Greetings fellow film buffs. I can’t count the number of films I’ve watched over the years in which I’ve thought to myself, “hey that was a great film, but the ending just killed it”. (Yeah, I’m talking to you, M Night Shyamalan.) I’ve started this blog because I’ve just discovered a remedy to this problem. A friend of mine who has had her movies screened at prestigious film festivals such as Sundance and Cannes led me to www.imadeamovie.com. I am so stoked about this website that I’ve created this blog solely for the purpose of documenting my experience with imadeamovie.com.
Ok, so here’s how it works: $50 makes you an associate producer on any of the movies on imadeamovie.com. As an associate producer you’re entitled to give your input to the executive producer, thereby affecting the outcome of the film. You vote on casting, location, music, style (you all know I prefer Noir), and other important decisions, like choosing the appropriate ending! You also have the option to communicate directly with the crew via video. During the process, you learn the roles of the important, but often overlooked behind-the-scenes crew (who knows what a key grip does?). As an added bonus, they send you a bunch of schwag: hats, t-shirts, and, when the movie is completed, a DVD with your name in the credits.
Imadeamovie.com also provides an awesome opportunity for up-and-coming actors/actresses to break into a virtually impenetrable industry. All an aspiring actor needs to do to be considered for a part in a film is upload their audition video to the website. The “big break” which once consisted of headshots, an agent, and flying to LA, has been reduced to a digital camera, your bathroom, and a computer.
So what have I done so far, you ask. Without divulging too much information about the film, we’ve chosen the lead actress, the set, and the script. We’re still collaborating on the style, music, and a couple other aspects of the film. However, the ball is rolling, and we’re on schedule to begin filming at the end of this month. I’d have to say that I’m pretty active on this project… let’s just say the director hears my input on a daily basis.
Overall, this is turning out to be a pretty interesting experience. I mean, short of joining the film industry (no easy feat!), how else could a guy, far-removed from the glitz of Hollywood, affect the outcome of a film?
Stay tuned, I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on my movie...
Oh, and if you have film fanatic friends, a membership at imadeamovie.com makes a unique gift for movie lovers. $50 to be a part of the movie making experience, an experience that spans months + lots of goodies to boot = not a bad deal.
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By Mikki Kendall -- Publishers Weekly, 4/12/2010 12:00:00 AM
Nnedi Okorafor’s gentle demeanor is so disarming that it’s impossible not to relax in her company. The Chicago State University professor has a sweet smile, three graduate degrees, numerous awards and prize nominations for her writing, and a razor-sharp mind that is changing the face of speculative fiction. The latter soon becomes apparent when the discussion turns to genocide, rape, female circumcision, fantasy, and Nigerian culture.
Born in the U.S. to Nigerian immigrants, Okorafor, 36, grew up in the same suburb of Chicago where she now resides with her own daughter. As a child, she was mostly interested in sports and the sciences, dreaming of becoming an entomologist, but she was always fond of reading, and by age 12, she found her mind had been “corrupted by genius white male storytellers” like Stephen King and Clive Barker. “I was working my way through the library reading whatever caught my eye,” Okorafor recalls fondly. “I read a lot of books that I definitely had no business reading at that age.” A writing class in college sparked her creativity and while obtaining an M.A. in journalism and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English, Okorafor began to write the stories she always wanted to read.
Okorafor’s books feature the cultural and social touchstones of her youth: Nigeria, strong girls and women, and the strange, beautiful lives of plants and insects. The YA novel Zahrah the Windseeker (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), which won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature, is a classic magical quest set in a world in which Earth is a legend and everything from clothing to computers grows from seeds. In the Parallax Award–winning The Shadow Speaker, her second YA, a Muslim teen in West Africa must avert interplanetary war.
Okorafor’s first adult novel, Who Fears Death, which will be published in June by DAW Books, combines science fiction and fantasy in the story of Onyesonwu, a young sorceress making her way in a postapocalyptic future Saharan Africa where men use rape as a tool to eradicate a culture on the genetic level. “Who Fears Death addresses the push and pull in African culture that powerful women face when their culture has certain duties and beliefs that can stifle them,” Okorafor says.
