25 Hottest Authors Artist & Avocates

25 Hottest Indie

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Authors, Artists, Advocates

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2019

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Table of Contents Founder’s Note........................................................................................................................7 Editor’s Note............................................................................................................................9 Brandy’s Corner......................................................................................................................11 Contributors...........................................................................................................................13 Contributors............................................................................................................................14 Contributors...........................................................................................................................15 Self-Publishing Your Book: Critical Dos and Don’ts.............................................................17

Indie Authors.....................................................................19 Kim Interdonato.....................................................................................................................21 Nikesh Shukla........................................................................................................................23 Alexander C Kane..................................................................................................................27 Deborah Mello.......................................................................................................................31 Latrivia Welch........................................................................................................................33 Stefani Deoul.........................................................................................................................35

Indie Founders..................................................................37 Greta McAnany......................................................................................................................39 Phoeff Sutton..........................................................................................................................41 Tamika Newhouse..................................................................................................................43

Spotlight............................................................................45 Lisa Orban

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Meet The Author................................................................49 Kevin E West..........................................................................................................................51

Indie Thinkers................................................................... 53 Andrea Stuart.........................................................................................................................55 Brenda Drake.........................................................................................................................59 Deborah Alma.......................................................................................................................63 Lucy V. Hay...........................................................................................................................69

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Poetry Contest Winner: Anne G............................................................................................71 Poetry Contest Runner-up: David Driver..............................................................................73

Indie Advocates..................................................................75 Laura White............................................................................................................................77 Suzy Tamasy...........................................................................................................................81 Tom Lutz...............................................................................................................................83

Founder’s Spotlight...........................................................87 Bonne Bartron.......................................................................................................................89 Emily Dell..............................................................................................................................91

Cover Story........................................................................97 The One, The Only, Ghizela Rowe

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Editor’s Spotlight............................................................. 105 LaTausha Taylor

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Dynamic Duos..................................................................111 Duo: Kevin & Kenneth.......................................................113 Kevin, aka K.G. Bethlehem...................................................................................................113 Kenneth, Aka F. Kenneth Taylor..........................................................................................113

Duo: Ruby & Jamie

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Ruby Singleton Blakeney......................................................................................................117 Jamie M. Kizer......................................................................................................................119

Indie Influencers..............................................................121 Karen Pyne Masterman.......................................................................................................123 Alex Czuleger.......................................................................................................................125

Indie Artists.....................................................................127 Amy Lyndon........................................................................................................................129 Margie Singleton ................................................................................................................133

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Tonya Todd.........................................................................................................................137 Deanna Pomitcher..............................................................................................................139

Thoughtful Advice...........................................................143 Pursuing Your Dreams in 2019 .........................................................................................145 4 Tips For Dating In The “Me Too” Era.............................................................................145 The Dos and Don’ts Of International Travel......................................................................149 Tips to Stay Positive in 2019...............................................................................................153 Keys To Making Money With Your Creative Works...........................................................155 Book recommendations .....................................................................................................156 Classifieds............................................................................................................................157

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And I Thought...Being Grownup Was Easy Getting money,paying bills,finding your prince charming, finding your happiness it looked so easy when you were young.You thought you had it all figured out. Little did you know life throws you curve balls. And you thought grownups had it easy so did these ladies. Follow their journies while getting lost in the grownup world.

Available on Amazon for $9.99

The Miss-Fit Guides: Cocktails, Soirees, & The LBD

For those days that are bad then turn into bad weeks. This is how we find wonderful moments in cocktail, soirees, and fancy dress. The book contains many recipes for cocktail accompanied by poetry.

Available on Amazon $7.00

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founder’s note

Authors, Artists, Advocates

2019

This year’s 25 hottest authors artist and advocates list runs the range of creativity. That is what we like the most about the nominations. We founded this magazine to celebrate the arts and to call attention to the hottest (not looks...ok, maybe looks have a little to do with it *wink*wink*) people pushing the boundaries to create different paths.

This year we changed the style of the magazine after much feedback last year we have in true Jade and Wilnona style tried to give the people what they want with a zany edge. As you read this magazine you will notice last year style of blog style Q&A articles and this year’s new addition articles about some on the list.

You will also notice that we kept the articles and added spotlights. Spotlights are not on the list but they are people that are brazing and have blazed trails so hot we would be remiss not to mention them. We would like to take this moment to thank everyone for their feedback because that is the only way we grow.

Also, a big thank you to the people who placed ads with us, everyone who is on the list this year, and the journalist that wrote for us. Thank you, those words do not, express the gratitude we feel for everyone believing in this.

If you would like to help us continue improving or just want to drop us a line please go to wwww.andwethought.com/contact.

Happy Reading,

Jade & Wilnona The And I Thought Ladies

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editor’s note When I began my journey into the realm of independent publishing, I had no idea what I was getting myself into or just how challenging it would be. The struggle to make your voice heard, to gain recognition and to gain respect of other authors, to balance the business of book selling with the business of book writing, drained a lot of my energy and rocked my confidence at times. I sometimes wondered if I had what it took and if it was possible for me to succeed.

I looked at other independent authors and wondered if I would ever get where they were. However, come what may, I didn’t quit trying. I forced myself to learn what I needed to know in order to grow where I wanted to go. I began connecting with people and serving them. Each connection I formed led me a step closer to the place I wanted to be.

Maybe you have it all figured out already and you’re knocking the independent author game out of the park. Maybe you’re more like me and you feel like you’re standing at the bottom of a mountain looking up. I want to encourage you: believe that you have what it takes. Believe that you can make your dreams a reality.

As you read through the pages of this magazine, study what they did.

Listen to them. Learn from them. Don’t compare your journey to theirs - you didn’t start in the same place. Your journey may be harder and it may be easier. But know that no matter how far behind you may feel that you are, if you keep learning and growing, you will eventually find that all the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place for you. There’s a motto I have, one that I wrote into my children’s book, I Wish I Could Draw Like That, “If they can do it, you can do it, too!”

Don’t let yourself get discouraged. Discouragement isn’t there to make you quit. It’s there to make you ask why the journey’s worth undertaking in the first place. Once you find your why, you’’ find the wings that help you fly past the things that stand in your way.

Sincerely,

Brandy M. Miller

Buy your copy of

WriteYourBook.Today

“I Wish I Could Draw Like That” on Amazon for just $13.95 Featuring 16 original full color works of art by the author created between the ages of 4 and 42.

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Brandy’s Corner We are all called to greatness. Some of us, however, are a little slow to realize that the call applies to us just as much as it does to anyone else out there. It took me 40 years to begin to realize that there was greatness within me just begging to be let out, and the better part of the last three years digging deep for every ounce of courage I could find to start putting myself out there and allowing that greatness to be visible to others.

I can honestly say that without the encouragement and support of Wilnona and Jade, I would not have made it this far in my journey. I simply lacked the belief in myself that was needed to do the hard work it takes to get that greatness inside you into something the rest of the world can recognize, appreciate, and value. At a time when I was taking my first tentative steps forward, and met my first push back from the world that might have shut me down for good, they reached out to me and encouraged me to believe that the ideas and the dreams I had were worth the work involved in making them a reality. They believed in me, and because they believed in me, I found the courage to start believing in myself.

and what it needs. I will close my corner with a song that I wrote years ago, when I had dreams and hopes but lacked the courage to do anything with or about them. I hope it encourages you to see yourself a little differently today than you did before you encountered it.

You @2009

(https://www.facebook.com/WriteYourBook4U/videos/284073098954053/) Refrain:

When they asked me to help them with the sometimes challenging work of formatting a magazine, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. They’d invested in me. I would do whatever I could to repay them for their investment. It took a while to get it done - much longer than I’d originally anticipated - but they were patient, despite the numerous deadlines of their own that were looming. I hope I have repaid their faith in me in full.

As Independents, we may think that we must go our journey on our own. It’s kind of implied in the title, right? Yet I can tell you that no independent who wants to succeed remains truly isolated. I encourage you to connect. Reach out. Support each other. It won’t always pay dividends immediately. It may take time before you see a return on the investment you are making in another person, but it will come eventually.

The person you reach out to and support today may have the exact keys you need to unlock your next door tomorrow. Or, the work that you did for them may never be repaid to you by them directly but by someone else who saw the work you did and was moved by it to reach out to you. I can’t count the number of times that serving someone else has come back to benefit me a thousand times at a day and a time when I needed it most.

I have a saying: “Those who think in isolation sink in isolation.”

It is a reminder to myself not to forget the hard won lessons of these last few years, not to pull back into my shell where life is easier because there’s less work to be done to improve myself and I don’t have to be vulnerable or risk getting hurt. However, in that comfortable, easy shell - I am not growing. I am not stepping into my greatness, and I am not owning it. I am also letting down the people whose darkness was meant to be relieved by the light that I carry within me. I was born for a purpose and so were you: to fill the gaps between what the community has

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You’re here for a reason You’re no accident You’re the answer to a problem You were heaven sent ~~~~~ You may be feeling like you’re all alone Just a tiny pebble in a world full of stone But I’ll tell you now (Refrain) ~~~~~ Deep down inside you waiting to be freed is the power to save a world in need And I’ll tell you now (Refrain) ~~~~~ Love is the reason you were born that day Love is the answer let its light show the way And I’ll tell you now (Refrain)

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You Are Destined For Greatness Learn the 9 keys to finding and claiming the greatness within so you can make an impact on the world today.

Every person shares a piece of the great jigsaw puzzle of life. The world needs you and it needs you to find and claim your personal greatness. In this one hour webinar, we will cover why you haven’t been successful in finding your personal greatness - yet, what’s been holding you back, and how you can get past the obstacles so you can get on your way to living a life you’ve always dreamed of living doing work that is meaningful and - more importantly - that you were made to do!

There will be a live-in person presentation available to those who sign up but there will also be online access provided to those who cannot be in Dallas to view the webinar.

Register on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/252404409008818 Or by visiting Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/claiming-your-greatness-tickets-56202971601 General admission tickets are free. Access to the replay is available for just $7.

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ContriButors Joanne Fisher is a Canadian/Italian/American author whose books can be found at Amazon.com/JoanneFisherAuthor or on her website at www.joannesbooks.com. Follow Joanne on Facebook.com/ReadJoannesBooks or on Twitter @JoannesBooks.

Connie Phieff-CEO Pheiff group and syndicated radio host. She can be reached at her website: pheiffgroup.com.

Sherry Rentschler an award-winning author, editor, and mentor for young hopeful writers. You can find her online at www.sherryrentschler.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sherry. rentschler.

Yvonne Mason is an author and the hostess of radio show “Off the Chain,” which can be heard several times per week on the Blog Talk Radio Website. She can be found at http://authoryvonnemason.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/yvonne.mason1 Kate Hames is a writer, blogger, vlogger, small business owner, and entrepreneur. Connect with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Mowglization, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Mowgli_Gurl or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mowgli_gurl G.W. Pomichter is an award winning author and novelist. Connect with him online at https://www. hanginwithshow.com/gwpomichter or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGWPomichter.

Dixie M. Carlton is a freelance writer, publishing coach, and author of several books. on business, marketing, and a growing list of novels based loosely on various people who have inspired her. Connect with her online at: www.dixiecarlton.com Christine Merrill is an award-winning romance author who has written twenty books and sold over a million and a half copies of her works. Connect with her online at www.christine-merrill.com/ or on her Facebook page, @ChristineMerrillBooks

Elaine Chissick is the author of true story, Willing and Able, along with Ties That Bind and Ties That Harm. She is currently taking a break to work on other writing projects. Connect with her online at elainechissick.wixsite.com/chissickchat/ Author Brandy M. Miller is the Chief Executive Story for both 40daywriter.com and writeyourbook. today. She makes her living helping people write, publish, edit, and promote their books. Connect wit her online through her websites or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BrandyMMiller1975 Aside from his long television career Kevin also spent his first two years as a Stand-up Comic and Improv artist in his early days in Hollywood. Not too long into his career in Los Angeles Kevin created The Actors’ Network. www.kevinewest.com

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ContriButors (Cont.)

Latrivia Welch is a USA Today Best Selling Author and the CEO of Riverhouse Publishing. She is best known for her Russian mafia series and her interracial romances. Connect with her on her website at http://www.latriviawelch.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorlatriviawelch Launna Helena is a writer and the author of Party of 1: Single Success. She hosts Creatively Speaking Radio, a weekly podcast and oversees CRE8 Radio. Luanna is also a Voiceover Artist and Audiobook Narrator. She is originally from Antigua and currently resides in California.

Kerry Evelyn is an author, educator, mentor, and presenter. She is the author of the Crane’s Cove series and several published short stories. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram @KerryEvelynAuthor, and Twitter @theKerryEvelyn and at her website KerryEvelyn.com.

Indie Author Legacy Awards nominee, Windi Floyd Reynolds is the owner of the owner of Focused Ink Group LLC. Her journey as an author began in 2017 but the dream of becoming a writer has been a lifetime goal. Learn more at www.focusedink.com or connect on IG and FB @ Focused Ink

After 25 years in the communications industry, including five years working at Townsend University and time spent working as a news reporter. Ray opened his own public relations firm in May 2018, known as Feldmann Communications Strategies LLC. Visit him online at fcstrategies.com.

Lasheera Lee is an award-winning blogger, podcaster, moderator, event planner, and vision delegate.

She loves to help people to see the beauty in their voices. You can monitor her moves on www.readyoulater.biz. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @readyoulater

Janice F. Boothman is an author and educator. She and has written for local, regional and national publications including What’s Up? Magazine, American Artist, the Wildlife Art Journal, BizPeake Journal, and Lancaster Farming. Email her at janicefbooth@gmail.com. Read her blog at www.open-line.org

Chris Turnball is an author and the director of the Uk Indie Lit Fest. He has 7 published books, including 3 for children. His adult titles are set in the past. You can check him out at www.chris-turnbullauthor.com.

Founders of 25 hottest magazine and Inspirtational Women in Literature, Media, and Journalism Awards. Stars of Just Writin Life TV Docu-Series on Amazon. Advocate Awarded Author, Wilnona Marie, and two of the world’s top interviewed authors. Learn more at http://www. andwethought.com/

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Contributors (Cont.)

Crystal M. Morris and Abeni C. Scott are co-authors of 21 Days of Positive Living. Abeni is retired military and the author of Rank, Crystal is a an educator, counselor, author and mentor inspiring youth and women of all ages and the author of The Butterfly Effect.

Well-known in the automotive industry, she often works at her family’s three-decades old European Car Dealership in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. She will be publishing her first book, “SHIFTING GEARS IN THE FAMILY AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS,” in 2020

Roger James Barton spent over a decade working in some of the poorest countries in Africa, Waiting For The Rains has already been well received, with book signings in Canada and the United Kingdom, and is available through amazon.co.uk. Roger is available for personal and public appearances.

the author of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finalist YA book K My Name Is autKendra and the upcoming sequel Starring Me As Myself. She has made numerous appearances in support of her work and is represented by Cherrie Woods of Eclectic PR.

Dianna Young ,IOM is the Executive Director of the Great American Book Festival, a South Dakota Nonprofit Corporation, and Literary Classics Book Awards & Reviews. Ms. Young is a multi-awardwinning author and national public speaker.

Heather J. Hopkins is a writer, editor, and research professional who reports on social and human rights issues and global affairs. A member of Sisters in Crime and the American Library Association, Heather’s reviews fiction and nonfiction books on her website, writingasigo.com.

Veronica Klash loves living in Las Vegas and writing in her living room. She writes flash fiction, short stories, articles, and essays. When she’s not writing, Veronica indulges in her other obsessions: food, martinis, Japan, and goofy socks. Find her at veronicaklash.com.

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Self-Publishing Your Book: Critical Dos and Don’ts by diana young, iom

These days more and more authors are choosing to self-publish. You may be wondering if self-publishing is a good option for you. Perhaps it is. But then again, it may not be in your best interest to go it alone.

All too often authors are so eager to get their book into print, they fail to consider the pitfalls of self-publishing before diving in head first. We’ve all seen the self-published book which is so poorly done it’s absolutely appalling. In fact, for years the general consensus on self-published books was that they were all garbage.

While we know this is not entirely true, the reality is that there’s a reason so many people feel this way.

Generally speaking, it’s safe to say that truly well-done self-published books are the exception rather than the rule.

One of the great things about self-publishing is just how easy it is to do. Anyone can self-publish. But not everyone can do it well. There’s no safety net for self-publishers. Typically, no-one is going to step in and say “Whoa, are you sure you want to do that?” Let’s be honest, there are a lot of self-published books out there where someone should have said just that.

In order to self-publish well an author must, first and foremost, have an exceptional manuscript. Next, they must rely on beta readers as well as a competent copy editor. No self-published book should ever go to print until it has been professionally edited.

2019 pared for all the other expenses you’re sure to incur when self-publishing.

When you fore-go the traditional

publishing route it’s best you know up front that you’re going to need to invest lots of time and money to promote your own book. It takes money to make money. Marketing a book is a much bigger project than most authors can begin to imagine. If you have a platform, (say you’re a public speaker and you can pitch your book at all your speaking engagements on a regular basis) that can help.

More often than not, authors are left scratching their heads wondering how on earth they’re going to get the word out about their book. One such way is through reviews and awards. But many review and award programs won’t even look at your book if it’s self-published. Chances are if you self-publish, you’re going to end up throwing a lot of money at your book to help promote it. When you do your best to make sure your self-published book looks and reads like a traditionally published book, it will be much easier for you to promote.

It seems one of the biggest problems with self-publishing today is the fact that authors are in such a hurry. They rush through writing a book which, in all honesty, may not be ready. Then, when authors can’t find a publisher, they jump the gun and publish themselves. When noone will review their book, they find a paid service to guarantee a review.

Back when authors were obliged to jump through all the hoops required to get from point A to point B, the process managed to eliminate a lot of would-be titles which were quite simply not good enough. But if self-published authors ever expect to be taken seriously, they are going to have to start by picking up their game.

Typos run rampant in self-published books. This is one area that is totally avoidable, and yet somehow it is consistently overlooked. The self-published author must have a critical eye. If one cannot look objectively at their work and see its failings, they will most likely let things slide that simply should not.

So exactly who is the ideal person to self-publish their own book? Typically, that person must have:

Why is it that self-published authors are notorious for letting a child, sibling, or other non-professional design their cover? The cover of your book should never be an outlet for a budding young artist to make their debut.

Unless you work with a professional, chances are your book will look unprofessional. Are you hoping to save money on the cost of designing your cover?

• Some experience with marketing (or a willingness to learn)

• Sufficient investment capital • A critical eye

• Sufficient free time to market and promote their book • Willingness to hire professionals to get things done right (for areas including, but not limited to: editing, formatting, design, cover design, marketing)

If you must cut corners by spending less, then quite honestly you may not be able to afford to self-publish.

If you’re not willing to spend the money to get it right up front, you’re more than likely not going to be pre-

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Kim Interdonato By: Christine Merrill Kim Interdonato, nominated by this magazine as one of the Twenty-five Hottest Authors, talks about her books, Shoes Are Like Men, and Heels and Hockey Skates.

So, Kim, just why shoes like men?

“In the book I compare men’s personalities to shoe styles in a comical, relatable way. I do not male bash… well at least not in the book, but after a wine or two, I may tell you what I really think of some of the guys I dated.”

When Interdonato is not writing hilarious books, she works as an ice hockey instructor. She has been teaching for over twenty-seven years and says it is a far cry from the heels she loves. “Heels and Hockey Skates is more about what it is like to work in a male dominated world.”

Do you have any words of inspiration for people who want to write?

“Write what you know about and feel passionate about. Be organized and do not stress when you get blocked. We all live busy lives and writing should be a fun release with no pressure.”

When it comes to life, Interdonato recommends staying positive. “It may not always be easy but try to laugh at some of your bad situations. You never know when it may turn into a great book!”

Kim’s books are available in Ebook and paperback at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores.

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Nikesh Shukla By: Latriva Welch ‘My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost’ – The Buddha of Suburbia

Photo Credit Jon Aitken

These opening lines of The Buddha of Suburbia changed Nikesh Shukla’s life in inextricable ways at the early age of 14-years-old.

Impressionable and starving for understanding, one might even say this work of genius that challenged inadequate racial identities of people of color, also changed the trajectory of Shukla’s life and the way that he saw himself and others. Fast forward a couple of decades, and the former student bravely takes

on the helm of teacher and author as he repeats the pattern of removing the veil from the eyes of young people by writing in the same vein.

According to his online profile that denotes acclaim by literature organizations and contemporary media, Nikesh Shukla is a British writer and diversity activist, who conceived and edited The Good Immigrant (Unbound), the acclaimed collection of essays about race and immigration by 21 writers of colour. He is also the editor of Rife Magazine, an online magazine for young people and the author of Coconut Unlimited (Quartet) and Meatspace (Friday Project) and The One Who Wrote Destiny (Atlantic).

But there is more to Shukla than just his passion to write a good novel or essay. The book that changed his life and the brown skin he lives in every day has pushed him to celebrate the uniqueness of those who are minorities and people of color through the exploration of their identities via a refreshing first-person perspective. In a political climate where there is less celebration and more indignation of diversity, it is apparent that his novels and essays are timely and needed.

A youth worker, social activist and a father, Shukla has carved out a space for himself in the publishing industry as an author with heart and consciousness. It was important for him to redefine who should be or could be the leading character and/or side-kick in YA novels.

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It was important for him to provide a platform for those who felt marginalized, where their stories could be elevated and embraced. And it is clear through his dedication to his craft and his impact on contemporary tribes of socially-aware young people who seek to change the narrative of race and culture in literature that he might very well go down in history as being an agent for change.

When I first sat down with Nikesh, I noticed the soft-spoken, graceful man had a warm smile and kind eyes. He stared into his computer screen ready to answer questions that could range from good to absolutely horrible with an open mind and a transparent truth.

During our 20-minute talk, I noticed that he was humble, unwilling to boast or brag and absolutely determined to make a difference through his work, but his work should be celebrated. And maybe because he has his boots on the ground, he has no time for fanfare. However, I would posit that it is those who no not seek only recognition and praise who truly deserve it the most.

This is my interview with Nikesh Shukla.

Question #1: How does it feel to be an author?

