TOO BUSY TO REMEMBER TO BLOG

 Oh, oh.  I was so busy in October with my other writing passion--playwriting--that I forgot to post on this blog.  Oh well. 

My One Act play, 1200 Miles from Jerome, won the Onyxfest Playwriting Festival and was produced for the stage in October.  As one of the five winning playwrights of  OnyxFest I was granted funds to produce 1200 Miles from Jerome.    I've produced plays before, but this proved to be a different experience. I never worked so hard in my life.  Thank goodness I was assisted by my friend, Deborah Asante, one of the best directors around.  We assembled one of the hardest working cast I've ever worked with, and we pulled it off.  

1200 Miles from Jerome is the story of a harrowing automobile journey from Jerome, Arkansas to New York City by four African Americans and one Japanese American in 1943.  OnyxFest is the third  festival that the play has won, but the first one that provided a full production.  I'm flattered by the recognition that my writing has earned in general, but the production was exhausting and I'm glad that it's over.  Below is the cast of the 1200 Miles from Jerome  OnyxFest production.  The photo is by photographer, Ron Slavens.  

PRE-ORDER PLEASURE

 

I want to thank anyone who might be reading this blog and pre-ordered my latest release, Someone Like Them.  It was the first time I used the feature on Amazon.com, and it went well.  Someone Like Them has received at least one five star review on the site, and I’m grateful to anyone who takes the time and goes on-line to write a review.  It always feels good to know that readers enjoy your work.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

 “I really enjoyed the Carson family. They endured tragic, mental and physical abuse, and they still prevail. I hope you continue to write about this family. Myra’s story "

Right now I’m caught up in doing research for the latest novel I’m writing, a historical fiction.  It will be the first time that I’ve tried to tackle this genre and the going is slow, but I’m enjoying the process and learning a lot.  I hope to release another novel in the Sin series later this year or early next year.  Stillwaters is the title.  It will be a re-release of one of my most popular novels, so stay tuned. 

SOMEONE LIKE THEM IS HERE!

Finally! Someone Like Them has been released.  I've been talking about it for so long it's hard for me to believe, but the novel is out.  Right now it can be purchaed at Amazon.com, in paperback and Ebook formats.  However, many of my other novels can be purchased at HALF PRICE during SMASHWORD'S annual SUMMER SALE.  The sale will end the last day of July.   

Someone Like You is the last book in the Stillwaters series.  I had fun writing about the different roads that each of the Carson sisters took on the road to happiness.  I have two more romantic suspense novels that I hope to release. Hopefully, that should happen in the coming year.  In addition, I've taken a stab at writing a historical fiction novel which I've been working on this year.  We'll see where that goes, but historical fiction is an area of writing in which I've grown increasingly interested.  I have ideas for at least two more novels in that genre. Meanwhile, Someone Like Them is ready and waiting to be read.  Just CLICK  ON THE BOOK COVER and you can read an excerpt and then purchase a copy.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE RELEASED IN MAY!

 Okay, here I am again, wavering on when my next novel, Someone Like Them, will be released.  I'm on the last editing of the book to make sure that I release the best quality product possible.  My efforts in getting the book out have been interupted by my other writing passion, playwriting.  Over this pass year I've won quite a few playwriting contest.  My work has been selected as finalist or semi-finalist  in even more contest, and I've been deeply involved in the future production of yet another one of my plays.  All of this has taken time away from the promotion of the release of Someone Like Them, and when you 're in this business promotion is a must!

Then, lo and behold, the chance of a lifetime has popped up with my latest play contest win.  I won the right to control the full production of my work and will be provided the budget to do so.  What was already limited time will now become even more limited time to promote my book, not that I'm complaining.  My love for what I do and my gratitude for the writing talent that God has bestowed on me is endless.  Meanwhile, I'm still not sure whether I'll delay the release of Someone Like Them until June.  Actually, one more month is no big deal.  We'll see.

Whatever the case, below is the Prologue to Someone Like Them.  Enjoy!

PROLOGUE

Wanda stood bathed in the glare of the brilliant spotlight with tears streaming down her face.  The audience was singing a love song, just for her. 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot… 

How could it ever be? 

And never brought to mind? 

Not brought to mind?  That was impossible.   

Should auld acquaintance be forgot… 

This was the end.

And auld lang syne?

This was her last performance.   

