Oooooohio!

I am in the food court of the Columbus airport, just as exhausted as I want to be, but not even a little bit pissed off that I missed my flight this morning. :-)

I just spent two days with some of the most awesome people on the face of the planet. Those people are members of Shades, Ohio University's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender organization for students of color.

Yes, you heard right...OU has a group for gay students of color. They, along with other organizations at OU including the LGBT Program Center, brought me out this week to be the keynote speaker for National Coming Out Week. My major appearance was on last night, Wednesday, National Coming Out Day.

I arrived on Tuesday morning and was greeted by Jon, the Graduate Assistant in the LGBT center, and Adrian, a member of Shades and a dancer. The ride from Columbus to Athens was nice and uneventful; however, I wasn't ready for all the dang road kill!!!! There were sooooo many dead animals on the highway -- and the dead skunks really did smell!

I stayed at the Ohio University Inn, which was just off campus. Very, very nice room. The king-sized bed was more than I needed, but I slept like a baby every single time I put head to pillow. I ordered room service and was knocked the eff out for two hours.

Jon took me on a tour of the Ohio University campus and it is a lot nicer than I expected it to be. Sure, I don't know what exactly I expected, but it was smaller and more comfy than I thought it would be. Perhaps I assume everything in Ohio is big because of OSU, lol

I got a few souvenirs for myself and family. Didn't realize Ohio's colors were green and white -- BARF! I mean, it's distinguished, but it's just not...festive, I reckon.

The greek section of the store was kinda lame, but I did see some things I had never seen before. Apparently they make "paddle fabric" now. You can decorate it with self adhesive jewels and ribbon and letters. Personally, I thought it looked tacky and would be better on a pillow than a paddle, but hey, c'est la vie.

I visited the cultural center and I really enjoyed the Director (Linda) and the Associate Director (LeRoy) who also co-advises the NPHC and is a Kappa.

He is also, in all probability, one of the three finest men in Athens. And yes, I met the other two while I was there as well.

We ate at the Blue Gator which was so-so on the ambiance, but GREAT on the food! I had a grilled portobello mushroom sandwich. I only ate part of it because I was already full, and like a dummy I had a roll with dinner, lol. But I was reall good. I sat next to Horace (frat) who is holding down Phi Chapter. We were joined by Linda, LeRoy, Mickey from the LGBT center, Winsome from the cultural center, some sorority women, Dana the Chi O and NPHC co-advisor, and Jaylen, who must have been a GA for the cultural center. We had a grand old time.

So we had my first discussion. I spoke to the NPHC about a variety of topics, but primarily the issues of maintaining self-determination as chapters (standing up for yourselves, remaining active, remaining advocates of all black people) and homosexuality in fraternities/sororities. I moreso answered questions about my own experiences. The Deltas in particular were really attentive, taking notes, and really making good eye contact. My frat was also there, a Sigma, an SGRho, and another Kappa aside from LeRoy. The rest of the audience (20 all together) were members of Shades, other advisors, and guests. The pictures were kinda blurry because I had messed up the settings before I gave Dana the camera.

After that, I went and chilled at the hotel, getting a FULL EIGHT HOURS of sleep!!!!! I haven't had eight hours of sleep in months!!!

Wednesday morning, woke up, ate an apple, worked on me remarks for the evening lecture, and went to lunch with Mickey Hart and the gay faculty and staff group. It was at a chinese buffet. I hadn't eaten at a buffet in a while. The staff and whatnot were very friendly, as were the two students who were co-chairing Out Week.

Then I spent some alone time shopping (didn't get anything other than lotion (lol), an APO shot glass, and an Alpha cross stitch kit -- don't sleep, them joints can run up to 15 bucks! I paid 4.95 on sale!)

Came back to the LGBT office for some quality time with Evan -- what can I say about Evan that wouldn't be cliche? He is beautiful -- a term I never use lightly. He is a hero. He is the founding president of Shades. He is humble and modest. He is someone I am so glad that I know. He and I chatted about a lot of things. I am looking forward to seeing him again!

But then, at 3 or so, I was scheduled for a film interview with a broadcast journalism student. I had no idea what to expect -- but in the door came a tall, light (lighter than me), built, hip-hop/neo soul lookin, square eyeglass wearing HUNK OF MAN with hands the size of YOUR LIFE.

And then his friend/cameraman was hot too!!!! Turns out his friend is the godbrother of Maurice, this cat I went to Georgetown with. It's funny because they were all fair and light-skinned and all from Athens. I was like "Are you fucking kidding me? Do I have to move to Athens now?"

But the interview was great....my interviewer was professional and put me at ease. He asked some great questions, too.

I have totally blanked out on his name though...... I remember being unsure how to pronounce his last name. And when he signed out, he used some sort of acronym, so that messed me all up, too. lol

After that, went back to the 'telly, ironed, and got ready for the speech. I was nervous and trying not to go in Diva mode. When I got back to the Baker (student) center, I was trying to find my inner balance, but it seemed like everyone around me was either staring at me or talking to me, lol.

BUT, the speech happened.....you know, sometimes I just blank out and have no recollection of what I said or how I said it, but I just pray that I don't offend anyone in the process.

There were mad white people there! I mean, okay, I knew I was going to a white school to speak, but there were less minorities than I imagined and more white folks. I think at Georgetown it would have been the opposite -- a lot of black people who were either gay friendly or curious, and a handful of supportive white folks.

But everybody was really receptive to my message, which was essentially admonishing mainstream gay culture to accept the differences and nuances of black gay culture. To not treat "gay pride" as monolithic, but something that is beautiful in its many facets.

After that, I signed books and took pictures with my new friends in Shades. Then Na'im finally found me and we had a drink back at the 'telly and reconnected.

Now, here us is in the airport cuz we missed our flight this morning! I was running a little late because my stomach was acting up -- on top of that, trafffic had the nerve to be congested! But it's fine....life is too short to be wound up about being forced to chill at an airport.

I am really thankful to have been invited to speak to these wonderful, wonderful people. I believe I've made some new friends for life.

Posted on October 12, 2006 at 11:13 AM | Comments (5)

Inspiration

Milt wants to know where do I get the inspiration for my characters...

Well Milt, that's actually a great question -- a much better-phrased one than "How much of this is autobiographical?" Argh! I hate that question!

In all of my work, the characters are fully developed before the whole story is mapped out. In a project I am working on now, for instance, I am starting with the characters and a situation -- no clue how the situation resolves, but I can tell you what the characters look like, what kind of cars they drive, what their kids do, how they were raised, etc.

So by the time the story begins, I already know these characters....I know how they would respond in a given situation.

Are they totally, one hundred percent fiction? Nah, maybe only 99 percent. That one percent is one of two things:

1) A character may visually have been inspired by someone I know.

or

2) A little bit of a character's experiences mirror experiences I have researched, read about, seen, or experienced myself.

But mostly, my stories evolve from what-if scenarios.

What if.... a guy pledged a fraternity and got outed halfway through?

What if....a guy dated a varsity basketball player?

Etc, etc. Did I ever date a basketball player? I WISH! Did I get outed while pledging? Nope.

Does Adrian Collins talk like me? Yes.

Does Adrian Collins look like me? No.

Does Savion behave like me? Yes.

Does Nina joke like me? Yes.

You see? It's not merely a retelling of my life -- it's a story that reflects various parts of my life, the parts that are also reflected in yours.

Posted on September 27, 2006 at 8:59 PM | Comments (2)

Cover Designer

Cleaning out my super old emails and discovered something for you aspiring authors....a cover designer:

http://www.macropublishing.com/

I obviously used my own designer, but there's a link for those of you who want to try them.

Posted on July 2, 2006 at 3:29 PM | Comments (0)

The mojo is comin back......

As I get settled into the new job and am no longer the last hired, I am finding my mojo and my groove in all aspects of writing.

I am writing in my personal journal with regularity, hashing out the things in my life that I need to work out on my own.

Covenant is even closer to fruition.... keep on bearing with me!

And I am hoping...really really hoping....that I can bring this blog back to it's former glory. I think I will have a rotating theme for every day so that I can get back into the habit. I need -- have -- to write every day, especially now! I love love LOVE my job, but it can't consume me.

I was led to work with youth....but I was born to write.

Posted on May 14, 2006 at 8:40 PM | Comments (0)

Updates

Well, Covenant is still on the way, though y'all probably don't believe me, LOL.

It will be a limited release....I hate when recording artists say "this one is for the fans" because no, it's really to get paid. But Covenant really is for the fans. I might not even make it available on Amazon. We'll see.

As I make moves in my career outside of writing, 2006-07 will be time to make moves within my writing career.

Lazarus was good. Covenant is great. It's time for me to make power moves, ya know?

What those will be exactly, I don't know yet. Well, other than establishing myself more as a speaker and expert.

Do I want a book deal on a major house? Or do I want to establish myself as a permanent independent press?

If I pursue the book deal route, that's a lot of uncertainty. I am kind of tired of dealing with agents who are really all about getting paid. I had an extremely negative impression after dealing with the agent of a friend and I'm leery of proceeding down that route again.

I mean, I know I am a good writer. I also know I am not perfect and that the best is yet to come -- but I know that I'm good and that even more people deserve to read my work.

I've sold well, considering my very limited release. No, I haven't sold enough to quit my job. ;-) But I have sold close to the same amount as a few traditionally published peer authors.

I need a good publicist. That's pretty much the start right there. I have yet to find one that really speaks to me.

I do have a "the one that got away story" though.....there is an actor who I admire that I sent a review copy of Lazarus to, through his "people." Well, his people LOVED the book. And I vibed with him very well, too. He had the connections I felt I needed, yet I wasn't going to rely solely on him to make it happen. I was prepared (and he knew) that I was willing to WORK for this.

He had never represented an author before, and I was cool with that -- he had a thirst for achievement and I knew I wouldn't be unsuccessful if I worked with him.

Alas, his life was busier than I could have anticipated. I think that he was more enthusiastic about my novel than his other projects would allow him to be. We drifted apart, I haven't heard from him in months, and now I don't have his contact info because of the great Outlook Fiasco of 2006.

You know what....fuck that.... he's finna BE my publicist.

Posted on May 9, 2006 at 8:19 AM | Comments (0)

National Multicultural Greek Council -- Success!

Well this weekend I went to New York to be a guest speaker for the Spring Conference of the National Multicultural Greek Council. The theme was Namaste, which means "recognizing the equality of all & paying honor to the sacredness of all."

The conference itself was amazing. I came during lunch, stayed for the first roundtable discussion, and then I was on. It was so great and humbling to be surrounded by so many people who were national leaders and even founders of their organizations. These were fraternities and sororities I had previously only heard about through the internet.

The attendees didn't know what to expect, as I was only listed on the program as "Rashid Darden of Old Gold Soul." So for all I know, they expected a lounge act, lol. But what I presented was an integrated lecture about the challenge and responsibilities of Multicultural Fraternities and Sororities. I used Lazarus and Covenant as springboards for those discussions.

