Multicultural Book Club Seeks African American Members

So while I have no idea just how many people have actually gone out and purchased SUGAR since I began the campaign to sell 10,000 copies by Jan 9th, 2010 - I do feel as if I've made some headway in the fight against Seg-book-gation -

I reached out to many book clubs and independent bookstores and did receive some feedback.

Vickie Timmons reached out to me after receiving my letter and this is what she had to say:

Hi Bernice!

I am white. ! And 60. But we are a women's book club with Greek, Latino, Peruvian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and various mixes. I have two open slots. We read outside our comfort zones. This club has been going since 2004.

You said -"I don't rightly know why publisher’s market fiction written by African-Americans ONLY TO African-Americans - but it has become common practice. And by doing this, they've placed all AA authors in one box forcing them to compete for the attention of ONE audience."

I have two book clubs in Los Angeles - Feast of Passages and Pack Light. They will be very uncomfortable about this literary segregation. More like pissed. So do you have the names of publishing houses that do this? It would be good for them to hear from us.

We are here to softly squeeze through barriers and create a luscious community. It is a friendly
social atmosphere yet we like to have a good meaty discussion. I really want the experience of black women to be brought into our discussions.

I have been reading about you and I know we need to get you on our book list. Thank you for your devotion to being a writer. Every word matters to us in this book club. We are not alone. We don't plow through books. We actually read them.

That you write matters to us,

Vicki


If you are an AA woman looking to join a book club that is made up of women from various ethnic backgrounds who read a variety of work from just as many writers - give Vicki a holler:

Here is the bio for FEAST OF PASSAGES Book Club:

Feast of Passages
We are 9 women from 30 to 60 and read everything that creates inspired discussion, fun food journeys, and treks through fiction and non-fiction. We love it when a book sends us off in search and discovery because here we have an audience that really cheers ancillary finds and enjoys whatever curious explorations one is moved to share. Our diverse cultural richness swirls in the background of our monthly meetings. And we laugh here! There's 2 warm spots on the couch still open. You will feel like you have always been here! Feast of Passages has created a place we can't wait to get to all month long. Come, enjoy! 4th Wenesday of the month 7 - 9:30 pm in Torrance in my home. vtimmons@juno.com

Bernice L. McFadden

Loving Donovan - at auction.

R. Gregory Christie is a three-time Coretta Scott King honor recipient. He’s illustrated numerous picture books, including the biographies of many significant historical and cultural figures — Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Sojourner Truth, Muhammad Ali, Louis Armstrong, to name a few. And he also created the cover art for my novel, Loving Donovan.



Saturday, I had the pleasure of finally meeting the artist Mr. Christie and he signed a few copies of Loving Donovan.



and then I signed a few copies......





And now I have three copies sitting here in my library. But I've decided to auction one off on Ebay.

I think it's a great addition to any book lovers collection.

Auction ends on November 5th.

Proceeds will go to the HELP MAKE SUGAR's 10th ANNIVERSARY HISTORICAL - CAMPAIGN.

Details: First edition hardcover, signed by the author as well as the illustrator. All editions of Loving Donovan are out-of-print.

Bernice L. McFadden

Cover me beautiful.....

SUGAR CAMPAIGN UPDATE:

Nicola of Nicola Books in Ann Arbor, Michigan reached out to me with this: "It might be of small comfort to you to know that we do not segregate our African American authors, we categorize books based on genre and author, not ethnic background of the author.

Nicola

I say: Bravo, Nicola!

Pictured here is my novel SUGAR (swathed in a brown Amazon.com shipping box) sitting in the mailbox of my friend and fellow Author, Margaret Johnson-Hodge.



Thanks Margaret!

I'm still waiting on YOUR photos picturing you buying your own copy of SUGAR. Send them to: bernicemcfadden@hotmail.com and I will post them here.


So it seems that my publisher will honor my wishes and create a new book jacket for SUGAR. I'm excited about this, and can't wait to see the final product. When the publicist asked if I had anything specific in mind, my response was: Create for me what you would create for one of your non-AA authors. A cover that is beautiful and welcoming to ALL readers.

Now, don't get me wrong - I was mad for the first SUGAR cover:



The woman in the photograph is beautiful and the muted colors and subtle shadows offered a hint of....mystery.

But, when it comes to the current cover............I dunno - it was not a favorite. The one thing that was interesting though was the fact the young girl holds an eerie resemblance to my best friend. Weird, huh?



Back in the day the book covers were simple and mostly free of art work. People bought a book based on the title, the copy on the back and the opening lines.


(Triangle Books reprint circa 1928)


(The Scribner Library reprint 1959)


You know they have entire groups of experts who advise publishers as to what types of covers sell the best. What color patterns are most appealing to the human eye. Apparently, black folks have different types of eyes than white folks do. LOL

The experts also say that books with white covers don't sell. Well, I guess sometimes the experts are wrong.

Bernice L. McFadden

Let's Do It Again......

This morning I woke to find a wonderful email waiting in my inbox.

Tricia Lightweis, owner of The BookSmith in Seneca, South Carolina dropped me a note to say that she has restocked SUGAR!

So if you live in or around Seneca, stop by and purchase a copy or two and become part of the movement to make Sugar's 10th Anniversary Historical.

I am an old soul. Always have been and by all accounts - always will.

I love old houses, old songs and old books. I like the feeling that comes over me when I look at, touch and hear these things.

Sometimes these old things conjure up memories that I'd forgotten I had.

Yesterday, I was a watching a movie that had the song, Let's Do It Again - playing in the background. What immediately came to mind were summers at my grandparents home. My grandfather standing at the grill flipping burgers, us kids jumping rope and playing red-light, green-light in the driveway. Uncles and Aunts relaxing in lawn chairs reminiscing about their own good ole days.

The memory struck me deep in my heart and I began to smile. "Easy times," I mumbled as I started rifling through my collection of CD's in search of the song.

Days earlier, while visiting with a friend in Rockaway Beach, I was going through her mounds of books when I stumbled upon a copy of MIDNIGHT BIRDS - Mary Helen Washington's ground-breaking collection of stories by and about Black women. I opened the book and started reading Paulette Childress-Whites' short story, Alice.

"Alice. Drunk Alice. Alice of the streets. Of the party. Of the house of dark places."

Do you feel the rhythm of those words? Lovely, isn't it. This is the type of writing that has always had a profound and indelible effect on me.

Back home I found that I had the revised edition: Black-Eyed Susans and Midnight Birds - and settled myself into bed and read deep into the night.

Revisiting those stories reminded me once again of easy times - those long, gone days when I all I could do was dream of being as good a writer as anyone of those women in that book.

I wanna go back to that time...even if just for today.

Come with me - dig out that favorite, old book and put on Mavis. Don't have the original cut? -- --That's okay Leela James does a pretty bang-up job on the remake.

*snapping fingers-swaying away*

Bernice L. McFadden

Sunday Notices

For the last few days I've been asking you to spread the word about Sugar's quickly approaching tenth anniversary. But I won't be the only one celebrating a milestone in 2010 - Donna Hill, friend and fellow author will be celebrating her 20th anniversary in publishing!!!

*applauding*

Donna Hill writes under a variety of genres - romance, mystery and contemporary. She's a multi-talented, multi-faceted, hard working, author. If you don't know this phenomenal woman and writer, check her out.

Donna's newest release is:



Happy Birthday To:

Ntozake Shange
Terry McMillan
Chuck Berry

(it's a Libra thing!)


KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR RICHES: I had a conversation with a writer friend of mine who shared a very sad and disturbing story with me. This particular author published a novel back in the late 1990's. The publisher claims the novel is still in print and so will not revert the rights back to the author. The very first royalty statement the author received - back in the late 1990's - stated that the book printed and sold 10K. Subsequent statements quoted the EXACT SAME NUMBERS.

*scratching head*

If you're not getting what I'm saying here - let me just repeat this line:

THE BOOK IS STILL IN PRINT

Moving on...............



African-American Literature. From Wikipedia.

African American oral culture is rich in poetry, including spirituals, African American gospel music, blues and rap. This oral poetry also appears in the African American tradition of Christian sermons, which make use of deliberate repetition, cadence and alliteration. African American literature—especially written poetry, but also prose—has a strong tradition of incorporating all of these forms of oral poetry.[7]

However, while these characteristics and themes exist on many levels of African American literature, they are not the exclusive definition of the genre and do not exist within all works within the genre.


*Talk amongst yourselves -- I'll wait.*

Someone Else's Line:

The trouble with reading or watching a movie that has been adapted from a book - is that it can get you into trouble. I have been working on a new novel and I thought I had THE BEST opening line - but something in the back of mind kept moaning like Big Mama did when she was clutching her fists to her breasts, trying hard not to slap you into next Sunday. But I ignored the moaning - and kept on writing. Today I was all prepared to share the first line of my new novel and the groaning turned into a full fledged spiritual with Big Mama waving her hands in the air like flags and so I finally Googled the line and sure 'nuff - there it was:

"Every little thing just wants to be loved"

My line: "Every little thing wants to be loved, and towns are no exception."

Imagine my.....astonishment.

The first line is from the bestselling book, turned star-studded movie: The Secret Life of Bees.

Sometimes being a sponge has its hazards.

Bernice L. McFadden

Fan Love....

Over the summer I received an email from two women who have been long supporters of my work. They were coming to New York for their annual get-a-away and wanted to know if they could meet with me, while they were here. I thought that was a lovely idea, but could not immediately commit, because my plan was not to be in NY at that time.

Well, as usual the universe did what it does best - which is align things in such a way that it places you where you NEED to be at the time.

When they reached out again - I agreed to meet with them.

My sister was worried - Stephen King's, Misery has a lot to do with that.

Her: Not a book club meeting - just you and them?

Me: Yes.

Her: You're meeting them in a public place, right?

Me: Yes.

Her: Well, okay, just don't leave your drink unattended.

The idea of being kidnapped by a reader tickles me to tears.....how would they threaten me?

You better bring SUGAR back, or I'm going to hobble you!

But I digress...

I met the ladies (Marsha and Sylvia) for lunch at the beautiful Hyatt hotel in Jersey City. It could not have been a more beautiful day. Clear skies, sunshine and the most amazing water view!

Our luncheon was such a wonderful experience. I was in the midst of my "gray" period, but being in the company of those two phenomenal spirits - snatched me right out of it. I felt as if we'd known each other for years... I love when that happens.




The ladies presented me with a beautiful gift - a pewter angel - which is now sitting here on my desk, watching over me as I write. For me it is representative of all of my readers out there praying and watching over me.

On that day my little angel rode shot-gun all the way back home with me.



Robin Stewart is a reader and teacher living in Florida. She reached out to me earlier this year after reading Nowhere is a Place. Here is a little bit of what she wrote:

"I would like to tell you how much I enjoyed reading, Nowhere is a Place. Oh my goodness - WOW! I was totally taken into this book. It is absolutely amazing. ...I wanted to thank you for writing books like this that penetrate hearts and cause us to see things the way they may have been for those who traveled through life, circumstances, and experiences differently than others. "

Oh, did I mention that Robin is white?? I shouldn't have to, but being that the battle I'm waging here has everything to do with publishers racializing literature written by black folk - I just thought I should put that fact out there.

Robin asked me to send her a photo of myself, which she placed in the celebrity corner of her classroom, right next to the photograph of her boyfriend posed with the "gloved one"




BUY A COPY OF SUGAR AND MAKE HER 10TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORICAL!

SEND A PHOTO OF YOURSELF PURCHASING THE BOOK TO: BERNICEMCFADDEN@HOTMAIL.COM AND I WILL POST IT HERE.

Bernice L. McFadden

Pride Cometh Before the Fall

I am fiercely independent....to a fault. I rarely ask for help - and when I do, it takes me weeks to form the question. I have always claimed that I am NOT every woman - or a superwoman for that fact - but my behaviors have always suggested otherwise.

Once, when I was as empty as a pocket, I spent and entire winter wearing a pair of sneakers with holes in the soles. I tried my best to fight back the biting cold, snow and ice of the NYC streets, with heavy socks and slabs of cardboard. Years, later when I shared this information with my mother, she stared at me wide-eyed with astonishment and asked, 'Why in the world didn't you tell me?"

I had no answer for her.

The reality was, I was a grown woman with a child of my own - who was I to ask my MOTHER to buy me a pair of sneakers? Her time for doing for me was over. I was the one who was supposed to be doing for her.

That winter, my silence levied a terrible price on my health and bedded me twice with the flu.

Ten years ago my silence may have cost me potentially thousands of sales and a spot on the NYT Bestsellers List.



Well, it's a decade later and I'm a wiser, thicker-skinned, not-so-shy - author. Ten years ago I placed all of my faith and belief in the MACHINE and not in the hands of the ones with the REAL power - YOU.

AS of today the torch has been passed.

I need your help to make Jan 9th 2010 amazing, wondrous and above all HISTORICAL!

Purchase your copy of SUGAR today and become a part of history.

Take a photo of yourself purchasing your copy or SUGAR at your local bookstore and I will post it here on the blog. Send photos to: bernicemcfadden.com


Biggups to Gerald Moore of Charleston, SC - who is doing his part to make SUGAR's 10th Anniversary - HISTORICAL! -- THANK YOU GERALD!

Bernice L. McFadden

Sometimes you just gotta have it out with yourself!

After my birthday I took some time off to get my head together and ponder my future.

I think best when I'm out on the open road and so I jumped in my car and drove down to NC with Jay-Z blaring from my speakers (my fave cuts are: "Off That " and "A Star is Born") Eleven hours later and dog-tired I arrived at my destination and climbed into bed, where I remained for days.....until the little girl inside me - the one that has guided me since I was eight years old and first put pen to paper - poised the simplest of questions:

Her: Are you really gonna let them win?

The "them" of course are the people that have fixed their heels against my literary throat.

My response: I think they've already won.

And then there was that very sad: tsk - tsk-tsk -- and I saw that little girl me, shaking her head with disappointment.

Me: Maybe this is not what I was meant to do.

Her: Really, after thirty-six years...all of a sudden, this is no longer your calling?

