tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16158247053820671942024-03-20T08:11:41.079-04:00DH BookloversDonna Hill's resting spot... all things books and reading, all the time... join us.brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-72386450615461420822017-10-22T23:34:00.000-04:002017-10-22T23:34:08.687-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xNiCHm2TGuAJpIA7e3-b6rkZxW1qGxTHTkUU5n7tddreXF19_Rxgynwn2eJI1sZ67k-B1EDLeOMPirxQxN9qwLklFyuGfTRnpkMetKBVS_ZsnctRUqXLfnvk_MkWLjVpPWZmZUmH-Zw/s1600/when+I%2527m+with+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xNiCHm2TGuAJpIA7e3-b6rkZxW1qGxTHTkUU5n7tddreXF19_Rxgynwn2eJI1sZ67k-B1EDLeOMPirxQxN9qwLklFyuGfTRnpkMetKBVS_ZsnctRUqXLfnvk_MkWLjVpPWZmZUmH-Zw/s320/when+I%2527m+with+you.jpg" width="202" /></a> Writing about Rafe Lawson's pending wedding to Avery Richards is one of the hardest romances I've had to write since <i>A Private Affair</i> (Quinten and Nikita). "Cause I have to find a way to marry off the character that I have truly fallen in love with!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Im-You-Lawsons-Louisiana/dp/1335216707/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1508729503&sr=1-4&keywords=donna+hill">When I'm With You</a>brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-50845162020286635182012-08-10T16:23:00.001-04:002012-08-10T16:23:03.571-04:00Writing Between the Sexes by Leigh Michaels Great article on how to write male and female characters. Follow the link below. <br />
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As a writer do you have these gender issues? As a reader have you notices the gender problems in books?<br />
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<a href="http://ffnp.blogspot.com/2012/07/writing-between-sexes-by-leigh-michaels.html#.UCVtSHQMBfw.blogger">Writing Between the Sexes by Leigh Michaels</a>brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-39084665040916986432011-09-26T10:23:00.000-04:002011-09-26T10:23:35.708-04:00More Than a Book Club<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Authors understand that book clubs are our lifeline. Support from book clubs can make or break a book. But is it just getting together and reading books? SistahFriend Book Club founder Tasha Martin has the answer.</span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. Tasha, SistahFriend is so much more than a book club. When and why did the idea for the club begin?</span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks, Donna. The group was founded in 2004 as a response to my desire to reconnect with and meet women who shared a passion for reading and needed a little self-care retreat.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. Do you remember the first book club book choice?</span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Oh, yes! It was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brown Sugar 2</i>, a collection of short-stories edited by Carol Taylor. It’s still one of my favorite anthologies and I still follow many of the authors who wrote for it. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. How does the club decide on which book to read?</span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Each branch has a host for the month that chooses the book of the month. We push diversity, so each member gets a chance to choose a book. However, we gossip about good books so you may see more than one branch reading the same book.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. When did you know that you had to expand and what steps did you take?</span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">I knew we had to expand once we created our website and started receiving inquiries to join from a broad range of places, like Japan. Our first step was to incorporate until we attained non-profit status, since we’re big on community service and empowerment. We are currently a 501(c)4 with a board of directors and national officers.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. How many chapters do you have now? How many active members? </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">We have 7 chapters and close to 50 members.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. What are some of the initiatives that SistahFriend has undertaken and why? </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">We are big on community service, so each branch participates in service according to the need in their community. A current one is the Extreme Couponing Faceoff in Columbia, SC, our founding branch. The entire branch sold personal items at a local flea market to raise money. Two members then split that money into 2-$30 gift cards and decided to do a friendly competition and see who could stretch the money the farthest. All items will be donated to Sistercare, a local charity for women and children survivors of domestic abuse. </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Another initiative was the African-American Literary Festival, held in Columbia, SC in 2010. It was a free event to the public that promoted literacy in the family. We had featured author sessions, vendors, and a children’s corner. We even had a Pink Diamond Award Ceremony where we honored a few of our favorite authors, including our honorary Sistah Donna Hill, for their work in the world of literature.</span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">A big initiative is our national anniversary celebration hosted in January. We provide a literary and empowerment retreat for our members. It is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the </i>SFBC kickoff event for the year that we hope empowers our women for the following twelve months. Next year we’re planning a cozy retreat in the mountains with the theme: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mystery in Pink</i>, where we’re reading a suspense and doing activities under the sub-theme: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unraveling the mystery in me.</i></span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. How do you keep your members involved and interested? </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">We have many avenues for them to be involved: monthly book retreats, online communication, phone links, social gatherings (branch-wide) and national retreats. We try to offer new and exciting member-only promotions and perks every once in a while to keep the excitement peaked.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. How does the club support authors? </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">One big way is that each of our branches chooses its own book of the month, and each member has an opportunity to host a meeting. We do this for reading diversity. Also, we encourage author visits to branches, including online chats. We also invite authors to our biggest meeting of the year, our anniversary celebration in January. The same tradition will continue when we host our 2<sup>nd</sup> African-American Literary Festival.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. Do you have a criteria for membership? Can anyone start a SistahFriend chapter?</span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">The main criteria for membership are an appreciation of literacy and dedication to service. We encourage any woman or group of women to open a chapter, provided they meet the earlier stated membership requirement and have a spirit of entrepreneurship.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. What suggestions could you offer to someone wanting to start a book club?</span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encourage them to research what’s out there first, then figure out what you do and do not want to happen in your club. Next, develop guidelines and a marketing plan. Finally, know that it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i>work. Plus, for it to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">work, </i>you have to believe in what you’re doing—another crucial marketing principle.</span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. One of your current projects is a Cookbook. Tell us about that. </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">We released the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SistahFriend Book Club Perfect Parties! Cookbook</i> this summer. It has nearly a hundred recipes from members across the U.S., from drinks to signature dishes. A few include: Bahamian Macaroni & Cheese, Cajun crawfish dishes from the southwest, and the SFBC’s signature drink, P.D.’s (Those who’ve had it, know what it is ;-)<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. How will you use the proceeds from the sales of the cookbook? </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Proceeds will support our network as well as community outreach.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. What is the club reading now? </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">To name a few, the virtual branch is reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Soul to Take</i> by Tananarive Due. A few of our sites are reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Exposed</i> by Naomi Chase, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dancing in the Street</i> by Susan E. Smith, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fourth Sunday: A Journey of a Book Club</i>.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. What's next for SistahFriend? </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">That is a very good question. My hope is that we continue to expand and provide quality literary and empowerment retreats for women. We also plan to expand further west in the U.S. and in neighboring territories.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Q. How can readers find out more about SistahFriend? </span></b></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">They can find more information about us at </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.sistahfriend.com/"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">www.SistahFriend.com</span></a></span><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> , facebook: /SistahFriend, and twitter: /SistahFriend</span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks so much Tasha! Here’s how you can purchase the book. </span></div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #d5a6bd; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(213, 166, 189); color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Purchases can be made at: </span><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.sistahfriend.com/shop/"><span style="color: black;">http://www.sistahfriend.com/shop/</span></a></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xf0hG_Otx07tOa_8xcfBBKam1jsrJUbcN_6dNTqUQLOVWnDvK4jwnItN_r9KEeCF-HFPWeA0sAGjlGaUtinJu7HZ-EVzU2RbE5hvU6kYWRKdPjIuknEDmgQpUqm7S4Wz7cK_GVoy21k/s1600/sistahfriend+logo+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></span></span></a></div></div>brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-34222202993873720852011-09-16T12:45:00.001-04:002011-09-16T12:47:04.939-04:00AUTHOR BETTYE GRIFFIN CHATS WITH READERS<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Hi Bettye. Thanks for taking time to chat with me. I have the greatest respect for you as a writer and contemporary and now as an entrepreneur in the publishing industry. I know the readers will be inspired by your journey.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVo8RBEiqCtRtaok6AEnDvTm1v2X-7VBmZZmWiwSFi34oRGIjVLgiLUPqOWWljfKvaYJZOtR-JdDzdurZnIEw6rPxrjwCou7QNQz7WY7ZC0HUwLcFE8bqGQv1GuKGAAj94eWHhtN56O0Y/s1600/Bettye.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVo8RBEiqCtRtaok6AEnDvTm1v2X-7VBmZZmWiwSFi34oRGIjVLgiLUPqOWWljfKvaYJZOtR-JdDzdurZnIEw6rPxrjwCou7QNQz7WY7ZC0HUwLcFE8bqGQv1GuKGAAj94eWHhtN56O0Y/s1600/Bettye.JPG" /></a><span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Your career as an author began many years ago. “Back in the day,” as the kids would say. Tell the readers about your very first deal. How and when did it happen? </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Donna, thanks so much for your kind words. Not to turn this into a syrup-fest, but I’ve admired your work for many years. You were one of my earliest influences back when you were writing for Odyssey (remember them?) and I was still dreaming of getting my work published.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">About my first deal, it was soooo long ago, but I remember submitting the entire manuscript of my third effort (after two rejections) to Monica Harris at Arabesque. Months and months went by, and I began to think that I’d had the bad timing t submit before an extended sick or maternity leave, or before she took another job. I then learned it was the latter scenario, so I patiently waited while the editor chair was filled and the new editor went through what had to be a mountain of manuscripts. After another two months I called the new editor (Karen Thomas) to follow up, only to have her say she was just going to call <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me.</i> She wanted to buy my manuscript. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Long Last Love</i></b> was published in late 1998.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Incidentally, I did get to work with Monica Harris. Years later she edited one of my mainstreams, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If These Walls Could Talk</i></b>, on a freelance basis during a period when the editor’s chair at Dafina was vacant. She said some very nice things about my work that I still remember.