The best part was trying on wedding dresses. Truthfully, the very first one I tried on was the one I went with. But the store clerks, my family, and my friends thought I should try on other dresses.

I went along with it.

The fittings went well but nothing topped “The Chosen One.” We were fully prepared to leave but one last dress caught our eyes.

“How about this one?” To this day, I wonder who doomed me by asking that question. “It has the mesh at the top like the one that you like.”

Sure, why not? It was just one last dress and it held that potential to sweep me off my feet. Pun intended.

My consultant, a beautiful dark haired woman with full-figured curves of glory, carried the dress to the fitting room for me. “This is gorgeous.”

“It is pretty.” I eyed the details as she prepped the gown for me to put on.

“Let me know if you need help.” She closed the door behind her.

Left to my own devices, I disrobed and opted to keep on my socks. I’d already mentally prepared to leave the store and leaving them on meant that was one less article of clothing I had to put back on.

When dressed, I walked back to the waiting area with the sales attendant and then I stepped onto the stage and the subsequent platform.

My crew’s eyes lit up and I became a rockstar at the Met Gala, turning to show them and everyone else who was sitting in the viewing area.

They oohed and ahhed. They applauded. I smiled. I waved to my adoring fans. I thanked everyone for noticing how beautiful me and the dress were.

“Let’s see the back!” Someone yelled out. Another doomed moment but of course they wanted to see the back. Why wouldn’t they?

Well, let’s take a breather to remember I am wearing socks inside of a satin lined dress. And I’m on a little 4x4 platform.

I went to turn and my sock slipped on the dress liner. But no, it didn’t end there. With everything being so slippery, I lost my footing.

One foot slid off that damn platform and down I went in slow motion.

Every body part went in a different direction as I tried to catch myself.

As gravity pulled me to the floor, all of the onlookers’ mouths opened.

Some screamed. Some gasped. Some covered their mouths.

My sister’s face lit up and she started laughing.

And my best friend raised from her chair, her arm outreached like she could catch me. Bless her soul.

I’m pretty sure I fell for five straight minutes.

I finally made it the floor, looking more like a crumpled up starfish in a five thousand dollar dress than an actual fiancee.

My final thought as I lay there was,

“I hope it didn’t rip.”

It didn’t. But to this day I wonder if anyone who was in attendance ever starts laughing hysterically and goes, “Remember when that girl fell down in the wedding dress?”

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black romance & women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Her next book, Grown Girl Peace, releases January 12!

Check Out Her Work

I’m moving some of my old blog posts from my previous website to here. Kind of just to have another place to save them but also, it’s interesting to see these moments marked in time.

Looking back, it’s much more fun to see us on these videos than to read about the moments.

Originally published February 28, 2020

My goal for 2020 was to write one blog post a week. It seemed doable at the time. But then January came roaring in and left me frazzled. Through the good times and the bad, it truly was the little things that kept the days moving. Most times it was difficult to remember what little things were presented but thankfully, my willingness to keep the camera rolling showed that dancing (among other things), kept the spirits up.

Originally published April 15, 2020

Let’s just start this off with a question. Why is 2020 so ruthless? We were nothing but good to 2020. We were respectful and excited for our future with 2020. We welcomed 2020 with open arms and hearts. Then 2020 turned on us like a spiteful ex.

2020 has now been around for three full months and I’ve been battling that mf ever since.

It all started in January. I had just sat down for a meeting at work and my phone started ringing. It was my husband. Now, we work for the same company so if he needed anything from me he’d either instant message or text me.

Since my meeting hadn’t officially started, I answered. “Hello.”

“I need you to come to 14. I think I’m having a stroke.”

Quick exit left and I ran to him on legs just as shaky as his voice. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and I prayed the entire way there, pleading with God to also not take my husband. Because Lord knows, I could not take another unexpected death.

Thankfully, after spending a night in the hospital for monitoring, he was cleared and released; he hadn’t had a stroke. He just needed to take better care of himself.

But shortly after that, my grandmother did have a stroke, and she died. Her death wasn’t a shock to me, as my Reno had been preparing me for that moment since I met her in 2007. She consistently told me she wouldn’t be around much longer and that she was ready to go Home. Still, it was obviously a sad moment.

Reno was a special woman that accepted me into the Bishop family the moment I called saying, “Hi, my name is Cori and I think I’m your granddaughter.”

From there, we met, she introduced me to the other side of my family, I introduced her to my family, and she never stopped telling me how thankful she was that I found her. Sometimes I listen to her old voicemails just for a chuckle. Most of them started with, “Cori, this is your grandmother Reno from Paris, Kentucky.” As if I would ever forget lol.

You can listen to one of her sweet voicemails below.

Not long after we arrived home after attending her memorial, I was logging onto YouTube and a video of Wuhan was on the main page. I remember asking Lamar if he’d heard about the virus over there. He had. I never thought that it would reach this magnitude and we would be quarantined due to COVID-19. Honestly, did any of us?

Monday of this week marked the 6th week of self isolation for my family and I. Six long weeks of watching snow fall, sun shine, grass grow, and rain pour.

Speaking of rain, that brings me to my next WTF Moment of 2020.

A thunderstorm rolled through the area one night, overwhelmed the sewers, and our basement flooded. It didn’t flood bad, if there is such a thing as a flood that’s not bad, but it flooded. We flew into action at 3 in the morning to save items, call insurance companies and get the water remediation crew out to prevent mold growth.

While we were blessed to have minimal water damage, the flood did kill our furnace. And oh yeah, our refrigerator bit the dust days later. Not from the flood, but still. Thankfully, we were able to replace our fridge but we still don’t have heat......and it’s snowing outside. It’s been a long, cold week but our new furnace will be here soon.

All in all, I am still so very grateful for these times. Yes, it’s been negative news after negative news for us and many of our loved ones, but is it during these times (minus that damn virus) that I keep in mind how blessed we are.

That’s not to say that I’m oblivious to what’s going on outside. Friends and family members have lost jobs and lives. People put their health at risk every day delivering groceries and taking care of others. But ultimately, Lamar and I both have jobs that allow us to work from home, we are not hungry, our kids are home, and we have been able to limit our time outside of the house in order to shelter effectively.

My perspective on life has drastically changed for the better, hopefully permanently. Now, I’m finding the joy in not being busy. The joy in not overworking myself. The joy in spending more quality time with my family. The joy in rediscovering what I actually enjoy doing. The joy in car ride dates with my husband.

I’m choosing to focus on what’s good. Similar to how I began this post with a question, I’m now turning this question to you.

What’s really good?

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black romance & women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Her next book, Grown Girl Peace, releases January 12!

Check Out Her Work

Well, welcome to the last installment of “Behind the Scenes of a Book Release.”

If this is your first time seeing this, feel free to read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Now let’s jump right in.

How I Marketed to Readers

BookSirens
I gave away 30 ebook copies. Next Time Around was featured in two book bundles, received 824 impressions, got 78 clicks, and had 3 readers.

As far as I know, no one reviewed the book. I believe they had until October 13 to do so but honestly, who knows.

Verdict: I’d try this again because it’s cheap.

Goodreads eBook Giveaway
I gave away 100 ebook copies. The giveaway began July 13 and closed August 12.

According to Goodreads, 1174 readers added Next Time Around to their “Want to Read” list.

From what I can tell, this got me 2 reviews and 4 people are currently reading. I’m pretty sure more reviews will come in from this as my book gains more traction.

Verdict: I’d do this again.

Goodreads Print Giveaway
I’m giving away 10 print copies of Next Time Around but not until I have at least 50 reviews. The giveaway will be open for 1 week.

I already have the bonus material ready for it.

• Postcard from the characters

• Bonus birth chapter

• Gotdamn Dalton notebook

• Character bookmark

Verdict: TBD.

Social Media Book Tour (1 week)
For the tour, up to 15 bookish content creators will create a post/story giving a review. That will be posted on at least two social sites within six months of the tour’s conclusion.

So far, 2 readers have signed up so I’ll ship their books this week.

Verdict: TBD.

How I’m Marketing to Librarians

E-Blast Listing to Librarians (September Fiction Focus Listing)
I got Next Time Around added to an E-Blast that is sent to over 5,000 librarians. If a librarian clicks on my title, their email is logged, which allows me to follow-up.

This was mailed out in late September. The open rate was 39% and about 90 librarians clicked on my title.

Verdict: TBD.

How I’m Marketing to Booksellers

ABA Advance Access
The American Booksellers Association sends an email to independent bookstores featuring publisher ARCs and galleys available for review.

The booksellers can also nominate your book for the Indie Next List.

I received 10 total requests for Next Time Around and shipped the books out around August 20.

One of the bookstores actually made an Instagram post where they asked someone else to read the books they received in the program. The kicker? They wanted those people to provide feedback on whether they should order it.

Verdict: I won’t be doing this again.

