Taste Mississippi in Patricia Neely-Dorsey's Poetry

Patricia Neely-Dorsey's Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems is "a true celebration of the south and things southern." The author states, "There are so many negative connotations associated with Mississippi and the south in general. In my book, using childhood memories, personal thoughts and dreams, I attempt to give a positive glimpse into the southern way of life. In my book I try to show that there is much is more to Mississippi and the south than all of the negatives usually portrayed. I invite readers to Meet Mississippi (and the south) Through Poetry, Prose and The Written Word."

SOUTHERN LIFE

If you want a glimpse of Southern life,

Come close and walk with me;

I'll tell you all the simple things,

That you are sure to see.

You'll see mockingbirds and bumblebees,

Magnolia blossoms and dogwood trees,

Caterpillars on the step,

Wooden porches cleanly swept;

Watermelons on the vine,

Strong majestic Georgia pines;

Rocking chairs and front yard swings,

Junebugs flying on a string;

Turnip greens and hot cornbread,

Coleslaw and barbecue;

Fried okra, fried corn, fried green tomatoes,

Fried pies and pickles too.

There's ice cold tea that's syrupy sweet,

And cool, green grass beneath your feet;

Catfish nipping in the lake,

And fresh young boys on the make.

You'll see all these things

And much, much more,

In a way of life that I adore.

Copyright 2008 Patricia Neely-Dorsey

from Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life In Poems

BOOK AVAILABLE: www.reeds.ms/book.asp

or www.Amazon.com

AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.patricianeelydorsey.webs.com

Making the WORD Work for You: Writer Shari Smothers

Head over to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING where I talk with a writer who knows the importance of the word: Shari Smothers!




Making the WORD Work for You: Writer Shari Smothers


INTERVIEW EXCERPT

CLG: Do you find that many of the things you write about are intrinsically connected to you?
SS: Yes, easily, my creative writing is connected with me. With commercial writing, though, I try to connect with my subject in a personal way. It helps me to write authentically even when I’m not writing about me.


CLG: How important is social media to the promoting of your writing?
SS: I think social media is really powerful. I don’t use it regularly to promote my work so much as to socialize. When I do use it for my work, I see the difference in my traffic. For my next book, I will use it much more.

I’ve heard that mainstream publishers are advocating their writers join social media sites, naming Facebook and Twitter. The self-publishing company I used for my book also advocates using social media and provides offers to help you get set up on the sites. Like them, I respect the power of word-of-mouth and personal interactions.


CLG: What is one important thing you've learned through your writing life?
SS: One important lesson that surfaces often is that words have power. And wielding that power is a privilege best tempered by humility and gratitude.




To read the rest of Shari Smothers' interview, head to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING!



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Temperature's Rising with Author DaPharoah69

For the months of June and July, All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP) is looking at how culture plays a role in writing. I have a great lineup of six writers, and up first is an eclectic, dynamic author who truly believes in entertaining and educating readers with his works: DAPHAROAH69!

Men have a phobia for women's panties when it comes to wearing them. They feel their manhood will be compromised. In public and in public conversation they denounce ever wearing them. But when the sun goes down the freak comes out. Inhibitions are unleashed and conservatism takes a back seat to wild sex, booze and denial. They live in the shadows and the darkness, with secret fetishes for panties. They act out their deepest fantasies using them. But when the sun rise they hide them in drawers, in brief cases or wear them under their suits...with secret smiles on their faces that they got away with it.

But did they.

When asked What do you look to convey about your culture through your writing, Dapharoah69 said, "I convey flaws. I convey realism, sexism and at times racism...even racism against ourselves. I convey backstabbers, taboo subjects us as blacks are too afraid to touch or talk about...I convey Holier-than-thou men and women and people struggling to make ends meet. Not all my characters are based in the ghetto. They are diverse, suffered abuse of inflict themselves in self-hate. I convey the ups and downs and the insolence. The highs and lows of love. Class. Crassness at times. Pure ghetto. I convey EVERY aspect. I know a lot of people and I see a lot of people and I put that in my writing to show that we love, we fail, we are freaks, we run to the clubs, we then fall on our knees in church on Sunday and we do it all again. I convey realness, frankness and bluntness. I show our everyday issues. Women with men cheating on them with other women and other men. People with HIV purposely infecting each other because they are bitter. I use my books to stimulate then educate."