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Since you began, how have you seen the publishing industry change? </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Most of the changes have come in recent years. People have always self-published, but with the development of print-on-demand and the eBook, it is easier and more economical than ever…and profitable, too, so more and more people (only some of whom are skilled writers) are doing it. Also, many independent bookstores closed (remember the black bookstore?) as the superstore chains expanded, and now I think the trend might be reversing as superstore chains close stores, but it won’t be easy for the remaining indie stores to stay open, either. Booksignings have become rare, too, but literary events still allow for personal interaction between readers and authors.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNdPghbB3gPd9xZVHIwgK34XxZOQCpuMNAhkYgbvt3Pgu9dGORCai6a_jyrk62sLQftI1n7880Maijlh61N3k-w5hDxb7K5f1VbwNwJPFGYsvVdT2R8QvPePrJLw99HNmhhbGRURgnnY/s1600/OOO+eBook+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNdPghbB3gPd9xZVHIwgK34XxZOQCpuMNAhkYgbvt3Pgu9dGORCai6a_jyrk62sLQftI1n7880Maijlh61N3k-w5hDxb7K5f1VbwNwJPFGYsvVdT2R8QvPePrJLw99HNmhhbGRURgnnY/s200/OOO+eBook+cover.JPG" width="133" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. How have you had to adjust your writing and your focus to adapt to the new literary landscape—if at all?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I’ve pretty much always told the stories I wanted to tell, and of course now that I don’t have an editor to answer to that won’t change. Even though connecting books about members of the same family are popular, I never wrote them because I just don’t care for them much. Likewise, books today are containing more sex because readers seem to love it (sometimes I wonder, isn’t anybody out there getting any, teehee?), but I let the placement of sex scenes be dictated by the storyline, not because I feel I have to have a sex scene in the first 50 pages or risk losing readers. I hate to sound so blatantly unfeeling; I do care about my readers’ satisfaction, and I try to please them by writing entertaining stories. But the way I see it, if I don’t enjoy what I’m writing, what’s the point in doing it in the first place? I like money as much as the next person, but I’m not a hack.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. During your years as a published author with a major publishing house, you at some point decided to take your career into your own hands and embrace technology and e-books. What led you to this decision?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I had a story I believed was just charming that my agent was unable to sell. The storyline just wouldn’t leave me alone, so in 2009 I started Bunderful Books (my husband’s first initial is also B., and our last name is Underwood, so I was going to call it Bunder<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wood,</i> but then did a little finagling) in 2009 I wrote the damn thing and published it myself as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Save The Best For Last</i></b>. My intent was to publish any stores I couldn’t sell plus my backlist, since I’d already been dropped by Arabesque in 2007. When Kensington dropped me as well in 2010 (good thing I’m not sensitive about these things), Bunderful Books became my primary outlet. My agent has since gotten my rights reverted to me for all ten of my Arabesque titles, although my six mainstreams are still owned by Kensington.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. How has that transition worked for you so far?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">As they say, it’s the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> way to fly! The clincher was when I approached an editor at St. Martin’s about the book I had wanted to write for Dafina when my editor there, who loved it, was unable to convince the powers-that-be to offer me another contract. I knew it was a great story, and I was thrilled when the editor at St. Martin’s replied within a week and asked to see a partial. After a reasonable three months I requested an update with no response. After four months I asked my agent to get involved, again with no response. After six months I wrote a letter withdrawing the project from consideration (and stating I felt it was pretty tacky for her to ignore my and my agent’s polite requests for updates). That experience pretty much soured me on traditional publishing. My thoughts were, who needs this sh*t when I can just do it myself? (I hope to have the eBook of this story out next spring; it’ll be my first indie published women’s fiction title.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Which of your titles have you personally uploaded as e-books?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">All of the ones I have published myself to date: Original titles <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Save The Best For Last</i></b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Heat of Heat</i></b> are available in print and eBook format, and my first backlist title, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Love of Her Own</i></b>, and my 3-book bundle of the aforementioned titles are available in eBook format only. Learning the correct formatting was challenging, but I think I’ve got it now, and I now write my books with the same template.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Are these all original titles or are they your earlier books or a combination of both?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">To date I have independently published two original titles, one backlist title, and one collection of all three. My next two books, both coming out this fall, will consist of one original title and one rewritten backlist title.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Did you form an actual business (publishing co) in order to market and distribute your e-books?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">It wasn’t necessary for me to incorporate. Filing for a legal fictitious name with the state of Wisconsin, where I live, which was sufficient for my purposes; my little operation is hardly Random House. My distribution is handled through various eBook sites, and all of my profits are paid to me under my legal name, so I don’t have to bother with setting up a business bank account. Some people skip that step altogether and simply publish under their own names, i.e., “Mary Smith.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. What tools did you find most helpful in converting your books?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I keep it simple with MS Word formatting. I had help from Mark Coker’s free eBook available at Smashwords about formatting eBooks. I have since learned that the Kindle does not indent new paragraphs that fall on the top of a page, so I now use block formatting with an extra space between paragraphs to keep everything clear for the readers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. What is your most recent book? Can you tell us a little bit about it? Whet our appetites.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iJbCwWGfaiouZPwng6I_yg7kDuF1hyphenhyphenuzkaYqWRPUpX5FSbGwqRCZgEQz2aNuvIzgfLYsEVkuUHE0tbO4B3RJGwoVuX54ZytVI-i0IMaJB44hmnF9hWgBsF0MMHnyED2p-9w9A2ohkso/s1600/AKOADC+eBook+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iJbCwWGfaiouZPwng6I_yg7kDuF1hyphenhyphenuzkaYqWRPUpX5FSbGwqRCZgEQz2aNuvIzgfLYsEVkuUHE0tbO4B3RJGwoVuX54ZytVI-i0IMaJB44hmnF9hWgBsF0MMHnyED2p-9w9A2ohkso/s200/AKOADC+eBook+cover.JPG" width="133" /></a><span style="color: black;">I’d rather tell you about my upcoming original title, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Kiss of a Different Color</i></b>. This is, as you’ve probably guessed, an interracial romance. The premise is of unemployed physical therapy assistant Miranda Rhett, who out of desperation leaves her home in Racine, Wisconsin, to take a job in the employment-rich state of North Dakota, specifically Bismarck. When she gets there she pursues her lifelong dream of ballroom dancing and pairs up with a charming recent transplant from Minneapolis, Jon Lindbergh. In an unexpected turn, Miranda makes wonderful new friends in a wide multicultural arc, to the point where she has more of a social life in Bismarck than she did in Racine. She also finds herself falling for Jon, whose family history of four generations of failed marriages has made a non-believer out of him. His primary interest seems to be hooking up with someone to spend a cold North Dakota winter with. Miranda doesn’t believe in pursuing failure, plus they learn they have the same employer, who in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal instituted a no-dating rule among employees on different rungs of the corporate ladder. But with those magical sparks that pass between them every time they look at each other, and with an average high winter temperature in the single digits and frequent dips below zero, what’s a girl to do?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Readers often think that writers are only writers but there are so much more to them. When Bettye is not in writing mode what is a typical day like for her?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Bettye is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i> in writing mode, or promotion mode. Aside from that it’s the usual stuff most women without kids at home do. I dust, vacuum, defrost, cook (a particular favorite), pay bills, pull weeds, plant flowers, watch old movies, etc. This being Wisconsin, where the temperature is currently 43 degrees at 10 in the morning, I do try to limit my trips outdoors during the coldest months to two or three times a week. The thing I’ve learned about a typical day is that there <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> no typical day. It seems that something always happens…I could be sitting working with my laptop (or taking a bubble bath) when my husband calls and tells me he forget his Blackberry and can I bring it to him…or, if he’s feeling romantic, invite me to lunch, or the newspaper editor will call and remind me my column was due three days ago, or the doctor or dentist’s office will call and tell me an earlier appointment just opened up if I can get there in half an hour, etc.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Is there a book or an author’s body of work that sent you on your journey as a published author?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Not really. I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was very young. But you, Donna, were one of my she-roes, as was my husband’s cousin, who wrote romance novels under the name “Ebonie Snoe.” Books about contemporary black people were rare prior to the early 1990s; the only books that were published were about slaves or sharecroppers or people being persecuted in the 1940s or 1950s. Real depressing stuff I personally couldn’t relate to.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. When you are not writing, what kinds of books do you like to read?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I’ve become an eReader fanatic, and right now I’m discovering some talented unknown writers (Tiphanie Thomas and Erin Kern, to name two) who sell their books in the popular price range. The only way I will spend more than $3.99 on an eBook is if it was written by a traditionally published author whose work I really enjoy. Women’s fiction is my favorite, with intelligently written romance (in other words, without stereotypes or wildly improbable situations) a second. By the way, Donna, your <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What Mother Never Told Me</i></b> blew me away. It was told in a breathtakingly beautiful, lyrical fashion often not seen in books today, many of which paint no visuals whatsoever but merely tell everything.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. What are you currently working on now?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I was hoping to publish the eBook version of my 2006 romance <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One on One </i></b>this month, but I moved up a pivotal scene that ended up changing the dynamics of the entire story, requiring much more extensive rewriting than what I planned on (I’ve been married long enough to have forgotten how sex complicates things among uncommitted lovers). I might still have it ready to go, but it will most likely be mid-October, depending on my editor’s schedule. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Would you advise authors to do their own thing and bypass traditional publishing and do e-books instead? If so, what steps do you recommend that they take?