Maria McKenzie

Hawaiian Chicken

2012-05-28T12:46:00.000-04:00

As we commemorate Memorial Day, I want to thank all the brave men and women who have served our country!

The Memorial Day weekend kicks off the unofficial start of summer. And with summer comes vacation planning!

I don't know about you, but I'd love to go to Hawaii! Unfortunately, with two kids in braces, that won't be happening any time soon. However, I can always dream, and this Hawaiian Chicken recipe makes me feel like I'm there--okay, not really, but it sure tastes good!

Hope you enjoy it, too! It's a crock pot recipe and only takes minutes to assemble, but you will need to set aside up to five hours for it to cook. It's delicious over rice!

This recipe is from my General Electric Slow Cooker Recipe Book.

Hawaiian Chicken

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved (I use thighs)
1 16 ounce can pineapple slices, drained (I use chunks)
1 15 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in the crock. Stir well. Cover and cook on:
Low - 4 to 5 hours
or
High- 2 to 3 hours

Where will yo be vacationing this summer? Have you ever been to Hawaii?

Thanks for visiting! By the way, if you're looking for a summer read, give my novel The Governor's Sons a try!

Say it Like a Man!

2012-05-21T10:23:00.000-04:00

If you’re a female writer, have you ever mistakenly made your male characters speak like women? I have! As women, we emote; our language tends to be a bit more flowery, as well as effusive!

My husband says, “Verbosity is unbecoming in a man.” So now, whenever I write a scene involving a man, or men, doing most of the talking, I read it to hubby, and he tells me if my men sound manly enough!

Not long ago, I attended a fantastic workshop at my OVRWA monthly meeting, presented by writers Lani Diane Rich and Alastair Stephens of Storywonk.com, entitled Writing Men, for Women.

The workshop provided instruction to women, on how to write their male characters more effectively.

My favorite part of the workshop encompassed dialogue. A few tips I learned are listed below:

Men use absolutes, rather than relative language. For example, “She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” is more realistic for male dialogue, instead of “She has to be one of the most beautiful women I‘ve ever seen.”

Men will not use long sentences. I once wrote a scene where an older man talked to his long lost son, and it went something like this: “I’m just glad you’ve accepted me. For a long time, I was afraid you wouldn’t. So now our relationship, and where it goes, is up to you.” My husband suggested replacing all those rambling sentences with only one: “So...where do we go from here?”

Men use simpler vocabulary with fewer modifiers. So rather than the hardened criminal saying, “I feel as if I could easily remove that ugly face of yours,” he’d probably exclaim, “I ought to rip your face off!”

Dialogue is action and action is dialogue for men. In general, readers don’t trust male characters who talk a lot. We wonder what a talker is hiding. Heroes take action rather than talk. Instead of discussing a way to save the heroine, the hero plans and executes it.

Hope you find this advice helpful!

Do you sometimes express your men in a womanly way?

Thanks for visiting!

Beethoven and The Hunger Games

2012-05-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

Ludwig van Beethoven

Yeah, I know what you're thinking, what does Ludwig van Beethoven have to do with The Hunger Games? Keep reading to find out!

I was trying to think of an interesting topic to write about today, and decided to post something on famous mixed race individuals through history. Ludwig van Beethoven immediately came to mind, so I started doing a little research.

Here’s his life in a nutshell, courtesy Wikipedia:

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized 17 December 1770– 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers.

Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven moved to Vienna in his early 20s, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. His hearing began to deteriorate in his late twenties, yet he continued to compose, conduct, and perform, even after becoming completely deaf.

What's not always mentioned in some biographical accounts is Beethoven's ancestry. His mother was a Moor, that group of Muslim North Africans who conquered parts of Europe and made Spain their capital for about 800 years. So regarding Beethoven's race, I read an interesting article at Open Salon that quoted several sources about his appearance:

Frederick Hertz, German anthropologist, used these terms to describe him: “Negroid traits, dark skin, flat, thick nose.”

Emil Ludwig, in his book “Beethoven,” says: “His face reveals no trace of the German. He was so dark that people dubbed him Spagnol [dark-skinned].”

Fanny Giannatasio del Rio, in her book “An Unrequited Love: An Episode in the Life of Beethoven,” wrote “His somewhat flat broad nose and rather wide mouth, his small piercing eyes and swarthy [dark] complexion, pockmarked into the bargain, gave him a strong resemblance to a mulatto.”

C. Czerny stated, “His beard--he had not shaved for several days--made the lower part of his already brown face still darker.”

Following are one word descriptions of Beethoven from various writers: Grillparzer, “dark”; Bettina von Armin, “brown”; Schindler, “red and brown”; Rellstab, “brownish”; Gelinek, “short, dark.”

Newsweek, in its Sept. 23, 1991 issue stated, “Afrocentrism ranges over the whole panorama of human history, coloring in the faces: from Australopithecus to the inventors of mathematics to the great Negro composer Beethoven.”

Amandla Stenberg as Rue from The Hunger Games

As I read through all these descriptions, I couldn’t help but think of the racist tweets about the black actors in the motion picture adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s novel The Hunger Games. Apparently these young tweeters were surprised that the characters they’d fallen in love with in the story were dark skinned individuals. However, their appearances were clearly described in The Hunger Games.

If you missed this news like I did, when it first broke back in March after the release of The Hunger Games movie, here’s a portion of an article from TheWeek.com

For at least a few moviegoers, the decision to make Rue and Thresh African-American weakened the film's impact. "Why does rue have to be black not gonna lie ruined the movie," one dismayed fan tweeted. "EWW rue is black?? I'm not watching," bemoaned another. "Kk call me racist but when I found out rue was black her death wasn't as sad #ihatemyself." Many more tweets, some employing the "n-word," have been collected on a Tumblr page called Hunger Games Tweets, which seeks to "expose the Hunger Games fans on Twitter who dare call themselves fans yet don't know a [darn] thing about the books."

Collins clearly described them as "dark-skinned," if not specifically black. On page 45, Katniss sees Rue for the first time and describes her this way: "She has dark brown skin and eyes." Later, Katniss meets Thresh, saying that he "has the same dark skin as Rue."

Although these tweeters comprise a small minority, I found this story pretty sad, especially since those expressing their opinions were teens and young adults! But when life gives you lemons, make lemonade and have fun writing a blog post about it!

If any of those tweeters like Beethoven (yet something tells me that even if they've heard of him, they may not be that familiar with his work), I hope they don’t see this blog post! However, if they do, here are some examples of what might appear on Twitter from them:

Beethoven, black! I won’t listen to his music anymore!

Now I don’t feel so bad about him going deaf.

Not gonna lie, this really ruins his music for me.

Thanks for visiting with me today, and by the way, is this information about Beethoven something new to you?

How Not to Bomb

2012-05-07T08:34:00.000-04:00

I am thrilled to have the talented Alice Osborn, from Write From the Inside Out, guest posting for me today! She’s sharing some great advice that will help you better prepare for your next public speaking engagement. Take it away, Alice!

Alice Osborn

Thank you so much, Maria, for allowing me a spot on your lovely blog! My name is Alice Osborn. I am a poet, speaker and editor. I live in Raleigh, NC, where I help writers become authors and better businesspeople.

When you’re nervous before a reading, open mic or a speaking event you’re that way because you don’t want to bomb . You don’t want to be humiliated and asked never to come back. You also don’t want to let your audience down. Maybe you’ve had a less-than-ideal speaking experience and you’re afraid lightning will strike twice. I’d like to share a few tips with you on how not to bomb, or at least how to bomb less! Now, let go of your nervousness and give your best performance to the people who have come to see you!

