Today at 5:30pm on the Michigan Literary Network blogtalk radio you’re in for a treat as Sylvia Hubbard talks about the book Dying to Be Loved by Erica Coleman. Dying To Be Loved is a book written to encourage, inspire, entertain but also deliver those looking for love in all the wrong places. For more information about Erica check her out at http://www.ericacoleman.com/
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Behind the Old Face: Aging in America and the Coming Elder Boom
Please support this very important senior advocacy project The Elder Boom Foundation
Books by Angil Tarach-Ritchey
Behind the Old Face: Aging in America and the Coming Elder BoomSee a book preview http://www.dreamsculpt.com/behindtheoldface/
Quick Guide to Understanding Medicare, Medicaid and other payer sources 2011 http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Medicare-Medicaid-sources-ebook/dp/B005UO7OTG
You Tube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3XcOsmEx5s
Educational information and resources can be found on my blog “Aging in America”
By Angil Tarach- Ritchey RN, GCM
www.dreamsculpt.com/behindtheoldface/
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Angil Tarach-Ritchey RN, GCM is an author, speaker, consultant and national expert in senior care. With over 30 years experience in senior care and advocacy Angil is very passionate about eldercare and is well respected in her field.
Angil has written for several websites including NurseTogether, the Alzheimer’s Reading Room, Wellsphere, the National Senior Living Provider’s Network, Ann Arbor News, and her own blog, Aging in America. Her passion and expertise have led to being published in the Chicago Sun Times, Maturity Matters, Medpedia, Vitamins Health, Medworm, Alzheimer’s New Zealand and several other publications. She has been featured on Nurse Talk, WE Magazine for Women; Women on a Mission, Life Goes Strong, About.com/Assisted Living, The Caregiver Partnership, You and Me Health Magazine, His Is Mine, and Abec’s Small Business Review and quoted in several publications, such as Reuters, CNBC, Consumer Affairs, PTO Today, Women Entrepreneur and more.
Chapter 1
The Nursing Home Love Letters
My story in the nursing home
What would you title a defining moment in your life, the moment that
changed everything? My earliest defining moment came in a box of love
letters. No, not letters to me. It all happened with a box of love letters I
found in a nursing home.
My love for the elderly began when I started working as an aide in a nursing
home in 1977, when I was seventeen years old. My girlfriend’s mother,
Mrs. Berry, was a registered nurse and the nursing home administrator.
She was a tall, fairly thin woman with blonde hair. Although Mrs. Berry
was “cool” most of the time, it was apparent when she was angry or had
enough with teenagers in her home. She would make it clear she’d had
enough just by the look on her face. I liked Mrs. Berry and respected her,
but I also feared her. I never knew if she really liked me or not. Her daughter,
my friend Marcy, worked for her mom at the nursing home as a nurse’s
aide. She would tell us stories about the residents at her job, and most of
the stories were amusing. I needed a job, so I thought I could do what
Marcy was doing. I approached Mrs. Berry several times asking for a job.
I think she was passively ignoring me, but I was persistent . . . when Mrs.
Berry was in a good mood, that is. After a month or two of asking her
repeatedly to hire me and give me a chance, she finally agreed with the
comment, “I’ll give you a chance, but I don’t think you can do it.” What
Mrs. Berry didn’t know was that I am highly motivated by disbelief. I have
accomplished more in my lifetime because people told me I couldn’t do
something than because people told me I could.
It was a warm, humid day in June 1977, and I was about to begin my first
job as a nurse’s aide. When I arrived at the nursing home at 7:00 a.m.,
never having cared for an elderly person before, I assumed there would
be some sort of formal training. My training was to follow another aide
around, and basically do what she did. I wanted to follow Marcy, because
we were friends and her mom ran the place, but Mrs. Berry wouldn’t allow
that. I know she expected we would be goofing off or doing some kind
of foolishness if we worked together, so she had me follow a nurse’s aide I
had never met. I have to say, I was a little intimidated by the ninety or so
residents, some walking through the halls with canes and walkers, some
being wheeled down the hall in wheelchairs, and others yelling or talking
to themselves. But I had to prove to Mrs. Berry I could do it, so I just took
it minute by minute. There was no way I would confirm her notion that I
couldn’t do the work.
My first day seemed to be a test of my physical and emotional endurance.
I worked sixteen hours that day, and within a few hours on the job I
was involved in a medical emergency. We were passing lunch trays when
the whole room turned chaotic in response to a resident choking on her
lunch. The whole situation seemed to be happening in slow motion,
even though it only lasted a few short minutes. I realized the resident was
choking, because her table mates were yelling and I saw her gripping her
throat. Since it was my first day and I was not ready for a situation like
this, I looked around the room to make sure an employee knew what was
going on and would react. I had never expected to see something like this,
especially on my first day of work. As my eyes quickly scanned the room,
I saw my supervisor frozen in position, fear evident on her face. The experienced
nurse’s aides were either screaming for someone to do something
or trying to ignore the urgency of the situation.
Residents began yelling and getting out of their seats, waiting and watching
for someone to help her. It seemed everyone was waiting for someone
else to react, and no one was moving towards her. As seconds passed, her
face started turning blue. I just knew if no one helped her, she would die.
I had never received training for the Heimlich maneuver, or any other formal
training, but when she began turning blue and no one acted or seemed
to know what to do, I knew I had to do something. I could not watch this
woman die in front of me without doing something! I remembered seeing
the Heimlich maneuver done on TV and figured I had to try it. I ran to
the table and grabbed her now lifeless, thin body and pulled her against my
chest. I clenched my fists around her tiny waist and forcefully pulled her upper
abdomen toward me. I pulled once, twice, and finally the third time she
coughed out the food that was lodged in her throat. Her body then regained
life, and her blue skin began changing back to a light pink pigment. She was
going to be okay. I was flooded with emotions: disbelief, shock, fear, relief,
gratitude, anger, and pride. Of course, I was relieved and grateful, but I was
angry that my supervisor had no idea what to do and didn’t even attempt to
help this lady. I wondered how she could be the person in charge. I wondered
what would have happened to this lady if I hadn’t at least tried the Heimlich
maneuver or if it hadn’t worked. The truth is, I was not sure I could do anything
to help. I was in shock and petrified that I was going to see someone die
right in front of my eyes. This was a lot more than I had bargained for when
I asked Mrs. Berry to give me a chance. After the adrenalin dissipated, I felt
very proud for having saved the resident’s life and that I had lost the intimidation
I felt just minutes earlier. I also lost respect for a supervisor I barely
knew. This was my initiation into senior care and advocacy.
