Anonymous

I had never heard of this until now. I just read the review posted here. One word: disgust! smh

There are more and more protests cropping up around the country in response to Trayvon's murder. In the Chicago area I know they're having something downtown tomorrow from noon to 3pm. It's a start. This one in particular (Trayvon's murder) has me especially saddened because he really could have blended right in with my 3 sons. Heartbreaking.

Most of my professors won't allow us to use Wikipedia for research. Word is that the info going into Wikipedia is not reliable. A couple of us from the hometown (North Chicago) added our names to the Wikipedia North Chicago page, just see if anyone would notice. Most names have been removed, but a couple are still there - in red, but nonetheless still there (under notable people). After that I became more skeptical than usual about the information listed there. If I ever complained about the pain-in-the-butt process of library research (or pulling out the old Encyclopedia Brit ----- haha, I still remember when my parents first bought the set...oh how proud they were!), then I take it back. Online research, although convenient and quick, can be just as frustrating as you try to hunt and peck for the site that looks the most honest and accurate.

I am so glad to be done with my last project. I am not going to publish it though, but I'm still glad I finished it. Woo Hoo! So I've got my free time back. Now I've got to catch up on my "The Only One" chapters and see what else I've missed on the board.

Hi JohnB, Welp...after all that "hype"...I didn't even publish the second book. I finished it. And then I decided that I don't want VC to be a sequel (I personally hate sequels so why I chose to try to write one is beyond me) and so I shelved part two and will just let it collect dust. I've got quite a few of those actually. I admit...everything that comes out of my brain isn't meant to be shared. Sooooo, at the end of the day, I gave away a bunch of books and it really wasn't a promotion because there's nothing to promote. Aaaah, such is life...gotta love the unexpected. p.s. Then again...I suppose in the end it served as a promotion for itself? Or something like that - Whatever. Have a great weekend!

Yep! I read one of the book of slave narratives that came out of Arkansas. Now I think I'll check out those underground railroad records next. Thanks for posting! Hey Cynique! How ya' been?

free on amazon from March 7, 2012 to March 10, 2012 (ebook format only). http://www.amazon.co...81&sr=8-2-spell Enjoy!

Alidawriter, Thanks! I will look into this. I am vaguely familiar with UCC-1 filings...never thought to use one for this purpose. I will look into this.

When I first started snooping around to find info about this government I was surprised at what I was reading. But after I thought about it, the shadiness doesn't seem far fetched at all. You take a few core people who happened to figure out a way to get a little money and power...and what are they going to do? They are going to try to make sure their kids carry on what they started. Most parents want their children to accomplish even more than what they have. That's going to mean different things for different people. If you get a group of greedy people meeting behind closed doors and those people figure out a way to dupe people (and their children & their children's children, etc) into trusting them and their doctrine, then before you know it you have a whole country of citizens who have been hoodwinked...And we think that the race thing is the biggest problem. Ha! That's just one piece of a big old twisted puzzle. Oh the trickery! Shame shame shame. And then they push the Bible off on folk to give them something to believe in and continue the brainwashing tactics. Uh oh...did I just say that? lol The rabbit hole really does go deep over here in this country. It's crazy...And the STRAWMAN...that still confuses me...I get where it started and what they did it for, but I don't understand how to undo it. Maybe there is no way. Strange and unusual and all right under our noses.

Wow. Funny you brought this up...a couple of friends and I were just talking about this the other day. This is a hot mess! And yet, it doesn't surprise me. smh

Thanks Troy! For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to embed the thing! I love this video bc watching little Bobbi Kristina reminds me of how I used to look up at my mom when I was her age...I had those afro puffs too! And I would look up at mom & in my eyes she was the prettiest, best lady in the world. That's how Bobbi Kris was looking at her mom.

Hey Crystal! I got my Kindle too and wasn't sure if I would like it. Now I love it, for all the reasons you mentioned. And don't even get me started on my phone! It's a tiny little old school nokia music phone with cracked buttons and chipped sides. I've had it forever. It's so small that when I bring it out in public people say, "Oh my gawd is that a - a - a phone???" But I love my little phone (I drop it almost every day and it still works), although now I'm starting to get carpal tunnel syndrome of the thumb from texting on the little thing.

Boitumelo, I'm not sure if I understand the point of this post, but it doesn't matter...you never reply anyway. But since you brought up Whitney, maybe you'd like to check out this video. It's one of my favs...she's performing with her little girl. Love it!

