Cynique

Diversity, of course, exists among black people. We are not monolithic, what with how the culture of the underclass is different from the black middleclass and there's a gulf between black liberals and black conservatives. So using race to designate diversity is irrelevant. Or does diversity necessarily promote good will. America's entire population is a example of negative diversity. There is no collective consciousness or common ethnicity in this country. The great melting pot was a noble concept but the idea has eroded over time and the nation has become polarized by its differences rather than enriched by them. People nowadays aren't that comfortable with diversity. They would rather be around their own kind in order to avoid conflict.

Dogear's critique of Lulu was fairly accurate, Troy, except where rates were concerned. Some of their quotes were higher than what I paid, including the final cost, possibly because I took the cheapest package deal which was not as high as the the one Dogear listed. There was some slight disparities in their royalty figures, too. What I appreciated was that Lulu would negotiate prices. If I voiced a complaint or question which they considered reasonable, they would give me a 20 percent discount on the fee. Also, I am in total control of the price of the book and can go into my account and change it at any time from the amount I alone originally set. Another thing is, if I so choose, I can disengage myself from Lulu and re-print and reissue this book providing I design another cover and use different ISBN numbers. Lulu has the copyright of the book formatting and stock cover images but the book was already formatted when I submitted it and I have the original PDF files with different ISBN numbers and whose interior formatting is different from the one Lulu designed for their copyrighted version which was designed to jibe with different dimensions than the 5x8 book of my orginal file. Whatever. The representative Lulu assigned to me was very patient, sympathetic and eager to please. I told her a little about myself, and I really think she took a personal interest in the project because of my being a senior citizen. Personally, I think self-publishing is a risky venture. It's great for the ego but for the pocketbook, - not so much. I can see why people sell books out of the trunk of their cars. This involves your going to the customer instead of the customer coming to you. If a person has a book in their hands and the price is right, they're far more likely to buy it than if they have to order it online. Very few in the general population voluntarily buy a book. The whole self-publishing endeavor calls for a lot of hard work, and hustle. No self published author I know has ever quit their day job. LOL

Thanks,Troy and Chris for all the info. I appreciate it and I hope others learn from my mistakes. I'm just kicking myself for not going with Amazon-based Create-A-Space instead of Lulu which several people recommended to me. But hindsight is 20-20 and unprofitable so do not indebt yourself, Troy! I'm just grateful for your moral support, and the free exposure you give me on this site. Because writing and self-publishing books was something I took up in my retirement years, I considered them more of a hobby than a profession. I've never envisioned writing a blockbuster best seller because I realized how slim the chances of this happening were in this crowded competitive field. Y'all can either find this funny or pathetic, but in the past the local libraries have always been very cooperative in accepting free copies of my self-published books which they would place on their book shelves. My home town library even set up a little display showcasing me as a local author. This was back in the '90s when I just had short-run copies of my other 2 books printed up and sold them on my own at various venues and book parties. Black book stores were still viable back then and I would also leave a few copies with them. It's a whole new ball game now, of course, but I will again do the library thing because being on a library shelf puts me in good company and ensures a modicum of longevity. Writers write because that is their passion. Having what they write be read, is icing on the cake. If I have to settle for crumbs, that's life.

No, I don't know any of this. All I know is that the package deal I signed up for with Lulu included their also distributing the book to Amazon, and Barnes and Nobel, links to which I will soon have. L:ibrary of Congress? I'm not thinking that big. After all, it's just an fictional urban contemporary tale of of romance, not a a great literary work! I had ISBN numbers which I generated on line for free but I just went on and let Lulu use the free ones they offered. Instagram? Ingram? Whatever. I do plan to have my daughter put a picture of my book cover and its blurb on Instagram. LOL

No, I'm not on Instagram.

