Being a woman is one thing. Being a female writer is another. Throughout history we’ve had to take a backseat to male writers, oftentimes writing under male names in order to get our works published. To a great degree, those days are gone. But there is something that lingers still. It is the feeling that there is a great portion of the population that sees women writers are merely feminists trying to make a point or push a cause, rather than women writers seeking to tell their stories, their way. We don’t want our stories to only be read, we want them to be understood, to be felt, to be loved. From this place our anthology pushes its way into the world of literature, expressing our voices to the wider public in ever more creative ways.

Our team is made up of women who are serious about the craft of writing. We are all avid readers who read across several genres. We take pride in what we read and what we write. In truth, it is from the various works we’ve read that our writing is able to flourish. Our anthology will join the ocean of works in hopes that we won’t get caught up in the flotsam and jetsam of literature, but shine through, showing our innate love for the written word and our love for readers who appreciate fine literature.

All women are welcome to submit. Come, create with us.

-  Zaji, B.A & M.S., Our Design and Editorial Consultant

Our Creative Director, Sharon S. Gray, M.P.A., speaks:

This project is my brainchild and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I want it to be everything woman is. Of course it will be a representation of the diversity of Essentially Woman Writing Group, but it will also be that still small voice of women from around the globe. Our group was founded on the principal that good writing matters.

Our desire to encourage growth through words among our sisters is the root of Essentially Woman Writing Group.  It is to be a safe haven; a forum of understanding, compassion and truth; a place where African American women; often expected to be strong and unmoved, could share their dreams, their stories and their fears.

In July 2003, Essentially Woman Writing Group was born. We started out with a few members and have blossomed over the years. Members are comprised of published authors, novice writers, editors, spoken word artists, journalists, television producers, self-published authors and writers—in truth, every woman, regardless of her literary background, has a place at Essentially Woman…as long as your passion to create, drive for expression and love for words are alive.

Sisterhood, creativity and expression are the true enchantments of Essentially Woman Writing Group. Our spirited atmosphere nurtures the artist within. We pride ourselves in our past, present and future. Essentially Woman Writing Group is about us. As quoted by Cyril Connolly, it’s ‘Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self’.

Our Acquisitions Editor, Tzynya Pinchback, speaks:

It’s a real honor to be a member of the team of femme fatales charged with curating the stories for Our World: Life is Essentially This.  As one of the readers, I serve as a gatekeeper, of sorts, reading through each of the e-mail submissions with another editor, and selecting the pieces to be forwarded to the editorial team.  I will also get to send out those glorious letters of acceptance.  So, what I am reading for?  Narratives – whether fiction, nonfiction prose, essay, or poetry – that slink up the coat’s sleeve, sink like stones in a river, or cling to the braid like dandelion weeds.  Comic book heroines, sluts, fairy God-mothers and wicked step-mothers and carpool-driving single mothers, all-girl chain gangs spray painting Bible verse on the wall behind abortion clinics, women who laugh, shout, and sing, and those without speech are all welcome here.  Let us make community; let us spin a tale.

Our Editorial Director, Nena Collier, speaks:

Writing – a secluded art with a predisposition to subjectivity.

Editing – the art of pen strokes redlining manuscripts to ensure the first impression is a permanent one. ~Collier Lunn

Editors are responsible for ensuring print-ready work.  As an editor, I review manuscripts closely – deconstructing the construction. I do not rewrite the story. In some cases, I rework parts of the story to enhance sentence structure, sustain character and voice consistency, syntax and more.

Essentially Woman Submission Guidelines for
Our World: Life is Essentially This
an anthology

We are seeking publish-ready stories about the everyday lives of women. We want to read
works that are from the core, undiluted and fearless–writings that touch the private spaces
of womanhood, reminding us of how amazing it is to be alive and be a woman, with all the
joys and hardships that come with it. We want the real lives of women and those they love
or hate. Send us the very best of you.

Send your original, not previously published work to essentially.woman@yahoo.com as an attachment
only. Do not send work in the body of an email.

Include a cover letter with your name, address, e-mail, phone number,
and genre of your submission (poetry, or prose, or both) in the following format:
Angella Doe
3650 Harper Row
Bronx, NY 10469
angelladoe@yourdomain.com
718.123.4567
Genre: Prose

Page two of your submission begins your prose or poetry which should include the title of your work,
byline and word count in the following format:
The Title of Your Work
by Angella Doe
Word Count: 3,564 words

Your prose or poetry begins with this first sentence.

