Under The Beetle’s Cellar by Mary Willis Walker (book review)

Under the Beetle's Cellar   Another read under my belt. I finished Under The Beetle's Cellar. Now do you want the good news or bad news first? Damn, I feel like I'm firing someone not giving a book review.

But anywho, did I enjoy this book? It was aight. The plot was cool but the characters didn't do it for me. Ok so the story is about a group of school kids and a bus driver who got kidnapped by this Waco mini-me by the name of Samuel Mordecai. He thinks in his own little mind that he is the Chosen One because he was abandoned as a baby and was found wrapped in some kind of Beast blanket, etc. etc. So he takes these kids and bury them underground in an abandoned school bus so they can be purified once the fifty days are up; so the purpose of the story is to see if the kids can escape alive.

I would have liked Ms. Walker to have put in the scene where the kids got snatched up instead of revisiting it by the bus driver's memory. I don't know why this lunatic chose this particular group of kids or why he let some of them off the bus before taking them to his compound, nothing. I do know this that if he had went to the hood to snatch up some kids, this story never would have happened. He would have brought them bad azzez back after a half hour! And then in the middle of the story, one of the kids had a knife! Why didn't you use it?! I know, I know, this is a fictional story but damn, make it a little believable and entertaining. I just think the story went on longer than it was suppose to, 310 pages longer. I felt like I had experienced a disappointing bootycall.

I will only give this one one and a half books. But it's your choice if you want to read it. I'm just the messenger!

Free e-book!

Thought that would catch your attention. I'm almost through with my short story that I will be posting on this site as an e-book for free. I haven't decided on the title I'm bouncing around between titles but I will leave you with this question so you can get some idea of what it is about....

Would you kill for your mama?

Apologies

I know that I haven't been focusing too much time on this blog but I have been taking my Algebra class by storm and putting all of my time into it because I refuse to fail again. I'm not good with math, we have a love/hate relationship, (more hate on my end) so that's where I'm at right now. This is my final week in the class so once it's over I will be able to split my time up better like I was doing before this class popped back up in my life. Luv yall. See you in a week with some hot ish.

I'm about my business...And you need to be about yours too!

Listen up because I'm about to put you onto some serious ish. A couple of weeks ago I announced that I was going to start my own publishing company. (Yeah go ahead and scroll down and read that post real quick among others. I'll wait for you to get finished.)


Alright now back to some business. Everybody by now know I'm a writer, I love it, it's my passion, what I'm hungry for, all that rolled into one. I'm all about people finding their true talent and capitalizing on that talent. I mean go hard with it. Within the last few weeks I've been ingesting as much information on starting a business and now as I go thru this journey I'm going to let you know how you can start that business that's been in the back of your heads. Don't be a 'dreamer', basically running your gums about a hustle you are trying to get up and running but don't do a damn thing to get you to that point of actually starting it.

Of all of the books I've read so far I recommend you get up on a book called The Small Business Start-Up Kit written by Peri H. Pakroo J.D. This is the one stop information shop all in one book. It breaks down every legal aspect of starting a business, from naming your business, writing the business plan, where to get funds for your business, creating a brand, I mean the list goes on and on. On top of all that, a CD is included where you can print out all of the forms needed to start it up. The language is a little intimidating at first but get over it - quickly. I strongly suggest, no demand everyone to purchase this book and you can do that through Amazon.com or just click the link to it to save your fingers some time. I also recommend to pick up any business book that relates to your goals. It won't hurt you, it will only build on what you already know. A few tips to remember:

1.  Don't go at this process half steppin'. Just because you have the mentality of a hustla doesn't mean you can hop over some steps and decide that you'll learn it after you get the business running. You minds well hang up the towel now! You not that damn smart!

2.  Know your market and competition. You know the saying 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? If you're selling meat products it's not smart to walk into a vegan spot. You will get kicked out. And the most powerful marketing strategy is word of mouth. Trust me, one bad comment will spread like a California wild fire. Check out who else is doing what you are trying to do and see what they did, then one up them and do it better than them; no matter how big that business is.

