Raychelle Reviews: When Grandmama Sings by Margaree King Mitchell

When Grandmama Sings by Margaree King Mitchell (illustrated by James E. Ransome) is an uplifting story of courage, strength, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Grandmama Coles, a jazz singer from Pecan Flats, Mississippi, is given an opportunity to tour the Deep South during the summer months with a swing jazz band. She is accompanied by her granddaughter, Belle, who learns that using one's talents and standing up for one's beliefs are important in spite of opposition.


When Grandmama Sings is set during the 1940s where segregation and discrimination were the order of the day. Told through the eyes of Belle, the reader learns something of the history of race relations in the U.S. While Grandmama Coles and the band suffer ill-treatment at the hands of club and business owners, they press on in their quest to perform--sometimes even for free. Leading the charge is Grandmama Coles who demands justice while her gift for song brings people people from different walks of life together. Belle has a close and loving relationship with her grandmother. These acts of bravery only serve to bring them closer.


A wonderfully-illustrated book with the artwork of James E. Ransome, When Grandmama Sings is a story that children and adults alike will enjoy time and time again.

Read Margaree King Mitchell's interview on The Writer's Block! 

Happy Blogoversary to Raychelle Writes!

My oh my, how time flies! One year ago today I started my blog, Raychelle Writes, in an effort to network with my fellow authors, illustrators, lit folks, and book lovers. I was just getting started as an indie author and trying to learn and share everything I could about the publishing world. I have self-published 7 books with 3 more on the way this summer. Blogging has kept me writing consistently and has afforded me more opportunities as a freelance writer.

On this journey I have "met" hundreds of smart, talented, and creative people who are all a part of an incredibly supportive community. I am grateful to all of our followers and contributors to Raychelle Writes. Here are some highlights of what we have accomplished together over the last 12 months:

1)  On  July 13, 2011 Raychelle Writes was founded.

2)  We currently have over 70 loyal subscribers.

3)  Raychelle Writes has had over 20,000 page views.

4)  We have reviewed over 20 books in our Raychelle Reviews series.

5)  On January 9, 2011 we launched The Writer's Block and have since conducted over 80 interviews.

6)  We established a Raychelle Writes Facebook page  with 273 "Likes" so far.

7)  We have hosted over 10 guest bloggers.

8)  We have supported several book releases including my daughter's first middle-grade novel, Riley and the Kitchen Katastrophe!

9)  We won our first blog award!

10)We also hosted our first illustrator's contest, Sketch the Story!

So, what's next for us? Starting this fall we will offer an editing, proofreading, and critique service: Raychelle Edits. Raychelle Designs will  offer book cover designs and layouts. Raychelle Blogs for You will provide high-quality, yet affordable, blog content. So stay tuned for details!

For the next 6 weeks, I will be concentrating on finishing my next three books: Smart Girls Like You, Smart Boys Like You, and The Living Well. The launches will no doubt be pretty labor-intensive, so don't panic if I seem to be a little less active in my posts. My hope is that you will keep reading and contributing to Raychelle Writes. Together, we can continue to accomplish great things!

Raychelle Reviews: Obama Search Words by Stephen Black

I prefer to review children's picture books, but when Stephen Black sent me Obama Search Words, I was intrigued. This book marries interviews and some little-known historical tidbits about President Obama's culture and life experience with fictional dialogues and events which could have taken place in any corner of the world.

Stephen's book is illustrated with wonderful photography of places the President has lived in and/or been connected to in addition to creative artwork. From the beginning, I was taken on a journey around the planet from Hawaii to Kenya. Each chapter felt more like I was moving from one exhibition to another in a museum or art gallery. I liken it to walking through a documentary. The fictional accounts provided me an opportunity to consider how Barack Obama's rise to the most powerful office in the United States has touched and inspired people across all classes, genders, ages, and ethnicities.


Obama Search Words is well-crafted, informative, and enlightening. Grab a copy--it is worth the read!

Stephen Black is an artist, writer, photographer, videomaker, speaker, producer, and educator. To learn more about Stephen, read his resume on Scribd.com.

Obama Search Words is available on Amazon.com.

Raychelle Reviews: For Readers Only!

Welcome to Raychelle Reviews! This week, I will be introducing you to some established as well as some up-and-coming authors and offer reviews of their work. I focus primarily on children's picture books, but occasionally I will consider other genres. There are a few reasons for my approach: 1) I like picture books, 2) I write picture books, 3) my time is limited, 4) my freelance work, blogging, and other projects center heavily on non-fiction and I need the escape, and 5) I am able to provide feedback and help promote my fellow authors.

Please note that aside from a hard copy or electronic version of the book, I charge no fees for reviews. I believe that it is to the benefit of the author to interview on The Writer's Block in conjunction with the book review, but participation is solely at their discretion. I offer my personal opinions from my own perspective in my reviews: after all, I am not a book editor. However, constructive criticism is provided privately, especially if proofreading and professional editing would benefit an otherwise viable concept/story. I would rather give the author the opportunity to make improvements rather than publish a bad review. I have been there. What good can come from stalling someone's career before it gets out the gate? I attribute my recent successes to some people who took the time to offer some honest feedback and suggestions about The Writer's Block.

So, my hope is that you will discover new favorites, buy a book, refer it to someone else, or even leave a comment. Stay tuned!

Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

Updates from a Whirlwind of a Week!

I hope you all had a happy Friday! After an exhausting day spent in the real world, I promptly collapsed into deep slumber. I did very little posting, but here are some updates for those of you who are interested:

Pending Book Reviews: I will be reviewing several books this weekend that have been submitted over the last month or so. I typically prefer to do them in batches--it just helps me focus on them a bit better. I will email the authors when I have posted to Amazon and Goodreads, as well as provide the dates they will be featured on this blog.

NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Update: This challenge has been one of this week's highlights for me. I am right on schedule and story ideas are a-flowin'! On day 3, I wrote about the joys of a toddler who has the flu, and last night I penned a silly take on the big sister-little sister relationship. Who knows what today will bring? Come back for more updates!

Sketch the Story! Contest: I am grateful to those who took the time to enter my first contest or share the information with someone else. Stay tuned for judging next week!

Author Interviews: Look forward to some great author interviews to run over the next several weeks as part of The Writer's Block series. I am scheduling run dates today and will be notifying authors who have submitted completed interviews. Read some of the more popular posts and take a look back through the archives. You might even recognize a name or two. Maybe you will be featured next?

Thank you so much for your support! I started Raychelle Writes on July 13, 2011. In the time since the inaugural post, my blog has creeped over 13,000 page views and has 67 members! We have conducted over 75 author interviews since January of this year, hosted several guest bloggers, helped promote a few Kickstarter projects, and even reviewed a few children's books. I have many, many ideas for new content, but I would like to hear from you. What do you want to see on Raychelle Writes?


Okay, I have papers to grade (I'm a homeschooler), a guest blog to write, and four articles to crank out (for the "day job") on top of some illustration work and everything listed above. Gotta' run!

Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

Book Review: The Day No One Played Together by Donalisa Helsley

The Day No One Played Together is a great story about the joys of compromise. Readers will discover how to find creative solutions to their disagreements (by brainstorming) from the story’s main characters, sisters Jadyn and Genesis. The girls want to play together, but have very different ideas about the games they want to play. Separately, they are miserable. As the day passes, they discover the true meaning of give-and-take. The story concludes with Jadyn and Genesis having lots of fun together while managing to learn a few new words along the way!


Illustrated by Sarah Harkey, The Day No One Played Together contains beautiful positive images of family and togetherness. Readers young and old will enjoy this book over and over again!

Buy it on Amazon.com!
The Day No One Played Together: A Story About Compromise