A Book Worth Reading...

Is a book worth promoting...

So much has been going on since my last blog post. For one, I was part of a Cover Reveal, and the experience was absolutely amazing! Since then, I've made quite a few more connections and I have a couple of important dates set of for January. Most importantly, the release of my novella!

I am beyond excited to talk about the fact that "Secrets" is officially done. To the point that I have ARCs set to send out on the 1st! I'm not going to lie to you, I am rather nervous about the feedback. Total strangers are going to be reading my book and giving me their feedback on the day that the book is released, which is January 17th. This is a completely different experience than when I released my poetry books. Like, I'm more open about promoting "Secrets" than any other book I've ever written; it could be that this book is strictly based on my imagination, whereas, my poetry books are based on my emotions.

I've been busting buns in the last few months with this book. Working on getting it finished, cleaning it up, and making sure to market it to the point that it catches a reader's eye. To say that I've mastered everything would be a far fetched lie, but I can say that I have learned quite a bit along the way to better prepare for the release of my second novella. Second novella? Who would've thunk it, lol.

The interest has been overwhelming and the support has been amazing. To say that I find myself left speechless on a regular basis is an understatement. I am so blessed and I can't wait to see where this journey takes me.

So before I continue rambling on, let me show you one of the marketing tactics that I am currently using to promote "Secrets".

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Coming January 17th!!

"Secrets"

Emotionally abused and broken, young Mykale wanted a life that left her current situation in the past. Having come from a poverty-stricken household with dreams that expand bigger than the financial reach of what any of the “traditional” jobs were paying, Mykale decided to make her money in a “nontraditional” way. Along with her close friend and confidante, she ventures on a path that only leads to a road that shouldn’t be traveled.

After a traumatic experience causes Mykale to abruptly leave her life behind, she embarks on a journey to start a new life. Thinking she has successfully left her past behind her, she doesn’t think twice about what used to be. It’s not until she is approached at a party that she realizes that no matter how far you run, your past will always catch up with you.

"Secrets" is the breakout novella from Author La Kata E.K.

**Special Note: This book contains violent and graphic content that some readers may find offensive.**

Kindle version now available for pre-order!
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Kata-E-K-ebook/dp/B01N6IC1W3

If Stationary Objects Can Network...

Then I can too...

As many of you know, and for those of you who don't, a couple weeks ago, I created an another FB page (Author La Kata EK). I created this page to network with other authors and to make myself more accessible to my fans. Needless to say, the idea was a great one! Since then, I have made multiple connections and these connections are all helping to mold my writing career into a successful one.

First, there was, Allysa Hart. She is a fellow author and the creator of Allycat Creations, as well as  the designer of the new cover to my upcoming book. I am beyond pleased with her work and excited to reveal the cover to the public!

Speaking of revealing the cover...

Second, there was, Renee Harless. She is a fellow author as well. She has an upcoming novel to be released soon and decided to create an event on FB to debut her cover. She posted a status asking if any other authors would be interested and I mentioned that I would, so she contacted me and now I will be debuting my cover as well during her FB event! My cover reveal time is 9PM to 930PM on November 22nd!

I am excited and nervous all at the same time. To me, this is something beyond major for me. I have spent the last few days purchasing various "author swag" to give out during the event. Now, I am tasked with trying to think of multiple games and conversation pieces just to ensure that those attending all have a good time. Part of me wants to flake out, but the larger part of me knows that I have wanted this more than anything that I can currently think of and I'm going to claim what is mine.

I have also developed a connection with another fellow author named, Christa Lynn. These three individuals (aside from my close friend and fellow author, Raven St. Pierre) have been extremely patient and supportive when I've had various questions for them at random hours. If they are not aware of how much I appreciate their patience and their kindness, I hope they are now.

Creating my more "public" FB profile was probably the best decision I could've made for my writing career. Hopefully, I develop more lasting connections like the ones that I have recently made.

"Secrets" coming 2017.

Welcome To The Unveiling Of...

My upcoming book...

If you're reading this, I want to thank you in advance for your interest in my upcoming book; it's due to be released at the beginning of 2017.  Though, this will be the sixth book to my literary catalog, it will be my first story. As nervous as I am about sharing this, I am extremely excited about it as well! So, sit back and relax as I give you an excerpt from "Secrets".

Mykale

As I continued to run, my legs began to ache. The slow burning feeling crept along my calves, up my thighs, and to my groin. But I couldn’t stop running. I knew that if I slowed down for even a second they would catch up with me.

Day had quickly turned to night and night was only getting darker with each passing minute. They weren’t my only fear at the moment, the ever encompassing dark was, too. I hadn’t the slightest idea as to where I was at and because I couldn’t see my surroundings, I found myself continuously battling off hysteria each time my foot hit the ground.

My heart beat heavy in my chest and I felt that it was going to explode. My lungs began to feel as if they were burning and I wanted to stop and catch my breath. With the air being thick and muggy, it made breathing damn near impossible. I needed to stop, but I couldn’t just yet.

