Author Sarah Weathersby on Being a Female Writer

For the month of NOVEMBER, All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP) is spotlighting FEMALE WRITERS!

During our final week, we are featuring Sarah Weathersby, author of the memoir, Motherless Child, stories from a life!




About the book: Imagine you gave a baby up for adoption forty years ago, and after years of trying to find her, she finds you. Now come the hard questions. She's healthy, beautiful, and successful, but she wants to know why you gave her away and why you didn't marry her father. And there is also the unspoken question of "What kind of black woman gives her baby away?" How do you explain to her that giving her away was the best gift you could offer? This is Sarah Weathersby's first published work, a coming-of-age-in-the-sixties-single-black-pregnant and on the way to Germany, memoir.



The Question for November: Reflect on the stories you have written – the stories waiting to be written. What themes, topics do you find your writerly mind pushing you to write? How do these themes, topics portray themselves through you as a female writer?

To begin her response, Sarah wrote, "I write about the things that keep me awake at night, as well as the things that bring me joy. If you follow my blogs, the topics can be the trivial how to work my new camera or the gut-wrenching mental breakdown of a family member. I started writing poems as a little girl when my oldest brother went off to the Korean War."


Head to All the Blog's a Page to read the rest of Sarah's response to November's question...and to read a wonderful excerpt from her memoir!


ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE (AtBaP) - Where everything relates to writing
[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

Getting to Know Writer, Educator, and Entrepreneur Zulmara Cline

The Interview
Fill in the blank: "To know Zulmara Cline is to know her passion for life, living, reading, writing, and education."


Who is Zulmara Cline?
An inspirational Latina writer whose purpose is to spread love, good cheer, enthusiasm for life, and positive energy.


What are THREE adjectives that best describe YOU?
Passionate, Loving, and Giving


You're walking down the street on a beautiful day; you're feeling good, looking good. What theme song plays in your mind?
I’m Alive by Celine Dion


I met you on MySpace and have been following you around the Web. I love your fire, your spirit and tenacity. What drives you?
My passion for life and leaving a legacy. I see so much hope and potential in the world that in my time here, I want to be able to say I truly left it a kinder, gentler, more understanding place by being a positive force for hope and change. I actually have a collection of poems entitled, My Life is My Message that conveys these feelings.


I read that you co-write bilingual children's books; what moved you to write in this genre?
I have been working with educating children all my life and I have such a strong place in my heart for bilingual and biliterate children because I feel they bring life skills with them to the educational arena that are not admired, appreciated, and nurtured. I want to change all that.



The Coloring Book, a multimedia bilingual program, is a primary program for learning colors and animal names in English and Spanish. In this program, the students can select a variety of pictures to color. The program is easy and intuitive to use. Children can select from 30 pictures and hear the name of the picture in English and Spanish.


What is the ultimate goal behind these books?
The ultimate goal is to have a series of multicultural bilingual books that will help parents and educators maintain, sharpen, and enhance the biliteracy skills of their children.



The Little Star that Fell from the Sky is the story of a spunky little star whose curiosity causes her to fall to the earth where she begins to feel afraid, alone, and sad. She feels anguish, not only because she is in a strange place, but because she has disobeyed her mother. Some fireflies decide to help her and the stronger one of the two takes her back her mom in the sky.


You have a story in Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul. Tell us about it.
In this story I try to capture how hard it is for parents, especially single moms to see their first one off to college. Our parents work so hard for us to break the cycle of poverty and make it in this world, but it is with apprehension that they send us away and with a knowing in their hearts that things will never be the same, but they will be better. My own mom struggled with me leaving and in the end, only wanted me to soar and this story is a tribute to this wonderful lady who I was fortunate enough to have grace my life.



You are, indeed, an EVERYWOMAN. You're working on children's books. You've written and published short stories. And you also run your own company, EZ Bilingual. What was the inspiration that led to this company's inception?
The inspiration was the desire to make a difference in the world of dual language education. I realized that both parents and teachers needed more support to help their children learn a second language and I wanted to use original tales that children could listen to over and over again in both languages. When I met Eduardo, a writer in Nicaragua, our partnership was born. We started chatting and realized we shared similar interests as writers and he became my Spanish support.


How do you see EZ Bilingual growing in the future?
I see us expanding to offer curriculum as well as the stories. I want to have a way that parents and children can practice the language together. Especially Latino parents who want to reconnect with their heritage language and want to make sure their children grow up bilingually. The newsletters now offer ideas and ways to reconnect and I hope to be expanding in that direction.


