I’m proud to say the 2025 edition of Atlanta magazine’s Atlanta 500 is on newsstands now!!!
What is the Atlanta 500 you ask?
“The Atlanta 500 recognizes the 500 most influential business and civic leaders in Atlanta. The list also includes dozens of leaders whom the magazine has deemed as ‘Legends.’ The Atlanta 500 recognizes the most influential Atlantans—including not only corporate CEOs, but also leading entrepreneurs, educators, researchers, artists, and those leading nonprofits and shaping public policy.”
As the A is my hometown, it continues to be a privilege to edit a book comprised of the best and brightest of the A! And if you aspire to be a leader here, you should definitely get a copy! If you are in Atlanta, please get your copy of Atlanta 500 wherever you would normally buy your copies of Atlanta magazine. I got my copy from the newsstand at a Sprouts grocery store. Click HERE to see a list of all of the locations that carry this publication! Also, HERE is a link for the online 2025 issue of the Atlanta 500. And below is an excerpt of my editorial letter:
The power of Atlanta is that it influences everything
Atlanta’s power never ceases to amaze me. As a pop culture PhD, my latest Atlanta’s power amazement is Atlanta’s mention in California rapper Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 banger “Not Like Us,” which is a diss track for the ages against Canadian rapper Drake. How did Atlanta get involved in rap beef between two rappers not from here, you might be asking. That’s the allure of Atlanta’s power, is my answer (or in other words), Atlanta Influences Everything, which is among the latest catch phrases that attempts to encapsulate all that is Atlanta.
According to Kendrick Lamar, Atlanta is the place where you “run to” when you need a “few dollars.” He highlighted when Atlanta was called Terminus and how the railroad lines that ended in our city in 1837 brought wealth to our state’s metropolis and how Atlanta is still wealthy today, albeit for different reasons. And that is true: captains of industry continue to be captivated by our city—we are the capital of the Hollywood of the South, Southern Hip Hop as a staple was created here, the FIFA World Cup is coming here, and the Super Bowl continues to come here. I’ve always loved one of New York City’s catch phrases: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. But I would like to submit this catch phrase for Atlanta: If you can’t make it anywhere, you can make it here.
I’m back with a “Fiction Friday” blog post! Since I became a debut novelist back in 2019, I’m aiming to feature other novelists (debut novelists are my favorite since authors put their hearts and souls into their debuts) on After the Altar Call in a more systematic way since I have historically favored nonfiction. To that end, I’m pleased to introduce my fellow PK (Pastor’s Kid) Netta Fei and her debut novel A Most Useful Betrothal to you, my dear readers. Isn’t that an intriguing title? And her novel was inspired by her marriage — AND divorce (Y’all know I love me some tea)…Please see the synopsis followed by my Q&A with her below!
In the rolling hills of Kanaan lies the mysterious tale of Abyga’el, a fifteen-year-old girl whose sharp intellect and breathtaking beauty are overshadowed by her blinding passion to rescue children abandoned by their law-abiding parents, like she once was. When a curious marriage proposal ignites her soul’s desire to create a child sanctuary, she breaks cultural confines of the Eber Y’israelite nation and secretly arranges her own betrothal to a suitor she knows nothing of. She does this right before reuniting and falling in love with Dawit, the nation’s honorable and charming warrior, creating a two-fold dilemma: Dawit’s on the run from the nation’s vain and jealous king who wants him dead and, unbeknownst to Dawit, Aby is already married in the eyes of their law.
Will Aby find the strength to soothes the boorish Nabal, her legal husband, outwit his equally wicked first wife, liberate the slaves he calls residents and steer her own destiny, or will she succumb to the nonsense that could imprison her forever?
My inspiration began with the in I Samuel 25:3 story of Abyga’el who was described as a beautiful and intelligent woman who was married to a fool. That nagged me for a long time, so I sought to answer one question: how does a beautiful, intelligent girl end up married to a fool? Unfortunately, her story appeared in my own in life and those of some of my girlfriends. So, I blended my imagination and experience to weave my take on what happened with Aby. What happened to make her betrothed to a surly man?
2. How did your life inform the story?
Twenty years into my marriage, I accepted the hard truth that my spouse and I were utterly incompatible. Divorce wasn’t an option for me, initially. So, I stewed in the disconnect for way too long, looking back to figure out how I—a smart and intelligent girl—could have gotten into such an antithetical, until-death-do-you-part relationship. Often when we should know better, we can still land in an unequally yoked or unproductive predicament. I realized, as Aby does in the book, that most decisions that take us there come from some kind of negative thinking about ourselves.
3. So, incompatible relationships are a key theme covered in the book?
They are and I hope that the story is a wake-up call for people, especially women, to be wiser with eyes wide open before connecting themselves with people who don’t complement or progress our best selves. Yet, incompatibility isn’t limited to relationships. It can show up in our thinking and agreements made around finances, health, integrity, morality, and such. The book also highlights other themes, such as the status of women in ancient patriarchal societies; the strength of the feminine prowess to change situations; the importance of self-love, self-awareness, and self-acceptance; legalism versus spiritualism; and the ills of caste.
