Wow, in just THREE DAYS, a New Year will be here! To me it is no coincidence that the New Year follows our celebration of the birth of Jesus. Once we discover and rediscover our Savior, life can begin anew…and so that is where we are three days before 2012 commences…

As has become my custom, I like to take the time to reflect on my year here on After the Altar Call and remind me and you of my favorite posts for every month of the year…So if you have a few minutes, take this journey with me…

January 2011 – Remember our snowstorm earlier this year?! We in the A were hemmed up for nearly a week!!! I wonder what God has in store for us as far as weather is concerned this winter – Divine Hem Ups aka Atlanta Snowstorm 2011

February 2011 – Although I have lived in the A since I was six years old, I went to the Bronner Bros.  International Hair show for the first time in February, and I took you with me! If you haven’t been yet, you definitely need to check it out!  See for yourself why – Saturday in the A – Featuring the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show

March 2011 – I pondered what happens when your girls start getting married and you’re not. This is an issue that continues to evolve as other issues continue to emerge – What To Do When You Friends Get Married

April 2011 – I got it poppin’ on After the Altar Call after I posted my thoughts on Anthony David’s song “God Said.” Tribute to God or Jesus it was not in spite of the title…And David stopped by here to speak his piece making for a very interesting discussion of 31 comments – Controversy – Anthony David’s “God Said” video…

 May 2011 – I wrote a tribute to my mama that I’m proud of. I rewrote Proverbs 31 to describe my mama-girl Alice May – Alice May, It’s Your Day (Happy Mother’s Day to All Mothers)

June 2011 – I “spoke” publicly about my book for the first time…I still cannot believe that in less than two months I will have the published copy in my hands…Goose.bumps. – 2011 Faith & Fiction Retreat aka Debuting My New Book!!!

July 2011 – In July, after a few revisions, my book cover was released…I love it so…what do you think? – The Vision I Had in My Head Debuting My New Book Cover Woo Hoo!!!

August 2011 – I was blessed to interview Dr. Alveda King, niece of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and daughter of his King’s younger brother Rev. A.D. King, about her uncle and his dream the week that the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, which is located on the national Mall, was to be officially dedicated…But God had other plans…A hurricane made it necessary to postpone the dedication to later in the year – Let Freedom Ring: Dr. Alveda King Remembers Her Uncle Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 September 2011 – In spite of the attack of the enemy, we are still here 10 years after September 11, 2001 – Remembering 9/11 10 Years Later…aka We Won’t Stop…

October 2011 – I never imagined when I began blogging in September 2008 that I would love blogging soooo much!!! And this year, I went to my first blogging convention where I was able to meet other bloggers who love it as much as I do – Be Blogalicious! 

November 2011 – My line sister Lola Brown, who is a two-time breast cancer survivor, was featured on 11 Alive and TheGrio.com. Her full testimony is also featured in my book – My Line Sister is a Two-Time Breast Cancer Survivor Under 40 Years Old

December 2011 – And I was so elated to interview Kim Fields (Tootie from “Facts of Life” and Regine from “Living Single” last week!!! And wasn’t “Holiday Love” great?! I hope it becomes a Christmas classic! – Check out Kim Fields in her TV Christmas special “Holiday Love” airing on Christmas Day!!!

Any thoughts?

The post Retrospect: 2011 in Posts…. appeared first on After the Altar Call.

If you have checked out my blog in the last couple of months or so, you know that my book “After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God” will be released in February 2012….So leading up until that date, I’ ve been literally obssessed with marketing & promotion because I really do believe that this book will really help women in their walk with God AND let’s face it – publishing is a business….And your girl has to move books if I expect to last in this industry….

So each month leading up until February, I plan to let you know about my marketing & promotion efforts…And y’all let me know what you think because I’m up for any and all suggestions…If you want to read about my first month of marketing and promotion, check out “I’m Bout It Bout It Marketing & Promotion Month 1.”

One critical element of marketing & promotion, I believe, is supporting other authors. It is true that what you sow, you will reap so I’ve been attending the book signings of other authors to support them. And I hope that when my day or days come, I will reap the harvest of supporting other authors….Plus, I love to be around book authors anyway…they are a part of my tribe…lol…

So on Aug. 1, I started off the month by attending a book signing for prolific author Tayari Jones at the Camp Creek Barnes & Noble. She read from her latest book, “Silver Sparrow,” a wonderful novel in which the complex lives of a legitimate daughter and an illegitimate daughter are juxtaposed. The story takes place in our fair city…I have wanted to read her work since I heard about her first book “Leaving Atlanta,” a novel in which Jones explores the tragedy of the Atlanta child murders….As someone who grew up in the A and remembers the fear that gripped the city during that time, I appreciate her work. If you did not get a chance to go that book signing, Jones will also be at the Decatur Book Festival on Sunday, September 4 at 12 p.m. in the Decatur Conference Center Stage (Ballroom B). For more information, go to to TayariJones.com.

The next marketing and promotion activity was the ordering of 1000 postcards which feature the cover of the book, pictures of some of the women in the book and my website information…so if you see me somewhere, don’t act when I put one of my postcards in your sweaty hands and ask you to tell somebody….lol…

I met Rev. Owen Griffiths at the conference...check out his blog oldreligiousguy.blogspot.com...for some reason, I am fascinated with collars...

These postcards came in handy when I attended the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference from August 10-13…It is a non-stop learning event, and a must if you really want to focus on ministry as well as writing! I’ve been twice, and I just adore it! I was able to meet New York Times best-selling author Cec Murphey (who I wrote about in “A Saint & A Sinner”) and other authors…

On Aug. 19, I attended the Atlanta Blogalicious Meetup at Hudson Grille where I was able to network with other bloggers…I never knew when I started blogging in 2008 that I would LOVE it…and so now, in addition to launching my first book, I’m hoping to make this blog be the best it can be…And now I’m thinking of attending the Be Blogalicious conference in D.C. on October 21-23…

Panel Discussion at Atlanta Blogalicious Meetup (from left to right) Danica Kombol, Bren Herrera, Stacey Ferguson & Lamar Tyler

The next day, Aug. 20, I attended the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show where I networked and took in the sights and the sounds of this spectacular show…If you haven’t been, you definitely need to go…In fact, I also went in February and posted lots of pictures…check it out at “Saturday in the A – Featuring the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show.”

Four days later, Aug. 24, I officially launched my new website…Yay…I’m also pleased to announce that my book, which will actually be released on Valentine’s Day 2012,  is now available for preordering at Nevaeh Publishing for $14. 95 and (gulp) Barnes & Noble. I have an ISBN number and erething…lol…

Next month, I will be focusing on press coverage and setting up a signing tour…as always, more be revealed…

Any thoughts?

The post I’m Bout It Bout It aka Marketing & Promotion Month 2… appeared first on After the Altar Call.