Edwidge Danticat On Haiti

AP Photo by Ivanoh Demers

First, let me say major kudos to CNN for its extensive coverage of the earthquake that has devastated Haiti. I tried to work last night but found myself riveted to the television coverage of the disaster, the country’s history and earlier turmoil and its recent attempts to build itself.  

I’m a big fan of Edwidge Danticat, the Haitian-born author of phenomenal works like “Breath, Eyes, Memory.” In an interview with CNN, Danticat talks about the country’s past turmoil and resilience, and her own search for family members:

It is a catastrophe beyond measure, because even when we’ve had mudslides or floods, it has overwhelmed the capacity of the country to handle it: to absorb the wounded, to help people find medical care. But this situation is something far beyond anything the country has ever experienced before.

In Haiti, most people cannot afford basic medical care, so imagine now, the primary hospital in Port-au-Prince is said to have been severely damaged. It’s truly an extraordinary catastrophe for a country that’s already suffered so very, very much.

The sad thing is that the country seemed to have been on an upswing. There was the beginning of some tranquility. There were recent stories about some new, even fancy, hotels in Jacmel and Port-au-Prince. And Bill Clinton, the UN special envoy to Haiti, had recently hosted an investors conference in Port-au-Prince with investors from Latin America as well as the United States.

There was a sense after the four storms last year that there were some positive things happening, and this just grinds everything back into the ground.

***

We Haitians are known for our resilience, because we’ve suffered so many natural and political tragedies over the years and have always somehow managed to bounce back. We’ve never had to face something like this, so this time I think it might take a lot longer. But there is an extraordinarily strong spirit in the Haitian people. It looks extremely bad right now, but Haitians will rebuild. Certainly, Haiti is going to need a great deal of help, but the people have it in them to rebuild, and they will.

***

We will need help from all our neighbors, from the international community. We will need individual donors and government donors. I would encourage people to support organizations that are already on the ground and can immediately start helping people. Organizations like Partners in Health, Doctors Without Borders and the American Red Cross. Humans have a tendency to pull together in tragedy. You can’t imagine a more tragic day for Haiti than this. We will need everyone. 

If you have not made a donation to the relief efforts, please consider doing so now.

Plenary Videos Of The Day: RIP To Teddy Pendergrass

Today’s videos come from a live concert featuring some of Teddy P’s numerous hits as a solo artist and as lead singer for Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. RIP to another music legend that certainly made up part of the soundtrack to our lives, before and after. I know some of us 70’s babies are probably here because of Teddy P., the Blue Notes and other music legends from that era.

I decided to post some of the amazing concert videos that I came across on Youtube when searching for my fave hits. Thanks to “bertmarx” for putting this up.   

 

R Kelly Smiles for Tavis

The Twitterati/Internet/blogsphere’s been buzzing for the past few weeks over the news that Tavis Smiley’s SmileyBooks is set to publish R. Kelly’s memoirs next year. By my estimation, the reaction is on point. So much so, that I scrapped plans to blog in-depth about it because others have made my points, like:

What About Our Daughters

Womanist Musings 

Bol over at XXLmag.com (Piss On You: A Memoir = classic hilarity)

Dr. Boyce Watkins

Danielle Belton over at The Black Snob (nice commentary on Smiley’s decision in light of his criticism of POTUS)

I used to get down on “12Play” like everyone else (mind out of the gutter, please) and played the hell out of 1995’s “R.Kelly,” but the exposure of the Pied Piper’s perverted preference for underage girls is well-documented through his marriages and relationships, the child porn trial and the thrown-out-on-a-tech Florida arrest for possession of child porn (which revealed pictures of underage girls and another video).  

I remember the day I heard the verdict in Kelly’s trial. I’ve seen several surprising verdicts, but this was two steps under the Simpson trial in my book. My lawyer friends called for my reaction, and, amazingly, we all shared the sentiment that R. Kelly had not only dodged one hell of a bullet (14 times), but the jury hearing the evidence pushed him out of the way.

