If I may use the analogy, I’m like a mother waiting
impatiently to birth the baby, but in my case it is a book. I’m having false labor pains. I thought the book was going to be
released last week, but evidently, the Universe has other plans. The day and
time isn’t right yet. Every birth is different so is every new release. Everyone is asking when is the due date? Is
everything alright? I reply nicely, “A couple of more days.” The days have
turned into weeks, I brace myself as I think about all the positive things
surrounding the birth of a new book. So, here’s my Gratitude list for my new
soon to be new release, Secrets Unraveled.
1.I’m grateful
for all those who have inquired by phone, email or on Facebook about Secrets Unraveled.
2.I’m grateful for
Jessica Tilles of the Writer’s Assistant for the cover design.
3.I’m
grateful for the editors.
4.I’m
grateful for the pre-readers and the valuable advice they gave me.
5.I’m
grateful for social media and the networking it has allowed me.
6.I’m
grateful for fortitude to see this project through.
7.I’m
grateful for the characters who let me share their stories.
8.I’m
grateful for all the technological support for my web presence.
9.I’m
grateful for all those who promised to support me and buy the book.
10.I’m grateful for living my
dream, because this is a path with a heart.
Last night I watched Glee, a musical comedy that follows an
optimistic high school teacher as he tries to transform the students of the
Glee Club. One of the lines that he said in the show last night stuck with me.
You can either become a star by following your dream or let it fall into a black hole. At nine years old, I wanted to be a writer
but as the years came and went, I fell into that black hole. Now I’m a baby boomer and when I retired I resurrected my dream of being a published author and seeing my
books on a bookshelf in a major chain store. My dream came true in 2005, and
with it came a lot of life lessons. I learned that you have to really believe
in yourself and your dream against all odds or the black hole will swallow you and your dream.
Black holes are like shape shifters. You never know what form they may come in.
This became the theme of my new book, Secrets
Unraveled. Margaret Pierce, the main character, believes that God talks to
her and told her to preach and heal, but somewhere along the way she fell
deeply into a black hole. She needed more than a helping hand; she needed
deliverance from a force so strong it threatened to destroy not only her dream
but her. Find out if Margaret was able to get out of
the black hole when you purchase Secret Unraveled online, in electronic format, or at all major
bookstores.
Ten percent of the proceeds go to Neurofibromatosis Inc. in memory of my son, Antoine Aparicio (1984-2001). Thank You.
On May 8 at 11:00am
I will be doing a book signing at Michele’s Place in Annapolis Mall, Md. I
thought I would be signing for my new book, Secrets
Unraveled, but unfortunately it will not be ready in time. Nevertheless, the
show must go on, and I will be signing my first two novels, Life is Never as It Seems and It’s Not Over Yet. If you’re in the area
please stop by and get your copies of the books. With the purchase of a book, you’ll receive
either a free numerology reading or angel reading. Additionally, I will be on BAP Blogtalkradio show Http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/18598 with hostess, Ananda Leeke, tonight,
May 5, at 8:30pm talking about writing, gratefulness, and my books. And boy am
I grateful, read the interview below.
J.J. Interview with Shunda Leigh of Booking Matters Magazine
Do you recall how
your interest in writing originated?
Yes, I first started writing when I was nine years old. I
loved to read and always wanted to write my own fiction stories. I remember
going to the library and looking up publishers and their addresses and
submitting my handwritten stories. I received my first reject letters at that
tender age. Nevertheless, I didn’t give up my dream.
What dreams have been
realized as a result of your writing? Any special memories that you would like to
share?
My childhood dream to be a writer has been realized. This is
what I am supposed to do, not only write, but also write spirituality or
metaphysical books. I believe that this is my life path. I remember the first
time I saw my book on the shelf of a large chain store. I was overcome with
joy. I flipped out my phone and took a picture of it. Then I called my daughter
and she informed me that she was at another store and found it on the shelf.
She also took a picture. I have since calmed down, but only after several
booksigning events.
What books have
influenced your life the most?
When I was fifteen I found a book at the public library that
changed my life for ever. It was a book on reincarnation called The Search for Bridey Murphy by Morey
Bernstein. At that time, I had no idea that I had unlocked a door to a wealth
of esoteric information that would set the course of my life. In fact, this was
just the beginning of the many synchronicities that occurred in my search for
spiritual truth. The second book is The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. I traveled to Scotland and Paris to see some of the sacred sites that Brown
mentioned in the book. I am also a fan of James Patterson, Walter Mosley, Tananarive
Due, and Sidney Shelton. I like mysteries.
