Happy Monday! It’s hard to believe we’re thirteen days into August. WHEREDIDTHELASTEIGHTMONTHSGO?! I’m hustling to ensure I reach all of my goals for 2018. Every week I look over the list I created at the beginning of the year and while I’ve been able to check off some boxes, I still have a lot more to go. I got a little behind, and now it’s a never-ending race of catching up because once August ends, instead of my calendar slowing down, it will only become busier. Now’s the time for me to organize and get my shit together. There might be a few weeks of blog hiatus because I have PRIORITIES! Rather than bore you with a discussion of what’s sure to be a hectic fall and a productive winter, let me tell you about all the shit I’ve been digging lately!
Shooter
Shooter is the USA Network original series based on the 2007 movie of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg. Fun fact: Wahlberg is also a producer for the small screen version. I never saw the movie, but I tuned into the TV show because Netflix was like, “Harper, why are you not watching this? It’s your jam lady!” Well, if Netflix says something is likely to be 97% liked by me, I listen. Except in the case of Dr. Strange. I WILLNEVERSTOPTALKINGABOUTHOWNETFLIXGOTTHATONEWRONG! NEVER!
Back to Shooter, I plowed through two seasons in a week! The seasons aren’t very long. Season one is only ten episodes and season two is eight. Season three is currently airing on the USA Network. You can watch it On Demand until October! If you like suspense, assassins, shadow organizations and conspiracy theories, you’ll want to dive into this show. Ryan Phillippe does a GREAT job playing Bob Lee Swagger. The casting is incredibly spot on. It’s also great to see Omar Epps in a TV role. Check out the trailer for season one below.
These Engaging Articles
My inbox is a searing dumpster fire at the moment, but whenever I get the chance to catch up I come across some great articles. You should check out the following reads below:
In between writing, I’ve managed to get in some fun reads. I’m also beta reading for two authors. MOVEOVERREGENCYHISTORICALS, MOREROMANCESSETDURINGTHECIVILWARARECOMINGTHROUGH.YAAASSSSSS! I dunno about you, but I’m dying to seeing American History accurately depicted in romance and not glossed over or distorted. This is why it’s good to encourage writer friends, they just might give you what your reading heart desires lol. Anyway, if you’re looking for delightful storytelling, I highly recommend the books pictured above.
Autoboyography is a lovely queer YA romance between two boys, one of them Mormon. Probably my favorite romance I’ve read this year. There were a lot of heartwarming moments.
Interceptedis a fun debut from Alexa Martin! If sports romance is your jam, you’ll want to read all about Marlee trying to figure out her life while juggling two football players.
We Are Never Meeting In Real Life is a book of essays written by Samantha Irby. I subscribe to Sam’s blog and I’m in her book club. Holy shit, this woman is hilarious. What I find incredibly charming about Sam is her brutal honesty when it comes to the obstacles she’s encountered in life. The death of her parents, battling depression, her failed relationships. It may not sound like the best sales pitch, but I guarantee this book has heaps of laugh out loud moments. I think I hyperventilated on the subway when she talked about the first time she went down on a woman. #DED
Ventriloquism
This album is the latest release from Meshell Ndegeocello and it is FANTASTIC! It’s filled with revamped versions of your favorite 80s and 90s hits. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard the Force MD’s “Tender Love” with a harmonica. Check out the video for Waterfalls, originally recorded by TLC below. The musical arrangement is LOVELY!!!
My House
AHHHHHH!!! Peeps, if you’ve read past Shit I’m Digging entries then you know I am a HUGE fan of Paris is Burning and more recently, Ryan Murphy’s Pose. About two weeks ago I discovered Viceland did a series on NYC, Philly, Chicago, and Detroit ball culture. ITISEVERYTHING. I’m team Tati and Precious. You can watch episodes On Demand. Check out the trailer below and be prepared to practice your duck walk. #strikeapose
And this concludes the shit I’m diggin’ this week. Till next time, folks! 😉
Tis another HOT Monday in New York City. Is it too early to wish for fall yet? LOL, I’m fickle. Give me weather in the mid-seventies with a gentle breeze, and I’m sold. This heatwave nonsense has got to go!
In any case, when I attended the RWA National conference last month, something magical happened. I had a sit-down with Ms. Bev! She let me pick her brain, and it was hands down one of my most memorable author experiences. If you haven’t already met this fabulous woman, you should know not only is she one hell of a writer, she’s super lovely and straightforward as fuck. My kind of woman! Ms. Bev was gracious enough to answer any and every question I had about maintaining a career in this business for the long haul. I can say her nuggets of wisdom will stick with me for a long while. I am forever grateful for her kindness. 💖
Sit back, relax and laugh a little. Get to know a bit about Ms. Beverly Jenkins.
