#RWISA “RISE-UP” Tour, Day 1, PTL Perrin @ptlperrin, @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC
This week, we’re showcasing RWISA Writers as they share their memories of their moms with us! Day 1 was kicked off by Ms. Patty Perrin! Enjoy, my friends!
WHEN MOM DELIVERED A SERMON
by PTL Perrin
After Mom left Spain and moved to Naples, Florida, she and my sister Margie would sometimes visit Bill and me on the Atlantic coast of our state. They both enjoyed coming to church with us, and our church family loved them. We believe the gifts of the Spirit the Bible talks about are as alive and vital today as they were in the early church. The Holy Spirit is in us when we become Christians, but there’s an additional empowerment available for us as described in the book of Acts, chapter two.
As our pastor says, “We’re Spirit-filled, Charismatic, Bible believing, tongue-talking, Pentecostal Christians.” So, what happened to Mom one Sunday came as no surprise to anyone. The delivery was unusual, but so typically Mom.
After our worship music, Pastor singled Mom out and called her up for prayer. In her mid-seventies…
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Welcome to Day 5 of the MOTHER’S DAY AND OTHER FAVORITE THINGS Blog Tour! @sharrislaughter @4WillsPub @4WP11 @RRBC_Org @NonnieJules
GIVEAWAYS:
All in the Family
Over these many years it made me feel so blessed to have a special and amazing child. I don’t know what I did to deserve this. And now Clyde’s children are taking it a step further.
Kiera is just a female version of her dad. She’s got personality and drive when it comes to her grades. She is full of confidence and knew at the age of six that she wanted to model and become an actress. She saw Talent Search on TV and asked her dad to take her for an audition. He wasn’t paying attention. She threw a temper tantrum right there on the living room floor.
Clyde looked at her. She got his attention. He got her there, but barely. They were stopped by a train and had moments left before the doors closed. She auditioned and was picked up by an agency out of Chicago and started working right away. She did print and online ads for Kohls on a regular basis. She did commercials as well until the pandemic hit and everything came to a halt. In the meantime, she kept up those grades.
We were trying to figure out where she got the acting bug. Then I thought about mom. She wanted to be an actress and always reminisced about how she missed her chance. She was supposed to receive the Dramatic Award but woke up too late and missed the show. Her aunt, who raised her, did not wake her that fateful morning. That’s where Kiera got the bug. The thought hit me like a ton of bricks.
The oldest child, Jay, got the highest test score on the MEAP exam administered by the State of Michigan at the middle school level. Described as the best and the brightest, he went on to attend camps for high achievers, and he managed his robotics team in a championship game at Cobo (now TCF) Arena about three years ago. He was mentored by a university student and sponsored by General Motors; he went on to receive a gold medal award for academic excellence in May 2019 from International Technology Academy. He got a scholarship to Morehouse College and is attending now (sometimes virtually) through the worst pandemic we’ve ever experienced in my lifetime.
————-
They say the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. So, if I’m the apple, then my mother was the tree. She wrote poetry and short stories. She was also a talented speaker and debater. She wanted to be an actress but missed her chance. One of her short stories clearly was talking about her life. The character she wrote about maintained A’s and was valedictorian of her class in the story. I vaguely remember her saying she was a valedictorian but didn’t understand it or pay attention to it to any degree – until now.
Clyde has a gift of writing and coming up with clever use of words. He never had an interest in developing it further. He critiqued one of my class assignments and I got an A on the paper. His critique was mind-blowing.
He channeled his talents into his children. He taught them their reading, writing and arithmetic. He put the drive in them to succeed alongside his wife, my daughter-in-law, Tomika — the same kind of drive my mother used to help her children succeed. Clyde has integrity and has always shown empathy for older people. He loved and respected his late grandfather.
Please leave a comment below and don’t forget to visit the other blog tours. Thank you so much for stopping by today.
BOOK BLURB:
Mama could tell a joke. Next thing you know, you are rolling on the floor from one of them. She loved to play the lottery and religiously purchased tickets every chance she got. If you fail to buy her tickets when she asks you, she will tell you that was the winning number … “If you had done what I asked, I would have won.” It was classic!