When I hear or see R. Kelly, I now have a Pavlovian response. I automatically change the station and simply don’t entertain his b.s., or any other artist that still sees the need to record with him – yes, I’m talking about you Keri Hilson (and you too, Raheem. “Customer” was fine without R. Kelly).

I was pretty pissed as I read through the reaction to SmileyBooks’ decision to publish Kelley’s memoirs, especially because the publisher comes from the mold of pundits and scholars who can write or talk all day about the ills of the black community and what the President (the current target) isn’t doing about it. Sure, Smiley and others have done some good things for the black community, but it shocks the system to see such a blatant example of hypocrisy. For example, it seems that it’s ok to talk in circles about the number of young black mothers and the fall of the black family, but none of these men are discussing or publishing about the abuse facing our women – you know, the ones who make up part of the black family. Those “precious” girls and women that it’s apparently ok to pee on and profit from.

I have no idea how far Kelly’s going to delve into his life and trials in his memoir. It could be one big mea culpa, which I doubt, but I simply don’t care about what he has to say. And I damn sure won’t add one more dollar to his bottom line. But as I prepared to wax about Smiley and Kelley, I had an epiphany that played itself out over Twitter.

I realized that I, too, own a publishing company. Yes, we’re new, but like Tavis, I can publish whatever the heck I want. So I am. And we’re going to publish an anthology of works canvassing the lives of black women, for release in 2011.

No, this isn’t some Kanye/50 type beef that I have with Smiley Books, but a wakeup call to me, and hopefully other women, that we need to take back our voices. This won’t be a man-bashing collection of works by bitter writers. I don’t get down like that and I’m not a love hater. Instead, I’m using my company to feature stories and provoke thought about the lives of modern black women. 

Thanks to all of you that helped me work this out in my head. Details are here.

 TNH

The Art Of Storytelling: Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship Program

I confess to watching Nickelodeon even though I don’t have children. I also watch music videos like I’m 12, but it’s only because I’m prepping for my future career as a film director. I study camera angles, so don’t judge me.

The deadline is rapidly approaching for submissions to Nickelodeon’s Writing Fellowship Program, one of the top writing competitions in the country. What is it, you ask?:

Developed to broaden Nickelodeon’s outreach efforts, the Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship is designed to attract, develop and staff writers with diverse backgrounds and experiences on Nickelodeon Network productions.

Operating in a three-phased structure, the Fellowship provides a salaried position for up to one year and offers hands-on experience writing spec scripts and pitching story ideas in both live action and animation television.

This three-phased structure allows fellows an opportunity to nurture relationships with creators, network executives, line producers, head writers, showrunners and story editors.

As part of their script writing, each fellow will be assigned to an Executive in Charge of Production and have an opportunity to write a spec script for an on-air Nickelodeon show.

In a nutshell, you have to submit a spec script, but the details and submissions requirements are here. Follow them carefully. The Hollywood types are reportedly very picky about formatting so don’t cut corners. Poor formatting will  get you tossed from the thousands of submissions that these programs receive. 

If you haven’t invested in Final Draft (my favorite) or some other screenwriting software, do so now. And, read Robert McKee’s Story and a few other screenwriting development books, attend at least one writing workshop and a networking event (I can personally vouch for The Screenwriting Expo) and submit your best spec to next year’s competition.

But, if you’re ready to get your spec out this year, the submission period is January 2, 2010-February 28, 2010.

Another program to watch for is the Disney/ABC Television Writing Fellowship.

The program is designed to expose aspiring writers to key executives, producers and literary representatives – all essential in the pursuit of a writing career. Additionally, while in the program, fellows have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a current programming or development executive to create spec scripts of series from the current broadcast season.  The ultimate goal is to prepare and nurture the fellows for a writing career.

Fellows become Disney/ABC employees for a year with salary (approx $50K) and benefits. The submission window is usually between May and June. More info is here on this program and Disney/ABC’s other entertainment programs.

