At the Tipping Point - a personal history

 I am aware I'm supposed to be writing about something relaxing this first month of 2025. But if you've read any of my other posts, you probably already know that I tend to wander off target. This is you're warning that I'll be doing the same for most of this year.

 I have lived a long life. A very long life. During those endless decades I've watched the evolution - expansion - mutation of the tiping culture. I'm not old as dirt, so I wasn't't around when tipping was first invented. But I do remember when the standard tip was ten percent. And that was for great and timely service. The wait staff arrived at your table with a smile and a pot of coffee so hot steam rose as they filled your cup. They never messed up orders, kept water glasses filled and cheerfully replenished the coffee cups. You never had to ask for butter for your bread or cream for your coffee. They were serious about customers, and, in return, for many customers that ten percent was only a starting point.

Decades passed. I looked up one day and realized the standard had grown to fifteen percent. Some restaurants had little cheat sheets for those too mathematically impaired to calculate the fifteen percent on their own.  Smart phones with calculators were not yet a thing. [I realize some millennials are having trouble visualizing the world I describe, but I promise it was real."

I rolled with the flow. As a girl who always loved math, and who ended up working as a computer analyst in a Fortune 100 company, I never had trouble doing the math in my head, easy-peasy. As long as I got good service, they got their tip.

The next step in evolution was the twenty percent mark. Suddenly things were serious. Customers began voicing annoyance at the whole tipping concept. More people were expecting tips as their right. The friendly server was disappearing, replaced by unhappy workers who used social media to inform customers they shouldn't go out to eat if they could not afford to add on that twenty percent. I fell in on the side of customers who feel that restaurants should not list artificially low prices on the menu when they expect customers to routinely pay more to support their workers salaries. Obviously they restaurants must be overflowing with customers so they can afford to keep doing this.

Things are worse now. Apparently some feel the standard tip should be thirty percent [twenty-five was completely bypassed]. As  a result, I have not eaten in a restaurant in over a year. It's not a protest. I doubt my absence has been noticed. It's not about money, either, I have money for a tip. Just no incentive to keep patronizing this business model. Even when my daughter and her boyfriend offered to take me out to eat over the holidays, I chose not to go out to eat. 

I agree that servers have a right to a living wage. But I don't agree that their employers should expect customers to make up the pay they won't give. In the back of my head I still hold the childish belief that tipping should be my choice, a reward for great service. Not a requirement because the boss pays sub-minimum wage.

What the World Needs Now: Empathy by Barbara Binns

 

In " What the World Needs Now: Empathy", first published December 10th, 2014, YA and Middle Grade Author Barbara Binns presents the importance of being able to see things from another person's vantage point, and how reading diverse fiction helps children develop empathy. (File this one under "Educate/Inspire")

Hi everyone! I am YA and Middle Grade author B A Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for teens. My tagline says it all - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 

This month I'm blogging about the E-word.

This is that season, you know, the one were everyone shouts about peace on earth and good will toward men. I have to think about another word. Empathy. You know, that ability to see things from another point of view. To understand and at least temporarily share someone else's feelings, even if that someone else is outwardly very different from yourself.

I have a quote from Purple heart recipient Charlene Lauderdale, a retired master sergeant in the United States Air Force. She was also born with both female and male anatomy. After living most of her life as a man, she is now legally a woman faced with all the challenges the transition represents. Instead of the walk a mile in someone else's shoes cliche, I will use her words:

You never know until you step up to the plate and swing at the ball coming at you.

See, it's not about feeling sympathy or approval. It's about understanding.

Two weeks ago at my adult Sunday School class, the subject of Ferguson Missouri and the Michael Brown came up. One member of the group made a statement saying he could never understand how anyone could ever try to hit a police officer for any reason.

Never understand.

I'm not going to pretend I know the right or wrong or the final truth about anything that has happened or is happening in this arena.  But I know that anyone content to relax and say "I'll never understand" and let that be the end of things, lacks the ability--or the desire--to even consider the possibility that another individual might look at the world and see something outside their own vantage point. 

Not long ago I saw a call from a teacher looking for books for her elementary class she could use to help teach them empathy. My answer: get any book about anyone who is different from them, who lives a life different from theirs in terms of social class, race, ethnicity, and physical location. Hand them books that show these characters face the kinds of challenges her kids can understand. Let her readers walk through those books wearing the character's shoes so they also see his or her motives, issues, thoughts, goals and emotions. See their sorrows and their triumphs. Become someone different from themselves, at least for the time it takes to get through that book.

A good book can be the perfect empathy training ground.  The march 2013 issue of the Rotarian included an article called The Truth About Fiction. In that article, cognitive psychologist Keith Oatley is quoted as saying:

…reading more fiction enables you to understand other people better.  Fiction is about exploring a range of circumstances and interactions and characters you’re likely to meet.  Fiction is not a description of ordinary life; it’s a simulation. ...fiction tells us what can happen, which can stretch our moral imaginations...

Inside the pages your mind can occupy another space, another body. You can see the world through different eyes. Unfortunately, too many of us read books about people who are like ourselves.  I don't mean that we're all beautiful heroines or navy seal heroes. But a load of the books we read are about people who are basically like the reader. White, middle class or wealthy, primarily suburban. As a result - little or no empathy is required or promoted during the reading of that book, and opportunities are lost. WNDB was born for various reasons. Partly by authors and concerned members of the publishing industry who saw how many children's books featuring a protagonist outside the typical "universal" background could not find a publisher. That included fantasy and speculative fiction,  aliens and yetis were more plentiful than kids of color, kids who lived in poverty, or people who existed outside the US, Canada, England or the UK. Don't even ask about non-christian kids or the handicapped.  