The facility was supposed to support independent to semi-independent
living, which today we refer to as assisted living. There were three floors:
the first floor residents were independent; the second floor residents were
mostly semi-independent with a few dependent residents; and the third
floor housed all the residents who shouldn’t have been living there. I believe
it was set up that way so when visitors or potential new residents’
families came, they would see the very best in independent living. There
were no tours beyond the first floor to my recollection. I continued working
as a nurse’s aide on the afternoon shift. I was responsible for all of the
residents on the third floor.
My residents were either totally physically dependent, or had Alzheimer’s
or some other form of dementia. Back then we described a person with
dementia as being senile. My responsibilities were to keep my incontinent
residents clean, to get everyone to the dining room for their dinner
and medications, to pass dinner trays, and to feed those who could not
feed themselves. I was also responsible for entertaining the residents after
dinner, which meant sitting them in the day room to watch TV while
I cleaned up dinner trays and tables, changed residents, gave baths, and
started getting residents ready for bed.
The day shift was responsible for half of the residents’ baths and grooming
each week, and I was responsible for the other half. I was the only aide on
the third floor afternoon shift. I don’t recall how many residents I had to
care for; I just remember it was a lot of work. I had responsibilities and experiences
on this job I never would have imagined: shaving a man with a nonelectric
razor; being with a person with dementia; cleaning an incontinent
person; tying people to their beds to keep them safe from falling; feeding an
adult; and, convincing someone to take a bath when they refused.
There was no training to teach me how to do these tasks or to deal with
dementia patients. Nurse’s aides were just hired and put to work, until
1987 when Congress passed the Omnibus Reconciliation Act, commonly
referred to as OBRA. Safety concerns and the lack of quality care
in our nation’s nursing homes inspired OBRA, which required training
nursing home staff. Talk about old school; I was doing this work for ten
years before the U.S. required training.
One night, a few months into my job, I started my shift looking through
the bath book to see who was scheduled for a bath. I also looked through
the documentation from the day shift. There were residents on the dayshift
schedule who hadn’t had a bath in a month or more. I was outraged
and saddened. I gave thirty-two baths in one night. I worked a couple of
hours of overtime to get it all done, but all the residents on the third floor
were now clean and cared for. Was this the first night of a lifetime of senior
advocacy? Looking back over thirty years, I think it was. I couldn’t understand
how anyone could let this happen. The residents were people, and
they needed help. What if these lazy nurse’s aides were deprived a bath for
a month? What would they want?
I had no idea at the time how significant the bath night and another experience
I had would become in how I have spent my life caring and advocating
for seniors. The experiences clearly had their own purposes. One
began my life as a senior advocate; the other was the major contributing
factor to the empathetic care I have provided all of my life. Thirty years
later, there are many patients I still remember, think about, and hold dear
to my heart. I remember a retired teacher who had dementia and filed
things in her bra. She said they were her files, as if she were still teaching.
I remember a couple who walked the halls holding hands; the husband
wore the layers of men’s and women’s clothing his wife dressed him in. I
remember a tall thin lady with dementia, who was either glowingly joyful
while singing in her high-pitched, out-of-tune voice or so angry she hit
and scratched anyone who came near her. I can still picture these residents
clearly, and I hold fond memories of them in my heart.
One evening, our assignment was to clean our residents’ closets and
drawers. One of my residents was a lady named Ann, who couldn’t
speak or do anything for herself. She quietly lay in bed day after day.
Ann never had a visitor, so I knew nothing about her. While I was working
in Ann’s room, I found a box in her closet. In it were no less than
thirty letters and cards. I sat on the floor and started to read them, one
after another, as tears fell from my eyes. They were love letters from
a husband to his wife. Never had I known, or even heard about, such
profound and amazing love. This woman, lying there alone seemingly
unloved, had actually shared a fairy-tale love, rare and amazing, with
an adoring spouse. I can still vividly recall sitting on the floor with her
box in my lap, tears dripping from my face, reading the letters while frequently
pausing to look at Ann lying in that bed, almost lifeless, wishing
I had known her sooner.
I wished I knew about her life when I started caring for her. For many
months, I had looked at her as just some old woman lying in the bed who
needed help. Truthfully, until that day I didn’t give her much thought other
than the duties of keeping her clean, dry, and physically comfortable. Not
that I didn’t occasionally think how sad it was she never had a visitor or
any indication that someone cared about her, but that was the extent of
my thoughts and involvement with her. Before I left my shift that night, I
acknowledged Ann. She was no longer just some old woman. I went to her,
and while gently stroking her cheek and forehead I said, “Your husband
sure did love you.” I said goodnight and went home. That was all I could
say, given the emotional state I was in after reading all those letters. I’m
not sure if I was more sad about Ann’s loss and being alone in that nursing
home or guilty for not seeing her as a real person with a real life.
It was through her letters that I got to know Ann, who couldn’t tell me anything
about herself. As far as I knew, her deceased husband was all she had,
and now I felt more responsibility to take care of her for him. That was when
the meaning of care changed for me. Previous to this night, I felt that I provided
pretty good care given the number of residents I had and the duties
that needed to be done. I kept Ann clean and dry, but I didn’t know how to
communicate with someone who couldn’t acknowledge me or speak back.
Although I gave good physical care, there was no emotion involved, no human
connection; I was very quiet when I provided care for Ann.
I now had something to talk to Ann about. Caring for Ann changed into
something much more meaningful. I felt a special bond with her. Those
love letters gave me much deeper empathy for my residents. I started looking
at all of the residents, wondering what lives they previously had before
they ended up in that nursing home. That revelation inspired me to find
out as much as I could about them. I read their charts, asked questions,
listened to their conversations more intently, and observed their actions.
From time to time, I would read Ann’s husband’s letters to her. I don’t know
whether Ann could understand or even hear anything I said, but I felt that
her spirit heard and understood. I also felt as if her husband was looking
down from heaven, grateful for someone who was telling Ann about his
love in a comforting and caring way and taking care of her physically.
Ann’s inability to speak was due to aphasia, a speech and language disorder
that impairs a person’s ability to communicate It is most commonly the result
of a stroke but can occur from any severe head injury and affects over
one million people in the U.S. Aphasia can be expressive, meaning the person
can fully comprehend language but cannot verbally express thoughts,
feelings, or preferences. Aphasia can also be receptive, meaning patients
can’t understand verbal or written language. People often assume that a person
with expressive aphasia cannot understand or comprehend, but that is
far from the truth. Not knowing whether Ann had receptive aphasia, I truly
don’t know if she understood me when I talked to her and read her love
letters to her. But, I think there is something in our souls that allows us to
connect even when the typical means of communication are not possible.
My three-decade passion has been based on empathy. Can you imagine
being in Ann’s shoes? Can you understand what it must be like to have
lived a fairy-tale life with a best friend, experience a love like no other,
only to lose that person and decline to the point where you are alone and
unable to care for yourself? I don’t know if it was true or not, but I heard
Ann’s decline was a result of losing her husband. We often hear about
couples who have been married for many years dying close in time, so her
decline following the loss of her husband wouldn’t surprise me.
