I am enjoying the process of creating book trailers. It's a very productive way to procrastinate and also a lot of fun. Also hopefully it attracts some readers to my books.
What do you think? Waste of time or helpful?
Showing posts with label post apocalyptic gay African romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post apocalyptic gay African romance. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 February 2023
Wednesday, 18 October 2017
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
A Picumentary
Character Intro
In Search of Paradise is the first ever post-apocalyptic gay African romance that details the Struggle of being gay while attempting to survive the end of the world. You have been introduced to Ben, Anders, and Zawadi in other posts. Today we're just summarising what we know in form of pictures. Because otherwise there's just too much stuff to read.
Right?
Charity
You can pre-order your copy by going here, and hovering your mouse over the picture. It will give you options from Amazon to Kobo whichever you prefer, where you can pre-order In Search of Paradise at a very discounted pre-order rate. It's discounted because we want as many people who can, to pre-order so that we can raise a goodly amount for the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
The Book Cover
I want you to take a closer look at the cover. Look at Anders' face. Do you see it? His face actually spells LOVE. The black and white background behind Ben and Anders' silhouettes is actually a picture of Uhuru Park in Nairobi. The bottom colored portion of the book cover is shaped like a pyramid and shows the devastation of the Apocalypse. After you read the book you'll have even more appreciation of how awesome that is.
And Finally
Pre-order period ends on 3rd November which is closer than you think. So hit that link today.
Monday, 9 October 2017
Birthday Post - Outtake
It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to,
cry if I want to,
cry if I want to.
I feel like crying right now because it feels like a shiv is stabbing my abdomen continuously. Ah, the joys of womanhood.
It's my birthday today; I'm turning very old. But I don't look it so it's cool. This year, my birthday is all about giving, so I'm gonna give you something and you can pay it forward by pre-ordering the book; you know by now that the proceeds go to charity.
What I'm gonna give you, is...a story. Since it's what I allegedly do best. The little story Imma tell you is a snapshot of Ben's life. This snapshot is not in the book, but when you do read the story you'll be able to guess the 'when' it occurs in Ben's life.
cry if I want to,
cry if I want to.
I feel like crying right now because it feels like a shiv is stabbing my abdomen continuously. Ah, the joys of womanhood.
What I'm gonna give you, is...a story. Since it's what I allegedly do best. The little story Imma tell you is a snapshot of Ben's life. This snapshot is not in the book, but when you do read the story you'll be able to guess the 'when' it occurs in Ben's life.
Even If You Win, You Lose
Ben lay prone on the grass, blinking up at the Nairobi blue sky, breathing hard. That game had been brutal. His cousins might be young but they were all little savages; more difficult opponents than any rugby team he'd ever faced. He could hear his father and uncle laughing uproariously from the verandah as they sipped their Guinness and boasted about the latest achievements of their children.
"Sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt," he murmured softly to himself, not exactly singing.
He turned his head a bit as he heard her laughing.
Esther Onyango.
She was very pretty with her long curly hair tied neatly in a knot at the back of her head, a precise part at the front showing her brown skull in a small neat line. Her lips were shiny with lip gloss, and her slightly slanted eyes outlined with black eyeliner. She looked very carefully put together with her shiny blue nails peeping from her open-toed heels, her white pleather skirt - so not suitable for this weather - not too short, and just clingy enough to let you know she was shapely without being too ratchet about it.
She kept darting glances at him, tiny smiles and secret looks like they were in on a joke together. They weren't.
He wasn't ready for this.
He'd thought he still had a few years - to 'sow his wild oats' - before his father declared that it was time to settle down and pass on the family name to a new generation.
Then Fidel Onyango and his wife and daughter came to town.
Fidel and Ben's dad were old school pals from Alliance boys. Fidel had gotten a scholarship to study in England, where he'd met his British Jamaican bride and sooner rather than later; along came Esther and her sister.
