Split Your Heart, Not Your Tongue

It's been over a year since I actually posted a blog. I've been writing (and taking up voice lessons again) so I haven't completely abandoned my art but I haven't been as motivated either. This is for a number of reasons but there is one reason I want to talk about in particular. I've been having internal issues about my past work I created. I still love it just as much as I did when I created it and I don't want to change a thing (major things) about it because it was work that I believed in and felt at the time. There's just something I need to address before I can go back to promoting and creating art freely: the race of the characters in my book series . I've been asked by several people in the past why my characters are not primarily black being that I am a Black woman who grew up in an all Black neighborhood and only know the Black experience. It's a question I expected and will continue to expect as long as I decide to share my book series w...

I was given this idea when I received an email from an author whose newsletter I am signed onto. Given, this post was supposed to be written on the 11th, I had a busy past 10 days dealing with work, lost luggage, planning for parties, and a Grandmother who was in the hospital. Whatever, it's here now! Dear Teen Me, It's okay to be different...like vastly different from your peers. I'm sorry I'm telling you this about 10 years too late but I didn't know it back then. You definitely should've dyed your hair the colors of the rainbow and embraced ripped up jeans and Converses instead of high heels and dark brown hair. You didn't have to change that because nothing was wrong with it. It's okay to be into bands instead of rappers even though no one made you feel like it was (but I'm glad you met someone who did!). Liking rock music and being deemed as "emo" doesn't mean you abandoned your culture even though that's what they told y...