As she channels the past, present, and future into one complex tale, Okorafor walks a fine line between sincere respect and unstinting examination of tradition: mixing futuristic technology with magic rooted in the beliefs of Nigerian, Tanzanian, and other African cultures, exploring why many women willingly practice female circumcision and see it as a necessary rite of passage even as others find it horrific. These somber themes seem a drastic departure from her previous work, but Okorafor refuses to gloss over the realities on which she builds her fiction.
“What initially brought me Onyesonwu’s character,” she explains, “was reading a Washington Post news story: ' “We Want to Make a Light Baby”: Arab Militiamen in Sudan Said to Use Rape as Weapon of Ethnic Cleansing.’ I wondered what these children would be like, what would their struggles be, how would they survive, who would they grow up to be. And that’s when Onyesonwu came to me to tell her story.” Okorafor adds, “I am not trying to be shocking or exceedingly graphic. Onyesonwu’s story was told to me in just this way and she is not one to tell lies, embellish, or mince words.”
Okorafor’s upcoming projects include a YA novel that Penguin will publish in 2011, Akata Witch, with a focus on the tension between African-Americans and Africans as well as “deep, deep Nigerian witchcraft”; two screenplays in collaboration with award-winning Nigerian film director Tchidi Chikere; and a science fiction novella set in Nigeria. She also has plans for another adult novel. “I’ll know what that one is about when I start writing it,” Okorafor says. “When it comes, it’ll come like a tidal wave.”
Author Information
Mikki Kendall is an occasional adult and constant writer.
A young Vegan wise beyond her years. A futuristic city. And a doorway just outside the edge of reality. Brilliantly imaginative and exquisitely written Dazjae Zoem’s Wonderdark: The Awakening of Zuza, blends the fantastic and mundane in a mosaic that grabs you and holds tight as you slowly enter worlds upon worlds that are not quite what they seem to be -- peopled by vengeful elves, high-minders, faeries and other magical creatures. The Awakening of Zuza is a hip, high-fantasy journey and I recommend it to travelers not faint of heart who yearn for a taste of Afro Steampunk. Trust me you’ll enjoy the ride!
Valjeanne Jeffers author of Immortal & Immortal II: The Time of Legend
http://immortalfantasynovels.com
Check out: Wonderdark: The Awakening of Zuza (to be released)
& The Books of Zambarau Maji Omnibus by Dazjae Zoem at
Valjeanne Jeffers is a Spelman graduate and a member of the Carolina African American Writers' Collective. Her poems have appeared In Revelry 2006, Pembroke Magazine 2007, Drumvoices 2007 & 2008, and the anthologies: The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Making Sense of the Madness, Little Black Book Vol II: Bedtime Stories for Lovers, and Liberated Muse Vol I: How I Freed my Soul 2009, the featured anthology for the Capital City Soul Fest and PurpleMag #7
She also writes under the pen name Valjeanne Jeffers-Thompson. Valjeanne is the author of Immortal 2nd edition and Immortal II: The Time of Legend. She is also an active member of RIM.
1. Introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m Valjeanne Jeffers poet, SF author and artist. I’m also the author of Immortal and Immortal II: The Time of Legend. Sister Moon is my wolf totem sprit and muse and I gladly embrace her. I believe that we should love God, ourselves and our world. One of the ways we can do this is by changing something to make our planet better in any way that we can no matter how small.
I’ve been published in Revelry, Drumvoices, The Ringing Ear, How I Freed my Soul Volume I, Pembroke Magazine and PurpleMag.
2. Tell us about your books. And the world of Immortal that you created.
In the year 3075, Tundra has been at peace for 400 years. There is no poverty or racism. Yet the planet is threatened by an ancient evil. Karla, a young Black woman, is a recovering addict working as a drug counselor. Intelligent and capable, she knows exactly where she’s going and what she wants.
Until she closes her eyes at night and enters a seductive and dangerous world.
To save Tundra Karla must find Joseph -- the one man who can unravel the mystery of her dreams -- and unleash the werewolf sleeping inside her.
In Immortal II the journey continues as Karla and Joseph fight to save their planet -- and their love. More characters are introduced each with their own set of personal issues which must be resolved before they can grow. So you see there are layered struggles taking place in Immortal: the struggle between the characters and themselves, and the struggle to save their world.
I strive to make my art imitate life and there are no totally “good” or “evil” characters in the Immortal series. All of my good guys and gals have a little “evil” in them -- and my villains a little “good.”
3. Why did you become a writer?
Writing is not what I do it’s who I am. I write because I don’t have a choice: creating new characters and worlds is as vital to me as my next breath. I am in love with writing.
