Nancy LaRonda Johnson's Blog, page 21

Celebrating the Small Things

Thanks to VikLit's Writing Blog for this wonderful blog hop. Although I have to try and make this quick (a very busy day), I do have a lot of small and not so small things to celebrate today.

#1 - My mom had a heart procedure done on Wednesday that went twice as long as it should (over 10 hours instead of 4-5 hours), and was placed on a ventilator. Why celebrate? Today she is off the ventilator, and although the doctors had to do much more than they knew until they looked inside, the procedure went well. Today my mom's talking up a storm and doing well. Definitely a time to celebrate!

#2 - Much smaller than the first, but my book is available at Nu Revelations Christian book and novelty store at 22431 Foothill Blvd. in Hayward, right next door to Kraski's health food store and Author Murray's dance studio. I'll eventually will do a book signing (maybe in May or June), and the owner of Nu Revelations has a TV show on the Hayward cable station channel 28 where they interview local artists on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and he'll interview me prior to the book signing. The book will also be placed in the Hayward and Castro Valley libraries catalog.

God is good. Looking forward to reading about a lot of celebrations as soon as I'm able.

You Are Not Going to Believe This

It's been a while since I've posted a story. This is a flash fiction piece from a Writer's Digest prompt. The prompt was to start a story with "You are not going to believe this" and end it with "and that's why I ..." I hope you enjoy this short story, and I'm open to any comments as well as any posts on this prompt.
You Are Not Going To Believe This

“You’re not going to believe this, but…”“Sir.” A rusty croak of a sound emitted from the nurse, who was old enough that she must have been working when nurses used to wear those white hats that resembled sailors’ caps. Her wrinkled and not so pale as much as ashen face slowly lifted to see me looking desperately at her. My desperation, I wanted to ensure her, was nothing less than me needing to impress upon her how down-right honest I was being. “Just last year I was supposed to go out of the country…”“Sir.” The sound again. It was raking to my ears and I had to stop her from saying another word. She had to hear, actually listen, to what I was saying anyway.“Not to just any country, but one where you had to take all the shots imaginable in order to purchase a ticket. You know, third world? Really, closer to fourth world.”She cut me off and I geared myself, not wanting to be so rude as to cover my ears from her grating vocal sounds. “You’ve got to get this done.”I almost wanted to give in just to not hear her again. But, I couldn’t. Barely taking a deep enough of a breath to get it all out, I quickly blurted, “Just last year, they had to send me to the emergency room. My reaction was almost fatal. My body swelled; I looked like a sumo wrestler. My skin, already dark, as you can see – I’ve tracked my lineage to Africa, a northern region you probably never heard of – went charred. You’d think my uncle left me on the grill for as long as he’d left the hot dogs on Memorial Day. You couldn’t even eat them. I bit one without looking at it and threw up black chunks of ash and burnt flesh.”“Mr. Talè!”She’d cut me off again. I could not accept that and looked at her with such consternation that she reeled backward a little. Being as old as she was, I felt the need to steady her to make sure she didn’t stumble and break most of her bones, but I was making a point. Stressing each word with harsh chastisement, I said, “You’ve got to understand, if you put that thing in me, I will die.” She took another step back. Thrilled that I put her on the defensive, I continued in a quickened prattle, “Like I said, last year, you could look it up in my records, just call my doctor. But last year, the ambulance came rushing with lights flashing and sirens blaring. My mom flew in from New Jersey. You know how long that took? It was my mom who first said, ‘Under no circumstances must you ever get a shot. Not even a flu shot.’ Then my doctor said the same thing – the emergency room doctor. And even my general practitioner gave me that undisputable command.”I ran out of breath and the nurse took up her offense so quickly I could do nothing, not even guard myself against her onslaught of vocal blitzing. “What your records do say, Mr. Titan Talè, is that you have a very serious illness that you may have been prone to since birth.” “You are so right!” I had her now. She was talking sense, while at the same time nearly shattering me with the screeching coming from her mouth. “But you probably don’t know my other condition. Certain sounds can send me to the emergency room too, because they can cause me to have seizures. That’s not as uncommon as it seems. It’s even been on the news and joked about on sit-coms. So, please don’t talk anymore. You seem to understand why that thing in your hand can’t come near my body. And if you say anything more, I’ll go into convulsions.”Incredibly, she didn’t get it. In an even louder and shriller voice which scraped against my soul as well as my eardrums, she said, “Hypochondria is a very serious condition. You should really go see your psychiatrist. Our notes show that you haven’t seen him in a year. If you don’t control your disorder, it can make you believe you’re so sick that you can cause your injuries to actually happen. This flu shot is necessary for you to continue in your job.”Before she even finished talking, she shot me in one of my arms, both of which were taut from the grip of my hands on the examination table. As she continued talking, I felt myself begin to judder like the engine in my first Oldsmobile. Then the effect of the shot took hold and I felt my body expanding. The nurse shrieked, rushed forward and tripped over my feet because I was falling off the table as she was coming. The convulsions were getting more acute and my body was swelling to twice its size. Amongst it all, right before passing out with the nurse collapsed between my enlarging and quivering arms, I was able to eke out, “And that’s why I can no longer get flu shots.” 

