Living In a Bubble...R.I.P. Derrion Albert

I sometimes wonder if many of us are living in a fragile little bubble, so caught up in our own lives that we fail to realize what’s really going on around us. Our kids are killing one another at an alarming rate, but some of us only seem to care when it’s one of our own who are victimized. Many of our communities are becoming dangerous wastelands, compelling the vast majority of us to strive to move out and never look back. I wonder, does that make us any better than those Caucasians who vacate a community as soon as a minority family moves in?

Countless school districts (partly) responsible for educating our children are inadequate, but what do we do? Most do nothing. A few complain and blame the overburdened teachers, while some others who can afford it go the private school route. I wonder how many of us recognize a need and educate our own children at home, sacrificing our own time and energy to ensure their success? How many of us mentor a child who isn’t our own but has a need for guidance, in order to give someone else a chance at success?


Many parents today don’t know the first thing about raising a child. A lady told me the other day that she wouldn’t be able to get her son to put down his videogames long enough to read my book, The Barack in Me. Meanwhile, when she was talking to me, she was clutching a Game Stop bag in her hand, with more videogames tucked inside. Who’s the parent? Who’s determining what’s vital in your young child’s development? Derrion Albert was an honor student who was murdered for no reason whatsoever, by four children. These four children will undoubtedly get charged as men and spend a good portion of their lives rotting away in prison like so many other African American boys.


However, between now and when (not if) the next Derrion Albert is killed, we need to honestly ask ourselves some questions. What are we doing to keep our own children safe? Are we playing an active role in their development? Are we willing to be hard on them if it is for their own good, or do we defer to them when a tough decision has to be made? Also, are we actively engaging other children and young adults who desperately need our guidance? Our communities were once built on the concept that it takes a village to raise a child. Where’s the village? Where are the leaders? As a matter of fact, where are the black owned businesses in our neighborhoods—another issue altogether, but a burdening concern nonetheless.


Hopefully none of our children will be impacted by violence brought upon them by a child who belonged to someone else. Hopefully none of us will ever have to wonder what we could have done differently, what we could have said, or what more we should have done? Five lives ended on the day Derrion Albert was killed. One was lost involuntarily. Four other misguided children figuratively committed suicide that day as well, when they took his life. Sure, they will live on, but trust me, their lives are over. Where were their parents? Where were their advocates and mentors when they needed them? Hopefully the day will never come when we’re sitting in a room teary-eyed asking these same questions and receiving no response.


The unfortunate reality is that unless we figure out a way to restore our village through hard work and commitment on all of our parts, one or more of us may be faced with the same pain Derrion’s loved ones are undoubtedly plagued with now. A child’s life taken by the child of someone else. When will we realize that they’re all our children? When will more of us step up and play our part in helping to mentor and guide them all? Today more than ever, it takes a village to raise a child. Please, stop living in a bubble.

Written By: Moses Miller

some things just never CHANGE

(Click on picture to view larger image)

I don't know what else needs to be said in order to get people (my people) to stop supporting The New York Post, Fox News Network, Star Magazine and anything else that Rupert Murdoch has ownership of. He doesn't respect us as a race. If you've ever had the pleasure of watching the SlyFox Network, you'd know exactly what I am talking about. Here's some interesting information I found on Wikipedia:

Early Summer 2008; a "tentative truce" was brokered during a secret meeting between Barack Obama, Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes (President of the Fox News Channel) at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. Obama had initially resisted Murdoch's propositions, despite senior News Corp executives having recruited the Kennedys to act as go-betweens.Obama resented Fox News's portrayal of him "as suspicious, foreign, fearsome - just short of a terrorist," while Ailes said "it might not have been this way if Obama had more willingly come on the air instead of so often giving Fox the back of his hand." A "tentative truce" was agreed upon; Obama would be portrayed more favorably, while Obama would be more willing to appear on Fox.


I guess the truce is off Barack. Time to have your people take the gloves off and go in!

Sistah Friend Book Club Black History Month Interview

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month has more significance this year than it probably ever has for me, just with the climate of the country and the recent historic events. In the past I was always one that felt a little slighted by having the shortest month in the year be the one that was chosen to celebrate the great accomplishments of our people, but I've let go of that bitterness. It's an incredible time to be African American and reflect on the many things that our ancestors were able to achieve, even while the odds were stacked against them. It's a humbling and sobering time, because I really can't imagine what it was to live through some of the challenges that they faced. Oftentimes we take for granted what we have, without acknowledging the sacrifices that were made by those that came before us. So, Black History Month means a time of celebration, reflection and appreciation for me.

