Welcome back!

I loved this pic Matti Á. took and posted on Flickr. There lots of other pics to choose from but this one made me think of New Years Eve in Anytown, Anywhere–Especially in Mytown, USA.

As we line up at the golden gate of a new year, it reminds me of why New Years is one of my favorite holidays. It is a time that I reflect where I have been in the last year and where I hope to go. I always take a moment to respect all that went wrong and what I can learn from it and I take a moment to revel in all that went right and how to learn from that as well.

Yes I usually make resolutions each New Years and by the time December rolls around I have no memory of what they were or whether I’ve achieved them. I wish I could say this year 2008 was different was not. All the major changes I made happened along the way. In 2008, I definitely took some steps and some leaps to ensure that 2009 would be a very different year. The previous years have been a great mixture of good, bad and great. (Nothing is all good or all bad). But 2009 promises to resemble nothing that came before it.

I now have a blog with a growing community I love contributing to. I’m building a freelance reputation that is brewing much better than I could have expected. And hopefully, early 2009 will bless me with a permanent employment arrangement that compliments all that I am trying to do instead of being in conflict with it.

This time of year brings everyone to a point of reflection and that’s where I found myself last night. Where are we going and what would we like to do when we get there?

Reflect on it and if you’d like to share with a post to this blog entry, I would love to read your responses.

Cheers to a happy new year where work, determination, prayer, and a little pixie dust will bring us that much closer to all we desire!

Let me start out by saying that sci-fi isn’t one of my favorite genres’ especially when it comes to erotic storys.  But I have to say I was pleasantly surprised how this book turned out.  I couldn’t put it down.  The story is about a couple of young women who by way of the Bermuda Triangle are transported to a land not unlike Earth but at a different time.  Here they must fend for them selves in a remote area from wierd and wild creatures.  They are soon taken in by a family that is more than willing to help them aquire the skills to survive in this new land.  But the best part is how they are accepted into this new family through some of the best sex scenes I have seen or read.  The sex is hot and raw from multiple partners to partners unlike any you have seen.  If only I had the chance to meet this family.   This was one hot read. 

When I came out from under the holiday blanket I was under over the last few days, I realized that the loss of another big star has taken place. For me anyway, the year always seems to end with the passing of another huge cultural contributor. The year usually ends with a great sense of anticipation for what is about to come and a sense of reflection on what will cease to be. As with anything in life, I’ve learned nothing is all bad or all good. Everything has a balance of these traits it’s all about how we think of them.

I briefly checked the news headlines and email to discover the passing of Eartha Kitt. Born in January of 1927, Eartha Mae Keith was born in the cotton fields of South Carolina to a mother of African American and Cherokee decent and a father of German-Dutch descent. A cinema and stage icon, Kitt tantalized us with her unusual looks and her sultry visual persona.

While Kitt was a little before my generation, she had that name recognition and that visual appeal that caused her talent and contributions to be accepted without question. Staking her seat in film, stage and behind the mic since 1948, it makes me think about how the multi-formatted performer is not new and multicultural icons are not so unusual–maybe not unusual but definitely deserving of attention for its own sake. Certainly, Kitt’s professional persona was geared toward African Americans, because of the era where it only took a drop to place you in that category. But with audiences around the world paying tribute to her career and her passing, it makes me appreciate all the more what can come from a series of challenges.

Rest in peace, Ms. Kitt. Thank you for giving us a sense of what professional class and beauty can be both on stage and off.

Whether it’s Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or Festivus! I hope you take the time to enjoy family and friends this holiday season!

Thanks so much for making Sable Lit Reviews a part of your holiday season with great participation in our holiday contests and the special comments you’ve contributed both online and off! I appreciate them all!

Oh, as a gal born during the holiday season (a few days after New Years to be exact)– HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL of the Holiday babies out there–no matter what your age!

 Today, we have another special short story from GW Pickle.  I like his writing in that he captures emotion and writes about characters we come to care about in such a few amount of words. At first, I didn’t want to use this picture because it seems so bland, but once you read his story, you’ll see it is perfect. Enjoy GW Pickle’s My Uncle’s Gift and know that a review of his book SENTI is coming up shortly. It’s next on my review list–finally!

My Uncle’s Gift

By GW Pickle

I was born in the early fifties and My Mom, widowed when I was three, had her hands full raising me. She had help from my Grandmother and sometimes her brother. I always thought my Uncle Chuck was cool. He was a WWII veteran, owned a picture framing business, made lots of money, and was very generous. He lived about an hour away and frequently drove down to either fix something for my Grandmother or do something for my Mom. Uncle Chuck was a big spender and loved to do things with me. “You know kid, with your Dad and your Grandpa gone, someone got to teach you things they don’t in school.” He taught me how to hunt and fish, how to play ball, and how to be a man. He took me places when my Mom couldn’t. Owning a neighborhood Gas and Grocery store kept her busy. I helped out as much as I could, but most of the work and worry fell on her shoulders. My Uncle Chuck also had a big problem. He was an alcoholic. I can’t remember him not having a beer.

