The Struggles of Indie Authors

So after years of blogging, I finally decided to write my own books. Yes, I am now an official author with six books published under my pen name C.C. Miller...all of which are erotica novels (don't judge me). Let's make one thing clear...it is not easy being an author, especially when you are an Indie author. All the work is done solely and at times exclusively by you. This means, writing, editing, cover creation, and yes the dreaded promoting. We want to think that once we write the story, it will sell itself...well, I am here to tell you that it won't and you have to promote, promote, promote until you lift yourself from the struggling author status to the renowned author status. It is indeed quite daunting, especially when your budget is limited, you can't find your market, and you keep paying for ads that yield no sales, no results. You start thinking, hey, this is why I kept my day job...maybe I should give up before I lose my sanity because of the incessant obsessing day and night, twilight to dusk...maybe this is not the industry for me. The thing is you might be right, but you will never know so you keep pushing and pushing, chipping away at the opportunities and possibilities hoping one day, you will break through the glass ceiling.

I want my Indie authors to be encouraged even though it is challenging. Join groups that do peer reviews, keep writing, promote your book(s) on social media every chance you get, pay for social media ads because even when you don't get sales, you get exposure...keep writing if that is what you love!

A little about the books that I have written. My best seller is Shedding: A Nagalian Love Story which in my humble opinion is one of my best works. It chronicles the experience of a half Nagalian woman, Diana Montague who finds herself in a deep battle with depression as she struggles with thoughts of suicide stemmed from the fact that she does not want to live an unnaturally long life, which she has been blessed with, only to die a lonely and desolate woman. She has eliminated thoughts of ever having a normal love life or even a family believing that she would never be accepted by humans to achieve this...until she meets the mysterious Drax Ashton. This story takes you underground and introduces you to a world of Nagalian subculture and their constant battle against bounty hunters...absolutely a must-read.

Shedding: A Nagalian Love Story - Kindle edition by Miller, C C, White, A. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Another must-read is Fatal Funnel which narrates the experience of a city worker, India Richards who loses her job after she inadvertently opens an email that contained sinister malware, unleashing the worst ransomware in the history of the City of Augustine. After she is terminated, she is temporarily employed as an exotic dancer at a strip club where she reconnects with Jeremiah Pearson, an old high school friend that has had a romantic interest in India since the 9th grade even though she rejected any intimacy beyond a friendship with him. However, India finds that she is fast falling head over heels for Jeremiah who seems to want to maintain a platonic relationship at all cost for some strange reason. This book takes you on a ride through city politics and cybercrime and is also a page-turner.

Fatal Funnel - Kindle edition by Miller, C.C., White, A.. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Both of these books are available on Amazon, Booksamillion, and Barnes and Nobles. You can also visit and subscribe to the official author page of C.C. Miller for more information and updates on other books that I have released.

Home | Charm C. White (wixsite.com)

The Stab Of Infidelity


I am not here to write about avoiding infidelity. Infidelity, like love, anger, hate and betrayal is a part of everyday human interaction. Sometime we luck up and go through life without experiencing the heart wrenching effects of infidelity. Congratulations, the heavens have smiled fondly upon you. Today, I want to address those that have been through infidelity, not only being the victim but those that have dished it as well.
The question now becomes, Where do you go after infidelity? Do you end the relationship? Do you work through it? Do you heal? What will people say about you if it was a public betrayal? So many questions go through your mind especially if you are married.
The truth is, there is no right way or wrong way to handle infidelity.I say if both parties are willing to work through it, then you follow your heart and remember this, it is nobody's business but your own. I will also say this, if this is habitual then unless you are into poly-amorous relationships, get out, that person has no interest in maintaining your emotional and psychological well being. However, at the end of the day, do what feels right.
However, one of the biggest questions is: Why? Why do they do it? For those that have cheated, you are not necessarily a bad person. You might be going through internal turmoils of your own that has caused you to unravel in this way. Others may have just failed to find the fulfillment they craved in the relationship that they were in. I have also heard that some people are just wired that way. Whatever it is, you hope that the cheater reconciles with their dark side and sometimes they do. Sometimes my fellow readers, cheaters do change but not always.
Infidelity is most of the time, more traumatizing for the person that was cheated on. How do they regroup and is the relationship worth saving at this time? How do you trust that person again? Some of us never recuperate from infidelity, we just move on because once the trust is gone, what do you have? Even if you love the person, love without trust is as unfulfilling as it gets.
Sometimes it is just best to move on, especially if the betrayal was one that shattered your identity, your self-esteem and self-worth. But sometimes,your relationship is worth saving, especially if your flawed partner is genuinely remorseful and will do anything to make you trust them again because they understand that what they did was wrong. They also understand the extent to which they damaged you.
Infidelity is hard, and whether or not you continue with the relationship, there will be a smile waiting for you after the dust clears because you know, you made the right decision.

Well, Hi There...

I haven't blogged in years and so much has happened since 2014. So much has changed...I have finally become an American resident, my children are much older and I am no longer working minimum wage. Talk about commencing from ground zero!
I also no longer believe in home-schooling which was something I was passionate about when I just started this blog and I will tell you why. My son's speech was delayed and as smart as he was and was able to identify numbers and letters at three-years-old, he couldn't form appropriate sentences. He also had issues coping with certain loud noises and sensations. I realized something wasn't "normal" and took him to a psychologist where they were leaning towards the possibility of Sensory Processing Disorder, a mild case on the autism spectrum. However, his insurance failed before we could confirm a diagnosis, so we never went back. I decided to enroll him in school and hoped that he outgrew his fear for loud noises and unusual sensations such as, stickiness and wet floors which made him cry. I couldn't afford a psychologist but I decided that maybe interaction with other children would help, so I enrolled him into daycare and it was the best decision I ever made.
My son is 7 years old now and very articulate for the most part. He also outgrew the "Sensory Processing Disorder". Both my children are now in a charter school and doing quite well I must say. Placing them in the district school system relieves me of the stress as a working mom of having to teach them myself. My best advise to other parents is to research the schools in your area and make a wise decision regarding the school you choose to enroll them in. I chose the charter school in my school district because their teaching style and environment was diverse yet tight-knit and the children appear to get the individual and appropriate attention they need to thrive in a learning environment.

That brings me to my next point, I no longer cling to the hope of being a stay-at-home mom. Like so many beautiful independent women out there, I faced up to reality and got on the hamster wheel. However, now that I am seeking my ideal career path, my new hope is to become a a best selling author.
This brings me to my most important point. Guys... I wrote a book. Please see below and thank you for the support. This has been a long standing dream of mine to write a book and I did it and guess what, there are many more to come. It is a romance novel about an interracial couple, (you guys know I am on a quest to end racism). So far I am getting great reviews. It's a little strange but I was recently inspired to blog again, so please be on the lookout for more from me. Love you guys and stay safe out there.

 https://www.amazon.com/Love-Heartbreak-Pool-Games-Miller/dp/197682981X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

When Will Racism Lose the War?

I do not know what it is about us earthly inhabitants, but from the beginning of time, we have found a reason to hate, oppress, enslave, distrust, look down upon, negatively stereotype and ultimately attempted to depopulate and annihilate people of other races. The differences in our phenotype that is dictated by our genotype has always and continues to pervade even now and into the future as a reason to perceive and treat people differently and, sometimes savagely. Let’s be honest, no amount of technology, education, money, research or religion has successfully eradicated the world of the scourge of racism and there is very little indication that this type of mindset will ever be completely cured. We hear terms like the war against racism, not internalizing that if we have to wage war against a phenomenon like racism, then racism must somehow be fighting back and the question that emerges from this realization is, if racism still exists in the year 2014, then who is truly winning the war?

Ever since Mike Brown, the unarmed teenager was shot and killed by a police officer in Missouri, I have seen a drastic increase in race debates, articles and news features about race, sometimes related and sometimes unrelated to the death of Mike Brown. Let’s side track for a minute. Notice I did not say Mike Brown, a black unarmed teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer in Missouri which the media has done myriad of times for emphasis and reaction and thus pulling our emotional strings while planting seeds in the minds of the public even before the facts are revealed. As a reading populace, we have to know and understand that the media very much plays word games and is able to some extent, dictate our opinion and cloud our judgment through the simple mechanism of word play. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to each other to navigate through what are considered facts and what is considered hysteria so that ultimately, our opinion can be balanced, rational and most importantly based on facts and not sensationalism. My personal opinion, on the tragic incidents that took place in Missouri is not one subscribing to the race card debate that I have seen taken place and led to a lot of misguided actions even today. In fact, I believe that the matter highlights the issue of police brutality which is certainly a problem that not only needs to be address and corrected by the police force but also by the government on a national scale.

 Reverting to the point at hand, yes, there has been an onslaught of material on race circulating the information stream ever since the Mike Brown incident and I have watched with much disdain at how the ugly aspects of racism were just hissing away like the many ferocious snakes on Medusa’s head. I have seen how racism begets racism, where people felt as if it was okay to hate and degrade other races because they themselves felt hated by those of other race(s). I have seen where racism censors people of other races, where people of one race felt as if certain other races should not have a voice or opinion on issues that does not affect their race per se. Or, if you disagreed with a particular outlook on the race argument, you could incur the wrath and isolation of the people within your own race. I have seen where racism trivialized the struggles of other races, where people of other races would attempt to hijack the opinions of individuals who felt oppressed by people of other races. I have seen the race card trump and curtail other valid facts, where when an incident involving two races ends with some level of causality, the focus is mainly on the race of the individuals and any other matters pertaining to the incident is muted, curtailed or overlooked. I am truly in such amazement and awe.

However, when I saw an article explaining that a part of dealing with racism is to practice empathy, my heart just welled with overwhelming frustration at what seems to be the continuous misconception of race and race related issues. You might be wondering why such a seemingly sensible statement would be the factor that led to my height of frustration. This is because I believe that this statement epitomizes the fact that collectively, we are still in the dark ages when it pertains to race and racism. I say this simply because; no one should feel the need to empathize with an individual for being a particular race. Why would I empathize, with someone for being Black, White or Asian? A race is not an affliction, it is not a disease, nor is it or should be a form of strife. My race is by definition, the physical manifestation of the genes that are present in my DNA passed down generationally through my ancestors. Neither I, nor anyone else for that matter needs empathy for something as self-evident and simple as being born a particular race. Empathy can be saved for issues like unemployment, homelessness, being underpaid and overworked. Think about walking a mile in their shoes because they are experiencing strife that is universal and could happen to almost anyone. However, I do not need empathy for my skin color.

In addition to this, before any individual decides to explain that this writer may have meant empathy for the struggles of certain races. I will reiterate that no one from any race needs empathy for being a particular race. No individual needs to be able to walk in the shoes of another race for one simple reason. Each of us, regardless of race, should have enough ethics and principles to know that all they need to show towards another human being is respect and equality. Race has nothing do with how we each need to treat each other. Do not empathize with me, simply treat me the same way you would treat another individual from your own race and that’s enough for me. When everyone can do this, there would be no reason for sympathy or empathy, only fairness and universal respect.  

To Record Or Not To Record Is The Question...

In this day and age of gadget extremus, where almost any device can be a camera/video camera, it is not surprising that people are being recorded on a daily basis by the government as well as by random individuals. Yet, when is it okay to record someone?

A friend of mine was relating a situation to me that occurred at her job. She works at a fast food restaurant and was requested to serve a customer a waffle ice-cream cone. As she handed the woman the ice-cream cone the customer complained that she had not handled the waffle cone in a sanitary manner. Considering that my friend which I will refer to as Brenda,  was a cashier, the customer complained that since she was handling money she should be careful not to touch the part of the waffle that the customers were eating instead she should hold the waffle where the strip of paper was located on the cone. Brenda explained that she did do that but the customer insisted that she did not. Instead of arguing with the customer, she proceeded to get another cone from a fresh unopened sleeve of waffles that she had to retrieve from the back of the store. When she came back, she noticed the customer was angling the phone in her direction. She ignored the action and continued serving up a fresh ice-cream cone. By the time she gave the ice-cream waffle cone to the customer, the lady explained that she was about to record her to see if she was going to follow correct procedures. This angered Brenda immensely, as the only thing she could think of was a questionable video of herself circulating on the internet without her permission.  This prompted her to ask the customer why she would record her even though she was attempting to fix the problem. Even though the customer had apologized about wanting to record her, Brenda felt as if her rights were violated and also felt she could have been further violated had the video surfaced on the internet. It had rattled her.

Even though that customer felt as if she was doing the correct thing, was she in fact out of bounds by trying to videotape an employee for any reason without the permission of said employee? I believe that no one wants to be secretly recorded or even if the person is visibly recording, to do so without consent of the person that is being recorded. In fact, a person may be crossing legal lines when they choose to record someone without the consent of the person being recorded or are they?

We have seen the myriad of videos that circulate on the internet through social websites like Facebook. They also pop up in abundance on World Star hip-hop, Youtube and various news media like Huffington post. We have seen them at the click of a button. They are videos of fights, videos sharing moments of hilarity and cuteness, pranks, moments of exceptional behavior as well as moments of outrageous and unscrupulous behavior. However, have we ever stopped to think that maybe one or two of the persons featured in these videos may not have given consent and did not want their faces to be circulating on the internet?

In a more recent and extreme case, with the story surrounding the #Jadapose where the young lady Jada, was allegedly drugged and raped, then her half naked body was photographed while a video was taken and then released on the internet for the entire world to see her demise. Sadly, she wasn't even in a conscious state to grant or deny permission to have her naked body photographed or recorded.

The fact is, individuals constitutionally have a right to freedom of expression when it comes to videotaping and placing the footage on the internet. This clearly does not mean that people will not abuse this right or act responsibly when taking advantage of this right. On the other hand, do the ordinary people who are going about their daily lives and work have any protection from these freelancing self-proclaimed videographers? Does Brenda or Jada have any protection or legal recourse against what may seem to be an act of violation.

Legally, once an individual is in public or on public property there is a reasonable expectation for observation to take place and therefore anyone can legally videotape an individual as long as said person is within the public perimeters. If that individual is within a place where there is no reasonable expectation for observation like a bathroom inside a restaurant, their home or even a changing room in a clothing store then it becomes illegal to videotape that individual. This means that unfortunately for Brenda, the customer was within her right and reason to videotape Brenda's activity because my friend was on public property. In addition to this, the customer felt as if her food was being mishandled by an organization that gives consumers the assurance that they will receive quality food 100% of the time and therefore felt that she was doing a just act by exposing a potential hazard to the public.

On the other hand, in the case of Jada, there were many legal violations, but for the sake of this blog, we are just focusing on the photograph(s) and recording(s). The fact is, it was quite illegal to record Jada even though she was on the property of one of the perpetrators, the law states that it does not prohibit security monitoring in a residence if conducted by or at the direction of the owner or principal occupant of that residence unless conducted for a lewd or lascivious purpose. While this was specifically taken from the Michigan penal code, this law is similar for all states. We can clearly see that the recording/photographs of Jada was indeed for lewd and lascivious purposes.

