She
resides in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia with her high school sweetheart,
four wonderful children, and two pit bulls. MJ can often be found hanging out
at the local library where she is director of a local writer’s group, or online
connecting with readers and other authors. Other activities she enjoys include:
creating custom floral arrangements, assisting her children in their creative
pursuits of music and art, and supporting her husband’s music production
business.
You can find MJ on social networking sites, sharing
writing tips, talking about music, life, and family. Her debut novel, A Heart Not Easily Broken released last week. Here's a synopsis:
Ebony is a smart, sexy, career-oriented black
woman who wants nothing more than a summer fling with a man who challenges her
mind and body. What she doesn’t expect is a blond haired, blue-eyed bass
player—who won’t take “no” for an answer—to accept the challenge.
When Ebony’s attempt at a brief fling
turns into more, despite negative reactions from friends and family, she finds
juggling love, family, and career are nothing compared to the ultimate betrayal
she endures. Now her dreams spiral into lies and secrets that threaten her
future and her best friend’s trust. Excerpt:
Her
attention appeared to be on something in her purse as she walked my way, so she
hadn’t seen me yet.
She
was not dressed as she was Saturday night. Her hair wasn’t flowing over her
shoulders, tempting my fingers to get lost in its waves. Her legs were not
bare, nor did she wear a skin tight, short dress, showing off shapely calf
muscles, as she had the other evening. Instead, she wore a baggy shirt over
pants with some kind of printed design, something like standard medical wear.
She wore her hair in a ponytail, and her feet were in tennis shoes. She
struggled to balance an armful of books of various sizes and a book bag over
her shoulder.
Ebony
was still sexy as hell.
“I’m
glad you haven’t got started yet. My roommate called me at the last minute and
told me you were coming. I don’t have any cash on me. Do you take checks or−?”
Her voice faltered when she saw me. “Brian? What are you doing here?”
I
caught a hint of fire in her eyes and something else. Maybe guilt for not
meeting me in VIP?
“I’m
here to cut your grass.” I screwed the top back on the gas can, fighting the
urge to laugh at the irony of the situation.
Play it cool. I was not about to let
her know how disappointed I’d been sitting alone. What happened a few nights
ago had nothing to do with the money she was about to put in my pocket.
“I
thought you were a musician.”
I
pulled goggles and gloves out of the driver’s side door pocket. “I am, but it
doesn’t pay the bills just yet. This is my day job.”
Ebony’s
eyes traveled to the truck and my cousins before settling back on me.
“This
is my business,” I added, watching her thin eyebrows arch.
Since
I hadn’t questioned her about the VIP incident, she seemed to relax. The sound
of a lawnmower cranking up broke the awkward silence.
“Well,
I’ll get out of your way.” She backed away from the truck and headed for her
house.
It
dawned on me I did not answer her question regarding the form of payment. At
least it would give me something to talk about when we were done.
Saturday
night, Ebony disappeared like Cinderella, without leaving a hint of a glass
slipper. Now, barely two days later, I found where she lived. What were the
chances? This was fate.
I
took the opportunity to appreciate every inch of her hidden under baggy
clothes. The image of her in the black form-fitting dress revealing every curvy
inch of her body had haunted my dreams.
Outside
the club, in natural light, