Tuesday, September 11, 2007

9/11 Tribute - We Can Choose

I'd just like to share a reflective piece I wrote today entitled, "We Can Choose" for my monthly column over at Blogging in Black:

Hi Folks,

Good morning and welcome to “Dee Speaks” day at Blogging in Black. Right now I’m sitting in my quiet bedroom in Whitehall, PA, a far cry from Ozone Park, NY six years ago.

Six years ago, I was in my home office, working on the inventory for my online bookstore, my largest concerns were processing and filling orders, making sure my papers were done for Bible School and pulling myself together after my recent uncoupling. When my cell phone rang (a miracle in itself) I was startled out of my own little world by the sobbing of my daughter who was away at boarding school in MA.

Continue reading over at Blogging in Black

Friday, September 07, 2007

T.G.I.F.

Good Morning,

It's the first Friday of September. The kids have gone back to school, the high school graduates are now freshmen and recent graduates have now embarked on new careers.

I spoke with my daughter this morning and she had a not so great day yesterday. It was her third day teaching third graders and they were testing her.

As she told me of some of the shenanigans and I tried not to chuckle, my mind played flashbacks of her at that age and our many weekend trips to the library sharing time reading a good book.

I pictured her doing the same with her students and I kinda sorta patted myself on the back for playing a part in her decision to share her love of knowledge with others.

I even came up with a new acronym for TGIF:

  • T - hank
  • G - od
  • I - 'm
  • F - ruitful!

That thought was swiftly followed by the following scripture:

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit ... fruit that will last." ~John 15:16a

As you go about your day, bear in mind the many opportunities presented to share your love of something with someone and thus plant a seed that might bear some fruit.

Have a wonderful day and an even greater weekend!

Monday, September 03, 2007

You Can't Handle the Truth!

Hey Folks,

Hope this lovely Labor Day finds you enjoying time with your friends and family. I've reactivated one aspect of my online family. My dating profile at BlackPlanet.com

Since then, I've been joining groups and running up and down the forums spreading my opinions like petals strewn before the bride on her wedding day.

I've also been using the opportunity to work on my poetry... some of them are eigh... but I'm working on spontaneity.

Anyway, the following question was posed by one of the men so I decided to share it with you and my response. Please feel free to chip in with yours.


~~Can Women Handle the truth or do you think they want to be pacified?~~


Can I handle the truth or do I want to be pacified?

I can handle the truth... I prefer it ... 9/10* hands down. Will it hurt ... sometimes. Is your truth my truth? Not all the time... but still good to know.

However, I reserve the right to nullify your decision to tell me the truth if your delivery encompasses:

- absence of tact…
- the bluntness of a 2 x 4…
- a public venue
- playing to an audience

Is preceded by or ends in one of the following:

- I don't mean to hurt your feelings but...
- I thought you’d want to know…
- I’m not supposed to repeat this, but…
- I'm just keepin' it real...

If you’re someone who has:

- never had a conversation with me…
- never had something good to say to or about anyone…

If I have:

- broken up with you recently…
- beaten u out for the promotion…
- busted u stealing from the church offering…
- previously caught u in lies…

If compliance with the above falls under pacification in your book, then by all means “pacify” me.

Peace,
~D

** The other 1/10 you’re on your own! I might either be PMS-ing or my elevator might not be going all the way to the top floor that day or whatever... be that as it may... my response could take any form.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hi Folks,

It's my birthday today and I'm lazing it away in the best way possible. I thanked God ahead of time (around 1 am this morning) for waking up. LOL. I've read a book, chatted a bit and am now updating my sites and thanking my numerous online friends for their felicitations.

Oh, what about the cards and the presents? I received and opened those early. The family (except for my mom and me are all in Trinidad & Tobago, the land of my birth). The new picture shows off my new haircut courtesy of my daughter. We had a "ma and me" day last week Tuesday. I traveled to New York and realized that I was getting a small town mentality. There were skads of chesteses falling out of tops (the new style, I was informed) and I was horrified!

Also, every three minutes or so I would stop dead in the middle of conversation and lose my train of thought. Why? Men! They were everywhere in all different shades from pink to deep mocha chocolate. The pickings over here in Smalltown, PA are slim to non-existent so I didn't know how to act. My daughter thought I was hi-larious.

Anyway, I feel that I should have some deep thought to share. After all I'm 42 today and they keep telling me that wisdom is a by product of age. However, all I keep coming up with is gratitude.

I'm estactic that my daughter graduated from college and has a job! (I'm also thrilled to have one myself... lol), I'm grateful that no matter how bad life gets at times, I continue to learn and grow--to adjust. I'm grateful that my gifts are supporting me, so I'll continue to write and create. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with teens, the next generation needs all the help they can get, and I'm wired to almost remain an unaging teen myself. But most of all I'm just grateful to be here.

Peace,
Dee

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Blogging in Black

Hi Folks,

Check out my latest post at Blogging in Black, the forum where, authors (mainstream and self-published), agents, publicists and the like come together to give our unique perspective on the writing life and the biz. Looking at the line up of talent that surrounds me, I'm intimidated as heck, but run on sentences, comma splices and all ... I relish the opportunity to have my say.

In the previous months I've written about:


This month I tackled the special challenge posed for writers with bipolar disorder in my post Mind Management. Please hop on over and lend your support or point of view... look around and read words from your favorite author and find new ones that might not have come across your radar otherwise.

Peace,
Dee

Monday, July 09, 2007

3-2-1 ... Blog Tour!

Hey Folks,

Don't forget to hop on over to Dee411 tomorrow to welcome Urban Books Author, Meisha Camm. If you'd like to follow the tour around the schedule is as follows:


NOTE: A comment on the sormag tours blog makes you eligible to win a SORMAG goody bag. When you post, don't forget to let 'em know that Dee sent ya!

Peace,
Dee

P.S. I should really be packing... my ride arrives in an hour and a half...

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Vacation Time

Hi Folks,

I'm going to be on vacation July 9 - July 14. Actually it will be a working vacation. I'll be one of the adults accompanying about 8 or 9 of our youth to the Youth Conference in Orlando.

I almost thought that I wouldn't make it. As a result of some excessive sign holding at the FREE Carwash fundraiser two Saturdays ago, yours truly ended up with a muscle spasm of gargantuan proportions. I was a bit sore on Sunday, but I figured that was par for the course. Monday, my day off, I allowed my bountiful blessings to go free for the day and basically bummed around the house.

Tuesday, I was still sore but under control. I had a hair braiding appointment around 12 noon. In hindsight, I think the clincher was when I hefted up my Denise Austin exercise chair to take it from the living room to my bedroom that I did the damage.

I went to Bible Class that night and then to work on Wednesday and Thursday. By the time Thursday night came around I was in deep doo doo. I began taking Ibuprofen and they did nothing. Then my sinuses decided to join the mix so I took an excedrin sinus and two Ibuprofens.

My sinuses were good... but my neck and shoulders were beginning to talk to me and they were calling me anything but a child of God.

I was bedridden. I literally ran out of bed to eat, shower and then ran back in. Saturday morning, I had to call in sick. My supervisor came through for me and covered for the day... but even better than that she came bearing the wonder drug Aleve (generic version of Naproxim Sodium ... you should be hearing the halleluiah chorus by now... I know I was)

Then began the Aleve popping sleep all day long days.

The only position of comfort was laying on my back with my eyes raised to the ceiling or heavens or standing straight up with my hands fully raised and extended above my head. What one would consider the classic praise/surrender position.

I thought to myself, God truly does have a sense of humor. Since I was in the position, I began to praise Him. However as the pain increased ... my praise became a bit shaky then stopped altogether. I didn't have any friends like Job did to rally around me and ask me to examine and confess my sins that might have brought me to this point/situation.

Nor did I have a spouse or significant other who, tired of my suffering, encouraged me to curse God and die.

However, I did receive a visit from a recurring thought I had as a teenager. "Isn't this enough? Why don't you just end it all?" I must guiltily admit that I did entertain the thought for about five minutes or so, instead of treating it as the driveby thought that it was and allowing it to--drive by.

Anyway, I did note something. Knowing the weight of my bountiful blessings, I have always just half raised my arms when in church to avoid shoulder or neck pain. Yet, now in the midst of a muscle spasm... the only position that gives me any relief is the heretofore avoided, full out, hands upraised, classic praise/surrender position.

I was also almost reverted to the position of a baby. My neck could not support my head and my left arm could barely raise past waist level.

In hindsight I can see that I'd been heading down this road for a while. Poor posture at the computer, poor eating habits, poor exercise habits, poor praise habits, poor time management, poor housekeeping skills... I was just a pauper and didn't even realize it!

I now have new appreciation for my temple (Christian talk for body) and resolve to continue the 45 minute walks around my complex, at least three times a week and to do a few more push-a-ways from the table.

My arm can now raise almost to shoulder level from the side, and since I stopped praising... it will no longer lift above my head in the praise/surrender position unless I use my right hand to assist it, however as I leave for Florida, I leave with a sense of expectation. I expect to return from Florida with my spasm totally healed!

That's my rambling, sharing and caring/reflective moment for today.

Peace,
Dee

P.S. I doubt that I'll have any computer access but please do take a moment to stop by my Dee411 Blog on Tuesday the 10th to welcome my hosted Author for that day, Meisha Camm.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Questions and Memories

Hi Folks,



I guess it would be questions and answers, however, sometimes in finding our answers to a question, we evoke memories:

So please take a trip with me down memory lane as I share with you my off the cuff answers to a random question on Gather.com this morning:

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors, and why?

A: Off the top of my head and in no particular order:

Judy Blume, Enid Blyton, Lori Foster, Terry McMillan, Diana Palmer (in all her reincarnations), Sandra Brown (and all of her reincarnations), Eric Jerome Dickey, Michael Baisden, E. Lynn Harris, J.R. Ward, Marilyn Lee, Monica Jackson, Brenda Jackson (not related... LOL), Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Sandra Kitt.

Okay, I'll stop there because my fingers are getting tired... LOL.

Q: You forgot the why.

A: Oops... didn't see the why part of the question:

Judy Blume - If only for "Are You There, God? It's me, Margaret." She approached touchy subjects with sensitivity and the KIR factor even back then. (KIR = Keeping-It-Real)

Enid Blyton - Goblins, twins, mystery and adventure. She enhances a child's ability to imagine and see great things in everyday life

Lori Foster - Another favorite on my KIR Richter Scale. She represents the vagaries of human life with depth, sensitivity, honesty and humor. Oh and the love scenes are not too shabby either.

Terry McMillan - The lady of so many firsts. A trailblazer for AA fiction and chicklit. She made it okay for women to exhale and date younger men.

Diana Palmer - Most appreciated by me for elevating the plain of form or features to the status of the dearly beloved and of course beating out the prom queens, beauty queens, barbie like women etc. Gooooo Diana!

Sandra Brown - My first appreciation the flow within a writers work began with Sandra. No not Shakespeare... LOL. Sandra.

Eric Jerome Dickey - Whew! His first three books have a permanent place on my bookshelf. Chick lit from a man's point of view. Enlightening and enjoyable.

Michael Baisden - Affirmed the fact that Men reall do cry in the dark. His books deal with issues that are particularly male oriented without making excuses for the males.

E. Lynn Harris - I have E. Lynn to thank for clueing me into the Down Low trend at 17 before it became widely known. I was fresh to New York after High School and dating a guy who was gorgeous, witty and Hispanic. (All top three requirements at that point in time). However, there was just something that didn't click for me. Until I read one of E. Lynn's books. Via the clues listed in E. Lynn's book, I realized that the brother was ambivalent... to put it politely.

J.R. Ward - If you enjoy a great vampire book... J.R. is the new Queen of the road. Her vampires are not like any other.

Marilyn Lee - A gifted story teller, my only complaint, She writes mainly erotica which kinda curtails my enjoyment of her skills.

Monica Jackson - Another KIR sister who has written chicklit before it became popular. She's also a pretty nifty marketing diva who doesn't sleep on the job.

Brenda Jackson - One of the few African American authors who is published by Silhouette Desire.

Margaret Johnson-Hodge - Holds a great place on my bookshelf as well, because she was one of the few authors who represented locs in a positive light in one of her earlier books. She also did a great job on interracial relationships as well as the ghetto fab sister with the executive brother in a believable manner. Kudos Margaret!

Sandra Kitt - Sandra, Sandra, Sandra. Girl, you had me hooked from the first book. You were writing about one of my favorite topics: interracial relationships. Not only did you portray them realistically, you didn't go in for the quick fixes and the soppy happy endings. He/she wasn't perfect just because he/she was white; and he/she wasn't a disaster that needed a savior just because he/she was white. It was real people dealing with real issues and relationships who just happened to have differences in their pigmentation. You're still the undisputed queen in my book.

So there you have it folks. My long-winded but lovingly nostalgic, off-the-cuff response. Now the ball is thrown firmly back into your court: who are some of your favorite authors and why?

Monday, June 18, 2007

Blog Tours on the Horizon!

