Vocal Expressions

On Saturday, May 2, 2015, I exhibited at the 12th annual CityLit Festival in Baltimore, MD. Despite the recent events, folks came out to support the local authors and celebrate the written word. It was great to meet some very cool readers and authors which made the day fun and interesting. Maurice Dorsey, author of Businessman First - Remembering Henry G. Parks, Jr. was my table mate at this event. We had a blast talking about the business of writing and marketing. Cherlane Harris at the far end of our table shared some information about an upcoming lyrical drama titled, Prison Plumb Line, playing at The Arc in Washington, DC on Saturday, June 20, 2015 at 7 p.m. For more information, please visit www.prisonplumbline.com It was a joy being among my fellow writers and sharing our talents collectively. I look forward to CityLit next year! Here are some photos from the event:

I’ve read several books by Electa Rome Parks and was thrilled when I finally got to meet her at the Black Authors and Readers Rock Weekend in Bowie, Maryland back in October 2014. Of course, I couldn’t resist having her sign all of my books and taking a few photos. Anyway, in this sequel to Diary of a Stalker, Electa brings to light Pilar’s past which gives the readers a good insight into why Pilar is such a nut case. Pilar’s obsession with Xavier Preston, a celebrated author, knows no bounds and extends to any and everyone he loves. This time, his best friend Dre’ gets suckered into Pilar’s plan to teach Xavier a lesson after she resurfaces as Milan. Although she has a new look after undergoing plastic surgery, she’s still plagued by nightmares, destructive behaviors, and psychotic episodes.  There were parts of this book that was very scary and downright mean. Electa did an excellent job at crafting the characters and the dialogue was spot on.  Here are a few of my ...

I recently read an article written by Cate Scolnik for The Muse, a great online resource for exploring free career advice and discovering your passion along the way. This article talked about how to stop living on autopilot and how to snap out of it. Being on autopilot is a place where most people feel safe. A steady job. A steady pay check. A good idea of what to expect day in and day out. All the while bottling up their dreams. As for me, I have one foot in autopilot and the other in a place of change. This is a change that I can see forthcoming, but it I hope it won't take me a long time to make that leap. So, how do you make that choice to live more consciously? Well, Cate Scolnik, who took the leap to a more conscious place shares the following 5 ways to live an amazing life: 1. Focus on connection, not perfection. We need to stop trying to be perfect and spend more time with our favorite people and things to do. Time is limited and having connections are what brings us...

After a very long week I was looking forward to hanging out with my fellow mentors and just catching up this past Saturday. Our schedules are very busy but I appreciated all who could join us for lunch at the Stanford Grill in Columbia, MD. We laughed, reminisced about the changes around town, talked about politics, politely disagreed with some, and enjoyed our flavorful desserts. At the end of our 2 1/2 hrs luncheon we said our goodbyes with plans for another time to fellowship with each other. It was indeed a joyful time! http://www.thestanfordgrill.com/

April 15th is right around the corner. Are you ready? As writers, we not only have to ensure we create entertaining and interesting stories but we have to ensure we keep good records as well. This means keeping a log of all book sales and any other monies we collect for speaking engagements, ghost writing, etc. Without good record keeping, we will be scrambling with only a few days to go before we have to drop those federal and state tax forms in the mail. Some of us think writing is a hobby. But when you start making money we have to start running it like a business. This means obtaining the necessary tax ID and sales usage forms. We have to track the mileage when we go to various events, keep receipts for parking and tolls. Whenever we buy supplies, postage, computers, etc. we are essentially writing off expenses and depreciating equipment. Sometimes we will end up owing taxes and sometimes we can look forward to a refund...I love when this happens! Anyway, if you fell short in y...

On Saturday, April 4, 2015 I attended the inaugural Youth Writers' Showcase presented by the Black Writers' Guild at Enoch Pratt Free Library (the Pennsylvania Avenue Branch). This panel was moderated by Anthony McCarthy of the Anthony McCarthy Show (WEAA 88.9 FM). The youth panelists included: Ethan Taylor - Author of two self-published books Jayana Wood - African American Expo Writers Award Recipient Alex Rene - Co-Author of the upcoming Amnesiac Prince Trilogy Michelle Bao - Second place winner of the Howard County 2015 Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Essay Contest Amani Ross - Winner of the WJZ 2015 Black History Oratory Competition I was very impressed by these youth writers and applaud them in finding a format to express themselves. Mr. McCarthy did a great job of keeping the audience engaged by asking the panelists questions that sparked thought provoking answers. These youth were truly inspirational! Here are some photos from the event: ...

Your body has a way of talking to you when you're completely worn out. This weekend it shouted and I listened. My mind followed right along with it. I knew I had much to accomplish this weekend but when your mind and body shuts down all you can do is rest.  So, I laid in bed, watched TV and caught up on some of my magazine reading. But I was still tempted to do some writing...and I did just that by editing two chapters of my upcoming novel, Gotta Get It Back . I'm so excited! Well, here's hoping for a very productive week with my mind and body more relaxed. Until next time, be good to yourself!