Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Holiday Inn is out!

 
The Holiday Inn delivers
happily-ever-afters all year round.
I'm so excited that Amazon has re-released The Holiday Inn under its Montlake Romance division!

Available in paperback and Kindle formats, the anthology features my fantasy novella, "Can You Believe" which tells the tale of a newlywed couple faced with a glimpse into an unhappy future:

Fallon Terry’s having a hard time supporting the song writing aspirations of her real-estate selling husband, Naymond. He’s spent the last three months taping a reality singing show in L.A., a world away from Detroit and Fallon. Their post-Christmas anniversary offers a chance to re-connect – until fame and fate intervene.

With devastating problems on one hand and incredible potential on the other, together they must wade through the trappings of success to discover what matters most in their marriage.

What will make them believe that they have everything they need for the love and the life that they want?





5 STARS
"Stefanie Worth has penned another exceptional paranormal short story
, Can You Believe.  Fallon and Naymond Terry are approaching their one year anniversary but things aren't really working.  Fallon has been working overtime everyday to support her husband.  While Naymond has taken time off from selling houses to pursue his dreams of being an R&B star by competing on the television show, Chart Toppers.  They have been separated by thousands of miles for most of their marriage, communication is limited and the tabloid has printed some racy photos of Naymond with another woman.  Just before the final taping the show takes a break, hopefully this weekend the Terry's can renew their love and save their marriage.

However, the story is not that simple.  Worth injects another woman, 'glimpse' into the future, along with money, sex and power.  The characters are believable and tug at your heart.  The magic from the 'glimpse' may be enough the change the course of this fluttering relationship while offering a dramatic ending to a brilliantly romantic holiday story."

Deltareviewer for Real Page Turners (reviewing "Can You Believe")


For more reviews and an excerpt from Chapter One (as well as info on my other books), visit www.stefanieworth.com.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Trayvon beginning

Nat Turner's revolt was not the first.

Rosa Parks' refusal was not the first.

Trayvon Martin's death was not the first.

Or last.

Yet each of these represent pivotal, iconic moments in the history of Blacks in this America. They caused a swelling of outrage, emotion and awareness in communities and throughout this country. And the repeated actions of others replaying these situations throughout the years has led to incremental change.

For those who ask "Why all the outrage over Trayvon when this kind of thing happens every day?," this, for me, is why: Because Trayvon Martin's death has become iconic -- symbolic of what is wrong on so many levels in this America.

It doesn't mean that those who black out their profiles, tweet or post their hurt over the verdict don't care about every other Black child killed or child of any color abused or the many, many other horrific events taking place in our communities.

Many of the people chastised for speaking out in support of justice for Trayvon are in the trenches of their communities every day fighting for causes that affect every level of our society. And they do this without recognition, applause, media attention and even thanks. They don't post their good works
in their statuses. They don't tweet about how many kids they educated today, how many homeless people they clothed, how many resumes they helped jobless people write. They just do it.

I am waiting to see what divine order has in store for Trayvon's death and the international outpouring it has created. I will continue to support the call for justice knowing that for every Facebook post that hashtags #Trayvon, there are a thousand other people working diligently, unseen and unposted on similar cases and causes, all for the greater good.

This can be another beginning in our community. Of what, is up to us.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Severed memories

I woke up to this today. (Note photo.)


Yes. Gasp.

I peered into the front yard like I always do when I switch off the porch light, saw the carnage, and had to remind myself there was no storm yesterday...though I did suddenly recall the sound of buzz saws late into the night.

Grrr.

A little backstory here: My subdivision was built in the 60s. I gravitated to this neighborhood because it reminded me of the ones I grew up in – with my fondest memories being those of the mature trees that surrounded us. I remember huge Maple trees and their “whirlybirds.” I remember raking leaves,  jumping in leaf piles, trying to build a leaf house (really), and re-raking leaves at dusk after we’d played in them all day.

After my parents had a house built, there were no mature trees on any of the lots, but there was a forest at the center of the subdivision. Yea, boy, those were the days. Hiking along those trails with my brother CJ, trying to catch crawfish in the creek with mom’s leftover steak (oops), encountering snakes, and running away from imaginary sounds that seemed so real at 13.

So fast forward to present day, with my cottage-like house and mature trees in the yard, up and down the streets and overhanging every nook and cranny of this neighborhood. Even when I found out two weeks after we moved in that the trees would prevent me from getting Dish because we couldn’t get a satellite signal, I forgave them and grudgingly accepted being sentenced to cable.

Then we got new neighbors. I was glad to see the empty house occupied. But shortly after they moved in, Mr. Neighbor came to my door, knocked and informed me that he was getting his trees trimmed and did I want his guys to cut my trees to. I declined. From the pile of logs I could see in his yard, they were doing a little more than trimming. A week later, he got Dish. Two dishes on his roof, as a matter of fact.

No biggie. But over the last two years, more and more of the trees on his property have disappeared. Great branches are ritualistically lopped off, where they tumble in our yards, get chopped up, and are eventually hauled away. Maybe it’s the artist in me, but when I look into the sky and see half a tree missing, well, it’s just weird.

That brings me to this morning and the branches in the yard. I heard the sawing last night. It had to be after 10:00. But I had no idea that the trees were again under attack. It makes me sad.

I’m sure part of Mr. Neighbor’s concern is the threat of storm damage. We’ve certainly had trees topple in massive storms, but more often than not, damage has been minimal.  And, too, 50-year-old trees can disrupt sewer lines and sidewalks and create challenges to growing lush lawns. I understand his probable concerns, I just don’t like his resolution.

To make a stretch analogy here, moving into a subdivision with mature trees and then cutting down all the trees reminds me of readers who pick up books by me and my romance writing colleagues and then get mad because as African American writers, our stories aren’t street lit.

Don’t want happily-ever-afters? Stick with urban fiction. Don’t want the bother of trees? Move into a new development.

The sawing continued all day today. I even met the man in charge of the operation -- and fussed about the huge holes left in my lawn by falling tree chunks. He assured me they would fill them and provide grass seed to restore the lawn. No consolation though. I can buy topsoil and grass seed myself.

Then, as my daughter and I were wrapping up our afternoon bike ride, Mr. Neighbor came out with a huge grin, waving and shouting, "It looks nice, doesn't it? What do you think?"

"I like the trees."

He explained about falling branches during storms, how this company had provided him with a great deal and again reassured me, "It looks nice, doesn't it?"

Call me ungrateful. Tree trimming is expensive and it didn't come out of my pocket. When the next storm rolls around there will be fewer branches to unleash at our roof tops. True.

But apparently, I am absolutely sentimental about some things: I suppose looking out my kitchen window to watch squirrels play tag up and down tree trunks, seeking shade that rustles on a hot summer day, and long ago memories of climbing trees, are just a few of them.

Stefanie