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I’m not much for giving unsolicited advice, but I do recommend it highly. I can only scratch my head when authors continue to look for someone to publish the numerous manuscripts they have stockpiled, since true writers write whether they have a deal or not. I’m already hoping I live long enough to see my entire idea file come to life as completed books! Some writers just prefer to go through a publisher for their own reasons, although I can’t imagine what those reasons could be. Let’s see, 18-24 months until publication for a publisher, vs. whenever it’s ready when done independently…stress to earn out that advance for traditional vs. no stress for independents…profits of as little as 8% of cover price for traditional vs. 35% to 70% for independents…I personally don’t see any contest. And yes, I might have been dropped by two different publishers, but I also know I’m a damn good writer (she said modestly, teehee) and certainly don’t need the validation of a traditional publisher. The sense of immediacy is priceless, especially if it’s been several years since your last book came out. Readers have short memories, and they quickly form new favorites. Stay away for three or four years and they may well forget who you are…uh, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">were</i>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I would recommend hiring a professional editor (although experienced authors who are more likely to know more about plotting and grammar and can probably get by with just a proofreader) and a cover designer. I use Kimberly Rowe-Van Allen for editing and Sean D. Young (also an author) for cover design. I believe that the aforementioned two former editors, Karen Thomas and Monica Harris, are both currently involved in offering services to independent authors, and my former editors Chandra Sparks Taylor and Rakia Clark both do freelance editing. I absolutely would not recommend that traditionally published authors simply download the manuscripts they submitted and start selling it, because the publishing house had it edited and generally cleaned up and it is likely not ready for prime time in its raw form. I’ve read reviews on Amazon where annoyed readers have complained about multitudes of typos and grammatical errors in the work of authors whose names had previously gone on polished projects, so at least get a proofreader. These steps, in my mind, are both essential. Doing one and skipping the other…well, do you remember the stinky guy in high school who played basketball all afternoon and then put on clean clothes over his funky body and went to the party? Yeah. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Major</i> stink.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Also, if you’re doing a backlist title, see if it needs to be updated…or at least stick a date at the beginning, i.e. “2002.” My heroine in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Love of Her Own</i></b> (originally published in 1999) “had been meaning to get one of those new cell phones” and drove an Oldsmobile, ha!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Finally, formatting can be tricky to master, but if you try it, take a thorough look at the previews to make sure it looks good throughout (I have sat and skimmed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every</i> page). If not, I’d suggest hiring someone for that as well. And learn to write compelling cover copy. Remember, you can always tweak it later, but try to hit the mark the first time out. Finally, price it reasonably. There’s nothing worse than a book with a homemade-looking cover and a $7.99 price…unless the book has a homemade-looking cover, a $7.99 price, is unedited, and is only 75 pages long. The consumer in me won’t buy an independently published eBook that’s more than $3.99 in today’s climate of lower prices, because I feel the author is just being greedy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Q. Where can readers find out more about you and your work?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Visit my two web sites…www.bettyegriffin.com and www.bunderfulbooks.com. You can read excerpts from both <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One on One </i></b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Kiss of a Different Color</i></b>, at least once I get them loaded. I’ve got to do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">some </i>writing!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Thank you so much Bettye and continued blessings and success to you!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Mm-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wah!</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-30641148392218048762011-09-12T10:40:00.000-04:002011-09-12T10:40:05.332-04:00Excerpt from Legacy of Love<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">The heavens were a dusty dark blue, cloudless, with pinpoints of stars illuminating the canvas of night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jazz, hip-hop and R&B could be heard as doors to cafes and night clubs opened and closed to a rhythm that was unique to a Saturday night in Atlanta.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">They walked in companionable silence, taking in the sights and sounds with no particular destination in mind, when Zoe spotted a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pinkberry</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Oh, we’ve got to stop.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Stop where?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“At Pinkberry. They have the absolute, hands down best frozen yogurt on the planet.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Jackson laughed. “All that, huh. Guess I should try some.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“You have to,” she said as if not doing so was the most outlandish thing she’d heard. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her through the opened glass door.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Mango is my favorite,” she said in a pseudo whisper. “But any of them are good.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">They inched up on the line.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Jackson watched in amusement as her face lit up talking about something as simple as frozen yogurt and relished in the fact that she still held his hand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Her soft fingers felt good in his. He wanted to hold her tighter but didn’t want to break the spell and disturb the spontaneity. To him it felt like the most natural thing in the world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">She turned to gaze up and him, the most delightful smile on her mouth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Do you know what you want?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">That was a loaded question</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">, he thought. “Um, I’ll have what you’re having.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Zoe stepped up to the counter and ordered two medium mango yogurts to go.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Reluctantly, Jackson released her hand took out his wallet and paid for their desserts.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“We can sit over there,” Jackson said, lifting his chin toward a bank of tables and benches in the pedestrian plaza. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Sure.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">They stepped off the curb and onto the island that was cut off from traffic for one block and adorned with benches, round stone or metal tables and chairs in between potted trees and shrubbery.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Jackson spotted a curved bench with a round table and they walked over. Zoe scooted onto the bench and Jackson slid over beside her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“I can never get over how crowded it is at night Jackson said, before taking his first sample of the yogurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Hmmm.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Told ya,” Zoe beamed. She put a spoonful in her mouth and closed her eyes as the pleasure trickled through her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“My one guilty pleasure.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Just one?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">She looked across at him from beneath her long lashes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“So far.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“How about if I said something crazy like . . . let me be another one of your guilty pleasures?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Her cheeks heated. She slowly licked the confection from her spoon. “And what if I said . . . I think I’d like that very much.” She held her breath.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Jackson draped his arm behind her. His fingers played with one of her locs that had come loose. His eyes moved slowly across her face, down the curve of her slender neck to the rise of her breasts before returning to her lips.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Zoe’s lips parted in anticipation as he drew nearer until his image blurred and the tenderness of his mouth blended with hers. His fingers threaded along the back of her neck easing her closer and they shared the sticky mango sweetness as their mouths met and mingled, tasting and testing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">The urge to possess her fully rose up inside him with such force that he had to tear himself away but then her tongue ran teasingly along the contours of his mouth and any hope of freedom was gone. He could feel the blood pounding in his head, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and the sound of tribal drums filling the night air. He was running. He could feel them coming behind him. The sound of the hounds baying in the night. He knew that if he could make it to the river they would lose his scent and he would have a chance. He had to survive</i>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Zoe’s soft sighs pricked the images that had enveloped him dragging him back to some unknown place, and the drumming grew faint and the scent of river water faded and the hounds stopped their terrifying howling.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Shaken, Jackson eased back and the expression of acceptance and fear that hovered in Zoe’s eyes let him know that she had been there, too.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Zoe,” he whispered her name like a prayer. “I don’t know what just happened . . .” He ran his finger along the soft curve of her jaw. She shuddered under his touch. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Neither do I.” Her breathing kicked up a notch. “I . . .I wasn’t here . . .I mean I was here, physically, but . . .”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I know,” he said urgently. “That’s the same way I felt. Like an outer body experience.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She wanted to tell him what had been happening to her, the dreams, the weight that had been put on her shoulders. She needed to share it all with him and only him. But she was afraid. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Just be yourself</i>, she heard herself saying to Linda, and saw the image of her and Mike on the bench. That moment had been a turning point for them. And here she was at that same crossroads. She shifted her gaze away. “Wow, the yogurt is melting.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“We can get some more if you want.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“No. I’m fine. I am getting a little tired though.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jackson stood. “I better get you home then.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">They walked back toward the garage and this time it was Jackson who reached for and took Zoe’s hand. They strolled together slowly talking and laughing softly about the music that they liked growing up and now, their favorite teachers, the troubles that the Gulf Coast had experienced in the last ten years and their passion for African Art.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I’ve been collecting pieces for years,” Zoe was saying as Jackson slowed the car when he pulled onto her street.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Really?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“From all parts of Africa, particularly Mali. It’s where my ancestors are from.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“You traced your ancestry?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Since I was a little girl, my family has always talked about where our family came from. According to Nana Zora and the stories that she was told by her mother and grandmother, great-great grandmother Zinzi was a conjure woman and head of her village. She was married to Etu, the son of the chief of the adjoining village . . .” She told him about their capture and how they were separated when they were brought to Louisiana and sold at auction. She left out the part about the legacy and the heartache that had haunted their family for generations. Perhaps the time would come later. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The house and the land that we lived on was the house of the former slave owner, Ezekiel Beaumont.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Amazing,” he said in awe.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“My house is the one on the right.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jackson eased to a stop in front of her house and cut off the engine. He turned to her. “Home safe and sound.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She lowered her head then looked directly at him. “I’m suddenly not tired anymore.” She hesitated but a moment. “And I’m not ready for the night to end.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Neither am I.” He ran a finger across her brow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Would you like to come in for a little while?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I have some wine and plenty of music.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Sounds like a plan.