Cardyn Brooks's Blog, page 31
January 15, 2016
Language Barrier
When the switch from singular to plural gets lost in translation
inspired by spelling rules and reasons why some cute reusable totes get sold at the dollar store
January 10, 2016
Patrons Behaving Badly
For many reasons the public library is one of my favorite places to visit. (Blerdy = black nerd!) It's quiet, except during children's story time, but hearing all those high-pitched voices oohing and aahing as the tale unfolds is the cheerful sound of future readers. Plus, they're young kids. Their behavior gets viewed with some leniency due to their youth.
Lately, whiny adults have been harshing my usual library buzz with their complaints about how loudly other patrons are tapping the keys on their keyboards. (Earbuds exist for a reason.) Another so-called adult loudly and repeatedly complained that she shouldn't need to wait in the queue for the next available computer because some people were only playing games and should get bumped from their seats in favor of people who need to do work. (Um, the library's been open for hours; you should have come earlier.) With silent (It's the library!) cheers from the nearby patrons, the librarian scolded this narcissist for her selfish attitude.
What is confusing about the phrase public library? It's designed to be a shared space for open access to resources. People who don't want to wait their turn or hear other people's ambient sounds while they work shouldn't come to the public library expecting the environment to feel like their private home.
[End tirade;-).]
I <3 Libraries
Lately, whiny adults have been harshing my usual library buzz with their complaints about how loudly other patrons are tapping the keys on their keyboards. (Earbuds exist for a reason.) Another so-called adult loudly and repeatedly complained that she shouldn't need to wait in the queue for the next available computer because some people were only playing games and should get bumped from their seats in favor of people who need to do work. (Um, the library's been open for hours; you should have come earlier.) With silent (It's the library!) cheers from the nearby patrons, the librarian scolded this narcissist for her selfish attitude.
What is confusing about the phrase public library? It's designed to be a shared space for open access to resources. People who don't want to wait their turn or hear other people's ambient sounds while they work shouldn't come to the public library expecting the environment to feel like their private home.
[End tirade;-).]
I <3 Libraries
January 3, 2016
DODGING EROS: Grown-Ups Getaway Giveaway 1/4--2/20/2016
<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35340a510/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="35340a510" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_q7crj9da">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
Grown-Ups Getaway Giveaway
Hello,
Readinghas been a brain escape for me since my dad used silly voices at bedtime to enact each character from my collection of Dr. Seuss books. The launch of Dodging Eros, Through Past, Present and Pleasure by Private Moments Publishing (an imprint of 5 Prince Publishing) seems like the perfect opportunity to offer reviewers and readers a chance to win a mini-retreat from the demands of being a grown-up and to focus on the pleasures of being a consenting adult.
Giveaway Details: A mid-week, 3-day/2-night getaway for two adults (both at least 18 years old as of January 4, 2016)Entry period will run from 12:01 a.m. ET Monday, January 4, 2016 through 11:59 p.m. ET Saturday, February 20, 2016.(1)Winner will be chosen by random drawing, and announced on the Blerdy Binge Reader blog (BlerdyBingeReader.blogspot.com) and posted to the Cardyn Brooks Facebook page by Saturday, February 27, 2016. Within 30 days of confirmed verification of eligibility to receive the prize, the randomly selected winner will receive a gift card or voucher redeemable for the value of a mid-week, 3-day/2-night stay in a double occupancy standard room at a property at an international hotel chain or resort from a pre-determined list of locations. Booking dates subject to availability at the selected property. Gift card or voucher not redeemable for cash. Winner is responsible for all prize taxes, travel arrangements, travel documents, applicable legal & medical clearances, travel costs, parking fees, upgrade charges, mini-bar, room service, spa services, activities fees, meals, gratuities, surcharges and currency exchange fees. Winner is responsible for meeting all eligibility requirements.One entry per person (at least 18 years old as of January 4, 2016) per the following methods: 1. Dodging Eros print or digital purchase and/or 2. signing up to follow the Blerdy Binge Reader blog (current followers who are at least 18 years old by Monday, January 4, 2016 automatically entered) and/or 3. DE review (e-ARCs available through NetGalley) posted to Amazon or Goodreads and/or 4. “like” of the cover reveal post on the Cardyn Brooks Facebook page and/or 5. @CardynBpresents #DodgingEros re/tweet(2) and/or 6. @HiltonHotel #GrownUpsGetaway re/tweet or @Marriott #GrownUpsGetaway re/tweet or @Westin #GrownUpsGetaway re/tweet or @[twitter handle for your fave resort] #GrownUpsGetaway.(3)7. No purchase necessary. Purchasing multiple copies of Dodging Eros will not equal multiple entries nor will it increase an entrant’s odds of winning. Total number of eligible entries as of the close of the contest will determine the odds of winning. 5PP and PMP employees, and employees of the winning hotel chain/resort and their spouses, domestic partners and their children are not eligible to win. Void where prohibited by law.
