Black History Month Reading-FREE Ebooks

Today begins Black History Month in which we celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and take a sobering look at how far we have to go to achieve equality for people of color.

As a Floridian, I watch with horror as our governor tries to erase black history in Florida and marginalize people of color, banning books from classrooms so students can't learn about Rosa Parks Frederick Douglass, or Martin Luther King Jr., or read books by Toni Morrison. It's gut-wrenching and, together, we need to raise our voices in opposition.

Ironically, the only thing Governor DeSantis ever did for the black community was posthumously pardon the Groveland Four and he wouldn't have if it weren't politically advantageous at the time.

The Groveland Four were four young black men falsely convicted of a heinous crime in Jim Crow Florida in 1949. Their story is all too familiar but stands out because Thurgood Marshall chose to represent them in their appeal. Gilbert King told the story of this shameful chapter in Florida history in his Pulitzer Prize winning book: Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America.

After reading this book in college for an assignment, my son Josh decided to help the families pursue posthumous pardons for the men and, after four years and many setbacks, he was successful.

If you would like to read about his quest for justice and become inspired to start your own, I'm giving away FREE EBOOKS of our book: "Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four" for the entire month of February. 

Blurb:

Discover the incredible four-year quest for justice for The Groveland Four, and learn how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be.

Accidental Activist is a primer for positive action, and a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn by reading this book:

    Everything takes more time than you think 

    Nothing ever goes according to plan

    Help can come from unexpected places

    Time is on your side

    Everyone is connected

    You can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it

    Your goals can change along the way

    Flexibility is key

Let's get started, shall we?

Book link: https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Activist-Justice-Groveland-Four-ebook/dp/B07Z5TYNT7/ref=sr_1_15?crid=1ZL1Y6Z6J91R0&keywords=barbara+venkataraman&qid=1675270554&sprefix=%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-15

 

 

 

Halloween and Book of the Month. :-D

Happy October!

If you have 30 seconds today or tomorrow, please vote for my new book as Book of the Month on Long and Short Reviews. :-D Thx! Here's the link:

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/uncategorized/september-book-of-the-month-poll-which-book-do-you-think-is-best-based-on-the-review-4/

It wouldn't be Halloween without spooky videos and books. Check out THE JOKER JOURNAL, a great video based on Heath Ledger preparing to portray The Joker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3saW2-1F7gs&t=505s

Also, if you'd like a review copy of SCARY SHORTS, my flash fiction collaboration, just send me a message.

BLURB:
Halloween Flash Fiction, what could be more fun? Capture a mood, a phobia, a scary experience, using exactly 100 words. Stories like A Drive in the Country, Halloween Stew, Skeleton Crew, Something About Her Shadow, and Candy Corn will give you the creeps, keep you up at night as you stare at the ceiling. Other stories like Careful What You Wish For and Paying the Piper will make you think twice about your bad decisions.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Scary-Shorts-Halloween-Flash-Fiction-ebook/dp/B08M2MFYY7/ref=sr_1_35?crid=2GV3QSKONV79H&keywords=barbara+venkataraman&qid=1664652363&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjM4IiwicXNhIjoiMi40OCIsInFzcCI6IjIuNDEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=%2Caps%2C277&sr=8-35

Black History Month Reading

Hello!

In honor of Black History Month I'm offering free audio-book download codes for my book "Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four," a memoir I co-authored with my son Josh about his journey for justice for The Groveland Four. 

The description of the book is below. Please reply in the comment section if you would like a download code. 

Description:

Discover the incredible four-year quest for justice for The Groveland Four, and learn how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be.

Accidental Activist is a primer for positive action, and a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn by reading this book:

·         Everything takes more time than you think

·         Nothing ever goes according to plan

·         Help can come from unexpected places

·         Time is on your side

·         Everyone is connected

·         You can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it

·         Your goals can change along the way

·         Flexibility is key

Let's get started, shall we?

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z5TYNT7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i9

 

Accidental Activist--Only 99¢ from 1/12-1/16

Want to be a positive force in the world? Here's your inspiration and it's only 99¢ from 1/12-1/16.

