Cheris Hodges's Blog, page 27

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day is joked about, not held in the highest of regards like Mother's Day. And if you believe the media, then it shouldn't be. When you see Dads on TV -- these days -- they're pretty clueless. Or they are invisible. Facebook is often filled with vitriol about fathers or at least the ones who aren't doing the right thing.



Let me tell you, that's not what this blog post is about.

I'm going to talk about SuperDad, mine.



I must have been six the first time a man gave me roses. And you guessed it, they were from my Daddy. I had been that narrator of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, even though I wanted to be Snow White. Come on, what six year old doesn't want to be a princess? But I was the only kindergartner who could read. And I was the only one who ended up in the newspaper that week. Ha!



Every Valentine's Day, my sister and I received flowers from our father -- and so did my mama. That's why roses from the average man don't impress me and that "I'm Sorry Gas Station Rose," please.



My Dad has always supported my dreams and taught me lessons when I didn't even know what was going on. I was spoiled -- but not rotten. Pops said no -- a lot. But when I was in the seventh grade and said I wanted to be a writer -- he got me an electric typewriter. Then he got me a word processor and finally, my first laptop.



Dad paid for college -- while he was recovering from a heart transplant. My mother made sure to tell me not to mess up in school because when my father was in Walter Reed Hospital, being told that he needed a heart transplant, that he was worried about sending the check for my tuition. I graduated cum laude and handed my Daddy my degree. He gave it back and said, you earned it.



I didn't know until I was in college that everyone didn't like their dad. That was a foreign concept to me. I know we all come from different backgrounds and different family types. I'm glad that my Dad has always been there for me. Always been my super hero and always will be.





I've had this pillow since middle school.





My Dad in his dress blues with my brother in law and nephew.



 

Here are some of the reasons why I love the Military

I'm not the typical Army brat. My dad didn't move us around. Sadly. But because I love him and my airman nephew, I am determined to get a military themed novel done soon!



Happy Hump Day!

Waiting For The Other Shoe to Drop: Part 33

I started
to rip the note up, then a few thoughts dashed through my mind. How did this
tramp know where I worked or what I drove? This bitch is crazy and David is a
lying fucker. I looked around my car to make sure my tires were OK and that my
paint job didn’t have any scratches. Had that whore messed with my car, I would’ve
been ready to trample her fat ass. No damage, but I wasn’t taking any chances
as I called the lot security. While I waited for the officer, I called David.
This bastard had some questions to answer. No more nice Mimi, he was going to
meet the crazy chick I’d been trying to keep under wraps.

People
say it takes two to ruin a relationship. God knows I’ve ruined my share. But I
can officially, without a doubt, say I didn’t fuck this up. So, if this is my
reward for growing and trying to be a better woman – then I want a do
over.  I want to ruin this relationship.
I want to accuse him of being a cheater. I want to start arguments for no
reason. I want things to have been over earlier, so it wouldn’t hurt so much
right now.

If only I
had a bat, I thought as I hung up before David answered and the officer came
over to me to take my report. Once I was finished telling him about my stalker,
my phone rang. It was David.

“What’s
up?” he asked. “Why did you hang up?”

“Your
friend, big ass Michelle, left a note on my fucking car at my job. Now, I got
several questions, but you need to tell me what the hell is going on with you
and Porky.”

“First of
all, you need to calm down.”

“Obviously,
the bitch is stalking me. You’d better be clean on this and fix this bullshit.
Fuck being calm.”

“Mimi, I’m
going to call you back. No, just come over.”

I hung up
the phone. Part of me wondered if I was going to regret not having that bat.

Cover reveal: Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever by L.V. Lewis

Author L.V. Lewis revisits the world of Keisha Beale and Tristan White from her Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever to increase the book from a novella to a novel!

Fifty Shades of Grey meets Keisha from the block!

Keisha Beale is a quarter of a million dollars away from realizing her dream of opening her own recording studio. A botched attempt at securing the funding required from venture capitalist Tristan White leaves her without many options... until Tristan White makes an indecent proposal. As Keisha navigates the treacherous environment of the billionaire's secret kinky lifestyle, she discovers surprising things about herself and unleashes demons from her past she thought were long resolved.

L. V. Lewis doesn't have the means of Tristan White, but she wouldn't want readers to go away from this cover reveal empty handed, so she's giving all viewers the chance to win one (1) of three (3) gift cards ($25, $15, $10 from either Amazon, B&N, or iTunes) at the conclusion of the reveal!

The giveaway will run from June 11 -19th. During this time, Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever will be on sale for $.99!

DISCLAIMER: If for some reason the new version doesn’t load on all the platforms by the time the sale begins and you purchased the novella previously, you will receive an invitation to download the new version from Amazon, at the very least.

So without further ado, here's the fabulous new cover of Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever!

Cover Design by:

Kristy@Ambrosia-Arts.com

Photo Credits:

Male Image – © Sweet Trade Photography

Female Image – © Jazmin La.Shae Photography

Chicago Skyline – © Grzegorz Kieca via Dreamstime.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

L. V. Lewis has one foot in South Georgia and the other in North Florida. She's been blessed with a husband who's put up with her for a lot of years and has given birth to four children, two of whom she has raised to adulthood and one to near adulthood. She delights in her almost empty nest status so much that she writes the kinkiest novels she can conjure up.

L. V. Lewis’s Exhaustive List of Contact Info:

Email: lv.lewis148@gmail.com

GoodReads, Twitter, Facebook, The Block, & Pinterest

Waiting For The Other Shoe to Drop: Part 32

But I
didn’t run. I thought Michelle had been the one with the problem. A sane woman
wouldn’t simply show up at a man’s house unannounced. Then again, I’d learn
that the man who says “I don’t lie,” turns out to be the biggest liar of all.

Not only
was I experiencing a change in my personal life, but work turned into a war
zone. Sonia and the city manager fought about every damned thing: from the
amount of money spent on staples and pencils, to the audit that she refused to
do. He’d ordered her to shed one third of the department’s budget.

“And just
how in the blue hell am I supposed to do this while keeping the quality of what
we do up?” Sonia asked as I stopped in her officer after work. I was a little
surprised to see that she had a small bottle of Jack Daniels on her desk.

“What are
you going to do?”

“Retire.
Go work in Gastonia, tell that prick to stick my foot so far up his ass that he
can shit out my Dr. Shoals insoles.”

“Whoa.
How much of that stuff have you had?”

Sonia
glanced down at her coffee mug then poured herself another drink. “Not enough.”

“What is
it about you two that’s . . .”

“That man
and the new mayor have an agenda. I’m not a political person and I can feel the
push toward the door.”

“I hope
you’re wrong.”

“I hope
you’ve started your job search.”

“I have,”
I lied. My mind was preoccupied with trying to figure out how to search David’s
phone. Yes. I. Was. Falling. Back. Into. Bullshit.

“All
right, Mimi, don’t be a casualty of my war.”

I chewed
my bottom lip and dropped my head. I wanted to open up with her about the David
issue but that topic was off limits. He was her family, her blood. I was just
the girl he was fucking – and fucking over. Shit.

I thought
this time was different. Thought I’d made enough changes and concessions to be
happy in a relationship. But NO! Once again, here was a man who wanted so share
his dick with the world like it was a bottle of Coke.

“What’s
wrong, Mimi? I’ve noticed that you’ve been really quiet lately.”

I
shrugged and tried to smile, but I couldn’t. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing
named David?”

“Ah, kind
of.”

Sonia
took a big gulp of her spiked coffee. “Trust your gut, Mimi.”

“What do
you mean?”

“Life is too
short to be unhappy or deal with a man who you can’t totally trust. I love my
cousin,  but – wait, let me stop letting
Jack control my tongue.”

“Do you
need a ride home?” Thinking about how much she had to drink, I was sure the
last thing Sonia needed was a DUI.

“That’s
nice of you. But I’m not that twisted. Still, knowing how shady gov-co is, I’d
better call a cab.”

Sonia and
I headed out of the office and when I arrived at my car, I noticed a pink
envelope underneath my windshield wiper. Strange ticket, I thought as I plucked
it from my car. Before opening it, I checked to make sure I’d followed the
parking deck rules and my car was in between the white lines.

I tore it
open and discovered a handwritten note.

Just so you know, I’m the
reason he came back to Charlotte and I can have him anytime I want.

                        M.

What in
the blue fuck?!

June News Letter

Chatting with children's author Melanee Banks

 When I met Melanee Banks at the Taliah Waajid Natural Hair Show in Atlanta, the first thing I noticed was her amazing spirit. Some people are just so nice that it radiates. Then we had the chance to do a Social Circle interview together. Hearing her talk about the book and her writing path made me smile. And then my niece -- who is 20 by the way-- had to have a copy of the book.



My niece's name is Briana. My niece loves fairies so much that she has a fairy tattoo on her back.

Melanee's heroine is a fairy named Bryana. The book was sold.



This is a book that I wish was around when my Briana was three or four. One day, I'm sure Briana will share this with her little girl.












1. What was the inspiration for Bryana's BiggestWish?




My children Immanuuel (7 years old) and Ky (4
years old) were a huge inspiration.  I wanted to give them a sense of
pride and demonstrate that with hard work and patience, anyone
can achieve their goals.



The second most inspirational aspect for Bryana's Biggest Wish came from Barack Obama. On January 25,
2011, I tuned in to listen to the President’s state of the union address. 
I remember clearly when he said: From the earliest days of our founding,
America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. That's how we
win the future.  We're a nation that says, "I might not have a lot of
money, but I have this great idea for a new company. … WE DO BIG THINGS!” 

It was like those
words made me rise up and answer his call to arms.  That very night I
began to craft the core of a story called “Bryana Does Big Things”.
 Later, I would change the name to Bryana’s Biggest Wish .










2. What has the response to the book been so
far?




The response has been overwhelmingly
positive. Every age, every race, boys and girls alike love Bryana's
Biggest Wish.  To her credit, Naile Zulfulqarova, the
illustrator, has created the most beautifully illustrated
children's  book  I've ever seen.

The biggest surprise for me thus far is that the
book has been so well received that it will be taught in a public
school district as a part of their character education curriculum.  I'm so
very thankful for all the feedback as it will certainly help me grow as an
author.




3. Was it important for you to create a fairy
tale that children of color

could identify with? Why?




Is was extremely important for me to create a
fairy tale  for children of color.  This is quite personal for me.

Over two years ago,  I walked into the book
store like I had done so many times before, looking for something exciting and fresh that would inspire my kids to read.  My daughter, Ky,
began to  point out four or five books that she wanted me to buy (even
though I said select only one.).  I immediately noticed that all of the books were pink or
purple and sparkly!  However not one of those books featured an
African-American character. I didn't think this was a big deal until I decided
that day to purchase books with

black characters on the cover.  When I
couldn't find any, I was first astonished, then perplexed.  It's still
amazing to me that there are so few books with positive role models for both
girls and boys of color.










4. What's the message that you hope readers take
away from your book?




I hope that readers never, ever, ever-ever give
up!  Think BIGGER.  Life is about making mistakes, learning from
them, picking up the pieces and trying again.  Bryana never gives up.

She uses her powers to believe, give, imagine,
create and hope.  In the end, she finds out that the biggest wish of all
is love.  If we all possess only a portion of Bryana's faith, we could not only help others but,we can
achieve the miraculous.  We only need faith the size of a mustard seed,
right?









5. How can readers follow you online?




Readers can follow me on my quest to generate
love, miracles, inspiration and creativity on Facebook or
Instagram @ bryanasbiggestwish.




  

Here's why you should buy this book: Bryana's Biggest Wish inspires this : Believe. Give. Imagine. Create. Hope. Love.


http://www.bryanasbiggestwish.com/ 10% Proceeds Benefiting: 
Make a Wish Foundation

Coffee on the Roof: I love it!

Harris Teeter reopened on Central Avenue today. It's pretty. I'm sure the grocery selection is amazing. I went for ONE thing.



Starbucks. Starbucks with roof top seating. It was everything that I thought it would be. And one thing I didn't count on -- it was hot up there. And sitting directly in the glow of the sun didn't help. I realized today, even though I was Supergirl for Halloween, I'm a mere mortal who should've had an iced coffee rather than that grande HOT dark roast.