4. Tell us about your publishing journey.
I began my journey the way I believe a lot of authors have: trying to break into the traditional industry with an agent who would help me get published. Even as I did I knew, as a Black science fiction author, that the odds were stacked against me. Back in 2004 when I began writing Immortal, I knew of only four published Black SF authors. Years later I would find a whole community of them at
http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com but still many of them are still, like myself, self-published.
I had a lot of doors slammed in my face and it made me mad -- I know writing and I knew my novels were phenomenal! I’d also seen trash, more times than I can count, sitting on library shelves. So I decided to self-publish. It hasn’t been easy, but I found a supportive niche online and I’ve never regretted my decision. I’m doing my thing and I love it.
5. Has your work touched anyone? How?
Honestly I believe it has. I’ve had readers tell me that Karla, Joseph and my other characters are realistic and likable. I’ve also been told that my writing projects true hope for the future and optimism.
6. What's on the horizon?
I’ve finished my third novel Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, the third novel in the Immortal series which I plan to release this summer (2010). In Stealer of Souls, new characters, like Annabelle, are born and old friends are reunited. Stealer is fast-paced, imaginative, very sexy and blurs the lines between SF and horror.
An excerpt from Immortal III has been published in Pembroke Magazine and another excerpt will appear in the Black Science Fiction Society anthology, Future Passage (2010).
I’ve also had three stories, The Visitor, Grandmere’s Secret, and Awakening published in anthologies.
7. Encouraging words for aspiring authors.
If you chose to write, do so because you love it and you can’t imagine not being an author. Second of all, be stubborn. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you don’t have what it takes. And finally, find a supportive, loving writing group that meets at least once a month where you can share ideas and have your work critiqued. Don’t give up!
8. Morning Rituals?
Each morning I smoke my first cigarette of the day -- a bad habit I know, but the last one I have -- start my coffee pot and check my emails. This is usually the time of the day that I get my best ideas too. I’m sure this is because mornings are the time of day when our minds are least cluttered, so our creative spirit can whisper to us without interfering noise. In the AM dialogue and plots often leap into my head and I mentally bookmark them until I have a chance to write.
9. Describe your perfect writing environment.
For me this is a room with a computer and a notebook, and with no one awake but me. I like to write from 12AM on, because by then everyone is asleep. A full moon makes this “space” even more stimulating.
10. Who are some of your favorite authors and why?
I love Octavia Butler. She has the ability to say so much with so few words -- like conjuring a room from thin air. I’m also a big fan of Charles Saunders. His writing is like water -- fluid and beautiful. Charles takes African myths and history, both very difficult subjects to work with, and weaves magic in a genre he created called Sword and Soul.
Milton Davis is also one of my favorites -- he can write anything. But Sword and Soul is also his specialty. Brother Davis make his characters come to life and walk across the page, and his Afro-mythic battle scenes make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Edward Uzzle is one of the most imaginative authors I’ve had the pleasure to read. When I read him he blows me away -- one of those writers that make you wonder: “How did he come up with this?” I always get a militant, pro-black buzz from his novels too.
I also enjoy erotica and I feel that sexuality when written about should caress the ear like the brush of lips and evoke delicious imagery (e.g., juicy mangos, billowing silk etc.) So for writing that sizzles my picks would definitely be B. Sharise Moore and Quinton Veal.
I ’m also a big fan of Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Audre Lorde, Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, Stephen King, Dean Kootz, Tad Williams and too many others to name.
11. Favorite books?
Some of my favorite novels are:
Wild Seed
(Octavia Butler)
Neters: Issue O and RETRO-KM (Edward Uzzle)
Taste (B. Sharise Moore)
Imaro I & II
(Charles Saunders)
Meji I & II
(Milton Davis)
The Friday House
(DK Gaston)
Banjo Strings
(Larry Winfield)
Their Eyes were watching God
(Zora Neale Hurston)
My Soul to Keep & The Good House
(Tananarive Due)
IT (Stephen King)
The Talisman
(Stephen King & Peter Straub)
Invisible Man
(Ralph Ellison)
I could go on and on!
12. How did you come up with the title?
I didn’t have to think about, the title just jumped in my head -- like the story itself. There was no question in my mind that Immortal was it and would always be it. Later I was amazed that the title I chosen (well before I was anywhere close to being finished) fit so wonderfully with the main characters that grew to people my books: all of them immortal.
13. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I’d have to say Octavia Butler, not just because she’s an awesome writer but because she opened the gate for so many of us. Before I read Wild Seed, I didn’t even know that Black folks wrote SF, and I’d been reading authors like Stephen King for years. Octavia made me believe that I could conquer this genre -- that I could be a SF/fantasy author. I’ve also been told that our writing styles are similar which I consider a huge compliment.
14. Parting words.
I’d like to thank Brother DK for taking the time to interview me and for his support. And to all my creative brothers and sisters: peace and strength to your writing hands!
Visit me at: http://immortalfantasynovels.com/
I like to personally thank Valljeanne Jeffers for taking the time to interview with me.
I've always felt profound spiritual joy when experiencing the superhero ( fictional and REAL ) in society. This isn't meant to offend anyones faith nor the institution of organized religion. Quite the contrary. Superheroes also are a celebration of the same values. They just do it a bit differently. Speaking only for myself I become transcendent while encountering superhero print and other content. This transcendence can only be called spiritual. I've read great text from religions great and small. While not saying comic books and pulp novels are on the same plane I know what they do to quicken my spirit. Superheroes are a non-denominational, non-sectarian way to apply timeless lessons from the Bible; Torah; Quran and other holy books in a colorfully contemporary fashion. As a creative concerned citizen I'm always on the look out for inspiration and with superheroes I find it. In a real world where one faith beats the other over the head it's rewarding to find a secular form promoting doing good because it's the right thing to do. Period! Superheroes have been a creative " church " for me all my life. They are infinitely more than escapism or, in the case of real life superheroes ( RLSH ), delusion. I hope I haven't stepped on anybody's religious toes but to me, superheroes are expressed spirituality, minus preaching or places of worship. They speak loudly about what the One Super Power ( however you do or don't term God ) offers anyone caring enough to become more. NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. (912) 272-2898 NADRACAPTBLACK@YMAIL.COM ( Pay Pal address ) and http://reallifesuperheroes.org/wiki/index.php?title=Captain_Black |
that she held a passion for him that was both wild and
earnest. She closed her eyes slowly as if she was offering
him her life.
She kissed him softer and deeper than she did before.
His head got hot, he could feel his chest about to explode
and she picked up on it. She tore his shirt off and
motioned them over to the bed.
On the way over, they both kicked their sneakers off
their feet tumbling over furniture in the process. Mike
embraced her with his gift and levitated her over the bed.
He motioned his hand and all her outer garment was torn
off from her body. She gasped deeply and blushed as much
as her complexion would allow. He let her go onto the bed
gently and climbed on top of her. He felt her breasts. They
were soft and supple to his touch. He started to suck on
her nipples and they became erect in his mouth.
She grabbed his left hand and began to suck on his
ring finger. Mike became erect. With her other hand she
unzipped his pants and pulled them off with her feet.
Mike was impressed. She held his manhood between her
thighs and brought it closer to her.
"ARRRGH," he growled.
She bit deep into the flesh of his finger causing blood
to flow steadily. With his finger still in her mouth, she
started to swallow the blood that flowed out from the
puncture she made.
"Damn it! How much more do I have to bleed today,"
he said in partial pleasure and agony.
"Just a little bit more. Now bite into me," she said in
an erotic voice as she grabbed his head and teasingly
brushed her finger across his lips.
Puzzled and caught up in the moment, Mike found
himself doing just as she asked. He bit her finger until she
bled the same as he and sucked out blood feverishly.
Michelle groaned out loud in ecstasy.
Although Mike didn’t know whether he was possessed
or not, he did know that somehow this was right. They
were both intoxicated by each other’s excitement. He felt
as though he was going to lose consciousness and he could
see the same in her eyes. After a few moments they passed
out in each others' arms. These Terrans are very odd and
interesting beings.
renpet331.blogspot.com
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Djadja N Medjay is an author, a student of martial sciences, spiritual sciences and an Ohashiatsu Instructor. His first novel is called, Renpet.
Synopsis of Renpet:
RENPET is the ancient Kemet feminine cosmic principle who personified fertility, spring and youth. She was often known as the "Mistress of Eternity" and her name was used to express the term "year"........
