Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Chapter One of THE FALL OF THE PRODIGAL

Chapter One
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Rape.
What an ugly four-letter word. The very idea was preposterous. He had been arrested for rape. Michael Ward shook his head, remembering the charges written under his mug shot. He did not have to take any woman by force. Look at him.
He was at the top of his game. He began as an architectural designer. Then he moved into real estate where he purchased, rebuilt, and resold properties. It took some time, but his name meant something in the hotel resort business. Patrons knew any building bearing the MJW sealsignified quality and topnotch service, for a price, of course. He had two MJW hotels in New York City, three in Atlanta, two in London, and one in Dubai. He had spa resorts sprinkled across Florida, Texas, and Chicago, all with the MJW stamp of approval.
Now, after all his hard work to build his empire, Michael could not imagine a nineteen-year-old bringing him to his knees.
Last week, he had been cracking open a bottle of champagne, celebrating his newest property acquisition in Colorado. This week, he was squatting in the corner of a four-foot cell, waiting on Verona “Tiger” Stachs to post his bail and negotiate the terms of his release.
How had he gotten here?
He had been booked on multiple sex and assault charges and had almost lost his cool at his arraignment. The fact that it was September 11 was not lost on him either.
Someone had set him up, and once he was out of here, he intended to find that person and make him pay. For the past few years of his life, Michael had become an expert at payback.
“It’s all set,” Verona stated from the more desirable side of the bars. “You’ll be home within the hour.”
“Took you long enough.” He did not say thank you. He paid her an annual salary to the tune of $700,000 and felt she should be thanking him. Michael walked to the entrance of the cell. “Did you bring it?”
Verona wrinkled her nose at his rudeness. She reached inside her briefcase and retrieved a handkerchief and wipes and thrust them at him. “As you ordered.”
Michael wiped his face and hands. He couldn’t wait to take a shower and let the water run for days. He doubted he’d ever feel clean again. The stench of jail would remain with him. “What about the press?”
“The hounds are barking,” came the wry reply.
He glared. “Is this amusing to you? Do you know what it’s like to sit in this squalor inhaling the stink of dried urine and other body fluids I refuse to dwell on?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It was bad taste. It won’t happen again.”
Michael took pity on her. He was good-natured, but his reputation and life were on the line. This was no laughing matter. Verona had worked through the night to find a judge to grant his bail hearing. Thanks to her, he would spend the night in his own bed. He could cut her some slack. “I’m sure I’ll laugh about this at some point in my life,” he said in a gentler tone, “but for now, I want to get home.”
Verona yawned and stretched, but her eyes were still sharp. “Let me go over the terms of your release.”
The guard on duty unlocked his cell. Michael used the handkerchief to touch the iron door as he came out. His first stop was the restroom. Next, Verona led him to a small meeting room. On the table, he saw Chinese food, juice, and coffee. The aroma of chicken lo mein and beef with broccoli filled the room. His stomach growled and his mouth watered. Michael twirled some of the noodles around the small plastic fork and took a bite. He smiled. “Thank you.”
“With your estate, the judge sees you as a flight risk. Therefore, your business assets, bank accounts, and credit card accounts have all been frozen. You must surrender your passport.”
Michael munched as he processed Verona’s words. He felt like punching a wall but took another bite of his food instead. He was not a criminal. It was debasing to be treated as such, but what choice did he have?
He wiped his mouth. “Where do I sign the papers?”
“The press is camped outside the police station. You’re worldwide news. The chief of police agreed to shuttle you home in an unmarked police car. I’ve arranged for a stand-in to lead them off your trail.”
“I like the way you think.” Michael arched his eyebrow in appreciation. She was smart, cunning, and deserved every dollar he was paying her.
“There’s one other thing. I can’t represent you. I specialized in criminal trial in law school and I practiced for a short time so I was able to fill in tonight. But you need the best. I have some referrals.”
“No, I have someone in mind.” Michael tapped his fingers on the table. He knew the perfect person. It had been years since Michael had spoken to him. There was no time like the present.
“Great! Who is he? Give me his name. I need to brief him.”
“I’ll have to handle this one myself.” He did not relish begging, but he needed someone with tenacity and a proven track record of winning hard-to-prove cases. There was only one man who fit that bill.
 “Do I know him?” Verona asked.
“Yes, as a matter of fact you do.” Michael said. “Do you remember when you handled my paternity case?” He referred to the time when he had pursued custody of the two children from his previous marriage. Michael knew they were not his, but he had wanted them. It was selfish. In his defense, he had been on a different track then.
“Oh, yes, I remember. If memory serves me right, didn’t you drop that case? Wait a minute, wasn’t it against
He cut her off. “I sure did after I found out
“What happened? What aren’t you telling me?” Perched on the edge of the seat, Verona’s eyes shone with curiosity.
Michael clammed up when he saw the interest in Verona’s eyes. He knew she was curious to know why he had suddenly dropped the custody case three years ago. He had not told her then, and he did not intend to now.
Michael dropped the case when he learned he had fathered his own children. No one but his mother knew about his fraternal two-year-old twins. Twins he had never seen.
Old hurt surfaced. Michael hardened his heart. He did not share too much of himself anymore. Not after he had been burned by love.
He said, “What you may not remember is my ex-wife’s husband, Keith, is a former attorney. I plan to ask him to lead my defense if we go to trial. Note the word ‘if.’”
“The likelihood is one hundred percent,” she said. “Wait. Are you talking about the same Keith I’m thinking of? Minister and host of Second Chances you put on blast on national television, when you revealed he’d slept with your ex-wife and fathered her two children? That Keith?” She looked at him like he was crazy.
Michael dared her to say something. He had not gotten where he was in business by being a coward. When he wanted something, he went after it with dogged tenacity. Right now, he wantedno, neededPastor Keith Ward.
The man who had stolen his wife.
His brother.
For more sample chapters go to www.michellelindorice.com
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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

