Nov 05

Obama, Monkeys & Midterms of 2018

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
OBAMA & THE CHIMP On Thursday, February 19, 2009, I saw the infamous “monkey” cartoon by Sean Delonas and I was suddenly reminded of the fugitive slave posters I’d seen in a collection of Black History books from years ago. The posters were arrest warrants, advertising how Prince Jim or Joseph stood nearly six feet, weighed 180 lbs, was strong as an ox, a good breeder, already domesticated and could plow an entire field in a day. His master would pay X amount of money for the return of his chattel. Sketching Prince Jim or Joseph to resemble a monster ape in a white man’s ill-fitting clothing, with long arms dangling below his knees, and gorilla-like facial features was no coincidence. Slave owners wanted to scare the bejesus out of the public—hoping they’d return his property with little fanfare or the expense of hiring slave catchers. Owners especially wanted to spread the fear of God among southern white women—their own wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters who might otherwise be approached by Prince Jim or Joseph and convinced to shelter them. Slave owners couldn’t afford to have Miss Elizabeth Ann hiding Prince Jim or old Joseph. God forbid—it might lead to […]
Nov 01

Waiting For The Good; already had the bad

by B.L. in Latest Novels 0 comments
Newly promoted police sergeant Ellison Jackson literally bumps into Annabelle Leith Fletcher, a defense attorney who ripped into her ass on the witness stand six years ago. The attorney has changed somewhat from their last meeting, due in no small part to a brace on her leg from an unfortunate injury. Ellison finds Annabelle very attractive and asks her to lunch. Unfortunately, the restaurant they choose is under siege by two incompetent robbers. The sergeant is shot and rushed to the hospital. Through a series of misunderstandings, Annabelle is mistaken for a serious love interest of the sergeant, and her supervisors ask Annabelle to take care of Ellison’s two nephews and their assorted pets until a relative can be found to step in. She is also, along with her grandmother, enlisted to take care of an uncooperative Ellison as she recuperates from her injury. To make matters more difficult, an unexpected blast from Annabelle’s past shows up on her doorstep. Can Annabelle rise to the occasion and deal with the assorted personalities invading her home? Will the attraction between Ellison and Annabelle come to fruition? Find out in Waiting for the Good, already had the bad. Waiting For The Good; […]
Oct 29

WHY I WROTE: THE SERGEANT’S DAUGHTER,

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
a story of everlasting love When do you trust someone? How long does it take to earn someone’s trust? Here’s what I mean. Here’s the scenario. Let’s suppose you met the ideal woman thirteen years ago. But you didn’t know she was your ideal partner. You were young, single, and liked to party with any woman who said yes or batted an eye at you. She was a supervisor on the job. You were a lower level employee. The two of you kept bumping into each on the job. You started to notice how attractive she was. When you asked about her, folks at work told you she was single but serious. You decided wouldn’t it be fun make her less serious and more fun-loving like you. You decided to ask her for a date. She said no at first. She heard about you from the same folks you spoke to at work. She knows about your playfulness at work and your reputation for running through women like a rabbit runs from a hunter … quick and smart. You keep asking her out, and one night, you wear her down. The two of you go out. She likes your funny […]
Oct 22

PRIVATE NIGHTMARES & PUBLIC ANGELS

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
I had been married nearly two years when the first assault happened. I’d married the man of my dreams. The man I thought I loved. He was older than I was but what a fun guy. We enjoyed doing things together. We went on vacations together. We exercised together. We wanted children together. We loved the same action and western movies. We read the same books and magazines. We’d go grocery shopping together and consider it a fun thing to do. We loved building stuff together. We loved getting lost in lumber yards or Sears tool & tire sections or at New York’s Annual Auto show. We even watched the same television shows together. Little did I know once we were married, he’d still hangout at bars on the weekend as if he was still single. When I washed his clothes, I’d check his pockets first for loose change and then for packs of cigarettes. I’d always find slips of paper or matchbook covers from bars with women’s names and numbers on them. We never argued about his extra-curricular activities.  Instead, we debated mine. I felt what was good for the goose was good for the gander too. I said […]
Oct 08

WHAT DOES PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE MEAN?

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
When I was a kid living in Ohio, I could count on two or three things always happening to me. If it was summertime and school was out, my mother would send my siblings and me outside. We played outside all day after we finished our daily chores which included weeding my mother’s flower garden planted by our house and the large patch of vegetable garden, growing yards away from our lawn. If it was the fall and school was in session, I knew two things. The school’s cafeteria would serve the slimy, nasty-tasting olive-green canned peas I hated. I’d ended up missing lunch recess because the lunchroom teacher believed in the motto “eat everything on your plate” and I didn’t. The second thing that was a guarantee was that I’d start my day just as the other children in my class did, by pledging allegiance. I never thought about the words. I just memorized them. I stood up and faced the American flag hanging in the corner of the classroom every morning. Then I placed my right hand over my heart and repeated the memorized words about the flag and the republic. I knew what a flag was because […]
Oct 01