For me, writing a book can be compared to a mystical quest. It’s like the story already exists in my creative realm, ready to be “downloaded” into the hard drive of my brain. Any book begins with inspiration, and the ongoing triangle that puts black women in competition with white ones for the affections of black men was mine. It’s a topic I’ve never read a book about so I became motivated to write “The Only One”, a novel based on this scenario. I wasn’t sure where this subject would lead me but, equipped with my personal observations and input from my children and their friends, I sat down at my computer, placed my fingers on its keyboard, accessed its word processor and got on the same wave length with my Muse. The first step was to conjure up a cast of characters to star in this little melodrama, and this involved crafting the roles they would play in the plot. Once that was done, I visualized how they’d look and tried out names on them until they answered to what I called them. As soon as I started putting words in their mouths, these people came to life, steering me to where they needed to go. Settling on a “sista” as my protagonist was what determined the book’s setting. A big city environment pulsating with the uniqueness of the black experience was what made Chicago the perfect choice. Then, I got into the flow and let the words have their say. Realizing the value of taking a break, from time to time I would do so, then return to the manuscript with a new set of eyes. This was how I eventually recognized the need for a sub-plot that would add an element of suspense and keep things interesting. Filling this void called for a villain and he emerged from the shadows of my imagination, groping his groin. With this addition, more inspiration kicked in showing me the technique for creating a mystery by inserting misleading clues to stump the reader. Finally as one chapter led into another, the story ran its course. All the scattered parts came together completing the puzzle that had been waiting to be assembled by the creative process that turns writers into authors, and an idea into a book. At this point, my characters met their fate and faded to black. Months later, I held the latest version of “The Only One” in my hands. It was fresh off the press and it was if it vibrated with life! Print book: http://www.lulu.com/shop/connie-divers-bradley/the-only-one-an-urban-tale-of-romance/paperback/product-21905171.html eBook: http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/the-only-one-an-urban-tale-of-romance/15716552

Thanks Troy! I also appreciate you mentioning the book in the AALBC newsletter. I need all the support I can get because, as Chris implied, generating sales for a book is very hard unless you're a well-known author or an energetic hustler. Me, I'm just a wishful thinker. But the real reward is the awesome knowledge that The Internet has enabled a book one has created to become a little world unto itself, orbiting out there in Cyberspace. Eyes may not read it but the universe of its origin loves its story...

LOL This is a bucket list project. "For what shall it profit a women if she gains book royalties and loses her soul?" Don't ask me cuz I have no idea!

HOLIDAYS GREETING FROM CYNIQUE! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I also hope you’ll join me in celebrating the latest release of my book, which will make it available for purchase on-line. You can obtain more information by clicking on to the following links. Print book: http://www.lulu.com/shop/connie-divers-bradley/the-only-one-an-urban-tale-of-romance/paperback/product-21905171.html eBook: http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/the-only-one-an-urban-tale-of-romance/15716552

HOLIDAY GREETING FROM CYNIQUE! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I also hope you’ll join me in celebrating the latest release of my book, which will make it available for purchase on-line. You can obtain more information by clicking on to the following links Print book: http://www.lulu.com/shop/connie-divers-bradley/the-only-one-an-urban-tale-of-romance/paperback/product-21905171.html eBook: http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/the-only-one-an-urban-tale-of-romance/15716552

The civil rights movement is being resurrected and we're back to square one. A movement always goes through stages, and as we navigate the first one, agendas are emerging for the next phase which will take a more radical approach. This a slippery slope in the journey because it involves rejecting the old standards. A "who-cares-what-society-decrees" attitude comes into play. But the concept of respect cannot be compromised. Respect is in the eye of the beholder and it has to be earned.Sometimes fear is an effective weapon in commanding respect. Other times vascillation and irresponsibility are traits that hinder it. To me, the goal of initiating progress all boils down to recognizing the need for mutual respect.

