Black Culture or Thug Culture- A struggle for idenitity in the African-American Community

“All that is necessary for evil to win is for good people to do nothing.”

There’s a crisis in the Black community. One that is tearing apart the fabric of African-American society. However, the cause of this crisis isn’t poverty. It’ not the proliferation of guns, drugs or crime. It’s not the lyrics in hip-hop music. The real crisis in the African-American community has to do with culture and values. Thug culture seeks to supplant African-American culture as the main identity of the Black community. And all good Black people have to do for this evil to win is sit back and do nothing.

The Black community must understand: One man’s gangsta is another man’s fascist.

Like the “Good German Jews” before us, many African-Americans throughout the country are sitting passively while the fascist menace of thug culture insidiously imposes its values on the overall Black community. In Black neighborhoods, This propaganda proliferates its message by hijacking our art, literature and leaders, as gangsta rap, street lit, and their spokespersons gun-toting rappers, diamond wearing entertainment moguls and ball players glamorize crime, guns and ignorance as “keeping it real” or the only way blacks have a “true” identity in America.

Like Adolf Hitler and his SS soldiers, these thugs portray themselves as the “true blacks” and their perpetuation of old white racist stereotypes as the only way to be “black”. These Aryans of the black community exploit the media promoting false ideals like “hustling”, being a “gangsta” “Stop snitching” “Ride or Die,” “Pimping” and being a whore as the truth while denouncing the ideals of education, hard work and business ownership established over four hundred years by blacks such as Crispus Attucks, Harriet Tubman, Sojurner Truth, Fredrick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Mary Mcleod Bethune, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and countless others as “acting white”.

It’s a message taught on the streets, in schools, on Televisions and in the prisons and even in some homes. Those who are educated or who aspire to be educated about the truth are being murdered or driven out of the community just as doctors, lawyers college professors, teachers and intellectuals were driven out of Germany and the territories it occupied during the war while the thugs teach their message: A message of hate-Self hate.

One man’s colors are another man’s Swastika.

One man’s gangsta is a white man’s coon.

Unfortunately, like the “Good German” Jews who went along with things they knew were wrong many Older Blacks and black leaders sit back and passively watch as Black youth imbibe the fascist propaganda of a self-destructive set of ideals thinking it’s just “trendy” or “hip”. Others are just too scared of reprisal from these junior fascists to teach the truth to the next generation.

I realize those thugs and gangstas who are “keeping it real” in the Black community by are just like the “Good Germans” who became Nazi soldiers. They are “only following orders” of superiors. It wasn’t excused at the Nuremberg trials. It can’t be excused by Black America now.

Why am I writing this? I realize I can’t sit back and do anything. I cannot stay silent any longer.
I cannot be a “Good Black”.

I must do something to make sure evil does not win.

Having experienced the violence and terror during crack epidemic of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s here in New York City as a result of some members of my generation being taught these false messages of thug culture, I won’t be a Good Black Person. I understand in order for this evil to succeed again in destroying my community and corrupting another generation with its warped values is for the countless masses of hardworking black people to sit back and do nothing just as the Jews did in Germany while Hitler’s regime came to power.

I understand that Like Hitler and his Nazi regime, these thugs and gangstas will destroy everything around them in the black community in their quest for power. Just like the South Bronx I grew up in as a child in the late 70’s early 80’s was destroyed by in the power struggle for turf, African-American neighborhoods all over the country will be turned into war zones the equivalent of Poland, England, Austria-Hungary and Russia during World War II.

And just like the Nazis, those fascists who practice the thug culture make up about less than .05 percent of the black community the same way Hitler’s regime were only a small part of the German population. However, because the silent majority of “good Germans did nothing 100 percent of Europe was destroyed by the Second World War. The inactivity of all Blacks on this issue of race and identity in the 21st century will eventually lead to the total extermination of the African-American race in the United States.

Isis T-Shirt plans

My question to everyone:





Would you buy this image on a T-Shirt?

