R.A. White's Blog, page 20
November 18, 2014
Evolution of a Diverse Books Writer
This is guest post week, I guess, and I have another that I can use help with. This one is titled 'Evolution of a Diverse Books Writer; How I Went From, 'Why Not Have a Dark-Skinned Character?' to 'Everything I Write for the Rest of My Life Will Include Diversity for the Sake of My Son and the Rest of the Non-White and Disabled People on Earth'. If you could provide a set of eyes to help make it its best before I send it to the blogger, I would really appreciate it! If you're willing, send me an email or respond in the comments.
Thank you!
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Thank you!
Subscribe here.
November 17, 2014
November 16, 2014
Twinja Book Reviews
Hi, everyone, I just thought I'd share a link to this review site where they post reviews of diverse young adult books. The reviews are detailed enough that you can get a real feel for what the books are like and if you would enjoy them or not. Not only that, but the women who run it are way cool. Check it out here, Twinja Book Reviews.
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November 14, 2014
Trooper the Brave
...And other stories...
1. I think I've talked before about how Trooper has gotten shots and IVs without crying, but the other day he took it to a new level. It was flu-shot day, and he took it like a man (hugging mom and not looking, but no screaming or fighting), and then he did something unexpected. As the nurse left the room, he ran to the door and shouted, "Thank you!"
A minute later we were on our way to check out and we came across the nurse again. Right then Trooper bent down and rubbed his thigh. He said, "My leg hurts." Then he turned to the nurse and in an almost threatening voice yelled at her, "I'm coming back!" Pause. "My name is Clive White!"
So now she knows who to be on the lookout for.
2. Trooper wanted to light a candle for dinner, evidenced by him poking me with the lighter and repeating, "Mom, the candle," half a dozen times.
I said, "Sure, if I can find it." So we began searching for the candle, and soon I said, "I found it!" as I pulled it out from under some papers.
Trooper said, "You found it! Hallelujah, Jesus Christ!"
I have no idea where he got that expression because we're part of a conservative church group, but I guess he was REALLY happy about the candle.
3. Trooper has some new things, as all kids his age do, and I thought I'd list a couple of the more interesting ones. First, he no longer likes to be called 'cute'. He will call smaller kids/things cute, but I guess he's too old for it. Second, he can put on his own pants, usually facing the right direction. Third, he can do the bathroom thing all by himself, with just a little oversight for cleanliness. Fourth, sometimes when we're on our way to do something or in the middle of a task, he'll hold up his hand and say, "Wait. I gotta dance." And he'll get down with his bad self until I can refocus him. I love the dance break so much that I've taken to doing it myself, but I usually do it when there's music playing. There's nothing like a time out from washing dishes to do a little dance.
1. I think I've talked before about how Trooper has gotten shots and IVs without crying, but the other day he took it to a new level. It was flu-shot day, and he took it like a man (hugging mom and not looking, but no screaming or fighting), and then he did something unexpected. As the nurse left the room, he ran to the door and shouted, "Thank you!"
A minute later we were on our way to check out and we came across the nurse again. Right then Trooper bent down and rubbed his thigh. He said, "My leg hurts." Then he turned to the nurse and in an almost threatening voice yelled at her, "I'm coming back!" Pause. "My name is Clive White!"
So now she knows who to be on the lookout for.
2. Trooper wanted to light a candle for dinner, evidenced by him poking me with the lighter and repeating, "Mom, the candle," half a dozen times.
I said, "Sure, if I can find it." So we began searching for the candle, and soon I said, "I found it!" as I pulled it out from under some papers.
Trooper said, "You found it! Hallelujah, Jesus Christ!"
I have no idea where he got that expression because we're part of a conservative church group, but I guess he was REALLY happy about the candle.
3. Trooper has some new things, as all kids his age do, and I thought I'd list a couple of the more interesting ones. First, he no longer likes to be called 'cute'. He will call smaller kids/things cute, but I guess he's too old for it. Second, he can put on his own pants, usually facing the right direction. Third, he can do the bathroom thing all by himself, with just a little oversight for cleanliness. Fourth, sometimes when we're on our way to do something or in the middle of a task, he'll hold up his hand and say, "Wait. I gotta dance." And he'll get down with his bad self until I can refocus him. I love the dance break so much that I've taken to doing it myself, but I usually do it when there's music playing. There's nothing like a time out from washing dishes to do a little dance.
November 5, 2014
Writing
So excited that this week I get to write Rima and Jail. I've been writing villains and Ronka for the last month or so, and it was fun, but I missed Jail and Rima! This writing challenge has been so good for me.
