One Year Later

Well, I am back to update where I am on my journey to as a full-time writer.

I have been through a lot, it hasn't been easy, but God has been with me every step of the way. I have written another novel, Once 2wice-a romance. I have started working on a crime fiction series titled, Duke Wellington, P.I., about an African-American, no-nonsense former beat cop who emits the gritty edge of the North East Coast streets where he was groomed. A proponent for children and young people, Duke discovers, through a series of events, the shocking truth about some of these young "victims." The subtitle is The Murder of Innocence.

I decided to mix things up a little in my writing and go with crime fiction after writing another romance novel, titled Once, 2wice. I am been jotting down notes for the second in the Duke Wellington, P.I. series, Major Murder. I am writing another romance novel, Just Don't Want to be Lonely, about a young man unlucky in love who is fixed up on blind dates with women who are friends with his female co-workers. Things get chaotic when his soon-to-be-retired employer's daughter takes charge and sparks fly between the two and a monkey wrench is thrown in when one of the co-workers he once dated and still cares for discovers that she may be in love with him. I also wrote a children's book, Ruff Gets Answers, about a dog who oversleeps one morning and finds his owner has already left to start the first day of school. Trouble is, Ruff has no idea what school is and sets out to get the answer.

Some things have happened that the Lord has helped me through and it really leaves me in awe of our Heavenly Father. His grace, mercy and love for His children. I am no longer in my house, I am living with my mother, but I am not bothered as I know that God has me on the path I am supposed to be on. I am excited about this journey and I continue to be in awe of the wonderful things He does for me. Stay Tuned, things are changing for the better as we speak... 

Music For Novels

 When I listen to a song I usually get the inspiration for my next romance novel, this has happened more times than I can count. Case-in-point, I listened to Someone to Love, by Ruff Endz, everyday when I was writing the sequel to my first novel Another Chance. I listened to a few different love songs when I was writing Once, 2wice, and I started listening to Just Don't Want to be Lonely, by the Main Ingredient and got, not only the title, but the idea for novel.

I am a romantic at heart and I have love songs from each decade starting in the early 60's from different music genres. I can listen to most of them, such as: Classic R&B, Classic Country, Classic Rock, (60s, 70s, and 80s). The music from the later decades really had to grab my heart strings. I am very finicky about my music and a song has to give me "chills" in order to make my playlist.

I am currently listening to a few love songs and there is no telling where they will fit in my current list of novels I am writing.  

   

The Whiz Kid Genereation

Is it just me or have the people in charge of making the most important decisions in your life getting younger and younger and not caring about how they are affecting your life? I have been going back and forth about my mortgage with Wells Fargo, but it would appear that their main concern is playing telephone tag with me and nothing is being resolved. I get one representative that is "taking care" of the issue, then the next thing I know a few weeks later there is someone else on the case. And really are they reading from a script? I hear, "Hello, Ms. So- and- So, I am John Doe. I am going to help you with your issue." Okay, I allow this person to help me, reluctantly, but then when I try to reach them again, I don't hear from them for one or two weeks.

Recently, I was given another representative, and things were fine for a while, but when it got to where it appeared more than she could handle and outside of her expertise we started a round of telephone tag. One night she even called me at 10:30 p.m. I know that they are two hours behind me, but someone who is on the ball would have taken the time to look at the clock and realize that it was too late to call. I talked to her, but I made her aware of the time.

Another time we made an agreement that I would go to my local branch the next day to fill out a form that absolutely-read life-or-death- had to be returned that day. We agreed upon the time that I would go. The next day I called the young lady who I deal with at the branch to let her know what was going on. This young lady, bless her heart, had to rearrange her lunch in order to accommodate me. I rushed to the bank to get her to send an email to the mortgage representative to let her know that I was there. We sat for five minutes then called the 1-800 number only to find out that the mortgage representative didn't even work that day. Say what? I get that emergencies come up, and I assumed, silly me, that another representative would be able to help. Unfortunately, the representative who I ended up speaking with didn't even know what form I needed to fill out, because it was not on her screen to tell her. As best as I could, I explained what I remembered the other rep saying I needed to fill out. "Oh, so you need that form! I can email that to you right now," she said as if she had discovered the cure for cancer.

Over the course of a few weeks I have talked to a few reps who are going to help me with my problem, but I am given to someone else each time. I am trying to be patient, but they are crossing over to my reserved patience that I save for crying babies and elderly people who repeat themselves.

Once upon a time, there was such a thing as one-stop shopping, when one person could help you with a problem and that was it. That day is long gone I'm afraid. The funny thing is my thirty year old son reminded me that it is his generation that is making the decisions now and that reality unnerves him as well. He just had a situation where, instead of getting a simple insurance quote that he asked for, the representative gave him a quote of the coverage he needed. Excuse me? That is not what he asked you for. I have decided that from now on once I get to where I want to be I will be done with corporations. I think I will only give them cash. I realize that the days of compassion are gone and we are left with those computer whiz kids who are great at reading a script and knowing nothing about empathy. Heaven help us all.

