Blog – Page 2 – Livvy Zoe, Author

Quarantined: Now What? Mind Pop Zone shout-out: Wednesday, March 25, 2020

March 28, 2020/in Uncategorized /by Livvy Zoe

Hi, all!

We have all been affected by COVID-19. 😷

And, we are all probably going stir crazy with all this talk about washing hands (at home), working (from home), and quarantining. It’s enough to give a person a little cabin fever. There are many interviews, articles, and sites dedicated to ways to help pass the time during your stay at home.

And this blog is no different.

What I’m not going to do is discuss the importance of washing your hands for 20 seconds because you would have to be living under a rock to not know that anyway. And, who am I to tell you how you should set up your home office because I’m not an expert at that either. I’m also no guru on quarantining although I am a bit of an introvert so I’m secretly loving having to stay home.

I know that there are lots of activities that you can do, magazines and books to read, and even some online retail therapy that you can place in your cart (but you won’t buy because will that orange-blue jumper and green shoes really look good together once this quarantine is over? 🤔)

You know who you are, and we’ll discuss later …

Since you do have some time, check out Mind Pop Zone. It’s a fun podcast that is uplifting, funny, and entertaining. The 3 hosts are engaging as they discuss anything and everything. The topics are informative, but not heavy. It’s like having a conversation with your good, good friends when you’re sitting around and having a good ‘tea.’ Check them out.

Shameless plug: They give me a shout-out on the March 25 episode, and it’s a really good one! Click on the link below and enjoy!

Your friend in writing,

Livvy Zoe

Listen to Quarantined: Now What? from The Mind Pop Zone on Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mind-pop-zone/id1478061938?i=1000469438837

Loving on Literary Leaders: March ed.

March 13, 2020/in Uncategorized /by Livvy Zoe

Loving on Literary Leaders: Women Mystery Writers

The month of March honors women’s impact in history. This month will focus on women writers/authors and their impact on history.

Or, at least, their impact on me because, hey, I’m a part of history, right?

This week, I focus on mystery writers.

Let’s start with that I absolutely adore women mystery writers!

Growing up, they were not the norm for me. It was difficult to find their books. But when I did find one, I could barely contain my excitement to crack the spine and engross myself in their stories of brave women who were defying traditions. What was different about these fictional characters were that they were complicated and individual in that they had normal problems, dealt with issues, and didn’t rely on their beauty or love to save the day. In fact, many of these characters were beautifully flawed, and their physical descriptions reflected women who were not gorgeous by society standards.

I read these books growing up in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. At that time, the popular writing trend for women was ROMANCE, ROMANCE, and more ROMANCE! It seemed that every woman in every story had to have a romantic interest. Even these mystery stories had romantic elements. However, these characters didn’t just delve into the romance. The fictional leads worried about jobs, eating, paying bills, who to beat up, so I don’t remember these characters for the romance. I remember them because these women were being portrayed to be independent and not necessarily need men. In these stories, men were the props or the means to an end.

By reading this, you would think that I don’t love romance books. Please don’t get me wrong—I live and breathe for romance novels! But I like variety. Growing up as a black female, I’ve always felt that I did not meet the beauty standards of the 80s and 90s. And, it didn’t help that during that time many female lead characters were described as skinny, gorgeous women finding love because of their beauty. For me, what was so impactful about these mystery writers were that they were able to successfully mix romance with their character’s personalities. Women got the brass ring—they got to be themselves, solve the mystery, and get their man.

Come back next week for more Loving on Literary Readers and other blog posts about my ramblings!

Your friend in writing,

Livvy Zoe