M.L. Desir's Blog, page 18
March 11, 2020
What Do Amazon KDP Terms Mean For Self-Published Authors in 2020? – by Cate Baum…
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
2020 sees a shake-up to the Amazon KDP Terms, so lets take a look at the main clauses that affect both authors publishing on KDP and reviewers who leave reviews for Kindle Books.
February 29, 2020
February Victories!
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I was able to complete one 4,433-word short story (on the second revision), begin a second short story (currently 1,155 words) and apply for a foundation scholarship! Baby steps, my people. Baby steps.February 27, 2020
7 Tips to Forging Magical Weapons: Freebie is That Singing Swords are Annoying
No. Singing. Swords. Lol. Love this post!
InWar of Nytefall: Eradication, events are set in motion due to a mortal wielding an enchanted weapon. The First of Durag appears to have the strength to eliminate Clyde. It has already depowered and killed many Dawn Fangs, so all of the vampires are getting nervous. I haven’t worked with a lot of enchanted weapons. There was Timoran’s deflection axe, Decker’s elemental axe, Delvin’s shield, and a few other things, but I’ve kept...
Tips for Understanding Black History Month- 2020 Edition
In this much needed Black History Month post P. Djèlí Clark answers questions, addresses concerns, and smites the willfully ignorant with judgment so sophisticated it’s beautiful to behold.
It’s that time of year again, Black History Month. Yes, I’m about 26 days late. Let me have this.
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February 23, 2020
What even is literary fiction?
This post prompted a great discussion, which is pleasingly typical of The Orangutan Librarian. The moment I read the title an image of Drax from the Avengers movie popped in my head demanding, “Why is literary fiction?” Lol.
Ahh isn’t this just the perennial question? Every time I have conversations about literary fiction, it seems to me no one can quite decide what it is or what it should be or how to define it. And if you try to get a definitive answer, you’re...
Haiti at the Crossroads, Government under Pressure
Thank you, “Repeating Islands” for sharing this information, despite how heartbreaking it is.
CaribbeanNew.net reports on the political impasse that has left Haiti without a functioning government, deflated the economy, and fueled insecurity, according to UN Special Representative Helen La Lime.
Leaders in Haiti must step up and end the political impasse between President Jovenel Mose and a surging opposition movement that has paralyzed the island nation since July 2018, the...
January 29, 2020
Diversity Illusionist Part 2: What Not to Write
Growing up, I watched Golden Girlswith my family. We enjoyed Sophia Petrillo’s sensibilities, her spunkiness, and her flashbacks that were framed with one of television’s best quotes:
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With that said, let’s picture a golden age of technology where people—young, old, rich, poor, (please insert whatever and whoever you are)—with a clickety-clack-click-clackety of their finicky fingertips possesses the power to order a pizza, incite wars, or (in the case of this blog post) generate energy...
January 26, 2020
Diversity Illusionist Part 1: Mirrors, Windows, and Other Worlds
First things first.
I tried to be succinct! Epic Fail. Apologies! So, what started as a quick response, ended up being almost 2200 words. And then that rolled over into more. Part 2 will be available in a couple of days.
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Earlier this month another blogger, Raimey Gallant, discussed a not so Happily-Ever-After episode churning in the literary world of Romancelandia involving Courtney Milan, whom I support. You may want to check that out before reading my take on this disconcerting...
January 20, 2020
Nathalie Joachim Wants to “Give Voice to the Beauty [. . .]” of Haiti
Tonya Mosley (WBUR) writes that “Grammy-Nominated Nathalie Joachim Wants to ‘Give Voice to the Beauty That Is Not Often Shown’ in Haiti.” [See previous posts Nathalie Joachim’s “Fanm d’ Ayiti” and A Haitian Music Oral History that Bends Space and Time.]
Haitian American flutist, vocalist and composerNathalie Joachim‘s first featured solo album “Fanm d’Ayiti” has earned her a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album. “Fanm d’Ayiti” — which translates to “Women of Haiti”...