Past fellows have gone on to write for other network shows or script movies, like Saladin K. Patterson (Psych, The Bernie Mac Show, Frasier), Malcolm Lee (“The Best Man”; “Undercover Brother”); Gary Hardwick (“The Brothers”; “Bring It On; “Deliver Us From Eva”)  and Reggie “Rock” Bythewood (“Dancing In September”; “Biker Boyz”), whose wife,  Gina Prince-Bythewood, wrote and directed the very awesome “Love and Basketball,” and also directed “Disappearing Acts” and “The Secret Life Of Bees.”

Wow. Maybe I need to apply . . . I kid, I kid. My authors would have my head.

TNH

Seriously Under The Radar News Coverage: No Charges in the Lawrence Allen Case

Photo: www.philly.com

A few months ago, I posted an update to an earlier post about the tragic death of Lawrence Allen, who was gunned down (shot in the back) by Sgt. Chauncey Ellison, an off-duty Philadelphia police officer, over an alleged dispute involving a pizza and the officer’s son. 

Earlier this week, I heard on the local news that the city had suspended and planned to fire Sgt. Frank Tepper, another off-duty Philadelphia officer who took personal matters into his own hands when he shot a young neighbor in an incident involving the officer’s relatives. A grand jury is reviewing the case. According to the local ABC station, the Internal Affairs probe surrounding the Tepper incident is “one of the fastest conclusions ever of an IAD probe,” and  Tepper violated several regulations and was also being fired for the improper use of a firearm.

Naturally, this made me think of Lawrence Allen, and I checked philly.com expecting to find that I missed an update about the Lawrence Allen case, and that Officer Ellison had also been terminated and was facing charges. I was shocked - livid- when I read this:

TERRY BOWEN has waited more than a year to hear if authorities would bring criminal charges against an off-duty Philadelphia police sergeant who allegedly gunned down her unarmed son.

Unbeknown to Bowen, former District Attorney Lynne Abraham – in one of her last acts as top prosecutor – decided not to press charges against the cop, Chauncey Ellison.

“We received a letter of declination from the District Attorney’s Office saying they’re not going to prosecute. I think it came out on New Year’s Eve,” Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey told the Daily News last night.

No one bothered to tell Bowen, whose son Lawrence Allen died last February, three months after Ellison allegedly shot him in the back during a bizarre dispute in West Oak Lane. Allen, 20, was left paralyzed from the chest down. He dropped more than half his body weight and battled numerous infections before dying, his mother said.

“I am so furious,” Bowen said, after a reporter informed her of Abraham’s decision. “No one ever got in contact with me.”

To his credit, Seth Williams, the city’s new District Attorney, quickly announced that his office would review the case, and “could make a decision independent of the grand jury’s findings.”

Ellison is on desk duty, and the Allen family has filed a federal lawsuit. Lawrence Allen left a wife and young children. 

Of course, neither this, nor the ridiculous circumstances of the case, must have factored into the prior DA’s decision-making. Or, that Philadelphia has a troubling pattern of officers believing that their badges extend to personal matters. Apparently, these officers aren’t aware that, like regular citizens, they “should call 9-1-1 and act as a witness” when off-duty. Can someone please tell me why this double-standard requires explanation or a department policy?

TNH

Video Of The Day: Mariah Carey’s Precious Acceptance Speech

My reaction to Mariah Carey’s acceptance speech mirrors my reaction to “Precious.”

Single Ladies: Put Your Hands Down?

(“Something New” movie still, www.flixster.com)

Dr. Boyce Watkins posted an interesting article over at theGrio about single black women and our relationship struggles. Some of Dr. Watkins’ key points: relationship struggles aren’t limited to black people; black women are chasing the wrong men; and we’re part of the problem too:

I’ve noticed that there are many women who spend all their time chasing the alpha male who may have 10 different girlfriends at once and ignoring the less-than-perfect man who is willing to be their lifelong mate. Given that it’s illegal to marry more than one person at a time, many of these “Michael Jordan types” fill the gender gap single-handedly by occupying the attention and loyalty of several women at once.

