Heading To The Atlanta Black Theatre Festival!

Wow!  Always exciting to be a part of the first anything, but this time, the GA Peach Authors are taking their words to a place where every breath, scene, and phrase matters.  We're sitting with writers, readers, actors, and other visionaries -- August Company, indeed, and we're doing it at the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival!

 

Just in case you haven't heard, Jean Holloway, Gail McFarland, Marissa Monteilh, and Electa Rome Parks are bringing their words, skills, and imagination to the party on Saturday, October 6.  Featured in a FREE 2pm workshop, Jean will talk about "Setting," because every good story has to happen somewhere.  Gail will discuss "Dialogue," because conversation rocks a story.  Marissa will share specifics on  "Point of View," mostly because everybody has one, and fabulous stories are always based in opinion.  Electa will define characterization and how to make your characters memorable.

 

The Atlanta Black Theatre Festival will be held at the Loew's Hotel in midtown Atlanta (1065 Peachtree Street, NW), and we'd love to see you there!  For more details, visit the event webite at:  atlantablacktheatrefestival.org/.
      

 

 

 

Upping Our Game At The Atlanta Black Theatre Festival

The GA Peach Authors are counting down the days to the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival!  The news is out and we are anticipating an amazing time at the midtown Loew's Hotel this weekend.  The buzz is big, so we are also looking forward to great attendance with lots of traffic -- but you can still go to the event website to sign up for our FREE workshop on Saturday, October 6.  We're going to beak down the skills that it takes to bring drama, suspense, and romance to life, and we might even tell you how to do somebody in (only on the page, please).

This is perfect celebration and networking opportunity for actors, directors, authors, and students of all ages.  The event will offer more than 8 staged readings, 9 authors speaking, 6 workshops, 2 parties, a gala celebration, and a huge youth showcase with 26 of the most talented young people in the city of Atlanta.  We strongly suggest that you don't want to be left out -- be sure to bring lots of friends and family to enjoy the fun and excitement. 

The goal is that you have a fantastic experience at the inaugural Atlanta Black Theatre Festival and come back year after year!

 

Visit the website today:

The Atlanta Black Theatre Festival

The Atlanta Black Theatre Festival

October 4 - 7, 2012

The first Atlanta Black Theatre Festival will be held over Columbus Day weekend, at the beautiful Loew's Hotel in midtown Atlanta, and the GA Peach Authors will be there for all of the fun and excitement.  This inaugural event will feature 40 plays in four days, an authors alley, FREE workshops and displays, and a celebration of all that goes into the great traditions of black theatre.

 

This is your chance to meet the GA Peach Authors as we present our informative writers workshop and participate in the Authors Alley book signing.  We're ready to talk books, characters, dialogue, the business, and more, on Saturday, October 6th, from 11am - 6pm. 

 

Visit the event website: http://atlantablacktheatrefestival.org/ for scheduled performances and appearances.

 

Can't wait to see you there!

   

Deep Dishin' With The GA Peach Authors

Today has been an AWESOME day!  The GA Peach Author tour took us to FOR SISTERS ONLY at the Georgia World Congress Center.  Talk about crowds and sounds, they were abundant as visitors and vendors mingled.  Lots of local and national authors were in the house, which meant tons of books, and a chance to meet and greet.  All told, if you are a reader or a writer, this was the place to be. 

 

We even had the chance to meet several actors and some film and photography folks -- so you KNOW that there are lots of pictures to show.  You can check them out on our FaceBook page.  Who knows, if you were there, we may have caught you in one of our photos. 

 

Our time was spent in the McDonald's "Sip and Sign" Lounge.  Set in the middle of the venue, complete with bright red leather lounge chairs and banquettes, and small groups of bistro tables and chairs , the lounge was welcoming, and the smoothies were delicious.   So you have to know that's where we spent most of our time, dishing the drama and the plots for our upcoming work, and talking with the crowd.   It was all great fun and we're offering up special thanks to V-103 and all of their sponsors for hosting our visit, including us in their broadcasts, and interviewing us.

 

The next stop on our tour will be the inaugural Atlanta Black Theatre Festival -- October 6, 2012.

Hope to see you there!

   

Steppin' Out GA Peach Style!

Today's the day that the GA Peach Authors are stepping out for the Atlanta For Sisters Only event at the Georgia World Congress Center.  We will be taking the FSO stage in the McDonald's  V-103 "Sip and Sign Lounge" from 12-2pm.  We won't be hard to find:  we'll be the ones wearing black because its chic and talking books because we love a good read.

