Author Spotlight (AlTonya Washington)

AlTonya Washington is a South Carolina native and graduate of Winston Salem State University in North Carolina . She released her first contemporary romance with BET Books in 2003. “Remember Love” was nominated as Best First Multicultural Romance by Romantic Times Magazine. In 2004 she was named Best New Romance Author by the readers of Shades of Romance Magazine. Her 2nd novel “Guarded Love” was labeled a “TOP PICK’ by Romantic Times Magazine. Her third novel “Finding Love Again” won the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Multicultural Romance of 2004. 

 

Her fourth novel “Love Scheme” was nominated for the annual Romance Slam Jam ‘EMMA AWARD’ as Favorite Steamy Romance. In March 2007 she released the third title in her popular Ramsey series “A Lover’s Mask” which was nominated for the Romance Slam Jam ‘EMMA AWARD’. Her January 2010 Harlequin/Kimani release “The Doctor’s Private Visit” received an EMMA nomination for Favorite Hero. Under the pen name T. Onyx, AlTonya crafts her erotica titles and will release her third effort later this month: “Pleasure’s Powerhouse- Trois Plaisir”.

 

AlTonya plays many roles including “mom” and currently resides in North Carolina where she works for an academic library as a Serials Assistant. In fall 2010 she became a graduate student in pursuit of her Masters in Library Science. To learn more about her upcoming works visit her website http://www.lovealtonya.com/ .

1. Which project was your longest project to complete? My lengthiest projects are the historical romances. So far I’ve crafted two and I’d have to say my second title by far required the greatest time commitment. “Passion’s Furies” (Genesis Press 2008). Historical romances have always been my favorites and the chance to create them has been a phenomenal experience. There is however considerable work to be done before the book is actually written- lots of reading & researching everything from the subject matter, to patterns of speech, dress, furnishings, modes of travel, etc. in Passions I used the Denmark Vesey rebellion in Charleston, SC as the backdrop of the story. Educating myself about the man, his mission and his followers was extremely enlightening and very enjoyable.
2. How did you make the time to write if you’re working a daytime job? I truly believe that it is only possible to write while working a day job if writing is in your heart. If you’re writing with the intentions of striking it rich so you can quit your day job, then you won’t get very far. Writing definitely has to be in your heart- a part of who you are. I write several times a day throughout the day- I write during my 20min morning break, my lunch hour, in the morning when I first arrive at the library and have that time before it’s time to begin the workday. I write after work (most days) I try writing during the weekends mostly when my son is away visiting family- it’s important that I make time for him and that he not see my writing as something that always keeps mommy busy and away from him. My writing schedule may seem extreme (even more so now with grad work) but it works for me. That’s what’s important, finding a schedule that works for you no matter how weird it may seem to others.
3. Why do authors give up? Is it due to instant gratification? Writing is not an easy thing, it takes time, dedication, discipline. Once the book is written, I think that’s where the real work begins. As involved as writing can be, marketing can be just as involved- even more so. It’s an entirely different animal, but very necessary if one expects to have some success in the writing world. It takes a lot of time to get your name out there especially if you don’t have a publicist or someone who handles that for you. Most of us don’t and it takes so much effort. I started writing in 1994, got published in 2003, but I don’t think people were really starting to know who I was until 2009. I did tons of book signings back then. I didn’t always sell a lot of books but made a lot of contacts and those emails were the seeds of my early marketing strategy. There’s no set rule for marketing success but you have to begin somewhere. It can be such a tedious/time consuming process that I feel many of us become discouraged. I feel I still have a long way to go, but I plan to have fun getting there.

Church Issues (Unity - The Lesson)

Remember in the prelude, the greatest impact the church has made on the world is our lack of togetherness. The body of Christ (the church of Jesus Christ) is divided, denominationally, racially, and probably economically. The tragedy of the matter is that we put more emphasis on our denomination, our pastor, and our church over the Bible. Some churches and/or denominations (or folks within their congregations) swear up & down they are the right church and every other church is the wrong church. This goes to show that we are taking pride in our division!

Now because of all this division, it’s easy to assume that those who are antagonistic will not attend church. And if they’re smart enough, they’re probably thinking, “Why do I need to go to church where there’s division; I can stay home and be divided.” It’s our division and attitude within the church why the rest of the world is going to hell first class. Consider, we as the church have talked the talk, but have not walked the walk. We have not demonstrated to the world by our actions, togetherness. In fact, we’re the greatest perpetrators of division in the world! We have got to come together. Here’s a great example of how we create division among ourselves. Once you start talking about denominations with certain people, they will get so indignant over that (I was born this denomination, and will die this denomination) than they do over Jesus & the Bible. God instituted a plan and is allowing us to be a part of it. We have an awesome responsibility but we’ve been playing church (being about the denominational business instead of the Kingdom business). I’d like for us all to do some independent thinking for a moment. Just because you were raised a certain way doesn’t mean you were raised correctly! Don’t forget, that judgment must begin with the house of God? How do you think our report card as a church would look?