And now Mr. Onyango had managed to convince Ben's dad that he and Esther would be a match made in heaven. Hence this little get together.
His mother and father could not force him to do this.
No, nor would they if they could.
What they could do, was look at him with disappointed eyes if he didn't get with the program. Left unsaid would be the albatross he'd been dragging around with him for the last six years, "Your brother would have never done this."
Alex Ojamong had been the perfect big brother, the perfect son, a great friend, a good guy; bright, going places, funny, friendly...Ben looked up to him and wanted to be just like him. His father knew that his legacy was in good hands. Until one random Wednesday night, he and his friends were driving home from Rock Night at the Carnivore when a drunk driver ended all those dreams.
It was a shock to Ben.
One minute, he had a big brother. The next, he was gone. He was just turned fourteen years old at the time. A difficult age, one made more so by the upheaval his brother's death caused. His father was never the same, and his mother got sick.
Diabetes they said.
Ben felt like it was his duty to keep the family together. To be the perfect son so his parents didn't have to worry about him.He was the consolation prize and he knew it; it was his job to try - and fail - to fit his brother's shoes.
So he could not tell his father that, pretty as she was, he had no interest in Esther Onyango. What he could do was get up, paste a smile on his face, and go and speak to her.
Feedback is love.
In Search of Paradise available for pre-order here.
Friday, 6 October 2017
Character Analysis - Zawadi from In Search of Paradise
Is it too early for this? Probably right? I should wait until you've read the book shouldn't I? Okay, I'm gonna wait because I'm reasonable like that. What I will do is share an Instagram post with you which gives a little sneak peek at Zawadi Akasha, badass motherfucker, sister, daughter, friend.
She's one of the strongest characters I've ever written and all my women are strong. She's in this peculiar place where she's the last born child but also the first-born girl. So of course, nobody expects that her brother will 'look after' her. Nope.
TIA man, TIA.
The girl learns to cook fast, by the time she's twelve she should have the basic meals down. Meanwhile, the boy child - Anders - can fuck around forever if he wants to. Well...in most households anyway. In mine, my son could also cook the basics by the time he was twelve.
Well anyways, apart from being 'the girl child' Zawadi is also the only one who knows her brother's big secret.
*whispers* that he's gay.
Today I was reading a post on the NGLHRC facebook page where a young gay man was beaten, robbed and blackmailed after meeting with someone from an app called hornet. They were asking people to be more careful about who they meet and make sure they aren't alone.
It's very sad I know, he was robbed; but also very interesting.
I didn't know there was a local version of Grindr.
Well, I suppose there has to be when you can't just go up to someone and say, "Hey, how you doing?"
This post is a lot longer than I planned.
Okay so help out NGLHRC to get such word out, you could be saving lives. All In Search of Paradise preorder proceeds will be donated to them so don't forget to pre-order today. Also in case you need further motivation, the price goes up after the pre-order period is done. So...up to you.
Here's the post.
She's one of the strongest characters I've ever written and all my women are strong. She's in this peculiar place where she's the last born child but also the first-born girl. So of course, nobody expects that her brother will 'look after' her. Nope.
TIA man, TIA.
The girl learns to cook fast, by the time she's twelve she should have the basic meals down. Meanwhile, the boy child - Anders - can fuck around forever if he wants to. Well...in most households anyway. In mine, my son could also cook the basics by the time he was twelve.
Well anyways, apart from being 'the girl child' Zawadi is also the only one who knows her brother's big secret.
*whispers* that he's gay.
Today I was reading a post on the NGLHRC facebook page where a young gay man was beaten, robbed and blackmailed after meeting with someone from an app called hornet. They were asking people to be more careful about who they meet and make sure they aren't alone.
It's very sad I know, he was robbed; but also very interesting.
I didn't know there was a local version of Grindr.
Well, I suppose there has to be when you can't just go up to someone and say, "Hey, how you doing?"
This post is a lot longer than I planned.
