Blog Archives
Perseverance: How It All Began
Epic love laced with epic pain…
Loving him was my secret. Mine alone. I never let anyone come remotely close to accessing that part of my heart. Not even myself, except on rare occasions. Trystan was simultaneously the source of my greatest love and the source of my greatest heartache.
He never knew how I felt about him. I’d never told him how deeply and profoundly in love with him I was…and still am. He had always considered me a friend so that was the position in his life that I desperately struggled to maintain. I couldn’t let him know, but I also couldn’t let him go.
I tried to put Trystan in my past. To some degree, I was able to achieve just that. He lived so far away and only came back to visit on occasion. But every time he returned, it was like reigniting a smoldering inferno within me.
Then I met Blake. Arguably the most eligible man in Hollywood. Wait, did I say Hollywood? I meant the world. He is the epitome of what every female dreams about.
Falling in love with Blake was seamless. Trystan was rarely around and after spending years feeling like I was suffocating, being with Blake was like breathing my first breath of fresh air. It was a much needed reprieve for a wounded and tattered heart like mine.
Then an ordinary trip leads to extraordinary events. Extreme circumstances usher in changes in me and in my life that I could never have dreamed were possible. And a love I thought was beyond my reach is suddenly right within my grasp.
Past love collides with future love and there is nothing I can do to escape either.
Follow Cadence as she begins her travel into the unknown.
A Light in the Darkness
Ascension of the Phoenix follows a detective seeking release in street fighting, but success leads her down a dark path toward revenge. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The major inspiration was Leila Wells, herself. I wanted to delve into the notion that everyone has a dark side and what would happen if someone who is an upright figure gives in and falls. Now for the street fighting and fighting tournament, Mortal Kombat and the Tekken video games were heavy influences. Being such a fan of Law and Order: SVU helped me make Leila a detective.
Leila is an intriguing and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind her character’s development?
She is who I wish I could be. An authoritative figure who is also fair and generous, and who uses her position for good. She doesn’t abuse her power. Doesn’t bow under pressure. Is physically and mentally strong. Someone who is in control of their emotions… well, sometimes.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Quite a few of them. One theme being the struggles against dark sides because Leila isn’t the only one. The different ways people deal with grief is another. Exploring how someone can lose who they think they are—their identity—and how they fight to come back, and how they sometimes change. And no matter how bleak or hopeless a situation, there is always hope/a light in the darkness—you just may have to wade through more darkness to reach it.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The Dragon of Russia is the next book in this trilogy and will be available August 2021. Like I did with Ascension of the Phoenix, a companion short story will also be released in the Fall. It will be called The Crane’s Dance, following a new character that Leila meets in Russia, like how The Panther’s Pride is in Jamaal Gordon’s POV.
Author Links:
Detective Leila Wells has apprehended every criminal to cross her path, except for one. And when Bryan Foster returns, he devastates her world. To cope, she finds release in street fighting. Successes with her fighting partner grant them an invitation to participate in the Rulers of the Realms Fighting Tag Tournament. But as she fights, a power begins to rise within her—a dark and angry blaze urging her toward revenge.
Ardent Grandeur
One bad work experience and a lay off is all it takes for Bryce’s life to change forever. Not only has the course of his life changed, but he has changed the direction of the lives of everyone around him. Those closest to him have no idea how much their lives will now be altered due to the decisions Bryce is making. When his rap career begins to take off, it doesn’t take long at all for the negative influences associated with that lifestyle to pull him in and ruin what he hoped would be a life of grandeur.
Ardent Grandeur, by Lynnette M. Clement, traces the career and unfortunate life choices of young Bryce. From the first moment in a recording studio to his last, Bryce is unable and, for the most part, unwilling to control his urges and say no to the many temptations around him. One by one, he brings pain and suffering to his family and the women in his life. Try as he might, Bryce falls time and time again.
Clement’s book, Ardent Grandeur, reads like a soap opera. Moving very quickly through the years, the author takes readers on a ride from the beginning of Bryce’s rap career to the tragic events that change his life forever. Written in the present tense, Clement’s work pulls readers into the lives of the characters and, at times, makes the story even more personal by turning to the reader with what feels like a second-person point of view. Bryce’s story is one readers will find fascinating and tragic and simultaneously horrifying.
While Ardent Grandeur has the makings of a wonderful realistic fiction story with a main character readers will find enthralling, there are some writing choices I could not move past. Long stretches of dialogue read more like a screenplay with little variety in sentence structure.
