Sunday, August 5, 2012
Download my New Book HANNAH tomorrow!
Free Tomorrow!!!!!
Make sure you go to Amzaon and download my book for free tomorrow until Tuesday at midnight! Thank you all!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Bad Writing When You're Not A Writer
You want to know the wonderful thing about self publishing?
Non-writers can now be writers! First, let me clarify.
I was browsing on the Kindle store for books that I might have been interested in when I came across a book written by an undertaker. One review that was posted gave the book one star for bad writing.
She pretty much answered her own question with this one. Not everyone can be a writer, but does that mean that we silence the voices of those who aren't? I've read books from people of all walks of life. Sometimes, it's not about brilliant writing, flowing prose, and a gigantic vocabulary.
It's about the life experience that they are sharing. Reading about other people's life experiences can make your own very rich. Could some people benefit from an editor or even another writer to help the? Sure they could. But many people aren't really concerned about a few typos or a comma splice here and there.
I feel as if my life has truly been enriched by reading the stories of cancer patients, the Amish, Loyalists in the American Revolution, slaves in the Civil War, paramedics, doctors, lawyers, police officers, fireman, people with Lupus, serial killers, dentists, stockbrokers, people sold into sexual slavery, drug addicts, white supremacists, black supremacists, prisoners on Death Row, celebrities, etc.
Some of these stories were full of errors, but I didn't let that stop me from receiving the message. What we don't understand, we fear. What we fear, we destroy. Learning about other lives will make yours much richer.
Non-writers can now be writers! First, let me clarify.
I was browsing on the Kindle store for books that I might have been interested in when I came across a book written by an undertaker. One review that was posted gave the book one star for bad writing.
The authors tried to make an entertaining compilation of stories covering the entire mortuary process (removal through funeral), but the stories are rather dull and filled with impertinent information (e.g., long background histories of some of the writers, and extraneous details regarding the setting or unimportant background characters). I can only assume it is because the people who wrote them are not writers, they are undertakers....
She pretty much answered her own question with this one. Not everyone can be a writer, but does that mean that we silence the voices of those who aren't? I've read books from people of all walks of life. Sometimes, it's not about brilliant writing, flowing prose, and a gigantic vocabulary.
It's about the life experience that they are sharing. Reading about other people's life experiences can make your own very rich. Could some people benefit from an editor or even another writer to help the? Sure they could. But many people aren't really concerned about a few typos or a comma splice here and there.
I feel as if my life has truly been enriched by reading the stories of cancer patients, the Amish, Loyalists in the American Revolution, slaves in the Civil War, paramedics, doctors, lawyers, police officers, fireman, people with Lupus, serial killers, dentists, stockbrokers, people sold into sexual slavery, drug addicts, white supremacists, black supremacists, prisoners on Death Row, celebrities, etc.
Some of these stories were full of errors, but I didn't let that stop me from receiving the message. What we don't understand, we fear. What we fear, we destroy. Learning about other lives will make yours much richer.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
When Keeping It Real Goes Terribly Wrong: Writers Edition
Revealing Eden: Save The Pearls Part One
The blatant black face on the author's website is what startled me in the beginning. I heard about this particular book on Tumblr where a few African American bloggers had made several posts about it, making claims that the author was a racist.
I jumped on the issue, did some research, and found out that she has made some serious gaffes in the media. I had to see for myself what all the hoopla was about.
Sure enough, many of the negative reviews were posted within days of each other. It is safe to say that many of them didn't read the book. As I said in an earlier post, if you aren't familiar with the book, then reviewing it really isn't fair: even if the content is disgusting and abhorrent.
In this post-apocalyptic world, Pearls are White, Coals are Black, Asians are Ambers, and Latinos are Tiger-eyes. Okay.....I was leery about the descriptive terms used for different races. I couldn't understand under any circumstances why those particular terms were used and how the author failed to foresee that many would take offense?