Alice's Latest Book

Know Your Audience

If you’re an author giving a reading, know your audience! Are they familiar with your work or are they completely new to it? If they are new to it, warm them up by telling them why they’ll love your work and use humor! If you’re the first speaker, you won’t have a lot of material to riff about except complimentary stuff about the venue, the hosts and the warm crowd, but if you’re performing after an open mic segment or after another speaker, talk up the folks who have gone before you and give them a little love. Doing so will endear you to your audience.

I had a little issue with a speaking engagement when I realized that my talk was geared towards entrepreneurs and not corporate employees. Oh, boy! I should have asked my speaking coordinator who my audience was so I could prepare. But here I was and I spoke to them about how being creative and flexible would make them more effective in their presentations—something from the entrepreneur world that they may not deal with on a daily basis.

Collect Stories

As you go about your life, collect anecdotes that will resonate with your audience and that will help you break the tension. Just be sure that they’re relevant to you and your reading.

Show Up Early

When you show up early rather than on time you give yourself the chance to arrange the room and get a feel for the acoustics. I’ve shown up early at gigs and have rearranged the chairs to go from a classroom to a U-pattern—it’s made all of the difference!

Don’t drink too much

This applies more at a reading or an open mic, but don’t drink even if you think it’ll help you when it’s your turn at the mic. Drink plenty of water and when you’re all through, then have your favorite adult beverage.

Prepare

Rehearse your talk and material ahead of time—mark your pages if you’re reading from your book so you’re not thumbing randomly. Check to see where you’re stumbling and adjust. Time your talk so you’re going over or under. Preparing is vital for success and I consider this my most important tip.

Possessing strong speaking skills as an author is vital for your continued success. You might also consider using video to record your performances and then later see what you could have done better.

Your Turn

OK, so those are my tips on how not to bomb. What have I missed? Please feel free to add a few more suggestions in the comments for us!

Alice, thank you so much for joining me today! You’ve given us some wonderful and very helpful tips. Public speaking may not be a part of marketing enjoyed by the introverted authors among us, but as you mentioned above, strong speaking skills are vital for continued success. Thanks for showing us how not to bomb!

Alice Osborn, M.A. is the author of three books of poetry, After the Steaming Stops, Unfinished Projects, and Right Lane Ends; she helps authors become business people and business people become authors. Alice teaches creative writing all over the country where she uses sensory images and road-tested prompts to stimulate her students’ best work. Her work has appeared in the News and Observer, The Broad River Review, The Pedestal Magazine, Soundings Review and in numerous journals and anthologies. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two children. Visit her website at www.aliceosborn.com.

Lena vs. Ava in the Role of Show Boat's "Julie"

2012-04-30T12:24:00.003-04:00

Lena Horne

One of my favorite movies from the Hollywood heyday of musicals is Show Boat, made in 1951, starring Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson.

The sultry Ava Gardner also starred as "Julie," the mixed race (mulatto) character. However, before she was cast, the beautiful (African American) Lena Horne was considered.

While Lena Horne was employed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM), her appearances in movies were shot so that they could be cut easily from the films she appeared in. This was because MGM feared audiences of that time, especially those in the South, would not accept a beautiful black woman in romantic, non-menial roles.

This was probably the main reason she lost out on playing "Julie." I remember seeing her on a talk show back in the '80s explaining how MGM's makeup department had come up with a foundation for her to wear as "Julie," called light Egyptian. Shortly afterwards, however, Ava Gardner was the one being slathered with it and not her!

Ava Gardner

Ironically, Ava Gardner was one of Lena's closest off-screen friends. She practiced for the role by singing to Horne's recordings of the songs, since Lena had already appeared in the "Show Boat" segment of Till the Clouds Roll By (1946). In that, she had appeared as "Julie" singing "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" (which was, as all her MGM appearances, shot in such a way that it could be easily edited out of the film).

Another irony for Lena is that she had been invited by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II themselves to play "Julie" in the 1946 Broadway revival of Show Boat, but had had to refuse because MGM would not release her from her contract.

Shortly after her death in 2010, Time Magazine provided a biography on what Lena Horne's film career could have looked like:

Gorgeous, gifted and preternaturally poised, the 24-year-old actress-singer came to Hollywood in 1941 and quickly became the first African-American movie star. She was a sensation in her first leading role, as the Congo goddess Tondelayo in MGM's White Cargo. She earned an Academy Award nomination as the light-skinned black girl passing for white in Elia Kazan's Pinky, then capped her first decade of stardom playing Julie and singing "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" in the 1951 film Show Boat.

Those roles were eventually played by Hedy Lamarr, Jeanne Crain, and Ava Gardner, respectively. It's a shame we'll never know what Lena Horne could have done with them!

Have you ever seen Show Boat? Thanks for visiting!

Need a Little Heat in Your Novel?

2012-04-23T11:27:00.000-04:00

Adam Firestone, Firearms Expert

I'm not referring to the heat of passion, but the kind of heat you pack! Do you know the difference between casings and cartridges, or clips and magazines, or an Uzi vs. an AK-47?

If you're going to include firearms in your story, make sure you portray them, and all of their parts, accurately. If you don't, to those out there who know gun speak, you'll have the equivalent of "He kissed her with his knee," while wrongly identifying your weapons and their inner workings.

I stole that knee quote from Adam Firestone. I recently attended his workshop Firearms and the Choreography of Direct Action. It was amazing, and I learned quite a bit about "heat."

Adam provides technical consulting services to the literary and entertainment industries, specializing in action choreography and technical consulting on cyber and weapon technologies, their impacts, employment and tactics from both historical and modern perspectives.

Be sure to visit his blog if you have questions regarding firearms, because he addresses several issues pertaining to them in his posts. However, if you can't find an answer, drop him an email at adam.firestone@gmail.com.

.38 Special Cartridges

Not all of us are fortunate enough to know a cop or a shooting instructor to verify information about those shoot 'em up scenes we love to write, but Adam Firestone is just a click away!

Do you pack heat in what you write? Thanks for visiting!

Titanic: An Untold Story

2012-04-16T11:50:00.000-04:00

The Laroche Family

Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic. The history of Titanic has always been of interest to me, and back in 2003, I had the opportunity to tour an exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

Viewing the mementos salvaged from the wreckage was sad, yet reading about the passengers was fascinating. One thing I'd forgotten, until my husband suggested that I blog about Titanic today, was that from that exhibition, I'd learned about Joseph and Juliette Laroche, an interracial couple on board the ship.

Joseph Laroche was a Haitian-born, French educated engineer from a prosperous family. His wife, Juliette, was white, and from a privileged French family. Joseph Laroche had not intended to travel on Titanic when he left France with his family in 1912.

Because he was black, Laroche had been unable to find work in France. So upon learning of his wife's third pregnancy, he decided to return to his native Haiti. He'd bought first class tickets for the French liner France. But once he found out that children could not eat with their parents, he transferred to Titanic.

His first-class France tickets were equivalent to second-class tickets aboard the British Titanic. He and his family boarded the ship at Cherbourg, outside of Paris. They enjoyed the ship's luxury for three days, and on April 14, dined together for the last time. Afterwards, Joseph retired to the smoking parlor with other men in second class, while Juliette returned to their suite with daughters Simonne, three, and Louise, one.

Joseph Laroche felt the collision later that evening, and ran back to his room for his wife and daughters. As Juliette and the girls were placed in a lifeboat, Joseph draped his coat, stuffed with money and family valuables, across his wife's shoulders. "You will need it," he told Juliette, who was 22 at the time. "I will see you in New York. I must take another raft. God be with you."

Those were the last words Joseph Laroche spoke to his wife, and although his coat was stolen, Juliette Laroche and her daughters survived. Joseph Laroche was 26, and the only black man aboard the ship. He was one of 166 second-class passengers who died.

I found the above information here in a story that described an exhibit featuring them. The Laroche's story is a fascinating, yet little known Titanic fact. Had you ever heard of them?

Thanks for visiting!

