It’s That Awkward Silence When You Ask Me…

 

Image Credit: Pixabay

 

Awkward

A simple Google search on “awkward moments” will bring up a whopping, gazillion sites claiming the Top 20, Top 10, and Top 31 awkward moments we face. Well, my awkward moment could be considered blasphemy, and it would have been placed in my personal journal but I decided to publicize it: I have awkward moments when someone asks me if I am a Christian. Here are my reasons.

First, before you think it is because I am ashamed of my Lord and Savior, I implore you to believe that is not the case. The problem is I have very slim good experiences with Christians. I think we can commend them for the food and clothing programs, but many can be very rude and I remember a church’s deacon avoiding me and my husband at a cookout because we once asked for a little financial assistance, but they did not avoid us when we donated money and paid “tithes and offerings” beforehand. Christians tend to be church folk and do what is most easy and comfortable for them.

A pastor told me that helping someone in need and expecting those in the church to lend a hand is “Secular thinking”. to Telling the person to pray to Jesus is more appropriate…according to him.

That is reason number one.

If you ask me if I am a Christian, I may clam up and kind of shoot my eyes left and right so I won’t look at the judgment in your gaze. Yes. Awkward moment of silence there but I will not apologize for it because of reason number two.

Reason number two for my awkwardness when asked if I am a Christian, is the history of Christianity. Let me put it bluntly. A few years ago, I would proudly say “I am a Christian” and I even put it on the About Me page here-proudly. But I live a filmy residual, ghost-like kind of life of intersectionality: I am Black. Female. Christian. At any time, I have to be all three.

Blacks had Christianity whipped into them. Women, in the bible and in churches are not seen as powerful, productive light(unless it’s the infamous unattainable goal of being the Lady of Proverbs 31).

Moving on, I may ignore you if you are a Christian and talk too much, too loud, and too harshly about certain groups of people you are uncomfortable with. Count me out. I am not going to bash the LGBTQI community. I will not say the “poor need to pull up invisible bootstraps”, I will not think that the only people on earth who need help is across the globe- we all need help all over the globe, maybe in different stages and degrees.

Point blank, you may hear me moan, groan, tap my foot, tap my pen or ignore you if you come at me with questions about Christianity.

Just kidding. I’m not that mean, but there may be an awkward silence for a moment.

Don’t know why this topic of Awkward made me spill all these beans, but there you have it.

~Ericajean

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‘Feversong’ The Tear Jerking Finale #TruthInFiction

 

Feversong by Karen Marie Moning(Fever Series, #9)

Published: Dell Mass Market Edition(2017)

ISBN:978-0-399-59365-9

I just finished the most amazing, emotionally gripping, tear-jerking dark romance fiction ever and what I learned from the book, is the one lesson that binds us all: We are powerfully fragile.

So, yes. I did shed a few tears over this one. This commonly happens if I have stuck with a series for a while and if an author really knows what they are doing. A tale that has stuck with me for the better part of 11 years, hits its conclusion.

So here is the gist of the Feversong. I will try to be concise because it is kind of a  complex story.

• The world is being eaten by giant black holes and only the Song of Making can (possibly) eradicate them.
• Mac is the possible hero and she must wield the song, but how?
• The Sinsar Dubh(evil, psychotic presence) book, thrives inside of her and turns her into this brutal, blood slinging killing machine-thus, the Song of Making shall not happen anytime soon– we think.
• Her relationship with the “atavistic” and superbly hot Barrons still ignites the pages, but now Jada/Dani is scorching the story with her love triangle between Ryodan and Dancer. Ryodan is thousands of years old, sexy and methodical as well as an immortal beast while Dancer has the most soulful, arresting eyes and is about 17(?) with a huge…brain. He is crazy smart and handsome.
• Instead of trying to figure out the freaking song to repair earth, Mac must get herself together or she will lose herself and all she loves.

Again, tear-jerker. Lots of stuff I did not expect.

The Fever series takes place in Dublin, Ireland and the characters are of human and fae origins. Then you have some monsters that will give you nightmares. Ever hear of the Crimson Hag? Her dress is made of guts.

Enough said.

The lesson I learned from this entire series is that being just human is a gift. The fae can barely show emotion and do not understand the big, boundless emotion called Love. But it is this part of us that can undo us or make us strong. Make us fragile, or powerful.

Sometimes in life, we get caught up in thinking we are just so beyond reproach. That we are above the ants and roaches and grass we tread on. We really do! Yet- check this out- we all eventually expire.

In the novel, the group of friends including the Nine immortals(man those dudes are hot, Dang!) But that’s not important.

They all realize that earth could end in a week or less.

How would you spend your life if you knew you had exactly one week to live here?

Read the book. Read the freaking series.

Live. Breathe. Love. Please?

In the meantime, you can visit Karen Mare Moning’s website to find her voracious readers’ comments and the latest book which I will have to purchase as soon as possible.

I love sharing what I read, and if you have suggestions about a book you’ve read or if you are a Fever fan, consider commenting and/or sharing this post.