She was just as passionate about her faith and could quote passages from the bible all day long, which she did. She was a good mother and made huge sacrifices for her children.
She was the woman who wanted to be an actress but never got the chance. She was the woman who worked at a naval air base in Alameda County, California, screwing rivets in wings of airplanes. They were called “Rosie the Riveter” during World War II.
She was the constant in our lives.
This is how I remember my mama!
AUTHOR BIO:
Shirley Harris-Slaughter is the author of Our Lady of Victory, the Saga of an African-American Catholic Community which was written to address a need to preserve Catholic history in her local community. She mentored four freshman girls at the local middle school in the Winning Futures Mentor Program. She is active in her church and Rave Reviews Book Club a virtual book club community where she has added another biography and fiction to her repertoire. She is married to Langston and is a Michigan Native.
***
Twitter: @sharrislaughter
Facebook: Shirley Slaughter
Shirley Harris-SlaughterRemember Our Lady of Victory
Sowing Seeds Around #Amazon And How You Can Do It, Too, In #Support Of Others! @NonnieJules @MartaBeaman @psteph55 @NorstromNina @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA
As writers, we sometimes find that Amazon is a huge pain in our arses. Some of their policies don’t make much sense (like how folks are allowed to leave ratings on books they’ve never even read), but, there are those times when I know first-hand that they are really working for us – in the sense that they are actually pushing our books. And we’re not ever going to complain when someone or something is promoting us, are we?
So many of us have different reasons for not liking the giant Amazon, but, I personally am annoyed at their practice of allowing any and everything to be published. Doesn’t matter if its well-written material, doesn’t matter if it’s been professionally edited and proofed… you got rubbish? Amazon’s got a place for you to try and push it. And although there is rubbish being traditionally published, we all know that somehow they are going to try and attach the rubbish label to Indie authors who self-publish. If you don’t like my stance on this… well, there’s the door! I will never stop advocating for the publication of the best, the most well-edited/proofed, and well-written work there is.
Now, back to how Amazon promotes us.
In my email today, I get a notice that reads NEW FROM MARIAN BEAMAN. Now, the email is from Amazon, so, I open it and this is what I see…
Yes, in big BOLD letters, Amazon has sent me notice of Author, Marian Beaman’s latest release, “MY CHECKERED LIFE: A Marriage Memoir!”
Now, you might be wondering why I’m so excited about this author’s newest release. Well, Author, Marian Beaman is a member of the fabulous RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB, so of course I’d be happy that one of my members is writing and publishing what I expect to be (amazing work). I say expect, because I haven’t read Marian’s book yet, but I have read some of Marian’s writing, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
(Because I haven’t read the book, I must add this disclaimer, because I’m not in the habit of throwing around 5 star reviews and attaching the label amazing to every book written by someone I know, in hopes they’ll return the favor. Nope, I’ll leave that bad, dishonest habit to those who shall remain nameless in this post. My reputation as a writer is much too important for me to engage in such behavior.)
So, here is why Amazon sent me this notification of Marian’s new release in the first place – I follow the author Marian Beaman on Amazon! That’s all you have to do to receive similar notifications of these new releases! Simply head to Amazon.com, or whichever Amazon branch you’re connected to, and follow these easy steps…
- look up your fellow authors by name – their book or books will populate
- click into one of the titles
- scroll down under the author’s book and you will see a FOLLOW button
- Click it! And that’s it!
After you have followed the author, Amazon sends you an email notification thanking you for supporting the author and also sharing a bit more information about them and their other books…
This is also how you can help your fellow authors… when you get these notices like the one above on Marian Beaman, spread the word about the author’s latest release to all your friends, colleagues and family, then ask them to spread the word even further to their own connections. You can also share the thank you notice you received from Amazon (like the ones above on Nina and Phil) with others, encouraging them to also go and Follow these authors on Amazon, just as you have. There are tons of ways to use these notices to support authors you know, and maybe even some you’d like to get to know.