I empathized with both these ladies because no one wants to be recorded then have their face plastered all over the internet against their will especially in a compromising position. There is such a thin line between freedom of expression and the right to privacy when it comes to recording someone and in a matter of seconds that line can be crossed by an individual with a camera or recording device.

The onus is mostly on ourselves to ensure that we are not being videotaped without our consent although sometimes it is near to impossible to prevent that. Thankfully, there are a few cardinal rules to follow in order to diminish the possibility of individuals being recorded without their consent. They are:

Be very aware of your surroundings.

Avoid placing yourself in compromising positions that will render you unconscious or defenseless in possibly precarious circumstances.

And speak up! Simply because an individual is legally able to record you in public places does not mean that you have to roll over and play dead. Let the recorder know that you wish not to be recorded or photographed and if they continue to videotape you, insist on getting that individuals information and their purpose for videotaping you.

In the case of the recorder, make sure that you never record someone without their consent or make sure that even after the recording you are able to procure some type of mutual agreement on the recorded material. In some cases, you are protected legally and constitutionally to partake in such activities at will, but that does not mean it is okay to do so against the will of others.

Also, a person that is recording an individual without the consent of the person being recorded can attract legal problems and in some cases may cause themselves to get hurt if the person being recorded lashes out by attacking the recorder.

The world can be a hostile place but being smart and careful can ensure that we never or seldom end up on the wrong side of the situation. In this case, for both the recorder and the person that is being recorded.

Have a Merry Peace of Mind

I have always been that individual that values peace of mind above most things. It is of my opinion that accomplishments without peace of mind is equivalent to a beach without the serenity or reprieve of the ocean to gaze upon or dive into...a barren stretch of hot sand with nothing to quench the soul. In my book, peace of mind makes all the difference.

With peace of mind comes emotional stability. With emotional stability comes mental strength and edification that allows one to have a positive and uplifting outlook on life which despite class level, material acquisition, educational level, relationship status (single or in a relationship), the individual has a sense of wholesomeness, balance and I dare say, happiness.

Mind you, there is a flip side where many individuals need to have certain things to have peace of mind and nothing is wrong with that. However, the issue then becomes, If I never get to where I need to be in life, will I never have peace of mind? This cannot be the case, and therefore,ultimately it is more important to have peace mind without the reliance on external factors to create your sense of peace.

When an individual has peace of mind, I believe it transforms that individual's demeanor into one that is secure, in control of self and built to withstand almost any chaos. That individual is more able to be introspective rather than reactive and in essence become that peace needed to calm the storm within themselves and around them. They tend to transmit a calming and positive energy to others and their surroundings. They do not feed into feelings of jealousy and bitterness because they are satisfied with themselves and have a sense of self fulfillment even when their accomplishments do not measure up to particular standards.

When an individual has peace of mind, they are self affirmed and rarely need the blessings or approval of others to be happy. In fact, they tend to invite others to share their peace and happiness because they want that positivity to not only be within them but also around them.

A person with peace of mind sleeps better, tends to be healthier, smiles more often and maintains a positive perspective. Their sense of self worth and well-being is much higher than those without peace of mind and they tend to attract like-minded individuals or individuals that are seeking peace of mind.

A person with peace of mind is comfortable with themselves whether they are in solitude or in a crowd because their inner peace motivates them to carry on despite their environment or circumstances.

Unfortunately, an individual's peace of mind can be shaken or violated by individuals that I would like to call "spirit ravagers". Individuals who lack peace of mind and sometimes self love, who try to destroy the peace of mind and happiness of others. The nay-sayers, the abusers, the users, the liars, the persecutors and the overall "buzz killers". Sadly, they are everywhere and they multiply faster than roaches.

The good news is, a resilient spirit cannot be killed and a person with a strong sense of inner peace can be shaken but not shattered by negative forces like these. So, for this upcoming Christmas holiday, muster up your inner peace so you may be warm and luminous to others around you and have a very merry peace of mind.