Fredi Washington: Didn't Live an Imitation of Life

2012-04-09T22:33:00.000-04:00

Fredi Washington

I'm nearing completion of my next release, Escape: Book One of the Unchained Trilogy. Late in the story, the theme of "passing" (as in a light skinned black person passing for white) comes into play.

Most white people who have ever heard of the term "passing," and know what it means, have probably seen the movie Imitation of Life.

Several years ago, my husband, who's white, watched the 1959 film with me. He was fascinated by the subject matter, and impressed that Imitation of Life had been made back in the 1950s.

I told him that this was the second version, and that the original had been produced in 1934. In that movie, I informed him, a "real black girl" played the part of Peola, the light skinned daughter desperate to pass as white. (In the 1959 movie, the daughter's name is Sarah Jane and she's played by white actress Susan Kohner). If you're not familiar with Imitation of Life, based on the 1933 Fannie Hurst novel of the same name, click here.

The real black girl mentioned above was Fredi Washington, an accomplished African American dramatic actress during the 1920s and '30s. Fair skinned with green eyes, she was often asked to "pass for white" in order to receive better opportunities in films. However, Fredi refused. "I'm honest," she said, "and you don't have to be white to be good." Here's some footage of her as Peola.

She faced discrimination from whites and, because of her appearance, resentment within the black community, which had complex feelings about obvious mixed-race people. Washington expressed her opinions about race and color prejudice, and after retiring from acting in the 1930's, became an activist and journalist.

In 1937, Ms.Washington was a founding member of the Negro Actors Guild of America (NAG), which created better professional opportunities for blacks in show business. She also worked as Entertainment Editor of People's Voice, founded in 1942.

Never ashamed of who she was, Fredi Washington was no Peola!

Have you seen either version of Imitation of Life?

Thanks for visiting!

Going Indie? Enlist the Help of Others

2012-04-03T12:49:00.000-04:00

Not long ago, I had a chance to chat with a traditionally published author. I asked if she belonged to a writing group, and found out that she does not.

Although this author does have a writer friend to bounce ideas off of (which we all need), she said that a book is one writer's vision, and should not be written by a committee. I completely agree with this!

However, if you're an Indie or self published author, you don't have the benefit of a publishing house, which provides content editing, copy editing, proof reading, etc.

I'm not sure how many different editors there are, but a work published by a publishing house is read by several sets of eyes before it hits the market!

Most Indies are on a budget, so until you can afford to hire professional editors and proofreaders, here are a few things to keep in mind to improve your Indie books:

Your writing group or critique partners can help you better develop your story. Don't allow them to change your vision, but do be open to advice in what will improve your story, or what doesn't make it work. They may not be content editors, but your finished product will be vastly improved if other writers read it.

After incorporating changes, enlist the aid of beta readers. Friends and family are great for this. Not only can they find typos and grammatical errors, they can point out what's lacking, what's boring, and what's not moving your story along.

Can't afford copy editing? Barter services with a writer friend who's a capable editor. (When bartering, it doesn't have to be for the same service. If you don't feel you're the best at copy editing, and you lack the critical eye of a proofreader, volunteer to be a beta reader). A copy editor will do more than just proofread. In addition to spotting typos and grammatical errors, she'll finesse the writer's prose into a highly polished product.

Can't afford a proofreader? Again, barter with a writer friend. A person with a sharp and critical eye is needed to find the teeniest of errors in a finished (proof) work.

So, as an Indie/self published author, you do end up using a committee of sorts. Don't ever let them alter your vision, but do consider them your publishing house!

Do you belong to a writers group or have critique partners? Thanks for visiting!

Passing Strange: Not Your Ordinary Love Story

2012-03-26T13:41:00.002-04:00

I love exploring tales of forbidden love, and one of the most interesting I've ever read about was that of Clarence King and Ada Copeland. Their story is told in Martha A. Sandweiss's book, Passing Strange.

Clarence King is a hero of nineteenth century western history. He was also a brilliant scientist, best-selling author and architect of the great surveys that mapped the West after the Civil War. Secretary of State John Hay declared King “the best and brightest of his generation.”

However, King hid a secret from his friends, as well as the prominent Newport family from which he hailed: He lived a double life. For thirteen years King was known as a celebrated white explorer, geologist and writer. But he was also known as James Todd, a black Pullman porter and steel worker.

The fair skinned blue-eyed son born to a wealthy China trader passed across the color line. This was not the usual case of a black man passing as white--but a white man passing as black! And he didn't reveal his secret to his black common-law wife, Ada Copeland, until his dying day.

Why did King do this? To be with the woman he loved. To marry Ada publicly, as the white man Clarence King, would have scandalized him and destroyed his career.

Passing Strange is a fascinating account of a sacrifice made for love. If you like history, romance and forbidden love stories, then you'll enjoy Passing Strange!

Can you share a rather strange love story you've heard about?

Thanks for visiting! BTW, the release date of my new novel, Escape, will be sometime in late April! And if you haven't read my forbidden love story, The Governor's Sons, be sure to check it out

KDP Select: To Enroll or Not to Enroll

2012-03-19T10:47:00.000-04:00

Should I or shouldn't I?

I admit, when I first read about the Kindle Direct Publishers Select Program back in December, I was a little skeptical. I didn’t like the idea of removing my work from other sales outlets and making it exclusive only to Amazon.com.

My sales were decent on Amazon.com after I'd published there in October. However, when KDP Select arrived on the scene, my sales dropped. Over the next few months I read lots of blogs from other authors discussing their experiences with the program and why they did or didn’t choose to enroll. Click these links to see some.

Following my worst sales month ever, I decided to sign up. Why? Because I wouldn’t know how beneficial or non-beneficial it would be for me unless I tried.

After enrolling, I thought I’d see a zillion borrows! But in two days, there were none. So I considered dropping out—you have three days to do that, but after that you’re locked in for 90 days.

I decided to stick it out and try a free promo day. I’d read about authors who’d seen 3000 to 5000 free downloads of their books. The promo period isn’t about the money, but promoting your work and getting it into readers’ hands.

In a 24 hour period, I was amazed to see 11,100 free copies of my book downloaded! Now, out of those 11,000 customers, there are those who won’t read it for a while, or maybe not at all because they just hoard free books. Some will read it, but won’t be able to get into it, and some may think it sucks.

But there are those who will read it right away (or sooner rather than later)--and like it! So if 5000 people read it and like it, I have a chance of getting a few reviews, and perhaps a shot at 5000 potential purchases, because those readers might tell at least one person that my book is worth buying.

Since the free promo day, I’ve seen an increase in my sales. I joined in early March. I’m not a math person so I won’t go into the “my piece of the pie” regarding that $600,000 to be divided among books lent out. I believe the rate is $1.70 per borrow, which is nothing to complain about. For me, the lending has not been nearly the same rate as the sales, which is fine. But the increase in my sales has been worth it to me, so I'm glad I enrolled! Yet, I never would have known this unless I'd tried KDP Select for myself.

Every case is different, but the bottom line is, you must make your own decision. After reading the KDP Select Terms and Conditions thoroughly, here are a few other things to keep in mind:

· If you enroll, make sure your work is not available anywhere else

·If you take something off of Smashwords, it’ll take a few weeks for it to be removed from all the ebookstores they distribute to (Kobo, Diesel, Apple, etc.). Check those stores periodically to make sure your work is no longer available there before enrolling in KDP

· If you sell the majority of your books through Amazon.com, this program is worth looking into

· The enrollment period is only three months. If you don’t like it, quit, if you do, you’ll be automatically re enrolled

· If you choose not to re enroll, you have to do that manually, otherwise, you will be automatically re enrolled

· Make sure your book has a appealing cover, you want it to grab attention

· If you have some favorable reviews, include snippets from them in your product description

· Make sure your book is well proofed and edited. If someone gets something for free with poor editing, they might mention that in a review--and then add they were glad they didn’t pay for it!