November 4, 2014
Alonca's Quest
Woohoo! I got 2,000 words done this week! Double my goal. And that's in addition to writing the guest blog post about non-white protagonists. Thanks to you who are holding me accountable by signing up for weekly additions to the story.
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November 2, 2014
Marketing a Non-White Protagonist
I invite you to check out a guest post I did for The Urban Paranormal Book Blog about some of the struggles I've had with marketing such non-traditional books, and also about some things that have become really important to me through the publishing process.
If you were to look at my book covers, you would probably assume that I'm African American and proud of it. But you'd be wrong. If I was African American I would be proud, but I'm as European American as they come, save for a few ounces of Cherokee blood. Since I'm not black, you might assume that I married a tall dark and handsome type, or at least that I'm in love with one, but you'd be wrong about that, too. My husband us under five foot seven inches, as white and freckled as any Irishman, and barely weighs more than I do, though I thank God that we carry our weight in different places.
Click to Read More.
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If you were to look at my book covers, you would probably assume that I'm African American and proud of it. But you'd be wrong. If I was African American I would be proud, but I'm as European American as they come, save for a few ounces of Cherokee blood. Since I'm not black, you might assume that I married a tall dark and handsome type, or at least that I'm in love with one, but you'd be wrong about that, too. My husband us under five foot seven inches, as white and freckled as any Irishman, and barely weighs more than I do, though I thank God that we carry our weight in different places.
Click to Read More.
To keep up on what's going on in my little corner of the writing world, subscribe.
October 27, 2014
interracial Book Review
'Saving the Hero' by Sabrina Sumsion.
I picked up 'Saving the Hero' because it was free, it had an Asian man on the front cover, and it didn't appear to be erotic. It's a vampire book where vampires are bad because they're infected by a parasite that will drain their life away unless they consume human blood, as well as throwing them a tad bit off their mental balance. The main character is a homeless woman who hunts vampires to keep them from killing people, but she's no Blade, chasing after them with machine guns and super kicks. She's just an orphaned girl with a Billy Club and almost no training. I appreciated that she wasn't Supergirl without the heat vision, even though I also like heroines who can kick butt.
For the most part the characters' motivations made sense, and as the book progresses, more is revealed. I enjoyed their interactions and their quirks, and especially liked the excerpts from the uncle's journal. The writing could have used more polish, help with repetitive sounding sentences and the like, but although it was sometimes annoying, I never felt like putting the book down, which is really saying something since I quit three or four books before settling on this one and reading it through. I almost got irritated with the heroine's clunky thoughts about how attractive the man was, but it eased up quickly, and my guess is that it wouldn't bother other people, anyway. I felt the ending was a little weak, but it could have been a lot worse. Anyone who disagrees obviously hasn't read 'Allegiant'. There was plenty of humor in this book, some of it corny but most of it witty, kind of like a clean Stephanie Plum novel with vampires.
Language: Maybe I'm forgetting something, but I don’t remember any foul language. If it was there, it was mild.
Violence: It's a vampire hunting book, so of course there's some violence, but nothing is gory or over the top. No kids rending each other limb from limb or anything like that.
Sexual Content: Surprisingly, none. The worst of it is a little kissing and cuddling.
Over-All Message/Plot: No message, and the plot held it together well. I think a lot more could have been done with some of the elements that led up to twists, maybe even making it creepy, but I'd say it was a good story geared toward a teen audience. Would I pay $4.99 for it? No, because I don't charge that much for my own books, but for those who aren't as cheap as I am and don't mind trading a McDonald's sandwich for a pleasant, easy read, this could be a good buy. Three and a half stars, rounded up to four.
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I picked up 'Saving the Hero' because it was free, it had an Asian man on the front cover, and it didn't appear to be erotic. It's a vampire book where vampires are bad because they're infected by a parasite that will drain their life away unless they consume human blood, as well as throwing them a tad bit off their mental balance. The main character is a homeless woman who hunts vampires to keep them from killing people, but she's no Blade, chasing after them with machine guns and super kicks. She's just an orphaned girl with a Billy Club and almost no training. I appreciated that she wasn't Supergirl without the heat vision, even though I also like heroines who can kick butt.
For the most part the characters' motivations made sense, and as the book progresses, more is revealed. I enjoyed their interactions and their quirks, and especially liked the excerpts from the uncle's journal. The writing could have used more polish, help with repetitive sounding sentences and the like, but although it was sometimes annoying, I never felt like putting the book down, which is really saying something since I quit three or four books before settling on this one and reading it through. I almost got irritated with the heroine's clunky thoughts about how attractive the man was, but it eased up quickly, and my guess is that it wouldn't bother other people, anyway. I felt the ending was a little weak, but it could have been a lot worse. Anyone who disagrees obviously hasn't read 'Allegiant'. There was plenty of humor in this book, some of it corny but most of it witty, kind of like a clean Stephanie Plum novel with vampires.
Language: Maybe I'm forgetting something, but I don’t remember any foul language. If it was there, it was mild.
Violence: It's a vampire hunting book, so of course there's some violence, but nothing is gory or over the top. No kids rending each other limb from limb or anything like that.
Sexual Content: Surprisingly, none. The worst of it is a little kissing and cuddling.
Over-All Message/Plot: No message, and the plot held it together well. I think a lot more could have been done with some of the elements that led up to twists, maybe even making it creepy, but I'd say it was a good story geared toward a teen audience. Would I pay $4.99 for it? No, because I don't charge that much for my own books, but for those who aren't as cheap as I am and don't mind trading a McDonald's sandwich for a pleasant, easy read, this could be a good buy. Three and a half stars, rounded up to four.
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October 25, 2014
How to Change the World
I loved this video by Kid President, and thought you would, too. Enjoy!
October 18, 2014
Cultural Interview #5
Today I'm going to share my interview with Valerie. Valerie is black and her husband is Puerto Rican/Guatemalan.
RA: How did you meet your husband? Was it 'love at first sight'?
VALERIE: We met in Dong Du Chong, Korea, which is about 25 miles from the DMZ. I had actually decided I wasn't going talk to any men for at least a year the day that I met him. I had just broken up with my fiancé who was still back in the states the day before. I was on my way to lunch with two girlfriends (who were white) when I saw this soldier leering at me from across the street...I have to explain that where I was in Korea averaged one American woman for every 15 American men, and unfortunately, a lot of them treated us like pieces of meat. So I stared back at him and rolled my eyes, then the guy with him said "Hey if you're going to roll your eyes at me, you should at least have lunch with me. I looked at him and what I could see was FINE!! He was 6'4 and weighed about 240...all muscle!! The only thing I couldn't see was his eyes because he had on wrap around Ray Bans. Then he asked me to come across the street and talk to him, but I told him "No you cross..so eventually we decided to meet in the middle of the street. I was trying really hard to see his eyes, but I'm only 5'2"...so when he asked me again to go to lunch, I said yes so that I would have a chance to see if eyes were as beautiful as the rest of him!
Was it love at first sight? No it wasn't....I wouldn't let myself fall for anyone that quickly. I just regarded him as my Korea boyfriend...someone that I wouldn't see again after I left Korea, but he pursued me once we got back to the States and we were married 1 year and 1 month later!
RA: Wow! That's fast! Though I guess I can't say much because I have a similar story…anyway, I guess I can assume the answer to this question, but I have to ask: Were his eyes as beautiful as the rest of him?
VALERIE: Yes....they're still pretty...LOL!!!!
RA: It's good to hear you still talking about how attractive your husband is after 27 years. Would you have said he was 'your type' before you met him? And did shade of skin factor into that, either way?
VALERIE: Well he was my type in that he as an Alpha male and has brown eyes, but in physical appearance he was definitely not my type. I had dated much shorter and more slender guys. When I met my husband he was into bodybuilding and weighed about 240 pounds..he's also 6'4" tall. So to me he looked like a giant! I'm only 5'2" and that time only weighed 100 lbs.
The color of his skin is pretty but I don't think it mattered that much. He on the other hand, has always been fascinated with my skin color.
RA: When I consider that 27 years ago, the U.S. was a lot less accepting of interracial relationships than it tends to be now, I have to wonder, what did people think about the two of you getting married?
VALERIE: OMG the stories I could tell you! It was pretty rough to be in an interracial relationship, especially on the DMZ in Korea. Black guys really gave me a hard time and a couple of them even tried to assault my husband. My first supervisor, who was black, saw us together, and then after that I started to get counseling statements for every little thing....I even got one for sighing!!!
Luckily the new sergeant came to the unit...a white man with a black wife!!! Things quieted down a lot after that. The Koreans though, thought we were very cute together!
I did have one girlfriend who stopped speaking to me when I started dating my husband. :-(
When we came back to the States, I got stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. We got LOTS of stares here and some flak when we went to get our marriage license. I didn't know that the old law was still on the books that made interracial marriage illegal, but we wore them down and they let us get the license. It took about 10 years after we got married for them to repeal the law.