Ali, I checked out the above-referenced link as well as your bio page here on AALBC. As I suspected, you're pretty busy. No wonder you sound so passionate in your posts when you share all of the things that you've discovered are wrong...all of the set ups. So you are the perfect person for me to pose the questions: "How's that working out (your efforts to reach the people)?" and "Are you still frustrated?" I suppose you already answered those questions in your post above by saying that you are a chartered member of "The Frustrated Black People Group," and by sharing the fact that you ran into certain roadblocks when trying to get your organizations off the ground. So let me ask this, just out of curiosity: "When it comes to being involved in all of the different projects (outside of writing), what is it that keeps you from throwing your hands up and going with the survival-of-the-fittest proposal and letting evolution take care of this mess?"

Alidawriter, I am going to borrow a line from Cynique from Part 1 of this. She said "As long as we are deluded into thinking of things in terms of good and bad and justice and injustice, we will remain frustrated." I have to say FRUSTRATED is exactly how I would describe my mental state every single time I start mulling over the problems of the Black community. Every single time. What's worse is that I never end up feeling like there is anything that we can do that will bring about real change...not in this country or any in other for that matter. We (people in general) might be able to bring about change for other causes, like fighting back against the 1% wealth-hoarders, and like saving the environment, etc...but the Black cause? I just don't see it happening, and so I end up frustrated... I don't like feeling frustrated. I like to be cool and clear headed and I love to meditate and be happy. I suppose that's why I like the idea of things just working themselves out by way of the survival of the fittest. I agree that most of where we as Black people are today was orchestrated to put another race ahead of the game. I get that. But I started having that awakening without really having to be told about it by someone else. And I can't help but wonder about the rest of the people in my age group and older and say to myself, "If I was able to figure this out, why haven't they?" That question always leads to this statement: "Well if they haven't figured it out by now, then they probably never will." This is the thought process that keeps me from giving too much energy to "our" cause. It's kind of like when I have a friend who wants to keep asking me what she should do about her man problems. I could tell her a thousand times over what to do and what not to do, but at the end of the day, "if she hasn't figured it out by now..." what good is my little speech going to do? So I'll listen to her vent and I'll even throw my two cents in, but when it's all said and done, I'm not going to lose any sleep over her man problems...just like I'm not going to allow myself to lose sleep over the race issues in this country. All I can do is let my kids know what's up and make them aware of the trickery and tell them not to believe everything they see, hear, or even read for that matter. Keep an open mind and keep your wits up. It'll be tough out there...you've got to be strong...etc...etc...etc. So anyway, I just wanted you to know a little bit of where I'm coming from when I ask this question: So do you have a plan for how to get this awareness out? I know that you're a writer and you're putting some of the warnings out there by way of telling the stories in a way that is probably entertaining and informative at the same time. Beyond that are you involved in anything else for promoting awareness? Or do you ever feel like I do...like it's just too much...too deep of a mess to immerse yourself in "the cause"?

http://www.hulu.com/...y-and-Biography I found this documentary to be interesting and so I decided to post it here. I stopped buying into the bottle water garbage a few years back, but I still learned something new when I watched this. For example, I didn't know the big companies were going into small towns and literally sucking up their water even during times of drought. smh

Oh, one more thing...to really make you say hummmmmm.... Some ppl say that the human race in general is nothing more than a virus...just another cycling of life & that as such, eventually we will need to be cleansed (maybe at the end of 2012? ) so that nature can recover from our rampant path of consumption & destruction. When you think about that, the race thing seems kind of - well, insignificant. Don't get me wrong, I definitely still recognize the race thing as a valid issue, but I'm just saying...in the grand scheme of things... Am I getting too far off subject? If so, my bad. My mind tends to drift from time to time...and I promise you I'm sober! Here's an interesting article about the coral reefs & how they are an important part of our ecosystem, and how they are being destroyed. So when you think of that & other environmental issues, we very well might not need to worry about how to put the Black race back together or ahead or whatever...bc we are all on our way out of here anyway: http://www.oceanicresearch.org/education/films/crrainspt.html

So far, this is the first rational solution I've heard. Since I consider myself to be one of the strong (and am passing whatever I can on to my kids), I can sleep soundly with this one.