· Do your research, check out what others are saying (see the links above to start with)

My experience with KDP Select has been a positive one. Have you thought about enrolling? Are you currently enrolled? Share your experience.

Thanks for visiting!

Esther Williams: Fighter, Champion, Star

2012-03-12T18:05:00.000-04:00

If you read my blog last week, you know I'm a huge fan of old movies. One of my favorite stars from Hollywood's Golden Era was the beautiful Esther Williams, a swimming star of several MGM movies known as Aqua Musicals.

Something you may not know is that Ms. Williams was a proponent of civil rights--keep reading to see how!

I love watching anything filmed underwater, and seeing Esther Williams swim in those pictures is amazing and a real treat. If you've never heard of Esther Williams, check out this video to see what I mean!

Prior to becoming a movie star, Esther Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records while part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team during her teens. She had wanted to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics, but couldn't because of the outbreak of World War II. At that point, Ms.Williams joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she spent five months swimming alongside Johnny Weissmuller, the Olympic swimmer and Tarzan star.

While performing at the Aquacade, Williams caught the eye of MGM talent scouts. After appearing in several small roles, Williams began making the Aqua Musicals, featuring elaborate numbers with synchronized swimming and diving. From 1945 to 1949, Ms. Williams had at least one movie among the top 20 grossing films of the year.

Not long ago, I read her autobiography, The Million Dollar Mermaid. If you do enjoy bios of the stars, don't pass this one up! I was thoroughly impressed by her candor, zest for life and positive outlook. She lived through experiences that might have been crushing to some of us, but made her a fighter, champion and star!

The most devastating time she endured was the repeated rape that began at age 13. The older teen who abused her had been charitably taken in by her family. Orphaned and left on his own, this young man was an exceptional student and athlete. Ms. Williams had lost an older brother years earlier who was the "golden child" of the family, and this orphaned youth filled the void in her parents' lives.

As a victim of abuse, Esther remained quiet for two years, fearing his threats. Finally at age 15, she told her parents. Their reaction was hurtful to her, and I almost cried when I read it. They were in denial at first, but finally confronted him. When he admitted the truth, her parents were more upset with him for not living up to their expectations of who'd they'd thought him to be, rather than the fact that he'd repeatedly raped their daughter for two years.

Esther listened from another room, completely demoralized. Why hadn't her father been ready to kill the guy and kick him out?

The pool at the athletic club was her solace, and after hearing her parents' exchange with him, that's where she went. But when she'd changed and was ready to swim, the rapist confronted her. To his tearful apology she responded, "If you touch me again, I'll kick, I'll scream and I'll fight!" After this, he left her family's home and joined the armed services.

During Ms. Williams's days in the Aquacade, she had fight off Johnny Weissmuller's aggressive advances and endure substandard treatment from bosses since she wouldn't "give in."

Prior to stardom, Ms. Williams survived an abusive marriage, and after stardom, the loss of her fortune through another husband's gambling. She also lived through some near death experiences from swimming mishaps during filming.

But in addition to the painful times she shares, her story has some humorous ones as well. Here's the civil rights anecdote I referenced earlier. She was the mother of three children and employed the same African American babysitter for a number of years.

While performing in a live show, Ms.Williams wanted her babysitter and the sitter's husband to attend one of her performances. However, the establishment where she'd be doing her show was segregated, but this didn't deter Ms.Williams, who thought the whole segregation system unfair.

She procured Middle Eastern garb for her guests and told the management that they were friends of hers from a royal family. Needless to say, the sitter and her husband had the best seat in the house that night, and the last laugh!

Are you an Esther Williams fan? Thanks for visiting!

Hollywood: Land of Illusion

2012-03-05T12:07:00.000-05:00

Let me open today's post by bragging on my big sister, Donna Figueroa! She's an actress in Hollywood and her latest work can be seen in this Poise webisode featuring her as a reporter interviewing Kirstie Alley, the Poise Fairy.

This is an entertaining ad, with the fun illusion of my sister as a reporter and Kirstie Alley as a fairy with a purple poodle.

I think we all love illusion and escape. Writing, reading and movies are three of my favorite past times, because there's nothing like running away into a world of fantasy!

In my novel, Masquerade, Part II of the Unchained Trilogy (which takes place in the 1880s, and is due out this summer), my main character is Lavinia Taylor. Lavinia is the product of an interracial union. Raised in a straitlaced home, she runs away to pursue a life as a stage actress in New York, and passes as white (I'll save "The Tragic Mulatto" post for another time). Lavinia's parents are devastated by her choices. She rejects her mother to pass as white, but worse yet, seeks a career as an actress! Back in those days, actors were considered rather disreputable characters!

Now, I've been a fan of Hollywood and its illusions ever since my mom took me to see That's Entertainment when I was about ten years old. After seeing that film, I fell in love with old movies, watched them whenever I could, and admired several of the stars who made all those wonderful, fluffy stories from days gone by come to life.

As I grew older, I read several biographies and tell-alls (like Hollywood Babylon) that shattered many of my illusions. A few weeks ago, one hit the market that will probably destroy any that remain. I've already read several reviews, and from them learned lots of shocking revelations, including that two of the greatest love affairs from the twentieth-century were complete shams! If you're a movie buff, you probably know the book I'm referring to, Full Service by Scotty Bowers.

All the stars mentioned are dead, but their legacies will be forever tarnished.

If you're a movie buff, do you plan on reading Full Service, or are you content to live with your illusions in tact?

Thanks for visiting!

How Strom Thurmond Influenced Me

2012-02-27T11:37:00.002-05:00

Ol' Strom

I know what you're thinking! How could a dead segregationist governor influence some black woman? Well, let me explain.

About four years ago I read Dear Senator, a memoir by Essie Mae Washington-Williams. Ms. Williams is the African American love child of the South Carolina Senator (and former Governor) and his family's African American maid, Carrie Washington.

My mother is from South Carolina, so all my life I've had ties to the South, and for many years I've known about this "secret child." My mother even knew someone who went to college with her. So when I'd heard that Ms. Williams had "come out" and written a memoir, I couldn't wait to read it!

The story of Ms. Williams's mother and her relationship with Thurmond was heartbreaking and touching, as well as fascinating. I couldn't stop reading. And after I'd finished, I couldn't get the story out of my head.

I kept thinking, what would have happened if Ms. Williams had been born a boy who grew up to become a Civil Rights leader at the same time his father was a segregationist governor. And another thought was, what if Thurmond, a young law student at the time, had been willing to give up everything to be Carrie Washington?

If you're familiar with my blog, you know that Dear Senator inspired my novel The Governor's Sons. Ms. Williams's memoir, however, is quite sad. Her mother was all of sixteen when she became pregnant by the then twenty three year old Thurmond.

Thurmond did care for Carrie, but not to the point of giving up everything for her, and their affair lasted over several years, off and on. But when she died, Thurmond didn't know until Essie told him.

Thurmond provided financially for his love child and stayed in contact with her all of his life. Ms. Williams still maintains contact with his family--which is her family too! I couldn't help but feel for both of them (Essie Mae and Strom) as I read her story.

Thurmond wanted to do the right thing by providing for his daughter and being a presence in her life. But if the truth about her had ever been discovered by the public, his career would have been destroyed. And Ms. Williams had to settle for what little of himself her father could give her, while he shared the limelight with his wife and their children.

If you're at all interested in race matters and love stories, I highly recommend Dear Senator!

Had you ever heard of Essie Mae Washington-Williams's story before the news broke about it a few years back?

Thanks for visiting!

