Welcome to Nayberry Publications

A Whole Year of Perfect Happiness?

There is a reason why God said, no man is created perfect in Romans 3:10, because no matter how hard we try to seek perfection, we always fall short. That is why it is even hard to just think of spending an entire year of perfect happiness.  For this blog carnival Mashawn Mickels asked, “If you could spend one year in Perfect Happiness and afterwards remember nothing of the experience, what would you do and why?”

Well, after making sure that my kids and everyone would survive without me around, I would drive cross-country to Seattle, Washington and purchase a nice and quant rental home close to the shore for six months with the intentions of renting my own little corner of peace. When I traveled there before, the place was absolutely beautiful, especially near the water, and the thought of being in a city where I can experience something new everyday and no one knows my name (heck I do not even have to remember my name for this year of perfect happiness) is enticing.

Why would I seek six months of peace first? At the age of 16, I was a teenage mother and by the age of 19, I had married, practically right out of high school. Therefore, this would definitely be a year of “me” time; yes, a stolen year to concentrate on....well me. In my beautiful cottage on the shore, I would spend countless hours writing, walking, and exploring things that make me happy like dancing and reading. Even though I wouldn’t remember it all, I will reenergize my mind, body, and soul so that I will be more able to handle my life once I’m zapped out of this perfect place. I’d enjoy meditation, exercise, calm and tranquil moments. There will be No Internet Allowed.

What would make this migration so perfect is the fact that I will have no worries there. No bills, no deadlines, no production requirements, and definitely no stress. In these moments of solitude, writing, dancing (oh, yeah I’m going dancing every week :), and reflecting, I think this is where I would find myself without a care in the world, thus Perfect Happiness.

Alas, during the last six months, I'd see the world. After I found myself fully rejuvenated, physically at the top of my game,mentally at the top of my game, and ready for anything, the next six months I'd traveling the world making stops in Paris, Venice, Beijing, and Ghana.While traveling the world, I would be like a sponge experiencing and soaking up all of the information and culture that I could get, even knowing that once the year of perfect happiness was over that I would not remember a thing.

Therefore, each month I will mail myself pictures and letters detailing all of my experiences, the people I met, what we talked about, what we saw. On the last day of this year, I'd mail my journal, so that I could remind myself that once upon a time in this world full of stress, pressure, and war, you experienced a nurturing of the mind body and soul with no interruptions. There was perfect peace, perfect people, and thus perfect happiness.

With my writings and pictures, I would relive this experience over and over again.

 This post was done as a part of Mashawn Mickel's blog carnival. Read more stories from other authors at www.mashawn.com.

In the comment section, name a few things you would do if you had one year of Perfect Happiness.

Thank God for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chances. Be blessed family xoxo

I know as authors, we have been chastised into keeping our composure in the face of negative reviews and/or reader feedback. The natural response when someone scrutinizes your creation can be to respond. I'm generally the type to let things simmer for a minute before I react. I guess it's the Gemini at work; the twins discussing things over with one another.

Back to Reviews

I have always sought out reviews for my books with hopes of getting the initial response of how a reader feels after they finish that last word in a Shani Greene-Dowdell novel. Are they happy, engaged, ready for more -- or do they feel like they have just been dumped on by a whole bunch of literary boo boo, lol. Either way, I'm a big enough girl to take the good with the bad as I grow as a writer. Out of the hundreds of email, word of mouth, and reviews on professional sites that I have received, I have only heard from two readers that said they honestly thought Secrets of a Kept Woman was not worth the reading time. (Note: Secrets of a Kept Woman ranked in the top 11 books in Amazon Kindle Drama for 14 consecutive weeks)

One is a 1-star review in which the reader said the following:

1.0 out of 5 stars

Not worth your time, May 31, 2011 By Fox - This review is from: Secrets of a Kept Woman (Volume 1) (Kindle Edition) This book was really long and drawn out. Is not worth the time or money I invested. Not sure where the other reviews are coming from, but I was very disappointed with this book. Big waste of time.

Getting my first 1 start was like...Ouch! But as I said before, I'm a BIG GIRL I can take it literally. Plus, I'm aware that not everyone has the same taste and all readers will not like my work. However, the next review 21 days later gave the book 3 stars, which is two points higher than the prior review. However, something about this reviewer's venom for Secrets gave me pause. It took me a while to realize the bones that I had to pick with Review #2 (Note: I have no bone to pick with the reviewer. Thanks for your patronage and time in reading Secrets of a Kept Woman).