Flash fiction from writing prompt.

It's been a while since I've posted a story. This is a flash fiction piece from a Writer's Digest prompt. The prompt was to start a story with "You are not going to believe this" and end it with "and that's why I ..." I hope you enjoy this short story, and I'm open to any comments as well as any posts on this prompt.
You Are Not Going To Believe This

“You’re not going to believe this, but…”“Sir.” A rusty croak of a sound emitted from the nurse, who was old enough that she must have been working when nurses used to wear those white hats that resembled sailors’ caps. Her wrinkled and not so pale as much as ashen face slowly lifted to see me looking desperately at her. My desperation, I wanted to ensure her, was nothing less than me needing to impress upon her how down-right honest I was being. “Just last year I was supposed to go out of the country…”“Sir.” The sound again. It was raking to my ears and I had to stop her from saying another word. She had to hear, actually listen, to what I was saying anyway.“Not to just any country, but one where you had to take all the shots imaginable in order to purchase a ticket. You know, third world? Really, closer to fourth world.”She cut me off and I geared myself, not wanting to be so rude as to cover my ears from her grating vocal sounds. “You’ve got to get this done.”I almost wanted to give in just to not hear her again. But, I couldn’t. Barely taking a deep enough of a breath to get it all out, I quickly blurted, “Just last year, they had to send me to the emergency room. My reaction was almost fatal. My body swelled; I looked like a sumo wrestler. My skin, already dark, as you can see – I’ve tracked my lineage to Africa, a northern region you probably never heard of – went charred. You’d think my uncle left me on the grill for as long as he’d left the hot dogs on Memorial Day. You couldn’t even eat them. I bit one without looking at it and threw up black chunks of ash and burnt flesh.”“Mr. Talè!”She’d cut me off again. I could not accept that and looked at her with such consternation that she reeled backward a little. Being as old as she was, I felt the need to steady her to make sure she didn’t stumble and break most of her bones, but I was making a point. Stressing each word with harsh chastisement, I said, “You’ve got to understand, if you put that thing in me, I will die.” She took another step back. Thrilled that I put her on the defensive, I continued in a quickened prattle, “Like I said, last year, you could look it up in my records, just call my doctor. But last year, the ambulance came rushing with lights flashing and sirens blaring. My mom flew in from New Jersey. You know how long that took? It was my mom who first said, ‘Under no circumstances must you ever get a shot. Not even a flu shot.’ Then my doctor said the same thing – the emergency room doctor. And even my general practitioner gave me that undisputable command.”I ran out of breath and the nurse took up her offense so quickly I could do nothing, not even guard myself against her onslaught of vocal blitzing. “What your records do say, Mr. Titan Talè, is that you have a very serious illness that you may have been prone to since birth.” “You are so right!” I had her now. She was talking sense, while at the same time nearly shattering me with the screeching coming from her mouth. “But you probably don’t know my other condition. Certain sounds can send me to the emergency room too, because they can cause me to have seizures. That’s not as uncommon as it seems. It’s even been on the news and joked about on sit-coms. So, please don’t talk anymore. You seem to understand why that thing in your hand can’t come near my body. And if you say anything more, I’ll go into convulsions.”Incredibly, she didn’t get it. In an even louder and shriller voice which scraped against my soul as well as my eardrums, she said, “Hypochondria is a very serious condition. You should really go see your psychiatrist. Our notes show that you haven’t seen him in a year. If you don’t control your disorder, it can make you believe you’re so sick that you can cause your injuries to actually happen. This flu shot is necessary for you to continue in your job.”Before she even finished talking, she shot me in one of my arms, both of which were taut from the grip of my hands on the examination table. As she continued talking, I felt myself begin to judder like the engine in my first Oldsmobile. Then the effect of the shot took hold and I felt my body expanding. The nurse shrieked, rushed forward and tripped over my feet because I was falling off the table as she was coming. The convulsions were getting more acute and my body was swelling to twice its size. Amongst it all, right before passing out with the nurse collapsed between my enlarging and quivering arms, I was able to eke out, “And that’s why I can no longer get flu shots.” 

Reaching For Your True Self

A fellow blogger's encouraging newsletter:

Demetria Foster Gray has a great newsletter called Sexy Savvy Growth that she sends out electronically once a month. I have to say I loved her excerpt on how to be your true self. You can check it out by clicking on: RecognizingYour True Self from Your Everyday Self. 

It was a great way to start a long weekend.

How are the resolution plans are going?

Okay, the New Year didn't start with the dramatic dash toward reaching my goals as I thought it would, but I have begun a schedule. Just today.

At first, I started a writing, blogging, and marketing schedule on MicroSoft Word, but never completed it. Then someone on LinkedIn asked whether there were good time management apps for the phone. That would be the best. I saw a couple, but the free versions were limited or too complex for me.

Finally it occurred to me (and this idea is so simple it's amazing) to use my phone's alarm clock! On the phone, you can set multiple alarms and have them titled and set at varying days of the week. So I've made one called "Writing," one called "Marketing," and the last one for "Blogging." Today was the first day I utilized it. It's cool because you can set as many reminders as you need before the actual alarms go off.

When the "Writing" alarm went off today, I got myself ready to write, was interrupted and didn't spend as much time as I planned, but I did do some writing. This is great, and I've got to keep it up. The next alarm has got to be "Exercise!" especially since I'm doing a Biggest Loser competition at work and haven't exercised in about three months.

Learning new skills

This week I had a one-and-a-half-day training class through San Mateo County on public speaking taught by a private coach. I never thought I was so awful at it. I knew I get more nervous the more I speak, but I didn't know I was clueless about how to maintain eye contact, when to pause, and how to move my body when speaking. It was a great class that pointed out your weaknesses and strengths to know how to improve more on your own.

This was a voluntary class, and I took it with the hopes of soon beginning to do book discussions or signings. I don't know when or how it will happen, but I am so glad I took this class to know how I could improve. For my final presentation, I did a short talk as if I were doing a book discussion, and I have to say my classmates seemed enthralled. Until, as time went on, I began to get more nervous. I began to shake and even my mouth muscles twitched. I know never to drink coffee before a presentation again!

I urge everyone to take a public speaking class like at a junior college. It's a wonderful experience. I wish I could afford the coach's $150 an hour fee for personal coaching. I guess I just have to be happy for the 12 hour free class I had and work to boost my skills.

My wish for you until next time:

To keep exploring the web for amazing blogs and to explore the world for amazing experiences while continuing to be your amazing true selves.

I did my part with ABNA!

I've submitted my entry of Anticipation of the Penitent into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest! There's still time for your submission. The contest opened tonight at 12:00 am EST, and closes on January 27 at 11:59 am EST.  All that's needed for this free contest is to have a CreateSpace account. You don't even need to self-publish with them. It's okay if you did self-published your book, and it doesn't matter what publishing service you used, as long as you are under no contract with another publisher.

I think this is a great opportunity for new writers. It's an enjoyable though trying process. Trying only because of the number of entries - they take up to 10,000 submissions - then they filter through the pitches first, which are to be no longer than 300 words. After that, they filter through the excepts, which have to be between 3000 to 5000 words. If you get past that stage, they read your manuscript. They chose a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize, with each being offered a publishing contract with advances. Even if you don't make the top three, you may still be offered a contract.

There's nothing to lose. So I urge you writers to submit and do your part! If you win, you are under no obligation to accept the contract, and it would be a great boost to your resume. Check out the site: https://www.createspace.com/abna?ref=416792&utm_id=6053.

Here was my pitch entry. Thanks to all of you who gave me tips. I'm still open to any suggestions. I can make changes to my entry until the contest closes. I'm also open to ardent prayers for success :)


Alezea lives with her serial killer son, Thomas, whose father is Satan. Thrilled to gratify his father, Thomas aspires to exceed at his job. Alezea, on the other hand, subsists in a world detached from the horrors committed by her son and inflicted upon her by the devil.
Moved by her elderly employer, Alezea confesses her life of sin, from working as a child in her family’s drug enterprise, to the devil taking claim of her as a young adult. An unlikely bond develops, giving Alezea a first glimpse of hope that her life might change.
The employer guides Alezea to an isolated Christian community, where she begins to see her son as a part of herself and not merely as Satan’s seed. Only, Thomas defiantly plots to carry out his violent calling. 
In a fight to save her son, Alezea will either be redeemed or destroyed forever. While Thomas, in a scheme to further his father’s line, is taken to new heights in his lifework, is evolved to maturity, and is forced to encounter the astonishing truth of his heritage.
Anticipation of the Penitentis an ominous yet inspiring tale of how God uses every person to fulfill a sinner’s hope. In poignant, literary prose, the battle between good and evil in one family is rendered to its destined completion. 

Upcoming Publishing Contest - Pitch critique request

The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest begins next week, and I would like some input on my pitch, if you don't mind.

Pitches, like synopsis and query letters, are so difficult for people who never knew writing a book meant anything other than writing a book and getting it published. I've done this wrong so many times, but now think it's good. Any feedback I could get would be great.

In particular, please let me know if you think the last paragraph should stay or go. Someone told me the last paragraph didn't add anything to the pitch and that it was like I was begging.

Here's the pitch for Anticipation of the Penitent:


Caged, maimed and in turmoil, Alezea longs only for death. Her whole life has stemmed from evil. Looking over her past, she begins to understand how she has become ensnared. Alezea is African American, in her mid-forties, thick-boned and troubled. She lives with her serial killer son, Thomas, whose father is Satan. Thrilled to gratify his father, Thomas aspires to exceed at his job.Moved by her elderly employer Martha, Alezea confesses her life of sin, from working as a drug-runner as a child, to the devil taking claim of her as a young adult. An unlikely bond develops that gives Alezea a first glimpse of hope that her life might change.Guided by Martha to Gabriel, an isolated Christian community, Alezea begins to see her son as a part of herself and not merely as Satan’s seed. Only, Thomas defiantly plots to carry out his violent calling, which all but destroys his mother and nearly sends her fully into the devil’s clutches. Using a most unorthodox method, the people of Gabriel refuse to let that happen, despite Thomas’ escape. Free from Gabriel, Thomas enters into an unexpected union and schemes to further his father’s line. This venture takes him to new heights in his lifework, evolves him to maturity, and forces him to encounter the astonishing truth of his heritage. In a thrilling and mysterious journey of trials, growth, and a touch of horror, is a chronicle of how God uses every person to fulfill a sinner’s hope. In beautiful, literary prose, the battle between good and evil in one family is rendered to its destined completion.

Book Review - Finding Faith in the City Care Forgot

I am not a fast reader in any sense of the word, which is why I mainly do audiobooks from the library. But I will try to read and review books from fellow Indie writers when I can. Here's a first review for me regarding a Christian non-fiction book by Teena Myers.


Teena Myers has a way of writing that draws you into the heart of her experiences. The many stories of how people found their way to God are moving, some sad, encouraging and inspiring. They remind you that faith is meant to grow within us and not remain static, and that although it may seem the case, we Christians are not a breed in isolation. Instead, we are in many places, including living in the ghetto, trying to minister to others and traveling the states in hopes of sharing God's word.

Teena states her intent for the book was to show what God does in our world today, in response to an atheist's question. In lives that stemmed from brokenness, physical and mental illness, and searching for self, God and the truth, she shows that God's miracles are still abundant in everyday life. With God working in his time, he is nonetheless with us every step of our lives.

Some stories were more moving than others, while a couple seemed a bit perfunctory. The middle part of the book grabbed me the most, while the last two chapters (not counting the conclusion) were the least effective to me.

Despite that, I believe this book and the worthy stories within give the gift of letting us see more of God's grace, miracles and love.
Teena's book is available on Amazon.com. Just click the cover above.

