Moving Forward Even When You're Not Sure of Your Next Steps
Some times you won't know if your foot gone land on solid ground but you gotta keep movin' forward and see what the end gone be.
Hey Y’all!
Welcome to Front Porch Wisdom & and Southern Prose, the free newsletter for Southern Momentum Publishing House. SOMO Publishing House is a newly formed hybrid publisher in Columbia, South Carolina. We are the only Black woman-owned hybrid publisher dedicated to amplifying marginalized Southern women writers' voices, stories, and lived experiences.
I am Vickey Brown, M. Ed., Founder and CEO of SOMO Publishing House. I’m proud of what has been accomplished so far and look forward to starting 2025 with a full roster for our inaugural short story anthology. When Everyone Kept Secrets: Reconciling the Forgotten Legacy of Southern Womanhood.
About When Everyone Kept Secrets: Reconciling the Forgotten Legacy of Southern Womanhood
This curated anthology has four options for writers to participate and have their stories heard. Each tier comes with its own set of perks and benefits. The Submission window is open now until February 15, 2025.
There are 28 slots available, each one receives a publishing contract with a 40/60% royalty split in favor of the authors. The buy-in starts at $75 and goes up to $650.
The Watchers-Contributing stories provide flashes of insightful prose to ignite curiosity about the Southern patriarchal-political/religious ideology designed to decenter the needs and desires of Southern women seeking liberation.
6 Slots Available
Up to 1000 words max: $75
Legacy Builders-Contributing stories lay the foundation for exploring the hidden truths and complexities of Southern identity. These authors set the stage for deep, meaningful storytelling.
6-Slots Available
From 1001-5500 Words: $225
Secret Keepers-Contributing stories get into the root cause and effect of keeping and revealing secrets within Southern families. These narratives uncover hidden histories, forging a path for healing and understanding.
8 Slots Available
5501 to 7500 words: $350
Torchbearers-Contributing stories reclaim and redefine Southern womanhood by exposing and exacting righteous retribution on those who held power over them. These authors shine a light on resistance and transformation.
8 Slots Available
From 7501-10,000 words: $650
Each of the Author Subsidized Tiers is chock-full of perks and benefits. Regardless of which tier is chosen, all writers receive a 90-minute group coaching session with Founder and CEO, Vickey F. Brown. This white-label coaching package is worth a little over $1500 but accepted authors receive this as part of our comprehensive publishing package.
The best part about publishing with Southern Momentum Publishing House is we’re not here to tell you how and what to write. Of course, we have high standards and require all submissions to be professionally edited but even if your submission needs a little work, our two-level submission process ensures we don’t miss out on a wonderful opportunity and neither do any of the authors.
Front Porch Wisdom
The best thunderstorms happened in the summer, when the heat became a second layer of skin and the nights refused to cool. I was seven or eight years old one of those nights, sitting on my Grandma Molly’s front porch. Back then, all the important conversations happen on that porch—where loose tongues, cold drinks, and humid air entwined like old lovers.
I grew up in Grandma Molly’s house on Pincushion Road. Well, we just called it the house. Everybody in the family did. After she passed into the ancestral plane, her children and grandchildren kept gathering there, like homing pigeons, it was where she was. It didn’t matter that it became our home when she was gone; it was always the family’s place—the spot for holidays, funerals, weddings, and the kind of conversations you weren’t supposed to overhear as a kid.
This bit of wisdom I’m sharing came during one of those perfect thunderstorms. That evening, my mom, her sister, and her sister-in-law sat in their favorite straight-back, cane chairs, sipping sweet tea and letting Momma’s cigarette smoke curl around their thoughts. She smoked Salem Lights 100s back then—green and white pack, she couldn’t always afford to pay the light bill, but she always had a pack or two of Salems in her pink, quilted case.
The air was pregnant with stalled rain, thick with the promise of a downpour. The sky was the color of the water at Myrtle Beach when my Uncle Carle had taken us out too far in the innertube weeks earlier on our family vacation. Deep, dark blue. So blue, it could be black if black shined like saphire—especially when zig-zags of lightening tore through the sky.
My cousin and I crept out onto the dark porch and sat cross-legged on the warm cement floor behind their chairs. We were careful to stay out of sight. That’s the thing about grown folks—they don’t always see you, but you learn the most when they forget you’re around.
And we were just in time to for the good part of their talking.
Electricity cracked the sky wide open like ripe fruit when it hits the ground, illuminating their faces and the smoldering tip of Momma’s cigarette. My aunt, her nails painted coral pink and her hair in held back with a yellow and pink silk scarf tied in a pretty bow, leaned over and teased, “Red, you think if had yourself a man, you’d still be suckin’ on that cigarette like it’s the only thing can bring you some peace?”
My auntie was a tiny, prissy woman who never left the house without her nails done or her hair curled just so. She’d married Momma’s oldest brother, and she loved to rub it in that she had a man who knew how to lay pipe in the bedroom and wherever else the house may have needed it.
We’d heard about it so many times, we thought our uncle gave up his police job and became a plumber.
At first, Momma acted like she didn’t hear a word her best friend had said. She took a drag of her cigarette, leaned her head back a little, made her full lips form a perfect oh, and blew out three perfect smoke rings. I hated the smell of her smoking but thought it was so cool that she could do that with just her mouth.
She watched them vanish into the night air before she smiled. My mother is a beautiful woman at 75 but she was a total knockout back then. The smile she gave her our aunties was a warning. “If I did have a man,” she said, “I’d probably need to suck on three or four of these cigarettes. A man ain’t nothin’ but a headache with a hard head and liver-mush for brains.”
They all howled with laughter, the sound carrying into the thick summer air. My cousin and I exchanged wide-eyed looks, shoulders shaking silently because we didn’t really understand, but we knew it had to be funny. Momma was good at making people laugh, even when she wasn’t trying.
But then my cousin’s mom—the mean one of the group—set her tea down with a soft clink. She’d been smiling too, but her expression changed just as thunder rolled in the distance she said, almost to herself, “I tell you what. when a woman get a man who knows how to get her feet so high off the ground, they don’t even care if there’s something to land on when they come back down…”
Her voice softened, her words stretching into the spaces between the thunder like they kept time for the next lightening strike. “But you know?” She paused, waiting for the next rumble to pass. “It wouldn’t matter if there wasn’t a damn bit of ground for me to land on. I’d still keep moving forward with that man.”
The laughter stopped. For a moment, the porch fell into silence, The only sound were the cicadas and the mating call of the crickets. Even as kids, we could feel that something had shifted. I didn’t understand why her words sounded so heavy, like someone had taken something precious from her and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get it back.
Then the sky tore itself open, and the rain came down in thick, cold sheets. My cousin and I took off running into the yard, our bare feet sank into the wet, loamy earth. The grass was soft and green, still prickly from being cut earlier that day. And we couldn’t stop laughing as the rain soaked us to the bine.
“You think this what your momma feels like?” I shouted at my cousin. Our faces shone like brown-eyed suzans in the street light.
“Probably,” She yelled back. “Anytime her friend comes over, she looks like she’s floatin’ on air.”
“I feel like I’m floating on air right now,” I said, spinning in circles as the rain splashed down on us. We ran until we were dizzy; too dizzy to stand so, we fell onto the grass like a pair of dying starfish. Gasping for breath, the thunder roaring above us like a waterfall.
What I remember most from that night isn’t the lightning or the laughter or even the rain. It’s the way I felt—light and untethered, like nothing could weigh me down. For a moment, I thought I understood what my aunt meant about floating on air and trusting someone enough to keep moving forward, even when you don’t know where your next step will land.
I think about that night often—the laughter, the sadness, the way no one yelled at us for running around in the storm. Maybe they understood what we couldn’t yet: sometimes you just have to let yourself feel the joy and trust that either the ground or some friend will be their as a soft place to land.
Hybrid Publishing 101
Two Facts, One Myth About Hybrid Publishers
Hybrid publishers are extremely selective when it comes to choosing manuscripts and authors to work with. Their published books must meet trade standards, have market viability, and able to compete with traditionally published titles.
The only people who use hybrid publishers are those too lazy to do the work of self-publishing and those not good enough to get an agent and go the traditional route.
The hybrid publishing business model is becoming more common and respected among industry professionals because of the high standards, caliber of award winning books, and their committment to bring underserved voices to the literary forefront.
Who Uses Hybrid Publishers
Diverse Authors Seeking Representation: Hybrid publishing has become a significant avenue for authors from underrepresented groups, including authors of color, LGBTQ+ authors, and those with disabilities. This model offers them greater creative control and the opportunity to share authentic narratives without the traditional gatekeeping of conventional publishing houses. New Book Recommendation
Authors Desiring Creative Control and Higher Royalties: Many writers are attracted to hybrid publishing because it allows them to maintain creative control over their work while benefiting from professional services. Additionally, hybrid models often offer higher royalty rates compared to traditional publishing, making it an appealing option for those seeking both autonomy and financial benefits.
Niche and Specialized Genre Writers: Authors focusing on niche markets or specialized genres may find hybrid publishing advantageous, as it provides the flexibility to publish unique content that might not align with mainstream publishing criteria. This approach enables them to reach specific audiences effectively.
If you fall into either of these groups, go ahead and subscribe to this newsletter and stay on the lookout for our open calls for submissions.
Thank you for taking your time to read Front Porch Wisdom & Southern Prose, a newsletter for aspiring writers, writers, industry professionals and people who love all things Southern.
Last Minute Announcements:
Southern Momentum Publishing House, LLC is still looking to partner with author service providers as part of our Preferred Partner Network program. If you’re a service provider, editor, VA, marketing/PR, event planner, swag provider, etc and are interested in partnering with SOMO Publishing House, please use the button below to get more information and complete the interest intake form.
Our sister newsletter, Esoteric Erotic is a paid newsletter dedicated to decolonizing the erotic, eroticism, sensuality, and sexuality to help liberate Black and Brown women from colonized attitude toward pleasure as sacred. Annual members receive access to a twelve month thematic, prompt-driven weekly writeing workshop and will be invited to submit their work to The Substack Esoteric Erotic Literary Journal for Black & Brown women writers. If you’re interested in joining this amazing community, please become a paid subscriber to My Chaotic Erotic Writer’s Life and get access to (Paid)Esoteric Erotic, (Paid)The Dark Matter of… and (Podcast Community-Paid)How’er You Healing, Sis?
Marginal Moments will be back in January, we are revamping and refocusing.
Until the next time, remember,ber writing is a journey every word and revision adds a little more momentum to your writing practice.
Best,
Vickey Finkley-Brown, M.Ed.