Jack Johnson's Tragic Love Story

2012-02-20T15:34:00.000-05:00

Jack Johnson and Etta Duryea

If you're familiar with the movie The Great White Hope, you probably know that the Jack Jefferson character portrayed by James Earl Jones is based on the real life American boxer Jack Johnson. During the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion (1908-1915).

Geoffrey C. Ward wrote an excellent biography of Johnson entitled Unforgivable Blackness, which was made into a PBS documentary by Ken Burns.

Johnson's success brought fame and riches, and to the dismay of most of white America at the time, he disregarded the social and economic standard set for blacks in American society. He flaunted his wealth in fine clothes and fast cars, and broke the taboo of a black man consorting with white women.

The charismatic Johnson was married three times, and all his wives were white. In January of 1911, Johnson married Etta Duryea, a glamorous Brooklyn socialite who was well educated, played the piano and sang. She was also the former wife of businessman Charles Duryea, the engineer of the first ever working American gasoline powered car.

Etta was prone to depression, and after news of her marriage to Johnson made it back to Brooklyn, the isolation she suffered from being cut off from family friends, along with Jack's raucous lifestyle, contributed to her suicide in 1912.

In Unforgivable Blackness, Ward recounts how appalled Etta's relatives were that she had married such a man as Jack. At her funeral, one of Etta's family members accused Jack of never having loved her, and to this he said something like, "I have eyes and I have a heart, and they told me I loved her." (I must confess, I was so touched by that line, I used it myself in my novel The Governor's Sons.)

If you'd like to learn more about the real life Great White Hope, be sure to read Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson or check out the PBS Documentary. Johnson's story is truly a fascinating one!

Had you ever heard of Jack Johnson?

Thanks for visiting!

Love, Love, Love The Lovings!

2012-02-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

Mildred and Richard Loving

Tomorrow is Valentines Day and HBO is airing The Loving Story. This documentary film tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, and also examines the current state of interracial marriage and its tolerance in the United States.

When I first read about the Lovings several years ago, I thought what a fitting (and ironic) name for them!

Richard Loving was white, and his wife, Mildred, black. In 1958, since they couldn’t marry in their home state of Virginia where interracial marriage was banned, they went to Washington, D.C. where they could legally wed. However, upon returning home as a married couple, they were arrested, jailed and banished from the state for 25 years for violating Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act.

The Lovings agreed to leave Virginia and relocated to Washington. By doing this they avoided jail time. But after living there for five years and having three children, they missed family and friends and wanted to return home to Caroline County, Virginia.

Around this time they contacted Bernard Cohen, an attorney volunteering at the ACLU, to request that he ask the Caroline County judge to reconsider his decision.

Cohen and another lawyer challenged the Lovings' conviction, but the original judge in the case, Leon Bazile, upheld his ruling claiming: "Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. ... The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix."

The case moved all the way up to the Supreme Court where Cohen made this argument:

"The Lovings have the right to go to sleep at night knowing that if should they not wake in the morning, their children would have the right to inherit from them. They have the right to be secure in knowing that, if they go to sleep and do not wake in the morning, that one of them, a survivor of them, has the right to Social Security benefits. All of these are denied to them, and they will not be denied to them if the whole anti-miscegenistic scheme of Virginia... [is] found unconstitutional."

After the ruling, in their favor (now known as the "Loving Decision") they returned home to Caroline County.

A happy ending to now what seems an unbelievable story—and believe it or not, they were arrested in the privacy of their bedroom during the middle of the night!

Had you ever heard of the Lovings' story?

Thanks for visiting, and Happy Valentine's Day!

How Did You Meet the Love of Your Life?

2012-02-06T11:05:00.000-05:00

It’s February, the month of love, and I enjoy reading about how people met and fell in love. My story sounds like fiction, but it really happened! I’ll share in a moment, but it wasn’t until after I got married that I became an author, and my marriage is what inspired me to begin writing in the first place.

I create tales of forbidden love, and my next book, Escape, due out this spring, is a story about a slave girl who is helped to escape from bondage by a young abolitionist who falls in love with her. I came up with the story idea when I began thinking about how sad it would have been if my husband and I had fallen in love 200 years earlier. Then, we wouldn’t have been able to marry, because he’s white, and I’m black.

Interracial love isn’t forbidden nowadays, but sometimes it still tends to be a sticky topic, so let me tell you how I met my husband.

I started running in 1993. It was a little hard at first, but I finally built up my endurance. After a few months I was running 5-7 miles every day after work. About a year later, my future husband Richard, noticed me.

But he’d only see me one day a week, and that was Thursday mornings, when my work schedule (as a librarian) was 12 noon to 9 p.m. On those days I’d run at 7 a.m. He couldn’t figure out where I’d come from, and he’d only see me sporadically.

Then one Friday evening during the summer, Richard was on his way to meet friend. He saw me running and took that opportunity to pull over his car and talk to me. “Excuse me,” he said.

I assumed he needed directions, but instead Richard said, “I’ve seen you running.” Well at that remark, I figured he was some know it all jock who wanted to tell me my technique was all wrong. I was prepared to thank him and be on my way. I’d read Jim Fixx’s book on running, and I knew all I needed to know about running (Jim Fixx died while running, so we won’t go there). The next thing Richard said caught me completely off guard. “I just want to tell you that I think you’re extremely attractive, and I want to ask you to lunch.”

The eyes are the mirror to the soul. Richard has beautiful green eyes and they look honest, plus he’s handsome (okay, he's hot) and having just met him, he seemed like a genuinely nice person (and he is). But despite all this I joked, “Okay, as long as you’re not a rapist or an ax murderer." He adamantly assured me that he wasn’t.

After two dates, we really liked each other. His mother, who lived three hours away, asked what I looked like. To this Richard replied, “She’s an—extreme brunette,” and left it at that.

We met in July, and by September we were talking about getting married. Now, around this time, he’d gotten information about his 10^th high school reunion and he’d invited me to go. This meant I’d get to meet his parents. However, he still hadn’t told them everything about me, like that I’m black, for instance.

So, unbeknown to me, the day before we were to arrive, Richard called his parents. “By the way,” he said, “More than just Maria’s hair is extreme brunette—she’s black.” I’m sure there were a few long moments of stunned silence, but whatever else he said must have put their minds at ease, because our first meeting was a very pleasant one!

Richard and I met in July of 1994 and married in July of 1995. In addition to a wonderful husband and two amazing kids, my interracial marriage has given me a brand new career as a writer!

How did you meet the love of your life?

If you enjoy forbidden love stories--and want to participate in the Brother Can You Spare Sequel Contest--be sure to purchase a copy of The Governor’s Sons:

Twenty-three year old Ash Kroth comes from an old southern family of wealth and prestige. It is 1936, but despite this, and his driven political ambition to one day become governor, Ash recklessly pursues beautiful "Negro" college student Kitty Wilkes. Ash's life is forever changed because of Kitty, and 30 years later, as a segregationist governor, he must confront the consequences of his love for her.

Thanks for visiting!

Black and White Airmen

2012-01-30T12:43:00.000-05:00

Right upon the heels of learning that film producer George Lucas is involved in an interracial relationship with Good Morning America Financial Consultant Mellody Hobson, I also found out that George Lucas is the producer of Red Tails!

Because Red Tails, depicting the story of the heroic Tuskegee (African American) Airmen, is largely cast with African Americans, George Lucas had to finance it with his own money. Other producers feared low movie attendance since no heavy duty white roles are present to attract white audiences.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but it's on my list! I wonder if Ms. Hobson put the bug in George Lucas's ear to do the movie in the first place!

With all the talk about Red Tails, I wanted to share a book I happened upon by accident one day while at the library. It's a kid's book (6th grade and up), but a fascinating account for adults to enjoy, as well.

One of the things I liked most about the story was that the two friends featured in it are from Cincinnati. And not long after I read the book, I got to see both of them speak at my sons' school--which is the very same one they attended as young boys!

