Week in Review and Giveaway

I hadn't had a chance to blog or visit blogs all week :-( I had a jam packed week and eventful weekend. But I enjoyed it. This past Thursday, bestselling authors Victoria Christopher Murray and Reshonda Tate Billingsley came to my area for a book signing. It was nice to see them again and briefly talk. I bought their new book, Sinners and Saints, and I can't wait to read it. The two ladies make a great duo. They are funny, informative and a delight to be around. And I must congratulate Ms. Reshonda on her NAACP Image Award Nomination last week.

Friday, my girls basketball team had a game, and we lost. As the coach, I was devastated. But my team is still number 1 in their league. Woot! Woot! We will have to step it up at the next game. I also saw the film, Red Tails this weekend. It was enjoyable. I highly recommend it. The flight scenes were fantastic. Terrance Howard was sexy as all get out in his pilot uniform.

Then Saturday evening, January 21st, was the She Speaks book signing. I'm a featured poet in the anthology She Speaks, so I was asked to get up and bless the mic. It was my first time reciting any of my poetry. My poem is called, A Song for Queen. Talk about nervous, my knees shook the entire time. I was so elated to finally sit down. I've been in stage plays before, I currently give workshops and I sing in the church choir. So being in front of an audience doesn't bother me at all. I think I was nervous because it was the first time I had recited any of my poetry pieces. But I think I fared well and I can say without a doubt the event was fabulous. Some of the other talented poets rocked the mic as well and I can say that some of them left the mic smoking hot. My hat goes off to Dr. Kim White Glenn and Kimeko Farrar, those ladies always bring it whenever they touch the mic.

She Speaks is by poet Katina Walton and I must say she did a great job putting everything together. Her piece at the end had me snapping and popping my fingers and I got teary-eyed because I knew the emotion coming from her was raw and sincere. Singer, Gina Brown graced us with her voice at the close of the event, she is anointed and talented. She has worked with greats like the late Etta James. Gina Brown's voice is powerful and sultry. I could feel all the love and support in that room for Katina Walton. So I wish her the very best of luck in all her endeavors.

Well, that was my week in review.

I will be giving away THREE (3) FREE copies of the book She Speaks by Katina Walton.  Each book is valued at $15.99. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below and on Sunday, January 29th midnight, 2012, I'll choose 3 winners randomly using random.org. Winners will be announced Monday, January 30, 2012. Open to International and U.S. participants.

Don't forget my short story collection, If I Had My Way, will be available on February 1, 2012. The date is fast approaching. If you want a free copy of my short story, Tandrin Drive, please sign up for my newsletter located in the upper right hand corner of my sidebar. Everyone that has signed up for my newsletter should receive their free copy before the end of the week.

If you want a FREE copy of If I Had My Way to do a book review for your blog or to do a review for Amazon, Goodreads or Barnes and Nobles, please send me your email address along with your request at lena@lenasledge.com and where you will likely post your review and I will get it to you. I'm also available for book club discussions via Skype. 

Thank You and Have a Fantabulous Week!

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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.

"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?