The Sergeant’s Daughter, a story of everlasting love

by B.L. in Latest Novels 0 comments
Over eleven years ago, Sergeant Grace Warren fell in love with Patrolman Denise Carver. She thought their love was forever. When Grace returned home early one afternoon, she found Denise sharing her love and her body with two other women in their bed. That night, Grace kicked Denise out of her bed and out of her life forever. Flash forward nearly eleven years later. Sergeant Denise Carver receives an urgent call to see Grace in ICU. A lieutenant now, Grace has been badly wounded. While visiting Grace in ICU, Denise meets the child Grace named after her for the first time. Grace asks Denise to protect and care for the child she never knew. Will Grace be able to trust Denise with the one thing most precious to her? Will Denise be able to show Grace that she is a changed woman? Will these two women come together again after all these years, bonded by their love for The Sergeant’s Daughter? The Sergeant’s Daughter, a story of everlasting love is available for pre-order 9/19/18 on Kindle. The release date is 10/2/18. ASIN: B07HGN434N (Kindle Version $2.99) ISBN-13: 978-1726498586 (Print Version $13.99) ISBN-10: 1726498581 (Print Version $13.99) Here are the links […]
Sep 24

WHY I WROTE: THE IDEAL MAN IS A WOMAN

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Hip, hip hurrah. This is the year of the woman, politically socially and sexually, right? The title of my book suits of the mood of activism the women in this country and elsewhere. However, I wrote this tale murder with old and new affairs years ago. I imagined what would happen if an out lesbian met a woman who wasn’t sure about her sexual orientation and hinted she might be gay during an interview. The lesbian finds the straight woman attractive. The straight woman isn’t sure how she feels about the lesbian. She’s used to men finding her attractive even if the feeling isn’t mutual on her part. Typically, when Woman A finds Woman B attractive and the feeling isn’t mutual, Woman A tries to convince Woman B of her worthiness. Woman A invites Woman B on a date. It won’t be a dinner date. Why not a dinner date? If the date goes sideways, neither woman wants to hang around for a couple of boorish hours with an annoying woman. Both women have better things to do, right? Woman A lowers the risk. She convinces Woman B to share desert and coffee or simple a drink at a nearby […]
Sep 17

SWEARING IS GOOD FOR YOU

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Some forty plus years ago, I was pregnant. At the time, I had two bouts of false labor, during which my husband at the time rushed me to the hospital. We were excited that I was finally having our first child. And the baby was the son he’d wanted for so long. We grabbed the go-bag I’d prepared. My husband drove like a crazy person. He was trying to make sure we made it to medical help before I gave birth in the street, in our apartment, or in my husband’s car. The hospital sent us home, saying it was false labor. They were right. I didn’t deliver then. A few days later, after my husband put his car in the shop, I felt labor pains again. This time, the hospital kept saying I wasn’t dilated enough, but they thought I would be soon. A few long hours later, I was the delivery room and I was miserable. I’d been in labor fourteen hours. My pelvis had locked for some reason and my son couldn’t get through the birth canal. I was screaming so loud and cussing so fiercely, folks in the waiting room told my husband to get a […]
Sep 10

IRONIC ISN’T IT?

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Lately, as I’ve been watching the news, an old song has been running through my mind. Actually, it’s two old-school songs I’ve been hearing in my head. The first one is “Back Stabbers,” which came out in 1972. It was sung the O’Jays and written by Leon Huff, Gene Mcfadden, and John Whitehead. The second one song is newer. “Ironic” came out in 1995. It was written by Glen Ballard and Alanis Morrissette and sung by Alanis Morrissette. Due to copyright laws, I can’t include the lyrics to either song here. I can summarize them. You’ve probably guessed “Back Stabbers” tells a story about a man discovering how much his friends aren’t really his friends. How his friends smile in his face but stab him in the back the first chance they get. His friends want to take his place at work on his job and at home with his woman. His friends do all it by sneaking behind his back. They never confront him. They do sneak attacks and thus he see them as “back stabbers.” Nowadays, his friends would probably use Twitter or Snapchat to demean, belittle, or stab him in the back. The other song, “Ironic,” comments […]
Sep 01

The Ideal Man Is A Woman

by B.L. in Latest Novels 0 comments
When Henry Braxton, a wealthy, womanizing, divorced Black man is brutally murdered, the primary detective, Alexia Carson, is overwhelmed with suspects. There’s the attractive younger sister who loves her brother but disagrees with his treatment of his wife and child. Then there’s his first wife, who loves the victim but can’t forgive his numerous and very public affairs during their marriage. Another suspect is his lesbian daughter who has always had a love-hate relationship with Henry. Finally, there are the six members of his company’s board that he had affairs with or insulted during their terms of office. Most of the people in Henry Braxton’s life have the potential to be suspects. It’s up to Alexia, just coming off a nine-month medical leave from a severe back injury, and her partner, who is married her cousin, to sort out the suspects and determine who did the dastardly deed. When a budding attraction between Sarah, the victim’s sister, and Alexia develops, combined with the fact that one of the suspect board members is Alexia’s ex-lover, it is one tangled web of secrets and intrigue… The Ideal Man Is A Woman is available for pre-order 8/19/18. The release date is 9/2/18. ASIN: […]
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