Monthly Review

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It's been 10 months since my last monthly review. Not that I had a lot going on in the first place, but wow!

Last year, I was coming out of Blue Hen Comic Con with an invitation to Bento Con, which I just went to at the beginning of this month. I'm not sure why I thought Bento Con was strictly a book convention, but it was a traditional con. It was also a smaller convention, so I scrambled to buy more books and then proceeded to only sell those that I bought. On the bright side, I did sell books! I loved meeting the people I did who were so excited to see my little book.

I also brought my sister along to assist, and she was a huge help. She even offered to make a 2-hour back-and-forth drive to pick up my floor sign that I left at home, but I did NOT let her do that! I drew a makeshift one and kept it moving. I also left my tablecloth at home, and when I say left it, I actively picked it up out of my box of books and set it aside like I wouldn't need it. My mind was against me! But the great thing I've experienced in cons like these is that there is always another vendor who is willing to help. The vendor next to me had an extra tablecloth! I will always help other vendors when I see they're in need of something, because even at the last Dover Comic Con I attended, I had a whole village of vendors helping me. It means so much and makes a no-name vendor like me feel big.

Also, I am proud to announce that not only have I finished recording the first part of Fractured Princess, but I've finished recording the first half of the second part! I haven't felt this accomplished in a minute. I'm almost sure I can get the rest done before Thursday. Then, I'll able to edit it, figure out how to make it into an audiobook, and finally put it out! I'll be a whole year behind, but it'll be out.

I'm also finally back into writing the second part of the second book! I can almost say with full surety that it's about to be smooth sailing, because I know what's going to happen from this point, and I can just write it. I'm really glad I had to go through rewriting the first part until it felt right, because it will make the rest of this book that much stronger. I can't wait to get to the last part. When I tell you I know what the very last sentence is in this book?? Ahh! XD I'm so excited. I'm glad to be excited again.

There is a 5th Friday next month, so if I don't post anything else, there will be a Quarterly Goals post. See you then! Happy Halloween!

October Writing Update

 Happy Friday!

I'm used to writing at work, which has become a problem haha. It's the lack of distractions I have there, as an administrative assistant. Unless my boss needs me, I don't have much to do, and so I can get writing in mostly interruption free. So that means, I need to force myself to carve out quiet time when I'm home so I can get that feeling at home, especially as I'm trying to shift careers.

I'm getting to one of my favorite Pass One scenes in (still calling it for now) Divided Princess. I've been able to save it from deletion due to the plot actually giving it a purpose in the first place. It's so weird to know that it needed to occur but not having the "why" it happens until a couple passes later!

I'm halfway through recording the first part of the audiobook. Fortunately, some of the chapters were short, so I could breeze through them. I'm going to try to get more done today and tomorrow. I have an Invisalign fitting on Halloween, so I want to be done recording before then. I'm doing my best to just go straight through and not edit until the end. As a writer who can't even write like that, it's very hard. I still can't figure out why some earlier recordings are quieter than the newer ones, so I need to figure out if I can equalize them or if I have to re-record them a third (fourth?) time. :( We shall see.

I actually will have a monthly update next week, which I will start drafting now, so I will see you then!

Weekly Words: Bento Con Tomorrow!!

 

Happy October! Next week, it will be 2030. Seriously, where did September go!?

The past few weeks, I've been gearing up for Bento Con, and now it's here! I've purchased rack cards of my character sketches to sell this time, and I'll have a shop sheet that has links to my hardcover and Kindle versions of the book. I also plan on drawing mockups of the next cover and having a donation sheet. I know what both the next covers will look like, but I'll see if I want to do it for both tomorrow. I literally only have tomorrow left. Ah!

That's really all I have to say haha. I did finish the one book, and all I'll say is a phoned in conclusion to what started as a great series is highly disappointing. I'm back reading Mo Dao Zu Shi, and I'm loving every page. I'm trying to hold back on rewatching The Untamed until I finish, but we'll see if I can make it.

I did have more to say apparently.

Word on the street is Twitch finally created a tag for writers and readers, so, I might do a few things on there. We'll see!