This is her review:

Please Believe me! _ June 21, 2011 By Tawanna "SuperBad ;-)" Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets of a Kept Woman (Volume 1) (Kindle Edition) Wow..where do I start...This book was all over the place...One chapter you would hear that Gladys didn't want to tell her friends about the abuse she suffered and in the proceeding chapter Shayla would speak about how Gladys needed to get out of her abuse marriage...This book was sorry...and a struggle to get through but because I hate not finishing what I started...I finished it...How is it that Big Shirley (an undercover cop) was responsible for killing the hustlers on the corner in retaliation? I mean how unrealistic...The only realistic part in all of this was the mistress getting pregnant by her bf's hubby...Which is one of the reasons why I gave the book 3 stars instead of one...Also, because of Shayla's spiritual side...Why would Shayla be loving or in love with the pool boy so soon when he was only brought into the story for 3 hours of pool cleaning...Bottom line is this book was ridiculous and the only reason some ppl gave it 5 stars is either they are family & friends of the author or they just liked the drama of it...

My Issues with this Review

1) This review contains spoilers, yet the reviewer was not considerate enough to put a spoiler alert at the beginning of it. After the 1-point review above, I did not see a dip in sales. However, after the spoilers in this 3-point review, sales declined. Just because Superbad doesn't like it, she's gone and spoiled it for other readers who might actually be able to pick up on the things that she couldn't, which leads me to #2.

2) Okay, so this reviewer could not believe that in one chapter Gladys' friends knew she was in an abusive marriage, but yet in following chapters Gladys didn't want people to know. HELLO! Even in the real world people walk around thinking no one knows they are abused, when the only one who thinks it is a secret is them. Shades can only cover so much. This issue is serious to me, and as someone who lived in a home with domestic violence I know these things first hand.

3) Though some of the issues are very real, I write fiction novels!!!!! Fiction people, fiction. Big Shirley is comedic relief and fictitous. After all, she is a midget gangbanger who is revealed to be an undercover cop. Ever seen the movie Deep Cover...well, she loses herself in whatever the game is she is playing!  I respect this reviewers opinion, because sometimes it is hard to tell between what's real and what's fiction, so is life at times.

4) What I don't respect and cannot reconcile with this review is underestimating the author's "friends and family" as if they would not write a genuine review. I've had family and friends tell me that they didn't like certain things about my writing and strangers tell me that they love every word. People really are diverse! The ultimate condencending line of the reviewer (who purchased a drama novel, to boot) is that "they just liked the drama of it," which is not particularly a bad thing for a drama fiction novel --IJS ;-)

It's okay not to like a book and it's okay to write your opinion. I just feel the author should also be able to respond, so here is my response. I look forward to your reviews good or bad and believe it or not, Suberbad in NC's review has been on my mind as I create my next dramatic/erotic thriller, so if you like the drama of all that Shanibooks has to offer...stay tuned.

Love ya ta pieces!

Shani Greene-Dowdell

P.S.  I want to hear from you. Leave your review on Amazon, BN, or Shanibooks.com of any my sites.

Here is some information that authors can use about booksignings. If you like what you read here, go to www.shanibooks.com/workshops.htm and check out upcoming classes, DVDs, and other information.

When thinking of a story that would keep readers on the edge of their seat, the theme Secrets of a Kept Woman sprang forward like a pendulum and the drama of finding out why a woman’s best friend would taint a beautiful friendship by coveting her best friend’s husband was mind boggling. Intrigued with the idea of exploring this imaginary drama, I started writing Secretsof a Kept Woman in 2006.

The story developed from a scene of Rhonda Jackson telling her dearest friend that she will talk to her later only to crawl back into bed with her dear friend’s husband for round two of the best sex she has ever had. Whoa…yeah, you read that right.

The fact that she’s in love with her best friend’s husband doesn’t deter her, nor give her the slightest bit of humility. She’s determined to have what she wants. She’s determined to live her life to the fullest, and if that means having a piece ofwhat belongs to her friend, then so be it.

Having just written about two women that were staunch enemies engaging in a power struggle over a man in Keepin' It Tight, I thought what if they were best friends? That surely would make things more interesting and the devastation of the betrayal even more dynamic. I didn’t know where Rhonda Jackson’s character of the “kept woman” betraying her friend would take me on this whimsical writing journey, but her voice and mannerisms spoke for her.

She is a living and breathing character! Rhonda is a woman that has been betrayed all of her life, even by her own mother - the person that was supposed to love and protect her. Therefore, she finds it easy to throw away a life time of friendship for the love of a man.

When she was only 16 years old her mother chose a man over her throwing her out onto the street, so she can’t really figure out what’s the big deal. Sometimes life lets us down, right? Her best friend that took her off the street and gave her shelter in the storm should just get over the loss of her her husband, right? Things happen, right?

There is real truth behind Rhonda's betrayal and that is her very own pain and desparation.

Since the beginning of time, people have betrayed one another in friendships. Just as Cane slew Able, sisters and brothers to this day kill, hurt, and betray each other for less than a bag of chips. Jealousy, greed, and desperation are a few deadly sins that affect friendships – but nothing affects relationship more than how we are trained to treat people. Well, not necessarily trained as in attending aclass or workshop, but what we observe from our surroundings as we grow in one way or another comes out.