I believe that books featuring Heroes or Heroines from all places and walks of life can have stories that bring something to enrich us all. That characters who are neither rich nor middle class can share their form of the universal story with readers, and in the process, enhance the readers' lives. Those books can teach readers they do not have to condone an individual's actions, but that understanding is the path toward a better future.

That's why I write diverse books. It's also why I teach a class for writers who want to write about people who are different from themselves.  It's not an easy task. If done wrong, the author can do more harm than good, promoting stereotypes that negate the need for empathy because the reader Ends up feeling, "Everyone knows that's how those people are."  And people from the group can feel victimized when seeing themselves portrayed as a caricature.  The class is for authors who want to do the work needed to do a good job understanding and portraying someone else. And, in the process, developing more than a little empathy themselves.

Learn more at Diverse Writing

The SAD truth about Christmas time

Hi everyone! 

I feel lost.

It was true last year, and just as true for 2020. Once again I find it hard to write. In fact, I feel a little more brain dead than other years. I'm sure you understand. Please forgive me for resurrecting my blog post from last year. 

Seasonal affective Disorder (SAD) has probably been around since the beginning of humanity but it was not described until 1984 by Dr. Norman Rosenthal. SAD is a form of depression also known as seasonal adjustment disorder.



Thanks to artificial lights, the world is now active 24/7/365.  Humanity has lost a connection with the seasons and the rhythm of the days. For some of us, this is extremely bad news that can't be helped by holiday lights, no matter how bright or cheery. As an author, this was a period of disaster. I couldn't think. For someone who calls herself a good plotter, during my SAD times, I couldn't write a thing. Depression is a mind-eater. The only thing usable I accomplished during wintertime was an end-of-days short story back in 2012.

The problem

People with symptoms of SAD often live with the condition for many years before they are diagnosed. Many are like me. I self-diagnosed long before 1984. One winter, when I was in my twenties, I went through a period of depression. I knew with absolute certainty that some nameless disaster was coming and All I could do was wait for the end. Coming out of that depression was a miracle that occurred around mid-March. I prayed I would never be that down again. My prayer was answered, until the next October.



I went through this cycle three years running. By the fourth year, when the feeling of nameless terror came in October, I remembered the pattern. I was finally able to tell my self that I just needed to wait for the equinox, mid-March. By the time days and nights were of equal length, the feeling would be gone and I could finally say, "Here comes the sun," in the words of the Beatles song. 

Estimates are that approximately 500,000 people in the US suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and around 10-20% of the US population suffer from milder forms of the disorder.


SAD can begin at any age. However it most commonly develops before the age of twenty-one. This form of depression is almost five times more likely to be found in women than in men. 


Many symptoms of SAD are similar to those associated with "ordinary" depression, such as anxiety, changes in mood and panic attacks.  Other symptoms include:

• Lack of energy for everyday tasks 
• Weakened immune system 
• Irritability 
• Inability to concentration 
• Overeating and weight gain 
• Alcohol and/or drug abuse
• Feelings of guilt and worry 
• Sleep problems 
• Reduced libido 
• Social and relationship problems

When light hits the retina in the back of the eye, messages are sent to the parts of the brain responsible for sleep, appetite, sex drive, mood and activity. If there's not enough light, these functions may slow down, or even stop. That may be one reason why those with blue-eyes seem more resistant to SAD. Blue eyes allow more light to get into their brains. 

Treatment for SAD involves exposure to artificial light from a light therapy box for an average of 2 hours each day. The light given off by the box mimics natural outdoor light and is at least 10 times the intensity of standard domestic lighting.

Needless to say, I have had one of these boxes for years. Unfortunately, it only helped a little. At least I no longer feared the world could end at any moment. I still had no will to write.

Last year, my doctor also prescribed antidepressants. The light therapy alone barely held the unseen monster at bay. The combination does the trick. 2018 was the first time I tried the pills, and the result was amazing. This year, as soon as the first snow hit in October, I began taking my meds. No monsters at all. (Although getting out of bed in the mornings remains a problem.)



The biggest news for me is that with my lights and medicines, I can write in the winter. Yay!! Winter writing is still slower than during the summer months, I can't deny that. But I can now plot, Craft engaging dialog, even perform edits. And the story does not have to be about the end of days! Before, winter was a holding time. I might be able to think about a story, but not to write.

PS, for many sufferers, the worst is yet to come.

According to The Canadian Mental Health Association, January 19, is the most depressing day of the year. Not only because of dreary weather and lack of sunshine, but also because this is the time people start getting their bills from all that holiday shopping. It’s also the time where many give up on their new years resolutions.


Many people suffer from clynical depression. This is not the same as being depressed because of an external reason like a death in the family, or the loss of a job. Some sufferes are like me. We manage to function, barely, all the while desperatly wishing we were bears so we had an excuse for hybernation. It doesn't have to be from SAD, in fact the good thing about my form of depression was that there was an end in sight.


If any of you suffer from depression, I would like to hear your strategies for coping and remaining motivated to do things.  Don't be afraid to see a professional, it is not a disgrace or a weakness.  Don't let the holiday spirits of others war you down they way they sometimes did me.


And I wish you luck in your journey toward recovery.