SHUKLA: (He pauses for a moment to think.) Terrifying.

(Later he reflects on the question and his answer and gives a more detailed explanation.) What I said earlier about it being terrifying to be an author isn’t true. I don’t find it terrifying actually. Being an author gives me the opportunity to be the best I can be. I’m not my best in social situations. I’m not my best at giving robust answers to certain questions. But being an author gives me the space to be my best. And I think that’s what I love about it.

Question #2: What led you to be a writer?

SHUKLA: I spent a lot of time as a teenager by myself and reading lots of books. At some

Photo Credit Jon Aitken

point, I realized I had stories I wanted to tell myself. A south Asian person, the first South Asian author that I had ever read, had a great impact on me. The opening lines of The Buddha Suburbia are “My name is Kareem Amir, and I am an Englishman through and through almost.” That one word resonated with me. I was 14-years-old when I read that book. I felt like someone was writing my story and it has emboldened me to write.

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Author Nikesh Shukla(Con’t.)

Question #3: What evoked the need in you to write for the minorities and those who felt marginalized?

SHUKLA: It was important for me to change the idea of whose stories are valid and whose stories are not valid, who gets to be the side-kick and who gets to be the main character. I have a daughter, and I try to write stories where the characters do mundane activities like going to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread, but they also can be superheroes. I write so that my daughter can see herself as someone who can save the world and someone who does normal things. I write for little brown girls with curly hair.

Question #4: Tell me about your books SHUKLA: I have written three novels, one young adult (YA book) and edited a couple of collection called The Good Immigrant.

Question #5: How many fans do you have?

SHUKLA: How many fans? (He laughs as though the question is far-fetched.) I have no idea. In my mind, I am the first customer of my books. I feel like I should always be the first customer and first fan. Everything else is a bonus. As long as I am writing things I enjoy that’s what’s important.

Question #6: You were selected for this distinction as one of the top 25 Hottest Indie Authors in the World. What makes you a hot indie author in your mind?

SHUKLA: I’m not sure. But I try to make sense of the political mess that we find ourselves in and how that effects the people on the ground. That to me feels very important. I’m a contemporary author at the moment, and I’m independent for life. I really believe in being an author. I embrace the ability to reflect the world and hold a mirror up to the world and try to hold power structures accountable. That is what excites me about what I do.

Question #7: How do you see indie authors in the industry right now?

SHUKLA: Now, more than ever, there are many more avenues for authors. Things like crowd funding, hybrid models and more independent presses have given authors the opportunity to take risks in ways they have not be able to in the past. And that’s really exciting. Mass market audiences are a thing of the past. Authors have a chance to find their readers now. People are quite

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tribal about reading, and as an author it’s all about finding your tribe.

Question #8: Do you have a following in the U.S.?

SHUKLA: No. However, I am about to release a collection of essays in the U.S. Called the Good Immigrant US. In 2016, I put out a collection of essays from minority authors in the UK. We decided to put out second collection in the US that will be released this year.

Question #9: What caused you to write about minorities, people of color and their experiences?

SHUKLA: I wanted to create a platform for people of color to allow them to be able to talk about their experiences instead of being talked over. Personalities and writers, actors and musicians that I know got together for this. It was as book that definitely opened up people’s eyes as to what it is like to be a person of color in the UK. We hope that this new book will do the same.

Question #10: What’s next for you?

Why have you chosen this trajectory for your career?

SHUKLA: The Good Immigrant US collections will be out in Feb. of this year. I have a new YA novel coming out in June. In terms of trajectory, I write to wrestle with the big questions that concern me. I am also a youth worker. I spend a lot of time with young people, and I felt like it was time to write stuff that they would want to read.

It’s clear that Shukla has a great deal more to say in the upcoming years, and I can’t wait to read it all. We need to embrace those who are willing to test the status quo and provide meaningful dialogue like Nikesh Shukla.

I laughed when joked about using his work to address current social issues instead of just ranting on Twitter.

He is right. We all should be more active in the way we are seen and the way we see others, for this might be the only way to truly help our youth in loving themselves and the world in which they live.

If you want to be a part of helping this gifted author raise his profile and the global conversation of race in society, in the empowerment of young brown girls with curly hair feel beautiful and powerful and young brown men who want a space where they are the main characters instead of the sidekicks of someone else’s story, start by supporting his upcoming work.

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ble range of writers whose humanity and right to be here is under attack.

The Good Immigrant USA Expected Drop Date: 03/07/2019 400 pages An urgent collection of essays by first and second-generation immigrants, exploring what it’s like to be othered in an increasingly divided America. From Trump’s proposed border wall and travel ban to the marching of White Supremacists in Charlottesville, America is consumed by tensions over immigration and the question of which bodies are welcome. In this much-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling UK edition, hailed by Zadie Smith as “lively and vital,” editors Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman hand the microphone to an incredi-

Chigozie Obioma unpacks an Igbo proverb that helped him navigate his journey to America from Nigeria. Jenny Zhang analyzes cultural appropriation in 90s fashion, recalling her own pain and confusion as a teenager trying to fit in. Fatimah Asghar describes the flood of memory and emotion triggered by an encounter with an Uber driver from Kashmir. Alexander Chee writes of a visit to Korea that changed his relationship to his heritage.

These writers, and the many others in this singular collection, share powerful personal stories of living between cultures and languages while struggling to figure out who they are and where they belong. By turns heartbreaking and hilarious, troubling and uplifting, the essays in The Good Immigrant come together to create a provocative, conversation-sparking, multivocal portrait of America now.

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nikeshshukla Visit his website: www.nikesh-shukla.com

Alexander C Kane

By Ray Feldmann Alexander C. Kane will be the first to admit he isn’t living the glamorous life of a successful, hip, young, up-and-coming new author.

Most nights you’ll find the 38-year-old married father of two curled up on his couch, writing on his laptop, after he’s helped his wife put their two small children to bed.

“I’m not one of those authors who is into the after-hours New York literary scene,” he joked recently. “I’m up pretty early because my two kids are up early. And I have a real job to go to!”

On the surface it might seem Alex Kane is living a fairly normal, ordinary, (dare we say mundane?) life. But listen to his first fiction work, entitled Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection, and you’ll realize that there is nothing ordinary about Kane’s writing.

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Especially the part about an enormous alien space egg hovering over a well-known landmark in the Bronx.

“My friends have told me it’s a long title for a book,” Kane admitted. “But I just felt it needed to be. ‘Andrea Vernon’ alone wouldn’t persuade people to pick it up and give it a listen. I thought it had to be more descriptive, more fun.”

The fiction novel follows its female lead, Andrea Vernon, a woman “who had always thought she would spend her life living in Paris, writing thought-provoking historical novels all day and sipping wine on the Seine all night,” the descriptive blurb on Amazon says. “But the reality is she’s drowning in debt, has no prospects, and is forced to move back to Queens, where her parents remind her daily that they are very interested in grandchildren.

“Then, one morning, she is kidnapped, interviewed,

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Alexander C. Kane (Con’t.) and hired as an administrative assistant by the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection. Superheroes for hire, using their powers for good. What could possibly go wrong? Lots.”

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“I didn’t know who the villain would be,” he said, “but I knew the scariest thing in my life was becoming a dad, so I made the looming terror a fertilized egg!”

In the book, that fertilized egg takes on the shape of an enormous alien space egg hovering over Yankee Stadium, threatening civilization as we know it.

“Will Andrea find contentment in office drudgery?” the blurb asks. “And will she ever figure out how her boss likes her coffee?”

He finished the first draft of the book in about three months, just before his son was born in mid-2015. Andrea Vernon was published in 2017 by Audible Studios.

The colorful Amazon description begs the question: Where did the idea for Kane’s first book originate?

“When I first started writing the book, I did not really think it would ever get published,” he confessed. “In fact, I wasn’t even sure I’d ever finish it.”

“I like the idea of extraordinary people who are smarter than me,” Kane explains. “And I love superheroes as a genre.”

He did, and it was.

Although Kane is comfortable now referring to himself as a fiction writer and author, it wasn’t what he originally intended to be. A native of Altamonte Springs, Florida, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and a short time later moved to New York, unsure of exactly what he wanted to do.

In addition to his first book being published, Kane and his wife welcomed their second child, a daughter, into the world in December 2017. Somehow, with two children in the home under the age of 3 ½, Kane started work on his second novel, a sequel to Andrea Vernon. It is due out sometime this spring.

He wound up teaching by day at an alternative high school in Queens, and doing “sketch comedy” at night.

He frequented venues such as Late Night Basement with Chris Rose and Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, among others. Eventually, he landed a job as a sales rep with an educational supplies company near the home he shared with his wife, Virginia.

“I’m also working on my third book, which will be an urban fantasy,” he recently revealed.

And he started writing his first novel.

While some people make to-do lists, Kane “always kept a pad by my bed at night,” he recalled. “I would have these thoughts while I slept, and I would wake up and write them down before I forgot them. When I woke up the next morning, I would look at what I had written overnight. Sometimes I had no idea what was on that paper!”

He started Andrea Vernon, and quickly found himself embarking on a fictionalized journey into a world that was very different than his own 9-to-5 sales gig.

“My company has a big sales meeting every year, and it ends in an awards dinner,” Kane recalled. “Everyone has a good time and we celebrate all the hard work everyone does, but one year I sat there thinking, ‘Okay, but it’s not like we’re saving the world.’

“And then I thought for a while about Andrea, a character who is extraordinary, but has been a little beaten down by the reality of life and made to feel ordinary,” he continued. “I thought about the idea and the characters for a while and I finally realized that I better start writing it soon, because my wife was five months pregnant.

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So what does the imaginative fiction author and school supplies salesman see himself doing over the next five or 10 years?

“That’s a great question,” Kane answered honestly. “I have to admit, I don’t really know what I want to be when I grow up!”

It clearly doesn’t trouble Kane that he doesn’t know exactly what the future holds. He’s living an incredibly happy life with his wife, Virginia, and their two young children. He will undoubtedly continue writing, even if he can’t be assured what form that writing will take or how successful it will be.

“I always tell aspiring writers to write all the time, fail a bunch, learn from failure, fail more, keep going,” he says good-naturedly. “And of course, I have to follow my own advice.”

For Kane it’s never been about living the glamorous life. It’s always been about family, friendships, building a happy life, sharing his talent, and having some fun along the journey. Just like his character Andrea Vernon, it’s all about finding joy in that journey, not in the destination.

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Deborah Mello By: LaSheera Lee Deborah Mello is an award-winning romance author with over 40 titles to her name. She published her first title in December of 2003 and has published multiple titles each year after that.

What jump started your entry into the world of publishing?

I’ve been writing since I was a little girl. I started when I was in middle school. I used to journal poetry in the margins of my science lab book. I hated science and was failing the class miserably! But one day, the teacher pulled me aside and said that if I continued to write she would give me a passing grade in her class. That was all the validation I needed, that I could do what I loved most.

As it happens with many of us, life got in the way. I married early, had children to raise and bills to pay and writing took a backseat to my day job. But I had a full manuscript that I’d written during my lunch hours and late nights when all the kids were asleep and one day I committed to shopping it around just to see if anyone would be interested. Months later I received THE CALL from what was then BET Books wanting to publish my story and my publishing career evolved from there.

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ing them on the big screen! But if I had to pick two, I’d say John Stallion, from TO LOVE A STALLION, the first book in my Stallion family series, and Gattis “Brawn” Montgomery, the unlikely hero in my book BRAWN from my One Love Short Story series. Both men are dividuals and would blow up

phenomenal inthe big screen!

Tell us about your latest project.

I’m currently working on the third book in my Harlequin Suspense series. It’s titled REUNITED BY THE BADGE, and is the story of Simone Black, a state prosecutor in the Chicago judicial system and Dr. Paul Reilly, a physician who has dedicated his life to treating patients in impoverished communities. He discovers a major pharmaceutical company is purposely poisoning patients and he enlists Simone’s help to prove it.

How can readers connect with you in 2019?

Readers can always keep up with me and my books through my blogsite - www.deborahmello.org. I’m also a social media maven and have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Visit me here: Blog: http://bit.ly/MelloBlog

What is your definition of the word ROMANCE?

Youtube: http://bit.ly/MelloYoutube

For me, romance is all about the emotional feeling of love for or attraction to another person. It’s about the actions that result from that emotion and the behaviors an individual takes to express those feelings. It’s the giddy butterflies in the pit of your stomach that make you want to cook that special person their favorite meal. Or the joy in simply sitting side by side reading together and the intimacy of a simple touch that brings an overwhelming sense of comfort. It can be different for each of us, but however we express it, leaves us confident and hopeful about what the future may bring.

Facebook: http://bit.ly/MelloFB

Twitter:http://bit.ly/MelloTwitter

Instagram: http://bit.ly/MelloIG

Which two of your books characters could easily be adapted to big screen?

I can only choose two? Because I write every single one of my characters with the intentions of one day see-

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Latrivia Welch

By Windi Floyd Reynolds of Focused Ink In the history of the great Mafia storylines, a couple of favorites come to mind: Oliver Stone’s screenplay, which gave us Scarface and etched Tony Montana into one of the most infamous characters on the big screen to date; and t​ he directorial genius of Martin Scorsese, which drew us into the storyline of the turbulent journey of a gangster in the movie Goodfellas. In her own right, USA Today Bestselling Author, Latrivia Welch introduced the world to the Russian Mafia Romance genre in 2010 with the first book in the Medlov Crime Family series, Dmitry’s Closet.

It is no surprise that Latrivia has been setting the Russian Mafia Romance world on fire ever since. This wife and mother of three is doing it all and there is serious weight behind her being deemed the Godmother of the Russian Mafia Romance genre. Latrivia is not only an author who has published, to date, 28 titles and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

She also owns RiverHouse Publishing, LLC, sits on the NAACP Memphis Branch committee and is an advocate for a variety of women’s issues. When I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the Memphis bred powerhouse, my heart and my soul for being a creative was reignited.

I say, keep your friends close, but keep your Russian Mafia Romance authors even closer. She is someone you absolutely should not take your eyes off. Here is a glimpse into everything Latrivia Welch.

Focused Ink:​Why write? What set you on the path of becoming a writer?

Latrivia Welch: From grade school through high school, I have always been a writer. In high school I would share my stories with my classmates chapter by chapter. They would wait to see what I would come up with next.

Even then I was writing interracial romance. Once in college I started my 1​st​interracial novel and during this period, I explored topics such as promiscuity, the use of contraceptives, interracial relations in the South, politics and socioeconomic views. Focused Ink:​There is a multicultural theme throughout your books. Why have you felt it was important to highlight this theme?

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Latrivia Welch: I wanted to fill a void. I saw an increase of multicultural presence in film and I wanted to show this in the pages of my books. I noticed that there was not much of an African American presence in some of the great organized crime storylines and if there was mention, it was often derogatory. I wanted African Americans to see themselves in the story line. I wanted to do something original.

Focused Ink​: If you had to compare yourself to one of your characters in your books, who would it be?

Latrivia Welch:Royal Stone! I have allowed Royal Stone to evolve and to show her complexities. She is naive but eager and over time she has become just as majestic as her name. I identify with her growth and her robustness as a character. She and I have been on this journey for 10 years. The runner up would be Ivy Winters because she is a HBCU Queen and I can relate because so was I. Focused Ink: A ​ few key issues that you are an advocate for include: women reproductive health rights, education, women in politics and the charge against domestic violence. Your dedication is evident from your continuous civic and volunteer work. How do you feel about the current #metoo movement?

Latrivia Welch: The movement is more than raising awareness. It’s about changing the culture and the mindset of those around. We have to learn what the word consent means and understand its boundaries.

As women we must advocate for other women.

We must acknowledge past transgressions and take our power back, not behind closed doors but in public. I will no longer accept it. I feel young men are seeing this movement and in turn the culture will change. They are learning. This movement will forever change the way respect and equality is viewed.

Focused Ink:​What does RiverHouse Publishing have to offer someone who is out there and wants to publish a book but doesn’t know where to start?

Latrivia Welch : It starts with a call or a visit to our website and we carry them through the process. However, we are very selective with the projects we publish.

We choose projects that fall in line with our mantra. ​We believe in bold authors and their bold statements. ​We care about our authors.

As Latrivia Welch, formerly Latrivia Nelson, continues to carve out her own lane and pull others up along the

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You Have All The Time You Need To Write A Book - You Just Need To Find It! In 20 short chapters, Author and Entrepreneur Brandy M. Miller shares with you her techniques for finding all the time she needs to not only write her own books but write the books of her clients. It’s worth $14.97 to save yourself thousands of hours in lost potential and productivity!

Available on Amazon or by direct order at writeyourbook.today.

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Latrivia Welch(Cont.) way, through advocacy and publishing, it’s evident great things are in store. For this and for so much more to come has earned Latrivia Welch the right to be crowned, Russian Mafia Romance Royalty.

To stay on alert and see what’s next for Latrivia Welch, check out her website https://www.latriviawelchbooks.com/

Stefani Deoul by

and execute her projects.

Connie Pheiff Pheiff Group, Inc. Founder | CEO The more women are free to succeed in the field of their interest, the more the world as a whole leapfrogs to success. Stefani Deoul, television executive, producer, and award-winning novelist. As an executive, she’s built successful co-production companies

Stefani has no plans to settle down at this point in time. She envisions producing more long running series with content that excites her and the talent she loves so much. She knows she will truly have “arrived” when her name is the answer to a clue in the NY Times crossword puzzle!

Stefani’s message for entrepreneurs is simple. Only you can decide how you want to be received. The best ways to keep yourself motivated through the ups and downs is to do what really matters to you. Surround and production slates, prid“When opportunity yourself with people who are in the game ing herself on her partnerknocks, answer the door! to lift each other up, such as networking groups, mentors, and don’t be afraid to ask ships, which have included ~Stefani Deoul for help. If you dream of working for yourstudios, international broadcasters, and producers from 15 countries. self, stop dreaming and start doing!

Book Series Available on: Stefani has produced more than two-hundred hours of television including Haven, Dead Zone, Dresden Files and Missing. In addition, she www.amazon.com feels privileged to write the award-winning Sid Rubin Silicon Alley Adventures (On a Larp, Zero Sum Game), featuring self-described, lesbiWebsite: stefanideoul.com onic brainiac, Sidonie “Sid” Rubin.

Stefani has created and sold pilots to numerous networks and studios, and her current film and television slate includes series development with networks in the US and abroad. And a fun tidbit about Stefani, she is a voice-over actress, having voiced radio dispatcher, “Laverne,” through the six-year run of Haven.

Every entrepreneur needs to possess a belief in what they are selling, a willingness and ability to do the work to 1) get that meeting and 2) prove their concept when they do, and a constant eye to detail. “Every single day needs to have something that nudges your needle forward.

The ole’ phrase, “the devil is in the details” still remains true. Find your voice and use it to break through the hundreds of channels.

Stefani started her career knocking on doors until she finally got her break. Her passion and conviction has led to a successfully grown career devoted to serving customers in the film industry with the upmost care and service excellence. And to grow and accomplish all she has, Stefani gives credit to the amazing teams she has found to share, craft,

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Indie Founders Indie founders are people who blazed a path ahead of the creative today. They laid the roadway we now travel.

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Greta McAnany By: Veronica Klash At the heart of every business is a single, specific question. Successful businesses answer their question most efficiently, creatively, inexpensively, or with some combination of the three.

The streaming service Blue Fever asks the question, “How do we use the internet to better shepherd young people, specifically young women, through tough times?”

Their answer is a creative one and, according to Co-Founder Greta McAnany, hinges on filtering the massive amounts of content available through an emotional prism rather than a contextual one (like Google) or a social one (like Facebook or Instagram).

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She encourages compassion, communication, and compromise above all in a partnership like the one she shares with co-Founder and long-time friend, Tracy. The tenants of this relationship and the company that it delivered are the much-awaited (and required) response to the insular bro culture of Silicon Valley and boardrooms everywhere.

“There needs to be a space for young women to come of age and process their emotions.” And as more and more of our lives play out in the digital realm it makes sense that space would be digital and media supported.”

At the heart of McAnany’s business, there is more than a question; there is a vision and a future. A future where young women don’t feel hampered by their emotions but instead are provided the tools to utilize those emotions as strength. A healthier, happier future for us all.

This emotional prism takes the form of an “empathetic AI which curates the internet based on emotion just like a big sister would.” When speaking to McAnany about the company she created—with Co-Founder Lauren Tracy—one distinctly gets the sense that it is McAnany herself who is the big sister younger women everywhere need, forging ahead and clearing a path.

Her voice is upbeat as she speaks passionately about the challenges Blue Fever can help navigate, “…We’ve seen that a lot of younger people are using media to self-medicate for a lot of the emotional things they’re going through. Media is a perfect starting point to solve this larger problem of improving the way young women see themselves and get confident.”

This assertion is given further weight by the business owner’s career in filmmaking, just one piece of her varied background, which has led to a new peak of projecting Blue Fever to reach nearly 1 million users by 2020.

In launching Blue Fever, McAnany credits her theater degree in bolstering her ability to improvise at times when many others would’ve balked, a quality she considers invaluable to the process. “…Being an entrepreneur is pretend until it’s a reality and learning how to just say yes and be creative…”

She also makes a point to dispel the mythos—often attributed to tech start-ups—of the single founder carrying an entire company on their shoulders, “No company or film is built by one person, there’s a lot of glorifying of the director or the founder…I think it’s really important to remember that it really does take a village in this scenario.” Almost as proof of this point, McAnany still has pictures on her phone of the many collaborative whiteboard brainstorming sessions from years ago.

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Phoeff Sutton By: G.W. Pomichter In today’s often crowded and noisy arts and entertainment industry, which spans television, movies, online media content and so much more, being one of the hottest arts and entertainment writers is no easy feat. It takes a long- standing commitment to one’s craft, a determination that sets one apart and a whole lot of dedication to the job.

That is just what Phoef (pronounced: “feef”) Sutton brings to his writing.

Born Robert Christopher Sutton in 1958, and best known both professionally and casually as Phoef, is a 60-year-old television writer and novelist that has had a long and distinguished career. He began in 1985 as a professional television writer on the hit TV comedy show Newhart, and soon became a success as he began as a regular writer and producer on the NBC hit show “Cheers,” which launched established actors Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson, Shelly Long and Rhea Perlman on paths to super stardom.