As a writer, I tried to push my personal feelings aside and just read past those descriptions. I admit that I did NOT purchase the book, but took the liberty of borrowing a copy.
The content was fair but downright confusing at times. This mysterious world, where reverse racism is king, didn't have a lot of description. There were many things in the novel that were not properly explained. I really wanted to know if the Coals were one hundred percent immune to The Heat, as it is aptly described in the book.
We all know that Black people do have more melanin in our skin, but it doesn't necessarily mean that we're immune from skin cancer or other disorders relating to sun exposure and a warming climate. What happened to Black people with lighter complexions? We do run the gamut from passing for white to deep ebony. Did they suffer like Whites?
The main character Eden, seemed downright selfish and silly at some points.When she wasn't acting whiny, she was downright childish. Then again, this is a young adult novel and it isn't unheard of for teenagers to act in such a manner.
Since the book hit Tumblr, Twitter, and a few other social media websites, the book has tumbled in the ratings on Amazon. When I checked Friday, there were about 103 negative votes. As of today, the official count of one star votes sits at 151. More one star reviews are pouring in as we speak.
The biggest problem that I have with the book is that this world is supposed to show the readers what would happen if everything were reversed. What if Blacks held the power and our features suddenly became more desirable than features attributed to Whites?
You'd have to assume that since the world is reversed, then Black features are NOT desirable while white features ARE. You would also have to assume that if the world was reversed, that Blacks and other minority groups would be more than willing to oppress Whites if given that opportunity.
This quote was taken from an article that she wrote in the Huffington Post. When I read it, it was hard for me to keep my composure. Is she saying that black people don't read enough to be labeled in a category? Is she trying to state that only a certain group of Black people are the ones that will "get" her book? Does that free spirited Black woman speak for all Black people?
Crystal ball...crystal ball....
Ms. Foyt continues to defend her book, understandably so against the racist accusations. She cites the glowing reviews of her book as a reason why she feels that she is not racist, because if she were, then those reviews wouldn't exist. This is where her logic fails.
I don't think Ms. Foyt is racist, but she is terribly misguided. She really didn't think this book through, instead of just relying on that one African American that told her the book was all kinds of awesomeness. Race is still a very touchy subject and we should continue this dialogue for many years to come. We owe that much to our future generations. If I give Ms. Foyt credit for anything, she has brought the idea of white privilege to the forefront.
What Ms. Foyt doesn't understand is that turning the tables and reversing the roles does not help end racism. It encourages it. It simply shows that regardless of whichever group holds the reins to society, they will abuse their positions and eagerly become the oppressors. It contributes to this never ending cycle of racism that will be hard pressed to die out.
Should Amazon do the responsible thing and stop selling this book? Absolutely not. The Turner Diaries is blatantly racist and yet, it still sells. We can learn a lot from books like The Turner Diaries and even from Revealing Eden.
The lesson is that we've still got a long way to go.
The blatant black face on the author's website is what startled me in the beginning. I heard about this particular book on Tumblr where a few African American bloggers had made several posts about it, making claims that the author was a racist.
I jumped on the issue, did some research, and found out that she has made some serious gaffes in the media. I had to see for myself what all the hoopla was about.
Sure enough, many of the negative reviews were posted within days of each other. It is safe to say that many of them didn't read the book. As I said in an earlier post, if you aren't familiar with the book, then reviewing it really isn't fair: even if the content is disgusting and abhorrent.
In this post-apocalyptic world, Pearls are White, Coals are Black, Asians are Ambers, and Latinos are Tiger-eyes. Okay.....I was leery about the descriptive terms used for different races. I couldn't understand under any circumstances why those particular terms were used and how the author failed to foresee that many would take offense?
As a writer, I tried to push my personal feelings aside and just read past those descriptions. I admit that I did NOT purchase the book, but took the liberty of borrowing a copy.
