"The Volunteer" by Crystal Hickerson @CrystalShow1 #Books

"The Volunteer" follows Jenna Steele, a woman whose mother died on hospice. She was compelled to give back, so she donated to a local hospice, however that was not enough for her. Jenna decided to volunteer and this is where her emotional journey begins.

If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to volunteer for hospice, this novel will take behind the scenes and give you an inside peek into the real world of hospice volunteering.

Not only will you discover the highs and lows of a volunteer but also the often unseen world of the managers who supervise them.

You will not be able to put this book down!

Get your copy on Amazon here!

Crystal Hickerson was born in Queens, NY growing up in New York City as well as Tennessee in her teenage years. She has written and published four novels, "The Magician," "Street Corners," "Wanted," and her last novel "The Volunteer."

Crystal has worked in the hospice field for over 15 years. She started as a grief counselor before moving into volunteer management. Being witness to the wonderful awe inspiring work that volunteers do, inspired her to write her novel, "The Volunteer."

Crystal Hickerson holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology with a minor in criminal justice. She has over 10 years experience in speaking and training.

www.CrystalHickerson.com

"My Wife’s Li’l Secret" by Eve Rabi #Books

Get it here!

She called me the miracle in her life, I called her my little treasure. Sounds corny, I know, but I really believed I was the luckiest bastard on earth. I had the loving and supportive wife, a nurturing mother to our two precious girls, a thriving business and the future looked rosy. I was a contented man.

But overnight everything changed. My wife withdrew from me, ignored our children, and made it clear she was no longer interested in playing the role of wife and mother. We had two children under five, they needed her.

I needed her. When her dressing began to change and she disappeared for hours, I suspected I was not enough for her. Thinking she was having an affair, I placed my wife of five years under surveillance. What my surveillance revealed shook my world, broke my heart and went on to expose a web of lies and deceit.

If you enjoy contemporary romance, romantic mystery thrillers, romance novels with alpha males, and major crime suspense stories, then you will enjoy this explosive, drama filled, book from Eve Rabi which will keep you turning pages.

Reviews:

“I have loved every single one of Eve’s books, this one however was a hit out the park!”

"Wish I could award this book 10 out of 5 STARS!!"

“Riveting from beginning to end. The twists and turns this book takes are unimaginable!"

"Wow I was totally entranced with this book from the beginning!"

"All in all I loved this book, it made me laugh, cry, hold my breath till I went blue, smile and finally caused my heart to break for Ritchie!"

"Very gripping but sad story line! But keep the tissues handy."

“Drama, suspense, mystery, action, romance and sex – this fast-paced thriller has it all. Buckle up. You and your kindle are in for a ride, Eve Rabi style.”

"Twists that will blow your mind and make you think about this book long after you finish it."


To read this book, click on link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Wifes-Little-Secret-determined-ebook/dp/B00PPI8T7I

"Street Corners" by Crystal Hickerson @CrystalShow1 #Books

Get it on Amazon here! Just 99 cents on Kindle!

The thoughts that entered her mind as she waited were scattered and jagged. Thoughts of her mother, Candy, the life on the streets, the nights in Tony's arms. They all entered in no particular order with no particular sense to them until one question formed and this is the question that stuck. 

Who should she kill first?? 

Now you have to ask yourself: What would you do to keep your man, to make him stay, to make him choose you? What corner of darkness would you be sucked into because you couldn't stop loving him? 

Antonio Jackson was not a very nice guy; he was brutal, merciless, and a cold blooded killer. Yet one woman vowed to stand by him, and another vowed to destroy him, but they were both doomed to love him.

Get your copy here for just 99 cents!

Crystal Hickerson was born in Queens, NY growing up in New York City as well as Tennessee in her teenage years. She has written and published four novels, The Magician, Street Corners, Wanted, and her last novel The Volunteer.

Crystal has worked in the hospice field for over 15 years. She started as a grief counselor before moving into volunteer management. Being witness to the wonderful awe inspiring work that volunteers do, inspired her to write her novel, The Volunteer.

Crystal Hickerson holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology with a minor in criminal justice. She has over 10 years experience in speaking and training.

www.CrystalHickerson.com

"One Way Or Another: You Will Pay" by @EveRabi1 #Books

Get your copy on Amazon here!

Years ago, together with my lover, Bear, I framed my ex-husband Tom for murder. I had no choice – Tom was abusive, vengeful and determined to make me pay for having the strength to escape his clutches. He was even prepared to murder my children and lover to get back at me. With him behind bars, I thought I could finally exhale and start living again. I did and I was blissfully happy. 