Perhaps the next time you’re chasing the super-fine, super-hunk man of your dreams, you might consider the fact that there is probably a new woman chasing him down every single day. That’s not to say, however, that you don’t have the right to be attracted to whatever you want – just realize that dating is a market, like searching for a job. The more constraints you put on your search, the fewer options you are going to have. So, if you are passing up men because they are 6′1″ instead of 6′2″, you’ll get very little sympathy as you sit around the fire with your girlfriends crying into a glass of red wine. Your Prince Charming may never have belonged to you in the first place, and you may have kicked the real Prince Charming to the curb.

Interesting. I agree with some of what Dr. Watkins said, like taking relationship advice from a comedian and having to compete with the Elin Nordegrens of the world. And I’m not one of those women on the “there-aren’t-enough-brothers-out-there” bandwagon, even though my career as a criminal defense attorney has exposed to me numerous black men being locked up on a regular basis (and it is a crisis).  

My experience has been the opposite. I’ve met plenty of alpha males, as well as attractive, hard-working men who are taking care of their kid(s), go to church, have good jobs or run businesses, etc. These hardworking men are much better to date and settle down with, though I confess that alpha males usually possess an edge that’s tempting: they want to chase and we want to break these bad boys. It’s not worth the energy, believe me.

I disagree, however, with the article for its lack of focus on the other problem: being a successful black woman, how men respond to that and how we as women handle or mishandle this delicate balance. I’m not talking from the standpoint of finding someone who’s so-called “on your level” - I think that’s what Dr. Watkins refers to, chasing a list or concept of the ideal man based on things like education level, the kind of car he drives and the size of his bank account. If you’re basing your desire for a man on superficial things than yes, end the blame game about why you’re single.

I’m talking about dating and/or marrying someone who’s cool with your career, supports it and even pushes you to do what you do while equally sharing in home responsibilities. Working women have always had the challenge of balancing work and home, but the imbalance becomes more pronounced as we achieve more success and take on opportunities that used to be reserved for men. The other side of this success is the impact that it has on the home, and I think that for some men, it’s a turn off.

I’ve had countless brothers tell me that they don’t want a woman who makes more than them, and that they damn sure don’t want one who has to work long hours to do so. “Why get married if you can’t be home,” asked one friend, as he openly expressed a desire for a woman who would be willing to stay home when they have kids, or at least have a job that won’t interfere with ”his kids, his food and his sex.”  Not all of my male friends are cavemen, as I called him, but I totally get where he’s coming from. Some men don’t want a woman who’s going to ram her success down his throat, make him feel the differences in their education or income level or neglect home over work. I get it brothers. Understood.  You’re entitled to want what you want, and so am I.

One of the biggest challenges in all of my past relationships has been ambition – mine and his. Looking back, I realize that there’s a fine line between holding it down at work and at home, and that yes, you can’t be all-work 24/7. I’m a workaholic by nature, but time has taught me that it’s not ok to always blur the line between QT and OT, that your laptop shouldn’t be on your lap while you’re curled up with your man watching “The Hangover” on a Saturday night. And, that he shouldn’t roll over in bed and feel your Blackberry against the small of his back. There are, however, times when work calls for you to finish up something from the office or answer emails (on weekends), and many of us want someone who understands that. 

So perhaps this is really a question of old-school traditions and thought versus new-school families and parenting, and whether black women (women period) can meet someone who’s fine with that going into the relationship. I believe in being upfront about who you are and what comes with you. If you have to travel every month for your job, let that person know. If you can’t cook a lick or need the help of a cleaning service to keep your house together, don’t hide that. If you’re not willing to change your bad habits, be real about it.