 The blood was pumping so fast throughout my body that I could hear the rhythmic noise in my ears. It seemed so loud. Everything seemed so loud. The crickets chirping, the sound of the soil crunching beneath my feet, the way the tall grass “whooshed” as my legs flew through it; it was as if every noise was magnified except the one that I was desperately trying to listen for.

The darkness of night made it impossible to see within inches in front of my face. Multiple times, I stumbled over something hidden within the brush. Once or twice, I found myself grasping wildly in front of me as I lost my balance. On occasion, I felt something questionable graze past me, but I couldn’t stop to investigate; I dared not stop because my life literally depended on it.

As my body began to tire and my legs began to feel sluggish, I contemplated stopping just long enough to catch my breath. I only needed just a couple of moments to get myself together, to maybe collect my thoughts as best I could under the circumstances; but then I heard the noise that I was listening for. The urgent screaming of my name off in the distance caused me to renege on my decision to slow down. Finding some second or third wind that I didn’t know existed within me, I began sprinting frantically into the darkened woods.

            What probably took minutes, felt like it took forever but I eventually saw what looked like low lighting up ahead. A clearing maybe? I wasn’t sure what it was but I could feel my body begin to soar as if my feet had wings. Just a few more…

CRACK!

            And just like that, the light was gone…          

You Can Call Me A Magician...

Because I know how to disappear...

Clearly, I have pulled quite the vanishing act these last few months and I'm kind of upset about it because I was doing so well with at least posting once a month. I should have known though that I would slip up somewhere when I missed July, I think it was.

Anyway, outside of all of the other things that have kept me busy in the last few months, my novella is the one that I want to talk about the most.

I officially finished in late August, I believe. I sent it out to the few people that I trusted would read it and give me their honest opinion and the feedback was quite amazing. Thankfully, their feedback was honest enough to point out to me that there was a major flaw within the book. Of my three main characters, one was missing a back story. So naturally, I had to go back and fix what it was that was clearly missing and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Actually, it was a lot easier than it was to write the book in the first place!

Ah, the book.

It all began back in 2010 when I was wanting to try something other than writing poetry. Just a little something that I played around with in the beginning; well, for like 5 years anyway. There were 3 other stories that I played around with too, but it wasn't until about January of last year that I decided to take writing this particular story seriously. It took my sister and two family friends holding me accountable during our accountability meetings that took me from page 17 to page 66 in a matter of 4 months. After that, I kind of played around until my mom and a close friend started becoming a pain in my neck about it. Honestly, I appreciate them being the kinds of pains that they were because by December, I was at page 100, I believe.

My original goal was to go to page 120 and at 111, seeing as to how I was almost at the goal, I stopped. I just quit writing the story all together. I think it was because I wasn't ready to end it just yet. This project that I began working on, that I never imagined finishing. To be able to actually stay focused long enough to write an entire story was something that I never saw in my past, present, or future. Then the reality that once I was done, this project would no longer be my focus affected me more than I imagined that it would. So I'm sure that it comes to no surprise to you (but a HUGE one to me) that I'm already working on another book.

Anyway, I'm taking the necessary steps needed to have it ready for its 2017 release. The more steps I take, the more excited I become! So I ask for complete and utter patience when my blog seems to be focused on my book. It's going to be quite the read and I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Why Let The Sun Shine...

When cloudy skies are all they know?

In the recent years, I have found myself looking for ways to cleanse myself of any anger and pain that I may have been harboring. Any poisonous emotions that might have been continuously coursing through my veins. I have found that with each release, I feel freer. Lighter. Happier. Let me tell you, it has been quite a journey.

No one knows my story, nor will they understand it if they did. I don't care to invite people in on what I am doing or why, either. But those that have only had a surface glimpse of what it is that I have been doing have had a variety of things to say. The ones that are seemingly on the same path to self redemption that I am on seem to have a silent understanding of what it is that I am doing. They don't question, doubt, or put me down for what it is that I am doing because they understand the importance of closure. The ones that seem to still be lost within themselves and the unhappiness that surrounds them, have been the most vocal. The most negative. The most insulting.

I can't say what it is that goes on in any one person's mind, but I am coming to understand that when a person is happy with themselves and their decisions (most importantly, their life), they don't have the time or energy to bring another person down. Their life reflects how they feel inside and I am beginning to realize that there are people in my circle that are not feeling very well on the inside. I see in them what was once in me and it's a sad thing, I tell you. I can't go back to that and I can't surround myself with people like that because by doing so, I slowly feel the light that I fought so hard for on the inside starting to diminish.

Recently, I have been finding ways to distance myself from these seemingly poisonous personalities, because lets face it, when a person is unhappy, their whole being becomes toxic to those around them. The very thought of you being happy with yourself seems to be an insult to their unhappiness. I would imagine that seeing another person happy would ultimately encourage me to want to be happy as well, as it has, but that is not the case for some people. It is just a reminder that not everyone is as ready for that kind of change as I was.

Because At The End Of The Day...

The face looking back at me in the mirror is that of a black woman's face...