Ann’s is just one story in a countless numbers of stories. There are thousands
of elders living in nursing homes, alone and unable to care for
themselves. What kind of care do they get when their healthcare workers
know nothing about them and don’t even think about what their lives
were like before they ended up helpless and in a nursing home? Just like I
did. I’ve worked in long-term care for decades and never saw any training
programs that focused on communicating with persons with aphasia, or
even explained what it is. I also have never seen any training programs
that elicited empathy—other than The Virtual Dementia Tour®, which
provides a great learning experience. I know from my own experience that
patients like Ann are not spoken to or treated with the compassion that is
essential to providing good care. Instead, they’re regarded as work to be
done rather than a person to whom care is given. It is up to us as a society
to understand that there is a person and a life Behind the Old Face.
In over three decades of spending time caring and advocating for seniors,
many experiences brought me to write this book, but a single experience
at a funeral home inspired the idea and title; I share that experience with
you later in this chapter. Throughout this book, I will share my experiences
and the stories of a few of the seniors I have spent time with, but
my experiences and their stories provide only a small glimpse of what is
Behind the Old Face. This book is intended to tug at your heart strings, to
make anyone interacting with or caring for an elderly person think differently,
and to subsequently improve the way we treat seniors and the care
we provide. Care should never be just a physical-care task. Anyone can
provide physical care, but great care providers offer an emotional component
to their care that makes it great. There are unpaid caregivers, such as
family, friends, and volunteers, as well as a wide range of paid caregivers,
including nurse’s aides, therapists, nurses, social workers, and physicians.
No paid care giving job is more important than another. No care recipient
is more important than another. Whatever your care giving role, you need
to provide care with respect, compassion, empathy, and kindness. All care
recipients should always—without exception—be treated with dignity,
respect, and from an empathetic point of view.
Every single one of us has heard, “Treat people as you want to be treated,”
but how many of us really do? How many nurse’s aides, nurses, physicians,
and family caregivers provide the treatment they would want to receive?
Do you treat every single person you come in contact with, have a
relationship with, work with, or care for as you would want to be treated?
As you read this book and the stories of the people in it, you will and
should experience a myriad of emotions. I will tell you some of the most
amazing stories I have ever heard, from the lives of seniors I have been
privileged to know and spend time with. These aren’t famous people with
amazing newsworthy stories; these are everyday stories. These are the life
stories of your parents, grandparents, neighbors, aunts and uncles, the old
man driving too slow, the grey-haired old woman that you have to wait
on in the store, the patient you have to feed or change, the Alzheimer’s
patient who is difficult, and the dementia patient who asks the same questions
over and over. These people are us. They are us, with many more
years of life behind them. You will hear about their challenges, their
dreams achieved or not achieved, their contributions and accomplishments,
their service to our country or to a cause, their devastations and
joys, their thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and their points of view about
what it’s like to be a senior today.
Even after my decades of spending time with seniors, I still hear things
that are surprising to me, and things I have never thought of. While interviewing
one lady for the book, she told me a secret. At her request, I
will not use her name or feature her story in the book, but she told me
something that gave me another perspective into things that seniors think
about. She was a lovely ninety-one-year old woman I’ll call Susan. Susan
grew up in England, and even years after being in America, she still
had a lovely English accent. I cared for her while her husband was in the
hospital. She was happily married for over seventy years, and she adored
her husband. During interviews, I ask specific questions to initiate further
conversation and to better understand what it’s like to be old. One question
I ask is, “Who is your hero?” When I asked Susan this question, she
said it was her husband, but as we continued to talk about her life from
childhood on, she asked, “Can I tell you a secret?”
Susan started talking about her first love when she was nineteen. Her blue
eyes sparkled as she told me about their weekends spent dancing at a local
hangout. He was a
very handsome man, a man of honor and values, who
could dance “as gracefully as Fred Astaire,” she said in a giddy, schoolgirl-
crush way. They were together a few months when he went into the
military. While he was away, she met her husband. You may think the rest
is history, but it wasn’t. Her entire life, she had thought about her first
love and how things may have been different if she had waited for him.
Imagine spending seventy-two years thinking about a lost love and the
what-if ’s.
Susan described times they would run into each other after he returned
from the military and she was already another man’s wife. They had an unspoken
bond they both recognized and possibly even longed for. She described
the small bits of conversation they had and said he would always
ask, “Are you okay, Susan? Really? He never married, and Susan wondered
if it was because he wanted to marry her. She thought his “Really?”
carried an undertone of a deeper question. Susan thought he wanted to
know if she was truly happy with another man as her husband. He was
too much of a gentleman to get between Susan and her husband, so she
felt there were words that were never spoken. They eventually lost track of
each other because of her move to the U.S.
Her secret revealed that she never let the memories or the what-if ’s go.
She kept them quietly stored away in her heart for over seventy years. It
was a heartwarming story. I felt a bit sad hearing it. I was sitting with a
wonderful woman of ninety-one who had never gotten over her first love.
I was honored that I was the first one she had ever told this to. I was also
surprised by what I had been told. Susan went on to tell me how wonderful
her husband had always been to her and how she never regretted marrying
him. She kept her thoughts secret her whole life so as not to hurt her
husband, who was her hero.
We talked about her life over the course of a couple days. She shared her
experiences as an elderly woman in the hospital. Susan described an experience
during one of her hospital admissions. A couple of nurses mimicked
her accent. This had happened years before we met, yet had stayed
in her thoughts and feelings. Susan described feeling disrespected, belittled, and treated as if she had no feelings. The mimicking nurses made her
feel like they thought she was stupid because she had an accent. I would
guess there was no mal intent on the part of the nurses, but they didn’t
think about Susan’s dignity or feelings either.
As you progress through this book and read about the lives of the people
described in it, you will read about situations that will warm your heart
and others that are disturbing. Both are intended to cause you to think,
put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and move you to a more compassionate
perspective when it comes to our elders. It is my hope that the
stories will be heartwarming enough to cause you to be kinder and more
thoughtful, and disturbing enough to inspire you to become an advocate
for better treatment of one of our most vulnerable populations.
Funerals reveal who we have been
In my work and life, I have been to countless funerals, home viewings, and
memorial ceremonies. Funerals can be as unique as the individual who
died, but in the last ten to fifteen years, I have noticed increasing numbers
of…..