As a law student going out on the Philly social scene, I found myself either going tit-for-tat over accomplishments when men volunteered that they were in law school as their opening hook (“oh you’re in law school too?”;  “Wow! I’m on law review and clerking for a judge too (sucka)”; “you’re BLSA president? me too!”) or hiding the fact that I was in law school to avoid the “oh, you one of those chicks” comments. I got to the point where I stopped hiding what I aspired to do, but I made sure it wasn’t the focus of my conversations or life either. Let’s face it: people who only talk about work, or are hopelessly intertwined with it, are boring people.

Post-graduation, I dealt with older men looking for younger women to settle down with, one who was willing to become wife number two three and to stop working and have babies right away. I gained a couple of closeted male friends along the way – who, interestingly, had some of my same dating issues – and eventually met someone who was my opposite in a lot of  ways but pushed me spiritually and professionally in ways that past relationships hadn’t. Although there were also things missing in that relationship that I had in others, I can assure you that money and status were not at the root of our problems.

We dated for three years before breaking up early last year, but the funny thing is we’re better friends now than we were before, when the focus was on being in a relationship instead of securing its foundation. Mr. X has become my go-to source for many things, including insight on me, my business, my fears  . . . and my unfortunate habit of sabotaging my relationships, which stems from my other big fear: commitment (I won’t put him out there but we both had the same issue for different reasons). So yes, Dr. Watkins, I can say that I am to blame for my being single, but my reasons aren’t as superficial as suggested.  

I have friends who rush to make breakfast and drop their kids off at school, rush to work or court, rush to pick up their kids, rush home to cook dinner, rush to help with homework and collapse into sleep after rushing through a mindless quickie. Those are my frazzled, close-to-a-nervous-breakdown friends, and I personally don’t want that life. I also have friends who alternate their kids’ schedules with their spouse/significant other/baby daddy, share cooking duties, employ the help of a babysitter and/or have an otherwise non-traditional approach to their relationship. I think that this takes great compromise, but it comes with our territory as successful women. Not everyone can handle this, and I don’t expect them to. That’s why dating for me is more about friendship at this point. You have to see my life to know if you want to be part of it. Of course, I’m not Oprah, but I’m just saying…  

So that’s why I’m single: because I want a partner who understands and supports what I do, and is flexible enough to give me some room to do it, as I will with him. Not because I’m desperate to meet Idris Elba Lamman Rucker or his look-alike, or the CEO of some top company, or because I’m standing outside the locker room hoping I get wifed by some athlete.

For my part, I know that my next relationship can’t be between me, my man and the office, and I’ll work on that. In fact, that’s one of the major themes in my forthcoming book because I had to examine where I was falling short in my relationships and the common denominator was work. 

I like being single at this moment in my life because I have to keep very late hours to juggle it all, and dating allows me to keep some distance to handle my business. Being single can also be a choice. But when I took my nephew to see the new Alvin & The Chipmunks movie over the holidays (the longest freaking movie of my life, but it was cute), I felt that there’s more out there for me, that my life can’t be my work and that I have to stop the fear of being trapped by something I ultimately want.  How I go about it will be my real challenge, but understanding the nature of the beast will make me a better wife/mother/mogul in the future.   

I tend to go in and out on the marriage thing – just like men do - and I think many women feel that way too. We’re not looking to be completed, but, rather, added to, and for once, I need someone to talk to me on that level. And, without the assumption that we’re all a bunch of over-accomplished hens giving the shaft to the good brothers on the market while complaining about the lack of good men over a bottle of pinot. We don’t have pity parties in my world.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on why you’re single. Let’s go beyond on the surface on this one. Feel free to post a comment.

TNH

Upcoming Writer’s Conferences & Events

I’m a strong advocate of writing workshops, conferences and other programs that further the craft of writing and our development as writers (note I said writers versus authors). We are currently planning two writers retreat for 2011, one for beginning writers and one for writers that are more advanced or nearing the completion of a work in progress. We’re planning to keep it cost-effective and both will likely take place in Charleston, South Carolina, though I’m exploring hosting one of the retreats in places where I’ve drawn inspiration (like Santa Fe, New Mexico or San Juan, Puerto Rico). 