I've been on the fence about writing "Pro Black" anything out of the concern that I would offend some of those I know, but then it hit me! If those I know never shied from showing their support for Bush or even Trump, then why should I shy from showing my support for my own race? Understand, the "Black Movement" isn't about downing other races in the process to uplift our own, it's about acknowledging where we as a race came from AS we uplift our own. Some people can't understand that, but then again, if  you're not black why would you?

I am a black woman.

There are so many out there trying to be what I am. What I, for a long time, was embarrassed about. I didn't want to be my color for along time growing up and I'm glad my mom put a stop to that; I'm glad she taught me to love the skin I'm in because it's beautiful. Unless you are a minority, you will never understand what it's like to go out in public and have people look at you as if you don't belong in the same room as them. You will never understand watching as TV and society acts like your race is beneath them, describing us as everything negative under the sun and then some. Most people do not realize that we are more than what they see, than what they will ever be exposed to.

I am an educated black woman.

Do you realize that there are sooooo many of us out there? Educated black individuals striving to be the best that we can be. There are a lot of us out there leading by example because to get to where we are wasn't easy. I'm not saying that another person of a different race had it any better, but historically, it wasn't easy for us; black people. I can't help it that society glamorizes everything that is wrong with Black America, but I can help what I take from that negative image.

Why is it okay for other races to imitate us but we can't be ourselves?

I love the fact that we are in a time that a lot of black people are celebrating our race because I feel that today's youth need it. They need to know that their race is a positive in the world and not a negative; their skin, their hair, their heritage. That it's okay to be proud of who we are. I have children growing up during this time and it is so detached from the Civil Rights Movement that a lot of our youth cannot appreciate where it all began; what was lost and what was gained, all for people who weren't even in existence at the time. No, we can't keep living in the past BUT if other races are allowed to do so, why can't we? We are not slaves, apes, coons, niggers, or any other derogatory word that people still call us. We are human beings, we bring to the table of the world just like other races do; we have our social imperfections just other races do. So why haven't we ever been treated equally?

My race doesn't define me, it is who I am.

I say this to say that from now on I'm not biting my tongue or stopping my pen. What comes up will come out and if there are people that can't accept that, then you can't accept me. My brown skin, my kinky hair, my unique name, my heritage, and all else that makes me me...

Coming Up For Air...

Because I've held my breath too long...

It has been a minute since my post but for good reason.

When I went "off the grid" in the beginning, it was so that I could concentrate my focus more on what I felt needed my attention most. Out of the four things previously listed, only two ended up receiving the most attention; my physical fitness and my proofreading. I've not only slimmed down but I've toned up since then and the entire month of March was booked with clients that sought my proofreading services.

Still...

I feel like I need to focus even more, even harder because I feel as though I'm slipping.  Change is happening and I can't handle it. The grip I feel that I had on my "normal" is slipping from my grasp and it's scaring the life out of me. I don't do well with change; never have and apparently, never will. Change is the equivalent of the unknown and the unknown is my boogeyman...

Lately, I've been diving into my book. I'm in the process of reading through the beginning and the middle in order to come up with an end that pleases me. That, along with my physical fitness,  are the current holders of my focus. Maybe if I focus hard enough, I won't notice the process of everything changing around me.

I am not who I used to be and that is what scares me most of all...

Even A Tea Pot Screams...

When it has had enough...

That is how I feel right now.

Like in this very moment.

I feel like I have had enough and I want to scream, only I am not going to scream, I am going withdraw completely. I am going to immerse myself so deeply within my writing, my proofreading, my beading, and getting physically fit that I will not know when the sun rises and when it sets. I will not notice when the seasons officially change, nor will I notice that I have not come up for a breath in so long, that when I do, my lungs will burn from the large amount of fresh air that I will finally have to inhale.

I want to say that it is my shoulders that feel weighted, but they are not. My head... My head is what feels so weighted lately. So damn heavy...

They say that the truth shall set you free, but what they forget to mention is that the truth is so painful. So utterly painful... And no matter how prepared you are to face it, you will never be the same afterward. Do you know that the sugary glaze that we see certain people with is also a lie? Did you know that those confection covered people are the ones that are more likely to hurt you the most? Well, if you did not know beforehand, now you do.

How much more can one take before their knees begin to buckle under the load that they are carrying around on the upper half of their body? It requires some amount of mental strength for a person to fight against the pain and continue to carry the load, but it requires everything in one mentally for a person to put that load down and walk away completely. That is who I want to be like one day...

In A Boat Without A Paddle...

Because no matter how much you want to row, you can't...

I have been working like a little worker bee on everything in my life that I want to see flourish, including myself, and yet, I still feel as if something is missing. Some piece to the enormous puzzle that lies at my feet is missing.

Have you ever tried to finish a project when you don't feel complete within? Like, there's this huge hole that appears within every once in awhile and I try to constantly fill it in order to be whole again. The only thing is that it's like a starving monster with an endless pit for a stomach, so feeding it never really does anything for its hunger.

Hmmm... It could be that monster represents how I feel about my success. No matter what I do, it will never be enough. 

I know I am being too hard on myself. I am always too hard on myself. No matter how accomplished I become, I still feel as though I am not accomplished at all. As if all of my hard work has been for nothing. I don't get it and I probably never will.  But then again, we are our own worst critic...