The Return To Writing Creatively

The last 13 years of my writing life have been as a journalist.

I report stories and I research topics for radio. Strictly the facts, simply stated. For radio, my well stated opinion of those facts.

The journalism rule, has become a grind.

*insert long yawn here*

My soul is fed by well crafted stories. Non-fiction, fiction, memoir...I love reading them and wanted my turn writing them.

2015 is about returning to the things I love.

More reading, more writing are near the top of this list.

Below is a list of some great authors and their work that has fed my soul in past few years.

Sister Souljah responds

Ok, so I was disappointed in the end in "Midnight".

I wrote to Souljah and she hit me RIGHT back. The problem is.....she gave me a half canned answer and did not answer my question.

Should I be insulted  by the elementary nature of this?

Peace & Greetings Patricia Muhammad, (Note: My name is NOT PATRICIA)

Thank you for purchasing my novel, MIDNIGHT A GANGSTER LOVE STORY.
Thank you for reading and feeling it as well as understanding it's place in
our culture, particularly for our youth.

Please allow me to clarify about the ending. First of All, MIDNIGHT is a prequel.
This means that it involves the events that happened in MIDNIGHT'S life BEFORE
he went to prison, BEFORE he met Santiaga, BEFORE he met Winter.

Therefore, no reader should have expected to find out  the update or conclusion
of The Coldest Winter Ever from a prequel. What will happen next, God willing,
is the third portion of this trilogy shall be published. It will be the bridge that allows me, the author to tie everything together nicely, hopefully, seamlessly--a beautiful flow and not a forced effort. Feel me?

I understand the urgency our community feels and has for meaningful conversation
and products. Strangely, the task of providing them has fallen squarely on my shoulders because so many people have abandoned the effort, the African community, the youth and the culture and MORALS that used to be automatic!

i will publish, God willing, the next installment as soon as I can. Readers will NOT have to wait ten years again. During that interval, like most good women, i was working quite hard at several businesses and in loving my husband and raising my son and yes cooking,"from scratch."

So my sister, thank you for your acknowledgement and expression of both love and concern. I accept it and I return to you at equal velocity.

Respectfully,
Sister Souljah

P.S. As for the invitations, speaking is a separate business for me, (completely different than book signings which are sponsored by my piublisher). I will await your invite but please know that professional fees will be required to bring me all the way to Kentucky! No disrespect intended. Much Love...

***What say you readers???????

An open letter to Sister Souljah

Greetings to you Sister,

I just finished "Midnight" (around 2 a.m.) after purchasing it late Friday night.

I want you to know how excited I was about it. I am a newspaper publisher and could have requested an advance copy but wanted to wait and buy it to first show support and next to read it as others were too.

As I began reading I thought it was a lofty aspiration to attempt to speak in the first person of a seven year old African Muslim boy and then a maturing one and finally an "adult" one.

But let me say, you succeeded. I was so drawn to the story because the story line answered so many common questions I get as a Muslim woman who operates a business, homeschools, sews and bakes "from scratch".

But I have to say I was totally disappointed with the ending. I still don't know what turned Midnight into the person who worked for Winter's dad in "The Coldest Winter Ever".

Is there another book coming out next?

Souljah, I wanted to share with you how much I really admire your writing and your style. I think it is masterful that you are able to weave these urban tales in a way that captures the teens and their parents (or aunts in my case). Another job well done! (Except that ending girl!) I'd like to know for myself if there is another prequel coming out.

But I also want to let you know that I will be sending you two invitations to your business address.
One will be an invitation to speak to my radio audience and another to invite you as a speaker for a major women's writers conference that goes on here in Kentucky. I am chair of the Sonia Sanchez Lecture Series but will tell you more in the formal correspondance.

Inshallah, when we speak in the months to come I will attempt to remind you of a brief conversation we had when I met you in Chicago about 10 years ago :-)

Thanks for the great read and please let me know about that ending.

As-Salaam Alaikum,
Sister P