            Mom also had another sister and a second brother. He lived on the west coast and only came to visit every three to four years. Every year Uncle, Bill would send a Christmas card to my Mom and Grandma. My Grandma’s card would have a check so she could get what she wanted. My Aunt had four children and we got together twice a year, Christmas and during the summer, when we drove my Grandma to visit. We would go back two weeks later and pick her up. Every other year my aunt and her kids would come to our house to celebrate Christmas. Christmas dinner was always held at Grandma’s. We would eat our Christmas meal around eleven and open presents after dessert. We would gather around the tree and either my Mom or Aunt would pass out the gifts.
            One year, I must have been nine or ten years old, my Uncle Chuck was late. He’d missed the Christmas meal and we had just finished passing out gifts when he arrived, drunk, very drunk. I could tell something was wrong but I was still happy to see him. He explained he had to work very late the last two weeks because one worker was sick and the other had quit. My Mom asked if she could help get the gifts out of his car. He pulled out a big roll of money and told her that he hadn’t had time to get gifts this year, but if we would line up he would give us money to buy our own. My Grandma was first in line and my Aunt and cousins were next. My Mom was next and I was last. When I approached my Uncle for my gift, He looked down at me. He had a weird look on his face. He turned and he left the room upset.

            I thought I heard him crying. I turned to my mother and ask “What’s a matter with Uncle Chuck?”
            A cousin replied. “May be he don’t like you anymore.”
            “No, that’s not it.” My Mom said. “He may have had a little too much to drink. You remember I told you what sometimes happens when someone drinks too much?”            

            I left and found my Uncle sitting in the dining room crying. When I ask him what’s wrong, he told me. “I’m so sorry. I got nothing to give you for Christmas.” He started to cry again.

            I gave him a hug and said, “Uncle Chuck, you being here is the best gift I could have. I don’t need a toy or money. I know you love me and that’s enough, that’s what Christmas is all about, right.”

            “Yes.” He agreed. “You got it right and I hope you don’t ever forget that. It’s love and family that are important, not the gifts or the money.” He gave me a big hug.
            My Grandma came in a few minutes later with a plate of food and asked. “You want to eat here or in the kitchen? Because I know you’re not leaving here until you eat.”

            “Here,” He replied here. “And could you get a piece of pie for your grandson too. I’d like him to eat with me.”
            My grandma returned a few minutes later with a piece of pie and a glass of milk and left. After we finished, I told Uncle Chuck I’d be right back with my gift for him.
            He said I’d already given him the best Christmas gift he had ever had.

All rights reserved by GW Pickle

Here’s the blurb on SENTI -

Major Jack Waco was the best pilot in the SENTI Command. A self-proclaimed loner, he thought he didn’t need anything or anyone until he met Major Maggie Wilson, who challenged those preconceptions. Maggie’s resemblance to an important person from Jack’s past revived memories and feelings within him, sending his head and his heart into turmoil. With a government conspiracy on-hand and large-scale interstellar piracy threatening the very stability of the galaxy, will Jack be able to cope with these newly-awakened feelings in time to succeed in bringing the guilty to justice or would he be betrayed by them – far out in a newly-discovered planetary system on the other side of the galaxy?

If you want to read it before I review it, please visit Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com

Sometimes the best way to capture the multiculturalism of your characters is to incorporate the food of the culture in your writing. If your character is Irish, you don’t have to go into the vast history of Ireland, you could just mention some uncommon Irish meal or dish as being a favorite of your character’s.

For example, if I was writing about Kenyan journalist Wangethi Mwangi, to make him appear as a more human figure instead of just a journalist, I could talk about his hobby of Kenyan cooking. This would explain why many people list hobbies on resumes. It is a way to make an employment candidate appear more human. Not everyone is familiar with the food of a given culture. So with Wangethi Mwangi as my example, exploring the food of your character’s ethnic origin is a way to expand your reader’s horizon and round out your characters at the same time. Like Wangethi Mwangi and his love for Kenyan cooking, the love of food is universal, something that we all understand and can build a common ground around.

The next time you want to incorporate the details of your character’s culture, instead of referencing hair color or complexion, you can mention the favorite dish of their ethnic culture. It accomplishes the same thing in a more interesting way.

When writing your stories in a given time period and setting it is important to consider the details of your story. For example, if you are writing a story based in the 1980’s, your characters probably didn’t listen to CDs or watch DVDs. Your readers will pick up on such errors. Again this makes research that much more important. Or something that is less obvious would be the use of cabs. Since the setting for much of my writing takes place in New York and New Jersey it is important that I understand about the mode of transportation. So I might research Amos Tamam, an engineer who contributed 30 years of innovation in the taxi industry. One innovation we take for granted is the recent ability for taxi’s to accept credit cards. Amos Tamam’s involvement in the various improvements within the taxi industry requires me to be more considerate when I have my characters utilize a taxi given the setting and time period of my stories.

Additionally, Amos Tamam was educated at Tel Aviv University in Israel. His story alone brings about an interesting twist to how multiculturalism can bring change and improvements to US society. Not every great idea or improvement is American-bred. The next time your character takes a cab, that detail may not be as simply or mundane as you originally thought

I mentioned it before, but I really like exploring the life of everyday people who may do extraordinary things. I also like to have characters that have names common to their culture—or common period.  I think it helps with relating to the character. Many authors try to come up with these unique names that are not ethnic but just exotic for the sake of being memorable.

I can’t relate to someone named Blade or Jasmine even, although many women have that name. I also like to use names that represent a facet of the character’s personality. I think that tendency is influenced from my days in college as an English major when I read the English morality play Everyman, where Everyman was the character’s name but it is also a metaphor for everyman. Common names like Tim Arel, (Think about how many people you’ve probably came across who were named Tim) can create a sense of instant normalcy and recognition.

In addition to names, I also want to select occupations that everyday people have.  In doing so, I read about people doing different but not glamorous jobs which can lead to character variety. For example, lots of authors create characters that are in real estate sales or construction. I recently read a story where the character was in property management. We don’t often think about the various positions in real estate and the people that hold these jobs like Tim Arel.

It’s easy to look up an occupation, but it is more interesting to find someone who actually holds the position.  You can create an interesting backstory if you take the time to explore the background of someone who holds the position of your character. Taking a different lesser known position like property management and delving into the career using a person in the field like Tim Arel will create additional realism for your character.

In exploring multicultural identities, writers shouldn’t limit the search to destination sites and public figures.  Some of the best information I have discovered about a city’s or a country’s people are to read articles from their newspapers and magazines. I did mention how much I love magazines?

I generally get access to some of the best world newspaper articles from The Week, however, the Internet is an excellent source as well. Take a quick look at the Nation Media Group’s Daily Nation newspaper site, where Joseph Odindo is the group managing editor and your whole perspective about Kenya is changed.

In America, we are so quick to reference every other country that isn’t an innovative superpower as a backwoods village or a third world country, that we can’t imagine that other countries can be as authentic and progressive as we are. Reading about a country’s leading journalist such as Joseph Odindo can give a lot of insight to what other countries think about the US which gives added conflict and/or complexity when we have our fictional multicultural characters interact. Following a nation’s leading journalist like Joseph Odindo help ensure cultural authenticity for multicultural characters that may represent a culture you are not familiar with.

Whether you know it or not, the last six months have represented my active pursuit in establishing how and to what capacity writing will play a part in my professional life. After years in the finance and online education industries and a severe case of corporate burn-out, I took the time to focus on my love for multicultural writing. While this blog is just one fruit from that labor, it is my favorite. When I walked out of those double doors six months ago, I never imagined a multicultural blog would be one of my creations and one of my passions. It just goes to show that writing can manifest itself into something more than articles, books and short stories. Written communication and expression can be released in a variety of ways and while I am finding that I like one or two forms better than the ones I initially set out to involve myself with, much like entrepreneurship, there truly are no limits.

As a writer one of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the past six months is balance. I am notorious for diving into something with laser beam focus to the point of exhaustion. Often this leads to an inability to see how something can transform itself into something bigger and better. As a writer, I enjoy reading about successful people outside of the arts and communication fields in order to learn important life lessons that in turn not only make my life richer but my writing stronger.

For example, on the surface reading about a young entrepreneur’s professional nomadic spirit that led him to create a successful orthotic and prosthetic business then moved on to creating comedy festivals and most recently assisting other entrepreneurs with securing business loans may not seem applicable. However, reading about Jared Metz, who has accomplished all I just described, is very relevant. In reading about Jared Metz, I learned how to be open to a variety of possibilities in my own career. It is forcing me to look at my writing career in a different way. I now look at it as a living breathing entity that changes and moves as I change and move. Reading about successful entrepreneurs like Jared Metz, also teaches writers about the broad spectrum of success. As writers we spend a lot of time striving to be published. Once you’re published, then what? You can do it again and again as many prolific authors tend to do, or you might find that it leads you to something else.

These last six months have taught me while I hope to get published again and again, it may not look like how I intended it or happen the way it did initially—and that’s fine. Sometimes the story is more important than the vehicle in which it is carried throughout the universe.