REVIEW: The Haves and The Have Nots- Tyler Perry's New HIt or Miss?

Does "Tyler Perry Hate Black Women"? Did Oprah damage her brand and reputation by airing this show? Was the show "so awful that the awfulness appears intentional"?

Even though the ratings were sensational, the reviews from others were absolutely brutal. I used quotes in the sentences above because they were direct quotes from sources like NewsOne and the LA Times.

I did watch both episodes of the show when it aired on Tuesday night but I also caught the hour interview that Oprah did with Tyler Perry beforehand. It was an interesting view of Mr. Perry and he made some valid points about his work.

Paraphrasing, he stated that he writes from his experiences, particularly coming up in New Orleans. He can only write what he knows and they are his stories alone to tell. Now that is quite understandable but in my opinion, Mr. Perry can no longer use that as an excuse.

We are speaking about a man that has paved his own road into Hollywood when he was constantly pushed and shoved to the side. He made Hollywood see him for the force that he is. He opened his own door when so many were closed in his face. He is a multi-millionaire and has the ability to widen his experiences. He has the means to create new opportunities for himself and those can be used as new inspiration for his writing.

It should no longer be used as an excuse when people ask him why he tends to stick with the same material over and over again when he has the means to expand upon it and become much greater. Sure he has an audience and a sure formula. He creates what this particular group wants to see, produces it, and is well rewarded.

But shouldn't a man of his stature be willing to take more chances just to create a wider audience for his work? This is a golden opportunity to snag those who are not impressed with the body of work that he has created so far and turn them into fans. Or at least capture the respect that he deserves.

It seems as if Mr. Perry gives into a paranoia (refusing to let critics view his work before released) in keeping others outside, but somehow wanting the respect from those who just don't see him in the same light as the "Hollywood Elite". This is a man who, by all rights, has earned his spot at the table with the greatest and yet gets stiffed every single time.

The Haves and The Have Nots is a soapy dramatic series which I held high hopes for. I must say that while I don't consider myself a fan of his work, I do have tremendous respect for Mr. Perry. I fall in love with his story every single time I hear it. It gives me great courage to continue my writing as well.

However, I am not in love with this show. The show seemed to be a mish-mash of some of his earlier work with the same characters over and over again. I understand that Mr. Perry was greatly influenced by other bodies of work that came before him, such as The Color Purple. At some points in the show, I sat on the edge of my seat wondering when a line from The Color Purple was going to come spitting out of Hanna the maid's mouth. Kathryn Cryer seemed to come straight from Kathy Bates' character in The Family That Preys.  Candace seemed as one-dimensional as Sanaa Lathan's character Andrea. Other characters were just plain strange such as Wyatt Cryer and Jeffrey Harrington.

There were contrived plot lines that drove me to almost change the channel. Why would Amanda insist on having Candace tutor her when her father is a skilled litigator? Why does Amanda insist on having Candace around her all of a sudden? This girl one minute was giving John the time of his life in a bedroom and then shows up at the house because Amanda happens to be friends with her. Not only that, Amanda INSISTS that Candace spend the night and....gasp....the family hasn't heard one word about her in the past and now she's hanging around like she's family! It holds onto the notion that if Amanda decided to tell her to f**** off, she would have no OTHER reason to even be in the house to provide the tension. It's just too contrived to be believable and Amanda would have to be doing cartwheels because she just loves this beautiful black girl Candace so much to keep her in the house and under John's nose for no other reason than making him squirm.

I am not sure where Wyatt and Jeffrey are going but their introduction into the story seemed a bit rushed. There was too much exposition...too much telling and not enough showing. The first episode pretty much stuck to the main house, with the exception of a hotel room and Hanna's house. That left the dialogue too stilted. The characters were forced to tell the audience too much. It was like watching a play in which the backstory must be explained rather than revealed to the audience slowly. Pacing...Mr. Perry. Pacing.....

I still can't figure out why Wyatt, their son, walked around the house naked for seven minutes. It delved the somewhat serious tone into complete lunacy.

Lastly, who physically licks their lips (when NOT done in jest) when they see someone physically appealing? Oh come now, Jeffrey Harrington. Or was that a really bad stereotype of the gay community? I haven't figured that one out yet.

Does Tyler Perry hate black women?  Of course not. I think that notion is patently absurd. Tyler Perry sticks with his winning formula and doesn't deviate. Women in his world are either church going fanatics, stuck up and bourgeois, or hypersexual and in need of a good man/God. His characters are just the same ones over and over again but he just changes the names on the script.  It's like he's plagiarized himself again and again. Morally, it's not wrong to do so. Financially? He laughs all the way to the bank. Smart? Depends on how you look at the situation. Is he being fair to himself? Not even close.

