denise Leora madre

Because I'm stuck in the 90s musically, I'm usually late to most listening parties. So by the time I've heard a song and become obsessed with it, most people have moved on to something else. And I'm okay with that. Such is the case with "Mercy" from Brave New World,  the 2015 debut project from Bethel Music's Amanda Cook. (And see, I was going to call it an "album," but I'm trying not to date myself more than absolutely necessary.) Like most music that is new to me, I heard it one Sunday morning courtesy of our amazing worship team. At the time, I was captivated by the mood of the melody, the poignant emotions conveyed by both the vocalists and the musicians.

The big day is FINALLY here! The Kindle version of my debut novel, ANOTHER 4.0 , is available for immediate purchase at Amazon.com .  This day has been a looooooooong time comin'...cue The Winans...and I'm so excited to finally share this book with you. The print version is coming in a few weeks, but for now, head on  over to Amazon and snag your Kindle copy today! SUMMARY: Daria Nelson’s life seems perfect. She’s the apple of her father’s eye, the love of Maurice’s life, and a straight-A sophomore at Howard University. But all is not as it seems. Daria is angry with her father...because her father is angry with her. After four years, Adrian Nelson still doesn’t like Maurice, which makes no sense to his daughter. Maurice is the handsome owner of a successful West Philly barbershop and the kind of guy any girl would be lucky to have. So what’s not to like? Well, no, Maurice hasn’t exactly supported Daria’s decision to matriculate some 150 miles...

Happy Thursday, all! I'm continuing the celebration of my forthcoming debut novel, ANOTHER 4.0 , with a full summary and excerpt. Check 'em out! SUMMARY: Daria Nelson’s life seems perfect. She’s the apple of her father’s eye, the love of Maurice’s life, and a straight-A sophomore at Howard University. But all is not as it seems. Daria is angry with her father...because her father is angry with her. Apparently Adrian Nelson still doesn’t like Maurice after all this time, an attitude which makes no sense to his daughter. Maurice is the handsome owner of a successful West Philly barbershop and the kind of guy any girl would be lucky to have. So what’s not to like? Well, no, Maurice hasn’t exactly supported Daria’s decision to matriculate some 150 miles away. He expected her stay local and attend the University of Pennsylvania like she promised and hasn’t quite forgiven the drastic change in venue. But Daria understands his frustration because college h...

Today is the best Tuesday EVER. I am indescribably excited to finally announce that my debut novel, ANOTHER 4.0 , will be released this fall! And heeeeeere's the cover: (God bless you, T.M. Franklin. It looks amazing!)

A nother beautiful brown body L ies face-down on the bloody ground while T alking heads indulge their privilege: O pting to ignore the truth and N egate our outrage. “He S houldn’t have been doing T hat,” they say, “that” being whatever E gregious sin gave the triggermen R easons to gun him down. “Black L ives Matter!” we scream until hoarse. I ndifferent and armed they disagree, N otching another one on their broken blue belts. G od bless America.

School has been out for about a week, and I am exhausted! I miss my children like crazy when they go off to school, but when they’re home all day and looking at me as if I were the Activities Director of their personal cruise line, I start counting the days until September. And apologizing to every teacher-friend I have. In all seriousness, the time together has been great. And because they attend a six-week Extended School Year program each summer, I have to make the most of the next few weeks.

Today I celebrate one of my oldest--though she loves to point out that I'm four-and-a-half months older than she is--and dearest friends.  Karlynne, this one's for you! My Original "Home G" and I through the years...

I spend far too much time on social media, Facebook and Pinterest being my favorite hangouts. Though some content leaves me clutching my proverbial pearls and wondering what’s wrong with folks, I learn the most in the comments. (And laugh till I cry at the memes. Seriously, some o' y'all need to quit your day jobs and go into comedy.) And in the comments, I often find the following phrase: “God don’t like ugly.”

Happy Monday, all! I am thrilled to share this space today with my sister-from-another-mister, Jess Molly Brown, to celebrate the release of her debut novel! In  Moms on Missions, when matchmaking mothers try to fix their children's love lives, the results are disastrous, hilarious, and romantic...not necessarily in that order. Jess and I know each other pretty well by now, but there's always room for seven random questions. Here we go! 1. Someone is making a musical of the past year of your life. What's it called and what's the opening number? I think… it would have to be called Too Far-Fetched . The opening number is Are You Sh*tting Me? followed by Tonka Bit Me Seven Times Today . My friends say our household would make entertaining Reality TV. As we have neither money nor fame, that seems highly unlikely. But hey, at least we aren’t boring.

What could be worse than your matchmaking mother trying to set you up? How about discovering she knows exactly what she's doing? This is the problem facing Vince Russo in Jess Molly Brown's hilarious debut novel, Moms on Missions . Vince, an independent visual artist living at Niagara-on-the-lake, has put his dating life on hold to save for art school. But Diana Russo needs grandchildren in her home more than another painting, so she conspires with her friends, the Moms on Missions, to find a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Italian girl to make her dreams for her son come true. The Moms find the perfect girl, Mary diGiordano, and secretly install her in the apartment upstairs from Vince, hoping sparks will fly. And sparks do fly. But not the good kind. First, Mary apparently has some obnoxious drummer named Danny for a roommate whose rude attitude makes Vince want to tear out his hair. When Vince finally meets Mary, his every attempt at kindness is met with major hostility. ...

Oh, how I have longed for this day! Friends and readers, I am thrilled to share the cover for my dear and darling friend Jess Molly Brown's hilarious and heartwarming debut novel, Moms On Missions! The cover tells you all you need to know: The MOMs have Vince and Dani in their sights, so those two better look out! Stay tuned to this blog for information about pre-ordering this fantastic book and for a review after its May 2016 release. Congratulations, Jess!