“Cold Call” Email to Bookstores
I hoped to receive 25+ requests for the ABA Advance Access but since I didn’t, I sent an email to approximately 20 bookstores I found online. I was able to visit one of them in person and I believe that connection is going to be valuable on both ends.

Verdict: I won’t be doing this again.

All Groups

NetGalley Listing (3 months)
I added Next Time Around to NetGalley and my listing closed on September 24.

I got 49 potential readers and 2 submitted feedback. 1 reader decided not to review my book because I used AI images in the front matter and on my social media. That made them think I didn’t write my book.

Fair. They’re entitled to their opinion. But they also could’ve just read it and they would’ve determined I write my own words.

Verdict: TBD but I believe Goodreads is a better alternative.

Social Media Posts
I fell off with creating content because I’ve been working on my next release. My last posts tanked but I’m trying to get back into it.

Book Award Submission to IBPA Book Award
Next Time Around is officially submitted.

Book Award Submission to IPPY
Next Time Around is officially submitted.

Other

Indiereader Review
Next Time Around received 4.5 stars out of 5. I felt validated because it seemed like all those years of learning to become a better writer actually showed up on the page.

Verdict: I’d do this again.

Clarion Review
I expected this review to be tougher but I didn’t expect to receive a 2.

A few things the reviewer mentioned were completely contradictory to what other readers praised. It honestly felt like she didn’t read the book and that sucked. Still, I’m interested to see if any other readers/reviewers say anything similar to what she said.

Verdict: I’d do this again.

My Social Media Stats & Sales as of Today

Instagram
August 6, 2026: 442 followers, 130 posts
September 11, 2026: 451 followers, 141 posts
October 14, 2026: 458 followers, 150 posts

TikTok
April 2, 2026: 1566 followers, 15.1k likes
August 6, 2026: 1592 followers, 16.6k likes
September 11, 2026: 1620 followers, 17.5k likes
October 14, 2026: 1630 followers, 17.6k likes

Substack
August 6, 2026: 201 subscribers
September 11, 2026: 210 subscribers
October 14, 2026: 210 subscribers

Next Time Around
Ingram Sales: 2
Goodreads: 6 ratings, 5 reviews
Amazon: 0 global ratings
Amazon Reads/Sales: 53 pages/1 sale

Sync
Ingram Sales: 2
Goodreads: 20 ratings, 6 reviews
Amazon: 22 global ratings
Amazon Reads/Sales: 163 pages/2 sale

JLOT
Ingram Sales: 0 sales
Goodreads: 51 ratings, 15 reviews
Amazon: 517 global ratings
Amazon Reads/Sales: 667 pages/0 sales

If you’re an indie author, or thinking about becoming one, I’d love for you to:

• leave a comment to share what you’ve tried and whether it worked

• subscribe or…

• share this post if you think it’d be beneficial to your community or someone you know

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black romance & women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Her next book, Grown Girl Peace, releases January 12!

Check Out Her Work

Release Countdown: 28 days
Current Reviews: 3
Current Goodreads Want to Read: 1184
Current ARC Readers: 59
Mood: Still Optimistic like a MF
Amazon Followers: 169

I’m now practically 1 month away from releasing my contemporary romance novel, Next Time Around!

Woo chil’! I am excited. Like, I actually have the butterflies.

If this is your first time seeing this and you’re like, “Damn, part 3?” I’ll recap really quick.

I’m treating my release as an experiment by trying new marketing strategies, tracking the results, and sharing all the wins, disappointments, and the things I’m still figuring out.

To see how I started, read Part 1 and/or Part 2.

Otherwise, let’s jump right in.

How I’m Marketing to Readers

BookSirens
I gave away 30 ebook copies. So far, Next Time Around has been featured in a two book bundles, has received 824 impressions, gotten 78 clicks, and still only has 3 readers.

No one has reviewed the book yet but I believe the readers only need to review it by the release date of October 13, 2026.

Even based on these numbers, I would do this again because of the cheap price.

Read ARC on BookSirens

Goodreads eBook Giveaway
I gave away 100 ebook copies. The giveaway began July 13 and closed August 12. I chose this giveaway because it appeared to help authors gather reviews early on and it got your book added to the “Want to Read” list.

According to Goodreads, 1335 readers entered the giveaway and 1252 added Next Time Around to their “Want to Read” list.

So far, 1 person reviewed it and 3 are currently reading it.

Check It Out on Goodreads

Goodreads Print Giveaway
I’m giving away 10 print copies of Next Time Around. I was going to start this on August 13 for two weeks but I changed my mind. I’d like to have more reviews before I do that so I do not have a start date yet.

I did, however, do everything to prep for it. I have the special postcard of the characters, the birth chapter is written, and the Gotdamn Dalton notebooks and character bookmarks have arrived.

Since I received over 100 entries for the ebook giveaway within one day of it beginning, I’m only keeping this giveaway open for one week.

Instagram Social Media Book Tour (1 week)
Hopefully this will start the week of release but I don’t have a start date yet from the organizer. The organizer did reach out and request more information though, so we’re in prep mode for it.

For the tour, 7-10 bookish content creators will create a post/story giving a review. That will be posted on at least two social sites within six months of the tour’s conclusion.

How I’m Marketing to Librarians

E-Blast Listing to Librarians (September Fiction Focus Listing)
I got Next Time Around added to an E-Blast that is sent to over 5,000 librarians. If a librarian clicks on my title, their email is logged, which will allow me to follow-up.

I don’t know when in September this is mailed but it should be soon, if not already.

How I’m Marketing to Booksellers

ABA Advance Access
The American Booksellers Association sends an email to independent bookstores featuring publisher ARCs and galleys available for review. The bookstores contact you directly if interested and you ship your book to them.

The booksellers can also nominate your book for the Indie Next List.

I received 10 total requests for Next Time Around and I shipped the books out around August 20.

“Cold Call” Email to Bookstores
I hoped to receive 25+ requests for the ABA Advance Access but since I didn’t, I sent an email to approximately 20 bookstores I found online. I was able to visit one of them in person and I believe that connection is going to be valuable on both ends.

Below is the one-sheet I sent to the bookstores.

All Groups

NetGalley Listing (3 months)
I added Next Time Around to NetGalley for three months and my listing is live until September 24.

I don’t have the most up to date stats but as of 3 weeks ago my book was at 410 impressions, 47 clicks to read, and on 6 lists.

So far, 2 readers have reviewed it. I sent an email to the rest of the reviewers to remind them to leave a review.

Read the eBook ARC on NetGalley

Social Media Posts
I’ve been sharing and creating content on my social media pages. I’m getting good enough engagement on my TikTok page but it’s rough on Instagram. However, this is exactly what I expected.

Book Award Submission to IBPA Book Award
As a member of IBPA, I will always submit books to them first. Next Time Around is officially submitted.

Book Award Submission to IPPY
I also believe this to be a trusted award organization. The Independent Publisher Book Awards are only for indie publishers and authors.
I will submit to them soon.

(Maybe) Book Award Submission to Foreword Indies Book of the Year Awards
I’m thinking that two book award submissions will be enough for me so I may not submit to them.

Other

Indiereader Review
I’m still glowing over how Next Time Around received 4.5 stars out of 5. It was proof that all those years of trying to become a better writer were actually showing up on the page.

Clarion Review
I expected this review to be tougher but what I didn’t expect was to receive a 2.

Unfortunately, this is all part of putting your book out there.

I chose not to have them post the review to other sites because I didn’t agree with a few things in the review. One was that things she said were completely contradictory to what other readers praised.

If she flagged things in the review that I need to work on (and there are many) then I would’ve still chosen to post the review. But honestly, it felt like she didn’t actually read the book and that sucks.

I’m very interested to see if any other readers/reviewers say anything similar to what she said.

My Social Media Stats & Sales as of Today

I thought it’d be interesting to track everything publicly. Maybe my numbers will encourage another writer just starting out. Maybe they’ll just make me appreciate my growth a year from now. Either way, here’s where things stand as of today.

Instagram
August 6, 2026: 442 followers, 130 posts
September 11, 2026: 451 followers, 141 posts

TikTok
April 2, 2026: 1566 followers, 15.1k likes
August 6, 2026: 1592 followers, 16.6k likes
September 11, 2026: 1620 followers, 17.5k likes

Substack
August 6, 2026: 201 subscribers
September 11, 2026: 210 subscribers

Next Time Around
Ingram Sales: 0
Goodreads: 3 ratings, 3 reviews
Amazon: 0 global ratings
Amazon Reads/Sales: 1

Sync
Ingram Sales - 2
Goodreads - 20 ratings, 6 reviews
Amazon - 22 global ratings
Amazon Reads/Sales - 33 pages/1 sale

JLOT
Ingram Sales - 0 sales
Goodreads - 51 ratings, 15 reviews
Amazon - 517 global ratings
Amazon Reads/Sales - 603 pages/0 sales

I’ll be back with updates but until then, please recommend Next Time Around by me, Chichima Cherry, to everyone who loves a good Black second chance romance.

