We interrupt your regularly scheduled New York programming to bring you a very special announcement. Today, my adorable nephew Devin turns one year old!!! It’s kinda hard to believe that it was a year ago that we received this newest addition to our family… My how time flies… I’ve created a special birthday slideshow in celebration of this special day, so we can all take a look back at Devin’s first year 🙂
Happy Birthday Devin – Auntie Steph loves you!!!
Well, as most of you know, the primary reason for my sojourn to NYC was to attend Book Expo America, the publishing industry’s monster trade show. This was my first BEA, so I didn’t know quite what to expect, but WOW – what an event. Tons of free stuff, networking opportunities, free stuff, celebrity sightings, free stuff, panels/workshops, and oh, did I mention, free stuff? Overwhelmed does not even begin to describe me as I strolled up and down the aisles in the exhibition halls, lol. But let me begin at the beginning.
The African-American Pavilion actually kicked off it’s programming a day early, so on Thursday we headed over to a catered (and free) luncheon welcoming everyone to BEA. On the panel was bestselling author Zane, as well as heartthrob Blair Underwood. Yes, that’s right, THE Blair Underwood, who I’ve been crushing on since he broke onto the scene on the popular drama LA Law. Apparently he has just co-authored a book with Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes entitled Casanegra, which they were all there promoting. He was only the first of many celebrities I would see at BEA, but most definitely the highlight 🙂
James kept telling me to go over and ask for a picture WITH him, but I was too shy and didn’t want to impose. I didn’t want to get all groupie on his ass, and besides, the man was already being swarmed by adoring fans… But he was totally gracious, posing for every picture requested of him, and yes, I am kicking myself for not being more brazen, lol.
Next was a keynote by Victoria Rowell (most famously known as Drucilla on The Young and the Restless). She was there promoting her memoir, The Woman Who Raised Me and doing an autograph signing. Very cool.
Later that evening there was yet another catered dinner reception, with more free food and drink. Many of the African-American publishers had tables set up around the room, and everyone was giving away free books. I left the reception with a large shopping bag full of autographed books, and little did I know this was only the beginning…
After that reception, James and I headed to the Tribal Spears Art Gallery in Harlem for yet another catered reception hosted by AALBC.com, HarlemWorld, & MosaicBooks.com. More big-name authors and Black publishing heavyweights in the house… More free food and drink and tons of schmoozing. This would continue to be a theme for the weekend, lol.
Friday, BEA officially kicked off, and we hit the exhibition halls to meet and greet. Met a lot of cool folks (like Troy from aalbc.com, aka the Host with the Most), put faces to all of the names I’ve been researching the past few years, and collected more bags full of FREE books. Seriously, I shipped over 20 pounds of books home from the Expo – I had no idea it was going to be like that! I also got to see what kinds of books the various publishers are looking to acquire, and get an idea of the current trends taking the publishing industry by storm. Along with the free stuff, tons of priceless information was gathered, in addition to the networking. This was money very well spent…
Friday night, yet another party, this time hosted by Violator Records, G-Unit Books, St. Martin’s Press and author Relentless Aaron at the Shadow Nightclub. After a lovely dinner in the East Village (more on that later), James and I headed to the club, where we posted up in the VIP lounge, networking, eating more free food and drinking free cognac, before spending the rest of the evening dancing the night away… Good times, good times.
Saturday, before returning to the Expo, we attended a luncheon at B. Smith’s Restaurant hosted by my good friend Edwardo Jackson. More free food as we watched Edwardo give a presentation on his new venture Palibra, the ITunes of the written word. 
Edwardo has created a place where authors can post their work/articles/short stories, and readers can download the content for .99 cents a story. The author receives a 30% royalty on each download. It’s actually pretty cool, and I’m contemplating writing a series of travel articles especially for Palibra. More networking as James and I got an earful from the hilarious one-woman promotional machine, DC Livers of Black Press Magazine, who schooled us on how best to get our hustle on in this Bidness. So much fun. And the food was AMAZING. Then we all geeked out when B. Smith herself walked into the room (for those that don’t know, B.Smith is hailed as the Black Martha Stewart — this woman does it All!) 
