Here's The Real Deal . . .

If I had the time and energy to mentor everyone trying to break into the publishing world, I would. 

But the truth is I don't have the time and energy , and I can't. 

And I am very sorry for that. 

This is not a sarcastic status… It is a sincere and heartfelt apology.

Here's The Real Deal . . .

If I had the time and energy to mentor everyone trying to break into the publishing world, I would. But the truth is I don't have the time and energy , and I can't.
And I am very sorry for that.
This is not a sarcastic status… It is a sincere and heartfelt apology.

JaQuavis and Ashley Coleman Find Success Writing Street Lit

By Karen E. Quiñones Miller, For The Philadelphia Inquirer

Posted: August 25, 2011

JaQuavis and Ashley Coleman, both 25, are likely one of the youngest married couples to hit the New York Times best-seller list. And they owe all to their very colorful past.
His as a drug dealer. Hers as his ride-or-die chick.
He was pushing product. She was counting up the money. And that's what they do, still.
Only now the product is literary instead of illegal, and the money comes as royalty checks instead of crumpled dollar bills from the hands of a crackhead looking for a hit.

The Colemans are among a group of authors who write Street Lit, a genre that many considered a bastardization of African American literature when it first hit the bookshelves a dozen years ago. Street Lit is urban fiction but written in a grittier style, focusing on a subculture of drugs, prostitution, and street violence. Accusations that it glorifies those things abound.
One well-known African American author, Nick Chiles, even wrote an editorial for the New York Times in 2006, stating in part: "I was ashamed and mortified to see my books sitting on the same shelves as these titles."
Other African American authors echoed Chiles' views, and a prevailing thought in the literary community seemed to be that Street Lit perpetrated the worst stereotypes of African Americans and that the novels glorified drug dealing and street violence.
JaQuavis Coleman bristles at the criticism.
"We came up in Flint [Michigan], and where we grew up the dope king was the top man," he said in a phone interview. "He was like Obama, so of course they were our role models. They were who we wanted to grow up to be. That may not be others' reality, but that's our reality. And we're writing our reality. And, yeah, it's Street Lit. I embrace the term."
"Make no mistake about it," he added. "We're screaming from the gutter."
It was a source of pride in the African American literary community, but not a big surprise, when Terri McMillan's Waiting to Exhale - a novel about four middle-class African American women in Phoenix dealing with relationship crises - made the best-seller list in 1992. That book is credited with opening the floodgates for African American commercial fiction.
But when Philadelphia native Teri Woods made the list in 2007 with True to the Game II - a sequel to her 1999 novel, True to the Game, about a young woman from the projects in North Philadelphia who falls in love with a dope dealer and gets involved in drug trafficking and murder - there were gasps.
Street Lit as an authentic genre could no longer be ignored, said Vanessa Irvin Morris, a professor of library and information sciences at Drexel University.
"Making the New York Times best-seller list gives the genre a credibility that it deserves," said Morris, whose book, The Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature, will be published by ALA Edition (American Library Association) in October.
"It makes a statement that Street Lit is readable on a mainstream level. And that their mostly African American and Latino followers are reading and buying books on par with everyone else."
Thanks to the Colemans - writing together as Ashley JaQuavis - and Wahida Clark, author of the Thug Loving and Payback series, Street Lit has had a presence on the highly acclaimed list in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Clark hit the list in 2008 with Payback Is a Mother, published by Grand Central Books, and this year with Justify My Thug, published by Cash Money Content.
"I always enjoyed writing and being an author, but when I hit the New York Times best-seller list, my new publishing company really rolled out the red carpet for me," said Clark, who wrote her first book, Thugs and the Women Who Love Them, while in prison for white-collar crimes, including money laundering and mail and wire fraud.
When Street Lit icon K'wan Foye - author of 14 Essence best-selling books, including Gangsta and Welfare Wifeys - first read the Chiles editorial, he said, he was disappointed that Chiles had felt he had to write it.
"I've never met the brother, and he was just talking so greasy about the genre, and I was like, 'We're all writers, man,' " said Foye, whose new book, Eviction Notice, will be published by St. Martin's Press next month. "I'm trying to feed my children just like you. I'm trying to get a message across just like you. You may not have come from where we come from, but that doesn't make our stories any less legit."
Ashley Coleman agreed.
"How can you say one genre is legitimate and another is illegitimate? One thing that JaQuavis and I don't do is sugarcoat where we come from. And we write about where we come from," she said. "I don't think that we ever had the New York Times best-seller list in our sight. But look: We made it!"
Not once, but twice.
Their Cartel II: Tale of the Murder Mamas and Cartel III: The Last Chapter hit the list in 2009 and 2010.
Murderville: The First of a Trilogy was released in July by Cash Money Content, and speculation is that it, too, will find its way onto the list.
"We have the best fans ever," Ashley Coleman said with a sigh.
Murderville tells the tale of Liberty and A'shai, who fall in love as children in Sierra Leone and are captured by human traffickers when they run away from their village. Forcefully separated when they reach the United States, they go through a mind-blowing journey that includes drug cartels, brothels, and arranged marriages before finally reuniting as adults.
The story has an ending that readers will not see coming, and leads straight into the second volume of the trilogy.
The titles and the release dates for the last two books of the trilogy have not been released, but Urban Books will publish the couple's Murder Mamas in September.
"Being on the New York Times list is a major accomplishment. It actually established our career," said Ashley Coleman. "We're established writers now. It's guaranteed that we will be doing this for the rest of our lives."
She took a deep breath and added, "Instead of grinding to the top, we're at the top."