The content was fair but downright confusing at times. This mysterious world, where reverse racism is king, didn't have a lot of description. There were many things in the novel that were not properly explained. I really wanted to know if the Coals were one hundred percent immune to The Heat, as it is aptly described in the book.
We all know that Black people do have more melanin in our skin, but it doesn't necessarily mean that we're immune from skin cancer or other disorders relating to sun exposure and a warming climate. What happened to Black people with lighter complexions? We do run the gamut from passing for white to deep ebony. Did they suffer like Whites?
The main character Eden, seemed downright selfish and silly at some points.When she wasn't acting whiny, she was downright childish. Then again, this is a young adult novel and it isn't unheard of for teenagers to act in such a manner.
Since the book hit Tumblr, Twitter, and a few other social media websites, the book has tumbled in the ratings on Amazon. When I checked Friday, there were about 103 negative votes. As of today, the official count of one star votes sits at 151. More one star reviews are pouring in as we speak.
The biggest problem that I have with the book is that this world is supposed to show the readers what would happen if everything were reversed. What if Blacks held the power and our features suddenly became more desirable than features attributed to Whites?
You'd have to assume that since the world is reversed, then Black features are NOT desirable while white features ARE. You would also have to assume that if the world was reversed, that Blacks and other minority groups would be more than willing to oppress Whites if given that opportunity.
Conceivably, if the book had not reached the African-American community of readers, if such a category still exists, perhaps there might be some backlash. The first young African American reader who responded to me loved the book. But then, she’s the kind of free spirit who would eschew limiting herself to a single category. Ms.Foyt--the huffington post
This quote was taken from an article that she wrote in the Huffington Post. When I read it, it was hard for me to keep my composure. Is she saying that black people don't read enough to be labeled in a category? Is she trying to state that only a certain group of Black people are the ones that will "get" her book? Does that free spirited Black woman speak for all Black people?
Not too many years ago, I can imagine that this story might have generated heated comments about the sexualized fantasies about black men. And yeah, there was one. And having checked out that blogger, I strongly suspect that he belongs to a much older generation than young adults. Otherwise, I’m happily surprised to say there has been not a blip of protest.--Ms.Foyt--the huffington post
Crystal ball...crystal ball....
And there is reason to support my belief when you consider that the novel has won five literary awards, including the Eric Hoffer Best Young Adult Novel 2012 (Eric Hoffer was a great humanitarian), or that Marianne Williamson called it on her Facebook page, “A fascinating story…for lovers of all ages!” or that dozens of reviewers from the San Francisco Book Review to Fresh Fiction to many book bloggers have embraced it with glowing reviews.
And if you ask if all these reviewers are white then consider that you have a racist point of view.--Ms. Foyt-savethepeasrls.com--the website for the book....
Ms. Foyt continues to defend her book, understandably so against the racist accusations. She cites the glowing reviews of her book as a reason why she feels that she is not racist, because if she were, then those reviews wouldn't exist. This is where her logic fails.
I don't think Ms. Foyt is racist, but she is terribly misguided. She really didn't think this book through, instead of just relying on that one African American that told her the book was all kinds of awesomeness. Race is still a very touchy subject and we should continue this dialogue for many years to come. We owe that much to our future generations. If I give Ms. Foyt credit for anything, she has brought the idea of white privilege to the forefront.
What Ms. Foyt doesn't understand is that turning the tables and reversing the roles does not help end racism. It encourages it. It simply shows that regardless of whichever group holds the reins to society, they will abuse their positions and eagerly become the oppressors. It contributes to this never ending cycle of racism that will be hard pressed to die out.
Should Amazon do the responsible thing and stop selling this book? Absolutely not. The Turner Diaries is blatantly racist and yet, it still sells. We can learn a lot from books like The Turner Diaries and even from Revealing Eden.
The lesson is that we've still got a long way to go.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Amazon, Reviews, and Twelve Year Olds
Bad reviews can be hard to take at times, but unfair reviews shouldn't be tolerated at all.
