[a collage of 4 photos, from left to right, top then bottom: a standing chalkboard sign with "Girls' Night Out Guest Authors: Nora Roberts/JD Robb Lucy Score Madison Score Carla Vergot Lisa Proulx Sherianne Nemby; 3 stacks of paperback copies of Iktome by Sherianne Newby and 1 stack of Nomad Through Time: A Poetic Collection by Sherianne Newby; 1 stack of Lily Barlow: The Mystery of Jane Dough and 2 stacks of Lily Barlow: The Mystery in the Mangroves; a canvas tote bag with "Turn the Page Bookstore Boonsboro, Maryland"]     [a collage of 2 photos from left to right: a tall street light post with an attached banner reading "LOVE your Local Boonsboro, Md Gifts Inn Boonsboro; a standing chalkboard sign with "GNO Thur May 9th 5-9PM curiouser & curiouser Town Wide Event" leaning against the outer wall of a boutique that sells a variety of new and vintage merchandise]   [a collage of 2 photos from left to right: smiling author Lucy Score seated at a tabl

  [bookstack of 5 books: Finders Keepers by Sandra Kitt, That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming, The Rule Book by Sarah Adams, The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong]  [two packaged "Golden Bowl fortune cookie" next to a set of decorative chopsticks and a stainless steel dinner fork arranged against a crinkled sheet of tissue paper - image inspired by Sandra Kitt's book]  It's been a lovely start to the month of May with celebrating workers and the labor movement, a cultural phenomenon of a decades-long movie franchise, and Mexico's 1862 victory over France.  And no, I'm not ignoring the civil unrest and protests across the United States and around the world. We're at a crossroads as a society that's deciding if we are sincere in our claims of liberty and justice for all [people].  For clarity: I am pro-freedom, pro-equal justice, pro-people, anti

[book stack of 9 library books from top to bottom: Can't We Be Friends: A Novel of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, Don't Go Baking My Heart, Only and Forever, Maya's Laws of Love, The Corpse in the Closet, One of Us Knows, Happily Never After, Double Lives, The Poisoner's Ring]   [Brave. Black. First. box of 100 postcards with Faith Ringgold postcard angled on top of the box]  [resolve.org Walk of Hope for fertility awareness at the Charlotte Knights stadium] [outdoor table setting: a white china dinner plate trimmed in silver with a floral border - a friend green tomato sandwich arranged next to basket of rippled potato chips and a thimble of ketchup; a Mason jar glass of lemonade, 2 water glasses, a bowl half-full of Mac & cheese]  https://www.pennyroyalstation.com/  

  My usual weekend post about books and bookish topics is being pushed aside today by the ongoing stressful aftermath of what had been an awesome experience with Howard University's PitchHU 3.0 cohort business incubator last year from April to June. More details here:  https://swimmissionswimcapsaga.blogspot.com/    Sometimes it's so hard to make progress as a creative, indie inventor, founder or entrepreneur or someone who's working toward expanding access for themselves and other people who are routinely excluded.  My SwimMission Swim Cap prioritizes the hair health, appearance and protection needs of people who wear a swim cap to cover their hair, especially very thick coily, kinky, curly, voluminous, long or otherwise high-maintenance hair types like braids, locs, chemically straightened, color-treated or fragile, when it's dry and to keep it dry. So typical swim caps with "wet hair first" instructions automatically exclude them.  The tedious patent applic

[Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco, Hathor and the Prince by J.J. McAvoy, Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe, A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril by Manda Collins]     Silver Under Nightfall (Reaper #1) by Rin Chupeco  dark fantasy with romantic elements  Saga Press, 2022  Remy Pendergast is dealing with a lot: unsavory family dynamics, deadly conflicts, uncomfortable desires, insidious coercion, zealots, painful truths and more. His angsty journey is heartrending and terrifying with moments of unexpected humor. Silver Under Nightfall creates a fantastical universe that blends assorted undead tropes and royal court intrigues in fresh ways. And as usual, the humans are as monstrous as the monsters.  This passage from chapter 36 seems particularly relevant to the story and real life:   The only true power within Elouve, it seemed, lay with old men who should long ago have been relegated to obscurity. Change only occurred when they allowed it, according to what they conside

  My book bingey ways of reading for joy and to alleviate stress - and my life is very stressful right now - continue:   Her Own Happiness by Eden Appiah-Kubi  Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney  The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka  The Duchess (Scandalous Ladies of London #2) by Sophie Jordan  Really Cute People by Markus Harwood-Jones  Relit : 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories edited by Sandra Proudman  This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets edited by Kwame Alexander  Sylvia's Second Act by Hillary Yablon  Every Single Secret by Christina Dodd  Take time to write actual reviews or use that time to read more pages?  My decision is obvious.  Happy Poetry Month!  Keep reading (which includes audiobooks, comix, graphic novels, Braille...:-)