4. What draws you to write biblical fiction?
As a preacher’s kid, I was fed a steady diet of Bible. I understand how biblical narratives are easily buried away in old crypts or put on high, holy pedestals. I want to resurrect and bring down to earth biblical stories about women and present them as moral and spiritual truths that are relatable and relevant to us today. And I enjoy doing that with characters who have dark skin, broad noses, full lips, and textured hair. Some biblical enthusiasts may not see that coming.
5. Why was it important for you to use ethnic names in this novel?
I did that to emphasize two things. The first is that names in ancient biblical times were a vital part of a person’s identity, reflecting their destiny, character, deity, family lineage, or some other trait. The second is the fact that biblical characters were more Afrocentric than not. The anglicized names we use today do not reflect that. I created a glossary to help readers see these two aspects more clearly and to know how to pronounce the names.
Yes, it was a long time in the making and I feel grateful to say that it won the Georgia Writers Association’s 2023 John Lewis Grant for Fiction.
7. What else will we see coming from Netta Fei?
More of the same, I hope. I’m working on the sequel to A Most Useful Betrothalwhich is exciting even though I hadn’t planned on doing it. It tells the rest of Aby’s story, particularly what she experiences in the small city known today as Ziklag and through the child sanctuary.
Netta Fei is a practicing writer, enchanted by the eternal feminine energy that heals—especially when it’s pumped, paraded, and praised by bold women. Her writing journey began at her high school newspaper followed by her earning journalism and MBA degrees and honing her writing and marketing skills in the corporate arena. She draws on her preacher’s kid, southern black Baptist, corporate America, and misaligned marriage experiences to inform her historical, biblical, and women’s fiction storytelling today.
Netta Fei supports literary and sisterhood communities as a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Black Authors Association, Georgia Writers Association, Atlanta Writers’ Club, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. When she’s not writing, you can find her immersed in a good book, playing tennis, exercising, laughing with friends, and experimenting with plant-based recipes then enticing her family to try them.
For more information about Netta Fei, visit nettafei.com.
I know that I’m a bit late on reporting the recent Preachers of LA reunion, which happened last month. But if the Preachers of LA can take a whole ten years to reunite then I can take my time to react…That being said, I learned 10 things by watching the Preachers of LA reunion…See the official description of the reunion below followed by my list…
Ten years after the immensely popular Preachers of LA show, which aired for two seasons on OXYGEN, Bishop Noel Jones, First Lady Loretta Jones, Bishop Ron Gibson, Pastors Deitrick Haddon and Wayne Chaney are back, on a limited-run series exclusively on MergeTV, streaming on In The Black Network.
Ten years ago, Preachers of LA highlighted not only the amazing work these church leaders do in the community and with their parishioners, but also showcased the dynamic lives these men led when away from the pulpit, including the struggles they face as husbands, fathers and friends. The cast included Bishop Noel Jones, the brother of singer Grace Jones, who leads a church full of celebrities; Pastor Deitrick Haddon who, as the son of a bishop and an evangelist, has been preaching since the age of 11 and conducted the church choir at 13; and Bishop Ron Gibson, who joined a gang by the age of 16 and turned his life around to start a small church that has grown to a congregation of more than 4,000 members.
1.Part of the reason why Bishop Noel Jones took reportedly 28 years to marry his wife Loretta in 2022 is because his first wife (now ex-wife following their divorce) is still alive…I can respect that because it does say in the word, “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 7:39…However, while I respect where he is coming from, if I were in First Lady Loretta’s shoes, I don’t think I could have waited 28 years to marry any particular man for many reasons…
2.The demise of Bishop Jones’ first marriage still gets to him as he nearly teared up while explaining his decision to divorce to Bishop Ron Gibson. He darn near delivered a soliloquy in response…”The question that people like Ron should ask is, ‘What in the world was going on in the house of an individual who knows how he’s going to be viewed, who knows the pain that he’s going to have to deal with, who knows how he’s going to be judged by the majority of the people looking at him? What in the hell is going on in his house that in spite of all he has to face, he decides with his children, with this grandchildren, with the grandparents, with the congregation, with the other pastors, if he moves to divorce, they need to say, Something horrific has to be happening in that household.” Now the nosy part of me wants to know why did Bishop Jones divorce his first wife.