Is there anything you
find particularly challenging in your writing?
I write psychic fiction meaning one or two of my characters
have paranormal abilities that they demonstrate in the storyline. My challenge
is to make the character’s psychic experiences believable. I spend a great deal
of time in character development and strong plots. It is important to me that
the reader buys into the character and the plot.
How much of the novel
is realistic?
Although I write fiction, I tend to write from experience or
realistic events. I describe characters as if the action was really happening
so that the reader can identify with the situation that is taking place in the
storyline. At the same time, I strive to make the novel entertaining as well as
though-provoking.
Is there a message in
your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Most definitely! I want reader to become educated about metaphysics
and the occult without having to fear it. There are so many myths and
misinformation about these two subjects that keep people weary of them. I hope
to dispel these myths and show my readers that metaphysics and the paranormal
are a part of everyday life and one need not fear it. The main plot of my
stories may center on paranormal events, but they are also about everyday folks
leading normal lives.
Do you see writing as
a long-or short-term career?
I hope to write forever. It is more than a
career; it is my passion. As the years pass, I hope to grow as a writer and be
able to help others who have a desire to write and publish. I feel that one of
the major benefits of writing it that you leave a legacy—a history of who you
are
It’s been 8 months since I attended the Writer’s DigestConference in New York. I was there to learn how to build my marketing platform
to take my writing career to the next level. I left the conference full of enthusiasm
and high expectation for my writing career, because I had changed my
consciousness to join the ranks of the gatejumpers. I was no longer bound to
the rules of the old traditional publishing model of finding a literary agent
and getting accepted by one of six major publishing companies, and then adhering to their rules. I wasn’t
a stranger to the traditional publishing. My first two books, Life is Never as It Seems and It’s Not Over Yet, were published by Genesis-Press,
a medium sized publishing house. Opting out of another contract with them, I
was free to soar and take the road less traveled.
I remember when I first decided to become a gatejumper. During the course of the conference, I had a three minute interview
with an expert on literary agents. He was going to review my query letter to
point out its strengths and weaknesses to help me find the
perfect literary agent.
As I sat there listening
to him giving me some great and some not so great points about the letter, I
had an epiphany. Why was I even at this meeting? I had decided hours ago that I
was going to follow in the path of Scott Sigler, Seth Harwood, and Chris Brogan
and become a gatejumper. I thank him for his time and left within one minute of
the interview.
I don’t regret my decision. Within these 8 months, the
revolution within the publishing industry between the gatekeepers and
gatejumpers continue at a rapid pace. Gatejumpers are using innovated
technology to publish their books such as the eBooks, iphone apps, Publishing
on Demand (POD) and there are now many small independent self-publishing
companies. The rules of the gatejumpers—you make your own. The more creative
you can be to provide the reader with the reading material they want, the
better. The New Yorker magazine recently published an article, Publish or
Perish: Can iPad topple the Kindle, and save the book business? by Ken Auletta.
Mr. Auletta gives an excellent history of the changes that have caused the publishing
revolution. Go to http:// newyourker.com/reporting/2010/04/26/100426fa_fact_aulet.
As my new release, Secret
Unraveled, comes out this month, I am so excited about all the innovated
things I can do to reach my readers, giving them so many wonderful and affordable
ways to purchase a copy. If you want to hold the book in your hands, then
purchase the trade paperback through any on and off line bookstores. But, you
want it on Kindle, ipad, or Nook than you can do that too.
Do you want to write a book and have it published? Now it the
time. The gatekeepers can’t keep you out of the publishing game. Spread the
word about being a gatejumper.
There's a path that leads to Nowhere
In a meadow that I know,
Where an inland island rises
And the stream is still and slow;
There it wanders under willows
And beneath the silver green
Of the birches' silent shadows
Where the early violets lean.
Other pathways lead to Somewhere,
But the one I love so well
Had no end and no beginning --
Just the beauty of the dell,
Just the windflowers and the lilies
Yellow striped as adder's tongue,
Seem to satisfy my pathway
As it winds their sweets among.
There I go to meet the Springtime,
When the meadow is aglow,
Marigolds amid the marshes, --
And the stream is still and slow. --
There I find my fair oasis,
And with care-free feet I tread
For the pathway leads to Nowhere,
And the blue is overhead!