 

Come take a picture with us, get in on the chat, maybe find out what's happening with your favorite characters, and have a good time.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

Peaches and Passion: Always In Fashion

Okay, so you know we were at the Decatur Book Festival yesterday.  And if you've ever had the chance to chat, sip, sign, dine or FB with any of us, you know we had a good time.  But with a little help from our friends, The GA Peach Authors took their title of The Housewives of Literature: Atlanta to a whole new level on their Saturday panel.  As my mother would say, "this was just a whole 'nother other!"

 

Yes, we brought the words, the stories, and the sass -- and we made it look GOOD!  With guest author Miranda Parker, we strutted the stilettos and flashed the fluttering lashes, but the best thing we did was to meet the readers.  Thanks to sensational Decatur City Councilwoman, Kiesha Cunningham, for moderating and helping us to bring the heat.  And a special thanks is due to all of the great staff and DBF volunteers for making us so welcome that we could make the rest look easy.  It was great fun!

   

My Writing Life: Headed to the AJC Decatur Book Festival

It's finally here -- the annual AJC Decatur Book Festival!  Today, the GA Peach Authors, also known as "The Housewives of Literature: Atlanta," will be taking the stage for a panel discussion from 5:30 - 6:15pm.

Okay, so I'm really excited to be talking books with my GA Peach girls, and a bunch of folks who really like to read.  But the event has also got me thinking about my "Housewife" icon, Nene Leakes, and what she would have to say about my writing, maybe books, and just stuff in general.  So, with a tip of my hat to Nene, here are my four favorite quotes from her:

1. "Close your legs to married men..."  There was a whole lot more to this one, but you'd have to be there.  Anyway, with reference to my latest novel, Doing BIG Things, the heroine should have taken this advice, but since she didn't, you need to read the book.
2. "I wear a size 10, but I could be an 8 if I wanted.  I'm just effin' hungry."  Now, who amoung us does not get this?  I may work in fitness and spend a lot of my life in the gym, but I like to eat, too!
3. "I truly believe that blonde wigs will make you crazy."  Okay, I have no real world connotation for this one.  I just think its funny!
4. "I don't keep up with the Joneses, I am the Jonses."  My thought, paraphrased, with every word I write.  My goal is to make every book, every character, and every scene better than the one before.  I LOVE what I do, and besides, readers deserve that and so much more.

Nene has said a lot of other things, but these are my faves.  You have any?  Send them to me the_fitwryter@yahoo.com.

See you in Decatur!
   

My Writing Life: A Review To Remember!

I just got a really amazing review from a GoodReads reader, and I thought I would share.  Wow, and thank you, Vivian!

     

Jul 19, 2012

Vivian rated it

Shelves: first-reads, women-s-fiction, summer-2012-read

A first reads winner.

Wealthy Loi Cramer recalls the life she began with her late husband, Alex Cramer. It is your typical poor, down on her luck girl meets wealthy man who sweeps her off her feet story but with a twist. She meets him while she's employed at his house while caring for his ailing wife. An affair begins. Gossip spreads. Loi begins to wonder if the mistress ever becomes the wife.

Then the story really begins. Cannot possibly add more details without spoiling the book. You are just g...more A first reads winner.

Wealthy Loi Cramer recalls the life she began with her late husband, Alex Cramer. It is your typical poor, down on her luck girl meets wealthy man who sweeps her off her feet story but with a twist. She meets him while she's employed at his house while caring for his ailing wife. An affair begins. Gossip spreads. Loi begins to wonder if the mistress ever becomes the wife.

Then the story really begins. Cannot possibly add more details without spoiling the book. You are just going to have to trust me. It gets better with each turn of the page. I completed this novel in the matter of hours. A really great read. 

  

We Survived!

The GA Peach Authors are breathing a collective sigh of relief today -- we have just survived our very first Vignette Buffet and Benefit! 

Clamping down on our nerves, we stood tall and proud, tried not to clutch our pearls, and watched our work roll out onto the stage at the Green Room Actors Lounge last night.

Trusting in prayer and the love of our friends, families, and a crew of talented actors, we stood together and watched characters from Hot Girlz, Ace of Hearts, Diary of A Stalker, and Doing BIG Things come to life.  The process of getting to this point has been so much more involved than any of us could have envisioned when we began this journey together.

It would take so much more space and time than we have here to list all of the lessons that we've learned along the way, but like I said, we made it!  All in all, it was a memorable experience for all involved, and we GA Peaches know that we have just taken another HUGE step on the path of our writing journey.

Thanks for all the support!

   

 

Here We Go!