Hi Folks,

I've linked up with SORMAG, an online multicultural literary magazine that specialize in book promotion and book reviews for multi-cultural literature, to become one of their bloghosts for promotional blog tours. Here's a list of the current bloghosts:


2007 TOUR SITES:

SITES THAT WILL FEATURE ABA BOOKS


SITES THAT WILL FEATURE CBA BOOKS



If you'd like to become a host, click here:
http://sormagtours.blogspot.com/2007/06/would-you-like-to-be-tour-site.html

If you'd like to request a tour, click here:
http://sormagtours.blogspot.com/2007/06/book-your-tour-today.html

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Contest - Where Am I?


Hi Folks,

In this contest you get to be the writer!

Check out the pictures of me and write a paragraph of about 200 - 300 words about where you think I am and what I could possibly have been doing at that point in time.

Humor wins major points. The winning paragraph will be printed here and run in one of my newsletters and the author will get $5.00 fat dollars sent via PayPal. I know, I know... I'm a big spender and I shouldn't spend it all in one place... but hey... I gotta share... right?

Oh I forgot... these things should have deadlines right? Okay well how about a month? So the entries will be closed at midnight on May 5th and then we can all decide by poll votes which paragraph wins. In the case of a tie... I'll decide the winner.

Send in your submissions via the Contact Me page of my Website. You may cut and paste your paragraph into the "service you require" section of the form then hit submit.

I'm looking forward to reading your entries. Let's have fun with this!

Peace,
Dee

Monday, February 19, 2007

Look What I Found!

It's amazing what you find when you're checking your feed. I was checking last night's feed to see if anyone had linked to it as yet and via sphere found this great site called Journal of an Avid Reader. Now just the name alone would have been enough to make me like the site, however upon perusal, I found a fellow soul mate.

The site's author has been a reader for years. Not that she comes out and says it, however, in the reading of her frank and insightful reviews you realize she's suffering from the malady many long time readers are suffering: the we-want-originality-and-substance malady.

I could have easily spent all day reading her reviews and spending way too much money, or saving myself some money, however then I couldn't share the great news with you ASAP. Anyway, give avidbookreader.com a visit.

You won't be sorry.

Peace,
Dee

Avid Reader Alert!

ATWC1.com Used Books is now Live!

Featuring authors like:

Juanita Bynum, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, E. Lynn Harris, Mary B. Morrison and Zane to name a few.

Take a moment to peruse the booklist while supplies last.

Happy Browsing!

Peace,
Dee


P.S. Fifty percent (50%) of all sales will be donated to the Youth Group at my church to aid in sponsoring a youth's trip to the Annual Youth Conference in July. You can read more about the Conference here. (Page 12)

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Holiday Greetings

Hi Folks,

How has the new year been treating you so far? The remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday has come and gone. Valentine's Day was a snow out (and I was all set to dance for it too) and Presidents' Day is here. I just want to wish each and everyone of you a Happy
Belated MLK Day, Valentine's Day and hope you enjoy your President's Day off.


If you've been wondering, what has Dee been up to? Well, Dee went out and got herself a J O B! It's only Part Time/Floater status however I've got a feeling that that won't last for long ... stay tuned for future updates.

I've also become pretty active in my new home church. I'm now the Choir Director of the Youth Choir and the newsletter coordinator. My brother-in-law, my former pastor, has been appointed as the New Youth Pastor so we're a team again ... YAY!!!! You can view the newsletter via pdf here or the Blog in progress here:

It entailed a month of hard work pulling it together creatively and chasing down folk for submissions or Ad content, however it was great fun and a truly pleasurable undertaking.

My promo Website and Review Team are really starting to take shape ... here's our first review for 2007, something we could all use, a reminder of all the things we've heard previously and few we haven't as we try to figure out
How to Get Out of Debt
.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Please Nominate Me!

Hi Folks,

Hope this note finds you well. I know we tried it last year (for which I thank those of you who voted) and I didn't win. The good news is, we get another shot at it again this year.

For the newbies wondering what the heck I'm talking about, I'm talking about Cushcity.com's Best New Author Award.

I'm currently a nominee for Cushcity.com's Best New Author Award, and I have exactly eleven days to round up enough nominations, in order to make it into the top twenty finalists, I need as many people to nominate me as possible.

I'd love it if you'd take a moment to nominate me, D.S. White, for the Best New Author Award 2007.

Now for those of you wondering, why I started so late. Well you see that old fear of success feeling reared its head again and I've been doing the "do it!" ... "don't do it!" dance. You know that kind of way. Finally, I decided that this is going to be the year of "You have not, because you ask not" so here I am, doing what is hard for me: asking.

Thanks in advance,

Dee