Me! newsletters fall2014 by Melica Niccole

ME! ME! is a trademark of Hampton Publishing House, LLC. ME! is a newsletter that encourages YOU to be yourself. It is time that you show the world who you really are by being who you were intended to be. Who am I? I’m ME! That’s all I need to be. Hampton Publishing House, LLC’s focus is to assist authors with publishing material that engages the community and provides knowledge of many societal matters. The company creates material that coincides with real life experiences and gives creative inspiration to those who are motivated by literature; whether it is written, spoken, or visual interpretations of text. It is the hope of the company to increase awareness and maintain open lines of communication by receiving manuscripts that relate to the following areas: friendships, marriage, domestic violence, depression, how-toinformation, social ills, and other subjects that will allow readers to understand the moralities of the subject matter.

Words of a genius “Just Bee Yourself”

Distributed to over 5,000 readers

This issue contains information about individuals who are fabulous, focused, and fortunate. Sometimes all it takes is effort to make things align and movement to occur. ~ Start making your mark. Follow Melica on social media: @MelicaNiccole (Twitter), Melica Niccole (Google+), Natural Girl 2 (Natural Blog), Melica Niccole (Instagram) Healthy You Healthy Me Healthy Us, (Blog) Melica Niccole’s Realm of Creativity (Blog)

Melica Niccole, Editor-in-Chief Author of All in Together Girls, Poetic Outlets, My Poetic Soul Unleashed, and Dead Wrong

Collingswood Book Festival

Hello ME! Readers Are you making each moment count by living with purpose and following your dreams? What have you been doing to make your dreams reality? Personally, I have been getting to know New Jersey so I can get back into attending book events. Well, it’s time to get the ball rolling again. On October 11, 2014 from 10 AM – 4 PM, I will be an exhibitor at the Collingswood Book Festival in Collingswood, New Jersey. Although the exhibitor list has not been updated, please know that I will be in attendance. If you are in the area, stop by, say hi, and buy a book or two. ~The only thing you can do is be you; people will either love it or hate it.

-Genie from Aladdin

Either way, you are being true to yourself. So love yourself, appreciate what you have, and transform opinions -Melica Niccole

In This Issue

Suggested Twitter #FF

Collingswood Book Festival

Use Hashtag #20GreatFF to shout out the following people:

The ABCs of Dating by Alicia Wiggins

@DuboiseKimberly @2morrowknight @NicoleD_Writes @ChilledCH @TheBrandista

Fasting for Spiritual, Physical, and Financial Growth by Melica Niccole People’s Choice Poet Relationships

@Missnuma @SylviaDCarter @Mindfulheal @Coach2Publish @ShapeUpMS

Upcoming Book Festivals Author Spotlight

@TWD913 @BookendsNJ @LMB_Poetry @BlackandSexyTV @IAmYoshayla_

Official Member of

The Best Poet of ME! Newsletter 2014 YouTube with T. Ayan Nelson

@MrRiza716 @NakedSoulPoet @She_JustWrites @PoeticcThought @RkyMtBlue

Supporter of Room to Read and Better World Books

Supporter of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

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Member of The Author Connection

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Fall 2014 Edition

ME! The ABCs of Dating

Follow Alicia on Facebook and visit her website at www.AliciaWiggins.com

By Alicia Wiggins, Author of Someone to Love, Promises to Keep, A Place Like Home, and Unconditional Love

