The last day of February, can you believe it? Either this year is moving quickly, or I am so swamped the time is flying by. I have so much to share, I'm not sure where to begin. Let's see, how about starting with my writer friends.
Hey writers, I decided to move Write and Wine to 2x monthly rather than every Friday. I am also making some changes to the line-up. I love sprinting, tossing out prompts and using our time together to write, chat and sip, but now there will be interviews with authors! Yasss!
These interviews will take place occasionally - so I will definitely send out information in advance when we have a guest author.
Friday night on CandidlyEl's YouTube channel, a visual of Candid & Raw's podcast episode played, instead of my usual Write & Wine. I will place the link below. I am also working on a piece titled "Are Your Characters Speaking to You?" So pop back on in a few days for that. LOL
Now let's move on to all you lovelies out there. I cannot thank you enough for your continued support. Candid & Raw's podcast is doing well and I'm super excited! Please make sure to leave comments where they are available after listening to the podcast, and don't forget to share, share, share. The new episode dropped on February 26 at 8 p.m. You can listen to it on Buzzsprout, Spotify or Apple Podcast. You can also watch it here.
At the beginning of the year, I wrote a post (1/29/21) about the books I planned to read this year. I am now on my reading journey and would like to share some book reviews with you.
I came across this story in search of African-American writers I hadn't read before. What a fantastic novel. Ms. McFadden glued me to the story from the first chapter. This is her debut novel (which was written 20 years ago - I can't believe I never heard of her), and it moves you through the lives of two women so different, but in many ways the same. Their connection is charming and poignant. Sugar is a stroll down memory lane. McFadden takes us on a journey into America's past through the eyes of a Black woman. Beautifully written! This is a must-read. I listened to it on Audible. After the story was finished, I wanted to know more about Sugar - so I researched McFadden in the hope that there would be more stories about this character. To my delight, there was a second book and I quickly downloaded it. I highly recommend this novel.
McFadden's Bitter Earth takes you on another journey with Sugar as she learns about her past. Again McFadden pulls the reader into African-American history, superstitions, beliefs, and the dynamics between love and hatred. I liked going down this path with Sugar. I'll read more McFadden books this year, guaranteed! If you read Sugar, you have to read Bitter Earth too.
When I visited McFadden's author page, I smiled, she is a woman after my own heart. Girl, I see you sipping on that wine! Cheers! If you want to learn more about this fantastic author, visit her website.
Cicely Tyson - January 28, 2021 May, she Sleep in Peace - is an African-American treasure, and I am so thrilled she told her story. It's nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth. I've learned so many juicy bits of her life that I never knew or even associated with her because she's such an icon. She told her story with the grace that you came to expect from the acclaimed Cicely Tyson. I laughed, cried and learned valuable lessons from reading about Ms. Tyson's life and artistry. It was both entertaining and endearing. The most important takeaway was her strength of character and the distinction of having one. If you are a fan of Ms. Tyson, this book is a must. If you're not a fan, this book is still a must! LOL.
Well, that's my thoughts on those books. I am currently reading three books - two from my list- book 22 & 24 (you can find both on 1/29/21 blog post) and one from a writer I will interview on the Write & Wine this Friday. My upcoming author guest is Kayleen Reusser. She is a non-fiction author who has written several books "Capturing military stories on veterans one at a time."
Please join me on Friday, Facebook live and YouTube live! Of course, I will place the links by Friday. So check back.
Remember, writers, friends and lovelies visit, participate in the forum, read, leave comments and post if you like!
Until the next time,
Stay curious!
CandidlyEL