#30in30: The Explanaton

Twitter is one of my favorite social media sites because of the way it connects us to others. One of my favorite authors, Aliya S. King, utilizes her Twitter platform. She holds weekly sessions aptly called #AskAliya. She encourages her Twitter followers to ask any and all writing questions. I love how interactive she is with all of us. Last night, she challenged her followers. It's the #30in30 blogging challenge. The goal is to write a blog per day for a month. That is the only rule to the month long challenge. Sounds right up my creative alley. 

Writing has never been hard for me. It's essentially who I am. Writing for the world to see always hinders the process for me. As a writer, sharing your words is literally laying your heart bare for others to see. That takes courage. Writers, in that sense, have to have huge balls. This challenge is about me pushing myself to the next literary level. I write to sharpen my tool. I think a writer cannot get to the quality of their work without going through the quantity. Writing everyday helps hone my skills. I become a better writer by simply writing. My blog is my continuous conversation with the world. I am writing in abundance so that my written work matches all that I read. I'm developing my voice here in this space. 

For me, this won't be a challenge. I have been blogging every day all year. But, I've decided to participate anyway. I want to put a twist on my personal challenge though. I want to blog about different topics. I'm not sure exactly what I will blog about. But, I'm totally in this. It will be great. I also think it will be fun to read some new blogs via others who will be in the #30in30. For the next month, my challenge will be to diversify the scope of my blog. That is what I will focus on. Fingers crossed and prayers sent up for writing growth during this period. August 1st was the start date for the challenge. Now, we're off and rolling. I'm wishing myself good luck. 

This Reader's Review: Part V "Diamond Life"

I love to read as much as I love to write. Anticipating a new work of art from an author I dig is an awesome experience. This is what I've been waiting for. I can't even contain my excitement for the sequel to Aliya S. King's "Platinum." The first book was this peek behind the curtain look into the lives of the Hip Hop elite. King's characters which consists of Z, a rapper with am addiction; Jake, a rapping CEO; Kipenzi, a soulful singer; Beth, Z's suffering loving wife; Josephine the designer wife of Ras, another rapper; Cleo, a groupie who's written a tell all that mentions some of the other characters; Alex, a writer who ghostwrites Cleo's book; Birdie, the rapping husband of Alex; Zander, son of Beth and Z and a singer; Bunny, singing girlfriend of Zander. Every character is fully thought out and developed. I love the depth of each individual character and the manner in which they interactive with one another.

King has the gift of spinning a story that makes the reader feel as if they are an integral part of the storyline. I have been completely invested in her characters from the first chapter of the first book. And even though I'm not privy to the underbelly of the entertainment world, King through her characters make me feel like I am. From both books, I have wanted all of the characters, minus Cleo, to win. I'm a fan of these characters. They are all flawed and real. They seem like people I know. I can identify with so much of their triumphs and failures, their gains and their losses. These characters became people to me. That's one of the signs of a great book by a great author. I have to address the eerie similarities of King's Kipenzi in "Platinum" and the late Whitney Houston and Aaliyah. Kipenzi was America's singing sweetheart who dies a tragic death. It's so ironic that Whitney and Aaliyah suffered the same fate. I reread both books and that is the one thought I could not shake.

"Diamond Life" picks up in a great spot. The ending of "Platinum" was an equal mix of great happiness and sadness. The characters are different yet the same. The character that is most different has to be Z. He's clean and sober. He's doting on his family and working on being a better person. I was most impressed with his evolution. Any person who has watched a family member battle back from an addiction will definitely know what I'm speaking of. I wanted Z to win the most. His wife Beth is totally different. She has become a shell of a person now that he is clean. This affects their relationship in ways Z's cheating, drugging and abuse could never do. It was very interesting to watch that marriage change throughout the book. Their son Zander is stepping into the entertainment world that his Dad seems destined to walk away from. Talented he is but he seems to lack some common sense. But don't all teenagers? His story was essential in so many ways. It shows that the "business" is brutal and if you aren't tough enough it will chew you up and spit you out. Zander was not prepared for all of the pitfalls. His girlfriend Bunny was another person not built for the industry. She was talented but full of herself and had a bad attitude.

The triangle that is Ras, Josephine, and Cleo explodes during this book. Their story is so intertwined, so deep and so devious. I did not see this epic twist coming. I loved it even more because of that. Josephine is still one of my favorite characters. While Cleo remains the one I hate the most. The woman is categorically flawed. In different spots in the book, I felt empathetic towards Ras and Josephine. Their story really pulled me in. Birdie and Alex had an roller coaster ride during this book. Some things I felt were going to happen did, others I couldn't picture happened as well. I still love them as a couple. Last but certainly not least, is Jake. Jake for most of the book is a drunken, grieving mess. I expected Kipenzi's death to affect him in many ways. His storyline goes to so many different ways. He goes from the lowest of lows to an extreme high. His ending in the book caught me completely offguard. I personally did not like his final choice. It seemed adverse to the man he has been portrayed as. There are a few new characters. None more intriguing than Lily. Her story is one you have to read to believe. I am still shocked about it. Any one reading this will become totally invested in each of these characters.

"Diamond Life" was everything I wanted in a sequel and more. Aliya S. King did a wonderful job of bringing her characters full circle from "Platinum." I was a fan before and now I am an uber fan. I loved her writing style. As an aspiring author, I see her writing as a blueprint for what I want to accomplish. Her books made me feel a range of emotions. Her words made her characters come alive in my head. Her story just flowed. I read both books in one sitting. I did not want to put it down. That is the characteristic of a great piece of work. I suggest all of my literary loving readers get into this book and it's predecessor. You will not be disappointed. Trust me.

This Reader's Review: Part I "Decoded," "Chasing Harry Winston," "Platinum," & "Getting to Happy"

There is just something about books that makes me happy. It could be the fact that I love words. Or that a great journey in a book can take me far. Or it could just be my love for libraries as well. A good day will always involve a great book for me. It's my happy place. I read really fast. As if I'm in a rush to live through it. I get a rush from reading, same feeling I get when I write. There is nothing that comes close to that feeling. I just love books. They are just about my favorite thing since I am big on words. I've read some really great books this year. thought I would share them with you. Enjoy!

* "Decoded" - Jay-Z & dream hampton

An amazingly in depth look at Jay-Z's lyrics and aspects of his life. I love the way dream was able to pull such intimate stories from Jay. The book is a great read. It made me a bigger fan of Jay as an artist and as a man. dream worded the book wonderfully. This is a must read for any true Hip-Hop fan such as myself.

* "Chasing Harry Winston" - Lauren Weisberger

This was a whimsical tale of a group of women trying to get to their happily ever afters. It is witty and comical and honest. I love the author's point of view of the characters and their individual stories. I am a fan of Lauren's work. Her books always make me happy though from beginning to end.

* "Platinum" - Aliya S. King

Probably the best peek behind the Hip-Hop elite's curtains. Aliya spins a great tale of these great Hip-Hop artists and the women who love and put up with them. The author has a way of writing that makes you root for even the most awful of characters. I saw a lot of characteristics of real life big time artists within the pages of this novel. The viewpoint of this novel is that of the wives, girlfriends, fiancees, and side chicks. She is currently working on the follow up to this novel. It is entitled "Diamond Life" and its written from the viewpoint of the men in the first book. I cannot wait to catch up with these characters that I love.

* "Getting to Happy" - Terry McMillan

This is the follow up to "Waiting to Exhale." We get to see what has become of our favorite women. There is a lot of bitterness and sadness in this book. It was a great read but I felt conflicted. In a book entitled "Getting to Happy," one would think that there would be a whole lot of happiness in it. That is not the race for the most part. It was nice to find out what happen after WTE and there is supposedly a movie in the works. I will go see it.

This is just a short review of the things that I have read recently. Peep them out. Let me know what you think as well.