Excerpt from OUR TRUTHS BE TOLD

Chapter 15
Ric heard Maya’s words but his brain couldn’t process the information she was laying on him. I have a daughter? With Maya? His knees suddenly took on a life, or perhaps lack there of their own and began to wobble. He took slow and careful steps toward the couch as he struggled to make sense of the words that danced around his psyche. We have a daughter. Her name is Camille. She’s in ....Atlanta.... but will be moving in with Tony and me soon.

“Ric, son, are you okay?” He heard his mother’s voice and looked up at her. He tried to answer but the words wouldn’t come forth. He simply nodded and covered his face with his large hands, shaking his head from side to side momentarily. He felt someone sit next to him on the couch and without looking up he knew it was Maya. Her sweet scent was one he’d never been able to forget. Maya always smelled as if she’d bathed in cinnamon. Inhaling her essence intoxicated him and even after all these years, Ric was still drunk off his love for Maya.

“Ric, I know saying I’m sorry isn’t enough,” Maya began. He heard the tremble in her voice and knew she was crying. Ric removed his hands from his face and turned to face her. Big tears rolled down her cheeks and it took every ounce of restraint he had not to kiss them away. God, I still love this woman! Time had done little to ease the pain of losing her and the life they could have had together.

“I wanted to tell you that I was pregnant. I was going to tell you when you came home for the holidays but-“ she couldn’t complete the sentence but they all knew the story. He’d come home with Sonya and announced that she and he were engaged.

“I didn’t want you to think I was using the baby to trap you into staying with me. It was obvious that you were in love with Sonya and as hard as it was to lose you I loved you enough to let you go because I only wanted you to be happy.” Maya had no idea how far from true her statement was. Ric hadn’t been in love with Sonya at all. His guilty conscience was the reason he chose Sonya, that and the fact that she was carrying his child as well. Had he known Maya was pregnant, Ric would’ve chosen her as his wife if she could’ve forgiven his indiscretion. She was the woman he loved, not Sonya. No matter how much he loved Sonya now, Maya was the woman he was still in love with.

“But what about your happiness Maya? You couldn’t have been happy going through the pregnancy alone and feeling like giving our daughter up was your only option.” Ric pulled a sobbing Maya into his arms. It was where she belonged and where she should have been for the past thirteen years. “You should’ve told me. I would’ve been there for you. I would’ve been there for our daughter, Maya.”

“You must hate me!” Maya felt like that eighteen year-old young woman all over again. The pain of losing Ric and giving up her daughter came back anew and crushed her heart like a ton of bricks but in his arms she felt comforted and loved. How many nights had she dreamed of his strong embrace? How many days had she longed to be this close to him?

“No, I don’t hate you. I could never hate you, Maya. Never.”

Cassandra watched the interaction between her son and Maya and her eyes filled with tears. She recognized true love. It was the same love she’d shared with Miles Jordan, her late husband. It was the same kind of love she saw between her daughter and son-in-law. It was a love she knew didn’t exist between her son and his wife.

READY FOR MORE? Xpress Yourself Publishing presents OUR TRUTHS BE TOLD in 2010!
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The Consequences of our actions: Look, listen, and learn!

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Find out more by visiting, www.LindaRHerman.org.

What was your 2009 NBCC experience?

That old saying you get what you pay for proved not to be true for me this weekend. I did NOT get what I paid for regarding the National Book Club Conference. I paid for meals and was told just prior to the event that the hotel would not be serving the authors. I paid for a table but because I chose not to attend on Friday due to personal reasons, my table was given away. Keep in mind, I paid for that table and my choosing not to attend Friday was at my own expense. Every author who paid to attend should have already had a table so why was it necessary to give my assigned table away to make room for another author? Oh but that's not the worst of it. I wasn't even issued an apology or accomodated. Kudos to Tinisha Nicole Johnson for sharing her table with me. I sucked in the anger and did what I set out to do, build myself as an author. Yes I felt totally disrespected and vowed then and there I'd never pay again to be treated that way.

All in all, the networking was amazing and I enjoyed meeting other authors and readers. The hotel was exquisite; absolutely gorgeous. But, that's not enough to make me attend next year. I feel the vending authors were basically used to pay for perks that went to the featured authors. Now, I wasn't expecting to walk the red carpet alongside Terry McMillan or Eric Jerome Dickey but I did deserve to be treated with the respect I deserve. Had it not been for the 50 vending authors paying an average of $300 each to attend this event (do the math), how great would it have been?