As the saying goes, trash in...trash out:roll:

Ever heard the saying, "you train people how to treat you?" Well, this is true to a certain extent. However, people really begin to learn the way they are going to interact with others from the moment they are born. If a baby is nurtured and loved to grow in a healthy environment, they will be more likely to have healthy relationships and friendships.

As the world taints us all with her many imperfections, it is up to individuals to decide how we are going to treat each other.

So…no more Secrets?  Let's make that no more Secrets after you’ve read Secrets of a Kept Woman.

Enjoy your summer reading!

When you hear the words, "there is no substitute for hard work," you better believe it because it is so true. Sometimes people think what you do is easy and wish and pray to be in your shoes, but if they could take a look through your lens to see the long hours, sacrifices, and hard work that you put in to see your dreams become reality they would know that it's not all roses. They would also be able to see that their dreams are at their fingertips - on the other end of hard work. 

Don't believe the hype. Reaching your dream will take Hard Work. There is no substitute.

~Shani

When realization comes

neither you or I

have the capacity

of hearing or understanding

there are no more

words to be spoken

so we weather the storm

until the river begins to calm

slow and steady

silence whispers

pearls of wisdom

in our ear

saying if the love

was ever so true

as the connection

between me and you

no simple storm will do

to break the life line

that was built for us two

the bond may get weak

but it will never break

the love may change

but even then

it remains the same

When realization comes

(c) Shani Greene-Dowdell, 2010 - Nayberry Publications

This week, Ebony Adams was a guest blogger at the Black Love is Beautiful Blogspot and these are her thoughts on being Stripped and Restored through God.

***

Iwas listening to Bishop Eddie Long one night and his sermon spoke to mein a way that touched me. In his sermon, he used the example of afather taking something away from his child, something that the childloved very much. However, the child only loved it so much because hewasn't aware of the fact that there was something even better than whathe had out there waiting for him in life. The child was unaware that hehad higher blessings waiting for him in the Kingdom of God. Therefore,the child cried, and became sad because he lost something that hethought was good.

In the eyes of the father, he had taken awaythe "toy" the child had, in order to give his son a shiny, new bike.Bishop Eddie Long used this example of the toy to illustrate how Godoften does us. We cry and pray and have the nerve to get very upsetover life's trials, and then when things are taken away from us,whether it be a man, woman, family member, material things, or a job,we feel as if God has taken something very valuable from us and we arehurt. In all honesty, it usually is something or someone that we haveput a lot of worth into and means a lot to us. It could be a personthat we think we can not live without. However, if we were to allowourselves to step out of the box for a minute and think along the linesthat ‘God has NEVER taken anything or anyone out of my life and notgiven them something even better’ we would be better off in the end.

Afterlosing someone from our lives, it is a very emotional time and we arestill emotionally attached to that person and feel that they are stillwith us in spirit. Your loved one may have seemed to have left you now,which is devastating, but if you allow him to God will change things inyou to prepare you for the changed man/woman you're praying about.Then, he will make that person an even better person than you everimagined them to be!

The same goes for jobs. I lost a job thatI truly thought was the best job ever and I thought I would keep thatjob for years. The job was in my field, it was nearby, it paid well,and I loved going to work everyday. But when God all of a sudden tookthat job from me, I was so hurt that I cried. My husband did his bestto encourage me, but I honestly didn't even want to work in my fieldanymore. It was GOD that stepped in and showed me that I had been onthat job for the time he intended me to be there, but it was time forme to get an even better job, and do even bigger things.

Thepoint I'm trying to stress here is that God will never take anythingaway from you without giving you something ten times better than whatyou had, so rejoice in trials, rejoice in tribulations, and justrejoice to be rejoicing. If you know like I know, then you know God hasa plan bigger than anything we could ever conceive.

Be blessed in the Lord family!

Ebony Adams is an inspirational blogger at Ebony’s Intricate Mind.She currently works in information technology and is an aspiringauthor. Visit her on the web at http://ebonysintricatemind.blogspot.com/

For more from the Black Love is Beautiful blogspot, go to www.blackloveisbeautiful.blogspot.com

Valentine Day Poetry 

Enticing

Tantalizing

Sweetheart Kisses

Warm

Charming

Sweetheart Kisses

Read More

Mass Graves...Gruesome. Horrifying.

A sadness that will live in the minds and hearts of onlookers for years to come.

According to video footage aired on Fox News Networkthis week, the hillsides of Port-au-Prince have become a mass gravesite. Images of a trash truck driving up to the deserted land;unloading first trash and debris into a 30-foot deep hole does not seemmuch out of the ordinary. It's when immediatelyfollowing the unloading of the trash and out flows human remains -arms, legs, and even entire corpses of men, women and children. It waswithin those images that harsh reality of the Haiti Crisis became alltoo real.

View the rest of this article at Associated Content. Clicking the link below will help raise money and awareness for Haiti.

Read More