I was concerned that I would be boring people with so much talking, so I did my best to include the attendees at the beginning. I also included some funny anecdotes from my own collegiate experiences.

I wrapped up by reading a passage from Covenant in which Calen asks Adrian if he would do it all again. (It's all about the pregnant pauses, y'all, lol)

I was sooooo taken aback by the responses....people were really feeling the remarks I made and the excerpts from the novel. I actually sold REALLY well, too. I was surprised to be honest. I guess I keep underestimating myself.

All in all, I truly felt the love from the NMGC and the individual members. I am looking forward to working with any and all of them again!

I'll upload the pics as soon as I can.

Posted on May 1, 2006 at 8:29 AM | Comments (1)

The Cover

If you haven't noticed, the cover is here:

It is not finished. Sure, you might love it, but I know that there are improvements to be made.

That said, the release date for Covenant has been pushed back. The primary reason is the unfinished cover. The secondary reason is my overestimation of how many pre-orders I would receive.

I failed on that count. Far fewer people supported Covenant this time around, and that's cool. But it does have an impact on how quickly I can get this novel out.

I make very little money in my day job. I am not a teacher -- I am a teacher's aide. Big difference. Of course I have savings, but an aide's savings are far different from the savings of a teacher. When I have pre-order drives, it's not just to measure interest in the novel, but it's a partial fundraiser. I reward the people who really really want the book by making sure that they have the first shot at ordering it. I also make sure they receive the book first. That didn't work this time. Sure, people supported. But not in the numbers I imagined.

The book will not be ready in time for Book Expo America, which is my greatest disappointment.

Right now, I cannot say how soon it will be finished because the cover art still isn't ready. I want to state right here in the open that I love my cover designer and will continue my relationship with him. I am lucky to have such a talented artist in my corner. Blame the delay on both of us being perfectionists.

I say this not to gather sympathy -- this is my project, and therefore, my deal. But I ask everyone who did pre-order to bear with me as you have since I started this process. Covenant will come. Covenant will be hot. Covenant will be better than even Lazarus.

So, that's what's up with the book.

--RD

Posted on March 26, 2006 at 4:12 PM

...For that, I apologize

I realize that there haven't been any updates about Covenant lately, and I apologize for that. There really hasn't been anything to tell.

The art department will have a cover for me to show you next week. I really thought I'd have it by now to show you. But I do want to thank all of you who pre-ordered strictly on the strength of the excerpt and loving the first novel.

Next week, I will also have a firm date on when the books will be shipped.

People frequently ask me how pre-orders are going on Covenant. I'll just be honest: not good. The first week was WONDERFUL! I have a long list of fans of the first novel that just can't wait to read the continuing adventures. Those pre-orders are a very large part of what makes Old Gold Soul a successful small business. (And by successful I mean that we can at least make the product, lol)

But the challenge has been in reaching the many people who bought Lazarus at Pride events or on Amazon.com. I haven't been able to "convert" people who buy books when they see them to people who pre-order books they really want. (It doesn't help that my work life has been so hectic the past few months.)

So if you read this blog.....please pre-order Covenant. I really need your help now as much as I did last year at this time.

Just click on THE BOOK at the top of this page, then click on ORDER to use PayPal or to print out an order form.

Posted on March 2, 2006 at 7:26 AM | Comments (0)

Excerpt of Covenant

September 1

I woke up in bed next to a glassy-eyed stranger, not knowing who he was, but feeling oddly at ease with him.

“What the fuck?” I said softly. My eyes adjusted to the harsh rays of sunlight piercing my blinds until I was able to focus on the furry stranger in my bed. His eyes, genuinely made of glass, stared back at me, smiling – elated that he had been placed in my care.

“A damn teddy bear,” I grumbled, grinning on the inside. He wore a “Somebody at Potomac University Loves Me” shirt over his light brown fur. He wasn’t a large bear by any means, but large enough to be noticeable to the visitors of my room.

He did it again.

The last thing I remembered from the night before was talking to him, he who had stopped by unexpectedly just to say hello. I was already in bed when he came by. Heavy rapping at the door made me believe that one of my roommates had forgotten their key.

I swung the door open, surprised to see him standing there.

“Adrian,” he said, sizing me up in a deliberate floor-to-ceiling gesture with his head.

“Hey,” I said, feeling naked in my white sleeveless t-shirt, which clung tightly to my slender torso while my blue basketball shorts slung low on my hips, revealing the white FTL band of my boxer briefs. .

“Can I come in?” he asked, peering around the door and trying to take a glance at my living room.

“Um,” I said, uncertain whether he was intent on breaking the pact before the school year had even begun.

“Dude, just for a minute,” he said. “You know I’m not going to go back on my promise. I just…I just had to see you before we…we…”

“Okay,” I interrupted. “You can stay for a while.”

I tried to hide my smile from him, so I quickly walked toward the kitchenette. “You want something to drink?”

“Naw,” he said, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the old brown couch and let his old, tattered gym bag fall to the floor at his feet while I got myself a glass of water. I sat in the gray cushioned chair across from him and slowly sipped my drink.

“You seem uncomfortable,” he said.

“Naw…just nervous, I guess.”

“Nervous?” he said, leaning forward on the couch, as close to me as he could without sliding off. “I just saw you like two weeks ago, dawg.”

“You know how we can get,” I said. “We’re just chillin’ one minute, then the next minute…well, you know.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I know. By the way, nice shorts.”

I immediately sat Indian style in the chair, trying to hide my slender brown legs underneath me.

“You don’t get it,” he said, laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I asked with a nervous smile.

“Those are my shorts,” he said. I looked down again. Sure enough, the shorts weren’t mine.

I looked at him, seeing a smile wider than the main Quad. It was infectious. Finally, the ice had been broken and I could smile in his presence again.

He was back in my life, if only for a few moments on the night before classes. We both stood up and hugged in the middle of my living room.

“I missed you,” he whispered, lips brushing lightly against my ear.

“I missed you, too,” I said to him, through his chest.

“You were sleeping, weren’t you?” he asked. He backed away slightly, looking down to my eyes while holding on to my arms.

“Almost,” I said. “I was just lying in bed when you came over. I have a lot to do tomorrow.”

“Come on, then,” he said, letting his hands slide down my arms. “Go back to sleep.”

“Dude, you know I can’t just fall back to sleep now.”

“Yeah you can,” he said taking my hand and leading me to the short set of stairs leading to the bedrooms and bathroom.

“Which one is yours,” he asked as we crept through the darkened hallway.

“The middle,” I said. He had brought his gym bag downstairs with him as though he planned on spending the night.

We entered my dark room, lit only with the light of my computer screen. He sat down at my desk and started checking his email on my Dell. I got under the sheets and laid face up so I could see him.

“You ready for class tomorrow?” he asked me.

“Yeah,” I said. “Are you?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I hope I like all of them.”

“You will,” I said. He turned to face me in the darkness and smiled one last time before I fell asleep.

He must have hidden the teddy bear in his gym bag and put it next to me in bed before he let himself out of my apartment. He still loved me. His swagger, his smile, his voice, his deeds – they all called out to me, but I couldn’t answer. Not then, not yet. There was much work to be done before he and I would be ready to move forward.

***

When I woke up in the morning, I named the bear Miles and put him on my desk. Actually, I named him Miles because I rested him on top of my Miles Davis CDs. My apartment, located deep in Hurley Village, was already bustling with activity.

Calen was one of my favorite frat brothers and now my housemate. We were initiated together and had experienced many trials and tribulations to make it to that point. When we were at our darkest hour as a pledge class, Calen was one of the few who showed that he was in my corner regardless of the circumstances. From the outside looking in, we made for a rather odd pair. I was of average height, just shy of five feet, ten inches. Calen, on the other hand was six and a half feet tall, 250 pounds easy. He had a beautiful caramel complexion and a baby face, even though nothing else about him was juvenile.

His laughter emanating from the kitchen reminded me that we were to wear our fraternity shirts. It was a tradition in our chapter that we dressed in paraphernalia on certain days, like the first day of class or Homecoming. My burgundy shirt with old gold letters was already hung neatly in my closet, and khaki shorts were placed on the back of my chair. After I took a shower and clothed, I was ready to face my rambunctious housemates.

“Yo, what up Adrian?” my burly frat brother hailed from the kitchen table. “B-Chi!”

“Chi Phi!” I responded. Calen loved saying the fraternity call whenever he had the chance. He was definitely a super-neo. “What’s up, fellas?”

Adrian’s two teammates, Brad and Orlando were relaxing in the living room, watching SportsCenter on ESPN. They returned my greeting and went back to SportsCenter.

“Nice shirt,” Calen said playfully, while eating his cereal. “I got me one just like it.”

“Thanks,” I said sarcastically. “Matter of fact, you seem to be wearing it right now.”

We laughed, and I grabbed a bagel from the pantry. It was about 9:30am by the green numbers on the microwave’s clock, and there was much to be done today.

“You got a 10:15 class, yo?” Calen asked.

“Naw…I gotta go to the bank in the student center, though. That joint opens at ten.”

“Word?” Calen asked. “You know I had an 8:50 already, right?”

“What?” I asked incredulously, pausing while spreading cream cheese on my bagel. “I know you didn’t have no 8:50 on the first day…ain’t you back kinda early?”

“Naw, they just gave us the syllabus and we was out. Now I ain’t got shit to do until 12 or so.”

“Messed up,” I said, biting into my bagel. “Yo, you know first chapter meeting is in two weeks, right?”

“Yeah…not this Sunday, but the next one. Dude, you think Jamal is going to be active this year?”

Get the fuck off the line, Adrian! His voice rang in my ears as clear as the night he screamed at me to stop pledging his beloved Beta. He hit me -- numerous times -- but I stuck it out. I lost Savion. I sweat blood and tears to get these letters across my chest, but Jamal…I could feel my stomach wrapping around his fist once again. I felt nauseated.

“Adrian? Dude, what’s wrong?” my line brother asked.

“Jamal…” I said distantly. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him around yet.”

“Adrian, you know, I’m sorry,” Calen said. “I thought you had squashed that beef from last year. I won’t mention…I mean, don’t worry. Just forget about it.”

I slowly came back to my kitchen and away from the chaos of that infamous night.

“It’s okay,” I lied. “I’m not worried about it.” The truth was that I just didn’t feel like dealing with it. Brother Jamal hated my guts and it showed every single day since the night he tried to make me depledge Beta. He hated me because he discovered my secret, my only obstacle to Beta: my boyfriend.

When learning that I was gay wasn’t enough to make me drop Jamal and Brother Craig tried to beat the resolve out of me. I almost didn’t make it. I was ready to stop everything and just walk away from what I had invested so many weeks and months of my life into. I died that night. But like Lazarus, I rose again and finished what I started. At least, that’s why my pledge Dean named me “Lazarus” – the name embroidered on the back of my t-shirt.

