I'm Back . . . From Cleveland . . .

I'm still recuperating from the eight days I spent in Cleveland. Given that there was no snow on the ground nor a frigid chill in the air, I had a lovely time (smile). I reunited with a number of old friends, met some new ones and sold plenty of books. Next week, if all goes as planned, I'll share a few of the pictures from my various events.

I'd like to extend a special thanks to all of the folks who came out and supported my efforts as well all of the kind and generous people who hosted my events and assisted with publicity and promotion. The latter list includes the following individuals: Christina Dziak (PR & Events Coordinator, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Legacy Village); Mary Oluonye & Waly Sene (owners of SeneAfrique Trading Company); Elayne Jackson (Public Services Assistant, Cuyahoga County Public Library); Emanuel Carpenter (writer, reviewer and all-around cool guy) and Rhonda Crowder (General Assignment Reporter, Call & Post).

All of my Cleveland events included a discussion segment and in the coming days, I hope to share some of the comments and insights I gained, not only about my novel (After The Dance), but reading, readers and African American Literature in general.

Emanuel Carpenter, who did an excellent job of giving voice to "Carl" at the public library event in Warrensville, posed a question that I don't think I answered properly during the discussion portion of my library event. His question was, "What do you miss the most about Cleveland?" In truth, I could write a book about what I don't miss about living in Cleveland (LOL) and I think I said as much, BUT there a number of things I do sincerely miss about the area. I'll share exactly what those things are in a future post. If anyone cares to guess, feel free to give it a shot. But I doubt if you'll succeed or even come close.

For those with an interest in knowing where I plan to turn up next, check out the sidebar on the right where you'll find a list of my upcoming events.

A Bit Of Love . . . For My Cleveland Crew . . .

I guess I started something with my previous post (smile). Late last week, I received an email from Elayne Jackson, my contact at the Warrensville Branch of the Cuyahoga Public Library. Among other things, she informed me that nearly all of the 50 or so copies of After The Dance owned by the Cuyahoga Public Library had been checked out. This past Saturday I checked CPL's online catalog for myself and discovered a grand total of 53 copies of my book had been checked out.

WOW! I can only hope the apparent interest in After The Dance translates into folks showing up for the reading/discussion/signing of the novel scheduled for Saturday, 2pm, July 26, 2008 at the Warrensville Public Library (call 216-464-5280 for more information) as well as the other two promotional events currently planned for my Cleveland visit (Thursday, 7pm, July 24 at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Legacy Village Shopping Center and Friday, 6pm, July 25 at SeneAfrique).

If you live in the Cleveland area and you're in need of an extra incentive to attend the Warrensville Library event, well, check this out--I won't be reading alone. No, stepping forward to read the part of "Carl" (from After The Dance) is none other than Cleveland native, Emanuel Carpenter.

In addition to being an Air Force Veteran and a Capital University graduate, Mr. Carpenter is a talented author in his own right. Little Brown, The Midwest Book Review, Forest Wade Press and African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) have all featured and/or published his work. Regulars of this blog might also recognize Emanuel Carpenter as someone who drops by the "Old School Mix" every now and then in order to contribute a bit of his wisdom and wit.

Elayne and Emanuel are just a few of the Cleveland folks I'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks for their on-going kindness, generosity of spirit and interest in my work. Equally deserving of props and acknowledgement for their tireless efforts on my (and my novel's) behalf, particularly with regards to my/our upcoming Cleveland visit, are folks like Sharon J., RadioGirl, and Mary Oluonye.

One of the best things about this journey has been the opportunity to join forces and or/reconnect with folks who share my joy, delight and reverence for the beauty and the power of the written word. Yes, it's all good, y'all (smile).

ALL OF THE HUMBLING REMINDERS . . . Along The Way . . .

It never fails. Whenever I find myself on the verge of crossing my arms, frowning, shaking my head and muttering, "To hell with it all" some tiny spark appears along my path and shines a bit of much needed light my way.

