MY LAST BLOG POSTING?

Here it is the end of 2021 and I'm still trying to sandwich in writing on this blog between all of the other things I have to do as a writer.  This year has been fantastic!  The third book in my Stillwaters trilogy, SOMEONE LIKE THEM, was published, and my award-winning One Act play, 1200 Miles from Jerome, won the OnyxFest Play Festival, and I had the privilege of being provided with the funds to produce the play for the Festival.  In addition, I enjoyed a very successful reading of my latest Two Act Play, Ebony Eagles, which helped me improve the play.  Unfortunately, the all consuming work of producing 1200 Miles from Jerome overshadowed the work that was needed to promote SOMEONE LIKE THEM, and it all became a bit overwhelming.   The book is doing okay, but it could do much better with more attention from me.

As I move into 2022, I do so with a commission to write a play for a noted theatrical organization.  My writing partner, Lillie Barnett Evans, and I are seeking an agent to push our first thriller novel, Retribution, which took us three years to write.  After the success of our Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery book series, we found changing genres to be quite a challenge.  On top of that, I'm turning from writing romantic suspense novels to writing historical fiction.  I'll be sequestering myself at home this winter to complete the second draft of my first historical novel, The Diary of Annie Mae Franklin.  After that is completed comes the work of  trying to find an agent to hock the book to publishers.  To say that I continue to be busy is an understatement.  That being the case, this will probably be my last blog post. How I managed to keep up with this blog is beyond my comprehension, but I'm proud that I did.  It remains to be seen if 2022 brings a change of mind about me posting in the future. Who knows what will happen, but it has been an interesting journey, and thank you to those of you who have taken the journey with me. 

TOO BUSY TO REMEMBER TO BLOG

 Oh, oh.  I was so busy in October with my other writing passion--playwriting--that I forgot to post on this blog.  Oh well. 

My One Act play, 1200 Miles from Jerome, won the Onyxfest Playwriting Festival and was produced for the stage in October.  As one of the five winning playwrights of  OnyxFest I was granted funds to produce 1200 Miles from Jerome.    I've produced plays before, but this proved to be a different experience. I never worked so hard in my life.  Thank goodness I was assisted by my friend, Deborah Asante, one of the best directors around.  We assembled one of the hardest working cast I've ever worked with, and we pulled it off.  

1200 Miles from Jerome is the story of a harrowing automobile journey from Jerome, Arkansas to New York City by four African Americans and one Japanese American in 1943.  OnyxFest is the third  festival that the play has won, but the first one that provided a full production.  I'm flattered by the recognition that my writing has earned in general, but the production was exhausting and I'm glad that it's over.  Below is the cast of the 1200 Miles from Jerome  OnyxFest production.  The photo is by photographer, Ron Slavens.  

SOMEONE LIKE THEM on Whizbuzz

 I tried something new on the P.R. front with my latest novel, Someone Like Them.  I advertised my book on a platform called Whizzbuzz Books.  I heard about it from a fellow writer giving a talk at a seminar.  I looked it up, I liked what I saw and purchased an ad. It wasn't expensive, and my book cover  and the Amazon link to the book will stay on Whizbuzz for a year.  Not a bad deal, particularly since the Someone Like Them  cover and the purchase link will be posted on the following Whizzbuzz platforms:

           Facebook

            Pinterest

            Linked In

            Flipboard

            Tumblr

            Wordpress

            Goodreads

            and the Whizzbuzz BUZZ page

In addition tweets about Someone Like Them will appear on seven different Twitter accounts, according to Whizbuzz the ad should reach more than 600,000 pairs of  eyes.  That remains to be seen, but I do know that marketing is everything when you have a product, no matter how good it is, and I think Someone Like Them is good.  A couple of reviewers on Amazon agree with me, giving the book five star ratings.  I'm glad that they enjoyed the read, and it's my hope that anyone who reads this blog will purchase the book and enjoy it too.   

PRE-ORDER PLEASURE

 

I want to thank anyone who might be reading this blog and pre-ordered my latest release, Someone Like Them.  It was the first time I used the feature on Amazon.com, and it went well.  Someone Like Them has received at least one five star review on the site, and I’m grateful to anyone who takes the time and goes on-line to write a review.  It always feels good to know that readers enjoy your work.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

 “I really enjoyed the Carson family. They endured tragic, mental and physical abuse, and they still prevail. I hope you continue to write about this family. Myra’s story "

Right now I’m caught up in doing research for the latest novel I’m writing, a historical fiction.  It will be the first time that I’ve tried to tackle this genre and the going is slow, but I’m enjoying the process and learning a lot.  I hope to release another novel in the Sin series later this year or early next year.  Stillwaters is the title.  It will be a re-release of one of my most popular novels, so stay tuned. 

SOMEONE LIKE THEM IS HERE!

Finally! Someone Like Them has been released.  I've been talking about it for so long it's hard for me to believe, but the novel is out.  Right now it can be purchaed at Amazon.com, in paperback and Ebook formats.  However, many of my other novels can be purchased at HALF PRICE during SMASHWORD'S annual SUMMER SALE.  The sale will end the last day of July.   

Someone Like You is the last book in the Stillwaters series.  I had fun writing about the different roads that each of the Carson sisters took on the road to happiness.  I have two more romantic suspense novels that I hope to release. Hopefully, that should happen in the coming year.  In addition, I've taken a stab at writing a historical fiction novel which I've been working on this year.  We'll see where that goes, but historical fiction is an area of writing in which I've grown increasingly interested.  I have ideas for at least two more novels in that genre. Meanwhile, Someone Like Them is ready and waiting to be read.  Just CLICK  ON THE BOOK COVER and you can read an excerpt and then purchase a copy.

SOMEONE LIKE THEM COMING JUNE 30th!

 All right, I know I said that this book would be released in May, but so many good things happened that had to addressed that the month's delay became necessary. Finally, a release date for SOMEONE LIKE THEM has been written in stone.  Superstar, Wanda Carson, will step on to the public stage and do her thing on Wednesday, June 30th.   SOMEONE LIKE THEM ,  the third and last book in the Stillwaters  series, can be pre-ordered as an ebook on Amazon.com.  The book will also be published as a paperback.  In case you haven't read my previous post about the story line, it is as follows:

  

Lady C is a superstar!  The Grammy winning diva is 

the toast of Broadway, and will soon grace the silver

screen.  She is on her way to becoming an

entertainment legend, but in the real world she is

WANDA CARSON, single, mother of three, and the

legal guardian of her two grandchildren by her

wayward daughter.  Having been poverty-stricken

most of her life, Wanda has overcome many

obstacles.  Yet, wealth and fame doesn’t mean that

she has it all.  Not only is she estranged from her

daughter, whose whereabouts is unknown, Wanda’s

life is threatened by a dangerous man.  

Plagued by fears and filled with insecurities, Wanda

goes into hiding, where the last thing she expected

was to meet a man.  A victim of abuse in past

relationships, DONALD CHAPMAN turns out to a

complete surprise.  A giant of a man, he is kind,

thoughtful and intelligent.  The friendship she forms

with him changes her perspective in life.  Yet, just as

unexpectedly another man enters the picture with a

 plan that could disrupt Wanda’s entire world.

  

TO BE OR NOT TO BE RELEASED IN MAY!

 Okay, here I am again, wavering on when my next novel, Someone Like Them, will be released.  I'm on the last editing of the book to make sure that I release the best quality product possible.  My efforts in getting the book out have been interupted by my other writing passion, playwriting.  Over this pass year I've won quite a few playwriting contest.  My work has been selected as finalist or semi-finalist  in even more contest, and I've been deeply involved in the future production of yet another one of my plays.  All of this has taken time away from the promotion of the release of Someone Like Them, and when you 're in this business promotion is a must!

Then, lo and behold, the chance of a lifetime has popped up with my latest play contest win.  I won the right to control the full production of my work and will be provided the budget to do so.  What was already limited time will now become even more limited time to promote my book, not that I'm complaining.  My love for what I do and my gratitude for the writing talent that God has bestowed on me is endless.  Meanwhile, I'm still not sure whether I'll delay the release of Someone Like Them until June.  Actually, one more month is no big deal.  We'll see.

Whatever the case, below is the Prologue to Someone Like Them.  Enjoy!

PROLOGUE

Wanda stood bathed in the glare of the brilliant spotlight with tears streaming down her face.  The audience was singing a love song, just for her. 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot… 

How could it ever be? 

And never brought to mind? 

Not brought to mind?  That was impossible.   

