Well, here we are, late-October, and I’m sure more than a few of you are wondering where the book is, lol. I can assure you, we are almost there. The post-typeset proofread is almost complete, and then we will commence printing. I have to say, it doesn’t quite feel real yet. Actually today, I stumbled upon the WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH fan page on facebook, that my partner Omar created. It was pretty surreal, cause, wow, that’s MY book. And it has fans! (lol) What can I say, it’s a cool feeling. 🙂

So yes, life is about to get pretty crazy, even crazier than it already is. Let’s recap. I recently received a promotion at my day job, which comes with a whole new set of duties and responsibilities; I’ve taken on a freelance editing project with a Nov 12 deadline; I have to publish, then promote my upcoming novel, which will require interviews, hustling, and a whole lot of time on facebook 😉 ; trips to Vegas and DC have been scheduled in the next two weeks (and just returned from Toronto); and oh yeah, the holidays are around the corner! Man, it is about to get reaaaal interesting up in here.

A normal person might crack under such enormous (albeit self-imposed) pressure, but I am a CAPRICORN woman, and quite frankly, this is what we do. We juggle. We hold it down. We take care of business. We get it done. I have never shied away from hard work, and I’m not about to start now. My to-do list should be afraid, very afraid… 😉

PS: For those of you who were curious about which cover won the WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH cover contest, it was the yellow cover by an overwhelming margin. Thank you to everyone who voted–the people have spoken!

Loyal readers, we are in the final stages of pre-production for my upcoming novel, WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH, and we need your help! We have two potential covers for the novel, but can’t decide which to use. This is where YOU come in!

Of these two covers, which do you prefer? Cover A (yellow shawl) or Cover B (red shawl)?

COVER A

or

COVER B

Leave your answers in the comments section. Thank you!

Most of you would probably agree that these have been a crazy past couple of weeks. Have you experienced sudden and unexpected change(s)? Have you seen the end of a life stage, and beginning of a new one? Have you been arguing with loved ones, or struck by a series of obstacles or frustrations that make you feel like the Universe is conspiring against you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I can assure you that you are not alone. We have ALL been going “through it.” And the culprit, if you choose to believe in such things, is some really funky astrology going on in the skies.

First up, we had two Eclipses in Cancer and Capricorn on June 26th and July 11th. Eclipses tend to bring unexpected events and force confrontations – the goal being to “unstick” you if you are stuck or stagnating. The harder you cling to an inappropriate pattern/person/activity, the more powerful the Eclipses punch to get you moving on to a better place.

I highly recommend reading what Susan Miller has to say about Eclipses. You may find it rather illuminating. I attribute most of the recent craziness to these eclipses, especially if your are a Cancer or Capricorn.

To compound the Eclipse energy, we’ve also had to deal with a Cardinal Cross on August 6-7. A Cardinal Cross is basically when the planets in the sky face off in a series of squares and oppositions. According to Susan Miller:

“What is happening on August 6 and 7 is something we have never seen in our lifetimes and will probably not see happen again…
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Well after months of hustlin’, grindin’ and sleep deprivation, I have finally carved out some space to rest. And boy does it feel amazing. I’m on day two of ultra self-indulgence mode, and I already feel like a brand new woman.

After leaving Atlanta last Friday, James and I headed down to Thomasville, Georgia to attend his biannual family reunion. While this was a great time, with some AMAZING food (I swear I’m going to gain 20 lbs before this trip through the South is done, lol), it wasn’t exactly what I’d consider downtime. But after we bid goodbye to the fam on Sunday and headed down to Florida, I could feel my excitement growing. Atlanta had been a James/TPC mission. Thomasville had been a James mission. But Florida, well Florida was going to be all about ME. I couldn’t wait.

We arrived in Jacksonville, Florida Sunday night, for our 4-day visit with James’ cousin Imani, who was gracious enough to host us. When she greeted us with homemade Fried Chicken and greens and I just knew this was going to be an awesome time.

Imani has a beautiful, spacious home and James and I had the whole west wing to ourselves. The most stressful decision I had to ponder was whether or not I wanted to lay out by her pool or hop in the car for a 10 minute ride to the beach. As inviting as her pool is, the beach won every time. 🙂

I’ve always been biased toward the Pacific Ocean, but I think I may have to reconsider that stance. The beaches in Jacksonville, Florida (and all along the Florida coast really) boast not only white sand, but clear blue water that is the PERFECT temperature for swimming. I absolutely love swimming in the ocean, but don’t really get to do it much in Santa Cruz cause the water is too cold. Well believe me when I say I took full advantage of the warm Atlantic waters, and spent several hours every day frolicking in the surf, reading on the beach, and working on my tan. I was in heaven. Wasn’t thinking about work, or TPC, or my to-do list–for three blissful days the hustle was firmly on pause. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to exist in an obligation-free space…

Thank you Florida, for all you’ve done to take my mind off the craziness that is life. I will be back. 🙂

Well, I am in the midst of a travel-rich summer, but believe me, I’m not complaining 🙂 Those who know me know that I am part-gypsy, and just LOVE to travel and be on the road. Most of my travels this summer are for “work”, as TPC promotes the release of our debut novel, SELLOUT by my better half, James W. Lewis. It’s not quite a “vacation”, since we’re hustlin’, sellin’, and schmoozing everywhere we go. But I’ve also managed to schedule in some off days in between events that I’m really looking forward to.

My meditation of late has been how to achieve more balance between my work commitments and my need for R & R. Starting my own business, while working a full-time job, doesn’t leave much time left for leisure. Shoot, I can barely find time to sleep these days. But what I’ve realized is that I’m no good to anyone if I’m burnt out and cranky. So I try to make sure I put the hustle on pause from time to time to take care of ME. This week we’re working the Black Pearls Chocolate Social and the Atlanta Black Book Expo, but in between we’re also going to attend a family reunion in Thomasville, GA, and spend some downtime visiting family in Jacksonville and Baltimore. It was so cold and gloomy when I left Santa Cruz, that I’m really looking forward to sunshine, white sand beaches, and some quality time with the ocean. Work hard, play hard! What a busy, but blessed, life I lead. 🙂

For those of you who have been following the story unfolding at the TPC website, you’ll know that I’ve been working my pretty little tail off. Day and Night, Night and Day. Burnout does not even BEGIN to describe what I was feeling towards the end of March. It didn’t surprise me at all when my body called a ‘time-out’ and said, enough!

Thankfully, I had two great getaways lined up for early-April. The first getaway brought me out to VEGAS for Jordana’s Bachelorette. I would post pics, but they are way way too raunchy for the internet, LOL. But after I spent the weekend getting my party on with a group of awesomely fun girls (HI Jordi, Bree, Etana and Lilibeth!), I headed out to Sedona (aka my happy place), for some spiritual healing.

Oh Sedona… Man, if I learned one thing this past weekend, its that there is no problem in my life that Sedona can’t cure. I don’t exactly have a rational explanation for WHY this place affects me so powerfully, but it does. Sedona never fails to put life back into perspective, grounding the parts of me that feel out of control, balancing everything that is out of balance. For the first time in months I was able to truly relax, mind free from any and all worries. I connected with the stillness; bathed in the quiet. And emerged fully rested, energized, and ready to jump back into the craziness that is my life.