All the ways that lead to Somewhere
Echo with the hurrying feet
Of the Struggling and the Striving, But the way I find so
sweet
Bids me dream and bids me linger,
Joy and Beauty are its goal, --
On the path that leads to Nowhere
I have sometimes found my soul! Corinne Roosevelt Robinson
______________________________________
Sista to Sista
We
are made from the same cloth
woven
together by a silver thread.
Our
spirits have laughed and cried many lifetimes together.
In
this life we are sisters.
Tears
of joy, tears of sadness
bond
the special moments of our lives
We
stood strong
sharing
dreams and secrets as others
flowed
through our lives leaving their footprints on our hearts.
As
the years passed, dreams became realities.
What
sweet songs sprang forth from your heart,
as
I took the pen to make these precious moments last forever.
Secrets Unraveled will be released in late
spring of this year in trade paperback that you'll be able to purchase from
online retailers and bookstores. I'm excited to announce that you will
also be able to purchase it as an eBook on Amazon.com and other retailers as
well as download it on your phone as an iPhone app. Each of the books in the
Johnson-Lee sage is full of religious and metaphysical drama and doctrine and
is free standing. Secrets Unraveled
will definitely have you thinking about your own family secrets as the main
character of the book leads you on a path of intrigue and suspense. Look for my
email postcard that will give you the exact date of the book release or visit
my website at http://jjmichael.com
Thank you for your support.
Excerpt from Secret Unraveled:
Prologue
Winter 1982, Washington, DC
Three years ago, I wanted to die when my
father died.
My daughter, Lindy, and her satanic worshipers,
killed him. There was no reason for me to live except to avenge his death. When
I tried to get justice, my husband and many of the church members turned
against me. They called me crazy. I became a prisoner in my own home as my
husband controlled everything I did or said. The voice of God had deserted me
and the voice of the devil became my ally.
Margaret’s hand
quivered as she wrote in her notebook about the dreadful events that had led to
the present moment. Thoughts floated in and out of consciousness, making it
difficult for her to write them down. She leaned back into the rocking chair
and gently rocked back and forth, letting the swaying of the chair comfort her
frail nerves.
Reaching into the
pocket of her beige satin robe, she pulled out a lace handkerchief and cried
softly into it not wanting to awaken her husband, the great Reverend Alan
Pierce, who slept across the hall in the bedroom she no longer shared with him.
Margaret stood up
and tightened the belt of the satin robe around her thick body. The twenty
pounds she’d gained had made its way to her waistline. She walked a few steps
down the darkened hallway to the bathroom, and peeped out of the bathroom
window; the street was quiet and dark.
She reached into
the pocket of the robe and pulled out the medicine bottle that she kept close.
Thorazine, take one a day. It was prescribed to her by Dr. Stan Higgs, Head of
the Psychiatry Department of D.C. GeneralHospital. He’d told her and Alan the medicine would
calm her nerves and prevent delusions.
“But I am not
delusional,” she’d tried telling them.
“But this voice
that you hear,” Alan said to her, “you talk back to it. And, quite frankly,
Margaret, half the time you’re not in your right mind. Everyone in the church
is talking about your bizarre behavior. Take the medicine or you know what.”
He’d given her a stern look.
Fear of what Alan
might do, she took the pills and kept her therapy appointments with Dr. Higgs.
Months passed and she began to feel better. The voice that had been in her life
forever, which no one else could hear but her, was gone. She’d begged Dr. Higgs
to take her off the medication.
“I don’t need it
any more.”
“You think you
don’t but you do.”
“I feel fine.”
“That’s because
you’re taking the Thorazine. Your time is up for today anyway.” He turned his
back to her.
Distraught by Dr. Higgs’
condescending attitude toward her, Margaret decided that day to take things
into her own hands. She purposely missed taking her medication. Then she heard the voice again. At first, it
was faint; she had to strain to hear it. But, as the days passed and she
continued not taking her pills, the voice became clearer.
Trust me; don’t take it. The voice spoke
sweetly to her.
“But, if Alan
finds out, he’s going to commit me to an insane asylum or disgrace me in front
of the world.”
Listen to me; I’ll guide you.
And it had led her
to where she now stood in front of the toilet bowl with her medicine in her
hand.