3. While we’re still on the topic of divorce, obviously it was notable that Pastor Wayne was there alone as he and his former wife Myesha Chaney divorced in 2022. He announced the divorce first, noting that the divorce was not caused due to “infidelity, abuse, or any gross immoral act.” Last August, Myesha released “The Untold Story of My Divorce” on her YouTube channel. This is a summary of my reaction to her video: But I will say this: Based on the first few minutes of the video, it doesn’t seem that their marriage had a firm foundation from the beginning. Some people think this is antiquated advice, but older women will advise that a woman should marry a man who loves her a little more than she loves him. She fell in love within days of meeting her former husband while her former husband had to be convinced by God that she was “The One” and even broke up with her for several months before he eventually resumed their relationship and proposed. To read my entire reaction, click HERE. Based on what Pastor Wayne said on the reunion, I’m convinced that my reaction was right. In response to Kym Whitley (who hosted the reunion) asking about whether he was open to marriage again, he said, “This time around, I’m not selecting anyone for the church or the broader community, it has to be for me.”
4. Pastor Wayne is dating. He told Kym Whitley that he is in the second quarter of dating someone…Alright now…of course, the nosy side of me wants to know more…I don’t follow him on social media or anything, but if you do, have you seen a pic of a new love interest? In my pre-twins’ phase, I would have scoured his social media to see if I could see something, but I don’t have time for that…After a quick perusal, I just saw ministry pics and pics with his children…so..
5. If Bishop Ron had a first class plane ticket and a coach plane ticket, his wife, First Lady Lavette would have to ride in the back of the plane…SMH…I can’t recall how they got on this topic, but the way Bishop Ron answered this question was very revealing. His exact words were: “Yeah, she don’t mind sitting in coach. I do. I can’t sit up there like sardines.” First Lady Loretta said, “It’s not whether she minds, it’s inappropriate for a man to sit in first class and put his wife in back.” I agree. Now, my husband hates tight airplane seats, but he wouldn’t nor couldn’t put me in the back…What happened to chivalry?
6. Bishop Ron is seemingly strapped at all times…Bishop Ron, a former Compton Crip, got up and showed that he had a 9 millimeter gun tucked in his pants at the reunion! I guess he thought things could pop off at the reunion or something…He said he carries a gun on him because of Luke 22:38. He also joked that he could carry a 22 or a 38 based on the numbers in the verse…Okaaayyy….
7. Bishop Ron told Bishop Noel that had he been strapped, then First Lady Loretta wouldn’t have been attacked last August…I remember hearing that she had been attacked, but I didn’t know the details…According to L.A. Focus on the Word, here’s what happened: First Lady Loretta Jones was attacked on Sunday in the sanctuary at the conclusion of the morning service at the Gardena-based City of Refuge. The first lady was punched in the face and knocked unconscious by a woman who—according to one witness—walked up to the first lady as service had just concluded and sucker punched her. Security then grabbed the woman. An ambulance was called and the first lady had to be wheeled out, “The woman was a big lady too. It was crazy,” said an eyewitness who observed first-hand the commotion. “There was a whole crowd of people near the altar and I believe Bishop had gone to change his clothes and I couldn’t make out what the woman was hollering and yelling as she hit the first lady. Some of the members appeared to be shocked and then you saw this surge of people and people shouting ‘no, no, no’ as security then grabbed the woman and took her into custody.” Read the rest HERE. That is wacko!!!
8. First Lady Loretta stands on business…According to her website, First Lady Loretta is a chef and nutritionist and owns a restaurant. She also travels with a staff, which Pastor Deitrick Haddon called an entourage, that includes a makeup artist, a stylist and a dog watcher. And while she waited for the first part of the reunion, which didn’t include the wives, she was working, she said. “I just can’t sit with idle time. We have to work.” I know that Balenciaga outfit she was wearing won’t pay for itself so I understand the need to work…When Kym Whitley questioned whether a first lady should travel with an entourage, she said, “You can only do what you can afford to do.” I guess she’s saying, she can do what she wants to do because she can afford it…This reminds me of the recent pic I saw of Mariah Carey after she got off of a roller coaster. Her hair stylist was waiting for her at the conclusion of the ride to redo her hair…With a voice like Mariah has, she can afford to have a hair stylist with her at all times so…But back to First Lady Loretta, I also noticed on the credits that she is a producer of the reunion…I don’t recall seeing any of the other pastor’s wives as producers or pastors for that matter so…
10. Pastor Deitrick Haddon and his wife Dominique are unashamed about getting their twerk on in their private time. About this time last year, he was criticized when a video showing his wife twerking on him at his 50th birthday party was released…He said he’s not always in pastor mode and I get that…He explained, “That’s why pastors are public enemy number one right now because we’re being being fake and wearing masks.” I don’t think twerking with your husband or wife is a big deal. That being said, I’m not sure if I would do it in public if I were a first lady. I would say the same thing about former First Lady Michelle Obama. Twerking is a very sexual dance so I would exercise decorum in certain spaces. A house party is one thing and very public party is quite another…
Below are videos of the reunion….
Additionally, the Preachers of LA Wedding Edition is streaming now…See the trailer below…
Here is the official description: The Preachers and First Ladies are back! The long-awaited wedding event of Bishop Noel Jones and Loretta Jones is finally happening and your favorite high-profile Pastors and First Ladies are together again to celebrate–but will they be able lay those long-standing arguments to rest, or resurrect the drama after all these years!