HOT OFF THE PRESSES! God Has Spoken

Order your Copy now!! 
Theresa A. Campbell
Theresa A. Campbell is the author of the captivating novels, "Are You There, God?" and "God Has Spoken." She was born and raised in Jamaica West Indies. She received her associate's degree in business administration from Bronx Community College, a bachelor's degree in business administration from Baruch College, and a master's degree in business administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Theresa has had a deep passion for reading since she was a child. It is her desire to inspire readers by writing stories from the heart to uplift their faith in God.



About the Book



HOW HARD IS IT TO FORGIVE?
After finding the biological mother who abandoned her as a baby, learning the identity of her birth father and her biological brother, Dupree is left distraught and betrayed. Like a volcano about to erupt, she vows to have nothing to do with her newly discovered family--so help her God! However, if Dupree's mother, Tiny, has anything to say about it, Dupree won't be able to keep that vow. 

How does a former teenaged runaway become a wealthy, sophisticated business executive? Tiny's quest for happiness and independence in Kingston, Jamaica, has taken her on a life-altering journey through hell. After a vicious attack and a serious sickness that leaves her fighting for her life in the hospital, Tiny prays for death . . . but then God speaks. Will she listen to His voice? What exactly is He saying?



Read An Excerpt
Moments later, her eyes popped opened and widened in terror at the faces looming above her. A scream started in her throat but was muffled by the huge hand covering her mouth. She tried to move her arms, but they were pinned to her side. Desperately, she tried to kick her legs, but they wouldn’t move. She attempted to twist her body but could barely move. Tiny was pinned down to the ground.
Helpless, the tears leaked down the side of her eyes, wetting her neck before disappearing in the grass behind her body.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” the menacing voice boomed in Tiny’s ear. “I think Santa is a little early this year.” A chorus of harsh laughter rang out into the night. A cold chill ran down Tiny’s spine.
Visibly shuddering, her panic intensified, again, Tiny tried to move her body, but to no avail.
“Relax!” the command echoed in her ear. “You give us a hard time, and I’ll put a bullet in your skull. Understand?”
But Tiny writhed even more. Twisting this way, turning that way, she felt her body loosen a little against the human restraints. A burst of energy washed over her, and she kicked out her right leg, making contact with something soft. Angry expletives reverberated in the air.
Baff! A hard fist connected with Tiny’s left eye, snapping her head further back into the grass. Pain exploded in her head as she thrashed wildly in the grass. Arms frantically tried to hold her. But she bit into the hand over her mouth and screamed in terror.
Tiny was slapped repeatedly. Her face was on fire. Undeterred, like a wildcat, she clawed and yelled. “Help! Help! Somebody, help me!”
Theresa would love to hear from her readers. You may contact her at:
www.theresaacampbell.com
https://www.facebook.com/theresaacampbell
https://twitter.com/theresaacampbel
http://theresaacampbell.blogspot.com

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Guest Post: What are your top ten best books?

Welcome Author Meiah Shaun



When I am not writing, I am reading different books and articles.  I enjoy reading Christian fiction books and non-fiction books by inspirational authors.