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received the prestigious Norman Lear Award for Comedy Writing — one of the few undergraduate students to accomplish such a feat, and his play “Burial Customs,” received a National Endowment of the Arts fellowship.

These early successes are a mark of the influences of some prominent role models in his life. Sutton wrote about the influence of screen writer Richard Matheson.

“There is no writer that meant more to me (Than Richard Matheson), as a child he was the first screenwriter whose name I recognized,” Sutton said. “I went to the library, bookstore, any where I could and ordered everything I could by him. I even dared to think I could be a writer.”

Like many of his influences, in addition to Sutton’s stage and screen credits, the dynamic writer has also conquered the literary world. In 1999, Phoef penned and published “Always Six O’clock” his first published novel. By then a veteran at is keyboard writing screen and stage comedy, it’s no surprise that his literary introductory work was a humorous thriller that explores the life of 30 something writer.

Still hard at work today, Phoef has recently published in 2018 his latest work the novel “From Away,” which is a paranormal suspense thriller wrapped in a touching family reunion tale.

With more than 20 screenwriting credits, 11 producer credits and even some acting appearances, Phoef Sutton has been a staple of many of the popular culture’s most endearing properties for the best part of 4 decades. But Sutton’s interest in writing neither began or is limited to his prominence in television.

As a student at James Madison University in Virginia, Sutton

“I love this book, It’s the best take on ghosts and how they work I have ever read,” wrote veteran TV show runner Steven Moffat, best known for BBC super-hit show Sherlock and as the previous show runner for the wildly popular BBC production Doctor Who. “Scary and mad but real, with crackling dialogue.”

It isn’t a wonder that Phoef Sutton is on our 2018/19 list of hottest creators, as with such high praise

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Phoeff Sutton (Cont.)

than a career, but a passion.

from his colleagues, the writer/producer shows no signs of stopping, and keeping up with the times, Sutton is jumping onto the internet with his podcast “Film Freaks Forever,” which explores some often obscure films that he and podcast partner, Mark Jordan Legan have enjoyed since college. The new monthly show is part of the Writers Bone Podcast Network and marks Suttons long time love of the arts and entertainment community as more

“This podcast will allow (us) to shine a light on certain genres and sub-genres of film,” Sutton said of the new project. “… and point listeners in the right direction to discover fun, freaky, fabulous and off beat ‘gems’ of cinema.”

At 60-years-old, Phoef Sutton is certainly still at the top of his game!

Tamika Newhouse

By Wilnona Marie

Imagine the words you are pregnant being said to you as a teenager. It would be surprising for sure. Tamika Newhouse heard those words and yet she still continued to dream. Having a love for books helped Tameka to keep her mind open to new possibilities. Although she had struggles which you can hear about in one her national speaking tours (Teen Pregnancy: Life Gets Better Not Worse), Tamika overcame them using her wit, her imagination, and willpower. By the time she ended her teen years, she had added a shiny new title to sit beside her title of teen mom. At twenty years old, she was a CEO. Tamika took her love of the written word and did more than most people can imagine doing with books.

She began to write, but she didn’t stop there. Having such a fruitful imagination, she was able to see a niche in the literary community that wasn’t being filled. There were many people like her, they loved books, they wrote books, and they were African American.

Where was the award show or them?

Tamika answered the call and began producing the only African American writers award show for the not so known authors. Every year the stakes go higher as this show gets noticed for the literary rockets that streak across the book world’s sky breaking down barriers as they go. If you think these authors sound a lot like Tamika herself it might be because Tamika takes pride in helping, coaching, and nurturing so many author’s careers. Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Tamika is strongly rooted in being a successful author. When I asked a woman who has written sixteen books how she feels about being part of the second Harlem Renaissance, she answered that her work doesn’t feel so large, but she does so much. Eight of her books have African American literary awards. Her perseverance at the keyboard did not go unnoticed by both her fans and the publishing world. Tamika landed a major publishing contract without an

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agent because her literary skills. Still being a published author with the dream of a major publishing contract was not enough, she took her career one step further and developed Delphine Publishing. Tamika became a CEO. Tamika’s publishing house has published 200 books.

Tamika being a writer herself understood the struggle of word choice, editing, and writing a story. She knew that writers deserved to be reward for the defeating the goliath like task of writing a book. AAMBC produces the only entertainment award show for writers. The award show is part of African Americans on the move book club. She chose on the move as part of the title because “I saw it on a college campus club and felt that really made a statement” she said.

If you are reading this and asking when does Tamika sleep know that you are not alone in such a query. I wondered the same thing, but if she does or doesn’t sleep, she works hard. Tamika makes time work for her and a lot of people took note. In 2010, she was inducted into Who’s Who in Black San Antonio. In 2011, her company Delphine Publications won an African American Literary Award for Best Anthology, and for the second time, Tamika won Self Published Author of the Year.

The National Women in Business Association also nominated her for the 2011 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. In 2013, she was honored with the Author of Distinction E. Lynn Harris Award. Tameka has met every person she has admired from Barrack Obama to Tyler Perry. She swears those are the only two fan girl moments she has had.

Tamika describes herself as the Shonda Rhimes of the black publishing world. She made that description more apt after working on her first film. She is currently shopping that film. I can see why? She works to leave her mark in the world of literature. I personally am watching her career with bated breath wondering what will she do next. Quite honestly, I already know whatever it is it will be amazing.

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Lisa Orban

By Wilnona Marie On top of a mountain, sword slicing through the sky, her trusty beast beneath her and the chanting crowds screaming her name before they go into battle. That is how I see Lisa Orban in my head. She is a general in an all-out war for Indie authors. This was not a calling for Lisa, but it gradually became her mantle after many small skirmishes on her journey as an Indie author.

While writing her second book, and taking to heart many of the lessons she learned from publishing her first book, she knew she wanted it done right. There are many steps involved in producing a good book, and one of those steps is finding a competent editor. Searching the internet, she found an editing service that seemed to be everything she was looking for, it was a small company, with good reviews on their site, no blemishes on their BBB report, and within her price range. Placing it into their care, she put her book up for pre-order and went about the task of marketing her book.

Two months after the agreed upon delivery date, her book finally came back. She didn’t have time to edit the professional editor. She had the worries of an Indie author and a pre-order deadline pressing down upon her. She published the book with complete confidence that what services you pay for you receive. Her book was published, but every mistake in the original draft was there for the world to see.

Lisa learned the lesson that too many Indie authors learn: there are many unscrupulous leeches out there sucking on the dreams of Indie authors, and too few places for an author to turn to when it happens. Everywhere she looked, she could find stories of other Indie authors being taken advantage of by someone in the publishing world, from cover artists to publicists and beyond, there were very few safe places for Indie authors. She realized that much of the stigma surrounding Indie authors was not from their lack of effort, but from the predatory practices of those involved in formalizing the final content of the book once it was placed in their care.

She didn’t take this lying down.

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Lisa has come a far way since the editing debacle. She is so mild in her demeanor and easy to talk to. She has the kind of sage advice that comes from world wisdom mixed with a healthy dose of curiosity and education. Talking to her I was drawn in by the smooth lullaby of her voice, but there was an iron defiance underneath it. And I suspect there is a fury in her gut that can melt steel. But don’t worry, she saves it only for those who would defile the dreams of the independent writer.

Last year those words became the winds of change when she met Jennie Rosenblum. After Lisa shared her idea of starting a publishing house for Indie authors, Rosenblum encouraged her to forge ahead with her plan to unite Indie authors under one publisher so they could have more power. After all, one complaining author to Amazon is just that, one person, but 20, 200, 2000 or more authors is the beginning of a cry the behemoth corporation just might be able to hear. Orban mentions, “An individual author can no longer compete with the ad dollars the houses are going to spend on advertising so our books get lost in the din.” Yet another challenge that is better fought together.

Then there was the original problem she had of the awful editor. IF she could get reputable people together who offered reliable and reasonably priced services then maybe, just maybe, she could save an author the trouble she went through. And, so she did.

Her site is open to any author who needs help with anything from cover art to editing. Whether you join Indies United or not, Lisa is dedicated to helping other Indie authors succeed. So far, it has worked.

Indies United is a place where Indie authors can go for protection and get answers. “When an author joins us, all of sudden they aren’t alone anymore, they have found a home,” Orban confided.

Lisa is a caring caretaker for her Indie authors. She uses part of the love and attention she showers on her grandchildren and lavishes it on her authors. Having talked to Orban for an hour I must say, although I have never personally run into

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Lisa Orban (cont.) these problems, I wanted to join the crowd at the bottom of that figurative mountain described at the beginning of this article and add my battle cry, then I remembered, by writing this article I already had.

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Kevin E West

2019

word popping out of my mouth. Sure, in the moment, it fit perfectly but typically it wouldn’t really have been the typical response.

By kevin e west The moments that led up to the inception of Kevin’s Dictionary: ‘Life...in A Word’, or any idea, have happened to all of us at one time or another during school, or sports, at church or just in a friendly conversation. Spoken sentences go into your ear, and rather than just dissipating – they spark an idea! Anna Quindlen, said; “Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around.”

I think its fair to say that probably 99.9% of the billions of daily ideas had by humans – get tossed around but then are left behind, but then again…

About the middle of October of 2007, one such idea came to me and – not only sparked – but stuck. While it did take almost 11 years for that idea to be published please know that the word, Persistence, isn’t in my book. When an idea just won’t leave you alone it’s probably best if you give in and just write the damn thing…so, I did.

‘Life…in a Word’ was conceived on an L.A. grey-skied fall day, while taking a stroll around Silver Lake, with my dear friend, Marc. We were engaged in our usual banter, which commonly jumped from anything political to debating about football team’s chances, to history – or more notably world history.

Some of the humor in the conversation surrounded Marc, who was extremely well read but was challenged with natural street intelligence, but boy could he talk ad nauseam about anything. You see Marc was a Stanford educated doctor, who honestly read about five papers a day and had consumed more books in his lifetime than anyone I’ve ever met or likely will ever meet.

For the rest of our walk, I let the idea just sit there and permeate. I didn’t discuss the idea with Marc and once in my car the creative swirl of words n’ images furiously began. Seriously, if my brain had been being filmed it would’ve seemed like a bad montage from, Transformers. As the next few months passed I began to solidify the idea of what this would look like as a little coffee table – gift book.

I started choosing words, thinking of my real life scenes, awesome memories, experiences and other random images. Having a bit of a photographic memory seeing things in pictures or vignettes is easy and ‘Life’ is a book of little scenes. I probably wrote the book six or seven times, switched out 10 words for 10 others, and then came up with all of the Companion books: Love, Politics, Sport, Religion, Home, School, Work, Travel & Food…in a Word.

I find it typical for any piece of creative writing to flow easy in the beginning, both in conception and execution, but a writing challenge is always just around the corner. My creative hell was editing the stories to be short enough in length while still maintaining a delightful read, each of which, ended with a surprise twist.

We all have a dictionary like this for our life, as has been mentioned in a hand full of my reviews, because we’ve all lived thousands of moments.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy mine as well as have the text conjure some cool memories and vignettes of your own. After all, it is true: “A picture is worth a 1,000 words – but sometimes a Word.

However, despite his intellect level, as it commonly is with men or boys almost any conversations can eventually go toward adult intimacy or fantasy. So Marc decides to share this story about a friend who very recently had a wonderful surprise experience. Marc thoroughly enjoyed the telling of this story and when he got to the end rather than many alternative words I could have chosen I blurted out; PERFECT…and we shared a huge laugh.

We continued onward and the conversation drifted but my mind started multi-tasking. This moment became an idea and this idea-gnat in my head kept buzzing. For the next 10 minutes I began to naturally formulate a vision based on that

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Indie Thinkers The box is not where you will ever find these people. They think outside of it and get things done. They open up new opportunities for the creatives coming behind them.

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Andrea Stuart

Authors, Artists, Advocates

By Dixie Carlton

Stuart

Photos by Jeremy

The Universe invited a young girl to design her ideal life. It started with the simple question: “What do you want?”

The girl thought for a moment, then replied with gentle confidence, because that was her way: I want to write and have amazing conversations, she said. I want to mentor young writers to express themselves through creative language.

I want to nurture and rehabilitate animals and advocate for Mother Earth. I want to be heard and perhaps understood through my poetry.

She hesitated for a moment and looked far into the distance as she imagined her life in all its potential wonder.

The Universe held its breath and waited, understanding that this was indeed a creative spirit who needed to express all that she dreamed of. The girl inhaled deeply, her eye aglow.

And I want to share my life with a beautiful soul who understands me and supports me through the developing and unfolding of my life, to be there from the start, and to love me as we build a simple life together on a small block of land somewhere serene.

And the universe said to the girl: “Ok. You can have all that, and more. Let’s go!”

Twenty years on, Andrea Stuart is nearing forty and able to look back on her adult life thus far and see how it has shaped into a version of her ideal life with all that she might have dreamed of, if in fact the Universe had posed this exact question.

She is vibrant, resourceful, creative, and warm.

Her work as an editor has taken her on a journey of meeting interesting people, including entrepreneurs, trailblazers, movers and shakers, creative minds, and celebrities, each of whom is changing the landscape of our world in a positive way. She refers to herself as a storyteller with a writing style that seeks to find value in small gems of information that might otherwise be overlooked.

She learned early on that writing a story sometimes requires seeing value in seemingly inconsequential details. At other times, it is about not sharing what she

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learns, knowing what fits and what does not. Andrea believes that a well-written piece has the potential to change people.

She graduated in her mid-20s from University, receiving her degree in business marketing. From there, she plunged headfirst into writing and editing for a San Francisco Bay Area magazine, 110˚, and cut her teeth while freelancing and medical writing. Before long, she joined luxury lifestyle magazine, 65o.

She describes it as being so busy there was simply no time for cold feet. Forced to “use her education,” she excelled at her role as writer and editor. Before long, she started her own editorial firm, overseeing the editorial responsibilities of several publications, including 65˚, 57˚, and Up.St.ART Annapolis.

It was during her time with 110˚ Magazine, working alongside its editor in chief, Don Huntington—a respected ghost writer—that Andrea learned how to fully appreciate the people she interviews. She learned how to allow the story to unfold and form itself. Andrea reflects on her learning from Huntington, and smiles. “My style comes from there,” she says. She believes you have to keep your writing candid, lighthearted, and caring. For Andrea, intuition is at the heart of it the process, as is listening intently and observing nuances in words, tones, and mannerisms. She credits Don’s mentorship with teaching her the importance of maintaining a position of neutrality about a subject, while also being warm and accepting. This allows interviewees to have confidence in the safety of the conversation. It’s about building trust between the writer and the subject.

Her passion for cultivating stories grew and deepened over the years, and with it, a desire to mentor other emerging writers with the same care and willingness demonstrated to her

by Huntingdon. Her favorite thing is to help them explore their inner muses; to stop trying so hard to make the words flow, but instead, tap into that creative voice residing inside. She wants for them to learn how to “step into their stories,” she says.

As an editor, Andrea describes herself as Old School.

Absolutely committed to fact checking, deadlines, accuracy, and knowing that it’s always better to ask for permission than to have to seek forgiveness. “Tabloid press has no merit for anyone who believes in the integrity of their work. It is a writer’s job to represent their subject with sensitivity and honesty,” she adds.

In 2014, this is what she brought to the quarterly art and culture publication Up.St.ART Annapolis. Andrea is the editorial director, working closely with its founder and publisher, Jimi Davies.

She maintains this is far from “just a job.” It’s a dream role being able to work and play in the art world. As an artist herself—her life is also heavily inflected with music, song, dance, and poetry—she sees art in everything around her. Being able to make art and culture accessible to everyone is her life’s passion.

As a self-described Word Nerd, Andrea’s driving force

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Andrea Stuart (Cont.) is the discovery of language and communication in all its nuances. An English teacher once told her she was not a writer and that she should try something else, which crushed her at the time. Her mother encouraged her to develop her passion and curiosity for words, secretly submitting Andrea’s work to a poetry outfit. The reward and feedback opened Andrea to the world of writing. “Up.St.ART allows me to work with writers in a creative atmosphere, to encourage them to write with imagination. I even invite them to mindfully ‘break the rules’ sometimes,” she says.

When asked if she or her team struggles with deadlines, her answer begs visions of Mary Tyler Moore or McKenzie in The Newsroom. One can’t help but wonder if such story lines are a true reflection of how media creatives manage their way around “the deadline.” Andrea subscribes to the philosophy of controlling what you can but being flexible. “Stuff happens,” she says. “You have to be prepared for that, and sometimes you simply have to surrender to what comes up.” But humor is also a huge part of Andrea’s life. “If we take life too seriously, we run the risk of sterilizing our spirits!” she says, winking.

The ability to find a balance between what comes up and what needs to be done while working creatively within the structure of a project manager requires returning to the place inside. Andrea discovered yoga as a teenager when her mother, working to help her overcome a profound panic disorder, introduced her to holistic modalities not offered by the medical community. Her mother provided her with a library of books on yoga and meditation, food as medicine, psychology, spiritual healing, and many other topics. Natural wellness principles soon became a mainstream part of every day life for Andrea. She eventually trained as a yoga instructor and Reiki practitioner.

was 19, starting in the San Francisco Bay Area. This year, her intention is to return to this deeply satisfying work in her new hometown. Her own two dogs, Sgt. White Pepper and Rosie, are rescued fur-babies, and bring her much joy. Being able to bridge her passions for nature, animals, and creativity keeps her focused for the years ahead. “And perhaps,” she says shyly, “I might even consider publishing a poetry book.”

Talking with Andrea is like going to your local café, finding the best window seat in the place where the sun is filtering at just the right angles, and the coffee is brewed to perfection. So, why not just stay a while and enjoy the whole morning. It’s utterly delightful meeting someone who has so much enthusiasm for life, the future, and her various roles in this world.

Deep philosophy meets youthful vigor and integrity, which perhaps comes from a lifetime of daily meditation; she started this around age 13. Andrea is decidedly comfortable expressing herself on subjects that matter to her. On the subject of ”purpose” Andrea believes that we can all learn to build from the debris, bringing heart and mind into synchronicity, finding our individual purposes in life. Success, she says, is about not giving into confusion if something turns out differently than the way you envisioned it. Giving yourself permission to revise the plan is okay, too.

Where to from here?

Andrea currently lives on a small block of land in Bend, Oregon, with Jeremy, the man she met and married over 21 years ago. She has worked in animal rescue since she

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Brenda drake

By Beth hall

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grand-

more about her Twitter pitch parties on #Pitmad… Check it out:

mother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. With kids of all ages populating Brenda’s world, it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical for both younger readers and the young at heart. And because she married her prince charming, there’s always a romance warming the pages.

Every unagented writer is welcome to pitch. All genres/ categories are welcomed.”

Her favorite books are The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Kings Row by Henry Bellamann, and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

In her free time, Brenda enjoys hanging out with her family, haunting libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or just reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

She ’s a New York Times bestselling author of the Library Jumpers series, the Fated series, THUNDERSTRUCK, and ANALIESE RISING, and she’s the founder of contests for writers such as the popular Pitch Wars and the Twitter pitch parties on the hashtag, #PitMad.

“#PitMad is a pitch party on Twitter where writers tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. Agents and editors make requests by liking/favoriting the tweeted pitch.

www.pitchwars.org So let’s get to it.. the moment we have been waiting for, what makes Brenda tick!

Beth: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Brenda: I’m not sure I realized it at the time, but I think it was hurtful words when I was younger. With a spoken word, someone can knock another person’s confidence down. As far as writing, I’d have to say when I wrote my first little book when I was eight and my grandmother liked it. The joy on her face after reading it made me want to write more to cause the same reaction again.

Beth: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/ avatar?

Brenda: My mascot would be an owl—quiet, wise, and a late-nighter.

Founders Note: CHECK OUT HER SERIES! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! READ MORE!

Beth: What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?

Interviewing Brenda opened my eyes to her literary world.

She takes her job as an author to the next level by providing workshops with constructive feedback to help young authors develop their individual styles.

Through her program “Pitch Wars” she has created a contest program with a mentoring support to future writers.

She believes highly in positive feedback and has posted an an-

Brenda: Anonymity. Especially if I capture their bad traits.

ti-bullying policy to keep the program effective for all.

After exploring more into her mentoring program, I was very impressed with the community outreach provided to all levels of writers. There are over 100 mentors for all age groups, ranging from middle school to adult. As I indulged further into this program I learned

Beth: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

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Beth: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Brenda: I love research. I can get lost in it. Each project requires a different amount of research. For ANALIESE RISING, I had to research all the gods and goddesses from different mythologies from around the world and the setting in the books. The amount of time varies. If I don’t get too involved in the research, I try to get it done as quickly as I can. I do some research upfront and then research as the needed while writing the story.

Brenda: I do hide things. Like, birth dates of people close to me and other small tidbits as a wink to someone special in my life.

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Brenda Drake (Cont.)

Beth: What was your hardest scene to write?

Brenda: I’d have to say the haunted catacomb scene.

I’m not good with scary stuff, so I really had to push my imagination to write it. I like challenging myself, and this really did.

Beth: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Brenda: It sped it up. When you’re writing prior to getting an agent or a book deal, you write on your time. Once you sell a book and you start selling other by proposal, the deadlines can get harrowing at times. I’ve had to plot more with my books so that I know what I’m writing before I start. That way the flow is faster and I have a clear path to where I want to take the story.

Beth: What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

Brenda: Getting the guy attitude right. Most guys talk less and hold themselves differently than girls. I talk a lot, so I have to reign it in when writing a guy’s dialogue. I have a husband and two sons. They’re great models to study for characters.

Beth: Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Brenda: I write what feels right to me. I don’t think about anything or anyone but the characters and the story I’m writing at the time.

Beth: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Brenda: Drafting a new manuscript can be very exhausting in the beginning, but once I get going, I get excited for the new story. After intense revisions, I’m completely exhausted and I have to chill for a few days after. I just binge watch Netflix until I feel rested.