Want to know what else Dapharoah69 had to say about culture and writing? Head to All the Blog's a Page!




ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE (AtBaP) - Where everything relates to writing


[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

Every Day She's Hustling: Author Ni'cola

Head over to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING where I interview a new author on the scene, Ni'cola!

Every Day She's Hustling: Author Ni'cola







About Over and Over Again:


At first glance, 27-year-old Dionni Stone, owner of Whatever You Like Entertainment seems to have what all black women desire: natural beauty, a successful business, and a beautiful black man on her side. Until…

Dionni has found the love of her life – once again – in a compromising situation. For Dionni, this is the final heart break. With the love and support of her family and friends, she concentrates on her business, and it’s there she meets new client, Xavier “Zay” Grey, an investment banker that hires her to plan a surprise graduation party for his baby sister. Timidly, Dionni begins to think she might have found “the one” for her, but a devastating secret finds her world once again shaken. It also finds her back in the arms of an unlikely man, and even more pain than even she could imagine.

Over and Over Again is a funny and sensual tale that weaves between lies and love, deceit and truth, teaching Dionni the ultimate meaning of what is honesty, passion, and friendship.

INTERVIEW EXCERPT
CLG: NI'COLA: THE SOUNDTRACK. What are three tracks that would HAVE to make it onto the soundtrack of your life and why?

Ni'cola: The first song would be Beauty by Dru Hill. I believe Beauty comes from the inside. I will do anything for anyone. I go the extra mile at all times. One thing that I am complimented on is how well I treat others. I believe those attributes is what makes a person beautiful.


The second would be No More Rain (In this cloud) by Angie Stone. Just like anyone else in life, I have been through a plethora of trials and tribulations. I had to decide that I was going to be stop letting life harbor me, and press forward. So I consider the cloud me and my life, and I had to learn to stop crying and start living up to the potential that I know that I have. I’m only half way there though. The storm tends to come, but I do not allow for the rain to develop.


The last song would be Queen of the Pack by Patra. Being from Jamaica, I know all about struggle. But I had to let people know that I am not accepting anything. The song compares life to a pack of cards. It basically states that I am telling you what I am about, and I am not going back on my word. What ever life brings, I will come out on top, and be the Queen of the pack. I make my own destiny, so you better watch out.

CLG: You are indie publishing OVER AND OVER AGAIN through your company NCM Publishing; did you attempt to publish through traditional publishing routes? If so, how was that journey?

Ni'cola: Yes, I did attempt to publish through the traditional, but I am very impatient. By the time I began receiving feedback from a traditional publisher, I was already half way through with self-publishing.


I really have not had any major issues with self publishing. In fact, I believe that this was the best route for me. I prayed about it and jumped in head first. I know this is what I am supposed to be doing because everything has gone smoothly from day one.




To read the rest of Ni'cola's interview, head to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING!



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BOOK BYTES: Something Old Something New (review)

3.5 out of 5 Rating

Love Never Dies

You're the happiest woman on the planet because you are about to marry the love of your life: then tragedy strikes.

Imagine having to go on and live your life as if a huge part of you hasn't died and broken off. Imagine having a mind and a heart that can't let go of that love, that constantly replays precious, wondrous moments of absolute happiness. How do you go on? Can you really?

Erica N. Martin's novel Something Old Something New is a remembrance of love story that shows us through Audrey, the dedicated main character, that love never dies, and when it's real and when it's true, you will never lose it.

Martin does a good job pacing this story to its climactic ending with a nice twist, and what I enjoyed most of the story is the importance of love and memory. We all know the traditional love stories of boy meet girl, gets her, loses her, then gets her back; but this is a story that celebrates the sweet moments of a love story cut short but is determined to return.

If you want a story that reaffirms love, then definitely check out Martin's latest fare.

Click the cover to order your copy of Something Old Something New today!

Talking about Writing & Editing

Today, author/radio host Anjuelle Floyd had me on her show "Book Talk, Creativity & Family Matters" to talk about writing & editing.

Check it out below!