Include your last name in the header on each page of your manuscript and include page numbers in the
footer. Please use Microsoft Word’s built in formatting for header/footer.
Poetry: Send 2-5 poems, one poem per page, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins all
around. Do not include images in submission.
Prose (Fiction, Non-ction, Essay): Send prose up to 4,000 words, double-spaced,
12 point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins all around. Do not include images in submission.
All manuscripts must be sent as a Microsoft Word .doc document or .txt document.

Deadline: June 30, 2012
If you have any questions, contact us at: essentially.woman@yahoo.com.
Please note that submission does not guarantee acceptance.

Jackie Collins will be on The Talk today so I decided to post this original blog post from last year when I was talking about my book Hollywood Deception.

Hollywood Deception and Why Jackie Collins is My Shero by Shelia M Goss

Hollywood Deception is not just about the glamorous life of a celebrity but it also deals with the downside of Hollywood fame and fortune. My editor says it best:

Shelia addresses with understanding and clarity, the serious, and ever-growing crime of stalking (in fact, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, in 2005-2006 3.4 million people in this country reported being stalking victims). Readers will be engaged by her believable and fully developed characters.

Now to the second topic in my blog title: Jackie Collins cleverly writes about the “real” life of a celebrity. She gives readers the raw version. The real deal. She’s my shero because she has a way of drawing readers in. Her books are drama-packed, fast-paced, entertaining, yet enlightening. She never skips a beat. Once you pick up one of her books, you don’t want to put the book down until the end and even then you’re aching for another Jackie Collins story. When several readers said to mel–”You’re like the Black Jackie Collins,” I was surprised; however, I take it as a compliment. Why? Because I’m a huge fan of her work and if my books can do for readers what her books do for me, then I must be doing something right. I absolutely love and have a fascination with Hollywood and like my shero Jackie Collins, I love writing about it.

Shelia M Goss is the national best-selling author of six multi-cultural romance novels: Hollywood Deception (2010), His Invisible Wife, My Invisible Husband, Roses are thorns, Paige’s Web, Double Platinum and and three young adult books: The Lip Gloss Chronicles series: The Ultimate Test, Splitsville, and Paper Thin. For more information, visit her website: www.sheliagoss.com or www.thelipglosschronicles.com

7 Questions with Author
Gia Parker

When did you discover that you wanted to become a writer?
Becoming a writer wasn’t planned at all. 16 Years 2 Life is actually based on a true story. Yes the characters are changed and events tweaked, but, it’s a story of my life. In the middle of 2006 after my deployment I began to reflect on my life. I started to sit down and type and before I knew it I had a book. I struggled with myself on whether to publish it or not; thinking about some of the events that happened in my life were painful to recall. I spoke to my mother, who was still incarcerated at the time, and she was behind me one hundred percent. I didn’t quite know how I was going to put the book out and a few years passed. After my mother was released from prison she consistently pushed me to keep my faith and go ahead with the book. I didn’t know if publishing it would rip my family apart or expose the truth and start the healing process. I met Tamika Newhouse in 2009. Her husband and I had been stationed together and he encouraged us to get together. Tamika took my fear and uncertainty and gave me the strength I needed to push my story out to the world. I’m truly grateful to God for placing her in my life. In 2010 I was ready to self publish. My new mentor, Tamika, introduced me to the literal world and showed me what I needed to do to finally publish my work. It was a long time coming.

What makes you stand out from the other authors in your genre?
I’m not by any means doing this for money. I published this novel as a promise to myself to get out the story of the children of prisoners. So many times we hear about the prisoner’s story and how hard it is for them to reintegrate back into society, but, we never discuss the children that have suffered at the hands of their parents and the judicial system. Yes, when a person is guilty they are guilty. But we offer no counseling or rehabilitation for these broken children and families out there. We just lock people up, forget about them, forget about the families that are dealing and then wonder why we have generations of thieves and murderers, following in the footsteps of loved ones. That was my initial purpose and I think that’s what makes me stand out from other authors. I have lived and bled my novel. My desire to publish more arose from the joy and satisfaction I found in completing 16 Years 2 Life.

