Continuing to just take time to listen, support, and boost the voices of Black creators & storytellers. ❤️📚. Today I want to reshare a post from @hereweeread, a wonderful account highlighting diverse books and educational products to help raise the next generation of children. I have a special place in my heart for kid lit and the role these books have in shaping our youth’s minds and hearts. 🌈. And also on that note, @meena’s new kids book just came out this week as well, titled KAMALA AND MAYA’S BIG IDEA about her mother and aunt; it’s the second book pictured in my slider and absolutely worth checking out for your kiddos or even yourself!.
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📸 photos by @hereweeread and @meena.
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#weneeddiversebooks — 74 12

Continuing to just take time...

#blackouttuesday with all my love and support. ❤️.
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I’m also looking for writing/filmmaking/storytelling/literacy nonprofits that support and liftup POC for me to get involved with. Local to California would be great but would love any & all recs. Please share in the comments if you know any great ones. 👇🏻. — 120 7

#blackouttuesday with all my love...

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I’m not Black, so I...

I have been working on this for you guys for SO long and it’s finally ready to share! 🍾✨ 📚My FREE pdf download featuring insider tips on over 40 places to score free physical books, ebooks, audiobooks, and even comics! Pop on over to the link in my bio and grab yourself this free downloadable to get started snagging ALL the books. I wanted to put together a resource that would help you guys during COVID to inspire/entertain/educate yourselves, your families, kids etc. ❤️📖Of course, as an author I advocate buying a book if/when you can to support authors you love, but that’s just not always realistic and everyone should be able to experience the joys of reading. (Plus, you can still support in other ways by leaving reviews, telling friends to buy, spreading the love of a book etc.). Tell me, do you have any tips on where to get books from? (P.S. if you’re curious, my no.1 source for myself is on page 3— it’s the public library’s “Libby” app, which a lot of people still don’t know about and has the best ebook selection ever!!!). •
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#freebooks #freebook #getfreebook #getfreebooks #bookish #alwaysreading #librarylife #readingisfundamental #readingtime #readersunite #bookaholic #readersgonnaread #bookgiveaways #bookstagramgiveaway #bookishcommunity — 258 65

I have been working on...

I did it! I finally read a book I’ve had on my TBR list for years! Just finished HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE by Dale Carnegie and I loved it. Where to start? So . . . this book was written in 1936, but it was rewritten in the 80’s making it super easy to read. It doesn’t feel dated at all, except for the historical examples which were actually very cool because he talks about prominent figures during that era. (And this is coming from someone who usually doesn’t gravitate toward history books). I thought this book would be “salesy” and maybe that’s why I put it off for so long even though its consistently ranked one of the 100 most influential books. (I’m not really into fake/salesy stuff —I hate “networking”, etc.) BUT I was so surprised by all the fantastic takeaways on how to deal with “difficult” people and arguments. Bottom line: If you want people to treat you well, treat them well! 😉. Some of my favorite tips:.
📖Don’t criticize or complain.
📖Be appreciative.
📖Be genuinely interested in other people.
📖Smile.
📖Be a good listener.
📖Try honestly to see things from the other’s POV.
📖When you’re wrong, admit it.
📖Show sympathy and empathy for others.
Have you read this one? 👍🏻👎🏻.
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💃dress by @freepeople.
👚sweater by @ullajohnson.
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#howtowinfriendsandinfluencepeople #nonfiction #nonfictionbooks #nonfictionbook #mustread #mustreads #dalecarnegie #dalecarnegiequotes #businessbook #businessbooks #girlboss #girlbosshustle #ullajohnson — 252 105

I did it! I finally...

Just a little reminder to take time each day to do something you love! Even if it’s just to read one chapter of that new book on your shelf or write a few paragraphs of prose. There are 24 hours in a day—you can take 30 min for yourself, I promise. 😘. (As a corporate lawyer sometimes billing 200+ hour months, I had to tell myself this daily. No one is going to give us the time to do these things—we have to take it for ourselves!). •
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🐆 leggings by @onzie.
👚top by @urbanoutfitters.
📖Do What You Love by @leigh.standley.
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#writinginspiration #writinginspo #livecreatively #livecreative #dowhatyoulove #inspirationalbooks #inspirationalbook #animalprintleggings #authorillustrator #writerscommunity #athomewithuo — 244 90

Just a little reminder to...

I’ve got about 8 more chapters to go to finish the second draft of my new YA urban fantasy manuscript and it got me thinking... Do you guys read authors who write more than one genre? Because I read all kinds of YA and I write it, too! The first book I wrote was a YA romance/coming of age, my second book is a YA survival thriller, and then after this urban fantasy I want to write an homage to my favorite 80s/90s teen horrors (think SCREAM and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER). So...do you read whatever the authors you love write OR will you only read one genre of theirs? People I see who I personally think do multi-genres well:
•Jennifer Armentrout (YA fantasy, NA and Adult romance, YA thriller).
•Stephen King/Richard Bachman (horror and literary/upmarket fiction).
•Abbi Glines (NA fantasy, NA romance, YA romance).
•Neil Gaiman (what genre doesn’t he write? 😂).
•JK Rowling/Robert Galbraith (MG/YA fantasy and literary fiction).
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#alwaysreading #booklovers #writerscommunity #writersgonnawrite #writenow #amwriting #writingtips #writinginspiration #writinglife #youngadultfiction #youngadultbooks — 293 110

I’ve got about 8 more...

Raise your hand if you miss the bookstore. ✋🏻.
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This photo was taken at @thewritersblocklv in Las Vegas. Bet you didn’t know Vegas has a killer bookstore like this one! Definitely worth checking out next time you’re on the Strip. Sending all my indie bookstores love right now & patiently waiting to come back in and shop!🃏♠️📚😉.
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#inthestacks #saveindiebookstores #bookstore #bookstores #indiebookstore #indiebookstores #bookstorefinds #yabooks #bookstack #bookstacks #lasvegas #lasvegaslife #bookstorelife #nationalbookstore — 352 105

Raise your hand if you...

Best Book Recommendations

Find your next great read here!

Breaking down the best book recommendations on RektokRoss.com, by category:

beach reads

camping books

travel books

winter reads

romance

witches

anthologies

tearjerkers