Every share, conversation, pre-order, click, review, whisper, like and comment, every single thing matters!

Thank you for helping me bring Next Time Around, i.e. The GotDamn Daltons, into the world.

If you’re an indie author, or even thinking about becoming one, tap in by:

• leaving a comment to share what you’ve tried and whether it worked

• subscribing or…

• sharing this post because it would be beneficial for someone you know

Leave a comment

Share

Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black romance & women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Her next book, Next Time Around, releases October 13 and she couldn’t be more excited. Pre-order it today.

Check Out Her Work

I recently taught a sold out memoir class, “Write Your Story Before It’s Lost”, at a library.

Over the next few articles I’m going to share some of what I taught.

Before I begin, a little bit about me.

I am the owner of Write and Vibe Publishing and I’m also a romance and children’s books writer.

With 15+ years in the publishing and writing industry, I’ve met many aspiring writers, listened while writers groaned about being stuck, and handed tissues to those writing memoirs.

Writing a memoir is not for the weak. It is a deeply personal endeavor that can be as healing as it is gut wrenching.

As a publisher, I can say, not all stories need to be told.

As a writer, I can say, all stories deserve to be told.

That puts me in a somewhat unique position. As a publisher, I know that not every story will find enough readers to make it commercially worth publishing.

But as a writer I don’t think that makes the story any less worth writing.

The story of someone you loved who lost their battle with cancer is worth writing. So is surviving something you never thought you’d make it through. Additionally, that story your grandma tells every Thanksgiving is also worth writing.

Many people go wrong because they try to tell their life’s story in one book. If you tried to do that you could end up with a 50,000 page biography that no one will read.

So no, every part of your life isn’t book worthy, but many of your moments are. Your entire life doesn’t have to be the story. In fact, it probably shouldn’t be.

Your story might be one year of your life. One relationship. One summer. One decision. Or one theme that continues throughout your life.

I come across three types of people:

1. Those who believe their life isn’t interesting.

2. Those who KNOW their life is interesting.

3. Those who believe someone else’s story is the one that needs to be told.

When I ask class attendees which group they fit into, barely anyone believes their life is interesting. Then we get to talking and they tell me how they just climbed a mountain. Or how they adopted children from another country. Or how they worked as security for a popular rap group.

And every single time I have to say, “Didn’t you just raise your hand when I asked who believed their life wasn’t interesting? Now you’re telling me you just climbed a mountain!”

To tell a story, you start with one moment.
Then, understand why that mattered.

If you can’t figure that out, you may have found a memory but you haven’t found your story yet.

You don’t need an extraordinary life to tell an extraordinary story.

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black romance & women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Her next book, Next Time Around, releases October 13 and she couldn’t be more excited. Pre-order it today.

Check Out Her Work

I’m sure we’ve all seen the posts where AI confidently tells a lie. Like, it doubles down on how sure it is about something. Then the user points out how it’s wrong and it goes, “You’re right. Great catch.”

It’s happened to me before. I’ve used AI to point out things that could be confusing to readers in pieces that I’ve written, I’ve had it create social media posts from work that I’ve written, and most recently, I used it to scan through my book and provide one-liners from a character for me to use on social media.

As I started reading through the text it pulled for me I realized something was off. See Exhibit A.

And truthfully, Chat hadn’t just made up 2 lines; there were more. When I called it out it was like, “Oh gosh, you got me.”

I even ran across a page where a guy hilariously trolls AI. In one of his videos he told AI that he’d eaten poop and it was just like, “Yes. You can eat poop.”

Umm, excuse me???

And it probably would’ve even listed seven reasons why it was beneficial…to eat poop.

These instances of AI telling you something that is unequivocally wrong without second guessing itself have taught me two things.

1. I need more confidence.

2. I’m only wrong if someone catches it.

Just kidding on the second one. Anyway, I’ve spent entirely too much of my life devaluing my accomplishments and I’m not doing that any longer.

I used to be like, I wrote a book. But other authors have sold more.

I built a publishing company. But it’s small.

I survived something. But somebody else had it worse.

There has always been a qualifier or asterisk to what I've done and I can’t do that to myself anymore.

I won’t.

Whatever confidence they built into AI that allows it to invent history and cite imaginary research-that’s what I need.

Even if I take a bad picture I’m gonna be like, “Wow! The way that lighting hit my face at the absolute worst possible angle really made this one of the best pictures I’ve ever taken. I shall take another one.”

When I finish writing one of my books and immediately notice a sentence that could’ve been written better, I’m not gonna hone in on that. Instead, I’ll close that manuscript thinking, “Damn. Nobody else could’ve written these characters like this. I shall write more.”

And honestly, no one else could’ve. Yes, they could’ve written their version, but not mine. No other writer could’ve made those characters say exactly what I made them say or put them through exactly what I put them through.

You know why? Because my brain? Perfection. My writing? Perfection. My story? Perfection.

You see how I’m already practicing confidence?

I have to because someone will always have more or be better but that doesn’t lessen my accomplishments. It doesn’t lessen me.

If I were to keep using somebody else’s accomplishments as the measuring stick for whether I’m allowed to be proud of mine, I’m never going to look at what I’ve done or who I am and say, “Gaah-lee, I’m that girl.”

So from now on, I’m borrowing all of AI’s confidence so that I can walk into room knowing I belong there and celebrate my accomplishments without immediately explaining why they aren’t that impressive.

And when that little voice in my head inevitably tries to come back, because I’m human and it will, I’m going to channel AI.

Because if AI can convince somebody that eating poop might be a good idea, surely I can convince myself that I’m pretty phenomenal.

Now clap for me. Too far?? I get it. I’ll clap for myself.

Alright Substack. Go be confident! Go be phenomenal. And…if anyone tries to tell you you’re not, don’t listen to them. They’re probably one of the people that would listen if AI told them to eat poop.

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black romance & women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Her next book, Next Time Around, releases October 13 and she couldn’t be more excited. Pre-order it today.

Check Out Her Work

Trigger warning: this story discusses sexual assault and attempted rape.

I was 18 when this happened. I never pressed charges. And back then, I didn’t know how to define what happened. I know now.

Lastly, I have talked about this with a counselor. I am happy today and married. I would not choose the bear over my husband. He is and always has been a safe space for me, our daughters, the women in his family, and many others.

He is my Bear.

There’s a comedian on Instagram. I always thought his videos were funny. Up until the last one I saw. Now I no longer follow him.

He started this particular video talking about how he’s tired of the men hating shit. About how he’s sick of “birds” and “bitches” complaining about men being ridiculous. How women need to have compassion and give mercy and grace because men and women need each other. How women hate men because we pick bad ones and don’t have class.

There were so many problematic statements in his video, which were pointed out in his comments. Instead of listening, he doubled down and in some cases, argued his point.

But it was this statement, “I know 100s of men and none of them are weird,” that made me want to share my story.

I joined the Army straight out of high school and spent the following summer in Basic Training at Fort Jackson and Job Training at Fort Lee.

It was at Fort Lee where I was sexually assaulted, which I’ve only told a handful of people to this day.

There was a guy in my unit, we’ll call him Winter. He’d led our platoon during marches and looked my way a few times. Over time, Winter snuck more looks my way and eventually made his interest known but I told him I wasn’t interested; I had a boyfriend.

Winter and I developed a semi-friendship. Overall, he was cool to chat with and looking back, I don’t remember seeing any red flags, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there.

Because this was job training, it wasn’t as strict as in basic training and we were allowed to leave base as long as we abided by the rules.

I always left base with the soldiers I shared a room with. We’ll call them Perrin and Sims. Perrin had a boyfriend who was also stationed at our base and Sims had a boo thang, who happened to be Winter’s friend.

One weekend, Perrin, Sims, and I were hanging in the hotel we had rented. I sat on the end of one bed, watching TV, while Perrin and Sims prepared to go out with their guys.

A knock came from the door. Sims answered it and welcomed in their guys before saying, “Todd (that was me), someone’s here to see you.”

Winter walked in and smiled so I smiled back. He sat next to me on the edge of the bed and made idle conversation while everyone else prepared to leave. And when they left, he stayed.

I hadn’t invited him to stay but I also hadn’t told him to leave. He was a friend and I never assumed his motives were anything but proper.

Why would they be?

We watched TV for a while until I realized he was staring at me. “What?”

“You really cute. You still with your boyfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s serious, huh?”

It was serious enough for me to want to see it through so I said, “Yeah.”

“That’s too bad.” He rubbed my thigh and scooted closer.

As a mother of two daughters now, if my daughters were in that situation, I’d yell for them to get out of there. To tell them to make that boy leave. To let them know it’s ok to use their voice. Because at this point, something isn’t right.