I've done some research and learned how one bad review on Yelp could totally destroy someone's business, even if the review isn't fair. IN the link that I provided above, the author illustrated a perfectly good example of the unreasonable accommodations that most people are looking for.
Take for example Amazon.com. ePublishing has been a wonderful thing! It has taken the publishing decisions out the hands of the big publishing companies and given the power back to the writers. Writers, that could wallpaper their walls with rejection slips from the powerful literary agents and publishing houses, can now bypass that and take their books straight in the hands of the voracious readers. With the Kindle, many people are turning off their television sets and getting comfortable with a good book again. The E-Publishing business has opened many opportunities to writers that didn't exist in the past.
Now the bad. There are many publishing companies that refuse to market their books on Amazon for a variety of reasons. One of them being that people can write a review on your book without having purchased it! Now it's fine to review a book that you may have at home, purchased through other avenues, but is it really in your author's best interest to have people randomly writing reviews on books that they've never read?
Most people would argue and say that one bad review may not hurt you. That may or may not be true. But it could be devastating for an author that is starting out in the novel writing world. Many reviewers have stated that they look at negative reviews first before they read the positive. Again, I'm not advocating that there is anything wrong with this, but if the review is based on nonsense, then the review shouldn't stand.
I read a negative review once because the author dedicated her book to God. What did Amazon do? They let the negative review stand, even when it had NOTHING to do with the actual book.
Amazon is full of hit-or-miss reviewers complaining about books for a plethora of reasons; many being grammatical, syntax, or punctuation errors (the funny thing is, lots of those reviews are filled with grammatical, syntax, and punctuation errors themselves). Some even for book covers, formatting, or just down right mean and personal reviews that have no merit.
Oh yes, ePublishing can get pretty nasty! There was one romance author that went so far to track down a three star reviewer, that she had the reviewers address and place of employment. (Hey, people act really strange when you mess with someone's income)
Does Amazon have an obligation to authors or its buyers? Or both?
Personal attacks, reviews that are obscene, harassing, spiteful, or books that were NOT purchased by the reader should not be allowed on Amazon. Again, many publishers thought Amazon was insane for allowing some of these ridiculous negative reviews on their products stand.
ePublishing is a wonderful thing. Without it, some of my books wouldn't have seen the light of day. Amazon should probably revise their guidelines to get rid of some of these awful reviews. It's not fair to the author and ultimately, not fair to the reviewer. They just may pass on a fabulous find just to save a few ridiculous reviews.
I've done some research and learned how one bad review on Yelp could totally destroy someone's business, even if the review isn't fair. IN the link that I provided above, the author illustrated a perfectly good example of the unreasonable accommodations that most people are looking for.
Take for example Amazon.com. ePublishing has been a wonderful thing! It has taken the publishing decisions out the hands of the big publishing companies and given the power back to the writers. Writers, that could wallpaper their walls with rejection slips from the powerful literary agents and publishing houses, can now bypass that and take their books straight in the hands of the voracious readers. With the Kindle, many people are turning off their television sets and getting comfortable with a good book again. The E-Publishing business has opened many opportunities to writers that didn't exist in the past.
Now the bad. There are many publishing companies that refuse to market their books on Amazon for a variety of reasons. One of them being that people can write a review on your book without having purchased it! Now it's fine to review a book that you may have at home, purchased through other avenues, but is it really in your author's best interest to have people randomly writing reviews on books that they've never read?
Most people would argue and say that one bad review may not hurt you. That may or may not be true. But it could be devastating for an author that is starting out in the novel writing world. Many reviewers have stated that they look at negative reviews first before they read the positive. Again, I'm not advocating that there is anything wrong with this, but if the review is based on nonsense, then the review shouldn't stand.
I read a negative review once because the author dedicated her book to God. What did Amazon do? They let the negative review stand, even when it had NOTHING to do with the actual book.
