October Review

 

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There was a meme that I saw the other day that told October to slow down! It's already almost November?! Geez.

I haven't had too much happening. My last newsy interview went live 2 days after my September Review, so here that is: Arts Playlist: Debra Renee Byrd’s ‘Fractured Princess.

The National Black Book Festival occurred this weekend virtually, and my SF(F)or the Culture crew interviewed Saturday. We are probably in the last video, as they split the sessions up by AM/PM. It was so fun, and apparently, I have to go watch the original Terminator, or I can't come back. XD

November is a busy month outside of work for me, but it's also the month where we have the most State holidays, so that will balance out. If I do NaNoWriMo, I will be working on as many scenes for the Shattered Chronicles as I can. I have to figure out the conclusion. I see everything else but it!

I'm still looking to leave admin work. I applied for a Content Moderator job with a video game streaming company that I wasn't too sure I had the qualifications for, but my sister pushed me to do it, and I even wrote my first creative out-of-the-box cover letter to get noticed, but I got the rejection email today. It was worth a shot, and I'm proud of that cover letter. I also forwarded the job to my Black Girl Gamers, so I hope one of them applied and will get it.

Good luck to everyone who will do NaNoWriMo! DVPit is also happening right now, and I had the pleasure of mentoring two contest winners this past month, so I wish them and everyone else who pitches the best of luck!

October Writing Update

 


I haven't done a writing update in so long, I forgot what the icon looked like, and I made it! The 3rd Wednesdays are typically set aside for this, and I really can't say when it was that I last wrote. I think it's because what I've written is 1) not in the right place in the story or 2) not the right path for the story. The former is easier to fix than the latter. I do know I put a scene in earlier than I wanted, so my block might be telling me that I was right to hold on to it longer. So, we'll see what happens.

The National Black Book Festival starts Friday, and it will be streamed live for free on Facebook! My team gets interviewed Saturday afternoon. This is a really long convention, so I hope I get enough sleep. I don't plan on viewing all the sessions, though, so if I happen to fall asleep, then as long as it's not during my slot, I should be okay.

I have paperbacks at the house that I need to figure out where to sell them. I have a couple of spots I can do it, so I just need to reach out and hopefully get some new readers. We'll see.

NaNoWriMo is two weeks away! I still don't know if I'm going to do it this year. If I do, I will definitely be working on this sequel! I have so many ideas for it and just need to put them in the right places. Wish me luck!

Black Author Spotlight: Chase Bolling


Welcome to the Black Author Spotlight!

The goal of this segment is to highlight black authors who are often marginalized and ignored in the publishing industry. Black writers usually turn to self-publishing--an already densely populated industry--to have their stories seen, and it is said that we have to work twice as hard to get half of what our white counterparts have. Hopefully, shining a little light on these authors will help to signal boost the work they are putting out there.

Today, I'm highlighting Chase Bolling!


Chase is speculative fiction/urban fiction author and the Managing Editor of SF/For the Culture, creator of the steamy Ballad of Eli and the thrilling epic fantasy series The Vanguard, joining the ranks of African American science fiction authors. Growing up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with a proud Afro-Indigenous family, Chase marched in protests and canvassed for political campaigns while dealing with the challenges of gang culture and the criminal justice system, channeling a penchant for "being about that life" into his family lineage of activism. A total Blerd, Chase is a fan of anime, like Naruto and Bleach, sci-fi/fantasy books, and geeks out on The Witcher, and The Mandalorian. An avid swordsman, you might find Chase practicing historical martial arts, wearing armor, and choreographing fight scenes for his current work in progress!




Chase's Vanguard Series is a dystopian novel set in present day. A tech wizard has created a device that wipes out all modern weaponry and weapons technology, opening the door to revolutions across the globe. In The Road of Resistance, we zoom in on one such revolution in Connecticut and how Chessed Ilias Freeman, who has prepared for such a time as this, creates a new government with swords, shields, and other medieval weaponry. Chase is currently working on editing the series, but it is available on Amazon now.

My favorite line from RoR: "Let the revolution begin! I don't wanna work today, anyway."

That's a mood. haha

You can visit Chase on Instagram and Twitter!

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If you are a Black author who would like to be in the spotlight, email me the following information at debreneebyrd@gmail.com 

Name or Pen Name

Genre

Website/Blog

Social Media handles

Book (if any) and where to buy

Permission to use photos