Somebody tapped lightly on our door, and I raced to answer it, glad that something would distract me from the thought of Jamal. I peeped through the blinds and saw my favorite female in the world.

“Hey, boo!” Nina shouted, waking up any other sleeping soul in our entire apartment complex.

“Hey, chica!” I responded, a huge grin crossing my face.

“Your sexy ass roommates up in here?” she asked, huge afro puff bouncing behind her head as she spoke. Her deep brown skin radiated in the morning sunlight. She wore a floral print dress, a festive little number to celebrate the first day of class.

“Yeah, we here,” Calen said from behind me. “What’s up, girl?” Calen and Nina hugged with much familiarity.

“Hey boys!” she said over Calen’s shoulder to Brad and Orlando.

“Hi, Nina.” the boys said. They were easily transfixed by her beauty and her confidence. If Nina could do nothing else well, she could silence a room. Men loved her; women were painfully indifferent.

“You ready?” she asked. I picked up my book bag from just inside the doorway.

“Yup,” I said. “Let’s go.”

“Wait, Frat,” Calen said, grabbing my shoulder. I turned around and Calen shook my hand. Pulling each other close, we gave each other the secret handshake of the fraternity.

“Have a good day, Frat,” he said sincerely.

“Thanks, Frat,” I said, grinning slightly. Calen was a good man. He was the polar opposite of Jamal, and I loved him for it.

Nina and I walked through Hurley Village toward our student center on this magnificent September day. Late summer at Potomac University was always a beautiful time of year. The campus was clean, the trees were green, and everybody was happy. Even me.

“I am loving those letters, boy!” Nina said. I smiled.

“I’m glad to be wearing them, girl.” I sighed. Nina knew just how bad I wanted to be a Beta and what I sacrificed to get those three letters. She was the only person who stood behind me one hundred percent.

“You know, it’s not too late for you to be…I dunno, an AKA?” I suggested playfully.

“Adrian, don’t you start with me again,” Nina said, soflty grabbing my sleeve. “I don’t want no parts of these Greek hussies on this campus.”

“Ha!” I said. “No you didn’t call them hussies.”

“Yup. You know I don’t like being around too many women. They talk too much.”

“You a woman, too, honey.”

“Oh, I know, sweetie. But ummm…you really don’t wanna see me cut a bitch for putting her hands on me, do you?”

“Naw,” I said. “I guess I don’t. They’d be fucking with the wrong broad if they put their hands on Nina Bradley.”

“You damn right. Now, are we depositing or withdrawing from this here bank?” she asked as we crossed the glass doors into the student center.

“Depositing,” I said. “The father figure sent me a check the other day.”

“Well…that’s good. Right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s damn good. A nigga is out of your life for a decade, and they start finding inventive ways to make it up to you.”

“Damn,” she said, partly because of my comment, but mostly because the line to the bank was so long. I grabbed a deposit slip and began to fill it out while we waited.

“Adrian, look look look,” Nina said.

“What?” I asked. “Where am I looking?”

“Second girl in line with the sandals on.”

“Okay…what about her?”

“Look…at her nasty ass feet.”

I looked at the girl from her short denim skirt to her light brown legs, and finally her ashy feet. I stifled laughter.

“That broad look like she been playing soccer in a flour pit, Adrian!”

“Hush!” I said quietly. “You already got me laughin’ at this chick in my letters, please don’t let her turn around and see us clowning her.”

“But she shouldn’ta come out the house without putting some Vaseline on them dogs! I mean, Adrian, come on now.”

Tears were streaming from my face by now, but at least I wasn’t laughing out loud.

“I mean, maybe,” I stopped and giggled. “Maybe she just got out of bed?”

Nina was now convulsing with stifled laughter herself. “But look at all her makeup, man! How she gonna put her face on but not her feet!”

And with Nina’s final quip we were gone, laughing so hard that the people in front of and behind us in line were trying to figure out what was going on. Meanwhile, homegirl in the front of the line was oblivious to our inside joke. Nina and I leaned on each other and exhaled a spontaneous “whoo” that signified the end of our episode. Just as that happened, I felt a familiar, strong hand on my shoulder. Nina saw the hand, looked behind me, and smiled. I turned around.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” I said, smiling.

“Oh my god!” a shrill female voice said from behind him. “How are you doing! I am so glad I saw you! Give me a hug, Mr. Beta Man!”

I deflated on the inside, but kept my smile on my face as I hugged her. She was Taina Banks, a beautiful, friendly girl who served with me on the board of the NAACP the previous year. She was now the Vice President.

He…was Isaiah Aiken. Her boyfriend, and my…friend, as of the previous summer, when we were roommates.

“I am just so proud of you, Adrian!” Taina continued. “I remember you were looking tore up when you were on line for Beta, but I will never forget the night of your probate show. Who knew you could sang like that, boy!”

We all laughed. Taina and Nina were cordial to one another, but each had dominating personalities, so it would be interesting to see who might “win” the conversation.

“Hey, girl!” Taina then said to Nina. “Girl, that dress is soooo cute! Oh my God!”

“Thanks, girl!” Nina said. “And you are working those jeans!”

“Okay!” Taina said. “You know I got these right down on Wisconsin Avenue before summertime, right?”

“From the Gap?” Nina asked.

“Naw, girl, from Express!” Nina and Taina’s girl talk was legendary. Nina loved to camp it up around ultra-feminine women like Taina. It was almost like watching a man in drag. She wasn’t entirely comfortable around girly girls, but she would also not be outdone by any personality more gregarious than her own. As the ladies chatted, I focused on them. I was afraid to look at him…Isaiah.

“Did you see it?” he asked in a low tone, sure that neither Nina nor his girlfriend could hear.

“Yeah,” I replied. “You really shouldn’t…”

“I know,” he said. “I know.”

He playfully punched me on the shoulder, lightly at first, then a little harder. I inched forward in the line, and then turned around to face him. He was still the most attractive man on campus, and probably one of the more attractive men I had ever met. He was light-skinned, light-eyed, and had high cheekbones. His voice was incredibly deep. He didn’t look like the typical college basketball player, other than his height and broad shoulders. He was almost too “pretty” – a word that was often attributed to preppy, well kept black dudes who wore khakis and button-down shirts. But that was not Isaiah. His striking, runway worthy features were masked by oversized t-shirts, baggy jeans, and boots. And ironically, this basketball player preferred wearing football jerseys off the court. It was Isaiah’s shorts that I wore to sleep the night before.

“Don’t,” I said, moving my eyes toward Nina and Taina, who were still talking.

“All that,” he whispered “ain’t shit. That’s all about to be dead. You know where my heart is.”

“You can’t do this,” I whispered sharply. “Remember your promise.”

He frowned. I stepped backward from him.

“So, you coming back to NAACP this year?” Taina asked abruptly.

“Of course!” I exclaimed. “You know that’s where my roots are.”

“Well why you ain’t wanna be on the board this year?” she asked earnestly.

“Girl, you know I’ma be at those meetings. I just wanted to give somebody else a chance. And have some time to be a Beta, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess,” she smiled. “Well, me and Isaiah saw you two in here and just wanted to say hi! I am so glad you got to be his roommate this summer! He has not been able to stop talking about you!”

“Oh really?” I asked. Isaiah looked away as Taina continued to smile and nod.

“Yup!” she said. “It’s like you his new role model!”

We all had a good laugh at that one, but only Isaiah and I knew the danger involved. I couldn’t believe he was talking about me to her. If he was going to square things away with Taina, he needed to do it. Just don’t involve me in it.

“Well, we’re off! Toodles!” Taina said.

“Toodles, girlfriend!” Nina chirped. As they walked away, Taina slid her hand into Isaiah’s.

“I hate that bitch,” Nina said. I burst out laughing.

“Why?” I asked. “She ain’t did nothing to you!”

“She’s just so fuckin’ girly. I mean, damn. Tone that shit down.” We laughed some more. Although I knew she noticed – and Nina noticed everything – she didn’t mention the uneasy tension between me and Isaiah.

When I finally got to the teller window, I deposited my check. Five thousand dollars, paid to the order of Adrian Collins, from Adam Collins. My dad.

Some things change.

Did you enjoy what you read?

Posted on February 10, 2006 at 8:41 PM | Comments (6)

It's Payday!

It's Payday!

Have you pre-ordered Covenant yet?

Posted on February 3, 2006 at 7:47 AM | Comments (3)

Who will be the first to break?

On February 1, 2006, hundreds of fans of Rashid Darden's critically acclaimed novel LAZARUS will be waiting in virtual lines to pre-order COVENANT. A continuation of the life of Adrian Collins, COVENANT is the most eagerly anticipated sequel this year.

ADRIAN is on a mission to heal himself from his emotional wounds. Though he is fresh off the "burning sands" of Beta Chi Phi, he suddenly finds himself alone. He sets himself to the task of reconciling with his parents while forging his own path as a newly "out" man on campus – no easy feat when some fraternity brothers still harbor animosity toward him.

ISAIAH is struggling to redefine himself. He is a student, basketball player, and boyfriend to a beautiful young lady. But who does he want to be? Isaiah's friendship with Adrian awakens new feelings within him – feelings that are both exciting and terrifying.

Over the course of one summer these two men are united as friends - and more. What happens between them is kept secret, even from their closest friends. As they cross each other's paths on the close-knit campus, they yearn to finish what they started during that long, humid summer. Still, they made a promise...

COVENANT: Who will be the first to break?

***

COVENANT by Rashid Darden – exclusively available for pre-order NOW at http://thebook.oldgoldsoul.com

Order NOW and receive your book FIRST -- before all reviewers and publishing professionals!

(Stay tuned to www.oldgoldsoul.com for the unveiling of the cover, another design by the phenomenal Neil Wade!)

Posted on February 1, 2006 at 6:11 AM | Comments (3)

I'm so excited....

I spoke to Neil last night, really to see how his birthday was (he's 57 now) but then we started talking about the book cover and I was absolutely stoked.

Okay, he's not really 57, LOL.

I am really excited for the new cover and as soon as it's ready, of course we will share it.

I haven't done much updating to the rest of the website yet when it comes to COVENANT. Just been sending out Save-the-Date notices. I guess this weekend I will figure the best way to integrate the new with the old. Or maybe I'll just wait until the cover is ready.

Are you excited too?

I'm doing a lot of travel this year (God willing I can afford it all). I decided last night to visit a good friend of mine in Philly during February and the next weekend I'll be going to Columbua to visit with four other friends. I need these mini-vacations -- life is hard, lol.

But off to the showers for me.... another day of educating the little ankle-biters commences shortly!

Posted on January 24, 2006 at 6:41 AM | Comments (5)

Da*Link*Went

I apologize for my lack of updates....I got sick. AGAIN. I am feeling somewhat better and I hope to be back at work on Monday.