BLACK COMIC BOOK DAY 2013!!! Feb9, 11am-4pm!! free admission!! ALL AGES WELCOME!! Detroit Public Library- DUFFIELD BRANCH, West Grand Blvd & 14th St! for more info, Maia “CROWN” Williams, crown7176@gmail.com, 3134510297 Andre Batts dreadlocks101@comcast.net
***** PLEASE SHARE!! *****
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BLACK COMIC BOOK DAY 2013
Detroit Public Library
DUFFIELD BRANCH
2507 W. Grand Blvd
Detroit, MI 48208
http://detroitpubliclibrary.org
BLACK COMIC BOOK DAY is an annual event that happens all across the United States!
Once again, we will be celebrating it here in Detroit!!
This is also a smaller event that will lead up to
MOTOR CITY BLACK AGE 2013, which will be September 28, 2013, at Youthville Detroit.
This year, #BCBD13 will be held at Detroit Public Library’s DUFFIELD BRANCH, on West Grand Blvd and 14th.
Cost of admission is free, and we STRONGLY encourage you to bring your children.
We will have roughly around 10 vendors, all from the Michigan area, who will be vending their books, posters, tshirts, and other merchandise pertaining to black comic books.
*************************
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If interested in vending,
please contact:
MAIA “CROWN” WILLIAMS
Amonyet Enterprises, CEO
(313) 451 0297
amonyetenterprises@gmail.com
crown7176@gmail.com
This week’s Motown Writers Network author feature is on Jessica Clavell. Read below to find about Jessica and her new book Feelings Run Deep
Feelings Run Deep chronicles the true paranormal experiences of a young girl, which started early in her toddler years, then resumed in her teens. In between those terrifying paranormal encounters she experienced horrendous physical and sexual child abuse by the man whom her family always led her to believe was her father. Even though her mother knew how deeply he hated her daughter it wasn’t until her mother was dying that she revealed to her that he was not her father, which made the protagonist furious at her dying mother.
This book depicts several true life experiences that the author experienced which lies outside of the natural realm, but she certainly experienced it and at times it was also witnessed by other family members, such as the things brought about by those filled with hatred and revenge. As incredulous as some of the incidents in this book may seem, the author is willing to receive medically administered Sodium Pentothal to attest to the veracity of the contents of this book.
The book is available at: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00A3HC4V8.
Q & A with Jessica
Where are you from?
I was born in Jackson, Georgia, but has spent the majority of my life in Detroit.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing over ten years ago. The recession caused me to abandon this endeavor for over five years because all my stuff was in storage. Once the Lord pulled me through those hardships and brought restoration of the essential things that I needed to be me, I felt compelled me to finish what I started, and in pursuit of that I saw that He had gone before me and opened up doors for this book to be brought to completion and publication.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I was so caught up in working and getting this book out to readers, because it has some very emotional and precautionary content in it, and to get my children and any listener to know that there is a powerful spiritual world that exist within this physical and material world, that I didn’t think of myself as being a writer until I had Amazon to ship my friend a copy of the book and she called me to say, “Girl, you’re an author!” Since then she had bought a few more books for her friends and as Christmas gifts. Now that’s a friend! She’s a beautiful rare jewel, and I know her husband feels the same.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My life experience for the first third of my life. I felt like it’s a precautionary tell that can help others.
Do you have a specific writing style?
The writing style used for this book is descriptive, because I just had a story to tell.
How did you come up with the title?
This life experience has taught me about the impact of feelings, and how everyone is led by them, some with a will to do good and others are led by either feelings of hatred or selfishness.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I feel like it’s a warning sign of abuse or potential abuse, for parents who love their children to protect them from such indelible pain, and for readers who are head of households to see that little negative emotions within those in a family should immediately be addressed and hopefully eradicated in order to prevent the growth of family rivalry. And I want them to grasp an awareness of the powerful spiritual realm; and hopefully that will be an incentive for the readers to pursue a knowledge of the spiritual laws that affect our lives.
How much of the book is realistic?
All of it.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Yes. It’s my personal memoir.
What books have most influenced your life most?
The Bible and books about Edgar Cayce that were written prior to his passing, and The Master Key by Charles F. Haanel.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I would consider Charles Haanel and all the writers who wrote about the information that The Creator dispensed to us through Edgar Cayce, along with all the writers of the bible, so I can’t make a distinction between them.
What book are you reading now?
The Master Key, by Charles Haanel.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Yes. The Virtuous Man by Kevin Toney and The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman.
What are your current projects?
I’ve had some beautiful songs published, so after promoting this book, with the help of the Lord, I’m going to gather some gifted singers together to record a gospel cd.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My friend, Johnnie Mae.
Do you see writing as a career?
I would like to write one other book, and that’s enough for me. It requires too much sitting down, especially when having a sedentary job, and that’s not healthy.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I was compelled to provide awareness to others about my experiences with the powerful spirit realm and the indelible pains of child abuse.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Yes. You can go to Amazon.com and read the first chapter free, and there’s a Look Inside the Book feature that allows you to view other pages of the book.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
No.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
I like Charles Haanel because he described the power of the mind and the spiritual laws that govern our lives and how we are to operate within those laws to obtain our desires. I like Kevin Toney’s book about being a virtuous man because he mentioned some fundamental lessons that need to be taught to young men to instill in them sexual morality and fidelity. I haven’t read the entire book yet, but one excerpt that I was glad he mentioned was that when he was a teenager the subject of sex and how to treat girls was never mentioned in church. That was my frustration when my son was a teenager. Prior to Internet fultering, when one of us would be on the Internet all kinds of pornography popped up begging you to come look at them, and they be into of all kinds of ungodly practices. Then when we would go to church there was never a word spoken about the misleading immorality that are confusing young boys on a daily basis. And like I said, I like books that were written about Edgar Cayce’s revelations to us on God, His laws, Jesus, and the metaphysical aspects of existence.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Not yet.
Who designed the covers?
A Canadian cover designer, Rita Loews and Stephannie Beman.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Correcting typos. My thoughts often exceeded my typing speed, and I created quite a bit of them while trying to work through fatigue and sleepiness.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
How people live their lives according to their feelings, regardless of how someone else feels, and some people derive pleasure from hurting other people.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
No.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope you enjoy the book, and are able to see my objective.
§ Name of Author: Jessica Clavell
§ Name of Book: Feelings Run Deep
§ Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00A3HC4V8
§ Twitter Link: Thriving2learn@books_2_adore
You can read the first chapter for free on Amazon.com plus there’s a Look Inside the Book feature that allows you to read a little more of the other chapters..
For the second year in a row, Motown Writers Network celebrates National Author’s Day “Detroit Style” by featuring a local author who’s working hard to make Detroit Literary Community Better.
This year is Ms. Melissa Love whose new book out is called Holy Suspicion.
Her book was featured earlier this year as a Wednesday book candy, but today we celebrate Melissa as an author, who’s doing wonderful things and creating wonderful literary for generations to come.
Who Is Melissa Love?
A blogger, reader and candle and soap creator. A writer working on many up and coming mainstream novels.
