Sunday, January 31, 2016

Cover Reveal and #SampleSunday - No Pain, No Gain

Book 2 of the Latter Rain series is coming 2/16/16 so I thought I'd share an unedited sample to whet you appetite. Enjoy!!




He walked down the row, stopped at the girl next to me, and I inadvertently rolled my eyes. She was a cookie cutter version of the other girls—tall, lean, and light, bright, damn near white. I scoffed softly when he leaned in and whispered in her ear. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his head snap up and in my direction. His soft eyes met mine and something inside of me melted a bit. “Did you say something?” he asked.
His voice.
I’d heard it before, knew it well, but there in the same room with me, it was so soft, so gentle, so… sexy. I was left speechless.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s try this: what’s your name?”
“Chelly,” I said, giving him my self-assigned professional name.
“Chelly. I like that.” He left the girl next to me and stood directly in front of me, a couple of inches taller than me in my uncomfortable heels. I stared at him against my will and my eyes took in those sad brown eyes, smooth tan skin that boasted his half-black, half-Puerto Rican heritage, and thin lips that I already knew would eventually part into a pristine white smile. No facial hair. He was a beautiful man, more beautiful than any woman I’d ever seen. He leaned in close to my ear; minty breath brushed my skin as he whispered, “I think we’d go good together. You?”




Thursday, January 21, 2016

Susan Corbett - In the Belly of the Elephant - Virtual Book Tour


Non Fiction / Memoir
Date Published: December 18, 2013


Everybody needs to run away from home at least once. Susan Corbett told people she was out to save the world, but really she was running — running from her home as much as to anywhere. Like many women, she was searching for meaning to her life or for a good man to share it with. In Africa, she hoped to find both.

 Compelling and compassionate, In the Belly of the Elephant is Susan's transformative story of what happens when you decide to try to achieve world peace while searching for a good man. More than a fish-out-of-water story, it's a surprising and heart-rending account of her time in Africa trying to change the world as she battles heat, sandstorms, drought, riots, intestinal bugs, burnout, love affairs and more than one meeting with death. Against a backdrop of vivid beauty and culture, in a narrative interwoven with a rich tapestry of African myths and fables, Susan learns the true simplicity of life, and discovers people full of kindness, wisdom and resilience, and shares with us lessons we, too, can learn from her experiences.



Excerpt
The first time I met Death was in a tiny bush-town called Foequellie. It was said that the bush devil who sometimes came to town, dancing to a chorus of drummers, was Death. But he was just a local man dressed in rags and a wooden mask.
On a blue morning of sailing clouds, I crossed the clearing that separated my house from the two-room clinicthe only health facility within a 20-mile radius of thick bush and rain forest. A breeze carried the voices of chatting mothers and crying babies. It was Under Fives Day, the weekly clinic for babies and children up to five years old. Well into my second year as a Peace Corps volunteer, I worked there, giving nutrition demonstrations and vaccinating children.
Awake from my morning cup of Nescafé and ready for the day, I passed through the dappled shade of a cottonwood tree. This was the towns Ancestor Tree where the ghosts of great-great-grandfathers, great-aunts, uncles, and cousins hid in the hollows of the trunk with the snakes and spiders, and high up in the branches among the leaves and the ricebirds. The Ancestor Tree loomed next to a red dirt road that twisted its way around the clinic, past my house at the end of town, and on through hillside plots of rice, potato greens, and cassava.
Women with babies tied to their backs in cloth slings gathered at the clinic door. They entered and stacked their yellow Road to Health cards in a pile that reserved their place, and then sat on benches to wait their turn and catch up on local gossip.
James, the clinic janitor and local translator, joined me in the waiting room, a 20-by-10-foot space with a dirt floor and mud-plastered walls that smelled of baby pee and sweat.
We said our good mornings; then James explained the causes and treatment of diarrhea. I stood in the center, squeezing oranges into a bowl. As I demonstrated the pinch of salt and teaspoon of sugar needed to make rehydration fluid, a woman came in with a round-faced little girl in tattered shorts and cornrow braids. The two of them sat at the end of the bench, and the little girl laid her head on her mothers shoulder and closed her eyes.
Over the next few hours, James and I worked with Francis, the local physicians assistant and clinic doctor. We weighed babies, treated skin and stomach ailments, gave out malaria medication, and vaccinated against smallpox, whooping cough, and tetanus. Morning cool gave way to the heat of day, and the rooms grew stuffy. Sometime before noon, I walked back into the waiting room to call the next in line.
The woman with the little girl took her daughters hand to lead her in. The girl, about five years old, tried to stand but collapsed. Her mother caught her, and I ran to grasp the girls arm. Her skin burned, and her lips were chapped and dry. She breathed out a rattled sigh, and her head lolled to one side.

Frances! James! I called, and they came in an instant. 