Amazon is full of hit-or-miss reviewers complaining about books for a plethora of reasons; many being grammatical, syntax, or punctuation errors (the funny thing is, lots of those reviews are filled with grammatical, syntax, and punctuation errors themselves). Some even for book covers, formatting, or just down right mean and personal reviews that have no merit.
Oh yes, ePublishing can get pretty nasty! There was one romance author that went so far to track down a three star reviewer, that she had the reviewers address and place of employment. (Hey, people act really strange when you mess with someone's income)
Does Amazon have an obligation to authors or its buyers? Or both?
Personal attacks, reviews that are obscene, harassing, spiteful, or books that were NOT purchased by the reader should not be allowed on Amazon. Again, many publishers thought Amazon was insane for allowing some of these ridiculous negative reviews on their products stand.
ePublishing is a wonderful thing. Without it, some of my books wouldn't have seen the light of day. Amazon should probably revise their guidelines to get rid of some of these awful reviews. It's not fair to the author and ultimately, not fair to the reviewer. They just may pass on a fabulous find just to save a few ridiculous reviews.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Hannah Ocuish--The Book
Purchase Hannah: A Fictional Life Account of The Youngest Child Executed in U.S. History
Why Hannah Ocuish?
One day I was doing research on capital punishment when I came across the name. I Googled it and saw that she was the first child executed in the United States. I tried to find information from various websites, but not much information is known about her or her life. I felt compelled to tell her story the best way that I could. Even though she committed an unspeakable crime, I wanted to know why she did it.
What do you want your readers to know about Hannah?
That history wasn't so kind to her for obvious reasons. I want the readers to realize that Hannah, like Eunice were just children at the time. Hannah didn't have the benefit of social services to help her nor did she have a parent in her life to steer her in the right direction. I want my readers to know that Hannah was just a child when she committed this crime. That doesn't absolve her of anything because she was aware that murder was wrong. She didn't have the support system that is required to raise healthy children, physically and emotionally.
Tell us more about the process of writing a historical fiction novel.
It isn't easy that's for sure. I did a ton of research on this book before I wrote one word. Since very little is known of her life before the crime was committed, I thought that I would fill in the details. The first half of the book focuses on the lives of Hannah and the family that she worked for to give the reader a taste of life in Colonial America.
The second half of the book focuses on the crime that she commits but how Hannah faces her own mortality. Numerous sources talked about how Hannah was "indifferent" when it came to her execution: almost as if she didn't understand what was going on. Many people attributed it to her mental status but that explanation is far too convenient.
I feel that at the age of twelve, one would worry about what would happen to them when they died. Hannah didn't have the benefit of a sophisticated mind to ponder this thought, nor did she have an adult leading her down the right path.
In colonial America, Hannah wasn't a little girl, she was a simple servant...a possession.
What about James Arcene? Wasn't he the youngest?
He was the youngest but he didn't have a meeting with the hangman's noose until her was twenty three. That still makes Hannah Ocuish the youngest child executed in the United States.
What is your stance on capital punishment?
(smiles) Well I go back and forth with the issue all the time like many people. I can say that it definitely isn't a deterrent for people to not commit crime. If it were, we'd have less of it, not more. Colonial America was a very pious and strict place to live. Merely stealing, not going to church enough, or adultery could get you the death penalty in many situations: especially if it wasn't your first time committing the offense.
Anything else?
I just hope that I did Hannah's story justice. Thank you all.
Why Hannah Ocuish?
One day I was doing research on capital punishment when I came across the name. I Googled it and saw that she was the first child executed in the United States. I tried to find information from various websites, but not much information is known about her or her life. I felt compelled to tell her story the best way that I could. Even though she committed an unspeakable crime, I wanted to know why she did it.
What do you want your readers to know about Hannah?