Sincerely,

Ericajean

A Very Thirsty Frog-Short Fiction

 

Photo Credit: Egor Kamelev
 

 

Today, I introduce you to some flash fiction (I have a hard time keeping my writing slim if you know what I mean) I will try, LOL! These prompts are from Write every day: A Year of Daily Writing Prompts by J.M. Snyder.

Me.

Standing in front of the tall bar stool in the abandoned community center of 54^th street. The lights are shining right on me. I am wearing my yellow rubber boots, yellow jeans and shirt-I just love anything yellow. Sun, butter, lemons. Piss is yellow too but…

My friends from high school are all looking at me, because all of my tricks work since elementary school were steller except this one. I said, “Okay everybody. Watch this!” Last night I kissed the slimy, gray frog and indeed with a bit of fart smells exploding from his little booty(do they have one?) he grew into a smoldering tanned skin, crimson-eyed honey for all of ten seconds before farting and turning into an amphibian once again. In the present, his lumpy eyes were sad yet observant as I lean forward to kiss it. AGAIN. Nothing….again. I hear ever encouraging audience: “Man this is wack! Let’s go!” The treacherous hot tears bum rushed my face before I could do anything. As my audience file out throwing up “deuces”, I kicked out my foot to knock the bar stool over, when the frog leaped from the stool and onto my face. Suddenly my bowels lost control and I broke wind. HARD. Before I knew it, I was looking up with a worm’s eye view, into the face of the handsome tanned guy and when I tried to ask him why was he so tall…I croaked. Like seriously the worst belch ever! The fly buzzing around looked tasty too, like a mini flying hamburger…

You too can try the prompt: “You’re a magician who forgets how a magic trick is supposed to work halfway through your performance.”

Thanks for reading! Consider joining the other 500+ subscribers who love to read and write creatively as well as connect with other beautiful folks like you!

‘Belle and the Beau’ #AfricanAmericanHistorical, #TruthInFiction

Belle and the Beau by Beverly Jenkins

Published by NYLA Publishing(2002)

Ebook ISBN: 978-1641970174

www.nyliterary.com

I had the absolute pleasure of reading yet another one of Beverly Jenkins’ book. This time a YA Historical Fiction called Belle(Belle and the Beau). I enjoyed every second of this book and learned one very important fact that blew my mind. Here is a brief summary of this sweet book:

“After a grueling escape north, Belle Palmer is free, yet lost and alone. Separated from her father on the harrowing journey, Belle has nowhere to turn until she finds shelter with the Bests, the first free family she’s ever known. For the first time in her sixteen years, Belle is able to express herself freely-except where her feelings for a certain dark-eyed young man are concerned.

Daniel Best is headed for great things. Educated and handsome, at eighteen he is full of the promise and dream of his people, and is engaged to the prettiest (if the most spoiled) girl around. So when a bedraggled stranger arrives in his household and turns into a vibrant, lovely young woman, his attraction to her catches him entirely by surprise.”

-Blurb is from Goodreads.com

The reason I love Jenkins’ writing so much, is that you can tell she not only does her research but cares about the characters she weaves into the historical fabric. Belle is described as tall, dark-skinned, with short hair and very pretty. She ran away from slavery and was found literally by the boy she will fall in love with.

The events in the novel felt all too real, but that is because slavery was real. Not an imagined history. Belle was unable to read but could sew and cook very well, there were slave catchers in the story that caused a visceral reaction in me and then there was the sweet, building romance between her and Daniel.

I liked Daniel because he was eighteen but already so serious, because helping the slaves is serious business and though he was “kind of engaged to Francine”, an equally beautiful girl- something about Belle made the man in him stand out, but there’s a reason why he feel he must marry Francine even at the cost of his own true love…

Now, the part that blew me away was August 1^st. Do you know the history behind August 1, 1834?

No?

In the book, Belle learns that Daniel Best and his family do not celebrate July 4^th. They do not celebrate it because what sense does it make to celebrate America’s freedom from the British, when the blacks were still slaves? So, instead, the Best family celebrate August 1^st– the day the British freed the slaves in the West Indies.

Neat, huh?

Told you there is always some truth in fiction. Especially historical fiction.

The next book in this duology is called Josephine. I really hope you check these books out and let me know what you think!

For more honest book reviews like this one, please subscribe to get the scoop early.

Hugs,

~The Write Web

‘Feverborn’ Steamed Up the Pages and Offers These Two Truths #TruthInFiction #BookReview

Cover Design by Eileen Carey

Cover Photograph: Elena Alferova/Trevillion Images

Blog Image designed by Ericajean using Canva

It began with MacKayla Lane learning about her sister’s death in Dublin, Ireland. When she herself goes there, MacKayla(“Mac”) realizes she has not only is she a Sidhe-Seer, she had just entered the feverish and seductive world of the fae and at every turn around the corner, death could literally grab her.