Should auld acquaintance be forgot… 

This was the end.

And auld lang syne?

This was her last performance.   

For auld lang syne, my friend… 

The most important people in her life were beyond those lights.  Her mother, Faith, her younger sisters Melanie and Jolene, her granddaughters, Raven and Racine…  

For auld lang syne, 

And her beloved godmother, Miss Emma. 

We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, 

Yes, everyone she loved was present, except the ones she loved beyond comprehension—her children. 

For auld lang syne. 

The song filling the Broadway theatre morphed into a chant in celebration of Wanda Carson’s extraordinary rise to stardom.

Lady C!  Lady C! Lady C! 

Standing center stage, a vision in gold, bathed in the spotlight, Wanda accepted the adulation and deafening applause.  Torrents of tears smeared her glittering makeup.  No one would have guessed that they weren’t tears of joy.

For the past eighteen months, she stood on this stage, singing her heart out.  Every song that she sang was for her children.  Every tear that she shed, past and present, onstage and off, was for the three of them. 

The curtain came down.  The spotlight faded.  The last performance was over.  Or was it just beginning? 

COMING IN MAY, 2021 -SOMEONE LIKE THEM

 

Here is the cover for the book that it seems as though I've been working on forever.  SOMEONE LIKE THEM is the last book in the Stillwaters Series.  Each of the books in this series follows the lives of three sisters caught in life circumstances that appear difficult to overcome, but they manage to perserve.  This last story belongs to the oldest of the sisters, Wanda Carson, who succeeds beyond any expectations that she may have had in life.  Yet, she finds that despite wealth and fame, life can still throw curve balls.  Below is the blurb for SOMEONE LIKE THEM.    

Lady C is a superstar!  The Grammy winning diva is the toast of Broadway, and will soon grace the silver screen.  She is on her way to becoming an entertainment legend, but in the real world she is WANDA CARSON, single, mother of three, and the legal guardian of her two grandchildren by her wayward daughter.  Having been poverty-stricken most of her life, Wanda has overcome many obstacles.  Yet, wealth and fame doesn’t mean that she has it all.  Not only is she estranged from her daughter, whose whereabouts is unknown, Wanda’s life is threatened by a dangerous man.  

Plagued by fears and filled with insecurities, Wanda goes into hiding, where the last thing she expected was to meet a man.  A victim of abuse in past relationships, DONALD CHAPMAN turns out to a complete surprise.  A giant of a man, he is kind, thoughtful and intelligent.  The friendship she forms with him changes her perspective in life.  Yet, just as unexpectedly another man enters the picture with a plan that could disrupt Wanda’s entire world.

FREE BOOKS DURING READ AN EBOOK WEEK!

FREE ebooks are back again at Smashwords.com.  For the week of MARCH 7-14th, Smashwords will be offering designated eBooks free on its website and two of my books are included.

In the Sin Series, you can get SWEET SACRIFICE for FREE, and in the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery series that I co-write with fellow author/playwright, L. Barnett Evans, our book, SAVING SIN CITY, can be gotten for FREE.  The other novels in the Sin Series and the Grandmother, Incorporated Series are on sale during this week. 

Take advantage of this special if you're looking for romance and laughs.    

BACK AGAIN and HOPEFULLY BETTER THAN EVER

I missed  the January 2021 post because I wasn't sure I wanted to continue this blog.  I've been so busy writing during the pandemic that the extra time it takes to attend to this blog hasn't always been there,  but then I thought, what the hell.  Some of my readers actually look at my blog.  So, I'll see if I can maintain it another year.

In 2020, I've been blogging about writing my latest Stillwaters series book, Someone Like Them.  I finished the book, and then sent it to the best editor I've had in a long time for her review.  To make a long story short, I have some work to do on Someone Like Them because I don't want to make the mistakes I've made in the past--and believe there have been many.  

In sending my two former Stillwaters series books, Someone Like Me and Someone Like You to the new editor, she found mistakes that had been overlooked in both those books, and I was truly embarassed that those books were released with too many errors.  There is nothing I can do but take full responsibility, go back, fix those mistakes and release the books again on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.  I am in the process of doing that now.   So, those of you who may have read these two books that had such blatant errors, I apologize.  

I take pride in being a good writer, and I should have been paying more attention.  I'll do my best not to let that happen again.