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

Craving Temptation Deborah Fletcher Mello. Kensington/Dafina, $6.99 mass market (320p) ISBN 978-0-7582-9298-8 Mello dishes up rich emotions, memorable characters, and family intrigue set against a background of cultural and political conflict in the second Just Desserts contemporary (after The Sweetest Thing ). When attorney Troy Elliot, who’s running for mayor of Memphis, meets the vivacious Amina Salman, his opponent’s campaign manager and daughter, Troy finds his priorities changing. As an accomplished professional, Amina is frustrated by having to balance her conservative Muslim father’s expectations and her own dreams. Amina and Troy creatively plan dates while her brother secretly pursues unsavory business deals. Following their hearts, the lovers marry, setting off a chain of events that tests family loyalty and exposes schemes. Mello handles sensitive religious and cultural issues with grace, and her captivating and heartfelt novel will please new and ret...

We are still trying to find balance. There are some moments that are sweeter than others. When we're good, we're really good. When we're bad, well, it just doesn't work, both of us feeling awkward and out of sorts. He frequently admonishes me for being too stiff, saying that I need to relax more and just let go. I have issues with him being inappropriate, having to remind him too often that he needs to be aware of his audience and people who might look to him to be a role model. Joy is found in the laughter that can come easily and make any frustration worth the effort. He's my baby but he's also his own man. This has been a learning experience for us both. I am discovering much about him that I did not know and he is getting to know me better as well. He's my son and I'm his mother and though we are close, bonds of friendship between us, I am forever his parent first, before all else. And as his parent, I have no problems reminding him daily that ...

MELLO TALKS WHERE THIS MOM AND HER SON AGREE TO DISAGREE!   For additional information contact us at: mellotalks@aol.com

Craving Temptation Deborah Fletcher Mello. Kensington/Dafina, $6.99 mass market (320p) ISBN 978-0-7582-9298-8 Mello dishes up rich emotions, memorable characters, and family intrigue set against a background of cultural and political conflict in the second Just Desserts contemporary (after The Sweetest Thing ). When attorney Troy Elliot, who’s running for mayor of Memphis, meets the vivacious Amina Salman, his opponent’s campaign manager and daughter, Troy finds his priorities changing. As an accomplished professional, Amina is frustrated by having to balance her conservative Muslim father’s expectations and her own dreams. Amina and Troy creatively plan dates while her brother secretly pursues unsavory business deals. Following their hearts, the lovers marry, setting off a chain of events that tests family loyalty and exposes schemes. Mello handles sensitive religious and cultural issues with grace, and her captivating and heartfelt novel will please new and ret...

Neither one is my daughter but I feel compelled to mother them when I see either headed for charted territory fraught with danger. Neither responds well to my maternal advice, believing, like most adult-children, that they and only they know best. It was an exhausting conversation as each argued her point until she was blue in the face. And I was just seconds shy of wringing both their scrawny necks. My emotions ran the gamut from frustration to anger to sheer disbelief that such intelligent young women could be so damn stupid. And stupid being the only word fitting for the ignorance they were so desperate for me to believe. I have no patience for weakness in other women and probably because it holds a mirror to my own deficiencies. Their insecurities are particularly unattractive since both know better. Their collective experiences couldn’t fill a thimble and neither is interested in learning from women who’ve already been there and done that. Despite constant assurances...

They’re like two bulls in a ring going head to head. It’s a constant back and forth game of one-upmanship against everyone else and each other. I’d had enough when one noted that an uncle’s cousin’s daughter, twice removed, had written a 900-page tome in ten days. Really? When asked if the relative had ever been published there was a list of reasons why the publishers hadn’t gotten it right, the relative’s rejection list substantially long. I suggested that the author might want to give the writing another ten days to try and improve upon what had been deemed perfection. It was suggested back that she might be able to give me some pointers on how to write faster. The tall tales they spin are blistering. I am equally amazed and appalled that two individuals can lie so easily, neither batting an eye. I've seen them lie about the weather (it rained harder where they were than it did here), what they had for breakfast (if you made pancakes, they ate at IHop), and who they'...

It's always a great time when good women get together to share what they love. A while back I had a blast at the Wake County Library event with fellow authors Lecelia Turnage, Sharon Ewell Foster, and Lisa Watson. Writers panels, book signings, and conferences. It's just a day in the life of an author!