I get these notices quite often, even on books that my friends (or members of the club) have written and published months or even years ago, and I tend to drop the authors a little screenshot of the notices to show them what popped up into my email. I’m sure that little gesture puts a smile on their faces and brightens their day. You can be the person who does that for others, too.
I am all about supporting others and encouraging others to support others. Support – giving it, not receiving, is one of my most important platforms. You see, I know that when I give without expecting anything in return, I’m going to reap the benefits of that sowing tenfold.
I hope that this post encourages you to do a bit more. Heading to Amazon and clicking the Follow button of some of the authors you know, is but a small thing to do to show your support, but the extra effort you make after to spread the word of the author’s work, is a tremendous kindness your fellow authors will greatly appreciate you for.
When you have taken the time to follow authors on Amazon, please return here to let us know!
Why It’s Important to Make A Character List Before You Start Writing The Book @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA @4WillsPub
Have you ever put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and just started writing, only to find out later that you had forgotten much about who your characters were, or what they were about? As writers of fiction, it’s always important to create a CHARACTER LIST before you embark on writing your story, especially if multiple characters are making appearances in your book.
It’s highly unlikely that you’re going to start and finish writing your book in one sitting. Things happen, interruptions happen, and let’s face it… life happens, and when these happenings occur, we have to step away from our story – sometimes for long periods of time. And when we return to it, who knows how much other stuff has taken up space in our brains and pushed all the great information we were storing to complete our book, out. If we had taken the time to create a CHARACTER LIST before we began writing our story, this would not be a concern for us.
When you create a CHARACTER LIST, you define, in explicit detail, who each character is…
- all their characteristics (loyal, kind, generous, nasty, hateful, dishonest, etc.)
- what they care about (family, friends, writing, singing, etc.)
- who they love (mother, father, siblings, grandparents, girlfriend, husband, etc.)
- who they hate (fellow employees, kids at school, the server at Starbuck’s, etc.)
- how they look (their ethnicity, height, weight, build, curly hair, etc.)
- how they dress (goth, modest, seductively, etc.)
- how they react to things (anxious, laid back, loud, calm, etc.)
- where they are from
- where they live now
And although I may not ever use the information, my characters even have…
- birth dates
- birthmarks
- an overview of their health
- career and educational background
- family history
…and any other distinctive or normal identifying marks or bits of information that make them more human… if only to me as their creator.
Do you think that God created each of us without some sort of plan in place beforehand? I highly doubt that. In no way do I feel that I was created willy-nilly. In fact, I know that I wasn’t. I’m much too unique to have been simply thrown together. There was a master plan for my creation, and because I like to follow in God’s footsteps, there will always be a master plan for the characters in my books. When God created us, he created everything about us – as he should have. He is our Creator.
When you map out this information in an organized fashion (I recommend using Trello for this process), you’re always able to refer back to it when need be; for me, in my senior season of life, that’s quite often. I have read so many books where authors used one character’s name where another’s should have been. I don’t want you to ever find that kind of confusion inside any of my books, and quite frankly, I don’t want to find it in any of yours.
So, when you leave here today, my wish for you is that you begin creating CHARACTER LISTS for all the books you have planned, all your current works in progress (WIP), and, it’s even a good idea to go back and create CHARACTER LISTS for the books you’ve already written and published. There’s nothing like being interviewed about your books and you flubbing all the questions because you couldn’t remember where your main character was from, or how they looked, or what their favorite meal was. And when it’s time to prep for those interviews, it’s a whole lot easier to refer back to your CHARACTER LIST than to try and re-read the entire book right before the interview.
When you create CHARACTER LISTS, no detail is too small to leave off. Consider it all important information.
Also, don’t be confused if you ever hear the terms CHARACTER SHEET or CHARACTER PROFILE being used. They are all the same.
How about you? Do you have any special process for remembering everything about your characters? If so, do share with us below.
WHO’S ON THE SHELF with @NonnieJules? #Author @pdoggbiker #RRBC #RWISA @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA
Hello, friends! Author, John Podlaski sat down with me today on another episode of WHO’S ON THE SHELF W/NONNIE JULES! Get to know this amazing writer for yourself! You’ll enjoy this interview!
Hello, and welcome to a special edition of “WHO’S ON THE SHELF?” with yours truly, Nonnie Jules! Since we are a book club, you know we had to offer something that included a bookshelf. A lot of interviews merely cover an author’s work or an individual’s career stories. Here on this “SHELF,” we get down and dirty and ask the questions no other interviewer dare ask. We ask the questions that you want to open up a book and find the answers to, on your favorite authors and fellow book club members, but, no one has dared to cover them. We get personal! Because, when you sit on this “SHELF,” YOU are an open book! Even if I have to pry you open!
Today, we have a very special guest on the SHELF with us – RWISAAuthor, RRBC Lifetime Member, and one of my personal favorites, John Podlaski
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Let’s ALL Stand Up Against Something That Will Save The Lives of ALL Our Children – #HoldThemAccountable
“Just as every police officer who gets up and puts on a badge and uniform everyday deserves to go home at night, so does everyone else.”
No truer words were ever spoken.
No one should be afraid of the flashing lights of red, white and blue, unless they are criminals.
No one should be afraid of officers in uniform, unless they are criminals.
But, because we have so many innocent people who have been wrongfully accused of crimes they never committed, don’t most deserve their day in court? I use the word most because I have no grace to show towards those who molest, rape, and murder. (Forgive me, Lord, I’m not there yet.)
#RIP Tyre Nichols, and every other brown and black child who was ever needlessly killed at the hands of a police officer, sworn to protect and serve.
Thank you, President Joe Biden.
#StateOfTheUnion
Day #30 of #RRBC’s #ADayInMyLife 30-Day #Blogging Challenge! Come on along! @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Salut, my friends!
Today is the final day of RRBC’s 30-Day Blogging Challenge! I know, many wonder why I was participating in the first place, although I would not be able to win any prizes. Well, there were two reasons.
There is a quote that I live by that says, “Never try to lead others, where you yourself are not willing to go.” Now, here’s the thing. I think this is my quote (LOL) but I can’t remember for sure. It’s in my phone, and written over everything I own. I’ve had it for years, and when I performed a Google search today, it yielded no results. So, I’m going to say it’s mine, but, if I’m wrong, I’m sure one of you will tell me.
So, the first reason I joined the challenge is, I would never ask anyone to do something that I would not do. That’s called leadership.
The second reason… is that in my busy, busy life, I wanted to see for myself if I could do this, if I could consistently stick with something that would force me to push through harder, no matter what, because if I could see this all the way to the end, then guess what? I could also do so many other things in my personal life that I find daunting (in this AI body I’m living in at the moment). AI = autoimmune.
I DID IT! I blogged consistently for 30 days straight! Even when I felt that I didn’t have anything to share, I sat at my computer, opened my blog, and penned something. I’m proud to say that I made it to the very end!
But, what really made this challenge so special for me, was seeing my fellow RRBC members join in and also make it to the end – this also extends to the ones who hung in there for a long period of time, but somehow self-eliminated before they could see the finish line. They also continued to support the others who were still in the challenge (they’re extra-special in my eyes for that). I am so proud of them all.
Here are the most important things that I gained from this challenge:
I have become fans of members whose work I have never read, like Karl J. Morgan and Susanne Leist! Karl was firm in letting us know that he writes for himself and God (what a great audience that is, by the way), and Susanne has stories that are fit for a really good book. Both of these authors blew me away with their posts, and their writing in general. I am now eager to dig into their books!
I have learned so much about Patty Perrin, who has a wonderful husband (Bill) just like mine, and whose life, just like her hair, is so colorful! I loved learning about her blended family, and seeing the places where she grew up.
I am in awe of Shirley Harris-Slaughter and her willingness to be so open and vulnerable in her sharing, especially while going through the loss of her dear sister. The sharing of her blended family trials, and the feedback she received from many of you, I’m sure was a cathartic experience for her.