Beth: If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

Brenda: I wouldn’t have stopped while having kids and working. I’d kept it up as much as I could on my down times. I was a single mom for several years and was tired all the time. It wasn’t until I remarried and stayed home with the kids that picked up writing again. I had to learn writing all over again.

It was like there was cobwebs in my brain. I’m happy it all worked out and I can write the stories I love.

Well folks, this interview with Brenda Drake was a blast to help with and share with you. I would strongly encourage along with Brenda and her fleet of mentors to follow your passions. Yes, life does throw some curve balls but catch them! There should never be a time said that I can’t write. Brenda provides an excellent program to get you over that hump and into the stop light! Get out there and use this wonderful resource of Pitch Wars to chase that dream.

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Deborah Alma

By Chris Turnball Dressed in a white coat and stethoscope, the Emergency Poet travels in her 1970’s ambulance, accompanied by Nurse Verse or The Poemedic, to literary and music festivals, libraries, schools, pubs, weddings and conferences… anywhere where poetic help may be urgently required…

and Edward Lear. When I was a young woman, as a bookseller and then working for a publisher we would share poetry books that I brought for her; we loved Dylan Thomas and RS Thomas in particular. My Dad and my Uncles all wrote poetry too, and I think we all got it from her.

I had been working with, and being mentored by the poet John Killick in his groundbreaking work using poetry to assist communication with people with dementia, in care homes and other health care settings. As well as seeing at first hand just how poetry can be the bridge of connection and intimacy with others, I also observed just how much people enjoyed being listened to, being given time to be the focus of attention and how a series of leading questions can profoundly affect mood. It was a massively effective combination , the valuing an individual’s words to such a degree that you write it down, the empathy and elevation inherent in the poetry and the how delightful questioning can feel like a ‘massage of the mind’ .

5. What do you consider has been your greatest experience because of The Emergency Poet?

4. Do you write your poetry by planning and knowing exactly what you want to achieve with them, or do you write and see where it takes you?

Definitely the latter, I love the writing of poetry to feel like an almost dream-like state, a floating free 1. Where did the idea of and I write with pen and paper. It’s when it gets to the Emergency Poet come the typing it up stage that my editing head kicks from, and how did you in. I have been asked to write poems for particular anthologies on a theme and this is much harder come about the 1970’s ambulance? for me.

You know I have had so many wonderful experiences! I love my emails as I get the most interesting and surprising requests. Emergency Poet has taken me to New Zealand, the USA, to Sharjah, Belfast and next year Dublin and maybe Guernsey. I did love editing the anthologies that came from the work and I love travelling with friends in the guise of Nurse Verse too.

6. Do you take real people you know and put them With my new MA in creative Writing, and a need to be absorbed in your writing? in an exciting challenge at the painful end of a marriage and a long-held ambition to own a camper-van....when I saw the am- Oh, yes. All the time. A lot of my poetry is autobibulance for sale on e-bay, it all came together in an eureka mo- ography. ment!

7. What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

2. How long have you been writing poetry?

I think I started to write poetry out of a classic and embarrassing teenage existential angst. I didn’t really start writing it and being careful with line breaks and what it looked line on the page, or with an imagined reader in mind, until my 40’s when I did a Creative Writing BA at Birmingham University

Taking myself seriously as a writer. I suffer a lot with imposter syndrome here and also a working class attitude that I should be doing something like cleaning or other work. I like doing it too much, so it’s the thing that gets squeezed! What madness!

3. What was/are your biggest inspirations that encouraged you 8. Outside of being an Emergency Poet you teach creative writing at Keele University. Do you find to write poetry? that working with young people in this way has My much-loved Grandmother, loved to bounce me on her knee to any influence on your own writing? strange nursery rhymes and I loved reading her Arthur Mee’s 10 volume Children’s Encyclopaedia published in the 1950’s which Oh yes, teaching is such a brilliant way to keep was full of the classics, La Belle Dame sans Merci and Sea Fever educating yourself. I hope that I am beginning to

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Deborah Alma (Cont.) know what I’m doing! I love the conversations with intel- years, and I have found it almost impossibly difficult to ligent and engaged students, and this extends and chal- do in the past. I am much more used to it now; I do think poems are best read aloud and it’s a way to take poetry lenges my own practice too. out into the world. I prefer reading the work of others 9. You are editor of the #MeToo anthology. Can you tell to reading my own. Reading at events from the #MeToo us a little about this project and what encouraged you to anthology has been a huge privilege. do it?

12. When you are not writing, or working, what do you Last winter I was very busy editing the #MeToo- rallying enjoy doing in your spare time? against sexual assault & harassment – a women’s poetry anthology and this brought together a few strands of my Lots of things! Walking, travelling, music, friends, food, experience: the woman who was a survivor of domestic gardening. My creative energy at the moment is all goabuse, the editor, and the woman who could hold a space ing into the possible development of a Poetry Pharmacy; a shop/ cafe/ writing retreat/poetry centre in my home for others. town of Bishop’s Castle in Shropshire which will develI’m really proud of this book; a place for poetry as therapy op my Emergency Poet ‘poetry on prescription’ project at its best I think; for those women who had a place to much further. speak their truth and for the women that would read it and feel empowered and healed through reading it. It is 13. What would your advice be to any other young peothe resource that I wanted when I was working with wom- ple that want to write stories or poetry? en who had survived domestic abuse and rape.

I say to them, go on then and have some fun with it. Get 10. You have edited a couple of other poetry anthology some peer review set up, through a course or a writer’s books, ‘The Emergency Poet’ and ‘The Everyday Poet’, group. Read, read and then read. And then write. And however in May 2018 you released your solo debut poetry keep reading. Nothing gets on my nerves more than peocollection ‘Dirty Laundry’. Can you tell me what the inspi- ple who say they are writers and don’t take the time to ration behind this book was and what made you decide to read the work of others. Not just for the short-sighted lack of educating yourself, but also for the lack of generdo a solo collection? osity to those in the community of writers.

I’m very proud of this first collection of my work. Like a lot of first collections, it is a selection of work from over 14. Finally, where can people find out more about you a few years of writing and placing single poems in maga- and your work (website links etc) zines. I had published a chap-book with The Emma Press in 2016 and the next step was to try and place a collection emergencypoet.com with an established publisher. So not a decision, but hard work to have a manuscript accepted. I think a second col- Thank you, Deborah, for taking the time to talk to me. lection may have an inspiration behind it, rather than a Your work sounds fantastic and I for one can’t wait to determination to be published! see what exciting things lay in store for you and the

emergency poet. Taking myself seriously as a writer.

11. Poetry is often performed out loud at events to an auI suffer a lot with imposter syndrome here and also a dience. Is this something you enjoy doing?

working class attitude that I should be doing something

I have read my own work at readings a lot over the last few like cleaning or other work. I like doing it too much, so

it’s the thing that gets squeezed! What madness!

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Maybe! Perhaps, perhaps not. Depends.

Lucy V. Hay

3. What will be your legacy?

By Kate Hames Lucy V. Hay is the director of education for London’s Screenwriter Festival and the creator of Bang2Write, a haven for writers everywhere.

Lucy lives in Devon with her husband, 3 children and 6 cats! Anyone would think that with all of that going on she already has her hands full, but with many more opportunities and adventures waiting in the world, she certainly knows how to get the most out of life.

I hope my legacy will be helping people and amplifying marginalized voices. Script editing is my job but the point of www.bang2write.com is to ‘leave no writer behind’! When I started, I was a teen single mum, but other writers were really kind to me in helping me get started. I wanted to pay that forward, to try and provide as much advice and resources as possible. B2W is a community, not just a website.

4. What is your favorite breakfast food?

I don’t eat breakfast but if I did I would have fairy servants bring me Eggs Royale every morning.

They would also do my every bidding in terms of magic, especially revenge. I have a list a mile long Alongside her full on family life Miss Hay also has writer, blog- so I hope those fairies like dreaming up evil, creger, producer and script editor to add to her accolade of accom- ative ways to torture people. It would be so much plishments. fun! Plus no one would suspect them because they Lucy produced Brit thrillers Assassin (2015) and Deviation look innocent and cute and sparkly. (Obviously everyone would suspect me, I am evil personified).

(2012), both starring East Enders favorite, Danny Dyer.

She was also executive producer of the short film, Cancer Hair 5. What are you binge watching right now?

(2014), which won the ‘IMDB New Filmmaker’ award in 2014. I just watched all 10 seasons of FRIENDS nonWith award winner, producer and script editor well and truly stop, start to finish in the right order on Netflix. covered you’d think Lucy would want some well-earned rest, but There is a lot online about how badly it’s dated, which is true on some of the jokes. But in craft no…! terms it stands up very well, especially structure.

Lucy’s impressive collection of published works is available on Now I have moved on to EPISODES. I missed it Amazon or via her website (http://www.lucyvhayauthor.com/). first time around for some reason, but Matt LeBThe diverse range of Lucy’s writing skills are immediately appar- lanc is still as hilarious as ever as ‘Bad Joey’, the X ent with genres ranging from crime novel with ‘The Other Twin’, Rated version! to young adult fiction, ‘Lizzie’s Story’ and also Lucy’s fantastic 6. What do you want to be when you grow up? range of writing guides with Creative Essentials.

It’s fairly obvious that Lucy knows how to write a good thriller, Well when I was a child I wanted to be a novelist. create character diversity, and get a reader hooked. Wouldn’t it I am a novelist now, so I guess this means I am a bona fide adult. Ugh. Gross. be nice if is she was willing to share her precious wisdom?

Of course it would! And funnily enough she does just that over on http://www.bang2write.com/ . Lucy has everything you need to help you along with your own writing journey and it’s available across so many platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.

Quora and more, so there really is no excuse!

7. Where HAVE all the cowboys gone?

Presumably they are all in America. I am in the UK, which is why I can’t find them! Send them my way if you see any.

Thank you, Lucy, it was a pleasure learning about your bizarre breakfast habits and wonderful to see this incredible community you have created with 1. If I gave you an elephant where would you hide it?

Bang2Write and to offer up your priceless experIs it wrong the first elephants I think of when I hear the word tise to aspiring writers everywhere. are ‘Pink elephants on parade’ from DUMBO? Well if it is, tough - HIC! So I guess I would have to hide them in a champagne bottle. And then drink them all. Don’t mind if I do. BURP. The Interview

2. Is the answer to this question no?

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Poetry Contest Winner: Anne G.

Thank you so much to all of you that entered the poetry contest and congratulations to our winner, Anne G. Anne G.

Small Place, Big Place

Small place, market place Flies and figs, slaughterhouse, pigs,...and plantains A fish takes its last breath,...butchers and blood.

Vendors, beggars, mangoes and coconuts.

Hot hot sun, cool cool beach, babies on backs and hips. Hibiscus and cassie, brown-sugared lemonade. Shop scales, and butter on brown paper, sold by the ounce.

-This is home Big big place, supermarket space A.C. and granny apples, steak and bacon shrink-wrapped in plastic.

The fish has passed on; A scaled filet, lying in its casket of glass, on ice.

Kiwi and Sunkist oranges, Del monte and Dole, Deli persons, clean and cold,...and pleasant.

Sun still hot, pool is cool, babies in strollers.

Pink lemonade and Land O’ Lakes (I can’t believe it’s not butter!)

Mc. Donalds, Pizza Hut, the burger has a king.

Cold Coca-Cola and Hot Pockets -This is America

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Poverty From The Inside Out

Dismantling the myths, destroying the stereotypes, and revealing the hidden world of life in poverty.

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Poetry Contest Runner-up: David Driver

Our Judges this year picked a spicy poem for the runner up. So if you have shy eyes please avert them from this page David Driver

Serpentine Lover I lusted for your flesh from the moment I first saw you Tall, slender, seductive Ivory skin longing to be caressed Lips like an addictive wine Hypnotising and exciting with those jade eyes Not like any other O my beautiful serpentine lover

You had me fixed from the moment your red dress fell to the bedroom floor A new drug on the market And I was hooked for a lifetime Venomous lust coursing through my veins Coiled naked within sheets of desire Not like any other O my beautiful serpentine lover Naked match, naked flame, naked goddess the mirror reflects, but there is only one Curtains part, sunlight filters, just like the cigarette you provocatively smoke We share a Malboro, just like we share a bed Inhaling, enjoying, a soft hand gently glides across the climax of your talons scored across my back You smile, laugh, a hand gently pushes me back and then checks to see if I am ready to perform for you once more Not like any other O my beautiful serpentine lover AITL Media

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Indie Advocates

These are the Indies who use their spotlight as a means of shining the light on causes or issues that need support.

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GET HELP GETTING YOUR BOOK WRITTEN AT HTTP://WRITEYOURBOOK.TODAY

Your FREE guide to getting from concept to publication awaits at writeyourbook. today 76

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Laura White

By Sherry Rentschler

In the 1950s, little girls in the South didn’t talk about grandparents that touched you where they shouldn’t.

No one spoke about a daddy who punched a mommy and gave her a black eye. Instead, girls from that period grew up believing in happily-ever-after, hoping to find a prince to share their life, and that marriage would be forever.

In the 1950s, police responding to calls about domestic “disputes” ended by asking the man to “take a walk around the block,” and asked the woman if she needed help to “calm down.” What happened behind closed doors was expected to stay there, and shame kept the abused silent and the abusers protected.

Attitudes in the 1980s brought change. The abused gradually found a voice and abusers found themselves jailed for abuse, stalking, rape and other violence.

None of this helped Laura White.

A young Southern woman from the 50s, Laura married at twenty-one and dedicated herself to having a family and pleasing a husband. She surrendered her identify for that of wife and mother as most women did in the 60s and 70s. Twenty-three years and two teen children later, her perfect life shattered when her husband left her for another woman. There was no fallback plan. Her dedication to being the ideal homemaker left her without direction at age forty-four. She floundered, and hope in a happy future died.

attacks on her children - became demands of behavior (i.e., no more visits with her daughter). He cut her off from friends and family.

New abuse showed itself in her husband’s physical violence, breaking furniture or personal possessions. He monitored every move Laura made, and his insecurity became a barometer of his distrust and fear. He demanded explanations for every moment she took from him using harsh and threatening interrogations under lamplight, accusing her of infidelity and adultery without cause.

Laura, once so starved for love and compassion, felt trapped in this controlled environment cage and had no idea where to go for help. Agonizing fear, distance from family and friends, inability to exercise her opinion or even make a suggestion and his control of Laura was nearly a fait accompli. However, riding the dissolution of her hopes, Laura did escape. Instinctively she knew she had to get out.

Eventually, she began to feel good about herself again. She loved the man who emotionally, spiritually and verbally abused her and was distressed by her failures. She still missed the man he used to be, once so sweet and kind.

That’s why when that “nice and kind” man reached out to her, she answered. She met him, played golf, had dinner, and even had sex.ve dinner, to have sex. She’s not sure why. After several weeks, he consented to a divorce but insisted she sign the papers with him at his place.

Forced to find a way to continue for her children, she turned to a church and a divorce recovery group. Sad and insecure with her new role, she was emotionally vulnerable. When an attractive and concerned man with a troubled past and a streak of honesty about his failed marriages gave her companionship and fun, Laura was entranced. When he said the Lord saved him and actively worked in the church, Laura was hooked.

Hope blossomed anew.

The years that followed slowly degenerated. First came the subtle, emotional manipulations. “Those people are your past.” If Laura spoke of her ex-husband, her new husband shuttered his emotions and demanded she “get over it.” She believed she should be over her past life, so she obeyed. Soon enough the verbal abuses – cussing, lashing out, name calling,

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Laura White (Cont.)

Laura never told anyone she was meeting him. That’s the night Laura faced a desperate, suicidal abuser, one intent on punishing her for her betrayal and abandonment.

He took a shotgun and shot her in the abdomen at point blank range. That’s the night Laura White should have died. The doctors say it’s a miracle she lived. She lost 80% of her digestive system, 70% of her kidney function and has extensive nerve damage in her left leg.

According to a 2010 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division for Violence Prevention, and the CDC, “nearly half of all women in the U.S. (48.4%) have experienced at least one form of psychological aggression by an intimate partner during their lifetime, with 40.3% reporting some form of expressive aggression (e.g., their partner acted angry in a way that seemed dangerous, told them they were a loser or a failure, insulted or humiliated them), or some form of coercive control (41.1%) by an intimate partner. The Department of Justice adds that 19% of domestic violence involves a weapon and the presence of a gun increases the risk of homicide by 5000%.

A year later, Laura’s abuser went to prison for life.

That’s the moment real hope returned to Laura White.

Along with her will to survive her extensive injuries, faith and recovery gave Laura a powerful advocate’s voice. Because of those who saved her life, she is a positive, supportive and educational force about domestic violence, reaching out across a multitude of platforms including prisons, recovery centers, and political aisles, as she seeks to bring awareness to abusers and avenues of hope to victims.

“I believe we’re all here for a reason,” Laura said. “My time wasn’t up yet. I have more to do. I want to be the voice for those who have none.”

Today Laura White is the way of hope for the silent and the silenced. Once a victim, now a survivor and a warrior for others, Laura is a beacon of strength and a powerful advocate for change.

Laura White survived and today she is free.

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The World Needs A Hero What Will You Choose?

Dark times threaten the inhabitants of the earth. An angel offers you a mission: Will you carry a lantern that only works when you hold it and be the light for the world - or will you refuse the responsibility and allow the world to plunge into darkness?

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Suzy Tamasy

By Heather J Hopkins Canadian fashion designer Suzy Tamasy is the founder SuzyQJewels & Frugal Divas. Seven years ago, this energetic idealist launched an exceptional initiative.

Tamasy’s goal was - and still is - to alter the way our society encourages, honors, and invests in female entrepreneurs.

I was remarkably fortunate to have the chance to interview Suzy; I am awestruck and deeply affected by the path that led Tamasy to found SuzyQJewels & Frugal Divas.

I began our conversation with something I assumed to be a straightforward question: “Define fashion.”

The candor of Tamasy’s answer took me by complete surprise!

Suzy revealed that she grew up in an abusive home - an experience that continually shapes the unwavering altruism of SuzyQJewels & Frugal Divas’ business model.

fierce compassion for the children who witness such violence. Suzy is determined that her work will help to the break the cycle of domestic abuse.

Tamasy’s company has participated in a variety of philanthropic causes throughout the years, including the “Stop the Violence” fashion show and celebrates diverse models by taking to the runway at inclusion-focused events. SuzyQJewels & Frugal Divas frequently helps plan fashion-related meet-ups, featuring world-class inspirational and motivational speakers.

Launching her business part-time with pop-up shops in beauty salons, Suzy’s first designs were handmade jewelry items made from recycled materials. For five years, Tamasy worked out of a home office. As her organization continues to grow, Suzy is crafting a “mini-empire.”

In addition to the services and products on suzyqjewels.com, a virtual consignment shop on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/14utolove/) now offers a new SuzyQJewels & Frugal Divas clothing line.

Tamasy studied Pension Management at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario and is committed to sharing her expertise in managing money. By sharing business tips, Suzy assists other women in expanding other opportunities for growth in their lives. Tamasy provides everyday living tips on entertainment, home décor, and recycling innovations to help save our planet. Her passion is fashion and being an appearance stylist, and her goal is to assist to stop contributing to our landfill by recycling your clothing and giving back to the community.

SuzyQJewels & Frugal Divas works with non-profit organizations that assist women and children escape abusive relationships by providing support and sanctuary to those seeking a safer life. SuzyQJewels & Frugal Divas donates a portion of its sales to five different women’s shelters across the Toronto area. Ten percent of each total purchase is placed in a trust fund and evenly distributed among the shelters.

Tamasy’s organization helps ensure both the positive publicity and financial relief required to provide necessary free shelter, therapy, and counseling across Toronto. (In adherence to privacy policies furthermore protect women’s safety, the names of some of the women’s shelters Suzy’s company works with are confidential.) SuzyQJewels & Frugal Divas offers its time, energy and financial assistance to organizations that endeavor to provide a safe place for anyone trying to escape verbal or physical abuse. Understandably, Tamasy’s voice conveys

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The brand new STYLEUBOX by Suzyqjewels is a collaborative effort to cover women’s fashion, beauty, and holistic needs. Participants get to try products, blog about them, and collaborate with our giving back program to assist women ‘s shelters while working together to support Candadian businesses. Boxes are $49.98 each or $199 for a quarterly subscription.

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Tom Lutz

By Wilnona Marie

Photo credit: David Walter Banks

Say “Hollywood” and you think of glitz and glamour, the siren song of the movies, where many careers run aground and splinter. Say “the literary scene in Hollywood” and you think it’s an oxymoron, but there is one, and Tom Lutz is a standout story, ironically, about books in Tin-

sel Town. Lutz’s story is not one of the big screen adaptations (though I think it will be one day). Lutz loves books— the smell of the ink, the feel of the pages, the sound of the spine as the book opens to reveal its secrets—and he fights to give books a home in the city.

Lutz came to books early, and they were a fundamental part of his growing up. “If you were reading a book, and it was time to cut the lawn, you got a pass,” he reminisced.

Lutz learned the importance of reading through his parents’ willingness to allow chore-skipping, and also through the pure enjoyment of being in someone else’s world for a while. When he read the book Black Stallion, as a boy, Lutz was captivated by a world he didn’t know—a place called Arabia, people who owned horses.

When he moved to Los Angeles 25 years ago, his books and his love moved with him. (Lutz still considers himself a recent transplant).

Lutz became a professor at UC Riverside, and his days were filled with preparing for teaching creative writing, of course.

Then there was the grading of Tom w/ Poet Laureate Filipe Herrera thesis papers; it is part of the job after all. Still Lutz found time to do more than shape the future Tolkiens, Hemingways, and Dickinsons of the world, he carved out a place for contemporary literature. His inspiration came from the many conGiving lifetime achievement award to versations about books he had Maxine Hong Kingston (with UCR in LA living and dining rooms, Chancellor Kim Wilcox)

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where he says, true homage to the book can be found.

“There is a genius for finding a great tale in Hollywood,” say Lutz. Upon closer inspection that must be true, I mean, where else do those dramatic movies come from? A great story. “They really know how to do narrative.”

Lutz’s story is as great as any of those shown on those six-foot screens. As we chatted, he told tales of chatting with Michael Tolkin, playing the keyboard in the Bay Area in a band for Doctor Loco, called Rocking Jalapenos. While playing for that band he crossed paths with a future poet laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera, and he backed his readings up musically, too—they’ve been performing together for 30 years. But his greatest story is his own success in starting the Los Angeles Review of Books.

“Starting this venture took 16-hour days, seven days a week, and a massive learning curve,” Lutz said. The founders and the volunteers had to learn how to build a website, fundraise, learn HR skills, do marketing, and the list goes on. At the end of all the labor, Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB) was born. Nowadays, this periodical is a star of literature on the West Coast, and it’s growing brighter as it adds a publishing house to its many literary accomplishments.

The acquisition of a small, experimental press Les Figues Press go them started, and they have now launched their own series like LARB Provocations, an imprint for political books, and LARB Classics, which reintroduces readers to West Coast books from the past, like a translation of a Mexican writer from early in the twentieth century, the earliest Latinx text ever published.

Readers can say another “Hello, how do you do,” to Edgar Rice Burrough’s work as they publish The Girl from Hollywood. Not to be outdone by the fiction selections, non-fiction and novellas will find a comfy

At Tiger’s Nest Monastery place to call home at LARB as well.

Lutz has come a far way from reading books while a sibling filled in on a chore, and his love for the written word has never waned. He can never be compared to

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An Artist’s Journey From 4 to 42 In Pictures and Verses

Life lessons gleaned from years of working to improve herself as an artist are condensed into this short, 36-page work designed for children of all ages.

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Tom Lutz (Cont.) the title of his American Book Award winning work from 2008, Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Slackers, and Bums in America. “There is a fundamental human pleasure when we accomplish something,” said Lutz. “When we build something, make something, make something happen.” He has done so much, one might think it was time to sit down his 14 different hats, give up the 16 hour days, accept a LARB Lifetime Achievement Award for his own accomplishments, and rest on the laurels of that Stanford education, but Lutz would disagree.

write more books about his travels. He has also taken up the torch on an issue every writer can get behind, that of, paying writers what they were paid historically. This poet turned temporary journalist can get behind that cause. So I say, “Please Mr. Lutz, run with that torch, and light more literary stars like you did as the founder of LARB. We will be watching the skies for your future literary luminaries.”

Lutz still wants to see every country in the world and

Get Your Tickets To The “Inspirational Women In Literature, Media, & Journalism” Awards/Conference!

March 16th from 12-3 PM at The Writer’s Centre in Bethesda, Maryland

Tickets are available by donation at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/inspirational-women-in-literature-media-journalism-awards-tickets-54333217115

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Education: The Way It Was Meant To Be

Author, Administrator, and Educator Anton Anthony discusses his thoughts on what it will take to turn the education system around based on his personal experiences and the results he’s been able to achieve while working in school districts all across the state of Georgia. Look for him on Amazon or on his website at www.authorantonanthony.com 86

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Founder’s Spotlight AITL Media

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Bonne Bartron

By Wilnona Marie

Not even a month later, a blow so much worse, Bonné’s mentor and close friend passed away.

Bonné was lost and after 7 years of living gig to gig, she decided to go back home to Colorado for a long Winter break. She kinda double over on the side of progress highway and put the brakes on the LA life. Anyone driving on an LA highway knows how that turns out. During the Christmas break, she

A flower atop a black hat is a all the introduction I needed when meeting Bonné she is the essence of personality. It’s her personality that got her to where she is. When one has an inner love for life it makes their dreams remain close even when they seem to flee faster than you gain ground.

Bonné moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion for cinema. Bonné was working interviewing bands in high school, while living on a military base in Stuttgart, Germany. She took various jobs behind and in front of the camera for local TV and BTS content for bands while attending CSU-Pueblo. After College she flew out to Los Angeles, leaving her family overseas, and landed her first feature film gig, as a PA, on a film starring Vincent Gallo and Sage Stallone. In the first year she moved into a house with five roommates in Beverly Hills and experienced 8 setbacks before her anniversary. It seems her car became an accident magnet.

Not a normal magnet, but the kind that attracted expensive cars. I guess that is a symptom of living amongst america’s wealthy and distracted. This did not stop her and her little car that could, every time she just patched it up and hit the 101 again. For six years she worked every crew position she could, on every film that would have her, and then took 7 months to go to Iraq and run the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation, pretty much put on events) for Troops stationed in Mosul.

Returning from Iraq, her rose colored glasses were rather scratched up. She focused on perfecting the very structured art of screenwriting, determined to find a way to translate her experiances for her fellows, people she realized she had an increasingly hard time relating to all of a sudden.

Working primarly as a Production Designer for everything from commercials, to web, to still, to indie film, she longed to get her own feature made, but she still had to pay her bills in a town where the bills are insaine. However, while juggling a crazy design schedule, she managed to put together a small team and raise a few hundred thousand dollars. However, as it does sometimes, the money went away before it was even released to production and not even one penny was spent.

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remet her current boyfriend, Influencer Kenny Boucher, and he talked her into moving to North Carolina with him.

One year went by and Bonné still grieved, she decided to stay out of film for a while. She worked a smattering of jobs in North Carolina, and realized how hard it was trying to survive on the hours and saleries most women like her were allotted. At one point she was juggling four jobs, working 7 days a week part-time at each. Then, she got a call, out of the blue, by a 1st AD she had worked with one time before.

He told her there was a movie about a girl, and a horse, and they needed a producer, would she be interested? Unsure, she asked to see the script and instead she was asked to write them one… in five days.

Bonné thought it was crazy, but agreed to try. Meeting with the owner of the ranch that inspired the film, and walking the grounds, she spoke with the real life people who’s lives had changed thanks to the work of one amazing woman, the ranch’s director. Once Bonné saw the importance of the mission behind the film, she dove in head first, and delivered her first draft 4 days later. The producers sent the script to a large test audience and it received very high praise, so the producers decided to greenlight it, and offered Bonné the position of director.

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25 Hottest Indie Bonne Bartron (cont.)

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Bonné realized that she had ran off to North Carolina to avoid her purpose and yet, it had come back knocking for her, even on the other side of the Country. She decided she was done running. She knew that her first movie would define her as a director, and she wanted it to be an introduction that would set the tone of her style, so she declined directing the picture. She and Kenny moved back to LA one month later, and she wrote and directed her short film called “Savage Lands” that helped her land her feature film currently in development with Intrinsic Value Films and financed through Tunnel Post. She also started working with Legendary TV writer, comedian and Showrunner Diane Burroughs and learned the subtleties of writing for series. She has a few pilots that are causing a stir right now, and one that’s casting.

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val to represent the film, but she didn’t know what to expect as far as distribution went. The other day she received an email from the distributor telling her the movie was in theaters.

I met Bonne interviewing her for Unbridled, but I got the feeling when she sat down in the chair I was coming over for a long promised but often delayed cocktail with a neighbor. As we caught up on a life and experiences we never shared. When I left her living room I was full of recipes for incredible soups, advice on how to run a show, a sense of self worth and accomplishment, but oddly a new appreciation for process of progress I had never seen in my own life. That is who Bonne is personality contained only by her cheery cherubic exterior and a sneaky wisdom you can only appreciate after Bonné heard that Unbridled was doing well in the festivals, meditating on her story, mixed in with humor. and even went to the wonderful Bentonville Film Festi-

Emily Dell Award-winning film director and screenwriter Emily Dell sees herself as the conduit between aspiration and execution, taking the creative raw materials of a script and bringing them to life onscreen. In the same way that a wedding is the final event that merges hearts and souls, hopes and dreams, making a film involves taking something from a very idea all the way through months of preparation, shooting, unexpected changes, wild personalities, to the final finished film.

Emily says, “A director must be a good communicator of their clear and consistent vision, because scenes are often shot out of sequence.” They are they ambassador between those creating the art on stage and those who are financing the film. Her secret is to break the movie down into pieces, focusing on how each individual element – from camera angles to props to background music – adds to the complete whole. This is also the way that films are shot, with many scenes out of sequence and re-assembled in the editing process. Her biggest note about managing the stress that comes with the directors’ seat is to be over prepared and always have a backup plan. She says, “Problems WILL come up unexpectantly.”

When most people think about a wedding, they remember the dress or handsome groomsmen. In reality, the ceremony is the end product of years of differences smoothed-out, numerous setbacks in the planning, and so many trials overcome. In this mess is a wedding planner, the equivalent of a director on a set. Emily has the invaluable job of directing along with all it’s woes, but like every good wedding planner she has an ace in her pocket that helps her merge the groom of creativity with the bride of practicality for an award-winning film on the screen.

Like a wedding planner entrusted with the end production of merging two lives into one in an over the top ceremony a director must find the practical inside the creative craziness and unexpected events that will pop up.

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Emily has written and directed films. I must say I like the way she explained her favorite type of movie. Her bio says she likes movies where people punch

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Unleash Your Full Potential Available on Amazon in eBook, paperback, and hardbound editions. $13.95 for the paperback.

5.0 out of 5 stars”Average People Don’t Achieve Great Things” May 19, 2017 Format: Hardcover This book has uplifted not just my mindset, but my very being.

It helped me to realize that accepting my purpose would free me from frustration and liberate me to the degree that I will find joy in life, despite my current surroundings. If you are questioning your purpose, wondering why it is you are always the one people call on, questioning why it is that you have such a hard time not being in a leadership role, then I HIGHLY recommend you read this book. You will come out feeling so encouraged, and so ready for the world and all it has to offer you. Most importantly, you will want to encourage others to reach their full potential also. I posted a snippet of chapter 3 to my IG page and received several DM’s from people wanting to know where they could get this book. If you are ready to step up in life, BUY!

The advice he wishes he’d received when he was working his way up after getting booted out of college, international model and successful entrepreneur Darren Taylor lays it all out on the line in his debut book: “Don’t Get Outworked.”

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each other in the face. Fortunately for her she got to shoot the short BATTLE which currently airs on Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network.

BATTLE involves an elaborate fight scene in a prison. She directed a set full of men. Some of the men were former gang members, and when I had to ask how that felt and she answered easily, “They respected the vision.” She explained the importance for the director to clearly understand the vision of the movie and have the support of the crew, DP, and those financing the project.

Her finest moments escorting the creative groom was writing for a screenplay. She learned “the good sh!t” in film and television, is when the artist connects with material on an emo-

creative spirit.

tion level. This makes the material authentic and real, even if it makes the artist feel uncomfortable. “It can’t be anything less than that,” she says. “I am closer to the material the deeper I go with the connection.” The hardest part for her creative writer self is the ability to recreate that feeling again.

This is where the technical bride comes into the picture with the staunch starched dress of perfection. Learning to reign in creativity and respecting the clients wishes was hard for Emily, but when she finally got the staunch starched line in between the two world she earned an Addy for her efforts. The commercial she directed for a healthcare company was more of a mini documentary than a commercial. She loved it and so did the judges of the ADDY. For those wondering what the wedding planner of a movie set wears to her big day prepare to be disappointed. The Addy was mailed to Emily, so she didn’t need to get dressed up. Although if she had she would have worn something that was true to herself and appropriate for the event. Is it sad that I’m hoping for her next award show she will wear a stunning designer dress?

Unlike most wedding planners, Emily doesn’t have to deal with the squabbling family dynamic on her set like most wedding planners. Emily Dell has been in Hollywood for a decade with her sister, Elizabeth, the ace in the pocket. Emily and Elizabeth work together just like the many brother teams in this town. This gave the duo a jumpstart in a town that depends on the collaborative process. Emily joked, “There is no entrance exam for Hollywood.” Therefore, it takes a while to put together the core pieces for a successful working team. The skill levels, personality, trustworthiness have to match for a good dynamic on any film.

The last quality, trust, was built into the core of the Dell sisters’ team. Emily explained the priceless skills her sister brings to their projects. Emily

When it comes time for her to take centerstage at awards ceremonies where she picks up the award in person she has a chat with the stylist and the makeup artist to make sure she looks astonishing but also still stays true to herself. Just like the films she directs there is a marriage of practicality and a

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Write YOur Book In 40 Days (Or Less!)

Learn to take your creative talents and package them for others to enjoy. Unlock the secrets to writing, editing, protecting, publishing, launching, marketing, and selling a book - and beyond.

Due out March 13, 2019 on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles

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brings the astounding writing, and directorial skills to complete the set. The movie B-Girl and Troubled Youth are examples of their work together. Although the two sisters complement each other they do just as well apart.

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less as Emily Dell or the Dell Sister Duo. I will say that buying a ticket to any Emily Dell film will always be an “I do” on my part.

The director’s chair, unlike the wedding planner’s sore feet in high heels, is not usually occupied by a woman. Recently, though, women have been filling director’s chairs and turning out amazing films.

Emily feels very optimistic about the roles of women directors in the future, because of the people addressing the underlying issues that have delayed this progress.

I really want to type an all capital the end here and put in the credits directed by the conversational interview of Emily Dell, but I am not a person who can marry the creative with the practical as seam-

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Cover Story AITL Media

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The One, The Only, Ghizela Rowe

By Louanna Helena It’s Sunday morning, so I’m writing. Some of us may be reading, brunching, or perhaps engaging in some spiritual or religious practice. However, based on our recent, enlightening, in-depth conversation, I’m pretty sure I know where Ghizela Rowe is. “On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me in bed,” she says, “contemplating whether to get out, take a walk, or perhaps go to an exercise class.” While she often opts to stay in, the rest of her week is filled with enough activity - two days of hip-hop dance classes, an evening of volunteering to take calls from teens at Childline, audiobook narrating and listening, and a host of other ventures - to warrant these, well earned, extra, weekend hours of rest. It goes without saying (at least for me) that this essential balance of work, play, rest, has helped Ghizela to sustain her over four-decade-long, prolific, media career.

Ghizela’s expansive career, which includes meeting and working with Oprah Winfrey, began quite humbly in the ’70s when she was a teenager spending what she describes as four years of total servitude with two “big cheeses” on a small, London-based music show for Italian TV. For her, it was fantastic and benefits included receiving free records, attending free gigs, and sitting in on lots of interviews with famous musicians like Led Zeppelin and Genesis.

For a while, the TV unions got a little tougher on job acquisition (you needed a union ticket to get a job and needed a job to get a ticket).

viously it aired on Ch 4 and ITV). She worked at the BBC as an entertainment reporter for a while, a job she had a lot of fun doing until about 2010, when she concentrated primarily on audiobooks, while occasionally continuing to work on media jobs.

One of these occasional jobs became her “claim to fame” and resulted in her working with Oprah Winfrey, who shot the first episode of her television series in London. Ghizela worked as the London producer, overseeing locations and crew, and shared that it was wonderful to not only work with but also to meet Oprah.

Though media is clearly the career where Ghizela has thrived, as early ten years old, she recalled having aspirations to become a lawyer. She shares, “I’ve always had this crazy, acute sense of fairness.” And while, “It’s not fair” is most children’s mantra at that age, when they felt somewhat slighted, Ghizela went past just hating when things were unfair and wanting to see justice done, to having an awareness, even at an early age, that there were a lot of people worse off than she was and wanting them to have what she felt they should - their rights.

However, as she became older, there was a sense that social justice was more of a concept rather than a reality and she admits, “It didn’t take long to see that justice seems divorced now from the ambitions of the law, and we all recognize now that there are too many people who are above the law.” And while Ghizela knows this realization can be somewhat depressing, she remains politically motivated, keeping in mind that, “Political is more personal.” To her, it matters that she smiles at the guy selling her the newspaper, and she is hopeful that with the internet and the advent of so much information and understanding of the world around us, we will be more acutely aware of other people’s situations. And while some may tout that charity begins at home, she holds true to the belief that we’re

But Ghizela managed to start working again, this time on ads and pop videos. However, her desire centered around wanting to work on documentaries, which she eventually got the chance to, with the advent of Channel 4 in the UK in the ’80s. Beginning as a production assistant, then a researcher, location and production manager, she worked her way to producer on a diverse range of documentaries, and still a few pop videos and ads.

One of her big breaks came as the opportunity to work as the event producer on the big UK awards show, MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards. Her work was televised live and aired on the BBC (pre-

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The One, The Only, Ghizela Rowe (Cont.) all one world, referencing Emma Lazarus’ famous quote also echoed by Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou and others, “Until we are all free, we are none of us free.”

While on the topic of famous quotes and people, I asked Ghizela whether there was anyone whom she admired, and while she admits that she does admire lots of “Spartacus-like” people who are courageous, sacrificial, unafraid to “stand up against” or poke their head above the parapet, so to speak, her true admiration is reserved for her husband, Freddie of 35 years, whose focus and ability to get on with things or “keep on keeping on” are sometimes enviable. If something needs to be done, he’ll just do it, whereas Ghizela admits that she’s the type of person that not only requires a deadline to complete things but also works up to the last minute of that deadline. “If it’s due at midnight, I’ll start at 11 pm; I would never dream of starting first thing in the morning.”

So while there may be some personal foibles Ghizela finds not as admirable or worldviews which they don’t necessarily share or agree on, overall Freddie remains a person she continues to admire. All this talk of personal shortcomings segues into a brief discussion on personal pet peeves, and the discovery that Ghizela has three main pet peeves, two of which she commits herself quite often. She confesses to interrupting and talking over people in conversations despite this being a major peeve of hers. And she’s also guilty of taking food from people’s plates (after asking of course). However, her biggest pet peeve is rudeness when it’s simply too easy to be polite.

Yes, we can all be occasionally thoughtless or distracted, but there’s never an excuse to be consistently and unnecessarily rude. That being said, it’s a bit difficult at times to be totally intolerant of others, and their perceived weakness or flaws, since she also admits to being an occasional “queue-jumper” herself.

When asked about her day-to-day routine, Ghizela thinks for a moment and realizes that besides being thankful and feeling a lot of gratitude daily there is not much else she does every day beyond essential practices. Being a lover of audiobooks and managing director at Audiobook Radio she does listen to audiobooks daily, primarily fiction since she finds that there are so many great fictional stories that define us as a human race and are central to who we are and how we evolve.

Our stories are hugely significant and important to share. Through fictional characters, we can learn much about the human condition and ourselves. Most days, however, she also keeps in touch with family (three grown-up children, a brother and a sister in different countries), and friends. At least weekly, she goes to the theatre, watches TV, gets online, plays chess, bridge,

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completes crosswords, sudoku, and does some form of exercise like yoga or her semiweekly hip-hop dance class, which she describes as the most fun she has on her feet. She also travels briefly monthly and takes at least one longer trip annually.

But something she is clearly passionate about is her weekly volunteer work with Childline, a counselling service for children and young people up to their 19th birthday in the United Kingdom. Provided by the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), the organization deals with any issue which causes distress or concern to children, commonly including child abuse, bullying, mental illness, parental separation or divorce, pregnancy, substance misuse, neglect, and psychological abuse. So just as surely as you’ll find her in bed on Sunday, Ghizela can be found every Thursday, along with other volunteers, communicating online and on the phone with callers 19 years and under, some of whom may be suicidal, considering other forms of self-harm due to abuse or other trauma in their lives, or who just need someone to talk to.

Her childhood ideals of fairness and social justice once again resurface as she shares her beliefs that it’s not easy being young and that many young people need more support and resources than they currently receive. Mental Health services are under-resourced, overtaxed, and as a result, are letting young people down. She continues, “In my day, even if kids were bullied at school, it ended when school was over, but now with social media 24/7, there’s no closing the door.” Continuously viewing false examples of how people lead their lives results in a constant battering of a young person’s own self-worth - not feeling pretty enough, able to make clever remarks, not being in the right places at the right times, not having so many friends, etc. So as long as they need her, Ghizela will continue to be there, at least four and a half hours every Thursday for this vulnerable age group, who hold a special place in her heart.

In addition to being an ongoing source of support for youth in her community, Ghizela’s goals this year include decluttering her life. A self-confessed “hoarder,” she mentions that a recent trip to the charity shop with four huge bags of items failed to even make a dent in her current possessions. So this year she’s committing to simply having less of everything, throwing or giving away as needed, not buying anything for a while and eventually having what would be considered “a regular amount of stuff.” She’d also like to quit smoking (at least for a while), and she’s looking forward to finally doing some creative writing. Her lifelong goals, however, are just to be loved and to have loved, to which

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she adds, “Love is the question, and love is the an- The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” She says it’s better than her motto, “Just chill, you know.” Because swer.” while she doesn’t like that somehow in the 21st century evAs she gets older, she is a lot less ambitious for herself erything has to be a joke, we don’t take anything seriously, and more so for her children, not the pageant-mom- and people who talk passionately or fervently about sometrying-to-live-vicariously-through-her-children type thing are often ridiculed, she equally dislikes people who of over-ambition, but rather she’d like to see all three take themselves or everything too seriously. In her opinion, of her children happy, in good relationships with “Life’s too random for that…” somebody she likes (or thinks she can love), with interesting, challenging work situations, and becoming overall “good people” she wants to hang out with.

Most importantly her goal would be to see them not just in a place she wants for them but that they want for themselves. So she would willingly give up some of her desires for theirs to have this happen.

And whether posthumously or just after exiting a room, Ghizela would most like to be remembered for her generosity, which she defines as being not just about giving money, but also about spreading love, adding, “Being generous with people is important with your knowledge and time.” She understands that superficially, we want others to think we’re incredibly interesting, compelling, and stunningly beautiful; however, Ghizela would also like to be known as being generous, kind, and loving.

These are three traits by which I definitely will remember her after our hour-long chat that I reluctantly bring to a close with one final question, “What is your personal motto?” Ghizela likes Dr Seuss’ “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

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Richminded Is About More Than The Money

Author and Entrepreneur Rashan Lawhorne discusses what it really takes to be Richminded and gives readers the keys to success, the keys to building wealth, and the keys to building an empire. Find him on Amazon or on his website: Richminded.net 106

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LaTausha Taylor By brandy m. miller

LaTausha Taylor is a special friend of mine, someone I met through a mutual Facebook friend. Like me, she was a teen mom. Like me, she is an artist who blends her business sense with her artistic sensibilities to deliver her work , and the work of those she represents, with an exceptional impact through her agency, On Point Entertainment. She took time out of her busy schedule to sit down and allow me to interview her.

How did you get started in the music industry?