Hope Springs Eternal, Even In 2020

They say hope springs eternal in humanity. These days, I sometimes feel like I’d have to believe in magic to have a lot of hope. (I wonder how the sales of paranormal romances are doing right now.) It’s especially difficult when I hear a child psychiatrist say that one in four people under 24 have seriously contemplated suicide this year.

The year began innocently enough. My big concern in January was whether or not the RWA (Romance Writers of America) would implode. Now all that drama seems to belong to another lifetime, or at least like the prologue for the dystopian bestseller, 2020. And, since RWA did not implode, at least not exactly, maybe that prelude contains a trace of hope for how the year will end. A good writer might try to foreshadow how 2020 goes out that way. Last month I blogged about Covid being a villain cooked up by the 2020 writers’ room. Now I think its just another way to expose human nature. It’s presence saps hope, while exposing human beings who don’t care about each other. There are a lot of those, as witnessed by the super-spreader events we continue to witness, and sometimes attend, six months after this started.

I’m not ashamed to admit that some of the hope I do feel can be traced back to a prescription mood stabilizer my doctor prescribed. Normally, I radiate sunshine during spring and summer. Now, thanks to chemistry, I am surviving, and even finding strength to plug away at a new story.

As a black woman, this year has thrown me back into the sixties. The days when politicians like George Wallace yelled, “Segregation now, segregation forever!” Or the Children's March, where police set dogs after peaceful protesters, and firemen turned hoses powerful enough to strip bark from trees on children as young as six. Now police aim rubber bullets at the heads of chanting protesters seeking justice, and teargas a group of mothers lined up to protect them.

I am a writer, and I would never have dared put some of the hope-sapping events of this year in any book, much less all of them. I would never have killed off a smiling, enchanting hero like Chadwick Boseman, not to cancer. At least he lived long enough to make a lasting difference in the world. Countless young people, along with older people like myself, experienced a sense of awe and historical purpose while watching him play his historical roles on the big screen. He took kids suffering from cancer under his wing and tried to make their lives better while he losing his own. I hope he and his beautiful smile are reunited with the kids he lost and that they are all at peace now.

I feel hope about other heroes too. Thanks largely to the leadership embracing science, New York, once the state most heavily hit by Covid in the US, has kept its positivity rate under 1% for over a month. New York tests heavily. It shows the fallacy in the White House argument that testing causes the number of cases to increase. As a former scientist myself, I gain hope when I hear about others trusting facts over opinions.

Last, but absolutely not least, I feel hope when I see some of today’s titans, basketball players acknowledging that Black Lives Matter, and willingly place themselves on the line as human beings in the struggle for justice. The actions of the National Basketball Association has been one of the most hopeful of these last few months. Led by the players, they have raised awareness to the inequities black people are forced to live with and that black lives do indeed matter in this world. Now, basketball stadiums will be available as safe places for people to vote in November.

I do still worry, I know a lot of people do. Things may get worse before they even approach getting better. November will not be a fun month. But I am holding onto the hope that just like the RWA, America will not implode. That our lawmakers will see the need to stop squabbling and take care of our essential workers and those unemployed. That we the people will wise up and take care of ourselves and each other, so no more people will die unnecessarily.

If I could have hope for the future during the turbulent 60s, I can summon up a little more now. I’ve been attending virtual church every Sunday. Now that the service is online, I even attend more often. Big plus, instead of sliding in the back late and hoping no one notices, I am now upset when technical difficulties make the Zoom session start late. This past Sunday I even had home-made bread and orange juice for our regular first Sunday of the month Communion. Attending church, even on a screen, is one of the most hopeful things I do each week. 

Now I'm off to grab a paranormal romance. I need a few magical creatures to believe in.

KidLitNation

Introduction by Judith Ashley

SUPPORT AUTHORS OF COLOR

Romancing the Genre is celebrating Children’s Books authors the entire month of June. This weekend we are featuring our own B.A. Binns. Blog Queen, Sarah Raplee, interviewed B.A. when she was a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award for yet-to-be published authors in June 2010. When we had an opening in 2011, we invited her to join us.

This is B.A. Binn’s monthly post introduction.

Hi everyone!

I am Young Adult and Middle Grade author Barbara Binns, writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. As my tagline says, I write Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.  My debut MG novel, Courage, was recently published by Harper Collins. It's a great read for this, or any season.

Check my books out at http://babinns.com

Last month Barbara posted about a mentoring program sponsored by KidLitNation, a non-profit organization working to assist authors and illustrators of color break into publishing. She has given us permission to use that material this month while as an International Group Blog we celebrate children’s book authors and the Genre-istas share their favorite books growing up.

 Last year, KidLit Nation announced a mentorship program and selected three aspiring children's book writers to work with published authors.

The individuals chosen to be mentored in the KidLitNation 2019-2020 program agreed to share their experiences during the six month mentorship. You’ll see the questions and each of their answers as you read on.

To me, the most important question Barbara asked is why they wanted to write children’s books. As you read on you’ll see that these three women are serious about telling the story of their heart in the best way they can. To do that, they took a chance and signed up with KidLitNation’s mentoring program. 

Good writers are always learning how best to tell their stories. I’m looking forward to the day when Gabriella, Suzannah and Catherine are published authors.

Gabriele Davis comes from a racially and culturally mixed family: African American, Native American, and Swiss/Caucasian. She grew up loving to read, and realizing as she grew older that something was missing in books. There were no families like hers. She applied for the mentorship to write books with humor and heart that allow all children to feel embraced. She picked Russ Busse as her picture book mentor to work with her on her Picture Book, Mary Had a Little Slam.