She hung out for a bit, gave a little speech, posed for pictures, and even sat down and did an impromptu interview for DC. It was wild! I also got to meet my writer friend Thomas Brooks for the first time over lunch. Thomas is the author of A Wealth of Family: An Adopted Son’s International Quest for Heritage, Reunion, and Enrichment (you should check this one out Leish!), and a fellow mixed person. 🙂 All in all, a great day.
Three days and twenty pounds of books later, we finally said goodbye to the Javits Convention Center. Let me tell you, my feet were ready for a rest, LOL. But what a great time – exciting, fun, productive… and I haven’t even gotten into the sightseeing part of the trip yet 😉
Part Two of Steph’s Excellent New York Adventures (and pictures!) coming soon!
Okay, much to everyone’s disappointment (I know ya’ll are just on the edge of your seats waiting for a detailed NYC review ;-), I’m sorry to report that this is only a teaser post… Re-entry is always a little rough, so it’s going to take me a minute to collect myself (and my pictures, lol) and write up the NYC/BEA experience. But I can say this — I had a BLAST. A freaking Blast. In almost every way this trip far exceeded my expectations, and I am on a giddy vacation high like no other. New York is an amazing city, with limitless things to explore, and while it is damn near impossible to take even a bite out of the Big Apple in five days (that went way too fast and we barely slept!), we sure did give it our best shot! Walked all over the place, saw all kinds of cool stuff, and had boatloads of FUN! I can’t wait to go back!!!
Like I said, a full report is forthcoming. 🙂 I’m actually going to break it up into segments (a tactic that worked so well on Leisha’s blog ;-), so this week will be “New York Week” on the blog. And while I can’t upload my pics onto Flickr until I get the ones off James’ camera, I can provide ya’ll with a little taste of some of my adventures…
Check back tomorrow for Part One of Steph’s Adventures in the Big Apple!
Well James and I arrived safely in New York, where we will spend the next four days exploring the Big Apple and attending Book Expo America. Book Expo America (BEA) is the largest annual conference in the publishing industry, and the place to see and be seen if you’re in the business of BOOKS. My friend and colleague Edwardo once said to me – “If you make it to one conference a year, you have to make sure you get to BEA…” So here I am, travelling all the way to the East Coast, trying to get my network on…
Over the next few days I will be attending workshops/receptions/parties, cruising the exhibition halls, expanding my professional network, and pitching my book to people who can help make my publishing dreams a reality. It’s a very exciting time and I’m ready to put myself out there and raise my profile as an up and coming author 🙂 I also get to meet up with writer friends I’ve met over the past year (since we’ve all migrated to New York this weekend for the same reason), and catch up with old friends (Hi Omar!) from all over the country. I’m sure it will be a great time.
Not all business though 🙂 James and I also plan to do a bit of sightseeing while we’re here, which will be fun since this is my first visit to New York City. The most eagerly-anticipated event on my tourist agenda? Catching a Broadway showing of my favorite play EVER – RENT. No day but today baby 🙂
As an aside, we flew over on JetBlue Airlines, and I gotta say, JetBlue kicks all kinds of ass. I fully recommend and endorse this airline – best flight experience EVER, and that’s saying a lot cause I am one of those people who hates to fly… Tons of legroom, comfortable seats, decent selection of snacks, and most importantly, each seat has it’s own TV that has 40 cable channels. Watching TV totally helps pass the time, and this should be standard on all airlines, lol. Awesome, awesome, awesome. If JetBlue flies to where I need to go, they definitely have my business from here on out.
Okay, be on the lookout for more chronicles of my New York adventures! And wish me luck!!!
Well it’s official folks – ERIC PASSED THE BAR!!! HE IS NOW, OFFICIALLY, AN ATTORNEY!!!
Sorry, I know I’m shouting, but this is SO DAMN EXCITING! By far the coolest thing to happen to the Casher Clan since Devin was born 😉
Passing the Bar is a huge, huge deal. A major accomplishment. Not only is it an incredibly difficult, 3-day exam, but the California Bar Exam is one of the hardest tests in the nation, with only a 40-50% pass rate. And my baby brother is one of the 60% that passed this time around!!!
