The life that was; or perhaps the life that wasn't

I don't think it really sank in that we lost Michael Jackson until today. And when the reality of his death hit me, I realized we didn't just lose a Pop icon; we lost a humanitarian, a person who truly loved life and worked hard to bring us together as ONE. His parents lost a son, his children, bless their hearts, lost their father, and his brothers and sisters lost a sibling. We cry for the Michael we knew but they grieve for the family member they loved and lost.

I'm not usually one to shed tears but seeing the grief-stricken faces of family and friends of Michael Jackson, my cup ran over because I realized I was full. I felt a portion of their pain. Did you hear the poem Queen Latifah read on behalf of Maya Angelou? What about Brooke Shields' speech; her tears were so real. My heart went out to Usher because he truly idolized Michael and always acknowledges him as part of his own success. And then the family...Marlon's words, MAYBE NOW THEY'LL LEAVE YOU ALONE. His poor daughter, OMG, I wanted to reach out and hold her close to my heart. To her, he was the best father a child could have had and I see that because at heart, he was still very much a child himself.

Today, I cry and I grieve not for the life that was, but perhaps for the life that wasn't; the childhood that Michael Jackson never truly experienced. He's been in the spotlight since the age of 5; judged and accused, sentenced to shame even before he was trialed. He was convicted by the media and the public even though he was acquitted of the horrendous child molestation charges. For a long time I wondered, could he have done such a thing? Today, I scream and I shout, NO. NEVERLAND was meant to be a happy place where children were always happy and never had to grow up. NEVERLAND...Michael wanted to be PETER PAN and I surely don't believe he would have ever brought harm to anyone, especially a child. If he's guiltiy of anything, perhaps it was he was too giving of himself and loving to the point where some took his kindness for weakness. But trust and believe me when I say, GOD knows his heart and He is the ultimate judge for there is no jury; GOD's word is final.

To Michael, REST IN PEACE AND THANK YOU FOR THE MANY MEMORIES. I so wish I still had my record player with your picture on it. It's been a long time since the early 80's.

To the JACKSON FAMILY, his fans loved him, his family and friends adored him, but GOD loved him BEST.

Linda R. Herman

What happens once the affair is discovered?

As he walked hurriedly up the stairs, I ran behind him, begging and pleading, trying to explain my actions. Unaffected by my deafening cries, Antoine continued his plight up the stairs. Once inside our bedroom, he opened the closet door and threw luggage on our bed before snatching several work uniforms from their hangers. He packed his bags, refusing to look at me, speak to me, or even acknowledge my presence. I fell down to my knees, my stomach in knots. “Antoine, please! Please don’t leave! Please, baby! I’m so sorry!” I cried hysterically.
“I’m sorry too, India. I’m sorry for wasting six years of my life with you,” he snarled. The pain he felt was audible in his voice and his eyes glistened with tears. The storm raged; booming thunder and sharp lightning, as sheets of tears threatened to rain from his eyes.

Suitcase filled with toiletries, most of his casual belongings, and work clothes, he stormed downstairs, out the carport door, and out of my life. When I heard the engine of his Caprice come to life, I died a thousand deaths on our bedroom floor, heartbroken with no one to blame but me.


Ready to read more from this novel and find out what’s the cost of India’s affair?

COST OF OUR AFFAIRS releases
June 2, 2009
from Xpress Yourself Publishing!

www.XpressYourselfPublishing.org

Want to reserve an autographed copy?
Visit www.LindaRHerman.webs.com

Andre Peters returns in the novel, Consequences

ORDER TODAY AT AMAZON.COM, BARNES & NOBLE, BORDERS, XPRESS YOURSELF PUBLISHING, AND THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE, WWW.LINDARHERMAN.COM.

Winners announced for the Novel to Film competition!

Greetings, The winners for the Novels to Films Feature Length Competition are: Consequences, When Love Is Blind by Linda Herman Battered Clergy: From Victim to Victor by Dr. Joseph Howard The Novels to Films Team and Moopy Vision Movies would like to thank you all for entering the competition. We received over 100 submissions for the feature category, which made it a very difficult decision. Unfortunately, we were only able to select two titles.

