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Welcome To SORMAG's Blog
About Me
- LaShaunda
- I believe in promoting authors and their books. Let me introduce you and your books to online readers.
I'm also a happily married mother of three who's trying to break into the Christian writing field. The writing road can be rocky.
I’m available for:
Online promotion coaching
Lectures
Seminars
Freelancing
Contact me at:lchwriter@gmail.com
13 comments:
My favorite author moment was having the late great Johnny Cochran walk into one of my signings. Talk about being blown away. And yes, he bought a book!
Meeting Francis Ray and Evelyn Palfrey were two of my favorite author moments.
Meeting Ms. Beverly Jenkins and meeting Nikki Giovanni. I was actually on a panel with Ms. Jenkins and couldn't speak, I just wanted to hear what she had to say! And then I was performing at a function where Ms. Giovanni spoke, and I went up and introduced myself afterwards. I wish I had my book with me so she could sign it, but she was very gracious.
Savannah J. Frierson
I have a few favorite moments and I’ll share them.
I have three all time favorite authors and I had the pleasure of meeting them all.
My first is Rochelle Alers. She was the first AA romance author I ever read. I wrote her a letter and to my surprise she wrote back. She came to St. Louis on tour and I sent her an email and invited her to dinner. She accepted. You couldn’t have told me I wasn’t Oprah Winfrey that night. I prepared my best meal and sat down to one of the best talks in my life. I will always cherish those hours I got to learn about Joshua’s creator (my favorite romance hero). That dinner began a beautiful friendship.
My second is meeting Beverly Jenkins. I went to my first Slam Jam in 2000 and was blown away by all the authors. I’d been a fan of Beverly and not in my wildest dreams did I think we’d ever meet in person. I’d had the pleasure of interviewing her over the phone. She called my house and left a message. I screamed for about 15 minutes before I worked up the nerve to call her back. Of course it wouldn’t be a LaShaunda interview without the screaming of one of my kids in the back ground. Beverly didn’t mind and she had me as a fan for life.
At the slam, we sat in the banquet hall and talked for a few hours. It was worth the price of the conference. She answered all my crazy questions about writing and the next day spoke to me again, which I thought was amazing since I’d talked her ear off. I thought the lady wouldn’t have anything to do with me ever again. LOL.
My third is Francis Ray. She also came to St. Louis and agreed to have dinner. We talked for hours and she was so encouraging to a wantabe writer.
These three ladies friendships are something that I treasure in my heart. Their books inspired SORMAG and it is to them I dedicate my commitment to promoting authors.
Thanks Rochelle, Beverly and Francis for introducing me to the world of romance books and showing me I could have romance in my life.
I had an amazing discussion with Sunni Jeffers when I attended my very first writer conference several years ago. We were at the Idaho Writer's League in Coeur D'Alene, ID. She took time out of her evening and spent over 3 hours just sharing and encouraging and connecting with me, a newbie. To this day, I am in awe of Sunni even though we have gotten to know each other so well. She pointed me to RWA and to ACFW. She will forever remain one of my heroes.
Angie Breidenbach
http://www.MyGemofWisdom.com
Okay so who doesn't love Maya Angelou...I don't know but anyway my author moment came my freshman year at Spelman. One of the women in the psychology office knew that I loved her poetry and had read all of her books at the time and arranged for me to receive a ticket to hear her speak at a local pastor's 25th anniversary. The experience blew me away!!! We were less than 25 feet from each other during dinner and her words of encouragement and wisdom were priceless.
I love many Christian fiction authors who are encouraging and a select few who give of themselves in the liberty and mature love that casts out fear, competition and destructive criticism I can't name them all but I interviewed one of them for my web TV review show Faithful Folios Tiffany L. Warren, she is fun, funny and free in Christ. One favorite author moment I'm not going to ever forget.
WOW... loaded question because I view all authors as SUPERSTARS.. Meeting Nikki Giovanni was awesome; E. Lynn Harris was fun; Walter Mosley was intriguing(sp); Maya Angelou was undescribable.
My favorite authors, who I see everytime they hit the city, LA Banks, Beverly Jenkins, Kendra Norman-Bellamy these women are funny, friendly, gracious, humble and always worth the seeing :-)
My favorite moment was meeting Brenda Jackson. She did a book signing here in Jacksonville at BAM. She not only answered questions about her current book and signed those, but she signed others that I had in my bag. After it was over she answered many questions about the writing game and her break into the writing world. My kids went to the signing with me and for a long time after my son asked, "mom is that a Brenda jackson book"?
Forgive me, I just remembered my favorite author moments.
I met L.A. Banks twice. Once at a meet and greet in Chicago and she signed my copy of Minion, which by the way, I won in the raffle. The second time was down the street from my apartment at Borders Books when she again came to Chicago.
There were so many readers and friends attending that they had to bring in extra chairs.
Mrs. Banks is indeed a gracious lady. Stranger or not you are greeted with the same hug!
I've been a fan for more than 6 years. Read eleven of her 12 Vampire Huntress Legends books.
Since I've been a writer, I've met many more authors at several events I've signed at or visited. I love being in the company of authors and listening to their journeys.
My favorite author moment came the evening my poetry group sponsored a show featuring Nikki Giovanni. She was great; spoke both fiercely and passionately and recited down to earth poetry. Then a few years ago I went to another poetry slam and she was there. I autographed my own poetry book and gave it to her. Just knowing SHE'S in possession of one of my books makes me feel I’m always in the company of greatness.
My favorite author moments include when I first met Jacquelin Thomas and Victoria Christopher Murray! They were as gracious, real and down to earth as they are now. My recent favorite author moment is when I met Rev Run and his wife Justine Simmons from the reality show Run's House. Justine, his wife, was so down to earth and funny and Rev. Run acted just as nonchalant as he does on the show. After she signed her children's book and he signed his Words of Wisdom book, Justine graciously accepted a complimentary copy of my latest autographed novel Beautiful Ugly! I couldn't fall down because I was already sitting in my power wheelchair-Thank God!
One more time y'all. Will somebody who knows how to reach J. California Cooper puhleeze tell her that she has been my mentor and favorite writer forever and ever! I want to meet her so bad! I also want to meet Francis Ray. I missed the opportunity to visit her booksigning when I was in Memphis because I had a booksigning out of town that same weekend she was in town. What a bummer that was!
As a high school senior in Philadelphia; I had the pleasure of meeting Nikki Giovanni at a signing she did at Temple University to promote her Poem For Angela.
Now go with me back to 1970 when Angela Davis was on the run. I was a teen-aged poet in all my Black Revolution glory and you will understand how souped up I was. I still have the signed copy of that poem.
A few years later, I was on a train from Phila. to Washington, D.C and who did I spot quietly sitting on the train reading a book.. . the late Gwendolyn Brooks! Now that was really a moment because I mustered up the nerve to approach her. She invited me to sit down beside her when I told her that Maude Martha was the first novel that I read by a Black person and how she inspired me to become a writer. She critiqued my poems and gave me her mailing address.
We talked until I got off of the train and she took copies of my poetry with her, one of which she submitted for publication in Black World Magazine (formerly Negro Digest)and that is how I
first became a published poet.
We kept in touch by letters for a few years and she continued to encourage me to write. She was such a great lady and so humble.
I don't think that I will ever forget that day and it's been over 35 years ago. LOL
Idrissa who is telling her age today
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