Mr. Perry stated that he feels burdened by the fact that so many people depend on him. They need to continue working and making names for themselves which means he needs to continue producing.
If I were standing in front of him right now and he asked my lowly opinion, I would simply tell him to take a year off. Explore the world if he hasn't already done so. Talk to people of different backgrounds. Read lots of books...books he would have never read in a million years. Watch movies that he wouldn't have normally watched ever because you just don't care for that genre. Talk to aspiring writers and budding actors. Dare to be different. Open your heart and your mind to something new.

Mr. Perry. This is what you are here to do. Creation is stifled when it's forced and it's time for a new formula. I, of all people, know that you have what it takes. It's time for something new.










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How Can You Complain About Free? Kindle Freebies Anyone?

It's something I absolutely enjoy doing when I get up in the morning. I check the Amazon free lists of great books for the wonderful price that can't be beat: $0.00.

With the advent of self-publishing, your cat can become an author in probably ten minutes. People all over the world have probably kicked the idea of writing a novel in their heads at one time or another. 

Well some of those people just scratched that off their "bucket" list because sites like Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com are turning your next door neighbors into authors.


Now people from all walks of life can share their life experiences and stories with the rest of the world. The problem for some is that the stories that are being shared are not the most "polished" and grammatically correct as they need to be. 

Sure there are lots of Grammar Police out there in the world on patrol, noting every missed comma or misspelled word. But there are some books on Amazon that can make you think that English (or whatever language) is not their native tongue because of all the grammar problems. 

There was one book that I read about Lupus that had such a long run on sentence that lasted all the way to the second page before a period was placed. 

Some of the novels are just plain unreadable and it's a sad state that displays a lack of education around the world.

But what happens when that book is free?

Some books have typos here and there but you are able to get the general point of the story.

I have a problem with downright mean, insulting, and downright personal attacks on authors when they are giving their work away for free. It doesn't matter if a two year old can do better, it was FREE. 

Constructive criticism can go a long way but insulting someone's intelligence doesn't. It just makes a hostile world more hostile. 

But then again, no one twisted your arm to buy it. You picked it up because it was FREE!!! It's like purchasing a fake Coach handbag for one dollar. It looks just like the real thing and feels like the real thing but then five minutes later when the strap breaks, you're ready to ring someone's neck.

There is absolutely no logic in that. What did you really expect? You had your own set of expectations of this purse that LOOKED like a Coach purse so it should BEHAVE like a Coach purse, even when you didn't pay Coach money. You put very high expectations on something that didn't have much value in the first place and have the gall to be disappointed in how your fake Coach purse performed.

Yes, continue looking through the Freebies on Amazon because there are lots of gems out there that have authors with tremendous talent. 

But if you happen to download something which your dog could have written better prose, you have no one to blame but yourself.

The Sad and Sorry State of Urban Fiction Novels

I may catch a lot of flack for this one but it needs to be said.

I love my Kindle and not a day goes by where I'm not on the Amazon website trying to find new and awesome books to read.

As a Black woman, there is a certain genre that I stay away from, but only because I don't find it very interesting. I grew up very sheltered in a middle class family so I can't relate to many of the stories. It just wasn't my life experience.

I don't consider myself to be some great scholar of the English language and have made quite a few grammatical gaffes myself. It's all in the process of learning and trying to do better as a person and perfecting my craft which is the goal of all writers.

With that being said, I have downloaded a few of these Urban fiction novels out of curiosity and I have not been pleased with what I've found.

I don't mind the violence as much or the liberal use of the dreaded "N" word. But what I do find challenging is to even figure out what the book is about because the sentence structure is terrible with many of the books that I come across. I can overlook typos but when they take up most of the book, it becomes a huge distraction.

Please keep in mind that I'm not speaking of EVERY black author out there that writes in the genre. I'm sure there are many books out there that are well written and edited for clarity. It's just I haven't had much luck finding any.

I reviewed a book yesterday that seemed to have a lot of promise, but I couldn't get past the writing style of the author. Quotes were not used properly so I had a hard time trying to figure out who was speaking.

His book is not alone. It is very easy to identify an Urban book. There is usually some scantily clad dressed woman on the front along with some tough looking men with guns or other weapons in their hands.

I had another "discussion" with an author over her book (which shall remain nameless). She marketed as a true story about a mother who loses control over her children to the streets. But from the very beginning, you could easily see why the mother lost control. She was violent, often had physical confrontations with people in the neighborhood, and yelled and screamed at her own children. Then she was "flabbergasted" that her children turned out to be killers. When I pointed this out to her, her answer was simply that black women have to raise their children differently, a myth that I've heard from many other black people.