For auld lang syne, my friend… 

The most important people in her life were beyond those lights.  Her mother, Faith, her younger sisters Melanie and Jolene, her granddaughters, Raven and Racine…  

For auld lang syne, 

And her beloved godmother, Miss Emma. 

We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, 

Yes, everyone she loved was present, except the ones she loved beyond comprehension—her children. 

For auld lang syne. 

The song filling the Broadway theatre morphed into a chant in celebration of Wanda Carson’s extraordinary rise to stardom.

Lady C!  Lady C! Lady C! 

Standing center stage, a vision in gold, bathed in the spotlight, Wanda accepted the adulation and deafening applause.  Torrents of tears smeared her glittering makeup.  No one would have guessed that they weren’t tears of joy.

For the past eighteen months, she stood on this stage, singing her heart out.  Every song that she sang was for her children.  Every tear that she shed, past and present, onstage and off, was for the three of them. 

The curtain came down.  The spotlight faded.  The last performance was over.  Or was it just beginning? 

COMING IN MAY, 2021 -SOMEONE LIKE THEM

 

Here is the cover for the book that it seems as though I've been working on forever.  SOMEONE LIKE THEM is the last book in the Stillwaters Series.  Each of the books in this series follows the lives of three sisters caught in life circumstances that appear difficult to overcome, but they manage to perserve.  This last story belongs to the oldest of the sisters, Wanda Carson, who succeeds beyond any expectations that she may have had in life.  Yet, she finds that despite wealth and fame, life can still throw curve balls.  Below is the blurb for SOMEONE LIKE THEM.    

Lady C is a superstar!  The Grammy winning diva is the toast of Broadway, and will soon grace the silver screen.  She is on her way to becoming an entertainment legend, but in the real world she is WANDA CARSON, single, mother of three, and the legal guardian of her two grandchildren by her wayward daughter.  Having been poverty-stricken most of her life, Wanda has overcome many obstacles.  Yet, wealth and fame doesn’t mean that she has it all.  Not only is she estranged from her daughter, whose whereabouts is unknown, Wanda’s life is threatened by a dangerous man.  

Plagued by fears and filled with insecurities, Wanda goes into hiding, where the last thing she expected was to meet a man.  A victim of abuse in past relationships, DONALD CHAPMAN turns out to a complete surprise.  A giant of a man, he is kind, thoughtful and intelligent.  The friendship she forms with him changes her perspective in life.  Yet, just as unexpectedly another man enters the picture with a plan that could disrupt Wanda’s entire world.

FREE BOOKS DURING READ AN EBOOK WEEK!

FREE ebooks are back again at Smashwords.com.  For the week of MARCH 7-14th, Smashwords will be offering designated eBooks free on its website and two of my books are included.

In the Sin Series, you can get SWEET SACRIFICE for FREE, and in the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery series that I co-write with fellow author/playwright, L. Barnett Evans, our book, SAVING SIN CITY, can be gotten for FREE.  The other novels in the Sin Series and the Grandmother, Incorporated Series are on sale during this week. 

Take advantage of this special if you're looking for romance and laughs.    

BACK AGAIN and HOPEFULLY BETTER THAN EVER

I missed  the January 2021 post because I wasn't sure I wanted to continue this blog.  I've been so busy writing during the pandemic that the extra time it takes to attend to this blog hasn't always been there,  but then I thought, what the hell.  Some of my readers actually look at my blog.  So, I'll see if I can maintain it another year.

In 2020, I've been blogging about writing my latest Stillwaters series book, Someone Like Them.  I finished the book, and then sent it to the best editor I've had in a long time for her review.  To make a long story short, I have some work to do on Someone Like Them because I don't want to make the mistakes I've made in the past--and believe there have been many.  

In sending my two former Stillwaters series books, Someone Like Me and Someone Like You to the new editor, she found mistakes that had been overlooked in both those books, and I was truly embarassed that those books were released with too many errors.  There is nothing I can do but take full responsibility, go back, fix those mistakes and release the books again on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.  I am in the process of doing that now.   So, those of you who may have read these two books that had such blatant errors, I apologize.  

I take pride in being a good writer, and I should have been paying more attention.  I'll do my best not to let that happen again.  