She published through Tate Publishing, which is the company that I considered publishing through as I thought the contract they offered me was fairly decent. But they didn't give me enough time to decide before I had to accept. Teena says she had a wonderful experience with them, so I'm excited to share this news.

One issue that came out is that they would not make a grammar change that she and many people would say needed to be made. I guess everything is a give and take, and no options are perfect.

"Getting Out of that Slump" Hope for the New Year

Yay! This is my first installment in the Insecure Writer's Support Group, and do I need it. It's great timing too, being that it's the first week of the year and goals need to be met. And I did make goals this year and have my resolutions all set and ready to go...at least in my head.

I haven't yet completed my writing/blogging/marketing schedule, and had planned to start on it yesterday. Instead of working on it yesterday, I went to see "Django Unchained" and ate a big bag of buttery popcorn. Not very productive, but it was a free day and, darn it, I wanted to get out of the house!

So, my new supporters, I could use your energy force and prayers to help me complete my schedule and follow through with it. Not having written anything since my response to the prompt on my last post, I'm getting that creatively depressed feeling again. Although there's no need, because I've got lots to write about.

But, without the schedule, I don't get to writing enough. I read, watch TV, work, go to church, deal with family, anything but write on my novel. Help!! Send your energy. Be in ceaseless prayer. Be my accountability partners. Keep me from sinking into that "Unresolved Resolutions 2013" category!

The last two years were good for resolutions. With your help, this year can be even better!

2012 reflections, 2013 goals - & a writing prompt

The countdown is on! And I am excited about this new year. Will it be a year of transformation? stronger faith? new directions and convictions? stronger families?
I am definitely all about self-improvement. While accepting that God loves me as I am, he also wants me to grow. Yes, he wants me to accomplish my dreams, but he also wants me to rely on him in their fulfillment.
So, I have a lot of expectations for this coming year. And I'm preparing. I've begun my time management schedule, and will complete it to start on New Year's Day.
2012 has been a good year for me. I published my first novel. I paid off all my debt, except one student loan. (I did backslide a bit and put myself into another small debt, but that has been paid off as well.) And I feel I've grown a great deal in my relationship with God.
2013 goals?To complete my second bookBecome infused in marketing and selling my firstShall I dare say, become more organized? By that I mean neater.Push myself out of my comfort zone when it comes to relating with peopleStrengthen my prayer lifeTrust God in all things
Here's a last writing prompt for 2012. It's a broad one and can be about anything. Please feel free to post your writing to this prompt as a comment:  Strength
Have a wonderful, happy New Year everybody!!

Stories, Resolutions, and Merry Christmas!

Here's a start of a story that will be put on the back burner:Standing at the edge, I looked down at fifty feet of cutting crags and rigorous, smashing waves, and tried to imagine what she went through. I could not understand how anyone could go through that. Especially Danta. She seemed to have everything, and she went about her day as if all was perfect. After learning otherwise, I took it upon myself to find out how she could fool so many people and how her life had gotten out of control. That was three years ago. Today I stand again at the same edge with Danta's daughter by my side, considering how I had uncovered more answers to my questions than I thought I ever would. And now I had to explain to Danta's ten-year-old daughter why she could not live with her relatives and why we had to find Harold. Once we find Harold, only then could she have peace and, for the first time in her short life, be introduced to the child inside of her she never knew existed.
~~Will someone tell me how I can write everyday without the nagging voices in my head telling me I don't have the time or ability?!?
I am looking forward to developing my time management New Year's Eve resolution plan, so then I can be organized and do all the things I need to do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. (I'll try not to worry about the bi-weekly or two to three times a week chores, because something's just got to go by the wayside.)
~~Here are a couple of other networking sites I've recently learned about:Absolute Write - I've known about this site for a long time, because it's helped me in researching on so many topics, but never knew I could join! This is a bars none site when it comes to getting answers regarding literary agents, publishing companies, writing, etc. You can also promote your work once you've made enough posts to do so. The conversations and games on this site make it worth the wait.Author's Den - Another site for promoting your work, including novels, stories and poetry, and for networking. I've just learned of this one, and it seems like there's a lot you can do on it.

For other marketing ideas click on this previous post: Marketing Updates and Ahhg!~~

I hope these are helpful, and I wish everyone the most delightful, sweet, warm, welcoming, laughter-filled, wish granting, special family/friend and "me time" Christmas Day of your life!