In John Fleischman's Black and White Airmen: Their True History, we learn about the true history of a friendship that almost didn't happen.

John Leahr and Herb Heilbrun grew up in the same neighborhood and were in the same third grade class. Although classmates, they weren't friends, because Herb was white and John was black.

John and Herb were twenty-one when the United States entered WWII. Herb became an Army Air Forces B-17 bomber pilot. John flew P-51 fighters. Both participated in the high-altitude bomber war against Nazi Germany. But because the army was segregated and black and white couldn't mix, they never met.

John and Herb returned home safely, but it took them another fifty years to meet and discover that their lives had almost taken the same path through times of war and peace. Now friends, Herb and John have made it a mission to tell young people why race once made a big difference and why it shouldn’t anymore.

Check out this video to learn more about John and Herb, and be sure to read John Fleischman's Black and White Airmen!

Have you seen Red Tails yet? If so, what did you think?

Thanks for visiting!

Your Novel Starring...

2012-01-23T11:13:00.000-05:00

How about Tom Cruise as...

Before diving into today’s post, I wanted to throw out a book that’s on my to read list. Since I’m posting about casting your novel (in your imagination, of course), I’d like to suggest a book on screenwriting. I attended a workshop a few months ago and the author (whose name escapes me) recommended Save The Cat! by Blake Snyder.

The workshop focused on developing heroes and villains, and the presenter highly recommended Snyder’s book. The title Save the Cat! (courtesy of Wikipedia) is a term coined by Snyder and describes the scene where the audience meets the hero of a movie for the first time. The hero does something nice — e.g. saving a cat—that makes the audience like the hero and root for him. According to Snyder, it is a simple scene that helps the audience invest themselves in the character and the story. There’s your helpful tip for the day! If you’ve already read Save the Cat!, please share your thoughts!

Alright, now let’s have some fun! We’ve all done this, whether reader or writer—cast a story we love in our imaginations! I read Gone with the Wind when I was in eighth grade. The movie was already in existence—and perfectly cast. But I cast a sequel in my head, you know, the one where Scarlett gets Rhett back. I decided that Linda Carter (Wonder Woman) would play Scarlett (because she looked like Vivien Leigh), and Chad Everett (Medical Center) would re-enact the role of Rhett! To me, he seemed like the only man at the time (am I showing my age here?) suitable to play Clark Gable—I mean Rhett Butler.

Some Vince Flynn (American Assassin) fans think the perfect Mitch Rapp (a black ops operative) would be Gerard Butler. I don’t believe the role has been cast yet, but the movie is in the works. Recently, I saw the trailer for Janet Evanovich’s One For the Money, starring Katherine Heigl as bounty hunter Stephanie Plum—what a great choice! I hope Ms. Evanovich is pleased!

Years ago I remember reading how disappointed author Anne Rice was when her novel Interview with the Vampire was cast starring Tom Cruise in the role of the vampire Lestat. I suppose when movie rights are sold to a novel, the author cuts ties completely and has no control over the future Hollywood incarnation. But wouldn’t it be nice if writers could sell their novels with the condition that only actors they choose could be cast as the characters they’d created?

What’s a story that you’ve read or written that you’ve cast in your imagination? Share your story and your dream cast! Here's mine:

Leonardo Dicaprio

In The Governor’s Sons, I’ve cast Leonardo Dicaprio as the arrogant, charming and self assured Ash Kroth. We first meet Ash in 1936 as a young law student. In the second half of the story, the year is 1965, and Ash is a segregationist governor.

Tatyana Ali

Tatyana Ali would play the alluring college girl Kitty Wilkes, introduced in Part I (1936). She works as hired help one summer in Ash's family home. Ash is twenty-three and immediately attracted to Kitty upon first seeing her. She flirts with him from day one, and soon the two fall in love.

Kyra Sedgwick

Kyra Sedgwick would be Ash's wife, Charlene Stokes Kroth. Readers don't meet her until Part II (1965). At this point she has been Ash's wife for over 25 years. A former beauty queen, Charlene is smart and beautiful, yet insecure. She knows of a woman from Ash's past, but she doesn't know just who that mysterious woman was, or how that woman forever changed her husband's life.

Thanks for visiting!

The Help in a Box

2012-01-16T05:35:00.000-05:00

Aunt Jemima then

Let me open by saying Happy Martin Luther King Day! Nearly 100 years after the Civil War, Dr. King put our nation on the road to racial reconciliation. It’s a long road and we’re still on it, but things certainly have improved.

Prior to racial barriers being broken, blacks were relegated to positions of servitude. Even high achieving blacks in white schools were encouraged by teachers and counselors to seek trades.

If you’ve read Kathryn Stockett’s book The Help, or seen the movie, you get a good feel for what life was like in the South during the early days of the Civil rights era.

With all the talk about The Help, I decided to blog about Aunt Jemima today. My kids love Aunt Jemima frozen waffles and Aunt Jemima pancake mix. I grew up eating waffles and pancakes that my mom made from scratch—which is exactly what I did for my kids. But they prefer the premade frozen and mix (eaten at sleepovers) to my homemade. Store brand waffles and pancake mix aren’t as good, according to my boys. “We want Aunt Jemima!” (Sorry, Mom)

Aunt Jemima now

Prior to my kids demanding Aunt Jemima, I never bought the products—and seeing the Aunt Jemima label in a black person’s home used to shock me. I realize no ill feelings exist behind the label (Quaker Oats owns Aunt Jemima now), but the origins of the Aunt Jemima character are insensitive, or what's today considered politically incorrect.

When I was a growing up, my mother never allowed Aunt Jemima’s broad, smiling face to darken our pantry shelf (yes, pun intended). Why did Mom despise this seemingly innocuous, jolly woman? Well it all goes back to southern slave history.

Back in slavery days, very young white children called much older slaves aunt and uncle. Apparently the practice of calling any black person aunt or uncle, carried over into post slavery times.

My mother grew up in 1930’s South Carolina, and when white salesmen would come to the door and address my feisty grandmother as Auntie (pronounced “Ainie” in the southern vernacular), she’d say, “My mother never gave birth to anything that looked like you!” before slamming the door.

So, Mom never purchased Aunt Jemima because addressing a black woman as aunt or auntie (instead of Miss, Mrs. or ma'am) was a disrespectful practice. However, she never had a problem with Uncle Ben, perhaps because he didn’t appear as a buffoonish caricature. For years Aunt Jemima was portrayed as the stereotypical black mammy of the plantation south. Old Aunt Jemima was a minstrel song written in 1875 and the Aunt Jemima character was a fixture in minstrel shows during the late 19th century.

The idea of this pre-mixed product being represented by a slave woman was inspired by the marketing aspect of bringing back “the good old days” when slaves did all the work. In the book Slave in a Box, Maurice Manning shows how “advertising entrepreneur James Webb Young, aided by celebrated illustrator N.C. Wyeth, skillfully tapped into nostalgic 1920s perceptions of the South as a culture of white leisure and black labor. Aunt Jemima's ready-mixed products offered middle-class housewives the next best thing to a black servant: a ‘slave in a box’ that conjured up romantic images of not only the food but also the social hierarchy of the plantation South.” (From the Slave in a Box Amazon page).

When I was a kid, my mom said, “if they’d just take that kerchief off her head and call the product Jemima, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.” Aunt Jemima’s appearance has changed throughout the years. She’s no longer buffoonish looking and doesn’t resemble a mammy. She’s been slimmed down, her kerchief evolved into a hair band before finally disappearing, and she now sports a 1980s hairdo. The only thing that hasn’t changed, and will forever prevent my mom from buying any Aunt Jemima product is the “Aunt” in front of her name.

Most African Americans of later generations don’t know about the derogatory past of Aunt Jemima. But there are probably plenty in my mom’s age group that don’t buy Aunt Jemima because of its hurtful past.

