Life is so unpredictable. Got up this morning, early, and as usual followed my regular routine of taking care of my personal basics, fixing a hot cup of tea and logging on to my computer to tackle my to-do list.
An ever-growing list that included working on clients' projects, promoting my upcoming poetry book, and following up on pitches I had sent to various publications.
One pitch in particular had not been responded to in about 3 weeks. Which I suppose is not unusual in nature; except that the editor I sent it to had always been so prompt and professional in our past dealings.
It confused and bothered me a bit. Something was wrong, I thought to myself. So, I did what most good writers do: I did some research via Google.
Yuwanda's social media accounts had not been updated. That was not like her. So, I kept looking. Trying to find some clue as to why I had not heard from her. To my dismay, she was gone. According to a Gofundme post, she died in her sleep in September. This discovery devastated me and brought me to tears. She was young and so very talented.
Though she and I had never met in person, we worked together on various projects throughout the years. She was a generous soul. Both with her time and talents. She was funny and very open and real. When I reflected, the last time I heard from her was around August of 2021. She sent me an Amazon gift card as a surprise gift.
I couldn't find her obituary online, so I felt compelled to share some of her life with my blog readers and perhaps some of her fans as well.
Many of you may remember that I featured her several times here. For those of you who don't remember, Yuwanda landed a traditional publishing contract without even submitting a proposal.
Here's the Pen and Prosper link:
http://penandprosper.blogspot.com/2016/08/q-interview-with-author-yuwanda-black.html
I had the pleasure of being a contributing writer to her book.
Yuwanda was the creator of Inkwell Editorial and was hugely successful with her online classes and information products.
She will be greatly missed. R.I.P. my friend.
Thought for the day:
Take nothing for granted. Tomorrow is not promised.
Thanks for reading.
This is certainly sad and proves how fragile life really is. Yuwanda sounds like she made an impact on others. Know that you do also.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lin. I wear your words like a warm quilt today. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd I forgot to mention that Yuwanda was also a very prolific romance writer, with dozens of published novels under her belt on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteSo very sorry to hear this, Jen! My sincere condolences to you and the others who knew and loved her. I recall her features here; I was always impressed with her talent, wonderful advice, and concern for fellow writers.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, tomorrow is not guaranteed. Sending love, hugs, and thanks for your friendship and contributions to my writing endeavors. You're a treasure, and much loved.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteHow sweet of you. Thanking God for our divine connection. When things slow down, hope to talk to you soon. :-)
Sorry to hear about Ywanda. She was one of the first writers I learned of when I started freelance writing and blogging.I did follow her work. I pray that she died peacefully and without pain.
ReplyDeleteYour reaction to Ywanda's passing was the same way I reacted when I learned about my friend's recent passing. The news prompted me to work even harder in achieving my goals because tomorrow is not promised.
Marcie,
DeleteSo sorry to hear about your friend. Wishing you great success and progress in 2022. Thanks for sharing.
My sincere condolences, Jennifer. The shock of such experiences makes us perceive life as a valuable gift and sharing your thoughts with us and for Yuwanda is also a gift. I'll definitely be clicking on that Pen & Prosper link.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you on this. I appreciate your time and feedback.
Mary,
DeleteBTW--Please feel free to let me know what you think of the P& P interview once you click on the link.