I haven't been able to spread the word about Covenant like I want to, so please help. If you please, just cut and past the following message into an email and send it to everyone you know. :-) Post it in your blogs; put it up in MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, and Tribe; hell, use it as your away message!

*****snip here*****

COVENANT, the follow-up to Rashid Darden's debut novel LAZARUS, will be available for pre-order exclusively at www.oldgoldsoul.com on February 1, 2006.

*****snip here*****

That's it! I will post more later, of course, but right now I just want people to save the date.

Thanks so much!

Posted on January 22, 2006 at 9:06 AM | Comments (1)

COVENANT

Covenant will be available for pre-order on Wednesday, February 1, 2006.

Quantities will be extremely limited, so I am strongly suggesting that you place your order when the sale begins.

I am pleased to announce that Neil Wade, the designer of Lazarus, is designing the cover of Covenant. The brand new design will be unveiled in a few weeks.

Covenant will be shipped in May. Due to the limited quantity, I am also strongly suggesting that you reserve your copy during the pre-order sale, as there is no guarantee that the novel will be available on Amazon.com

Just a heads up....see you February 1!

Posted on January 11, 2006 at 6:35 AM | Comments (7)

Focus and Refocus

Pray for me as I try to reach some goals for COVENANT this week.

Posted on January 10, 2006 at 6:29 AM | Comments (2)

Insult

I probably got the worst insult about LAZARUS today:

"Predictable."

And the thing is, I didn't even ask this person for their opinion.....I don't say that to be mean, it was just sorta random how it came out.

I just said "okay" and left it at that.

UPDATE:

He didn't mean it like that. I told him I felt kind of insulted, and he explained what he really meant. "Predictable" was just a poor word choice -- the actual sentiment was that since the situations were so similar to his own real life experiences, he could predict what might happen next. A better choice of words may have been "I could relate" or "empathize" or something. Change the perspective from the work to the reader.

No harm, no foul.

Posted on at 12:14 AM | Comments (2)

Black Issues Book Review, Beeyatches!

WELL, after TWO emails and some REALLY heavy searching on my own, after having owned the damn thing for weeks, I FINALLY saw with my own two eyes....

I'm in Black Issues Book Review!

On page 20.

At the bottom right.

Near the fold.

It's page 20, "Self-Publishing Reviews."

In a little box called "Other Noteworthy Titles."

Did you see it?

I DIDN'T FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, LOLOLOL.

I want to thank all of you who wrote in to BIBR months and months ago to recommend Lazarus to be reviewed. Though this isn't a full review (barely a capsule) it IS my first appearance in a non-Gay national publication!

For what it's worth, Lazarus was previously featured in Clikque and FlavaLife magazines. :-)

So celebrate!

Posted on November 30, 2005 at 2:59 PM | Comments (3)

Sisters in Reading and The Literary Expo

Saturday night:

Went out to Upper Marlboro, MD, for the Sisters in Reading Book Club meeting. It was great! The ladies were hilarious and very down to earth. There were a lot of diverse opinions about my novel, and I loved the chance to talk about a lot of the different themes.

But damn Upper Marlboro was far, LOL.

Click here for pictures from the event.

***

Then on Sunday, I was on the panel for the Literary Expo that the Deltas from Federal City Alumnae Chapter sponsored. This is the event with none other than Nikki Giovanni. Although there were some bumps at the beginning that threatened to make my inner O-Ren Ishii come out, by the time I spoke, it was all good. :-)

Here are the pictures and here are my remarks:

I am Rashid Darden and my novel is LAZARUS, the story of Adrian Collins, a college sophomore who deals with issues of identity and sexuality while pursuing membership in a college fraternity – all while maintaining his first serious same-gender relationship.

Before I go further, I would like to thank the Federal City Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., for sponsoring the 2005 Literary Expo. Both independent and traditional authors rely on such events to promote literature to our communities, so thank you for creating a forum that showcases our talents.

I would also like to thank all of the other authors here today for being not only my inspiration, but the inspiration of their colleagues and countless aspiring authors out there.

I wrote LAZARUS because I wanted to create art that serves as a vehicle for discussion as well as social change. I follow in the footsteps of other pioneering gay black authors such as James Baldwin, Bruce Nugent, Samuel Delaney, E. Lynn Harris, and James Earl Hardy. You will find my writing to be the next logical step in the evolution of gay black writers. Like my predecessors, I am unafraid to force the issues. Same gender loving black men and women are here, have always been here, and will always be here. We have stories to be told and taboos to continue to break. The first taboo on my checklist was the notion of gay men in college fraternities.

LAZARUS starts at the beginning of Adrian’s Sophomore year. He is emotionally distant from his mother and has an absentee father. His only family is his best friend Nina. Though he is quite active on campus, he still feels alone until he meets the man who becomes his first serious boyfriend. Savion is two years older, a senior, and a poet – everything that Adrian could ask for.

Life becomes complicated when Adrian pledges a fraternity. He inevitably gets pulled in two different directions: keeping his boyfriend happy while following the orders of his big brothers. If Adrian is outed during the process, he will have to choose between the great loves of his life: his man or his brothers.

LAZARUS is a novel that has resonated with those who are members of black fraternities and sororities as well as those who aspire to be. It has touched gay men and woman who are members of our organizations as well as those who are heterosexual but just had no idea.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this story with you. Please come talk to me after the expo to discuss independent publishing or any of the issues I raise through LAZARUS.

Thank you!

Special thanks to my mom, stepfather, grandma, Cylia, Storme, Michael-Christopher, and Nikki for showing up and supporting!

Posted on November 21, 2005 at 4:56 PM | Comments (6)

The Blog and the Book

I get a lot of hits to my diary. Not as much as Keith Boykin or Rod 2.0, but enough for me. My main "career" is that of a novelist, and not necessarily a web content provider. That's why when I write in my diary, I mainly write for me. Which is probably why people find it appealing.

One of the reasons I started this diary was to keep aspiring writers and helpful readers aware of my journey as a writer. So far, so good!

But from time to time, people ask me what they can do to help. GLAD YOU ASKED!!!!

Did you purchase LAZARUS yet? I know how it is to not have that $14.95 right now, or have space on your credit card to make an online purchase. PLEASE BELIEVE IT! :-D But if you haven't gotten the book yet, now is the time to do so. They are (figuratively) flying off the shelves from Amazon.com, and I will be sold out by the end of the year if things keep going at this rate.

Are you in a sorority? Grad chapters or undergrad chapters, I am available to speak to your organization, whether it's a book signing, or about various topics like "Black, Gay, and Greek" or a self-publishing workshop. Here are some pictures from when the AKAs in Delaware had me down for an event. I love events like this.

Are you in college? If so, email your multicultural center or LGBT center (or both) and tell them you want me to come in as a guest speaker. Give them my website and keep harrassing them until they say "Alright, we'll contact him dammit!" Alumni, you can do the same! Fratman1906 is a Duke alum -- how do you think I got that hookup? ;-)

Finally -- and I can't stress this enough -- pre-orders, pre-orders, pre-orders. For self-published authors, pre-orders are extrememly important. I am so grateful for everyone who ordered Lazarus early and patiently waiting for it to be released. Convenant will be very similar.

*Can I just interject and say that I love Covenant and I can't wait to get it to you?*

So anyway, those are just some of the ways that you can help out, in addition to the general word of mouth (including posting a review on Amazon.com).

I really appreciate all of you and everything that you do to support me. Hundreds of you read my blog every day, and though I don't see hundreds of comments, I know that you visit because you care. I feel that positive energy and it keeps me going! Thank you so much....

YOU GONE LOVE COVENANT! (Just had to say that one more time.)

Posted on November 8, 2005 at 6:37 AM | Comments (4)

Nikki Giovanni....and me!

This is the day I have worked so hard to see.

On Sunday, November 20, 2005, from 3pm to 5pm, I will be participating in the 2005 Literary Expo, sponsored by the Federal City Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The event will be held at American University in the Kay Spiritual Life Center. You can visit http://www.thefcacdst.org for details.

The headlining author will be Nikki Giovanni. I am honored and humbled by the chance to participate in this event with her. She has been my inspiration and role model – her poetry inspires me to constantly do better. It is beautiful, yet plainspoken. I love her!

If you have that Sunday free, please consider joining me at this event. It will be the most special day of my year so far. To be invited to this event in the first place was honor enough, but to learn that Nikki Giovanni would be there is overwhelming.

Thank you all for supporting me so far – without you, I wouldn’t even be here!

Posted on November 7, 2005 at 7:57 AM | Comments (0)

DC Area Mens

I am looking for men.

But I can't tell you why just yet.

I KNOW! I suck. :-/

These men should be from 18-28, photogenic, handsome in an everyday sort of way, and comfortable being featured as a model on my website. Fully clothed, of course, what do you think this is, some kind of porn endeavor?

Email me with a head shot for details. rashid@oldgoldsoul.com

Contact me regardless how you look....overweight, slim, buff, dreadlocks, cornrows, bald, short hair, black, latino... I'll tell you more when you email me.

Posted on October 31, 2005 at 6:28 AM | Comments (2)

The Man Behind the Cover

This is me and Neil Wade:

Neil Wade designed the cover of Lazarus and will be designing the cover for Covenant. We hadn't seen each other for over two years until yesterday. He's currently visiting the DC area. We tried to get a signing set up for while he was here, but that didn't work out.

Anyway, he's a great guy and it was good to see him again.

If you liked the cover for Lazarus or want to post messages for Neil, feel free to leave your comments here!

Posted on October 25, 2005 at 7:51 AM | Comments (11)

I am a Gay Author of Note!

Check me out at PrideIndex!

Posted on October 22, 2005 at 8:23 AM | Comments (3)

Lambda Rising Update

Recently, someone told me that Lambda Rising Books in DC had sold out of its stock of LAZARUS. I can’t remember who that person was, but I wanted to let you all know that the book IS selling well and probably is sold out. HOWEVER, if Lambda Rising is your store of choice, please have them special order the book for you. It is not a problem for me or them. The quickest way for a store to stock a book is through customer requests.

Lambda Rising is located in the heart of Dupont Circle at 1625 Connecticut Avenue in Northwest Washington, DC, across the street from the Dupont Circle Metro subway stop (Q St. exit)
(202) 462-6969
Hours:
10 am - 10 pm every day, 'til midnight Fridays & Saturdays

Posted on October 6, 2005 at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)

MFA or Not?

Short Answer: NOT!

From Frederick Smith's Blog:

Saturday, October 01, 2005 M.F.A. or Not? Everyday I get one or two brochures or packages in the mail, encouraging me to think about considering applying to Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A) programs in Creative Writing or English. There are all sorts of programs. Full time. Part time. Low residency. Oh my.

