INTRODCUTION Warrior on the Mound by Sandra W. Headen is a fictional story through the eyes of twelve-year-old, Cato Jones. Cato is the pitcher for the Pender County Rangers. He and his team sneak out of school to see the new baseball field for the white team. After getting caught for trespassing, events unfold and… Continue reading Exploring Segregation Through Cato’s Baseball Journey
I heard that writing a book was only part of the work an author does to get his or her book out into the world. Marketing and publicity are equally important! As I'm finding out, they're equally time consuming. What to Do Next? Each night I go to bed thinking about the jobs that for… Continue reading My First Interview and My First 5-Star Goodreads Review!
Every author can't wait until they can reveal the cover of their forthcoming book. In the past, I have shared several of my friends covers: Linda Phillips' new cover for CRAZY, Stacey Bartlett's FREE SINGS THE SEA, and Vivian Elbee's I WANT MY BOOK BACK to name just three. NOW, IT'S MY TURN But first,… Continue reading YOU CAN SEE IT HERE FIRST!
Congratulations to Jo Lynn Worden for winning "You Are Mine, Porcupine." She is my cousin-in-law and has several porcupettes she'll read the book to! ******* Some writers use prompts or free writes when they're trying to figure out what their character is thinking or feeling, or what happens next in a story. I use poetry.… Continue reading After I Passed: Lillian's Poem
It's been awhile since I've shared the books that I read while writing Half-Truths. Here are two more books that have helped me understand one of my characters, Lillian Harris. If you aren't familiar with Half-Truths, this is the pitch for my book: In the heavily segregated South, fifteen-year-old Kate Dinsmore's world is shaken when she… Continue reading Multi Racial Reads #20 and #21
Congratulations to Megan Hoyt and Becky Scharnhorst who won copies of Viviane Elbee's book, Teach Your Giraffe to Ski. It's hard to review a book that covers the entire Civil Rights period in as much detail as Eyes On the Prize by Juan Williams does. The book, suitable for adults and young adults, is simultaneously comprehensive, academic,… Continue reading Eyes on the Prize – Audio Book review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Cat Michaels who won Leonardo the Florentine from last week's blog. ******* I purchased NOTE OF A WHITE BLACK WOMAN several years ago and recently found it while unpacking. I'm glad I did! Judy Scales-Trent provides amazing insights into racial identity as she reveals her thoughts and emotions as a "white black woman." As I often do… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #19: Notes of a White Black Woman by Judy Scales-Trent- Part I
Congratulations to Sheri Levy who won Dorothy Price's picture book, "Nana's Favorite Things." In November I reviewed Mississippi Trial, 1955 and analyzed a scene using questions that Rebecca Petruck posed to me. In this post I'm sharing an excerpt from another award winning book about the Jim Crow period, Guardian by Julius Lester. This time I'm analyzing… Continue reading Guardian: A Book Review and a Writing Exercise
I recently submitted the fourth draft of Half-Truths to Rebecca Petruck for her critique. In a future blog I'll clue you in on my marching orders for Draft #5, but today I'm sharing a specific part of her feedback about writing scenes. This is a longer blog than normal, so grab your favorite beverage and… Continue reading Mississippi Trial, 1955: A Book Review and a Writing Exercise
“As an African-American child growing up in the segregated pre-Civil Rights South, Sarah Bracey White pushed against the social conventions that warned her not to rock the boat, even before she was old enough to fully understand her urge to defy the status quo. In her candid and poignant memoir, Primary Lessons, White recalls a… Continue reading Primary Lessons: A Memoir by Sarah Bracey White