BOOK BYTES: INTERRUPTION: The Gospel According to Crystal Justine (review)

4 out of 5 Rating

Worth the Interruption

When reading a book, I love to be entertained; even more so, I love to be taught something, and while reading Tracey Michae'l Lewis' latest novel, INTERRUPTION: The Gospel According to Crystal Justine, I definitely received big helpings of both.

Crystal Justine is a young woman in a long line of women in her family to endure a devastating generational curse, a curse that finds the weakest part of the women to crush their spirit and kill them. CJ has a slew of issues, many of them stemming from the mother who succumbing to the curse, died when CJ was young. CJ, searching for a life that is all hers and all good, must battle for every good thing she wants, for evil refuses to allow her to be the interruption to stop the curse from coursing through her family's veins.

Aside from the story itself, which I really enjoyed, my favorite part of this story is its discussion (through literature) of "the generational curse." We are set for victory, but there are a lot of forces that don't want us to succeed, and sometimes, those forces go beyond dealing with a person one-on-one; it infiltrates an entire family, an entire bloodline for the sole purpose of completely obliterating that family.

Lewis' novel vividly shows us how these forces can use everything against you, to include your family, to break you down, but there can be victory if you keep your eye on God, keep your heart on what's true, and what your mind focused on what's right.

I look forward to seeing what Lewis can teach us with her next novel.

Click the cover to order your copy of INTERRUPTION: The Gospel According to Crystal Justine today!

Need a Quickie Lit Treat?

A young, spiritually righteous woman, Faith Darling, must face the fact that you cannot escape from your family and the truth.

When Faith’s notorious great-grandmother, Miss Sunny Vincent, dies, Faith, as the only surviving relative, must arrange the funeral. However, Miss Sunny Vincent’s remains are hard to dispose of because God won’t have her and the Devil don’t want her.

I SO enjoyeed reading this story - Zetta has a great style, voice, and she quickly will bring you into the characters and story. Need a quickie treat during lunch break? Been working all day and need a little quick escape? Click the cover to order your copy of "Devil Don't Want Her" today!

BOOK BYTES: Unsigned Hype (review)

4.5 out of 5 Rating

A Lot to Be Hyped About

I'm a person who fully believes in the importance of reaching the youth. The problem that usually prevents us from doing this is we don't try to reach the youth where they're at.

Enter filmmaker and author Booker T. Mattison and his debut novel, Unsigned Hype.

From a reader's perspective, the book doesn't miss a beat; I read the book in one sitting, captured by the music backdrop, the tight writing, the well developed characters, and the drama that ensues well to the end of the novel.

As a person, the book touches me because it meets the youth where they are, where their dreams are, where their trips and stumbles through life are, and it shows youth that having faith, having God is important. That with him and your faith, you can still have your dreams--even if they're a little altered due to their journey.

I definitely recommend this book to all readers interested in a strong story and an equally strong message. Looking forward to see what Mattison puts out next.

Click the cover to order your copy of Unsigned Hype today!

Reigning Supreme with Author Samara King

Head over to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING where I interview a dear sisterfriend and wonderful writer, SAMARA KING!







Reigning Supreme with Author Samara King







About PULSE:


What’s a woman to do when she discovers she used to be married to a spy?

Cassidy Raleigh Sebastien has learned to live without her ex Gabriel, that is until he returns to New Orleans and sweeps back into her life one night during a masquerade party. She has no plans on letting Gabe see the desire that still makes her heart pound, especially when a mysterious stranger beats him to the punch.

Gone are the days of playing spy for former agent, Gabe Sebastien. His only mission: to reconquer Cassidy’s heart and he’ll start with his own covert operation of seduction.




INTERVIEW EXCERPT
CLG: How important is it for a writer to "grow"...and what does growth mean to you as a writer?
SK: Growth is part of the writing journey in my opinion. My writing style now has varied from the work I currently have out – it has broaden which I believe readers will see from my upcoming works. Growth means always placing yourself in a position to learn.

CLG: You've moved into poetry over the last year, and I've had the pleasure of reading them - deep, powerful. What do you get from writing your poetic pieces?
SK: Poetry is a big part of who I am. The words come to me embedded with life experiences, passing thoughts. Poetry for me is born from every breath I take and I learn something different each time. It has helped me step outside my comfort zone and expose another level of my creative self.




To read the rest of Samara's interview and check out Samara's poetic skill, head to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING!


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