RA: Yeesh! For so many reasons, yeesh! I'm so sorry the two of you had to go through all of that, but thank you for doing it. You might have been doing it for your own benefit, but you and people like you paved the way for present day interracial relationships. Now it's so much more accepted than it was, and it's only because people have begun to get used to it over time. I know I'm glad my son will grow up in a country where the fact that he doesn't 'match' me is less of an eye-catcher than it used to be.
In parting, do you have any words of encouragement to our readers?
VALERIE: R.A., Thanks for much for letting me tell my story. I encourage anyone in an interracial relationship to not let the prejudices of others get in the way of their happiness!
Ciao!
Thank you, Valerie!
Dear Readers, thanks for joining us! If you'd like to subscribe to this blog, click here.
RA: How did you meet your husband? Was it 'love at first sight'?
VALERIE: We met in Dong Du Chong, Korea, which is about 25 miles from the DMZ. I had actually decided I wasn't going talk to any men for at least a year the day that I met him. I had just broken up with my fiancé who was still back in the states the day before. I was on my way to lunch with two girlfriends (who were white) when I saw this soldier leering at me from across the street...I have to explain that where I was in Korea averaged one American woman for every 15 American men, and unfortunately, a lot of them treated us like pieces of meat. So I stared back at him and rolled my eyes, then the guy with him said "Hey if you're going to roll your eyes at me, you should at least have lunch with me. I looked at him and what I could see was FINE!! He was 6'4 and weighed about 240...all muscle!! The only thing I couldn't see was his eyes because he had on wrap around Ray Bans. Then he asked me to come across the street and talk to him, but I told him "No you cross..so eventually we decided to meet in the middle of the street. I was trying really hard to see his eyes, but I'm only 5'2"...so when he asked me again to go to lunch, I said yes so that I would have a chance to see if eyes were as beautiful as the rest of him!
Was it love at first sight? No it wasn't....I wouldn't let myself fall for anyone that quickly. I just regarded him as my Korea boyfriend...someone that I wouldn't see again after I left Korea, but he pursued me once we got back to the States and we were married 1 year and 1 month later!
RA: Wow! That's fast! Though I guess I can't say much because I have a similar story…anyway, I guess I can assume the answer to this question, but I have to ask: Were his eyes as beautiful as the rest of him?
VALERIE: Yes....they're still pretty...LOL!!!!
RA: It's good to hear you still talking about how attractive your husband is after 27 years. Would you have said he was 'your type' before you met him? And did shade of skin factor into that, either way?
VALERIE: Well he was my type in that he as an Alpha male and has brown eyes, but in physical appearance he was definitely not my type. I had dated much shorter and more slender guys. When I met my husband he was into bodybuilding and weighed about 240 pounds..he's also 6'4" tall. So to me he looked like a giant! I'm only 5'2" and that time only weighed 100 lbs.
The color of his skin is pretty but I don't think it mattered that much. He on the other hand, has always been fascinated with my skin color.
RA: When I consider that 27 years ago, the U.S. was a lot less accepting of interracial relationships than it tends to be now, I have to wonder, what did people think about the two of you getting married?
VALERIE: OMG the stories I could tell you! It was pretty rough to be in an interracial relationship, especially on the DMZ in Korea. Black guys really gave me a hard time and a couple of them even tried to assault my husband. My first supervisor, who was black, saw us together, and then after that I started to get counseling statements for every little thing....I even got one for sighing!!!
Luckily the new sergeant came to the unit...a white man with a black wife!!! Things quieted down a lot after that. The Koreans though, thought we were very cute together!
I did have one girlfriend who stopped speaking to me when I started dating my husband. :-(
When we came back to the States, I got stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. We got LOTS of stares here and some flak when we went to get our marriage license. I didn't know that the old law was still on the books that made interracial marriage illegal, but we wore them down and they let us get the license. It took about 10 years after we got married for them to repeal the law.
RA: Yeesh! For so many reasons, yeesh! I'm so sorry the two of you had to go through all of that, but thank you for doing it. You might have been doing it for your own benefit, but you and people like you paved the way for present day interracial relationships. Now it's so much more accepted than it was, and it's only because people have begun to get used to it over time. I know I'm glad my son will grow up in a country where the fact that he doesn't 'match' me is less of an eye-catcher than it used to be.
In parting, do you have any words of encouragement to our readers?
VALERIE: R.A., Thanks for much for letting me tell my story. I encourage anyone in an interracial relationship to not let the prejudices of others get in the way of their happiness!
Ciao!
Thank you, Valerie!
Dear Readers, thanks for joining us! If you'd like to subscribe to this blog, click here.