Having interacted with authors and writers of all levels of education and experience, I have heard about the benefits and challenges that are associated with pursuing a higher degree and level of study in writing. What I hear is compelling. Very briefly (there's more):

Benefits -- craft develops more than you ever imagined; professional/personal connections; leaving with a completed piece that is considered high quality
Challenges -- uniformity (style and people); cliques; can something creative be taught?

Back when I thought I wanted to pursue education (after the journalism thing), I went to graduate school for it and finished. Now that writing is what I see on the horizon as a long-term career, I'm wondering.

What are your thoughts on M.F.A. or not?

I have seen both sides of the fence, I'd like to think, having been enrolled in an MFA program myself.

As most of you know, I am proud to call myself a grad school dropout, along the same lines as Kanye West is a "College Dropout."

I enrolled in the graduate program in Creative Writing at [Like y'all don't really know where] University at the right time and the right place. It was just the wroooooongest school I could have ever chosen. The creative writing faculty was lily-white, as was the Literature faculty on the whole, except for one guy who was actually a great teacher, but as all young PhDs seem to be, he taught like he had something to prove. Hey, love the guy, but I just thought he was unnecessarily...ah, what's the word? The opposite of plainspoken.

So reason #1 (in no order) for dropping out: I couldn't see myself taking literature courses from this man (the only one teaching black literature) the WHOLE time I would be enrolled there.

Reason #2: Because of a relatively low undergrad GPA and a lack of funds at the school (probably because the president was spending it all) there was absolutely NO scholarship money available to me. That, alone, was not the biggest problem...but...

Reason #3: I believe that the program was dishonest about my ability to "earn" merit-based aid after a year there. I was under the impression that if I could earn a certain GPA and maintain it, then I could reapply for aid. NO SUCH LUCK.

Reason #4: Administrative incompetence.... from the Dean's Office to the Creative Writing Program itself....nobody knew what the FUCK was going on!

Reason #5: My Advisor retired. :-( He was cool as hell! Had a Pulitzer and everything. My interim advisor was wiggedy wack. My "new" advisor's mom died in the first month of school of my second year, and I refused to burden him with my problems. So basically I had no one REALLY advocating for me.

Reason #6: Maya died the summer after my first year -- that REALLY put everything in perspective. I was depressed and literally fearful of leaving the house sometimes. Damn anxiety.

Reason #7: The school was SERIOUSLY interfering with my ability to query agents.

Reason #8: I never trusted the faculty and my peers enough with my fiction, instead focusing on poetry -- even further taking me away from LAZARUS.

Reason #9: Okay, this is not actually a reason why I left, but I just wanted to put it out there....there was a REALLY meddlesome black lesbian in the program who was FOREVER in my business and ALWAYS trying to "hook me up" with people, including an obviously straight classmate of mine. Ugh.

Reason #10: I felt that the requirements were STUPID and weren't really helpful to my craft.

Reason #11: This particular program took longer than two years to complete, which I felt was ridiculous.

So, you might ask why I chose this program in the first place.

1. Not extraordinarily competitive.

2. Not difficult to commute to.

3. Small campus -- didn't want to go to a huge state school.

4. Wasn't ready to move to a new city and strike out on my own and be DIRT POOR.

5. It felt right.

But clearly, after a year and a summer, it not only stopped feeling right, it was actually taking away from my writing and me doing what i needed to do when it came to LAZARUS. And DAMN this was back in 02-03. Sometimes I feel like LAZARUS could have come out in 04 and we'd be on COVENANT by now, if not for that school.

But you know what? If not for that school, I wouldn't have had contacts with some really great people, who, were all undergrads when I met them, LOL. Don't get me wrong, my classmates were okay people, but I sorta knew where their heads were at when I "disappeared" and NOT A ONE of them tried to contact me to see if I was dead or alive.

LOL...fuckers.

So anyway....my actual advice, and I do have some.

Realize that many, if not most people in MFA programs already have some sort of career. Seeking an MFA is what they are doing to force themselves to have time to write. YOU CAN DO THIS ON YOUR OWN. Don't pay a school MONEY to do this.

Now, if you get a scholarship, GO! But if you already have written a book, DON'T GO! The bamas in these programs want to be where YOU are! That's like going back to high school to take electives -- read a book instead.

I think I was too young for an MFA program. I liked the undergrads a lot better than my grad classmates. I liked the work, even though it was hard, but my mind was often focused on other things, whether it was my own writing, pursuing Alpha, BEING an Alpha, or Maya's death and planning her Homecoming memorial.

I thought about what Maya would have done...or what she might have said about what I was doing. And while Maya doesn't strike me as a quitter, I knew she'd not want me to be miserable. And miserable the hell I was.

MFA's are cool degrees. You will basically graduate with a book length manuscript that has been workshopped a lot. That's what many folks out here NEED. But there are ways to do that without the degree.

Oh yeah...one last thing...the MFA in 2005 (in my opinion) doesn't adequately or competitively credential you to do anything professionally. It is a terminal degree that you can't generally use as a prerequisite to a PhD program, unless that program has an extensive writing component (and some do).

None of this is meant to shit on MFA recipients (hi Karamale!) because they chose their way and I chose mine after having tasted their way. It wasn't for me...and hey, I have a book. *shrug*

So, whatever.....a little education isn't a bad thing, but do it for the right reasons and do it on THEIR dime, not yours.

Posted on October 1, 2005 at 8:03 PM | Comments (0)

Wo' out

Thought of the Day:

You can't be my colleague if you're not in my league.
--Anon.

*****

I am wo' out. (Wore out, worn out, VERY tired.)

I was up at 6am working on stuff for the mailing. I printed out labels and sent off some documents to be photocopied someplace. Yes, Old Gold Soul is all about "the hook ups." One day, far far in the future, when the statutes of limitations all run out, I will blog about some for REAL guerilla publishing.

My envelopes arrived via UPS today (ten dollar off coupon!). So I am ready to start labeling envelopes. Heck, I might just employ some slave labor at school on Friday and have the lil rapscallions stuffing em for me. ;-)

I have a couple more appearances I really need to schedule before they sneak by me.

More later.

Posted on September 13, 2005 at 5:04 PM | Comments (0)

Mailing

People close to me know that my Fall Mailing has been the bane of my existence. Okay, so "bane" is a strong word, but it's been really annoying.

I have a total of 3,800 Lazarus packets to be sent out. Each packet will have a letter from me, a synopsis of Lazarus and a bio sheet (same page), reviews of Lazarus, availability, programming suggestions, and an order form (for single and group orders). The purpose of this mailing is to reach out to the communities that I feel will enjoy Lazarus or will benefit by bringing me in for events or programs. Those could be book signings or lectures, depending on the organization's needs.

After some research and talking to friends, I have identified about seven or eight topics that I am an "expert" at. At least enough of an expert where I feel comfortable speaking on the topic to a room full of strangers.

Other authors know this already and I am just following their lead, but in case you are an aspiring writer and you didn't know, here's a secret....you can't just sell books. You've got to enjoy public speaking to a certain degree so that people will try to seek you out as an expert. This works better for non-fiction authors, though. So all you aspriring non-fiction writers out there, get up off your duffs, write those books, and then groom yourself to be a speaker. If you are a knitter, and wrote a book about knitting, don't you think you should be speaking to knitting circles and knitting conventions?

For novelists, it's a little different and more challenging. Me, I'm a nobody so far, so I've got to do a lot of hard work to market myself as an "expert." Luckily, I have several niche markets that might be interested in what I have to say. I may never be invited to be a keynote speaker at a National Urban League conference, but seems to me that I could be a workshop facilitator at a fraternity or sorority conference. Ya know?

So that's the point of my mailing...to raise awareness of Lazarus, tell people where they can buy it, offer myself as an event or program, and let people know about group discounts.

Now, there's no way that I can afford to have them ALL sent out at the same time, but I have grouped and prioritized them based on what type of organization I'm sending them to. My first round will be sent to what I consider "semesterly" organizations -- offices and organizations that are based on college and university campuses. Technically, I am "late" on that because the semester has already started and many organizations have already planned their events for the year. But, ya never know which organization has a specific need for a certain type of program.

At any rate, I hope this info was helpful to other aspiring writers out there. I am really excited that the first round of my mailing will be going out this weekend and I look forward to seeing if there are any "bites" -- interest in what I have to say.

Posted on at 7:27 AM | Comments (2)

ATL Pride Part IV: Erotic Poetry and the Literary Cafe

Damn it feels like I'm NEVER going to finish talking about ATL Pride!

Short versions:

One night while I was in Atlanta, I participated in the erotic poetry slam. Imani Evans and Duncan Teague from Adodi Muse were the MCs. I wasn't going to go -- I think I was tired or something -- but then this light skinneded dude named Malachi told me and Callis that we should go. And I was like but I don't have anything to read...then I remembered YES THE HELL I DO!!!!

You see, Lazarus has some poems in it -- certainly, I had better poems at home, but the ones in Lazarus are pretty good.

Malachi was one of the first readers -- he was good! But tell me why he left when he was finished? I was like hell to the naw. (Maybe he snuck into the back, but I didn't see him.)

This one girl was really good -- actually, everyone there was really good, but one of my favorites was this girl/woman Ayanna (sp). I think her stage name was red summer or something. I know, I am just BAD with names. But she was good.

For those of you who read Lazarus, I read two of Savion's poems: "Recognize" from the first few pages of the novel and then the untitled one he reads to Adrian at the end of the first section.

They went over pretty well, but as usual with my poetry, nobody really claps, shouts, ays UMMPH! real loud or anything like that. I don't think my poetry is "deep" but maybe it is more thought provoking than it is theatrical.

The good thing about participating in the reading is that it was an extra, free venue in which to showcase my writing. It was also good practive for the Literary Cafe.

Ahhh...the Literary Cafe. Fred Smith has already blogged about it, but I will reiterate a message to our fellow writers: You MUST be respectful of time limits. It was completely unfair that some writers took twenty minutes or more when we were alotted 5-7 minutes. Tell me why I only sold two books at the event? I was LIVID after it was over.

My friend Dwayne (the Sigma) told me how proud of me he was, that I made excellent choices in excerpts and my presentation was great. But I can't help to wonder how many connections I might have made if there was more time at the end to mix and mingle with the attendees. Because it was soooooo long, many people got up and left before the final author.

But at least I got to meet Jojapeach from GreekChat. She is cool as hell!

And it's not like the event was a failure -- I actually thought it was really successful, artistically. I am glad I finally got to meet Dayne Avery. It was good seeing Laurinda Brown again. And meeting Eric Ware and Toy Styles was cool. Oh yeah, and James Earl Hardy! He was very very nice -- not at all how I thought he MIGHT be. I hope I get to see him whenever he does a DC leg of his tour.

After it was over, me, Eric, Fred, and Justin (a vendor and friend of Eric) went to this trendy place called Shout for dinner. I had sushi and hated it....ugh....but it was no one's fault, I just really didn't care for sushi as I thought I would. And hell, I'm not gonna sit there and let the raw fish slide down my throat. Ick.