Being a recording artist never was a true pursuit for me in the beginning. The first song I recorded was written by a friend of mine that needed a female’s voice on a record he wrote and was planning to record and release. I reluctantly agreed. It was my first time in a real studio with a professional engineer and producer. Somehow, I managed to deliver my verse on the first attempt and was provided with great feedback from everyone in the studio that heard the finished song.

How old were you when you got started?

I believe it started at birth. (lol) My love for music started very early in my life. I would always write out the lyrics to popular songs and recite them word for word when they played on the radio. In my early teens, I began writing poems and recording them over beats on answering machines. Ironically, my first real exposure came when I was 27 years old. I was a full-time student pursuing my Bachelors in Business Management and had a desire to pursue a career in Human Resources and/or become a sports agent.

What led you to pursue a career in music and entertainment?

Following the recording of my first song, and the positive feedback from disc jockeys, fellow artists and my engineer, it boosted my confidence and I began writing songs again. I continued to work with my friend “Lowdown” who was actively pursuing a career and it basically just continued from that point. I began performing shortly after and the response was favorable. I thought to myself...I could actually be great in this industry. Shortly after, I joined forces with a few other local female artists. Although short lived, it was impactful to my career. Once the group dismantled, I went on to start my record label, On Point Entertainment, and the rest is history.

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What are some of your biggest accomplishments in the industry?

My biggest accomplishments were expanding my business to the Music Publishing side and being the cover artist on several publications including The HYPE Magazine. I’ve also been covered in many other newspapers and blogs. I made a lot of progress in a short amount time just by being knowledgeable of the music industry and educating myself on how to properly run a label and music publishing company. I started getting a lot of calls from my peers asking for help or wanting to sign with my label, but I had enough artists already. So instead of turning them away, I actually started the consulting side of my company.

What were some of the biggest setbacks and challenges you faced?

Being a female artist/label owner created a lot of challenges for me in the beginning. The music industry is male-dominated and a very hard industry to break into without some form of endorsement from established male artists, DJs, and/or label owners. Gaining the respect of your male peers and being taken seriously came with a lot of obstacles.

After I signed several artists to the label, I decided to retire from being an artist and focus on being an executive. Managing the careers of others can also be challenging especially when you are trying to pursue the same career. The sacrifice would have some rewards and regrets. Other stumbling blocks came from having the financial resources needed to truly pursue a career as an artist and/or successfully run a record label. After spending thousands of dollars with no ROI, you begin to rethink your strategies.

What were some of the highlights from your career?

One of the highlights of my career was the first time I heard my song “I’m On Point” on the radio.

This record was one that I felt showed female artists in a different light and was a branding strategy to introduce the label to the world. It solidified me as a real artist as well as helped me secure my first paid show. Another highlight was being invited to attend the 25th Anniversary of Ruthless Records in California where I was given the “Artist Spotlight” section of a national magazine called “Urban Network Magazine” that hosted and sponsored the event.

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Let The Games Begin With

The Write Words

Your goal: Create the best story possible out of the cards played by each player after 10 rounds. Ideal for groups of 2-6 players, this fast-paced game will have you laughing and putting your creative imagination to the test. As long as you can read, you can play. 54 cards, virtually endless possibilities.

Great for parties, road trips, and while you’re waiting for the waiter to bring your meals. Use it solo to find inspiration when you’re stuck.

Available from The Game Crafter for just $15.99 https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/the-write-words 108

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Latausha TayloR (Cont.)

What made those moments particularly rewarding or spe- clients. cial?

Where do you envision your career going in the next Many artists struggle for years or their entire careers to do 5-10 years? both: Get a record played on the radio and receive compensation for performing. I was able to accomplish both with- In the next 5-10 years, I envision opening my corpoin the first 2 years of pursuing a career as a professional rate office in a more vibrant market for music and entertainment business like LA, New York or Atlanta. I songwriter/artist/performer. believe that being established on one of these markets will tremendously enhance my ability to reach more What did you learn from those challenges? established clients, network with tastemakers, secure Those challenges helped me focus my strategy from being additional funding for projects and further position me an artist to becoming one of the first female owned labels to achieve greatness in the work I provide my clients. in my city to “make it”. I saw the necessity to change the I would also like to write some eBooks on industry-reperspective of a male-dominated industry that didn’t value lated topics to help further solidify On Point Entertainmy position as the boss with a lot of male clientele using ment as a leader in the industry and more credibility as my services. I learned that in order to be successful you a Brand Consultant/Management firm. had to not only have a quality product, but you had to establish your brand on a high level and be consistent on the Two of my newest clients just happen to be my own level of excellence displayed everywhere you went. I start- sons. Tyrell,18, is a full-time student at the University ed traveling outside of my city to more markets and that of Alabama Birmingham and will soon launch his own really opened my brand to the industry at large. I person- clothing line called “B-Yond Flyy!” Tre-Von, 20, is a ally funded my projects and those of my artists which also full-time student/athlete at Alabama A&M University, he is actively pursuing a career as a recording/performhelped establish credibility with industry tastemakers. ing artist and will record his first EP during the summer Where are you now in your music and entertainment ca- of 2019. They by far, are my greatest projects to date! I reer? am very excited about working with them establish their brands and look forward to what we will accomplish as After a long, 15-year career in the music and entertainment a family with these ventures over the next 5-10 years. industry, I am more focused on the Branding and Publishing side more so than managing artists or running a record What is your ultimate goal for your career? label. I am now more involved on the overall branding aspect of my client’s careers and have been able to represent My ultimate goal is to help others achieve their goals not only artists, but corporate clients that want to integrate and dreams in the music and entertainment industry. I their products, services and brands into the entertainment would love to be a part of someone’s journey to secure sector. I also do voiceover work for large corporations a major record label deal or be signed as an act on a which give me my studio fix. In addition, I have been able world tour. In addition, I want to one day become the to diversify my service offerings to include being a brand premier brand consulting firm catering to those who ambassador, concert promoter, event planner and speak- want to penetrate the industry with their music, service er on panels at various conferences and educational plat- and/or brands. Having a client based on A-Listers is my ultimate goal. forms.

Why have you chosen to pursue this particular path?

The desire to build wealth for generations and knowing that there are many streams of income that are generating in this billion-dollar industry is the main reason for the shift in my career path. The goal was to always to make money, however, as an artist, until you “make it” there’s more spending money than making it. Along the way, I graduated from college with a Master of Science in Business Management and later graduated Valedictorian with an Entertainment Business Master of Science from Full Sail University. Adding my credentials with my long history of experience quite naturally changed the course of my career and made me more of an asset to new and existing

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What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in the industry?

Learn the business as much as possible for yourself and do not depend on any one to run your business for you.

With the increase in social media platforms and degree programs specifically in the entertainment business, it is easier to be self-sufficient as an independent artist than it is to spend years looking for a record label. In addition, by understanding that this is a “business” and you must have a budget in place to handle the business appropriately.

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Dynamic Duos These people are so dynamic together one article couldn’t contain them. So, we gave them their own separate articles.

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Duo: Kevin & Kenneth Kevin, aka K.G. Bethlehem

By Roger Barton Kevin is a man of many occupations. On the day of the interview, he was out for a run amidst the leafy streets of Washington D.C. I managed to pin him down and answer some questions about how he spent his time. The session on Messenger went something like this: Roger: What are you main writing interests?

Kevin: I indulge myself in sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian/ anti utopian fiction. These genres allow me to express my innermost exotic ideas and indulge a world where just about anything is possible.

I never explored with Kevin how he came to be so excited by sci-fi, or to explain his techniques of exploring ‘anti utopian fiction’. As we talked/discussed, I began to realize there were many fascinating qualities about Kevin, and wanted to find out more about what these are.

Roger: These are sentiments held by most sci-fi enthusiasts. When you are away from this genre, what other writing subjects interest you?

Kevin: At the start of the 2000s, I began writing poetry.

Also fiction away from sci-fi, started to interest me. I found it good for the soul.

It was at this point I began to realize, Kevin was not only a deep thinker, but also had a very practical inclination

to involve a wide audience in his writing and his views on the world.

While Kevin worked for ‘Some Unique Magazine’ he spread his message far and wide through radio interviews. This included such shows as Books Jazz Coffee and Smoke; Red River Radio. The list goes on with several more!

Roger: Outside of writing, what activities do you get involved in?

Kevin: I have covered protest marches in Washington DC, Women’s March, Black Lives Matter, anti-war, and various movements. Also I have conducted a considerable number of interviews with authors, artists, singer’s local politicians and activists. I have followers on Facebook and Wordpress.

By now, I was beginning to get the full impact of the institutions Kevin was involved with. These were wide to say the least. He is a man who is determined to get his message across and speak out about concerns very close to his heart.

The discussion could have gone on for much longer.

Kevin has a degree of modesty about what he does. It’s only by getting to know him does the range of his interests come across. However, back to his writing. No book signings in the pipeline, but an author event at the second annual St Louis invitational show is being attended in February 2019.

In summary, this was an interesting discussion with a person who has a lot of talents. I believe the readers will be hearing more of Kevin over the coming years.

Kenneth, Aka F. Kenneth Taylor

By Wilnona Marie Kenneth’s life is a whirlwind of activity. When we finally How did you meet Kevin? managed to connect, this interview was the result.

Me & Kevin (KG Bethlehem) met in 4th grade & have What made you want to start a magazine? known each other over 30yrs. That’s my brother from another mother, literally.

I started Some’n Unique Magazine after being frustrated with editors for two previous online mags I had written for... What’s a typical day like for you?

I said “screw it, I’ll start my own” and that’s what I did.

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Kenneth, Aka F. Kenneth Taylor (Cont.)

A typical day for me is hectic... Very hectic. A million and one things always have to be done.

I have several favorite pieces I like to perform, “Times We Live In”, “Seconds,” “Apply Here,” “Fallen Poet”, “I’m Still Here,” because I feel I really connect with the audience with those pieces.

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?

What books have you written and what are they about?

Art. I paint & draw. I have my own Exhibition coming up in January.

When you started writing did you think you would have such an impact?

No, I did not realize how far I would go with writing when I first started, but I don’t feel like I’ve had a huge impact... I’ve just done a little more than I expected.

I’ve written & published too many books (7 total) to list & describe each one, but you can visit my author page on Amazon at the link below. https:// www.amazon.com/-/e/B06XPX81HT What’s a goal you have for yourself that you want to accomplish in the next year?

Next year goal is to become fully self-employed (again) through Some’n Unique Magazine LLC, my books, and my art.

What advice would you give to beginning authors?

Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Be determined, confident, headstrong. Don’t take shortcuts, and don’t be discouraged by critics.

Remember when I was 10 years old? I can’t remember everything I did last week. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up.

You have collaborated for your radio show for many years, what is that like?

When you started writing what did you want to accomplish? Have you done it?

I’ve accomplished some of the things I wanted to when I started writing, but I’m still not where I wanted to be What was it like the first time you performed your Poetry?

The first time I performed poetry? I don’t know, because I actually started in the late 90s, but left the scene until this year.

But I’ve reached a level that I hadn’t anticipated. I was paid to feature at an open mic last night -- Never thought I would get paid to perform poetry.

How do you want people to remember you?

I just want people to remember me for being “me.”

Do you have a favorite piece to perform? What do you feel it says to the audience? Why is it your favorite?

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Me & Kevin did the BlogTalkShow (“Books Jazz Coffee & Smoke”) for about 2yrs before we ended it & started separate shows. But it was great, we had some really good shows & guests including Jade & Wilnona!

Why did you start the spoken word nights?

You mean, the “Poetic Vibez” open mic? Originally, it was to be an extension of Some’n Unique Magazine to help get the mag’s name known locally... Now, it has its own identity & I’ve met some really talented poets through it.

How do you feel about being part of the dynaminc duo for 2019?

How do I feel about making the list? Excellent!

What would be your personal motto?

“You only live once... do what you want while you can”

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Duo: Ruby & Jamie R uby Singleton Blakeney B Y M y

vonne

ason

Photo Credit David Hartcorn

I had the honor to interview a wonderful woman by the name of Ruby Singleton Blakeney. The interview was not the standard interview as that is not what I do.

It was a conversation between two instant friends and sisters from the deep south.

This woman is not only a beautiful old soul, she is a beautiful woman in the 21st century who has ris-

en to the top of the heap because she could.

Ruby was born in South Carolina to a mother who only had a fifth-grade education, but she was the smartest woman that Ruby has ever known. This wonderful, smart woman along with her dad raised eight children including Ruby. Even though they were poor Ruby never knew it. Ruby’s mother & father gave her a compass that Ruby has used throughout her entire life.

Ruby’s mother’s back story is a story of success within itself.

But we shall save that for a later time. Suffice to say Ruby took her mother’s life lessons and created a success story of her own.

Ruby left rural South Carolina and moved to the bustling city of New York. There she started her path of purpose only at the time she was not aware of that path. After a marriage that was less than steller, she divorced her husband, moved to Maryland and founded the Foundation titled Life After Divorce. The purpose of this foundation was to teach women who had been married and divorced with no life skills like balancing a checkbook, signing a contract and other things they needed to learn in order to grow as women and to become successful in their own right. Ruby told me in our interview that she founded this great foundation in honor of her mother. What an honor and tribute to her mother.

out art, we would have not history or present or future. I agree with her.

Her passion for art started out as a hobby and has morphed into making her one of the most respected women in the art world. She has the backs of the artists she represents. That is also quite an honor.

One of the artists listed on her gallery is a gentleman by the name of David Sanders. The back story of this artist is he was at one time her art teacher in school. He was her inspiration, mentor and friend. His philosophy is “Creating art is like a religion, both are faith based and driven by ritual.” This can be said of Ruby. She is driven by ritual. She believes that Art builds bridges and creates beginnings.

As I talked to Ruby the time flew by. What was meant to be a short interview turned into an almost two-hour conversation about our love of art, women, independence and life in general.

She has inspired me even more than I was inspired. I know she will inspire each of you. She is a force of nature. A wonderful, successful, independent, funny, beautiful woman who is not afraid to shine, to succeed, to share her success, to inspire and to mentor.

Ruby has not allowed her past experiences to be her hitching post. She has used them as her guidepost to be successful. I want to be her when I grow up.

To find out more about the beautiful woman you can find her here: http://www.thegallerydart. com/ https://www.lifeafterdivorce.foundation/home/ organization/

Ruby was not content to sit on those laurels, so she started her own art gallery. This art gallery is a virtual art gallery where she highlights artists, she consults, buys and sells and just sets the art world on fire. She is of the mind set that our entire world consists of art from the couch we sit on to the painting we hang on the wall. Without art we would not understand our history or the things that transpired before us. Her philosophy is with-

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Jamie M. Kizer

By Yvonne Mason Have you ever just been blown away by a conversation? I know that question might appear silly on the surface however, it has meaning. I just finished an interview with a woman who not only has her own selfworth, self-confidence and understanding of just how empowered she is as a woman, but she knows without a doubt that her purpose and her journey is to share and mentor other women how to have those same skills.

Jamie M. Kizer is a successful entrepreneur, she is also a not so successful one. However, the journey with the pitfalls, the face plants and the “failures” have caused her to pick herself up, dust herself off and start over. She lives by the code of it does not matter how many times you fall, it matters how many times you get back up and move forward, leaving all the baggage in the past.

Jamie teaches women how not to “Get stuck in their own head.” By this she is saying, do not allow the enemies of self-doubt, lack of selfworth and lack of self confidence over ride the successful woman that is within you. She teaches women how to own their poor choices, how to make them a guide post not something to carry around like a ball and chain, holding them back from being all they can be.

From Jamie’s own life experiences, she teaches through wisdom about how to surround oneself with women of like minds, who chose to inspire, aspire and lift up as opposed to tearing down and beating down. Part of that process is teaching women how to ask for help.

Because as we all know most of us as women believe that we can do it all without help of any kind. We have been taught either consciously

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or unconsciously that in order to be successful we don’t have to ask for help because if we do, we are a failure. Jamie dispels that myth and shows women how much stronger, wiser and more successful they become in not only their professional life but in their personal life as well when they can learn it is okay to accept help.

Jamie has traveled this path in the past.

Her purpose is to help women take a different path. One that is filled with the empowerment they have within themselves. She teaches women that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with and that toxic people create a toxic environment which in turns creates disaster. Jamie believes in surrounding ourselves with people who do not judge, minimize, or doubts us.

Those traits are so destructive.

Jamie has taken her skill set to a new level.

She teaches mothers, daughters and sisters how to succeed with their relationships in business so that the business thrives and succeeds, and the personal relationship leaves a legacy of love for down the road when memories are what sustains those left behind. She uses the same skills that she has learned in her own life working with her daughter.

Jamie M Kizer is a force of nature, a woman I would want in my corner on my darkest day and on my brightest day.

Check out her website http://mothersanddaughtersinbusiness.com/ Her new website jamiemkizer.com is being rebranded and will be up and running soon.

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Indie Influencers

These people have supported the creatives from the background. They have fought for them, been the shoulders to cry on, and the advocate for the arts.

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Karen Pyne Masterman

By Elaine Chissick Hello there. I’m Elaine Chissick, UK based self-published author of fiction novels, Ties That Bind, and Ties That Harm. Today I’ve been chatting with Karen Pyne Masterman, who runs her own corner of heaven in the shape of an independent bookstore in Ipswich, a small town in Queensland, Australia.

Elaine: Hi, Karen, thanks for chatting with me today. My first question has to be, what made you decide to open your own bookstore?

Karen: I’ve always had a deep love of books and reading. My partner had been involved with bookshops in Brisbane for many years and we identified a demand in the Ipswich area so we went for it.

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can you tell us why it’s your favourite?

Karen: It’s a book that I read when very young and it has stayed with me all my life. It’s a very touching story of Eleanor, and it really imparts the feeling that no matter how difficult life can be there is always something great to be found if you keep moving through the difficult times.

Elaine: And lastly, a little bit about yourself Karen: Not much to tell, really. I’m a Mum of four children all with their unique special needs who continue to bring love and laughter into my life.

I’ve worked in The Royal Australian Air Force for 29 years, the last 9 as a reservist. I discharged to provide my children with a stable home and school life. My partner has three lovely children and two grandchildren. Life isn’t easy but it is always worth getting up for each day and giving it my best shot.

Elaine: As an independent bookstore, do you stock many indie We have known each other since were 15 years old and went to school together, and have been and self-published authors? life long friends since. Life brought us together Karen: At the moment we stock 25 indie and self-published au- after we had both experienced break down in thors. We have quite a few others who want us to stock their marriage, and we’re lucky enough to be running our own book shop and helping Indie writers to books when they have them ready to go and printed. achieve their dreams whilst achieving our own.

Elaine: Do you hold reading groups and get-togethers at your In my spare time I breed budgerigars and do a bookstore? lot of crochet, most of which I donate to families Karen: Every three months or so we hold seminars for budding doing it tough or to the local hospital for premwriters covering the intricacies of self-publishing. Everything mie babies. In fact we have a small but dedicatfrom the writing process, researching and construction through ed group of crocheters who meet upstairs in our to designing a cover, getting your work printed and marketing shop the last Tuesday of every month. techniques. These talks are given by local indie writers who have Reading-wise I’ve been getting into some good done the hard yards and horror and true crime over the last few months, whose results speak for these are my favourite genres. themselves.

Karen and Tony’s bookstore, Crossroads Books, Elaine: Which genre is your can be found at 1 Bell Street, 4305 Ipswich, biggest seller?

Queensland, Australia. If you’re ever in the area, pop in, say hello, and take a minute to pick up a Karen: Fantasy is the bigbook and maybe make a new friend too. gest seller; although mystery and autobiography are also popular.

Elaine: What advice would you give to self-published authors about getting their paperbacks into bookstores?

Karen: Have confidence in your work and be persistent. Think outside the square when marketing and don’t offer your work for free to a mass audience.

Elaine: Not My Will by Francene Arnold is your favourite book,

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Alex Czuleger

By Janice F Booth “It’s a privilege to do something that’s not only interesting, but enjoyable, and also makes you money,” notes Alex.

That “something” he does is manage aspiring and successful artists. Alex Czuleger is the founder and principal of The Green Room, a talent management agency based in Los Angeles, California – where

providing the experience gained from working with artists who have made it in the Business. He thinks of himself as a “professional fan,” who recognizes the strength and potential of an actor and provides specific opportunities for career advancement Arrogance and lack of personal motivation are red flags that warn Alex not to take on a client. The quality most vital for an artist-manager relationship is trust – with the manager serving as friend and confidant for the artists.

Alex is an idealist. “Avoiding cynicism is a major part of my mindset,” He comes from an artistic and civic-minded family. His brother, Eric, served in the Peace Corps and is a writer. His father has been a Los Angeles County Judge for over 33 years. And his mother is a successful novelist of over 40 blockbuster else? https://www.facebook.com/thegreenroomlosangeles/ novels; her pen name is Rebecca Forster. As an asAlex could be a movie star himself, with his dark good looks tute observer of humanity, Ms. Forster offers these and trim physique. He demands a lot of himself in order to insights on her son’s career: achieve his goals. In his down time Alex reduces maintains his focus by hiking the countryside and swimming off the “The one thing that struck me about his path to succoast. cess was how detailed his vision was even as a college student. He didn’t simply want to just represent acExactly what is Alex’s focus? People. He got his start as a tal- tors, he wanted to create a business that was based ent manager with the renowned Endeavor Agency Mailroom on creativity, honor, and honesty where actors could in Beverly Hills. From 2008-2009, he worked with big name feel cared for and nurtured. He never wavered from stars and acquired the skills and insights about managing an that vision – even when times were tough. The Green artist’s career. Now, he offers his expertise to his own clients Room embodies those qualities. I suppose the path with The Green Room. Alex and his staff are always looking to success for anyone is to have a plan. He [Alex] had for talented creatives whose careers are ready to take off and it, he executed it, and he will continue to serve his who need some experienced support to make that last leap clients in the best possible way.” toward stardom. “I’m not an agent,” notes Alex. He points out that agents primary focus is to negotiate contracts and The Green Room, located on Hollywood Boulevard in salaries.

