I Ain't Said Nothin' But A Word...

An old friend is having some relationship issues. He and the wife seem to have lost their balance with each other. Both brought two kids into the marriage. The wife is adamant he be a father to hers but she’s not much willing to be a mother to his. When they wage battle the wife tends to exacerbate the problem further by denying her man sex. She also tends to use her feminine ways to manipulate things she does or doesn’t want to happen in her home. My brother has hit a wall of sheer frustration. The wife crippled his last nerve when in the throes of passion, while trying to avoid mussing up her new hairdo, she looks over her shoulder and asks him if he’s going to be there much longer. Seems there was something coming on television that she wanted to see and taking care of his needs was interrupting her flow. With one swipe of her tongue the woman annihilated the man’s self-esteem. His partner in crime shook his head listening to him complain. Buddy-friend has never run into that proble...

Sharon’s Mr. Right would seem to have become her Mr. Right Now. The good as gold personality who’d captured her heart is now good and tarnished. And Sharon can’t figure out when it all went bad. Explaining the situation proved to be more of an emotional journey than a recall of exact instances. Sharon says what they currently share feels very different from what she use to feel. She insists that there is no longer any joy in Mr. Right’s eyes when she walks into a room. “He doesn’t get excited about seeing me,” she exclaimed in a small voice as if she were afraid someone might hear her. “We don’t spend any time together,” she extolled, reflecting back on the last time they’d made love. She shook her head when she’d run out of fingers and toes to count on, more days having passed them by than she was wanting to admit. “I never have his full attention,” she mused wishing away the other things and other people who seemed to have more of him than she did. “We listen to each breathe more tha...

I recorded the Presidential debates last night. I was just too tired and too unenthused to watch them. I may watch them later today. Then again I just might pass. I'm actually more interested in seeing Palin and Biden go toe to toe. And I say all this as I sit here remembering just how much I use to actually hate politics.

Okay, so let me get this straight. Suddenly, the economy is a mess. Folks can’t pay their bills and businesses are folding. I’m sorry…let me step back and clarify that…RICH folks can’t pay their bills and multi-billion dollar businesses and banks are suddenly folding. NOW the powers that be recognize that there is a problem with the economy. But no one was much concerned when average Joe was down on his luck with no job prospects, mortgage past due, and the collection man biting at his heels. Now, the boys on Washington Hill are tossing ideas around to fix this mess but they’re having some issues coming up with a mutually agreeable plan of attack. Right now the plan they have has us po’ folk bearing a $700 billion dollar tax burden to fix this mess. Our Presidential candidates decide to weigh in with their two-cents. Obama calls up McCain and says, “Hey, Johnnie, I think we should issue a joint statement to let the people know we’re on their side. We should show them we’re both committ...

It is the opinion of my very special friend that a mother can prove to be a male child’s greatest liability. It seems that we are quick to excuse our baby boys’ bad behavior and we can be much too tolerant of their idiosyncrasies. He and I have had this discussion many times, me arguing that such is not true. Regrettably though I find myself having to own that estimation and it is killing me to have to do so. I have raised five male children. I have to acknowledge that my parenting skills changed considerably with my youngest son. My baby boy didn’t get the same “tough love” his brothers experienced. The love he got was no less than theirs, but he was clearly spoiled more than them. That lack of “tough” love has not served him well. After the success I’ve seen my older boys attain, I was not prepared for my baby boy to cause me any angst as he approached adulthood. I was not prepared because he was a model child, never causing me an ounce of grief. But my child is now causing me much a...

Last night I had one of the most stimulating movie experiences that I’ve had in a good long while. Tyler Perry has done it again with his newest release, The Family That Preys . This movie had me on the edge of my seat, talking to the screen. Y’all know how some of us can do! The Family That Preys is a story of family, friendship and betrayal. Legends, Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates play Alice and Charlotte respectively, two strong-willed friends and very Southern matriarchs. Both have children with some serious issues. Charlote’s son William played by Cole Hauser wants to steal away his mother’s control of their high-end construction firm. Alice’s daughter Andrea played with absolute brilliance by Sanaa Lathan is on a quest for the good life, looking to run fast from her humble upbringing. Andrea is less than satisfied by her stuttering, country-boy slow, construction-worker husband Chris (Rockmond Dunbar) and his many get rich quick schemes that lead to nowhere. Preying on opportunit...

