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As the president of EDC Creations and The Sankofa Literary Society, located in Prince George County, Maryland, Ella D. Curry’s firm provides press kits, graphic design, website design, and branding to small and medium-sized businesses, authors of all literary genres, and individuals.  EDC Creations’ specialization in Internet book promotions, publishing website and marketing materials for new authors is boosting their success rates and educating them on how to turn their passion into lasting lucrative careers in the world of publishing.  Dedicated to Curry’s other loves, which include children, literacy and the preservation of African American history, is the Sankofa :Literary Society , which offers authors, artists, reviewers, journalists and book clubs an array of innovative services.  Incorporating various media formats, Curry, through an Internet radio talk show — Black Authors Network Radio — , Curry brings together authors, publishers and community leaders to discuss the issues that are important to our communities locally and on a global scale.  

SLR:    Please Ms. Curry, Tell us about your early life and education?

EDC: I grew up in the South, the Deep South. Diana Green, my great grandmother, Elizabeth Cook, my grandmother and first mentor, were my very first teachers, there after I continued my formal education at CACC Community College, University of Alabama, Birmingham, and later at the University of Maryland, University College. The lessons that I use daily in life did not come from my college education. They all come from my interaction with the PEOPLE God sent to guide and educate me. My angels come from all walks of life and bring about a myriad of curriculums for Ella Curry. My education continues daily as I meet people who share information or history I didn’t possess. My grandparents instilled me values and standards that no degree could ever out shine. With the simple basics in understanding “the golden rule”, I have grown so much more than a few letters behind my name. Common sense, a feeling of purpose and genuine compassion for your brothers and sisters can bring so much more success in life.

As a successful writer, your career involves more than just writing good material. While producing the best written work is the core of any writing career, getting the attention your work deserves is an important component of your career and is no longer just the responsibility of your agent or publisher. Additionally, it begins long before you land that writing contract or in some cases before you’ve typed “The End” on the final draft of your literary masterpiece.

That’s why it’s crucial to incorporate the business side of your writing career as soon as possible. I’ve introduced you to the benefits working with a publicist in book marketing. It is also important in terms freelance writing as well. We’ll talk more about that later. This series of articles will re-introduce you to Ella D. Curry and EDC Creations. I first told you about Ms. Curry and EDC Creations in August when I wrote the first installment of Author Marking Essentials.

Join me know as we learn more about Ms. Ella D. Curry, EDC Creations and what she is planning for black and multicultural authors, community leaders and the changing face of literacy now and for years to come.

As you may know, I wear many hats. I’m a freelance writer, a multicultural fiction author, a multicultural commentator on books, movies and current events. I have also worked in finance and online higher education.

I’ve recently decided that the umbrella that covers all these labels is literary entrepreneur. Sometimes as a freelancer or an entrepreneur, you have to incorporate what is traditional or mundane to continue pursing what you love. I’ve been strictly freelancing for the last seven months but it is time to rebalance my many labels and re-introduce the traditional employee into the mix. I’m still defining how that will work so that it doesn’t overwhelm the great strides I’ve gained in my brewing fiction, blog and freelance careers.  

Before I decided that temporary work might be more to my liking and less invasive to my freelance, blogging and fiction careers, I was completing an online application for a customer service call center position that specialized in risk management and fraud. I thought the job might be interesting because of the variety of people I would encounter and the responsibilities wouldn’t take over my other endeavors. Anyway, I got to the end of the online application and read a warning to read the final page before electronically signing and sending the application.

I read it. Basically, if I continued with my application I would be acknowledging that anything I “invented” during or after my scheduled work hours regardless of whether it was for the specific purpose of the company or developed alone or in conjunction with others could be deemed the property of the company. The disclaimer even went as far as to claim potential ownership for any invention that I might bring to life for a “reasonable time” after the termination of my employment (regardless of the nature of my termination).

While my writing is probably not geared toward the benefit of this particular company, I couldn’t take the chance that a book or short story I may write in the future that incorporates fraud prevention or a call center as the setting or occupation for a character in a story could deem work and its profits the property of this company.  It might be an additional why many writers use pseudonyms or rarely delve into stories involving specific details of their day job.

It was a surprise only in that I recently read an article from 3 Chix, three seasoned female freelancers who write a newsletter and provide freelance training material to support beginning freelancers, warning their readers about a very similar possibility. They warned that your writing could be company property if performed during work hours or developed on company equipment. This employment application took covered a much broader perspective.

So, if you are a writer who uses traditional employment to supplement your literary passion be very careful of the employee agreements you are agreeing to. If not, what you write and/or what you earn may become the property of your traditional employer.

Senti is book one of the Jackwill Chronicles. Told in the first person from Major Jack Waco’s perspective, the first half of this Sci-fi futuristic voyage is fast-faced and multilayered as we learn of Waco’s self-imposed life of a loner and the barriers he’s build around his emotions. He trains a new galaxy ship pilot–Maggie Wilson, takes down a conspiracy involving a bacterium and a vaccine plus discovers a new series of planets.  In the second half of the novel, Pickle details the adventures of Jack and Maggie as they work through their emotional barriers involving past loves while developing the environment of the series of planets and fighting galaxy terrorists interested in the riches of the new planet cluster.

While second half of the book was a little slower than the first, I really enjoyed Jack’s adventures. Some of the tender moments between Maggie and Jack were genuinely sweet while others were a little stilted. The first person perspective was a little stiff at times but it played nicely into Jack’s loneliness. As the book progressed, I genuinely wanted to see Jack and Maggie together and found the development of their emotional intimacy genuine. The book ends with a direct indication of more adventures to follow and I look forward to them. Pickle’s use of multicultural secondary characters fit nicely in Sable Lit Review’s focus. I give Senti four out of five Sable Seals.

Format: Print

Publisher: Trytium Publishing

Amazon Price: $11.01

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. 

 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.