Sunday, January 24, 2016
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Susan Corbett - In the Belly of the Elephant - Virtual Book Tour
Non Fiction / Memoir
Date Published: December 18, 2013
Everybody needs to run away from home at least once. Susan Corbett told people she was out to save the world, but really she was running — running from her home as much as to anywhere. Like many women, she was searching for meaning to her life or for a good man to share it with. In Africa, she hoped to find both.
Compelling and compassionate, In the Belly of the Elephant is Susan's transformative story of what happens when you decide to try to achieve world peace while searching for a good man. More than a fish-out-of-water story, it's a surprising and heart-rending account of her time in Africa trying to change the world as she battles heat, sandstorms, drought, riots, intestinal bugs, burnout, love affairs and more than one meeting with death. Against a backdrop of vivid beauty and culture, in a narrative interwoven with a rich tapestry of African myths and fables, Susan learns the true simplicity of life, and discovers people full of kindness, wisdom and resilience, and shares with us lessons we, too, can learn from her experiences.
Excerpt
The first time I met Death was in a tiny bush-town called Foequellie. It was said that the bush devil who sometimes came to town, dancing to a chorus of drummers, was Death. But he was just a local man dressed in rags and a wooden mask.
On a blue morning of sailing clouds,
I crossed the clearing that separated my house from the two-room clinic—the only health facility within a
20-mile radius of thick bush and rain forest. A breeze carried the voices of
chatting mothers and crying babies. It was Under Five’s Day, the weekly clinic for babies
and children up to five years old. Well into my second year as a Peace Corps
volunteer, I worked there, giving nutrition demonstrations and vaccinating
children.
Awake from my morning cup of Nescafé and ready for the day, I passed
through the dappled shade of a cottonwood tree. This was the town’s Ancestor Tree where the ghosts of
great-great-grandfathers, great-aunts, uncles, and cousins hid in the hollows
of the trunk with the snakes and spiders, and high up in the branches among the
leaves and the ricebirds. The Ancestor Tree loomed next to a red dirt road that
twisted its way around the clinic, past my house at the end of town, and on
through hillside plots of rice, potato greens, and cassava.
Women with babies tied to their backs
in cloth slings gathered at the clinic door. They entered and stacked their
yellow “Road
to Health”
cards in a pile that reserved their place, and then sat on benches to wait
their turn and catch up on local gossip.
James, the clinic janitor and local
translator, joined me in the waiting room, a 20-by-10-foot space with a dirt
floor and mud-plastered walls that smelled of baby pee and sweat.
We said our good mornings; then James
explained the causes and treatment of diarrhea. I stood in the center,
squeezing oranges into a bowl. As I demonstrated the pinch of salt and teaspoon
of sugar needed to make rehydration fluid, a woman came in with a round-faced
little girl in tattered shorts and cornrow braids. The two of them sat at the
end of the bench, and the little girl laid her head on her mother’s shoulder and closed her eyes.
Over the next few hours, James and I
worked with Francis, the local physician’s
assistant and clinic “doctor.” We weighed babies, treated skin and
stomach ailments, gave out malaria medication, and vaccinated against smallpox,
whooping cough, and tetanus. Morning cool gave way to the heat of day, and the
rooms grew stuffy. Sometime before noon, I walked back into the waiting room to
call the next in line.
The woman with the little girl took
her daughter’s
hand to lead her in. The girl, about five years old, tried to stand but
collapsed. Her mother caught her, and I ran to grasp the girl’s arm. Her skin burned, and her lips
were chapped and dry. She breathed out a rattled sigh, and her head lolled to
one side.
“Frances!
James!”
I called, and they came in an instant.
__________________________________
A writer, community organizer, and consultant in program management, micro-enterprise development, family planning, and HIV/AIDS education, Susan Corbett began her community development career in 1976 as a Peace Corps Volunteer, working in a health clinic in Liberia, West Africa. In 1979, she joined Save the Children Federation as a program coordinator for cooperative and small business projects in Burkina Faso. In 1982, Susan returned to the States where she has worked with local non-profits in drug and alcohol prevention for runaway youth, family planning, homelessness prevention, and immigrant issues.
Susan has traveled to over 40 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Caribbean, and Central and North America and has lived and worked in ten African countries over the past thirty years (Uganda, Tanzania, Mali, The Gambia, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mauritius, Tunisia, Nigeria, and Liberia). She lives in Colorado with her husband, Steve, her sons, Mitch & Sam, and her dog, Molly.
Contact Information
Website: http://www.susancorbettbooks.com/
Purchase Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/In-Belly-Elephant-Susan-Corbett-ebook/dp/B00HEXVXNE
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/noresults/in-the-belly-of-the-elephant-susan-corbett/1117760316
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/545653
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
New Release - After the Pain!!
After the Pain is here!! Go grab your copy!!!
Barely grasping on to her sanity due to past trauma and unhappiness, LaVonda Ingram leaves her home in search of peace and finds it in the love of a beautiful man. But will she be able to hold on to the healing and peace his love provides?