Discover the incredible four-year quest for justice for The Groveland Four, and learn how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be.

Accidental Activist is a primer for positive action, and a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn by reading this book:

Everything takes more time than you think

Nothing ever goes according to plan

Help can come from unexpected places

Time is on your side

Everyone is connected

You can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it

Your goals can change along the way

Flexibility is key

Let's get started, shall we?

https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Activist-Justice-Groveland-Four-ebook/dp/B07Z5TYNT7/ref=pd_ybh_a_1/136-4513955-5902623?pd_rd_w=nfgmf&pf_rd_p=5b50fa67-c855-4853-bcaf-579230bfb9aa&pf_rd_r=K2KJ0E4QJY8S696NGH0W&pd_rd_r=fb460127-7fc8-4071-9a46-6fc7f9c2842e&pd_rd_wg=3xwmj&pd_rd_i=B07Z5TYNT7&psc=1

End the Year With a Smile: A Year of Shorts

Are you having trouble focusing? Does your mind wander? Could you use a chuckle or two? There's the cure and it's only $1.99. A Year of Shorts: Flash Fiction is a fun collaboration of authors who were challenged to write a story using exactly 100 words. The book has 4 sections: Scary Shorts, Holiday Shorts, Valentine Shorts, and Dog Days of Summer Shorts. Guaranteed enjoyment for the wandering mind. :-D 

Here's the link: 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096Y7WBH6/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i9 

Description:

A Year of Flash Fiction, what a blast! The challenge: capture a mood, a memory, or an experience, using exactly 100 words. Whether it's Halloween, the Holiday Season, Valentine's Day or the Dog Days of Summer, stories like Ice Cream Hero, Lemonade Stand, and The Prank take you back to your childhood, while others like Fever Pitch, The Panty Liner Incident, and Lemonade Stand evoke summer heat and the search for relief. Other stories like What's the Buzz?, Lazy Lake, and Change of Season leave you with a smile.

Enjoy stories by Goodreads authors Jina Bazzar, James J. Cudney, IV, S.J. Higbee, Sandra J. Jackson, Loretta Marion, Didi Oviatt, Carmen Radtke, Amy Reade, Rosemary Reeve, Kelly Santana-Banks, L.A. Starks, Josh Venkataraman and Barbara Venkataraman as well as authors Bob Beckman, Kathleen Fowler Costa, Eric Homberger, Jeff Homberger, Geoffrey Marion, Jodi Markley, Nico Morales, Julie Morrall, Alison Sullivan, Kaitlyn Sutey, and Vijay Venkataraman.

Holiday Cheer For Only 99 cents! :-)

It's the holiday season and what better way to start your festivities than a good book of holiday stories? You won't want to miss my holiday collection: Holiday Shorts: Flash Fiction. It will brighten your day and make you smile--and it's only 99 cents! :-D 

Description: 

Holiday Flash Fiction, what could be more fun? Capture a mood, a memory, a wonderful experience, using exactly 100 words. Stories like Secret Santa, Brag and Gag, In the Nick of Time, The Roar of the Crowd, and Opposites Attract will give you a chuckle. Other stories like Everyone's a Critic, Spread Joy and Holiday Magic will make your holidays even more enjoyable.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PVWQY55/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p2_i1  

 

Accidental Accident: Justice for the Groveland Four only 99¢ 10/12-10/16

Our award-winning book, Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four, is on sale for 99¢ 10/12-10/16 

Check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z5TYNT7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p2_i9

Description:

Discover the incredible four-year quest for justice for The Groveland Four, and learn how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be.

Accidental Activist is a primer for positive action, and a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn by reading this book:

Everything takes more time than you think

Nothing ever goes according to plan

Help can come from unexpected places

Time is on your side

Everyone is connected

You can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it

Your goals can change along the way

Flexibility is key

Let's get started, shall we?

A Year of Shorts: Flash Fiction is free 6/10-6/14. Grab yours today! :-D

Looking for a light, summer read? Well, look no further--A Year of Shorts: Flash Fiction delivers 140 stories of exactly 100 words each to start your summer right. 

