Hey Reader!

Lemme admit this: this week turned me every which way but loose. 😩 Have I cried a couple of times? Absolutely.

Between keeping up with The Book Academy launch (thank you for not unsubscribing from all these emails, by the way... my team said we had to go hard and they were right but it takes a lot of energy) and watching the news, I've been tempted to run away from rEsPoNsEbeLiRiEs (shoutout Rugrats!). But apparently, I can’t opt out of being a functional member of society and frankly that feels unfair to me. 🙃

Anyway, let’s jump in.👇🏾

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RANT

We knew it was gonna be bad. But THIS bad?!

When Mango Mussolini got back in office a year ago, I braced myself. We ALL braced ourselves. We knew chaos was coming. We've seen this movie before.

But fam. It hasn't even been a YEAR and this man has absolutely RANSACKED the place. 🤦🏾‍♀️

He tore down the entire East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom that we all know is probably a bunker. 😒 And then started decorating it with tacky gold decor, because he’s a gaudy and raggedy cartoon villain. 🤡

And now we’re legit on the precipice of World War III as he’s threatened to invade Greenland. GREENLAND!!! Them people were minding their sweet, sweatered business, chilling in the Arctic, bothering nobody. And here comes this slack-jawed, pdfile on a winding down clock starting stuff. 😡

And THEN. This man was at a factory earlier this week and someone called him what he is and you know what he did? He yelled "F YOU" and flipped the guy off. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. FLIPPING PEOPLE OFF.

And that worker got suspended. I... 😡. The embarrassment is just too much. Like… Blue Passport Gang is DOWN BAD. 🫠🫠🫠

It's always easier to destroy than it is to build. And that's what makes this so devastating. All that work... and one man with the emotional regulation of an especially unhinged toddler who missed nap time is tearing it down brick by brick. 👶🏼

But here's what I keep coming back to: WE are not embarrassing. The PEOPLE who are still fighting, still organizing, still showing up? We're not the problem. We're the ones who are gonna have to rebuild this mess.

And we will. Because that's what we do. But DAMB if it isn't exhausting to watch. 😮‍💨

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REFLECTION

Your story is your act of defiance. Write it anyway.

I've been thinking a lot about Octavia Butler lately. Every time I open my timeline, someone's posting about her prolific novel "Parable of the Sower".

We're living in her book. 📖 Climate disasters. Leadership gone wrong. A world that feels like it's unraveling at the seams. She wrote it. She SAW it. And THANK GOODNESS she put it on paper. 🙏🏾

Our history is actively being erased. Book bans have escalated. DEI programs are being dismantled. The attacks on education, on truth, on our very existence... they're not slowing down. They want us dumber because a dumber populace is easier to control. 🗣️ And lately, it’s been giving people are dumber than a box of rocks. Honestly, George Bush left too many behind. 💀

You could have said this years ago and someone would have called you paranoid. Now? We're just stating facts.

But imagine if Octavia Butler had waited.

Imagine if Ida B. Wells had said "maybe next year."

Imagine if Toni Morrison had decided the timing wasn't right.

We wouldn't have the blueprints they left us. We wouldn't have their WORDS lighting our way through this darkness. 🔦

Writing is resistance. Your story is your act of defiance.

So many of us are doing our best work on social media. But if your account got deleted tomorrow, what would remain? So many of us keep thinking we'll have more time to document our family history, write that novel, tell that story that's been sitting on our spirit.

But Reader, if there's one thing these times are teaching me, it's this:

Procrastination is entitlement to time you were never promised.

Later might never come. The "right time" might never arrive. The world isn't going to calm down so you can finally feel ready.

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Octavia Butler didn't wait for the perfect time. She wrote THROUGH the imperfect times. Through the doubt. Through the fear. Through the uncertainty. And now her words are a lighthouse for us trying to navigate these waters.

This is your permission slip. This is your cosmic nudge. The world needs what you have RIGHT NOW. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not when things settle down.

NOW. 🗣️

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RECOMMENDATION

Let me be your book coach this year and let’s get this done.

This week, we opened the doors to The Book Academy, and for me, this is my assignment: helping more people become successfully published authors. Because the literary landscape NEEDS to change.

72% of books published in the last five years were written by white people; predominantly white men. 😒That's unacceptable. That's ridiculous. And that means YOUR story is part of the solution. 🙌🏾

When you join The Book Academy, you're:

• Learning how to turn your story into a powerful book
• Getting the tools to navigate the publishing industry
• Joining a community of writers who become your accountability squad
• Being part of changing that 72% statistic

This isn't just about writing a book. It's about creating legacy. It's about leaving breadcrumbs for those coming after us. 🥹 It's about making sure OUR stories exist, no matter what they try to erase.

Every time someone writes their truth, they're creating a light for someone else to find their way. That's what The Book Academy is about. That's what this moment is about.

What story have you been holding back? What truth are you ready to tell? Hit reply. I want to hear from you.

With fire and purpose,

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P.S. The Book Academy doors close on Monday, January 19, 2026 at 11:59 pm CT and won't reopen until 2027, plus prices will go up the next time we open. If you've been waiting for a sign to start your book journey, this is it. ⌛️ Click here to join us before registration closes.​