What first attracted me to you were your "Journaling for the Creative Mind: Discovering Your Inner Diva" blogs at your page on Art by Latina Artists. Where did the idea for the blogs come from?
I have always journaled and have always taught it as a way of helping students become better writers and to get in touch with their essence. I feel that journaling is a powerful outlet for anger, healing, love, and positive karma. It is through our writing that we can get in touch with our spirits and be connected to our purpose and give our lives meaning. That is why I stress that journaling does not have to be original writing, but can be pictures, quotes, lyrics, or poems--whatever moves you, will help you get in touch with that inner core that drives you.

The idea from the blogs came from the journaling workshops I have conducted where I work with getting participants to free themselves up and start having a conversation with themselves.


Why do you journal?
I journal because I have to, it is my life, my essence, my need. If I did not write every day, I would go crazy. It is my time to dump my mind, get in touch with feelings, and make sense of the world. For me, journaling allows me to be in touch with my core, who I am, what I want, and how I am going to achieve it.


How important do you think it is for people to write their stories?
Very, especially people of color, we see so little of us in mainstream writing and when we are present, we are not “normal” but caricature for someone else’s story. I think when we started writing our own stories, either fiction or non-fiction, something began to happen to the society as a whole. We become real people with real lives and real stories to share. No one can take that away from us, our people, our culture, and our way of being and knowing in the world—it is the essence of who we are. And, others need to know, we are proud of it and make no apologies.


Do you think you might ever publish journals or memoirs?
Yes, I can see myself doing that in a few years. I have been organizing my thoughts and ideas in that way and am seriously considering doing that or I will write a autobiographical fictional piece.


What are your inspirations as a writer?
TRAVEL-READING-WRITING. Travel inspires me because I meet wonderful people and have wonderful experiences. Reading inspires me because it gives me so much cache. I read all the time and I read all genres. Writing is also inspiring and for me, writing begets writing. The more I write, the more I want to write. I respond to blogs and comments on MySpace and other social networking sites because I find the process of reading quickly and responding is inspiring to me and exercises my writing muscle.


Word Association. What comes to mind when you see the following words:
EDUCATION: Equity
EZ BILINGUAL: Legacy
LIFE: Enthusiasm
WRITING: Passion
ZULMARA: Love of Life


What's currently going on in your WRITING LIFE?
A lot…so much that I am not sure where to start. I have been writing for some online ezines and am loving it. I have a few articles with Blacktino, In the Company of Sistas, From a Writer's Point of View, and Trei Literacy. I have a few others coming out and have started a series with Latinograduate.net.

I am also busy writing curriculum, not only for the books on my website, but for other books as well. I think it is so important to have curriculum and study guides to help people navigate towards the books.

I am also writing articles for my Newsletter, which is so cool. This is the first time I have been able to write what I am passionate about without having someone else decide if it will be published or not.

I am hoping to take some time next year to start outlining a novel. I have been writing back story on my characters and I have a story line I want to follow. I may actually do this as a short story first, that will eventually be expanded to a novel-length work.

Is It Time for a Change in Publishing Black Literature?

Come check me out at BLOGGING IN BLACK [LINK] today for my article, IS IT TIME FOR A CHANGE IN PUBLISHING BLACK LITERATURE!

Here's an EXCERPT:

Her [author Bernice McFadden] question – Will a Black president help me, the Black writer – comes from the notion that if we can elect a Black president, can publishing houses open their eyes to the idea that Blacks have a myriad of experiences and as such, there should be a myriad of stories written to reflect those experiences – and not just those very few experiences we’ve seen countless times.

Here was my response (polished a bit here) to her post:

I think just as Obama started with a grassroots campaign of believers, black writers who want a "change" need to start a grassroots campaign, too. The people of America saw Obama for nearly two years – with his eloquent words – tell them that change could happen, that it was time to happen.

To read the rest of my article, head to Blogging in Black [http://www.blogginginblack.com] and LEAVE YOUR OWN THOUGHTS!

Author Annette Fix Talks about Being a Female Writer!

For the month of NOVEMBER, All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP) is featuring FEMALE WRITERS!




This week, we feature Annette Fix, author of the memoir, The Break-Up Diet!










About the book: Annette Fix always believed in happily-ever-after and was busy working her Five-Year Plan: marry her golf-pro boyfriend, homeschool her preteen son, become a famous writer, and retire to Fiji. When her live-in boyfriend calls it quits, Annette finds herself on The Break-Up Diet, consuming vast amounts of chocolate and exercising by diving blindly into the shallow end of the dating pool.

Working as an exotic dancer to bankroll her aspiring writing career and support her son alone, Annette uses her blue-collar instinct to survive in the plastic jungle of The OC.

Annette’s adventures take her on a wild ride as she attempts find the perfect balance between her dreams and her day-to-day life as Supermom.




The Question for November: Reflect on the stories you have written – the stories waiting to be written. What themes, topics do you find your writerly mind pushing you to write? How do these themes, topics portray themselves through you as a female writer?



In replying to the question above, Annette said, "This interview question really made me think about my purpose and intention with my writing—something I feel at a gut level, but never actually articulated until now."




What does Annette articulate about being female writer? Head to All the Blog's a Page now to find out!




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


[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

Bestselling Author J. D. Mason & Being a Female Writer

For the month of NOVEMBER, All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP) is featuring FEMALE WRITERS!

This week, we feature bestselling author J.D. Mason!






The Question for November: Reflect on the stories you have written – the stories waiting to be written. What themes, topics do you find your writerly mind pushing you to write? How do these themes, topics portray themselves through you as a female writer?



J. D. begins her response by stating, "I think I’m psychic! LOL Or, maybe just very intuitive. I seem to find myself pursuing the story within the story, meaning, the story of turmoil or revelation going on inside the characters, in addition to the turmoil and revelations going on around them. I don’t know if anyone else would agree, but that’s the heart of the story to me. I look at it like this, five totally unrelated people could be going through the exact same problem (or pretty similar); they could all be broke, or sick, or having problems in their romantic relationships. But those five people will each have a different perspective of their issues, and they’ll each approach their solutions to those issues differently. For instance, one woman might discover that her husband is cheating on her, and go ballistic beating him with a broomstick. Whereas another woman could have the same discovery, but ends up throwing his clothes on the front lawn, sets them on fire, changes all the locks on the house and files for divorce."




J.D. has a lot more to say and you can read it and learn more about her latest novel YOU GOTTA SIN TO GET SAVED by heading to All the Blog's a Page now!




ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE (AtBaP) - Where everything relates to writing
[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

Why Do You Love Chick Lit - Contest Winners Announced!

ChickLitGurrl™ and author Brenda Janowitz asked, "Why do you love Chick Lit?"

Several entered, but only THREE were chosen to win an autographed copy of Brenda's latest novel, JACK WITH A TWIST!

**********

So, who won? *drum roll*

Penny Venable from Colorado, who wrote:

I love Chick Lit because I can relate to the characters. Also you get romance, but it's more true to life romance. Not like the traditional romance novels where he sweeps her off her feet and carries her off to the bedroom to introduce her to his "member" and all that phoney baloney silly stuff. The Chick Lit that I enjoy has characters I can relate to, laugh at or with, and just enjoy a good down to Earth story without all of the fancy dresses, balls, and jewels. I often feel like I could have been that character, or else think it sounds like my sister, daughter, friend or Mom. Chick Lit is just more realistic and more like my life or what my life could have been like.

Lydia Heath from Wisconsin, who wrote:

Chick Lit has a way of making life seem more bearable. You know that others out there are dealing with the same issues or even worse ones. I feel like I always have a friend near when I have a good girly book. Chick lit gives us a way of bonding with other girls and gives us a peek into lives that we either wish we could lead or do lead. It makes me feel like I belong to a special group that only girls belong to.

And our favorite piece came from Carlie Sherwood from Louisiana, who wrote:

There’s nothing like sitting down with some Starbucks, coffee cake, and a good piece of chick lit. It’s one of the most relaxing ways I spend my free time. I can get into another person’s shoes and live a different story other than my own.

Chick lit pieces almost always end with the beautiful girl kicking the antagonist’s butt. One of my favorite books, “The Devil Wears Prada,” is a perfect example of this type of story that just sweeps me away. Personally, I don’t live the most sophisticated lifestyle. I don’t have the money, or the guts for that matter, to move to a big city and take on the world in the fearless way the character does in this book. So, I simply let her do it for me. And of course, there is the L word. The girls in my favorite chick lit books have to live happily ever after with their oh-so-gorgeous man candy, or else I won’t read it. It’s okay to live in this fantasy of perfection for just a little while, right?

Now, you may think I’m a pathetic wannabe who lives her life vicariously through these gutsy women in my books. Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. But one thing’s for sure- anytime a sticky situation comes my way, all I have to do is channel one of my beloved chick lit characters and think, “What would Andy do?” Then maybe I can have the courage to conquer the devil- even if they are wearing really great shoes.