Sometimes these sparks appear in the form of fan letters from folks I've never met before. One kind reader wrote, "Hi Lori, I just finished reading your book After The Dance and wanted to let you know how much I truly loved it. I don't know if Carl was really a beggin brother or if he was just a man who had no problem showing his feelings. I need me a brother like that . . . Thanks again, I think I'm gonna read this for a 3rd time." Oh yeah, you best believe I grinned behind that for days (LOL).

Other times the spark will appear in the form of comments from friends. Recently, a dear old friend shared with me how much his father enjoyed After The Dance. For the record, my friend's father is 76 years old and he's experienced a number of health issues of late. But according to my friend, not only was my novel the first book his father had picked up in years, but it appears to have aroused within him a desire to read other things. Wow! I'm telling ya, for a debut author, it doesn't get much better than that (smile).

In the early part of last week, a trip to the mail box revealed that one of my sisters-in-law had sent me a couple of my books and a request to sign them and send them back to her. Similarly, just this past Friday, one of my father's retired miltary buddies shot me an email in which he informed me he was having three more copies (over and beyond the three he'd already purchased) of After The Dance sent to my PO Box and he wanted me to sign them and send them back to him.

And truly, for me, one of the coolest things about this whole experience has been being able to visit various library websites and get a glimpse of just how many folks are interested in my book. At one point last week, 27 of the 28 copies of After The Dance owned by the Memphis Public Library had been checked out. Even better, upon browsing my title at the public library here in Charlotte, I discovered that not only were all 15 copies of my book in circulation, but there were 7 requests currently on file which meant that 7 additional individuals were eagerily awaiting a copy.

I said all of that, not to brag, but to remind myself and any other newbie author out there that this is a journey, one that will be full of ups and downs and more than a few confusing round and arounds. Rather than get bogged down, side-tracked or deterred by any of the numerous insults and disappointments (oh yes, there have been plenty, I'm just not gonna give voice to any of them here . . . well, at least, not yet anyway *smile*) my/our primary task is to learn what we can from it all while staying humble, remembering always to give thanks and keep moving forward, one small step at a time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY . . . YOU SHO'LL BEEN GOOD TO ME . . .

From Lori & her Daddy's Picture Collection

Christmas morning 196?

Yes, that's me from some long ago Christmas past. Not really sure how old I was, but I bet my Dad, who sometimes checks my blog, will know. He'll probably even tell me after he finishes complaining about me "stealing" his pictures again.

Notice the silver tree? Yes, we did have the color wheel that went with that bad boy. Even after we got rid of the tree we kept using the color wheel for years. Some of my best memories are lying beneath the Christmas tree with the lights out, watching the colors change--red, yellow, green, blue and while listening to the Jackson Five Christmas Album. Yeah, y'all don't know nothing 'bout that (smile).

Notice too the one present I'm obviously smitten with? Not the dishes, not the kitchen set in the box, not the stuffed dog or whatever the heck that is sitting on the table. Nope, for me it's always been about music and books. I may have mentioned this once before, but according to Moms when I was a baby (before I could walk or talk) my folks used to hand me books upside down and watch me cry until someone turned the book rightside up. They never could figure out how (and without the benefit of pictures) I instinctively seemed to know something just wasn't right. Funny how some things never change. I still don't much like my words turned upside down . . .

So hey, I'm off to celebrate the holidays with my peoples. Thanks for visiting and commenting. Thanks for making me laugh, think, ask questions and wonder why. A special thanks to those of you who've already pre-ordered my book. There's nothing like watching those Amazon numbers change (smile). If you enjoy it, I hope you'll share what pleased you about it with others. If you hate it, feel free to come back and tell me why. In any case, If The Good Lord is Willing and the Creek Don't Rise, I'll catch up with you all again in the New Year.

PEACE AND BLESSINGS

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE . . . IN THE WORLD . . .

