"Take a Picture, Sweetie!" - Odds and Ends from the Past Week

Sorry for the late post. My sister is in town and we were catching up yesterday.

Here is a peek into my writing process...

Work Space

Files

More Research

Snack

Napping Spot

"My Only Competition is, Well, Me..." - Prince and Michael Jackson

During my research, I came across this fun article about Prince and Michael Jackson via Vibe magazine. It's not relevant to my book, but I wanted to share because it's such an interesting read.

"Michael Jackson Vs. Prince: An Oral History"

The article chronicles the so-called rivalry between the two artists, and features interviews with several people who worked with them. I especially liked reading comments from Michael Jackson's engineer, Bruce Swedien; I remember seeing his name in MJ's CD booklets when I was younger. 

I won't ask you which artist is better; I honestly don't think you can compare the two. They are different types of musicians and entertainers. 

I hope you enjoy the article! 

"In this Digital Age..." - Online Activities this Week

Quick post this week. I'm just trying to focus on rewriting chapter two. However, I did take some time out to tend to a couple of online activities related to the book:

I FINALLY signed up for Dropbox! After the computer crash of 2012, I've been backing up my work on two drives, but one of my blog readers suggested that I also store my book online (privately). I finally took the advice.

Also, it's time to renew my domain for apurpledayindecember.com. I'm so glad that it's automatically renewed each year. However, I took time to write down the renewal dates for the website, along with ericawrites.com, just so I'm in the loop.

Pretty boring stuff. Back to writing...

Do you use Dropbox?

"Think About the Future!" - Upcoming Projects from Prince's Protégés

My vacation (well, "staycation") was nice, and now it's back to work! I received feedback on the preface, prologue and first chapter of the book from the chair of my thesis committee. I have to make some changes, write chapter two, finishing reading the Little Richard biography, and resume my requests for interviews in the next few weeks. It's going to be busy!

In the meantime, I'm keeping my eye on two upcoming projects from Prince's protégés. They could be great sources for the book.

• Sheila E.'s autobiography, "From Pain to Purpose," is due next year, according to her recent interview with Smithsonian.com.

• A new reality show, "Diamonds," is rumored to premiere this year. It features women in the music industry, including singer Jill Jones and dancer/rapper Cat Glover. Both ladies worked with Prince in the 1980s. There is a description on Truentmagazine.com. There is also a Facebook page dedicated to the project. There is no word on a TV network for the show.

Truentmagazine.com

Are you looking forward to "From Pain to Purpose" and "Diamonds?"

Subscribe to my e-mail list for updates on the book. Click here.

"Take a Break From 9 to 5" - Vacation!

Hi, everyone. I am taking a much-needed vacation. I will be back on May 28.

Stay tuned!

"Now, Turn the Page" - Book of the Week

Here is the latest title in my "Book of the Week" series: "The Life and Times of Little Richard: the Authorised Biography." I mentioned that I am also studying the spiritual journeys of other popular artists. See the full list here.

Amazon.com

I've purchased this book today. Now, back to writing interview questions for my next batch of sources.

"Why Can't You Call Me Sometime?" - My New Phone!

Sorry for the delay; as usual there is a lot going on. First of all, I am so happy to share my new phone...

I FINALLY bought myself an iPhone 5!

Gotta love the purple case.

Well, I've had some other accomplishments this past week. I sent the preface, prologue and first chapter of my book to my professor for review! As you may remember, my book counts as my professional project for my graduate journalism degree at Ohio University. I have officially finished writing about the 1958-1976 period of Prince's life.

I've also started reaching out to Prince's management and representation this week to tell them about my project. Let's hope they give me a call on my new purple phone!

After being in "rewriting" mode for so long, I'm happy to get back into "interviewing" mode for the next portion of the book.

Wish me luck!