Friday, December 30, 2005

Catalyst of Change - Not Its Victim







Absolutely no resolutions. I mean it! I will not be making resolutions this New Year. Rather, I will be reassessing my world and its contents, and, where necessary, I will be making changes over the next few days.

I wrote myself a 'get out of jail' card about two months ago. I've flashed it at least two dozen times to avoid doing things I otherwise would be compelled to do. But, tonight, I mentally tore it to shreds. No more excuses. Back to the grind stone, or whatever I must call it, because it is time for me to become productive once again. Time to finish everything that is left on my plate from 2005 -- and that is no small task.

I have a world to create. The world in which my character Cari Pompey resides. I'm in rewrite and I realize that I've tried to put Cari in 'this' world and she doesn't fit. She needs her own world, a world in which she reigns, a world in which everyone else exists because they are perhaps figments of 'her' imagination - not mine. While I might not go to that extreme (note I say might not) at this stage, I do really need to spit and polish it all to a fine sheen before I'm happy.

Within the next three weeks I must deliver another character for sanction or rejection. I really dug her just the way she was. Edit notes after the readers' first read thru suggested that the character was pretty doggone solid, but, there are a few areas that leave gaps that leave questions that are better answered ... you get my drift. I've been trying to get an audience with her, my character that is, especially since we are approaching a deadline, but, well, I'm going to have to force the issue. Maybe I'll approach her with that old "I'm all right, you're all right" line so I can get her off the dime and we can finish putting this project to bed! I've made a commitment to her, though. I've assured her that regardless of where the current project falls (and all indications are it will be very well received) she will see the light of day - one way or 'tother! All I can tell you about her right now though is her name is Rowena. Rowena takes no prisoners and gives no quarters! Truth be told, Rowena has earned my deepest respect!

I won't even go into what else remains. I'll just say June 2006 is far too close. So, no resolutions - just life changes. They just happen to be occurring as the old year ends and the new one begins.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Lorraine and James




If you write you know that there are few things that parallel the rush you get when you receive a notice from a publisher that starts out with "Congratulations!". Adrenaline starts to pump, your hands might sweat (mine do), and you start wondering who to call or email first to share your good news. My first calls are normally to my brother, Leroy, who is a visual artist and therefore shares so many of my same types of creative roller coaster rides, and my sister, Hawice, who is just the very best friend anyone could ever have - ever. In retrospect, they were the first ones to hear me squeal when I received the congratulatory email from Jasai Madden, Editor-In-Chief of the new literary journal Lorraine and James a few months ago.

I was alone, though, when I received my copy of the maiden issue of Lorraine and James recently. No one heard my squeals but me as I danced around my house with delight, not because my work was included in that issue, it wasn't. It won't appear until the Winter 2006 issue. My dance was a celebration of the beauty of this work; its quality and its reach. It is a magnificent journal of global urban literature and if this is its beginning its future could not be brighter. Congratulations Jasai!

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Christmas!

I'll be truthful. I was not prepared for the outpouring of love and friendship that has just flooded my way this Christmas. I thought that apathy had been set in cement some time ago and, other than the pimpish commercialism of this sacred day, the heartfelt sentiment of Christmas from my childhood was just a cherished memory. I'm still reeling from the cards, letters, emails and Christmas morning telephone calls that have proved me wrong!

Of special significance is the close knit group of writer's that have become a part of my everyday life the last three years. There are five of us; Linda Dominique Grosvenor (Like Boogie on Tuesday, The Hamptons, Pretty Boys, etc.), Shelia Goss (Roses are Thorns, Violets are True, My Invisible Husband), Carla J. Curtis (Grip the Rope, A Single Woman's Parenting Journey: Tidbits for Survival) and Cherlyn Michaels ( Counting Raindrops Through A Stain Glassed Window) and me. We have bonded like sisters, sharing one another's victories, battles, woes, almosts, hot dogs and breathless moments of surprise. Look for something very intriguing from four of us in 2006 jointly, but look for the flood gate to burst open for each of us individually as we present you with our new efforts. We feel like we owe you the fruits of the gifts God has given us. We hope when they reach you you'll believe it was worth the effort. Click here for more info!

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Eureka! Help is Here!

Okay Y'all,

Help! I've Turned Into My Mother is officially released and is now available everywhere books are sold! ReShonda Tate Billingsley has crafted a truly heartwarming work and it is topped off with stories about mothers you'll be unlikely to forget from writers like Janet West Sellers (Quiet As Its Kept), Pat Tucker (When Loved Ones Lie), Vanessa Johnson (When Death Comes Knocking), Angie Pickett Henderson, Toschia (You Wrong For That) and several other notables. As I've already mentioned on this blog my story, A Stretch of Prayer, is also included.

So you can pick it up at your favorite book store, or if you're doing your Christmas shopping at home you can order it here: