At Least 100 Words #13

Some days I am great at writing these entries, days like today I am having difficulty.   There is a plethora of reasons, I am not going through any them today.  This is going to be a sprint to at least 100 words, so I can “do as I says, and says as I do”. 

What is planned for this week?  I have several half-written reviews that should see the light of the internet.  I was also considering reviewing audiobooks because I have been a member of Amazon owned Audible since 2011.  I remember borrowing books on CD and tape from the library and yes, I bootlegged them for personal use.  To get a book on CD and tape was ridiculously expensive and it was always cheaper to buy the book or get it from the library.  Technology changed the world for everyone.    Now I can stream all the books for a small monthly fee. 

There will be reviews in the future. 

As October draws close, I have thoughts on what I will be doing in November.  I might talk about it in another entry.   I used to feel giddy for the upcoming events. I can’t feel like that because of the growing sense of uncertainty with the world.  I can feel my pessimistic mind, rolling around and spewing unneeded thoughts.   I also feel the optimist in me, fighting back with whatever it has.   Because this is Monday, I am hoping that everyone has a good week.   We are going to bulldozed with negativity, but I don’t think we have to succumb to it.  We should do something nice for someone else and do our best to be good to ourselves.  Remember that we are not alone in this world. 

End

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Sunday Post #4

Many years ago, I wanted to write a story about a character in a group called the Black Lotus. I looked up the lotus flowers and lilies, their mythologies, and meanings. I downloaded a lot of flower images. I took the flowers- the blue Egyptian lotus, the black princess lotus (actually hot pink), a white lotus and a peach lotus as signatures for my blog accounts.   That was before the quickening, where there could only be one.

 The Black lotus story never really developed past one page and then there was a fire. It got lost in the ashes. I never got rid of the flowers I liked. I even expanded with tulips, sunflowers, orchids, zinnias and mushrooms. I know mushrooms are not flowers. I started to collect nice pictures of flowers, mushrooms, space and alternate world/alien landscapes. I mostly use the sunflower as my personal icon, my final acceptance of the color yellow. This was over a decade ago. I was making the sunflower famous before the song.

I have yet to decide if the Sunday Post is going to be a review of last week or an optimistic preview of the week ahead, both have their pros and cons.  Due to the lack of focus, this entry has been seriously delayed.  Last week looked promising almost everything scheduled was posted.  The result was a satisfied sense of accomplishment.  There are two essays and a review due for this week and there are the writing projects.  The week ahead looks promising.  There is also one overall goal, that I seriously need to work on for this blog.   This week is going to be a lot.  But I’m ready for it. 

End

P.S. Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

At Least 100 Words #12

Blink and the month of September will be over.  It will be October, there used to be a time when this month was all about Halloween and pumpkin flavored food.  However, times have changed. In October, there is an event called Inktober.  It was started by an artist to help improve his drawing skills.  It was put out into vast ocean of the internet and it caught on.  Inktober has a large following and merchandise.  The rules of Inktober is similar to that of NaNoWriMo, you draw pictures for the 31 days and upload them with a hashtag.  There is an official theme list to help artists with their drawing, but you don’t have to keep to it.  I don’t know as much as I would like to about the project.  Although I am not an artist, I admire people who do it and I have attempted to draw on and off.  I won’t denigrate myself by saying I don’t have the talent, when it is more like skill, focus and determination.  Every three months or so I try, then settle to color (I have over 20 adult coloring books and about 10 sets of 50 coloring pencils).  I find them both to be relaxing in different ways. 

Another event that is gaining a following in October is preptober, which is preparing for NaNoWriMo. I have already listened to a pre-preptober podcast for NaNoWriMo in November.  I am usually late to prepare for Nanowrimo, deciding to join in a week or two days before the first of the month.  This time is a little different, I have enough time and I have some an idea about the writing project.   I optimistically believe that I can win Nanowrimo this year.   I might even draw a picture or two and share.  I encourage anyone who wants to participate in these events.  A strong sense of accomplishment and the idea that you are not the only lonely artist or writer attempting to make their way over the creative mountain.  