LA, not only serves the agency’s clients, it also reaches out to engage the community. Once a month the Talent managers like Alex guide and encourage their artists, The Green Room hosts a Sunday morning for a community coffee. “It’s a way to meet people and make new friends as well as support the local businesses and institutions in our neighborhood,” notes Alex.

“It’s

a privilege to do some-

thing that’s not only interesting, but enjoyable, and also makes you money.”

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Amy Lyndon and have to work three jobs to maintain the cost of living in LA while looking for acting jobs.”

BY Wilnona Marie Echoing in the ears of many a young person heading out the door to pursue their dream in acting are the doubts a parent or guardian has about a stable job.

Amy Lyndon didn’t have that problem, in fact as soon as she graduated college she moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. This wasn’t a split-second decision. She knew that she was an actress at age ten.

It didn’t hurt that her uncle was the executive producer of “Rocky.” It could be said it was in the genes. She didn’t rely on the stardom in her DNA. Lyndon put in the work, studying at The Neighborhood Playhouse at 16, at 17 Shakespeare in London, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University, Stella Adler, Harry Mastrogeorge and many more of the best teachers in the business.

One would think she was armed to the teeth with expertise and ready to blitz Hollywood with what her genes did give her, bombshell looks. She recalls, “I still wasn’t booking jobs.

All the acting training in the world doesn’t prepare you to book a job.”

Lyndon solved the problem by founding her own Technique, “The Lyndon Technique: The 15 Guideline Map To Booking.” She gathered everything she had observed in all those auditions, analyzed them and solved the problem of getting booked. The highlights of her career would include five movies for Liongate, Guest Stars on NCIS, Law and Order: LA, Ugly Betty, JAG, 5 Soap Operas, and over 100 IMDB credits to her name. If you get her started talking about whom she has worked with you get a little starry eyed.

Lyndon is so humble about her successes in fact she says her main focus is to help actors cut down the frustration of pursing their dreams. “Many actors move out to LA and by the time they figure out how to put together their marketing package and get their team of representatives, they run out of money

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Lyndon’s legacy is to assist as many actors around the world to learn how to book acting jobs. When Lyndon isn’t teaching her classes in Los Angeles or coaching actors on their auditions and business packages, she travels around the globe teaching her Technique. To date, “The Lyndon Technique” has turned out 48 Network Series Regulars, an Emmy Winner, an Imagen Award Winner and 1000’s of actors working around the globe.

Lyndon stars in her own show on YouTube called “The Lyndon Experience.” She says, “Shooting the show gives me pure joy. Every episode is fun and I get to work with amazingly talented people.” Lyndon is shooting season 3 of her show and says, “I don’t shoot the show to build a following. I shoot it to enjoy the process.” Happily I can report that “The Lyndon Experience” is gaining momentum and getting bigger every day. The Season 3 line up includes Antonio Dixon a multi-platinum Grammy Award Winning Producer and NFL player Anthony Henry.

Directing is one of Lyndon’s hidden talents. Her film “Odessa” won a multitude of awards on the festival circuit. It was honored by African-American Women’s Film Festival, which screened the film at The Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem. The late great Yolanda King, Martin Luther King Jr’s eldest daughter played “Odessa” and she was able to fulfill a life long dream of starring in a film.

Lyndon said, “A huge honor of creating “Odessa” was standing in line and hearing everyone’s personal stories of how the King family had positively influenced their lives. Happily, the film did so well, a production company picked it up and now the feature film version is in development.

Though her many experiences have been packed in a short time in Los Angeles, she values her late manager Rachel Kae above most. Lyndon will always remember how Rachel went to bat for her time and time again and never ever stopped push-

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25 Hottest Indie Amy Lyndon (Cont.)

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ing for her. She prays that everyone that moves out to LA for an acting career finds someone that believes in their talent.

Official Site: http://thelyndontechnique.com

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Tour Site: http://amylyndon.com Facebook: Levine

https://www.facebook.com/AmyLyndon-

IG & Twitter @amylyndon

Business and Booking Site: http://theactorstoolbox.net

Map Your Path To The Stars!

Get your copy of The Lyndon Technique on Amazon Today for just $14.95

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Margie Singleton

BY Brandy M Miller Eighty-three-yearold Margie Singleton began writing and singing music in her teens. “I wanted to sing all my life and I bought myself a little Martin guitar and started writing songs.” At that time, the Louisiana Hayride a stage show that was broadcast on radio and later on television, was very popular. Margie began attending regularly.

“I kept going up to the Louisiana Hayride and meeting everybody and talking to them. A young man named Benny Barnes, who had a hit record at that time, listened to one of my songs and wanted to record it. It was a song called ‘Mine, All Mine’.

He was going to Houston to record with Pappy Daily, who was head of Starday Records at that time. He got Pappy to listen to me and he did my first session that night.”

That first recording led to a career that would last over seven decades and two husbands. “After the Hayride, I went to the Jubilee USA, which was in Springfield, Missouri, and appeared on the Red Foley Show. It was the first televised country music show and it was on the ABC network. That was quite an honor to get to be on that show.”

She and her first husband, Shelby Singleton, would then move to Nashville where she had an opportunity to work with George Jones.

The two would record several hit records together including “Hangin’ On” and “Four O’Clock.” They toured, wrote music, and sang together for the next 48 years until Leon’s death in 2013. The loss of Leon devastated Margie and seemed to mark the end of her music career.

“When he passed away in 2013, I almost died with him. I didn’t want to sing anymore, I didn’t want to do anything anymore, because I didn’t care. I was just lost. But God picked me up, gave me songs for an album that I recorded. It was called ‘On The Other Side of Life.’ Since God gave me those songs, I had to ask him, “Now I’ve got them, what am I going to do with all them?’ In my subconscious mind, which was God speaking, ‘Get up out of the doldrum that you’re in and go out and get the album ready and put it out on YouTube and Facebook and CD Baby. And I did, and it’s done pretty well.”

“I was the first woman to do a full album with George Jones, which I am so proud of.” She recorded 14 sides with George, two of which she wrote. One of the songs on the album was “The Waltz of the Angels,” written by Wynn Stewart, which has been recorded since numerous times and still gets a lot of play on the country music stations. In 1963, she reached top 10 on the charts for her single, “Old Records.” She also did a duet with Farron Young entitled “Keeping Up With The Joneses.”

Unfortunately, her marriage to Shelby Singleton failed in 1965. Shortly after her divorce, she would remarry to Leon Ashley. Leon was an extremely talented artist. He was the first person in the music industry to write, record, produce, publish, and promote his recording to the top of the charts which

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he put out on his own label, Ashley Records. with his hit single ‘Laura (What’s He Got That I Ain’t Got?).’

“I was researching the other night the many people have recorded Laura, and over 30 artists have recorded it, including Kenny Rogers, Tom Jones, and Marty Robbins. It’s been a big record through the years. I am proud of him, and I don’t want to let his memory die, because he left huge tracks. I think he’s the only person who ever did that. We did it all. It became such a huge record that it was too much for Ashley Records to manage, so Leon leased it to RCA Records.”

Since then, she’s spent her time doing shows and recordings, including a rewrite of a song she wrote in the early 1960’s called “Jesus Is My Pusher.”

“I wrote it 50 years ago, but last year I added a verse to it and put a new arrangement with it. It has been well received.”

Her most recent song, “Heaven or Hell,” was written at the request of her associate pastor, Kent Riddle.

“When he asked me to write this song, I didn’t know where to go, I didn’t know what to do. I asked God to just help me on it and he flooded it down on me.

I listen to the lyrics of that song, and I’m amazed. I don’t even remember writing it. I put it down on pa-

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25 Hottest Indie margie

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Singleton (Cont.)

per. I couldn’t tell you when it started or when I ended it.

But it all happened to just be there. I know it came from God and He wants this song to be heard to save souls because it’s a graphic description of what Hell is. There have been people who have been saved upon hearing it. I played a little church last Sunday, and the week before, a friend of mine took it to his pastor and they played it and this young man came to the Lord after hearing ‘Heaven or Hell.’ “ The song has been nominated for numerous awards including Virtual Gospel Music Awards Song of the Year.

It is now number 25 in the top 40 Indie World Charts.

Her advice to those who are interested in getting into the music industry as an independent is this: “If you feel that you have that talent, you can bring it to whmoever you can get to listen to you. Just be ready to be knocked down several times. All of us have been knocked down from time to time. For instance, there’s a group, a husband and wife, ‘Too Country For Nashville’ they call

themselves. They came to Nashville with great hopes.

They didn’t have that name then but they changed it to that, I think, because everybody told them they were too country for Nashville and they would never make it.

They’re just an awesome duo.

They didn’t let it stop them. They just kept pushing and kept singing everywhere they could. That’s what I tell everybody. Just sing everywhere you can get an opportunity, try to get your foot in the door with the powers that be, which is not easy. Just hang out everywhere you can where the people are that are in the business. And if you’re good, they’re going to maybe hear you and put you up on that first rung of the ladder, and then you just climb on up wherever you can meet somebody to help you up.”

In closing, Margie’s career is currently making history with as video and cd of Heaven or Hill continues to rise in the charts and win awards.

for more of margie singleton’s music, visit http://www.margiesingletonmusic.com/ AITL Media

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Tonya Todd

BY Kerry Evelyn

believe the Ladies are part angels, part connectors.

It was only a few minutes into the interview when I realized it had to have been an orchestrated Godwink Tonya Todd is changing the from above. Tonya was the exact person on that exact world. day that I needed to advise me and provide encourThe Sin City actor/artist/au- agement on my own current project. thor/humanitarian realized Tonya draws inspiration from excellent art. Musione day that life offered more cal scores, especially, inspire her to create more of than the daily grind of 9-5. So it. She’s also seeking bigger and more challenging what did she do? She shed her roles to portray. This winter, she’s performing with job to become an actor and the Bard at the Bar, a troupe of actors and artists hasn’t looked back since. This who interpret Shakespeare for modern audiences. rising star in the Las Vegas You can find more info at their website https://theart scene has not only built bard-at-thebar.com. She portrays Navy Petty Officer

2nd Class Serenity de los Reyes in the exciting new an impressive resume of accomplishments since then, but a production, “The Oath: Outbreak,” an end-of-days compelling list of goals and projects still to come. I’m certain action drama written by newcomer Ramiro Avendashe’ll achieve every one. no, starring Tony Todd (no relation).

“No matter how tough the road, or how long the journey, the only way to get where you want to be is to keep moving.” She likens herself to a shark, whose survival options are to keep moving or die. She’s navigates the new waters with an open heart and novelist eye.

Born in Pennsylvania, Tonya moved to Las Vegas at age three. She became a voracious reader early on, but was disappointed that her favorite adventures and stories didn’t feature any characters that looked like her. She describes herself as half black, a quarter Hungarian, and a quarter western European. She is stunningly beautiful, both inside and out, and wants young girls to know that no matter what your heritage, you are beautiful and important, and you should be never be marginalized.

So she wrote a book of her own, with characters that reflect her world and the real one we all live in. What began as fan fiction quickly morphed into a four-book saga and packs a powerful punch of romance, life experience, and Austen.

Imagine Loki as Mr. Darcy in a contemporary Pride & Prejudice, and that’s just where the fun begins! She’s currently searching for an agent who will recognize her story’s potential impact and champion her work.

Tonya has faith God is looking out for her. It is evident in the manifestations she has experienced. In the last two years, doors have opened for her that she’d never imagined as she worked her vision. A research trip to London, for example, impacted the direction of the characters both in her manuscript and her own life, and she absorbed the changes with grace and determination. An out of the blue email through her website led to her And I Thought Ladies connections.

“Jade and Wilnona told me ‘Don’t close doors on yourself.

There are plenty of people to close them for you.’”

Don’t I know it! We had a short discussion about how we

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Tonya’s humanitarian efforts aim to remove focus from the marginalization of underrepresented characters and the rehashing tropes about overcoming diversity. She explains that many agents, publishers, and producers limit available roles to stereotypes and tokens, and that it’s still not a fair playing field if opportunities are limited to monumental issues. For example, “Not every gay story has to be about coming out. We all experience life problems that are not related to our race, gender, or sexual orientation.”

As Education Chair of the Henderson Writers’ Group this year, she’ll focus on bringing the most useful and informative presentations to the writing community, connecting creatives, and promoting the development of one’s craft. One of her goals will be to adjust the budget to pay for speakers of marginalized backgrounds. Often, groups expect diverse speakers to present for free, and many do in order to get their message out. “But that’s just adding to the problem,” Tonya says. “They deserve to be paid, just like everyone else.” She’s also working on assembling a diversity panel for the group, to encourage and inspire inclusivity and empathy in their future writings.

Tonya posts weekly on her blog, Sin City Cinephile, at her website www.MsTonyaTodd.com and is fast becoming a regular on James Kelly’s Aspects of Writing, a radio show featuring all facets of writing, from inspiration to publication.

You can find Tonya in March at the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) Conference in Portland, and at the Las Vegas Writers Conference in May. She’s on IMDB, Facebook, and Twitter and Instagram @MsTonyaTodd.

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From the Top To the Bottom

Basketball was his dream until the dream became a nightmare and he found himself on the streets, mixed up with the wrong crowd, heading the wrong direction.

Former Los Angeles Lakers free agent, Isaac “Ike-Moe� Williams tells his tale of reaching the top only to land at the bottom and the perilous climb back up.

Available on Amazon for $19.99

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Deanna Pomitcher

BY Jade Dee The hustle and bustle behind the scenes of a set can be akin to a hive. You have producers, directors, camera men and the talent all trying to get to where they need to be for the best shot.

Imagine that this entire crew was under your control and it was mobile in a place where you can’t control the variables.

Now add to this job the stresses of holding down a full-time job and raising children. Are you tired yet?

Deanna Pomitcher has all those job titles. She shares the load with Sage Ia and Garret Pomitcher on set. The three of them produce edit and shoot the Hangin’ With Web show.

Their show has thousands upon thousands of watchers on You Tube and thousands of listeners on their radio shows.

Their show is a quality family friendly show about artist who are on the cusp of mainstream. Although if you are a sci-fi fans you will know the major actors, actresses, writers and producers they have interviewed. I watch their show and find myself envious of the guest they get to interview. This describes what you can see as the final product. In essence the audience sees the honey with its golden texture and sweet taste.

Bio: “Deanna Marie:” was born Deanna Marie Taverna in Rome New York in 1969. She and her family moved to Sandy, Utah, where she spent her teen years and graduated from Jordan High School. Deanna is a proud Beet Digger alumnus. After moving back to upstate New York, she attended the Utica School of Commerce and graduated at the top of her business class with a specialty in office technologies.

Deanna worked as a receptionist and secretary for Murray’s Paving Company, Inc., based in Whitesboro, New York.

as the show’s primary merchandizing, advertising and marketing executive director.

Questions and Ansers: 1.) You are the behind the scenes person for the Hangin’ With Web Show. What does that entail?

As the primary business manager for the Hangin With Web Show, I am fortunate to handle the dayto-day business of the show. I select and order merchandise for sale at our many events and through our internet store, I set advertising rates and track purchases and invoices with the help of our Creative relations director, Sage Ia, and I act as the on site assistant to our host and producer, GW Pomichter. The truth is that while all that seems like a lot, our team very much acts as one unit, and we all work together for all that and more. On occasion, I even run camera and sound equipment on site. That is what is so exciting about our business, each day brings something different and challenging.

2.) What is a typical day in your life like?

Well, no day on the show is exactly typical. Most days I am reviewing advertising customers’ invoices and keeping inventory of our show merchandise, but three days each week I am responsible for running our sound studio as we record our 4 radio show/podcasts.

So, each day brings a little something different. A day in the field is particularly fun, as I get to spend time connecting with show fans and overseeing the merchandise sales.

3.) How do you balance home, and work?

That is a delicate balance. I do have a “day-job.” I work for the City of Rockledge, Florida. Our show is run out of our home, so even at home we are “at work.” The challenge and the secret, if you will, of balance is setting clear boundaries as to where and when we will work, and what time is set aside to just be a family. We enjoy our work, and we enjoy each other, so once we set about to “turn-itoff,” we find that just Deanna married Garrett Pomichter-Murray, better known being together is enough for all of us. as the author G.W. Pomichter on June 13, 1997, and the couple moved to Melbourne, Florida.

4.) What is your favorite PG (a rate system for US movies) thing to do to relax?

Deanna currently serves as the senior plans and permit technician for the City of Rockledge in Florida, and she is To tell you the absolute truth, we started the show bethe Hangin With Web Show’s co-producer and serves as the cause we love the creative community. We spend time shows Business manger, as well as show host G.W. Pomich- watching TV, particularly pop culture shows such as ter’s P.A. In addition to these functions, Deanna also serves the CW’s DC shows and several others, as well as

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Deanna Pomitcher (Cont.)

Sci-Fi shows and a variety of other shows from BBC’s Sherlock to Vikings and everything in between. When we can, we connect with others in our community, the Florida Con Artists, authors and friends from conferences, convention friends, and of course, we spend our Friday nights almost every week at 9:05 p.m. watching and listening to our dear friends Billy Floyd and Jay Stephens, known on social media as the KitchenKillaz live musical duo. We love interacting with the community and sharing fellow creators.

One of our proudest accomplishments is that a simple Google™ search will bring you right to the Hangin With Web Show.

Our website is https://www.hanginwithshow.com, we have all of the social media links, Facebook: @HanginWithWebShow, Twitter®: @HanginWithShow, Instagram®: @ HanginWithWebShow and of course we encourage everyone to search and subscribe and share the “Hangin With Web Show” Youtube® channel.

5.) Since you and your husband have been married for Some Quotes: over 20 years, and work together, what is some advice you would give people about being married and work- “I love what we do, and as an avid reader, I never tire of meeting some of my favorite authors and writers.” ing together to make it successful?

Try not to kill one another. I joke. Really the secret is to set realistic boundaries about when is work time and when is not. Take the time to realize that your relationship is so much more than the work you do. We take the show very seriously, but every once in awhile we just need to rest, and be ourselves. Fortunately we do not just love one another, but we like each other, so the time we spend both working and playing is always fun, even if it can get a bit tense when we are on site or working on the show.

“I’m a romance reader mostly, and of course, I admit, I can’t help finding a little guilty pleasure in some erotic romance novels.”

“Being the business manager on our show is a treat, because its the one time I can count on Garrett (GW Pomichter), and Sage to listen to what I say to do.”

“My favorite part of traveling has been to see so many amazing places in the country, and to meet fans of our work all over. It is really cool. I once interrupted the show so that a 6.) Where can people find more about the Show and fan could get Garrett’s (GW Pomichter) signature on a full set of books they had brought with them. That stuff is just you? always cool.”

Who Are You Hangin’ With?

The Hangin With Web Show is the internet’s fastest growing and best web- based talk show series. Independent creative artists, authors, filmmakers, artists and web content creators have done something extraordinary. They have all worked to create the media that an increasing number of web consumers demand on a daily basis. They write the books, make the films, create original and fan art and play thematic that people have come to love. They have earned a seat in the popular eye.

As a former newspaper reporter, award winning author and journalist G.W. Pomichter has conducted hundreds of professional interviews and now we have a chance to interview these terrific, talented but underappreciated creators.

Now in our fifth (5th) season, we have traveled the United States to events, conferences, and conventions seeking out creative minds, artists, filmmakers, authors and providing professional yet comfortable interviews that we can share with a growing audience, and you have been so supportive. We love what we do, and we love sharing what you do.

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A True Life Tale of Rising Up Treated like Cinderella by a mother who could not love me, I thought my Prince Charming would rescue me from a life I hated and we were soon wed. That was the beginning of a nightmare that took me 15 years to escape.

Abused, infected with HIV that my husband contracted through sharing needles, sold into prostitution to pay off his debts, addicted to drugs that they injected in me to keep me working, I thought the nightmare would never end. Abandoned and with 4 children to support, I took to stealing just to keep my family alive. I wound up in prison, struggling to get off the streets, homeless and hopeless.

Once I did get off the streets and my health was restored, I faced the prejudice of ignorant people who publicly shamed me for my condition. I came close to committing suicide. But love broke through the darkness of my life, restored my hope, and gave me a new purpose in life. I share this story not to condemn those whose actions nearly destroyed my life, but to give hope to those who may feel there is no hope left for them.

I now run a shelter for those who, like me, find themselves on the streets, HIV infected, and with nowhere else to go. This book is dedicated to them and the proceeds of each sale support Sinar Sofia, the NGO we founded to help give them shelter and support while they work to get their lives back on track.

Available on Amazon for $19.75, every dollar that is received goes back to supporting the women we serve.

Learn more about us at: https://sinarsofiashelter.com/

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Pursuing Your Dreams in 2019

By Kamichi Jackson It’s the start of a new year, and if you’re like most people, you probably have a list of dreamrelated goals lined up for the next few months. While you’re working on your list, keep in mind these five tips to being successful in your pursuit of the beautiful.

Identify your dreams.

those who will discourage you from going after them.

Do yourself a favor--surround yourself with those who can see your vision and who fully support it. They will lift you up when you meet obstacles in your path.

They will hold your hand when you’ve lost your way.

They will be there for you when you no longer believe your dream is achievable. They are invaluable. Keep them very close.

Allow for setbacks—and figure out a way to keep pushing.

Life wouldn’t be life if it didn’t come with occasional You’ve probably already done disappointment. That is definitely true of the things that, but consider this: have we dream of doing! Be prepared for this possibiliyou bitten off more than you ty by first accepting that there will setbacks in your pursuit—then brainstorm ways these setbacks can be can chew? Don’t choose so many dreams that you become overcome. Be practical, yes, but allow for creativity as overwhelmed and lose your focus. Or even worse—your joy. well. It may be that creativity that makes the setback bearable and allows you to push through it. Besides, Start by making a list of all your dreams. who knows what beauty can blossom from it?

Then determine the three most important ones you’d like to set as goals for the new year. Convert it to a bullet point list, Assess your progress. then flesh out each one by making a few notes for each. This Every plan, even the simple ones, need to be assessed will give you the beginning of a list you can work with and from time to time. The plan you’ve put in place to purtweak as you go along. If you’ve done a vision board, this list sue your dreams is no different. As you move through may also help you re-sort it later in the year so that you can the year, you’ll need to take a look from time to time pursue dreams that can actually come to fruition. to see if you are still on the right path—or whether you need to set an entirely new course.

