My News

Florida Writers taking a break from the 2019 FWA Conference planning meeting. Put the conference on your calendar. The conference kicks off with Jonathan Maberry on October 17, 2019. 

Another Technique for Sharing

A fun method for sharing poetry is to turn your poem into song lyrics. I did that with two of the poems from Backpack Blues: Inspire the Fire Within. “Ain’t It a Shame” and “Travis Indigo” are both poems and songs.

Techniques for Sharing Poetry

Emily Dickinson spent a lifetime writing beautiful poetry. She sometimes slipped her poems into notes to friends. She rarely published her poems. When she did, she usually did so anonymously. It wasn’t until after her death that her sister, Lavinia, found and shared Ms. Dickinson’s 1, 789 poems with the world.

Will you hide your poetry in a keepsake box, or share it with the world? If you choose to share your poems, how can you get them into the limelight?

Consider participating in a poetry slam,

or

read one or more of your poems at a conference, cafe, college, high school, funeral, wedding, or other event,

or

if you’ve published a collection of poems, consider reading a few of your poems at a book signing event,

or

share your poems online.

At the Southwest Florida Writers Conference in Port Charlotte on Saturday, April 13, 2019, I’m going to suggest new ways to share your poetry online. 

Attend a conference to improve your craft, meet agents and publishers, learn marketing techniques, and talk with other writers. I’ll be sharing my poems.

The 2019 Florida Writers Conference runs from the evening of Thursday, October 17 to noon Sunday, October 20 at the Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs. I will be one of the speakers. Hope you’ll attend.

Thank you for visiting My News page.

Black History Month

Good morning,

It’s Black History Month. I plan to celebrate a few of my favorite Black writers. Will you? 

I was lucky enough to meet Toni Morrison at a NYS English Teacher’s Convention many years ago. I purchased and she signed my copy of Sula. Unfortunately, I let someone borrow the book, and she didn’t return it. Ms. Morrison was a fabulous speaker. Have you read any of her books or heard her speak? Perhaps, this is the month to read a Toni Morrison book.

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple won a Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a film and musical. It’s one of my all-time favorite novels. Consider reading it.

Langston Hughes is another of my favorite authors. I love his short stories and poems. Hughes’ blues poem “As Befits a Man” provides a humorous look at a funeral. In contrast, his poem “Misery” is full of angst. When I read his works, I go on a roller-coaster ride. Read a few Langston Hughes’ poems and you’ll be hooked on his writing style.

Jacqueline Woodson’s award-winning book, Brown Girl Dreaming, is a novel in verse an agent recommended I read. Since I write novels in verse, I read her adolescent novel with great anticipation. Although highly acclaimed, it did not rock me in the way Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down did. Long Way Down is my new favorite novel in verse. Published in 2017, this book is a must read for teens, teachers, librarians, parents, and writers of novels in verse. Consider reading a novel in verse this month.

Celebrate Black History Month by reading. Please let me know what poem or novel you read and what you liked or didn’t like about it. Thank you for visiting my site and blog.

Misconception

Have you written a book? Are you trying to decide whether to publish it traditionally or to self-publish? One misconception many writers have is that they can choose their covers for their books. While an author might have some input into the cover, if he or she publishes traditionally, the publisher makes the final determination. 

I wanted the Shutterstock picture on the cover of my collection of poems, Backpack Blues: Inspire the Fire Within. My publisher didn’t like the baggy pants on the young man. She chose the second cover photo. Which do you think fits my book better? I’d love to hear from you.

Showing my book, Silent Screams at Human Trafficking meeting in Daytona Beach. Are you wearing your black dress today? Most of my books deal in some way with human trafficking or the abduction of young girls. Have you read Backpack Blues: Inspire the Fire Within? A few of my poems, including the sestina, deal with the plight of innocent victims.

Take a Stand

Good Morning

Thank you for visiting my blog. Did you know January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month? Are you aware of the three types of human trafficking: Sex trafficking, Sex and Labor Trafficking, and Labor Trafficking? Are you aware that young boys are often victims of human trafficking? Are you aware that foster children and runaways are targeted?

Human trafficking was targeted at the One Voice for Volusia (the county where I live) Coalition meeting yesterday. Human trafficking is a plague on our society. As a former teacher, I’m aware that all children do not receive their basic needs. That makes them prime targets of traffickers. 

My books Silent Screams and Backpack Blues: Inspire the Fire Within target human trafficking because I was shocked at the statistics about this plague on our society. Anyone who uses children must be exposed. My work in progress will target a form of human trafficking I learned about last year. 

We all need family stability and to be accepted as we are, even if our sexual preference is not what our family prefers. We also need a home–a place of refuge and peace–no strings attached. We also have emotional needs. We must feel loved. Do you know a teen whose basic needs are not being met? He or she could be a target of a trafficker. What can you do to help stop traffickers who seek vulnerable victims?

Happy New Year!

Good Morning!

Thank you for visiting my site and reading my blog.

Are there issues you and your friends deal with in school that have not been dealt with in any of the Young Adults books you have read? What problems would you like to read about in 2019? What places would you like a book to take you in the new year?

What was your favorite book in 2018? What did you like about it?

Wherever I go, I carry a book. If I have downtime in a doctor’s office or waiting for my food to arrive in a restaurant, I take out a book I’m carrying in my purse and read. A pile of books I want to read rests near my bed and under the Christmas tree. 

I’m looking forward to seeing you at a book-signing event in the new year. Until then, what book are you reading?

Wishing you a kinder new year and peace in your home. 

A Great Author Website

Good Morning,

Thank you for taking time from your holiday preparations to visit My News. As you know, I frequently, recommend books I enjoy. Today, I’d like to recommend an author website I like. 

It’s time for me to rework my website, so I’ve been looking at other authors’ websites. This one appealed to me: https://leavesandcobwebs.com/

Do you like it? Do you think it works? What do you look for in an author’s website? I’d love your feedback.

I’ve asked Santa for an easy-to-carry book for when I go to conferences. I’ve wrapped many books for the people on my shopping list. Some will receive an autobiography. One will receive a James Patterson thriller. Others will receive an anthology of short stories published for the Florida Writers Association. My husband, Barry Dimick, and I both have stories in that anthology. It’s available on the Florida Writers Association website at www.FloridaWriters.net. That website is a website featuring many Florida authors.

Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Boxing Day! Happy New Year! Happy Holidays! Take time to read a good book. My book of poems: Backpack Blues: Inspire the Fire Within is easy to carry in your backpack or suitcase if you’re traveling. Happy reading.