Congratulations to all who participated and to Penny, Lydia, and Carlie for winning and receiving a really great book from Brenda Janowitz!

Keep reading CHICK LIT! There's always something new, hilarious, sweet, funny, sexy, real that is revealed between the pages!

Get Your READ ON @ The Nubian Chronicles!

Over @ The Nubian Chronicles Magazine, we offer shorts and excerpts that run the gamut - erotica, revenge, horror, family, and relationship - NUBIAN belles-lettres!




J.C. Martin - "Lay In It" - (short story) - On his ten-year wedding anniversary, Byron rushes home to create a night of romance and love for his wife, but little does he know that she's on to him and all his ways; story's motto should be - Be careful WHAT you do...

EXCERPT

Byron had rushed home from work today, because he and Melinda, his wife, were celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. He knew they had been through some stuff, but was very happy they’d weathered the storm and could celebrate another year.

Byron had gotten home before Melinda, so he took the opportunity to start getting the house ready for a joyous night. They had already planned for the twins to stay over at Patsy’s house, Melinda’s older sister, for the night.

He set the table and placed the candles, so the shadows would be cast on Melinda’s beautiful face. Melinda had hazel eyes, and long flowing curly hair. She was not fat, but she was a little on the more to love side, and that’s part of what he loved so much about her.





Anthony Anderson - "They Ain’t All Like That Down South" - (short story) - What starts out as a normal family road trip to begin a vacation ends in a horrific display of "Southern Hospitality".

EXCERPT

“Mm, where are we?” Sandy said sleepily.

“Some town off the Interstate. Figure I try to find a place to get a real tire. Failing that, we could all use something to eat, anyway.” Carter was now pulling the car into the driveway of a fairly large convenience store. The only other vehicles in the parking lot were three pickups and a pair of motorcycles. A Greyhound bus bound for Dallas was pulling out and away from them.

“Um, I don’t know,” Sandy said, sounding a little more awake now. Carter had already parked and was now getting out of the car. “This looks a little...out of the way.”

“Not too far out. They got Arby’s and KFC down the road from here, so it’s not like we’re away from civilization.”

“I mean, Carter, is that we’re way out in the boondocks.” She eyed the pickup truck with the rebel flag decal and the gun rack on the back. “I’m just worried about us, that’s all.”





T. L. Davis - Woman2Woman: What We Do Wrong in Dating - (book excerpt) - Author T. L. Davis brings us chapter one of her book, WOMAN2WOMAN as she discusses the importance of RESPECT when dating!

EXCERPT

In this world of dating we are all after the same thing. One man that we could call our OWN! However, in this dog eat dog world, those principles are often dreamt about but never realized. Not because they are impossible, but because outside sources, namely other women get in the way of that becoming reality. One thing I have noticed and especially in this day in time, a man does not have to lie about his relationship status in order for him to get new booty. In fact, most attached men seem to be the prime target for unscrupulous women. This is the type of harlot who has low self-esteem or just plain and simply does not give a damn about anyone but themselves. This type of woman preys on married engaged or otherwise committed men.





Robert Morgan - "School Clothes" - (short story) - a stirring story about a seemingly simple family trip to buy school clothes that reveals so much more about the family.

EXCERPT

The warmth of the bed seemed to soothe his every muscle. The night had been a hot one. His mother opened one of the windows to cool the room. The August heat soon became bearable. He fell asleep listening to the crickets gossip. As the night grew cooler, he retreated to the confines of the quilt his grandmother knitted for his eighth birthday. The sun woke him early. He lazily turned his head to flee the dawn of a new day. He could hear Otis Redding blaring from the hi-fi as he sang about missing his water. His mother was busy getting his sisters ready.

“Get up baby, brush your teeth and wash your face. Hurry up, or we gone be late.”

His mother had been talking all week about buying school clothes, and the moment had finally arrived. He felt embarrassed to still be wearing his clothes from last year. He did not think anyone made fun of him. It might have been his size that deterred the would-be mockers.





Ayanna Pierce - IN SESSION: Tales of Dr. Gwendolyn Kast - (excerpt) - Warning - explicit language - Dr. Gwendolyn Kast is a therapist with kinky ways. Sometimes, her libido finds her spread eagle on her desk; sometimes, it finds her lightly spanking a client to break him from his dominant position - see what she does in this first episode!