Quarterly Goals

 Well, I'm guess I'm glad I looked at the calendar. It's a 5th Friday! So, let me look back at whatever my goals were in May and see what I accomplished *nervous whimper*

So, in May, I was getting back into the groove of writing, and now I'm really, really back into the groove, to the point that I am finally once again at the end of part one, which is where I ended up stopping and restarting during the first pass. I'm actually able to pull scenes from the first pass and revise to match the new words I wrote in the meantime. It's going to fit well. I'm excited again.

Audiobook recording did NOT happen. I actually plan to do the brunt of it tomorrow. I'm contemplating doing all of Jonnie's chapters first and then the supporting characters to protect my voice, but also, if I have them talking in the chapters anyway, how much will that matter? Meh. I'll know by the time I wake up tomorrow. I wanted to stream recording, so I can get some eyeballs on the book, but we'll see. No one pays attention to me when I stream lol.

My reading goal, I am behind a couple of books. I'm disappointed in the book I'm currently reading, because it's the third in a series. I'll probably discuss it when I'm done, but not too much. Once I get past the book, there are a few I know I can read through easily (Mo Dao Zu Shi Book #3, eeee), so I think I can catch up.

The Ace Aro Raid Train went very well! It was so fun to connect to other ace gamers. I'm still in the Discord, but I have so many already that I don't talk lol. I also started a Discord for Black aces and aspecs, and hopefully that will pick up soon. I'm going to open an IG account for it as well. No idea what I'll post yet, but I'll figure it out. Like I need another social media account. *sigh*

Also, in October, I will be at Bento Con, a book convention in Claymont, Delaware. I'm excited to do another convention, and hopefully this will be more successful for me than Blue Hen, because the people are coming specifically for books! I'm also planning on selling prints of my character artwork this time. I'm waiting on my VistaPrint order to see how my artwork of Jonnie comes out. If it doesn't look too dingy (I can see the eraser marks on my laptop), then I'll order the other characters. Anyway, more details about Bento Con are in my Events Banner -------->.

Goals for this next quarter: I need to at least be halfway through part 2 of this sequel and editing the audiobook recording of Fractured Princess. I'm going to start small, and we'll see how it goes. I also need to be caught up on my reading. Pray for me.

August Writing Update

I was supposed to post this late yesterday, but as K-Ci & Jojo say, "Time is slipping away froooom meee." Eh, nothing wrong with a Saturday post once in a while.

As I sit on the floor in a pile of sweat from my first Zumba instructor training class since 2015 (I think it was, whenever I did Basic 2), I am happy to have a free Saturday for a few weeks. That means I can catch up on Olympic shenanigans I missed during my birthday vacation (still have the Men's Break Dancing to watch, Rhythm Gymnastics, whatever they call Synchronized Swimming now, and both the Opening AND Closing ceremonies), catch up on my DVR, and keep up with the writing momentum I've gained in the past couple of weeks!

I've really been waiting for this feeling to come back, of being excited for the next scenes and getting the ball rolling towards the end of Draft One(ish; y'all know I edit as I go) of Divided Princess. Scenes I wrote prior to knowing where to place them are falling in line, and I can move on with a breath of fresh air and Let's Do This energy. 40 is hitting different, and I'm appreciating it!

Speaking of Divided Princess, even though I've been holding on to this title for dear life, I don't know how much it matches with the current plot anymore. My little cousin brainstormed the title with me, though, so I'm like, "Noooo, I don't want to give it up!" BUT, I think I have a title that fits it better. Even the cover, which I was going to use for Book 3, might fit this book even better. I might be able to use the title for the third book, thinking about it? We'll see. I'll mull it over and reveal the new title if it sticks. I think it will. I'm just trying to hold on to Divided Princess even while I'm tryping this.

Anyway, now that I've exercised and sweat out my freshly gelled edges, lol, I'm going to shower, play a little bit more of Final Fantasy Tactics, and then do some more writing before hopping on Apex. I hope to see y'all soon!