And so ends my next-to-last essay about ATL Pride. Some time this week I will write about why NON-PROFIT Prides are important. Have a great week in the meantime.

Posted on September 12, 2005 at 6:44 AM | Comments (5)

Two Alpha Authors at AKA Step Show

On Saturday, September 24, 2005, at 6:00pm, please join Dr. Gregory Parks, co-editor of African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision and Rashid Darden, author of the novel Lazarus for a book signing at the Old Gold Soul Table in the marketplace of the Greek Step Challenge! Both men are members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

The 2005 Greek Step Challenge, sponsored by the Xi Omega Educational Foundation, in association with the Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., will be held at the University of the District of Columbia, in the auditorium at Building 46. UDC is located at 4200 Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC. It is accessible via the Van Ness/UDC Red Line metro station and there is also plenty of parking available. The Vendor's Marketplace will be held in the foyer of the auditorium. You do NOT have to have tickets to the step show in order to attend the book signing or visit the vendor's marketplace.

But, we really wish you would support the show anyway! Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Showtime is 7pm sharp. If you will be in town for CBC Weekend, this would be a great way to start your Saturday night.

So come on out, support two Alpha Authors, and enjoy yourself at a great step show.

About the books:
www.legacyandvision.com
www.oldgoldsoul.com

The Step Show: http://www.akaxo.org/2005StepShow.pdf

Posted on September 9, 2005 at 7:05 AM | Comments (1)

ATL Pride Extra: The Photos

Click here for photos from ATL Pride. Enjoy!

Posted on September 8, 2005 at 3:35 AM | Comments (0)

ATL Pride Part III: The Lobby

I may not be able to give this entry justice, but I will try.

The Lobby is the funnest place to hang out at Pride. Personally, I make it a destination for two reasons:

1) I need to be in a place where I can see folks, see what's going on, post a few books on a table, and in general, promote the novel while relaxing somewhat.

2) I be tired.

Atlanta had a nice lobby, but it wasn't as on and poppin' as the lobby in DC was. Although the ATL lobby had drinks.

Highlights from The Lobby:

Larry. Well, that's not his real name, but he was this really entertaining and cool dude who lived in the Dominican Republic. He was working every last hat he had on. He reminded me of other sassy dudes I knew, but he was still very unique and fun to be around.

Pineapple Cake Martinis. Oh. My. God. Fred treated me and Callis to martinis one night. We were gonna have apple martinis, then the bartender convinced us to try his Pineapple Cake martinis. They tasted JUST LIKE PINEAPPLE UNSIDE DOWN CAKE!!!! (Did I blog about this already?) They were so good -- and I finished the whole thing! I so rarely finish an entire drink. I was proud.

The Que Who Read Me. So I see this Que (member of Omega Psi Phi) in the lobby on the first day, and being all Pan-Hellenic and shit, I say "Nice shirt." He says "Thanks!" then he walks a little bit, stops, turns and says "Whatchu know about this shirt?"

And I say "Nothing really; I've got a different one at home."

And this man says "Oh...sounds like YOU MADE A MISTAKE! HAHAHAHA!"

My face was cracked and on the ground. LOL. He was cool as fuck though. I like Ques.

Ass. So apparently, the thing to do is to have your pants slung so low that your entire ass is out. And boxer briefs are in. So all weekend, all I see is bubble butts covered by cotton. No mind you, this was hella nice to look at, because black ass is a beautiful thing. But it didn't make any sense to me. Why wear pants at all if they're going to be so low that your entire ass is out? And....how in the hell did these guys keep their pants up? I mean they PERFECTLY rode just below the apple bottom.

I don't get it. I enjoyed looking, but please believe that if I had a man, I for damn sure wouldn't let him out the house like that.

Youngins. Although it was hella scary to know that so many of the folks there were 18-19 (and some were undoubtedly younger) it was good to see that they, too, were reveling in their Pride. You know, thank God for Ellen. Thank God for Michael K. Williams on The Wire. God bless Karamo. I'm just so thankful that the youth can be confident in who they are in safe environments.

Speaking of which, Callis and I met a young man who was all of 19. He had gold fronts and Callis asked him about them. From there, somehow he got to talking about what he was doing with his life, his achievements in high school, how he planned to go to school for nursing -- he was really fucking inspiring. I am like dude, I wouldn't have gone to a Pride at 19. Just wasn't ready. Had no gay friends. But here lil youngin is -- doing the damn thing. I was so moved by his story and his courage that I went ahead and gave him a book. I mean hell, they mine to give, lol. I needed to reach a younger audience anyway, but more than promotion or possible positive opinions sent my way, I just really wanted to show this dude that hey, you can be like Adrian. Or Savion. Or better than them. He was really appreciative of the gesture and said he'd start reading it that night. I may never see dude again, but I'm so proud of him.

Shenanigans. So me, Callis, and Fred are hanging out in the lobby. (What else is new?) Issam (at that point) had gone to hang out with some doctor he knew from Ohio. (That guy was mad cool, too. It's really amazing how diverse the gay black community really is. But I digress.)

So we are joined by this dude....I shouldn't say who he is. I really shouldn't be telling this story, but it's too funny not to.

So dude is talking to Fred...exclusively. Like, he BARELY acknowledges us. It's painfully obvious that he is really only talking to Fred, even though Fred is trying to include us in the conversation. So Callis and I are like whatever, fuck that.

So Callis writes me a note on a flyer after "dude" says something....Callis writes "Excuses" (something that is relevant to Greeks) and I smile. Then, a few minutes later, Callis writes on the flyer something like "You like how your boy (and he drew an arrow) is totally ignoring us." And I was like yeah, that's messed up, but whatever.

Our dumb asses didn't tear up the flyer.

So like TEN MINUTES go by, and finally dude is like "What's this?" and picks up the flyer. So I am like SHIT! We done wrote about that man on the flyer! So Callis sorta snatches the flyer and puts it down on the table, then puts his index finger on it and says "Yeah, so um, THIS is a flyer for Omicron Epsilon Pi Sorority...." and tries to slide the flier back toward us with his finger.

I was laughing at this point, but not obviously.

So Callis is trying to downplay the flier, and dude is like "Well is there a website?" and me and Callis are like "Naw, no website." LOL

Then dude TAKES the flyer and looks at the back, and Callis SNATCHES it back and is like yeah, nothing to see here. LOLOL.....he tries to crumple up the flier. At this point I think Fred says something like "I think he just wants to see the phone number on the flyer." And I can tell Fred is somewhat annoyed because I am clearly laughing and Callis is acting crazy, though I am trying to hide my face in my palms.

So Callis pretends to hear somebody calling him from across the lobby and runs off with the flyer.

Dude was annoyed. Fred was confused. I was convulsing with stifled laughter. Then the good doctor returns and is all smiling and doesn't understand why everybody has these different looks on their faces.

I hope I have conveyed how utterly hilarious the whole scene was. Callis ended up coming back with a little teeny tiny piece of paper from the flyer that had a phone number on it in case Dude wanted it, LOLOL.

I still laugh out loud every time I think about that.

Mens. Keeping it real here -- the men were hot. And mostly respectable. And many were from DC. So now I have a reason to start going back to the clubs -- I was impressed.

That's all I can think of. The Lobby was the hot spot...always was, always will be.

Posted on September 7, 2005 at 8:15 PM | Comments (3)

ATL Pride Part II - The Vendors

The previous entry about Pride was written while I was still in Atlanta. The rest of the entries are being written here in DC, with some time passed.

As I wrote my journal entry, ate my muffin, and drank my juice in the lobby of the Sheraton Colony Square, I was joined by the very talented Michael-Cristopher, author of the Living the Life graphic novels. I met him for the first time at Pride in DC this past Memorial Day weekend. A nice guy. Very handsome. Knows a lot of people, it seems. Been in the game for a while. He had a vendor table toward the back of the marketplace. Not the ideal location, but inches away from an adult film star, which ain't too shabby.

We were pretty much just sitting around and chit-chatting. He then introduced me to Michael Slaughter, who was one of the co-chairs of In The Life Atlanta. He's a nice guy, too, it seems.

I kinda don't remember what I did for most of that day other than hang out in the lobby, eat lunch, and get my area set up for the vendor area, which was set to open at 4pm.

I should use this opportunity to thank EVERYONE who helped me out! Callis, Issam, Dwayne, and Fred -- you guys are the greatest!!!! I love you.

Luckily, I have no bad stories about vending. All the buyers were very positive. Nobody tried to clown or throw my book around. (It's happened.)

In the marketplace, I met Ty Lattimore. We had corresponded earlier this year and he is just as nice in person as he is on email. And *ahem* yes, I did support his adult DVD endeavors. ;-)

I got a shirt from bsixtee6. They were directly across from the Old Gold Soul table. Briian Dargon and his brother....so nice....and nice to look at, lol.

Cheril N. Clarke had a table. She is the author of Intimate Chaos, a novel. I wish I had had more time to chit chat with her, but she was so far away from us. I got her book though! She seems really cool.

Brent Dorian Carpenter was also among us, promoting his four books. Bald Ambition, his latest, is finally available. If you pre-ordered it, bear with him. He's on the road a lot and hasn't gotten back home long enough to ship out the pre-orders.

Warm Spirit, a self-care and wellness company was there. They were basically straight chicks selling candles and body oils or something. I know, it's sad, I really didn't know what they were selling until the last day, when I bought a candle. The vendor (on that day) was a Soror and we really hit it off.

BARC was in full effect. They are a skin care system for men of color. I didn't buy anything from them, but they hooked me up with a free sample. I'm really particular about anything I put on my face. But I will try it soon.

The half nekkid men from Flava Men Magazine were there. I can honestly say that although they were very nice men, I really wasn't as impressed with them as other folks were. Part of the reason is because as a vendor of books, it was sad to see more people ogling the bare chests of models than pawing Brent Dorian Carpenter's books. The other reason why I wasn't that impressed was because they were pretty small....kinda on the short side, kinda on the slim side. Three of them walked by and I was like what is this, B2K?

But as I said, they were very nice guys. And yes, I *ahem* got a related DVD that was on sale at their table.

OH YEAH....I forgot that my novel was reviewed in one of the Flava Men related magazines. Not the strictly dickly one, but the lifestyles one.

Yvette Michelle Hall was there! LOVE HER! She was my "back" when I was a vendor at DC Pride. She is so nice. (I've been saying "nice" an awful lot, but really, all these people were SO NICE!) She was selling her book Unconventional Love.

Although he wasn't a vendor, I did get to meet Waddie G. in the vendor area, too! That was great -- I'd been emailing with him back and forth for like months and months. He's a really cool dude.

Now for the patrons....as I said before, most everyone was really really cool. I sold quite a few books, and for that I am grateful. Issam, Fred, Dwayne, and Callis really did a lot to keep me sane while I was "on."

And Frat....I met so many Frat. Tall Frat. Short Frat. Skinny Frat. Fat Frat. (Actually, no Fat Frat, believe it or not.) Most importantly, hot frat. We're a pretty good looking lot. I was like YEAH, go us!

All in all, I am glad I signed up to be a vendor for all three days. You get to meet other vendors and see damn near everyone who decided to come to Pride.

Stay tuned for more installments about The Lobby and the special events.

Posted on September 6, 2005 at 5:46 PM | Comments (4)

ATL Pride: Part I

September 1, 2005

I am at the airport and so far I haven't freaked out. Anxiety attacks are real and I wish people wouldn't make light of them.

Anyway, I see black men here and there. One guy was in front of me at the check-in line. He was cute in an "average" sort of way. I like average boys. Handsome but not really model-worthy. (Cuz hell, I'm not, either.)

As I got to my terminal, I saw other black guys. It's fun to guess which ones are going to Pride. Part of me wants to to scream if you're going to ATL Pride make some noise! Yeah, if I did that, I would be quietly escorted to the bathroom and beat up.

There's this one guy: red sleeveless shirt, nice arms -- very nice arms -- shorts, black socks, and Timbs. Typical DC boy. He also has on a bag like mine. Yeah, like a laptop bag. He's with a chubby dude who is also wearing DC drag: white tee shirt and gray sweatpants. Both have big old badunkadunks, so they must be DC boys.

Anyway, I just KNOW they're gay and I haven't even heard them talk. There's something about the overtly masculine ways they are dressed.

Or, I could just be horny and red shirt looks really fucking hot to me.

I'm at a Sam Adams Brewery sipping on orange juice. This is the only place with seating where I can be away from the windows. Don't like the high windows. Makes me anxious.

Two other dudes -- GOTS to be gay -- are sitting at the bar. They at first were sitting near me, so I whipped out a copy of LAZARUS and laid it on the table. They moved, though.

Callis [not his real name] is my traveling buddy. He'll be here shortly.

I'll be meeting a lot of authors for the first time in ATL. Excited about that.

My handwriting is really fucking sloppy. It didn't used to be this way. I frequently end up misspelling or shortening words or contracting words. Cursive, that is. I wonder why they call it cursive. Is it cursed? lol

I will be so glad to take out these itchy fucking cornrows. Ugh! I left them in so I could take them out in Atlanta and have nice wavy locks going on. Although this would be tacky, I might do this on the plane to occupy my time. If I can find the strength to move, lol.

[Yes, I took the cornlocks out on the plane and yes, it helped me feel occupied and less panicky. In fact, I was a soldier on the plane, lol.]

September 2, 2005

Well, clearly I mafe it to Atlanta safely. The flight wasn't bad at all. No panic attacks or anything.

We arrived at the airport (which is really fucking huge!) and waited about 20-25 minutes just for our luggage. THEN the shoulder strap had the nerve to be missing on my Pepsi bag!

Side story -- this "Pepsi Bag" is a really nice duffel bag that I use when I travel. When I was in junior high (I think) Pepsi had this promotion where you could collect Pepsi Points and redeem them for cool stuff. Well, me and my mom were buying and drinking Pepsis like crazy until we had enough for the Pepsi bag. It was great! It has a detachable part that you can use as a little bag if you want. Very durable. Good shit.

So you can imagine I was like "Oh hayle no!" when I saw that the shoulder strap was missing. Well, the sassy luggage area attendant told me to look inside the bag, because they take it off so it won't get hung up on the equipment. And there it was. She was a nice, sassy lady, lol. Why black women always gotta be sassy! tee hee....but on the real, it was a great welcome to Atlanta because it was all in love.

The cab ride. I asked the cab driver to turn on the radio SO I COULD HEAR ATLANTA MUSIC. I stress that because I specifically wanted to hear how different urban radio might be in the south.

Why this nigga turn on the talk radio station? LOL

So Callis was like "Yeah....I wonder what the black radio stations are like....."

Cab driver does nothing. So we laugh it off and get psyced when we see the So So Def billboard by the highway.

Midtown Atlanta reminds me of DuPont Circle on steroids. In fact, all of Atlanta is on seroids. Why is this shit so fucking big???? DAMN! Okay, granted DC is not a big city -- no more than ten miles to get from one point to another. But I guess I'm just not used to highways in the middle of a city. I need streets.

We are staying at the host hotel for Atlanta Pride, which is the Sheraton Midtown at Colony Square. Or the Sheraton Colony Square Hotel at Midtown. Or some shit. It's decent. Not as elegant as I expected it to be. But still very very nice. The hotel is attached to some shops. Not a real mall, but one of those office building malls with a bunch of eateries and a convenience store or two. Me and Callis had Chic-Fil-A (sp?) for lunch. Yum! I had a fruit salad and chicken strips that were piping hot.

The PLAN was to take a nap, right? Well, I laid down for fifteen minutes and then No4Real called. He said he wanted to see me and I said I would come down to the lobby. Long story short, THIS nigga was at the Sheraton BUCKHEAD thinking it was the host hotel, looking for me by some fountain that didn't exist at the hotel where I was staying. Womp womp WOMP. So my naptime was shot to hell.

It took a lot longer than I expected to get ready for the Meet & Greet, mostly because I had to iron and I HATE ironing. In the meantime, Fred joined me and Callis as we got ready. Fred is so handsome...he looks exactly like his pictures.

We caught a cab to the Red Chair Restaurant and Video Lounge -- it was fairly close, maybe two miles? It was a very nice ride through a very nice neighborhood.

When we arrived, my old friend from college was there -- Tricia! That was hot, as I hadn't seen her in four years! I will most likely see her again for reunion in 2006. And she's had a boyfriend for the past three years. I was like....excuse you? LOL. But yeah, Tricia looks good. Glad she's not stressed out by life, and if she is, she's not showing it.

Red Chair is nive. If I were to open up my own venue, there's not too much I would change about Red Chair. See, this is where I suck at description, so just check out their website.

We were joined by a few folks throughout the evening, but I just want to shour out the faithful few that were there on time and stayed the whole time: Callis, Fred, and Tricia. It was an intimate gathering and I was quite prepared if nobody else showed up.

But then No4Real, Derrick Briggs, Maurice Jamal, and Alphonso Morgan showed up, along with four undergrads from Morehouse. That was cool. The Morehouse dudes were really nice and down to earth. I, of course, appreciated the appearance by No4Real, DB, MJ, and AM.

Two of my other friends also showed up, Cerrice (who is my APO brother) and Eugene (not his real name) my Alpha brother. I wasn't expecting Cerrice to make it since she was having a bad day, but she made it! I love that girl -- she's always so fun. And Eugene really surprised me! I hadn't gotten any return emails from him, so I didn't think he would make it, but he did!

And last, but not least, in a cameo appearance, was malik williams! AND HE CUT HIS LOCKS!!!!!! I was like "Hmmm, wonder who this is?" But it was malik! DUDE....he is so fucking hot! I was like melting and shit, lol. His hair looks so soft...I didn't get to touch it, though. It's very curly, too.

Eugene gave Cerrice, Fred, Callis and I rides back to the hotel and the Marta (for Cerrice). I didn't see him for the rest of the weekend, but I am so glad I got to see him at all.

Back at the hotel, we had pineapple cake martinis that were SO GOOD! I had never had a martini before. They were fun.

In the lobby, why did I see a Lesbian who looked JUST like him? I was like what the feezie??? But it wasn't him, it was a her, and she was a touch lighter than he.

***

And that was just Thursday....stay tuned for Part II.

Posted on September 5, 2005 at 9:05 PM | Comments (1)

Atlanta, here I come!

Well, today's the day! Going to Atlanta shortly. I'm not nervous about the trip at all. I've done a Pride before, so I am confident about being able to move some books.

I'm excited for the Meet & Greet tonight....

Excited for the LGBT Greek Symposium I was very recently invited to speak at....

Excited for the Literary Cafe....

Excited about three solid days of vending....

But nervous as hell about the flight! LOL Gosh flying makes me nervous. I just hve to get used to it again. It's been quite a while since I've flown.

SO....

Ladies and gentlemen, keep me in your prayers: for my safe journey to and from Atlanta, for a great time while I'm there, to make many new friends, to solidify existing friendships, to sell many books, and to basically do everything in the Old Gold Soul way. ;-)

To those of you I'll be meeting for the first time while I'm there, I want you to know that I'm really 4'11" tall and 375 pounds, so don't be too shocked, okay? lol jk

To everyone else travelling to ATL, I hope you have safe journeys as well.

I will be taking plenty of pictures while I'm there. I'll do my best to blog a little bit, but I have no idea what the internet situation will be like, and I don't have a lap top.

Last minute packing time now....take care all!

Posted on September 1, 2005 at 5:09 AM | Comments (3)

Save the Date: Tuesday, October 18

LGBTQ Issues at Georgetown: A Community Conversation
Tuesday October 18th at 7 pm
Location TBA

Moderator: Bonnie Morris, Women’s Studies

Discussants:
Rashid Darden ’01, Georgetown GLBT Alumni
Mónica Escobar ‘07, co-president, GU Pride
Jennifer Natalya Fink, assistant professor of English
Linda Ichiyama ‘07, co-coordinator, OUTspoken
Bill McCoy, LGBT community coordinator
Ricardo Ortíz, associate professor of English and American Studies
Jill Robinson, director, GU Women’s Center
Anne Sullivan, assistant dean of the College

Sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program

For more information contact
Dana Luciano, English Department (dl234@georgetown.edu)

Posted on August 29, 2005 at 7:11 AM

First Day of School!

I was so tempted to walk up and down my street last night with a bell, ringing it and shouting "FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TOMORROW, YA LITTLE BASTARDS!!!!"

hee hee hee

I got up at 6am as I wanted to so I would have enough time to do everything I needed to do before school. I am lovin' the Russ Parr Morning Show. That's one of my favorite parts of the school year.

Anyway, here are some announcements:

Did you know I have a yahoo group? It's located here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RashidDarden/. Just click on it and follow the directions if you want to join. It will give you the latest info about Lazarus, Covenant, and my appearances.

The Rawsistaz gave me a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Not too bad.

But I got a great review at HitDatSPOT! I am so happy.

One of these days we're going to talk about "audience" at length. I know two gay black authors who got negative reviews from a straight black reviewer -- this same reviewer also told me that she doesn't read my "type" of novel. Yeah, I'm implying that she's a homophobe. So now when and where I can, I will discourage other gay writers from submitting to her. Why send your book to someone you know will give a bad review to gay authors?

Also, there may be other reviewers who are not homophobic, but just won't "get" it and therefore give you a lukewarm review. Me and another author got average ratings from a reviewer, but when we compared our scores to other authors, we found that inspirational books and straight black relationship novels got top honors. Will I submit to them again? Probably so, because it's more publicity, but I won't expect an A+ rating because I know they'd rather read straight fiction or inspiration.