Note that I’m not saying to leave the denominational church; I just want you to think about how divided we are. Here are some thoughts:

1. Some of us in our respective churches have become so worldly, that no one can tell the difference between saved people and worldly people. In fact, we have forgotten about a dying world, but we tend to those within our own church and/or denomination.
2. Now this will offend some people, but think about this. Some people will have the audacity to put our denominational doctrine over the scripture that we become overbearing and judging those who don’t measure up to the denominational doctrine. To me, this really a tragedy.
3. There are missions who are really preaching the Bible, Jesus & the cross. And there are some who are bent on missions to get people to their respective church and/or denomination that we lose the real purpose of missions. Again, adding on to the division (and lack of unity).
4. Sometimes leaders in churches are tuned to the spirit of God; but will avoid heeding what God is trying to say to them for it not measuring up to the doctrine of the church. What happens is God’s plan is subverted to the local church and we’re not leaning on the spirit of God. Leaders can place such emphasis on another man’s doctrine, whether it’s Calvinism, Lutherism, and so on. Again, I’m not saying that’s wrong, but everything needs to be subject to the Bible, not the Bible being subject to us.

Another problem in some churches is this: everybody wants to “be,” but not everybody wants to “be obedient.” It’s because people want to be leaders, but we won’t have followers. In fact, if the leaders can’t come together on one accord, what chance does the church have?

If you have a bible, look at 1 Corinthians 1:10; 4:6 and Ephesians 4:11-13. The section in Ephesians is crucial; unfortunately, many churches lack this. If you back up to the book of Acts, you’ll find multiple times within the first 3 chapters that the disciples were on one accord. When that happened, miracles & blessings came. Many people were saved. We need a shake-up in our respective churches. I also understand that within this time, there were some coming with strange teachings, and as a result, wars would erupt. I believe this is a result of our division and us (as human beings) being downright selfish! We need to go back to the basics: where is your relationship with God (just between you and Him)? And I’m talking about, you studying the Bible and not based on what another person (whether it be a fellow church member, or your church leader)! The Bible is to be our standard, not the other way around.

All we have to do is put our personal agenda’s aside, and decide to agree to agree! Remember we need “U” in Unity!

Author Spotlight (Anastasia Means-Dallas)

Anastasia Means-Dallas is an author, educator, and gospel singer who currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and kids.  She is originally from Tallahassee, Florida.  She received her B.S. Degree from Florida A & M University, her Masters in Reading from Nova Southeastern University, and she is currently working on her Doctoral Degree at Nova Southeastern University. 

Anastasia has a heart for God, and a passion for helping hurting people.  After experiencing a failed marriage, and other unhealthy relationships, she was able to take her experiences and capture them in a book.   Her first book,  “Waiting With A Purpose-A Guide to Finding Your Boaz,”  is a must read for singles.  This book takes nuggets from the biblical character Ruth’s life, and it gives the single woman wisdom as she fulfills her purpose in God while waiting on a mate.  The book also introduces “Roaz,” who happens to be a counterfeit Boaz.  Roaz represents the spirit of distraction and deception.

The book is available in most major bookstores and Amazon.com.  Anastasia is available for conferences and workshops.  You may contact her at anastasia.freeman@yahoo.com.

Church Issues (Unity - Prelude)

This is a very serious issue and it’s a deep concern to my spirit. I dedicate this series to anyone who says they’re a Christian and to anyone who’s an antagonist. I believe you all will be able to understand what I’m about to discuss.

I was able to attend a church in 1998 and the lesson was entitled “Together On One Accord.” The pastor asked all of us a question and it was simply this: what’s the greatest impact that the Church has made on the world (and I’d like to ask you the same question). Before you read further, just think on that (better yet, make a list). We said things such as salvation, faith, healing, and things of that sort.

If you did come up with your list, are you satisfied with what you wrote down? I’m willing to believe that your list is actually correct, but the pastor said these words, “our lack of togetherness – in short, division!” And that is going to be the topic of this Unity series.

Now I’m sure some of you were thinking of Queen Latifah’s U-N-I-T-Y. But that’s not what I will be discussing. But there’s a statement that says, united we stand, divided we fall. This is so true and so far, we are divided and falling away from true unity.

Jesus never showed partiality, He only showed impartiality (Matthew 22:16). Consider His genealogy, His residency in Nazareth and His willingness to minister in Galilee & Samaria. If He only showed impartiality, we have no right to put our church and/or denomination over the Bible (if we do that, that’s almost saying, that’s our lord and not Jesus). I can’t forget that churches can be divided by classes (whether it be low-income, middle-class or wealthy). We tend to look down on those who are not in the same class they are, therefore creating division.

