When We All Get to Heaven…RIP Dee Stewart aka Miranda Parker…

Hello World, 

When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be according to the beloved hymn. I believe that is true, but until we all get to heaven, we will experience grief and heartache when we lose a loved one. So it is with a sad heart that I type these words this morning. The Christian writing world specifically and the book publishing industry in general lost one of its own last week so as a fellow writer myself I’ve decided to post a picture of Dee Stewart and as well as her biography. While we are all sad that she has left this world, I am confident that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord…In spite of the many health challenges she faced including lupus and heart disease, Dee Stewart was a committed mother and crafted a wonderful career….

Below is her biography…

At DeeGospel PR, my role is to share my client’s stories with my peers, who are also gatekeepers. Be it traditional pr opps: radio, tv, print and performance engagements, online(internet tv, radio, networks, media,) or new marketing initiatives and inbound marketing services that infuse traditional public relations and events promotions with new technologies that channel and broadcast our client’s core messages, I work hard to build a communication bridge for my clients. I specialize in supporting publishers, music lables, musicians, authors, events planners, and businesses that support the publishing industry(music and literary.)

At Christian Fiction Blog, my role is to support writer’s of Christian Faith. I started Christian Fiction Blog in 2005 to help other writer’s deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of book promotion and book events marketing while still running a household and increasing in spiritual maturity. Today the blog has over 1000 email subscribers, a blog community of 300+ authors, and has been the catalyst for launching DGP.

As a journalist, my role is to compile and share stories I know will benefit the media outlets I support. I have been an editor, book reviewer and journalist for ten years. My writing has appeared in: RT Book Reviews, Gospel Today, Precious Times, Anointed, Hope for Women, Rejoice Atlanta, Romantic Times,Christianity Today, Spirit Led Woman, Atlanta Christian Family and Spirit Led Writer Magazines, to name a few. I also edit non-fiction for Christian ministers and authors.

As author Miranda Parker for Kensington Publishing’s Dafina Books, my role is to create stories my readers would love to read over and over again. My two books are “A Good Excuse to Be Bad” and “Someone Bad and Something Blue.”

If you would like to more about Dee’s commitment to raising awareness about heart disease, see the article “Survivor of Heart Failure Dedicates Birthday to Educating Other Women” on cnn.com. Also, here is a radio interview Dee conducted with Christian fiction author Tiffany L. Warren on blogtalkradio.com.

We will miss you…

Any thoughts?

I’m Bout It Bout It aka Marketing & Promotion Month 3…

Hello World,

Well, y’all, if you have spent even a minute perusing my blog, you know that I have a book that will be released on February 14, 2012 – that’s right…the holiday of love…Valentine’s Day…which I think is cool as my book is about developing a personal relationship with God…Now, I’m not one of those Christian women that believes that God is my husband, but I do believe that having a personal relationship with God is more important than any other relationship you will ever have period…

And although I’m more of an introvert by nature, I have realized that I must market and promote the book so the people that need to read this book will actually know it’s out there…So once a month leading up to V-Day, I will be posting about my marketing and promotion efforts…Your feedback is very much appreciated…

Miranda Parker at the AJC Decatur Book Festival

So to recap my marketing & promotion efforts for September…As I have said in previous posts, one of the main thrusts of my efforts involves supporting other authors and just getting out and about in the A to meet people and tell them about my book. So on Sept. 3 (Labor Day Weekend), I attended the AJC Decatur Book Festival where I went to see Miranda Parker, author of “A Good Excuse To Be Bad” and Dr. Pamela Thompson, author of “Surviving Mama: Overcoming Strained Mother-Daughter Relationships.” Both of these books were released this year, and I actually featured Dr. Thompson on my blog.

I also attended “For Sisters Only”  on Sept. 17 where I was able to go to the Urban League Empowerment Summit. Hands down, it was one of the best events I attended this year. I attended two seminars. My favorite seminar was “Transforming Your Life, Reclaiming Your Power.” One of the panelists Tirrell D. Whittley, who is the executive leader of Liquid Soul Media, a lifestyle marketing agency, offered some really good advice for combatting fear on the way to success…

Tirrell D. Whitley of Liquid Soul Media

  1. Become excellent.
  2. Accept criticism.
  3. Be self-motivated.
  4. Understand who you are (your unique selling point).
  5. Trust God.

I could dedicate a whole post to what I learned, but I have to move on for the sake of this post. Last Saturday, I attended the “Talk Back Series: The Sex Kitten v. The Super Brain” in which a panel of etablished women in the field of media and entertainment discussed the politics of women and sexuality in the media. The event was held at Spelman College. It was another invigorating and educational discussion.

From left to right - Saptosa Foster, Angela Gomes, Renee Knorr, Nicci Gilbert, October Rose, Nina Brown & Jazzy McBee

Of course, I still have some other things in the works, but I cannot reveal them all just yet…stay tuned…

My favorite verse as I get out of my comfort zone and really go hard at this marketing and promotion thing is…

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:8-9

It has taken some real courage to get out there, but thankfully the Lord is with me wherever I go…

Any thoughts?