But as an 18-year-old fresh out of high school who had grown up with no major male influence, who had pretty much been left to her own devices to figure out how life worked, I didn’t.

He kissed me and I kissed him back. But when he pushed me onto the bed and his hand went up my shirt I pushed him off. That wasn’t what I wanted. He stopped and we didn’t say anything but about 15 minutes later, he did it again so I pushed him off again.

We sat in silence a little longer until he checked his phone and said he was about to meet up with his friends. “You tryna go?”

I shook my head and said, “No.”

I wish I could say it ended there. That we never spoke again. But it didn’t.

Late that night, Perrin returned with her boyfriend, Sims, and Winter. It was their turns to have the beds so I was camped out on the floor in between one of the beds and the window.

I’d already turned it in for the evening and was snuggled up on the floor. Winter joined me on the floor as my roommates turned it in for the night.

“You mind if I lay with you?” Winter asked.

Based on earlier, yeah, I did mind. But if I said that, it could create a spectacle.
Would he argue with me?
If he argued, how could I win the argument?
What would Perrin and Sims say?
Would they judge me?
Would they think I was lame for saying no?
Would I become the talk on the base?
Would this ruin Winter’s relationship with his girlfriend?
Would she take away his two kids?

“Umm, okay.” I scooted closer to the window and he laid down next to me.

He didn’t touch me inappropriately or anything so I felt safe enough to go to sleep. I don’t know how long I’d been asleep but I woke up to him trying to press himself into me.

At some point he’d unzipped his jeans and pulled down his boxers while I was asleep. I was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of really loose grey sleep shorts. I squeezed my legs shut to keep him from going further but he was strong.

“Noo,” I whispered, still more concerned about waking my roommates than my own well-being. “No. Stop, Winter.”

He hovered over me, attempting to push aside my panties. “Come on, Todd,” he whispered back.

“I don’t want to.” I used both of my hands to try to stop the assault. One hand to push his arm away and the other to push away his pelvis, which wasn’t even in a condom.

After what seemed like forever, he finally pulled away and laid back down. Once again, I should’ve kicked him out. I should’ve yelled. Hit him. Spit in his face. Done all the things. But I didn’t.

So I laid back down and eventually fell back asleep while praying for daylight so I could go back to base.

Then it happened again and this time he got further. I don’t know if it was because I was too slow at pushing him away, or if he’d been prepared after I stopped him the first time, but he was all the way on top of me. He moved my hand to the side, the hand that blocked my entrance, and prepared to enter me. He managed to push about half an inch inside.

I used all my strength and finally pushed him off. He fell to the side and just laid there, as did I.

My heart raced as I fixed my panties and sleep shorts. I’d never been so scared. So freaked out. And still, I remained silent while he laid there steaming, like I was the one who was wrong.

Back then, I thought I’d led him on somehow. And crazy because, I blamed my sleep shorts instead of Winter. If they hadn’t been so loose, Winter wouldn’t have been able to get inside of me.

Not long after, he left the room without saying goodbye.

Winter never spoke to me again nor did he look my way.

And I never said anything to my roommates.

I wonder, though, did they hear anything?
And if so, why didn’t they say something?
Why didn’t they speak up?
Why didn’t Perrin’s boyfriend stop it?

They never mentioned Winter again and I never brought him up. It was like he’d never existed. Never been interested in me. And I was thankful.

But as I finish this post, I wonder how many men believe their friends to be good guys…believe their friends “aren’t weird” just because the women they assaulted chose to stay quiet.

They chose not to make a scene.

They chose everyone else over their well-being.

Whether a man or woman, if a woman you know says she’d choose the bear, and you argue that bears are wild animals that can’t be trusted, you’re missing the point.

Because if a woman would rather choose a wild animal capable of mauling her, there’s a reason for that. Sometimes, the man she’s afraid of is someone hundreds of other people would swear isn’t “weird”.

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black romance & women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Her next book, Next Time Around, releases October 13 and she couldn’t be more excited. Pre-order it today.

Check Out Her Work

Maybe some do, and kudos to them because that sounds phenomenal. All peaceful and shit. Just out here zen vibing. That’s what I’m striving for but I’m in my forties and that has never been my journey. And…whatever because I still have a good life.

I’ve been writing for twenty-ish years and most of my writing has happened while life is actively life-ing.

I once saw a YouTube show where the YouTuber talked about how the hardest part of his life was having a child that didn’t sleep for a year. I literally thought, “Damn, I wonder what it would be like to have that as my biggest struggle.”

I’m not downplaying how hard sleep deprivation is because it’s a serious ailment. My youngest didn’t sleep through the night for nine months. Add to that, not sleeping while pregnant and you have 1+ years of no sleep.

I understand that struggle. It makes life really hard.

But I’ve also dealt with the loss of my mom (I wasn’t even notified of her death), fought through postpartum depression where I dealt with suicide ideation, had health issues, struggled through two very difficult pregnancies, and comforted my NICU baby.

This all makes me think back on how, a few years ago, I was being interviewed on a podcast and somehow, I came to a point where I listed a few big events that had happened while writing/publishing Just Like Old Times. A comment came in asking how I’d been able to basically, push through.

At the time I told them it was because of prayer and a good support system. And it was, but honestly, I’d never thought about how I continued to climb my way out of adversity.

Was it because I was born a G? The 7th letter of the alphabet? Absolutely.

Was it because I was consistent? Maybe. Determination? For sure.

But looking at my output-the projects I’ve produced, one might believe there is a certain level of order in my life and that wouldn’t be completely accurate.

Even as I prepare for the release of Next Time Around in October, life has continued happening around me.

After too many ear infections and numerous doctor appointments, my son finally got ear tubes. It was emotionally tough to hold his little body through all of his fevers, cries, and fussy times because he didn’t know why he was hurting.

My sister, whom I’m estranged from, reached out and shared very bad news. (That’s as far as I’ll go because that’s her story to tell.)

My aunt, who was my mother’s identical twin, fell ill and just passed.

Of course, through all that, I still had to work, show up for my family in the best version of myself, wash dishes, fold laundry. Etc. Etc.

There were some moments where it felt impossible. Times where I just looked at my husband and crumbled. I literally came out the bathroom one day and told him, “I think I need to cry.”

Then I bawled.

But eventually, I kept going. I had to.

Life will never pause so I can pursue my dreams. It’ll never say, “Yes, yes, I see you’re on the cusp of publishing some books…accomplishing some goals, I’ll hold off on the family emergencies, health concerns, grief, responsibilities, and unexpected problems until after you’ve finished your manuscript.”

If you’ve read this far-read my ramblings, and you’re wondering how to keep pursuing your goals while carrying responsibilities, stress, grief, uncertainty, or fear, I don’t have an answer for you.

But I wish I did, just like I wish I had an answer for the person who asked me that same question during my interview.

What I do know is that sometimes, you’ll have to show up while tired. You’ll have to create when your emotions are circling the drain.

You’ll need to find bite sized moments of joy wherever you can.

You’ll need to do whatever your best looks like, even if that means lying in bed and dreaming about a different time in your life.

And remember, your best is allowed to look different tomorrow.

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black romance & women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Check Out Her Work

Release Countdown: 66 days
Current Reviews: 0
Current Goodreads Want to Read: 621
Current ARC Readers: 59
Mood: Optimistic like a mf

I’m about two months away from releasing my contemporary romance novel, Next Time Around.

Things are different this time. What’s different?

Normally, I write. Edit. Publish. And hope my readers somehow find my book.

This time, I’m treating my release as an experiment. I’m trying new marketing strategies, tracking the results, and sharing all the wins, disappointments, and the things I’m still figuring out.

If you’d like to see how I started, read Part 1.

Otherwise, let’s jump right in.

How I’m Marketing to Readers

BookSirens
I decided to give away 30 ebook copies. So far, Next Time Around has been featured in a book bundle, has received 746 impressions, gotten 69 clicks, and has 3 readers. I believe the readers only need to review it by the release date of October 13, 2026 so I don’t know when the reviews will come in.

I’m unsure if these stats are good/bad but I’m fine with the results.

Read ARC on BookSirens

Goodreads eBook Giveaway
I’m giving away 100 ebook copies. The giveaway began July 13 and closes August 12. I chose this giveaway because it appears to help authors gather reviews early on and it gets your book added to the “Want to Read” list.

Currently 675 readers have entered the giveaway and 621 added Next Time Around to their “Want to Read” list.

Enter Goodreads eBook Giveaway

Goodreads Print Giveaway
I’m going to giveaway 10 print copies of Next Time Around. I’m thinking of starting this giveaway on August 13 for two weeks. However, that date is contingent on me writing a special birth chapter for Onyx and Aiyanna, so it could slip.

Since I received over 100 entries for the ebook giveaway within one day of it beginning, I’m only keeping this giveaway open for two weeks.

Instagram Social Media Book Tour (1 week)
Hopefully this will start the week of release but I don’t have a start date yet from the organizer.