What do you want readers to get from your debut novel, 16 Years to Life?
I want readers to hear the story of broken children all around the world that may not have the resources or education to get out there and tell their story. They might be scared, suffering all types of abuse by their care takers. I want my story to be another story to reveal the topic that society has never really addressed, “What happens to the children”? We have some prisons where women can be with their small children, but what about the teenagers and other children in need of their parents, especially their mothers. Too many women are being abused by society and family members, having no place to turn and not valuing themselves. Some find the strength to use their pain in a positive way but what about the others that slip through the cracks? What about those young women growing up in those neighborhoods less fortunate of counseling and education becoming statistics of society, that’s the question I want to start to get people to ask.

As a teen what inspired you the most in your writings?
As a teenager I actually did a lot of poetry. Of course, growing up in the condition’s that I did left me withdrawn and mostly lonely so I expressed it through poetry. I never wanted anyone to know that my mother was in prison and of course my father was absent, like most, so I escaped to different worlds through books and my poetry.

What is your next project?
My next project is titled “A Man Not of Her Own”. I don’t want to give away too much just yet but I want to get into the minds of our black women and touch on the subject of dating outside of our race. Black men have been doing it for years and many of them are quite comfortable with it. But, for some reason black women are not and many get so angry when they see a black man with a woman of another race. I won’t let much out so you will have to just wait and see how the book unfolds.

What do you feel society will say about Gia Parker’s novels?
In all honesty I am open to whatever society has to say about my novels. Whether the reaction is positive or negative feedback is always a good thing. I am doing what I feel is right and sharing it with those who want to hear. I hope that society would embrace my novels and understand them. I write to pose questions. My books are not the regular novels filled with sex and lust but they do address many things that are pertinent. So I welcome feedback it can only make me stronger.

You chose a good topic for your new book. Do you have any advice for a young man or young woman who may be facing the same problems your character is facing? Are there any programs that you know of set up to assist kids?
I would tell them to know that they have a choice. You can still make something beautiful out of your life if you apply your self and have faith in you. No matter what situation you face remember the past is a memory, the future is a dream, and the present is a gift. Thats why its called the present. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any non-profit organizations or groups that I could turn to and not many people are educated by the public on where to find places to send children in need of help. Hopefully now in the age of the internet it will change, but, still even now in the year 2010, many homes do not even have computers in them.

To learn more about Gia Parker, visit her website: www.gianniparker.com

About 16 Years 2 Life:Jaydah was a young girl born into a single family home to a loving strong mother, dedicated to instilling discipline into her young children. From a young age she had adult responsibilities. Her brother Dee had moved out to live with other relatives and she became the role model for her younger sister. They lived in a two bedroom apartment living pay check to pay check. Jaydah took care of her younger sister and her mother worked long hard hours. But together they were able to build a life of comfort and love. Jaydah’s mother soon realized that she was missing being close to her girls and decided to relocate. She began to work in a beauty shop and found herself in a new relationship. Things looked as if they would work out for the better, but the reality soon set in when Jaydah saw her mother being beaten for the first time. Her mother’s new boyfriend Reggie was a notorious drug dealer and most of all a womanizer. Jaydah was exposed to the life of drugs and prostitution at a young age. Her mother soon became pregnant with a son and her mother had found the strength to leave Reggie for good. Peace and serenity didn’t last long; her mother was keeping a deep dark secret that would tear the family apart. Jaydah was separated from her siblings and her mother went prison. It was up to Jaydah to find a way to keep the family together and be strong not only for herself but her family also. Even though her mother had been convicted of a crime, Jaydah and her siblings were imprisoned along with her. All souls of her soul, victims of guilty innocence.

Can you tell us about your latest release?
Yes, Sacrifices In The Name of Love is about interracial relations between two teens, Trey Martin and Tessa Phillips who get more than they bargain for when Tessa ends up pregnant, and out of fear of facing her self-professed racist father, she concocts a plan to conceal the baby’s paternity. Tessa is faced with making the most painful sacrifices she’s ever had to make. When she can no longer hide the truth about her baby’s paternity, she opts to leave town, thus leaving the baby and the love of her life behind. A few years later, she returns to find life has changed, but despite the obstacles, she’s determined to right her wrongs, but she must first face her demons and the demons of her parents.

Where do you take your inspiration from?
Life, people, places. Either can spark an idea for a story at any time.

Do you like to work with music playing in the background? And if so, do you listen to a specific type to evoke certain moods?
Sometimes. If I’m writing a love scene, love songs are very helpful. Classical music makes my creative juices flow when I need my story to move forward.