A Contradicting Experience

My husband and I recently had a date night where we decided to see a documentary that was showcased at the Porter Sanford Arts and Community Center on Rainbow Drive in Decatur entitled "Contradiction", authored by Jeremiah Camara. It was quite an experience as one could tell that the audience was filled with "truth seekers", "critical thinkers" and somewhat "liberal minded" individuals, which the nature of the film almost demanded that level of open-mindedness due to its controversial nature. The film featured individuals such as Martin Luther King III, singer Anthony David and Dr. Ray Hagins. The film basically highlighted the disconnect that exists between the black church's practice of "overchurching" and the lack of economical progression in black communities. It was indeed a different angle that incorporated ideas and theories surrounding creationism, atheism, poverty, corruption in the church and false prophet leaders of the church. The film indelibly planted seeds of enlightenment and forced those that weren't already aware to take into consideration the business-like nature of the church and how it is possibly retarding the financial growth within poor communities.

For devout christian followers, the film might actually stir conflicting emotions because the documentary questions the rationale behind faith, beliefs and practices involved in the Christian religion. At one point in the film, the question was raised concerning the significance of the blood shed by Christ who died for our sins and the blood shed by slaves and African Americans who were slaughtered mercilessly for our freedom from slavery, segregation and oppression. The consistent answer given by Christians throughout the film was the blood of Jesus was more significant, which showed the unwavering loyalty black Christians possessed towards their faith and beliefs.

The film raised other important points such as the potential benefits that could possibly arise from leaders of churches, using their platform on Sundays, a time when many black individuals are actually in church worshiping for hours, as an opportunity to educate black people on economic principles that could lead to economical development and progress within communities. In fact, the film proposed that this may actually be the better alternative in contrast to what the church actually does, which is to hype the members on the notion that we should not worry about the future because God will take care of it, which possibly leads to a lack of pro-activeness that does not foster a sense of financial independence and sustainability. The film heralded the Marxist concept of religion being an opium of the people, allowing them to forget the deplorable conditions that they exist in by concentration on the illusions, promises and "feel good messages" of the church. What makes this point even more viable is the film's allusion to the techniques that church leaders use to deliver this "feel good/terror message" that either places the members into a form of psychological trance or hypnosis or the opposite, terrifies them into submission. Ultimately resulting in the members giving their money to these pastors in the form of "tithes and offerings" and time in the form of "praise".

While the film touched on beliefs that contradicts the christian beliefs such as the big bang theory, and the theory of evolution, as a spiritual person and not necessarily religious person, I embraced those parts of the film with a grain of salt, as I believe that science is constantly evolving and changing and does not adequately explain many phenomenons that occur on this earth. Sometimes, they are personal undocumented experiences that science could never study. However, I would have to say that I believe that ninety-seven percent of the film was relevant, significant and accurately portrayed.


I would encourage people within the black community world-wide, not just in the African American community to view this film if possible and open their minds to the message of the film. In so doing, we might open our eyes to the ills and agendas of the church that are hidden in the "feel good message" that are being conveyed to the congregation religiously (no pun intended) and ought to be addressed among ourselves. We need to ask ourselves the question, what is the end results of the money that we donate to these churches? Are they giving back to the community and the people? Or is it being pocketed for personal gains? What is the end result of the time that we donate to churches, is it more beneficial to sit in church for hours focused on one person standing at the pulpit that may just be scamming you out of your time and/or money, or is it more beneficial to go out into the communities and do volunteer work to uplift the poor and struggling members within the community, through education, rebuilding community and various forms of assistance. We need to ask ourselves, how can we transform our churches into a place of not only spiritual growth, but also educational and financial growth that can lead to community development and advancement? These are relevant and critical questions that could be the difference between the continuous state of poverty within the black communities or the economical growth within the black community. This is exactly why I believe this film can act as a mental antidote or vaccine and is worthy of attention from the black community on a mass scale.

                                                          Jeremiah Camara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T30Ekq6bND4