Okay so help out NGLHRC to get such word out, you could be saving lives. All In Search of Paradise preorder proceeds will be donated to them so don't forget to pre-order today. Also in case you need further motivation, the price goes up after the pre-order period is done. So...up to you.
Here's the post.
Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Book, Relationships and Launches
Today I woke up feeling gratitude.
You've heard of The Secret right? Thoughts become things and other stories? Well it's true, they do, but thinking can be bloody exhausting sometimes. Especially first thing in the morning.
Most mornings when I wake up I couldn't be arsed about having an attitude of gratitude; I just want to go straight to 'okay, what problems do I have today?'
But today! Today was different.
I woke up grateful that I went to sleep late but still got up early.
Grateful that water came.
Grateful that I had this absolutely big protein-rich breakfast followed by gym and a swim. I felt like I was doing my body right.
And very grateful that Doctor Oz declared that dark chocolate is good for you, because now that cube of Wholenut I eat every day just moved from the self-indulgent to the self-care column. I mean, if you can't be grateful for that, what can you be grateful for?
I'm also thankful to Kat (not Elissa) who had me sorted in fifteen minutes yesterday, thus ensuring that I did not have to delay....drumrollll
You've heard of The Secret right? Thoughts become things and other stories? Well it's true, they do, but thinking can be bloody exhausting sometimes. Especially first thing in the morning.
Most mornings when I wake up I couldn't be arsed about having an attitude of gratitude; I just want to go straight to 'okay, what problems do I have today?'
But today! Today was different.
I woke up grateful that I went to sleep late but still got up early.
Grateful that water came.
Grateful that I had this absolutely big protein-rich breakfast followed by gym and a swim. I felt like I was doing my body right.
And very grateful that Doctor Oz declared that dark chocolate is good for you, because now that cube of Wholenut I eat every day just moved from the self-indulgent to the self-care column. I mean, if you can't be grateful for that, what can you be grateful for?
The Book Launch for Charity!
yay!
In Search of Paradise is now available for pre-order wherever e-books are sold! I'm so nervous about this, yet excited. Why nervous you ask? Well, this is a new space I'm venturing into, a stranger in a strange land. And yet not really.
Because the core of the book is relationships. And I think nobody is a stranger to those.
Allow me to digress.
Or not really.
This week, Amber Rose held her annual SlutWalk. Now I'm really not sure what the message of the slutwalk is...but I think it's something to do with rape culture. I saw that it began when some policeman in 2011 said, "Well if you don't want to be raped, don't dress like a slut."
I grew up in the eighties and nineties when social media involved actually going out and socializing. Now because I didn't have access to everyone's every thought, I grew up thinking that everyone had the same views about certain things. Like there was a 'right' choice and a 'wrong' one. (These days that has been converted into the 'left' and the 'right' ironically).
So in my mind, growing up there was no option for justifying rape. There was no scenario in which you could excuse a rapist because, oh, reasons. I thought everyone held that view until social media taught me different. There is apparently justification for anything; rape, murder, slavery...There is nothing which is 'wrong' anymore.
So okay, moral compasses are a thing of the past. How then to negotiate through life in the present? In this life where pastors sit on gold couches and their congregants kiss their shoes (true story). In this world where presidents are children playing their game of thrones with no shame or any indication of self-awareness; not a smidgeon of leadership skills. And this applies to every leader apart from Angela Merkel.
So in this quagmire called life, what can you do as an individual to restore sanity to your life? What can I do?
Well, I'm a writer so I can write.
Back to Amber Rose: she holds this slut walk yearly and this year, her boyfriend 21 Savage came out to support his boo. In my book, that earned him a seat at the adult table with Hov, Kanye and John Legend (see my post labeled Pearls of Wisdom...or Not). But to the internet, this was something to make fun of him about.
It made me sad...for the internet. Poor souls have no clue what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like. Or else they're jealous because Amber Rose, known slut or whatever, has a man who is there for her, who shows up for her, who supports her in her endeavors. And they can't get a text back.
