Today is the day!

That’s right! Our new children’s book, Charm, is LIVE for pre-order! You can order at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W8E2PKE. It’s a cute little story that deals with the social issue of bullying. We actually created a short video and posted it on YouTube which you can view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OSP9tjezMs. I’m going to do my best to blog more frequently. It’s really not my thing LOL but I’m going to do my best!

What’s a girl to do?

As Pre-K teachers, our lives are pretty busy. As daycare owners working six days a week, life gets pretty hectic. But, all-in-all, we absolutely LOVE what we do! Children bring so much joy to our lives: the way they talk and their cute mannerisms, you can’t help but love them. Yesterday, we celebrated MLK day by talking to them about Black History and how Mr. King brought about change. Although it is a weighty topic, we were able to discuss it in a fun way so that our children (ages 1-5 yrs) could get into it and express themselves.

Despite our busy schedules, we are still working on the Snoop Sistas Mystery Series. We’ve pushed back publication several times but are working towards a March 2013 release date. The attached picture is of our main characters, Sidney and Simone, twin sleuths. We hope you like it!

Yep, it’s FREE!

So I’m up at 12:13am, still pounding on the keys to my laptop. Stomach churning. Brain haywire. I’m a bundle of nerves! Tomorrow, well actually right now, it is tomorrow! So I guess TODAY, my ebook, Graphic Nature will be FREE for the world to read and review. It’s a scary feeling, I’m telling you. My mind is flip-flopping through a million different emotions right now. It’s scary yet exciting. I want people to read the book. I want to know what they think. Here’s what I think:

I love Graphic Nature. It’s not really a book; it’s a screenplay. My movie script. My baby. It was written from my heart. It touches some sensitive areas for me. I’ve always said that if I could afford to quit my day job, I would make it my mission to catch child predators. Well, Graphic Nature deals with that subject in such a way that truly gratifies me: 3 kick ass lady cops who treat these predators like the animals they are.

I’ve never thought about writing it in book format because I so love it as a screenplay. My dream cast would be: Jennifer Lopez, Gabriele Union, Kerry Washington, Lynn Chen, Marcia Cross, Jaden Smith, and Jesse Williams. Of course, that is just MY dream. I just hope that at least some people will like it. I’m trying to stay positive and that’s kind of hard to do now that it’s 12:27am and I can’t sleep although I know my body needs it.

I hope that you all enjoy Grapic Nature and write a brief review. It will be FREE Sept. 9-11th on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Nature-ebook/dp/B0082DINY2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336879605&sr=8-2. Since it’s free, you may as well get a copy and gift a copy to a friend or family member. While you’re at it, take a moment to view my other title, Tony Macaroni. It is a children’s picture book for $0.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QZ4T6I. Why not buy a copy and gift a copy? Hey, it’s only 99cents and it goes to a good cause: our daycare, which provides a loving, learning environment to children of low-income families. Every purchase is definitely appreciated!

Hellooooo….

Wow, it has been months since I’ve blogged! This has truly been a busy, yet fulfilling year! My twin and I are working on a couple of exciting projects: A children’s ebook that focuses on bullying and a children’s mystery series. The mystery series was actually supposed to come out in July but we’ve made so many tweeks to it, we want it to be GREAT. So as we have it, the ebook about bullying will be available on Amazon late October. The first eboook to the SnoopSistas mystery series will be available mid-December. It’s a very exciting time for us!

I’d also like to congratulate the U.S. Olympic Team, all the participants! I must say, it is truly wonderful to see all the young people that were involved. Special shout out to Gabby Douglas! I’m proud of all the athletes, but I’m especially proud of Gabby for what she accomplished and all the negativity she had to endure. At such a young age, she was able to accomplish a lot, not only winning the gold and keeping her head up despite the negative media attention, but being a role model for so many other youths who dream of being an Olympian one day. Way to go, Gabby!

We wish you all well and hope that you continue to follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@thesnoopsistas). Our first children’s ebook, Tony Macaroni can be found on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QZ4T6I), Barnes & Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/tony-macaroni?keyword=tony+macaroni&store=allproducts). It can be downloaded to any Kindle, Kindle Fire, iPhone/iPod Touch, B&N nook, Sony Reader, Kobo Reader, and most Android/Smartphones. Also, my screenplay, Graphic Nature, has been put in ebook format and is FREE to Amazon Kindle owners at http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Nature-ebook/dp/B0082DINY2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336879605&sr=8-2.

 

Screenplay as an ebook?

Yes! I wrote a screenplay several years ago entitled Graphic Nature. The story is about a group of detectives tracking a serial killer that targets children. My original goal was to have Overbrook Entertainment, Will Smith’s production company, to direct and produce it. So, I studied EVERY movie the company had ever made, including one of their early movies, Saving Face. Although it wasn’t really huge on the big screen, it won numerous awards. I decided to send my script to one of the lead actresses, Lynn Chen. At the time, she was very receptive to the script, read it and even emailed me back with positive comments!

But, in 2009, when mom and Craig (my brother) died, I lost my drive to write and put the script away. It wasn’t until recently that I started writing again. I decided, why keep sending my script to producers who are just going to keep sending it back unopened? Because of so many laws and rules and whatever, many producers won’t even look at your script unless you approach them through an agent and they are equally hard to find. So I made the decision to edit the script, put it in book form, and sell it as an ebook, hoping to generate interest with the right people. I chose Amazon’s KDP Select program because Amazon Prime Members actually can get the book for FREE at http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Nature-ebook/dp/B0082DINY2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336879605&sr=8-2. I’m hoping that this was the right move! Only time will tell.

It’s all in the name

People are always asking why we write under the pen name SnoopSistas. To be honest, it’s not something that we came up with. A lot of authors use pen names and they carefully think out what to use, many using a name they wish they were born with or one that they think fits them better. Ours came from a very unique source:

Mom. When we were little, mom bought us matching rain coats and boots and, she used to say, since we were so nosey, she called us the snoop sisters. That name stuck throughout the years although we’ve changed it from snoop sisters to snoop sistas to distinguish ourselves from the snoop sisters in the tv series back in the ’70s

Well we’re happy to announce that the Snoopsistas  will be releasing a mystery series in late April/early May. Please continue to follow our blog. We’d love to hear from you, especially if you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see from our twin mystery sleuths!

Winners never quit. Quitters never win.

Someone posted this on their Facebook page and initially, I skipped it. But as I scrolled through the other posts, I kept thinking about that statement: Winners never quit. Quitters never win.  Am I a quitter? For years, and I’m not talking a few measly years, but YEARS, my twin sister and I have tried our hand at writing everything from children’s stories to poetry to screenplays. We’ve tried to get published but have always been turned down. The last major award I won for writing was when I was in 6th grade! The prize: a jar of jellybeans. To me, that was major.

At any rate, we quit trying about five years ago so that we could dedicate time to taking care of our ailing mother and her mother, Grandma. We seriously didn’t write ANYTHING unless you count the occasional grocery store list. We quit seeking help from the major publishers and left literary agents alone. All of our energy was focused on the people we loved and cared about most. But we were quitters as far as writing was concerned.

The last three years have been a blur, losing Grandma first. Then my brother, two days before mom’s birthday. Five months later, the ultimate: losing mom. That has been the hardest thing we’ve ever had to face, losing THE most important person in our lives. So when I scrolled back up to that statement, I kept staring at it and it gave me a charge, a renewed sense of self. I am a writer! And maybe I haven’t been picked up by the big publishers or had one of my screenplays made into a movie or even sold a million eBooks. I still feel like a winner.