THE END OF THE ROAD

I've been writing this blog since 2012, and I think I've come to the end of the road on this site.  How I've managed to keep up amazes me,  especially in 2020.  This is the year that the pandemic seems to have put me on what I call creative crack.  My creativity has soared.  I finished  Someone Like Them a romantic suspense novel, (or is it Women's Fiction , I'm not sure anymore.)   I finished writing a mystery novel with my writing partner, L. Barnett Evans.  I also started two new novels.  One is a historical mystery and the other one is general fiction with political and social overtones.  Plus, earlier this year I wrote a play titled Ebony Eagles, the third work in a trilogy of plays I started in 2017.  All three plays have won or been finalists in  national play festivals.  I wrote Ebony Eagles in March 2020 and the play has been a finalist in two festivals and has won a third. I couldn't be happier with those results.  It has been quite a year.  However, I think it's time to find a new name for this blog, a new direction since I'm expanding my writing muscles, and probably a new blog platform. 

In 2021 Someone Like Them should be released, and if we can find an agent, hopefully, the thriller Retribution, written by L. Barnett  Evans and me, should be released by 2022.  In addition, I was the recipient of a prestigious award from my local Arts Council to indulge in a creative endeavor that will keep me on the road for a while.  So, I'm not sure if I'm going to keep up this blog or start a new one.  I have yet to decide.  Meanwhile I do have a website which I would like readers to visit:  www.crystalrhodes.com.  

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year.  s we all know, the year 2020 has been one for the ages.      

A NEW COURSE OR THE SAME OLD DIRECTION

 I love to write and at times I admit that I overdo it.  Right now I'm doing the 5th edit of my romantic suspense/women's lit novel, SOMEONE LIKE THEM, which I've been writing about all year and have yet to deliver (but it's coming).  I'm doing edits on one of my old romantic suspense novels, SMALL SENSATIONS, for re-release in the future.  I'm working on completing the edits on a thriller co-written with my writing partner, L. Barnette Evans, from the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery series.  I'm turning one of my plays into a general fiction novel, which is easier than I thought it would be.  I'm busy entering my latest full-length play, Ebony Eagles, in playwriting contests and I recently received word that it is a finalist in one of the competitions.  On top of this I've also committed myself to writing a brand new play for one organization and working with a theatre to set up a reading of another play. Those two things happen if I win monies from two different arts organizations.  Yeah, I'm overextending myself, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  

The other day I received information about an on-line book app that specializes in hooking readers up with romance novels.  Of course I had to look into it.  I liked with I saw and now I'm considering re-releasing some of my former novels, SIN, SWEET SACRIFICE and SINFUL INTENTIONS, among others, on that app--with rewrites and updates of course.  At times it seems that although I'm setting a brand new course for myself as a writer in some areas, I'm still steeped in the same old direction in others.  Oh, well!  That's my life, and I LOVE IT!  

   

FINDING MY WRITING STRIDE

My last blog stated how I was on my fourth edit of my next novel,  Someone Like Them.  Well, scratch that, I am now on my fifth edit and counting.  I've agonized on why this book is taking me so long to get right.  Why have I not been satisfied by the main character in this book.  The personalities for the protagonists in my other novels came so easily.  Eventually, it came to me.  The protagonists in Someone Like Them started out weak, and I cannot write about weak women, mainly because I don't know any.  I was raised by strong, competent, independent women who taught me to be a strong, competent, independent woman, and that's what I write about.  In Someone Like Them I was trying to create a character I really didn't know.  Thank goodness I've finally discovered who she is, and no matter how long it takes, Wanda Carson is going to shed her light brightly in Someone Like Them.

Meanwhile, for those writers of color who might be looking for a writing community to join, I would like to suggest  Crime Writers of Color (CWOC).  Most of its members write crime and mystery novels, which I write with the co-author of our Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery novels.   However, I do believe that there are some writers who are members of the group who don't write mysteries.  Nevertheless, I think it is a group worth exploring.   I stumbled on CWOC by accident a few months ago.  I find the members to be very supportive of each other and the information they share is very helpful.  I've attended a few panels and workshops that the group has held via Zoom and I've been very pleased with the results.  It cost nothing to join the group.  Simply put Crime Writers of Color in the Google search engine.  The name should come up and you can read about them.   If you're interested, follow the directions regarding how you can become a member.    

 Until next time...  

COVID and BLACK LIVES MATTER CREATIVITY

Okay, so I'm still working on Someone Like Them.  I'm on my fourth edrt and going strong, because the critique on my first edit wasn't very good, and I'm waiting for the critique on my third edit.  This covid crisis has been good for me insofar as I've given myself more time to do just about everything, which improves the quality of what I do, from writing books to writing plays.  I'm proud of that, and it's a lesson I should have learned sooner.  But, better later than never.

