authorgraph

Monday, August 29, 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MJ!



Happy Birthday, Michael. This is the MJ I'll remember. The one with all the potential. The one who had no childhood. The one who lit up the room and the sky. The genius. Born August 29, 1958. Gone too soon? Yes and no.He served his purpose while here and never skimped on a performance. He gave too much but that is what fans expect. For one to live for them and to allow them to draw the essence out of an artist until they fold in and return to where ever. Well, where ever you are, Michael, sing, dance and be. Happy Birthday

Friday, August 26, 2016

THE ISLEY BROTHERS AND THE GAP BAND

The Isley Brothers

A group from Cincinatti, OH. Been active since 1954 and still going strong. The group consisted of Ron, Ernie, Vernon, Rudolph, Marvin, O'Kelly and Chris Jasper. They were brothers, cousins and related by marriage but they all were and are family. Three have passed away. Ron was the breakout star and now at the age of 75, along with Ernie is still making hits. I always thought Ernie Isley was the BEST, underrated guitarist in the business. Their music catalogue is too vast to name. But my favs are Harvest for the World and  their remake of Summer Breeze. Ernie's guitar is golden on those cuts.







Oh my. Peep that fur and those boots. A playa never dies.


The Gap Band



Hailing from Tulsa, OK (hence the cowboy hats and cowbells in their music) These brothers (Charlie, Ronnie and Robert) from the Greenwood district of Tulsa tore up the charts in the 70s and 80s. Party Train being a big hit. Robert is gone but Charlie is the breakout star in this group. After battling drug addiction, his life has been on track for years and "Uncle Charlie" can put on a show to shame the youngsters and the Devil. At 63, his curtain call time is usually 3 a. m. You can't be a wuss and keep up with Chollie.



Smooth Charlie

Monday, August 15, 2016

PORTALS, VOLUME 6 is out and it's FREE!



Well, lookie here! PORTALS, volume 6 is officially out (August 3rd). And I'm in this one too. I was in the first one too. Volume 7 comes out later this month. It will be the last one. I do hope you have enjoyed these first chapters from selected Scifi Romance books. A way to sample a book or unknown before plunking down your ducats for the whole thing. I've read them and have found new authors to follow. As alway, I am honored to have been part of a successful project. Can wait to see what the ladies of SFR think up next.

And did I mention all PORTALS are FREE! Check your ebook seller, download them and travel to other worlds or meet an alien or two!


https://www.amazon.com/Portals-One-Lyn-Brittan-ebook/dp/B01FIFE7FA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Portals-Six-Jessica-Subject-ebook/dp/B01JQ7P8YK/ref=pd_sim_351_20?ie=UTF8&dpID=51YTloYYR9L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_OU01__BG0%2C0%2C0%2C0_FMpng_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=QJ4Q8F35VFVC6ZRA0FHF

Portals: Volume One by [Brittan, Lyn, Burnard, Marcella, Dean, P.J., Frelick, Donna S., Green, Laurie A., Grayson, Athena, Pajonas, SJ, van der Rol, Greta, Scott, Veronica, Williams, Sandy]


Friday, August 12, 2016

The tale of two Simones and a Homer - Update: Add Miles Chamley-Watson's Bronze too!

Simone Biles and Simone Manuel won their heats Thursday night. Manuel tied for Gold with Canadian Penny Olesiak (kudos, Pen). Both young, hard-working women brought home the Gold. These African-American women made firsts and broke records and myths. Yes, we swim. And when we do, we kick butt. Hail, les deux Simone! Leave their hair and Gabby's hair alone! When you DEVOTE your LIFE to something other than your Remi or "how many bundles will make me look like a RHOA?" then maybe, maybe you can talk. Hard-achieved congrats ladies!








The other star of the day was Daryl Homer of the Bronx. He won the Silver in individual saber. My heart is bursting. So proud of this young man. Born in the U. S. Virgin Islands, he is a joy to watch due to his drive and enthusiasm and skill.

All, breaking barrriers and records. When a chance is given, skill is unstoppable. I love it.









Add Miles Chamley-Watson's team bronze in foil fencing too!



Tuesday, August 9, 2016

The Olympian Whisperer - George "Pup" Williams, Track and Field coach at St. Augustine's College in North Carolina

This underrated coach has groomed and sent more track and field stars to the Olympics since God was in knee pants! Pup Williams' finds come from the best HBCUs (that's HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES) in the U.S. Tons of his prospects hail from the islands (Barbados, St. Vincent, The Grenadines, on and on and of course the U. S. of A. He has won 36 national titles and has shaped 40 of his "kids" into OLYMPIANS over FORTY YEARS!  And he has accomplished this all from his only job of FORTY YEARS at St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, N. C. 

He has over a dozen competing in the present Olympic Games.

Go, Mr. Williams, Go!

Hollywood, give this man a movie!

Thursday, August 4, 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISTER PRESIDENT!





Barack Obama, Senior and Ann Dunham



All I can say is thank you to his 'rents for meeting. And thank you, Mister President.
Happy Birthday and many more!
Sure you can't run for a third term?
August 4th, 1961

Saturday, July 30, 2016

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT WAS RIGHT! BUT THAT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE IS PRETTY FRIGHTENING TOO




Well, now that both 2016 Presidential Conventions are over, I can either build a bunker or believe the Universe is a benevolent place. The former is what Donald J. Trump wants Americans to believe; the second is what Hillary Rodham Clinton wants you to believe. I prefer the latter. Yes. I’m with her. So, if that is distasteful to you. You can close the page and get off my damned lawn now!