(1) As sponsor of this Grown-Ups Getaway giveaway the author is not responsible for entries that are not received by the closing deadline. The author is not liable for events that may occur while giveaway winner and/or companion reside at the destination property or while they travel to and from the destination property. Entering this giveaway equals agreeing to all terms of participation.
(2) Multiple re/tweets per eligible person are allowed and will be counted as individual entries. Becoming an @CardynBpresents Twitter follower will not increase an entrant’s odds of winning.
(3) The hotel chain or resort for the Grown-Ups Getaway destination will be chosen by tallying the number of re/tweets from the entry method 6 posted by 11:59 p.m. ET Saturday, February 20, 2016. Multiple re/tweets per eligible person are allowed and will be counted as individual entries.
Winner:The randomly selected winner will receive a mid-week, 3-day/2-night mini-retreat for 2 adults (both at least 18 years old as of Monday, January 4, 2016) as described in the above giveaway details.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter, Hilton Hotels, Marriott or Westin Hotels.
December 30, 2015
Has Romance Fiction Abandoned Grown-Ups?
Amazing Real Raw
Try finding a mainstream contemporary romance novel without one or all of these three adjectives sprinkled throughout the dialogue and narration. Regardless of the characters' stated chronological ages, so many of them talk, think and act like hormonal teenagers. Must the explosive growth of the teen, young adult and new adult publishing markets thrive at the expense of the variety and volume and caliber of fun fiction content for grown-up readers? Established bestselling adult fiction authors have been converted (drafted/coerced/brainwashed?) into becoming YA writers. The results have been mixed, often yielding characters and stories that in no way reflect an author's previously established storytelling greatness. Isn't it possible and profitable to meet the demands of the rapidly growing markets for younger readers while also continuing to meet the needs of grown-up readers who've outgrown the exclamatory angst stage in life and in their preferences for entertainment content?
December 19, 2015
The Ladder: Holding On and Climbing
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/cicely-tyson-reflects-on-her-life-and-career/
My personal belief is that every person is of equal intrinsic value to the enrichment of civilization regardless of gender, skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, social class or religion. Unfortunately, present-day society uses a more convoluted formula to assign value to people.
My personal belief is that every person is of equal intrinsic value to the enrichment of civilization regardless of gender, skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, social class or religion. Unfortunately, present-day society uses a more convoluted formula to assign value to people.
December 14, 2015
Dodging Eros Launch: Grown-Ups Getaway Giveaway Jan. 2016
More details are coming soon on the Dodging Eros: Grown-Ups Getaway Giveaway Facebook page.
December 8, 2015
Brain Escape Coming Soon
New fun fiction for grown-ups to ring out the old year and start the new one is coming soon. ARCs, promo and giveaway details TBA.
September 23, 2015
OOPS! It Happened Again
Obliviousness of Privilege Syndrome Parade of Stars
September 2015 Edition
Matt Damon: His original statement to Effie T. Brown didn't shock or surprise me. It was his "merit over diversity" remark during his apology that disappointed me because diversity does not mutually exclude merit or excellence. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/ Nancy Lee Grahn: Her response to Viola Davis's Emmy acceptance speech unintentionally reinforced many points about fighting to be included and the blindspot those who are routinely included often have about the challenges faced by people who are regularly excluded. Martin Shkreli: Projecting a smug, condescending manner of patronizing ennui, plus a glaring failure to admit the obvious truth about the company's primary pricing motives made his CBS This Morning interview with Don Dahler seem like a Jimmy Fallon spoof of a CEO who is out of touch with the immediate, negative impact of his attitude and his actions. Confession: These examples just feel like variations of the same unending struggle to make opportunities and resources accessible to all people in equitable, ethical ways.