When you’re just minutes away from a deadline and you realize that you’ve completely botched the details of your storyline, it’s not pretty. In fact, it’s downright ugly, you get uglier and ugly starts raining down like a hurricane in severe weather mode. That’s where I’ve been for the past week. But ugly didn’t prevail and the fix came in the guise of a man whose calm, rational approach forced me to be calm and rational as well. Once that mess was cleaned up nice and pretty and the sun was shining and life was good again I found myself back in relationship mode. I’m navigating this couple thing. I was operating under the assumption that I knew how to be one half of a couple. I mean, really, after 28 years with the same man you figure you’ve made enough mistakes to have learned some valuable lessons and with that experience you know what needs to be done. Right? How wrong I was! Somewhere along the way someone changed the rules and I’m quickly discovering I don’t know how to play this ...

"America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess." Barack Obama's acceptance speech left me with a sense of civil responsibility and empowerment. A candidate who is genuinely interested in the well-being of Americans. How refreshing is that? If by some remote chance you missed his speech last night, then click HERE . It's well worth the effort.

I imagine that the job of being the First Lady of the United States must be a bit daunting at first. It’s not like it comes with a clear cut job description. It does of course come with some exceptionally high expectations. When you consider that the First Lady must not only validate her husband’s character, but also her own, then it certainly makes sense that the journey to acceptance is not always easy. Michelle Obama has become a very public figure and has accepted the role of aspiring First Lady with sheer grace. She has also accepted the uncomfortable scrutiny that comes with that responsibility. Since her husband announced his candidacy, she has taken some serious flack. I bet the conversation between the two to make that decision, as well as the subsequent conversations as the last few months have unfolded have been quite interesting. For some time now she’s been hit by a wave of unflattering and sexist media portrayals. Critics have called Michelle everything from unpatriotic t...

A good friend sent me this quote. It came at the right time. I pass it on hoping that it will move someone else the way it moved me. I pass it on as a reminder that there is always hope. I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they’re right. You believe lies so that eventually you learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things falls apart so better things can fall together. --Marilyn Monroe

It’s good sex. I mean really good sex! I’m not having it but my characters are. My third Stallion brother, the young, virile, 25-year old is rocking the sheets like there is no tomorrow. If y’all thought that brothers John (To Love A Stallion) and Mark (Tame A Wild Stallion) had it going on you haven’t read anything yet! Brother Luke has his girl changing religions and talking in tongue and all the while feeling like she is a queen sitting on top of the world. When I first started writing romance, those sexual encounters were a challenge. Over the years I’ve learned to let myself go and in the process, let my characters go as well. The writing came much easier after that. So, brother Luke is having himself one heck of a good time. And Joanne Lake, the story’s heroine, is much enjoying the fruits of his labor. And I'm so darn excited by it all that I just had to post and tell you!

Deanna’s memories don’t seem to be everyone else’s memories. And Deanna is now questioning if she’s the crazy one in her family. Deanna and her mother had a bitter argument. Her mother said some pretty hateful things. Deanna said some hateful things back. Their memories of Deanna’s childhood are two vastly different memories. Her mother claims it’s her daughter’s evil ways that twisted fact into fiction. Deanna understands the truth will destroy the illusion of the perfect parent that her mother fathoms herself to be. Deanna doesn’t deny that she was loved. But she also accepts that she was not liked. Her mother didn’t like her. Her mother’s disregard began when her child was very young. Her mother’s issues took precedent over her daughter’s well-being. Deanna’s mother would claim to know everything about her daughter but their argument proved she didn’t know anything at all. Deanna has chosen to walk away from the memories, and her mother, in order to keep herself whole. Their argumen...

I miss writing poetry. Thought I'd share a few old poems that were inspired by the artwork of a talented man by the name of Antonio Roberts. Antonio is out of Atlanta. He's a law enforcement officer by day and wild with a paintbrush at night. For minimum wage he'll work his fingers to the bone to put a roof over his wife's head and give his child a place to call home. It's what he's willing to do when love prevails for a woman who says he is worthy of her soul and then some, and a little girl wraps him around her finger and he knows he is her first love, and he sets the standards for all her future loves, and a little boy calls him daddy, while dreaming of one day walking in his shoes. Minimum wage may not seem like much, but then something is always better than nothing when love prevails... One day I turned away And walked a path of my own making I must sail sometimes against the wind And anchor my burdens in harbors of hope Heavy may be the footsteps that ski...

I haven’t seen my very special friend in five days. I didn’t think it was possible to miss one man as much as I find myself missing that man. Last week we spent every day together except one. It was great quality time. This week I feel like I’ve been banished to purgatory, solitude my extreme punishment. I’ve got a severe case of something I’m not ready to name yet and they tell me there isn’t anything I can take to make it go away. But I've got it bad! Sometimes I can deal with it just fine, actually enjoying the ride it takes me on. Other times, like now, I wish there was pill that I could take that would end it once and for all and return me to a state of single, female normalcy. I was bemoaning my state of mind to a good friend who advised me to keep busy. I keep wondering just how much busier can I be? My day planner is so full there isn’t any white space left for me to write on. I get the stay busy rule. But it doesn’t stop me from longing for the companionship I’ve come to e...

