Why I Did I Get Married? I am a member of the Happy Wives Club…

proposal

This post is part of the Happy Wives Club Blog Tour which I am delighted to be a part of along with hundreds of inspiring bloggers. To learn more and join us, CLICK HERE! 

HWClub_SqBlogButnAHello World,

So five months into a new marriage, I am hardly qualified to be a marriage expert…But I can happily tell you why I got married and why I love my husband. First of all, you must know I have always wanted to be married and although my parents have been happily married for over 40 years, I did not know how to create that reality in my own life. God had to bring me through various situations in order for me to be ready to accept the gift of my wonderful husband Robert into my life.

What are these various situations? Well, I had to date and kiss a few frogs before my prince was revealed. Okay, maybe that is unfair because all of them weren’t bad guys…but I will say this…I started off with a looong list of qualities and attributes that through trial and error were honed down to the absolute essentials. And in God’s infinite wisdom, God revealed some qualities and attributes I didn’t even know that I needed. One of my husband’s best qualities is his kindness coupled with his “man strength.” My husband is a tall and big guy and one would expect him to be tough because of his exterior. He also jokes that sometimes when he walks into a room, he feels like the “big black guy.” He is tough, but what people don’t expect is how kind he is. We’ve had a cold spell in the A for the last few days and my husband has been worried about a homeless man he befriended. He checked on him yesterday to make sure that he was okay, and he brings him food periodically.

I also love my husband’s demonstration of his faith. When I was dating, I had the hardest time meeting a Christian man that I didn’t think was a simp or just plain weird. Many Christian guys that I met over the years quoted so much scripture and had such a long list of things they didn’t do that I was like, you are too heavenly for any earthly good. I ended up dating some guys that weren’t Christians, and I hoped they would see the light so to speak. That didn’t work either. My husband is totally committed to God. He beats me out of the house to go to Sunday School and church on Sundays and considers God’s will in all of his decisions. But when we are not in church and around “good church folk,” we know how to kick it and have a good time.

Lastly, my husband is all in when it comes to supporting my dreams and has brought out the best in me. My favorite memory of my husband during our dating is when I called him crying. I was working on my first book, and the most important celebrity interview in the book looked like it wasn’t going to happen after all. My then boyfriend told me to call that person back and tell the person I absolutely had to have that interview. Although I was crying and trying to hide it, I called that person back and said what Robert told me to say. I think it was my tears (that I couldn’t really hide) that convinced that person to have pity on me and schedule the interview after all.

So these are a few of the reasons why I got married and love my husband. I married my husband because he is God’s choice for me, and we enrich each other’s lives. He makes me better, and I make him better. Now, as this is our first year of being married, we are experiencing some growing pains (I’m learning how to cook for a man and be somewhat neat – both works in progress 🙂 ), but it’s all good…

Any thoughts?

Fawn Weaver, the founder of the Happy Wives Club wrote a book about the best marriage secrets the world has to offer. They say the book is like “Eat, Pray, Love meets The 5 Love Languages.” I say the book is inspiring. You can grab a copy HERE.

Check out this video to see more about the book…

‘Lovetown USA’ Matchmaker Paul C. Brunson Offers $100 for Every Good Man…

Hello World, 

When I saw this post on Paul C. Brunson’s Facebook page yesterday, I knew I had to tell you about it! If you know a good man, please submit his name to Paul C. Brunson, and you can get $100!!! If you know don’t know Paul C. Brunson, he was one of the relationship coaches on Oprah’s new show “Lovetown USA,” which debuted last year on the OWN network. Here is a post – “Paul Carrick Brunson faces pushback, Spike Lee goes to church and other religious news…” – I wrote about him after he started getting some flak after talking about his Christian faith in interviews promoting the show.

Below are the details about how to get $100 from his blog…

Can I give you $100?

Seriously!

As my firm’s matchmaking client base expands (especially among women), our need for more men also increases. Starting today, we’re launching a new summer 2013 referral program aka “Operation M.A.N (Men Are Needed).”

It’s super easy to participate, if you know any single men in the U.S., Canada, or UK over the age of 30 who you believe to be GREAT & COMMITMENT-MINDED (could be a friend, family member, co-worker, etc)  simply tell us their name(s), residing city, and email address – we’ll do the rest (the rest includes an interview and other verification). If we accept your referral in our database and match them on a date with one of our clients, we’ll send you a crisp Benjamin! It’s that simple!!!