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She drew in a breath, turned and unlocked her door.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“These pieces are incredible,” he said admiring the small sculptures on the shelves and tabletops and the artwork on the white walls. “This is better than some galleries I’ve seen.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Thank you.” She handed him his glass of wine.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">He raised his glass to hers. “To a wonderful evening and more to come.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe touched her glass to his and took a tiny sip. “So what would you like to listen to?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Why don’t you choose?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m easy.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Okay.” She set down her glass and crossed the hard wood floors to the entertainment unit that was housed behind a built-in wall cabinet. She opened the double doors to reveal a fifty-two inch television and a stereo system that could easily find its way into a recording studio. In the cabinet beneath were racks of CDs and albums. She slowly spun the rack and picked out six CDs and put them in the player. Moments later the sultry, plaintive voice of Billie Holiday filled the room with her signature song, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God Bless the Child</i>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Aww, Billie,” Jackson said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He put his glass down on an end table and turned toward Zoe. He held out his hand. “Dance with me.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe’s heart thundered in her chest and her legs felt weak as she placed her hand in his. Slowly he gathered her close until nothing but the fabric of their clothing separated them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">They swayed together in perfect unison as if they’d always danced together. As Billie soothed them, Zoe felt her body relax and melt against Jackson. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the moment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As the song came to its pitch perfect close, Jackson lifted Zoe’s chin with the tip of his finger. They stood motionless, captured in each other’s gaze. Whatever hesitation she may have had dissipated. She wanted him and she wanted him to want her just as much. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And he did.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The kiss was slow as he brushed his lips across hers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He teased her bottom lip with his teeth then his tongue and delighted in feeling her shiver against him. He cupped the back of her head in his large palm and drew her to him fully. Her lips parted ever so slightly and he teased them open further with his tongue until she let him in.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Her soft moan drifted into his soul and he felt like the sun had found a place inside him. She curled against him igniting a full-blown erection that shook him to his core. His hands stroked her back, her arms, caressed her hips. He wanted to explore all of her if she’d let him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe eased down one strap of her dress and then the other. Jackson picked up the invitation and lowered the top of her dress to her waist to expose her full breasts.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">His mouth dropped from hers and skimmed her long neck, suckling the tender space near her collarbone. She whimpered and desire fueled his exploration. Her skin felt like silk and smelled like forever. If he lived to be one hundred he would never get enough of her scent. He planted hot kisses along the rise of her breasts.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She arched her back in offering and he took the succulent fruit into his mouth, tasting and teasing the sweet brown nipples until she trembled, gripping his arms to keep from crumbling at his feet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">He was so hard that he hurt and he took her hand and placed it on his need, making her understand what she was doing to him and how much he wanted her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe’s touch was like a branding iron, hot and steamy and a strangled groan rose from the bottom of his feet when she began a slow and deliberate massage, gripping and releasing him in a maddening rhythm.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The music swelled in the background as Billie released that last heart-wrenching note then segued to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Body and Soul</i>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe took a small step back. She was on fire and she needed Jackson to douse the flames that threatened to consume her. “Come with me,” she said in a husky whisper. She took his hand and led him down the hallway to her bedroom. She opened the door and looked at him over her shoulder. Once she crossed the threshold there was no turning back but she felt in her heart that making love with Jackson was every iota of right.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She stepped inside and Jackson followed. She walked to her bed and sat down on the edge. Jackson slowly approached. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I want to see all of you.” He slid her dress down over her hips she stepped over the pool that it made at her feet. She was bare except for a tiny black lace thong that she was so happy she’d decided to wear.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">He reached out and touched her right breast. His palm grazed her hardened nipple. Her eyelids fluttered. He moved closer, lowered his head and took her into his mouth. She moaned in pleasure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe fumbled with the buttons of his shirt and wondered why her fingers wouldn’t follow her commands. Finally she managed to get them opened and tugged his shirt off of him. Jackson tossed it to the floor. She went for his belt buckle, the rising desire and blind need, sabotaging her rationale, conservative self. She wasn’t thinking with her head. Her body was totally in charge. When she unzipped him and felt the hard weight of him in the palm of her hand she felt wet between her legs. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jackson instinctively knew that she was flowing and readying herself for him. He looped one arm around her waist to hold her in place and his other slipped between her sweet thighs and fingered the swollen clit that longed for his attention.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Ahhhh.” She sucked in air. Her knees weakened.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jackson eased her back onto the bed. He stepped out of his pants and shorts and joined her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They stretched out side-by-side facing each other. He kissed her softly on the mouth, down her neck, between the swell of her breasts, down the center of her body, played for a moment and the navel. Her skin quivered beneath his lips.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All the while his fingers explored her and her body bathed them with her essence. Her pelvis moved instinctively in slow circles, while his fingers slid in and out and in and out. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Zoe gripped the sheets in her fists and pushed her heels into the mattress when he moved down between her trembling thighs. His mouth cupped her sex, sucked her in before dipping his tongue into the valley of honey.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her entire body jerked. The muscles in her stomach fluttered. He grabbed her hips and licked and laved her until she was like butter, melting under his ministrations.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Jackson!” she cried out tossing her head back and forth in the throes of passion.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m right here baby,” he said. “Let it happen. Let me love you.” He took her in his mouth again and the fire grew. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The flames began at her feet and traveled up her legs, raced along her body and ignited her breasts before exploding into an inferno that sent her screams of release soaring into the air in concert with Billie’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Me and My Man</i>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jackson knew he couldn’t hold out much longer but he wanted her totally satisfied. He wanted her to remember this first night the way he knew he would remember it—that it was the turning point in their lives, a coupling that would change them forever. He didn’t know how he knew that he simply did, he realized as he moved between her legs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He draped her legs over his arms and rose up on his knees. His erection was so hard that it jumped and pulsed took on a life of its own, tugging him toward satisfaction. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When his hot tip touched her wet opening, it took all of his willpower to keep from exploding. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Zoe wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. She tasted herself on his mouth and sucked on his bottom lip with her teeth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jackson pushed in just a little. The throbbing head crossed the moist threshold.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Zoe moaned, imprinting her fingers on his back. She squeezed her eyes shut as he arched her legs higher and wider and entered her fully.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Ohhhh,” he groaned as her walls tightened and surrounded him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And the room moved into the distance. The music shifted from the bluesy tones of Billie to the pulsing drumbeat and bare feet dancing and pounding on dusty earth. Brilliant colors flashed in the distance as the tribesmen and women celebrated the consummation of Zinzi and Etu. The newly married couple moved together to the crescendo of celebration as they learned each other’s bodies to the rhythm as old as time. The union was a sacred one, destined to be and all the more potent because of the true love that blazed in Zinzi’s eyes as she lay beneath her husband, welcoming him into the dark hot valley of her body, crying out when he met the slightest resistance before breaking through the thin veil that separated them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And the pounding beat of the drums joined with the macaw cries of the women of the village and rushed through their veins intensifying their moment. Zinzi raised her legs higher, opened for her husband. And the drums beat faster, louder carrying the newly joined couple along the rushing waters of the river, above the branches of the highest trees, tossing them against the heavens where they burst into a million pinpoints of lights becoming one with the stars above. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The images bloomed and the past and present merged, sucking Zoe and Jackson into the twisting, turning funnel of ecstasy that roared through Jackson gushing through Zoe’s walls, to erupt in her soul sending her on a spiraling journey of unspeakable joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their strangled cries of release rose and met Billie’s final note of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As Time Goes By</i>.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" /> </span> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