Black leadership is ineffective because those leaders ultimately are following the agenda of the powers that be. In essence, the Black leaders have NO power. I'm willing to bet that they don't even realize this until they are actually IN their positions...then they get it. But by then, what can they do? Tell us? Nah...they don't say it...they just keep going with the flow and doing their jobs & getting their paychecks. After all, they have families to support. Further, we don't know how dangerous some of these ppl at the top are. To expose the truth could be equivalent to signing a death warrant...and many of these Black leaders have children. Would you leave your children behind to save a nation --- to expose the truth? I don't know what the answer is...I have been thinking along these lines for some time now (you know, coming to accept the fact that most of what we see isn't real & all of this mess is a series of set ups...pretty much everything alidawriter said & then some) and I still can't come up w/a plausible solution. It almost seems like if Black people want justice and equality, we need to break away & create own society...but where would we do that? This country isn't ours...I mean, it clearly isn't FOR us. And we have been REPEATEDLY shitted on here in this society---and yet, just like a woman in an abusive relationship, we keep on going back...steadily expecting & hoping that "This time it will be better." But even if we collectively decided that enough is enough and that we want out of this cycle, where else would we go? And even if we had somewhere to go, who is going to pay for this ish? And since I can't answer those questions, my brainstorming session usually ends. Any other suggestions? p.s. Makes me wonder where we'd be if we had just remained segregated...but it still would have been a mess because this COUNTRY (this CORPORATION) is not for us. They've been making that clear from day one. Even if we had our own successful towns and minded our own businesses, they would have bulldozed them & run us off (Greenwood, OK/Black Wall Street). And of course speaking of that will make me think of what happened to the Native Americans...Sigh. It's just so effed up...the type of beast we have been dealing with for generations. It's overwhelming. And their children's children are now continuing their legacy, in underhanded sort of ways to the point where folk don't even see it happening right under their noses.

And you are right to make no apologies. Everyone has a different opinion of what is entertaining and what is good reading. Luckily there is enough diversity out there in writing style and subject matter that we can pick and choose what type of read we're in the mood for. When book hunting, sometimes I want to learn something profound. Sometimes I want to read about characters I can relate to. Other times I want to read about characters that I CAN'T relate to (just so I can get that voyeuristic look at how the other side lives). Sometimes I want to cry. And hell, sometimes I just want a good giggle...the list goes on and on... The books I find to fill each of those needs for me will be different than the books that another person will pick to fill the same. But that's what makes the world of reading so fun. If you can figure out how to sift through what you don't want and find what works for you (a feat that I found particularly frustrating when I recently returned to my habit of reading after a long hiatus but I'm on a roll now!), then you've struck gold & you will have the time of your life. So yeah, right now, I'm having fun being the bookworm I've been since I was little. And "The Only One" just so happens to be my type of book when I'm searching for something to make me say "oh hell no!" or "OMG I know her!" or "what's next? what's next? what he do?! what he do?!" It's the kind of book that I read while munching on popcorn, being careful not to choke to damn death when a funny part jumps out at me and makes me LOL. It brings out the lighthearted young woman in me (the one who used to work a 9-5 cubicle job and play the dating game, in the most awful, inexperienced way I might add!). It makes me smile and it makes me remember the days and it makes me appreciate that I made it past certain "phases" and in my hectic world sometimes this is exactly the type of read I need. Now to those who disagree and feel that a different type of literature should be embraced and encouraged, then I say "write it" and "share it" and feel happy in knowing that you've contributed such a wonderful piece to add to our diverse literary works puzzle. And if you feel that our books do not show enough diversity, then again I say "write" and "share" to change that. Now when is Chapt 5 coming, Cynique!? I got my bag of stove top popcorn ready to pop and my white cheddar cheese seasoning and of course my 100% real unsalted butter. Babay I'm ready!

Why do we always have to compare ourselves to "other races" in order to determine whether or not we are on the right track? I notice that type of question you posed comes out quite often during all types of conversations that "we" have about "us" -------> "You don't see white ppl doing this; you don't see Asians doing that; you don't see Hispanics, etc etc" At the end of the day, why do we always have to look around somewhere else to figure out the answer ----- to whatever "our" question is? things that make you go hummm?