Description: A Year of Flash Fiction, what a blast! The challenge: capture a mood, a memory, or an experience, using exactly 100 words. Whether it's Halloween, the Holiday Season, Valentine's Day or the Dog Days of Summer, stories like Ice Cream Hero, Lemonade Stand, and The Prank take you back to your childhood, while others like Fever Pitch, The Panty Liner Incident, and Lemonade Stand evoke summer heat and the search for relief. Other stories like What's the Buzz?, Lazy Lake, and Change of Season leave you with a smile.

Reviews:

Scary Shorts: Halloween Flash Fiction A fun, quick read but I'm not sure I'd want to sit around a campfire hearing ghost stories from Barbara and her friends! 

Holiday Shorts: Flash Fiction These little snippets will make you smile and bring you a little holiday happiness.

Valentine Shorts: Flash Fiction Such lovely homages to the many ways love can happen.

Dog Days of Summer Shorts: Flash Fiction The stories run the gamut – nostalgic, whimsy, sweet, touching, thoughtful and laugh out loud funny!

Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096Y7WBH6/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p2_i8

 

March Mystery Madness :-)

Check out my fun interview for March Mystery Madness. :-D While you're there check out all of Elizabeth's YouTube videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yFxDgwpx_M

 

Florida Bar Journal! :-D

Check out the fantastic review in the Florida Bar Journal for our book, Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four. :-)

https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/accidental-activist-justice-for-the-groveland-four/

 

A Book for Black History Month

Are you searching for books to read for Black History Month? Check out our memoir, Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four, available in e-book, paperback and audio-book. This inspirational, uplifting story explores a young man's four-year journey to right a terrible wrong and bring peace to four families. The Groveland Four were falsely accused of a heinous crime in the Jim Crow South and their families would spend the next seventy years trying to clear their names.    

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z5TYNT7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p2_i4

Description:

This book will take you through my incredible four-year quest for justice for The Groveland Four and teach you how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be. It is a primer for positive action, a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn: everything takes more time than you think, nothing ever goes according to plan, help can come from unexpected places, time is on your side, everyone is connected to everyone else, you can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it, your goals can change along the way, and flexibility is key. Let's get started, shall we?

***Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to establish "The Charles Greenlee Memorial Scholarship" to benefit a child with an incarcerated parent.

Free Book on Kindle 10/14-10/18 :-D

Great news! Our award-winning book "Accidental Activist: Justice for The Groveland Four" is free on Kindle 10/14-18. Check it out!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z5TYNT7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i6

This book shines a light on a small, important piece of history illuminating both the wrongs that happened and what it took to finally arrive at justice for those falsely charged and convicted seventy years ago. Never doubt that one person can't make a difference.

Description:

This book will take you through my incredible four year quest for justice for The Groveland Four and teach you how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be. It is a primer for positive action, a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn: everything takes more time than you think, nothing ever goes according to plan, help can come from unexpected places, time is on your side, everyone is connected to everyone else, you can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it, your goals can change along the way, and flexibility is key. Let's get started, shall we?

***Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to establish "The Charles Greenlee Memorial Scholarship" to benefit a child with an incarcerated parent.

 

Award Season! :-D

I am thrilled to announce that my latest book, Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four, has won a Gold Medal in the Readers' Favorite Contest for Memoir. And it is currently a semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Awards. Woo hoo! 

***To celebrate this honor, I'm giving away 10 audio-book download codes, just message me or comment of you would like one. The narrator is superb! 

This book, co-written with my son Josh, is an inspirational account of his successful four-year quest to obtain posthumous pardons for men falsely accused of a heinous crime in the Jim Crow South. It will life your spirits and restore your faith in mankind. 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52964280-accidental-activist 

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z5TYNT7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i6

Blurb:

This book will take you through my incredible four year quest for justice for The Groveland Four and teach you how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be. It is a primer for positive action, a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn: everything takes more time than you think, nothing ever goes according to plan, help can come from unexpected places, time is on your side, everyone is connected to everyone else, you can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it, your goals can change along the way, and flexibility is key. Let's get started, shall we? 

***Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to establish "The Charles Greenlee Memorial Scholarship" to benefit a child with an incarcerated parent.