Also: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CASSIE H.! ;)

Also, if you haven't, visit my website! :D

Black Author Spotlight: Tee Noell Rose

 

You are seeing correctly! It's my first Black Author Spotlight in almost 2 whole years! The goal of this segment is to highlight Black authors who are often marginalized and ignored in the publishing industry. Black writers usually turn to self-publishing--an already densely populated industry--to have their stories seen, and it is said that we have to work twice as hard to get half of what our white counterparts have. Hopefully, shining a little light on these authors will help to signal boost the work they are putting out there.

Today, I am highlighting poet Tee Noell Rose. Tee is a self-taught artist and writer from Texas! She specializes in soft pastel drawings and acrylic paintings, and when I say specialize, check out her gorgeous works of art and read about her many awesome accolades because of it! Tee uses "natural imagery to explore themes of identity, mental health, coming of age, and dreams." I especially love the darker colors they use in their art, and the flowers are breathtaking.

In addition to art, Tee writes poetry and short stories. Their latest work, Animal, a collection of poems and photographs centered around the theme of animals, is available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback formats. Tee also has two previous books, Body and Night. Buy them at their Kindle Store!

If you missed it above, visit Tee's website at https://www.teenoellrose.com/.

You can also visit their blog at Noell Rose – Medium to see their other written works.

Follow Tee on Instagram at noellrose37.

________________________________________________________________________________

If you are a Black author who would like to be in the spotlight, email me the following information at debreneebyrd@gmail.com

Name or Pen Name

Genre

Website/Blog

Social Media handles

Book (if any) and where to buy

Permission to use photos

Weekly Words: Am Reading Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's Mo Dao Zu Shi (Book 2)

 

Happy June!

Last week, I said that I was reading the second book of Mo Dao Zu Shi, so I thought I would share some of it, because I read the first book back in September!

HAUNTED BY SIN

Following the trail of a dismembered corpse, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji arrive at the gates of Yi City: an old, abandoned town shrouded in mist and restless spirits. A fiendish foe awaits them in the shadows, heralding a tale of heartbreak and tragedy. When the mysterious corpse’s identity is finally revealed, the hunt for its killer plunges Wei Wuxian back into the depths of the cultivation world's politics, where he must keep his enemies close and Lan Wangji even closer.

The first book ended with Wuxian and Wangji entering a ghost town, which is one of my favorite storylines in the show. They're chasing this mystery, and they have no idea why. Having watched the show twice, I know why, but seeing how the scenes play out in the books is so exciting. The art associated with the scenes are also just breathtaking!

*chefs kiss* The story behind this picture is so heartbreaking. Someone said it's Shakespearean, and oh man, was it. I don't remember all of the details, but I do know he took out his own eyes and later down the road was tricked into killing his best friend, whose tongue had been cut out, so he couldn't warn him. So tragic. I'm still near the beginning of this book, so I can't wait to see where it ends.

Reading anything fun this month?

Weekly W...*delete* Monthly Re...*delete* Quarterly Goals!

 

The title is literally what just happened, because in my head, I thought, "Well, you can't say Weekly, because you haven't written in a month." So, I deleted it and started to write Monthly Review, and as I went to see which Friday it was for my tag, I noticed it's a FIFTH Friday, so here's an early Quarterly Goals post! Let's see how I did.

Last quarter, I was supposed to have gotten to part three of Divided Princess. Well??? I restarted, I think, twice? So, I'm not even at part two yet, BUT I do have scenes written FOR parts two and three, so there's that. I've actually been back to writing more, and the scenes I kept from the third pass are about to be placed, so I'm excited that it's coming back together.

I also had a goal to record the audiobook in January, but I'd been getting sick so much I didn't have the energy or the voice to, but I've figured out the issue and am periodically (quite literally periodically, ladies) increasing my Vitamin C and Zinc intake to boost my immune system. Since I work from home Thursdays and Fridays now and they're typically slow workdays, I'm going to do my best to record during those days.

