Hello world, it's Toppnotch. I wanted to personally say thank you for subscribing to the newsletter, supporting my novels, and my fight for freedom. On a more serious note, I appreciate the love, prayers, and letters I received during my battle with Covid. The virus ain't no joke! While in the 21-day quarantine here at the Ironwood State prison in California, I was alone in a cell with symptoms of illness I've never felt before. Feelings of isolation and depression crept on me, but my determination to fight and overcome prevailed. Instead of lying on my bunk balled up with the chills and sweating, I put my pen to work. Dreams can become a reality with ambition under any circumstance. Last month, I featured the first chapter of my upcoming novel, "Surviving the Game - On Tray Ball." This month is no different as I keep with the theme by providing chapter 2. "Surviving the Game - On Tray Ball" is a fictional coming of age story about a group of kids trying to make it out of their environment with the game of basketball while trying to figure out life in the early 90s. The summer before entering high school, for most of us, represented the last of useful innocence. I thought of the concept for the book for more than one reason. First, I needed to tell a story loosely based on me and my Homies. Cabrini Green projects being the landmark on the lower north side of Chicago, Illinois, I chose it as the backdrop for the Blinded by the Lights trilogy series. Growing up, I perused some of those buildings, but I am from off Sedgwick, though! The second and most important reason was to look at the world from a teenager's side for my son, nephew, niece, and little cousins. They're at the ages of the characters and will go through or have had. The experience is depicted in the book. Since I'm not there to coach them, I'm hoping to drop tools on them with this book. Whether the "Blinded by the Lights" trilogy series, "Surviving the Game," and future projects I plan to write, I write for my experiences in life. Not to glorify my existence but to provide game hope and inspiration. If you would like to show your support, have any questions regarding my novels, or have an opportunity for the advancement of my plate, get at me. There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.
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ToppnotchI’m Damien “Toppnotch” Hodges, author of the “Blinded By The Lights: A Diamond In The Rough” trilogy series. I’m interested in networking to find innovative ways to gain exposure for my brand of Urban “Reality” writing as well as assistance with Post-conviction relief from this illegal sentence I’m confined to. It’s because of my position of incarceration that its relatively impossible to maintain an active marketing plan to maximize the potential of my novels or shed light on the injustice I’ve suffered and still endure. ArchivesCategories |