Vocal Expressions

Well, Carl Weber aka “The King of Drama,” has done it again. This time he is joined by author Treasure Hernandez to ramp up the action in the sequel to Family Business.  The drama unfolds and the stakes rise as the Duncan Family is forced to choose sides about bringing H.E.A.T.  (a new synthetic drug dubbed the “new crack” which is designed by Orlando Duncan) to the streets.  Although there’s promise of wealth, the Duncans know that they won’t be safe once the cartels get a whiff of H.E.A.T. hitting the streets.  In the midst of it all, there are loads of drama with tangled love triangles, etc.  Can’t wait to read part 3 of this novel! Here are a few of my favorite lines: “I call it H.E.A.T., Pop.” Orlando held one in his hand. “It’s the new crack. No, actually, it’s better than crack. It’s extremely potent synthetic pheromones and endorphins laced with morphine, and it’s gonna make us wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.” LC glanced around the r...

On Saturday, May 23, 2015, I exhibited at the very first Prince George's Book Festival, the brain child of Sharon Lucas, President of the Reading Divas Book Club. This event took place at the Prince George's County Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, MD. And if you've ever been to one of Sharon's events (e.g. The Black Authors and Readers Rock Weekend, etc.) you'll know she goes all out. When I arrived and checked in, I was greeted by a wonderful group of folks who assisted me with locating my table and even carrying some of my stuff. Before I even got to my table, I saw so many familiar faces of my author friends from New Jersey and from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia ("DMV") area. Right away, I knew that the day would simply be fabulous. This included being an audience member of various panels and even being on one myself ("Keeping Women's Fiction and Romance Alive"). There was so much energy in the place: meeting ...

On Tuesday, May 19, 2015, I attended the faculty-student art reception at Columbia Art Center in Columbia, MD. This was a potluck reception and everyone was invited to bring something: side dish, wine, dips, soda, dessert, etc. I decided to bring some dessert because there's never a shortage of wine at this art studio - lol. Oil painting allows me to express myself by creating variations upon several different pictures. It also helps with my creative writing by looking at situations in multiple different ways. Anyway, it was great to see some of my fellow artists friends, faculty and art lovers. I even met a cool mixed-media artist - Eileen Williams (we're standing in front of her mask art work). I had a great time hanging with my art instructor Trudy Babchak (in front of "Splash N Gogh") and fellow artist Trish (her doggie painting is next to "Stormy Weather"). I had 5 art pieces in this show: "Three Shades of Brown" - which is my favorite, ...

On Saturday, May 16, 2015, I exhibited at the Gaithersburg Book Festival in Gaithersburg, MD. This was the first time in the three years that I have been exhibiting at this festival that it was seasonably warm...and I welcomed that. Anyway, when I arrived I was surprised that my table mate was Melanie Hatter, a fellow author, whom I met a few years back at another book festival. We had a great time laughing, chatting, and sharing marketing strategies. It's amazing how quickly the time went by when you are having fun. It was also a joy to meet avid readers who stopped by to learn more about my novel, Gotta Let It Go and pick up chapter 1 of the sequel, Gotta Get It Back. In addition, I met and networked with some cool folks (a chef, co-directors of the College Park Community Library, etc.). Overall, it was a great day and I can't wait to attend in 2016!

Last weekend, I took my mom to see the new Bob Marley musical at Center Stage in Baltimore, MD. We were very excited to see this musical premiere written and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah. When  we arrived we were pleasantly surprised that the lobby was decked out in all things celebrating Bob Marley and the political climate in the 1970s: dirt on the floor, reggae DJ, dancers, graffiti, political posters (Jamaica Labour Party vs. People's National Party), Red Stripe beer being sold at the bar, a shack to chill in, etc. Transforming the lobby like they did for One Night In Miami , is something that I think works well for Center Stage because it really adds a  great dimension to the play experience. The mood was set and all we needed to do was enjoy the show. And boy did we enjoy the show. The music was nostalgic, the story line was just right. The actors were energetic. But I couldn't wait to see newcomer Mitchell Brunings perform Bob's songs...it was as if you were ...