Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Armchair BEA: Best Books of 2012
Today's theme is share a few of our favorite books of 2012. My reading has been slack to put it mildly. But there are a few that I immensely enjoyed that made me go hmm.
1. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
This novel is captivating with its rich language and wittiness. It's a story about a bigamist and his two families, the secret family is unaware of the husband's other family and the other family knows about the secret family. A must read indeed. One of my top favorites of the year. And Ms. Tayari Jones is sweet and very personable, which helps when you actually like the author personally.
This novel is captivating with its rich language and wittiness. It's a story about a bigamist and his two families, the secret family is unaware of the husband's other family and the other family knows about the secret family. A must read indeed. One of my top favorites of the year. And Ms. Tayari Jones is sweet and very personable, which helps when you actually like the author personally.
This book had me whewing. You know that feeling when you read something so remarkable and unbelievable that you sigh out loud with a whew. The story was told delicately, with honesty and integrity. And I felt Ms. Skloot told it from an objective viewpoint. Her interview about the book was great and she was quite inviting and funny.
3. The Family Business by Carl Weber
This book was really good considering it was out of my recent comfort zone of feel good book or books with lots of action and adventure such as dystopian and apocalyptic novels. This book is often labeled as urban literature. But back in my day, I read nearly every book he cranked out. The Family Business was a pleasing book that helped me get reacquainted with Mr. Weber's work.
HAPPY BEA WEEK!
What are some of your favorite books of 2012?
Monday, March 19, 2012
Alabama Writers' Conclave Conference 2012
I will be a speaker at the annual writers conference held by the Alabama Writers' Conclave, partnered with the Alabama State Poetry Society. The Alabama Writers' Conclave was organized in 1923 and has been in continuing existence since. Through the years, the Conclave has moved its conferences around the state to provide writers everywhere better access to its resources. The Conclave is today one of the oldest continuing writers' organization in the United States. Writers, aspiring writers and supporters of the writing arts may join. Sharing information, developing ideas, honing skills, and receiving practical advice are hallmarks of their annual meeting. The Conclave is also responsible for nominating, for the governor’s appointment, Alabama's Poet Laureate, a post currently filled by Sue Brannen Walker.
The Alabama State Poetry Society was founded in 1968 and is a member of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). Their purpose is to promote poetry as a vital cultural medium, to improve their own skills, share opportunities, support one another, join with others who enjoy the written and spoken word and to delight in good poetry of every form and persuasion.
I will be conducting two workshops at the conference this year. One titled, Low Cost Creative Marketing Strategies for Authors. The other workshop is titled, How to Blog, Tweet and Facebook Your Way to Book Sales. The conference is held for three days and there is always a tremendous amount of information shared amongst authors and writers. If you're looking for a writers conference to attend this year, please consider attending the writing conference held this year with the Alabama Writers' Conclave. For more information you can go to the website at www.alabamawritersconclave.org. Also please take a moment to Like their Facebook Page and tell them Lena sent you. :-)
The Alabama State Poetry Society was founded in 1968 and is a member of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). Their purpose is to promote poetry as a vital cultural medium, to improve their own skills, share opportunities, support one another, join with others who enjoy the written and spoken word and to delight in good poetry of every form and persuasion.
I will be conducting two workshops at the conference this year. One titled, Low Cost Creative Marketing Strategies for Authors. The other workshop is titled, How to Blog, Tweet and Facebook Your Way to Book Sales. The conference is held for three days and there is always a tremendous amount of information shared amongst authors and writers. If you're looking for a writers conference to attend this year, please consider attending the writing conference held this year with the Alabama Writers' Conclave. For more information you can go to the website at www.alabamawritersconclave.org. Also please take a moment to Like their Facebook Page and tell them Lena sent you. :-)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
New Year Resolutions of Authors and Poets
Two weeks into the New Year and it seems this year will come and go faster than last year. I don't make resolutions per se. I just try to do whatever worked the previous year and do it better and take what didn't work and try to improve upon it. Don't get me wrong, resolutions are great. Resolutions help people set goals and encourage people to attain them. Resolutions can also be measured, thus holding the person accountable to a certain degree. But it never works for me. I've tried. But it's interesting to hear resolutions from other people, namely authors. So I asked a few authors and poets what their resolutions are for 2012 and here's what they had to say.
"My resolution is to work less and live more. 2011 was a great year for me. My novel Silver Sparrow was published, I won two major fellowships, got great reviews. But there is a lovely bottle of champagne in my refrigerator that has been there for almost a year. Why? I had plenty to celebrate, but I could never take the time out to sit back and enjoy it. I was always racing toward the next goal. So in 2012, I resolve to drink all the champagne in the world." ~ Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow
"My 2012 resolution is to set reasonable and measurable productivity goals just like I did in the beginning of my writing career. If you write 3 pages a day (or even 1 page a day!), you'll finish a book or be well on your way to finishing one by end of the year." ~ Teresa Medeiros, author of The Pleasure of Your Kiss
"My goal is to finish revising my 3rd novel, Every Good Wish, and send it to my agent. (Hopefully this March). And I have plans to write a nonfiction book this year, which I'm very excited about."
~ Carleen Brice, author of Orange Mint and Honey
She is also the author of Children of the Waters. (Orange Mint and Honey was made into a Lifetime movie called Sins of the Mother starring Jill Scott...y'all know how I feel about Jill Scott, I'm still officially Jill Scott handed :-)
"This year, for the first time, I resolve to do only one thing. I didn't fast or give up anything....I resolved that every single day before I went to bed I would reflect on the blessings that I'd had for that day alone. I started this back on Thanksgiving and decided this would be my resolution for 2012. And, I love it. This one exercise alone has kept me HAPPY! #teamgrateful #365daysofgratitude."
~ Victoria Christopher Murray, author of The Deal, The Devil and the Dance and co-author of Sinners and Saints with Reshonda Tate Billingsley.
"My resolution is to work less and live more. 2011 was a great year for me. My novel Silver Sparrow was published, I won two major fellowships, got great reviews. But there is a lovely bottle of champagne in my refrigerator that has been there for almost a year. Why? I had plenty to celebrate, but I could never take the time out to sit back and enjoy it. I was always racing toward the next goal. So in 2012, I resolve to drink all the champagne in the world." ~ Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow
"My 2012 resolution is to set reasonable and measurable productivity goals just like I did in the beginning of my writing career. If you write 3 pages a day (or even 1 page a day!), you'll finish a book or be well on your way to finishing one by end of the year." ~ Teresa Medeiros, author of The Pleasure of Your Kiss
"My goal is to finish revising my 3rd novel, Every Good Wish, and send it to my agent. (Hopefully this March). And I have plans to write a nonfiction book this year, which I'm very excited about."
~ Carleen Brice, author of Orange Mint and Honey
She is also the author of Children of the Waters. (Orange Mint and Honey was made into a Lifetime movie called Sins of the Mother starring Jill Scott...y'all know how I feel about Jill Scott, I'm still officially Jill Scott handed :-)
"This year, for the first time, I resolve to do only one thing. I didn't fast or give up anything....I resolved that every single day before I went to bed I would reflect on the blessings that I'd had for that day alone. I started this back on Thanksgiving and decided this would be my resolution for 2012. And, I love it. This one exercise alone has kept me HAPPY! #teamgrateful #365daysofgratitude."~ Victoria Christopher Murray, author of The Deal, The Devil and the Dance and co-author of Sinners and Saints with Reshonda Tate Billingsley.
"I resolve to go from process mode to product. This is the beginning of my blogging. The spoken word CD and book of poems are priorities." ~ Dr. Kim White-Glenn, professor and poet
"To write as many books as humanly possible -- for me, at least -- and continue to grow my reader base." ~ Robert Gregory Browne, author of Kiss Her Goodbye
"My new years resolution is to become a better business owner. I want to reach across America and collab with better business partners to create a dynamic team so we can build other companies and enhance the lives of other artists." ~ Troy Lewis, Poet and CEO/Founder of The National Poetry Awards
"I vowed to get more organized because I have the best ideas, I create forms, etc...then I can't ever find the forms because my office is so messy! And don't get me started on tax time! So, I'm definitely pledging to get more organized in 2012!" ~ Reshonda Tate Billingsley, author of Say Amen Again and co-author of Sinners and Saints with Victoria Christopher Murray.
What are your resolutions or goals for 2012?
"My new years resolution is to become a better business owner. I want to reach across America and collab with better business partners to create a dynamic team so we can build other companies and enhance the lives of other artists." ~ Troy Lewis, Poet and CEO/Founder of The National Poetry Awards
"I vowed to get more organized because I have the best ideas, I create forms, etc...then I can't ever find the forms because my office is so messy! And don't get me started on tax time! So, I'm definitely pledging to get more organized in 2012!" ~ Reshonda Tate Billingsley, author of Say Amen Again and co-author of Sinners and Saints with Victoria Christopher Murray. What are your resolutions or goals for 2012?
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