For years I’ve wanted to offer a T-shirt based on the cover of my first book Isis. I always thought the ankh symbol I designed for the cover was interesting enough that it would appeal to casual buyers in addition to people who have read the book.

At the Harlem Book Fair this summer, the cover of Isis attracted the attention of to casual buyers- many female. Their positive reactions encouraged me to ponder seriously pursuing a merchandising venture.

I want to offer the shirt in the following styles that would appeal to ladies: standard T-shirt, fitted, T-shirt, tank top, and spaghetti strap tank top. My goal is to use the Isis shirts to target a female audience (she is a female fantasy character) of fantasy fans and casual buyers. My hopes are that the shirt would get people interested in learning more about the book. Maybe even get some book sales.

From what I’ve seen at my trips to comic cons and trade shows, there are a lot of female fantasy/comic/sci-fi fans out there. Unfortunately companies aren’t’ offering merchandised to women and girls and the ones that do are offering sporadic merchandise. Usually Most comic and fantasy based products like T-shirts are usually designed for men. However, I know that there are ladies enjoy this merchandise too and I’d like to try to create my products for those customers.

I’m exploring my options and may experiment with offering products at a POD print company like Cafe Press or Spreadshirt. I’d love to hear from people regarding their experiences with their products before I think of offering products from there.

I’m working on cleaning up the Isis symbol in Photoshop right now and I’m writing up a slogan. I’d love to have a product up in time for Christmas. Just want to know if there are any customers interested in buying it.

Shawn's Books & PC repair

Get your Books and PC Repair here!

Yesterday, I took my Comptia A+ 220-602 and got a score of 834 out of 900. Two weeks ago I took my 220-601 and got a score of 836 out of 900. So in addition to being an experienced freelance novelist and screenwriter, I’m now A+ Certified Computer technician. I’m officially able to fix and build PCs.

I’m thinking about doing a weekly Q&A where people send me questions about PC problems on my blog and I’d try to answer them. I figure it’d be a great way to combine my two skills- writing and Computers.

So if anyone has any PC related questions, feel free to drop them in the comments section of this blog.

Writing Query letters

If you're writing a book or thinking about writing one, you'll probably want to publish it. If you decide to publish it with one of the publishing houses, you have to know how to contact editors and literary agents in order to sell them on your project. How do you let them know about your project? NOT with a phone call. Publishing industry professionals HATE that. They prefer you send them a query letter and a self-addressed stamped envelope or nowadays an e-mail.

What is a query letter? A query letter is a short one-page single-spaced letter introducing you and your book project to editors and literary agents. In short it’s your calling card, a sample of what you write and how well you write it.

A query letter gives these professionals an idea of what your writing is like. Spelling, punctuation and grammar must be perfect. It’s best to have someone proofread the letter before submitting it to publishers and literary agents.


So what does a query letter consist of? Every good query letter consists of eight basic elements:

1. Heading

2. Hook

3. Title

4. Premise

5. Audience

6. Biography

7. Closing

8. Self addressed stamped envelope (SASE)

I’ll break these parts down into seven sections so everyone can understand them.

1. Heading

The heading is a very basic part of the query letter, however most authors make most of their mistakes in this section. The query letter is the first impression professionals have of you and your writing. If it’s sloppy and poorly written, editors and agents will think your manuscript is sloppy and poorly written.

The heading section of a query letter must follow business letter formatting. It always must consist the following parts:

Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State and Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your E-mail Address
(Drop down about two spaces)
Today’s date


(Drop down two more spaces)
The Editor or agent’s name
The name of the literary agency/publishing house
The address of the literary agency publishing house
The agency’s city, state and zip code


(Drop Down about two spaces)
Dear Mr./Ms Agent/Editor’s name:

In the heading section it’s very important to address your query letter to a specific person! Agents and Editors receive hundreds of these letters a week. The query letters addressed to “The Editors”, “Dear Agent”, “Dear Sir/madam” or “Gentlemen” go into the “slush pile”. Letters in the “slush pile” are unread and simply sent back with a form letter rejecting the material. This isn’t what you want. You’re spending time and money on this; the least you want out of it is your letter read and evaluated by a professional.

In addition, throughout the letter make good use of “white space “ on the page by using Times Roman or Courier fonts on a 12-point setting. The employees reading these are reading dozens of letters at a time. If they have to strain their eyes to read your letter on an 8 or 9-point font, they’ll reject it without even reading it.

2. The hook

The second part of the query letter is the “hook”. What’s a hook? A short series of 2-3 sentences that capture’s the reader’s attention and gets them interested in reading about the premise of your story.

Usually a hook is very short, about two or three sentences that describe the plot of the story just enough to get the viewer’s attention. A good example of a hook is what you see on a movie poster or on the back of a DVD or Videotape case. If you go to the video store and read the back of the package you’ll notice they use a few short lines on the top of the front or back of the case in bright bold letters just to catch your attention. Why? Research shows that if a product can capture someone’s attention to the point where they’ll pick it up of a shelf or take a second look ninety percent of the time they’ll buy it.

Using what I learned studying movie posters and DVD cases, I created this passage to hook readers in the query letter for my last manuscript, The Cassandra Cookbook:

A pinch of Hard Work.
A dash of Determination.
A recipe for Success.

If you notice, the primary focus of the hook are the verbs! You want to be very selective about the words you use in this paragraph because it’s the one that’s going to get the attention of the editor/agent. Notice the words I used are positive and how they all focus on a series of actions and they tell a story quickly in dramatic fashion:

A pinch of Hard Work.
A dash of Determination.
A recipe for Success.

What does the reader see in the hook? Hard work+ Determination=Success.

3. Title

From the hook, most readers see something can relate to and identify with in their own lives. Most people work hard at their jobs and they’re determined to succeed at them. From the hook, the reader has a sense of what the story is about and is intrigued to learn more. This is where you reveal the title of your book:

THE CASSANDRA COOKBOOK

From seeing the title, the reader is asking questions. If you can get the reader to ask questions, chances are they’ll be looking for answers. From this hook and title the reader is asking themselves questions like:

A cookbook that reveals a recipe for success?
What type of success is it?
How can I achieve that success by reading this book?
How does the reader learn more about the story? By reading the premise.

4. Premise

The premise is where the writer explains the story of their book in one or two short paragraphs. The first paragraph details the conflict, while the second explains the resolution. The key to a good query letter is not how much you write, but how well you write. Like screenwriting, the author has to tell the story using the fewest amounts of words in this section.

Most people study the backs of other books as a model for this section, but I advise against it. Instead, I use the back of a DVD case or videotape case to model my writing after. The storytelling used in the copy of these video synopses is more attention grabbing than their literary counterparts. Why? Book jackets tell a story. DVD cases sell a story.

What’s the difference between telling a story and selling a story? Why? Because when you tell a story you’re explaining all the key details in the plot summary. The reader reacts by coming up with answers to the premise as they read it. When you sell the story you give the reader just enough details about the plot to whet their appetite. They react by asking themselves more questions. When people are asking questions about your story, they’ll want answers. That gets them compelled to read more about the premise of your story and learn what it’s about.

A. The conflict

The first part of the premise establishes the plot and the conflicts. This part of the premise partially answers five basic questions for the reader:
Who is the main character?
What do they want?
Why do they want it?
What are the obstacles in the way of them achieving this goal?
Where is the story set?
When is the story taking place?

I’ll give you an example with the premise of The Cassandra Cookbook below:

Cassandra Lee’s lifelong dream is to take over the Downtown Brooklyn bakery with her name on it when her parents retired. Her dream turns into a nightmare near the eve of her wedding when she learns that corporate giant ITC Foods has other plans for the store and her low down down low fiancé Gerald is caught in the arms of another man.