Hard to believe, but TONIGHT's the night!  In the immortal words of Kool and The Gang, "It's ladies night," and the GA Peach Authors are ready to shine.  If you haven't already heard, we hope that you'll consider this your invitation to join us tonight at the Green Room Actors Lounge, here in Atlanta, for the Vignettes Buffet and Benefit. 

We've turned scenes from our novels into stage productions and will also be signing books to benefit Actors for Autism.  Event attendees will also be able to enjoy the cool and sultry ambiance of the Green Room and an amazing buffet supper prepared by Chef Shelia of Cookin' With Flava'.

If you can't make it to the Green Room and want to support our charity or congratulate us, you can now do so via live streaming! Just buy a $5.00 congratulatory message ticket. There's also a $10.00 ticket for businesses that want to run an ad for the evening.  Both will stream live on the Green Room's website and on Facebook. When you buy a streaming ticket, you will be emailed with details on how to proceed.

We're excited, and hope to see YOUR face in the place!

  

  

A Little Summer Delight

Hot weather, holiday week, and time to enjoy it -- what could be better? 

How about four FREE ebook downloads?

From now until July 5th, enjoy relaxing, sensual, intimate beach and patio-perfect novellas and short stories, all ripe for the reading.  To download your copies, simply click the link for each story.  On the Smashwords site, take your pick of any one -- or even all four -- ebook freebies, then enter the discount code at check out.  Choose from:

    

A MATTER OF MARRIAGE (code TW74V)

WHAT ONE WON'T DO (code CZ63H)

ONCE (OR TWICE) IN A LIFETIME (code QQ99R)

THIS SIDE OF FOREVER (code KD72M)

   

Read your new ebook on any reader, including your Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPhone, Sony Reader, or PC.  Just click the link, download, and enjoy!

Oh, and tell a friend!

   

Notes From My Writing Life: Book Coaching

Believing that literacy is an amazing gift, knowing that people have shed blood and tears for it, I take reading seriously.   I also take writing very seriously.  So you have to know that when a friend approached me about acting as his book coach, I was enthused and took the request seriously.    What I should have done was to take a paraphrased cue from Forest Gump:  “Mama says, ‘reading is what writers do.’”  Suffice it to say, my friend is not a reader.

Hindsight being what it is, I suppose that I should have gone into the project realizing that someone who does not read fiction simply won’t have an automatic “feel” for it.  I probably should have asked to see an outline or proposal, but I love my friends , so I jumped in with both feet, from word one. 

On the surface, the job of a book coach is pretty straightforward:

·         Walk the author through the step-by-step process of writing, publishing, and promoting their book

·         Explain the structure of a book and how the parts fit together

·         Help organize ideas, research, main points, and written material

·         Help create a writing plan, set realistic deadlines, and create a schedule for meeting them

·         Work with the author to find their own unique voice

·         Help develop the book from the original idea through the outline, rough drafts, and revisions to polished manuscript

·         Provide feedback and advice on flow, grammar, substance, and writing style

·         Point out inconsistencies, word repetition, weak vocabulary, and lack of clarity

Knowing what the job entailed, I knew that I could handle it.  To his credit, my friend is not lazy and didn’t expect me to write the book for him.  What I didn’t plan on was that I would have to begin by tutoring him in grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling.  What I wasn’t prepared for was that he would grow more than a little angry with me for doing EXACTLY what he asked me to do.  That left me with some questions like:

·         How do you become annoyed with someone who mentors you on the use of YOUR native language?

·         How can you stay irritated by someone who insists that you use quotation marks in a novel?

·         How does anyone fume over the need for paragraphs?

·         What kind of novel has only one endless chapter?

Okay, so you probably already know how this ends…  My friend is convinced that he has developed a new 400-page art form, and that book coaching and traditional novel forms are over-rated.  He also now thinks that I am an anal-retentive book Nazi and I am not going to tell him any different.  For my part, I am hoping that he will figure out another way to tell his story.

Probably as a video.

Author D.L. Sparks Interviewed by Just Romantic Suspense

Interview with D.L. Sparks

Giveaway alert!

D.L. Sparks is the best selling author of: All That Glitters, The Lies That Bind and Between Friends. Her novels are repeatedly best sellers on Black Expressions and has been embraced by endless readers as far away as London and France. Ms Sparks has also been voted one of the Top 25 Most Influential Black Fiction Writers on Twitter by The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog.

Given the nature of this website, I have to ask...what draws you to the romantic suspense genre?

[D.L. Sparks]  I enjoy walking that fine line between bliss and tragedy. It's all about the not knowing. And just when the reader thinks they know proving to them they essentially know nothing at all. Happily ever after and warm and fuzzy is easy to write. Suspense takes on a whole new form of writing and the way the writer sees the world. For instance a strictly romance author may see a couple ride off into the sunset and drop their pen satisfied. A romantic suspense author may see that same couple ride off into the sunset all the while knowing there is a psychotic ex waiting around the corner to exact revenge.