Suzannah Sebayan is a Filipina-American mother and writer. Since the birth of her daughter, the lack of Filipina voices in children's literature made her determined to write children's stories featuring Filipino characters. She wants to give her daughter the kind of stories she wished she had while growing up. She selected Barbara Binns as her mentor for her Middle Grade story, Mari and Her Amazing Super Cape.

Catherine Velasco is a Latinx who grew up in a multicultural family. She hoped to craft a story that would help children feel less lonely and make them laugh a little too. Her Middle Grade novel is Hammerin' Hector vs. Godzilla Gomez.

Here are their thoughts about their 2019-2020 KIDLIT NATION MENTORSHIP ~

How did you find out about the mentorship program?

Gabrielle: I discovered the mentorship program through KLN’s webinar with Russ Busse in May 2019, which I found either on Twitter or FB. The session included an announcement about the program, so I hightailed it over to the KidLitNation website to locate the details.

Suzannah: I found out about the program from the SCBWI [Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators] Illinois listserv.

Catherine: I found information on social media, from Urania Smith [One of the KidLitNation founders].

Why did you want a mentor? What did you hope to gain?

Gabriele: I had been querying agents for a couple of years with bits of encouragement but no success, so I wanted to better understand my strengths and weaknesses as a picture book writer. I also hoped to improve my craft. I saw this mentorship as an opportunity to move closer to my ultimate goal of bringing my stories into the world.

Wanted - Books About Trans Youth and Adults

She was born Christopher Binns. For twenty years I thought I had a nephew. He didn't talk a lot about his feelings for himself or his body. For another twenty years I thought I had a gay nephew. No biggee. It made no difference to me.

I only realized I actually had a niece a few years ago. That revelation took a while to adjust to. She had top surgery and looked and acted as feminine as I (actually more so, she really made a great looking woman who sang and danced and attracted hot men like crazy). Still, I am ashamed to admit I didn't start using the proper pronoun for her until 2018 when she was hospitalized after an accident.

The first time I visited she was in intensive care, unconscious. No makeup, wig missing, covered in bandages, monitors and tubes. Yet all the medical personel were considerate enough to call her "she". They did it as naturally as they would have done so for me. Crystal was not just a pretend girl, that's who she was. From then on I had no problem thinking of her as a woman.

Her voice was so much like her mother's that even though my sister died long ago, I would sometimes look around expecting to see her when Crystal spoke. She was a caring, sensative woman who also had more friends than I. I did not spend nearly enough time with her. Not because she was trans. I had a busy life, and, being an introvert, was perfectly content with myself. She hated not being around family. She and I talked on the phone a few weeks ago. I listened while she lamented how seldom she and I met in person. She was right, but then, I seldom get together with any of my relatives. I found the quarantine in place order a delight. The pandemic gave me an excuse to be alone.

I blithely said I would see her sometime after the stay-at-home order ended. In the back of my head I thought I would one day write a story featuring a trans character. I could use her as a source, and interview her ... someday.

Someday will never come, now. I lost her two weeks ago. Not to Covid, but to heart failure. Which is so wrong, because she was filled with heart. It could have been hormone related, and I know near the end she feared she might have to lose her prosthesis, I think her implants may have caused her some problems. Or maybe it was all stress. She was increasingly worried about other trans women she knew. Every time a trans woman was murdered, she grew more furious and at the same time fearful. I wonder how much loosing so many friends over the past few years put strain on her heart.

She had a lot of friends in the community. I never knew how many until I posted about her death. People posted narratives about  what she meant to them, and how heartbroken they now were. I learned more about her from reading those tributes than I did from being her aunt. It's good to know she was well-loved. Good to hear the stories of her kindness and generosity. They also hurt, because I should have been closer to her, should have known those stories myself. I never realized she took in she took in gay and trans kids whose parents threw them out. She did more than lament for some of the trans women being murdered, she knew many of them personally. The strain of seeing one after another murdered must have torn at her and her heart.

Books are one way children and adults experience other people's lives. Crystal didn't have anything when she was growing up.  She had to figure out life as a black trans girl on her own. Books about members of the trans community did not exist forty, or even thirty years ago. Things need to be different for today's trans boys and girls. People should not have to find their paths alone.

I have read Luna, by Julie Ann Peters. Its a well written story about a transgender girl's struggle for acceptance by frineds and family, told fromt he point of view of the only person who loves her no matter what, her younger sister.

I also read and enjoyed I Am J by Chris Beam. That is the story of a trans boy learning how to be a man. I want more. There must be more, I simply haven't found them yet.

I cannot write Crystal's story now, I lost that chance when she died. I love and miss her, and it would feel too much like I was stealing her life if I tried to write a trans girl now. Besides, I want to read something authentic, written by a trans author who eats, sleeps and even bleeds the reality, just as Crystal did. I would absolutely love to read books filled with trans thoughts, emotions and experiences. That's my wish. I want books written by and about trans men and women who grow up, meet, fall in love, experience heartbreak and finally have an HEA. Please, if you know of any such books send the information my way.

Ditto for trans authors, both published or aspiring. I plan to get together with some of her friends and see if they have book suggestions. And see if any of them are, or want to be, writers. I spent last year mentoring an aspiring author of color. Maybe this year I will do the same with a trans author. If I can't write Crystal's story, maybe one of her friends can write their own, with a little help from me. I enjoy being a mentor. And I will feel like I'm doing something for my niece.

KidLitNation Mentorship - Writers Helping Writers

KidLitNation is a non-profit organization working to assist authors and illustrators of color break into publishing. (http://facebook.com/kidlitnation) Last year, they announced a mentorship program and selected three childrens's book writers to work with published authors for a six month period.

The individuals chosen to be mentored in the KidLitNation 2019-2020 mentoring program agreed to share their experiences during the six month mentorship.

Gabriele Davis comes from a racially and culturlly mixed family: African American, Native American, and Swiss/Caucasian. She grew up loving to read, and realizing as she grew older that something was missing in books. There were no families like hers. She applied for the mentorship to write books with humor and heart that allow all childrn to feel embraced. She picked Russ Busse as her picture book mentor to work with her on her Picture Book, Mary Had a Little Slam.
Suzannah Sebayan is a Filipina-American mother and writer. Since the birth of her daughter, the lack of Filipina voices in children's literaturemade her determined to writechilren's stories featuring Filipino characters. She wants to give her daughter the kind of stories she wished she had while growing up. She selected Barbara Binns as her mentor for her Middle Grade story, Mari and Her Amazing Super Cape.
Catherine Velasco is a Latinx who grew up in a multicultural family. She hoped to craft a story that would help children feel less lonely and make them laugh a little too. Her Middle Grade novel is Hammerin' Hector vs. Godzilla Gomez.

Here are their thoughts about their 2019-2020 KIDLIT NATION MENTORSHIP ~

How did you find out about the mentorship program?
Gabrielle: I discovered the mentorship program through KLN’s webinar with Russ Busse in May 2019, which I found either on Twitter or FB. The session included an announcement about the program, so I hightailed it over to the KidLitNation website to locate the details.

Suzannah: I found out about the program from the SCBWI [Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators] Illinois listserv.

Catherine: I found information on social media, from Urania Smith [One of the KidLitNation founders].


Why did you want a mentor? What did you hope to gain?
Gabriele: I had been querying agents for a couple of years with bits of encouragement but no success, so I wanted to better understand my strengths and weaknesses as a picture book writer. I also hoped to improve my craft. I saw this mentorship as an opportunity to move closer to my ultimate goal of bringing my stories into the world.

Suzannah: I hoped a mentor would provide support as I continued working on my middle grade manuscript. I wanted feedback on this work in progress, and information on the publishing industry, which is new to me.

Catherine: I have been a mentor for 30 years on and off. First with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and then as a journalist, helping high school reporters. So I thought it would be nice to be a mentee and see what happens. I had hope to gain the insight of a veteran author and get guidance with my middle grade contemporary story. An editor asked me for 50 pages and I was hoping to get some help and confidence before I submitted it


What was the mentoring experience like?
Gabriele: I feel really fortunate to have mentored with Russ Busse. Russ was generous with his time and feedback despite his very busy schedule. He has a keen editorial eye and a supportive, encouraging manner and was open to answering any questions I had. I really valued his honest feedback. For each manuscript, we began with a “big-picture” conversation. Then I got to work (unsure if I could accomplish what Russ had suggested) and always surprised myself with how quickly the revisions came together once I calmed down and let his feedback simmer. In our followup conversation, we focused on pickier, more line-level suggestions, and the revision process began again. In each case, Russ helped me tighten and fine-tune my story so that it felt submission-ready.

Suzannah: The experience was positivce and productive. Barbara Binns and I spoke about once a month from August through March. I restructured and refined my manuscript, particularly the opening chapters. I also learned about agents and editors, finding a writing partner and/or group, dealing with critiques and building an online presence.

Catherine: It was a true gift. My mentor, Matthew J. Kirby, is a talented author and teacher. He shared his experiences in the publishing world – the good and the frustrating. We also talked about craft – especially setting which is my weakness. He generously read my entire novel and pinpointed areas that took him out of the book as a reader. That alone was priceless. I wrote diligent notes and now I’m enjoying the revision process, something I used to dread.
 
 What is the most important thing you learned?
Gabriele: I gained a better understanding of how to pace my stories, especially how to effectively develop pivotal scenes (my tendency had been to rush through them). I learned to clarify my characters’ motivations and to trust my instincts regarding beginnings, endings and overall plot. Finally, I learned be patient during the revision process and to trust that the necessary ideas and words would come.

Suzannah: The importance of the opening chapters. I received support and encouragement, motivation to continue writing, feedback on my work and help in navigating the new-to-me children's literature world.

Catherine: Not to compare my book to the great author Judy Blume! That puts too much pressure on my character. Matt said that was unfair to Hector! That was one of my excuses for never submitting it – that it wasn’t good enough.

Is there anything you wanted or expected that you did not get?
Gabriele: The mentorship exceeded my expectations. I had hoped that Russ and I might work together on two to three manuscripts. We worked on four. And Russ helped me fine-tune the story closest to my heart, which earned me a spot in the 2020 PB Party showcase. My entry caught the eye of numerous agents and ultimately led to my signing with the fabulous Joyce Sweeney of The Seymour Agency.

Suzannah: My mentor was generous with her time, feedback and knowledge. I am grateful.

Catherine: No!

Would you recommend the experience to others?
Gabriele: Absolutely. Honest editorial feedback is invaluable to one’s growth as a writer. And a mentorship offers the opportunity to learn not only about craft but about the industry in general. I will always be grateful to Kidlit Nation for helping me leap forward on my writing journey.