Much appreciation to our host, Cyrus Webb! It was a great conversation and a pleasure to become acquainted with author Andrew Peterson . Find Additional Entertainment Podcasts with Cyrus Webb on BlogTalkRadio

So, this post has been muddling around in my head for a while now and I’ve refrained from writing it for a host of reasons. But annoyance has pushed me right off the edge. I’m putting Walmart on blast. Walmart #1751 and its management team. Former manager Brian M. and current acting manager Jason F. specifically.   Well, maybe not so much Jason since he’s only been at the helm for a week or so. Him I’ll give a pass to. Brian, not at all. And maybe, many of my issues with Walmart #1751 are why Brian’s not there anymore. We all know leadership can either make or break a business. I’m indifferent about Walmart. They are neither my most favorite nor my least favorite place to shop. I see them as a necessary evil, a means to an end. Plus, in the middle of the night, when I’m bored with insomnia, going to Walmart gives me something to do. I use to love spending time in Walmart #1751’s book section. They had one of the best ethnic book sections around. And it was a hellava ...

Two weeks after the birth of their second child, Dennis Paul married his baby mama. His OTHER baby mama. Alicia had heard the rumors about Dennis and Paula but Dennis always had a good excuse for the whispered tales of her and him together. After all, Paula was the mother of his first two kids and the third little girl who’d come just weeks after the birth of his and Alicia’s little girl together. Even that little faux pas wasn’t enough to convince Alicia that Dennis wasn’t quite the guy she kept telling herself he was. In fact none of the abuse she suffered at Dennis’ hands was enough to convince her that Dennis really wasn’t much of a catch at all. To hear Alicia tell it, Dennis was just misunderstood. He really did love her and their family and wanted them all to be together. So much so it had taken very little to convince her to cross state lines and follow behind him. Upending her life and sacrificing her dreams was well worth all that love Dennis was known to lavish on her...

What a day, what a day, what a mighty fine day! It started early. Too early. I haven’t been up and out of the house before nine in the morning in I don’t know how long. But I’m a writer. Some of us keep vampire hours. Today I had an early morning dentist appointment to get my six-month cleaning and polishing and my preferred practitioner is a two-hour ride away. I will eventually need to get a dentist closer to where I live but for the time being old Dr. Alex is my go-to guy. So riding on less than two hours of sleep we headed out of town and then it began. The dentist appointment went without mishap. Got my kudos for my oral hygiene and a new purple toothbrush. Then I ran into the old people. Old people amuse me. Nothing is sacred with them. They tell all your business and what might fall out of their mouths can awe and appall. I wasn’t sure of the relationship dynamics but they had a lengthy history and there wasn’t a full set of teeth between the three of them. Our c...

  Love is the best treat of all...   When the owner of Memphis' most mouthwatering bakery, Just Desserts, suddenly dies, pastry chef Quentin Elliott and his brother, office manager Troy Elliott, are distraught. Everett "Pop" Donovan was more than their boss, he was a beloved mentor. So they're shocked to learn that Pop left the business to his beautiful, estranged daughter--a woman they know nothing about--and who knows nothing about running a bakery...   Harper Donovan intends to sell off Just Desserts as quickly as possible. She has no interest in Memphis, much less sweets. However, handsome Quentin has definitely sparked her appetite--and business aside, the feeling is irresistibly mutual. But soon a powerful, smooth-talking rival appears, vying for Harper's heart and her bakery. Harper might have a taste for Memphis after all--and Quentin might have to prove he's exactly what she craves...     Praise for The Sweetest Thing   ...

IN THE READING ROOM with Deborah Fletcher Mello THE SWEETEST THING Published by Kensington Dafina Pub Date: March 4, 2014 Music: Smooth Jazz Saxophone Band - Ain't No Sunshine (When She's Gone) Smooth Jazz Sax Instrumentals - Papa's Gotta Brand New Bag

IN THE READING ROOM with Deborah Fletcher Mello HEARTS AFIRE Published by Harlequin Kimani Romance Pub Date: February 1, 2014 Music: Anthony Hamilton - WOO Video Background: "Angel Angel" by Olivia Gatewood