But a life sentence behind bars isn’t stopping him from coming after me. He is determined to use every resource he can lay his hands on to get at me. It has become a game and the outcome promises to be brutal and fatal. To protect my family, I have no choice but to play along. Tom plans to win this game. Trouble is, I just have to win. 

This modern, contemporary romance and suspense-filled thriller from Eve Rabi is a riveting drama of lust, deception and revenge. It will keep you gripped and leave you begging for more. 

Reviews: “Fantastic read. Actually found myself agitated at having to pause from reading.”

“I absolutely could not sleep or stop reading until I finished.”

“I have read some good books, but this beats them all.”

“I normally read crime stories, but Eve Rabi has steered me into reading just about all her romantic crime novels.”

“Lies, conspiracy, embezzlement, sex, greed, kidnapping...it's all there.”

Warning: Contains violence, steamy sex scenes and strong language.

Eve Rabi lives in Sydney Australia, but she hails from South Africa. She is the author of 20+ modern-day love stories and is known for her kick-ass leading ladies, her alpha males and her ability to make you laugh and make you cry while falling in love. 

Where to find Eve Rabi online:

Please follow Eve Rabi’s Blog: http://everabi.wordpress.com/ 
Website: http://everabi.wordpress.com/ 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eve.rabi 
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/everabiauthor

"My Brother, My Rival" by @EveRabi1 #Books

Cody Garrett, a former Navy SEAL, has never met a skirt he didn’t fancy. His six-pack, rugged looks and bad boy image ensures a steady stream of hot babes waiting to slip him their phone numbers wherever he goes.

So, he is confused when Bridie Barker refuses to go on a date with him. It’s not like she’s a stunning beauty or something. According to him, her ears are big, she’s well-rounded and she’s not even a D-cup.

In spite of her shortcomings, the more she pushes him away, the more he finds himself thinking of her.

Twenty-year-old Bridie Barker has control issues. Every detail in her life is planned. Her closet is color-coded and she has an array of storage containers, to ensure that everything is in its correct place.

Her whole world is black and white, and grey areas are a no-no. When she meets the warm and grounded Scott Garrett, she thinks she has found her soul mate. Unfortunately, and to her disappointment, things don’t pan out with Scott.

While waiting tables, she has a disastrous run-in with his brother, wild boy Cody Garrett, king of body shots, who parties every night with a different girl. Even though he’s good to look at and makes her laugh, she turns down his advances as he’s clearly the tag-and-release kind of guy. Besides, she is pretty sure he does not own a single storage container, and she’s certain that his closet is not color-coded.

Problem is, Cody Garrett finds her rejection an aphrodisiac and pursues her.

Buying Links:

Amazon US:
http://amzn.to/ImrIBS

Amazon UK:http://amzn.to/17PmTij

Eve Rabi lives in Sydney Australia, but she hails from South Africa.  She is the author of 26 modern-day love stories and is known for her kick-ass leading ladies, her alpha males and her ability to make you laugh and make you cry while falling in love.  

Where to find Eve Rabi online

Please follow Eve Rabi’s Blog: http://everabi.wordpress.com/

Website: http://everabi.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eve.rabi

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/everabiauthor

Amazon.com link: http://www.amazon.com/Eve-Rabi/e/B005HXX1C4

Post #600!

I Chose #Scandal Over #BUFvsCLE

I'm embarrassed to say what I did, Olivia. SMH.

(SMH)

Those who have followed me for a minute know that I'm a huge football fan.  Especially the NFL.  (Sigh)  I almost feel dirty typing this, but tonight, I did the unthinkable.  Tonight, I did something that could possibly get my Man Card revoked.  Tonight, I chose to watch the hit show "Scandal" over Thursday night football.

What intrigues me so much about "Scandal" is the writing.  The show writers do an excellent job of taking you down a path, getting you comfortable, and then blindsiding you with something completely out of left field.  Top that off with a cast of amazing actors who surprisingly left the Emmy's trophy-less and you have something rare for prime time TV these days... an amazing show.

But, the NFL on Thursday night is a no-brainer for a sports nut, right?  Despite the fact that the game involved two un-sexy teams in Buffalo and Cleveland, it's still the NFL.  (BTW, the game was pretty entertaining).  I started watching the game at 7:25 PM Central Time and once 8:59 PM CT rolled around, I found myself changing the channel to ABC.

I still love the NFL, but with the magic of DVR's, I can pause the game, flip over to "Scandal", and watch the game during commercials.  Although it makes sense to most men to record "Scandal" and watch it after the game, it's virtually impossible to do due to social media.

If I don't watch "Scandal" live, then one of my Twitter or Facebook followers will be sure to tweet something that spoils the show.  That's not what you want in a show like this where the writing is so superior to 95% of the things airing on TV these days.  Shows like "Scandal" spawn copycats like "Deception" or "Betrayal" and all of those other shows with edgy names, but empty stories.  It's one of those trendsetters that every other station wishes they could duplicate.