Suzannah: Yes, I would recommend it. I enjoyed working one-on-one with a mentor, and my manuscript is now stronger.

Catherine: Yes, I would recommend the program to others because it’s nice to have someone rooting for your book from the publishing world. Matt picked me as his mentee because he loved Hector’s voice and said I made baseball sound interesting even though he was not a big sports fan. That was encouraging to hear that the book appealed to non-sports fans!

Is there anything else you would like to say to others?
Gabriele:  Know what you want from your mentorship. Then, work with your mentor to create a schedule that works for both of you, so that you can achieve it. Everyone’s busy. Having set times (and/or deadlines) will help both of you stay on track. Remember, you have an insider at your disposal. Don’t be shy. Ask ALL your questions! And be prepared to work hard. Working with a mentor can move your career forward if you take full advantage of the opportunity. Most important: have fun! Take joy in the process of creation.

Suzannah: For writers of color, please keep working on diverse children's stories. They are needed.

Catherine: I don’t want people to think all mentors will read an entire novel. I was in an unique situation where an editor wanted 50 pages and my book was selected in SCBWI’s 2019 Work-in-Progress Grant. Matt thought he could be the most help by giving me insight on what needs improvement since the book was getting interest in the publishing world. I truly appreciated his time and guidance, and KidLit Nation’s program. I feel more confident about releasing my book into the world.

You've heard ftrom the mentees. As one of the people selected to mentor an aspiring author, let me say I enjoyed the process. Suzannah and I spent long hours on the phone, and I feel that I came to know her well. Mostly, I enjoyed sharing publishing expoeriences with her, both pitfalls and highlights, and providing feedback that helped her story grow stonger over the months.

Romance in the Days of Covid 19

I know this is a romance blog, and my post should be about something loving and uplifting.

After all, as I compose these words, the day is beautiful, the sky blue, sun shining. This is the kind of day most people in the northern hemisphere prayed for only a few months earlier. Now, if you have to stop and check a calendar to remember what day it is, you are not alone. After over three weeks in self isolation, my brain is running on numb.

I went into isolation on March 12. No problem, I told myself. I like being alone. Introvert that I am, I could use this as a time to finish my MIPs, I told myself. I could read, read, read! Instead, there are now moments when I'd do almost anything for five minutes in a crowd.

The truth is, in these days of Covic-19, I feel lucky I can write anything at all. In the days BEFORE, I often laughed at the talk about writer's block. That's how I am now dividing my life, Before, and After. AFTER, well, I have two manuscripts I need to be working on. Both have gone untouched for over a week. In addition, I have been attempting to read a Regency Romance novel. Self-important British nobelman falling for a saucy younger heroine. It should have been a great distraction. Unfortunatly, by chapter six I was yanwning. I know he's going to decide she is older and more mature than her years, she will take him down a few pegs and they will discover they are soulmates. I closed the book and haven't picked it up again.


SIGH! I guess not even reading an HEA is as much fun when my brain is filled with thoughts of death from daily news briefings.

Before you say stop watching the coverage, I will say that some of us need the information. I live near Chicago, and listen to the daily briefings by  Chicago's mayor and Illinois' governor. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has almost become a celebrity, and memes like this one involving her ordering people to stay home fill the internet. She takes her meme-ability as fun.

Someone even had the brilliand idea to bake with Mayor Lightfoot, Givernor Pritzker, and Dr. Fauci. BTW, the doctor is now my ideal of a romance hero. I promise you, write a story with a MC like him and I'd be willing to get Mayor Lightfoot angry at me and brave a crowd to obtain a copy.


I'm not a baker, or even a good cook. I just know enough to know not to get upset with myself if I can't accomplish even half the things I think I should. At least now I understand why distopian novels skip over the part about how civilization sunk. What I see around me is almost too mundane to be believed. A good novel requires conflict to be interesting to readers.


For me, life too requires an element of conflict that shelter-in-place does not produce. While the life we are living in now will probably not lead to a true dystopia, we may never get back to "normal" again. Instead, this could be a Humpty Dumpty situation, leaving us with a new normal vastly different from our old one once the crisis is finally ended.


In the meantime, here is the recipe I've developed for dealing with the days, and possibly months, between me and whatever the new normal will be:

1. Be kind to yourself.
2. Read, if you want & whatever you want.
3. Write, if you can.
4. Relax and vegitate whenever you need to, without guilt.

A good story requires conflict to be intresting to the reader. Life too requires the types of  element of conflict that shelter-in-place does not produce. But I do thank all the families producing songs, dances and toilet paper inspired physics projects they post on YouTube and other sites to prove that ordinary people do have talent.


And if you want to share what you are doing during these long and often draining days, let me know. I'm on the lookout for ideas.


And memes. I'm loving the memes.

The Boyfriend Project

Farrah Rochon is the USA today bestselling author of numerous books that place the romance of Black characters front and center on the page. The result leaves all audiences entranced.
Until the recent RWA debacle, Farrah was a hard-working member of the board, giving back to the Romance community she has belonged to for years. Then she was hit by a one-two punch. The first blow came when the RWA board fell apart after a racist action against a popular RWA member on behalf of a publisher went viral and exposed the racist underbelly of the organization. In a few days, RWA will hold a special election for a new board, one that will hopefully halt the organization’s implosion and help it work toward becoming an inclusive professional organization.

