collective cooperation – Books2Inspire https://books2inspire.com Words. Spark. Change Thu, 03 Jun 2021 16:22:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://books2inspire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/favicon-1.png collective cooperation – Books2Inspire https://books2inspire.com 32 32 The Barrel https://books2inspire.com/the-barrel/ https://books2inspire.com/the-barrel/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2020 13:13:22 +0000 http://books2inspire.com/?p=474 My next book, the Barrel, will be coming out soon and if you don’t know what this book is about let me explain it some more. The Barrel is a prolific story about a family of crabs that can’t seem to get it together to help one another out which ends up in their demise. Yes, I know this is not the typical children’s story because it does not have a happy ending, but I also believe in telling your children the truth. I wrote this story inspired by what was going on in the world with the social injustice but keeping in mind that this is a problem that didn’t just appear. We have had problems for centuries with people not caring about the lives of others who are of a different class, race, and sometimes even within the same race. I am not trying to get down on my own people, but we have A LOT of work to do, if we are to become a force to be reckoned with. I can’t pretend that as black people that we are not part of the problem. For many years of living in the South I have come to realize that some of the ideology and actions of our own have created barriers for our growth. I can’t pretend that perhaps if we weren’t so concerned with individualism rather than the concerns of the collective that we would not be in a far better position than we are. So, I created a book that illustrates this covert issue and hopefully will inspire our children to take on a different approach. Allyship is great when it comes to other races helping blacks but where is the allyship within our own race as well? At times, I have felt less help from my own people than I have from those of a different race. I know me saying this may threaten the core of everything that you may believe, and I expect to get some criticism for it, but this is my truth and I will speak it. I put myself in this vulnerable position to bring awareness and INSIST that change happen. I do hope you understand and if not, that is fine too. I want my children to have the opportunity to grow up in a world where others’ interests are put before their own because other’s interests ARE their own. I am a Christian and believe that we are brothers and sisters in Christ so we should be looking out for one another and right now I feel like it is every man for itself. This pandemic has sadly highlighted how others are quick to serve their own interests over other’s well-being. This is something that makes me sad often, but I realize that I am not in control and it reminds me exactly who is in control. So, I make my peace with this and hope for a change. A positive one. And if this can’t happen in my lifetime, I pray that it will happen in my children’s.

OAN: Very sad to see Chadwick Boseman go. I like so many others, did not know him personally but he certainly left his mark on the world. His movie, The Black Panther, had such an impact on EVERYONE because of its themes of black empowerment, ingenuity, and idealism. It gave us black people hope of a better future but rather than hope, we need to work on creating this as a reality. It really starts with us…

Again, thank your taking time out of your day to read my blog. I write from my heart with no holding back and I hope you appreciate my willingness to share my innermost thoughts and feelings. If you like what I do, don’t forget to subscribe.

]]> https://books2inspire.com/the-barrel/feed/ 4 Exciting updates! https://books2inspire.com/exciting-updates/ https://books2inspire.com/exciting-updates/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2020 18:34:02 +0000 http://books2inspire.com/?p=427 Happy Monday ya’ll!!!!!!!! I decided to do this impromptu blog because I wanted to share some updates with you all about what is coming next with Books2Inspire. And it’s A LOT….lol. So I thought I might write it down so I can make sure I don’t miss anything. SO, here you go…

First and foremost, my latest book “The Barrel” will be coming soon. The illustrator is very meticulous and is taking her sweet time on these illustrations but it’s all good because she does good work. I LOVE what she has so far so I know you will too. It’s almost like something out of a cartoon or Pixar movie. It’s THAT good. So, patience is a virtue and I will be patient and hope you will do the same. If you don’t follow me on social media, this ebook will be about collective cooperation. It is intended for children between the age of 6-8 but I think that all children older and younger can grasp this concept. The Barrel is about the demise of a family of crabs who unfortunately can’t get it together to help one another. This book does not have a happy ending so if you are looking for a fairy tale type story, this is not it! It emphasizes the importance of working together for the greater good. So, I hope you like it. I leave it up to interpretation what exact concepts I am referring to with the story I have told.

The next book that will coming out after this is Carrie the Photographer in the fall. Now this book will be in print version and ebook version. It is the story of a Latinx girl who has an eating disorder. It encourages girls to look deeper within as well as love their natural bodies too. With social media, there is so pressure to be perfect and fit this body image that is unattainable. So, I want young girls to embrace their authentic selves and realize that their uniqueness is what makes them beautiful. I have an illustrator who shares the same background as the lead character so there will be all those LatinX touches in the book that will highlight the aspects of this culture. I can’t wait….

I have a vendor event coming up where I will be selling my books. I will be at The Black Flea Market at the Kappa Center in Raleigh on Sunday, August 30th. This will be my third event there, so I am excited. I enjoy working with Queen Hustle and find the whole Black Flea Market experience to be so inviting and exciting. I have had some bad experiences with certain vendors (they will remain nameless) but Queen Hustle is A1; both professional and personable. I thank Queen Hustle for making me a part of their regular lineup.

Coming very soon, I will be on 103.9 The Light; at least my voice will be. The radio station will be running regular radio ads about my business from 8/23-8/30. So, make sure to listen up to hear more about my business and SUPPORT, SUPPORT, SUPPORT! I can’t say this enough…I can not do what I do without money so please make sure to support. The ebooks I provide for free were not illustrated for free. Illustrators cost money and yes, even though I get some good deals it is still hundreds of dollars. I am not going to beg because I have too much pride for that, lol, but I do want you to understand that when you can and if you can, please support with your dollars. I want to be able to continue to offer free ebooks to you to spread my books among the masses but can’t continue to afford to do that if you don’t buy my books that come with a price. I try my very best to also use my dollars to support other small black businesses and would appreciate any support that can be offered in return. Thanks in advance!

Finally this month, I will be doing an interview centered around the viral Coronavirus ebook “Why We Stay Home” by medical students, Samantha Harris and Devon Scott. It has had over 40,000 downloads, translated in multiple languages, and was actually featured on the PBS news hour. In addition, it is inspired the two medical students to create a whole Millie and Suzie series, where they discuss various type of doctors and parts of the body. I love this! They are medical students writing children’s books about health and black to boot? I knew I had to interview them.

Well that’s about it. I am glad you tuned in and hope to see you back soon!

Love and light,

Kira

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