Hang around with people who support

your dreams.

There are those who will walk with you in your dreams, and

4 tips for dating in the “me Too” Era

By Suzanna Mathews, The Date Maven If you’re a single man who feels a little perplexed at how the “Me Too” movement has impacted social situations where men and women intersect or you’re feeling a little wary after an accidental “misfire” with someone who misconstrued your intentions, then this article is for you.

ageable) consequence is the head-scratching that has ensued for some men who are single, social, and seeking to connect with women in an environment that are very different from the one they were accustomed to. Here are a few things to keep in mind to keep you on solid ground and in good graces with the women you enjoy connecting with: 1. Understand your subject.

As any good salesperson or marketer can tell you, The “Me Too” movement was before you make your pitch or craft your ad campaign, you’d better know who you’re pitching to. probably long overdue in many women’s lives. And it’s been an So, you do your due diligence – your research and educational opportunity for women and men alike. One (man- learn about the target audience or prospective cus-

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4 tips for dating in the “me Too” Era (Cont.) tomer you’re trying to reach.

through life as a “consumable” female? As you go about your daily activities, how does it feel to be the object of I’ll argue that the same should be part of your process in the male gaze? the dating market.

3. Don’t make these mistakes.

When you understand your “subject” you’re better able to reflect your subject’s value back to them. It can only This series of tips was applicable before, during, and help you forge a better connection if you understand what after the “Me Too” movement; here are some general women are thinking, what their romantic and social expe- things NOT to do, as they annoy and/or repel women: riences have been like, and what they want.

Don’t act like a player; don’t treat her like a slut. This In order to do this, you’ll need to step into their shoes – should be so faceplant obvious that I shouldn’t have to psychologically speaking. How? Read dating books and write it, and yet I must. Act like a gentleman; treat her blogs that are written for women. Look at YouTube videos like a lady. This goes for whether she’s likeable, sweet, produced by dating experts who speak to women. Attend pretty, sexy, and funny -- or not! classes and events that are of interest to women. And, if you don’t already have female friends you can ask for di- Don’t act like a man-child or a momma’s boy. Show rection, then expand your social circle to include women her that you know how to take care of yourself and you and build friendships so you can learn on them for insight know how to communicate like a grown up. Strangely enough, many people don’t realize when they’re acting and advice. like a man-child or woman-child. Helping people date Once you’ve truly made the effort to better understand her like adults -- with dignity, courage, and decorum – is experience (and many women will gladly regale you with what I do. the horror stories of their online – and offline – dating experiences!) then you may proceed to flirt, converse, court, Don’t be bad, mean, or weird -- on a date, at home, in bed, not anywhere. As you’re getting to know her and etc. you demonstrate to her that you’re a high-integrity guy, 2. Understand what objectification is. her comfort and pleasure should be your purpose.

If you’re a guy, you may or may not have been objecti- 4. Do these things instead: fied. You may or may not even remember it. But if you’re a woman, chances are strong that you’ve felt objectified at Do treat her right. Don’t try to control everything, don’t lie-cheat-betray her, and don’t use her as a means to an some point in your life. end. (In other words, don’t use her for emotional, finanObjectification is the feeling of being intensely desired by cial, sexual, or social gain.) Ask her about her desires, someone toward whom you feel no attraction at all. It can dreams, and goals. Then keep asking her about those be disconcerting. There’s a distinctively unpleasant sen- to show you paid attention when she told you about sation that comes from knowing that your body or your them. Give in the way that you want to receive – and presence is inducing an intense degree of sexual arousal in then some. someone you’d actually prefer it didn’t. It’s the reason so many women feel “creeped out” in social and professional Do live a good life and have a good personality. If you environments when the men in those environments bring say things like, “I have the worst life,” or “My kids are a an unwelcome energy. This is the state of mind that many pain in the *ss,” or you complain about how your friends feminist writers are referring to when they use the word or co-workers are awful, the negativity is not only a turn “objectification” or they define porn as “the articulation of off. It’s also a reflection of you. You’ll sound like a putz. the male gaze.”

Finally, it’s important to remember that women can feel Some social scientists have devised exciting and insightful the difference between a pure agenda and a murky one. social experiments over the years where they made men It’s a sixth-sense we have – women’s intuition. We know look like women or sent a white person out into the world when someone is being authentic, respectful, and clear as a person of color so that they could observe how soci- and we know when something’s making our skin crawl ety’s responses to the individual changed. That’s probably or things aren’t adding up. Your only agenda as you go not a feasible experiment for most men to participate in, forward into your dating endeavors should be to a.) connect with someone and b.) have fun. Keep it simple so try this exercise instead: and unpolluted, and you’ll be able to date successfully Using your imagination (supplemented by literature and/ during the era of “Me Too” and any other movement. or conversations with women), what might it be like to go

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Available on Amazon!

Just $2.99

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The Dos and Don’ts of international travel

By Joanne Fisher So, you’re ready to travel? But you don’t have a clue because you’ve never traveled before.

Well, I’m here to help!

spinner wheels, even better. Why, you ask? Well, imagine the baggage handlers just picking up your luggage and throwing it on the conveyor belt that hauls it into the plane. If you have a soft suitcase, you can be certain that any delicate glass items will be broken. Do you want your Here is a list of simple dos and clothes smelling of some fancy liquor? don’ts on international travel.

These twenty tips will instantly 6] Do buy clothes adaptable for the climate you will be turn you into a semi-expert trav- visiting. eler. Ready?

If you’re going skiing in the Alps, you’ll require heavy winLet’s start with the dos: ter clothes and skiing gear. If you’re visiting Bali, you’ll require beachwear and light clothes. Check with your travel agent before you leave. It could be you’re travelling to 1] Do get a passport.

Australia in the summer and it is full winter down under.

The most important document you will ever need to travel abroad is a passport. If you don’t have one, get one and 7] Do buy comfortable shoes.

I would recommend you apply well in advance of your Oh yes! This is very important especially if you’re going travel date. If you have one, ensure it is not expired and on a tour. You’re going to be walking. A lot! So, buy comis in good shape. If you have questions about passports, fortable shoes and wear them a few times before you leave visit travel.state.gov for your trip. This way, you won’t go through the hassle of 2] Do apply for a VISA of the country you will be vis- sore feet and blisters. iting.

8] Do bring your medications.

Some countries require that all visitors have a VISA beActually, bring two sets of medications: one for your carfore they enter their country. Also, find out which counry-on and one for your suitcase. If you lose your carry-on, tries do not allow American citizens to travel in. Again, you will have another set of medications to tie you over the above website is a good source for this information. until your carry-on is recovered.

3] Do book with a travel agent.

9] Do bring an extra set of clothes in your carry-on.

These days everyone uses the internet to book their travHow many of you have lost your luggage or it wasn’t there el but the good old fashioned travel agent is still your at the carousel when you landed? I’ve been there. You best bet when you travel abroad. They can organize your don’t want to spend extra money on purchasing clothes airfare, your hotel, your car rental and excursions staywhile your luggage is being located. Put an extra set of ing within the confines of your budget. clothes in your carry-on, or even two sets.

4] Do book a tour.

10] And finally, do get vaccinated before you leave.

Tours are best way to travel a foreign country. Most tours Visit your family doctor a couple of months before your cover the most important or most visited cities in that trip and let them know where you’ll be traveling. Your country or countries. You can take a European tour, or a doctor knows well which vaccinations are required for Spanish tour, or an Italian tour, or a Greek tour. Whatwhich countries. If you don’t have your vaccinations up to ever you decide, contact your travel agent to assist you. date, this is your opportunity to update them. If you have They can answer all the questions you may have about children traveling with you, it is crucial to ensure their the trip you’re about to take. vaccinations are also up to date.

5] Do buy a hard-sided suitcase.

So, that was the good news about travel. Here is the bad or These suitcases are the best to pack your souvenirs or any better yet, the don’ts: liquor you will be potentially buying. And if they have the

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The Dos and Don’ts of international travel (Cont.)

1]

Don’t make your suitcase heavy.

How many of you get to the check-in counter and are overweight? Let me see those hands! Here’s a trick; weigh your suitcase before you leave your house and try and stay at least a couple of pounds under the limit (which is fifty pounds, by the way). Remember you have a carry-on and a personal item that you can use to store heavier things like laptops, tablets, cameras, etc.

2]

Don’t bring a camera.

Unless you are a professional photographer, you don’t need a camera. Leave it at home because you have everything you need on your iPhone or Android.

4]

Don’t bring power strips.

All you need are a few electricity adapters to plug in your phone and laptop or C-Pap or other small medical devices needed for sleep. Inquire with your travel agent as to what type of power outlet the country you’re visiting uses.

5]

Don’t drink water from the fountains.

Always buy bottled water and buy it from the store and not from the street vendors. It is well-known that they collect empty plastic bottles, fill them with tap water and sell them half the price of the stores. I can’t stress this enough! Also, don’t have ice in any of your drinks. Ice is made with tap water and the same risks are involved. Drink your cocktails and sodas without ice.

6]

This is extremely important if you have food allergies. Learn the word “no” in the language of the country you’re going to. Ask to see the menu in English, if they have one. And learn the translations of the foods you can eat and learn their pronunciation as well.

9]

Don’t pack too many clothes.

Yes, and that goes for you women out there. We all do it. We pack too many clothes that we end up not wearing. I’m guilty of that. Here’s something to remember: you need one outfit (valid for men as well) for each day BUT you will wear these outfits again on week two or week three. This means, if your trip is three weeks long, you still only need seven outfits because you’ll be wearing one outfit three times. You will also need an outwear piece, in case it gets chilly in the evenings.

3]

without receiving a humongous bill when you return. 8] Don’t eat foods you don’t recognize.

Don’t bring too much foreign currency.

Don’t get into arguments with fellow travelers.

This is not about you! Everyone wants to have a good time and everyone wants to have a positive experience. Don’t ruin someone else’s trip because you can’t control yourself. Keep your politics, religion, race comments and any subject that may be offensive to your fellow traveler to yourself. You can talk about lots of issues without touching these topics.

This is what get’s you kicked off your plane, so be warned.

10] And finally, don’t get sick while on vacation.

I know, this is a tough one to avoid but there are a few simple things you can do to avoid contamination and bacteria. Bring baby wipes with you and use them. A simple hand wash, or a wipe down of the tray before and after you eat, or a wipe down of the toilet before you use it can eliminate tons of bacteria. I’m not a fan of antibacterial gel because it ruins your skin, but if you like it, have at it.

Also, when you cough or sneeze, please cover your mouth or do it in your sleeve. This also helps avoid distributing germs to others especially in a closed environment like an airplane.

Buy travel insurance. It may be expensive but think if your life is worth more than saving a few bucks on insurance. These are the basics but if you want more information, simply buy my book “Traveling Boomers – First Stop Italy” for many more tips and advice.

After this short read, you will become an expert traveler. I’m sure of it!

You can easily go to any ATM and take out currency just like you would in the US. The ATM will calculate the exchange rate and your bank may charge you an ATM fee but it’s always better than the fees and taxes you pay when you purchase foreign currency at your bank or the airport.

7]

Available for just $7.50 on Amazon

Don’t use the international data.

Try and use the free Wi-Fi wherever you go. These days, WiFi is everywhere and most of the time, it’s free. Just to be sure, before you leave, visit your cell carrier for more information on when to use your data and how much you can use

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Get Rooted In Nature!

Author, nurse, and herbalist Nancy Broadley brings together short stories that celebrate womanhood with time-tested herbal healing recipes that are as good for the tongue as they are for the soul.

If you love women, if you love celebrating the feminine, and if you love nature, you’re going to love Rooted In Nature.

Available on Amazon for $9.99, this collection of short stories, grandma’s recipes, and herbal remedies is not just good for the kitchen. It’s good for the soul.

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Tips to Stay Positive in 2019 ByAbeni Celeste Mindful Thinking (Positive-Wellbeing): Practicing mindful thinking helps with letting go of unhealthy thoughts and emotions by focusing on the things that matter the most. The best way for mindful thinking to become habit is by forming a regular routine of some form of meditation such as journaling, playing an instrument or drawing/painting.

Loving Kindness ( Relationships): Kindness reduces stress, boost our immune system and helps reduce anger, anxiety, depression. Showing loving kindness involves noticing thoughts that are not so kind and changing them to view others through a lens of kindness.

Send love to others, a simple thought can do this. Write a note or call someone just to say “I love you”.

Gratitude for Others (Gratitude): Focus on the people in your life by showing gratitude. Gratitude decreases anxiety and helps us see what is good in the world. Paying it forward feels so good. To do something kind for a stranger can be the sweetest feeling in the world.

No Judgement (Wisdom):

Don’t judge yourself and don’t judge others. When we are judging ourselves or others we are not doing it in the act of kindness. Focus on the present.

Accepting/Loving Yourself(Self-Worth/Happiness): When we accept ourselves, we learn to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with our inner emotions. Teach others how to treat you by telling yourself your beautiful. Happiness is within. Fall in love with taking care of yourself, mind body and spirit.

Self-care (Positive Well-being): Self-care is about finding balance in your life in the areas of physical, emotional, social and spiritual. It enhances mental toughness and awakens your creativity. Journal, rest, meet someone new, or meditate to find balance.

You are not your emotions (Anger): He who Angers you conquers you. Dismiss it. Express anger in a healthy way by using “I” statements.

Let it roll down the highest waterfall back into the river of distractions.

For More Tips On Staying Positive 21 Days of Positive Living was inspired by the desire and passion to help others dealing with negative thoughts/emotions and to change the way they view the world and themselves. This journal is the best self-help tool to begin or enhance the practice of thinking, feeling and responding positive. Every person’s goal is to succeed.

Success begins with a positive mind. Lessons in this journal equip you with a resilient mindset to develop your mental strategy; to help you build healthy relationships, release anger, forgive others freely, cultivate a heart of gratitude, learn to find joy and happiness in simple things, seek wise counsel, love and live your best life every day. Topics covered are gratitude, anger, wisdom, relationships, self-worth, happiness, and positive well-being.

Come with us on the journey to self reflection by positive journaling and positive thinking in 21 days!

Available on Amazon for $19.99

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25 Hottest Indie

Authors, Artists, Advocates

2019

GET HELP GETTING YOUR BOOK WRITTEN AT HTTP://WRITEYOURBOOK.TODAY

Your FREE guide to getting from concept to publication awaits at writeyourbook. today 154

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25 Hottest Indie

Authors, Artists, Advocates

2019

Keys To Making Money With Your Creative Works

BY Brandy M Miller

As an independent artist, writer, and entrepreneur, I know the struggle to make money with your creative works intimately. It took me more than 8 years to figure out the secrets to making money when you’re working with a $0 marketing budget, as I was back then, but it can be done.

I give you these keys in the hopes that you will be able to bypass the struggles that I went through and find your path to success much easier to travel because of it.

Key #1 Talk About Your Work The hardest thing for me to do in the beginning of my efforts to monetize my creative work was simply to talk about what I did. It felt like bragging, and I’d always been told it was rude to brag. However, if you don’t learn to talk about your work, no one will ever know your work exists.

You must become your best promoter or your work will be doomed to obscurity. Of course, when you talk about the work you do, it needs to be done the right way. Make sure discussing your work is relevant to the conversation and not an interruption to it.

Key #2 Figure Out Why People Need Your Work This is the second hardest task for any creative entrepreneur to do. We aren’t taught to think of art or music or books as something that people truly “need” unless they are designed specifically to fulfill a commercial purpose, but I assure you that your work is needed. You just have to figure out why it is needed and what your work does to fill that need. When you can do that, you will know what to say to people to get them interested in the work that you do.

Key #3 Understand What Money Is Money is a symbol for two things: Trust that your artistic work is going to deliver a result that your prospect desires and the prospect’s level of commitment to getting that result.

People don’t pay the dentist for a root canal when they don’t have a tooth pain bad enough to warrant it. They only pay when the pain from the tooth problem is bad enough that the pain of parting with their money and going through a procedure they know is going to hurt is greater than the pain of continuing to live with the tooth problem. Figure out what pain your artistic work helps to resolve and you’ll be well on your way to securing the commitment from potential buyers.

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Key #4: Look for Those Who Serve Your Prospects

If you want to make the real money with your work, you don’t just need to figure out who needs that work, you need to figure out who else out there is SERVING those people. Think about it this way: an individual may buy a single work of art from you as an artist, but an interior designer who is responsible for meeting the needs of thousands of clients will buy thousands of works of art from you.

Key #5: Make (And Maintain) Friendships One of the biggest keys to growing your ability to sell your work and to make money with it is to make and maintain friendships. Join groups of people who are pursuing similar dreams and make friends with them. Make sure that you take care of them and know that it will come back around for you. Those friends you’ve served in the past are going to talk about you and mention your name to connections they have that can help and support you. Each connection you make in the industry brings you one step closer to the person who can help you make great big things happen in your life.

Key #6: Make Service The Heart of What You Do If your focus is on serving others with the work you do, you won’t have to chase after money. Money will start to come looking for you. The truth is that everytime you serve someone else, not with an expectation of personal gain but just to help them out, you are sowing the seeds of your own future success and you are showcasing the quality of work you can do. People will take notice.

80% of people in any given room are there to get something, not to give something. By choosing to serve everywhere you go, you are earning good will and making sure that people will notice and remember you at the same time. You won’t have to fight for attention. People will give attention to you automatically, especially when they see that you are sincere in your desires to serve.

For more tips, like my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/WriteYourBook4U

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25 Hottest Indie

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2019

Book recommendations

BY Su Echo Here are some of my favourite children’s and young adult books by Indie Authors. The problem is that there are so many. However, I am sharing with you some of the wonderful books. So in no particular order, I give to you a selection. Each book will appeal to both male and female readers. Plus all of these authors are due to release new books this year.

(1) Feral Moon Book 2 The Dark Woods Series A book series easily devoured. A New Adult read with a twist in the tale of the Wolf & Red Riding Hood.

(2) The Island Dog Squad Book 1: Sandy’s Story by Deb McEwan Narrated by Sandy the rescue dog, this is a heart-wrenching tale. An animal, action adventure, but not for the faint-hearted as there are some upsetting scenes dotted throughout. (YA) (3) Seal Mother ~ A Selkie Tale told in Verse by Rose English & Hannah This is a beautifully illustrated folktale. The story of the Selkie seal maid, who becomes trapped in a human form after her shimmering sealskin, is stolen away. A magical tale of love, loss and deceit, told in verse. This book will appeal to both the young and the young at heart.

(4) The Dragon Dreamer by JS Burke This is a beautiful tale of courage, hope and friendship.

A story of misfits from very different worlds, Arak is a dragon, shunned for being a dreamer. Scree is a fearless, healer octopus together they form a strong bond of friendship. The story has an underlying message of being tolerant of others especially those who are different. It encourages us to live in peace with our fellow creatures. (YA ages 9 – 99).

Music is in Everything by Natalia Rojas & Sarah Gould Lola has two favourite things: music and dancing. She finds music in her living room, in the wind, by the sea and most definitely in the sky.

Join Lola on a magical adventure where she tries to prove to her mum that music really is in everything! Lola shows her mum where to find the music in the world around her.

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Classifieds

Chapter 1 Zhara shrugged and stared out the window, refusing to meet John’s eyes. She was about to lie to him, and she didn’t want to see his face when she did. “I like men who know how to handle themselves in a fight. I like men who aren’t afraid to break the rules if the occasion calls for it. I like men who like to take risks. I suppose I do have a type. I suppose I do like the bad boy. The one who is the hardest to love, the one who is most likely to leave me.”

John came up behind her and stood close enough that she could feel the waves of heat radiating from his body. She knew that if she wanted it all she had to do was rock backward a half an inch and she could be wrapped in his arms. She felt his breath on the back of her neck and closed her eyes. The temptation was there. It would be so easy to give into it.

His question was soft but his words hit her heart hard. “And what about me? Am I your type?”

She forced a laugh. Better to hurt him a little now than to watch him bleed for her later. “You? No. You’re much too safe. Much too ordinary. Much too easy to tame. I don’t think you could handle me. I’d crush your spirit and leave you broken.”

It was a partial truth. She didn’t think he could handle her. Not the real her. She would never let him close enough to find out. He mattered too much.

“Oh, really? Am I? Do you think I’m easy to tame? Do you think you know me so well?”

She did know him. Maybe better than he knew himself. She knew he was kind and gentle and generous in a world that had no room for such things. She hardened herself, saying the words that she knew would go straight to that giant heart of his and pierce it straight through. It was the only way to protect him from her. “I know you better than you think I do. You love me already and I haven’t given you any reason to love me. I didn’t have to. You love everything about me, but most of all you love the fact that I won’t stay and you know it.

I’ll never be yours, just as he won’t ever really be mine. You’ll yearn for me, for the fantasy you make of me, but you’ll never capture me. And that is what you find most intriguing of all. That is why you find yourself chasing after me though even you know you shouldn’t. I’m not any good for you.”

His voice was even but she could hear the slight tone in it that betrayed how much he wanted her to change her mind.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to play this game, you know. You don’t have to chase a phantom and I don’t have to love one. We don’t have to hurt one another.”

His words made her angry. She turned to face him, suddenly furious with him, furious for his refusal to understand and for making this harder than it needed to be. “You think that, don’t you? You think I have a choice in the matter, as if I can choose what I am. I can’t help who I am. Hurting people is what I do. That is why you are much better off without me. It is why I won’t stay. I don’t want to stay and see you die at my own hand.”

He reached out a hand, as if to pull her closer, and she jerked backward, bumping up against the window. He let the hand drop to her side and his eyes grew soft and sad. “Zahra, you are better than you give yourself credit for being. You don’t have to hurt people. You don’t have to be hurt. You can open up and let yourself be loved for once.”

She shook her head and pushed past him. She suddenly felt afraid. She needed to leave. Now. “You don’t understand.

You’ll never understand. I CAN’T! I CAN’T LOVE YOU! I don’t know what that is! I don’t know what it means!”

She was out the door and down the hall before she said the final words. “I don’t know how to love you. I don’t know how to love anyone. I don’t know how to love.”

Looking for the rest of the story? Contact brandy@writeyourbook.today to find out when this title will be released.