  1. Bishop T.D. Jakes is my pastor and his books have blessed my life.  One of my favorite books by Bishop Jakes is called Reposition Yourself.  The book taught me to break generational curses in order to fulfill my destiny.
  2. Bishop T.D. Jakes has a new book called Instinct.  I learned how to use my inner wisdom and actions when making decisions.  When I listen carefully to my instincts, it will lead me to my destiny where I can fulfill God’s plan for my life.
  3. R.G. LeTourneau is the founder of LeTourneau University, my alma mater.  As a student, I enjoyed his book called Mover of Men and Mountains.  His book taught me how to conduct business using biblical principles.
  4. Dr. JoAnne Cornwell is the founder of her trademarked company, Sisterlocks.  Her book is called That Hair Thing.  It’s an inspiration to me.  It’s a great read and it educated me about natural hair and sisterlocks.  
  5. Kinky Gazpacho by Lori Tharps is another great read.  I discovered this book while I was transitioning into wearing my natural hair.  Her book is a memoir and it’s a fascinating story.  In her memoir, she described how she was perceived by her brown skin and her kinky hair texture when she lived in Spain.
  6. Lori Tharps co-authored Hair Story, Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America with author, Ayana Byrd.  The book educated me about the history African hair in America.
  7. Winning in Troubled Times by Dr. Creflo Dollar is an awesome read.  I learned about forgiveness.  I learned that when you forgive someone that you will be restored and healed from your pain. 
  8. I also read Beauty for Ashes by Joyce Meyer.  I love her book because it helped me to heal spiritually and emotionally from low self esteem and life disappointments.  Her book taught me to strengthen my relationship with God and to allow God to heal my wounds.
  9. One of my favorite inspirational books is No More Sheets by Dr. Juanita Bynum.  Her book taught me how to be a virtuous woman of God.  By studying Dr. Bynum’s book, I learned God’s principal for marriage and to how to conduct myself with dignity and honor.
  10. I love to read the Bible to study the word of God which gives me strength and revelation.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

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#marvalousarethyworks
 Marvelous Are Thy Works
Author: Meiah Shaun
Paperback: 120 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 12, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1500398039 ISBN-13: 978-1500398033
Genre: Inspirational, Christian Fiction, Novella
About The Author
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Meiah Shaun is an inspirational author and freelance writer. She is a graduate of LeTourneau University. She is a native of Orange, Texas and currently resides in Plano, Texas. Meiah Shaun is the author of Marvelous Are Thy Works, a novella. Meiah Shaun has a special interest in empowering African American women to self love and to embrace their natural hair. She and her twin sister rock Sisterlocks. Her fraternal twin sister is thirteen minutes older than her.
Meiah Shaun is featured on Ezinearticles.com as a platinum level author penning articles on numerous topics such as inspirational, spirituality, goal setting to shopping and product reviews. Meiah Shaun enjoys writing, reading, cooking, jazz music and making scrapbooks.
About The Book
book cover
Fatima, her best friend Lauryn and her cousin Sheba are natural hair stylist at All Natural Hair Salon in Washington, DC. Fatima wants to build a brand and invest into other business ventures for their salon. She desires to empower African American women by motivational speaking about the natural hair movement. She wants to travel nationally to spread her message. Lauryn and Sheba have rejected Fatima’s business proposal. They are going through different life events and are struggling to maintain their friendships while doing business together. Fatima’s boyfriend has not proposed after dating her for over five years. Fatima has to stand on her faith and follow her instincts as she moves into her destiny. Marvelous Are Thy Works is an inspirational story about natural hair empowerment, self love and relationships.
excerpt Chapter 1
All Natural Hair Salon’s busiest time was the first weekend of the month. Fatima made it to the salon at ten o’clock that morning. After parking her car in front of the salon, she noticed Lauryn and Sheba were already inside. The front window shades were pulled back and the lights were on.
“Good morning, ladies,” Fatima said as she walked through the door. “Good morning, Fatima,” Lauryn answered, while sashaying to her workstation in her high heels and locs pulled back into a lobster tail style. Always the diva, Lauryn appeared to be in a good mood and eager to work.
“Hey, girl, you finally made it in,” Sheba said as she sorted through her laundry bag of towels. Her hair was loose in a kinky and curly twist-out hairstyle. She was dressed comfortably in white skinny jeans.
“Are there any messages for me?” Fatima asked. “A young lady called to make an appointment. She requested a low maintenance hairstyle.” “What time did she call?” Fatima inquired. “She called a few minutes before you walked in,” Lauryn replied. “She said her name was Danielle Evans.”
“Did she leave her phone number?” “I put it on your desk,” she said. Fatima continued to her station so she could check her itinerary for the day. It was unusually free. “I’ll just work a half day and meet up with my honey later,” she told her co-workers.
Fatima then sat in her chair and started daydreaming about the day she would become Mrs. Ephraim Okoye. She could not wait to see him. “Ladies, what are your plans today?” Fatima questioned. “I have a couple of appointments for locs retightening, and I got a new client scheduled this morning. He’s a chef and new in town.” Lauryn smirked while doing a shimmy with her shoulders to show her excitement.
“A new male client? Girl, you be pullin’ the men,” teased Sheba. “I need to pull a husband.”
“Baby, I met my husband when I wasn’t even lookin’. I was minding my own business down at the Farmer’s Market and––”
Lauryn rolled her eyes. “Sheba, you’ve told that story so many times,” she said, cutting Sheba off and looking down at her iPad to show her disinterest in hearing it again. Sheba walked over to Lauryn and tapped her on the knee with her forefinger. “When you least expect it, that’s when you’re gonna meet him. It happened to me, girl!”
“I wish God would hurry up and send him!” Lauryn snipped. “Most married people forget what it’s like to be single, so it’s easy for them to tell someone else to be patient.” “That’s not true,” Sheba replied.
Fatima butted in. “Some women who are married have never had to experience being single for long.”
“Don’t you just hate that, girl?” Lauryn said. “Then they try to tell you to wait and have faith. Chile, please!”
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Tour hosted by: WNL Book Tours
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Saturday, November 15, 2014