In the first part of this synopsis we get a sense of the main character, Cassandra Lee and her conflict. In that synopsis, the reader has the following questions answered:

Who is the main character? Cassandra Lee
What do they want? To take over the bakery with her name on it.
Why do they want it? Because her parents are retiring.
What are the obstacles in the way of them achieving this goal? ITC Foods other plans for the store.
Where is the story set? Downtown Brooklyn New York.
When is the story taking place? Today.

B. Resolution

The second part of the premise details how the conflict will be resolved. Here three key questions will be answered:

How does the main character plan to overcome the obstacle?
Who will help the main character over come the obstacle?
What will be the final resolution of the story?

Here’s the second paragraph detailing the resolution of The Cassandra Cookbook:

Cassandra perseveres, acting as her parents’ agent working with ITC rep Simon James to complete the deal. As their professional relationship gets personal, Simon reveals a secret about the deal that devastates Cassandra. Sending Cassandra over the edge, Simon must come up with a plan to heal her broken heart and make her dreams come true.

From this paragraph we have several questions answered:

How does the main character plan to overcome the obstacle? By persevering and acting as her parents’ agent.
Who will help the main character over come the obstacle? ITC Rep Simon James.
What will be the final resolution of the story? Cassandra’s dream coming true.

In the second paragraph of the premise, don’t answer all the questions completely. Keep the reader aksing more questions! Make them want to read more of your story! You want the editor agent reading your letter to request a synopsis, some sample chapters or even the whole manuscript.

5. Audience

This section of the letter is the dealmaker. Publishers and agents are primarily in the book business to make money. They want to know how they can sell your manuscript to the public. If you have a specific audience you want to sell to, detail who your readers are and explain why they’ll want to read your story over one written by another author. Discuss what readers will learn reading your story and how what they read in your book will benefit them.

It’s best to keep the marketing section sweet and short. State who your audience is and what they’ll get out of reading your book.

Here’s an example of the Marketing section I used for the Cassandra Cookbook:

The Cassandra Cookbook will appeal to a large audience of women readers who will identify with the main character. Cassandra Lee's humorous story of perseverance professionally and personally would be inspiring to many women with careers or who are about to start one.

6. Biography

In the biography section, state who you are. Discuss your education and what professional publishing credits you have. Magazines, newspapers, newsletters, zines, and blogs; they all count as credits if people have read them. Detail any awards you’ve won in writing contests. If you don’t have any publishing credits, discuss your personal experiences and how they inspired you to write this book. Just keep it short.

I’ll give you an example of a professional biography by detailing my own below:

Shawn James is the author of the novel ISIS. He has also written articles for The Visionary: News of Morrisania, and the STRIVE Network News newsletter. A graduate of Monroe College he’s been writing for over ten years.

7. Closing

In the closing of your letter tell the reader your manuscript is complete. Tell them how long it is (word count) and let them know that if they want to request extra materials like sample chapters, a synopsis or a complete manuscript they can contact you by using the enclosed Self-addressed stamped envelope inside your package or by writing you via the e-mail address. I like to type the e-mail address again in addition to that spot so people can contact me that way. The last sentence of the closing paragraph should thank the reader for taking the time to read your letter.
My typical closing:

The completed 87,000-word manuscript is available upon request by using the enclosed SASE or by emailing me at shawnjamesatmail.com. I look forward to your speedy response. Thank you for your time and consideration.

(Down two spaces)
Regards,
(Down Three spaces


Shawn James

8. THE SASE (self addressed stamped envelope)

Before sealing up your query letter in the envelope, always include a self-addressed stamped envelope in the package. Always make sure it has enough postage to get all your materials back! In the publishing industry NO SASE=NO RESPONSE!

Now that we’ve dissected a query letter let’s look at the seven components together. Below is the query letter for the Cassandra Cookbook in its entirety:

Shawn James
Shawn James’ address
Shawn’s zip code
Shawn’s Phone number
Shawn’s E-mail


Today's date

Agent’s name
Agency ‘s title
Agency address
Agency Zip Code


Dear Ms. Agent:

A pinch of hard work.
A dash of determination.
A recipe for success.