Anders and Ben, my heroes in In Search of Paradise, go through something like that. They attempt to find a definition for their relationship when living in a world where you can't just go home and say, "Dad, this is my boyfriend." if you're a guy. So how do you negotiate the different relationships that you have as a person, and still stay true to who you are? It's a difficult question and I'm sure a lot of people in our community are living it every day. Can you relate?
After you've read the book, please come back and let me know.
Follow the #booklaunchforcharity events here.
Or follow the hashtag #booklaunchforcharity and #readforacause on social media. I also intend to do some mad blogging this month so pray for me.
And go on, hit that pre-order button. You know the price will go up once Nov. 3rd arrives. Don't be caught with your dick in your hand - figuratively speaking of course.
Kisses.
Monday, 2 October 2017
The First of Its Name
I'm no good at introducing my books. When anyone asks me what my books are about, I always feel like slapping a kindle into their hands and saying, "Read it and see."
I try to think if anyone ever gave me a treatise on a book before I picked it up and I gotta say, no they didn't. Usually, I just pick up a book, read the blurb, read the first few pages and if they look likely that's it.
Sold.
Or not.
So I'm not going to give you a treatise on In Search of Paradise, the first of book of its genre...how do I know that, you ask? Well, in the process of submitting it for publishing, there is a step where you choose the category your book belongs to right? So I looked for "African, gay", also "African postapocalyptic"...
Guess what?
Those categories don't exist.
The closest I got was African American gay romance.
Why do you think that is? Well, of course, it's mostly the denial that gay Africans exist, I know that for a fact. Even my family, which is the most chill in existence has given me the massive side-eye over this project.
My sister put it this way, "Annemarie is writing gay porn now." huge sigh. What are we going to do with her?
Of course at this point eliciting that reaction is a way of life for me so...
Well, gay Africans do exist, gay Kenyans are out here trying to hustle just like the rest of us, and that's where the national gay and lesbian human rights commission comes in. I'll let them say it in their own words:
When I began to write this book, I didn't have any lofty ambitions in mind. It was a story, it came to me, it wanted to be written. LGBTQIA is not really my space - except in the laziest of terms, where I could probably be described as an ally, maybe. But I thought that since I have appropriated their culture for my book, it's only fair that they reap some of the benefits. That's why I decided to give all preorder proceeds to the NGLHRC to help in my own very small teeny tiny way to make it easier to be gay in Africa. That way, it won't take the goddamned apocalypse for people to come out of the closet.
Damn, is that a spoiler?
I think that's a spoiler.
Oh well.
Speaking of the apocalypse, I wake up every day and the events I'm describing as fiction in my book seem about to happen in real time. You guys, I'm not ready to live in the Walking Dead. Can we all chill? Mother nature included.
What the fuck is happening though you guys?
Anyways, here is an excerpt from In Search of Paradise, read it, enjoy, go preorder the book, it's available from tomorrow.
Kisses.
I try to think if anyone ever gave me a treatise on a book before I picked it up and I gotta say, no they didn't. Usually, I just pick up a book, read the blurb, read the first few pages and if they look likely that's it.
Sold.
Or not.
So I'm not going to give you a treatise on In Search of Paradise, the first of book of its genre...how do I know that, you ask? Well, in the process of submitting it for publishing, there is a step where you choose the category your book belongs to right? So I looked for "African, gay", also "African postapocalyptic"...
Guess what?
Those categories don't exist.
The closest I got was African American gay romance.
Why do you think that is? Well, of course, it's mostly the denial that gay Africans exist, I know that for a fact. Even my family, which is the most chill in existence has given me the massive side-eye over this project.
My sister put it this way, "Annemarie is writing gay porn now." huge sigh. What are we going to do with her?
Of course at this point eliciting that reaction is a way of life for me so...