She is very active in the Motown Writer Network, and Mocha Sister Book clubs.
She continues to write stories filled with secrets and drama.
She currently lives in Detroit, Michigan working on her fourth novel.
Visit her website by clicking here.
ISBN-56-123456789101
Victoria Winter has her own selfish scheme and that is becoming the Second Mother of One True Worship, the third largest multi-billion church in Detroit. In order for this to happen, she convince her daughter to get the pastor to fall in love and married the famous and wealthy Pastor Kyle Smith. God-fearing Naomi does everything a Christian woman is suppose to do in her strict Christian’s household. She attends all the church services, events and groups meeting.
But Naomi has a secret that could ruin her mother plans of becoming Second Mother and her family’s reputation.
| Formats | Price | New | Used | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PaperbackOrder in the next 13 hours to get it by Wednesday, Oct 31. | $8.65 | $8.64 | $24.90 | |||
| Kindle EditionAuto-delivered wirelessly |
(read for free)
to buy
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ISBN-68-123456789101
Love on Death row is the story of De’Nesha Cole who was raised into the good life. She never knew hard times or living below ones needs. It took everything she had to hide her abuse she suffer from Terence Jones, her husband and co-partner at one of the top publishing company in Florida. Instead of reporting her abuse at the advice of her two best friends, she takes matters into her own hands and find herself on death row…. Coming Soon
Amazon Page | Website | Google +
Look for more of this author to come and please subscribe to our updates to receive more news about Michigan’s Literary Community!
In case you’re unfamiliar with National Author’s Day, here’s a detail description:
Nov 1. This observance was adopted by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1929 and in 1949 was given a place on the list of special days, weeks and months prepared by the US Department of Commerce. The resolution states in part: “By celebrating an Authors’ Day as a nation, we would not only show patriotism, loyalty, and appreciation of the men and women who have made American literature possible, but would also encourage and inspire others to give of themselves in making a better America.” It was also resolved “that we commemorate an Authors’ Day to be observed on November First each year.”
Read more:
http://www.answers.com/topic/national-authors-day#ixzz1cQtC1mPE
See our last year’s selection, Author, Monica Marie Jones! Click Here!
Creative and innovative are understatements when it comes to describing her work. Well-known for transforming others’ thoughts and ideas into written masterpieces, her writing style has catapulted her into a creative writing success for over 15 years. But through perfecting the craft of writing, Tenita Johnson realized her keen eye for spelling and grammatical errors would not only lead her into a career as an editor, but enable her to start her own writing and editing business, So It Is Written LLC.
Tenita’s passion for writing helped aid her in choosing to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she received a Bachelor of Journalism with an emphasis in News/Editorial. Her internship at the Columbia Missourian as not only a reporter, but also as a copy editor, helped hone her writing and editing skills to successfully compete in today’s journalistic and writing industries. Through her visionary writing, Tenita seeks to inspire and uplift others when they seem to have hope lost.
100 Words of Encouragement: Tidbits of Inspiration, her debut book, not only offers hope to make it through the current state of this economy, but to persevere through any trying situation one may encounter in everyday life. This written compilation of daily words of encouragement also emphasizes the belief that if you can condition your mind to think positively, eventually your circumstances will follow. But Tenita’s success is surely not only measured by her own.
Through her So It Is Written LLC, she helps authors around the nation perfect their manuscripts and successfully complete the publishing process. She also offers professional biographies, press releases and proposals, creating distinct brand images for authors long before their books hit the shelves. Together with her education, poise and charisma, she seeks to not only become a better writer and entrepreneur herself, but even more so, she seeks to help other authors bring their visions and dreams to manifestation. For speaking engagements or to purchase your copy of 100 Words of Encouragement, please visit www.soitiswritten.net or email info@soitiswritten.net.
Read below to find out more about author Tenita C. Johnson!
Where are you from?
Chicago, IL
Tell us your latest news?
I am looking to launch my 2nd book in the summer of 2013 titled When the Smoke Clears, the story of my life, told from the other side of victory.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing in high school. Both for my school yearbook as well as to release anger and hurt.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I had several published articles in college.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I was unemployed and began to send out emails of inspiration to 5 friends. One of them suggested that I not only keep them, but make them into a book. So I did.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I write to encourage and uplift.
How did you come up with the title?
I sent 100 emails and Googled if 100 Words of Encouragement was taken and it wasn’t. So it was pretty simple!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Yes, the message is always don’t give up, don’t quit, don’t throw in the towel…without the preached Word.
How much of the book is realistic?
Most of it, if not all of it, are real-life accounts of times in my life where I felt down, but pulled myself up again.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
My own real life
What books have most influenced your life?
The Bible, Rev Run’s Words of Wisdom
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Steve Harvey, because he writes the real and doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
What book are you reading now?
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Tonia Carter
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My Greater Grace Temple church family
Do you see writing as a career?
Yes most definitely!
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I would change the inside layout and have a professional designer design the pages and I would remove the Bible verses.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Offering ways for people to cope or overcome obstacles in life, when sometimes I am still struggling with those things myself.
Who designed the covers?
Rochelle Mann of Mann Made
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Fear that it is not good enough, it is not from God and fear that Bible scholars would challenge me.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Start marketing 6 months in advance. Hire a professional editor and even still, review the edited copy before going to final print. Don’t order 500 or 100 copies in case you do find an error. Launch your website BEFORE the book comes out and take pre-orders.
Author & Book Info:
100 Words of Encouragement: Tidbits of Inspiration
Author Website: www.soitiswritten.net
Amazon Link:100 Words of Encouragement Amazon Page
Facebook Link: 100 Words of Encouragement
Twitter Link: TenitaJohnson
Starting from now to November 10th, it will be my mission to try to collect 50, 000 books for the Metro Detroit Literary Community.
I know the impact of books in a home for a child and I want to give every home that doesn’t have books in Detroit some.
This sounds like an interesting challenge and I’m asking everyone to help me.
Photo by: J Michael Collins
Why?
I love books. My mother put that love in my heart way before I came into this earth and I’m blessed to have passed this love to my children.
Now I want to share my love with everyone out there who struggles to make a choice to buy a book or pay a bill in Detroit. I don’t want to see anyone have to make that choice.
Plus statistics states even one book in a household increases the chances of a child graduating from high school.*
If you would like to drop your book off in person, subscribe to this site (see sidebar) and when you see I’m having an event, come and bring your books to donate (while picking up a couple of copies of mine – although that’s not a requirement).
If you aren’t in Detroit and would like to send books, please ship them to:
Detroit Impact Community Center
Attn: MWN Book Drive
9930 Greenfield, Detroit, Michigan 48227
You can also drop off from 9am to 6pm
WHERE DOES ALL THIS GO AND WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM YOUR DONATION?