Thanks for sharing your story. I really appreciate it. Writing is something I love to do, but at the same time I don't always want to share it once I'm done. I think that's terrible...What is the point in having this stuff sitting on my computer?...especially when I know deep down that there is something I am trying to say...there is a point I am trying to get across even beneath all the folds of the "laughs" and the "drama"...there is always some thing that bothered me enough to drive me to start writing about it. I think my biggest problem is that I'm afraid of offending someone or afraid of writing stuff that isn't mainstream...my viewpoints go against the grain and even my friends and family can only take so much of me & my thought process...so I begin to wonder: what if I get slammed in reviews? Ugh! No! Don't want to hear it...If somebody says something bad about "my baby" (my book), I'm gonna be pissed! So I would stash it in the computer & start over...writing something different, trying to be more creative, trying to keep the "personal" out of it so that maybe I can publish it without fear and maybe even make a lil money. Yeah, make some money - there's a thought! You see, you may work at humor & disagree with the Prof who said that your humor was inadvertant, but I can tell you that my personal touches are something I strive to get rid of, and yet they keep showing up. I'm not kidding about that or trying to be cute. Being cutesy or pretentious isn't my style. I say what I mean and it is what it is. I've been trying to write a totally made up, strictly-from-the-depths-of-my-imagination novel. But I guess at the end of the day, art imitates life & vice versa so maybe there's just no way around the reality seeping into the books. Or maybe my imagination just sucks. Hmmm, there's another thought! But like I said, I'm hoping to get some insight into what I may be missing by taking some classes. We'll see. The worst that can happen is nothing. So whatever. "Necessary Evil" with little Tad sounds interesting. The way you describe how you built the story and found a way to weave all of the elements together was great. Even people who don't usually read war books will probably find it interesting, because of the little boy. I can relate to you when you talk about reading to the little ones. I read to my son's class and I help them with their reading skills as well. They don't even know I'm a writer. lol. They just know that I'm a lot of fun and love to see me walk through the doors. It's great...actually it's the highlight of my week. You wrote: "When it's my turn to leave, I want to be remembered for trying to make a difference." This is something I'm only recently starting to relate to. I never thought I would feel that way. I used to be a party girl and all I cared about was superficial *ish*. Some things changed in my personal life that I won't bother to go into, but let's just say I started to see things differently. And now I do wonder what I could do to make a difference, even if it's just a small one. That's when I started volunteering at the school, you know...baby steps. As you know by now, the race topics are still something I'm not comfortable talking about with any and everybody. In time that might change. I'm open minded, but I'm cautious. I suppose time will tell. But like you, I have changed my mind over the years about many things, and I always appreciate a rational point of view. You wrote: "So, of course I hold this novel dear and I urge you not to worry about putting your past in your writing, put your future in there, too." Thank you very much for this piece of advice. You hold your novel near and dear and you put it out there because you had something to say, something to share. I'm going to let go of my fears and do the same. Fear is counterproductive anyway. I tell my kids that all the time. So at the end of the day, Mom needs to take her own advice. Enjoy your day off!

Just started Ruth's Redemption by Marlene Banks. So far so good!

JohnB I meant to ask you a question and I forgot just that quickly. So I like the fact that you don't write for a specific audience, etc etc. I like it because it shows that you aren't afraid to use your creativity. I love creative writing and wish I were a little better at it. (Planning to go back to school for it to see where I'm missing the mark.) EVERY time I try to write about something that is far removed from my experience, I stumble and fall and end up right back to what I know or what I've experienced. As a result, my fiction ends up being founded too strongly in fact. And that's not what I've been trying to do. I always end up seeing myself, my friends, my family in my ficticious characters, even though that was never my intent. I admire the fact that you can use your creativity and research to build all types of stories. My question is this: how do you feel about your books once they are finished? Do you have any type of attachment to the characters? For me, I find myself very attached to my books, because of the inadvertant personal touches. Most of them I will never publish because I don't want to hear anybody's comments or feedback. (And the proof is in the pudding bc I've only published one & I'm struggling with the decision to put a second one out there.) It's like they (the stories & the characters) are too close to home. So I was just curious about what it would be like to write a story from a purely "fascinated" point of view...do all the research, put it together, go through all those steps...do you end up with a love child book? Or is it just another story?

I agree that there will always be overlooked typos. The standard stuff is forgiveable; after all, nobody is perfect. I remember when I started this post. LOL. I was so irritated. That's because for some reason every ebook I picked from Amazon for like eight days straight was FLOODED with all sorts of mistakes. It was really really bad. But I've gotten much better now at navigating the system and using the preview chapters to my advantage - usually if the book is going to be a slovenly mess, you can tell right away in the preview. You'd think I would have known that, but I've been out of the loop and just now getting back into building my book collection and using ebooks to do so. Anyhoo, Amazon turned out to be really good in terms of accepting returns. So now if I stumble across another book like that, I simply stop reading as soon as I realize what's going on, and I return it.