Most of the problems in this world stem from the church, whether it’s due to the lack of silence, promoting the denomination’s agenda, the church’s agenda. We’re supposed to be about the Father’s business, but because of what I stated in my prior sentence, nobody (Christian or non-Christian) wants to get involved. Truthfully, I can’t fault them. While I’m on this particular subject, it’s interesting that you’ll find some churches that will promote themselves as the true church (and all other churches are either apostate or are tombstones) or the church that has true religion. Notice the problem here, the emphasis is on the church and not on Jesus. Now a question has to be asked and answered: if this is true, why is it that most people who will make the claim that their particular church either is the true church or religion, are so caught up in the world that they glorify the evil that’s in the world (I would even expand that to ask, are we not even sensitive when the world degrades the God you say you serve)? This is the mystery since we’re all reading from the same Bible that says that we were once in the world, but we’re to separate from the lifestyle of the world. Continuing on this topic, some churches are like one big social clique to the point they can’t stand to socialize with anyone that’s not part of their local church or denomination. I’d like to ask you plainly, what’s up with that? Apparently, we must’ve forgotten the passage in John where Jesus (being a Jew) was talking to a woman at the well (from Samaria). He was witnessing Himself to her, not a particular church (and that’s where we have failed seriously, which I believe is mainly due to pride).

An example of division (among us as Christians). One thing that troubles my spirit is when a Christian leader has the audacity to throw Israel under the bus (and nothing is said about it). Here’s the leader’s quote (from early 2008):

The Israelis have illegally occupied Palestinian territories for almost 40 years now. It took a divestment campaign to wake the business community up concerning the South Africa issue. Divestment has now hit the table again as a strategy to wake the business community up and to wake Americans up concerning the injustice and the racism under which the Palestinians have lived because of Zionism.

The Divestment issue will hit the floor during this month’s General Synod. Divesting dollars from businesses and banks that do business with Israel is the new strategy being proposed to wake the world up concerning the racism of Zionism. That Divestment issue won’t make the press either, however.

Apparently, this leader must not have read his bible (and yes, I made that comment)! Because Joel 3:2 pretty much says, God will judge those who divide Israel. We can not be a Christian and bash the nation of Israel. It can’t happen!

As I embark on my Unity blog in full (which will start next week) and hopefully I didn’t get too far ahead in this post: if you knew your church was talking against your race in the past, would you currently stay in your church?

Author Spotlight (Tracy L. Darity)

Tracy Darity (embed www.TracyLDarity.com ), the author of He Loves me He Loves Me Not! and Love…Like Snow In Florida on a Hot Summer Day is a lifelong resident of  St. Petersburg, Florida.  Her novels are released under the imprint of Teganjaz Books Presents… The title is a derived from the names of her three daughters, Shaunte, Morgan, and Jasmin, whom she attributes to her continued success in writing and publishing.

As a child Tracy always had a creative imagination and a love for reading.  In her early teens she began writing short stories as a hobby.  It was not until she attended the 1997 Essence Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, that she decided she wanted to fulfill her dream of becoming a published author.   The words of Activist and TV Show Host, Tavis Smiley inspired her tremendously.  During his speech at one of the forums she jotted down this message, "We all have a God given talent but if you don't have the desire to define, develop, and deliver your talent, you will always be in the audience and never on stage."

Tracy returned home from the festival energized and began penning her first novel.  Although the manuscript was completed in late 1998, she became discouraged after receiving rejection letter after rejection letter from the publishing industry.  She shelved her manuscript but every now and then would pull it out and do minor rewrites.  The desire to have her work published still simmered deep inside.  In 2004 the flame inside of her reignited and she made the decision to pursue self-publishing.  As time passed she began to feel discouraged again but refused to give up.  She did research, talked with other self-published authors, and continued to believe that her dream would one day become a reality.  Today she is enjoying the success of, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not! and, Love…Like Snow In Florida On A Hot Summer Day.  Her third release, The Red Bear Society, a powerful story that will explore the aftermath of high positive HIV readings at a local high school, after a blood drive to assist an injured student.  The release is slated for a December 1, 2011, to coincide with World’s AIDS Day.

To learn more about Tracy L. Darity, and her novels, please visit www.TracyLDarity.com.  You can also click here (not sure if you embed links or not  http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs028/1102365104718/archive/1103607728924.html ) for a more intimate look at the author.