A day in the life of this writer

I had to give some thought to what I do as a writer every day. Well, the thing is, I don't do the same thing every day. I like to mix it up a little, so to speak. I typically will wake up between 7-8 a.m. eat breakfast(usually a Pop Tart and tea. Not really a big eater), exercise, then take a shower. From 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. I write. I have a half hour break to regroup or eat a snack and from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. I watch documentaries of crimes and get ideas for my stories.

Right now I have been spending a lot of my time researching and compiling information for the cases for my Duke Wellington, P.I. crime fiction series. I never realized that people were so mentally unstable and the things that they do to carry out their crimes are crazy, but enough about that. I also take the time to flesh out a story idea that has come to mind. It is a thrill when you get another story to work with.

I tend to go to the library two or three times a week to check out how my books are doing in the eBook Marketplace. Touch basis with people on Facebook and Twitter and get more information and download more videos of documentaries on crimes. Yeah, I know that sounds creepy, but somebody's got to do it. I have compiled so much character information for my series that I can write several books.

Some days I may just write the entire time or I may watch crime stories. So, there is never a day of me doing the same thing that I did the day before.

I think, personally, that if you do the same thing day in and day out it becomes repetitious and boring. Writing is what I love and it is not meant to bore me. 

By the end of the day I have done what I set out to do and have accomplished a lot. I feel that if I get things done then the day isn't a waste of time. It doesn't really matter to me whether or not I write a book ever day, just as long as I am thinking about what I can produce next. 

The Method to the Madness-Idea for Duke Wellington, P.I.

I got the idea for the character Duke Wellington, P.I. when someone asked me, since I was considered a romance novelist, could I write a book that even men would want to read. Now, I know that if a person likes a good story, they would read anything from any genre. I am aware that people have a preference on what kind of books they will read. I gave it some thought and then let it go for a little while.

Writing romance novels was a safe bet, as I know that women like to curl up to a good romance and a glass of wine or tea. I am a romantic at heart and I know what I would like to read, ergo a romance writer. I will admit that I did not wish to be pegged as just a one genre writer, so I needed to revisit my decision.

One day I had read about the pros and cons of casting Idris Elba as the next James Bond. Typically, Bond is a Brit, but there was so much ado about Bond being white and Idris Elba is, obviously, not. A couple of days later, I heard question pop in my head again, "Can you write a book that men would want to read?" Eureka! People are against the idea of Idris playing Bond and I need to write a book that men want to read. I knew what to do, and kill two birds with...you know the rest. I would write a character for Idris to play. The character would be a African-American private investigator and I will turn it into a series.

Thus, the character Duke Wellington, P.I. was born. With his many cases we could go a few books and I would feel that I have done a great justice in helping a talented actor by offering him a fantastic character to play. I would have written books for men to enjoy and everyone is happy. I have come up with several ideas for the cases for the series. I even have an idea for a case that will find Duke going to the U.K. Now, I can't say that he will 'run' into Bond while he's there, but who knows what could happen down the line.

Duke Wellington, P.I.

**This is the the working introduction to Duke Wellington, P.I. in Murder of Innocence. The cover art is courtesy of my son, PrinceG.**

Natalia Rawlings and Kenzi Davis, were thirteen-year-old best friends who loved to have fun. Unfortunately, their determination to experience life no matter what happened led to their murders. It was too late for the teens to realize that they were better off playing with their dolls than with fire. Why were they in that old abandoned house in the first place? What happened? Why were their bodies disposed of in that trunk? The police were doing their best to solve the case, but their efforts were not enough for the mothers, Spencer and Joan.

Enter Duke Wellington a suave, no nonsense former beat cop who emits the gritty edge of the North East Coast streets where he was groomed. The African-American private investigator meets and befriends Pastor Charles, after the minister saves his son Devin's life after a car accident that claimed the life of Duke's wife and daughter. As a promise, Pastor Charles "loans" Duke's business card to his parishioners who are in dire need of his help. Such is the case when Duke is hired, (pro bono) to investigate the deaths of the two girls. Their brutal murders shock their families, as well as the community. The mystery is right up his alley as he is a proponent for children and works diligently to get justice for them.

What Duke uncovers during his hunt for answers takes him from ethnically mixed suburbia to the projects. He learns that the girls were in over their heads in their quest to have fun. During the mystery he is involved in a high-speed chase in his 1965 Corvette Stingray convertible. In the end he discovers the meaning of pure evil in a suspect no one expected.

Once, 2wice

Now available in eBook marketplace:

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     Sydney Lawson is a young entrepreneur and has done extremely well in her life as owner of a graphics design company in Los Angeles. She also has a long-term boyfriend, David, who is handsome, wealthy and happens to adore her. Life couldn't be better.

     One day Sydney receives a devastating call from her sister, Stacy to inform her that their mother's cancer had returned and only has a few days to live. While Sydney does see her family, it is on her turf. Now, she must return to her childhood home, after 15 years, to take care of her family and get through this unpleasant time.

     Once she arrives, she is reminded of the things and people she left behind so long ago, namely, Tony Farris, her first and one true love. It also doesn't help that, while staying in her old room, she rediscovers her diary that details their love. Her life is further turned upside down when she comes face-to-face with him and those dormant feelings begin to resurface. During this time she learns that he is still in love with her. Oh yeah, David decides he wants to marry her.