The Black Lives Matters movement  has turned out to be quite an advantage for Americans in general, but for black creativity specifically.  I've never seen so many pubishers looking for African American material, or so many producers looking for African American content.  I'm thinking about acquiring a literary agent for Someone Like Them and for another one of my novels I hope to re-release.  I figure that I ought to strike while the iron is hot.  Who knows how long this interest in black writers will last.  If we go by historical trends in this country this interest in all things black coud be over by the end of the year.

That's all for now.  Stay Safe!             

SMASHWORDS SUMMER/WINTER SALE!

Smashwords.com is at it again.  The book site is holding another sale for all of the summer sun worshippers.  Of course I'm participating in this sale. Through the entire month of JULY, all of my ebooks at the Smashwords.com site are on sale for only $1.50 and THREE of my BOOKS are FREE:  SINFUL INTENTIONS, SWEET SACRIFICE and WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY? 

SWEET SACRIFICE is the second book in the Sin Series, and it was nominated for an award by an on-line review site.  SINFUL INTENTIONS is the third book in the Sin Series and I have to say it is one of the best books that I've written.  It only took me three months to write it, and I didn't use an outline.  The words just came to me, flowing like a river.  I still don't know how I did it.  As for
WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY? This is the latest cozy mystery novel in the Grandmothers, Incorporated series that I write with my writing partner, L. Barnett Evans. It's very funny.   So, go to Smashwords, pick an ebook, read and enjoy .

PRODUCTIVITY PLUS!

I've been so busy that I nearly missed this month's blog post. It seems that the pandemic is affecting different people different ways, and I'm one of those people who seems to be thriving while sheltering in place during this pandemic.  I've finished two books and a play!  The first draft of my third book in the Stillwaters Series, Someone Like Me, is finished and is now in the process of being edited.  It seems like I've been writing this book forever.  

My writing partner for the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mysteries, L. Barnett Evans,  and I have been busy writing a  new thriller that is very different then our usual work..  We've been working on this book since 2016 (can you believe it!) and we finally finished.   We're in the editing stage now.

 As for my playwriting, one of my One Act plays. won another play festival  (my third in four years).  It will be presented in Columbus, Ohio next year, that is if the pandemic is over.   During April and May of this year I made sure that all of my books were a part of the Authors Giving Back sale at Smashwords.com.  The sale was quire successful.  Thank you to the many readers who purchased my books.   

AUTHORS GIVING BACK SALE CONTINUES!

The authors on Smashwords.com continue to respond to the shelter in place directive that citizens are being asked to follow, and we are extending the  AUTHORS GIVE BACK sale that started in April.  Titles continue to be offered at 60% off through May 31, 2020! 

This means that all of my romance suspense titles in ebook format are only $1.20 on Smashwords.  The title that launched my career as an author SIN,  remains absolutely FREE during the entire month of  May!

In addition, through May 2020, the hilarious novel, There's Something Wrong with Miss Zelda,  one of the funniest titles in the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy book series that I write with my writing partner, L. Barnett Evans, is being offered FREE on Smashwords this month!  All of the books in this series are also on sale.  Don't miss out on this opportunity to read a good book.

Go to Smashwords.com. CLICK on one of my titles, and ENJOY!   

AUTHORS GIVE BACK SALE!

In these precarious times when nearly everyone in the country is sheltering in place to protect each other from the virus that has overtaken our country, the authors on Smashwords are responding. We are offering 60% off our titles during the AUTHORS GIVE BACK Sale through the month of April, 2020. 

This means that all of my romance suspense titles in ebook format are only $1.20 on Smashwords.  To kick the book reading off,  the title that launched my career as an author SIN, is absolutely FREE during the entire month of April!

In addition, Whose Knife is it Anway?  the latest titled in the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy book series that I write with my writing partner, L. Barnett Evans, is on sale as well!  All of the books in this series are cheap this month, so don't miss out on the opportunity to read a good book.

Go to Smashwords.com. CLICK on one of my titles, and ENJOY!   

SMASHWORDS READ AN EBOOK WEEK IS BACK!

The 11th Annual Read an Ebook Week Sale Kicked off Sunday, March 1 and runs through Saturday, March 7 on Smashwords.com.  

My romantic suspense books will be on sale for 50% Off.  These are only some of the titles on sales:

Sin

Sinful Intentions

Sweet Sacrifice

Secrets

Strangers 

Shadows of Love 

Go to Smaswords.com, use the Half Price Coupon and Enjoy the Read!

A REWARDING MONTH FOR WRITING

I've been very busy this month and nearly missed writing this month's blog.  I had my playwright hat on and was privileged to be one of the winners of the Ivoryton Playhouse Theatre's Women Playwrights Initiative for 2020.  My One Act drama, 1200 MILES FROM JEROME, was given a  staged reading at the Ivoryton Playhouse, located in Connecticut, and it was quite a success. 

The play is set in 1942 during WW II.  It is about a courageous teacher and members of an African American family who are transporting a young Japanese American boy who has escaped from an interment camp in Jerome, Arkansas to New York City where he can be shielded by relatives.  Danger is lurking for the car's occupants every miles it will take to get there, and along the way a lot of truth is revealed.

Below is the link to the TV interview I gave while in Connecticut on a program titled "A CERTAIN AGE", with  host Li Hayes.  The interview was broadcast in Connecticut only, but it will tell you a lot about my career as a writer:

Crystal Rhodes - Author/Playwright TV Interview

Also, here are some photos from the powerful play reading that was held at the Ivoryton Playhouse Theatre in Ivoryton, Connecticut. Everyone involved in putting on the Women Playwrights Initiative for 2020 did a wonderful job!

The Cast of 1200 MILES FROM JEROME

(l to r) Justine Hall, Brie Covington, Jacob Goodhart, Kathryn Markey (Director) Crystal Rhodes (playwright) Renee Sutherland and Denise Johnson

Director, Kathryn Markey in front of the Ivoryton Playhouse Theatre in Ivoryton, Connecticut 

HELLO 2020!!

Here we are in the first year of a new decade, and I welcome it with open arms!  Last year was so fantastic for me creatively that I'm giddy with excitement to see what 2020 will bring.  My goal to finish the first draft of Someone Like Them by the end of 2019 was achieved.  I finished the final draft on December 31st, New Years Eve.  While other people were partying fervently, I was writing feverishly.  Such is the life of a writer.  It's not all wine and roses.

I look forward to going through Someone Like Them again, to fine tune it.  I like my character,  Wanda Carson.  She is a 50 year old grandmother who she is living a dream that can only be imagined by others.  Unfortunately, she discovers that all that glitters is not gold.

Someone Like Them should be released by this fall, if not sooner.  Meanwhile, I'm also working on a new Two Act play.  My latest One Act Play, 1200 Miles from Jerome, which won the 2020 Women Playwrights Initiative, sponsored by the Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut, will enjoy a staged reading early this year.  I'm also writing another mystery novel with L. Barnett Evans, my talented co-author of the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery series.  It looks like 2020 will be as creatively satisfying as 2019.  I sure hope so.  Meanwhile, Happy New Year!

2019 - THE YEAR OF ALL YEARS!

I can't account for other people, but I am one who is grateful for every year of my life, and the majority of them have been good ones.  Fortunately, I pursued my passion for writing, never limiting myself, and I have been richly rewarded. I've done it all, books, plays, TV scripts, articles.  You name it, I've tried it.  As we come to the end of 2019, I look back and recognize that this year has been one of the most creatively rewarding that I've ever had.  Financial rewards are always welcomed, but when one is an artist and receives recognition for ones art that's a feeling that is difficult to describe.  The word elation is the only one I can think of at the moment.

The year 2019 opened with my Two Act play, The Diary of Annie Mae Franklin, winning a national playwriting contest, The American Theatre's 21st Century Voices New Play Festival.  I spent a weekend in January in St. Petersburg, Florida where a staged reading of the play was presented, and it received an excellent reception.  The next few months saw the re-release of one my romantic suspense novels, Singing a Song, and the writing of the third book in my Stillwaters Series, Someone Like Them (which it seems like I've been working on forever).  I acquired a drama agent in the fall, presenting me with the opportunity to have my plays presented in more theatres, and a shot at having my work acquired for TV--one of my major goals. 

I attended severalwriting workshops.  My writing partner and I won scholarships to attend an artist conference.  We gave presentations on writing to two college classes, and a visit with one my favorite book clubs was quite a treat. To top it off at the end of this year I won a second national playwriting contest! My One Act Play, 1200 Miles from Jerome, won the 2020 Women Playwrights Initiative, sponsored by the Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut.  I'm looking forward to that staged reading.   