THE CASSANDRA COOKBOOK

Cassandra Lee’s lifelong dream is to take over the Downtown Brooklyn bakery with her name on it when her parents retired. Her dream turns into a nightmare near the eve of her wedding when she learns that corporate giant ITC Foods has other plans for the store and her low down down low fiancé Gerald is caught in the arms of another man.

Cassandra perseveres, acting as her parents’ agent working with ITC rep Simon James to complete the deal. As their professional relationship gets personal, Simon reveals a secret about the deal that devastates Cassandra. Sending Cassandra over the edge, Simon must come up with a plan to heal her broken heart and make her dreams come true.

The Cassandra Cookbook will appeal to a large audience of women readers who will identify with the main character. Cassandra Lee's humorous story of perseverance professionally and personally would be inspiring to many women with careers or who are about to start one.

Shawn James is the author of the novel ISIS. He has also written articles for The Visionary: News of Morrisania, and the STRIVE Network News newsletter. A graduate of Monroe College he’s been writing for over ten years.

The completed 87,000-word manuscript is available upon request by emailing me at shawnjames_2000email.com. I look forward to your speedy response. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Regards,



Shawn James

Note: Each story requires a different approach to hooks and premises to sell it. This is just the way I like to write my queries and I wanted to give readers who want to be writers an example of how they could go about it.

You Are What You Read

You are what you read. Just like the food people eat has a long-term effect on their body’s physical health, the literature a person reads has a n effect on their state of mind. The thoughts and ideas in what people can read can influence them to act and behave in a positive or a negative way. I’ve watched how literature has changed people’s view of the world. For some it has enabled them work towards making changes to improve their lives. For others it has made them see things from a very cold and cynical perspective. And for even more it has caused them to see everything in a negative light. Like the food readers, eat, literature has an effect on their long-term health. People are inspired by what they read and this can motivate them to take action in their lives for the better or for the worse. The literature people read says a lot about them and the direction we want to go in their lives. Good books help expand a reader’s perspective of the world and expose them to different experiences that allow them to grow. Bad books like junk food are entertaining enough to make readers feel good but don’t give readers the information they need to move forward in their lives. The results of this mental nutrition are: A reader who reads a lot of good books will strong mind. They’ll be able to take the information they’ve read and apply it in their lives. These books are like health food, the effects strengthen the thinking process and make a person mentally sharp. A reader who reads a lot of bad books will entertain but won’t get any information they can apply in their lives. These types of books are more like empty mental calories. This mental junk food slows down the thinking process and makes it harder for people to function. Good and Bad books come in both fiction and Nonfiction, and are across the genres. My advice to readers: Read a lot of good books, but use the bad ones sparingly. It’s okay to read every now and again, but please don’t make it a regular habit. You are what you read. Food for thought. 3:31 PM 0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Edit Remove

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Interview with Tea Bags and Good Books Book Club

Tea Bags and Good Books Book Club interviews Shawn James

You can check out the interview here.

Pouring Tea with Author Shawn James
Category: Writing and Poetry

We are Pouring Tea with The Cassandra Cookbook Author Shawn James and we are adding some lemon in this water for taste to get our members the answers they have been waiting for.

Yes, we have the juicy details right here on My Space just for our reader’s and fan’s. We ask this Author a lot of questions, by opening the doorway to this Author’s world we get your questions answered, so please join us! Sit down and pour yourself a cup of tea while TBGB’s Book Club welcomes you into the doorway of Mr. Shawn James.

TBGB: Tell us about Shawn James the Writer.

SJ: Shawn James is an easy going guy, who spends most of his time writing stories, novels and screenplays. He works seven hours a day, six days a week, with breaks scheduled in between; for errands, meals and sleep. When he has a day job, he works six hours a day, six days a week, after work on his writing. His mission over the past fifteen years is to create positive stories about the experiences of African-Americans; that will inspire readers to take action towards changing their lives for the better.