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</div><h3><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></h3><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">* * *</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jackson wrapped his arm around Zoe’s waist and held her as close as their spooning bodies would allow. He buried his head in her hair and let the essence of her scent drift through and quiet the racing beat of his heart and the tumultuous thoughts that tore through his head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">He wasn’t sure what had happened between them. He was here with her, inside of her but at the same time he felt as if he’d been transported someplace else in the distant past. That was crazy, of course, because he was right here in her bed in the house on Drew Lane in Atlanta, Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, it felt like a dream that had somehow come alive. He cupped her breast in his palm and tenderly kissed the back of her neck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was no dream.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe stared into the darkness, listening to the comforting beat of Jackson’s heart against her back. She’d been there, on the mat in a small hut with the villagers drumming and dancing in celebration of the consummation of her marriage. But she wasn’t married. She was a single woman, with a history of mediocre relationships, a family tree with leaves that shook, a job that she loved and a man in her bed that she’d only recently met but understood that she knew forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How could all of that be true at once? Zoe wondered if he’d had the same experience. The same live dream that she’d had the instant he’d entered her. She shivered. Jackson pulled her closer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Something . . . happened,” he whispered into the night.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe’s senses heightened. “Something . . .?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I’ve never felt that way before. Been to that place . . .” He exhaled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I can’t explain it.” He kissed her shoulder and caressed her breast, teasing the nipple back to erection. He felt himself growing hard again. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe moaned when her swollen clit twitched in response to his increasing caresses. She pressed her rear against his rising member and wound her hips until he thought he would go mad. She twisted her body away from him until she was facing him. She cupped his face and kissed him long and deep then pushed him onto his back before straddling him. She felt free and totally uninhibited as she rose up then slowly lowered herself onto the length him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jackson squeezed the taut globes of her rear and pulled her fully down onto him. Her head flung back and the veins in her neck stood out as she was totally impaled on the hard shaft that pulsed deep within her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe leaned forward and gripped the headboard to steady herself as she began a languid ride. Their bodies moved in perfect symmetry, flowing one onto the other, letting the sensations guide them, the intensity increase their speed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The headboard banged steadily against the wall. The mattress gave and released as Jackson pushed upward willing his body to touch the core of her. “Come on baby. Come to me,” he ground out.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe’s heart pounded like crazy against her chest making her lightheaded and her breath to come in short panging gasps. “Right there, right there,” she groaned, thrusting her pelvis forward and the muscles in her body tightened and that white hot heat sluiced through her veins, then pooled in the pit of her stomach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her walls clenched and her entire body shook as the grip and release of her shuddering orgasm milked Jackson down to the bone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When Zoe opened her eyes, the first glow of daybreak lurked just beyond the horizon. Jackson stirred beside her. In the filtered light, she studied this man she’d laid with. In a word, beautiful. He was physically fit from head to toe, with toned muscles that rippled when he moved and a rock hard stomach that could easily be an ad for television.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His skin was just rough enough to keep it from being soft, and his scent when she pressed her face to his flesh drove her crazy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tenderly her hand trailed the length of his side and across his flat belly, lowered to stroke his treasure. The air caught momentarily in her lungs as her fingers traversed the silky skin that covered his penis that even at half mast was long and thick—ready.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She moaned softly, letting her fingers wrap around him. He was simply magnificent. She’d been with men before. She’d had great orgasms, but none had filled her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None had stretched her to her limits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None had made her see things, leave her body and come back for more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, none of the others had done that. She stroked him now, slow and steady, reveling her in power to make his rise fully in her hand and hear his moans of pleasures and he came awake.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe wanted to taste him, to feel the pulse of the veins in her mouth, run her tongue along the sleek head and wake it weep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She licked the very tip then began making tiny circles until her lips captured him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Agggg.” He laced his fingers through her hair and sucked in air through clenched teeth, knowing that all he could do was give her what she’d gone after and enjoy the ride.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the full light of day, Zoe expected to feel shy or awkward. Oddly, she didn’t. Moving around in her kitchen preparing breakfast and listening to Jackson sing off key in the shower seemed like the most natural thing in the world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She poured orange juice into a glass café, scooped softly whipped eggs onto a platter alongside whole wheat French toast and fat turkey sausage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She placed the tray on the table just as Jackson appeared in the doorway. The whole room seemed to shift or maybe it was her heart finally settling into place. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Morning . . . again.” He grinned and strolled over to where she stood. Holding her steady with a look he lowered his head and gently kissed her still swollen lips. “Hmmm. Just like I remembered.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She giggled and playfully plucked his arm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It hasn’t been <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> long.” She hooked her fingers along the edge of the towel that was tucked around his waist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Long enough for me to recover.” His large hands nearly encircled her waist and he realized how fragile her body was. He took her mouth with his own and savored again the sweetness of her tongue playing with his. He backed her up against the counter teasing the underside of her breasts with his thumbs. He nuzzled down her neck, pushing aside the folds of her robe. “Hmmm. You make me crazy,” he groaned before taking a dark nipple into his mouth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe’s knees wobbled and she felt the inside of her thighs tremble. Jackson tugged on the belt that held her robe closed and practically tore it from her body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His hunger for her flashed so quickly and with such urgency that he was blinded to where they were. All he knew was that he wanted her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">He pulled his towel away, tossed it on the floor and lifted Zoe into his arms. She wrapped her legs above his hips and laced her fingers behind his head an instant before he rammed inside her with such force that starbursts flashed behind her eyes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She buried her face in his neck to keep from screaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The intensity of his thrusts drove her rapidly to the edge and there was nothing she could do to hold back the inevitable. She was coming hard and fast.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And so was he.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was nearly noon by the time Zoe and Jackson got themselves together and settled on a truce to stay at least five feet away from each other until they got this crazy lust thing under control.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“How about we kiss to make it official,” Jackson teased, finishing up his second shower of the morning. He shoved his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Uh, no, I don’t think so, buddy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her cat was still purring and she didn’t dare risk him coming anywhere near her anytime soon. She twisted her hair on top of her head and tied the string on her sweatpants into a knot, not that a simple knot would stop him if he really decided to get back inside her pants so to speak. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">To seal the deal they sat on opposite sides of Zoe’s couch intermittently stealing glances at each other and laughing like fools as they finished up brunch and watched <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Intimate Betrayal</i>, a made for television movie.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When the movie was over, Jackson helped clean up the kitchen and kept his promise to keep his hands and body to himself.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“So how long do you think your sister will be staying with you?” Zoe asked as she put one of the glasses into the overhead cabinet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">While they’d lay in bed earlier that morning, they’d found themselves whispering into the morning light about the importance of family—good or bad—and the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>impact they have on your life. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe told him bits and pieces about growing up in a houseful of women and that most of her life was spent under her grandmother’s care because her mother wanted to pursue her singing career. She said she’d been an only child until she met Sharlene who became like a sister to her. And Jackson found himself telling her about Michelle, how close they had always been and how hurt and angry he was about what her husband Trevor had done.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“You were engaged?” Zoe asked, more curious than concerned.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Yeah, for about a year.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“And your ex slept with your sister’s husband.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">He nodded, the anger beginning to brew again. He rinsed the last dish and placed it in the rack. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“She deserves jail time for that one,” Zoe said and meant it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She couldn’t imagine that kind of betrayal. “Right out of a Jerry Springer episode.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jackson couldn’t help but that. “I know. Totally over the top.” He shook his head slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I always believed that Michelle and Travis would be forever. They were the couple to emulate. I introduced them.” He blew out a breath. “And Carla . . . it never occurred to me that she was capable . . .”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zoe touched his shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself. It’s messy but they are all adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You do what you need to for your sister, but don’t take on that guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It won’t help her or you.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">His full mouth formed a tight smile. “I could listen to your advice all day. How’d you get so wise?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She grinned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“My Nana.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“You talk about her with such reverence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time you mention her name, your face lights up.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She dropped her gaze for a moment. “She means the world to me.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I’d like to meet her one day.”</span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Zoe’s eyes traveled over his face, looked beyond the surface, saw the essence of the man beneath, felt the goodness of his soul within her own. “I’d like that too, she softly said.</span>brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-12519897670637001822011-08-08T17:01:00.000-04:002011-08-08T17:01:50.850-04:00The Appropriation of Culture in Fiction by Donna Hill<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC23V6IQqkVgNLOsOqt8E4hksqvdEzpzdhpWSHW2R_6llvK5A64CJ7mSRmbqypBUtoey4Cu5rQj0o3lIMClzemKFJqzFKRQL9iuPKdya3fyZBT4Md99y40uFNkPyeLZmzwaWKiXSf5P_s/s1600/the+help.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC23V6IQqkVgNLOsOqt8E4hksqvdEzpzdhpWSHW2R_6llvK5A64CJ7mSRmbqypBUtoey4Cu5rQj0o3lIMClzemKFJqzFKRQL9iuPKdya3fyZBT4Md99y40uFNkPyeLZmzwaWKiXSf5P_s/s1600/the+help.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Kathryn Stockett’s novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Help</i>, a soon-to-be motion picture, tells the story of a young, naïve white woman who stumbles upon the idea of writing a novel based on the lives of black maids living in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her goal is to give voice to these voiceless women who have devoted their lives to raising white children and cleaning the homes of their parents. On the surface, the novel is entertaining. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beneath the surface, however, is a little discussed issue of cultural appropriation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stockett, in her goal to bring authenticity to her novel, takes on the personas of the maids, Aibileen and Minnie, delivering their stories in first person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In doing so, she usurped the culture and identity of another group and used it for the purposes of telling her story.