Really?  Children should never watch their mother go "upside someone's head" with a baseball bat, constantly use profane language, and scream at them on a daily basis. Children will act out the things that they see at home.

If an alien from outer space touched down and wanted to know what Black people were like, downloaded a few of these books on his kindle, he would have a very low opinion of us. It is just downright disheartening. Yes, I find it wonderful that black people, young and old, are finding ways to creatively express themselves. Not only are they using their talents, they are also creating material for other Black people to read and enjoy. Many young people are actually READING more!

But if they have THIS to look up to, then we have a long way to go. One can read Zora Neale Hurston and see the type of slang that Blacks use to communicate with each other, but there is a clear message in her writing that can be enjoyed by everyone.

A lot of the Urban fiction have gangbanging, prostitution, drug dealing, and just over the top violence. Is that all there is to Black people? I understand that it is apart of the genre "urban fiction" but some of the stories aren't even put together that well and the point of the story is just lost.

Most women in these stories are gold digging hussies that strip for a living. The men are pimps, gangbangers, and drug dealers. It's like a thousand black writers wrote the same story over and over again just under a different name and cover. 

So I stay away from this genre. Hopefully I'll find a gem out there that I can write about and give a glowing review to. Hopefully we can do better and put out material that people from other cultures can enjoy as they learn about us as a people.

And it is not gangs, drugs, sex, violence, and money. We have a rich history and that needs to be center stage.

Reviewing Reviews #1

(I may do a series of reviews that I come across in the future for discussion purposes only.)

I write reviews on Amazon and read many before I decide to purchase  a book. I do look at the low rated ones as well as the five star.

Contrary to popular belief, many of the reviews, good or bad, are written by people who have nothing to gain out of writing them. But there are a lot of undeserved low ratings as well as some overinflated great ones.

First off, who is to tell what one person believes is a five star review?


"A five-star novel is a work of exceptional literary genius. I am not an English major (or minor), and I am only medially well-read. But I know a five star work leaves one breathless, both emotionally and intellectually. After finishing such a book, it is impossible to initiate intercourse with another literary work for some time. An example of such a book would be Blood Meridian, Moby Dick, The Brothers Karamazov, or the like. I am not part of the kindle revolution, but I'm not a total stick in the mud, either. C'mon people, this is not a five star work. Of course, being the internet, all things exposed to popular mediation are subject to the extremes of wild fanboy(girl)-ism, or Swift Boating, but can't we have some objectivity here?"

Wow. Everyone has their own system where they grade things differently. Obviously the reviewer here felt that the book in question was nowhere near the literary genius that it needed to be to garner so many five stars. This person gave the author three stars which is fair but I cannot rate a book based to YOUR liking just as you can't for me. Why don't people understand this. The rating is justified but rate a book according to its merit and don't bellyache over other people's ratings.

 If you start your review off with, "I don't understand how this book got so many five stars...." YOU'VE LOST ALL CREDIBILITY. Go sit in a corner until you agree to play nice with the rest of the children....

Here is a bit more of this "review".....

"I feel like an 11th grade English teacher who has given an assignment to the class, and am now reading the work of the brightest pupil in the class. Yes, it was handed in early, every objective was completed, and the margins are properly aligned (although there were at least three grammar/spelling/syntax errors, one the result of a functional spell-checker and non-functional human editor)." 

This is based on conjecture and assumption. What makes this reviewer so justified in feeling the way that he does? The review sounds almost PERSONAL, which a review should never be. It should be related to the work at question and not based on some imaginary hallucination in which all he does is insult the writer.  He wants us to be objective? Try being unbiased. Did he actually sit there and count the errors, then analyze them? Volunteer work would be an amazing start for people like this.

In this strange, wonderful, but sometimes dreary world of writing, it takes a lot to please your audience. Everyone wants you to write characters that they and only they can relate to in every way. Take this review for example.....

 "My first issue with (*******************)  by J********** is the language barrier. The book is a sore reminder that British English can be quite different than American English. The sample that I read is littered with British terms and slang that take a while to figure out the meaning from the context. For example, a father refers to something as "f_g." [Amazon did not post original review due to inclusion of this word.] Obviously, in American English this is a derogatory gay slur. But for British English, it (I think) refers to cigarettes. There are many such instances where the American reader will have to pause and figure out what the author means by a certain word and its usage. Your average American reader may not have that kind of patience. I deduct one star in my rating for this reason."