That history wasn't so kind to her for obvious reasons. I want the readers to realize that Hannah, like Eunice were just children at the time. Hannah didn't have the benefit of social services to help her nor did she have a parent in her life to steer her in the right direction. I want my readers to know that Hannah was just a child when she committed this crime. That doesn't absolve her of anything because she was aware that murder was wrong. She didn't have the support system that is required to raise healthy children, physically and emotionally.
Tell us more about the process of writing a historical fiction novel.
It isn't easy that's for sure. I did a ton of research on this book before I wrote one word. Since very little is known of her life before the crime was committed, I thought that I would fill in the details. The first half of the book focuses on the lives of Hannah and the family that she worked for to give the reader a taste of life in Colonial America.
The second half of the book focuses on the crime that she commits but how Hannah faces her own mortality. Numerous sources talked about how Hannah was "indifferent" when it came to her execution: almost as if she didn't understand what was going on. Many people attributed it to her mental status but that explanation is far too convenient.
I feel that at the age of twelve, one would worry about what would happen to them when they died. Hannah didn't have the benefit of a sophisticated mind to ponder this thought, nor did she have an adult leading her down the right path.
In colonial America, Hannah wasn't a little girl, she was a simple servant...a possession.
What about James Arcene? Wasn't he the youngest?
He was the youngest but he didn't have a meeting with the hangman's noose until her was twenty three. That still makes Hannah Ocuish the youngest child executed in the United States.
What is your stance on capital punishment?
(smiles) Well I go back and forth with the issue all the time like many people. I can say that it definitely isn't a deterrent for people to not commit crime. If it were, we'd have less of it, not more. Colonial America was a very pious and strict place to live. Merely stealing, not going to church enough, or adultery could get you the death penalty in many situations: especially if it wasn't your first time committing the offense.
Anything else?
I just hope that I did Hannah's story justice. Thank you all.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Writing Historical Fiction: An Inside Look To Writing Hannah
Authenticity!!!!!! That's the number one thing that authors obsess about when writing historical fiction. If someone asked you to write a historical fiction piece about the year 2012, well, I'd doubt that you would have a problem with that....provided that you're reading this relatively recently.
Now try writing about Medieval France. Unless you have an obsession with that period of time and know everything about it (which would really work in your favor) you'd have to do research....and lots of it.
Research? What language did they use when they spoke? Murder will out is a phrase used in Shakespeare's time but your character stating Blessings in disguise will cause your readers to scratch their heads. Unless your book is centered around the American Revolution.
All of that must be taken in consideration. I did a great deal of research for this time period and I only pray that Hannah feels authentic to the reader. What I would highly recommend is to read plenty of books from that time period to get a feel for the time period that you're writing for. There are also great websites out there that help you with clothing, speaking phrases, and daily activities in the time periods that you're writing about.
It also helps to use a great note taking application to keep track of all the websites and notes that you're going to take. My favorite application is EVERNOTE ! I use it to clip websites, links, pictures, etc. that I will need to work.
Hannah is coming soon to amazon.com!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Hannah Ocuish--The Novel Coming Soon!
Hannah Ocuish is not a name that most people have heard of. When the question is asked, who is the youngest person executed in the United States, many think of George Stinney. He was fourteen when he was put to death in the state of South Carolina for the crime of murder.
But those people are wrong. Hannah Ocuish, a mulato girl, was put to death December 20, 1786 for the murder of six year old Eunice Bolles.
Not much is known about her life, but using historical texts and research, I have pieced together a fictional account of the last days of Hannah Ocuish.
Stay tuned for more details of, "Hannah: A Fictional Account of The Youngest Person Executed in the United States"
~Coming Soon Winter 2012~
But those people are wrong. Hannah Ocuish, a mulato girl, was put to death December 20, 1786 for the murder of six year old Eunice Bolles.
Not much is known about her life, but using historical texts and research, I have pieced together a fictional account of the last days of Hannah Ocuish.
Stay tuned for more details of, "Hannah: A Fictional Account of The Youngest Person Executed in the United States"
~Coming Soon Winter 2012~
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