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the article, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation of Identity in Fiction: A Writer’s Choices in Cross-Cultural Writing</i> by Stephen J. Quigley, he states “Since the first-person point of view has the least amount of psychic distance and therefore the highest level of appropriation in cross-cultural novels, it follows that this mode can do the greatest amount of cultural damage to the appropriated.” (March/April The Writers Chronicle, 57).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">For example, Stockett <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>assumes the voice of the black maid, Aibileen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You’d never know it living here, but Jackson, Mississippi, be filled with two hundred thousand peoples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see them numbers in the paper and I got to wonder, where do them peoples live?” (12) “This is a real predicament, see. I gave this Miss Celia woman Minny’s number at home, but Minny working today cause Miss Walter lonely. So when she call, Leroy gone give her Miss Walter number cause he a fool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Miss Walter answer the phone when Miss Celia call, then the whole jig is up.” (26)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">In handling these scenes, Stockett does not relay the information from an objective viewpoint but from the viewpoint of the maid, stepping into the persona and culture of a black woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quigley explains this further in his reflections on a statement made by Lenore Keeshig-Tobias, (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stop Stealing Native Stories</i>) who argues that stories are more than entertainment; they are power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“They reflect the deepest, the most intimate of perceptions, relationships and attitudes of a people. Stories show how a people, a culture thinks.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Case in point; all of the black characters speak in a broken dialect, giving the reader the impression of a slow thinking, not intellectually capable individual, while the white characters are completely free of even the slightest language nuances of Southern whites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In doing this, Stockett creates in the mind of the reader a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">perception </i>of these black characters.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Stockett’s treating of Aibileen implies an intimate knowledge and experience in a culture of which she has no part. This is a technique Stockett uses throughout the novel in characterizing all of the black maids, effectively silencing them by telling her white version of black life, to then be accepted as fact by the dominant society. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And according to the scholar bell hooks, who is referred to in Quigley’s article, he notes that, “though she (hooks) generally avoids discussions of cultural hybridity, she does argue time and again how the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy (hereinafter referred to as the WSCP) steals the Other’s culture and in doing so, silences them.” (58)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Even within the text, the primary white character, Ms. Skeeter, manages cultural appropriation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has the opportunity to get the writing job of her dreams at a New York publishing house if she can develop a substantial topic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the interim she gets a job at a local paper as a columnist, similar to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eloise</i>. She is to provide housecleaning tips. Knowing nothing about cleaning she enlists the help of one of the maids—Aibileen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Would you mind if I talked to Aibileen? I (Skeeter) ask Elizabeth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To help me with some of the letters?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elizabeth responds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aibileen? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My</i> Aibileen?” (78)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once Ms. Skeeter has received Elizabeth’s approval, she approaches Aibileen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“So maybe I could read you some of the letters and you could . . .help me with the answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a while, maybe I’ll catch on and .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. . <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no way I’ll ever be able to answer cleaning questions myself. Honestly, I have no intention of learning how to clean.” (79) </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Ms. Skeeter goes on to have a successful time at the newspaper gathering her answers to the questions from Aibileen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is clear from the character’s own statement that cleaning was not in her plans and she had no experience, but was only mildly disturbed at using the knowledge of the maid and taking on her voice in the column to serve her end goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The appropriation blossoms fully in a later conversation with Aibileen who tells Ms. Skeeter that her son—who was killed—wanted to be a writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He read a book call Invisible Man. When he done, he say he gone write down what it was like to be colored working for a white man in Mississippi.” (85) </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Later, Ms. Skeeter receives <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a letter from the publisher in New York who tells her that if she can come up with something original, she is free to write to her again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I wonder if I’ll ever write anything worth anything at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turn when I hear Pascagoula’s (the maid) knock on my door. That’s when the idea comes to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No. I couldn’t. That would be . . .crossing the line</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the idea won’t go away.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(89) Taking the idea of Aibileen’s dead son, Ms. Skeeter makes it her own and begins her quest to gather stories from the maids about their experiences of working for their white employers.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">The book is ultimately published to much fanfare as well as chaos in the town as the employers recognize themselves but swear that it’s not them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aibileen is dismissed from her job and Minny is fired from hers. Meanwhile, Ms. Skeeter goes off to New York to begin her life as a novelist.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">According to Quigley there are pros and cons to appropriation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He writes, “After having considered the implications of appropriation of identity and culture in cross cultural texts, writers who mean to appropriate culture and identity (as in the case of Stockett and her fictional character Ms. Skeeter) in novels must see that they have two obligations when they decide to appropriate; first they must try to effect empathy for the appropriated culture rather than damage it; second they must give back to the culture from which they appropriated.” (60) </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">The only beneficiaries in both instances are the novelist Stockett and her fictional character Ms. Skeeter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stockett soared to literary fame and her novel is being made into a major motion picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms. Skeeter left the bigoted town of Jackson, Mississippi to pursue her dream, leaving tattered lives behind. Although the novel attempts to lead one to believe that since the employers had been “outted” they would behave better, there is no real indication that would be the case.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Unlike the nonfiction work of John Howard Griffin’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Like Me</i>, that successfully appropriates culture when the writer immerses himself in the black world, living the life of a black man and bringing to public attention a first hand understanding of the tragedy of racism in America, Stockett’s work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Help</i> does not achieve that same success because of the POV by which she chose to tell her story. Additionally, the appropriation both fictional and factual does not benefit the appropriated culture.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="FreeForm" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Quigley, Stephen. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation of Identity in Fiction: A Writer’s</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Choices in Cross-Cultural Writing</i>. Writers Chronicle, March/April 2011.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="FreeForm" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Stockett, Kathryn. <i>The Help</i>. New York: Amy Einhorn Books, 2009. Print.</span></div>brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-55048269159299046812011-07-30T14:45:00.002-04:002011-07-30T14:56:59.463-04:00Turning Writers Into MotherfXcking Rock Stars<a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/07/27/turning-writers-into-motherfucking-rock-stars/">Turning Writers Into Motherfucking Rock Stars</a><br />
<br />
When I saw this article, I began to wonder.... hmmm, which author would I love to see elevated to Rock Star status and ... what does that mean exactly? Love to hear your comments.brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-53812572459174286532011-07-30T14:08:00.004-04:002011-07-30T15:01:34.329-04:00Donna Hill Interview by Eisa Ulen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNsmV9k6SK7srh__rvCg1o3edVeLt9vrODWUX75AJxfBLjI3J7yHKm5Nyqy94jl-ptHSx6fbdwqCVTIeBfME_fwO_Hf0-JWvqEbo-87VO8urzjxIxj2v_vqn3xjsZAcBb3ca-0uJc1x0/s1600/what+mother+never+told+me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNsmV9k6SK7srh__rvCg1o3edVeLt9vrODWUX75AJxfBLjI3J7yHKm5Nyqy94jl-ptHSx6fbdwqCVTIeBfME_fwO_Hf0-JWvqEbo-87VO8urzjxIxj2v_vqn3xjsZAcBb3ca-0uJc1x0/s320/what+mother+never+told+me.JPG" width="205" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Mother Never Told Me</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, a novel that honors the literary tradition of Black women writers who sought to challenge the “Tragic Mulatto” stereotype in their work. Like Harriet Jacobs, Pauline Hopkins and Nella Larsen before her, Hill examines the generational impact of sex across race and class lines in America. Set in Harlem, New York; Amboise, France; and Rudell, Mississippi, this contemporary novel explores family secrets rooted in the past. Upon the death of the grandmother who raised her, main character Parris McKay discovers “her dead mother was alive.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This stunning revelation launches the young woman’s search for the mother who abandoned her, her truth, and, ultimately, her own identity. With an exciting new love interest and two solid best girlfriends by her side, Parris is anchored well enough to sail a bit into the unknown and perilous waters of time before she was even born: Why did her mother abandon her? Why did her mother want her to think she was dead? Who is her father? These questions compel Parris to travel halfway around the world – but the only people who know the answers may not be willing to tell her the things Mother never did.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While she tries to piece her mysterious past back together to make herself whole, Parris enters a new relationship with Nick, the jazz musician she met while singing onstage at a downtown New York club. Nick has big plans to open a new place Uptown, in Harlem, but will he have time for Parris’ journey to discover her past and the fulfillment of his own professional aspirations?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hill has crafted a novel very much in the tradition of 19</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> century Black woman writer Pauline Hopkins, who wrote novels in serialized form for </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Colored American Magazine </span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in the early 1900s. Hopkins was writing against the backdrop of mob violence and the emerging Anti-Lynching Campaign, which Ida B Wells Barnett would spearhead. According to Yale Professor of African American Studies Hazel V. Carby, Hopkins believed fiction to be “of great value to any people as a preserver of manners and customs – religious, political, and social” and a “record of growth and development from generation to generation.” Similarly, with her elegant, educated, eclectic African American characters, Hill has created a world very familiar to her legions of fans, many of whom look to her to render today’s authentic, middle-class Black life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Hill, who explores themes from gentrification to mother-daughter relationships, has recorded a turn-of-the-21</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">st</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> century generation, the inheritors of the experiences of women and men in our shared past. With </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Mother Never Told Me</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, Hill also celebrates the growth we’ve experienced so far, and the emotional and psychic development surely yet to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With its page-turning storyline featuring a mixed-race heroine yearning to know her true parental / racial origins, your novel is written in the tradition of Black woman writer Pauline Hopkins’ serialized magazine novels (published from 1901 to 1903). </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Mother Never Told Me</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> also expresses 19</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> century writer Pauline Hopkins’ desire to “raise the stigma of degradation from my race.” Did you intend to write a contemporary narrative in the tradition of work like Hopkins’?