I think most of the book clubs had an awesome experience and for them, I'm happy. For those self-published authors or those who have yet to reach what's considered elite status, keep your head held high and keep scratching your way to the top. Don't let anybody make you feel like you're not worthy of respect. Amen? AMEN!

Linda R. Herman
Author of Consequences
www.LindaRHerman.org

How was your 2009 NBCC experience?

That old saying you get what you pay for proved not to be true for me this weekend. I did NOT get what I paid for regarding the National Book Club Conference. I paid for meals and was told just prior to the event that the hotel would not be serving the authors. I paid for a table but because I chose not to attend on Friday due to personal reasons, my table was given away. Keep in mind, I paid for that table and my choosing not to attend Friday was at my own expense. Every author who paid to attend should have already had a table so why was it necessary to give my assigned table away to make room for another author? Oh but that's not the worst of it. I wasn't even issued an apology or accomodated. Kudos to Tinisha Nicole Johnson for sharing her table with me. I sucked in the anger and did what I set out to do, build myself as an author. Yes I felt totally disrespected and vowed then and there I'd never pay again to be treated that way.

All in all, the networking was amazing and I enjoyed meeting other authors and readers. The hotel was exquisite; absolutely gorgeous. But, that's not enough to make me attend next year. I feel the vending authors were basically used to pay for perks that went to the featured authors. Now, I wasn't expecting to walk the red carpet alongside Terry McMillan or Eric Jerome Dickey but I did deserve to be treated with the respect I deserve. Had it not been for the 50 vending authors paying an average of $300 each to attend this event (do the math), how great would it have been?

I think most of the book clubs had an awesome experience and for them, I'm happy. For those self-published authors or those who have yet to reach what's considered elite status, keep your head held high and keep scratching your way to the top. Don't let anybody make you feel like you're not worthy of respect. Amen? AMEN!

Linda R. Herman
Author of Consequences

What's on your reading list?

I'm happy to say I had the pleasure of doing advance reading for the one and only, Elissa Gabrielle. I don't know if you've read her first two novels (GOOD TO THE LAST DROP & POINT OF NO RETURN) but let me tell you, you're truly missing out if you haven't. That said, let me tell you just a little bit about her upcoming release...a whisper to A SCREAM.

To say Queen Thomas has it going on is an injustice; like Wayne says, I wouldn't say she's beautiful, she's beyond it. Tall and thick in the right places, Queen is truly a brick house, well stacked and not to mention, she's a razor sharp attorney who is at the top of her game. Queen believes in righting wrongs and she's fighting the power, making it her personal mission to save the Black man. Will her passion be her down fall?

Where Queen is blessed in every aspect of her life, she feels equally cursed when it comes to love. Her last relationship was with Derrick Simmons, a correctional officer who proved to be nothing more than an alcoholic, controlling, modern-day Ike Turner. Queen's eventually asking herself the same thing Tina sang about, what's love got to do with it? Maybe she's not meant to be somebody's wifey.

Quincy Hughes is cool as ice and has swagger that makes women give him a long, hard second look. Yes, he's fine and not to mention, the boy is a doctor! Good thing too because he sure does makes hearts race. Standing over six feet tall with a body you can bounce quarters off, Quincy has it going on. So, when he falls for Queen why isn't she tripping over her tongue? Well, he is tall and he is handsome, but...Quincy is not dark and even though Queen can't deny his swagger, those blue eyes are the wrong color and there's no way Queen is going to take heat for being with a white man, no way, no how. He pursues her non-stop and her best friend Paula tells her exactly what she thinks: Girl, you must be crazy! Still, Queen can't see beyond the color of Quincy's skin.

Queen runs from Quincy's love, dodges Derrick's insanity, and holds on to memories of the mother who left she and her father all too soon. With so much going on in her life, Queen misses all the signs from a guilty client she sets free. Michael has his own unique way of showing his eternal gratitude.

Love, romance, soul-stirring poetic prose, obsession, toe-curling, nipple-hardening, leg-crossing sex scenes, and suspense...can it all be found in this one novel by Elissa Gabrielle? The answer is a resounding yes, all that and then some! Be sure to get your copy and let Gabrielle take you from a mere whisper to a GUT-WRENCHING SCREAM!!!

VISIT THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE AT WWW.ELISSAGABRIELLE.COM.

Linda R. Herman
www.LindaRHerman.org

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