I have been single for many years. Along the way, I've learned some pretty valuable lessons about dating. Allow me to share a few (Particularly to the 45 and over crowd). To keep it simple, I've assigned each lesson, suggestion, fact, and experience a letter of the alphabet. I understand that you may not agree with every suggetion, but I hope you find some value and a little humor in my observations. A - Aging parents may be a part of the package. Just like you had to consider whether or not someone you were romantically interested in was co-parenting children from a previous relationship, the over forty-five folks may be coparenting children and taking care of an aging parent. To make things even more interesting, both the children and the parents may be living with them! B – Baggage; everyone has some. You've had previous relationships and your new partner will likely have had previous relationships. Get over it, accept it, and embrace the "right now.” Just make sure all of the luggage fits comfortably into the new relationship. It's also okay to leave some of the baggage behind, where it may rightly belong. C - Cook. Men love women who know how to cook. Women love men who know how to cook. It doesn't get any simpler than that. Eating out is expensive and can be fattening. Plus, it's especially sexy when a couple is in the kitchen preparing a meal together, in my humble opinion. D - Don't sweat the small stuff. If your new guy is bald but has a heart of gold, figure out what's more important. If the new lady in your life is not a size zero, but she's kind, beautiful, and treats you like a king, open your eyes dude and see the forest for the trees! F -Friendship is still important. Don't get so caught up in being a couple that you forget to be friends first. G - Get to know each other. With age comes wisdom so you should know better than to open up your whole life to someone you barely know. Check out your new love interest so you don't end up on "Who The Bleep Did I Marry?" H - Have fun! I cannot stress this enough. Dating at any age should not be such a chore that it becomes stressful. I - Ignore negative people. When you're happy doesn't it seem like the most negative people resurface in your life and rain on your new relationship parade. Say a prayer for them, love them, but don't let their negativity pollute what you are trying to build. J - Joy. Having joy is important in all aspects of your life, not just where dating is concerned. People who see the joy in everyday life make the best friends, co-workers, and significant others. They are simply wonderful people to be around. K - Keep the romance alive. Don't get so comfortable with each other that belching, passing gas, and nose picking are common occurrences. L - Laugh. Nobody wants to be around a sourpuss. Imagine how wonderful your relationship will be if you can laugh together. M - Make time for each other. Many of us have advanced to a point in our careers where we are relied on heavily, often requiring longer than normal hours at work. Don't let your job kill a budding relationship. If possible, play hooky on a Friday afternoon and catch a movie. Schedule lunch dates. Go into work earlier in the day so you leave at a decent time in the evening. N - Never say never. For all of those people who are sitting at home alone and thinking they will never find someone to share their life with, keep hope alive. Get out and meet people. Take a cooking class. Learn to salsa. Join a hiking group at your local metro park. You never know when you might meet that one person who puts the pep back in your step! (Continued on Page 4) Hampton Publishing House, LLC © 2014 Visit us at HamptonPublishingHouse.com

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Fall 2014 Edition

ME! Fasting for Spiritual, Physical, and Financial Growth By Melica Niccole Recently, between the end of June and July, I fasted for spiritual, physical, and financial growth. I know a lot of you are saying to yourself, “Is she Muslim? Was she fasting for Ramadan?” I am not Muslim; however I was fasting during Ramadan. My effort in fasting was to grow spiritually, physically, and financially. The way I did this was by adopting some of the Islamic beliefs along with some of my own beliefs. Steps I used for fasting were: 1. Fasted from sun up to sun down- I ate early in the morning before the sun came up and then again later in the evening after the sun went down. This means that I went without food and drink for about 16 ½ hours. 2. Prayed to God more than normal- Normally, I prayed to God during all meal times, at night, and when either bad or good things happened to me. During this time, I found myself praying a little more to God. I did not adopt a set schedule; however I did open up my spirit a little more to give and receive what was His to give. 3. Restrained myself from needing certain things- This was a time for me to focus on certain things that became habits and allowed to believe that I needed certain things. Needing and wanting something are two different things. Often, we as people equate a want with a need, not realizing that we do not need certain things. I thought I needed a constant supply of food to give me energy and allow me to complete my daily activities. I was surprised to find out that I did not need a constant supply of food and fasting was easier than I thought. Of course I am no expert in fasting, but experts are usually formed by being beginners and developing their skills. 4. Stopped buying things I did not need- I made a commitment to myself to stop spending unnecessary money on things or just wait to buy certain things. This was very challenging especially when I went to the Guess retail store and took that lovely #LoveGuess photo that graces my Twitter page. The picture was regarding an outfit that I really wanted; however refrained from getting because I was fasting with a purpose. As an individual who accepts most religions and look for the commonalities and differences among religions, I do recommend fasting for spiritual, physical, and financial growth. No matter your religion or non-religion affiliation, fasting allows you to think clearer, rid yourself of negative influences, and make needed changes to your life.

People’s Choice Poet Have you received raving reviews from friends, family, and others you may not quite know regarding your poetry? Well, that is all you will need to participate in the People’s Choice Poetry Contest. Get more likes and comments then your other competitors and win a $25 Visa or Master Card gift card. In order to participate, you must have a current blog and post a poetic piece between 9/1/2014 – 11/1/2014. Tweet me at Twitter.com/MelicaNiccole with the words: #PeoplesChoicePoetryContest with the name of your poem.

Relationships: Can You Sustain a Healthy Relationship with Your Ex? Visit MelicaNiccolesRealmofCreativity.Blogspot.com for more information.