I got on the Scandal bandwagon on Day One.  It's very rare to see an African-American as a lead character on network TV and for it to be a woman made the show more interesting to me.  I wasn't familiar with show creator, Shonda Rimes, also African-American, and my knowledge of actress, Kerry Washington, was very limited, too.

Despite all of that, I knew after only watching the first few episodes that this show would go down in history as one of the classics.  The ever-changing plot is great and the cast of characters is even greater.  It's the best cast of actors that I've seen on a show since ABC aired "Ugly Betty."

Dag, I may lose my man card for admitting that I watched that show in its entirety, too.

SMH.

Don't feel so bad, guys.  I'll be back!

Speak Now or Forever Shut Up!

We all know that famous line that is given out in most traditional weddings. Yet, very few people take advantage of the opportunity to present an argument to the marriage. Most of us just sit on our hands and allow our friend/loved one to possibly jump into the biggest mistake of their life.

What is the best way to tell someone you care about that they're making a mistake? Most people who are in love see their significant other through rose-colored glass.  So, how do you come between that when you know in your heart that your loved one may get hurt?

We've all seen movies or heard of nightmare scenarios from others about how their sister's husband had his hands all over another woman or their cousin's fiancee was seen head-bobbing in someone else's backseat.  It can leave you in a dilemma on what to do.  You know that if your loved one doesn't believe you that they will probably hate you for life behind your accusations.  Even if you prove that the accusations are true it doesn't guarantee you'll be as close as you once were.

The other side of the coin is doing nothing.  If you sit back and do nothing and it is later revealed that you knew all along, then how will that sit with your loved one?  Seems like a lose-lose situation to me.

How do you approach a loved one to tell them bad news about their s/o?  Or do you not approach at all?

Maxim-izing Dollars

Evelyn Lozada has gone from ashy to classy, back to ashy and now back to classy! Let me explain for those unfamiliar with this Basketball "Wife." Evelyn is the former long-term girlfriend (I think of double-digit years) of ex-Boston Celtic, Antoine Walker. Antoine was an all-star player who played his way to over $100 million dollars in the NBA only to lose it all because of a gambling problem. It was a very sad story as he gambled his worth down to $4 million dollars with over $12 million in debt when he filed for bankruptcy.

This eventually led to Antoine and Evelyn dissolving their relationship. Rumors say that Antoine gave her $560k to hide from financial investigators for safe keeping, but Evelyn used it to open her business down in the Miami area. She told investigators that she sold her engagement ring to get the money for her business. For her sake, she'd better be telling the truth about the lump sum because those investigators will find out if she lied.

Despite the new business, Evelyn had gone from a basketball "wife" of a $100 million dollar man to a basketball "wife" of a man in debt facing potential jail time for fraudulent checks. Some people say that she left Antoine because he was broke, but others say that his gambling problems and legal troubles drove her away. Whether she was a gold digger or not, Evelyn was no longer living the high life.

Along comes the "Basketball Wives" reality show. The show featured a bunch of women (ironically, most of them are not married) who sit around night clubs, drinking expensive alcohol and arguing with one another. Of course, in the 21st century, that's the formula for a hit show. The result: Evelyn has worked her way up to millionaire status while Antoine is playing minor league basketball making just a little more than me. She used her relationship with him to parlay it into being a reality star. Like it or not, it's legal and a lot of people are using their brush with fame to make it big today. You don't have to be famous to get famous. Just know someone.

Evelyn became one of the more popular women on the show. She's trended on Twitter numerous times and has flipped her role on the show into multiple appearances on-screen and online. She has raised her status even higher with a recent appearance in Maxim magazine. For those unfamiliar with Maxim, it is one of the premier, non-nude, men's magazine. Arguably, the most popular men's magazine in the last 15 years. Evelyn has also moved on in her dating life and has gotten engaged to NFL all-star, Chad Ochocinco, who just played in the Super Bowl a couple of weeks ago. They're set to get married this summer which will be a nice season premier for a new reality show. Don't be surprised if this union of reality show personalities gives birth to a potential Chad and Evelyn reality show centered around their upcoming wedding. Cha-ching! Chad is no stranger to reality shows after his short VH1 dating show stint "Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch." On that show, he selected a young lady by the name of Rubi Pazmino (who, by the way, is smoking hot) and they dated for a while shortly before Ochocinco finding love with Evelyn.