End

 

Book Review #6

In 2015, Entertainer Issa Rae wrote in her book Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. That maybe it would be beneficial for Black women if they dated and married Asian men.

Some people in the black community wanted to criticize her suggestions. Interracial Romance Authors decided to take her suggestion and run with it.  The results are phenomenal.  There are thousands of interracial romance stories featuring Asian men and Black women.  This is just one series; I began reading in 2019 and came back to while I was in the hospital.  I was looking for happy endings and I found some of them here.  These two books are part of a four-book series.  They can be borrowed if you have Kindle unlimited. They are exclusive books sold only by Amazon.

Sweet Sweet Revenge By Nia Arthurs

Joon Gi Kim was once a successful businessman, engaged to a\ beautiful woman Hanna Park and admired by many. An anonymous tip to authorities changed all that. He is arrested and charged with a white-collar crime. The stigma of being a criminal has turned everyone in his social community against him.  He loses his business and fiancée. Down and out, he resorts to offering his business knowledge, to a baker Sky Johnson and her struggling shop Sweet Treat. Sky is a kind-hearted woman, who chooses to see better in people than there actually is.  She hires Joon Gi even though she is sure he is up to something.  Joon Gi vows revenge against those who have wronged him.  He thinks he knows who they are.  Besides a struggling business Sky also has relationship issues that need to be dealt with.

The attraction is evident between these two and during a series of events, love springs up between them.  Joon Gi and Sky’s relationship blossoms and it changes them both.  Sky stands up for herself and Joon Gi puts aside his plans for revenge to help Sky and her shop when she needs it.   Joon Gi’s enemy is revealed and it is a twist.  The story ends with the shop being saved.  Sky and Joon Gi committing to each other.

Sweet Sweet Disaster By Nia Arthurs

Sun Gi Kim is a successful businessman and younger brother of Joon Gi Kim.  He saved the family’s fortune when Joon Gi was arrested and is engaged to his brother’s ex-fiancée, Hanna Park. Ignoring is brother’s advice not to marry a woman he has no feelings for, Sun Gi ignores this and continues with wedding plans.   Sun Gi is attempting to prove something that can’t be done. Joana Lee Gregory is a part-time worker at Sweet Treats and a good friend to Sky Johnson. She is a biracial woman with a Korean mother and a Black father and aspiring-to-be-discovered singer. She prefers to go by the name Jo. She has a crush on Sun Gi since they were introduced in Sweet Sweet Revenge.   However, is quite sure that Sun Gi would never be attracted to her. 

This, of course, is not true.  Sun Gi is seduced by Jo’s beautiful voice when she secretly performs at a nightclub.  He searches for this “Nightingale” only to realize she was always in front of him.  

Jo appears to be confident in herself and life choices however there are cracks like she feels she will never be enough for her Black and Korean families.   She wants to be a vocalist, however getting recognition without a support system is very difficult.

Meanwhile through complicated circumstances Jo leaves her job working with Sky.  There is an introduction of a new character Jewel.  Jo ends up working at a store but soon fate work for her and she gets the job as Sun Gi’s executive assistant.   Their attraction to each other grows but Sun Gi is still engaged to Hanna Park. 

A plot twist occurs that can only be describe as K-drama melodramatic goodness.  Sun Gi and Joon Gi who have been estranged since book one, work out their brother issues.  Hanna and Sun Gi decide not to get married.  Jo and Sun Gi become a couple. 

These two stories were interesting to me for different reasons.  There are some things I liked about it and there are some things I didn’t.  But overall, it was an enjoyable read.  Arthurs left the mean evil ex-girlfriend trope and came up with a plot twist I was not expecting.  Also, the story is set in a part of the world that I never really thought about.  It seems like something strange and completely stupid to write.  Belize as the setting for the story was different than what I am used to in romance stories.  Usually in these stories set in not the United States or Canada, the main female character is visiting, the new wonderful tropical land. Full disclosure at the time I read these books it had been a couple of years since I’ve read a contemporary romance with no supernatural or speculative fiction element to it.  The world building felt normal.  I believe that was something I needed because my real world was very uncertain.  I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a pleasant read. 

End