Vocal Expressions

This was my first time reading a novel by Gil Brewer and I was not disappointed. Although there were two mysteries and a few short stories in between, this review is solely based on A Devil for O’Shaugnessy. Meet Tolbert O’Shaugnessy, a con artist who uses the brandy bottle to ease his pain and who chews Tums like it is candy. Tolbert meets Miriam who cooks up a plan (The Big Con) to kill her Grandma and get a large payday of over a million dollars. Here’s the catch…he would have to pose as her cousin, Joseph Lancaster who has been declared dead in England but Grandma doesn’t know about his death.     Brewer weaves a very interesting noir story filled with colorful characters and even a rambunctious monkey named Gargantua who Grandma is convinced is her deceased husband, Desmond sending messages and protecting her. The dialogue was spot on and the mystery unfolded nicely in the midst of Tolbert/Joseph falling in love with Ann Elliot, Grandma’s companion-secretary and re...

Author’s Bio: Author J. Hawki was born in Baltimore.   Inspired by her love for books, thrillers in particular, she began writing more than twenty years ago.   She published her first book, Elephants and Chopping Blocks Retain Their Natural Color in 2012, and released its sequel, Catch an Elephant by the Tail, in April of 2018.   Retired after an extensive career in Health Care Administration, she lives with her family in Maryland.   DL: What’s the inspiration for writing your book? JH: I love to read a good book that captures my imagination and carries me into another world. Thrillers in particular provide the type o f adrenaline rush I crave most. DL: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?   JH: Three books and seven writers influenced me more than any others. The books are Durango Street , The Other Side of Midnight , and Trinity , and the authors whose style I most desire to emula...

Last month I took a trip to Church Creek, MD with some friends to visit the Harriet Tubman Underground Visitor Center in celebration of its one year anniversary. We attended the celebration on March 10 - 11, 2018 (Saturday and Sunday) to soak up this occasion and to learn more about this phenomenal woman who risked her life and limb in her quest for freedom for herself and others. After sitting through the following enactments and talks from the various speakers, I checked out the Visitor Center. It drew me in with its interactive displays and informative exhibits. When I left I the Visitor Center and upon reflection I asked myself was it really worth the price? A resounding YES. Here are some of the events that marked the occasion: Re-enactor by Millicent Sparks did a fantastic job tracing Harriet's journey while engaging and answering questions from the audience. Her interpretation was spot on! She was followed by Chris Elcock, Senior Associate at GWWO, Inc. He is part of...

A few weeks ago, I saw George Orwell’s "Animal Farm" adapted as a stage play by Ian Wooldridge and directed by May Adrales. Although I read the novel many years ago, seeing the story unfold on stage brought back the imagery of a powerful, revolutionary and political struggle of this satirical tale. It was interesting to watch the pigs who initially joined a struggle as one voice turned on each other as soon as they got a taste of power. The world as we know it today is filled with such hate, strife, poverty, political smoke screens, harsh labor conditions, etc. and the director did a great job of bringing this to the stage. This story is as powerful and relevant as it was in 1945. The actors did an excellent job in breathing life into this story! Two thumbs up! Cast members: ·                      Melvin Abston – Napoleon/Ensemble ·      ...

Author’s Bio:   Min Carenda Deonne (Lady C) was born and raised in Baltimore, MD.   She received her Marketing Degree from The Fashion Institute of Technology.   Lady C received her license to preach in August of 2007.   Min. Carenda is a vibrant and pulsating speaker who has a heart for women.   Her motto is, “Don’t live life on the premise of impression, but live life on the promise of impact!” Min Carenda not only enjoys encouraging others through the word of God, but is an author of three books. ( Soul of a Poet , The Wait to Success (Contributing Author) and Perfect Patty Messed Up Devotional ).   Lady C also owns a Christian women’s magazine entitled FAR (Far Above Rubies).   Min Carenda does a weekly Podcast (the Lady C Show) Tuesdays at 8:30pm EST and also has a weekly prayer call Wednesdays at 8:30pm EST.   In addition, Min Carenda does a yearly women’s conference that brings a message of hope and a ministry of deliverance.   Lad...

This novel is the second in the Soulmates Dissipate series. This time the storyline spanned several years where we see Jada and Wellington living separate lives, Jada giving birth to Darius, him going to college, dropping out, becoming a womanizer and the drama continues. Throughout it all, Jada and Wellington are still pining for each other although they were married to other people. After Jada’s mother died she decided to come clean about her feelings for Wellington and fessed up to Wellington that Darius wasn’t his son. Despite knowing this, Wellington still loved Jada and Darius as his son. In the end, Jada and Wellington remarried to the chagrin of scorned ex-lovers. I totally get that sometimes when you find your soulmate you can go to the depths of the world to be with them but the message was a bit mangled in this novel. Overall, it wasn’t a bad read and I would give the next novel in the series a try. My favorite lines:         ...