I can’t even tell you how ridiculously proud I am of Eric… He is ambitious and determined and works so hard not only to achieve, but to excel at everything he does. And now that hard work has finally paid off. Finally, after so many years of hustling, studying, and struggling, he will finally get to enjoy the fruits of his labor. The start of a new life chapter, filled with limitless possibilities for growth and prosperity. Long overdue and well-deserved little brother! Now you can focus 100% on your bright and glorious future!!!
It actually has an interesting symetry that almost exactly one year ago we were celebrating Eric’s graduation from Law School. And now the circle is complete. And the celebrating can begin!
I love you so much Eric, and am so incredibly proud. YOU inspire ME more than you know. I can’t wait to have a Steph and Eric celebration dinner as soon as I get back from New York 🙂 You freaking rock man!
Hello loyal readers 🙂 As I prepare to head off to New York for Book Expo America (the grandaddy of all writing/publishing conferences), I realized I was long overdue for a blog entry and writing update. Yes, fear not, I am still writing and pursuing my dream of getting published. My silence in the blogosphere is not a sign of inactivity, but rather a symptom of blog fatigue. I hope to remedy that in coming weeks.
I went on at length in a previous post about my new relationship to deadlines 🙂 My approach to writing of late has definitely been on the leisurely side. I’ll have bursts of productivity, followed by long stretches of inactivity. I’ve also been travelling quite a bit, and reading quite a bit, so my “free” time has been split between competing priorities. But I am still committed to finishing my second book, and I’m proud to report that I’ve just entered the home stretch on that project.
In about five more chapters, WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH will be DONE. Finally. Man, it feels like just yesterday I was struggling to complete my FIRST novel, and now the second one is almost ready to be unveiled to the world. Very exciting. With this, I’ve proven to myself that this writing thing isn’t a fluke, that I have stories inside of me that need to be told, and that I am perfectly capable of getting them out of me, onto the page, and into the world. That’s still the plan anyways 🙂 Stay tuned!
God I love a Cinderella story…
So in the 11th hour, the Golden State Warriors secured a spot in the NBA Playoffs for the first time in 13 years. That’s a long-ass time people. So long that those of us that actually live in the Bay had given up hope long ago on a run at the Championship… Many of us lived vicariously through the brief but entertaining reign the Sacramento Kings (Go Kings!). But the Warriors are on fire right now, playing with all kinds of heart, and kicking all kinds of ass.
Last night they knocked the number one seed Dallas Mavericks out Playoff competition in the upset heard ’round the league. (Sorry Leish!) It was awesome!!! I am the ultimate champion of the underdog, and it was so satisfying to watch the Warriors give it their all and emerge victorious. They’re putting the Bay on the map ya’ll!!! It’s so exciting and I am so proud.
My New Jersey Nets also advanced to the second round today, so I’m a very happy girl so far. My dream Finals would definitely be the Nets vs. Warriors, but I suppose we should take it one game at a time, lol.
Soldier On Golden State… We Believe…
I have just returned from a magical place… A place far removed from the noise and pollution of the city… A place where simplicity is revered, and people live off the land, consuming only what they need. A place where the rain falls from the sky with such abundance that the trees and vegetation grow tall and lush, reaching towards the heavens, a playground for giants. Where pregnant trees bear a multitude of fruit–avocado, papaya, mango, pineapple–just ripe for the picking on the side of the road. Where waterfalls tumble down the sides of mountains at every turn, the rush of water providing instrumental backing for nature’s song. A place where love flows free, filling the heart and nourishing the soul.
KC lives in the very remote and rural town of Kipahulu on the island of Maui. The way of life in Kipahulu is so primitive, at times I felt like I was on an episode of Survivor, lol. Located three hours from the nearest major city (Kahului), you make the trip to “town” once a week to stock up on food, water, ice, and propane. And whatever you purchase in town has to last you the whole week.
We had no electricity or refrigerator (the perishables were kept in a cooler), limited hot water for showering, and our toilet, shower and bath were located OUTDOORS. 
Super rustic. But it’s interesting to see how much of what we have in “civilization” is truly a luxury. How little we actually need to “survive”. The whole experience of living out in the country is incredibly humbling, and it makes you appreciate the little things (like hot water, lol), reevaluate your relationship to consumption, and minimize waste. I think it’s a journey everyone should take (truly roughing it). We are so spoiled in the city, and we take so much for granted…
The concept of time is also different on the Islands… We get up with the sun and go to sleep with the sun (since we don’t have electricity, there’s not much you can do in the dark, lol). There’s no rushing, there’s no deadlines. Shoot, there’s no stress. Everyone is amazingly chill, just going about their day, taking siestas, and gathering at the fruit stand in the afternoons to kick it and talk story. Good times, good times.