Hi Waterstar! (and you, too, Delano.) I've always been interested in meta-physics but I was never particularly drawn to Astrology because I couldn't process how the position of the stars whether during the time of your birth or whether what planet was in your sun sign, etc. could have an effect on your life or your personality. I am more comfortable with Astronomy because there is no vagueness or speculation in its practice. It is a science and the configuration of the constellations is consistent and predictible. Leo is my astrological sign but my persona is not very aligned with the popular Leo profile. The sun is my sign but for some reason I've always been more in tune with the moon, always making sure to commune with it during any unusual phenomenon like eclipses, or super moons or blue moons, as well as just plain ol full moons. I guess I'm a lunatic. I often say that my face is mirror of the moon and over a 30-day period goes through changes resembling all phases of the moon. The magnetic forces of the moon are undoubtedly what transform my pristine babyface into a haggard mask during the course of a month. As we know, the winter solstice is approaching and after December 21st, the shortest day of the year, we will be emerging from the darkness going toward the light that will radiate on June 21st, the longest day of the year. We can only hope. We are in the Age of Aquarius but I have no clue as to what that has to do with what lies ahead... Obama is a Leo, too, and I guess he and I will phase out together, one way or another.

Black, Georgetown professor, Michael Eric Dyson recently frowned on Beverly for steppping up to join the chorus of women piling on a black man, accusing him of rape, and Bevely retorted by saying, this case has nothing to do with Bill being black and that he brought all of his current woes on himself. Poor ol Bill. It's a mystery to me why prominent men risk everything just for illicit sex. Why didn't Cosby just deal with willing women? He allowed his penis to replace his brain and his ego to intoxicate him with power. What a sordid legacy this icon has created for himself.

Black people, can indeed, make it as individuals if - they are twice as good as the competition. Super negroes have always impressed the star struck. Especially if they are athletes or entertainers. But wealthy, old money Whites, will still discriminate when it comes to the noveau riche among Blacks.

I'm glad my words resonated with you guys and inspired your own relevant thoughts on the subject. What I had to say was something that had been on my mind for a while as I noticed how white people vent about race when they can hide behind the anonymity of social media forums and how they are giving our music do-overs . Finally I sat down in front of my computer, put my hands on my keyboard, and the thoughts just flowed. Troy, I revised a few things in the essay and inserted a short reference in regard to black authors on national best-seller lists.

You can run this essay under my pen name, the one used on "The Only One" my new novella that will soon be available. Connie Divers Bradley. CDB

From where I sit, observing the world the way I’ve been doing for the last 50+ years, I see one change in particular that is gradually taking place in America. “Political correctness” is receding, and black people are losing their relevancy. Because they no longer fear the stigma of being called racist, having neutralized this term by referring to it as a despicable practice known as “playing the playing the race card”, red state Americans no longer care if their true feelings about Blacks are exposed. Just check out Twitter and FaceBook. They’ve repressed their disdain long enough and if this offends Blacks, well they’ve only themselves to blame. "You people" had your chance to earm white favor and you blew it. Also emerging is an acknowlegment of “entitlement”, a birth right Whites weren’t even aware automatically came with their skin color. Just recently Joe Scarborough, a pseudo liberal on MSNBC, who was possibility embolded by Charles Barkley’s rant blaming black “scumbags” for taking Whites out of their comfort zone, decided to make an announcement. Heading up a panel of like-minded individuals, Scarborough decreed what has been emerging as the official white stance on the Michael Brown case. He declared Michael Brown to be a thug, a young man who did not represent the face of black America, stopping just short of saying that this 18-year-old shooting victim got what he deserved. Joe had me at the “face of black America” phrase. Who endowed a presumptuous patronizing Scarborough to decide what is the face of black America, especially since black America has many faces, and considering that none of them are white, they are all subjected to the insidious racism of people like Scarborough. The man of color occupying the office of the Presidency of the United States is a prime example of this, what with how his Republican opponents disrespect and insult him at every turn, their blatant contempt reeking with their aversion to black authority. Adding impetus to this trend are the fall of the revered Bill Cosby, and wife-beating black athletes, all fueling the white suspicion that black guys are “bad news”, just as millions of prejudiced Whites have suspected all along. All they needed were the sins of a few high profile Blacks to prove that there is little difference between them and the ones killing each other in the ghettos. (The exceptions, of course, are the "good negroes" trotted out on Fox News to scold their black brothers for misbehaving.) Even in the music industry where Blacks have long enjoyed great impact, their popularity is now fading, thanks to a surge of white entertainers capturing the ear of their own kind. As Troy recently noted after lamenting the lack of black authors on the national best seller lists, for the first time since it came out 58 years ago, no black musicians were among the Top 10 on Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 chart. Forget Beyonce and Rihanna and Alicia Keyes. The new “IT” girls are Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Katie Perry. Forget Nikki Minaj, white Iggy Azalea is the new Rap queen. Forget Jay-Z. Rap is no longer the exclusive domain of tongue-twisting black rogues. Crooning his soulful love ballads, white singer Sam Smith, has crowded out black vocalists who originated this genre. What's still holding its own is the type of act Whites have always preferred from Blacks: Pharell dancing around singing a little ditty about being "Happy". Just as when it comes to the literary scene, the only black book currently making waves is one giving females advice on when to "give up the cookie" by the buffoon of relationship experts, shuckin and jivin Steve Harvey. Fads come and go, some lasting long enough to become absorbed by the mainstream. Whatever. Blacks have had their day and now they're nothing special. Tokenism and glass ceilings are still what’s available for a chosen few but for the rest, the struggle continues. The Civil Rights movement has been resurrected because integration wasn’t the answer, and apparently diversity isn’t either since it has come to represent putting up with differences that each race perceives as being pesky or even negative. Racial co-existence seems to be the last hope of the “United States“, and minorities can forget about the equality promised by democracy. This is not to say that there aren’t well-meaning Whites who sympathize with the plight of black folks. But the reliable refuge of white entitlement grants them a privilege they can automatically envoke. They have a choice to simply opt out any time being liberal becomes too inconvenient.