I know 50,000 books is a lot of books, but there is a meaning to my madness. These are the organizations that will benefit from your donation:
Pro-Literacy of Detroit – http://www.proliteracydetroit.org
During December, this organization has a graduation program for their adult readers who have successfully completed tutoring. Your book donations will go towards gifting them books they may take home as their reward to continue and strengthening their new-found reading skills.
The Detroit Impact Center –http://www.detroitimpactcenters.org/main.htm
Geared toward the youth in the Metro Detroit Community, The Detroit Impact Center provides literary services, programs and more. The library inside the center is under serviced and in desperate need of current books geared toward ages between tween and teen. I would love to give them what they need to encourage young adults to read more and provide Mr. Colbert, the director, the power to give these kids the gift of reading.
Also I’ve been approached by the following organizations to help them provide books for their participants.
The Fountain of Life COGIC – GED program for text books and educational books
My Sisters Keeper – Single Family Non-profit to gift single parents and their children with books for the holidays.
Help me help them!! I want to be the Oprah of book giving! The Santa Claus of the Literary Community. (I could go on with these metaphors, but they’d just get really corny. )
We hope to soon work with Kickstarter, so we can have a monetary donation system in place, but if you would like to contribute still, you can PayPal your donation to motownwriters@yahoo.com.
For all monetary donations, we plan to buy gift certificates from John King Books. (http://www.rarebooklink.com/cgi-bin/kingbooks/index.html)
Established in 1965, recently, we found out that two of their stores were in danger or closing. In my creative way to shed light upon a low foot traffic situation to the stores, I’ve decided that proceeds earned from donations will go to buy gift certificates from John K. King Bookstore and donated to the groups above so they can also make selections.
Also, this will ensure your donations will go right back into the literary community of Metro Detroit!
I do hope you help me meet my goal. I’m so excited about my mission and I’m going to blog all about it here at my website with the category tag 100,000.
Spread the word! Send the message! Shout it from the rooftop: There’s a crazy book lady in Detroit who needs books! (I don’t mind the crazy part, because even my mother said I’m a good crazy.)
I thank you in advance for your help to my literary endeavors!
*I couldn’t remember where that statistic came from before I blogged this, but it was in the last couple of months that I read it.
As the list of sponsors grow, I’m going to be posting sponsors to this post. If you’d like to know when I make updates to this particular post, please add a great comment and subscribe to comment updates.
I’d also like to know what efforts you are doing to strengthen your literary community and if you have creative ideas to help me encourage my own literary community to donate more.
I plan to do more face to fact book drop off events for the next couple of months. If you would love to help me plan these, please do not hesitate to contact me at my email: 
.
If you are media interested in requesting an interview about our literary cause, please contact Andrea Daniels of ANDCommunications at: 313.468.2459.
WE NEED METRO DETROITERS TO DONATE NEW OR GENTLY USED CHILDREN’S AND WOMEN’S BOOKS TO GIVE AWAY TO ORGANIZATIONS AND FAMILIES!!
Please Please Please don’t forget to share this message with others and help us strengthen Metro Detroit’s Literary Community.
This Wednesday’s Motown Book Candy feature is Dr. Tunishai A. Ford’s inspiring story ”This is a Comma in Your Life, Not a Period”.
Book Description:
Experience this life-changing saga that will leave you refreshed, renewed and
inspired to face life’s most challenging times. This is a Comma in Your life,
Not a Period will take you to a level of faith and hope never experienced
before.
You will never look at sickness and other life challenges the
same again. Whether you are a victim or not, you will understand that everyone
has a vital role to play. Victory is an interconnection for each and every one
of us to succeed. So prepare to be encouraged, healed, strengthened, and
uplifted. Allow This is a Comma in your Life, Not a Period to literally
transform your life.”
Author website: www.tunishaiford.com/index.htm
This week we’re talking with Kevin J. Garrity, the author of Sparrow River. Come along as we learn about Kevin and his debut novel!
Where are you from?
I grew up in northwest Detroit, went to school in Redford, and got my degree from Wayne State. Since then I’ve bounced around a bit, moving from Detroit to Traverse City to Seattle to Chicago, and back to Detroit again. I lived In Grayling for 11 years, before moving to West Bloomfield in 2010.
Tell us your latest news?
I’ve just released my first novel, “Sparrow River,” set in a fictionalized Grayling and a fictionalized Pigeon River Forest. It’s a murder mystery with multiple twists.
When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve written all my life. For years I played guitar in bands in Detroit and wrote most of my own material. I soon realized I was a much better writer than I was a musician. I’ve written short stories and other things. It wasn’t until last year that someone convinced me to try my hand at something bigger, and thus “Sparrow River.”
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think when I penned my first good song. At least I believed it was good at the time. I must have been about fifteen years old, and when we performed, people thought the song was great. Ten years later it was still my most requested tune. I realized right away that if you pen your own stories, you control your own destiny. I’m still adjusting to the idea of being an “author,” in the “I’ve got a book out” sense of the word.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I had the time to write and I had a specific story in mind. What I lacked was the confidence to sit down and actually do it. I had a hard time with the concept of sinking six months or a year’s worth of work into one single project, and not having any idea if it was worthwhile until it was completed. When you write a song, you learn pretty quickly whether or not it’s any good. With a novel, you don’t get that instant feedback. And by the time you do get that feedback, you’re probably committed to most of the book’s content. You can make adjustments, but the gist of the story is generally what it’s going to be. My brother kept pushing me to finish this book, see where it went, and I’m glad he did.
Do you have a specific writing style?
It’s still a work in progress. For “Sparrow River” I tried to keep things clean and simple. I’m a lover of old crime noir and pulp fiction, and I like the fact that these authors didn’t waste words in telling a story. I tried to replicate that style in a modern way, make every word count. On the other hand, I’m working on a new book that’s more in the realm of literary fiction, and I think more depth and description are required to capture the essence of tiny moments.
How did you come up with the title?
It’s a play on words. The Sparrow River is actually the Pigeon River, but I didn’t want to be married to the truth. I changed the names of a lot of things in this book, so that I could arbitrarily change anything that might make for a better story. The fictional names gave me the ability to lie whenever it was convenient to the plot. There’s also a bit of an homage to Hemingway in there, his “Big Two Hearted River.”
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I deliberately created some ambiguity throughout the story. I didn’t want it to be a cut-and-dried murder, with a nearly perfect hero and a tidy little ending. Those stories have been written a thousand times over, and I doubted I was going to improve on the classics. I tried to create something that is more like real life, where things aren’t always what people assume they are, and perceptions are often deceptive. Two people can read this book and end up with very different views of what it really means.
How much of the book is realistic?