The second blow was more personal. The death of her sister. Her sister Tamara passed away unexpectedly at the end of December.  To honor her sister's memory, Farrah held a successful GoFundMe that raised money to purchase an organ for the church her sister loved. The organ was installed last month. Now she gets another lift. the reviews for her newest release. You're in for a treat if you enjoy good romances AND stories of sgtrong female friendships.

I watched an episode of the Good Doctor this week that involved a man with all the self-confidence and charisma in the world. He had it all until two of the women he is dating "exclusively" show up at the hospital to wish him well after an accident. After watching one of the women take a baseball bat to his car, I was totally in the mood for this romantic adventure.  I really liked how the women in The Boyfriend Project are all strong, and recognize the need for female support in their lives.

With The Boyfriend Project,  Farrah launches a new series about three career women in Austin Texas(a far cry from her usual small town settings). Not two, but three women face a body blow when they find they have been “catfished” by the same man in a confrontation caught on camera, and posted for all the world to see. The humiliation racks up hundreds of thousands of embarrassing views.

The only positive - the three women,  Samiah, London and Taylor, become gal-pals. The first meeting between the women is a totaldelight as they kick the catfisher to the curb and cement the beginning of a beautiful friendship between strong women. It left me ready to go out and try my first Vanilla Sushi Roll.

The women make a pact to spend six months with no men, no dating and no worries about relationship status. They will invest in themselves.

Only then, the Universe laughs and sends Samiah a present in the form of Dan, a new co-worker, the very next day. The attraction between them is immediate! But Dan has an ulterior motive for being at her job, and Samiah won't accept anything less than honesty in any possible partner. Especially after promising her new best friends she would remain man-less and work on herself.

This fast paced story will give readers insight into the pressures surrounding being a Black woman in a tech field. The story does a great job highlighting their respective careers and how they deal with racism and microaggressions (Samiah is Black and Daniel is Black-Korean American).
Big plus, the book shows Black relationships in a positive light, both friendships and romances.

The June 9 publication date means this is perfect for summer must read list.  And now I'm jungry to read London and Tamara's stories.

Why I Read #ownvoices Books by Barbara Binns

Hi everyone! 

I am Young Adult and Middle Grade author Barbara Binns, writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. As my tagline says, I write Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 

This has been a chameleon month for me, and I apologize for posting this late. But my mind rotated between three subjects and I'm not the worlds fastest thinker.

First, I intended to continue the theme of last month's post and the RWA implosion. But everything I could say sounded bad and sad inside my head. The only encouraging notes - the potential that a new organization may rise from the ashes. I know, technically RWA still exists, but even the positive aspects of the situation, including the deep discounts for the conference, seem a little like fire sale desperation.

Then I decided to write about my writing process and the subject of theme. A slightly more positive subject, even though my process even frustrates me sometimes. But it also felt a little self-serving and boringly repetative.

The American Dirt controversy gave me this subject. I know its not Romance, but I am a bit of an eclectic reader. I used to read about three of four books a week, but that was before I began writing. Now I am closer to one book every two weeks, writing is a total time suck. That means I am careful before selecting that one book.

American Dirt will not be one of those books. Not because of the controversy or some kind of personal censorship. It's because of a love I have for #ownvoices and what they bring to a story vs someone trying to tell another persons story. It's the difference between hearing from someone who has "been there, done that, and got the t-shirt," and from someone who "got the t-shirt."  There will always be differences between how they tell a story, and how much blood, sweat and tears drip from the pages.

I want the blood, sweat and tears a good author can insert on the pages.

What I do want to talk about is an #ownvoices book I recently read, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez. It's the story of a first generation Mexican-American teen dealing with conflicts in her family and the death of her "perfect" sister. Not a romance, but it deals with so many of the same issues and themes I see in my own writing: family and guilt.

The "been there, done that" background of the author puts insight into the culture on the page as the main character, Julia, struggles through her grief and plans to escape from her family. Her parents let her know she is not the perfect girl her sister was. Julia's own guilt reminds her that her sister would still be alive if their mother had not been in the prinicpal's office dealing with her problems.  Now mother  seems to live to point out Julia's problems.
The emotions feel boh real and raw. I got both the uniqueness and cultural differences of her situation, and the many points of congruency between her issues and those of other teens from different backgrounds. Added plus, the story takes place in Chicagogiving me a recognizable view of my lovely city.

Because I no longer have time to read as widely as I used to, I feel a need to get the most out of every book. There is a difference between a story written by someone who feels an issue deep in their bones, and someone who heard about the issue. No amount of immagination can breach that difference. To me, it's the difference between a memoir and a biography. There is a place for both in the writing world, a need for both #ownvoices and stories told from research/imagination. That is why I would never attempt to censor any book. My reading life simply has a need for the blood on the page that imagination and research cannot supply. If you want an authentic experience, consider I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.

#IStandWithCourtney

Hi everyone! 

I am Young Adult and Middle Grade author Barbara Binns, writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. As my tagline says, I write Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.  

 If you are part of Romancelandia, or even if you are not, you've probably heard about the Romance Writer's of America® (RWA) "Christmas Surprise."  The Board of Directors voted to censure Courtney Milan for an ethics violation and creating an unsafe environment for members. Milan is a former lawyer and a New York Times bestselling romance author.  She is a long-time advocate for marginalized authors, frequently commenting on barriers authors of color face within romance publishing and racist tropes in fiction. She is also the former chair of the RWA ethics committee.  
 