I've suffered a series of disappointments of late. A number of friends, family members, colleagues and business associates, alike, have all let me down. But rather than use this space to rail against what I view as the blatantly disrespectful, unprofessional, uncaring and inept behavior of these folks (yeah, check my evil grin), I'm going to follow the advice printed across the front of one of my favorite t-shirts (and said to have been expressed by Mahatma Ghandi): "Be the change you want to see in the world."

So in keeping with that more enlightened frame of mind and and in this SEASON of THANKSGIVING I'd like to extend a heart-felt expression of THANKS to a handful of my fellow bloggers and posters whose unwarranted acts of kindness have recently brightened my day and given me reason to smile.

Malcolm / (of Pop Culture Dish Presented by Malcolm) I think I first "met" Malcolm while checking out somone's Thursday Thirteen. I followed his comments back to his blog and I've been hanging out there on a regular basis ever since. In addition to introducing me to the musical likes of Timi Yuro and cinema showmanship of H. Bogart, Malcolm is the main somebody responsible for my own recent full participation in the meme known as Thursday Thirteen. He didn't just encourage me to do it, he actually took the time to walk my lazy, grumbling butt, step by step through the process. Because of Malcolm, every Thursday (actually Wednesday night) my funny-bone is treated to a full work-out. THANKS MALCOLM. Here's looking at you, kid! (smile)

Emanuel Carpenter / I've been reading Emanuel's comments on AALBC for years now. Even though, for a time, we both lived in the Cleveland area, our "paths" didn't cross, until this past summer when our shared love of writing had us both commenting at a writer-friendly spot called "Blogging in Black," where Emanuel's guest pieces now appear on the 7th of every month. In addition to being a frequent commenter on my blog, and passing along invaluable information to me via email, recently, Emanuel surprised me when he mentioned in AALBC's THUMPER'S CORNER that one of the books he was looking forward to reading in 2008 was my novel, AFTER THE DANCE. What can I say? THANKS EMANUEL. Your day is coming.

Shelia Goss / With several books under her belt, Shelia Goss is very much a seasoned author. I'm not sure why she started visiting my blog (smile), but I certainly welcome her presence. She's linked to The Old School Mix on a couple of occasions and I hope to repay her the favor soon. Actually, I'm thinking of borrowing and adding my own spin to something she does on a regular basis at her Oh No Shelia Didn't blog called "OPB" or other people's blogs. THANKS SHELIA for both the on-going link love and for being an inspiration.

Pjzazzypar / I first noticed Pjazzy's comments while visiting Malcolm's Pop Culture Dish. Her observations are so on point and informative, I really think she should have her own blog (smile). Over the past couple of weeks, PJP has been kind enough to both praise my writing and chuckle at my off-the-wall humor. In my book, it doesn't get much BETTER or NICER than that. THANKS PJAZZY. Now, when are you getting that blog? I need another cool place to visit.

Sharon J. / Everyone deserves a friend like Sharon J. She's been visitng and posting comments on my blog since DAY ONE. When I asked if she'd write something on my blog about her recent trip to Ghana, she said, "Sure," and then actually followed through. A lot of folks will say, "Yes" to something only to turn around and make excuses for why they couldn't or can't honor their word. THANKS SHARON for being such a great supporter of my work and even more so for always being a woman of your word.

Michelle Petelinz / Michelle is someone I met in person last year, prior to bumping into her on- line. You may have checked out her blog Artventuring a time or two, but have you checked out her art? If not, take a look at these COLORFUL BOXES. Wouldn't they make great Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah gifts? (smile) When I saw Michelle, a couple of months agao at an art festival in Charlotte, she was kind enough to GIVE my son one of THESE. Cool, huh? THANKS MICHELLE. Keep up the good work!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all! Don't worry, I'm sure in a couple of days this "Be The Change You Want To See" phase will have passed and I'll be back to griping and groaning and sharing all of the negative thoughts stomping around in my head. Until then . . . Peace & Blessings.