Please submit your referral here (be sure to include referral name, residing city, and email address in the “How can I help you” section).

Thank you for helping us help our clients (and the cool thing is if your referral ends up marrying one of our clients, we can do the electric slide together at their wedding)!

Paul C. Brunson is also the author of “It’s Complicated (But It Doesn’t Have to Be): A Modern Guide to Finding and Keeping Love.” 

I have some men in mind…Do you? I don’t know about you, but I could use an extra $100!

On a side note, how did you meet your boyfriend, fiance’ or husband?

Any thoughts?

 

 

The Next Big Thing…aka My Next Book in Progress…

Hello World,

Senalda in my next book

Senalda in my next book

I’m never been one to participate in chain letters, but sometimes you have to stretch yourself a bit to grow sooo…I’m taking the plunge to participate in a writer chain letter where different writers tag one another and write about “the next big thing” that they are working on…It’s an exercise to help us formulate our ideas around our next books in progress and promote other writers at the same time…So I will answer questions about my next book and at the end of this post, you will see information about other writers…Those writers will then post about “the next big thing” they are working on and on and on…Get it?

Tempestt would be a great Jarena!

What is the working title of your book?  I’m not sure yet…It’s about being a single black woman in Atlanta in particular and a single black woman anywhere in general…

Where did the idea for the book come from? My journey as a single black woman…Now that I’m about to be married and entering into another phase in my life, I feel I want to capture the feeling of being single and wanting romantic love while I can still taste it…so to speak…

What genre does the book fall under? Literary fiction

Which actors would you choose to play the characters? Senalda, Malinda Williams; Jarena, Tempestt Bledsoe; Mimi, Goapele; and Whitney, Essence Atkins…I will have more main characters, but these are the ones I have so far…

Goapele as Mimi…

What is a one sentence synopsis? I’m looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love…Okay, so this is not one sentence…And these aren’t my words…these are the words of Carrie Bradshaw from my all-time favorite show “Sex and the City.” And yes, my next big thing is partly inspired by this show…

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I’m not sure yet. I’m open to God’s plan…

How long did it take you to write the first draft? I want to write the whole thing in six months, preferably by my wedding date…Really, I’ve been writing this book since I was 30 years old so it should come pretty easily…Lord please…Also, I am starting to work with a critique group tomorrow so hopefully that will get me going…y’all pray for me…

Whitney in my next big thing…

What other books would you compare it to? I’m not sure yet…Am I being vague? Yes…I don’t really like to share the dish while I’m still cooking it, but I thought it would be cool to get some feedback while I can rework things…

Who or what inspired it? Chile, love.

What else about your book will pique the reader’s interest? I intend for this to be my love letter to single ladies all over…Although I will be married in a few months, I will treasure my single journey forever…after all, we came in this world alone and that is how we will leave it… I pray this book will be available in 2014. Please check out some of my author friends to see what they are up to…

“hallucination” is a story about unexpected occurrences and how they can stop your life and change it whether you are ready for change or not. This is a story of surviving some of life’s unavoidable miseries and coming out on the other side, a little wiser and a little closer to yourself. “hallucination” is a story of regular life, sudden illness and irregular outcomes. “hallucination” is NOT a story about being sick. It’s a story of becoming well…inside and out…Check out Kim Green at hallucinationthenovel.com. (By the way, she invited me to participate in “The Next Big Thing.”)

When former chart-topper Tiffany Knightly learns that she’s dying from cancer, she leaves behind her plush California lifestyle to return to Hempstead, New York, with Karlie, her reluctant teenaged daughter. Her fans think she has simply gone home to die, but Tiffany has another mission. She desperately wishes she could leave her past in the past,
but in order to secure her daughter’s future, she must tear open past wounds…This is from the book “Sing A New Song” by debut author Michelle Lindo-Rice…Check out Michelle Lindo-Rice at michellelindorice.com.

Ciara is an ambitious freshman, sure that life will only get better as she joins her long-time boyfriend at Aurbor Grove University. Before the first day of class, she’s hit with a tragedy and finds herself at the center of controversy. Raised by a no-nonsense, Christian grandmother, going to college is a non-negotiable for Nick. Once there, the study hard, play harder culture awakens a dangerous addiction that could not only cause him to lose his scholarship, but his livelihood. “Don’t Let Me Fall” is the first in The Village Series by L. Michelle…Check L. Michelle out at TheVillagebyLMichelle.com.

Any thoughts?