3.  Don't use the lack of funds as an excuse to be lazy. There are plenty of other options besides banks to get money. Some businesses give out money to aspiring entrepreneurs if they know you're serious and organized. Start locally with your city such as the Chamber of Commerce, non-profit organizations, churches, etc. Here's a few websites to get you started:
                                     www.sba.gov
                                     www.asbdc-us.org
                                     mbda.gov

Another thing, don't let anyone talk you out of doing what you are trying to do, especially if you're unemployed and trying to do it. Everyone is not going to see your vision for what it is like you do so chuck the deuces to the haters, thank them for their concerns and keep it moving! Just because it's not their ideal of what a job should be doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Don't adopt that mentality. Trust me the hard work will pay off.

Keep hustlin'
Peace and Love

Damn letters and numbers!

I know that I haven't been on the grind with my site here but I got a logical explanation - algebra. I failed this class once and I'm not about to do that again. So I will get my ish together and have some new material for yall in a minute. Peace and Love.

One time for Mzscribble!

I always love reading other people's work, especially my own people. And I have no problem giving them their due. I want yall to check out a young sistah that I came across on youtube. On her site she has videos of her reciting her own work. She's all about empowering sistahs and have them wake up from the mentality that we have adopted within the years; that our weaves make us or how we are quick to judge another female when they approach (yes I have did that several times. I do it so much that I don't even realize when I'm doing it anymore & that's sad). As a young black female I've created that mentality. I think I need weave to get a man to approach me or just conform to what we see on tv, internet, etc and assume that all of that garbage is how I need to be to attract anyone. And it's not always about getting someone but about how we feel about ourselves. Strip away all of this shit we cover ourselves with on a daily basis to prevent from dealing with the true self - our soul truth, and see what you get. You may not even recognize yourself. Say at least one compliment to yourself and to another sistah. Stop walking around with a scowl on your face, stop using outside sources to define you and fill your mind with garbage, smile damn! Now I understand why men will walk up to me and say smile, it will change your outlook. Incorporate what she says, 'I'm interested in never confirming. I belong to God not to the standards set forth by men'. Chuuuuch!

Anyway check this girl out, she speaking the truth whether you want to hear it or not: www.youtube.com/mzskribble

And she came with Anita Baker on her site. Yall don't know nothing about that!

‘The Denzel Principle, Why Black Women Can’t Find Good Black Men’

Yeah, that's the title. I couldn't make this shit up if I tried. A few days ago I was searching through my main library for something, I forgot what I was looking for but anywho I came across this book. Disregarding what I was originally looking for I decided to check it out, strictly for entertainment purposes though. I mean why else would a young, single black woman take time out of her busy schedule of starting a publishing company, going to school, writing, raising kids, etc., etc., to read this literary work of art? (Pause for repetitive dry heaves) What's the big deal with us black women and our personal lives or according to CNN, ABC and all the other big tyme news outlets the lack of one? Since when has it become a contagious, disability to be unmarried at 30? 40? 45? Does anyone question any other race of their personal decisions? Are we…

Damn I'm going to need to focus! 'The Denzel Principle', right. My original plan was to read the whole book and then write a review but the author Jimi Izrael (fitting name by the way) pumped the brakes on that idea real quick. The first page alone is enough to write a whole webpage alone! It starts out with him pulling into the driveway of him and his second wife's home as she and her new 'man' if that's what you want to call him after how the author has described him, are taking everything the author has purchased for his family during their marriage. He goes in on both of his ex-wives and that's a nice way to put it. He proudly bashes black women for wanting to 'change' every black man we come across. I love his theory on us seeking to 'fix' black men while white women take the brothas as they are and are perfectly content. Wow! Just when I thought we can save anotha brotha from hopping onto the other side because of a few bad relationships, he goes and says ain't nothing better than a black woman. Whew, that was close.

(Let me put this in before I have a lot of hate messages on my Facebook page and blog site from all of my white girlfriends. Do I have a problem with interracial dating? Only when I hear brothas disrespecting all black women and putting us in the category of being too loud, not submissive enough (or easy), gold-diggin', conniving, uneducated, should I go on? How can you say all black women are like that? Oh, and I forgot angry. Now I am an angry bitch I will admit, but I'm angry for different reasons than what a man may think. Is it right that I go into my relationships with this chip on my shoulders, no it's not; however sit down with me and have a conversation with a sistah before you automatically dismiss me as one of them angry black girls. Hell I gotta enough on my plate as it is, but to have my own people throw me away is a little disturbing. Unless your name is Lil' Wayne and you literally have fucked every girl in the world you cannot say all black women are like that. And it's just sad that you have to go that far to say ignorant shit like that anyway. You minds well slap yourself, slap your mama, and slap all of the black people back in the day that have fought and died for you black men to date these white women without getting lynched, at least not physically anyway. Can anyone say Tiger Woods?)

