that identifies my  target    audience as  the professional, middle aged, African American  female. I've started marketing to book clubs and associations in my target audience and have received moderate interest. I hear in entertainment (books, music, film) everything lives and dies by the reviews. Well they will come soon enough and be posted here good or not so good. But I've seen big budget productions that got good reviews that didn't do so well. Brad Pitt in Troy, Colin Farell in Alexander, and Nicole Kidman in Bewitched to name a few. So I'm not betting the farm on reviews, more so I just want to get a few copies out there to be read.

To any that have not gone through this process, writing is the easy part. Marketing is a full time job. It really is equivilant to starting a small business with the time, energy, effort, and commitment needed. It's not impossible, but it is an uphill battle competing with the Anne Rice's, Grishams, and Stephen Kings. There's only so much shelf space and booksellers can be very picky. Some days I think it would be easier to sell books out the trunk of my car. I'd park beside the guy selling watches in the parking lot and nab em after they've bought a fake Rolex.

My first lesson learned is persistence is more important than talent. There's garbage on the radio, there's garbage in the theaters, and there's garbage on the book shelves.