I’ll end things on a lighter note. I won’t put you on the spot and ask whether or not you buy Aunt Jemima! But I will ask this instead, do you prefer pancakes from mix or from scratch?

Now let me take a moment to shamelessly plug my book! If you have read The Help, readers have found The Governor’s Sons a good follow-up. It provides a different glimpse of “the help” by showing what happens when a wealthy young man falls in love with his family’s African American maid.

Thanks for visiting!

An SEO Experiment

2012-01-09T17:47:00.002-05:00

Last time I promised a post using an example of SEO, search engine optimization. Kim Kardashian isn't someone I'd usually blog about, but I certainly don't think she'll mind me using her name for today's SEO experiment!

To refresh your memory (courtesy of Wikipedia), search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users.

If that went over your head, here's the naked truth about SEX, oops, I mean SEO, in a nutshell: It enables you to get your website noticed as much as you want it to. So by planting strategic words in your website, you'll "herd" viewers to it. In today's post, my strategic words are in bold italics. To learn about a free tool to help you effectively use SEO, click here.

Kim Kardashian is hot right now and the topic of interracial dating (known in some circles as jungle fever) is provocative. I'm interested in writing novels about interracial/multicultural relationships, so today I'm posting some of Kim Kardashian's opinions.

Kim Kardashian's father is Armenian, and her mother is of Irish and German descent. Kim Kardashian herself has dated white, black and Hispanic men, so she's knowledgeable on this subject.

So, without further ado, here are some of Kim Kardashian's thoughts on interracial dating:

Whoever you fall in love with, you can't help that.
[If a man] is good to you and you love him and he loves you, that's all that matters and your family will understand.
You have to take chances and you have to take risks...as long as [a relationship] is not harmful to [you], you need to really follow your heart.

To hear Kim's complete thoughts, click here.

Short post, a few strategic words, not sure if I'll get more hits than usual, but we'll see!

Do you use SEO?

Thanks for visiting!

7 UP: Seven Online Marketing Resources for Self Publishing

2011-12-26T11:38:00.001-05:00

For an independent author, online marketing is the most challenging part of the publishing process. I took the plunge into Indie publishing a little over two months ago, and I've since learned that writing the book was the easiest part! Formatting and uploading to Smashwords, Amazon's Kindle Publishing and Barnes and Noble Pubit was a somewhat manageable endeavor (even though I'm technically impaired). But online marketing is a totally different animal!

I'm still learning the ropes of online marketing, and lucky for me, my husband, a small business owner, thrives on it. Today I'd like to share a few things I've stumbled upon on my own, as well as information my husband has provided.

Let's just take a quick look at the basics. If you're serious about independently publishing and getting your author platform in place, establish a website and or blog. When I first explored developing an author platform, I created a blog here on Blogger for free. I've since turned my blog into a website, since I can create pages in Blogger. Another great site for creating your own free blog/website is Wordpress.

In addition to creating author pages on Amazon, Facebook and Goodreads, and joining Twitter, Shelfari and Library Thing, there are numerous blogs out there to help Indie authors promote their work by offering boatloads of free advice. Several books are available too, that are reasonably priced and well worth the cost in helping you build your career. Although not technically online resources, the books I've included help you develop your online marketing techniques. If you haven't already, visit the links below, and up your marketing knowledge by utilizing these seven resources!

BLOGS

1. The Creative Penn - Joanna Penn provides great information to help you write, publish and sell your book. She is an author, blogger, speaker and business consultant. This site is aimed at people who are interested in writing, publishing of all different kinds and Internet marketing/promotion for their books (in print/ebook or audio format).

2. Book Cover Cafe - Anthony Puttee is a book marketing professional who works with writers and authors. Having worked in the publishing industry for over 6 years alongside other professionals in the industry such as publishers, editors, book cover designers and marketing experts, you’ll see that he's passionate about crafting quality books and marketing strategies that work.

3. Marketing Tips - Tony Eldridge is the author of the Twitter tools marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests which helps people find targeted Twitter followers. He also shares his book marketing tips with fellow authors through his blog and through his free video marketing tips for authors.

4. Guerrilla Marketing - Jay Conrad Levinson offers great advice to market any business. His mission is for businesses to achieve conventional goals using unconventional methods by leveraging energy instead of money. For example, buzz marketing (word of mouth) and social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

BOOKS

5. How I Sold a Million eBooks in Five Months - Entrepreneur John Locke reveals the marketing system he created to sell more than 1,100,000 eBooks in five months. Well worth the Kindle price of $2.99!

6. Dollars and Sense: The Definitive Guide to Self Publishing Success - A step-by-step guide to increasing royalties for beginners and professionals. Divided into three sections; Producing a Sales-Friendly, Professional eBook, Leveraging Your Social Media Platform, and Selling Smarter, Not Harder, Dollars & Sense walks authors through the process of writing and selling their eBooks. A steal on Amazon Kindle at $.99! I recommend that you read this before you self publish.

SEO

7. Using SEO, Search Engine Optimization, will draw people to your site. According to Wikipedia, search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users.

The more people that visit your site, the greater your visibility. Downloading an SEO tool, such as Wordtracker SEO Blogger (free) will help you better understand what SEO is and how to use it effectively.

In the next post, I'll use an example of SEO.

Best of luck in your self publishing endeavors! Are you an Indie? If so, please share any helpful information you've discovered as an Indie author!

Thanks for visiting!

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Doris Day: Success Despite Tears

2011-11-29T20:48:00.007-05:00

Doris Day is releasing a new album this week entitled My Heart! This is exciting news for all Doris Day fans because she's been out of the public eye for 17 years.

I'm a fan, and Ms. Day is one of my favorite actresses. She's an inspiration because her story is one of trials and perseverance. She's also from my hometown, beautiful, historic Cincinnati!

I'll thank you not to "dis" Cincinnati, please. I've heard it all before...home of the Cincinnati Bungals, the Big Dead Machine, and Over The Rhine--once rated the worst neighborhood in the United States!

However, Cincinnati is home to several Hollywood legends. Director Steven Spielberg was born there and actress Sarah Jessica Parker grew up in Cincinnati. Dancer Vera-Ellen, singer Rosemary Clooney, and super star George Clooney all hail from the Cincinnati area.

But today, the spotlight is on Doris Day, actress, singer, dancer, super star! She could do it all, and as an actress, she could play dramatic roles, just as easily as comedic ones. Add to that her pretty looks, svelte figure, magnificent legs, and presto--you have box office dynamite!

Despite her sunny, perky disposition, Ms. Day's road to stardom was filled with heartache and tragedy. As a young teen, she had hopes of dancing professionally, and even won $500 in a contest with her amateur dance partner, Jerry Doherty. But her dream to become a pro came to an end in 1937, when her leg was shattered in an automobile accident. The car she was riding in was hit by a train. However, while recovering, she started singing along with songs on the radio, and discovered a talent she didn't know she had. Her mother paid for voice lessons from teacher Grace Raine, who said Doris had "tremendous potential."

Doris eventually sang on a local radio program, at a restaurant, and then went on to perform in the band of Cincinnati bandleader Barney Rapp (whose daughter Bonnie was my kindergarten teacher). It was while performing in Rapp's band that she met trombonist Al Jorden. She originally thought him a creep, but later fell in love and married him at the age of 17--he was 24.

Jorden abused Doris physically, cheated on her, and even insisted that she have an abortion when she became pregnant. She kept the baby and later left Jorden. Ironically, Doris's main ambition was to become a full time a wife and mother, not a super star.

As a single mom, she recorded "Sentimental Journey" in 1944, and that song made her a star. A second marriage followed to saxophonist George Wiedler. That marriage ended after less than eight months. By this time Hollywood had noticed Doris, and Wiedler (not fond of her son, and already cheating on her) didn't want to be known as Mr. Doris Day.

