Lisa Braxton – The Debutante Ball

[News Flash] August 9, 2020

Sunday, August 9, 2020

We hope you enjoyed yesterday’s interview and book giveaway with Alia Volz @aliavolz. RETWEET OR SHARE for a chance to win a copy of HOME BAKED: MY MOM, MARIJUANA, AND THE STONING OF SAN FRANCISCO. #DebBallGiveaway #giveaway #author Interview with Alia Volz, author of Home Baked (and Giveaway!) @DebutanteBall #ClassOf2020 #guest #author News from the Class of 2020 Debs: Lisa Braxton is honored to have received a National Association…

2020 Debutante Lisa Braxton receives Outstanding Literary Award

Thursday, August 6, 2020

2 comments

For Immediate Release: August 6, 2020—Debutante Lisa Braxton, author of the debut novel, The Talking Drum, is a recipient of an Outstanding Literary Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. The award was announced today at the organization’s virtual convention where she was interviewed about her book during The Author Showcase. The Showcase selection committee considered The Talking Drum compelling and socially relevant and notable for its inclusion of…

Launch Party and Swag: What Worked and What Didn’t

Monday, August 3, 2020

0 comment

Six months before my book launch, I went shopping. I purchased all that I thought I would need to exhibit and sell The Talking Drum at book fairs and other events: ethnic table cloths, miniature djembes, a bowl handwoven by West African women operating micro-businesses. Then the pandemic happened. There would be no in-person events. Everything would be virtual. I tucked away the tablecloths and bowl in my cedar chest,…

“Late” is a Relative Term

Friday, July 24, 2020

0 comment

Television news is a young person’s game. I first heard that assertion from my broadcast journalism professors and class advisors, and then later from workshop presenters at national industry conferences. The statement was an undercurrent that gradually grew into a drumbeat for us who toiled as young reporters at stations in small town America. We were encouraged by our colleagues and mentors to keep our resumes and news clips up…

The Books That Inspired Me to Be a Writer

Monday, July 20, 2020

0 comment

When I look back at my elementary school years, some of my fondest memories were the days when the teacher received that box in the mail from the Weekly Reader Book Club. She’d open it in front of the class and distribute what we had ordered weeks before. It was like having Christmas and my birthday rolled together month after month. I’d bring my books home and binge on Nancy…

Interviewing One of My Main Characters

Monday, July 13, 2020

0 comment

This week’s topic is “The Manuscript in the Drawer.” But I have no manuscript in the drawer. The Talking Drum was my first manuscript, and thank goodness I got it published. For this week’s blog post I am interviewing one of my characters. Sydney was in my head for such a long time and is finally on the printed page. She’s been itching for an interview since The Talking Drum’s…

A Deleted Scene from The Talking Drum

Monday, June 29, 2020

0 comment

I deleted so many scenes from The Talking Drum over the years in which I was revising it that I had a hard time choosing which one to feature in this blog. I finally settled on a scene in which my character Sydney, who co-owns The Talking Drum Bookstore and Cultural Center with her husband, is desperate to unload a set of encyclopedias her husband purchased. She doesn’t think anyone…

Interview (and book giveaway) with Jeni McFarland, author of The House of Deep Water

Saturday, June 27, 2020

1 comment

It is my pleasure to welcome Jeni McFarland to the Debutante Ball today! Jeni and I have met virtually through our fellowships at Kimbilio, a national residency for fiction writers of the African diaspora. The House of Deep Water has been described as a stunning and perceptive debut perfect for fans of The Mothers and Olive Kitteridge. It made Bustle’s 23 Debut Books That Are Too Good To Ignore, Salon‘s…

A Favorite Book from my Childhood

Monday, June 22, 2020

0 comment

One of my favorite childhood books is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. The prologue is a letter from Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, addressed “To my lawyer, Saxonberg”, accompanied by a drawing of her writing at her office desk. It serves as the cover letter for the 162-page narrative, and provides background for changes to her last will and testament. Twelve-year-old Claudia Kincaid decides to…

Dealing with Professional Jealousy in the Writing Industry

Monday, June 15, 2020

1 comment

Our blog topic this week is dealing with professional jealousy in the writing industry. But I’m going to flip that topic around and talk about building a sisterhood in the writing industry. I know that jealousy is a normal human emotion and we all feel it from time to time, but since I’ve been on this publishing journey, I’ve felt nothing but love and support from my fellow writers and…

1 2 3 … 6