Available Now: Rerelease of AJ'S SRENDIPITY

In conjunction with Aliyah Burke's latest release from her Megalodon Series Dimitri's Moon also Available Now!

Available Now!

Greek Alejandro Melonakos hadn't been shopping for the love of his life during a routine market run for his restaurant, yet that was exactly who he found. The petite and curvy American Samara Grossman had captured his heart upon his first sight of her and he hadn't wanted it back—just hers in return. Will AJ be able to convince Samara they were meant to be together during her five-day vacation in Athens, or will his serendipitous find be all for naught?

The release features a new cover and an extra chapter for readers to enjoy!

Also get this and other titles in Kindle Format! For more, visit SJF BOOKS!

Re-Release of AJ'S SERENDIPITY! (08/17/09)

In conjunction with Aliyah Burke's latest release from her Megalodon Series Dimitri's Moon dropping August 15, 2009.

Greek Alejandro Melonakos hadn't been shopping for the love of his life during a routine market run for his restaurant, yet that was exactly who he found. The petite and curvy American Samara Grossman had captured his heart upon his first sight of her and he hadn't wanted it back—just hers in return. Will AJ be able to convince Samara they were meant to be together during her five-day vacation in Athens, or will his serendipitous find be all for naught?

The release features a new cover and an extra chapter for readers to enjoy!

Some FYIs

1.) I have a blog post brewing about white authors writing about black characters...and why white authors who write about black characters get a larger market share than black authors writing black characters; and why black authors who write about white characters would probably have to self-publish it before a "mainstream" publisher puts out the story. Yeah, it'll be long and involved and probably won't be up for a couple more days.

2.) I have books in Kindle Format now, including the just-released "I'll Be Your Somebody". Check them out and for those who have a Kindle, please tell me how they look!

3.) I have Twitter. I think this platform will get me into even more trouble than I really need to be in, but I've been told it's a good marketing tool. We'll see.

4.) Been editing like crazy. If you're interested in my services, hit me up at sjfediting@gmail.com.

5.) I have a release coming out in August. Hint: You've read it before. :)

Boston Book Bazaar--October 18th from 12 PM - 7 PM

Hi, Everyone,

If you are in the Boston area today, please stop by the Boston Book Bazaar. I will be signing The Beauty Within, AJ's Serendipity, and Being Plumville. And I may also do a reading.

Hope to see you there!

Today! June 14, 2008: Harlem Book Fair Roxbury at BPL--Dudley in Boston

Hi everyone,

If you are in the Boston area today and are feeling in a literary mood, I will be at the Harlem Book Fair Roxbury from 12-6PM at Boston Public Library--Dudley Branch (corner of Warren Street and Dudley Street). I will have copies of Being Plumville and a few of AJ's Serendipity. I hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend!

A Theme in My Writing

Using duty to hide from dreams and desire. And not necessarily romantic or carnal desire, although that is very valid. Just the desire to do what you want to do--maybe what you were even born to do. Using your (perceived) duty to your family and community instead of fulfilling your own aspirations. And, getting all "academic" with this, these could be construed as very "middle-class" concepts, because those who have little to no leisure time can't afford to worry about dreams or desires. There's food to be put on the table; clothes to be put on backs; bodies to remain living in safe (or as safe as possible) dwellings. Yet, it doesn't matter what class, what race, what gender--people have dreams and desires, and I think everyone should have the opportunity to reach them.

I could stretch it further and say the above is also a "white middle-class" concept, and especially "white male middle-class" concept. In this society, women of color have had the least opportunity to fulfill either in any real way. And because I am a black woman, that is my basis and frame of experience. That is what I write, that is also with what I struggle in my own daily life. Responsibility, duty, has always been at the fore--and often to the point of allowing someone else the opportunity to achieve those dreams and desires. Family is big; community is big; not being "selfish" is something taught time and time again.

Selfish. That's a tricky word, a loaded word. Oftentimes, an unfair word. Many of my characters struggled with perceived selfish behavior versus doing something or being with someone who makes them happy. I struggle with that word, with that perception, as I do this writing thing. I'm the type of person where it's so hard for me to say no to a request, that duty or what I "should do" for others almost always can trump what I need/want/should do for myself.

Black women are rarely told it's okay to "do you". Do for others yes, always, definitely, but do you? Do for you? No . . . So many of my heroines are struggling with this, and I try to surround them with people who will give them the courage to "do them"--not just their hero--but their best friends; their sisters; their brothers. LJ in Being Plumville is definitely and example of that person, and I hadn't planned on him being that, but I'm glad he was. Samara struggles with that regarding whether she would take a chance with AJ in AJ's Serendipity; and in her case, AJ was the one to help her make her ultimate decision.

I've used the phrase "hiding behind 'x'" in many of my manuscripts, not even realizing it until just now (as I'm working on yet another story lol), but instead of removing it, I'm keeping it, because it's real. To get to that point where you can "do you", and not to the detriment of others, is truly liberating, I think. You can't give your all if part of you is tethered to the ground. We have to allow ourselves to soar.

And once we do, don't apologize for doing it. I'm still working on that, but to see my characters get to that point, or at least get closer to that point, definitely helps.

I Need to Know

What is it about my writing that makes people not want to either represent me or publish me? I've just gotten rejected by two agents and and a publisher for The Beauty Within and Trust Fall respectively. I'm very confused. I know I write IR, which already makes folks nervous, but other than that, I'm genuinely at a loss. Are my stories not fluffy enough? But then there's AJ's Serendipity, and the reviews on Amazon haven't been as positive as they were for Being Plumville, which I'm okay with, but I'm baffled nonetheless. I don't know even if I DID know what was wrong if anything about my writing will change, mainly because I write what the characters tell me to write lol. However, I know publishing is a business, and I would like to bet published on someone else's coin, so I need to know exactly what that golden market is in the eyes of agents/publishers. I'll have to say, I'm further confused because the majority of the people who have read my books are, gratefully, appreciative of my work and want to know when the next book is coming out *waves at the Emma Award nomination*! It's hard to tell them that I don't know, and harder still to explain I really have no control over the matter. The audience I have loves my stuff; the gatekeepers of the industry are (mostly) polite when they close the gates in my face. And then there are those other authors who are published, and I think that I, at the very least, have the same amount of talent as they do. That's the one bad thing about rejections other than the rejection itself--oftentimes it doesn't tell you why--just that it's not fit for publication/representation. That does not help me get better or tweak my product so that it will be. And when someone asks you for the full manuscript and then tells you thanks but no thanks is just really, really hard.

At some point, you just really, really want an answer to go your way. And yes, I'm speaking more than just publishing right now. It's just been an '08 full of "No" both personally and professionally. In my case, writing is both personal and professional, and I'm sure it's like that for other authors as well. But for me, I started writing to deal with some things, and I'm still dealing, but to have my writing rejected and me myself rejected, it's like a double-whammy and I'm still trying to learn how to make sure I bounce back up from each slap down, even if it takes longer to do so. I just need to make sure I get up. And now poor Vietnam Story is starting to languish because I'm not getting up fast enough, and the readers who are kind enough to stick with me on the google group--I could call them out by name lol--I appreciate the patience. It really only takes one really nice e-mail to keep you above the waterline sometimes.

The scary thing is, I have no idea what else I can do. I know this is a hard industry, and very few people make it, but I know of nothing else I can do. Well, editing, but that doesn't fill me with the same drive and passion as writing. I wake up and I think about it, and I go to bed and I think about it. I proofread and I see stories in some of the projects I proof *looks at Vietnam Story* and my office is full of former publishers, screenwriters, nonfiction writers, etc. It's an amazing place, but if I could be at home writing and getting paid for it, that would be fantastic.

This is a dump of a post, I know. I'm trying not to slip into that space of no writing, and it's hard, so I guess it's better to get it out here instead of to let it fester. I know I'm a good writer. I just wish I knew how to convince other people I am, too! lol

AJ's Serendipity: Now Available through Amazon

AJ's Serendipity at Amazon.com

Not gonna lie and say that didn't make me giddy to type in my name at Amazon and get two books instead of one. :)

New Year, New Updates

Happy New Year!

A year ago I dusted off this blog to keep people updated on what was happening to me, because I decided to publish Being Plumville. A year later, I have not one, but two books out now, and I'm working on many more to release for publication. It's amazing how quickly that all happened, and how wonderful it's been to meet so many people who actually like my work! I'm humbled and excited about it, and I hope to never disappoint.

As I'm sure most of you know, SYG voted for Vietnam Story for updates, and I uploaded chapters 4 and 5 there. It's restricted only to that group, but I'll put up announcements here to let you know when a new chapter is out. I decided to do this to keep readers abreast of something that I'm writing, since it is uncertain when publishers/editors will accept my writing, and I don't want people to be in limbo. I've also decided I'm actually going to start some chats and discussions to keep the group viable. I learned a lot by joining other groups by authors I enjoy, and I'm going to do better about etching out time to handle my writing business. This is my ultimate goal, and everything I do must feed into this goal--including the job I have that allows me to pay bills and live in an apartment. This writing thing isn't easy, but I know nothing else I could do with as much passion as I do this. Maybe singing, but I'm not extroverted enough to make a living from that! lol

Anyway, thank you so much to the readers here and on my group and those who bought my books! I appreciate it so much, and I hope 2008 will be extraordinarily great!

New Release: AJ's Serendipity

Available Now!

The last thing Greek Alejandro Melonakos expected to
find when shopping for food for his restaurant was the
love of his life, but that was exactly who he found when
he spotted Black American Samara Grossman across the
marketplace. Will he be able to convince her of his love
and gain hers in return during her five days on vacation,
or will his serendipitous find be all for naught?

Yes, I decided to release this as a bona fide book based on all the wonderful responses I got from it during the summer. Thank you so much for your input. I really appreciate it. This version is essentially the same, except cleaner and more fleshed out. Once again, thank you so much to Aliyah Burke for creating such wonderful characters such as AJ Melonakos and loaning them to me. And it's so rare to read a romance completely from the male perspective, so I think it's something fresh for the market right now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it for your first, or second (or third or fourth . . .) time and don't be afraid to let me know what you think!

Sav