This reviewer is actually complaining about the author using British words instead of American. Now the writer is actually BRITISH! The author lives there! How should she write? Should the author had written an American version where the characters speak with a Bostonian accent that smokes cigarettes instead of fags?  I mean you have to at least know that if someone asks for a fag on the street, they're not asking you if you are carrying a homosexual person in your pocket! 

For goodness sakes, when the 2012 Olympics were in London, many newspapers, blogs, and television shows had segments where they explained the differences in British and American words. Not all Americans need a British/English translator to read Brit Lit and it's insulting to assume that the writer needed to include it. Isn't it a prerequisite to at least study English Literature in schools? 

Take a look at this gem, albeit from the same review....


 My second issue are the characters themselves. The author appears intent on making EVERY single character (at least that I encountered in my sample) possess an unlikeable character flaw. While flawed characters may smooth the path towards interesting scenarios and story lines, this also turns off the reader, who CANNOT associate himself with ANY character. The bottom line is that if the reader does not like the characters, why would he care to read what happens to them? I deduct a second star for this reason.

Really? I don't read many books where the characters don't have character flaws. I can't point to a person on Earth that didn't have a character flaw...especially an unlikeable one at that. I guess the author that received this unlucky review needs to go to the store and and purchase a crystal ball. 

Then she should create characters based on what this reviewer feels as acceptable. Here is the thing about writing. You won't relate to ALL the characters and sometimes that is a beautiful thing. Without it, you wouldn't have the insight or knowledge from other people's points of views, concerns, dreams, destinies, etc. 

Literature would be pretty boring if it were that way. Writers write characters the way that they see them, plain and simple. You're going to relate to some and others, not so much. It  shows diversity and will create a pretty interesting storyline if you ask me. When you read, you are walking in someone else's shoes for awhile. You are not going to agree with all their choices or decision making in the book. Guess what? There are people in your life that don't agree with YOUR choices and decision making. Does that mean that they are right and you are wrong?

I can't relate to someone who has lived a criminal past for all of his life and decides to go rob a bank. Sure he has a mother that is dying of cancer and she needs money for treatment, but I couldn't relate to committing a crime just for that reason. I can relate to the sympathy that character would have for his mother's health, as so would a lot of people. But what about the reader that absolutely HATES his mother? 

They couldn't relate to robbing a bank to save a person's life that they totally detest. Hell, they may even be happy that she won't be on this Earth for long and decide to jump for joy. They may even relate to robbing a bank! People who think like this should probably resort to writing their own stories instead of only looking for characters that you can relate to. It would be nice, but nice doesn't make interesting reading.





".....I was very excited to buy this book for my Kindle Reader but...$17.99...are you kidding ? In this economy ?"

Okay that book is very expensive for Kindle but then again, this isn't a review.


"I have only read the sample, but that all it took for me to be disgusted."

READ THE BOOK. THEN JUDGE! I can understand not wanting to read the entire book because it doesn't catch your fancy. That's perfectly fine. God knows I have hundreds of books that I stopped reading that didn't interest me in the slightest. But then, that makes me NO longer ABLE to write a fair review on the book. In this case, I don't write a review at all. It's just like those people that say, I don't read Romance books but downloaded it anyway and hated it! 

Really? You don't like Romance, downloaded it anyway, and were horrified that you didn't enjoy the subject matter.  I have been surprised by reading genres that I have no interest in and was pleased. But then again, I go into reading...say a Western, and fully expect myself not to be able to follow because I don't read books of that subject matter. 
  
If one is really good and blows my mind? That's awesome. All that states to me is that the writer writes with universal appeal. I study Astrophysics. If I wrote a book that only PhD professionals can understand, then I'm obviously not writing to the layperson. But if I write that same book so that a ten year old can understand? Congratulations. That is a book that has universal appeal and can attract people of all backgrounds. 

It doesn't mean, however, that the first book for the PhD's isn't any good. It just means that people with PhD's or someone that is into science and technology would be able to understand it. A writer with universal appeal has the ability to make a lot of money and become extremely successful as well. 

It is hard to sit down, write something, and finish it. It's even harder to listen to criticism, but that can only make someone's work better. It's unfair to write a review that has nothing to do with the actual product. If your professor graded your paper that you worked so hard on, just to give you an F because you didn't use the right pencil or paper that they would have preferred. It's one thing if your professor ASKED you to use a certain pencil or paper but another if you learned that in hindsight. 

Just something to think about folks.
 

Pulling Your Hair Out Is Part of The Writing Process

For some reason the picture won't show up larger than this. But if you zoom the screen out, you will see the numbers pouring in for my new debut, Sex Therapy. Just to show you how all this works with Amazon, it shows you to the right how many actual books you sold that you're going to get paid for. Or not get paid for if someone refunded your book. (Yikes)

The numbers to the left deal with your Free Promotions. Or other words, not going to get paid for. Amazon gives you the opportunity to give your book for free to garner reviews and get your name out there. Cool huh?

