FAMILY, FRIENDS, FOES? EXCERPT

“Stand up Center City and welcome your new mayor, your first black mayor, Malcolm Douglass Black!” Everyone in the overcrowded civic center stood to their feet clapping and screaming. Immediately drums and keyboards sounded and Malcolm Broaii-Black and Muhammad Dubois Brown took the stage playing their hearts out in honor of their father and stepfather, respectively. Malcolm Broaii-Black, better known as MII and Muhammad known to his family as Muha were an outstanding musical collaboration. The young men had never worked together but were both musical prodigies, with their own music companies and their combined expertise on drums and keyboards brought the room to its feet. Malcolm sat on the podium next to his wife, Cinnamon; both had tears soaring down their cheeks. They had overcome a very negative political race to stand as the first black Mayor and First Lady of Center City, Florida. You could literally taste change in the air. The couple, known for their philanthropy and uplifting of the disenfranchised and the city wanted and craved the change. They had only been married a short time, but had a long, complex history. But one thing that was crystal clear was how much they loved each other. They were a team. He held her hand with his eyes fastened on her. She looked back at him with naked love and admiration. Her ex-husband, William Brown looked at the two of them, giving thumbs up. During the campaign, he had literally tried to ruin them, but had finally come to his senses. He was still in love with Cinnamon, but knew he only had himself to blame for the demise of his marriage. His constant cheating had ended a 30 year marriage and lost him the respect of his children. He was working on all of those relationships. He was also trying to make a love connection with his mistress, Khadijah Owa. She loved him and had been there for him. Reaching for her hand he pulled her with him to congratulate the new mayor. Malcolm stood as he saw Brown and Khadijah walking towards them. Cinnamon stood with him. She was pleased to see Brown with Khadijah, he looked almost content and she looked as if she had her ring kissed by the pope. “Congratulations Blacks, the world has really changed, there must be as many white folks in here as black. I never thought I would live to see it.” Brown’s admiration sounded genuine. Black pulled him into an embrace. Afterwards, Brown turned to Cinnamon. “Hey Lady.” “Hey B, Hey K, Khadijah I hope you don’t mind me calling you K? You are family now, so you get a nickname.” Khadijah swallowed down the lump in her throat. She nodded, unable to speak. Reaching for Cinnamon, she hugged her for several minutes. Cinnamon wrapped her arms around her. The men stood watching, Malcolm thinking, “Glad that woman is mine.” Brown was thinking, “I was a fool.” Khadijah saw the looks on both men’s faces and understood, she had been Brown’s mistress for years and Cinnamon had been kind to her. Cinnamon understood what many women didn’t is that the mistress isn’t the problem, the cheating husband is.

SUPPORT-ISH

I am often asked why I am always talking about other writers books and sharing links et, al. My answer is simply, ‘That is how it’s done…” Then inevitably, I am asked, “Even if they don’t do the same for you?” My answer is ESPECIALLY then. Because here is the thing, I am mandated by God to give, and give cheerfully and if my little link sharing or high fiving a book will get someone to purchase someone else’s work, then I have done my part in the giving and my bounty flows from that. A hand open in giving is never empty and my hands are living testimonies. And that whole do unto others as they have done unto you is blessing defeating crap. Yes I said crap. I am delighted when people support me and my work and giggle all up and inside myself when they share it, and there are quite a few, but I don’t expect it and my supporting them isn’t dependent upon what they have done for me. Mr. M and I was talking about this very thing last night as that as blessed as we are, we have no choice but to spread it around in as many ways as possible and everything doesn’t necessarily have to be reciprocal. I will also be quite honest and say I support those things I believe in and utilize. If you see me supporting something it isn’t to get something, no one has slid me any ‘fetti or nothing. I simply read or use a product and I feel the need to shout it from the rooftops, if someone benefits from it then more the better. Babies, we are going to have to stop attaching a price tag and a get back to everything we do. Because that IS messing with the blessing. We have to learn to do those things that are heart led and don’t fool with those that aren’t. Be about what you believe in and appreciate, then go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and far away…. I know, I know… LOVE! Angelia!

LET'S TALK...ebooks, kdp and ish...

2012 has been an interesting year in its infancy, it seems like I woke up in January with more of a business mind about how I am going to handle my books and my other ventures and it has been full steam ahead. I chose to embrace some things that others found scary, mostly of the unknown. I signed up for Amazon KDP which basically is a program that Amazon offers that allows you to offer your ebooks exclusively through them in 90 day intervals and within that period of time, you can offer your book free for up to 5 days. I researched it, prayed about it, then moved on with it. I chose not to allow any voice other than God's voice and my own intellect and instinct guide me. I heard the naysayers, read the conspiracy theorist bloggers and still went on and did my own thing. You know why, because I am a grown woman, who owns her own product, copyrights all her books, keep meticulous files of my work and and am willing to take risks to realize my dreams. Now do I think for one moment that Amazon does not have motives, of course they do. They wish to run the book world and as such they are making deals hither and yon and to and fro. But, they are not hoodwinking me or landing me on a fake plymoth rock. I know what I am doing and why I am doing it. I was raised by women who raised me to be fearless and to rely on God and my own smarts and it has taken me far and wide. I came late to publishing ebooks because I wasn't much of an ebook reader; but once I researched it, I realized as an independent publisher, it was win, win. I tried a few other venues, but early on I found that amazon worked for me, and that was before KDP was an issue. It just felt right. I had worked a few years ago with the amazon shorts program and that had earned me a slew of readers. And frankly the idea of giving away my work actually appealed to me on so many levels. The first being I believe in what I write and I feel that if people read it, they will talk about it and others will then read it. Ebooks also allows me to offer my product at a very affordable rate, where almost any reader can afford to purchase and it allows me to publish a plethora of books to give away, from short shorts, to novellas and slowly but surely build a nice sized reader base. It has been so wonderful to hear from all the readers who read one book that may have been free or greatly reduced and then go back and purchase everything I have published. There is rarely a day when my ebooks are not selling. Sometimes it is in trickles, other times it pours rather nicely and it does not bother me one bit, about it being exclusive. I know some who have other devices will probably say I missed sales by not offering my book in other venues, but the way I see it is, people support what they wish to. Secondly, we as writers, publishers, particularly independent ones must do that which is best for us. And we must be strong minded about it. There is not a day that passes when I don't read something negative, putting down the quality of KDP ebooks or saying that people are stealing work, or that we are dumbing down the market, etc. and while I know the risk is there for all of that, I am also savvy enough to know that sometimes people just aren't thrilled with others bounty and will often throw shade on another's sunshine. Also, free ebooks allow ME to read those I might not have and I am here to tell you that if I love the free book, you are going to get more and more of my money. My only advice is that if you believe in your product and what you have to offer, you must do the legwork and research yourself and then decide what is best for you. You must also work on placing your best work forward and being open to critiques both wanted and unwanted. And please thicken your skin, because every book isn't for every reader and some can be downright brutal about it, they will trash your work and tell everyone within earshot how much they disliked it. This publishing business is not for that faint of heart, because putting your work out there for view is much like walking around naked in public, hoping people like your body. Some will, some won't and usually the ones that won't will have the most to say. But, keep your head up and focus on the supportive ones...because they make it all worth it. And at the end of the day recognize that this venture is here today and may be gone tomorrow...but I am one who doesn't spend a great deal of time on the what if I hads, I simply do my work, pray fervently and allow God to work in my behalf, because I know, uneqivocally that not a bit of this is done under my own power.... BE BLESSED! angelia