Bogus Assumption Treated As Fact: The rest of us don't pay a cost when other people are discarded.
September 2015 Edition
Matt Damon: His original statement to Effie T. Brown didn't shock or surprise me. It was his "merit over diversity" remark during his apology that disappointed me because diversity does not mutually exclude merit or excellence. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/ Nancy Lee Grahn: Her response to Viola Davis's Emmy acceptance speech unintentionally reinforced many points about fighting to be included and the blindspot those who are routinely included often have about the challenges faced by people who are regularly excluded. Martin Shkreli: Projecting a smug, condescending manner of patronizing ennui, plus a glaring failure to admit the obvious truth about the company's primary pricing motives made his CBS This Morning interview with Don Dahler seem like a Jimmy Fallon spoof of a CEO who is out of touch with the immediate, negative impact of his attitude and his actions. Confession: These examples just feel like variations of the same unending struggle to make opportunities and resources accessible to all people in equitable, ethical ways.
Bogus Assumption Treated As Fact: The rest of us don't pay a cost when other people are discarded.
August 31, 2015
One Race, Warring
church ambush in S.C.
on-air ambush in V.A.
gas station ambush in T.X.
species: noun; a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial, ex. Homo sapiens a.k.a. Humans (first Google.com result)
Confession: Sometimes the news makes me feel as if human beings will never embrace the fact that we're one race, sharing one planet with one sky and one ocean (called by many names according to the nearest land masses).
Bogus Assumption Treated as Fact: The last one standing in a race war has reason to celebrate the annihilation of all others.
on-air ambush in V.A.
gas station ambush in T.X.
species: noun; a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial, ex. Homo sapiens a.k.a. Humans (first Google.com result)
Confession: Sometimes the news makes me feel as if human beings will never embrace the fact that we're one race, sharing one planet with one sky and one ocean (called by many names according to the nearest land masses).
Bogus Assumption Treated as Fact: The last one standing in a race war has reason to celebrate the annihilation of all others.
July 25, 2015
Excessive Force
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/23/us/sandra-bland-arrest-death-main/
Confession: Hearing the police officer's tone of voice when he commands Sandra Bland to "Get out of the car!" like she's a disobedient beast makes me sick to my stomach for many reasons. First, because it triggers visceral memories of my every encounter with a male authority figure who became enraged at not receiving immediate, unquestioning obeisance. Fortunately for me, none of my experiences were with legitimate law enforcement officers.
Mine have been more similar in tone and attitude to Trayvon Martin's encounter with his killer where some self-appointed gatekeeper who passes judgment based purely on skin color and narrow-minded beliefs about what black people are and where our place is. Or like Jordan Davis's with his killer, who used a gun to punish a car full of young black men for having the audacity to defy him. (I'm not anti-gun; I'm anti-lunatics-with-guns whether the crazies have badges or not.)
Watching this video makes me feel sad and furious and mystified as to why, in the 21st c., black and brown people--disproportionately from the non-black/brown population--keep ending up violently restrained, then dead after committing very minor misdemeanor infractions of the law.
Sandra Bland
Eric Garner
too many others to list
Confession: Hearing the police officer's tone of voice when he commands Sandra Bland to "Get out of the car!" like she's a disobedient beast makes me sick to my stomach for many reasons. First, because it triggers visceral memories of my every encounter with a male authority figure who became enraged at not receiving immediate, unquestioning obeisance. Fortunately for me, none of my experiences were with legitimate law enforcement officers.
Mine have been more similar in tone and attitude to Trayvon Martin's encounter with his killer where some self-appointed gatekeeper who passes judgment based purely on skin color and narrow-minded beliefs about what black people are and where our place is. Or like Jordan Davis's with his killer, who used a gun to punish a car full of young black men for having the audacity to defy him. (I'm not anti-gun; I'm anti-lunatics-with-guns whether the crazies have badges or not.)
Watching this video makes me feel sad and furious and mystified as to why, in the 21st c., black and brown people--disproportionately from the non-black/brown population--keep ending up violently restrained, then dead after committing very minor misdemeanor infractions of the law.
Sandra Bland
Eric Garner
too many others to list