Ok now that I have that out of my system, shall I go on? Just when I thought that he was going to fill us with 300 pages of rants and rages of what is wrong with black women he decided to go intellectual. One point that interested me was when he described how Kevin Powell, Mr. Real World, is raking some serious dough for filling our heads with how a black man should be, yada, yada, yada. I can't get mad at anyone's hustle but at the expense of his own people? Let me see some physical proof he is bettering our community when it comes to eliminating abuse in relationships and bettering the black man, physically, spiritually, and emotionally because there is nothing better than a black man. He gets points for admitting that he was a womanizer, ok so now what are you doing to make sure other brothas are getting the help they need to get out of that mentality, ya feel me?

And back to that whole idea of 'fixing' a brotha thing! WTF? He did break down what a lot of brothas go thru and how we, yes I said we, feel that we need to change certain things like being a black man is like being a disobedient child in need of disciplining or molded into this perfect little package or 'The Dizzle' in his words. Get the book to get a description of what The Dizzle is. Ok, I admit, maybe subconsciously I go into a relationship wanting to kiss the man's boo-boo, throw some antibiotic ointment on it, cover it with a 'Superman' band-aid and hope and pray his flaws don't leave a hideous scar that I have to look at every single day for the rest of my damn life! So sue a bitch! Yes I want a black man who, in Jimi's words, who will work, play, fuck, cook, and clean with me. I don't want my man to be my girlfriend like some of these bitches do! Where they do that at? '…if a woman meets a man who won't respect them they shouldn't try to change him. They should move on and let that simple motherfucker live his life: easy.' I like my mama's version better, '…if a man can lie in your bed and have sex with you but watch you struggle and not help you, he ain't shit!' Ahhhhh, I'm with you when you're right.

To be continued…

Get Started - Black Business Women Online

Get Started - Black Business Women Online

More than just urban lit.

I am proud that I can actually walk into a book store, a large one like Borders or Barnes & Noble, and see that there are black authors in the forefront of the store happily competing with their white counterparts. I mean that's big; one of these days I will have my novel up there, chillin' on the bestsellers list for a minute knocking everyone out the box. But until then I'm cool with admiring these published authors.

Now that we have managed to make a dent into the publishing industry I would like to point out an important lil' fact - black authors can write more than just street novels. Don't get it twisted I luv my street lit, hell that was what I wrote growing up before street lit became what it is, but I want readers to realize that we are more than that. We have the same issues that everyone else goes thru and we can write about it too. (gasp!)

One of my favorite authors Tananarive Due is a brilliant writer. She writes on everyday life but with a southern, voo-doo type feel that makes the reader question whether the plot is real or not. Brandon Massey, specializes in horror, Zane (I know all of you reading now have at least one book written by this woman in your house, so don't front like you don't! LOL) the erotic queen, and the lists goes on and on. Unfortunately we do have to dig a little deeper to find these authors sometime but do what you gotta do to read these wonderful artists.

Oh and I cannot forget the o.g.'s who paved the way for the current writers to be taken seriously as writers: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, please read up on them. I know some of you have just graduated from Hooked on Phonics but in order for us to know about our future and our purposes, you need to understand and be grateful for what African American writers accomplished when no one believed in them.

Peace and Love.

Grown Woman On

I figured out why I've been feelin' the way I have been feelin'. Like I said I'm not depressed or anything like that I think I have come to a point where I had to step back and see what I needed to change or do to get thangs poppin'. And I got it! My goal, which everyone who knows me know, is to be a successful writer and to have my own publishing business. Last nite I had a Oprah 'ah-ha' moment and came to the conclusion that I need to go ahead and do the damn thang. It's not goin' to be easy, but what isn't that's worth gaining in life?

I need to get my grown woman on and hustle to make it happen for me and my kids. I'm seeing people who I love around me handlin' they business & I feed off of that. I'm not a kid anymore, I'm 30, with 2 kids, still worryin' toooooooooooooo much about what other people think about each move I make and I can't do that anymore. So here I go, wish me luck.

Peace and Love.