When does a discussion become an argument? I just left a discussion that has me reeling like I’d gone ten rounds with the heavyweight champ. I’m feeling much battered and bruised and it’s the second discussion of its kind that actually reduced me to tears. Now, I’m trying to understand why because the other party is convinced that our conversation was just a discussion and nothing more. For me, when two people are disputing the validity of the topic being considered, it’s an argument. When one or the other becomes defensive, it’s an argument. In this matter there was no agreement on how I’d handled a situation. I became defensive although I concede that maybe I was being sensitive. But no one likes being told they made a bad judgment call whether they did or not. I was told that I just did what I wanted to do and not what I should have done. I was offended by that because I did what I thought was best in that moment and I did such with good faith. It wasn’t like I’d randomly decided to...

Missing You I'm saddened by the news that comedian, Bernie Mac, and soul legend, Isaac Hayes, both passed away this weekend. May they both rest in peace.

SIGH….Okay….like….umm….I’m having some issues. Issues about my writing. Issues I should not be having. Luke Stallion’s story has unfolded nicely. You might remember that I wasn’t getting any warm and fuzzy feelings from the last two Stallion men. But I finally like the baby brother. I like him a lot. He’s young. He’s industrious. And, he’s energetic, masterful, and virile just like a twenty-five year old should be. Brother Matthew’s story has been sneaking in and out of my writing when I’ve least expected or wanted it. Matthew’s much more conservative. Matthew continues to be a challenge. The brother is uptight, restrained and so damn pragmatic that he is making me work much too hard. Unleashing his inner animal though has made for some very interesting romantic moments. But the Stallions really aren’t the problem. Two of my past books have me scratching my head in wonder. In February 2007, my sixth contemporary romance novel, In The Light of Love was released to fairly good reviews. ...

In the last two weeks I have been keeping some obscene hours. And I mean obscene like I haven’t been getting home until wee hours of the early morning to catch a few minutes of shut eye before I have to start my day all over again. I haven’t kept hours like these since I was umpteen years old acting like I had no good sense doing things I knew I had no business doing. I’m sure I’ve probably got no business doing what I’ve been doing these past few weeks but since I’m no longer umpteen and most certainly old enough to know better, I consider it a privilege that I’m still young enough not to care. But I digress. There is a true disadvantage to being as exhausted as I am as I proved earlier this evening. For some unholy reason I came up with this brilliant idea to just not go to sleep this afternoon. To force myself to stay wide eyed and awake until a decent bed time hour so that I could just fall out into ten blissful, uninterrupted hours of much needed sleep. I reasoned that if I napped...

When the story starts, "Once upon a time...", and the writer is black, things suddenly change in the publishing world. No matter how you spin it, the truth of that fact hurts. Author Bernice McFadden articulates the frustration, and the sheer ignorance of it, here. Dear Potential African-American Author If by chance you don't know who Bernice McFadden is, then you've truly missed out. The woman is an incredibly gifted storyteller. Her writing is lyrical, moving you to dance in places you might never have imagined. Read her last book, Nowhere is a Place . Then go back and catch up on all the others. You won't be able to help yourself. Her book Suga' is one of my absolute favorites. She also writes under the moniker, Geneva Holliday, with her last book Seduction having just been released. All of her tales are great fodder for a reader's, and a fellow writer's, spirit.

I have a girlfriend who is, and I quote, “Jones-in’ for some Dick”, end quote. Damn near fell out of my seat she had me laughing so hard. Seems that it’s been a long time since Tom, and Harry isn’t on her radar yet. She had no qualms about sharing that her self-imposed abstinence from sexual pleasure with a male partner has been less than satisfying. Deidra gave up on sex some five or six years ago after a bad experience with her now ex-hubby. The experience gave her a STD that took a few rounds of antibiotics and a trip to Divorce Court to cure. Girlfriend wasn’t interested in ever being burned again and so she gave up the deed in exchange for Battery-powered Bob. But it now seems that Bob has lost his gusto, the wham bam not even worthy of a thank you. Deidra is hungry for a lover, a man who can actually walk, talk, and chew gum at the same time. “And he must eat cat,” she proclaimed matter-of-factly, because no man worth his weight in gold would dare deny himself, or her, the pleasu...