I've gotten some really fair reviews from time to time, though. They point out some flaws that I knew about, but appreciated that they didn't gloss over. Getting GREAT reviews all the time will give you the big head.

But we can talk more about that later.

I am really excited for Atlanta! Scared to fly, but happy for the trip!

And now, I leave you with a quote from Rev. Barry Hargrove, my frat brother and friend: "That's the way life goes. Sometimes it sucks to be you, sometimes it sucks to be the other person."

AMEN!

Posted on at 6:33 AM | Comments (0)

Fred Smith Event

Please join Frederick Smith as he reads and signs his debut novel, DOWN FOR WHATEVER, at University of Southern California (University Park Campus, south of downtown L.A. , 110 Freeway) on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 at 7 pm in the Norman Topping Student Activities Center. The event is free. Light refreshments will be served.
DOWN FOR WHATEVER is a mesmerizing first novel that follows the lives of four friends in L.A. , who wonder if true love can be found where Black, Latino, and Gay Pride collide with the intricacies of family, community, ethnicity, and class issues. It has also been described as a Black and Latino 'Queer as Folk' meets 'Sex and The City' set in L.A.

The novel is published by Kensington Publishing Corp., and has received positive reviews from both readers and literary reviewers since its debut in July 2005. DOWN FOR WHATEVER is available in independent and chain bookstore nationwide, as well as at several online retailers.

This event is being presented as a part of USC's Welcome Week, and is sponsored by the USC LGBT Center, Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs, and El Centro Chicano. While the event is free, there is a nominal cost for parking on campus. Guests are asked to enter Gate 3 off of Figueroa St. and park in the nearby structure.

For more information, please contact the USC LGBT Center at (213) 740-7619, the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs at (213) 740-8257, or El Centro Chicano at (213) 740-1480. You may also visit the USC website at www.usc.edu for event information.

www.fredericksmith.net
www.simplyfredsmith.blogspot.com
www.kensingtonbooks.com

--
Fred's novel, DOWN FOR WHATEVER, a black and Latino 'Queer as Folk' meets 'Sex & The City' in L.A., released July 2005 on Kensington Books. www.fredericksmith.net or www.simplyfredsmith.blogspot.com

Posted on August 26, 2005 at 5:32 PM | Comments (0)

A Rage in Literature

A Rage in Literature – Gay Authors Ascend Into Midtown Atlanta

Atlanta, GA. In The Life Atlanta cordially invites you to a Reading and Book Signing for GLBT authors. The Literary Café is scheduled for Sunday, September 4, from 5 – 7 pm. Meet and greet the authors at the Sheraton Colony Square Hotel during the 2005 Atlanta Black Gay Pride Celebration. There is a $5 donation and it is open to the public. Books will be available for purchase. Event Sponsor is Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse.

Black gay and lesbian literature is not just for black gay and lesbian people. It is for everyone who recognizes the humanity in all people, everyone who wants to understand the whole of the black experience, and everyone who refuses bias, prejudice and hypocrisy in their lives and in their reading.

Invited authors are:

 Dayne Avery, I Wrote This Song
 Samiya Bashir, Where the Apple Falls
 Laurinda D. Brown, Fire & Brimstone, Under Cover
 Rashid Darden, Lazarus
 Imani Evans, Today is a Miracle
 James E. Hardy, A House Is Not a Home
 Ken Jackson, Colorful Matters
 Trent Jackson, At This Moment
 Jazzy, Introducing ROE: Rules of Engagement
 Frederick Smith, Down For Whatever
 Toy Styles, Rainbow Heart
 Eric Ware, The Hollywood Colored
 Fiona Zedde, Bliss

• Mistress of Ceremonies – Trish Carter, Linger…Lust is Surface

Posted on August 25, 2005 at 7:14 AM | Comments (0)

All these people can't be wrong

I finished reading Lazarus about a week ago. It is such a well-written book and it kept my attention the entire time I read. Rashid Darden is indeed a writer to keep an eye on. His writing is mesmerizing...

The story of college student, Adrian Collins, is one that will resonate with anyone who has attended a university. But it will appeal especially to those students who are black, highly involved on campus, interested in Greek-letter organizations, and dealing with managing friendships, relationships, and the inevitable questions of sexuality and sexual orientation.

While this is fiction, I couldn't help but to reminisce on my own college experiences and days... and those of my friends and cousins. This novel puts you there again... or, if you haven't gone yet, gives you a picture of the struggles and challenges of being a college student today.

Lazarus is a novel that I am recommending to many people. Good job Mr. Darden.
--Frederick Smith, Author of Down For Whatever

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There are no down low predators wounding female coeds in the pages of Lazarus. These are brothers who are deeply entrenched in campus life as leaders, frat brothers, and star poets. These are men who are discreet and brave. These are real “big men on campus” who just happen to be gay. Their journeys to coming out are fascinating reads. You must read this book today.
--Alicia Banks, Columnist

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…Rashid Darden is ushering in a new day in Black literature!

The debut novel, Lazarus, is an authentic, engaging work. It displays Mr. Darden's finely honed writing skills and showcases his accessible literary voice. The tale is inhabited by smart, witty, aware and responsible characters, which Darden couldn't have written about if he didn't possess those qualities himself.

Thank you, Rashid, for a wonderful read--for the opportunity to flex my brain and ponder life while being thoroughly entertained. This kind of writing has been conspicuously absent from bookstore shelves. I look forward to more from you. It is a new day!
--Lori V. Lincoln, Author of The Era of My Youthful Ways

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When this book was turned over to me, I was told it was a “quick read.” This is true, not because it is a short book, but because when you pick it up—you can’t bear to put it down! By the time you finish it, you will realize how much we are all ‘slaves’ to society. You will also recognize just how much masquerading we do in everyday life just to “fit in”. Rashid Darden paints an exquisite portrait of college life, urban youth and the secrets we all hold from the world to maintain the image we wish to portray.
--Robert Denson, III; Sunpiper Press
Click here to download the full Sunpiper review!

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...his generally plainspoken writing style achieves a certain simple beauty when used to describe the various firsts of new love: first eye contact, first physical contact, first tentative confessions of love. He writes about man-to-man lovemaking with sensitivity and sensuality, never escaping into the medical or sinking to the pornographic.
--Larry Duplechan; Author, Eight Days A Week, Blackbird, Tangled Up In Blue, and Captain Swing.

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The novel takes the reader on a journey through one young man's rite of passage from being an ordinary college sophomore, through a relationship, into the trials of pledging a fraternity, and to the ultimate triumph of his personal character. I'm trying my best to avoid giving any spoilers; readers should experience Lazarus for themselves. Let me just say that in the hands of a lesser author, several of the characters might have read flat and the ending probably would have been all roses and skipping off into the sunset. Not so with Rashid Darden. He gives us a story that is believable and filled with individuals who remain true to their character throughout.
--malik m.l. williams; Artist, Poet, Performer

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Rashid Darden is one of the brightest writers of the new millennium. His strength shines superbly in every sentence, his passion in every paragraph. Reading Rashid is reading into the depths of your soul.
--Omekongo Dibinga, Spoken Word Poet

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It was hard to stop reading it because it felt so real to me. Lazarus exemplified my experiences as a black gay male in college and I could easily identify myself with the main character.
--Grad Student, University of Michigan

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Wow, I've read just about every African American Male same gender loving novel out (at least 30) to date, and not one story has captured me with the contempory essence that Lazarus has....For this to be an independent release, I must first say that the writing is practically flawless and the quality of the total package is completely professional.
--A Reader in Richmond, VA

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...a ground breaking story with colorful characters and a captivating storyline. It takes you on a enthralling roller coaster ride as you follow the journey and the battles of Adrian, the protagonist, as he tries to balance school, his embryonic love life and an arduous pledge process. Lazarus also takes many on a trip back down memory lane; to the college days, when there was nothing better than a BANGIN' college party or watching a fraternity or sorority probate on the Yard (Quad).
-- Higher Education Professional, Los Angeles, California

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Rashid Darden has an extraordinary ability to focus his readers on several important challenges - when to acknowledge same gender preference, balancing relationships with a significant other vs. one's own aspirations, dealing with homosexuality in the college setting and in the black fraternity world. This novel follows in the footsteps of works by E. Lynn Harris and is a must read if we are to move toward a reasonable dialogue on a highly controversial subject.
-- Educator, North Carolina

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The humor, believability and diverse nature of the characters revealed through the engrossing story line and unpredictable turn of events are what make this novel such a treat. In addition, the realistically interwoven themes conveyed through earnest narrative of the main character make this novel a delight.
-- An Alpha Phi Omega Brother in Miami, Florida

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This novel is very alive and compelling. The characters are real, the situations are plausible, the action is exciting. As a student on a college campus, it rings almost too true. Nevertheless, it is a book that I will reread again, and again, and share with many friends. Rashid Darden, your ascent to the top has commenced.
-- A Reader in New York

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Darden presents many pressing issues including fraternity pledging, connecting with family, finding love and soul searching all with astounding accuracy. I am willing to bet most student leaders at any college campus can relate in more than one way to the struggles that Adrian endures throughout the novel. This work is a masterpiece for those entering college, current college students, and college graduates alike.
-- Alumnus, St. John's University

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Ever read a book so good that you refused to eat, sleep, or take care of any other basic bodily functions because you refused to stop reading? A book so interesting that you couldn't stand to be away from it for one minute, because in that one minute you were missing out on the opportunity to find out what happens next? Lazarus is that type of book - I hate to even call it a book, because Lazarus is an experience.

Rashid was able to capture my attention from page one and held me captive throughout this wonderful piece of literature. The characters were so real and the situations were so intense that I often forgot that these were fictional characters in a book. I feel truly blessed to have been able to read Lazarus and I highly recommend that others get ready for its official arrival on the scene - yes it is that serious.
-- Student, American University

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I just couldn't stop reading it! His style is unique!
-- Alumna, University of Pittsburgh

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This book is the epitome of that book that you can't put down...definitely a great entry from a great author. Lazarus is one of those stories that we can all relate to in some ways....from the pledging, to the crunk college party, to the various issues you face while coming of age...Go get it, the author did a WONDERFUL job!
-- An Alpha in Texas

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Darden is a wonderful, articulate and imaginative writer. His unique ability to integrate themes that transcend both gender and class will certainly earn him a place among the best fiction writers of our time.
-- Alumnus, Georgetown University

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Darden holds no punches. It is this true and raw emotion that makes you eager to keep reading, even after the story has ended. Every word on the page is real, breathing life into each character and emotion into each experience. You become attached to the characters and invested in the experience as if you were right there when it all happened.
-- A Zeta in Washington, DC

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I just finished this novel and I can honestly say that I anxiously await the sequel. This book is definitely a page turner and has continued to hold my thoughts hours and