Publishing News

 As my nanowrimo writing was taken off, I found an old pamphlet I had written about Advent. Given that I have a writer's mind, I became obsessed with this pamphlet. IT needed some work though.

Fast forward. I worked on the devotional book last week, updating and adding to it.

So now, it is available on Amazon in print and digital. You can access them from my Amazon Author Page.

Needless to say, my nano writing project stalled. Plus I am taking part in an anthology group that will be published shortly as well. I do believe that my writer's block has been broken. For this I am thankful.

The anthology story I am writing brings back a character of mine that has wanted to be written about for a long time and I just didn't have what I needed to get it written.

I can not wait to share more publishing news!

NaNoWriMo 2020

 National Novel Writers Month. I remember the first time I heard about it. I thought it was a joke. Who could possibly think they could write a novel in 30 days? Needless to say, the next year (2000) I decided I would try.

Off and on through the years, I have attempted to write a novel in 30 days. 5 or 6 times I have met the 50,000-word goal. I have not published and in 2012 I was devastated when I lost 2 of the novels I wrote because I failed to maintain a backup.

ALWAYS back up your work in more than one place.

I believe this is the 18th year I am participating. I am excited about it because I found my original notes to one of the novels I lost and I am hoping to rewrite it. Going into this I am FULLY aware that it will not be the same as it was last time I wrote it. In fact, there have already been some serious changes and I am just 2000 words into it.

I encourage you if you enjoy writing to check out nanowrimo.org. It's free. 

For me, the challenge of writing consistently and daily helps with what is typically a chaotic time of year. It helps me keep order and stay grounded. For me that is important. I also tend to focus on my proper priorities more so. After all, in order to average 1676 words a day, there has to be some semblance of a schedule.

Are you doing NaNoWriMo? If you want to connect I am WriterFTJ

If you are on the fence about it, I suggest that you check it out. Look into it. It won't hurt anything. Writers use it for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoirs, and more.

As I am writing I get excited to get to know my characters and meet new ones. I enjoy exploring their world and learning how things work. The whole process brings joy. Plus 90% of the time when I focus on one writing project, several more will pop up or flesh out. Enjoy the process!

Review: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

 Have you ever picked up a book and not be prepared for where it would take you?

Being an individual that feels we can always learn from other's perspectives, I wanted to find a book that calmly shared life experience that is different than my own. (In reality I believe EVERYONE experiences life differently, but I digress.)

ONWARD!

In Between the World and Me, the reader is transported into the vision of Coates. He is responding to questions that his adolescent son has asked, and the responses take you through a journey. A journey that everyone can benefit from by seeing his perspective if only for a moment. Personally I am Southern Italian and Native American with other ethnicities sprinkled. I have experienced prejudice and bullying. I was that teen driving the car in the "wrong" area of town (mind you I lived not far from where I was and a block from where I worked.) I have been called discriminatory names. BUT what I have experienced pales in what Mr. Coates shares.

I appreciate the biographical nature of the book, being that it is what the author has experienced and witnessed. It's matter of fact, yet not cynical. The crafting of the book as a letter has the intimacy of a personal journey which allows what is shared to have a humanization. This view extends beyond Coates and shines on the victims and survivors of racism. With Coates, you are forced to reflect on the singularity, the potential and preciousness of every life impacted by the Middle Passage, Bloody Sunday or killer cops.

Through this weaving of words, Coates issues a call out to those that have benefited by the systemic issues in America to make a change. We are to do better. Our darker skinned brothers and sisters will survive, they are survivors, it however is up to all of us to improve.

I could not agree more with the quote on the cover by Toni Morrison - "This is required reading."

P.S. This book to me harkens to the first time I watched "Boyz in the Hood." It opens your eyes and, if you allow it, it will open your mind.