I'm a little behind on my reading goal, because I was struggling through a book I've since given up on. I think I can catch up, though. I'm currently reading Mo Dao Zu Shi Book 2, and it's an easy read, especially having watched the Netflix show (The Untamed) twice. I love this franchise so much. I also want to get back into Chinese and Korean series. So little time to watch everything I want to watch, read everything I want to read, write everything I want to write. GAH!

I was supposed to be more engaged last quarter. I did join Threads, but Fractured Princess is no longer on Barnes & Noble's website. :( Maybe they stopped working with Amazon? I'm not sure. I just need to try to keep engagement up and generate interest. I will be participating in an Ace Aro Raid Train which starts tomorrow (click the banner to the right for all of the info and participants), so hopefully there will be some avid fantasy readers in the mix. I may also try to stream recording the audiobook again. We'll see. All that said, check my Linktree for updated links.

That's all for now. More convention news to come next quarter! Hopefully there are a few more down the line. Have a great weekend and see you next month! ;)

TV Show Review: We Are Lady Parts

Happy Friday! 

How are we already in May? I've vowed to do as much writing as possible today, so hopefully by the time this goes live, I've started. (Spoiler alert: I was still writing THIS 20 minutes ago.)

This is a rare review, in that I don't think I've ever reviewed a TV show. It's also a full circle moment in a weird way. The other day I was trying to find a blog post that talked about a webcomic I'm reading because it's about to end, and I stumbled upon this old post about a self-hating POC against Ms. Marvel being Kamala Khan. Since that post, we've not only gotten a Disney Plus show about Kamala Khan but a movie! I loved both. Others not so much, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the lighter sequels in the MCU after being gutted by Chadwick Boseman's real death, forcing Black Panther's death, and Iron Man's death.

But I digress. Kamala Khan was not only relatable and loveable, but seeing how she navigated her Muslim identity as a superhero made it even more authentic. I hope Mr. Ampikaipakan has either seen the error of his ways or still loses sleep seeing the success of Ms. Marvel all these years later.

All of that said, I stumbled upon a great show yesterday on Peacock and proceeded to binge watch it (there are only six 24-minute episodes, so it was easy). We Are Lady Parts created by Nida Manzoor.                          

Geeky biochemical engineering Ph.D. student Amina Hussein becomes the unlikely lead guitarist of Lady Parts, an all-female Muslim punk band on a mission to get a proper gig. Saira, the band's fierce and enigmatic frontwoman, sees something in Amina the others can't. Saira leverages Amina's desperation to find a husband and offers to set her up with potential matches if she agrees to join. Torn between her straitlaced university friends and members of Lady Parts, Amina tries to find her voice.

The show opens up with an instant clash of Muslim cultures as Amina (center) sits with her parents to meet a potential husband with his parents. Her parents are progressive and for the most part loving and supportive, but in this instance, they're embarrassing. Not that the other family was worthy of Amina, but at one point, her parents mention that she teaches music to under-privileged kids, for instance, and that earned a frown and "music is haram" from the other family. Yikes.

Amina is desperate to find a husband because all of her friends are married or engaged, and she sees a beautiful Muslim man who hands her a flyer for a band looking for a guitarist. She doesn't even pay attention to the band part; she just goes looking for the man and finds herself meeting Lady Parts. Mayhem and music ensue. I don't have a voice right now (been sick for two weeks), but there was one part where I whisper-yelled, "Yes, guitar riff!" Amina can SHRED!

So, we meet the other four girls on the poster: left to right: Momtaz, Saira, Bisma, and Ayesha, and right-off the bat, we have four different Muslim experiences on screen just by looking at them. They each have their own challenges as Muslim women as well as women singing very white-centered punk music. On top of this, Amina is trying very hard to balance these two lives she's in, so we have these five women just trying to live and love the music they create all while living in Muslim skin.

This show is topical, funny, heart-warming, and even as a Black Christian woman, a story that resonated with me because they're women of color trying to be heard in a world that has already labeled them as unworthy. I love each of the five characters, and Amina's parents, ugh, I just love them so much. I'm probably going to watch it again, and I just saw that Season 2 comes out at the end of this month (the first season aired in 2021!), so I can't wait to watch the trailer and see what's next to come for the ladies and their parts! hehe

Writing Update: Why is Writer's Block!?