Self-appointed spokesman for black people, Charles Barkley, needs to STFU. Being able to block basketball shots does not qualify him to lecture his people in a way that must've filled the minds of certain white people with gratitude for this "good nigger". Somebody needs to remind Bubblehead Barkley about the time he was stopped for driving drunk and his irate excuse was that he was on his way to get a blow job. He should be reminded further that his bitching to the cops about this might've taken a different turn had he not been recognized. Outsiders overlook that black men are also profiled if they drive expensive cars and appear affluent. Criticize the looting and rioting, yes, but cops who gun down instead of wounding black males need to be reprimanded also. That asshole Bill O'Reilly said the organized demonstrators aided and abetted the mob and they all had set race relations back 50 years. He is typical of oblivious white accusers who don't seem to realize that the actions of the white trigger-happy cop also set race relations back 50 years. This policeman is not a hero but is being treated like one by his supporters. There is enough blame to go around. Even Establishment lawyers are saying that a special prosecutor should've been appointed to conduct the grand jury proceedings and they further point out that the biased local prosecutor only permitted certain issues to be considered in the findings. None of the eye-witness reports were air-tight. Only 2 people actually knew what transpired that day, and one of them is not alive to tell his story. It never seems to occur to those who side with the cop that he might be lying. Why would he incriminate himself? Other observers had noted that mental health issure are always injected into sensational cases when white perpetrators go on rampages. But in the black homeboy/white cop equation, it is automatically assumed the black male is just a gang banger. Some of Michael Brown's friends said he had been acting strangely lately and talked about having crazy dreams. You have to think this dude could very well have been out of his mind to challenge a white cop with a gun. I read a very interesting article about how differently the minds of Liberals and Conservatives are wired. It was a very complicated theory but one conclusion was that Conservatives absolve themselves from all blame when it comes to race and believe that if Blacks would just re-invent themselves and act like Whites, all the problems would go away. Black Conservatives subscribe to this, too, and it shows. The article also talked about the most contemptible creature in the world and identified it as the white Alpha Male, totally steeped in his sense of superiority.