Recently, the year was further topped off with my having been presented with a Creative Arts Fellowship by the Indiana Arts Council.  What an honor it is to be recognized and appreciated for my art.  With this fellowship I can travel to anywhere in the world I want.  I'm still tingling from the excitement.  

Yes, 2019 was quite a year!  I can't wait until 2020.  

STILLWATERS COMING

It looks like I’m going to finish editing the re-release of my novel, Stillwaters, before I finish my novel Someone Like Them. Actually, that makes sense, especially since Someone Like Them, is the third installment of what I call the Stillwaters book series.  For readers who are unfamiliar with the town of Stillwaters and some of the people in it, the re-release of the Stillwaters novel will introduce readers to the town. It’s an extraordinary place, and the characters that I create who live in and around the town find benefit from the association.  In the Stillwaters novel, not only is the reader introduced to the town and its residents, but you get to meet Bev Cameron and Ray Wilson, two people who don’t look as though they have much in common, but looks can deceive.  Here’s an excerpt from the first chapter of Stillwaters.  

CHAPTER 1

     “What do you mean, Ray is coming here?”  Bev Cameron gripped the telephone tightly, uncertain that she heard her daughter correctly.  Everyone in their family knew the strict criteria that must be followed in order to bring a stranger to her hometown, and Ray Wilson, the man who had been shamelessly flirting with her for years, did not fit the criteria. “There must be some mistake. Who told you this?”

     “Thad.”

     Bev knew that there was no doubt about the validity of the information.  Her daughter’s husband was movie star Thad Stewart and he adored his wife, singing superstar Darnell Cameron.  She was the love of his life, his confidante and his best friend.  Thad wouldn’t lie to her.   

     Darnell explained.  “Thad was excited about playing golf on the new course, and he said that he couldn’t wait for Ray to get here so they could play together.  Then, he thought about what he had said he clammed up, but it was too late by then.  It’s my guess that Ray’s coming with Dana.”

     Bev was shocked.  “My sister?”

     “Who else could it be?  Aunt Dana said that she was coming home and the two of them are friends.”

     “That’s true, and it does make sense.” Bev could tell by Darnell’s tone that she was also finding it difficult to believe the scenario.  

     “What should we do?” the younger woman asked.  “Tell the Family Council and have them stopped at the gate?”

     “I’m not sure.”  Bev considered the alternatives.  “I’m just wondering why she’s bringing him here, and how she expects to get him into town.”

     “There’s only one way that she can get him in,” Darnell affirmed, “and that’s with a lie.”

     Bev knew that she was right.  “Why would she do this?” Her heart sank at the idea of her younger sister engaging in such deception. 

     “Maybe it’s some move to stop Aunt Tessa’s family from taking over the town.”  Even through the telephone Darnell could feel her mother’s pain.  The two sisters had been estranged for quite some time and Dana’s return home might have provided an opportunity for their reconciliation, if it wasn’t for this new development. Darnell could hardly comprehend what her aunt must feel about their family to do something like this.

     “You might be right,” Bev’s voice was hollow. “She’s probably plotting some kind of legal maneuver that could wreck havoc in the family.” She gave a shuttering sigh. 

     “So what’s the plan, Mama?”  Darnell’s voice was filled with sadness.

Bev tried to think. “We’ll keep this to ourselves for now.  If she gets past the gate with Ray, let’s see what Dana is up to.”

     Darnell was receptive.  “That sounds reasonable.  Meanwhile, I’m going to see if I can pump some more information out of Thad.  Kiss my little gem for me.”

     The women disconnected and Bev sat reflecting on their conversation. What was Dana up to?  What part did Ray Wilson play in her sister’s scheme?  She was familiar with her younger sister’s escapades, but why had she aligned herself with that middle-aged playboy and dared breach the security of their family haven?

     A loud yawn interrupted Bev’s musing and she looked down into the face of the little brown bundle nestled in her arms and smiled.  Her granddaughter, six-month-old Nia Cameron-Stewart, was awake.

     “Hey there, little one.”  Gently, Bev caressed the baby’s soft cheek and was rewarded with a toothless grin.  The dimples inherited from her father winked at her and Bev melted.  This had to be the most beautiful baby in the world.

      “Let’s get you something to eat.”  She rose and headed toward the kitchen with Nia.  “Then we’re going to wait for your Aunt Dana and your godfather Ray to arrive.  When they do, there’s going to be some fireworks lighting up this town, and it’s not even close to being Independence Day.”