 

Happy Friday! The first weeks of April were super busy for me. I was preparing for and attending my cousin's wedding, and I also visited Vermont for the first time (absolutely not the last) to see the eclipse! It was the coolest thing ever, and apparently, we had the clearest view, so winning! I spent most of my paycheck on maple products and books I could've bought at home. *insert upside down smiley face* It was worth it, though! Here are a few pictures!

I can't believe it got so dark! We could see Jupiter!

Anyway, so I brought my laptop with me in the event I had time to write, and ya knooooow....

I know I asked the question in the title, but I know exactly why I'm stuck this time. I fell back into the issue I was having with the first two passes. I'm moving the story way too quickly. FP had 15 chapters in the first part and although a lot happened, it wasn't something major every chapter, and that's what I feel like I'm doing right now. I went back to see how many days had technically passed, and it was literally three in six chapters. I definitely need to slow it back down, so I am going through and inserting more scenes. Not necessarily a whole new pass, but I did start a copy of the third to work on without ruining that pass if I give up (I won't, but just in case). When I say I want to be finished book three shortly after I finish this one, I mean it. I'll be 40 in 3 months, and I don't want to spend another five years writing this series, let alone twenty. There are so many other stories waiting for me, and I can't write simultaneously like I used to, which I hate.

Anyway, I leave you with a tumblr post that sums up my mood to a tee! See you soon. :)

https://www.tumblr.com/debtheauthor/747953404281765888/i-felt-this

Movie Review: The American Society of Magical Negroes

 I don't remember the last time I did a movie review. DnD, maybe? Either way, I decided to venture out and go see a movie last Friday. My choice was The American Society of Magical Negroes.

At first, like many others, I thought that it was going to be a movie about an actual Potter-esque (wish we had something else to use for a comparison at this point) movie with magical Black people. Then, I saw the trailer, and I remembered what a magical negro is.

For those who don't know, the term "magical negro" means a character in a story that only exists to further along the white main character's narrative. People like Morpheus in The Matrix, John Coffee in The Green Mile, Oda Mae Brown in Ghost, God in Bruce/Evan Almighty. If we're lucky, the characters have backstories and lives of their own. Worst case scenario, they're also the sacrificial negro, like John Coffee, or any Black character who don't make it past the opening credits.

So, I realized, "Oh, it's a satire," and I went in with that expectation.

The main character, Aren, is a tragically apologetic young man who does his best to stay out of the way while also trying to make his yarn art a thing. He ends up following the bartender at the exhibit, where his piece did not get sold, and learns during a situation that would've most certainly ended up with him beaten to death by drunk frat boys, that the bartender has magical powers, which help him to turn the situation around and make the white people docile.

At this point in the movie, I've already resonated with Aren. I say "Sorry" all the time, even when I'm the one getting bumped into, and I'd recently waited at the top of the stairs at work for two white women to come up, and they didn't even stop to offer a smile to acknowledge that I did. The difference is, while I wanted to turn to them and say, "You're welcome!" Aren probably didn't even think about it. He just wanted to be seen as a safe out-of-the-way person. He is also biracial, which comes with its own needs to be accepted.

So, the bartender, Roger, introduces him to this secret society where magical Black people use their gifts to keep white people happy so more Black people don't get killed. Several hilarious references in this first introduction, and if you've seen or read The Green Mile, you'll get one instantly. If you haven't, you'll definitely say, "What the hell?"

Anyway, Aren has this power, and his first case is the classic toxic white man we all know and are forced to tolerate. In many instances, he even says the standard lines: "I was picked because I deserved it," being one of them, when on the back end, we see he was picked because of misogyny. He's not even the most talented person on the team. His coworker, who ends up being Aren's love interest, is.

That's all I'll say about the plot, except for Aren has an amazing speech that I hope helps Justice Smith get a nomination next year.

Now, two takeaways in response to the upset by those who thought we were getting *real* Black magical school people.