__________________________________




A writer, community organizer, and consultant in program management, micro-enterprise development, family planning, and HIV/AIDS education, Susan Corbett began her community development career in 1976 as a Peace Corps Volunteer, working in a health clinic in Liberia, West Africa. In 1979, she joined Save the Children Federation as a program coordinator for cooperative and small business projects in Burkina Faso.  In 1982, Susan returned to the States where she has worked with local non-profits in drug and alcohol prevention for runaway youth, family planning, homelessness prevention, and immigrant issues.

Susan has traveled to over 40 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Caribbean, and Central and North America and has lived and worked in ten African countries over the past thirty years (Uganda, Tanzania, Mali, The Gambia, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mauritius, Tunisia, Nigeria, and Liberia). She lives in Colorado with her husband, Steve, her sons, Mitch & Sam, and her dog, Molly.

Contact Information
Website: http://www.susancorbettbooks.com/


Purchase Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/In-Belly-Elephant-Susan-Corbett-ebook/dp/B00HEXVXNE
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/noresults/in-the-belly-of-the-elephant-susan-corbett/1117760316
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/545653

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

New Release - After the Pain!!

After the Pain is here!! Go grab your copy!!!






Barely grasping on to her sanity due to past trauma and unhappiness, LaVonda Ingram leaves her home in search of peace and finds it in the love of a beautiful man. But will she be able to hold on to the healing and peace his love provides?


Nook coming soon


Sunday, January 10, 2016

Final #SampleSunday from After the Pain

Here's the final sample from After the Pain before its release this Tuesday, Jan. 12. 

Enjoy!!





It was a peaceful walk, and I did feel myself relax as I wandered among the towering trees and listened to the rustling of leaves as small squirrels scurried about and birds fluttered from tree to tree. I became lost in thoughts of my life back home, my childhood, and my marriage. Thoughts of the handsome, copper-skinned Wade Ingram inundated my mind, and so lost was I in those thoughts that I lost awareness of my surroundings. So when I heard his voice, I was startled into paralysis. 

“Hi, there,” he said. 

I stood still, my heart pounding fiercely as if attempting to escape my chest. I turned and saw him sitting on the ground, his back against a tree as he twirled a stick around in his hand. Somehow, with sweat shimmering on his brow, he looked even more handsome. 

“Nice day for a walk,” he continued. 

I nodded, still glued to that spot on the path. “Yes, it is,” I managed to say. 

He sat there with a smile on his face, his eyes fixed on mine. In return, I stared at him, letting my eyes follow him as he got to his feet and slowly walked toward me. My breath caught in my throat when he stopped right in front of me...



Be sure to grab your copy on January 12!!!


Monday, January 4, 2016

#MondayMotivation - 2016 Goals

We've been blessed to see another year and with it comes new dreams, aspirations, and goals for many of us. Here are mine along with some other info:





2016 Theme Songs: 

  • "Your Destiny" by Kevin LeVar
  • "Healing" by Kelly Price




2016 Scriptures: 

  • "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33 NIV
  • "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
  • "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." - Psalm 34:10 NIV 


2016 Key Words:


  • Thankfulness
  • Celebration



2016 Literary Goals:


















  • To publish 5 books
  • To finish writing the YA/sci-fi book I've been slowly working on for two years
  • To attend at least 3 literary events (already got 2 confirmed)
  • To format my poetry book and devotional for paperback
  • To at least start writing a screenplay for one of my books
  • To read 25 books, (to include a good mix of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction)
  • To successfully launch my online course (prayerfully)
  • To participate in NaNoWriMo again

2016 Personal Goals
  • To celebrate more, even the little things
  • To take more time off
  • To take better care of myself 
  • To keep up my gym routine (Lord, help me!)
  • To travel more
  • To have fun!


What do you have planned for this year? Leave a comment and let me know!

Sunday, January 3, 2016

#SampleSunday - After the Pain Book Soundtrack

Greetings, everyone!! Here's the soundtrack for After the Pain, Book I of the Latter Rain series. I'm so excited about this series!! Anyway, enjoy the soundtrack and get ready to purchase the book on 1/12/16!!






Soundtrack:

“Rain” SWV
“Dark Times” The Weeknd featuring Ed Sheeran
“Zoom” The Commodores
“Cruisin’” Smokey Robinson
“On My Own” Patti LaBelle featuring Michael McDonald
“Papillion” Chaka Khan
“In the Morning” Ledisi
“Amorous” Jesse Boykins III
“A Long Walk” Jill Scott
“Being with You” Smokey Robinson
“Could it be I’m Falling in Love” The Spinners
“Going in Circles” The Friends of Distinction
“Free” Deniece Williams
“Don’t Mess With My Man” Lucy Pearl
“Happy” Surface
“After the Dance” Fourplay featuring El DeBarge
“You, Me and He” Mtume
“Neither One of Us” Gladys Knight and the Pips
“Home” Stephanie Mills
“I’m Going Down” Rose Royce
“You Can’t See for Lookin’” Betty Wright
“After the Pain” Betty Wright
“Booga Bear” Bobby Rush