What was it that gave you the final push to submit your first story?
And how did you feel when your work was accepted?
I imagined the book making it to the top bestsellers list and so I submitted in order to make reach that goal. I can’t do that if I don’t submit.

Can you describe to us a typical day in your life as an author?
I’m retired, so I don’t have a typical routine. I write when I feel inspired to write. I may write in the morning, or it may be late at night after the house is quiet and peaceful.

What is the best thing about being a writer?
I can let my imagination run wild and write about the things some of us have only dreamed about.

What does your work space look like? Neat as a new pin? Or area of mass destruction?
Right now, an area of mass destruction. I have so many books, I’m out of shelf space, so some are on the floor around my desk. I’ve kept every rejection letter I’ve received, and believe me there are many, and I keep them on my desk as inspiration and use that inspiration to persevere in spite of them.

Which, if any of your stories, has been the most emotionally difficult for you to write?
The only emotionally difficult thing for me to write thus far was my first nonfiction book that I self published. It was about my journey through grief after the loss of my mom and son a month apart in 1994. I’ve had fun writing all of my fiction work.

Most authors that I’ve spoken with have at least one finished or nearly finished project that they’ve held onto for a number of years. Do you have any such work?
And if so, what has stopped you from submitting it?
No, I don’t. I have plans for having all of my work published.

Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?
I multi-task especially if I’m not feeling a particular work. I try not to force my writing.

Which of your upcoming projects are you most excited about?
I’m most excited about, and to date I’d say it’s my favorite piece, and that is my next book that I’m doing the rewrites on. It’s titled, Tempted By Love, and it was inspired by small bits and pieces of my life, mingled with a lot of fiction.

When not writing, how do you relax?
Participate in online writing groups and on social sites. I love to read, baking and spending time with my family.

How do your friends and family feel about your work and do you let any of them read your stories?
My family thinks it’s great that I’m a writer, especially when my work if published and they have the finished product in their hands. I have let my husband read some of my work.

Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer?
Not too much. I write a column for my local paper, so I’m recognized more when I go out.

Where do you see yourself in three years time, as far as your writing is concerned?
I would love to be on somebody’s bestseller’s list. I see myself as continuing to write because I have more stories to tell.

If you weren’t a writer, what else would you be doing? I’m retired after spending 30 years on my job. If I weren’t writing, I can’t see my life being any different.

Which of your books would you love to see turned into a movie?
(Laughter) Hell, I’d love to see all of them turned into a movie. I do envision my characters on a screen as I’m writing scenes.

Can you let the readers know where to find you on the web?
My website is www.vanessaajohnson.com. I’m also on Facebook, Myspace, and many online writing groups. If you google my name, you’ll find me.

More About Vanessa Johnson:

            Vanessa A. Johnson, a life-long Louisianan, began writing in 1995 after the untimely deaths of her mother and son in August and September, 1994. She and her husband, Welton reside in Ama, Louisiana with their 10 year old daughter, Alexis. Johnson is retired and currently working on her next book, Tempted by Love.

            Johnson can be reached through her website @ www.vanessaajohnson.com or Email: vanessaajohnson@hughes.net. She is also available on FaceBook, MySpace and Twitter.

About Sacrifices in the Name of Love:  

            Trey Martin, a Black teenager and Tessa Phillips, a white teenager, are neighbors in a small Louisiana town where race mixing is still taboo in the 21^st century. Despite the objections and beliefs of their parents, the two give in to the desires for each other. When Tessa becomes pregnant she creates a web of lies to conceal the baby’s paternity because she fears the wrath of her self-professed racist father.

            No longer able to hide the truth, she feels trapped and leaves town under the cover of day, thus leaving behind everyone near and dear to her heart. After almost four years Tessa returns home to Louisiana and discover many unexpected changes. Despite setbacks to include death, deception, lies and secrets, she is determined to right her wrongs and reunite with her son and the love of her life, but she has to face her demons and those of her love ones, too.

This week’s book feature is Been There Prayed That by E.N. Joy.

Introducing the “New Day Divas” book series:

You haven’t met real divas until you’ve met the women of New Day Temple of Faith. This five book series is a soap opera in print. And just like a real televised soap opera, it’s filled with drama, romance, chances, coincidences and fate. But more importantly, it’s filled with characters that will make you feel young and restless, bold and beautiful; all as the world turns upside down. These divas will be your guiding light to a literary feast. Don’t miss out on this series of a lifetime, because remember, you’ve only got one life to live!

