But when it comes to swag, I have dabbled. For my book Shattered Glass, I created a special swag bag—something that wasn’t just cool but meaningful. Inside was a compass, held a passage from my poem My Compass, meant to remind readers to find their way even in the darkest moments. The bag also included a book-themed bookmark (because hey, I do have one!) and a Warrior bracelet—stylized as Warr;or with a semicolon, a tribute to suicide awareness and survival.
I may not have a bookmark empire (yet), but I do have pieces of my heart woven into every item I create. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to step up my game and join the bookmark-collecting elite.
Read more of my #March of the Writers Posts.
Excerpt from Shattered Glass by Richard White:
Shattered Into Shards
You judge me by my scars,
taunt me for the pain I feel.
But what you don’t see—
each time you do,
you shatter me into shards,
scraps of myself, with no time to heal.
I’m left in a pile of pieces,
anger and hate my only releases.
You call me a friend,
but it seems you only pretend.
No remorse, no second thought—
tearing me down is all you’ve sought,
shattering my hopes and dreams
like it’s nothing more than sport.
Empty inside, I wonder why—
what did I do to make you decide
it was okay to smash my pride
and leave me in ruins behind?
