Author Archives: The Reeders Block

The Chicago Police Have Failed Us, and So Will Lori Lightfoot

While watching Lori Lightfoot hold a press conference about gun offenders and weekend violence, I cringed. Part of the reason I cringed was because of the creature standing behind her, the failed Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, the same man who did nothing to punish the officer who shot Rekia Boyd in the head andContinueContinue reading “The Chicago Police Have Failed Us, and So Will Lori Lightfoot”

America’s Trash: The Average Black Man

​As the commander-in-chief douses with gasoline the racial fire that has consumed America and led to two recent mass shootings by at least one known white supremacist, this country’s judicial system continues to be tone deaf when it comes to the plight of Black men. This is obvious in the case of Gaston Tucker, aContinueContinue reading “America’s Trash: The Average Black Man”

An Ode to a Frenemy of Mine

Tom Deriggi and I came from completely different backgrounds, but, as the universe would have it, our paths intertwined. He was a heavyset guy with bright red flushed cheeks that seemed to accentuate his greyish blue eyes. Politically, we were on two opposite spectrums: Tom on the far right, arms folded, chest out; me onContinueContinue reading “An Ode to a Frenemy of Mine”

Your Manuscript Has Been Rejected. Now What?

You’ve spent 100 million hours writing, rewriting and editing and proofreading your novel and then BOOM! every agent and publisher you sent it to rejects it. Now what? That question could be a hard one. Some writers would just move on to the next project. Before doing that, I ask, what did the rejection lettersContinueContinue reading “Your Manuscript Has Been Rejected. Now What?”

Download My New Sci Fi Novel “Operation Soul Cast”

Operation Soul Cast is my hottest new Science Fiction novel published by Solstice Publishing. Find out what happens when #NorthKorea drops a bomb on America and a scientist who is brought back from the dead becomes a bloodthirsty beast. https://www.amazon.com/Operation-Soul-Cast-Jermaine-Reed-ebook/dp/B07GYWZKW9?keywords=Operation+soul+cast&qid=1536959307&sr=8-1-fkmrnull&ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_1

How to Get a Book Deal

Every writer wants to know how to get a book deal, so she can officially be an author. Every writer wants to be the next great American author and sell more book than James Patterson. So, we ask, how do I get a book deal? Recently, my novella Operation Soul Cast was picked up byContinueContinue reading “How to Get a Book Deal”

Our Own Sort of Fun

Drugs. Violence. Police brutality. Hate. Love. Love. Love.  In 1995, if you would have read about the Robert Taylor projects, the news report would probably have headlined something like this:  “17 Men Arrested in Drug Sting at Robert Taylor Homes.”  But inside those forsaken buildings where no one but those who lived there would haveContinueContinue reading “Our Own Sort of Fun”

Manuscript Anxiety

I once read somewhere the hardest part of writing comes after the manuscript is complete. Later, I read that all first drafts were trash. I thought the people who wrote those things were idiots. How wrong I was. Some people have problems putting words on the page. This is why most manuscripts are never finished.ContinueContinue reading “Manuscript Anxiety”

Inspiration Comes from Everywhere

As you’ll find if you read my blog thoroughly enough, I grew up in the Robert Taylor Projects on the Southside of Chicago. If you do any research, you’ll find it was not the ideal place to grow up, being overwhelmed with drugs and gang activity. But it is where I am from, and IContinueContinue reading “Inspiration Comes from Everywhere”

A Personal Reflection on the Business of Self-Publishing

As a self-published writer, I find myself seeking tools that can not only help me sell more books but that can also help me in my writing process. To help other writers braving this unforgivable landscape we call self-publishing, I am writing this blog “The Business of Self-Publishing.” The greatest advice I can give toContinueContinue reading “A Personal Reflection on the Business of Self-Publishing”

Increasing Book Sales With KDP Rocket

*Updated 01/25/2025 This article is about how to increase book sales with Publisher Rocket. As a note, “Publisher Rocket” is formerly “KDP Rocket”. It was designed by Dave Chesson, This is a Publisher Rocket review that’s straightforward and describes the benefits of the program. To continue, Publisher Rocket is a program that is not aContinueContinue reading “Increasing Book Sales With KDP Rocket”

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is not your normal self-help book, and it is not for the faint of heart. This book doesn’t coddle you into feeling better or amp you up into believing you can do anything. Instead, it tells you how life is and suggests that you just deal withContinueContinue reading “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck”

What It Means to Be a Self-Published, Indie Author in 2018

A lot of writers who do not have book deals classify themselves as self-published or indie authors. They take on that title and expect instant success. Most of the time, if their first book does not do well, these “authors” drop out of the race to being America’s next great writer. Over the last twoContinueContinue reading “What It Means to Be a Self-Published, Indie Author in 2018”

A Review of A Higher Loyalty by James Comey

James Comey’s book A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership is a trip through the mind of one of the humblest men to pen a book and put it all on the line. At times, Comey opens to the point of vulnerability, expressing his true feelings and daring not hold back. Years from now, thisContinueContinue reading “A Review of A Higher Loyalty by James Comey”

Becoming Writer: Formal Education as an Author Versus None as a Writer

Yesterday, a fellow blogger asked me a good question about formal education as a writer versus no formal education as a writer. A lot of writers struggle with this. Some see education as the end all, be all that will make them a best-seller. Others who don’t have this education sometimes feel inadequate. It tookContinueContinue reading “Becoming Writer: Formal Education as an Author Versus None as a Writer”

This Year So Far as a Writer

This year has been one of the most successful and stressful for me as a writer. I am in my third semester of a Creative Writing MFA program that requires a bunch of reading and writing, I have done a poetry reading, gotten into a car accident, written a novella, published a novella, worked onContinueContinue reading “This Year So Far as a Writer”

How to Write a Book

Recently, I have been working my ass off, writing, finishing my MFA and going to school while also helping to raise my three daughters. The question I am constantly asked is, “How do you find time to write?” I don’t find time. I make time. That’s the difference. Life will give you a million reasonsContinueContinue reading “How to Write a Book”

The Pressures of Being a Struggling Writer

Your manuscript should be at least 80,000 words.  Hearing that may be overwhelming. It’s similar to that part in I, Robot where Sunny tells Will Smith’s character the vast amount of stairs they have to climb. You may think, how the hell do I come up with 80,000 words? Then, you may think, I’ll justContinueContinue reading “The Pressures of Being a Struggling Writer”

The Cop Who Knew Nothing, Except Everything

About two weeks ago, I had the unfortunate opportunity of being pulled over by a twenty-something cop who thought he knew it all about traffic law. It was nearly 11 pm on a busy street when a girl on her cellphone zipped into the street. I pressed my brakes so hard, the tires squealed. AsContinueContinue reading “The Cop Who Knew Nothing, Except Everything”

I Am a Drug Dealer, Not So Much

One of my most vivid memories of my life in Chicago’s Robert Taylor Projects is my friend Travis and me walking through a grassy field and finding a huge ZipLoc bag of crack cocaine. There had to be at least 300 rocks in there.  Up until this point, I had seen plenty of crack transactions.ContinueContinue reading “I Am a Drug Dealer, Not So Much”

She Died at Three Months Old

There is an image seared into my brain of my sister running through the house screaming as she clutches her three-month-old dead baby. This image is so clear, I can pull it up and see everything exactly as it happened. The death of three-month-old Jennifer had a huge impact on my family. Since then, myContinueContinue reading “She Died at Three Months Old”