Teenage Girls Bill of Rights

Found this at the Joyful Heart Foundation site (mentioned below). Every girl should follow this code for their personal safety.

Diggin' This Site: Joyful Heart Foundation

I learned of this site when I was doing research for the Resources section of my upcoming book, K My Name Is Kendra. I decided to include the section when I reached the halfway point in writing the book. After all, how can I tell the fictional story of Kendra and dedicate it to real-world sexual abuse victims but not include information on where these survivors can go to heal?

So the Joyful Heart Foundation is one of the several organizations you'll see listed in the back of the book as well as at my site. Its President and Founder is none other than actress Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fame, who started the non-profit in 2002 with the goal of helping "survivors of sexual assault heal their minds, bodies and spirits and reclaim their lives." As I suspected before even reading the rest of her statement, she was moved to do so after beginning her role on the show. Emails and letters from real-life survivors touched her, and from this was born Joyful Heart.

Take a few moments to visit the site for yourself, or pass the link along to someone who needs the healing.

Someday: Akwaaba DC

One day, when I've finally gotten to where I want to be in my writing career, I'm going to treat myself to a stay here at Akwaaba, a gorgeous luxury inn in Washington D.C. It's one of five locations opened by author Monique Greenwood and her husband, but I have a special affinity for this particular spot because it's decorated with a literary theme. Each guest room features the books of the author or genre it is named after. I do like the Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, and Walter Mosley suites, but I think my first reservation will be for the Langston Hughes suite (pictured above). Looks absolutely stunning, doesn't it?

Someday...

The Mean Girl Never Wins...

So Bianca is out. I actually thought she'd last at least into the top three, if not the top two. Oh well.

I have to say that I believed her when she said that we haven't seen the last of her. She's determined. And a little shady. She'll be alright.