One Writer's Life Lessons - The Scourge of Procrastination & Int'l Potluck BlogFest

Picture Source - Taking St0ck

I'm sure you've heard it said that you should 'never put off for tomorrow what you can do today'. My mother used this adage many times during my childhood. I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to those words, but was recently caught in a situation of my own making due to procrastination

I made some changes in my life in 2014 and among the things I decided to do was spend more time on writing and editing. I've been writing mainly non-fiction, but in that time I also did a refresher course in editing. Thing is, this course had a six-month completion deadline.

I did 13 lessons, 13 exams and 15 assignments. The final exam was the only thing left for me to complete at the end of June. For some reason I do not understand now, I didn't do the final exam after the 13th assignment and course test. I told myself that with a six-month window, I could come back and do the finals some time in July. Who knew six months would go by in a jiffy? Certainly not me.

Less than a week ago, I decided to sit down and do that final test. Took out my folder, went over all the course material and then opened up the website. What did I find? I missed the six-month window by a few days. End result? I had to shell out $US59.00 (in addition to what I paid to do the course) to cover the test and certificate. In Jamaican dollars, that's $6,550.00.

Being a cheapskate, I cut my losses and took the 'free' option, which is to accept a certificate with accreditation for Proofreading & Copy Editing based on the classes/tests I had already done, with a final grade of 92%.

Lesson learned? Do it today! 

Faced with the same situation, what would you do?

The experience shared today is part of One Writer's Life Lessons.

I signed up for the International Potluck Blogfest hosted by Lexa Cain, Beth Fred and  Medeia Sharif and since I won't be posting again until Wedneday, here goes. Participating is this Blogfest is simple:

~ Put the bloghop badge on your post.
~ Post the cover of a book you love (it can be your own) with a food and/or recipe from the book, or a food from the MC's region, or any food you just like!
~ Link back to Beth, Media, and Lexa.

~ A copy of Beth's Finding Hope, Medeia's Snip, Snip, Revenge, and Lexa's Soul Cutter, plus a $10 Amazon gift card will be given away via Rafflecopter!

I've used a copy of a book I own, The Real Taste of Jamaica by a renowned Jamiacan cook, Enid Donaldson. The book contains the recipe for the National Dish, Ackee & Saltfish, which is a favourite of mine. Ackee is a vegetable that grows on a tree and when cooked, it kinda looks like scrambled eggs. It's good with bacon, corned pork, ham, sausage. Some people even prepare it with flaked red herring.

1 lb saltfish (codfish)

2 dozen Ackee

1 onion

Diced cooking tomatoes

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tbsp. Oil

1. Soak saltfish overnight or alternately, boil to get rid of the salt. Flake saltfish.

2.  Fry additional items you may use - bacon, corned pork, etc.

3. Clean ackee by removing seed and pink lining (which is poisonous).

4. Boil for 20 minutes (or less, depending on the ackee) in salt water and then drain.

5. Saute onion and tomatoes.

6. Add saltfish / bacon / corned pork.

7. Add black pepper and salt (if necessary).

8. Saute briefly to blend flavours.

9. Serve hot with Johnny cakes (fried dumplings) or boiled green bananas.

  

There you have it A Taste of Jamaica. 

Ackee & Saltfish

 

Snip, Snip Revenge

STORYLINE:  Tabby, a self-absorbed teenager with gorgeous hair, loses her crowning glory through a planned mishap. Although she has a wonderful group of friends and is popular at school, she feels invisible to her family and that without her hair she’s a nonentity. The radical change in her looks takes her on a journey of discovery that changes her life.

PLAYERS: Tabby Karim is a spunky, Turkish-American teenager who doesn’t take any foolishness from anybody. With her supportive group of friends, she weathers attacks from a racist schoolmate, plus a teacher who seems to have it in for her. Tabby is also wrapped up in her own idea of beauty and is the typical teenager, thinking the world revolves around her needs. Plus, she’s a drama queen.

Tabby’s love interest, Michael, seems to be the epitome of what she adores in a boy. The only trouble is that her friends don’t quite see him that way. Micheal is good-looking and considerate and looks like ideal boyfriend material.  

I LIKED: the fact that Tabby comes across as a real teenager. She’s a good kid, but has a streak or rebelliousness a mile wide. She stands up for her friends and does the right thing, which makes her an admirable character.

I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT: the periods Tabby goes through when she thinks she’s not important to her family. It is painful for any child to believe they don’t have a place where they belong. Tabby often feels like an outsider, which makes her act out. However, this is part of what makes the story work and helps with her growth process as her point of view shifts.

OVERALL COMMENTS: Tabby grows and changes as the book progresses, which makes her story worth reading. She moves from being self-centred to caring about how her actions affect other people, owns up to her mistakes and makes amends. I found her dilemma with her hair touching. It’s a rude awakening for her, when what she equates as being important is taken away from her and she begins to feel invisible. She adapts to her situation and learns how to make it work for her. Though Tabby is sneaky, the thing I admire most about her as a character is the fact that she has an active conscience that forces her to do right by the people she wrongs.

COVER NOTE: The emphasis on the hair works, as much of Snip, Snip Revenge is about Tabby’s life, before and after her beautiful hair is lost.

Snip, Snip Revenge is Here!

Talented MG & YA writer, Medeia Sharif, has a new book on the scene. I look forward to reading her latest and can't wait to get started. How about you?

SNIP, SNIP REVENGE by Medeia Sharif

YA Contemporary, Evernight Teen

Release Date April 25, 2014

Beautiful, confident Tabby Karim has plans for the winter: nab a role in her school’s dramatic production, make the new boy Michael hers, and keep bigoted Heather—with her relentless Ay-rab comments—at bay. When a teacher’s lie and her father’s hastiness rob her of her beautiful hair, her dreams are dashed. The fastest barber in Miami Beach has made her look practically bald.

With all her pretty hair gone, Tabby doesn’t believe she fits the feminine role she’s auditioning for. Michael is still interested in her, but he’s playing it cool. Heather has taken to bullying her online, which is easier to do with Tabby’s ugly haircut. Tabby spearheads Operation Revenge, which proves satisfying until all of her problems deepen. After messing up, she sets to make things right.

Author Bio

I’m a Kurdish-American author who was born in New York City, and I presently call Miami my home. I received my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. After becoming a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer dabbling in many genres in college, I found my niche writing for young people. Today I'm a MG and YA writer published through various presses. In addition to being a writer, I'm a middle school English teacher. My memberships include Mensa, ALAN, and SCBWI.

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