Look, you all that have read my blog long enough know that I despise reality shows. I think that they take people without talent, who will work for cheap, and turn them into glorified YouTube stars. But, I can't get mad at Evelyn. She's living the new American dream: take your 15 minutes of fame and flip it into an hour of fame. It's all about Maxim-izing dollars.

Side note: The winner of the Book Giveaway for "Full Rising Mooner" was selected by The Mrs. and will be announced soon!


.

The EOE

I've dropped tons of acronyms on you within my blog posts since Day One. But, here's one you've probably never heard of before: The EOE. The Equal Opportunity Exploiter.

Yep, we're talking VH1. I have to applaud them. I've seen "Basketball Wives 1 and 2," "Love & Hip-Hop," "Mob Wives" and now we can all look forward to "Baseball Wives." VH1 keeps it real! No just exploiting black women here. They'll exploit anyone! Black, Italian and now a couple of Latinas and some good ol' American white women!

And I do give the cast members of this show a little credit. After all, each of them are either currently married to a baseball player or were once married to one. That's better than the baby mamas saturating the "Basketball Wives" cast.

I came across this show on Facebook when one of my "friends" stated that she didn't want to watch the show because the women dressed "slutty." LOL! What? This is from someone who watches BBW, Real Housewives and Jersey Shore. Uh, ok.

Trust me, VH1 guarantees drama which guarantees ratings. People will get their modern day Jerry Springer fix and will be anxious to discuss the show on social networks. Besides, I'm sure Anna Benson (middle of photo) has the resume to provide drama. She was once named baseball's hottest wife and said if her husband ever cheated on her that she would sleep with the entire Mets organization. If that's not drama, then I'm not sure what is.

After all, Anna is a self-made woman. Dropped out of high school, stripped in Atlanta strip clubs (where she met her husband, Kris) and has made her way onto FHM's magazine cover. Don't you love a country where self-proclaimed "harlot" can turn a 10th grade education into being a millionaire's spouse and a reality TV show? God bless America!

I guess Twitter will tell all. "Basketball Wives" has single-handedly shut down Twitter from tweets from the fans who watch the show. Personally, I wish all of these shows would go away, but they're very successful in the television ratings on top of being inexpensive to produce. I don't think we're too far away from multiple all-reality show channels and the extinction of scripted television. "CSI" will be replaced by "Welfare Women With Nothing To Do." "How I Met Your Mother" will be replaced by "From Ashy to Classy." And so on and so on...

Prepare yourselves people. The EOE is on pace to kill billions of brain cells... one episode at a time.




.

You Marry Their Family

When you marry someone, you marry their family. There's no way around it.

Will you find yourself in the middle of in-law drama?

So many happy couples have the absolutely worst in-laws and it causes problems. I'm so happy to have in-laws who are wonderful. My mother and father-in-law are great people who have treated me like a son. My brothers-in-law have all accepted me and have been a lot of fun to hang around from time-to-time. My nieces and nephews are bright kids ranging from ages 12 - 25 who will grow up to be good people. My family also love my in-laws. In fact, my parents and The Mrs.' parents have known each other for over 40 years and they get along very well.

But, I lucked out. So many others have situations that they "married into" that they are regretting now. I remember dating a lady back in the mid-90's who had a brother with a drug problem. He was a user and a dealer (which is never a good combination). He would smoke his own product and get so high that he'd forget that he smoked it. Then he would accuse everyone in his household that they stole it from him. Her mom was an alcoholic who spent most of her days on the front porch. It was very sad and the end-result was a very short relationship with that girl (roughly six weeks). I didn't want to subject myself to those type of people on a regular basis. Besides, I saw some of those bad habits in her as well. She was always looking for a fast buck and she wasn't motivated to work. Despite the fact that she was cute and was really into me, I had to do what I felt was best long term.

You'll have to accept the family for who they are.  All of them.

Over the years, I've met some people who have had similar, if not worse, situations, yet they chose to "ride out the storm." Almost all of them ended up separated, divorced, or stuck in a volatile marriage. You may think that you're marrying the person and not their family, but that's not the case. Unless it's a situation where you live far away from that family and have little contact, you could be subjecting yourself to inherited drama.

So, know your limits on what you can and cannot endure. Understand that your family may have to interact with your spouse's family regularly. So, it's important that they all be on the same maturity level and get along.

Your family may have to interact with them as well.  Perfect fit or not?

Is it absolutely necessary that your spouse's family are perfect people? No. But, be prepared for a lot of gray hairs if everyone doesn't mesh.


Hey, while you're here, check out my guest posts that I've done over at Sonia's site (LogAllot.com) and Brandon's site(LostInIdaho.me)

How Do You Protect Your Brand? (guest post) ~ LogAllot

Mommy, Look at the Penguins! (guest post) ~ My Own Private Idaho