Not sure if any of you heard of this series but I finally bought Feverborn(Fever Series, #8) and it has plenty going on. Here is a brief summary of this addictive romance :

When the immortal Fae destroyed the ancient wall dividing the worlds of Man and Faery, the very fabric of the universe was damaged, and now Earth is vanishing bit by bit. Only the long-lost Song of Making—a haunting, dangerous melody that is the source of life itself—can save the planet.

But those who seek the mythic song must contend with old wounds and new enemies, passions that burn hot and hunger for vengeance that runs deep. The challenges are many: the Keltar at war with nine immortals who’ve secretly ruled Dublin for eons, Mac and Jada hunted by the masses, the Seelie queen nowhere to be found, and the most powerful Unseelie prince in all creation determined to rule both Fae and Man. Now the task of solving the ancient riddle of the Song of Making falls to a band of deadly warriors divided among—and within—themselves.

-Blurb from Amazon

The first thing I love about Karen Marie Moning’s writing, is she is so descriptive and raw with what happens to the characters. Mac is deeply in love with Barrons but they do not call each other girlfriend/boyfriend. I remember in the fifth book, Barrons mentioned that humans must label everything. Would it change what they are if they labeled what they have?(I’m paraphrasing here).

Sexual Healing

MacKayla and Barrons have found their own Gospel- –sex.

“He’d accessed.

I was pain and violence.

He’d given his body as a Band-Aid for the wound…Sex is so damned healing.”(Feverborn, Moning, 2015: pg.171)

Now, what does this have to do with truth? In the novel, Mac mentions a lot about how “tightly wound” she is and she never knows if she is herself or how to deal with certain emotions especially after losing her sister and then losing Dani. So she would have primal, hot jungle sex with Barrons to release all her frustration and get “loose” for battle.

Barrons is described as primal, animalistic, not classically handsome, but if a woman were to see him in her line of sight she will either run from or to him. That’s how sensual he is. Whew!

Here is part of an article from Psychology Today which offers a link between sex and healing

“Sex reduces pain in two ways. It’s an enjoyable distraction. During sex, people focus less on their pain—and as a result, suffer less. And because it’s exercise, sex releases endorphins, the body’s own pain-relieving compounds. One of the nation’s most prevalent chronic-pain conditions is osteoarthritis. The Arthritis Foundation recommends regular sex to help control it.

Got the blues? Sex elevates mood. The endorphins released during lovemaking not only relieve pain, but also have antidepressant action. Massage is also a mood-enhancer, and good sex includes whole-body massage.”

There was definitely a lot of paint splashing, chairs breaking, and backs slamming against walls in this one- but then again, it’s Barrons. Mac can’t resist him.

Change Your Mind

The second truth is about neuroplasticity. One of the Nine(an immortal race of men including Barrons) mentioned it to a woman who wanted to regain her memory.

A while back, back, perhaps five years ago, I did a review of Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book Switch On Your Brain. In it, she described how our brains don’t have to be stuck in a loop, it can grow. It can change with positive thinking, reminding us “not to make genetics our god.” I just thought it interesting that the subject was brought up in this dark fantasy romance.

I highly recommend The Fever Series! If you like slow burn seduction, Dublin Ireland, ladies who kick butt with swords but have a black heart of gold you will love it.

For more reviews please subscribe and I love when good reviews are shared! Tweet, Facebook, Link, whatever you need to do and have an awesome day!

~The Write Web

Print Books Making a Huge Comeback?

Hi fellow bloggers and bookworms!

I never finished the A to Z Challenge, but that is okay.

I want to talk about how the more things change, the more they do stay the same. For instance, when I see cell phones of today versus the phone of twenty and thirty years back. The phones in the past were bigger or were mostly “flip” phones and have gotten smaller, but lately, there are Smartphones big enough to be tablets and I am confused, is it an e-book or phone? Are we getting back to bigger phones?

Well, the same thing is happening with books according to the Thrift Books press release three days ago.

The Praxis Research surveyed 1,000 readers and discovered:

• 70% of readers prefer print to ebooks
• 37% women prefer mystery(thought it would be romance, didn’t you?)
• 13% people read while they commute
• 92% of kids ages 10-17 borrow books from the library

Since February, I have gone back to reading print books. In fact, last weekend, I bought Feverborn by Karen Moning in print(I love reading her print books!). I miss the fresh smell of the ink in a newly opened book and when my phone crashed the other day, I realized if I only read on a device, I could lose everything.

So now, I have the Kindle app on my PC and balance out with print. Every now and then, I find great ebooks on Freading and I will use their app-even though it needs improvement.

Anyway, let me know if you prefer print books and why.

Have a great day!

~The Write Web

U Is For UFO Green #ColorsInPoetry #AtoZChallenge @AprilA2Z

 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

 

I read somewhere lightning strikes

From the ground up

And if so, then I wonder what I was

Before I met you

Was I the ground or the strike?

The thing or the brown?

In another life I am the

Unidentified Fly Object

Of your affections

Whatever the process,

The pollination set ablaze

by your gaze

Your touch and taste

Takes me to another

World where we are

Un-touched by un-love

But once identified, once acceptance

Has blossomed-

Will I need to stop fighting?

To see myself? To see us?

-Ericajean