Me: *shamefully quiet*

Her: What you gonna do, forget your manifest destiny and go out and get a 9-5?

Me: *shrugging shoulders* It looks like I might have to.

Her: You suck!

Me: I know.

Her: Where is the fighter I used to know?

Me: Beaten and tired.

Her: What about the ancestors? *tapping her foot and glaring at me*

Me: They're going to have to tell their stories to someone else.

Her: Did you tell them that?

Me: Can't you pass on the message?

Her: I ain't no goddamn carrier pigeon!

Me: *Shrugging shoulders*

Her: What about Sugar?

Me: What about her?

Her: She's depending on you to accomplish in 2010 what you couldn't in 2000.

Me: She'll be alright.

Her: So you going to do her like that?

Me: I ain't doing nothing.

Her: That's the fucking problem! You Ain't doing nothing!

Me: Shut up!

Her: No, you shut up!

Me *quiet*

Her: It ain't just about you, you know. It's about the people who are coming up behind you and the ones that came before you.

Me: But I can't --- *wining*

Her: Can't? You know that word ain't part of our vocabulary! *hand raised to back slap me across my face*

****LONG PAUSE*******

ME: You're right.

Her: Ain't I always?

Me: Thank you for reminding me.

Her: Next time bunk all this talk - I'm just going to give you a swift kick in your ass.

Me: Thank you.

Her: You can thank me climbing out of that bed, brushing your teeth and and putting on something other than those holy, faded, pajamas - which by the way - is not a good look for you.





Please purchase at least one copy of SUGAR for yourself, a friend or family member. Cut and paste this message into your email program and send it out to your list. Tweet, Blog, Facebook and Myspace it.... !!

Thanking you in advance for helping SUGAR make history!





Send a picture of yourself purchasing a copy of SUGAR and I will post it on my blog: www.firstborngirl.blogspot.com
Send your photos to: bernicemcfadden@hotmail.com and please include your name and the name and location of the bookstore.

Bernice L. McFadden

You Can Help Make Sugar's 10th Anniversary - Historical!

Dear Book Lover:

You may not know me or my novels, because I am a member of a growing band of African-American writers of literary fiction who are slowly disappearing. And not because I am lacking in talent and credentials; in fact I have already published a number of books with major publishing houses and have been reviewed by national newspapers and well-respected literary journals, and have received critical acclaim and awards for my efforts. My work has been hailed as vivid, thought provoking and brilliant. I have been compared to Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston and Gloria Naylor.

The fact that my novels may disappear is not due to the downward spiral of the economy or the pound of flesh it has taken from the book-publishing industry. No, my demise began long before the floor of the housing market began to rot away and the stock market crashed through.

Why?

I don't rightly know why publishers market fiction written by African-Americans ONLY TO African-Americans - but it has become common practice. And by doing this, they've placed all AA authors in one box forcing them to compete for the attention of ONE audience.

The word that has been coined to describe what is happening to AA writers is: Seg-Book-Gation

Segregation is an abominable practice no matter how you slice it - but when you apply it to art -- it becomes a sin. Art of any medium should transcend color, race, class, religion and ethnicity, but alas, that is not the case in the publishing world.

AA literary writers like myself are being pushed out of the industry all together as we are no longer able to secure book deals, because publisher claim that AA readers are only interested in buying books about sex, street-life and drugs. We know that this is not the case. We are a diverse people, interested in a variety of subjects.

On January 9th, 2010, my debut novel, SUGAR will celebrate its 10th anniversary. In order to commemorate this occasion It is my great hope that this moving story of friendship and acceptance will sell 10,000 copies between now and the anniversary date.

Please try your best to purchase from an independent bookstore. It was the independent bookstores that made SUGAR the instant success it was 10 years ago. But if you're unable to do so, then place your order with AALBC or Amazon.com

It is my dream that the surge in sales for this decade old novel, will send a message to the publishers that we readers desire ...crave and DEMAND a variety of literature from our AA writers because our stories are just as riveting, thought-provoking and universally appealing as the stories coming from our non-African-American counterparts.

Please purchase at least one copy of SUGAR for yourself, a friend or family member. Cut and paste this message into your email program and send it out to your list. Tweet, Blog, Facebook and Myspace it.... !!

Thanking you in advance for helping SUGAR make history!



P.S.

Send a picture of yourself purchasing a copy of SUGAR and I will post it here on the blog. Please include your name and the name and location of the bookstore.
Send to: bernicemcfadden@hotmail.com

Also, don't forget to register your participation by hitting the button in the upper right column -------->

Bernice L. McFadden

Bye...for a little while........

I'm going to be taking a break from blogging for a bit. Got some things I need to work out. I'd like this space to remain a source of information, fun..and POSITIVITY...so In order for it to remain that that way I need to take a step back and take some time to get my head together.

Bernice L. McFadden