It's great to be an author!

So March and come and gone in a rush.  Tax season is over and spring weather is in full swing.  I'm busy setting up a domain name and hope to have a website up soon.  In the meantime, I have signed up to do a few events.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to members of the Youth Advocate Program in Camden County, NJ.  All the girls present had been given copies of A Beautiful Girl to read in advance.  The response was tremendous.  They loved the story, the characters, and the way the main character discovered her inner beauty in the midst of an abusive environment.  Some of these girls could even relate to Sara and were grateful for the happiness they felt after reading the book.

These statements filled my heart and brought me close to tears.  I'm so glad that my novel can help heal the hurt so many experience today.

I look forward to working with the volunteers of this program in the future.

What a warm March!

I am amazed but not unhappy that March is on the warm side. After all, summer is my favorite season. In fact, all this neat weather has led to many scenes in my head finding their way to paper.

In the midst of all this inspiration, I got to thinking about the business side of publishing. Now, raising kids may test a parent's patience at times, but after interacting with the world of submitting and waiting followed by calling/emailing and more waiting, I must admit that publishing is a competent rival on its best day. A patient person would find herself pushed beyond that limit.

So, what to do. Take a deep breath (to clear my head), pray (for guidance, wisdom and more patience), and keep on truckin' in this great weather while it lasts.

Write...Read...Inspire.

I landed a blog interview...

Visit http://kimberlydana.blogspot.com/ to read the interview.

So cool.

Words Brought To Life

I just returned from a great evening spent with other writers, poets and authors, and artists who took the written word and gave it life through speech, drawings, and personal expression. What a great way to share a space with others who came together to ensure that a historical site, The Underground Railroad in Burlington City, New Jersey, would remain for future generations to learn about and enjoy. Thanks, Ken, for allowing us to share our talents in your restaurant, Legends.

Where has the time gone?

It's February already...amazing!

On Wednesday, in the midst of an already busy and stressful schedule, a friend of mine asked if I would perform a reading of my novel, A Beautiful Girl, at his restaurant for a Black History Month event. Crazy as this may sound, I had forgetten we just slipped into Black History Month. Where indeed had the time gone? Of course, I said "yes" after I searched my brain for anything that might already be in my planner.

So, today, I am heading to Legends in Burlington City, New Jersey for a reading slot at 5:30pm. I'm so looking forward to it.

Oh, by the way, it is a benefit event for an Underground Railroad site in Burlington, New Jersey. How cool is that?

NoteWorthy

My novel A Beautiful Girl has been accused of being "too good to put down" once an avid reader has read a few words. Having not finished a novel by the time her plane landed, a woman had become disappointed the flight hadn't been a bit longer (Out the door went the desire to get out of a small space to stretch one's legs). A Beautiul Girl has also been blamed for lack of sleep and dark circles under heavy eyelids. Even techies has had decent words to say.

All I can say is "WOW". A Beautiful Girl is guitly as charged.

Buy a copy today! -> http://a.co/0sgSLYM

Disclaimer: You may want to leave enough time to get a good night's sleep. This one is a page turner.

Happy New Year! C'mon 2012!

So, the holiday season is just about over for most of us (unless you celebrate 3 King's Day like me and my Hispanic friends). What a year this can be with a book already published and another in contract. I just resubmitted 2 novels I submitted last year and received rejections or no response.

Basically, I'm trying to get organized so I can handle this journey a little better. I still need to call high schools, visit libraries and set up more radio interviews. Oh, and I plan on transferring more scenes from my head to paper or an electonic document.

Balance - that's what I hope to achieve in this increasingly busy lifestyle of authorship.

Have a great one!