The setting is very real. The town of “Rasmus” is Grayling in disguise (with a few changes when it suited the story). Sparrow River is real, it is the Pigeon River hiding under a pseudonym. I tried to capture the north woods and small town life as best I could. There are pieces of the area that folks will find familiar. Some are just plain made up. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide which is which, or whether it even matters. The plot itself is pure fiction.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
My protagonist is loosely based on a good friend of mine. He is not always warm and fuzzy. I took the strongest parts of his personality and put them on steroids. At the same time, I tried to humanize him whenever possible. I didn’t want to write a cartoon character: in the end, nobody wants to root for a total jerk. In the end, you want to like him. So I tried to create a slightly over the top version of my friend, and put him in an exceptional situation. I also borrowed liberally from my own life and from incidents that happened to people I know, wherever it made for good reading.
What books have influenced your life most?
When I was younger, Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” and Hemingway’s Nick Adams stories. “Babbit” and “Elmer Gantry” captured a page in time like nothing else, and let me fall in love with the use of specific language to create an environment. Those books made me an avid reader at a very young age. Later it was E.L. Doctorow’s “Ragtime” and John Irving’s “Setting Free the Bears” that inspired me. I read Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” when it first came out, and thought it was the best thing I’ve seen in over a decade.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Walter Mosley. I can’t put his books down. His primary characters are often flawed and broken souls. They’re real. He captures dialogue like you’re standing in a bar room in Watts, listening in on a stranger’s conversation. Nobody compares. And he proves you don’t have to follow the formulas of every author that came before you in order to succeed.
What books are you reading now?
Bryan Gruley’s “Starvation Lake” and John Irving’s “In One Person.”
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
When I’m not writing, I consume novels. Sometimes I read two or three a week. And I’m always a little wary of calling any writer “new,” because they might have been at it for twenty years before I’ve even heard of them. For example, someone recently gave me a copy of Jonathan Lethem’s “Gun with Occasional Music.” It’s not a genre I’d normally choose for myself. It’s a mystery, but with strong elements of a dystopian society. It was printed in 1994, though I just recently discovered it. I thought it was brilliant. So there’s a “new” author in my world. The good news is, he’s since created almost two decades’ worth of work, that I can read whenever I’d like.
What are your current projects?
I’m working on a novel that’s set in Detroit, more literary fiction than mystery. The writing is a little more time consuming, because it lacks the typical construct of mystery and resolution. I’m planning a sequel to “Sparrow River,” which I hope will be done sometime next spring. In the meantime I try to put a new short story on my blog (KevinJGarrity.com) at least once a month, so people remember that I’m still alive.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
I can’t thank the Devereaux Memorial Library in Grayling enough. When I first discussed “Sparrow River” with them, they gave me a royal welcome and all the resources they could muster. The NextChapter Bookstore in Northville gave me my first signing. Libraries and independent bookstores are my friends.
Do you see writing as a career?
I certainly hope so. At the same time, the traditional models of publishing and marketing a book have been turned upside down in the last few years. The big publishing houses seem less and less willing to sign an unknown and then allow him a few books to build his audience. They need immediate results. There are tools and technologies that make it simpler and less expensive than ever to self-publish, but at the same time independent bookstores are disappearing at an unbelievable rate. And it’s hard to do a book signing at Amazon. We need places like The NextChapter and Book Beat. The landscape is shifting at an ever-quickening pace. It will be interesting to see how things play out.
If you had to do it over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I joke that I should have titled it “Fifty Shades of Grayling,” and I’d have sold another million. But no, I wouldn’t change anything. I’m pretty happy with the book.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I think I’ve always been a story teller, and I’ve always written in some form or another. I’d much rather create my own reality than try to improve upon someone else’s. To me, a novel was the logical next step in my progression as a writer.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Earth and wood, it turned out, weren’t enough to hold back the volume of water that races through the Sparrow River in the springtime. “Sparrow,” a misnomer if ever there was one. In the dog days of summer it flows smooth and shallow. It meanders through her deeper stretches, hiding cool dark holes where the big trout lay until the evening hatch. It riffles and purls its way across the gravel bars that stretch like fingers into her current. It wraps around corners and dumps sand from her load, only to pick up where it left off and continues upon its former course. In the summer months hikers are easily enticed to take a dip, washing off days of sweat accumulated during their hike across the lower peninsula’s shore-to-shore trail. Horses have watered there since before time was measured. The Sparrow can seem gentle enough, but most of the locals called it the “Bitch River” for a reason.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I have to remember that dialogue is almost never written in proper english. People simply don’t converse in full and complete sentences. They talk in bits and chunks. And proper grammar is usually not true to any character. I’m getting more comfortable with dialogue the more I write.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Right now it’s Walter Mosley. Sometimes his books are a little graphic, but his characters have a realistic grit that is lacking in mystery fiction. There are too many books where the lead character is a former cop with one fatal flaw (he drank too much….he wouldn’t take a bribe…he failed to solve one crime and has been haunted ever since) that leads him to become an outcast private investigator. Mosley smashes those stereotypes. His protagonists are usually an everyman, with both good and bad inside. Their actions are sometimes shaped by their circumstances, and tend to be more believable because of that.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book?
I’ve been traveling some, mostly to the northern lower peninsula and around the metro Detroit area. Having to travel more would be a good problem. I’d view it as an indicator that Sparrow River is building a larger audience.
Who designed the covers?
The cover photos that I used were taken by a friend of mine from Grayling, George McKim. The cover design itself was done by my twelve-year-old son, Teemu. He was laid up for six weeks this past winter with mono. He was too sick to get off the couch, was sleeping eighteen hours per day. I didn’t want him playing on an Ipod for the six hours a day that he was awake, so I put him to work. All of the graphics, the fonts, multiple color changes and design tweaks, even the logo for Hammer Handle Press, it was all him. He taught himself how to use Gimp and invested about 80 hours into the cover layout. I think that by the end of the process, he’d rather have gone to school than be asked to change one more detail.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
It took me a while to find a voice for my lead character, Walt Pitowski. I could hear Walt in my ear, but it took some serious effort to capture the right tone on paper. I didn’t want him to be a total misogynist, yet that is certainly part of who the character is. Once I finally figured him out, the words came quickly.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned that, even when you have a clearly defined outline of where you want the story to go, you have to be willing to change and adapt. Sometimes the story has a mind of its own.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Keep at it, and don’t be intimidated by the process of publishing. I know too many people that have spent decades talking about the book they intend to write, “someday,” “when they have some time.” It looks scarier than it actually is, and not every thing you do needs to be perfect on the first run.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Sparrow River should be fun to read. It is at heart a mystery. At the same time, I tried to weave in slices of rural northern life, with all of the prejudices and flaws and problems that accompany that world. “Rasmus” could be any small town, and Walt Pitowski could be a lot of people you’ve already met. He’s rough around the edges, but underneath it all he is a man that wants to find his place in the community, wants to be loved. I tried to make Sparrow River as much about a place and time, about a person making his way in a specific environment, as it is about one single incident.