*Disclaimer* I’m a hot mess. I forgot my tripod back in NYC, and I didn’t realize it until I was ready to board my plane! Luckily, Alexis Daria was kind enough to lend me hers, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get my phone to sit in a position to capture the interview in widescreen. So, you get a glare from the sun and Ms. Bev occasionally being cut out of the frame because I’m a hot ass mess who forgot her tripod. LOL, but overall, ITWAS A GOODINTERVIEW, I SWEAR. I was giddy. It’s evident from my non-stop smiling. 😃
Bio:
Beverly Jenkins is the recipient of the 2017 Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance. She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature, was featured both in the documentary “Love Between the Covers” and on CBS Sunday Morning. Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for multicultural romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR.
Give your one-click finger one heck of a workout by going through Ms. Bev’s backlist here or pre-ordering her upcoming release Second Time Sweeter: A Blessings Novel here.
I know it’s unusual to get a post from me on a Friday, but I’m helping a lovely reader and friend share the news about her latest release. Check it out below!
Blurb:
Kay McQueen is different from the women in her family. She lives her life for her, not for a man. Though she enjoys an occasional romp with a sexy man, she is not looking for Mr. Right. Her goals in life are to build her home health care business, and to travel the world. Well, at least she has her business life together. The travel thing, not so much. That is until her favorite aunt passes away, leaving a journal with her final wishes.
As far as Kay knows, Aunt Gigi is the ultimate single girl, the life of the party, even pushing eighty years old. What she finds in Gigi’s journal causes her to rethink her position on love and marriage. She embarks on a dual purpose journey; to scatter Gigi’s ashes and to discover love. Along the way, she encounters a man named Heath who is tall, sexy, and has magical hands. His kisses set her body on fire, but when she finds out his true identity, she wants to set him on fire, literally.
Find out how Kay handles the situation and see exactly who Heath is and what it means to Kay’s family. When these two worlds collide, the outcome is explosive. Heath’s lies and deception finally catch up with him, as Kay finds that what she was looking for, she already had. Discover why Happily Ever After isn’t always what it seems.
Excerpt:
I allowed my alarm to blare into the room for three minutes before I begrudgingly unearthed myself from the mountain of covers on my California King. My bed is super comfy, but that’s not the reason I didn’t want to leave it. This was the most dreaded day of the year! This was the day when ALL of my family members got together, for the sole purpose of finding me a man. The McQueen family reunion!
You may think I was overreacting, but I swear, ever since I turned forty they have been coming out of the woodwork. Aunties, uncles, cousins, play cousins, brothers that I don’t have and sisters that I wish I didn’t all congregated under the guise of family, just to torture me. If I had to hear ‘Kay, when are you gonna find you a man and have some babies?’ one more time, I think I might join a convent. That would shut them up. On second thought, the nuns would probably be giving me the side eye too.
I finally made it onto my feet in a standing position and stumbled into the bathroom to take care of my business. Before the water could even heat in the shower my big sister, Tessa, was blowing up my phone. Mind you, I had a gas water heater, so the water was always hot. I should let her old melon head go to voicemail, but she will keep calling until I answer.
“Good morning Tess. What’s good?”
“What’s good? What young boy did you learn that from? You sound like your nephew when he’s talking to his friends.”
“Did you call to give me lessons on millennial phrases and culture, or was there a purpose to this call?”
I rolled my eyes and removed my toothbrush from its holder, spreading toothpaste on the bristles. I may as well brush while she ranted. There would be no way for me to get a word in edgewise. Putting the call on speaker, I placed my phone on the counter so I could groom properly without being rude.
“Eww, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? Anywho, I just wanted to make sure you were up. You can’t be late for the festivities this year. Auntie Gigi has been asking for you since everyone arrived last night. You should have seen that woman trying to twerk. I swear, Kay, if you don’t get your act together, you will turn out just like her. Old, sad and alone, trying to shake your behind with the young folk.”
Tessa never did get along with Auntie Gigi, but she was my favorite aunt. Somehow, Tessa thought comparing me to her would be an insult, but I would love to live the kind of life Gigi had. Pushing eighty years old and could twerk? Are you kidding me? #lifegoals
My older sister made a habit of asking me when I was going to settle down and get married. That was her way of showing me that she cared, but her inquiries annoyed me. As a forty something strong African American woman I did not need a man to validate my life! Though, if I was being honest, I definitely want one sometimes.
Bio:
Lisa W. Tetting is the author of the novel, The Mistreatment of Zora Langston, and Southern Horror Stories. She is the creator of Rebirthoflisa, her personal blog. Lisa holds a Business Management degree from Mount Olive University. She is a former call center supervisor, who found freedom in books and writing poetry most of her life. After finally embracing her gift in her forties, she decided to live her dream of becoming a full time writer.
She grew up in a small town in North Carolina and loves that she is a Southern Girl. She currently resides in Birmingham, AL with her loving husband and spoiled cat. Lisa’s influences include Maya Angelou, Octavia Butler, Zora Neale Hurston, and Edgar Allan Poe.