I found myself hoping with each subsequent chapter that Bryce would learn from his mistakes, make things right with his loved ones and stop repeating the same painful and damaging mistakes. He is one of those main characters I find exhausting because I was so emotionally invested in his character that I felt all the pain and suffering. Bryce was so authentically tragic. Ardent Grandeur is an absorbing urban fiction novel that will be hard to put down.
Pages: 242 | BN ID: 2940162735069
“either locked up or dead”
The Prodigal Dream follows two kids on different paths out of a troubled neighborhood and explores how their choices affect their lives. What was the inspiration for the setup to this riveting story?
The “almost made it”, “If I had it all to do over again” and “either locked up or dead” stories that permeate communities throughout the US were a catalyst. As a child the reality of hearing adults lament these narratives was hard to digest.
The Prodigal Dream became a creative way to provide an educational perspective of what can happen over a young adult’s lifetime based off their aspirations, choices, and actions.
Joe and Marlon are intriguing and well developed characters. What were some driving ideals behind their character development?
Like many youth today, both of these want to attain a great lifestyle, yet the were both also missing the presence of their Fathers. Since both characters felt the pain of poverty and this heightened their desire for a better life. Their bond of friendship was solidified by the harsh reality of their environment.
The individual paradigms and accountability-or lack there of- for their actions were two major factors. Also both the levels of high school matriculation and incarceration rates for their specific demographic provided context for character development. The other characters that they encounter on their journeys also influence their life’s trajectory.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The power of a Dream. Setting goals. Working hard. Walking by faith. Spoken Word. True friendship. Growth. Overcoming adversity. Forgiveness. Self-actualization. Letting your mistakes become your lessons. Never giving up-In a lot of ways Life really is what you make it.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The Prodigal Dream Sequel. It will be available contingent on The Prodigal Dream‘s success.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook
The Prodigal Dream
The Prodigal Dream is a thought-provoking coming of age tale following Joe, an ambitious young man battling to escape his neighborhood and achieve the ‘American Dream’. Joining him in his journey for success is his best friend Marlon. However, despite their friendship and similar childhoods, his dreams and plans are quite different to Joe’s
Author P.W. Freeman explores several deep and culturally reflective themes in this book including, setting goals, personal ambition, long-term gain versus instant gratification and friendship. Both main characters in the novel have the goal of bettering themselves. Both Joe and Marlon want to be more financially affluent than they were in their childhood. Financial wealth appears to be their main criteria for ‘success’. However, the journey they take to achieve their goals is vastly different. Whilst one chooses to work methodically through education and long-term commitment the other is in search of more instant gratification. The novel encourages the reader to examine how they define ‘success’. Prodigal Dream also explores the theme of friendship, what it means to be a friend, and how friendship changes over time.
The Prodigal Dream is set in the U.S. and begins in 2020, but then works backwards, looking at Joe and Marlon’s childhood and youth. Freeman adds descriptions of technology, music and clothing to set the scene and time period. The detailed descriptions bring the story alive and give the story an authentic feel.
The story is structured in easy to follow chapters. The chapters are appropriately titled and give a nice flow to the story. The story follows the traditional plot structure but does at times have the reader questioning what the eventual resolution or outcome will be.
The main characters in the story are Joe, and his best friend Marlon. In their younger years they are similar, and described similarly in physical appearance, speech and interests. As the story progresses the two characters are differentiated more and more by their actions and choices. Although they still enjoy the same music, their speech changes, as does their mutual friendships and interests. This change, and the choices that lead to the changes, is the thing I liked most about this novel. There are also some important supporting characters in this novel, including good friends and family members. These characters are well developed and add depth and interest to the story.
The Prodigal Dream is a compelling contemporary fiction novel exploring the challenges urban youth face in modern society. It questions our definition of success and how we achieve success.
Pages: 206 | ASIN: B08QGPG3YL
Follow My Lead
![Follow My Lead by [Hannah Blowers]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41FxyXgs27L.jpg)
Follow My Lead by Hannah Blowers is a romance novel featuring a steamy love triangle in the small coastal town of Waterville, Massachusetts. Elisa Roberts is a professional ballet dancer returning to her hometown from New York after sustaining a life changing injury that impedes her from continuing her dancing career. Her otherwise peaceful and nostalgic return gets complicated when she runs into her childhood crush, Christian, who has only ever seen her as his cousin’s best friend; something Elisa is desperate to change. When she runs into sexy gym owner Derrick, who just so happens to be secretly in love with her best friend, they form a fake relationship to inspire jealousy in their respective crushes. What she doesn’t expect is to actually catch feelings for the arrogant yet sweet Derrick who pushes her to the limit and equals her level of humor and intellect. Both of them share a special connection that they’ll soon have to admit. Sometimes what we really want is closer than we think.
I think that Follow My Lead is a charming book. This is something that I think many people will call a comfort read. The plot is simple and easy to follow as it consists of only the love triangle between Elisa, Christian, and Derrick. Elisa is a great character, funny and witty when need be but relatable in most aspects. She is just like any other girl looking for love. Though the story is filled with fun descriptions and humorous banter between the characters, the plot itself is a bit reminiscent of other new adult romance novels, or the heartfelt loves stories found on the Hallmark channel.
Overall, Follow My Lead is light and fun to read, despite the predictability of the story. The characters are well developed and distinguishable in their personalities. While I would have appreciated one or two good twists, the light humor and fluid storyline makes this book perfect for a beach read. This is a book that will easily be enjoyed by fans of contemporary romance stories, and is perfect if your looking for a book that will leave you smiling.
Pages: 265 | ASIN: B08M7KBH34
Big City Secrets
![Big City Secrets (Our Shadows will Remain Book 1) by [Alec Charles]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51zDFKix8NL.jpg)
Big City Secrets by Alec Charles is a gritty portrayal of life on the streets of Los Angeles and explores what the American Dream looks like to different types of people. This novel follows the personal journey of a young man named Lee who escapes an abusive home and heads to L.A. Lee meets some intriguing people that change the path he travels and changes him as a person. He rises from the streets to find that big city living is tough on many levels. Readers are left with the question, is life amongst the rich better than a tough life on the streets of L.A.?
Author Alec Charles has a knack for building compelling characters that are relatable, engaging, and authentic. While I’ve never met anyone quite like the characters described in the, I can imagine they exist and it was interesting to see how they crossed path with Lee. Our protagonist is an engrossing character in his own right and the evolution that his characters goes through over the course of this riveting novel is something that stands out to me as one of the finer points of this book.
The story is told from the first person perspective of Lee and through him we get to explore a city on the go and, to me, it seemed as if the city and life changes based on your perspective. Its these types of introspection that kept me flipping pages and coming back to the story.
Big City Secrets is crude but thought-provoking, raw but true. I highly recommend this fascinating novel to anyone looking for a poignant and well defined view of American life in a big city.
Pages: 167 | ASIN: B0191YZW4O
Jam Sessions: Sometimes in Middle School, the best you can do is survive
![Jam Sessions: Sometimes in Middle School, the best you can do is survive. by [Jerry Harwood, Myles Richardson, Timothy Sisemore]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41DT3f668GL.jpg)
Jam Sessions follows a middle school boy named Phillip who has to forge a new path for himself through a new school that he’s transferred to in the middle of the school year. Phillip struggles with bullies, but finds a creative outlet in Mr. Filter’s class where he starts the day with a writing prompt that sends Phillips imagination soaring. Now, if only he could apply that creativity and passion in his real life.
Jerry Harwood has created a cast of characters that are both easy to dislike and easy to empathize with. Chuck and his friends are easily unlikable and I loved Ashley, Daniel and Jaylan. I really liked all the teachers too, especially the language arts and P.E. teachers. I did feel like Phillips mom should have played a bigger part in the story, but it didn’t hurt the story in any way. From the first time we meet Chuck I thought that he was just a pain in the butt kid who likes to be a bully and embarrass people. Chuck and his gang of hooligans didn’t really evolve much but that honestly worked for the story because they continue to be the fundamental antagonists.
Jerry Harwood does a great job detailing what a panic/anxiety attack feels like, I could almost feel and see Phillip having his attacks. It was great that he found a way to cope with his attacks. Even at the beginning when the author is describing Phillip and his mom running away from home, everything is perfectly detailed. When Phillip is standing in the back of the room on the first day of school, you could feel him praying that he is invisible and then realizing that he really had been during that class because not one person had cared about him being there or noticed his presence. It was sort of sad.
The story flowed easily and was well written. I enjoyed the small cartoon characters at the beginning of each chapter and I liked how short the chapters were. I read the book in one sitting, because it was an enjoyable read and I loved that Phillip was able to turn things around which gave the book a feel good ending.
Pages: 214 | ASIN: B0868XNSH9
LITERARY TITAN 