Well, gay Africans do exist, gay Kenyans are out here trying to hustle just like the rest of us, and that's where the national gay and lesbian human rights commission comes in. I'll let them say it in their own words:
Founded by six young legal advocates, The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) announced its foundation at its inaugural Gay and Lesbian Awards in December 2012. Held in Nairobi’s City Hall, the Awards affirmed the Kenyanness of the LGBTIQ community while demanding for their inclusion in public and social organizing spaces. Since then, NGLHRC has been encouraging diversity and agitating for public dialogue on sex, sexuality, gender, and nonconformity.
Since 2013, we have been the go-to organization for LGBTIQ legal aid, including security response. We provide a greatly needed national legal aid response mechanism to help prevent and respond to discrimination on account of real or presumed sexual orientation or gender identity. We also engage in civic and public education on LGBTIQ identity, needs, and rights as we push for the full inclusion of LGBTIQ individuals and communities in Kenyan society. Through unique partnerships, targeted trainings and a responsive staff, NGLHRC’s services and resources are available to LGBTIQ individuals wherever they may be; in every city, town, rural area, and county in Kenya.
When I began to write this book, I didn't have any lofty ambitions in mind. It was a story, it came to me, it wanted to be written. LGBTQIA is not really my space - except in the laziest of terms, where I could probably be described as an ally, maybe. But I thought that since I have appropriated their culture for my book, it's only fair that they reap some of the benefits. That's why I decided to give all preorder proceeds to the NGLHRC to help in my own very small teeny tiny way to make it easier to be gay in Africa. That way, it won't take the goddamned apocalypse for people to come out of the closet.
Damn, is that a spoiler?
I think that's a spoiler.
Oh well.
Speaking of the apocalypse, I wake up every day and the events I'm describing as fiction in my book seem about to happen in real time. You guys, I'm not ready to live in the Walking Dead. Can we all chill? Mother nature included.
What the fuck is happening though you guys?
Anyways, here is an excerpt from In Search of Paradise, read it, enjoy, go preorder the book, it's available from tomorrow.
Kisses.
IN SEARCH OF PARADISE: AN EXCERPT
Friday, 22 September 2017
It Takes a Village
Doesn't it though?
This morning I was, er, you know, performing my morning ablutions when I got this text from one of my oldest friends. He sent me a video of this single mom, who was also a student and she was having child care problems one day. So she let her professor know that she would not be making it to class and he was like "Oh no chile, bring that baby with you, it's fine."
So she brought her baby to class and the lecturer, who was an immigrant to the United States from Zambia, was photo'd carrying the baby as he lectured the class.
So naturally, she was feeling very grateful for him and his generosity. And I watched the video and my heart melted because I remember being a student with a baby and this whole village, including the guy who sent me the video, just helping me out. Of course, I did not find it such an unusual thing because, with all our faults, Africans just do have the warmest hearts on earth. They do. We do. But it was a great way to start the day with gratitude in my heart for all the people I may take for granted who make up my village.
Speaking of...if raising a child takes a village well, so does surviving the apocalypse. Imagine if you will, meteors falling from the skies as nations fight over inanities. Imagine Kim Jong Un in a battle to the death with Donald Trump to find out who can be the most childish. Nuclear proliferation accelerating in Iran and China because the threat of World War III is becoming more real. Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Maria wrecking havoc, earthquakes, tropical storms, tsunamis.
It's not one disaster, it's many all at the same time. And the biggest of them all, Vordania Prime bringing Armageddon.
BOOOM.
Armageddon playlist applies:
-Its the end of the world as you know it.
- If today was your last day
- I don't wanna miss a thing
- In the End
But not too many songs because the electricity is always the first thing to go right?
I've always wanted to write a post-apocalyptic book, and now I have. Or rather I am. So there are three main characters - our village - Ben Ojamoong, Anders Mikaelsson, and Zawadi Akasha. Anders and Zawadi are half siblings (same mom, different dads) from the coast and Ben is Anders' boyfriend. They have stuck together through it all and now, when the world has been laid waste, they find themselves on the road. Heading anywhere they've heard that there are still people.