TBGB: Now, Tell us about Mr. James the Author.

SJ: Shawn James the author is a hardworking businessman; whom works tenaciously towards promoting his self- published books about the positive experiences of African-Americans. He networks with book clubs, book stores, bloggers and anyone who will read or buy his work.

TBGB: How did you become a Fiction Novelist?

SJ: I have been writing stories since I was nine years old. I started out wanting to copy the art in my brother's comic books. But I couldn't draw so well so I decided to use words and pictures. Professionally, I've been writing novels since I graduated college in 1994. It was a great way to relax.

TBGB: How has becoming a writer changed you if any in your life today?

SJ: I spend a lot more time in front of a computer than I should.

TBGB: What has inspired you to write The Cassandra Cookbook?

SJ: I wanted to create a positive story about the experiences of African-Americans in the workplace.

TBGB: What about the novel did you want the reader to identify with?

SJ: I want the reader to identify with the experiences the characters have in the story. It's easy for many of us to be like Simon and get so caught up with facts, figures, policies and procedures that we forget about the valuable people that give a company its true worth. It's also easy to be like Cassandra and be so wrapped up in their works that they lose their identity and sense of self worth that they sell all their talents and skills short.

TBGB: Is there anything about writing this book you didn't like?

SJ: I really enjoyed writing this book. In fact it was so much fun working on this book that I lost 30 pounds!

TBGB: Our member's had some interesting questions about the cover of this book, who is the Artist? And what made you decide on a drawing for the cover?

SJ: I'm the artist who drew the cover. Before I write, I sketch out what my characters look like so I can have a point of reference when I'm writing their descriptions. Since I couldn't afford a cover artist, I thought that sketch would best tell the story of the Cassandra cookbook.

TBGB: I believe the character on the cover is holding a bouquet of flowers and appear to be of masculine form and the book is about something totally different did you find it difficult to come up with a cover theme to match your story line?

SJ: Errr.... That's not a bouquet of flowers. That's supposed to be a chocolate muffin with a candle in it, and that masculine form is Ms. Cassandra Lee. From what you're telling me, I really stink as an artist. Really, really stink as an artist. I have got to get a pro for that next cover.

TBGB: Our bag.

TBGB: (Laughing our butts off.)

TBGB: I bet you get alot of questions concerning the cover of this book does any one question stick out the most as silly or ridiculous or is all of the questions about the same?

SJ: I don't get that many questions about the cover, because people are so excited about the plot and storyline that they pay very little attention to the cover. But I'm gonna have to revisit that cover and replace it one day.

TBGB: We really enjoyed reading this novel; please tell us about why you decided to put so many twist and turns in this storyline?

SJ: The twists and turns in the story came about organically. Some of them like the scandals and corporate backstabbing were inspired by things I saw transpire on many of the jobs I had in real life.

TBGB: This novel seems to have some bearings on today's economic situations how does this now play in advertising your book?

SJ: I wanted to detail the elements of success in the business world. While I was doing research on numerous corporations I quickly learned that many of them started as simple mom-and pop operations or small one-person businesses. Many were started during economic downturns. As I learned the secret ingredients these companies used to expand themselves, I began developing a promotional campaign detailing Cassandra's recipe for success. In Cassandra's story are tips and advice the reader can use to advance their own career.

TBGB: Wow, this IS awesome!

TBGB: How does your family and friends support you with your writing?

SJ: My family supports me 100% In fact; my brother and sister helped me with my table at the Harlem Book Fair this year. Monroe College published an article about my books in their Alumni newsletter.

TBGB: Please see further details relating on this newsletter by visiting Monroe College website to see if you can request an archive issue or back copy relating to Mr. James.

TBGB: Now, some of our member's want to know are you single?

SJ: I'm single and I'm available.

TBGB: Now I will pass this on to the 3 members’ who wanted to know. Smile.

TBGB: Where do you promote yourself the most in book stores or through book clubs?

SJ: I do most of my promotional work online. This is how I've contacted many of the Black Book Clubs and many Black Book Stores. I've also done some networking with book vendors on the street, but the web is the primary way I promote my work.

TBGB: Do you believe Authors have to promote themselves or do you believe the publishing company should do it?

SJ: Authors have to promote their own books; it’s the only way the public is going to know about them. At the publishing house, the advertising budget is small and the few promotional dollars are spent on the Best-Selling Authors. Everyone else, especially first time authors have to hustle to get the word out about their books.

TBGB: How is writing books for publishing companies different then musicians singing songs for record companies?

SJ: As far as I know in book publishing an author signs a contract giving the publisher permission to print the book in North America. They're paid an advance on the first print run of 5000-7000 copies. If those sell well, the author begins earning royalties of ten percent of the list price on sold copies. I don't really know how it works in the music industry but I think the songwriter gets paid royalties on songs they write and publish. This is why registering copyright is so important, as it on public record who owns the song.

TBGB: Wow, Readers please pay attention on how an Author gets paid. Book Clubs especially. We can help by advertising the feature Book-of-the-Month on our websites.

TBGB: If you were to give advice to a struggling Author what would you say?

SJ: Hang in there this is going to be a rough ride. Grow a very, very thick skin. Get used to hearing “No” more than “Yes”. Get used to hearing “No” than your “Own Name”. Listen to criticism, because it can only help your writing get better. Don't quit your day job! and save money. Save lots and lots of money.

TBGB: What are some of the new projects you are working on and what are some of the projects you have already out?

SJ: My first novel, Isis is available at online bookstores right now. It's an action packed fantasy story that utilizes Egyptian mythology and African-American history to tell the story of Isis, the daughter of the Egyptian god Osiris who after a horrible tragedy has to reconcile with her family.

In addition to Isis, I have two unpublished projects I'm planning on releasing.

All About Marilyn is an original screenplay about a typecast 1990's teen star that at the age of 34 must reinvent her so she can move forward in her personal and professional life. I was reading about the numerous struggles black actresses like Jurnee Smollett to Halle Berry have to face in trying to find work.

My next novel, The Temptation of John Haynes is a Christian, fantasy novel about a man whose soul Lucifer seeks to take by making him a CEO of a major corporation. If the beautiful she-demon he places there as John's assistant can get him to compromise his personal and spiritual beliefs he'll make her a member of his elite cadre of demons.

Both of these projects are on hold until I find another full-time job. I'm hoping I can find some work soon because I really want to share these stories with readers.

TBGB: Yeah and we would like to really read them!

TBGB: How do you feel about book clubs swapping online for books?

SJ: Not a fan of it. It takes royalties away from authors.

TBGB: I know a few of our member’s were guilty of doing this from websites like Paperbackswap.com, etc. and they are STRONGLY advised not to do so, it violates our membership rules. We ARE here to support our Authors. Our President is very strict on this rule. (To any Authors who have dealt with this from our book club please bring to the Club President attention.) We know none of us is perfect but MISTAKES can be corrected to build a stronger bond with our supporting Authors.

TBGB: Do you think book clubs help Authors with sales and promoting?

SJ: Definitely. If it wasn't for book clubs like TB&GB no one would know about my books. Without Black Book Clubs there'd be no way for most authors to get the word out about our books.

TBGB: Well, thank you Mr. James for the compliment.

TBGB: What can we do to improve the relationship between Authors and Book Club?

SJ: You guys are great, some of the best communication, and support. Everyone is friendly courteous and professional. Other book clubs could learn a thing or two from you!

TBGB: Well, thank you again our Club President will appreciate that. We will pass it on to all our members.

TBGB: Is there anything you would like your fans to know?