By 1951, Doris was on her way to super stardom and had married her third husband, Marty Melcher. But 17 years later, Melcher and his business partner squandered her $24 million dollar fortune. Melcher died leaving Doris $400,000 in debt. He'd also contracted her to do a television sitcom, which she had no desire to do. But she did it anyway, and gave it her all. The TV show saved her, and she was later awarded a court settlement after suing Melcher's business partner.

The Doris Day Show was a success and ran from 1968 through 1973, which is how I first became acquainted with Doris Day when I was a kid. Back then I had no idea of her tremendous talent.

Doris Day is the number one female box office star of all time, and she's the only one who was number one four years in a row! Her extensive body of work includes 39 films and 29 albums. Today, she works as an animal rights activist.

"Que Sera Sera" is known as her signature song, and she is a true example of that mantra, "whatever will be will be." She has experienced numerous hardships in her career and personal life. But she has endured and maintained a positive outlook. "...I just feel so fortunate and so blessed to have been able to entertain people in the theatres and on record, it’s just an amazing life that I’ve experienced." – Doris Day

My favorite Doris Day film is Calamity Jane. In it she sings the song "Secret Love," which won the Academy Award for best original song of 1953. Last year I learned that Doris Day had had a real "secret love" when I read that she'd had an affair with Maury Wills.

Wills is the famous L.A. Dodger base stealer, and one of the first, post-Jackie Robinson African American integration baseball players. According to Wills and a Day biographer, the affair took place in the early ‘60s.

I had known about another interracial relationship in Doris's life, but it involved her father. In her autobiography, Doris Day: Her Own Story, she talked about her father's dislike of blacks, yet, later in life, he married a black woman!

Interracial relationships are becoming more commonplace now, but black and white couples still tend to turn a few heads. These relationships no longer need to be kept secret, however, that was a different story not so long ago. I've written about a secret love in The Governor's Sons. I hope you'll read it, then be thankful that times have changed, and then enjoy a Doris Day movie!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dr. Gregory H. Williams: A Testament to the Power of Perseverance

2011-10-26T12:47:00.002-04:00

I've never met Dr. Gregory Williams, but I hope to one day. He's the current president of the University of Cincinnati, one of the nation's top 25 public research universities. Dr. Williams is a noted scholar with a vast background in academic leadership. Prior to his post as UC's President, he was the President of the City College of New York.

Dr. Williams has worked in University Administration for over 30 years, holding positions at George Washington University and the University of Iowa. In addition, he was Dean of Law School and Carter C. Kissell Professor of Law at The Ohio State University.

After I read Dr. Williams's memoir, Life on the Color Line , I was amazed that he was able to achieve as much as he has. It's hard to believe that an individual with such an outstanding resume faced extraordinary challenges that would have destroyed most of us.

So, what made Dr. Williams's life so challenging? It wasn't a physical disability, nor was it the fact that he was a black youth in America during the '40s and 50's, although that was a large part of it. If you're looking at his picture, you're probably surprised by his ethnicity!

His series of challenges began at age 10, when his parents divorced. Divorce is difficult for any child to endure. But imagine on top of that, learning your true identity. Picture living a comfortable life as a white child, at the top of the food chain, so to speak, but then finding out that you're really, what in those days was referred to as a "Negro." "I don't want to be a Negro," Dr. William's little brother Mike cried, "we can't go to the swimming pool and we can't go skating!" And that was just the beginning of their emotional readjustment to the dregs of society.

Dr. Willams and his brother left Virginia with their father, after their father divorced their white mother. From a decent life in Virginia (albeit with some issues), the elder Williams took his sons back to his home state of Indiana. As a bi-racial man, Dr. Williams's father had passed as white. He was known as Tony and claimed to be of Italian descent. But back home, everyone knew Tony, now referred to as Buster, was black. And being "Negro" inhibited employment opportunities.

The alcoholism of Dr. Williams's father caused a large amount of dysfunction, and his father's chronic unemployment prevented him from caring of his two boys. Living from hand to mouth, they endured poverty and beatings.

In school, once Dr. Williams was singled out as black (even though he looked white), he faced rejection and ridicule from former friends, as well as hostility from teachers. And among some black students, he was shunned because of his fair complexion.

But despite the odds, Dr. Williams persevered because of an inner strength and desire to achieve. He always wanted to be a lawyer and was never deterred from that goal. What pushed him to achieve he said, is that every time he got discouraged, he would recall the first few months of living as an outsider among relatives in Indiana. "I reminded myself that if I could make it through those days, all other obstacles could be overcome."

When I read Dr. Williams's memoir, I cried, then cried some more. Now I'm tearing up as I write about it. I'm a big believer in racial reconciliation, and I'm thankful that our country is on the mend. But in reality, the racial divide cuts so deep, it may take another century for the wound to heal completely.

Anyone who doesn't understand the extent and complexity of racism in our nation needs to read Dr. Williams's book. He had the unique opportunity to live as white, but then experienced the extreme culture shock of black "reassignment."

"In spite of all the pain and grief of my early years," Dr. Williams says, "I am grateful to have been able to view the world from a place few men or women have stood...I am bound to live out my life in the middle of our society and hope that I can be a bridge between races, shouldering the heavy burden that almost destroyed my youth."

Dr. Williams succeeded in pursuing a master's degree, law degree and a doctorate. He is a true testament to the power of perseverance!

I write stories of forbidden love from the past in which my characters persevere against the odds. It amazes me that race is such a volatile issue, even today, where love is concerned. But if two people love each other, they should be together, no matter what the cost.

When Dr. Williams became engaged to a white girl, let's just say...her family had some issues with that. Read his memoir to find out what happened. And read my book, The Governor's Sons, to see what transpires in 1936 when a young law student from a wealthy southern family falls in love with "the help."

Thanks for visiting!

Why I'm Going Independent

2011-09-24T00:19:00.003-04:00

I'm in the process of independently publishing my novels, and I'm very excited! I'm researching the process now, but hope to have the ball rolling in the next few weeks. This time last year, I never would have thought about self publishing, but now there are several reasons why I have:

I first considered it seriously after interviewing author Norma Beishir. Norma has been published traditionally as well as independently, and she's a huge advocate of self publishing because of the freedom it allows.

My cousin Dehbi, a voracious reader, has been encouraging me to self publish ever since she got a Kindle about a year ago. "This is the new trend, you should do it!" That's what she's been telling me, and the articles she's sent have helped me in my decision. More articles here.

Some authors have had extreme financial success in self publishing, such as Amanda Hocking and John Locke. Although exceptions to the rule, they certainly are an inspiration!

Many writers in my local RWA chapter are pursuing independent publishing, including Carey Corp. I think Carey's recent articles about going indie finally helped me to stop straddling the fence and do it for real. Thanks Carey!

When seeking agents, some ask for your publicity plan. When seeking epublishers, some require that you provide your own cover art. Hmm...if I have to do my own publicity and artwork, maybe I should just do everything myself.

I love pretty covers, but I worried that I wouldn't be able to create anything that didn't look crappy or child like in design. However, cover model Jimmy Thomas offers a great selection of romance images for a reasonable fee. And Gimp software, similar to Photoshop, can be downloaded for free to jazz up those images! BTW, I'm very nontechnical, so if I can make a cover with PowerPoint and doctor it up with Gimp, anybody can!

There are lots of other writers out there that write better than I do, and they're getting rejected, too! Do I want my work to sit on a flash drive and continually get rejected, or do I want to take a chance and put it out there myself? As the character Cal Hockley said in the movie Titanic, "A wise man makes his own luck." Hockley was the jerk Rose didn't marry, but regardless, I love that line!

If my stories can provide entertainment and earn income, as well, I'll be thrilled!

Have you considered going indie?