Sunlight gives her power, but its my Kryptonite





The view from above

The pros: The upstairs of the Starbucks/Harris Teeter is beautiful. From the winding staircase, to the sofas on the inside facing the wide windows, it is lovely. And then there is the free wifi-- a writer's best friend other than coffee is wifi.

The outdoor tables are wide and great for your laptop, iPad or even your lunch. I guess some people will come up there to eat, drink and look at the skyline. Charlotte has a nice sky line and when it isn't humid and hazy, it is pretty to gaze upon. (That was purple prose. Sorry.)



The Cons: Children and you really can't complain about them. When I go to a standalone Starbucks, I'm always annoyed  amazed by parents who bring babies to Starbucks. What can a baby -- an arm baby -- get from Starbucks? But this Starbucks is attached to a grocery store, so you can't get mad at the parents who bring their screaming, lovely brats kids up on the roof. And I'm sure tossing them over the side would be frowned upon as well. I. kid. I. kid.

There are not electrical outlets on the roof. This wouldn't be a problem if I'd charged my computer last night. But hey, things happen.



Overall: This has got to be the best writing spot in the city of Charlotte and there is a library across the street! Awesome. Sauce.



On another note: I think everyone who lives in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood to the day off to go to Harris Teeter today. I even saw a former politician on the rooftop today.



I have this hidden fantasy to slow dance with the "soul mate" on a roof top while Miles Davis's All Blues  plays in the background.


If I don't, you can bet one of my characters will!

Let's go to the show! On Q Productions presents Miles & Coltrane: Blue (.)

Speed Street is over. And some folks think the week after Memorial Day is a blank page.



NOT!



Starting Wednesday, On Q Productions will host a limited run of Miles & Coltrane: Blue (.)

RLO, The Jazz Diva and Quentin Talley present Miles & Coltrane:
Blue(.), by Concrete Generation May 29 through June 2 at Duke Energy
Theater at Spirit Square located at 345 N College St in Uptown Charlotte
for a limited engagement.  This special performance will serve as a
fundraiser as the show returns to the Edinburgh International Fringe
Festival August 3 through 26 in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Donations will be
used to assist with associated production and travel costs.



Miles & Coltrane: Blue(.) captures the galvanizing energy of the
1950's, an element of time when American society was rapidly changing.
During this era, jazz was the soundtrack to a new social revolution. And
at the forefront of jazz music was trumpet blaring Miles Davis and
skillful saxophonist John Coltrane, who partnered to make a wondrous
residual slide in soundscapes that would unleash their names to be
forever known as jazz legends. For this production, award winning
artist, Concrete Generation and The Stephen Gordon Group articulate this
noteworthy shift in music history.



Miles & Coltrane: Blue(.)
"is a must-see show for jazz lovers and anyone who is curious about the
two giants," says Duffy Lewis of the Charleston City Paper, "...
a mesmerizing testament to the transcendence of Davis' and Coltrane's
music. Miles and Coltrane: Blue is like going to church - almost."






The show will run May 29, May 30 and May
31 at 8 p.m.; June 1 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; June 2 at 3 p.m. Tickets are
$25 (May 29 is “pay what you can” night) and are available at http://www.carolinatix.org. To support the Miles &Coltrane “On the Road to Edinburgh” fundraising campaign, go to http://igg.me/at/mcblueontour.

Jon B still got it. .

Jon B is not washed up. Robin Thicke didn't eat him and steal his career. More importantly, Jon B is not afraid to tell y'all that he was always R&B and didn't start off as a pop singer and then cross over in his "suit and tie." Well, he didn't say the suit and tie part, but that's what he meant.



While he performed at Speed Street in Charlotte, Jon B kept telling us all that he's been in the game for 20 years. Remember is first album Bonafide ? He was 18 when he and Babyface sang about Someone To Love. Sadly, the majority of the crowd obviously didn't buy that amazing first album. How can you not love Pretty Girl?



But I think I have figured out why Charlotte doesn't get good music shows. As a music town, we suck. We're horrible. We let radio tell us what's hot and believe that BS. When Jon B sang Hall and Oates I Can't Go For That, 85 to 90 percent of the crowd either didn't know the song or didn't like it. But what can you expect from a city where the cops arrest a kid for eating Pop Tarts?







 Check out Jon B's new album: B-Sides Collection