Corona Chronicles

So it's business as usual for me, I cannot imagine that it is for you. Sorry about that. Wish there was something I could do. It's been stressful watching people being stressed.
My son is housebound, he just got a new girlfriend, it's hard. He gets snappy. I ain't having it. Every time he gets snappy I tell him my house is not about that negativity. Overall though, we're getting along with no fights which if my twitter is to be believed, is quite phenomenal.

Like I said, the writing continues although I am having a few problems with focus. Twitter can be very distracting and furthermore, my kid always wants something. Twenty years old and he still wants me to mitigate his boredom. Like...go find something to do, kid. I already raised you!
Supernatural is keeping me sane.
Although production has stopped so there are now no more new episodes. In a few weeks, there will be no new episodes of anything. I wonder how TV will work then. Like I said in my podcast this week (the link of which is over there by the side of this post) we're living with the assumption that after we get over this one thing, then things will get better.
But the truth is, life is probably like Supernatural now. If you beat this apocalypse, there's always another one waiting around the corner.

Yay!
Anyway, I wanted to make myself useful by giving some useful tips, suggestions and pointing your way to other places that can help you.
If you're in the States, Deray McKesson (sp) started a website with various resources you might need while at home. If you're in any government in any part of the world, this article in the NY Times about how S.Korea dealt with the coronavirus should be required reading.
If you're in Kenya and looking to be helpful, here's a thread of organizations filling in the gaps that the government has left that you can contribute to.
Looking to improve your cooking skills since you can't go out anymore? Have to buy food for the first time in your life? Here's some tips on that.
Are you a writer in need of distraction? Would you like to participate in some kink prompts and fills? Here's a place you can do that.
Also just FYI, the Queen of Earth, Ms. Robyn Rihanna Fenty is featured on this single. Get into it.
Well...
I think I've given you a few things you do while you marinate in the misery of quarantine life in this post-apocalyptic reality. It ain't over till it's over, K?

The Racism of Stock Photos

I downloaded this app that supposed to help you create social media posts. You know the type right? Anyone who does social media marketing should be aware of these.
Anyway, I usually use Canva to make my posts but now with Instagram being all, "You don't even go here," to my web-based social media apps that I use on my desktop, I decided to download something on my phone.
I mean, it's fun to play around with these apps and you can use your own photos...but, however, yet and nevertheless...I have a huge beef with all-a-dem.
The stock photos all have the same white, slim, blonde blue-eyed girl or dark-haired white blue eyes man, in them.
Like, it's not even funny and I wish I was exaggerating.

I just tried to search 'Haitian Zombies' on Canva and I still got white people in zombie costumes.
I remember that I went on Adazing once to get those mockups, you know the ones where your book cover is photoshopped in photos of people on picnics, the library, whatever? They wanted me to pay $60 for that shit and all the models were white.
What?
I actually wrote to them complaining and you know what? They've expanded their repertoire since. There are actually black and Asian people on there now. Not saying I did that but I definitely contributed.
I've been following this mess that happened with the Romance Writers Association where one of their writers of colour was punished for pointing out racist shit in a white writer's story. The WoC was suspended until twitter got involved. Then everyone started resigning from the organization, which then 'unsuspended' the writer of colour. It was a mess. All the officeholders quit. It was a bloodbath. People were finally talking openly about the different ways that writers of color get a raw deal in the romance writing world.
It was beautiful.

Now I am no stranger to being penalized for pushing back against Karen's telling me my views are rude because they differ from theirs, so I can totally relate. What annoys me is the gaslighting. The 'it's not what you said, it's how you said it, I don't see what the problem is' attitude.
I'm an honest and straightforward person. It annoys me more that people try to prevaricate about their racism, more than the racism itself. If you're going to be prejudiced, then wear it proudly on your sleeve. Stop trying to pretend it's something else.
I was talking to one of my internet mentors, "Black Freelance Association" a while back about how hard it was to get the same rates as someone in the West when it comes to romance writing. She told me that there is a lot of racism in the sector. I didn't really believe her because I've been ghostwriting romances for years and getting clients if not the top tier. But after this whole fiasco came out, and people started telling their stories, I realized that not just as a ghostwriter but also as an author with a the last name 'Musawale' I have been handicapped.

Sometimes you're so used to being crippled you don't even notice anymore.
A simple thing like creating a social media post from an app becomes twice as hard because you have to either take your own photos (and I'm no photographer) or google images that might not even be licensed for use.
Have you tried to google 'African'? You will be shocked to find that most of the images which come up are white. If there's a secret place y'all get your black people stock photos, please share.

Tales from the Script

Hi guys. I started a podcast because why not? The idea was given to me by my cousin some time ago when he wanted us to do one together meshing views from the States vs. Africa. It was going to be epic but we didn't quite manage to do it.
So today I happened upon an ad for Adelle Onyango's podcast on instagram and it was a story about a man's wife who calls his mistress yada yada; anyway, so one thing led to another and I was down the rabbit hole and downloading an app to start my own podcast before you could say...Annemarie, really?
So I like the sound of my own voice apparently. It's sultry and nasal like the Nanny's. I was gonna keep it anonymous but then fuck it.
It's me.
I'm the one who's gonna be discussing orgasms and marijuana and just how gay am I? It's gonna be fun. I think. I'll try to keep discussions legal.
So here's my first episode. There is, obviously shade because I am the QUEEN of shade and I refuse to apologize for it.
Also just a heads up; I recorded for this YouTube series and the presenter said to me that I have a beautiful soul.
Yes, even with all the shade in it.
So I'm going to insist that you try to see ME this year as I grow ever more wholly into the person I was meant to be and in the process, see how that manifests in my art.
Here's the first episode, and the trailer's on top.
Enjoy!