Get Started Writing Your Novel Workshop - Philadelphia

Hello All . . .


I'm writing to notify you that I will be holding a 5 1/2-hour "Get Started Writing Your Novel" workshop in Philadelphia on Saturday, January 29, 2011 . . .

For those who are not quite familiar with me, my name is Karen E. Quinones Miller, and I'm the author of seven novels published by major publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Kensington Books, Warner Books, and Grand Central Books. All of my novels have been Essence bestsellers, and I've also been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary - Fiction.

In addition, I'm a nationally known literary consultant, and I head Eveningstar Writer's Group. I'm also CEO of Oshun Publishing Company.. Please feel free to visit my website at www.karenequinonesmiller.com  to find out more about me.

Topics for the Get Started Writing Your Novel seminar include:

Getting Started

Story Structure
Point of View
Character Development
Showing Versus Telling
Writing Realistic Dialogue
Setting a Scene
Self-Editing
Overcoming Writer’s Block


Admission to each seminar is limited to 15 people so that everyone has time to ask questions, and have them answered to their satisfaction.

The cost for this 5 1/2-hour seminar is only $90.00 -- although the information is given is worth MUCH more, I try too keep my prices low so that more people have the opportunity to attend (I KNOW what's it like to be a struggling writer!).

You can obtain information about registering for this seminar by contacting me at authorkeqm@aol.com.


If you're a writer, and you're serious about improving your writing, and getting your work published . . . then this is the seminars for you! And if you're not a writer, but you know someone who is . . . be a true friend and pass this message on to them!


Karen 

Testimonials from others (ALL ON FB) who've attended the Get Started Writing Your Novel seminar

  
In June of 2010 I attended the Philadelphia Writers Workshop and took a class with Miss Karen E. Quinones Miller. I don't think I've ever had a religious experience as a writer until that day. Karen spoke to a packed house and dealt with the tricky issue of character development, passive voice, and a few other topics. I had to take a good look at my writing, and myself. Karen explained to me the very building blocks of a great story and how to use them. For the first time, I had a glimmer of an idea of what development was really about.</span>

Ciuinin Ferrin 

Karen E. Quinones-Miller is full of information, experience, and knowledge and I am so happy to have attended her writing workshop and cannot wait to see all she has taught me put into action! Thanks, Karen!</span>
Dennis Maurice

The Get Writing Starting Seminar was conducted in a small close knit setting, opportune for questions and answers, we discussed staying true to your character, showing vs. telling and the difference between active and passive writing.  Attending the seminar not only provided priceless information but meeting with Karen herself was invaluable as she has remained a consistent resource in my writing career.  Since our meeting Karen has continued to be unselfish with the knowledge she has gained.   An old adage I once heard that says, “When you climb the ladder of success don’t forget to reach behind.” Karen Quinones Miller has embodied that mantra and used it as a selfless practice in her encouragement and advancement of new writers.
Sharai Rucker


 Thank you for your invitation to your writing semiar back in July. My experience was enlightening and knowledgable. The backwards check mark made so much sense. My ah ha bells rang like sunday morning catholic church bells....loud and clear. Connecting with other writers near and far was a plus as well. Because of you I have a few more people in my circle who understand me as a writer.


Kendall Prophet

Scrooge of the Year Award!

National Jobs with Justice's annual

Scrooge of the Year Award -
And the winner is . . . .





Each year, national Jobs with Justice gives an “award” to the greediest, most cold-hearted company or person of the year.  Nominations for the 2010 Scrooge of the Year are in, and it's time to vote. Please read about the candidates below and then VOTE for your favorite greedy Scrooge! We'll announce the winner on December 20th.

This year's nominees are:

Ku Klux Klan Snowman Built as Holiday Decoration by Iowa Man

 10-foot Ku Klux Klan snowman

Mark Eliseuson  decided he wanted something different in his frontyard this winter. Something to reflect his political/social commentary tastes, perhaps. Whatever the reason, the Hayden, Iowa resident decided to use the snow dropped by the latest storm to erect a 10-foot Ku Klux Klan snowman --  complete with a noose dangling from his arm --  as a way to entertain his neighbors.

His neighbors, however, were not amused. They complained to deputy officials, and the Eliseuson was told that he could possibly be charged with creating a public nuisance. Notice I wrote COULD BE CHARGED since no charges have yet been filed. I guess they offiicials had to go get an okay to file the charges.

Top TEN Companies With Job Openings This Week!

Top 10 Companies Hiring This Week

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(((It's not often that I just copy and paste an article from another site, but I thought this one too important to pass up on just because I didn't write it. I KNOW there's so MANY people on the job hunt these days. I hope you'll find this article of some help. In the air of full disclosure, it came from AOL.COM. Enjoy! - KEQM)

December 6 - 12

We know that your job search can get quite frustrating these days with more people trying to find a job and less employment opportunities available.
To ease the burden, we've tracked down 10 top companies with the most job openings this week -- from sales jobs to finance jobs, full-time jobs to part-time jobs. We hope you find a job that's perfect for you.
Good luck job hunting!

01. UPS

As the world's largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of specialized transportation and logistics services, UPS continues to develop the frontiers of logistics, supply chain management, and e-Commerce... combining the flows of goods, information, and funds.
Top Job Categories:

• Distribution/Shipping Jobs
• Warehouse Jobs
• Manufacturing Jobs
• Transportation Jobs
• See all UPS jobs

02. IBM

Working at IBM provides opportunities you may not experience anywhere else. It gives you the chance to change the way the world works. The chance to help the world learn, to make education more available, knowledge more attainable and information more accessible. The chance to participate in research and development projects that facilitate technological and medical breakthroughs. These are the kinds of opportunities you'll find throughout our company. Opportunities that could certainly make a difference--in ways that are exciting, demanding and perhaps even unimaginable.
Top Job Categories:

• Information Technology Jobs
• Management Jobs
• Consultant Jobs
• See all IBM jobs

Justin Walker, Convicted Murderer, Posting on FB from Prison Cell

Convicted Murderer, Justin Walker,  Posting on FB from Prison Cell

The mother of an Oklahoma man who was shot to death is furious that Justin Walker, her son’s killer, was able to get a Blackberry in his cell and has been corresponding with friends and posting photos on Facebook.

Cathy Lawrence, the mother of slain Sheriff Dwight Woodrell Jr., told ABCNews.com that Justin Walker, the man serving a 30-year sentence for her son's murder, doesn't deserve to be alive, let alone to be updating his Facebook status.

"It probably wouldn't be printable what I think about Justin Walker having a cell phone in prison," said Lawrence from her home in Bristow, Okla. "I feel like he's allowed to keep on living his life and he deprived my son of his life and his four children of a father."

Walker would do something like that," said Lawrence.

Yet Another Facebook Scam!

'OMG' Facebook Scam Doesn't Let You See Who Viewed Your Profile

by Amar Toor on November 29, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. (from AOL)

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Yet another scam is making its way around Facebook, and it's affecting a disturbingly high number of users. As Sophos explains, the scam is spreading via Wall posts that read: "OMG OMG OMG... I cant believe this actually works! Now you really can see who viewed your profile!" Once the attached link is clicked, you're redirected to a rogue application that requests access to your Facebook pages. If you grant access to the app, however, you'll inadvertently spam all your other Facebook friends with the exact same message. (And you'll never find out who's looking at your Facebook profile.)

Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson - The Two Mr. Johnsons

Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson outside courthouse - 1953

I can remember when the name Bumpy Johnson first meant anything to me. I was ten years old, and still upset that my family moved from Harlem to the Bronx the year before. I found it hard to make friends and would often convince my mother to let me to take the number 2 train to Harlem to visit my pals from the old neighborhood. On this particular bright sunny day in July 1968, and I happily trotted up the subway stairs, grasping the two shiny quarters – my weekly allowance which I planned on using to buy a hamburger and a chocolate milkshake at the Rexall Drugstore on the corner of 125^th Street and Lenox Avenue.

            As soon as I walked up the steps from the station I could see something was going on. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, the shoe repair store, which doubled as the neighborhood gambling spot, was closed. There were no shiny –faced Nation of Islam brothers hawking copies of Muhammad Speaks on the corner. Missing too were the winos who usually sprawled on the steps of brownstones, drinking brown-bag wrapped pints of Wild Irish Rose and Swiss Up. Something was up, and it had to be something big. A large group of people was milling through the streets – not a crowd or a mob, like I had seen during the Harlem riots just months before, but something gentler.  It seemed like a stream of swaying black faces, all pointing in one direction – east toward Central Park.