The world after Renpet, The Year, takes place after the planet earth passes through a photon field. This takes place during the solar system's complete orbit around the central sun of the Pleiades constellation known as Alcione. Following this event, the earth goes through strong continental shifts, dramatic weather pattern changes, intense exposure to ultraviolet rays and the transition of half of the world's population either into the next world or into a higher form.
It is comparable to an organism like an amoeba springing forth in evolution to become a bird. The survivors on the planet gain an increased amount of pigmentation and the adolescents receive enhanced abilities. The earth is in a state of rebirth and regeneration, its population is in a state of challenge adjusting to their new environment. Due to the extreme jump in evolution, many of the inhabitants suffer psychological trauma which causes conflict in the midst of the restoration of the planet.
Enter the world after Renpet, the year, where all that was unknown is being re-discovered. Follow the journey of Serqet, who is of an advanced race of humans from the future. She is given the task of guiding a group of youths through their growth in the new world. Of course, any youth finds it difficult adjusting to adolescence, and it must be near impossible after you survived the upheaval of an entire planet. Imagine everything you knew was turned upside down...the attachment to the trials of politics, racism, and human injustice pales in comparison....
You can learn more about Djadja and purchase RENPET at RENPET331.BLOGSPOT.COM
http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2010/04/30/napowrimo-prompt-30-american-sentence-ala-collaboration/
So I used
http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2010/04/29/napowrimo-29-front-page-news/
Wedding Blessing
“Greece can not devalue their currency,”
the newscaster says
“now that they are part of the European Union;
now that they are on the Euro.”
A seemingly sorrowful state of affairs.
But that is my toast to you on this special day.
Now that you are united,
know that never again will your price fall.
You are each other’s surety and
your love will only appreciate with time.
JUST WANT TO SPREAD LOVE AND PROSPERITY FOR US ALL!!!!!!
IN THE EVENT YOU ARE IN NYC ON MAY 15TH AROUND 4PM, STOP BY MY BOOK SIGNING AT THE UPTOWN SISTA BOOKSTORE LOCATE 156TH ST. 1942 AMSTERDAM AVE.
OTHERWISE, VISIT RENPET331.BLOGSPOT.COM AND ORDER YOUR COPY OF RENPET.
YOU MAY EMAIL ME DIRECTLY, IN CASE YOU WANT A PERSONAL DELIVERY IN THE NYC AREA TO AVOID SHIPPING/HANDLING CHARGES.
LIFE VITALITY HEALTH,
DJADJA N MEDJAY
Saturday 4/10/2010 9:30pm CST 90 Minutes CLICK ON THE LINK or call 718/508-9683 and TELL US WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND!
Clare Dargin is a writer who loves science fiction, fantasy, romance and the military. She enjoys weaving those worlds together. Her first novel Cold Warriors was published with Aspen Mountain Press. Her second novel is entitled Speculative Sky which will be published July 2010 by Red Rose Publishing.
About Cold Warrior
When Caitlin Driskoll is awakened from a cryogenic stasis, she's got a lot of adjusting to do. It's a new century and the planet is at war. Once married to a Navy JAG, she now experiences life from the viewpoint of a Jarhead, and the view isn't pleasant. Colonel Medoro Keegan lost the two most important things in his life during his Marine career: his wife to friendly fire, and his ability to fly combat missions. Now, he's stuck aboard the Blanchard as the XO. The Corps is the only family he has left and he's not about to lose the last thing he values. Until he meets Caitlin, who isn't shy about telling Medoro what she thinks about his Marines. How can such beauty wrapped in an icy body have so much fire? It's the future, and a new kind of prejudice has replaced the racial prejudice Caitlin experienced in the last century. After all, when you've been given a second chance at life, you are expendable.
About Speculative Sky
A star gazer her entire life, April Mullen jumped at the opportunity to be an astronomer on a far away planet. Finally she had the chance to live out her dream--to discover intelligent life among the stars. However when her dream starts to become a reality, things are not as they seem.
She is working on a few more projects. If you'd like to check out her work, you can visit: The Haven at http://www.thescifihaven.bravehost.com or Cold Warriors at http://www.coldwarriors.bravehost.com
What inspired you to write your first book?
Well, ever since I was a child I always wanted to be a writer. It was a dream of mine to be published and to write stories that everyone could enjoy. My first novel “Cold Warriors” was actually inspired by a short story I wrote many years ago and had submitted to the L. Ron
Hubbard 'Writers of the Future' contest.