For the tour, 7-10 bookish content creators will create a post/story giving a review. That will be posted on at least two social sites within six months of the tour’s conclusion.

How I’m Marketing to Librarians

E-Blast Listing to Librarians (September Fiction Focus Listing)
I got Next Time Around added to an E-Blast that is sent to over 5,000 librarians. If a librarian clicks on my title, their email is logged, which will allow me to follow-up.

How I’m Marketing to Booksellers

ABA Advance Access
The American Booksellers Association sends an email to independent bookstores featuring publisher ARCs and galleys available for review. The bookstores contact you directly if interested and you ship your book to them.

The booksellers can also nominate your book for the Indie Next List.

I was hoping to receive 25+ requests for Next Time Around but I received 8. Some authors look at eight requests and feel disappointed.

But I saw that eight and thought, “That’s eight bookstores that never heard of me before…eight new opportunities.”

“Cold Call” Email to Bookstores
Since I didn’t receive the 25+ requests I hoped to, I sent an email to approximately 20 bookstores I found online and included my author one sheet. One responded and directed me to their internal form. Another requested the ARC of Next Time Around and is adding my other books to their next Ingram order.

That’s a success in my opinion!

All Groups

NetGalley Listing (3 months)
I added Next Time Around to NetGalley for three months and my listing will be live from June 24-September 24.

NetGalley hosts reviewers, booksellers, and librarians. My book has seen 410 impressions, 47 clicked to read it, and 6 added it to their list but none have reviewed it yet.

Interestingly enough, 8% of the people who voted on why they requested the book, said they kept hearing about my book and 10% chose the book because of the author.

That tells me that my marketing is starting to work. Take that algorithm.

Read the eBook ARC on NetGalley

Social Media Posts
I’ve been sharing and creating content on my social media pages. I’m getting good enough engagement on my TikTok page but it’s rough on Instagram. However, this is exactly what I expected.

Book Award Submission to IBPA Book Award
As a member of IBPA, I will always submit books to them first. These awards are judged by publishing professionals, librarians, bookstore owners, reviewers, designers, publicity managers, and editors.

Book Award Submission to IPPY
I also believe this to be a trusted award organization. The Independent Publisher Book Awards are only for indie publishers and authors.

(Maybe) Book Award Submission to Foreword Indies Book of the Year Awards
I’m thinking that two book award submissions will be enough for me so I may not submit to them. This one is judged by librarians, editors, and book sellers.

Other

Indiereader Review
This one went rather unexpectedly but I couldn’t be more pleased. When I submitted it, I did so before I made my final edits. I really don’t know why I did that but I stewed over that, knowing it would lower my rating.

Of course, no one wants a bad review, but I really wanted a good one since my last book, Just Like Old Times, received a 3.

Well, Next Time Around received 4.5 stars out of 5. It was proof that all those years of trying to become a better writer were actually showing up on the page.

I’ve been flying high since I received the news on July 10.

Clarion Review
I submitted to them and will receive my rating in about six weeks. I somewhat expect this review to be tougher so of course, I’m slightly nervous, but this is all part of the process and my growth.

This review is part of Foreword Reviews and with my permission, it’ll be posted on their website and licensed to Ingram, Cengram, and Bowker to spread the word to librarians and booksellers.

My Social Media Stats & Sales as of Today

I thought it’d be interesting to track everything publicly. Maybe my numbers will encourage another writer just starting out. Maybe they’ll just make me appreciate my growth a year from now. Either way, here’s where things stand as of today.

Instagram
August 6, 2026: 442 followers, 130 posts

TikTok
April 2, 2026: 1566 followers, 15.1k likes
August 6, 2026: 1592 followers, 16.6k likes

Substack
201 subscribers

Next Time Around
0 sales and 0 reviews on all platforms

Sync
Ingram Sales - 2 sales
Goodreads - 20 ratings, 6 reviews
Amazon - 23 global ratings
Amazon Reads/Sales - 33 pages/1 sale

JLOT
Ingram Sales - 0 sales
Goodreads - 50 ratings, 14 reviews
Amazon - 50 global ratings
Amazon Reads/Sales - 144 pages/0 sales

I’ll be back with updates but until then, do me a favor and keep recommending Next Time Around by Chichima Cherry.

Every share, every conversation, every read, every click, every review, every whisper, every like and comment, every single thing matters!

Thank you for helping me bring Next Time Around, i.e. The GotDamn Daltons, into the world.

If you’re an indie author, or even thinking about becoming one, tap in by:

• leaving a comment to share what you’ve tried and whether it worked

• subscribing or…

• sharing this post because it would be beneficial for someone you know

Subscribe now

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Check Out Her Work

Well, this is it. Because it’s long, I’m skipping the fluff and getting right to it. Everything below is what I’ve done over the last 2 months.

Analyze Beta Reader Feedback & Update Book (if necessary)

Beta readers provide valuable feedback and typically point out awkward scenes, moments that don’t quite make sense, and gush on things they love. I wanted to get at least 10 readers, which is really low, but I got 9. Still, the ones I found provided valuable feedback.

When more than one reader noted something, I thought deeply about why they hung onto that and ultimately, would what they found, lower a reader’s rating.

Things I changed based on feedback:

1. The Fight Scene-I kept the scene but adjusted why Aiyanna’s ex, James, was upset. If I’d kept it as it, James would’ve been acting out of character just for the sake of tension and that’s bad writing.

2. Character Clarity-the readers sometimes got confused on how the Daltons were related. I added more labels the first few times the characters popped up.

3. Timeline-the book has alternating POVs and timelines and readers sometimes got lost. I added timeline markers.

4. Counting-Onyx counts during specific moments throughout the book when he is with Aiyanna. While I hoped the readers would catch onto “the why” by the end, no one did, so I had him mention it in a late chapter.

Things I did not change based on feedback:

1. The ending-readers wanted more of Aiyanna and Onyx’s story but I felt it needed to end there or else it would reveal too much of another character’s story. So I decided to write an additional chapter of Aiyanna and Onyx that will release after the other character’s book drops.

2. Onyx’s Career Change-only 1 reader didn’t like the career change so I left it. I understood where they were coming from but I also felt like Onyx still remained true to character through that career change.

Cover Reveal

Done and done. Here it is for your viewing pleasure. I will continue to share the cover through the release date.

Final Proofread

Regardless of how many times I read through, I will always find something I want to change so as hard as it is, I made myself stop. What helped me find more errors is by reading it on my computer, reading a copy on my phone, and then reading through the proof. Each way helps me hone in differently.

Metadata

I picked my keywords, wrote the descriptions, determined the price of the ebook and paperback, and everything else. That required research of comp titles and really breaking down what Next Time Around is about.

Finalizing Retail Copy

I thought I was done with the retail copy but when I received the proof I noticed I had some corrections and additions to make. I added The Gotdamn Dalton family logo, changed the family tree to an image with a white background for better visibility, added a QR code for readers to shop my books direct, and made sure the links to outside sources like Bookbub and Goodreads were written in text in the print version.

Distributor Upload

I use Ingram Spark and Amazon KDP so I uploaded it to those platforms. That required me to make sure my files and covers were finalized.

ARCs & Reviews

ARCs
I’m trying out Book Sirens and Netgalley. I previously used Netgalley for Just Like Old Times and received less than a handful of reviews. I think this is because I only did the 1-month option and I did it after the book was released. With Next Time Around I opted for a 3-month listing that is prior to release. It hasn’t published on Netgalley yet but it is supposed to be up within 2 weeks.

The Book Sirens process went a lot faster. Next Time Around is already up and I capped it at 30 readers. Book Sirens provides analytics and in 2 days my book has seen 135 impressions, 8 readers have clicked on it, and 1 person has downloaded it to read. As an unestablished writer I’m ok with those numbers. I don’t even know what’s normal for that site anyway.

Get Your ARC of Next Time Around

Reviews
I uploaded to Indie Reader for a professional review. Here’s where it gets sticky though, I uploaded it before I made the changes from the beta reader feedback. And Indie Reader wouldn’t let me update the file even though it was just the next day. I don’t know how this will affect my review and I also don’t know WHY THE HELL I did that but I’m hurt y’all. Very-very hurt.

Dreamed Up My Characters

Per my last post (below), you know I have aphantasia, which basically means I don’t see visually distinct images. I used AI to help me bring my characters to life. Being able to finally put a face to my characters was incredible. I won’t show them now but I can’t wait to share them with you.

Library Blast

I’d like for libraries to carry my book. Since I can only get to the local libraries to request the book, I signed up for a slot in an email blast that is sent to libraries across the US. Crossing my fingers that this is helpful.

Well, that’s it for now. I still have so many more things on the to do list and true to form, I’ll share them as well. But it’s always so funny because writing books never just stops at “The End.”

But October 13 will be here before I know it and I’m hype. I also have the jitters.

Still, I can’t wait for you to meet Onyx and Aiyanna.

If you’re an indie author, or even thinking about becoming one, tap in by:

• leaving a comment to share what you’ve tried and whether it worked

• subscribing or…

• sharing this post because you know someone that this would be beneficial for.

Leave a comment

Share

Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Check Out Her Work

I was like, “Got it. Pictured. What now?”

Then she asked, “What color is it?”

I paused because wait - I never realized I hadn’t given the apple a color. And that’s when I realized I didn’t give it a color because I didn’t actually see the apple. Or did I? Now I was confused.

The woman then showed a picture of an apple that ranged from a black and white outline to a vivid 3D version. I never knew there were so many ways for a person to visualize an apple.

When I picture an apple, it’s vague. I’m at a Level 2 according to the below graphic. Like, I know it’s there, but there are truly no details. Apparently, when some people are told to picture an apple, they see a vivid 3D version.

Finding this out blew my mind. I literally had no idea that people could see 3D images in their minds. I actually thought it was a joke until I read the comments and saw people describing experiences across the spectrum.

Suddenly, things like how people could describe other people’s features in detail made sense.

I always joked, and it’s a weird joke but whatever, but I always joked that if I ever had to describe a person to a sketch artist we’d be doomed. Doooomed!!!!

And that, my friends, is how I learned I have aphantasia, which is when your brain doesn’t form or use mental images as part of your thinking or imagination.

Ever since, I’ve wondered, “How in the world do I write novels if I can’t see the scenes? How have I fallen asleep to “movies” in my head since I was a little girl if I don’t see the people?”

Well, best I could come up with is because I write from emotion.

you can also buy one of my books

My writing is dialogue heavy. My books are filled with tension, conflict, humor, and emotional growth. I know when two characters are standing too close because I feel the discomfort or attraction between them. I know when a conversation isn’t working because the emotional rhythm feels off.

I now get why I don’t get distracted by visual details while drafting. And why readers often comment on my characters more than my descriptions. Why chemistry, dialogue, relationships, and emotional growth are the things I naturally gravitate toward when writing and reading.

The visual details usually come much later during the second to third draft. Only then can I figure out what the characters look like. Where they are. What the scene could look like. And to be honest, sometimes I forget to add those details.

Which is exactly what has happened in all my books.

In Next Time Around, somewhere around my hundredth read through, and after I sent it to a professional reviewer, I added the highlighted details to Chapter 3.

“I’m glad you waited.”

Walking through the night air, a toothpick in the corner of his mouth, the groomsman looked down at the woman walking next to him. Her short, dark hair that molded to her head was perfect for her heart shaped face and that sexy sepia skin tone. He’d had his share of beautiful ladies but this woman had kept his attention all night without saying a word.

Could a reader still understand without the underlined? Absolutely.

Does the underlined make the paragraph even better? Without a doubt.

And I want readers to have the best experience possible even though I don’t know what Onyx Dalton or Aiyanna look like. So remembering to add all those details always mattered to me, even before I stumbled upon aphantasia.

More than anything, this reinforced something I always believed.

There are books for every reader and there are readers for every writer.

I know some readers won’t vibe with my writing style and that’s ok. But if you read my books, you’ll find that the romance isn’t really about what they look like - even though, yes, they are attractive.

It’s about connection. How the characters feel and make each other feel. What they overcome to fall in love.

For me, as a romance writer, that’s good enough.

But I won’t lie, as a regular-degular human, I’m still curious.

When someone tells you to picture an apple, do you actually see it?

I asked my friend over the weekend, and she sees the 3D apple.

Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Check Out Her Work

More than 10 years ago I pitched different versions of the story at least twice. Nothing came from those pitches. At the time, I was disappointed but looking back, I get it. I wasn’t ready and neither was my story.

This time though, I was prepared.

This time I:

• was done writing and my story was edited

• knew what genre my story fit into

• had comp titles and knew my market

• only pitched the agents that represented my genre

• could answer every question about my book

• had notes so I made sure to say everything I needed to tell them

• was now a big reader

(That last one matters more than people think.)

The Pitches

I had one in-person pitch and three virtual pitches.

Each pitch was 10 minutes long.

That’s 10 minutes to introduce yourself, explain your book, establish your credibility, and leave space for questions.

I’ve been keynote speaker, spoken at a TEDx event, sold books to strangers, and taught classes. None of that compares to pitching literary agents.

Because in that moment, I’m not just presenting, I’m standing at the gateway to big publishing…and that door only opens if I sell my book in exactly the right way.

That pressure hits every time.

But this time was different.

Every single agent I pitched requested to see my manuscript. After every meeting I found a quiet spot and was like Damn, is this really happening?

The Wait

After revising my book two more unnecessary times, I sent it out to the agents and prayed I was making the right decision.

Since my writing career began, circa 2006, I’d always wanted to become a traditionally published author. I wanted the book tours. The sales. Maybe even the fame?

(Side note: back in high school I told myself I’d be famous. But not for singing because I couldn’t sing. So if my childlike high school self believed it, I think it may be something that my adult self is supposed to make come true. It’s just one of those things.)

But while I was waiting to hear back from the agents, something shifted inside of me.

The Realization

Even though I spent years chasing the idea of being a traditionally published author, all of a sudden it started to feel wrong.

Not because I couldn’t do it. But because it no longer fit who I’d become.

Let me explain.

Back in 2020, I started my own indie hybrid publishing company, Write and Vibe.

I created it to give authors like me a real chance to tell their stories. Since then, I’ve published 10 books to the imprint and helped bring many more to the world.

And still, after doing all that, I kept holding onto the idea that I needed traditional publishing to validate me.

But that idea was outdated and untrue for me. It hit me one day while talking to my husband. “I don’t want to be traditionally published anymore,” I blurted out.

He’d been along for the ride since my dream started so, wise as he is, he said, “Ok, just think on it some more.”

I did. And the more I thought, the clearer it became.

Letting It Go

Soon after, I got rejections from two of the agents.

One of them was an outright no. The other one said it was a “really nice project” but they didn’t have “a great vision for breaking it out in a tough market” so they were stepping aside.

I never heard from the other two so that usually means those are also rejections.

Instead of feeling discourage, I felt relieved. I would’ve hated to be that author that goes, “Yeah, thanks, but never mind.”

Plus, in those rejections, I knew God was working. My consistent prayer: If it isn’t for me, block it.

Still, because I’m human, I kept wondering if I was making the right decision.

Let the Concrete Set

I didn’t have to wonder long because God came in like, “How many times do I have to tell you the same thing?”

In March, I volunteered at a writing conference. My job was to help during the pitch sessions. I heard it all.

And behind the scenes I heard more from the agents. Success stories. Frustrations about the changing industry. Worst of all, horror stories.

One agent shared how it took 9 months to get a response from an editor. The response? They needed more time. When the final answer came two additional months later-it was a NO!

That would’ve sent me over the edge.

And that was just the beginning of the process. After that comes more:

• submissions

• waiting

• rewrites

• approvals

• and a publishing timeline that may stretch years

My Next Move

I’m going to publish my book through my company, Write and Vibe.

Saying that feels good. I don’t even question it. That’s how I know I’m making the right decision.

Usually I follow a specific release strategy.

This time, I’m experimenting. Testing some things. Seeing what actually moves the needle when it comes to exposure and sales.

And because I don’t believe in gatekeeping, I’m documenting it here.

My book, Next Time Around, (which is actually not the one I pitched) is slated for release on October 13. The one I did pitch will release in March 2027.

With being 6 months from publication, this is what I’m working on. In no particular order:

• Retrieving Beta Reader Feedback

• Revealing the Cover

• Completing the Final Proofread

• Figuring Out the Metadata

• Finalizing Retail Copy

• Uploading it to Distributor

• Creating Digital ARCs

If you’re an indie author, or even thinking about becoming one, tap in by:

• leaving a comment to share what you’ve tried and whether it worked

• subscribing or…

• sharing this post because you know someone that this would be beneficial for.

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Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under her late mother’s name, Karen Mae.

When she’s not writing, wifing, or mothering one of her 3 wild childs, you can find her reading, baking, puzzling, or running.

Check Out Her Work

And I know some of you out there are the same way. You’ve done big things, been in big spaces, know people who do it big, and you’re right there alongside them but for some reason you don’t view yourself in the same manner.

You think, “Wow, I can’t believe I met so and so,” or, “OMG, I’m sitting next to such and such,” or even, “I’m pitching my little business to this company next week.”

You don’t view yourself big-ly. Why?

For me, there are a couple of reasons.

1. It was enforced that humble is the only way to be but on the same hand, confidence was not taught. This led to me acting as if my achievements have meant little. My thoughts now: there is a huge difference between being humble, meek, and self-assured. I could stand to be more self-assured.

2. I haven’t yet achieved what I thought I would by this point in my life. This has led to discontent and disappointment. My thoughts now: life has been wild and unpredictable and sis, you control NOTHING. You’ve done what you could with the cards you were given and you’ve done great.

For example, I once attended the Coretta Scott King Brunch at the American Library Association conference and I sat in thee front at the same table as people who worked at Random House and my inner voice had the nerve to whisper, “Well, I’m just a small publisher. I can’t hold a candle to Random House because they’re a Big Five Publishing House.”

The truth was, “I am a publisher.” Period.

I’ve brought stories to life that the same big publisher would’ve overlooked.
I’ve guided authors from raw idea to polished manuscript.
I’ve edited, designed, formatted, marketed, and published books that didn’t exist before I touched them.
I’ve made dreams come true.
That’s not small work - that’s BIG work.

For some reason, we tend to think that because we haven’t hit a specific milestone, that big deal, number, or that big recognition, that somehow what we’ve done doesn’t count. Or it doesn’t count enough.

But friend, it counts. Every late night, every creative risk, every leap of faith. It all counts.

We tend to shrink a little when we’re in certain rooms. Not because we don’t think we belong, but because we forget that we already earned our seat.

Please note: you’re doing amazing things, building something from scratch, balancing a dozen roles, and still living life while life lifes.

From this point forward, let’s remember we are dynamic - not because of who we sit next to, but because of who we already are.

And as a small tidbit, those who have achieved less than you are out here getting your gigs/jobs/whatever, all because they never even thought to believe they didn’t belong in the seat that was supposed to be for you.

Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under the pen name of Karen Mae.

Check Out Her Work

And Watch Her On YouTube

Join Her Writing Substack

I am a jack of all trades. I write, edit for myself and others, create videos, do public speaking, run a publishing company, work for an ************** who doesn’t deserve me, and I still find time to be a mom of three, wife, and doggy mama.

Looking from the outside in, all of that may seem disjointed. I even used to think it was. I just wanted to pick one thing and become a multi-thousandaire (millionaire would be nice but I heard beggars can’t be choosy). But I couldn’t pick just one and it felt like the world, and definitely social media, kept saying, “We don’t know who you are because you’re into and do so many things.”

This made me feel unfocused and scattered, which in turn led me to believe I was unserious about whatever trade I’d chosen at the time.

I believe many creatives feel as I did but it shouldn’t be that way. When I interviewed Rachel Cargle she spoke about the shame that often comes with being a jack of all trades.

*Watch Rachel’s full interview.*

However, instead of running from that label, she embraced it. She basically said that even though she’s a jack of all trades, all of those trades connect back to a single mission: supporting marginalized people.

That really sat with me as I realized all of my trades had one central focus, storytelling. It’s where I use words to heal, connect, inspire, and teach.

I think so many of us, especially multi-passionate creatives, feel that tug-of-war between wanting to explore all our gifts and wanting to be seen as focused. But maybe the real win isn’t in choosing one thing, it’s in choosing one why. One purpose.

So if you’ve ever been told you’re doing too much, or that you need to pick a lane, don’t shrink, stand tall and give them the finger. I kid, I kid. Maybe.

Because being a jack of all trades doesn’t mean you’re scattered and unfocused. It means you’re great. You’re big and you’re bold for believing you can do M O R E.

Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under the pen name of Karen Mae.

Check Out Her Work

And Watch Her On YouTube

Join Her Writing Substack

We started out sharing our goals for the month on the post below. Feel free to click on it and add yours so we can cheer each other on.

Our monthly interview was with Rachel Cargle. Click on it to watch the full interview.

That’s it for the week. Have a great weekend and see you in Ink next week.

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This isn't my regular kind of post, I know, but I wanted to let you know about something I have going on just in case you're interested.

What It Is

Beginning October 1, my writer's community, Ink & Inspiration, will be on Substack. This is where I will share writing inspiration or out of the box writing prompts, interviews with those in the writing community, and hold virtual write/read-ins.

You'll receive all of this straight to your inbox every week, similar to how you receive my Genuinely Ever After writings.

*Please note, you have not been automatically added to the Ink Community*

Ink will only have writer specific posts so if that's not your jam that's ok but if you know a writer this could benefit, please share with them.

Who It Is For

This community is for ALL writers of ALL levels. It doesn't matter if you've written 10 books or none. It doesn't matter if you write fiction, nonfiction, psychological thrillers, or kid's books.

If you're still wondering if you're welcome, the answer is a fat, “YES!”

And if you are someone who believes only certain people are welcome in certain places, you are also welcome.

How to Join

Follow me on Substack to see everything in real time. This only works if you are a Substack user. Just search my name and you'll find me.

Bookmark https://inkandinspo.substack.com/ and check in often to see the posts.

Enter your email or click (depending on your email provider) below to subscribe and have everything sent right to you in one weekly email.

Ink & Inspiration for Writers

For writers who care about writing.

By Cori

Ink starts tomorrow with the sharing of an interview with Rachel Cargle!

I wish you peace, prosperity, and joy.

Keep Daydreaming,

Cori

Once we recognize we’re broken in some way we either accept it and move on or we try and repair because we are under the notion that something broken should be fixed, even if we don't know how to do the repairing.

This brokenness concept messes with our minds.

We know to be true that people are imperfect beings. We allow that. So if we’re flawed then it's no big deal for the most part. We typically say, “That’s just who I am. Accept me.”

But when we see ourselves as broken, then it becomes a problem and it is something that absolutely positively must be fixed.

Significant other cheated and left you heartbroken? Now you have to repair yourself to who you were before you met them. Parents treated you badly? Now you must spend your life researching what they didn't give you so you can give it to yourself. You must make yourself whole.

While listening to a Secular Buddhism Podcast episode, a thought struck me.

We’re born tiny, with an average birth weight for a newborn under 8 pounds. Babies are unable to do much except the basic functions like eating and sleeping. We're just beginnings, a portion of what we'll become.

But at some point we begin to believe we are whole. Who tells us this? Is it assumed? Does it automatically happen at puberty? When we're 21? Is it a feeling that overcomes us?

Again I ask, “What if we were never whole to begin with?”

Maybe wholeness isn’t something we return to after things go awry. Maybe it's something we start to build upon at birth.

Think of it like falling Tetris blocks. We start the game with a blank slate. Each new block added contributes to our wholeness.

Learned to walk? Here's a new block.

Learned division? Here's a new block.

Learned how to love again after experiencing heart break? Here's a block.

Learned how to live again after the death of a loved one? Here's a block.

Each block earned locks into place and shapes who we become. Sometimes those blocks don't fit perfectly; maybe we had our first workplace embarrassment, but it's still a part of us.

Thinking of life in this manner, of feeling like I'm putting myself together for the first time each day, has shifted my mindset.

It's like an exhale. Now instead of being mad that I have to pick up the pieces for the umpteenth time and rebuild, I think, “I've never experienced this before at this age. This is a new block that will contribute to who I am. Wow.”

That's not to say that every block will be looked at as if it's the best thing that ever happened just because it's new. No, that's unrealistic. But after I allow myself to accept whatever emotion appeared with the placement of that new block, I hope to come back to the realization that I am a forming individual and I will form until the day my soul departs my body.

I can't say that I've experienced every situation, such as a life altering cancer diagnosis, so I don't know how I'd be able to deal with that in this context. But I have been through a lot and for me, looking at things this way would've been beneficial in the past.

The Tetris board is messy. Life is messy. Our blocks don’t always fit the way we want them to. But they still make us, us.

Cori is always down to tell a story. She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry, and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series, under the pen name of Karen Mae.

Check Out Her Work

And Watch Her On YouTube

It was summer and our mom was at work. Dani had to be about 6-years-old so that would've made me 11. Typically I was a very responsible 11-year-old child. This just wasn't one of those times. And honestly, I had to keep me and my sister entertained all day without iPads, computers, or video games throughout many summers and school breaks. The fact that we’re still alive should mean something.

One of our mother’s rules while she was gone was to stay inside. We never broke that rule.

So on this day, we decided to play Barbies on our second story balcony. As we were playing, one of our Barbies fell off. I am 100% positive it was my sister's fault.

"How are we gonna get Barbie?" asked Dani. We had to get Barbie; we couldn't just leave her down there laying in the grass all alone until Mom came home from work.

I looked down to the ground and then back to my sister. The genius that I am, I came up with an idea. "I know!"

We rushed to the closet and grabbed the blankets. Whatever visual you have in your head right now is most likely accurate. And no, it doesn’t make sense to your adult brain but I can promise, in the world of 90s cartoons of Tom and Jerry and Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, this was the smartest decision I could come up with that didn’t break Mom’s rule.

"You climb down on the blankets," I instructed Dani. "Then throw Barbie up to me and climb back up."

Dani was small for her size so this should’ve been easy. Unfortunately, things went bad, as you probably guessed.

Dani made it down just fine. She threw Barbie back up just fine. The coming back up part was where we ran into trouble. She got about halfway and lost all endurance. I wanna say that the summer sun just came out and zapped the energy right out of her like POOF!

"Help! I can't make it, Cori." Beads of sweat dotted her forehead. The girl was struggling. She was literally shaking while trying to climb up and I was also gritting my teeth.

I had been holding that blanket and all her swaying from side to side and shaking and taking forever had me exhausted.

At this point I believe I must have miscalculated two things:

1. The strength necessary for a 6-year-old to climb a rope.

2. The strength necessary for an 11-year-old to safely pull her 60 pound sister up 12 feet.

I didn't know how much longer I could hang onto the blanket if she didn't make it up soon so I tried some encouraging words. After all. I had gotten us in this mess. "Keep trying, you're almost here."

Together, we got her another half inch higher but she still had about 6 inches to go until she reached me.

Things weren't looking good for this adventure or Dani's butt.

"Give me your hand," she huffed.

I agreed because, in theory, me grabbing her hand to pull her up instead of struggling with the blanket should’ve worked. But Mom used to say I was full of book smarts, not common sense.

In order to reach her, I let go of the blanket. Do you hear me??? I let go of the blanket to grab Dani’s hand.

And Dani went tumbling.

Her face showed pure fear and my face, well, pure alarm. Although Dani was about to die, I knew I’d be dead as well when our mom got home.

As the oldest child, one thing you’re not allowed to do is let your younger siblings die while you are in charge.

Dani's arms and feet flailed as she fell but somehow she never let go of that blanket. Then, I reached out like I could actually catch her. It felt like time was frozen as I watched her fall to the ground. And then she went thump. Waiting for her to make a sound was terrifying.

But then she moved. And then she started crying! I yelled out, “Dani!”

And she cried some more.

I’ll pause here because, can you imagine looking out your window and seeing your neighbor’s kids swinging from a blanket from their balcony? Absolutely insane. Insane I tell ya!

I broke Mom’s rule right then and ran out our apartment and down the stairs to the back of the building where Dani was still laying in the grass.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I kneeled down next to her.

She wasn’t. She could barely walk. I helped her and the blankets inside and sat her down on our mother’s brown recliner. Then I ran upstairs and grabbed the heating pad. “Sit down on this. It’ll help you feel better.”

To get her to not spill the beans to our mom, I first threatened her. “If you tell Mom we’ll both get in trouble.”

I mean, it wasn’t a lie. I just would’ve been in more trouble. And then I bribed her. “I’ll do all your chores for a week.”

It only made sense since she could barely walk.

She agreed and when Mom came home, she looked at Dani sitting peacefully in the chair, and then at me running to get Dani some Kool-Aid from the kitchen, but the night and years went on without us getting exposed.

The proof? I live to share this story.

And I know you’re wondering so I’ll go ahead and tell you. As far as we know, Dani didn’t break any bones.

Cori is always down to tell a story. She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry, and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series, under the pen name of Karen Mae.

Check Out Her Work

And Watch Her On YouTube

I’ve been on this soft girl shift and it’s been good to me. But the longer I’m on it, the more I realize it’s less about doing and more about being.

Over the weekend I watched KPOP Demon Hunters with my youngest daughter, Carebear, and it was so so so so good.

Right from the beginning it was a bop. And it stayed there. I’m dancing on my couch. I’m singing along. Straight jammin’. And the messaging? Perfect.

Since the weekend, we’ve watched it a number of times more and I admit, I even watched it by myself. It’s clear why kids and their caregivers are loving it.

The movie is about a girl musical group, HUNTR/X, whose mission is to kill demons. Their fans and other bystanders, seemingly, don’t know this though.

I won’t give away one of the secrets of the movie but one of the girls in HUNTR/X isn’t being completely honest with the other members of the group. I mean, this girl is struggling with who she is and whether her friends will love her for who she is. That actually leads me to believe that the theme of the movie is more about fighting your inner demons than the actual ones.

Although all the songs were good, one of them, What It Sounds Like, stood out to me. Here are some of the lyrics.

I broke into a million pieces and I can't go back

But now I'm seeing all the beauty in the broken glass

The scars are part of me

Darkness and harmony

My voice without the lies

This is what it sounds like

I spent a lot of years trying to hide my cracks from strangers to those in my family. I didn’t want people to know I was hurting. Hurt by the past that had nothing to do with them. Or hurt by something they said or did. If they knew I was hurt then they’d look at me funny or treat me differently and that wasn’t something I wanted. It wasn’t that I needed to act tough, it was that I’d always been strong. And to me, strong meant not showing emotions.

I didn’t want people to know I was angry that I had to grow up fast so that at age 5, I could care for my sister while our mother worked two jobs and dealt with my stepfather who was on drugs.

I didn’t want people to know I grieved (and still grieve) the loss of a normal childhood due to poverty. I still remember the joy of my mom getting paid every other Friday and bringing home groceries. So, yeah.

I didn’t want anyone to know that sometimes we had to warm up bath water with the electric powered stove because our gas (powered the water heater) had been turned off.

These, and more, are parts that didn’t mesh with the adult Cori that people had grown to know. These were the parts of me that I had convinced myself were insignificant. Feelings were insignificant. They didn’t matter because they were the broken pieces and I wasn’t broken.

Or was I? Am I? Are you?

When you ignore your broken pieces, they don’t disappear. They just pile up in the corner waiting for the day you finally trip over them or say, “Damn, I need to clean up in here!”

It’s been at least 10 weeks since I started soft girling and doing one soft girl activity a week, give or take. Testing all these activities to see if they make me feel softer has been going well and working but instead of it being the first step, it should’ve been the second.

In my mind, soft girls reflect peace and freedom. You can’t be that without doing the first steps of:

1. Connecting your past to your present for peace of mind. Or at least, acknowledging and accepting your past to the point where you understand how it continues to affect you in current day.

2. Recognizing true peace when you feel it, even if it’s just for 5 minutes.

Softness isn’t weakness. Feelings aren’t weakness.

Softness is being whole enough to let go. Whole enough to not armor up every time life comes swinging. Whole enough to say, “Yes, this is me - the cracks, the scars, the shadows - and still, I’m beautiful. Still, I’m worthy.”

Feelings are worth being felt. If I can feel safe enough to acknowledge when I’m happy (true story-I didn’t even always do this) then I can do the same with my other emotions.

So when I think about softness now, it isn’t bubble baths and silk robes (though I think I’ll try that out). It’s sitting with myself and saying:

• “I’m going to watch the sun set tonight.”

• “There goes the little girl who is still sad because her dad never called on her birthday.”

• “Oh hey, the young woman who used to dress in all black at home and pretend she’s Cat Woman should come out and play today.”

• Or “There’s the mama wondering if she’ll be able to give her youngest everything she gave her older two kids.”

Identifying all those parts doesn’t make me broken; it makes me a soft girlie because I give myself room to exist without shame.

I don’t need to be soft often but I do need it to be a natural part of me. And that is now what I’m working on.

If you’ve been following my journey, thank you for allowing me the space to adapt, reframe, and change.

Because this, all of this, is what I sound like.

Wondering what my original activities were that I hoped would make me feel soft? Check it out in the post below.

Cori is always down to tell a story. She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry, and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series, under the pen name of Karen Mae.

Check Out Her Work

And Watch Her On YouTube

I started a soft girl shift because, well, I wanted to feel softer. I wanted to feel like a peaceful, free, living my best life in ease kind of girl. And for a number of reasons, I just didn’t feel that way.

Instead of waiting for soft girl life to just “kick in,” I decided to figure out how to become how I already saw myself in my future. To do so, I figured out my barriers.

The 3 Barriers:

1. A Need to Contribute

2. A Need to Be Active

3. A Need to Be Creative

And then I asked myself 4 questions to help redefine the soft girl aesthetic to fit my life as a mom of 3 (ages infant to 21), a creative, a wife, and employee.

The 4 Questions:

1. What do I like to do?

2. What do I like to see?

3. How do I like to feel?

4. What do I like to hear?

After I sat in reflection, I came up with 16 activities to do through the end of my maternity leave. These are those activities and this is the order I’ll be completing them, stacking as I go.

The Activities:

Week 1 - Pilates

Week 2 - Makeup

Week 3 - Clothes

Week 4 - Puzzling

Week 5 - Meditation

Week 6 - Light Exercise

Week 7 - Yoga

Week 8 - Journaling

Week 9 - Prayer

Week 10 - 15 Minutes of Ratchet Music

Week 11 - Stretching

Week 12 - Writing

Week 13 - 15 Minutes of Quiet Time

Week 14 - Celebrate Accomplishments

Week 15 - Walking and/or Swimming

Week 16 - Reading

Cori is always down to tell a story. She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry, and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series, under the pen name of Karen Mae.

Check Out Her Work

And Watch Her On YouTube