Guest Post: Ten Tips for Becoming A Better Writer

Welcome Author Dupe Olorun

Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) of the Sister Act 2 fame, said these words to convince one of her talented students to join her choir:  
“... Rainer Maria Rilke. He's a fabulous writer. A fellow used to write to him and say: "I want to be a writer. Please read my stuff." And Rilke says to this guy: "Don't ask me about being a writer. lf when you wake up in the morning you can think of nothing but writing...then you're a writer."I'm gonna say the same thing to you. If you wake up in the mornin' and you can't think of anything but singin' first...then you're supposed to be a singer.”
If you are reading this then you probably do think about writing often, maybe not every morning but often enough for you to feel a little bit uncomfortable if you are not writing.
Here are a few tips I have found useful along my writing journey…  
1)    WRITE
The very first step in being a real writer is to actually write. I often come across people who use the opportunity of having read my books to tell me how much they’ve always wanted to write. My response is always the same; “So why  aren’t you writing?” This might sound like a no-brainer but the only way to be a writer, or a better writer is to write. Start today. All it takes is to open a fresh page on your computer, write a word, then a sentence and a paragraph. See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?

2)    PLAN
Once you have put together a page or two and have become hooked to the idea of actually writing, the next piece of advice is to take a step back during the early days of your creative process and produce an outline of where your book is going.

An outline helps to plan and provide direction. It’s like the foundation and the pillars of a house; once done, you just have to fill in the bricks.
Abraham Lincoln said, Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

3)    SET TIMELINES
We have deadlines for almost every activity that pops up in our daily lives. Time to wake up, time to get to work, closing time, time to eat, time for special projects and time for bed.
If you don’t have a timeline for your writing, you will never get it done. Set a timeline to complete a first draft. Be dedicated to it. Be assured that once you achieve that mark, there is no going back.

“Deadlines aren't bad. They help you organize your time. They help you set priorities. They make you get going when you might not feel like it.”

4)    FOCUS
Imbibe one of the habits of serious writers. Time set aside for writing each day should be used for just that. Writing time is also time to turn off the Internet, take a break from social media and unplug the television.

5)    BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE
That should be your motto in writing. It’s not a place to cut corners or leave loose knots untied. Good has always been the enemy of the best. Once you have finished your first draft, then re-work, re-edit and re-write until you have what you believe is your best possible output. 

6)    SEEK PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT
Trust me, once you have your finished work, it’s still not good enough. That is where professionals come in. You might have to cough out a little cash, but there are people that can help with your story structure, editing, manuscript critique and so on. You can also read self-help books on the writing process.

7)    UNDERSTAND YOUR GENRE
You must have a good understanding of what your potential readers want and tailor your content and writing to reach your audience. It helps to read books written by the best writers in your Genre. Understand and adopt the principles that make their writing shine.

8)    BE OPEN TO CRITICISM
From family and friends who read your first draft to professionals who you pay to review your work, do expect tons of criticism. It’s all good and can only make your work better.  

9)    KEEP A JOTTER
You will be surprised at how many brilliant ideas and pockets of inspiration will fill your mind on the go. Do write them down. It can be so frustrating when you get home and try to recall that flash of brilliance but just can’t.

10) KEEP ON WRITING
Have you noticed that the more you do anything, the better you become at it? The more you write, the easier it becomes. KEEP ON WRITING.