1) There weren't enough Black people in the movie. There was an entire society of Black people we saw every two or three scenes. The movie didn't focus on them, but they were there. Bringing me to...

2) Another movie centering white people. Yeah, true, but also, that's quite literally the point of the movie. It put a lens on how Black people have to coddle the white people in this world in order to survive, all while hoping it even works in the first place.

Overall, it was a really good movie. The acting was great, the comedy was spot on, and the message gets received. I highly recommend, especially since it didn't get enough views the first week it came out.

Weekly Words and Playing Catch Up

 I'm writing this early, so I don't take another long break by accident.

February, as always, was dumb short. I blinked, and it was March. But despite what books the (might as well be alt but let's be real) right keep trying to ban, I hope you learned something new in Black History Month. And Happy Women's History Month!

I finished what I thought was a trilogy, but come to find out, there are at least 30 books in that series, and by the end of the third book, I was highly underwhelmed, so not continuing it. I will say that on behalf of Women's History Month, men, please stop trying to write teenage girls. It's painful to read. On that note, the book I started reading after that seems . . . interesting. From the blond/blue-eyed golden child (literally had a golden aura around him, as seen by homeless man he and his friends were harassing) to dogs getting taken up in the rapture but not cats, I'm worried about what the rest of the writing holds, but I'll stick it out.

I've been writing up a mild rain (not a storm but haha), and I'm excited! I was very tempted to just go ahead and start Book 3 in these Shattered Chronicles, but I'm behaving. Of all three books, though, I do have the majority of the third's plot points floating around in my head. I know what the entire first part is going to be, and I know what the resolution is and how we get there. I've almost come full circle with my original idea, because I wanted the series to feel like a Final Fantasy video game, and if you know anything about that "third cd" (if you know, you know), Book 3 is absolutely going to be that. I'm working myself up just thinking about it.

I also had plans to be editing my audiobook recording by now, but I was so sick in January that I was still recovering in February! Hopefully I can pick recording back up this month. I was really enjoying it, and I want to get the audiobook out this year. Let's hope I can!

In other news, I'm in an 8-week course on how to build a game from scratch thanks to Black Girl Gamers and Anything World. Making video games is something I've thought about/toyed very loosely with over the years, so maybe this is the start of something. At least a basic game. I'm also playing with the idea of maybe making a Chapters story? I haven't done dramatic soap-opera type stories since my high school fan fiction days, and it's been even longer since I've written chapter books, but who knows? I might abandon the idea in a few weeks. haha For now, I'm at least enjoying the weird werewolf drama I'm choosing my own adventure in.

I actually don't know how well blogs are still doing. Even I haven't read the ones I follow in years now. I know with Patreon and these new blog subscriptions that are gaining traction, more popular content creators have those avenues. I do not have that luxury. I've even fallen off the social media for the most part, but I do plan on picking that back up. I was certainly supposed to be engaging more on Facebook for sure, so I will do my best! In the meantime, Happy Lent, Mubarak Ramadan, and see you next time!

Weekly Words: Untouched by Robert J. Crane

It's already the end of January, what?!

And it's a Friday. so far, I've finished two books, so I'm proud of myself. One was short, non-fiction, and non-good, so there's that, but the other was the precursor to the book I'm currently reading: Untouched by Robert J. Crane.

Still haunted by her last encounter with Wolfe and searching for her mother, Sienna Nealon must put aside her personal struggles when a new threat emerges – Aleksandr Gavrikov, a metahuman so powerful, he could destroy entire cities – and he's focused on bringing the Directorate to its knees.

The ending of Alone was very interesting, as Sienna's true power finally manifested, and at least one of her mother's weird rules made perfect sense. I also looked up the definition of paranormal, and I understand why this is labeled that way now. With the introduction of this new character and starting with his past, I'm curious to how the rest of the story will play out. We still have no clue where Sienna's mother is, and like Sienna, I still don't know exactly who to trust. I've already seen a little growth in Sienna, but mostly because her stupid decisions have led to trauma, so hopefully there will be other ways her character arc develops, as I'm reading a grown man writing a sheltered teenaged girl. I'll see.

What are you reading?