The story did not win, however it was liked by one of the judges who sent me a personal letter back home saying how much he had enjoyed the story and thought that it should have won. From there, I reworked and expanded the story until I ended up with the novel Cold Warriors.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Yes, I do but I am not sure what to call it. I like to place people right there in the environment where they can almost hear, taste, smell and see the action going on around them. I tend to write tight stories with quick pacing. It's what I like to read and consequently how I write.
How did you come up with the title?
A good friend of mine, novelist D. K. Gaston actually came up with the title. I was in his writing group who really helped me tie the novel together and to get ready for publication. I remember that I was having trouble coming up with a name for the book and Keith who was fan of the genre and liked my work came up with the title! He did an excellent job! I am forever grateful!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Yeah, don't give up on your dreams. You see both of the main characters had a dream of a kind of life that they had wanted to lead but was taken from them tragically. However they managed through hardship and struggle to find the life of their dreams together.
What books have most influenced your life most?
To be honest, the old Star Wars books that came out in the eighties after Return of the Jedi. The expanded universe books taught me more about atmospheric and expanded universe development and how to write a cool leading man than anything!
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Douglas Preston and/or Lincoln Child. They write incredibly compelling books of which I generally can't put down.
What book are you reading now?
To be honest and I am almost finished with “Book of the Dead” with Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I'll be going through their back list very soon in order to get caught up.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Last night I was thinking about The Friday House by D. K. Gaston and how it's a compelling story about assassins who have no memory of their being programmed and stuff. I think it's cool. And several books on the military scifi romance front that I have recently heard about. I write in a tiny subgenre so it's nice to see what other authors are doing in it. That way I don't get lonely!
What are your current projects?
Presently I am finishing up the final editing for “Ice and Peace” the sequel to Cold Warriors. As well as having another expanded universe book in the works. Not to mention, two futuristic romances that are completely different from my military fiction.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
The Motown Creative Writers Group--they helped get on the road to being published. I'm grateful for that.
Do you see writing as a career?
Yes! One day I hope to do it full time.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Yeah that's why I have to hurry up and get it out of my hands cause I keep changing it!
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
As a child, my father use to encourage it. I use to write stories for my family and give it to them and they would say “Maybe one day you could get this published!” I was like five.... and then when I was in middle school I found out that S. E. Hinton had been published at sixteen-- I became truly determined then.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Certainly. Ice and Peace, published by Aspen Mountain Press, takes place approximately 3-5 years after the first book Cold Warriors. Medoro Keegan and Caitlin (Driskoll) Keegan are now married and settling into their lives when the problems from her past and his arise and threaten to take away the happiness that they have established.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Yeah, getting through the first draft!
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Just get the first draft down on paper and don't be afraid to make stupid mistakes and have dumb lines on paper, cause it's the first draft and you are allowing the characters to come alive. Later on you can fix and micro manage but don't try to do it the first time through, cause it will stifle your creativity.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Don't give up on being published! Try every avenue! There is away for you!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. It was a pleasure interviewing you.
Show support of Black Consciousness and Black Currency at Uptown Sista's Bookstore located at 1942 Amsterdam Ave.
Transportation:
1 train to 157th Street; walk to Amsterdam ave. between 156th & 157th
A or C train (depending on weekend schedule) to 155th Street; walk to Amsterdam ave. between 156th & 157th
Synopsis of Renpet:
RENPET is the ancient Kemet feminine cosmic principle who personified fertility, spring and youth. She was often known as the "Mistress of Eternity" and her name was used to express the term "year"........
The world after Renpet, The Year, takes place after the planet earth passes through a photon field. This takes place during the solar system's complete orbit around the central sun of the Pleiadesconstellation known as Alcione. Following this event, the earth goesthrough strong continental shifts, dramatic weather pattern changes,intense exposure to ultraviolet rays and the transition of half of theworld's population either into the next world or into a higher form.
It is comparable to an organism like an amoeba springing forth in evolution to become a bird. The survivors on the planet gain an increased amount of pigmentation and the adolescents receive enhancedabilities. The earth is in a state of rebirth and regeneration, itspopulation is in a state of challenge adjusting to their newenvironment. Due to the extreme jump in evolution, many of theinhabitants suffer psychological trauma which causes conflict in themidst of the restoration of the planet.
