Diversity

di·ver·si·ty

: the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

If you've spent any time here recently on any of the social networks, specifically Twitter, you've noticed an increase of chatter (or Tweets #WeNeedDiverseBooks) concerning diversity. My response, YAY! :)

I'm all for diversity in books. I've always love libraries, and I've spent whole lot of time in them. However, when I was very young, a very long time ago, I couldn't help but notice the lack of diversity in books (...it's getting better, but we need more...)

There was a very limited supply of books for African Americans. Well, there were books, but they were about Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Sojourner Truth. I remember at one point, the only fiction book that I could find was Sounder! Remember that one, about the dog and poor black sharecropper's family? There were plenty of books like that, poor little black children or chirren as they were called, playing happily on the plantation? Unfortunately, the only books that I remember for Hispanics had them all wearing Sombreros and sleeping. Asians, not much better, they all wore big hats and the only job they had was working on rice paddy farms. WHAT?!?!?

Don't get me wrong books that tell various cultural experiences are necessary. However, at that time, it seemed as if that was the end all and summary of the entire culture.

In the books that I saw, I did not see any little black kids playing in the suburbs and living in nice homes. Hmmm where were they hiding?

My books are diverse. Why? Because that is the world that we live in. If you put a bunch of kids from different cultures in a room, they will find a way to play and have a great time. It's only when close-minded adults get involved and tell them why they should not like someone, or be around someone who is different from them. 

There is a great website that showcases diverse authors & books, and they were kind enough to showcase my book SEVEN SHADES OF LUMINOSITY.  A Fantasy middle-grade book with an African-American male protagonist.

Check it out here...

  Diverse Pages

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

A Mother’s Love by Helen Steiner Rice

A Mother’s love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .

It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .

It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .

It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .

A many splendored miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God’s tender guiding hand.

2014 EPIC's eBook Awards Winner

*tosses confetti*

SINCLAIR SUMMER

Category - Children

**tosses more confetti**

Katrina Hollister, her twin sister Kiara, and their quirky group of pre-teen friends find themselves playing spy during their summer vacation in the prestigious gated community of Sinclair Estates.
Not only does Katrina and her crew investigate why ginormous mushrooms are randomly appearing then disappearing when their strange new neighbor is about, but she must also deal with the up-and-coming teen sensation who moved in across the street and stole her crush. To make things worse, her mother starts dating her crush’s gorgeous father—all of which she must stop.

Excerpt 

Later that evening, I thought back to the new neighbor. What if he really was an escapee? The thought creeped me out, so I hurried back to look out the front window to make sure he wasn’t trying to break into our house or something weird like that. I scanned the front yard area. The new neighbor was not out there, but there was another pickup truck parked directly behind the rusted black truck from earlier. Several men stood around talking, then walked to the side of the house.
I went into the dining room, peered out the side window, and watched as the men stooped down in front of the basement windows, quietly and quickly applying a black substance onto each window. The setting sun caused eerie shadows to dance against the siding. I noticed the new neighbor standing near the corner of his house, arms crossed against his chest and staring at nothing. He had a smile on his face that matched the green Grinch before he stole Christmas from the little Whos of Whoville.
Sinclair Lane just got interesting.

Musa Publishing

Amazon

B&N

Smashwords 

OverDrive

Running, ASICS, & C25k Oh, yeah!

As part of my New Year's Resolution to shape up. I started running and I'm actually enjoying it!

The fresh air, hearing the sounds nature, and feeling totally geeked up afterward is all worth the pain! :)

I think the hardest part is just getting out of the house and getting started. Before every run, I think I've set a Guinness World Record for excuses.

It's too hot, it's too cold. It looks like it's going to rain, sleet, snow LOL and yes that's all possible with the recent weather events in Texas.



I think I'm enjoying it because I eased myself into it this time around vs just running like a maniac as far as I could go until I collapsed.

I followed the C25k running program. It's a downloadable app for your phone. It starts you out really slow. 5 minute walk warmup, run for 60 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, repeat. It gradually increases each week.

It's really a cool little app. I think you can even change the voice that comes on and tells you when to walk and run. It even tells you when you're at the half-way mark and it allows you to listen to music. Like I said, it's a great program to get you out there running. I'm now following my own routine along with it.

Now, a moment of silence...

I've had to retire my old running sneakers...goodbye ASICS GT-2130...You've been great.

 

Hellooooo New & Shiny ASICS Nimbus-15 Gel.  Holy Cow! These sneakers are like running on a cloud. They're so comfy and I have a little spring in my step just walking around in them. I got them in my favorite color. Cool, huh? :)

I'm running for health & enjoyment, but I hope to enter a some sort of race 2015. But, uh, we will see LOL!

Blessings!

28 Days...

Happy February!!

This is going to be a great month!

Lots of good stuff going on!

~~Black History Month~~

Ground Hog Day! Valentine's Day! Presidents Day! 

Woot!

But on top of all of that, I'd like to get a couple things accomplished.

Lose a couple more pounds.

Stick to my fitness program for the entire month--I cheated quite a bit last month 

*hangs head in shame*

However the main thing I'll be doing is...

Writing!

writewritewritewritewritewritewritewriteANDwrite!!!

 

I gots lots on my mind and I gotta get it out!

I gotta FreshHotStoryline just begging to be written.

But seriously, can you imagine typing an entire manuscript on one of those old manual typewriters? I so admire authors who have written their manuscripts this way. *ClapClapClap*

I actually learned how to type on a manual one (my first typing class) The next year we were upgraded to electric typewriters. We were stylin'

However, I can't even imagine trying to type on one now. My carpel tunnel pain would probably increase by 1000! I wonder how writers dealt with carpel tunnel pre ergonomics

Just call me Ms Ergonomics!

Mouse & Keyboard = no pain

I think they're the best thing since sliced bread, seriously...try one, you may find them more comfortable, but I know several people that have tried and hated them.

Hello 2014!!

The temptation to quit

 will be greatest

 just before

 you are about to succeed.