EXCERPT

But then four months ago, Clarissa walked into my office, and I not only looked into her face, but I took notice of her full curves, of the way her heavy breasts pressed lovingly against her blouses. The more she talked, the more I knew – with all certainty – why her husband had stopped providing her with sex: she wanted to become independent. He married a woman with a high school diploma who had grown up believing that her main role was to satisfy her man and have babies. In their five years of marriage, there were no children, which meant Clarissa could dole all of her attention to her husband. He loved that. What he didn’t love was Clarissa deciding she needed a life, too. He loathed the fact that she applied and got into the local university and began to pursue a degree in nursing. He despised the idea that she would have thoughts that didn’t revolve around him and how she could satisfy him.

Every time she talked of him – which was all the time – I had to squelch my need to find him and beat the living shit out of him. Every woman deserved a place in the world, or as my girl Virginia Woolf proclaimed, a room of her own. Clarissa’s room was education. I think that was the initial kernel that made my panties wet. Education, for me, is sexy.

Drenched described my panties when Clarissa told me last week that she had, shamefully, began chatting online with people in a sexual manner to make up for the lack of wifely duties.




To read the rest of these great pieces, head to TNC now (at NUBIAN belles-lettres) to check them out!



The Nubian Chronicles - Writings of the Black Experience
[www.tnc-magazine.net]

Get Your LIFE @ SisterDivas Magazine!

Over @ SisterDivas Magazine's LIFE column, we're talking about beauty secrets, fall wines, job searches, and modeling and music!





Fall and winter seasons lead to several holidays. Beauty expert Debora Routhe joins ALL THAT GLITTERS columnist Melodye Shore with her latest article, BEAUTY SECRETS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON!






Many people love fall - the colors of nature grow vibrant, and the weather gets cooler. What better time to sit some place warm and take in a glass of wine? L. Denise Jackson, better known as The Sipping Sommelier here @ SisterDivas, gives us her choice wine selections in her latest column, Fall Wine Tips during the Recession—Part 1!






This issue, SD welcomes Roxanne Ravenel - author, podcast host, and job search coach. Take a lot inside Roxanne's life, and read her article, How Working Mothers Can Prepare for a Successful Job Search.






Everywoman Nicole M. Stevenson interviews another everywoman - singer, model, writer, inspiration Sharon Quinn who talks about her career and her passion!




Head to SISTERDIVAS now (at LIFE) to check out our interviews and articles!



SisterDivas Magazine - Where REAL Women Congregate!
[www.sisterdivasmagazine.net]

The Write Life for You: How Solid is YOUR Plot?

Becoming a Lifelong Learner of the Craft of Writing
By author, editor, educator Shon Bacon aka ChickLitGurrl™

How Solid is Your Plot?

Every story should have a main plot; most stories have several sub-plots within the main plot.

What is a plot?

Plot refers to the pattern of events within a narrative or drama; these events culminate into the story’s resolution. The development of the events and how the main character(s) react to these events often give a story its meaning.

Most books that you read about plot will tell you that to have a solid plot, your story should have five components:

• Conflict


• Complications


• Rising Action


• Climax


• Falling Action

Want to learn MORE about plot...and see how I tie the movie FATAL ATTRACTION to the five components?

Then head to APOOOBOOKS.COM to read my latest TWL4U article!

Leave comments!

Annette Marie Hyder on Being a Female Writer

For the month of NOVEMBER, All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP) is featuring FEMALE WRITERS!

First up, freelance journalist/editor, artist and author Annette Marie Hyder!











The Question for November: Reflect on the stories you have written – the stories waiting to be written. What themes, topics do you find your writerly mind pushing you to write? How do these themes, topics portray themselves through you as a female writer?



In her response, Annette said, "I am drawn to stories about passion, exploration and discovery. Adversity captures my imagination as well. Myths, fairytales and legends are woven throughout my work as reference, allusion, retelling, and mirror. My heroine’s grow wings – are forbidden to fly – but flaunt their feathers anyway, lose their voices to Winter but find new ways to speak, meet the Big Bad Wolf and tell his tale with sympathy, pluck truths like fruits from fairytale trees and sink their teeth in. They fill their aprons and offer these fruits to others, make delicious dishes of them, preserve them, candied and canned but always with the essence remaining. My heroines, whether walking through the shadows of adversity, running through avenues of fear, or pausing at intersections of indecision, have shod their feet with winged sandals and wear passion as a blade to pierce mysteries and conundrums alike. They search for the bridge that spans a void which has, on the one side fear, and on the other side discovery."



To read the rest of Annette's response and read more about this EVERYWOMAN, head to All the Blog's a Page now!




ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE (AtBaP) - Where everything relates to writing[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]