Her activism has made her numerous friends both inside and outside RWA.  Unfortunately, it also made a number of enemies.
 

The board sent her an email on December 23, 2019, stating the Ethics Committee had unanimously found her in violation. She was suspended from RWA for a year, and barred from ever holding an elected position in the organization again. 

 
Twitter exploded and sent a reality check to any board or staff member who thought their closed until after the holiday announcement would shelter them until the storm died down.

The hashtag, IStandWithCourtney began trending Monday night. By Tuesday, the board reconvened and rescinded Courtney's suspension. Instead of being buried amid the holiday rush, the story was picked up by NBC and CBS news, plus Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, and even Perez Hilton. That means chances are high even your teens and tweens have heard a version of this. 

Unfortunately, there were soon many versions of the story, depending on whom your information source(s) are. I'm going to give you mine.

In the interest of full disclosure and transparency, something requested but not received from RWA, I'm going to make a confession. I know Courtney Milan. In 2008, when I first joined RWA, she was a member of my local chapter. We lost touch several years later when she and her family moved to the west coast and I remained in the Midwest. 
 

Through the magic of the Internet and twitter, plus the beauty of her novels that won't let me stop reading, I still feel a connection. Among other things, she introduced me to figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who filled her twitter posts on the morning of Dec 23. Skating videos filled her posts in the morning. That changed by afternoon.

I will also disclose that I resigned from RWA several years ago, because I was tired of dealing with the microaggressions I found at the conventions, and even within my home chapter. The effect of a lifetime of racism is like being stoned. No one blow is lethal, but the accumulation over a lifetime leaves every part of your body quivering in anticipation of the next pain. I chose to step away from the organization.

Courtney Milan chose to fight for change. She worked for years to make things better for all marginalized authors. It's the kind of work that can make you a lot of friends. It can also make enemies in powerful places. 
 

The current controversy began in August 2019. I won't go over the timeline of events that let to her censure. Events continue to unfold, literally by the hour. If you want to know details of actions between then and now, check out https://www.claireryanauthor.com/blog/2019/12/27/the-implosion-of-the-rwa   Note that this timeline is constantly being updated with the latest news and activity. I go there every day.

I will, however, remind you that Courtney Milan is half-Chinese. Imagine how she felt when she looked through yet another book containing racist depictions of the Chinese culture in general and Chinese women in particular. She exploded. Maybe the profanity she used in describing the book wasn't necessary, but she was talking about something that hit personally. She was being stoned again. Trust me, the continuing blows make you want to scream.

RWA was started by a black woman. Her name was Vivian Stephens, and author and editor. She started RWA to enhance the professional and business interests of career-focused romance writers. Writers. Not merely white writers. She created an open party for authors to network and mingle. A place for all authors to hone their crafts and reach for their dreams.

Somehow that changed, if not in words, then in reality. The party became almost exclusively white.  For three years I walked through the halls of the RWA national conferences, surrounded by white women. The year I finaled in the Golden Heart, 2009, I heard people saying that maybe black authors couldn't right well enough as if dark skin conveyed an inability to string words together. Only one black author has ever won a RITA, the RWA's signature award, and that happened last year. No name books have finaled and even won. Books by black authors, including New York Times and USA Today bestselling books, could not get past first round judges to make it to the finals.

IStandWithCourtney because she worked hard to change the colorblindness that led many RWA members to ignore who was missing from the table. Even worse, the racism that led them to move when a person of color joined their table. Yes, that has happened, and it is yet another stone.

The Cultural, Interracial and Multicultural Chapter of RWA (CIMRWA) led a petition drive asking for Mr. Suede's recall. They managed to get over a thousand RWA voting members to sign up the weekend after Christmas. The recall election will be held in the next few months. Mr. Suede and the "rebellion forces" will each be allowed 250 words to state whey he should or should not be removed from office.  Hopefully his will include an explanation of how he can be president. Apparently he does not fulfill the requirements for office in terms of published books.  That includes have published a minimum of five books (he has four) where one was published int he last two years (his fourth book was published in March 2017)
 

The author who filed the original complaint alleged she lost a three-book contract because of Courtney. RWA included that in an announced made to the PAN loop. Only a few days ago, that author finally admitted in an interview with The Guardian there had never been a contract for her to lose.  (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/04/kathryn-lynn-romance-novelist-interview-racism-complaint)

In fact, she now claims she never wanted to pursue an ethics complaint against Courtney, but RWA officials encouraged (practically forced her against her will) to file the complaint.

If the person filing the complaint now admits to one lie, can we tell if she is telling the truth about anything else? Especially since almost every plea for RWA to be transparent has resulted in silence from the office. We do know that board members of color resigned right after the censure with a common statement that they could not trust leadership. So did the president, moving Damon Suede into the role of President of RWA. 
 

The original censure read that the Ethics committee unanimously found Courtney guilty. That turned out to be  only a partial truth, the original ethics committee was bypassed and an ad hoc committee was put together and tried the case. Damon, who served as liaison between the ad hoc ethics committee and the board, reported they found her guilty and then recommended the Board accept the result. Many of the original ethics committee members resigned in protest because they were never even told of the complaint.

For now, Courtney Milan seems to be trying to get on with her life. She tweets about friends, books that she likes (and dislikes) and more about Yuzuru, whom I agree is grace on ice. She is keeping an eye on RWA, expressing outrage as new issues emerge,  while getting on with her life. Whether or not she will pursue legal action for defamation is unknown.  So is whether or not the RWA will really implode.