What Would It Take for You To Feel Immortal?

(Relatives? - In 1882 and 1892, some native families from French Guiana and Suriname were brought to Paris, to be shown as specimens of "savage humanity" - My grandfather was born in 1893)

Spent the weekend with my Mom and gave her the third degree about her parents. Sometimes this can be a really, really good thing. Other times - not so good. With my Mom it bordered on the 'not' side of good.

And it wasn't because she had a bad childhood. She's 75 years old and her parents were immigrants from Jamaica and French Guinea, mother and father, respectively. They ended up living in one of the smallest towns in Ohio from 1923 until their deaths in 1989 and 1976, respectively.

My Mom was the baby of five children and she loved her parents and had a fabulous time, being the bell of the ball in many ways even though she was Negro and the only black family of stature in the town of 2000 clay miners.

According to my Mom, her parents were 'saints'. No, seriously, she said the word saints - and meant it. She also said the word perfect. I knew her parents. I lived with my grandparents from the age of 4 until I was 8. I visited my grandparents every summer for nearly three months from the age of 8 until I was 17. I knew them. They were cool. Okay, my grandmother was cool. My grandfather was silent - I swear he said less than a thousand words in the twenty years I remember him being on this Earth. So when I say they weren't perfect. I know of which I speak.

But my resistance to my Mom's tale about her perfect, god-fearing childhood? Well, it's strong. But is it me, or does the story beg - I mean scream and beg - to be pulled apart?

Shit, it might just be me. But I don't think so.

All of this leads to a central theme. In addition to examining the peaks and valleys of an immortal existence (my vampire story). I'm also examining the loose ties that bind generations.

Memories - They are a bitch if you want them to be.

Hey, if you happen across this blog - I'm just finding my way to informative bits and pieces about writing, memory and vampires (think about it...there is a symmetry to this, I swear.)

Don't hesitate to drop me line. Share a memory, and answer the question:

What would it take for you to feel immortal? (As much as I love children, you can't mention your babies in response, okay?:)!

e-publishing? give it some respect, RWA!

There is some serious in-industry flap about e-publishing that I'm only on the fringe of - mainly because I haven't been published. A short story in an anthology (by an e-publisher three years ago) that wasn't very good - my story, that is, not the entire anthology - just doesn't count.

But I was searching the news on the Internet this morning and found an article about an e-publisher who is doing it! Please check out the June 28 issue of The Washington Post about Loose Id... (click here to read it now).

I have a few friends at my journaling home (Live Journal) who have been published by Loose ID and I just love when this kind of story gets coverage especially when the Romance Writers of America (RWA) is giving digital publishing a hard time these days (okay, maybe that's a constant). From what I've been reading, RWA calls most if not all of the e-publishers vanity press, and isn't recognizing these houses or their authors (not giving them their props) who are doing it via e-publishing. I'm going to my fourth RWA conference in two weeks (it's here in DC, and you'd better believe I'll be blogging and twittering my a** off) and I'm sure to run into a hail storm of commentary regarding e-publishing versus the traditional NYC publishing houses.

I'll let you know what's going on.

(Note: I write paranormal - sexy vampires in a world of diversity - but a queen of the genre is L.A. Banks - see the cover above? It's from her first book of the Vampire Huntress Legend series. If you haven't done so - do so, go now and read it!)

We Women Have A Responsibility!

Here we go boys and girls (okay, mostly girls) - I am stressing over writing, revising and tweeting (hehehe)! Yes, to tweet or not to tweet - that is the question! What I mean is in today's world of marketing, marketing, marketing and the new social media outlets that can make you - the author - more marketable - I am paralyzed by the prospect of what to tweet...

Of course, I read the sage columns that say - tweet about informative tidbits and keep it light - in the initial stretch - before you hit them with the whammy! Buy my freaking book!

Oh...or is that what I read about blogging...mmmm...

Enough said on that point....

Onto the info 'bite' for today - let's talk sexy black men and why they aren't dominating the covers of more romance novels, and gracing the screen - TV, film, you name it - with those beautiful black bodies and smooth baritones! What keeps my brothers off the air and out of print?! And no - this isn't me complaining about the Hollywood elite who don't treat a brother fair.

I think it's because we 'older' women who love men of color (black, brown, white, or whatever) tend to stay way too mum about what we like. The teeny-bobbers do not hesitate to shout out their excitement over the Backstreet Boy types and the cutie pies on The CW, and the hotness that is Wolverine (By the way, I will take Hugh Jackman anytime, any day of the week, month, year or decade, ladies!).

So what am I saying here? It's time to get loud, girls. If you like it, let the world know! I will gladly point the way to the pretty, the strong, the chiseled, the beautiful men who are out there and the inspiration for my heroes (be they vampire, shape-shifter or your common run-of-the-mill humanoid!

And so to get the ball rolling - I'm posting one of my recently found favorite photos of a truly fine looking black man...

In the photo above, you'll find Brain White - Actor and Renaissance Man...enjoy.

Denny

First Post - Nervous...

Introducing my new blog. It's not ready for prime time, but it will get there. Come back and get to know me. I write stories about vampires, shape shifters and humans and how they love, live and work together and apart in urban settings that will put a new face on the paranormal romantic hero and heroine. Stay with me, and you'll see what I mean.