Author's Info presents Open Book with Envy Red & Q. This episode we feature Mizz Baltimore Michelle "Pebbles" Caldwell, Photographer. Mizz Pebbles or just Michelle commonly known, is a fan photographer who is coming up on the entertainment scene. Yes, she started as a fan photographer but under the study and guidance of Hip-Hop pioneering legend-The Chief Rocka Busy Bee, this charismatic personality is slowly becoming the "Baltimore" celebrity photographer at parties and concerts. Each one of her photos has a personal story behind them as she keeps it 100 with me. Currently she's working on publishing her memoirs titled "Memories of Pain" and she's a writer on imusiccentral.com. Here's a short list of her photo subjects Jamie Foxx, Trey Songs, Anthony Hamilton, Musiq Soulchild, Snoop Dogg, Estelle, Erykah Badu, Common, Redman, Method Man, Busy Bee, Red Grant, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Miguel, Amazin', J Holiday, Rakim, K-Swft and many more. Michelle is also managing her son's music group Amazin'. The music video for their new single "Keep Up" is in preproduction as I write and will be produced by Q. At the same time Michelle has Black Diamond Entertainment and Swagga Magazine for new and aspiring local artists. Michelle has been featured for her work with The Chief Rocka Busy Bee in the LA Times this month as well. The second part of this interview will be available soon. K-Swift Baltimore Club Mix Tribute composed by Q aka DJ KaNeckScratch Patterns performed by DJ Ant Love of the Mo' Nique Show.

Orgasmic highs

They capture you

Envy Red breaks the self publishing game down with this jewel from Jaded.

     Open Book presents the Jaded Episode part 2. In the 2nd half of our interview Envy Red sheds some light on the misconceptions of publishing industry and talks about her next venture Drama Baby.  This is a must see episode as Envy and I try to go over the publishing game with some do's and don'ts'.  She gives special thanks to the current King of Urban Lit, Mr.Treasure E. Blue. This week's music was provided by The King of Crowd Rockers: DJ Ant Love of the Mo' Nique Show.  

Open Book presents High Rollers, the interview part 2.  Envy Red & Q continue their interview about her new novel High Rollers.  Q wants to know about the fem fatale in most novels.  He and Envy discuss life off the wood.  

 

Q Productions & Author's Info presents: Open Book with Envy Red & Q.  This is the premiere episode of Open Book.  In this episode hosts Envy Red and executive producer Q talk about her novel: Touch.   This is the book that made Envy Red a celebrity.  She has won 5 awards for Touch, and we talk about it in this 2 part interview.  Touch is an erotic thriller, based in Washington DC.  The story has a serial killer who stalks the DC "swingers" scene.  Yeah, that's what I said.   It's a must read!!!

Highlights include:

**ANNOUNCEMENT** Hey ya'll so I reported that High Rollers is done and will be on Ebook this Friday. Welllllllll......pre-orders are now available on my site for the paperback which will be arriving in 2 weeks. I have a secret though. To those who pre-order I came up with my own line of *official book junkie* and *official skate junkie* wristbands and will be giving one free with purchase. Go to http://envyred.com and click on the store  

Mental illness, childhood trauma, and serial killer are the terms associated with the character Jade. Get up close and personal with Envy Red as she gives the inside scoop on the mental mayhem she calls "Jaded." FInd out what was the most troubling thing for her to pen in this psychological thriller. 

Open Book was started as a forum for authors and those in the surrounding business to spread the word about what makes the world go around...LITERACY. Join us as we discuss the latest and greatest in the industry and give you and your business an open platform to chop it up.

Young, Fabulous, and Self-Employed! What a slogan right? Well that's exactly what I thought when I came across a website that adorned that very name. I soon learned that it was a magazine geared toward promoting the entrepreneurial spirit and helping go getters realize their dreams. 

Anyone who has embarked on this journey has most likely experienced anxiety over a key component of that mission, the dreaded "F" word. Finances! Even to the most savvy business person, I have no doubt it can be the source of much stress. However, I am learning that it does not have to be that way at all. With preparation and a lot of hard work, one can equip themselves with the knowledge to overcome this critical obstacle. Below is an article I pulled from Young, Fabulous, and Self-Employed Mag:

Now that I have your attention, let's discuss. At first glimpse one may think the title implies that race matters but it was really just the author in me who created a ploy to grab your attention. Besides, a good story, or in this case a good blog, should capture you from the start right? I am so laughing out loud right now. For the remainder of this blog, let's clarify that the true topic is matters of race and not that race matters. 

On a serious note, a post by a fellow author by the name of Oana definitely caught my attention this morning with a subject she raised for discussion. Paraphrased, the questions were:

With so many individuals realizing their goal to be a published author through the help of self publishing tools, print on demand services, and small publishers alike, it is a wonder that the basics are still falling by the wayside. We have entered the land of publishing mayhem. Like any business, the road to success in becoming an author is not realized without hard work and dedication. So why then are so many still jumping in blind to the basics? Writing should be the easy part but what comes after will take many hours of training and a good dose of that thing we call reality check. You wrote an awesome book. That may be a true statement but does it mean that everyone will immediately flock to your product? Chances are no. You must build your brand and following from the ground up. There are many books in the sea. How will you separate your work from the pack? Publishing involves more than just packaging a book for sale.  

When it comes to seeking a publisher, education goes a long way in ensuring one does not enter into a deal that will do no more than front them the cash for a book cover, typesetting, and editing. One of the key terms that many new authors fail to consider is DISTRIBUTION. It is a self publishers nightmare as limited resources and connections could very well present a huge challenge for authors with so much potential, self included. When entering the publishing mayhem it is wise to ask key questions about how your work will be distributed and reach the hands of buyers. Ingram will not establish a direct connection with publishers of fewer than 10 titles and Baker & Taylor focuses heavily on proven demand. Let's say you overcome the obstacles. It will not help to get that nice distribution account with the likes of Ingram and Baker & Taylor if you can't:

People are often surprised at my candidness when it comes to speaking up about my battle with cancer. In August of 2010 I was diagnosed with a rare form. You know that thyroid gland that exists in your neck? It does wonders for your energy levels and helps regulate your metabolism. Well I had malignant thyroid tissue in one of my ovaries which is almost unheard of. So much so that my case was referred to Yale University (PA) and involved Kaiser Permanente, Washington Hospital Center, and Holy Cross Hospital (DC Area). It required that I also have my thyroid removed in March of 2011 just after my birthday. I then had radiation treatment shortly thereafter in May of 2011. 

The fact of the matter is, cancer is plaguing the nation, It is becoming as common as the cold it seems. I am not ashamed to tell people about my experience because in my mind it may help save someone's life. As I take this journey, it is my hope that someone will hear my story and it will drive them to keeping their regular doctor visits. Furthermore if one feels in their heart that something is not right, it is important to pursue it and get as many opinions as possible until the source of the ailment is found. I know this from experience as mines went under the radar until after the decision was to made to have the first surgery. It was not until the biopsy was performed that what they thought was a large cyst was confirmed to be cancer. Wow! 

Aspiring authors always ask "should I use a pen name?" Well I hate to report but there is no magic answer to this age old question. The key is to be memorable. Therefore, you must do what works for you. In my opinion if your name is common, chances are you just may be lost in the sauce of the million other "Danielle's" of the world. Unless of course you are Danielle Steele. Her name is a household commodity and is synonymous with the term "bestseller". However, don't get me wrong. It does not just take a strong name to sell a book. For these purposes we are assuming the book is great!

Whether or not to use a pen name was the dilemma I faced when embarking on my literary journey. I knew my name was common so I wanted something that I could brand and set myself apart from others in my field.  I wanted it to be short enough to remember yet easily associated with something memorable. In addition, the key for me was to also make it catchy with a bit of an edge to say the least. To me, pen names should be a conversation piece. So far "Envy Red" has done just that.