February is also the month of LOVE. How do you incorporate the L-word in your work?

Every one of my stories are rooted in love. As a matter of fact, on most occasions, the decisions we make in life are based around love of some sort. For some it's the love of money or some form of material item. For others it's the love of the opposite sex, or just being in love with the concept of being loved. So, when I write, I try to make the reader understand each of my character's motives. No two people love the same, and rarely do we think the same. An outsider may question someone who stays in an abusive relationship, wondering why they would allow themselves to be treated like that. Undoubtedly, love plays a big role in their decision making, even if it's a lack of love for self. I write from the inside out, so you understand a character's motivation whether or not you share their beliefs.

What's new for you in 2009? Where can readers purchase your latest work?

My next book that I will release is called The Barack in Me, which is a motivational novel for my young African American males. I'm really excited about that project and the opportunity to reach back and pull others forward. Nan: The Trifecta is my fourth fiction based novel that I'm currently working on as well. Readers can purchase my books at most bookstores and every online outlet from Amazon.com to Target. If you don't see them in your favorite bookstore, just ask. Most distributors carry them, so they can order them easy enough. Also, visit MindCandyMedia.com for details on each of my works, to place orders or to book me for a book club meeting or speaking engagement.

Game of Trife: The Lost Chapters Part One

For the record, I always write my novels more than once. The beginning and end are usually the same, however the middle sections tend to be drastically different from one another. I like to experiment with my characters until I find a story that seems to flow smoothly from beginning to end, and also see if I am captivated as a reader when I take off my "author's hat". With The Game of Trife, I had actually planned on sharing the entire alternate edition with readers, but then I realized that it would only cause confusion. The journey that characters such as Jada, Divine, Tony and Darius take are drastically different in each version. However, there were pieces of The Game of Trife that were edited out of the final version as well (well over 100 pages). Within those 100 pages of lost chapters, there are some things that I would like to share with you as an added bonus for taking the time to travel along with Nan on his journey. There are some things I can't share, because it will give away secrets that will be revealed in Trifecta. However, I would like you to at least gain an increased understanding of what went into the development of some of the key characters in the book, and insight from me as well. Don't read any further if you haven't finished Nan: The Game of Trife...

Who was Jada Dupri?

When I was developing Jada’s character, the challenge I faced was making the reader care about her plight. After all, the name of the book is Nan: The Game of Trife, so I didn’t want her to become the focal point. I also had other new characters that were equally as important, and an ongoing storyline that needed to be pieced together. However, I felt that if I structured the story correctly, the reader would want to read about Jada as much as they would want to see what was going to happen next with Nan.

Jada’s character was based on a teenage boy and a girl that I actually knew when I was growing up. The female came from a family of underachievers that had no desire to see anyone in their bloodline progress further than the prior generation. She had an opportunity to escape to a better life, but she was slipped some type of drug at a party and her mind was never right from that point forward. Within the course of a year she was dead.

The male that inspired Jada had a football scholarship but was put on to drugs weeks before he was about to leave to go away to school. He too was close to achieving something never done in his family. He would have been the first individual to go to college.

Besides those two individuals that helped with her development, I also speak to our youth quite often. Even though it's quite depressing, the truth is that I've spoken to teenagers whose reality is even worse than the trials and tribulations experienced by Jada. I was hoping that a young parent reading the book would look at Ronnie as an example of how not to treat your child. Sometimes it's easier to find fault in others, than to see it in yourself.

Did Jada’s father rape her?

I’ll leave that to the reader’s interpretation. I believe that some things are better off that way. I will say this though. The darkness mentioned throughout the book is a direct reference to the violation she experienced earlier in her life. For example, when she was thrashing away at her white teeth with her toothbrush, the darkness she was trying to get rid of wasn’t plaque.

Derek Grimes (aka Divine) was raped as a child by his uncle and he had also raped other individuals while he was in jail. He was a career criminal that was institutionalized for most of his life. Within the editing process, part of Derek’s upbringing was omitted. In the next installment, I'll include pieces from his background that were deleted, and my rationale behind why I didn't include the section in the finished product.

They said it...not me

For the record, I'm an extremely humble individual. I've actually been accused of being too humble at times, but I disagree wholeheartedly. I've read interviews and have been in the company of more than enough individuals that do nothing but brag about their accomplishments and how good they are at what they do. That's not me. However, I am very confident and I do believe that God has blessed me with a special talent when it comes to writing, but I don't need to brag about it to boost my own ego.

Actually, all I need to do is promote my product and make sure I get one of my books into the hands of as many readers as possible, and then let them tell me what they think. In music, literature and just about every other form of entertainment, people try to make themselves larger than life..."I'm the King of Pop" "I'm the Queen of Soul" Isn't Bobby Brown the current reining King of R&B?

As far as the writing goes, the only title that I've ever taken on is, "The least known, last forgotten." The reason I chose that is because people often tell me, “I never heard of you,” when I’m trying to tell them about one of my books. Then they email a week later and in most cases tell me that I’ve inherited a loyal reader for life. So, I don’t need the titles or the crowns that come along with being royalty. I'm content with letting my work speak for itself. Reader feedback is the best feedback for me, because it lets me know if my target audience felt that I did my job and if they appreciate my work. Good or bad, that’s the most important feedback for me.

I just found out the following news which brought a smile to my face:

OOSA Online Book Club listed Nan: The Game of Trife as one of the best books of 2008. They also had this to say about yours truly...

"Moses Miller more than satisfied his readers with the release of his highly anticipated sequel, NAN: THE GAME OF TRIFE. He has again packed all the right elements into his latest endeavor. Miller is incomparable. Wine is not the only thing that gets better with time."

ARC Book Club listed Nan: The Game of Trife as one of the Most Anticipated Sequels of 2008 and one of the best book covers as well.

Last but certainly not least, the Mocha Moments Readers had this to say....

There's Beethoven, Bach, Einstein, Dr. King and Barack Obama all icons of their time and true history makers and breakers and then............ there's Moses Miller. Ok who is this man and where and how does he find the time to entertain us readers in the manner that he does? The Game of Trife definitely picks up where The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones left us "hangin'". Moses doesn't disappoint not one bit with this sequel, it has all the action of a silver screen movie and flows like a melodic tune. Page turner is not the word I'd use to describe this book at all! I swear Moses makes us readers feel such a part of the book. He's definitely turning the literary world upside down and while he does that I sit anxiously with baited breath waiting for him to amaze me again!!!!

Purchasing the Trifling Times of Nathan Jones.......... $14.95

Purchasing Once Upon a Time in Harlem.....................$12.11

Purchasing Nan: The Game of Trife..............................$14.95

Tickets to the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ball..........$1000.00

Reading a Moses Miller masterpiece....................PRICELESS!!!!!

What are you waiting for? Now go out and buy all three, my name is Carla and I approve this message!!!!!

Thank you, ARC, OOSA, Mocha Moments Readers and every other reader that has taken a chance with one of my books!!! And remember, they said it...not me!

BAH HUM BUG!!!!

Growing up, I never really understood what the fat bearded white guy, the flying reindeers and the decorative tree had to do with the birth of Christ. For the record, I still don't. Honestly, I still haven't figured out the decorative eggs and the bunny rabbits for Easter either. But in any case, I want to wish you and yours a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Thank you to all those that read one of my books this season.

It Happened Twenty Three Years Ago...

On Christmas Eve 1985, a young teenager named Joseph Hayes would experience one of the most horrific events of his young life. As he sat in the back of his father's liquor store, a cold blooded killer took the lives of both of his parents. Death reared it's ugly head only minutes later as the man fled the scene of the crime, pursued by the police cruisers. Innocent pedestrians would be mowed down, and another youth named Nathan Jones would lose his parents as well.

Thirteen years later, their story still lives on, in a story I penned called The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones. Fact, fiction or fairy tale? I get that question all the time. My response is always to tell the reader that it says fiction right on the book, so there should really be no question at all.

However, the reason that the question still lingers, is because we all know a Nathan Jones. We all know of a tragic tale that has happened, or a life cut short too early, that never received much media attention for some reason. Invisible Men can't be seen and they don't have voices. Many of the young African American and Hispanic men in our communities are casualties of a war that doesn't get CNN coverage. There are multiple enemies (many of which look just like them) and no resolution or talks of a treaty in sight.

So, thirteen years later to the day, here we are. The story is still labeled fiction, but unfortunately, his truth is still the reality of many young African American and Hispanic men.