Is it dangerous being a romantic suspense author?

[D.L. Sparks]  LOL! It definitely pushes your mental limitations. I mean just some of the things I've Googled alone would probably be enough to either get me locked up or certified. When researching a character or situation, for me it's law enforcement/crime, I have a lot of different avenues. And research for me is very important and I dig deep when I do it to bring my story to life as much as possible. So imagine someone tinkering around in my hard drive and finding a search for: How to make a suicide look like a murder. LOL! As far as physical danger I'd have to say no. Unless you're riding shot gun during an arrest or bust you'll be fine.

Have you ever experienced a Deja Vu moment, where you find yourself in a scene from one of your books?

[D.L. Sparks]  Not while I was awake. But I have definitely had dreams where I found myself in the middle of a scene and it scared me enough to wake me up. One of my DEA agents ended up on a hit list and of course there were people after him to keep him from solving  the crime. Well in my dream MY name popped up on a hit list and I remember being surrounded by people trying to protect me and figure out where to hide me. It was a very tense and scary moment. I have to say I was very proud of myself. LOL!

Do you recall any book bloopers? Edits that slipped past you and made you say, OMG!

[D.L. Sparks]  With this book the biggest blooper would have to be my cover. It doesn't reflect my writing style or the story very well at all. I worked hard to get it changed but guess I didn't work hard enough. LOL! It just doesn't scream "Romantic Suspense" to me. Which presented a huge challenge for me in promotion. My first book The Lies That Bind, there was no doubt but this one….the cover leaves much doubt. Also, I think every writer has read through their books and found something they either wanted to change and forgot or should've changed and didn't. It comes with the territory. We live in a world surrounded by words and sometimes those words run together and it's very easy to get cross-eyed when you're working. It's like when you stare at a word so long it starts to look like you spelled it wrong. LOL!

What is one stereotype about authors that is completely wrong? 

[D.L. Sparks]  That all writers are addicted to coffee. No…wait. That may be true. LOL!  I think the biggest one is that we're all introverted loners who don't like to be around other people. Actually it's the exact opposite. Writers thrive off of the creative energy that comes from being around friends and family and especially other writers. We are creative by nature and gain inspiration from all the things around us. So that could be as simple as a night out with the girls or a quiet evening at the movies with a friend then walking the mall people watching. We're writing even when we're not.

I understand that you have a very admirable dedication for all of your novels. Would you share that with us? 

[D.L. Sparks]  My novels are dedicated to my best friend Monica Bowie who was abducted in July of 2007. She was never found and not much has been done to keep her case alive and in the spotlight. In addition to her I include other missing women whose cases, like Monica's, have been swept aside and forgotten. It's my way of keeping their names circulating in some form and letting their families know that not everyone has forgotten.                             

D.L. will be offering a print copy of BETWEEN FRIENDS to one lucky commenter!

Giveaway ends 10pm EST June 22nd. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@justromanticsuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway. This giveaway is applicable to US and CANADA addresses only.

All I've Ever Wanted to Do. . .

When something is for you, there’s a feeling that is deep down inside of you that will not allow you to let it go. – Tyler Perry

That’s what writing is, was, and will forever and always be for me. Something that speaks directly to my soul. A vehicle that allows me to have a voice like no other. My love affair. My therapy. My peace.

Recently, I celebrated my 11^th year in the literary industry. I started my journey and the realization of a dream, November 2001. Times does fly, does it? Here I am, nine books later. As I’ve said from book one, The Ties That Bind, up until now, all I’ve ever wanted to do was write. Just write. Simply write.

I don’t know what the future holds. . . To quote Oprah Winfrey, “What I know for sure. No matter where I am on my journey, that’s exactly where I need to be. The next road is always ahead.” My destiny remains to be seen.

To my readers, who I affectionately refer to as family, many of you have been on this journey with me from the very beginning. And others joined the journey many miles and mile markers down the road. Others have just recently joined the trip. The road traveled hasn’t always been smooth, but paved with bumps and valleys along the way, but through it all, you’ve been my loyal passengers. For that I will be eternally grateful.

To you, to all of you, I say THANK YOU! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping this black girl to live out her dream. I have so appreciated the show of support, encouragement, kind words of praise, spirit of sisterhood and the sense of bonding experienced through the written word. You’ve been the magic in my life.

Electa Rome Parks

6-21-2012, 10:36 p.m.