SJ: In addition to writing novels, I'm writing screenplays. I've entered some screenplay contests, and I'm working developing scripts for a TV series.

TBGB: Well, we wish you all the luck on that we really do.

TBGB: Is there anything you could tell us exclusively?

SJ: Cassandra Lee's story is actually inspired by the story of the real life Sara Lee Bakery, which the owner named after his daughter. He later sold the bakery and the name went on to become an international brand that manufactures everything from cheesecake to handbags!

TBGB: Wow that is good to know.

TBGB: If you could change one thing about the book we just read what would it be and why? Or are you completely satisfied with The Cassandra Cookbook?

SJ: I would definitely correct all those typos I missed. I really would change the cover as well.

TBGB: Laughing, I think overall this is really a good book. We really enjoyed reading this book. It brought some good topics to the table. We will recommend reading this novel to everyone.

Tea Bags and Good Books Book Club Review of The Cassandra Cookbook

Thanking the members of The Tea Bags and Good Books Book club for supporting me and takinig the time to read my book. They're all great people.


A BOOK REVIEW FOR THE CASSANDRA COOKBOOK BY SHAWN JAMES.
Category: Writing and Poetry
Title of the Book: The Cassandra Cookbook by Shawn James

Publishing Company: Virtualbookworm

ISBN: 978 1602642294

Member Reviewer: Anicia Walker, Lisa Valadez and Chris Michael

Book Read: June Book Read

Book Rating: 3 Tea Bags and a enjoyable story


The Cassandra Cookbook is based on a character by the name of Cassadra Lee. She is a hard working individual with some big time goals of her own. She bakes up her own recipes for success. Wanting to own her parent's business located in downtown Brooklyn, she also is in the middle of planning on getting married with in days of taken over her dream job to the man of her dreams of course. She muli-tasks while keeping a level head, what else could she ask for?

She has worked very hard on her Culinary Degree to help with her parent's bakery that has been in the family ever since Cassandra was a baby. Now, that her parent's are looking to retire in the near future here is her chance to put her Degree to work, why else did she get it? Well is wasnt for to hang on the wall in a small cramp office for a home for dustmites that's for sure.

While Cassandra is called to the bakery which seem like a last minute business meeting a request by her parents. Cassandra is all to thrill, she assumes this is the big day. The day her parents will turn over the keys and she becomes the boss. She had several ideas on those new pasry donuts, the ones she dreamed of baking herself she had even included whip cream cheese as a filling. Hmmm, tasty.

However, her dreams turns into a nightmare as her parents expose the truth as to why they called Cassandra into this private family affair. She is given a hard cookie to swallow, she cant bare to hear that her parent's had plans and ideas of their own.

Who told them to start thinking about all these bigs ideas without including her! Her mother and father reveals plans on selling the bakery to a big corporate gaint once they become retire! What! She cant believe this, how did she miss this? Didnt her parents see how much she love the bakery as a child? Maybe they have been tasting to much sugar this morning!

Now devastated she goes home to find comfort in the arms of her fiance who is at home finding comfort in the arms of another man! Just days before the wedding could anything else go wrong?!

Cassandra finally is convinced life has sold her an uneven oven she can't bake in without getting lumps in the middle. What to do next? She must somehow try to get her life back on track but how?

Soon things start to turn around for Ms. Lee. She becomes the representative assigned to handle her family affairs and find some answers to her questions. She start dealings with a handsome stranger, named Simon.

Well how do Cassandra turn her apples into pies? You can find out more once you pick up this great fiction novel.

A very good book read for this group, we were not to thrill about the cover it almost turned us away from the read as well as the typo errors which made it difficult to get back on story line but when we got caught up with this tasty morsal it became a good book to eat oops I mean a good book to read.

We enjoyed Mr. James imagination into betrayal and Corporate giant power and as we continue to read, we wanted Ms. Lee to become a success in the end.

We found this novel both entertaining and enlightening we hope you can enjoy this book as well.