OK. The Devil's Advocate has vacated her role. The discussion has run its course. Started out with you glorifying Hip-Hop and me dismissing it, and ended with you bemoaning Gangsta Rap and me defending its authenticity. Progress? I dunno. Anyway, continue to pursue your dream of a better tomorrow for today's black community. Lotsa Luck!

I'm not stuck in the '50s civil rights era or removed from what's happenin in today's world. I lost my 22 year old grandson and a 17 old grand nephew to drive-by shootings. Waaay back in the 40s my late husband lost his uncle to gun fire.What does this prove? Nothing more than what your story proves. Shit happens. I don't think either grandson or nephew were big rap fans; they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have another 23 year old grandson who has served time in jail and has 2 babies by 2 different skeezers. He's a triflin dude who thinks Lil Wayne is a fool but likes him just the same. Whatever. You can't win 'em all. I have other grand children who are just the opposite. Over-achievers - who also listen to rap. I don't live in a bubble, I live in a suburb of Chicago and previously lived in another suburb of Chicago which was a microcosm of Chicago aka "Chi-raq" because of the crime and violence that permeates the streets of its Bronzeville and Hispanic neighborhoods. This is nothing new in Chicago. It has always gone on but was under reported which was why in days past it was known as the underworld. So Rap is art imitating life and - life is a bitch. And the NRA is an enabler. Your love-hate relationship with Rap music kinda clouds the issue. You wondered previously which came first the "egg" of rap or the "chicken" of the thug life. Have you decided on an answer to this yet? I'm so used to people blaming things on the omnipresent White Man that I wasn't sure just who you and Troy were blaming for the havoc of Rap. I thought at first you were maybe talking about the white Ad industry when you used the code "Corporate America" because advertisers are the pillars of corporations Sorry, but your monologue didn't shock or enlighten me. (I've heard it all before including what the guy on the video is saying. Question: Who are the villains? Da white man or da niggas puttin out the records? It's all very ambiguous. ) "Time brings change" has always been my mantra and currently my "hope" for the future.

Questions that come to my mind when I hear these familiar complaints. Am I to believe that a nebulous cabal of evil white men known as corporate America force rap millionaires, who own their own labels, to put out records that fill black kids' heads with negativity so they can emulate the thug life and end up in prison? And, is it true that white suburban kids buy more rap albums than black kids? Further, what is the role of censorship in all of this? Plus, since the "the art imitates life" axiom can be applied to gangsta rap, is this a case of impresssionable kids being introduced to the street life or of them being provided with music they can relate to because the lyrics describe what they see in their environment? Where is the credit due for the many kids who say they know that gangsta rap is just music and that they don't take its message seriously, kids who are apparently able to compartmentalize their music taste. And what can be done about black adults in the inner-cities who are responsible for filling their children's heads with sordidness because they are the role models who inspire Rap lyrics. What can be done about the indiscriminate breeding of young black females bringing children into the world who will replicate their aimless single mothers and absentee fathers and perpetuate a dead-end culture of illicitness and violence to be celebrated in song? They are the matrix of the thug life that rappers rhapsodize. Eugenics is not a bad idea to me but it would never fly. Baby mamas and their baby daddies are too comfortable in a lifestyle that pits these weave-wearin dramas queens against their saggin-pants bed mates, not to mention outcries of genocide that would emerge from black activists. So there is little hope of reversing what thwarts black progress and inspires rap verses. Classism will provide a niche for upwardly mobile Blacks but racism will continue to be a factor. It's a hard scenario to capture in rap vernacular. "Got-it- made niggas answerin' when you aks 'em whussup. Me, gettin paid cuz I know how to suck-up." And speaking of kids acting out what they see, it seems like all these defiant black victims going down in a blaze of bullets from the guns of racists cops are becoming heroes who black youngsters want to be like. Their lives have become so empty and meaningless that they are willing to risk them if it means that in death they will become famous and revered. In the past it was playing Cowboys and Indians but now it's homeboys and cops. Bang! Bang! You're dead. Rest in peace, Pookey. You were a good kid, but you challenged the wrong person. The latest victim caught on tape being killed by over-reacting policemen is an 11 year old black kid loitering in a park, brandishing a toy gun, aiming it at passers-by. When the cops were called and appeared on the scene, he pointed the gun at them and was shot down dead. SMH. Time for some repetitive rap lyrics brainwashing kids on how not to provoke trigger-happy cops. I'm done.