Although the agendas will differ slightly, both workshops will offer the opportunity to focus on character development, outlining and story structure and other development topics, while offering precious time to write and receive group and one-on-one feedback. If you’re interested in attending something like this, I’d be interested in hearing your feedback on whether you’d attend, suggested locales, the best time of year for you and the price point that would make the retreat cost-prohibitive.  Hit me up with your thoughts at tieffa@plenarypublishing.com, or feel free to leave a comment.

I posted a few of the upcoming writers conferences and events that may be of interest to you. I haven’t decided which ones I’ll attend, given our touring schedule, but I encourage all of you to attend.

Santa Barbara Writers Conference: Weekend of Poetry, March 12-14, 2010; Summer Conference June 17-23, 2010 – Santa Barbara, CA

The 37-year-old Santa Barbara Writers Conference is the nation’s preeminent conference for writers interested in improving their craft, primarily through workshops that focus on the reading and critiquing of each writer’s work. Our largest and most comprehensive gathering is in June, when several hundred writers gather for six days to learn from each other, hear from other successful authors, and interact with publishing world professionals. Every March, SBWC also offers a national poetry conference — our Weekend of Poetry — featuring a major U.S. poet, and throughout the year there are weekend workshops on specialized topics designed for small groups.

http://www.sbwriters.com/

The Tenth National Black Writers’ Conference – March 25-28, 2010, Brooklyn, NY

Toni Morrison is the Honorary Chair. This year’s honorees are Amiri Baraka, Kamau Braithwaite and Dr. Edison O. Jackson.

Through a series of panel discussions, roundtables, author readings and storytelling, the National Black Writers’ Conference will use the metaphor of thunder, memory and light to examine the historical representation of the literature of Black writers and the representation of new and future directions for contemporary and emerging literary voices.

http://www.nationalblackwritersconference.org/home.html

Black Writers Reunion & Conference - June 23-26, 2010, Atlanta, GA

Established in 2000, the Black Writers Reunion & Conference is well known for its engaging workshop presenters, outstanding topics, inspirational ambience, and professional organization. While BWRC does not discriminate against participants of any race, BWRC is the only touring conference with the added cultural bonus of being presented both by and for Black writers.

BWRC’s mission is to educate, support, and motivate aspiring, emerging, and published writers. We promote and encourage artistic expression and growth through skill development in the art, craft, and business of creative writing in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama as well as business and career endeavors in professional writing.

http://www.blackwriters.org/

National Book Club Conference – July 30-August 1, 2010, Atlanta, GA

*This should be great for networking*

The mission of the National Book Club Conference is to create the world’s largest book-club meeting once a year, to promote the value of reading and formulating book clubs among adults and in the nation’s public school systems for the purposes of advancing literacy, broadening youths’ minds and knowledge through reading and dialogue.

http://www.nationalbookclubconference.com/

Video Of The Day: KFC’s Solution For Dealing With Black People

Ckeck out KFC Australia’s solution for dealing with a crowd of black people:

Chasing Pavement

 

I’m back in the Philadelphia area, battling a cold and trying to wrap my arms around everything that’s on my plate. My holiday was great – I spent two weeks in Charleston incognito because my plan was to get ahead of everything that’s coming up. But, of course, things don’t always go as planned. I received great emails and comments after my last post about Brian Rhinehart’s tragic death, and I want to thank all of you for your support of what we’re trying to do and your comments.  

Almost all of the emails came in through our email at storytelling@plenarypublishing.com, and as I read through them, it dawned on me that I need an email where people can reach me to ask questions, offer feedback, etc. (besides my company email, which is linked to my Blackberry and can’t withstand more email). I also noticed suggestions that my blog should get more personal in relaying my efforts to get this company off the ground (my fears, successes, failures, personal sacrifices, etc.), and while I can assure you that I’m not that interesting, I’ll do my best to accomodate that. So, if you want to reach me specifically, you can now email me at tieffa@plenarypublishing.com.