Books are available in Trade Paperback, Hardcover (He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!), Amazon Kindle, and Barnes & Noble Nook.  To purchase:

Author Website (http://www.tracyldarity.com/apps/webstore/), Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Church Issues (Minorities & The Church)

I don’t take the credit for writing this post (however, I did make a few modifications). This post will be a prelude to the next topic which will be Unity. I know this is a very touchy subject especially for minorities because we'll fall so deep into a church and its traditions because it's all we know (passed down from generation to generation). I'm not saying that's totally wrong, but I ask that you do some independent thinking and learn all you can about the church you go to (and please, ask questions). The flip side is that we'll go to a church based on our feelings even though the church may not be right for us (I'm not saying this is a cause not to go to church at all).

It’s a sad truth that the church is the most racist organization that has ever existed. Because the church has allowed the devil to creep in churches, some have taken the name Christianity and used it to subjugate people and put off on them the aura of inferiority. The result is that minorities have put off Christianity to turn to other religions (ex. African-Americans dumped Christianity to turn to Islam – specifically the Nation of Islam). Why is that? It gives the appearance that the NOI has the African-American interest at heart and Christianity doesn’t.

Just because some people got together, bought ski masks and decided to rob a bank in a Ford truck, doesn’t mean that the Ford truck is bad! The same holds true: just because some people took the Bible and used for ulterior motives, doesn’t mean the Bible is bad! We must find out if there’s any validity in Christianity or are we going to be directed by what some idiotic person does! You don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. A lot of people of color dumped Christianity because of what Caucasian people have done (use the Bible for ulterior motives to keep people in slavery). Think about it: Muhammad had slaves; Jesus had disciples (not slaves). Anyway, it’s obvious that they weren’t Christians. Just because somebody says they’re something, doesn’t mean it’s true! We must find out if there’s any validity in the Bible (irrespective if somebody tries to disprove it or somebody tries to rewrite the Bible their way). Let’s try some independent thinking for a moment (I’ll talk more on independent thinking in Unity). Don’t dump the Bible because you are missing a great benefit to your life! I know people have misused things, but I have to find out the Truth of God for myself (reading, studying the Word & praying). I have found that God is no respecter of persons! I have found that His Word is life to me! I have found that His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path!

The beauty of God is that He doesn’t see any distinctions with our external appearances and skin color; unfortunately, we do. We need to rise above it. I don’t want to get too far ahead in this, because this is leading up to the Unity blog.

We can’t get to God except through Christ. We can’t get to Him through Muhammad or Confucius, Buddha or any other prophet. If God is the Creator, then He makes the rules (and has that right). If you were to read Ephesians 1:3, you’ll find no gender or ethnicity mentioned in that verse! No one can pull that over us now, because we can read. And this is why it was a crime for minorities to read back then. That’s how people were messed over because they couldn’t read. I can appreciate the mode of operation (not accept it) because that’s how you can control people through ignorance. Unfortunately, it was done through the church (and the church got in line with it – I’m referring to the organized and/or denominational church). In fact, some people will say that because Ham (from Noah's day) was part of the Cush tribe and because Noah cursed Canaan (not Ham) that it was OK to keep its descendants in slavery, supposedly minorities, which is far from the truth. Also, there are some churches that say they accept all races, but if you research the history, their doctrine is covered with racism and that minorities are a curse. I pose a question to that: would you stay in a church like that if you're a minority and found this out, knowing that you could possibly be a pawn to the church to boost the church's ego? And why is it that activist groups have to get churches to change their racist ways in order for minorities to participate in the church's doctrine? Would you still want to go a church like that if you're a minority? As I stated earlier, God doesn't see color, man does (in fact, there's a song I remember that went colors don't hate, people do). 

Now let’s be real for a moment: God never covers things up. The church as a worldwide organization has been covering things up and it’s time for exposure. Judgment must begin at the house of God. Since we are the house of God, it has to start with us! It must be exposed. See you on the next blog.

Author Spotlight (Kena Bwembya)

This week's author spotlight will shine on my sister & fellow author Kena Bwembya.

Kena Bwembya is the owner of Keeping With the Industry Publishing (KWI) and the author of Saved for a Season. Bwembya is a graduate of Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law and Chestnut Hill College. She resides in Florida with her husband, Charles.

Mrs. Bwembya loves to write fiction and is working on her second novel Chasing the Sun. Find our more at www.kenabwembya.com

About the Book:

Saved for a Season is a heartwarming, inspirational fiction novel that covers love and friendship in a realistic and entertaining way. You will relate to the character's humanness and cringe at their mistakes but love the way they overcome obstacles.

High school sweethearts reconnect at a much anticipated wedding in the small town of Cobbleville, Florida. Though once grounded in friendship and faith, each have new struggles that threaten their friendships and marriages. Struggles that have the promise of leading some to self-destruction. Will Lela, Jake, Tristan and Jeff make the choice to live and love without fear?