And it’s beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful. Houses and yurts are few and far between, so you really feel like you’re in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by dense foilage. 
Waterfalls are everywhere, feeding tranquil mountain pools, and the ocean brings wave after wave of crystal blue water against a sandy shore. Paradise.
But by far, the best part of this trip was the time I got to spend with my family. KC and I have been best friends since the 10th grade, and she is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Now she has two children (the youngest is my Godson, Ola), and I love her boys like they are my own. 
Pono is 4 now, Ola 2, and both boys are walking and talking and just the most awesome kids. Smart, happy, and aware. We had so much fun, and I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. Children love without limits–they think everything you do, everything you are, is just amazing. I strive to be someone worthy of their adoration and admiration. Someone they can look up to and learn from. It’s the least I can do — they teach me so much, every day, without even trying…
Check Flickr for the full set of pics from my Island Adventures… Re-entry is always rough, but I plan to make another trip to the Islands before the year is out… Aloha…
So I finally made it to Hawaii… I know, you’re probably looking at the date on my last post thinking – “what do you mean you’re just getting there???” Well, the reason I’m able to fly to Hawaii every year is because KC’s family sets aside a Delta Buddy Pass for my use, so I can go visit my friend and Godson. But the downside of the buddy pass is that I have to fly standby.
Well it turns out, Spring Break is a terrible time to try to fly standby. All the planes were full all last week, and I wasn’t able to catch a flight until Monday. But I’ve finally arrived, safe and sound, and though they did manage to lose my luggage along the way, I am in great spirits. I’m back in one of my favorite places on the planet, reunited with my Frover, and having a wonderful time…
The past month has been rather stressful for me, and it’s amazing how quickly all that stress evaporated once I stepped off the plane. This whole island is one big happy place for me. And having my Frover here with me is just the icing on this delightfully awesome cake.
So I’m chillaxin’, enjoying everything wonderful that this island has to offer… Such as…
*** Island time (i.e. I’ll get there when I get there)
*** Balmy 80 degree weather with just the right amount of humidity
*** Being able to swim in the ocean
*** Walking around half-naked
*** Visiting with aunties who insist on feeding you delicious home-cooked meals
*** Garlic shrimp and short ribs from Loco Moco
*** Poke
*** Island sunsets
And I still have a week left… Yay for vacations! So far the romance part of the vacay has been lovely, and on Friday I head over to Maui to hang with KC and the boys. Just wanted to let everyone know I made it safe — pics to come!
Once again, apologies to my loyal readers for the lack of blogs… I’ve discovered that my desire to blog ebbs and flows. Coming out of my winter hibernation, it appears that I’ve been heavy on the ebb… But spring is here, everything around me is thawing out, and I hope to get back to blogging on a semi-regular basis… That’s the plan anyway 🙂
As we speak, I am preparing to jet off for yet another getaway… Ever since my cross-country road trip, I’ve been somewhat addicted to going on vacation. Every three months, I gotta go somewhere. It’s pretty much non-negotiable. And next up is Hawaii… One of my favorite places on the planet. I am beyond excited.
But first the pre-trip planning and anxiety, lol. I’m a little OCD when it comes to packing up and leaving the house and my cats. My boys also seem to have their own bouts with separation anxiety. Both Cowboy and JJ know exactly what it means when I pull my suitcase out. And Cowboy has developed his own little strategy of resistance to prevent me from leaving him…
It’s cute for the first 10 minutes, and then it’s like “Yo, seriously, I’m trying to pack here…”
Anyway, I can’t wait to see KC and the kids, and my Godson!!! So much love waiting for me on the Islands. I also have some heavy duty romance on the agenda as well, eagerly anticipated and long overdue 🙂 I’ll be sure to update you all with a full report when I get back 🙂
PS: Ahna-Kristen, you SAVED me by letting me borrow your backpack! Thank you sooooo much!!! xoxo