Enter the world after Renpet, the year, where all that was unknown is being re-discovered. Follow the journey of Serqet, who is of an advanced race of humans from the future. She is given the task of guiding a group of youths throughtheir growth in the new world. Of course, any youth finds it difficultadjusting to adolescence, and it must be near impossible after yousurvived the upheaval of an entire planet. Imagine everything you knewwas turned upside down...the attachment to the trials of politics,racism, and human injustice pales in comparison....
Djadja N Medjay is a student of martial sciences, spiritual sciences and an Ohashiatsu Instructor. The vision of Renpet came to him in a dream 2 years ago and the pen was close to him.......
For chapter information please visit: renpet331.blogspot.com
Saturday 4/17/2010 9:30pm CST 90 Minutes CLICK ON THE LINK or call 718/508-9683 and TELL US WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND!
Steven Barnes was born in Los Angeles and lives there with his wife, author Tananarive Due. He has written episodes of The Outer Limits, Baywatch, Stargate SG-1 and Andromeda. Barnes first published piece of fiction, the 1979 novelette "The Locusts," was written with Larry Niven, and was a Hugo nominee. He is a science fiction writer, lecturer, and creative consultant.
His true passion, other than writing, is martial and physical arts. He is a Black Belt in Kenpo Karate, and Kodokan Judo. He holds an instructor certificate in Wu Ming Ta, and has an instructor candidate ranking in Filipino Kali stick and knife fighting.
Barnes has co-author his wife, Tananarive Due and actor Blair Underwood to create the Tennyson Hardwick series: Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel (2008), In the Night of the Heat: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel (2009), & From Cape Town With Love (May 2010).
What inspired you to write your first book?
The opportunity to write with one of the great science fiction writers, Larry Niven.
Are there messages in your novels that you want readers to grasp?
The universality of human experience, and the boundless potential of our spirit, if we are true to our values.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Balancing being true to myself with finding and building an audience.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
A fair amount. I've toured internationally, and traveled to Africa for research. But that's nothing compared to some other writers!
What is the hardest part of writing your books?
Actually doing the basic work of a first draft. Every-day discipline.
Do you write an outline before every book you write?
Yes.
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
No.
What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?
Human potential.
You’ve collaborated in the past with other authors. How were those experiences?
More of a dance. You have to understand each others' process and comfort zones, as well as clearly defining responsibilities.
You’ve collaborated with Blair Underwood and your wife, Tananarive Due to create the Tennyson Hardwick series. Will that collaboration eventually come to an end or do you plan to continue working on the series with your wife and Blair for the unforeseeable future?
For the foreseeable future. We'll see.
Are you collaborating with any other authors? If so, can you tell us about the project?
Working with Charles "Middle Passage" Johnson--I'll say it is a near-future project.
You’ve written books in both the Star Wars and Star Trek universe. Is it strange writing about characters that are so familiar to science fictions fans across the globe?
Yep. Very strange. The fans are, well...fanatical. And if you get something wrong, boy, are they gonna let you know it.
With you and Tananarive being authors, does it ever get competitive at home between you and your wife?
Not directly, but we do have...ummm..."spirited debates" about writing and storytelling.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write 1000 words a day, and read 10,000 words a day.
Thank you so much Steven for agreeing to this interview. Is there anything you like to say in closing to the group members of Black Magic and Science?
Thanks for having me! Check out my websites: http://www.diamondhours.com and http://www.thewriterscircle.ning.com
Clare Dargin is a writer who loves science fiction, fantasy, romance and the military. She enjoys weaving those worlds together. Her first novel Cold Warriors was published with Aspen Mountain Press. Her second novel is entitled Speculative Sky which will be published July 2010 by Red Rose Publishing.
About Cold Warrior
When Caitlin Driskoll is awakened from a cryogenic stasis, she's got a lot of adjusting to do. It's a new century and the planet is at war. Once married to a Navy JAG, she now experiences life from the viewpoint of a Jarhead, and the view isn't pleasant. Colonel Medoro Keegan lost the two most important things in his life during his Marine career: his wife to friendly fire, and his ability to fly combat missions. Now, he's stuck aboard the Blanchard as the XO. The Corps is the only family he has left and he's not about to lose the last thing he values. Until he meets Caitlin, who isn't shy about telling Medoro what she thinks about his Marines. How can such beauty wrapped in an icy body have so much fire? It's the future, and a new kind of prejudice has replaced the racial prejudice Caitlin experienced in the last century. After all, when you've been given a second chance at life, you are expendable.