I fell in love with Maura Beth Brennan’s quirky humor! I never could have imagined she was so funny; but what is most special, is I don’t think she knows just how funny she is!
Pat Garcia’s optimistic view on just about every post she commented on, had me screaming at my computer screen, “When I grow up, I want to be just like you, Pat!”
I smiled every time I made my way to Yvette M. Calleiro’s posts, many detailing her travel adventures with her son and other family members. Her teenage son has only one state left to visit? WOW! Her sharing the details of how we can all map out time and money for our own adventures, was an added bonus.
I never left Wanda Fischer’s blog without knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, what she stood for and where she stood on any topic she was sharing. I love that she has opinions and isn’t afraid to voice them. You go, Wanda! She is such an activist in so many amazing ways, we should all aspire to be just like her!
Last, but certainly not least, I am so happy that dear, sweet Donna Atwood decided to join in and take this journey with us. Her posts jogged my memory and allowed me to open up and share my own (shall I call it) paranormal experience – and with us visiting her daily, I know we made her comfortable in sharing her experiences, which allowed her to make connections in the club she never expected!
Here is more of what I gained during this blogging month:
- 4,116 total views
- 389 visitors (this proves that although they are not liking or commenting, your posts are being read)
- 23 new followers
- My visits came from: USA, Germany, UK, Canada, Kenya, S. Africa, Indonesia, Croatia, France, Pakistan & Czechia.
- My top referrers were: the RRBC MEMBER CHAT forum, WordPress Android app & Twitter
- My top 3 posts were: Day 2 (viewed 82 Xs), Day 1 (viewed 80 Xs) & Day 16 (viewed 78 Xs)
- One of my other blogs, AskTheGoodMommy had also been neglected, so I was able to reblog some of my posts there, which also had increased traffic and great stats!
I don’t have any minuses to share about this 30-day blogging experience. Although it’s extremely hard cramming even one extra thing into my day, this was a win for me all around. I pushed myself to do this, and even on the days I wasn’t feeling my best… I still showed up and blogged something. Although I already knew that I could, I proved to myself once again, that even in spite of this new burden of an AI condition, I can still commit and follow through on whatever I set my mind to.
Will I do this again? You bet your last writing pen I will!
Well, here is where I would typically end my post by saying, “Until tomorrow…” but guys, although I won’t be blogging tomorrow, I have committed to blogging a bit more regularly, which will consist of at least three blog posts per month, for starters. I’ll begin in February. I’ll try to space these out during the month to keep you dropping in and to keep my stats up and growing.
If you didn’t participate in the challenge, you really did miss out on a phenomenal experience. (Do better the next time!) I’m kidding (but, am I really?) Hey, you’re the one who lucked out. Look at my stats 🙂
Thank you to all of you who dropped by and engaged by leaving comments and sharing my posts to your own social media. And, thank you to those who dropped by and didn’t say a word, but, at least you checked out my posts!
Have a great February, guys!
If you enjoyed any of my posts during this 30 day challenge, I’d love to know which was your favorite(s)!
Day #29 of #RRBC’s #ADayInMyLife 30-Day #Blogging Challenge! Come on along! @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA
Monday, January 30, 2023
Hello, friends!
My day has been filled with fighting an awful headache and I know it’s due to my blood pressure being high. Not sure why. Before I even checked it, I knew where the headache was coming from. As I sit, and after my last read, it’s at 154/81. I am going to stay up and monitor it in the next hour, although I know I should be sleeping.
I have spent a great deal of the day worried about Ms. Shirley. Oh, I know she says she is OK, but, at this time, can we really be OK, when it’s so fresh?
So many people have been dying in the past week alone. This morning I learn that L. Loring from The Adams Family passed away from a massive stroke. I’m pretty sure that has contributed to my own high B/P – the stress of hearing that. I get a thought in my head, and my imagination runs with it.
After I take my last B/P read, if it’s going down, I’m going to rest my eyes and let sleep move me on into tomorrow.
What a boring post, Nonnie?
I know, but at least I still blogged something. And that’s what I committed to – blogging something for 30 days straight. I shared a day in my life. This was my day.