AUTHOR WEBSITE
AMAZON LINK
FACEBOOK LINK
https://www.facebook.com/KevinJGarrity1?ref=hl
VIDEO
This wednesday’s “Motown Book Candy” feature is with Jaylen LaGrande. Check out Jaylen on today’s Motown Literary Network Blogtalk Radio as he talks about his new book Identity Crisis.
Identity Crisis: The Final Verdict
Imagine the horror of suddenly realizing that you are the victim
of an unspeakable crime. As the modus operandi of the criminal activity is unraveled, you struggle to maintain your breathing. One devastating fact leads to another. Tears run like a raging river as each piece of evidence is sprawled out before you. Your skin is covered in a cold sweat and your heart drums fiercely. It is a most invasive kind of crime because personal information you held dear has been used to steal your very existence. Law enforcement officials have labeled this crime – identity theft. Author Jaylen LaGrande has taken the legal description of this invasive criminal act and wonderfully drawn a colorful analogy to its prevalence in the Kingdom, and how it affects who we are as Christians and spiritual beings. Even more shocking than his keen and in-depth study of the demonic attack against the identities of the sons and daughters of God; is a startling revelation. That revelation – the enemy has not stolen the identities of God’s children. Identity Crisis: The Final Verdict presents a compelling case for the prosecution that proves many of us have unwittingly embraced the very disruptive identities that the enemy has sown into our lives through thoughts, generational behaviors, friends, family, errant beliefs and low self-esteem. Thus, as we rise and the morning sun illuminates our image in the mirror – we see self; yet hauntingly self bears the identical appearances of fear, anger, manipulation, doubt and so many other absolutely damaging identities. Do not fear! LaGrande gives you access herein to a weapon that will, without fail, kill every trick of the enemy that has and will come. Each of us who has struggled with feeling the blow of demonic strategies against our purpose and destiny should bathe in the power of LaGrande’s work.
Author: Jaylen LaGrande
Twitter: @JaylenJaKoi
Website: www.jaylenlagrande.com
Every author needs an author platform to stand upon if he or she is going to get media attention. No, an author platform is not a box to stand on, but it will help an author to rise above his peers and separate the experts and credible authors from the amateurs. An author platform is more like an enhanced resume that provides your credentials and helps publishers and the media take notice that you are a professional, you have experience, you are good at promoting yourself and promoting your book and topic of interest without being self-serving, and overall, you know what you are doing.
The benefits of having an author platform are many. It will help you to get noticed and to appear as an expert to publishers, the media, and readers. Think of the author platform as your credentials. It should be an ever-evolving document or list of your accomplishments, marketing successes, and strategies for continuing to promote yourself and your work.
Following is a list of the qualifiers (proof you are a notch above others) that you should include in your platform. Remember, you should have the vast majority of these in your platform. It’s not sufficient just to have a website, although that’s a starting point:
· Website:Your website should include at least the following pages: Home, About the Author, Buy the Book, Your Blog, and a Media Kit page. Anything additional such as interviews, FAQs, or simply fun pages with games or quizzes, or additional stories or information about the book is a plus.
· Prior Publishing Experiences:Not just a list of books you’ve published, but your success stories-sales numbers, awards won, numbers of printings or editions, etc.
· Speaking Engagements:A good thing to do is keep a journal or log of every event you do, from speaking to the local rotary club to presenting at a national conference on your book’s subject. Publishers and the media want people who are not afraid of public speaking.
· Workshops: Have you facilitated or participated in any workshops relevant to your book or topic?
· Attendance at High Profile Conferences, Events, Workshops:Even if you were not a leader at an event, showing you attended is proof you are serious about staying current on your field of study and changes in the media and publishing worlds.
· Your Online Presence: How do you reach out to readers online? Your author platform includes your blog, newsletter, email lists, social networking, podcasts, videos, and online publications such as articles and book reviews.
· Readings and Book Signings:How frequently do you engage the public face-to-face in promoting your work? Where have you had book signings, readings, or participated in group author events?
· Online Forum:Do you have a way to engage your readers online? It could be a Facebook page for your book, a discussion group on your website, or a listserv group on your topic.
· Coaching/Consulting:Have you been a coach or consultant in your field of expertise on an individual level or for any organizations in need?
· Memberships:What professional organizations do you belong to relative to your topic and to publishing? How involved have you been with these organizations, helping to coordinate an event or serving on the organization’s board?
· Media Press Kit:Your press kit should be available for download from your website for the media’s perusal as well as be in a format you can mail. A press kit should include a press release for your book, a sales sheet, your book cover/image, an about the author page, testimonials or reviews of your book, and a copy of your book or a sample chapter at least, depending on whether it’s on your website or you are mailing a copy.
· Traditional Media Appearances:Any television or radio appearances you’ve made, as well as being interviewed or featured in magazines and newspapers.
· Internet Media Appearances:Have you been a guest on someone else’s blog? Have you been interviewed on Blog Talk Radio or other Internet radio podcast shows?
· Publications:Beyond books, have you published articles or stories in magazines, newspapers, or anthologies?
· Proven Contacts:Who is paying attention to you as an author? How many followers do you have on social media sites? Who is commenting on your blog? What is your website traffic? How many people are on your email list? Who is “Liking” your pages, and how many reviews are you getting posted by readers at online bookstores?
· Target Audience:Who is your target audience? What connections do you have with them, what kind of proven track record do you have, and what plans do you have for future interactions?
It may seem like having an author platform is a lot of work, but if you simply keep track of everything you do and you are actively promoting your book, it will be more like keeping a diary of your experiences. Of course, you have to build the website, go to the conferences, participate in events, but it is all fun and worthwhile if you are passionate about your book, and your passion will set you apart from other authors.
Today, an author platform is less about proving to a publisher that your book deserves publication and you will help market it. While you can still use it to find a publisher, it’s more about getting media attention, whether you are a self-published or traditionally published author. Your platform can be what convinces the media to interview or feature you, which in turn will make readers take notice and buy your books.
Here are some of the benefits to be derived from having a prepared author platform:
· Proves an author’s visibility and credibility as a professional author.
· Provides recognition and expertise that will make the media take notice and give you future publicity.
· Reflects that an author is authentic and not simply self-serving-all your activities have not been solely hard-selling of your books, but also participating in information-sharing and in helping others, such as participants at events and conferences.
· Allows the media and others to make a quick decision about your expertise when they need an expert for a story, a guest for a radio show, or a speaker at a conference.
Think of your author platform as your enhanced resume and your credentials. Constantly working to improve your author platform and to have it ready when it is needed will increase your chances of getting attention, becoming known by the media, and ultimately, selling more books.
Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irene_Watson
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