Just before Christmas, I flew my younger brother up to NY for his 25th birthday. I scooped him up in Newark and we headed over to the city for a whirlwind sightseeing visit. My bro’s only been to NY once, when I first moved up North, and I thought it’d be cool to see New York at Christmas. We stayed in Times Square and froze ourselves as we did the tourist thing and skipped around the city seeing everything from the Statue of Liberty to the city at night from The Top of The Rock (where it was cold as hell), to Rockefeller Center and the beautiful tree (I’ll post photos from our trip on Flickr). There is nothing like Christmas in New York, which brings me to one of the questions I received from several people: did you really say you’re moving back to Charleston? 

I did. And I am - sort of. Being in New York always reminds me of the love affair that I have with the city (and yes, I love “Empire State of Mind”), more so than any other place I’ve worked or visited. At the same time, I love my home even more than that, and I want to locate my company in the place that shaped me and that’s rich with our history. In fact, I went house hunting while I was down there, seeing as how I have until April 30th to do so, but I won’t officially move back until the end of the year, if not early next year. I do plan to keep a place up North so that I can shoot back up here when I want to get away, but my eventual plan is to get an apartment in New York and to locate Plenary’s second office there. *fingers crossed*

After my brother and I left New York, we drove my car down to Charleston because I decided to give it to him and get something new for myself. Needless to say, we got stuck in Richmond in that ridiculous snow storm, and doing five miles per hour on I-95 with hundreds of other drivers in snow that refuses to stop is no picnic. Fortunately, we weren’t one of the cars that got stranded, but we did spend the night at a cute little Country Inn that took hours to reach.

When we arrived in Charleston, I received a Twitter DM from Cheri Paris Edwards that Brian Rhinehart was in the hospital. I remember thinking at the time that I’d have to check on Brian to make sure he’s ok, but then I was consumed by Christmas shopping, which I hadn’t even started, and finishing line edits for LaTonya Jones’ Southern Discomfort. When I heard the news of Brian’s death, I was shocked and stunned, as I recounted in my earlier blog posting. The number one question that I received over the holidays: are you still going to publish Brian’s book?

Answer: I don’t know at this point. I have to talk to Brian’s family about what they want to do, but I’m also trying to be respectful of what they’re going through at the moment. Brian’s book is not finished, and to publish it would require hiring a ghostwriter to finish his work. I also received suggestions that I should finish it for him, given how closely we worked on it and that it would be sad if it’s not published because writing was his life’s dream. The truth is that I can’t think that far out at the moment, a strange place for me as a person who’s had five and ten-year plans since I was a kid. Thinking about things makes me think about how unfair all of this is, and I honestly don’t know how to handle this one. I’ll keep you posted.

I also received comments about why I don’t blog more often, and why I went silent after my post about Brian. Over the break, I spent my time editing, writing and spending time with my family. My laptop and Blackberry are usually attached to me, and it felt great to step back and reflect on things even as I gear up for this year. I dealt with feelings of insecurity and whether I’m going to fall on my face with this new venture (hence the reference to Adele’s song, “Chasing Pavement”), chased my almost four year-old nephew around the house (while considering my own plans for family life) and how I’m going to make this transition from law to publishing (kicking and screaming).

One of my biggest fears is failure, and I have a tendency to over plan as a result of that, but the net effect of my Christmas escape is that I came back relaxed, focused and eager for things to begin. I realized that my fears have held me back to some degree because I haven’t always put myself out there when I should (like being a legal commentator, but that’s a story for another day), that I’ve learned some of my biggest lessons when I’ve made my biggest mistakes and that it’s time to shed my security blanket and accept things as they come. With Plenary specifically, I feel this company in my bones, I’ve planned for it for three years, and the ride so far - mistakes and all – has been great. I promise to share more of my journey as the year progresses, and to have as much fun as possible doing so.

I received other questions that I’ll answer this week, such as specific updates on what’s going on with our other releases. Some I won’t answer, like where I live, my cup size and whether I have any fetishes. The Internet is truly a gift and a curse. Until then . . .

TNH