Now right now, in this world, Egypt might be struggling a bit with the Muslim Brotherhood and all, but in an apocalypse, the fact that they are already used to living in dystopia might vote Egypt and Syria 'most likely to survive.'
In this mythical future, Egypt has already set up something organized so our three refugees are trying to get there. Find somewhere they can call home.
It's all very straightforward, right? That's unless you count the plot twists, the kidnappings, extortion, murder, Egyptian gods...just...stuff.
If I tell you why would you read the book?
Oh and there's also man-kissing and man-sexing. Explicit lyrics do apply.
Did I mention all proceeds from pre-order sales go to this charity right here? Well, they do. You can also donate directly to the charity under our hashtag #booklaunchforcharity.
This morning I was, er, you know, performing my morning ablutions when I got this text from one of my oldest friends. He sent me a video of this single mom, who was also a student and she was having child care problems one day. So she let her professor know that she would not be making it to class and he was like "Oh no chile, bring that baby with you, it's fine."
So she brought her baby to class and the lecturer, who was an immigrant to the United States from Zambia, was photo'd carrying the baby as he lectured the class.
So naturally, she was feeling very grateful for him and his generosity. And I watched the video and my heart melted because I remember being a student with a baby and this whole village, including the guy who sent me the video, just helping me out. Of course, I did not find it such an unusual thing because, with all our faults, Africans just do have the warmest hearts on earth. They do. We do. But it was a great way to start the day with gratitude in my heart for all the people I may take for granted who make up my village.
Speaking of...if raising a child takes a village well, so does surviving the apocalypse. Imagine if you will, meteors falling from the skies as nations fight over inanities. Imagine Kim Jong Un in a battle to the death with Donald Trump to find out who can be the most childish. Nuclear proliferation accelerating in Iran and China because the threat of World War III is becoming more real. Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Maria wrecking havoc, earthquakes, tropical storms, tsunamis.
It's not one disaster, it's many all at the same time. And the biggest of them all, Vordania Prime bringing Armageddon.
BOOOM.
Armageddon playlist applies:
-Its the end of the world as you know it.
- If today was your last day
- I don't wanna miss a thing
- In the End
But not too many songs because the electricity is always the first thing to go right?
I've always wanted to write a post-apocalyptic book, and now I have. Or rather I am. So there are three main characters - our village - Ben Ojamoong, Anders Mikaelsson, and Zawadi Akasha. Anders and Zawadi are half siblings (same mom, different dads) from the coast and Ben is Anders' boyfriend. They have stuck together through it all and now, when the world has been laid waste, they find themselves on the road. Heading anywhere they've heard that there are still people.
Now right now, in this world, Egypt might be struggling a bit with the Muslim Brotherhood and all, but in an apocalypse, the fact that they are already used to living in dystopia might vote Egypt and Syria 'most likely to survive.'
 |
| Beirut Apr 2016 |
It's all very straightforward, right? That's unless you count the plot twists, the kidnappings, extortion, murder, Egyptian gods...just...stuff.
If I tell you why would you read the book?
Oh and there's also man-kissing and man-sexing. Explicit lyrics do apply.
Did I mention all proceeds from pre-order sales go to this charity right here? Well, they do. You can also donate directly to the charity under our hashtag #booklaunchforcharity.
Monday, 18 September 2017
In Search Of Paradise
Yes yes yes!
We have a book title.
By common consensus with my survey cohort, that's the name that seems most comfortable, familiar and interesting. So now that we have a name, all we need is a book cover and of course, the actual, completed manuscript. Have you ever felt like everything is under control when it really isn't? Like I have 40 k words to write by Thursday and I am just feeling like, yeah, it will be done. I also have to finish the In search of Paradise manuscript this week and I am all over it. I mean I'm not complaining about being all Can Do! but at one point does confidence become delusion? I don't know. I guess we'll see on Thursday. Do you think this is how +Rihanna felt before she released Fenty Beauty, FentyxPuma and had the diamond ball all in the same week? Well, my work motto has always been WWRD (what would Rihanna do?) so I'm gonna assume that she had the same can-do attitude going for her.