Tomorrow will be better. It’s the final day of the challenge!
You couldn’t even add an image to liven this joint up a bit for us today?
Nope. I didn’t have it in me. My head hurts, which is causing my eyes to hurt, sooooo, NO.
Until tomorrow…
***
To follow along with the wonderful and interesting posts of my fellow bloggers who are on this 30-day blogging journey with me, click HERE!
Day #28 of #RRBC’s #ADayInMyLife 30-Day #Blogging Challenge! Come on along! @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #PoliceBrutality
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Hello, friends!
This is a piggy-back off of my post from Friday, 1/27/23. Wanda Fischer left the following comment which gave me the idea for today’s post:
Empty is what I feel, watching the news and the senseless death of Tyre Nichols. His empty call for his mother’s help. The emptiness of the senseless violence that ended his life. The emptiness that the families of the five police officers who committed this heinous crime must be feeling. Empty as I made my way through the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, attached to the Lorraine Motel, viewing the senseless violence perpetrated on citizens of this country by virtue of the color of their skin. The emptiness I felt when, in another part of Memphis, I stood in the hotel room once occupied by Martin Luther King, Jr., minutes before he died of senseless violence at the hands of an assassin’s bullet, as a recording of Marian Anderson’s version of “Precious Lord” played in the background. Emptiness last night as one of the commentators speaking of Tyre’s killing had a poster behind him from the garbage collectors’ march in Memphis in 1968, saying, “I am a MAN,” the plea for dignity and respect that brought MLK, Jr. to Memphis in the first place. Empty yesterday when my brother-in-law told me those policemen were “only doing their job.” (WHAT JOB IS THAT, EXACTLY? Paid assassins in police uniforms?) Empty, because I can’t do anything about this, and I am a mother too. Will there be a day when my son or daughter calls for me and I cannot be there?
In my news feed today, I get a pop-up notice that there is another story regarding Tyre Nichols, the young black man murdered at the hands of 5 black police officers. The fact that their arrest and the release of the video showing how they murdered this young man, came so quickly, and the question of would this all have happened so quickly had the officers been white? looming, is a post I’ll save for a later date. But, in case you’re wondering, here’s what I think of these fast-moving events: “You have to be crazy to believe that these charges would have been brought so swiftly had these officers been white.” And, police departments around the country, I’m going to ask that you stop attempting to insult my level of intelligence, by playing that game. I am highly offended!
Another thing, I want those of you who think that only people of color get to be upset over these crimes, to let that nonsense go. This SHOULD upset us all! And it has me raging!
But, none of that matters at this moment. A man was killed by police officers and their unnecessary and deadly force. That is my issue right now.
So, on to the news story, which, in my view, Wanda, should hopefully give you a modicum of assurance that no matter what race inflicts these crimes upon the black community, it will not be tolerated.
Take a look…
“Did You Think You’d Hide Behind Your Blackness?”
Until tomorrow…
***
To follow along with the wonderful and interesting posts of my fellow bloggers who are on this 30-day blogging journey with me, click HERE!
Day #27 of #RRBC’s #ADayInMyLife 30-Day #Blogging Challenge! Come on along! @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA
Saturday, January 28, 2023
Hello, friends!
Somehow I got roped into assisting with a baby shower – how in the world did that happen? Can anyone answer that question for me?
Decorating. Decorating. More decorating.
How crazy was I to have allowed myself to get roped into this last minute favor?
Now, every inch of my body aches.
My back
My legs
My thighs
My arms
My fingers
My toes
My eyes.
Never again.
I’m too old for this.
No more favors.
Well…
Until my daughter’s friends wedding.
Her mom isn’t in her life, so I am the bonus mom who has promised to serve as the mom throughout the entire planning of this huge wedding.
How foolish am I?
Do you know how old you are?
Ok, no more favors.
After this one.
The pain in my body is getting worse.
My eyes hurt!
Goodnight.
Until tomorrow…
***
To follow along with the wonderful and interesting posts of my fellow bloggers who are on this 30-day blogging journey with me, click HERE!
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