Editing

I finally finished my short story that I will be givin' to you thru eBook status here in a minute. I'm editing it so that I like what I give you and you like it too.

Hope everyone have a great weekend. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Be about your business, I can't stress this enough people!

Yesterday I borrowed this book from the library because as I was going thru my future competition I realized that I'm worried about the wrong things right now. Yeah I can start my own publishing business but since I don't have any publishable works under my belt who is going to want to sign with my company? That's why I'm trying to continue giving you different pieces of my work and doing free eBooks on the regular, now that I'm done with this retchet algebra class I can focus on that! But anywho, I ran across this book to your left and thought I would just put it out there for anyone who is considering doing a publishing business. I mean this book has every form you can possibly imagine and you don't have to sit at some copying store and pay 10 cents for each sheet you wanna print out, they have a CD in the back that is included and you can download all of them to a disk or your personal laptop like I did.

Again like I stressed yesterday, don't go into any hustle half steppin' or you will be half steppin' it to the unemployment office or down your block with your head held real low because you were too arrogant to take heed to what I'm saying. Please visit my guy at dreamandhustle.com cause he is on that serious hustle tip and he has some decent words for anyone trying to come up from where they are at right now and mean it. Peace and love.

Exhausted

I have taken the whole day to check out different websites, specifically in the publishing business, and a bish is tired and it's only 1p but I've been here since 9a. I shouldn't be complaining because in order for me to start my publishing company I'm going to need to do my homework. And this is the lesson for today people, I know that a lot of you want to start their own business and I'm not just talking about publishing either, this is just in general information; hustla to hustla. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Let me say that again, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!  What I mean when I say that is whatever business you want to start up, don't get cocky and think that you know everything and there is nothing that you need to learn. F that. If you stop learning, you're dead - period! Life is learning, didn't you watch Higher Learning?! LOL! With that being said let me go further into what I'm talking about.

Have you wondered how some people start businesses or start a movement that becomes this big thing that everyone wants and has to buy, however when you look at it you see that it isn't any different from the 30 other replicas that you have chillin' at home? Why the hell did that person get all of the attention or why has that business been able to capitilize on whatever they are selling? Recently I read a post on NecoleBitchie.com on my girl Nicki Minaj and how she is copying Lil' Kim's style. I think that Necole made a very good point, no one can get mad because she idolizes Lil' Kim and she was smart enough to sit down, study what she did to make it into the business and then make her style her own. Isn't that what everyone else is doing anyway?! This is what I'm talking about. I've been looking at every publishing company that I can (a little disappointed that there are not many african american publishers but we are about to change that) and I'm studying them meticulously, yeah I said it go look that word up. I wanna know what the hell they are doing to be successful because I don't want to be this company that I'm building to be a success and then 2 years later you don't hear about me anymore. No, I want to create a brand, I want money to flow in regularly ya feel me, cause I got kidz and they need to eat and go to college.

Do not get swept up in this overnight success ish that everyone and they mama are doing. Stay focused. It may take longer to start it up but it will be worth it. I'm proud of myself because I'm doing something that I'm enjoying doing, not fitting into this little mold that some people want me to fit in (you know who you are, and trust me you will not be on my thank you page when my book come out). I also realized after looking thru these websites is that I'm doing things backwards, I'm focusing way too much on my website and its contents when I need to be focusing on contracts, what I need to do when I want to sign someone to my publishing company and how the hell am I going to pay them and market them. Most people when they come into the writing game expect to be paid an advance, I need to stack my money up so I can do that because just like I said earlier, people got families to feed. I'll get it together, just keep me in your thoughts.

Here are some publishers that I've looked thru. Take the time to check them out:
Augustus Publishing
The Cartel Publications
Triple Crown Publications
Life Changing Books
Ghettoheat
Flowers in Bloom Publishing
Melodrama Publishing

Richard North Patterson in The Final Judgment

This one right here is a must have and read! Late last night I finished The Final Judgment by Richard Patterson and rarely will I find a book with so much going on but not giving me the feeling that the author definitely was suffering from ADHD. You know when people put the title 'lyrical genius' on a rap artist? Well we are going to call him poetic genius (that's all I could come up with LOL).

This exquisitely tasting thriller focuses on a lawyer who is about to become the Court of Appeals, a.k.a. the highest level a person can get as far as being a judge goes, which she was nominated by the President. I loved how he sprinkled in a conversation initiated by the President like he was Uncle Pookie from up the block.

Right off the bat without even having a banner flying in your face you know something is about to go down from the way he describes Caroline Masters. She grew to become this wall of concrete (just like every black woman in the hood) thanks to her family and their skeleton in the closet secrets, especially her emotionless, self centered domineering father Channing Masters. This one has no problems throwing his family dynasty around to get things done his way as the reader finds out throughout the story.

Patterson weaves in past memories or scenes of Caroline's life as she goes back home to represent her 'niece' that was arrested for murdering her first love on the Channing's large property. Only Caroline soon realizes that she should not have come back but stayed in California where she resided at since the age of twenty-three.

I'm surprised that Patterson was able to write in a woman's perspective without making her the typical damzel in distress many male writers do, or unrelatable to the female population. I would definitely coin her as a pitbull in a skirt, easy. If you thought your ghetto azz family from the Eastside has some problems, trust me after reading this book you'll think your family is the Jones's from the Hamptons!

Definitely a five star book! (Get it!)

Peace and Love.

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!