If you are still on the lawn, hold on. The sentiments of Mister Trump, and his ilk (and what an ilk it is), are the manifestation of all that has been festering under the skin of a LARGE number of ‘Muricans since the Civil Rights Movement. Somehow, people demanding being treated like any other human being, angers certain other people.

I am HAPPY that my grandparents and my parents are DEAD! Why? Because the fanning of the flames of bigotry, hatred, suspicion, any other nasty-assed word one can think of, by that con artist/madman, would have KILLED them were they alive.

At first, I could not believe this fool was getting as far as he was in the polls. Then he became the front runner. And now he is the RETHUGLICAN nominee for President. Scottie beam me up!

But isn’t that what happens? Isn’t The Donald the kind of person the inadequate, the ill-informed, and the fearful look to, to tell them all their short-comings are SOMEBODY ELSE’S fault? Nothing says “OPPORTUNIST” more than a con man coming to the fore to validate the fears of weak minds. It is music to the tiny ears attached to their tiny heads.

And discord to the ears of the sane.

News outlets have danced around describing this man. I will not. Trump is racist, xenophobic, sexist and any other -ist or -ic one can think of. He is everything bad about capitalism at its best. But that ilk who love him think this snake-oil salesman can “save them.” From what is what I’d like to know. They can’t know anything about his business acumen other than his TV show where he yells, “You’re fired!” For the record, his business track record ain’t the best. He is the typical rich azzhole who runs up bills and runs out on creditors. Ask the people of Atlantic City or any other creditor he has stiffed. Which is why I find it ironic the working class adore this cretin. This man is clueless about working people. He is also a big, fat liar when it comes to immigration and illegal immigrants. His enterprises RUN on hiring the very people he slanders. What a piece of work. For a man who loathes immigrants he sure likes to marry them. Madams Trump 1 and 3 certainly are.

And as far as him loving “the Blacks and them loving him? (And Omarosa does not count. She’s been angling for a job since her stint on “The Apprentice” ended.) Anyway, do “the Blacks” backing him know, especially the monied entertainers he takes selfies with, he had a policy where he would NOT rent or sell his residential properties to them for decades? He’s the equivalent of the White guy who will do a minority chick but won’t bring her around his friends or family.

He is a product of the times and they are far from post-racial. There are folk who lost their shyte when President Obama won and haven’t found it yet. So Toupee Fiasco is their Great White Hope. It’s truly scary to see so many unhinged following this troll. 

Oookay, ‘Murica. Keep hitchin’ your caboose to that Hate Train. Keep hatin’ that neighbor whose skin is darker than yours, or prays in the direction of Mecca, or is Mr. and Mr. Smith/Mrs. And Mrs. Smith or any combination thereof, or who doesn’t celebrate Xmas because they are non-Christian or worship Satan. Keep right on hatin’ until you need their help one day when your power is out, or your hurt kid needs a ride to the ER, or when that tree in your front yard that is felled by a storm is resting on your roof. Keep hatin’ until that is all you have to comfort you.

You know I rant from time to time on the nuttiness in the romance publishing business. I am sure folk would like me to move on. But you know what? The ish swirling around in the romance biz is a just a microcosm of what’s going on in the U. S. It all comes down to fear. A certain set of writers who fear the loss of first-always access to reading audiences through established avenues. They fear having to share with “others” because just maybe that author might have a new idea. They fear not being that writer with the new idea even though the last original thought one of these “top” authors had was when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and they stole that from someone. And gatekeepers fear the imagined loss of an industry standard as to what a romance novelist should look like and who should be writing it and for whom. They fear the breaking of romance’s “glass ceiling” by the other. The industry fears newcomers with varied views on what romance writing is.

Fear, fear, fear, fear.

Yes, the members of “The Queens of Proper and Right Romance Club” would be right at home in The Donald’s camp. In fact, a certain biggie is a well-known “birther.”

And you Bernie Sanders supporters. I know. I get it. You love him. He was the face of your movement. But he lost. And you will not let it go. Yeah, keep your dream alive for the future, but for now the competition is OVER! You wanna hang with an old guy? Go visit that Grandpa you probably don’t visit enough. You must be the offspring of my fellow Baby-Boomers who believed that every child should get a ribbon in a competition. I feel sorry because your parents conned you too. There is NO ribbon for 67th place. There is NO ribbon for showing up like you are SUPPOSED TO. No. No. No. If that were the case, it would cheapen everything. So, stop. You lost. You get no ribbon. Go home and regroup and organize for down the road. And please, I beg of you, do not vote for The Donald out of spite. If you did, it would prove my point that you have not yet earned the right to sit at the grown-up table.

What is with this lament that the country does not know Hillary? The woman has been around in public service for 4 decades. Just because she hasn’t been in YOUR decade, or doesn’t post pics of her breakfast bagel on the ‘Gram, does not mean she just fell from the sky. To find out more, Google her like you do everything else you don’t feel like retaining.

In closing, I know Mrs. Clinton is not a perfect choice. I look at it this way. Hillary may be a harsh, cold, windy, rainstorm mixed with hail but Trump is an effin Category 5 hurricane. The Donald will shelter his rich friends, but tear the roof off your trailer, rip you a new one and smile while he does it. He cares for no one. Not the Republican party, nor his "ilk."

Wake up the eff up, "Real 'Murica."