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Fall 2014 Edition

ME! Best Poet of ME! Newsletter By Melica Niccole In the middle of July, I held a contest for the Best Poet of ME! Newsletter. This was an opportunity for poets to send me their best poem with hopes of being chosen as the winner. There were a few individuals who entered the contest. In choosing the best poem, the following was considered: Content, relatability of the material, and poem coincided with material that was featured in ME! Newsletter. With that being said, it was a hard decision to make from all the individuals who submitted their work to be reviewed. There were great poems that “Birthed nations and brought light” and carried a “Canoe full of emotions to and fro.” These poets were definitely on to something, but there could only be one winner in being a competition. The poet who will retain Best Poet of ME! Newsletter for one year is… well, you will just have to check back in the Winter Edition where we discuss the winner and display the winner’s poem.

ABCs of Dating Continued O - Open your heart. Remember, we all have baggage and some of it has left scars. Don't let a past hurt prevent you from enjoying a wonderful, healthy, and new relationship. P - Proofread text messages. Make sure spell check didn't change "I really wanted to kiss you tonight" to "I really wanted to kill you tonight". If it's early in the relationship game, that typo might be a deal breaker. Q - Quit complaining about aches and pains. Yes, we all have them, but constantly talking about them is a slippery slope. If every conversation begins with an update on the ache in your hip, sore knees, or swollen feet, you've turned into your grandparents. Not cool. R - Respect yourself. Need I say more? S - Sharing every aspect of your relationship on social media sites can be dangerous, not to mention annoying. No one really wants to hear how much you love and appreciate your boo. They really don't. We especially don't want to hear how you're through with him/her and then in the next sentence, proclaiming your love for that same person. T - Try new things. Bowl, zip line, tango, golf, and go skiing. The older you get the more willing you should be to try new things, within reason. This certainly makes dating more fun! U - Understand that with age comes gray hair, less hair, a few extra pounds, a less than perfect complexion, and a few other changes that make me too depressed to mention. Now's the time to focus on the inner beauty and not just the outer wrapping folks. V - Venture away from the normal dinner and movie dates. We're older and should have more of an active imagination than the average twenty-year-old. With age comes wisdom, right? Be wise and create some fun dating adventures. W - Wear sexy undies. This is a special piece of advice to the ladies. This isn't about sex, it's about feeling sexy and pretty. Don't believe me? Try it. X - Examine yourself (X words are hard). Would you date YOU??? What makes YOU a great catch? If the only attributes you can think of involve your anatomy, your sexual prowess, or your bank account, you might need to do some character building. Y - Yield not to temptation. While celibacy may have been forced on you due to the lack of prospects, don't give up the goods to someone who hasn't had time to prove they are worthy. Z - Go after the person you're interested in with zeal. Don't stalk them, but show some enthusiasm. If he or she is worth having in your life, then put forth the effort to get them.

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Fall 2014 Edition

ME! Upcoming Book Festivals Baltimore Book Festival

National Black Book Festival

Friday, September 26, 2014 – Sunday, September 28, 2014

Thursday, October 23, 2014 – Saturday, October 25, 2014

Miami Book Fair International

Collingswood Book Festival

Monday, November 17, 2014 – Monday, November 24, 2014

Saturday, October 11, 2014

GoFundMe.Com Help me with my personal endeavor of raising money for the small villages in Benin Republic. As citizens of the United States of America and other provinces outside of the US, we often do not realize how much the small things matter, especially when we have not been living without them. Well, in some countries, such as small villages in Benin Republic, individuals have been living without a well system to provide them fresh water. I would like you to assist me with raising money to assist these areas with establishing a well system. In being a child of God, I know that we must uplift each other and help others in need. We all have been charged with the duty of helping our fellow brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than ourselves. It’s amazing how sometimes we deem ourselves less fortunate than others, but when we compare ourselves to them, we find ourselves to be very rich. Whether it be rich in love, spirit, or ability to obtain fresh water.

Thank you and please donate!!!

Author Spotlight Kimberly DuBoise delivers gracefully in a book full of enlightenment, Promote With Us!

journeys, and emotional stages. The reader is pulled emotionally into her writing, as she discusses love, blessings, peace, freedom, and wisdom’s gate. She is an up-and-coming author who people definitely want to look out for in the future because she is on her way to success by means of her engaging words, wisdom, and grace. Click links to view more about this author here: Review, Twitter, and Facebook. Our writers welcome you to experience ME! Newsletter. Feel free to write our staff, provide us with your stories, and tell us how you overcame adversity in being who you were intended to be.

Thank you for supporting ME! Until the next Edition

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Fall 2014 Edition