The Power of Story Time

When I was a kid growing up in America's racially heated South during the Civil Rights Movement, life certainly wasn't a piece of cake, and back then you had to constantly watch what you said or who you looked at. People of color, such as myself, were made to feel "less than human" and were repeatedly told that we didn't deserve the same respectful treatment and service as others. Having these terrible negative attitudes drilled into our brains year after year, you may understand why myself and other people of color during this troublesome time period in America began to feel as though we actually were "too dumb" or "too insignificant" to achieve or accomplish anything.
But, when I heard the memorable mantra "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" from "The Little Engine That Could" during story time at my elementary school, it gave me the spark I needed to build my confidence and strength within myself as a little Black boy growing up in a harsh world that seem to be "too color-conscious." - Randolph Randy Camp
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Finally! Spring Has Actually Arrived!

Hello Everybody! This is downtown Buffalo, NY. We finally got a beautiful sunny day after such a super long winter and record-breaking snowfall. Photo taken Sunday, April 12, 2015. - Randolph Randy Camp

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Tying the Knots (or not): Randy's Writing Tips

As with any story, it’s common knowledge that you should have a good beginning, middle, and a good ending. Not unless you are intentionally setting up your next sequel with an exciting cliffhanger, it’s always best to answer all questions of your plot so that your readers aren’t left scratching their heads at the end.
But, as already mentioned, if you’re strategically setting up the lead in to your continuation, then it’s best to limit your cliffhanger teaser to only one or two characters. You don’t want to leave your readers puzzled about large chunks of the major plot, but leaving them hungry and guessing about “what happened to so-and-so?” isn’t too hard to digest, and if written with the perfect amount of creative tease, it could get your sequel off to a great financial success. – Randolph Randy Camp
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GIVING: A WONDERFUL THING

Giving someone the tools to expand their knowledge and imagination is a beautiful thing, and that’s what #freebooksaturday is all about. Simply take your used books and freely offer them to your neighbors. Touch someone’s soul this Easter weekend by participating in your own Free Book Saturday event. And please share your photos, if any. – Randolph Randy Camp
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Neighbor Helping Neighbor: Global Appeal For Free Book Saturday

Thank you Everyone who participated in the very first #freebooksaturday Global  ongoing Event on March 21st. Give your used books to your neighbors is a win-win for everybody. Let’s make this coming Saturday March 28th a big success as well. Putting a smile on a book lover’s face is priceless. There are way too many people who would love to read a new book but simply can’t afford one, and that’s where you come in. Your used books would have a huge impact on someone else’s life. So, please join me once again for FREE BOOK SATURDAY to help brighten somebody’s world. And if you have any photos, please post and share them. – Randolph Randy Camp
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Free Book Saturday

There’s no better feeling than making a difference in someone’s life, especially if their world is somewhat bleak. One of the things that really bothers me is to see a kid who loves to read but there may be obstacles preventing him or her from getting a new book to read. My heart goes out to the young kid who begs his parents, “Can we go to the library so I can check out a new book?”, and the harsh unbelievable response could be something like this, “Why don’t you shut up ’bout some stupid book! Where’s that book at that you got three weeks ago?!”
For all of the kids and book lovers across the globe, I would like to see everyone in the world do something and get involve to make sure that anyone who wants a book is able to get a book. And one way this feat can be accomplished is having a worldwide ‘FREE BOOK SATURDAY’ event.
The plan is quite simple, and the real beauty of  ‘Free Book Saturday’ is that it won’t cost anyone a single penny. On a Saturday morning (and we can start tomorrow Saturday, March 21, 2015), simply gather up any books in which you’ve already read and maybe now is collecting dust on the shelf and place them on your front porch along with a handmade sign or a makeshift flag indicating “FREE BOOKS!”
Just by chance, your ‘free books’ could be the very books that brightens the life of a sad child who couldn’t get to the public library for various reasons. Let’s all pinch in and try to put a smile on a book lover’s face. Let’s make this a success and an ongoing worldwide global event – “FREE BOOK SATURDAY!” So, please pass the word and Share this post. Thanks, Randolph Randy Camp

Books: The Great Escape

When I was coming up in rural Spotsylvania County, Virginia, I was a somewhat quiet child, and as I got older I began to find my voice through writing. After learning to read, I remember being excited whenever I got a chance to go to the library, either to the school library or to the Rappahannock Regional Library in Fredericksburg.
To me, finding an interesting book to read was like eating a big piece of yellow cake with thick layers of chocolate frosting! Yep, you got it — I was certainly a book nerd…and I’m proud to say that I still am. It has always bothered me to walk into a house or an apartment and find no reading materials whatsoever laying around, especially if I know that school-age kids are living there. Without offending a few of my neighbors, I’ve donated a book or two to their household so that the children would have something to read.
Books have the ability to fly you away to some colorful, fantastic land when you live on a dismal urban street infested with gangs and drug dealers. If you live in the middle of nowhere, where the nearest neighbor is three miles away, books can fly you away to some exotic paradise and bring you back whenever you like. Yes indeed, books are amazing, and I hope that your personal library collection is expanding and expanding. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp