Vocal Expressions

Ah the Christmas Season has officially ended. No more rush to get gifts, no more Christmas music, no more last minute food shopping and stress to make sure the table is just right. Instead everyone will now be gearing up to celebrate the New Year. And that has it's own level of stress: finding the right outfit, finding the right place to party, etc. As for me, I'll be chilling in the safety of my home, no excitement, no bells and whistles. I'll enjoy the calm and quiet and use this time as a period of reflection. So, bring on 2015!

The holiday season can be a time of stress: last minute shopping, last minute decorating, etc. However, it seems that folks are also losing their mind committing all types of crimes against their families and against the community at large. The news have been flooded with these stories some of which are too painful to rehash here. But if you've kept up with the news you'll know that two police officers were gunned down in Brooklyn, New York yesterday while simply sitting in their cars. This was unreal as I can't fathom what would cause folks to do crazy things and then turn around then take the coward's way out by killing themselves. It simply boggles the mind and I hope and pray that hearts will start healing despite all the recent tragedies. #praying

On Wednesday, December 10, 2014, I had an author interview with Sharon Buchbinder, Check it out! http://sharonbuchbinder.com/blog/?p=4019

http://sharonbuchbinder.com/blog/interview-with-deliah-lawrence-author-of-gotta-let-it-go/

Today, I worked the Maryland Writers' Association - Montgomery County Chapter's table at the Greenbelt Community Center. I had a great time meeting some fellow writers and some of the other vendors too! Here are some photos from the event.

When Thanksgiving rolls around, most of us tend to start culminating our blessings during that holiday. For me, it’s a moment to pause while I continue to fill my basket with my many blessings. Like anyone else, I’ve had my share of bumps in the road. However, at this point in my life, I take nothing for granted. So, I treasure each moment that I have with my family and friends both near and far. I’m blessed to have good health, great friendships, and great opportunities presented to me. I’m also thankful for the ability to bless others with a smile, kind words, and good deeds by paying it forward.  But most of all, I’m thankful for getting a chance each day to be a better me.

Today I celebrated my birthday and the outpouring of well wishes made it oh so special! I feel blessed to have such great family and friends! Much love!!

On Monday, November 10, 2014, the Book Divas On Tour (featuring B. Swangin Webster, K. R Raye and I) had a fantastic interview with Dr. Afshan Hashmi. This interview marked the official end of our tour until 2015. What an awesome ride it has been with my sisters in writing. Check out the interview!

The Book Divas On Tour featuring B. Swangin Webster, K.R. Raye and I had a great time in Willingboro, New Jersey today. This book event was graciously hosted by Linda and Vernita who did a fantastic job of creating a great display of delicious food and drinks. This was a very cozy group  of avid book lovers who asked a lot of questions about the writing and publishing industry. It was such a joy to share our writing journey with them! Here are some photos from the event...enjoy!

I love when it's time for what I call, "Ladies of the Law Hanging Out Day." At least once every couple of months, my legal buddy and I would grab lunch at a restaurant, do a little shopping and check out a movie. This weekend, we grabbed lunch at Red Lobster in Silver Spring, MD.  The meal was delicious! After enjoying our meal, we went shopping and then headed to the movies to check out Gone Girl starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry and others. This was definitely a psychological thriller with great and unsuspecting plot twists. The lesson here is don't mess with a woman scorned. Check out the trailer, better yet - check out the movie! Loved it!

The best way to spend a weekend is to watch Denzel Washington do his thing on the big screen as Robert McCall in the "The Equalizer" and hanging with some cool sister friends. I have to say that Antoine Fuqua rocked this film in a very stylistic way in the same vein as his other films: Training Day, Replacement Killers, Brooklyn's Finest, etc. The story line and the dialogue were great...hero going about his business until he is forced to take matters into his own hand. And of course, all hell breaks loose. Loved the action scenes - they were so in your face! Definitely 2 thumbs up for this movie! Then I rounded out my weekend catching up with some cool sister friends I haven't seen in a while. We had a blast hanging out at Houlihan's and catching up. The food was quite delicious and the Martini's were slamming! Can't wait to do it again!

This weekend I had a blast at the Black Authors & Readers Rock Weekend in Bowie, Maryland. The keynote speaker was none other than Kimberla Lawson Roby. I remember the first time I met Kimberla years ago at Borders (when it was still around...sigh) in Largo, MD. She was very warm and welcoming then and she was the same this time around. Anyway, the weekend was jam packed with activities which started on Friday night with Austin Camacho as the host for the evening. It opened with the first annual book club meeting which featured Author Naleighna Kai and her best selling novel - "Open Door Marriage," followed by 2 panel discussions: 1) Literary Movers & Shakers (Nanette Buchanan, Electa Rome Parks, Earl Sewell, Frances Frost, KL Brady and Shelly Ellis) which was moderated by J'son Lee, and 2) Literary Trailblazers (Rochelle Alers, Nina Foxx, Donna Hill, Kimberla Lawson Roby and Pat G'orge Walker) which was moderated by Harold T. Fisher of WHUR. The energy an...

If you are an author of mystery, thrillers, or sci-fi or a fan who loves any of these genres, and you missed the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity Convention this weekend October 10 - 12, 2014 at the Hunt Valley Inn, Baltimore, MD...why weren't you there? As the Author Panel Coordinator of this Con in its second year, we had tons of fun. Rebecca York, John Gilstrap, Brad Parks, and C.J. Ellisson were fantastic speakers who shared their love for the written word and social media through their master classes. John Gilstrap (master class) – “Broken Bones, Ballistics and Backdrafts: Technical Stuff the Writers Get Wrong.” Readers are getting more sophisticated all the time, and it’s a writer’s job to get the details right. John Gilstrap brings his thirty years of experience as a firefighter, EMT, safety engineer and hazardous materials specialist to the classroom in a lively, interactive session to teach the basics of projective ballistics, fire behavior, how explosives work, and ...