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POTUS, TP & Me…

Hello World,

Guess where I was on Friday night? Chile, I was in the SWAT (Southwest Atlanta) to see with my own two eyes plus contacts that President Barack Obama was actually going to show up at Tyler Perry Studios on Continental Colony! As I rode down the street and up to the home base of THE richest man in show biz, I was invigorated by the people that had gathered along the streets with lawn chairs and posters welcoming the president to Atlanta! This was one of those “once in a lifetime” moments that I will cherish forever…Y’all I know that men like POTUS and TP are the very embodiment of what our enslaved ancestors hoped, wished & prayed for…So with all of that being said, I took a few pictures so that you can see what I enjoyed…

This is what I saw as I drove onto the grounds of Tyler Perry Studios...

 

People waiting to be let inside of the studios...

 

I took a photo of Tyler Perry's motto which is displayed on this water wall. I took the photo from the outside so some of the words did not show up, but it says, "A Place Where Even Dreams Believe." Amen!

 

The entrance to his 400-seat theater! I loved "Good Deeds!" Have you seen it?

 

Walking to the back lot...

 

This is the first structure that you see once you enter the back lot...TP has named it "34th Street," as in "Miracle on 34th Street."

 

Me on 34th Street...My look was my homage to Michelle Obama's official White House portrait...

 

I love this look...Understated & Classy...

 

More pics from 34th Street...Doesn't this look real?

 
 

34th Street again...

 

A cake fit for a president...

 

Setting up for the president...I was there early...

 

Dueling deejays getting the crowd hype...I mean this in the SWAT...

 

Me just taking it all in...

 

The crowd...jam packed...

 

Since we were in the SWAT, you know one of our biggest stars had to perform...Cee Lo getting it in!

 

Mayor Kasim Reed getting everyone hype for TP & POTUS! His greatest line of the night "You better stop comparing President Obama to the Almighty and start comparing him to the alternative." Say that Mayor Reed!

 

Tyler Perry walking on stage...

 

Tyler Perry introducing our president...He, too, was amazed that POTUS was in the SWAT, and that he was introducing him!

 

POTUS!!!

 
POTUS again…

It was a great night…. 

Any thoughts?

 

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Too Soon? Oprah interviews Bobbi Kristina & Family…

Hello World,

I plan to have a box of Kleenex at my side as I watch “Oprah’s Next Chapter” on OWN this Sunday…a month to the day that beloved music icon Whitney Houston passed away, Oprah will air her interview with Bobbi Kristina, Whitney Houston’s daughter; Gary Houston, Whitney Houston’s older brother; and his wife Patricia Houston, who was Whitney Houston’s manager….The family “addresses the rumors and speculation surrounding Houston’s death” according to Oprah.com  The interview will air at 9 p.m. /8 p.m. CST. (According to the AJC, Oprah flew to Atlanta to interview them…)

While I am eager to hear their thoughts on Whitney’s untimely death, I wonder is it too soon for them to be speaking publicly about it all…Have they even had the time to process it all much less speak to the masses about it…

What say you? Will you be watching? It is too soon?

Any thoughts?

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I’m Bout It Bout It aka Marketing & Promotion Month 7 (And It.Don’t.Stop.)

Hello World,

Me and my lovely assistant at my first book signing at Lifeway Christian Store...

Wow. I got to thank God.

My book is out (as of Feb. 14), and it ranked as an Amazon Best Seller and was listed as an Amazon Hot New Release!!! My Facebook Fam (friends) are blowing up my page telling me they are buying my book! My folk at church who came to my release party are telling me how much they are enjoying the book! And I’m having book signings and what not!

I planted a lot of seeds (WORKED HARD), and God took care of the increase as only HE can do!!! Since I started writing these posts back in July when I started my marketing and promotion campaign (Check out the first one “I’m Bout It Bout It aka Marketing & Promotion Month 1…”), I had the goal of sharing what I have done to help authors behind me as they prepared to launch their babies aka books into the world, and I hope that some author who Googles marketing & promotion will read these posts and be encouraged…

Let me share some of God’s blessings as I’ve worked to get the word out about my book via my marketing & promotion campaign…(in no particular order as all were important accomplishments for me 🙂

  1. I’ve been featured on six radio programs! If you would like to hear me on “The Business of Wisdom” with Dr. Alvin Jones, please listen here! And I thank Shandra Hill Smith of Pullen Press for being an excellent publicist, and helping me with my radio exposure!!! At my first book signing at Lifeway Christian store, one of the ladies who came said she first heard about me on “Business in the Black” with Twanda Black on WALR KISS 104.1 FM. That was my second radio interview, and I think I sounded a bit rough – but thankfully, someone got the message I was trying to convey!
  2. I had over a 100 people at my book release celebration!!! To see the pics from that awesome night of support and love, please go here! Thanks Dwan Abrams for planning the party and spreading the word about it! And I am sooo very grateful for Sofn’free GroHealthy for sponsoring my book release celebration!!!
  3. Various author friends/bloggers featured my book on their blog!!! Thank you to Kathi Macias (kathimacias.com) who featured me on her blog on the day of my book release. To read the post, please go here. And Tayari Jones (yes, the one and only at tayarijones.com) featured me on her blog as well! To read the post, please go here. And other authors including Victoria Christopher Murray (my soror), Tiffany L. Warren (who is featured in my book), & Tia McCollors shouted me out on their Facebook pages! Tia & author Kendra Norman-Bellamy provided endorsement quotes for my book! Author love is a must!!! And I’m soo grateful 🙂 (I hope I’m not forgetting anyone…if so, charge it to my head and not my heart…)
  4. During October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Blayne Alexander of 11 Alive for The Grio.com interviewed Lola Brown, who is featured in my book, about her two-time victory over breast cancer at 36 years old. To read the story or watch the interview, please go to thegrio.com.
  5. I was really encouraged when just as I started my marketing and promotion campaign, I was featured on SORMAG’s blog – sormag.blogspot.com, which is an important website for authors! To see that post, please go here. Thanks again LaShaunda Hoffman!!!
  6. I’ve also been featured in various print media outlets including UPSCALE magazine as well as local newspapers the Clayton News Daily and the Clayton Neighbor!!!
  7. And last but certainly not least, I want to thank Lifeway Christian Store for hosting my very first official book signing last Saturday! I hope, wish & PRAY it’s the beginning of more to come!

NOTE: This roundup mainly includes the media coverage piece of my marketing & promotion campaign….there were other things that I’ve done which are too numerous to name right now…but I will say this…I revamped my website (thanks Tess), passed out postcards just about everywhere I went, networked at various events in the city and throughout the nation, posted like a fiend on my Facebook page and on Twitter and more…trust me…been hustling…stay hustling…

Again, I gotta thank God…And I gotta thank R., who has listened to me talk about this EREday since July…He is the mostest!!!

Ain’ gon lie…I’m tired…but…it.don’t.stop…

Any thoughts?

This song is apropos today….dreams.come.true…