I am not minimizing music. I am elevating it by giving it its full due. It exists independently of everything else and is universal, - in sync with the pulse of humanity. Movements come and go but music exists independently of them. "We Shall Overcome" is a song is a song is song. The civil rights movement proved to be superficial but "We shall Overcome" is still what it always was; a song. You've relegated music to being a tool. I think of it as a companion. But this is quibbling. It can be both and that's the beauty of music; it different things to different people. Also, you and Troy keep saying that corporations have taken over Rap/Hip Hop. What do you guys mean by this? Are moguls like Jay-Z and Dr. Dre. and Puffy Combes and Russell Simmons a part of the problem or a part of the solution?

What you say is interesting. But I still don't agree that the movements in question stemmed from music or achieved their goals because of it. The meager number that Harriet Tubman transported on the underground railroad didn't depend on music; These were surrepticious one on one expeditions and music obviously didn't have a successful impact on failed slave uprisings. Or did Lincoln free the slaves because abolitionists stood around singing songs. Also, I wasn't aware that Black Gospel music spawned the Blues.which have been around a long time or that songs motivated or inhibited Blacks when it came to migrating North. I also dismiss your contention that a few obscure blues songs by poet Langston Hughes "propelled" the Harlem Renaissance. I will give James Weldon Johnson points for the Negro national anthem but still this song was an accompanment as was "We Shall Overcome" for the Civil Rights movement which was spurred by Rosa Parks and Emmit Till not Chuck Berry. I would further argue that R&B ala Motown came from DooWop not Rock and Roll. But, just because I don't' think music germinated movements doesn't mean that I don't think that it's wonderful! So we remain at odds. I think the reason we cannot agree is because we are conceptualizing things differently. LOL

Very interesting observations. I'm not in total agreement, however, that music was either the creation or the tool of all black movements. Maybe back in slave days spirituals were coded but I don't think they played a role in slaves being freed. Or did the great migrations have a lot to do with music. The songs back then had to do with either unrequited or exulted love or stompin good times. The big band swing music artists of Duke Ellington and Jimmy Lunceford and Cab Calloway along with minstrel-like Broadway musicals were the music of the Harlem Renaissance which was more focused on the "literati" or "nigerati" as Zora called them. I don't think music played a role in launching this movement or advancing it. (White publishers discovering what already existed did that, to the amusement of the "new" negroes who capitalized off of being the latest fad among white patrons of the arts.) Black gospel music had its popular origins in Chicago in the 1930s and was all about trustin in the lord, an ongoing impetus for black folks. Yes, "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday was a protest song of the 40s and it's said the Be-Bop instrumentalists of the 50s adopted their improvised frenzied horn playing to keep white musicians from stealing their stuff. In the 60s, Nina Simone was a voice of the black militancy movement and folk guitarist Richie Havens was a counter culture hippie artist and along with other black artists like Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye and James Brown and Stevie Wonder and your guy Gil Scott Heron all recorded social commentary albums about situations that already existed. And surely you didn't mean that Rock and Roll propelled the civil rights movement. More like R&B. Rock and Roll was about Elvis and the Beatles and bubble gum pop artists, some of whom did covers of Motown hits, and also heavy metal music. My point is that music was concurrent with movements. In my opinion, it didn't begin or enable them; it did what music does. It accompanied them.

What credentials does Dr. Carson have to qualify him to be a better president than OBama? What's he gonna do? Perform brain surgery on his foes? There are millions of intelligent black men out there and just because he wrote a book, doesn't make him presidental timber. He's a black conservative and the darling Fox News and is about as dynamic as a sack of potatoes. Who needs him?