Hiatus--See you in August

Yes, folks, I'm taking some time off from the blog. (Thanks Josie for the example!) I'd like to suggest that we all take some time to rest and rejuvenate in July. So, a contest. I'm giving out an autographed copy of Orange Mint and Honey OR an audio version of Orange Mint to five people for doing something to take good care of themselves. A book (paper or audio) will go to whoever does:

The most decadent

The most inventive

The most daring

The funniest

The most healing

You can email me or leave what you do in the comments. (I won't be checking email much during the next month either. Yay!)

Before I go, I want to take a minute to recommend a book hitting shelves at the end of July. It's called Going Down South by Bonnie Glover. (Larramie, you'll want it just for the beautiful cover-daisies!) It's the first novel I've been asked to blurb and it was my great honor to be able to read an advance copy of it. It's a wonderful multigenerational story of mothers and daughters.

From the book jacket:

From the author of The Middle Sister comes a heartwarming tale of second chances and the unparalleled love between mothers and daughters. When fifteen-year-old Olivia Jean finds herself in the “family way,” her mother, Daisy, who has never been very maternal, springs into action. Daisy decides that Olivia Jean can’t stay in New York and whisks her away to her grandmother’s farm in Alabama to have the baby–even though Daisy and her mother, Birdie, have been estranged for years. When they arrive, Birdie lays down the law: Sure, her granddaughter can stay, but Daisy will have to stay as well. Though Daisy is furious, she has no choice. Now, under one little roof in the 1960s Deep South, three generations of spirited, proud women are forced to live together. One by one, they begin to lose their inhibitions and share their secrets. And as long-guarded truths emerge, a baby is born–a child with the power to turn these virtual strangers into a real, honest-to-goodness family.

“Long live Olivia Jean, Daisy, and Birdie! These three daughters, mothers, and women are smart, feisty, and funny. Their stories will break your heart in the very best way. I absolutely loved Going Down South!” —Carleen Brice, author of Orange Mint and Honey

So, your challenges for July, should you choose to accept them are: Have fun, get some rest and buy Going Down South. Meet you back here in August!

The audio book!

Thanks everybody for your well wishes and kindness! Just a quick note to celebrate that the audio version of Orange Mint and Honey goes on sell this week. I got a box last week. The book is read by Cherise Booth, and I can't tell you how fun it is to hear someone else read you your story! Now all I need is some cookies and milk.

Let the healing continue

I had lots of stuff planned for the last couple of weeks in June. A book-signing, a weekend intensive, a group reading with Lighthouse Litfest participants, a fundraiser for Lighthouse, and a one-week class at the Aspen Writers Retreat (with 300 pages of workshop entries to critique before hand). All cancelled due to my health. Oh yeah, I was also going to send in novel 2 by the end of the month.

I knew I'd been pushing it for a while, but my plan was to get through the rest of this month and then chill. However, my body's plan was to chill NOW. Not next week. Not next month. As Larramie noted, I'm like Humpty Dumpty (in oh so many ways!) putting myself back together again. Slowly. This time my body's calling all the shots and my mind has to follow.

This version of a Buddhist meditation on loving kindness from Andrew Weil's book 8 Weeks to Optimum Health really helps. It's specifically for those with heart disease, but I think it helps with everything. In light of Tim Russert's death, seems like all our hearts, healthy or not, could use a little more loving kindness:

My heart fills with loving kindness. I love myself. May I be happy. May I be peaceful. May I be liberated.
May all beings in this vicinity be happy. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
May all beings in [name your city] be happy. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
May all beings in [name your state/region] be happy. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
May all beings in [name your country] be happy. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated. May all beings in [name your continent] be happy. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
May all beings on the planet be happy. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
[This line is added by me] May my husband/wife/partner be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
May my parents [and siblings--added by me] be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
May my friends [and relatives--added by me] be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
May my enemies be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.
If I have hurt anyone, knowingly or unknowingly, in thought or word or deed, I ask their forgiveness.
If anyone has hurt me, knowingly or unknowingly, in thought or word or deed, I extend my forgiveness.
May all beings everywhere, whether near or far, whether known to me or unknown to me, be happy. May they be peaceful. May they be liberated.

And for all of you: May my blog friends be happy. May you be well. May you be peaceful. May you be liberated.

The other things helping right now are these and these, which hubby and my great friend Maryann found at our local grocery, King Soopers.

And for a laugh till you cry, nothing beats this:

Piecing it together

Puzzle pieces play an important role in my next book. A few weeks ago I was excited to find Piece of the Puzzle Affirmative Jewelry and snatched up several tokens. I keep this one that says "I am creating" on my desk. (The "I am" is on the other side.) In a bead shop in Ventura, CA I bought some silky black string to make necklaces with them. The day I went into the hospital I was wearing one that said "I am powerful." Today, I'm wearing "I am blessed." I also have "I am courageous." I may wear them all to my upcoming follow-up doctor appointments!

Lifetime TV and Me

The news is out. From Publisher's Marketplace. Thanks to those who emailed me about it.

TELEVISION RIGHTS
Carleen Brice's first novel Orange Mint and Honey, an African American mother-daughter story which explores the devastation of substance abuse and parental neglect, and celebrates forgiveness, redemption and second chances, optioned for television to Stephen Bulka at Lifetime, by Caron Knauer, on behalf of Victoria Sanders & Associates.

This is for a television movie on the Lifetime Movie Network. As they say in the TV biz, stay tuned....

In other news, my health hit a bump this week. I spent a couple of days in the hospital. But the prognosis is excellent and I expect the healing to continue.

My new favorite place

Some exciting stuff is going on that could actually turn REALLY exciting. When the going gets exciting, the excited go to the movies. Tonight, I saw Baby Mama, and enjoyed it.

But even better than the movie was the venue: Neighborhood Flix. I've eaten in the cafe (a buffalo meatloaf sandwich and sweet potato fries that were YUMMM), but this was my first time seeing a flick there. And I loved it! Stadium seating. Small studio and indie features. The best part: you can order any of the menu items and eat them or drink them in the theaters. Not just any menu items, but healthy, gourmet, GOOD stuff. (The owners say they serve "health-conscious food in extreme comfort.") Popcorn and fountain drinks come in one size (what most theaters would call medium) and you get FREE refills!!

AND Neighborhood Flix is right across from the Colfax Tattered Cover Store (with free, covered parking). Can it get any better? I think I might ask to have my ashes interned there!

More Book Club Love

As y'all all know, I *heart* book clubs. (I promise, I'll stop saying that one day.) A member of this club in L.A. (which doesn't yet have a name) invited me through my site to visit them while I was there. And I'm so glad they did! These ladies know how to party (and discuss a book!)! If the last book club gets the award for most organized, this club gets the award for biggest kick (only a little because of the rum punch they served). And they made the orange mint tea and cookies from the recipes in the book! To Erica, Dawn, Mignon, Jihan and all the other ladies, thank you so much! Thank you for reading my book. Thank you for your insights and observations about my book. And thank you for the gathering. All best wishes to you!

Readers here will be hearing more about my new friend Jihan. She needs a heart transplant and will be raising funds soon. As soon as she's ready, I'll post the information and I hope you'll join me in helping her out.

***
One more thing: Don't forget to check me out on Blog Talk Radio this evening at 6 p.m. EST. The call in number is (347) 838-9511.

Congratulations Hillary

Hillary Clinton made it official today. Many of us wanted her to give in much sooner, but a tough competitor, she fought beyond the bitter end. I didn't agree with that action, but I do have to give respect to a woman who was facing what she faced. Throughout the campaign, I was sickened by the misogynist comments about her "nagging" voice and "cackling" laughter. I hope she did put a big dent in the glass ceiling for women and I hope that one day (soon!) we'll have a woman in the White House.

And think about this: How many of us have had to throw our support behind a competitor for a job we REALLY wanted? Imagine interviewing and wooing an employer and finding out not only that they didn't pick you, but you have to publically say how cool the guy who beat you is? That can't be easy to do.

So come on Dems, let's join together, get behind our candidate (Yay Obama!) and make this thing happen. We can't afford another 4 more years (or 100 more) of what we've had the last 8.

So what do y'all think, should Hillary be VP? I myself would never want to pick for my #2 a person so determined to be #1. However, candidates don't always get to choose.

Leimert Park Book Fair

Saturday I signed and spoke at the Leimert Park Book Fair and Eso Won Book Store. Thank you James Fugate for inviting me! The highlight of the entire trip happened when I walked in the store and heard (not saw because she was surrounded by fans) that Nikki Giovanni was there. I quickly made my way over to thank her in person for the lovely blurb she gave me for Orange Mint and Honey. This is the part I still can't believe: She thanked ME for "writing such a beautiful book" and hugged me.

On Saturday wish a Happy Birthday to Nikki and to Prince (and to my friend Kim)!!!

This is my editor, the wonderful Melody Guy.

This is Gia Amado, a film producer who had expressed interest in turning my book into a movie.
In a special tribute, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes spoke about Octavia Butler (who wrote some beautiful, disturbing, scary stuff!). Due and Barnes are accomplished authors separately, but also write together along with Blair Underwood. The three's first book was Casanegra (which is in my TBR pile). Their next is In the Night of the Heat, and it's out this fall. So far, the only book of Due's I've read is Joplin's Ghost, which I really enjoyed. My Soul to Keep is now also in my TBR pile.

Steven, a novelist and screenwriter, was kind enough to give me his card and offer me advice should I need any about adapting Orange Mint into a movie. That's the great thing about L.A.: everybody's in showbiz!
For example, here's Bern Nadette Stanis, remember Thelma on Good Times?? (My best friend and I still answer the phone "Chello" a la JJ) She was at the book fair to talk about her book.

I had no idea I gesture so much when I speak. And no I wasn't singing!

Chat with me on Blog Talk Radio

Yasmin Coleman of the APOOO Book Club has invited me for a chat on Blog Talk Radio this Sunday at 6 pm EST. Call in (347) 838-9511 and join the discussion!

Hey Yasmin, at BEA Donna Hill told me she'd heard about Orange Mint and Honey from you. Thanks for spreading the word!

Yes

We

Can

BEA

Got in after 1:30 a.m. so if I make any sense here I'll be lucky. Anyway. Last Thursday I headed for L.A. My flight was cancelled due to a mechanical problem, but luckily I got on another flight stand-by and was able to make it to the reception for African American booksellers only about 30 minutes late.This photo is of some One World/Ballantine authors: Bertie Bowman, author of the memoir Step by Step. Moi. Donald Welch, author of The Bachelorette Party, and Nikki Turner, author of Black Widow. I didn't get a chance to mingle beyond the table, but I did get to meet the lovely Donna Grant and Virginia Deberry, author of Gotta Keep on Tryin'. The next morning started off with chicken and waffles at Pann's, the restaurant where the robbery in Pulp Fiction was filmed. Think Jackson or Travolta actually touched the booth we sat in?!

Next, it was back to the convention center. Good to see this guy's publisher is rallying behind him. God knows he could use the sales.
Look what I found at the Crown booth, a poster for Tethered, and YES I scored a galley! (Amy, they were all given out, but one of the publicists found a hidden away copy for me.)

Just to show you a little of what the trade booths look like.

The Devious Book for Cats is the book I so wished I had written.

More from the trip later.