How are you? How was your week? The Emmys were just on and a lot of bittersweet firsts happened. Bittersweet because its 2017 for crying out loud and yet we're still having the first black director getting an Emmy for Atlanta. Do you think he's the first to deserve it? I don't. First black (gay) female for comedy writing...Do you think she's the first to deserve that award? I don't. I think probably there were many who went before who were overlooked because they weren't the right gender/color. And Sean Spicer...already on his redemption tour. People laughing with him? It's nauseating. I recently followed a Nigerian writer on Twitter, Nnedi Okafor whose book was optioned for a movie (because of course, those are goals) by George R. R. Martin. Articles have been written about it in Variety, EW and what not, and the funny thing is they don't even mention her. They say 'a new Afrocentric offering from George R. R Martin. So the erasure continues. Till when guys? Till when?
Back to In Search of Paradise. It should be available for pre-order from 3rd of October. During book launch month, we're gonna do something a little bit different. We're going to raise money for charity.
Are you with me?
So the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission have agreed to partner with me in this endeavor. We're going to learn a few things about the challenges faced by the LGBTQIA community in Kenya, fundraise directly through their fundraising portal as well as all pre-order purchases going towards the fundraising. That will be our fun activity for October. Are you excited? I am soo excited. Y'all gonna help me make a difference right? Tell your friends. :)
Soon and very soon we'll have a little excerpt plus book cover reveal. Stay tuned!
Have a great week.
We have a book title.
By common consensus with my survey cohort, that's the name that seems most comfortable, familiar and interesting. So now that we have a name, all we need is a book cover and of course, the actual, completed manuscript. Have you ever felt like everything is under control when it really isn't? Like I have 40 k words to write by Thursday and I am just feeling like, yeah, it will be done. I also have to finish the In search of Paradise manuscript this week and I am all over it. I mean I'm not complaining about being all Can Do! but at one point does confidence become delusion? I don't know. I guess we'll see on Thursday. Do you think this is how +Rihanna felt before she released Fenty Beauty, FentyxPuma and had the diamond ball all in the same week? Well, my work motto has always been WWRD (what would Rihanna do?) so I'm gonna assume that she had the same can-do attitude going for her.
How are you? How was your week? The Emmys were just on and a lot of bittersweet firsts happened. Bittersweet because its 2017 for crying out loud and yet we're still having the first black director getting an Emmy for Atlanta. Do you think he's the first to deserve it? I don't. First black (gay) female for comedy writing...Do you think she's the first to deserve that award? I don't. I think probably there were many who went before who were overlooked because they weren't the right gender/color. And Sean Spicer...already on his redemption tour. People laughing with him? It's nauseating. I recently followed a Nigerian writer on Twitter, Nnedi Okafor whose book was optioned for a movie (because of course, those are goals) by George R. R. Martin. Articles have been written about it in Variety, EW and what not, and the funny thing is they don't even mention her. They say 'a new Afrocentric offering from George R. R Martin. So the erasure continues. Till when guys? Till when?
Back to In Search of Paradise. It should be available for pre-order from 3rd of October. During book launch month, we're gonna do something a little bit different. We're going to raise money for charity.
Are you with me?
So the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission have agreed to partner with me in this endeavor. We're going to learn a few things about the challenges faced by the LGBTQIA community in Kenya, fundraise directly through their fundraising portal as well as all pre-order purchases going towards the fundraising. That will be our fun activity for October. Are you excited? I am soo excited. Y'all gonna help me make a difference right? Tell your friends. :)
Soon and very soon we'll have a little excerpt plus book cover reveal. Stay tuned!
Have a great week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)