Kindle: http://amzn.com/B01AHWOI6W
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AHWOI6W
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01AHWOI6W
Amazon Australia: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01AHWOI6W
Nook coming soon
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Final #SampleSunday from After the Pain
Here's the final sample from After the Pain before its release this Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Enjoy!!
It was a peaceful walk, and I did feel myself relax as I wandered among the towering trees and listened to the rustling of leaves as small squirrels scurried about and birds fluttered from tree to tree. I became lost in thoughts of my life back home, my childhood, and my marriage. Thoughts of the handsome, copper-skinned Wade Ingram inundated my mind, and so lost was I in those thoughts that I lost awareness of my surroundings. So when I heard his voice, I was startled into paralysis.
“Hi, there,” he said.
I stood still, my heart pounding fiercely as if attempting to escape my chest. I turned and saw him sitting on the ground, his back against a tree as he twirled a stick around in his hand. Somehow, with sweat shimmering on his brow, he looked even more handsome.
“Nice day for a walk,” he continued.
I nodded, still glued to that spot on the path. “Yes, it is,” I managed to say.
He sat there with a smile on his face, his eyes fixed on mine. In return, I stared at him, letting my eyes follow him as he got to his feet and slowly walked toward me. My breath caught in my throat when he stopped right in front of me...
Be sure to grab your copy on January 12!!!
Monday, January 4, 2016
#MondayMotivation - 2016 Goals
We've been blessed to see another year and with it comes new dreams, aspirations, and goals for many of us. Here are mine along with some other info:
- "Your Destiny" by Kevin LeVar
- "Healing" by Kelly Price
2016 Scriptures:
- "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33 NIV
- "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
- "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." - Psalm 34:10 NIV
2016 Key Words:
- Thankfulness
- Celebration
2016 Literary Goals:
- To publish 5 books
- To finish writing the YA/sci-fi book I've been slowly working on for two years
- To attend at least 3 literary events (already got 2 confirmed)
- To format my poetry book and devotional for paperback
- To at least start writing a screenplay for one of my books
- To read 25 books, (to include a good mix of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction)
- To successfully launch my online course (prayerfully)
- To participate in NaNoWriMo again
2016 Personal Goals
- To celebrate more, even the little things
- To take more time off
- To take better care of myself
- To keep up my gym routine (Lord, help me!)
- To travel more
- To have fun!
What do you have planned for this year? Leave a comment and let me know!
Sunday, January 3, 2016
#SampleSunday - After the Pain Book Soundtrack
Greetings, everyone!! Here's the soundtrack for After the Pain, Book I of the Latter Rain series. I'm so excited about this series!! Anyway, enjoy the soundtrack and get ready to purchase the book on 1/12/16!!
Soundtrack:
“Rain” SWV
“Dark Times” The Weeknd featuring Ed Sheeran
“Zoom” The Commodores
“Cruisin’” Smokey Robinson
“On My Own” Patti LaBelle featuring Michael McDonald
“Papillion” Chaka Khan
“In the Morning” Ledisi
“Amorous” Jesse Boykins III
“A Long Walk” Jill Scott
“Being with You” Smokey Robinson
“Could it be I’m Falling in Love” The Spinners
“Going in Circles” The Friends of Distinction
“Free” Deniece Williams
“Don’t Mess With My Man” Lucy Pearl
“Happy” Surface
“After the Dance” Fourplay featuring El DeBarge
“You, Me and He” Mtume
“Neither One of Us” Gladys Knight and the Pips
“Home” Stephanie Mills
“I’m Going Down” Rose Royce
“You Can’t See for Lookin’” Betty Wright
“After the Pain” Betty Wright
“Booga Bear” Bobby Rush
Monday, December 28, 2015
13 things I accomplished in 2015 - The year in review
It's that time of year where we look back on what we've done in preparation for setting goals for the new year ahead. So here goes! Here is my year in review:
1. Published 6 books:
- Ain't Nobody
- Home
- Summertime: A Novella
- September (The Christina Dandridge Story--a Been So Long Companion Novel)
- Sedução (Seduction) - An Ain't Nobody Prequel
- Poetry from the Soul... for the Soul (Volume II)
2. One of the above books (Home) was written in first person and entirely from a male's perspective.
3. Wrote and published my first fantasy-esque story (Summertime).
4. Wrote and published my first work of historical fiction (September).
5. Participated in several events including the Arkansas Literary Festival!
6. Was nominated for 4 Reading Warrior Awards and won in 2 categories. (See pic below)
7. Spent another year being a full-time author!
9. Was interviewed on a statewide television station!
11. Developed an online course that will debut in 2016.
12. Received my first piece of fan art :)
13. Exceeded my 2015 reading goal by reading 55 books! (I promise this was the hardest goal to accomplish! Finding time to read when I wanted to write was tough. Lowering my reading goal for 2016 for sure.)
How about you guys? What goals did you reach?
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