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I began thinking about WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME and deciding on which direction to take my characters and how I was going to shape the story, my motives and inspiration came from several sources: wanting it, in a subtle way, to address the issues of race—or more accurately—the color complex of blacks. And yes, the stigma that has been attached to color, our inner hatred of ourselves that on some levels has been fed and nurtured on the institutional racism that is part and parcel of this country. And although race and the color complex are central to the story, I always wanted to strongly address the dynamics of the mother/daughter relationships in a poor black family, a middle income black family and a white family and explore the similarities and the differences which help us as women shape views of ourselves and the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You retained so many themes and symbols of this 19</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> century literary tradition, with big money, the myth of pure American whiteness, and an indictment of the men who have historically run this country. These themes are consistent in your work and in, for example, Harriet Jacobs’ slave narrative </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Like Jacobs, you examine the effect of the rape of Black women in white men’s homes – and even tie that rape to American capitalism and American politics. Was that a conscious decision on your part? Did you at any point in the writing process consider making the interracial sex in your novel consensual?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The rape was central to the story. The rape recast the entire life of Cora Harvey. Her dreams were destroyed, her innocence ruined, her hopes were crushed. The rape not only ruined her physically, but mentally and emotionally—forever. As with all rape victims, there is a high level of shame. For the kind of character that I constructed in Cora, and the time period (the late 1920’s) her demoralization was even greater. That one act was the catalyst that redefined three generations, initiated a lie that destroyed lives, marriages and relationships. However, what I also sought to do was to put the rape in some sort of context and not to specifically dehumanize the white man who raped Cora, not to excuse him either but rather set up the historical events that precipitated this vile act: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Stock Market Crash</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Great Depression</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, to show the connection between money and power and how the rape was his outrage at having lost both. This rape was about a reclaiming of power and without the historical backdrop I don’t think the impact would have been as strong. Much later in the novel the reader will come upon the diametric opposite: consensual sex between black and white for very different reasons, but again class comes into play.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Tragic Mulatto stereotype, that of a confused young woman often motivated by money and a yearning to pass, is a character that generally collapses, passes out, or literally dies when the story ends. You reference just such a narrative in </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Mother Never Told Me</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> when Parris and Nick watch the film </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Imitation of Life</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> on television. In your novel, however, Parris experiences a significantly different conclusion. Was your intention to usurp, or flip, the Tragic Mulatto stereotype? Did you attempt to vindicate the countless mixed-race American women who never received their fair share of the pie, so to speak? Did you attempt to do in your fiction what rarely happened in real life and achieve a kind of literary justice for Black women?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wish that I could say that I sat down with all of these altruistic intentions. Looking back at the story, I would think that Emma, Parris’s mother, would fall into The Tragic Mulatto stereotype to a point and would have remained there, had I let her. What I worked hard at with Emma (who is actually my favorite character) was to try to help the reader to understand the complexity of this woman, feel her desperation and her unrelenting need to be cared about and loved by someone and in understanding that, the reader could then grapple with the difficult decisions that she made about her life—specifically as it related to her daughter, Parris. Emma could have easily become and remained tragic, walked off alone into the sunset, having lost everything. That would have been the easy way out. She needed to come to terms with the choices that she’d made. She needed to look at herself and how her decisions affected her daughter Parris and make amends. As for Parris, although she too is of mixed race, she never suffered with issues of her duality because from early in her life she had the unwavering love of her grandparents who nurtured her and believed in her. It wasn’t until she found out that her mother, whom she thought was dead all of her life, was very much alive that she began to question her own value and sense of self—and not as a mixed race woman but as a human being.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This book was published 2 years after the election of the first biracial president. What impact, if any, did Obama’s campaign and personal narrative have on your work?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the aftermath of his run and election, the issues of race and identity are still hot topics. The racism that exists within this country remains rampant, which certainly opens the door of discussion to the issues raised in WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME. Much like the President, Emma and Parris both struggled to find their identity: Emma who could pass for white and Parris who struggled to uncover the real reason why her mother wanted her to believe that she was dead all of her life. The President never grew up with his father and neither did Emma. And Parris was raised by her grandparents. However, despite adversities, they were all able to rise above them and make a life for themselves. I didn’t consciously take into account the President’s life, but his certainly can serve as validation for the points that are raised in my novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Parris and Nick are jazz artists, but they could just as easily have been Hip Hop, Pop, R&B, or Soul artists. Why is jazz such an important theme in your work?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This question made me smile. In all of the novels that I have written throughout the years, there are similar elements that crop up. One, my characters invariably live in a brownstone or have friends that do and they all love jazz. It wasn’t until well into my twenty year career that I realized that I was doing this or why. The question came up in my MFA class workshop last year. My advisor asked us to write about something that we treasure. And my short piece was about brownstones. It was in that writing that I realized how much I loved them because so much of my life, who I am, my friends and some of my fondest memories are tied to the brownstone that I grew up in, in Brooklyn. And as I arrived at that happy conclusion I also realized that many of my characters have a talent for music or a love of it and it was generally jazz. My father loved jazz and in the background of my life, jazz was always playing on his stereo: Dizzy, Coltrane, Miles, Ella, Billie, Betty, Nancy all the greats. And although I grew up with R&B, jazz was being imbued into my veins. I’m sure that my sharing of this great American musical tradition is in tribute to my dad.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In what way(s) is </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Mother Never Told Me</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> related to another novel of yours, </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rhythms</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME, is the very long-awaited sequel to RHYTHMS, which was published ten years ago. In Rhythms, the reader begins the story in the Mississippi Delta in 1927, shortly after the Great Flood and follows the generations of the Harvey family from Pearl, to her daughter Cora, to her daughter Emma, to her daughter Parris and the incredible, strong black men who loved them. Although </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Mother Never Told Me</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is a sequel, it is definitely a stand alone book. However, to truly enjoy the full flavor of these characters and to get a deeper look at all of the whys, I would certainly recommend reading RHYTHMS.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkPJQe7TLnu0JzO39pCox0EqBQjQGrVoyccqkH1yXrjeFhWKvPalIWwcziJcXBtAEOOEz-tVpfGbUdq62WdMbFF6FP8bEOmz7ggYhXKOzV4FCaeG4JmO7MzcG8ZiKZdvJpTwjCA3rdjs/s1600/rhythms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkPJQe7TLnu0JzO39pCox0EqBQjQGrVoyccqkH1yXrjeFhWKvPalIWwcziJcXBtAEOOEz-tVpfGbUdq62WdMbFF6FP8bEOmz7ggYhXKOzV4FCaeG4JmO7MzcG8ZiKZdvJpTwjCA3rdjs/s320/rhythms.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo7; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">7.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While most of your female characters have healthy relationships with men, women’s friendships are key in </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Mother Never Told Me</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Why? Are your girlfriends as important to you as women – old friends, new friends, and even strangers – are to Parris and the other female characters in your work?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yes, the complex and powerful relationships of women to each other, both inside and outside of the confines of family was central to this novel. It is the support of “the sisterhood” so to speak that shores up these women in their trying times. Women friendships are so very important—important beyond Sunday brunch and ‘girl let me tell you’—our women friends provide an inexplicable source of reaffirmation. By this I mean, when we are in the company of our sisters, we not only see them, we see ourselves reflected in them. We are strengthened by their strength, lightened by their laughter, engaged by their conversation in a way that does not happen with men. In the company of our sisters we can be ourselves. There is a need that is fulfilled in sisterly friendships. Very often I don’t realize how much I need or have missed it until I spend an evening with my friends. It is invigorating, and stimulating and empowering in a way that you don’t have with your significant male other or male friends. The dynamics are not the same. So I wanted to incorporate into WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME the importance and value of female friendships and more importantly that those friendships can cross racial and economic and demographic lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: 47.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo8; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Despite these great friendships and healthy romantic love interests,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: 47.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">nearly all of the female characters have lousy relationships with their mothers. Again, thinking about the Black female literary tradition, reading your book is like reading about what might have happened to the daughter of the main character named Claire in Nella Larsen’s book </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Passing</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Did you intend to challenge the matriarchal prototype in African American life? Do you think the image of the self-sacrificing, all-loving, traditional Black mother is another stereotype that can be just as dangerous as the Tragic Mulatto?