The numbers towards the middle (Borrows) tells you that you're going to get paid for books that others lend or read for free with the Prime program. That money is coming from Amazon itself. That's ONLY if you enroll in the KDP program. That just means you promise to exclusively publish with them. If you don't, well tough cookies...LOL!

Since this is my first fiction short story out there, I'm incredibly nervous. I have been trying to perfect the novel the best way I know how. Yeah...I guess you could say that I'm terrified of the horrible reviews. But it's the only way I'm going to know I'm good. Yes, it is true that not everyone is going to like you. You could give this book out with million dollar checks, and I would bet all the money in my bank account (you're welcome to $39.17 right now) that you will still get negative reviews. Probably because you wrote paper checks and you didn't overnight the cash you little, silly, naive author, you!!!!

Or it's just your book really sucks but they wanted to thank you for the million bucks anyway.

I just placed my book for a free promotion last night and the reviews will be coming in shortly. I'm very ill right now and can barely move without chest pain. In fact, I should be writing this in a hospital bed instead of my own bed but what are you going to do, huh? I would just ask reviewers to be fair, not name call such as garbage, or filth, rubbish for my British readers. If you didn't like the novel, just state the reasons why and move on, especially if you're just looking for the free million dollar check that comes along with the book.

Look out for that in the eight edition. ; )

Seriously Flawed

Ho hum Ho hum.

Reviewers that don't read your book?

Here they come.

Leaving mass destruction behind,

With a star or two.

You're a babbling idiot behind a keyboard, she said.

If they only knew.

You've worked hard on your book,

You've believed in it from the start.

Secured by their anonymity,

Like a dagger through your heart.

Other reviews come in,

Lavishing praises here and there.

But you'll never forget those harsh words,

There will be more, so beware.


Recently I read another forum post where all of these people, most who have never written or published anything, were taking many writers to task over simple mistakes. We all make them. Even books published by major publishing houses have major grammatical and spelling errors.

If there are one or two errors, MOST people move on, possibly even forgetting that they existed.

But TOO MANY errors become distracting. If your reader is so busy correcting your grammar, then they aren't getting lost into your story. You want your readers lost in your story. You want your reader to look up at the clock, amazed at the amount of time that has gone by while reading your words.

It is the ultimate compliment.

I read a book once about a young woman that was dealing with Lupus. Since I have lupus, I was very interested in hearing her story.

The problem? The first sentence lasted for an entire page without one punctuation mark. I desperately tried to get into the book, but I liken it to listening to someone's thoughts. Here is an example: (NOTE: These are not the actual words of the book)

Lupus is an autoimmune disease okay like your cells going haywire and instead of attacking diseases and bacteria that's not supposed to be there it attacks your organs like your kidneys, liver, brain, and other things and it does not discriminate because my friend has lupus and it attacked her heart when it attacked my lungs.....

I hope you get the picture. That was probably the worst I've seen so far. I try to give each writer the benefit of the doubt and ignore spelling and bad punctuation. Hell, I even cringe at a misplaced comma in my own work. Thankfully, you can edit the changes, and upload a corrected copy to Amazon. I took full advantage of that. So no one is perfect.

But if the reader can barely make out what you're trying to say, it's time to take it back to the drawing board and rewrite my friends.


But after reading the forum posts, I have concluded that SOME people LOOK for errors your book. I just made an error. Did you catch it? I didn't...not while I was typing it. I caught it on the third read and I'm going to leave it there as a great example. They are not interested at all in your story but will sit there and count the mistakes you make. Bored people? Maybe. Unemployed editors shaking their fists at society by taking it out on a few amatuer writers? That would be kind of funny but not really. Or are they consumers who feel like they are spending their money and time, wanting nothing more than a quality product? I could see that too.

But God help you if you misuse a comma or a homonym.

Okay...I have to agree with the homonym thing. Your and You're or there and their. Mixed up homonyms are my pet peeve. They seriously are. Many writers aren't the best grammaticians. Hell if we were, then we'd be editors...not writers. But using the wrong homonym? Not acceptable.

My advice? Read your book over and over again until you damn near have the words memorized. Join a writer's group and have them read it. It is very helpful to get feedback from different people. It will help you in the long run. Then read your damn copy again and again. There are things that I missed when I read my current book, Sex Therapy, when I began editing it the first time.

We will talk about formatting in another post.

Tea Of The Day: Ginger Peach, Tangy Tangerine