If you've yet to read this intriguing, thought-provoking book by Linda R. Herman, be sure to order your copy TODAY! Consequences When Love Is Blind is available at online retailers and should be requested at every bookstore and library worldwide. For autographed copies, visit the author's webstore at www.LindaRHerman.com.

Life for Sade Peters is picture perfect. With a fabulous home in upscale Atlanta, Georgia, Sade is living the life most of society only read about in magazines. A successful novelist, Sade is married to the man of her dreams, Andre Peters, an equally successful sports agent. Couple that with a set of fraternal twins, and you have all the makings of the contemporary modern day Huxtables.

However, what life looks like from the outside, may not necessarily match the inner workings of this household. The Down Low is a real and earth-shattering truth, and Sade’s happiness abruptly ends when she is faced with this reality.

Life as Sade knows it changes within the blink of an eye when she soon discovers that both she and her husband are HIV positive.

Imagine walking through life in Sade’s shoes. What happens when the men we trust commit the ultimate betrayal? Who is to blame when faith and trust is tested tremendously?

The Power of Words that Heal

Family, I'm in tears as I type these few lines.
My co-worker recently lost her mother who was only 54 years old. She died of cancer in October 2008. My co-worker and friend is currently reading Somebody Prayed for Me, and she just called me in tears after reading the story "One Moment With You" and the poem "Always In My Heart." These are pieces dedicated to the memory of my maternal grandmother who raised me, nurtured me, loved me, and taught me about being a strong woman. She died at the age of 64 in January 2006 and my life was forever changed that day because she was my grandmother, mother, and best friend.

I wrote those pieces for my own self-healing and today I learned that my words are helping someone else who is going through the same experience of losing a loved one.

I've been tired along this journey. There have been times when I wanted to throw in the towel and give up on writing. But God always finds a way to show me how my gift of writing can be a gift to others. Family, be inspired....never give up.

Linda R. Herman, Founder of ASA
www.LindaRHerman.com

Nothing says WINNER like a FREE give-away!

Want to curl up with a good book and register to win a FREE MP3 player?

It's EASY! Purchase your copy of the inspirationally uplifting anthology, Somebody Prayed for Me, and email proof of purchase to somebodyprayed4me@yahoo.com. You will then be registered for our March 15, 2009 drawing!

Many will enter but only ONE can win.

To find out how you can purchase your copy of Somebody Prayed for Me, visit the website at www.SomebodyPrayed4me.webs.com.

Be INSPIRED and register to WIN a FREE MP3 Player today!

Linda R. Herman
www.LindaRHerman.com

How many more lives will be lost to HIV/AIDS?

It all begins with the look; that initial contact when the eyes speak loud and clear as to what the body craves. Deep, wet, passionate kisses leading to mind blowing orgasms that leaves the body trembling much like a leaf on a tree on the windiest of days. Sex. It's meant to be a beautiful bond, a physically satisfying act between two people, but when not engaged in responsibly, sex can turn ugly, deadly even.

Andre Peters, a man who has it all; the perfect wife and family, and the job of his dreams. From the outside looking in, one would have to ask, What more could he ask for? What he didn't ask for was his secret desires for the same sex; those desires that occasionally lead him astray from his marital vows. But Andre doesn't consider himself gay or bi. He still loves sex with his wife; it’s just every now and again that he craves something different, pleasure he can only find in the arms of another man.

His failure to be honest with his lovers of both genders; his failure to engage in safe sex; his denial of his sexual preference; and his desire to straddle the fence-sleeping with both women and men-leads to a domino effect, destroying lives one HIV infection after another.

In Consequences, readers are taken on a journey into the lives of a down-low husband, his wife, his lovers, and a cast of others who are affected, whether directly or indirectly, by the HIV virus. The story is fiction but the reality of HIV is fact, and the reality is that each year there are thousands of new cases diagnosed-most of those new cases being women of color and minority. It has to end; and it has to end where it begins-with each one of us.

I am honored to make a guest appearance on today's Worth More Than Rubies blog talk show, www.blogtalkradio.com/WorthMoreThanRubies, 3pm CST, and 4pm on the East Coast.

We hold the power to eradicate this deadly, yet prevantable disease.

Linda R. Herman
www.LindaRHerman.com