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The dysfunctional relationship between the women and their mothers is the centerpiece of the novel. In doing this follow-up to RHYTHMS, I wanted to address these very important relationships, how the connection between mother and daughter is integral in defining who we are as women, what we think of ourselves and our capacity to love others. In each of the women’s lives we have these mother’s whose actions have in some way crippled their daughters. Certainly the black woman in general is a prototype in society at large. The media would have us believe that most black mothers are unmarried, on welfare with kids by several fathers, poor and will remain that way. Anything other than that is the exception i.e.: Michelle Obama. But the reality is that the vast majority of black women do not fall into either category and those are the forgotten women—the women that I attempted to address in my novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo9; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">9.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gentrification is an interesting theme in your novel. Has there been much <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">displacement as a result of gentrification in your Brooklyn neighborhood? What has been the impact of the real estate bubble on people where you live?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I live in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, which has over the past five to ten years seen a dramatic change in the composition of our neighborhoods. Bedford-Stuyvesant was historically one of the last “strongholds” of middle-class home-owning black folks. However, because of the soaring prices of housing in Manhattan, the young white folk with money have crossed the bridge into Brooklyn, moving first into the Downtown area and slowly encroached into Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Williamsburg and now Bedford-Stuyvesant, being better able to afford the rising rents. With them came bike paths and quarter-million dollar condos on once drug-invested streets, more police patrols, little bistros, over-priced boutiques, and a myriad of outdoor cafes, not to mention the continually expanding “healthy organic” section of the supermarket, all of which come with a price. Although the neighborhood has certainly experienced a makeover, with streets being somewhat safer and many more amenities, we really must question: where did the people go who have been replaced, and why is it now prudent to revitalize the neighborhood but at the same time making it unaffordable for the very people who made it so tempting to come here?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo10; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10.</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What are you working on now?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eJ8G3do7fT4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Right now I am working on my MFA in Creative Writing. For my thesis I am working on a novel written in the form of vignettes, entitled </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They Call This Place Here</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, which at its foundation is about gentrification of not only a neighborhood but a family in transition. In addition to my mainstream fiction I also write romances—nothing can compare to black love! I am currently working on a romance series that is based on a powerful political family in Louisiana—</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Lawsons of Louisiana</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. The first book of the series is </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spend My Life With You</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and the second book is titled Secret Attraction. The third book is titled </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sultry Nights</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (coming soon) For my next mainstream, tentatively titled </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Someplace Else, </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">it</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">again tackles the complexity of family.</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 26.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><br />
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</div>brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-53179944165643805602011-07-29T19:20:00.003-04:002011-07-30T16:01:23.501-04:00Buidling a Writing Career from the Ground Up<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Waaay back in a galaxy far, far away, where computers and “social networks,” were relegated to the government, big corporations and their ilk discussing how to take over the world during lunch at the 4 Seasons, (still happens) when writers tapped out their prose on typewriters, used carbon paper for copies, and connected with their readers through letters that they stuck in envelopes, put a stamp on it and mailed them—well that’s when I started writing. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Damn, how old is she? To which I respond—old enough to remember</i>). I say all of this to say, that it has been 21 years that I have been in print—successful by some standards. But longevity was not an accident.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When I began writing, there was no such thing as “African American” romance, or the “black section,” of a bookstore or library. I felt very excited but very alone when my novel ROOMS OF THE HEART, was published in 1990. At that time there was less than a handful of black romances ever published—period. But it wasn’t long before I discovered that there were those who wanted me to succeed and that there were other writers out there just like me that wanted to be published.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the first people in the industry to mentor me was Carol Stacy at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Romantic Times Magazine</i>. She was kind but blunt and wanted me to decide if I was in it to make a career or be a one-book wonder. She got me onto the Geraldo Rivera Show as an audience member when he was discussing romances! That is where I met Sandra Kitt, the first real-live writer I’d ever known. Sandra became my second mentor and formally introduced me into the world of writers from inviting me to her home for writer gatherings to getting me to go to one of my early writers conferences, where I ultimately met Monica Harris who would later become my editor at Kensington Publishing, whose job became Karen Thomas’ who in turn allowed me to write my first mainstream novel. In the interim the Arabesque line at Kensington was purchased by BET and three of my novels were adapted for television. Having written mainstream fiction ala Karen Thomas, that opportunity opened the door for me at St. Martins Press where I got my first hardcover contract under Glenda Howard, and then Monique Patterson. And to come full circle Glenda is now my editor again at Harlequin. Through it all, I worked to maintain strong professional relationships with each of them, and not only with my editors, but other writers as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Why am I telling you all of this? These were the building blocks of my career. I didn’t write a book and get “discovered” and make millions of dollars. It was a process, a process built on trust and loyalty and networking and building friendships that have sustained me for 21 years. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There isn’t anything quite as important in your writing career than forming honest relationships with industry professionals. You do that by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">being</i> a professional. By being good at what you do. By treating your writing as an art and a business and not a hobby. By being willing to take advice. Willing to do things for others for free. By letting the quality of your name become your brand. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you got into the writing game to see your name in print, to get rich and famous, then this is not the business for you. As with any art, you have to love it. You have to want it. And you have to be willing to stick with it even when you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t</i> make the NY Times list. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What you want to ask yourself at the end of the day is: what do I want the literary world to think of me when they hear my name? The answer is up to you.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">Happy writing</div><div class="MsoNormal">Donna</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615824705382067194.post-7431497182354000882011-07-29T19:18:00.000-04:002011-07-29T19:18:22.939-04:00Beyond The Book<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">As a writer, you spend hours, days, weeks and months researching, writing, plotting and planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have an idea for a novel that you want to share with readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You put your heart and soul into it. Often you sacrifice time with family and friends and time for yourself. Finally one day you write, “the end.” The sense of accomplishment (and relief) defies explanation.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you already have an editor, you turn your precious baby over and pray that it will be treated with care. If you self-published, you have to find and editor, a printer, and a means to distribute your book. Now you can take a breath. Your book is written, your story is told. All of those hours, days and months have paid off. WRONG.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real work has just begun.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Writing the novel is the easy part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting it the attention that it deserves is where the real work comes in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether you go with a traditional publisher or strike out on your own, marketing and promotion will be the difference between your “masterpiece” being read by hundreds of readers or just your best friends and family.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Even after having been in this business for more than 20 years, for me it never gets easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With each book the same amount—and sometimes even more—effort and enthusiasm goes into the promotion of the book.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">With the book market being so tight and so competitive and continually changing, as an author, if you plan to be successful you have to keep working long after the last page is typed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If I had my way, I would just write my books and stay in my room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(As quiet as it’s kept, I’m really kind of shy). But I know that if I want to keep being moderately successful at this writing thing, I have to keep doing the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’ve put together a list of things that I have found to be terribly important:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Build your contact list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think of all the people that you know, starting with family and friends. Get email and snail mail addresses when you go to events. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Get a good-looking, functional website, easy to navigate. Not one that looks homemade with ads on the side. Wordpress has great templates.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">Secure your domain name. Domainrooms is a good source and inexpensive.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Get business cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try Vistaprint. You can get 500 for a few bucks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep them simple. Name, contact info (email, website) .Getting business cards with a picture of your book is cute but limited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get cards that will work with the next book you are writing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Join some of the online book clubs. Contribute to the conversations. Don’t just show up when you have a new book, or only post when you want to promote yourself.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">Set up your Facebook account, Twitter, Shelfari and Blog.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">Plan to attend literary events. (Pick and choose wisely. You can’t be everywhere)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Find out what bookstores are in your area. Make sure that they stock your book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Offer to do a stock signing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">Stay in touch with your readers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tour on a budget! Do virtual tours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are great ways to be all over without leaving home.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">Open a Skype account so that you can “visit” book clubs online.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Open a Cinch.com account to record readings from your novel to upload to your website.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And while you are busy promoting your new baby, get to work on its sister or brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve written a great book and promoted it well, your readers are going to want more.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">Good luck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->brooklyngirl737http://www.blogger.com/profile/04728630963716877786noreply@blogger.com2