About Speculative Sky
A star gazer her entire life, April Mullen jumped at the opportunity to be an astronomer on a far away planet. Finally she had the chance to live out her dream--to discover intelligent life among the stars. However when her dream starts to become a reality, things are not as they seem.
She is working on a few more projects. If you'd like to check out her work, you can visit: The Haven at http://www.thescifihaven.bravehost.com or Cold Warriors at http://www.coldwarriors.bravehost.com
Steven Barnes was born in Los Angeles and lives there with his wife, author Tananarive Due. He has written episodes of The Outer Limits, Baywatch, Stargate SG-1 and Andromeda. Barnes first published piece of fiction, the 1979 novelette "The Locusts," was written with Larry Niven, and was a Hugo nominee. He is a science fiction writer, lecturer, and creative consultant.
His true passion, other than writing, is martial and physical arts. He is a Black Belt in Kenpo Karate, and Kodokan Judo. He holds an instructor certificate in Wu Ming Ta, and has an instructor candidate ranking in Filipino Kali stick and knife fighting.
Barnes has co-author his wife, Tananarive Due and actor Blair Underwood to create the Tennyson Hardwick series: Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel (2008), In the Night of the Heat: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel (2009), & From Cape Town With Love (May 2010).
- The Dream Park series:
- Dream Park (1981) (with Larry Niven)
- The Barsoom Project (1989) (with Larry Niven)
- The California Voodoo Game (1992) (with Larry Niven)
- The Aubry Knight series:
- Street Lethal (1983)
- Gorgon Child (1989)
- Firedance (1993)
- The Heorot series:
- The Legacy of Heorot (1987) (with Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle)
- Beowulf's Children (1995) (with Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle)
- The Insh'Allah series:
- Lion's Blood (2002) (winner 2003 Endeavour Award)
- Zulu Heart (2003)
- Stand-alone novels, screenplays, and other works:
- Casanegra (with Blair Underwood and Tananarive Due)
- The Descent of Anansi (1982) (with Larry Niven)
- The Kundalini Equation (1986)
- Fusion (1987) (comic book mini-series)
- Achilles' Choice (1991) (with Larry Niven)
- Blood Brothers (1996)
- Iron Shadows (1997)
- Far Beyond the Stars (1998) (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novelization)
- The Lives of Dax: "The Music Between the Notes" (1999)
- Saturn's Race (2000) (with Larry Niven)
- Charisma (2002)
- The Cestus Deception (2004) (Star Wars) Great Sky Woman (2006)
Brotherman Comics Drawing From The Soul
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It came from the mist of course. The main problem with an oral tradition is that the details get fuzzier as the time goes on, soon the truth is lost in antiquity. You have to hear the story told from various people to get an idea of what the original message was about.
The mbira is a musical instrument of the Shona people of the Zimbabwe area. They report a particular story around the instrument, how it came to them. Other African peoples also had thumbpianos. How did this idea originate, spread and develop? I call the mbira, "the African Baby Grand Piano". I say the Africans were using their thumbs to play music centuries before texting devices were thought of.
The Kora is the most outrageous and mysterious musical instrument I ever saw. I am saying, forget sitars and kotos. No offense to Hindus or Japanese, but this Kora is legendary. It probably predates the guitar and was the main "axe" (guitar jargon) on the West side of Africa (were we are said to come from). What if there were a sacred Kora and it was passed between a succession of kings, protected by royal armies and played by folks who made it rain, made the fruit to blossom and other armies lay down their spears? The Kora was the light saber of a more civilized time.
The balafon or marimba is another instrument hard to fanthom. The modern commercial versions are nice but there is nothing amazing about them. How the heck can you get such sound out of a bunch of sticks and gourds and twine, have not many keys and be played with that kind of articulate magic?
What I am saying is sometimes the story comes out of the material culture, or around an object. Important objects, designs, symbols, stories are wrapped around them. Like a song passed down as a tribal tradition, you have to be initiated via a right of passage ritual for you to receive, this song and be able to play it. What was the initiation ritual, it is not hazing foolishness, this is the passing of serious traditions to the next generation. We have mindless, "so what" institutions for these things today. It was not so in African traditions.
Ancient warriors not having the benefit of our resources today, how did they get intel on other armies, where did their battle strategies come from?
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