End-of-Year Wrap-up 2021

 We have entered the last 2 weeks of the year.  The Winter Solstice starts tonight/tomorrow, Xmas & Kwanzaa are this coming weekend, and News Years Day falls on the following Sunday.  We will then be in the year 2022.  So how did 2021 stack up for me, personally...?

I consider 2021 to be another off year b/c of the pandemic.  I wasn't able to go out and physically promote my latest novel "Knuckle Up" (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2021), so I had to immensely rely on online promotions for it.  Sales were what is usual for me; basically nonexistent.  I had a sale or two here and there, but nothing major.  It's quite infuriating, especially with all of this hoopla of ppl talking about supporting authors/artists of color; oh, wait....you mean supporting establishment artists/authors of color that get promoted to you by the mainstream, or some bullshit corporate nonprofit, riiiiight...?  Either that, or some fucking clique that thinks that they're setting the standard, or trend.

2021 didn't start off well.  I tore my patellar tendon in January, and didn't realize how severe the injury was.  I had surgery for it in March, and have been working my way back, ever since.  Thankfully, I'm in pretty good physical shape, so it didn't take me all that long to recover from my injury.  I was finally hired back to my day job in May, after being laid off b/c of Covid.  I ended up leaving that job, and the state of Delaware, by late August.  Delaware just wasn't cutting it anymore (it didn't really cut it for me, in the first place), and I needed greener pastures to grow my writing career.  Not to mention, my fucked up ass roommate situation, which was another main reason for me leaving the state.  The ppl out there are mf wacky.  4 1/2 years was long enough; I couldn't take being out there any longer.

 

I've been in North Carolina for almost 4 months now.  I'm liking it so far, as I have peace of mind out here.  I feel like I can breathe, and I have room for my mental sanity.  I was able to complete my latest manuscript, and it is now ready for publication in 2022.  I know that there is still the Delta strain, and now the Omicron variant(s) of Covid that are out here affecting the populous, but I'm hoping to get back to doing in-person appearances in 2022.  I could use the boost to my writing career, not to mention, I just like the interaction with readers & potential fans.  I'm targeting a May release for my next novel "Second Chance Points" (KDP, 2022).

 

I haven't shot a new episode of The Rough Draft since moving out here.  I need to get back on the ball with that.  The show celebrated our two year anniversary this past August.  Once my day job schedule regulates, I'm hoping to continue producing & expand it, by doing field productions, and hopefully some interviews.  I might put this gd smartphone I now have to good use, lol, lol, lol, lol....

 

One sad note for this year for me was having to shut down the Universal Africana Literary Arts Movement.  That really hurt me to do it, but I didn't really have a choice.  I couldn't serve two different masters; my writing career, and the Literary Arts Movement.  Something had to give.  Covid was the reason for the shut down; maybe I can revive it down the line...?  I miss the interaction with the ppl on the Mailing List, though I don't know how many of them really care that the Movement is no longer around.  Running the Movement all by myself was a pain in the ass, and I don't know if I want to go through that all over again, by myself.  Only time will tell...

 

Looking forward to bigger & better things in 2022.  Hope to keep you all updated about my plans.  There is still some time left for the Holiday Economic Support Initiative, so keep spreading the word about these different artists, authors, entrepreneurs, and businesses that you know.  Keep posting the hashtag, and FINANCIALLY support these people!!!

 

Keep the fist raised!!!

 

#AlwaysOnMyLiteraryGrind 

 

 

December Tidings

 We are now in the month of DECEMBER!!!!  we have entered into the LAST month of the year.  My, how time flies.  It feels like just yesterday, we were celebrating the horrible end to 2020, and wishing for new hope and better days in 2021.  :-O

 

I'm reflecting on how things have gone for me this year.  At least I got the fuck away from my fuck ass roommate, and Delaware in general.  I have peace of mind right now...just working at my day job, and staying on my literary grind. I consider both 2020 & 2021 lost years, as I wasn't able to do much to promote my works in person because of the pandemic (blasted COVID-19 coronavirus!!!).  I'm planning on going hard in 2022.

 

Sales for Knuckle Up (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2021) have been what I expected; nonexistent.  Either people just don't respect me as a writer, and are just full of shit while they have the audacity to call themselves my friends & fans... or, people just don't care.  It's a great story, and an interesting read; I've even tried to get a few female boxers that I follow on Twitter to support it.  Nope. Nada. Nothing.  Hey...I wrote it, it's published, it's in the marketplace.  I did my job.  You do yours as my so-called 'fan'.

My project for 2022 is now complete.  My women's basketball novel Second Chance Points (KDP, 2022) is ready to be published!  I'm thinking of targeting the month of May.  The cover art is already done, and I just have to come up with a back cover synopsis.  I'll probably use the one that I had set up for it, when it was still a screenplay.  Now that that headache is over with, I can get back to writing my other wip's that I haven't finished.  So much writing, so little time...

Hoping to make some sort of a literary impact out here in Raleigh, and in NC in general.  I know of a few bookstores out here that I would like to visit, and do an event, or two in.  Hopefully, my work schedule at my day job will regulate enough where I can plan some in-person book signing events, or something.  There are a number of cultural festival that I would like to participate in down the road out here, and hope that I get the chance to vend at them.  We shall see...

That's all for now.  Still trying to promote the Holiday Economic Support Initiative online.  Again, if you know of a Black-owned/Latino-owned business, or entrepreneur that you would like to help support, please use your social media influence by tagging them, and using the hashtags #HESI, and #HolidayEconomicSupportInitiative to promote them, and their business/product/project.  Also..don't forget to BUY from them!!!  Remember, the initiative lasts until New Years Day.

 

Keep the fist raised.

 

#AlwaysOnMyLiteraryGrind