In praise of Bebe Moore Campbell

I'm saddened today to learn that one of my favorite writers has passed away. I knew she was sick, but I had no idea it was so serious. Brain cancer.

I am a fan and an admirer. I considered her a mentor, even though we never met (except years ago she signed a copy of Your Blues Ain't Like Mine for me). I modeled my literary career after hers. I wanted to start with nonfiction and then move to fiction, like Bebe did. I picked my first literary agency because it had been Bebe's first literary agency.

I still hope to write a book one day as beautiful as Your Blues or as insightful as Brothers and Sisters or as warm as Sweet Summer (a memoir). To write books that mean as much to someone else as her books mean to me.

God bless you Bebe and thank you for blazing such a clear, true path!

Lovely Thanksgiving

I have lots to be grateful for this year! One thing I'm thankful for is that Thanksgiving turned out all right. Better than all right.

Inventory

2 days until Thanksgiving (when my lovely in-laws arrive-yay!). 9 days until my deadline to get my form to the Authors Guild to get my website up. 9 days until the end of Nanowrimo this is where I stand:

My house is the cleanest it has been in years
New chair
New end table
2 new rugs
new plates
new glasses
Still only 2,500 words written for Nanowrimo
Authors Guild form mostly completed (though I have to scan some photos and get a blurb)
Progress being made on the self-pub front with Walk Tall

Not where I thought I'd be at the end of the month, but you know the saying: "if you want to make God laugh...." She must be cracking up right now.

Oh well. On to December when my editor is supposed to give me notes on my novel (and edits are due by March).

Tired

I've been doing research to self-pub my first book and on deadline for my day job. Nanowrimo has taken a beating. Only 2,500 words. But I'll get back to it. Really.

In the meantime, a little fall color. May the red give us all energy!

Oh happy day!

Finally! And the states came to their senses too!

Grandma Goth

Grandma Goth is full of life...and death.

My friend Deborah Hiestand has produced and directed a wonderful movie that was accepted to the Denver International Film Festival! It's a short documentary called Grandma Goth. It'll be showing at 6:30 on Monday, November 13 and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 19 at the Starz theater at the Tivoli in Denver.

Congratulations Debby!!!

Motivational play list

When I need motivation, encouragement, energy, uplift, solace, I turn to these songs. Something tells me I’m going to be needing them all this NaNoWriMo. Maybe they’ll work for you too. What songs do you listen to keep going?

Dance Little Sister/Terence Trent D’Arby. I’ve been using this song to help me meet deadlines for almost 20 years now. Never fails.

House of the Rising Sun/Nina Simone. It’s filled with energy and good juju (and figures prominently in Orange Mint and Honey, so I have a special fondness for it).

Try/Jill Scott. Try to feel discouraged after listening to this song.

Three Little Birds/Bob Marley. Good reminder when I’m worried that “every little thing’s gonna be all right.”

Oh Happy Day/Edwin Hawkins Singers. A classic. It reminds me of childhood, going to church with Grandmama and Aunt Susie.

Get By/Talib Kweli. Great energy, great anthem.

No More Drama/Mary J. Blige. If only for the line, “I don’t know, only God knows where the story ends for me, but I know where the story begins….”

Keep Your Head to the Sky/Earth, Wind & Fire. Self-evident, right?

Chain of Fools/Aretha Franklin. The best opening of any song ever. Makes you wanna get down and praise God at the same time.

When Doves Cry/Prince. Second best opening of any song ever, and my favorite song by His Royal Badness. (Speaking of, it looks like I’m going to Vegas, baby!)

Writing leads to more writing

When I started Orange Mint and Honey, I knew my character Nona was a lover of plants. At first she didn’t have a garden (just house plants)—it was a dream of hers. As I worked with the plot and became more familiar with her story and her daughter Shay’s story, I realized Nona should have her garden. So I gave her one and it opened the book up in ways I couldn't have guessed. Then I started to garden. And it opened me in ways I couldn't have guessed.

In my next book, one of the characters is a root worker, a hoodoo woman, which may be the next logical step that a gardener takes—to work more with the magic of plants and the earth. The subject fascinates me, though I’m not sure I believe it all. But who knows what will happen as I work with the story? Will I be casting spells?

I could use a spell today, the first day of National Novel Writing Month. So far, not so good. My writing muscles are flabby. But the exercise is why I’m doing it. The more I write, the more I will write. Have you ever noticed that? The more you do of a thing, the more you do of it. It's not just building habit (though that's part of it). It's some kind of spiritual principle.

If you’re NaNoWriMo-ing, let me know how it’s going.