About Been There Prayed That:
Mother Doreen has left New Day Temple of Faith in Malvonia, Ohio, to help her diabetic sister care for herself and her family in Kentucky. With her sister’s husband, a truck driver, pretty much living on the road, Mother Doreen feels in her spirit that she’s needed to intervene on her sister’s behalf, especially when the Assistant Pastor of her sister’s church seems to be there just a little bit too much. Mother Doreen’s suspicions really start to grow when her sister’s belly does too. Is it Mother Doreen’s spirit of discernment warning her that things in her sister’s home and church aren’t what they seem, or is Mother Doreen just a busy body church mother sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong?

Back in Malvonia, Tamarra and Maeyl’s relationship is moving along nicely. She even has a feeling that the man she knows God placed in her life is going to propose to her. But will all of that change when someone from Maeyl’s past shows up at New Day Temple of Faith, unexpected and unwelcome?

Follow the New Day Divas series by E. N. Joy as this soap opera in print brings back these and all of your other favorite blessed and highly favored characters, as well as some folks who claim to be saved, though their actions might cause others to think differently.

Been There Prayed That (Urban Christian) by E.N. Joy is in stores now or from any online retailer. 

Other books in the series:

  Bettye Griffin is the author of A New Kind of Bliss, Once Upon A Project, If These Walls Could Talk, Nothing But Trouble, and The People Next Door. A native of Yonkers, New York, she now lives in Southeast Wisconsin with her husband. She’s stops by today to discuss what many avid readers like–sequels.

One of the most challenging aspects of writing for today’s audience is that readers don’t want “The End” to really mean, well the end. Even with a story that ties up all loose ends (and in my opinion a good story should, unless another installment is going to follow in a month or two), the question is almost inevitable: When will the sequel be out?

                I received many such requests following the publication of my debut work of women’s fiction, The People Next Door, in 2005. I resisted the idea at first—I wanted to move on to other storylines and characters—but then an idea began to form, and before I knew it I had an entire storyline to update readers on what those initial characters are doing now. That story is being published under the title Trouble Down The Road and will be available to consumers on April 27th.

                Readers have been emailing me as they’ve learned that my new book features characters from The People Next Door as well as my sophomore women’s fiction effort, Nothing But Trouble It’s really a compliment to a writer when readers ask for a sequel, for it shows that they’ve made a connection with the characters the writer created and want to know, and then what happened? But, just as Trouble Down The Road was written five years after the publication of The People Next Door, the action also takes place five years later. That’s the type of sequel that works best for me…one that allows both myself and the characters to grow. The long time lapse also means it’s not a requirement for readers to pick up copies of The People Next Door (although I wouldn’t mind it, of course.) The actions of the past are touched on sufficiently to bring new readers up to speed about what they need to know about the characters’ pasts.

How do you like your sequels?

About Trouble Down the Road:

From the author of The People Next Door comes a smart, sexy new novel that peeks behind the curtains of one very complicated Florida cul-de-sac, where the neighbors are a little too close for comfort…

Suzanne and Brad Betancourt have a lot to be grateful for—their home, their children, and each other. They’ve even survived the fact that Brad’s ex-wife lives next door and Suzanne’s intrusive mother and siblings are just down the road. But Suzanne’s confidence unravels at Brad’s fiftieth birthday blowout, when young, voluptuous, neighbor Micheline brings a specially wrapped gift: herself. Suddenly, Suzanne feels like she’s the one having the midlife crisis…

Hoping to impress Brad, and ease family troubles that are already straining their relationship, Suzanne goes into business with a friend. But the endeavor stretches her too thin, leaving Brad hurt and alienated. Soon he begins to distance himself from her—moving right into the waiting arms of Micheline, who is all too ready to ditch her own husband.

Now, with marriages on the line across the neighborhood, Suzanne and Brad will have to question their notion of loyalty to one another—and to themselves.

Great news.  SheliaGoss.com is the April  Featured Literary Website/Blog on the Sexy Ebony BBW AA Book Club site and not only that, the book trailer for Hollywood Deception is being featured. So please stop by the site and look around: http://www.sexyebonybbwaabookclub.com/ 

I want to thank everyone for following me on the Hollywood Deception Red Carpet tour. I have a few more stops to make this week, so hang on in there with me.  In addition, there will be two guest bloggers stopping by SheliaGoss.com this week so you don’t want to miss it.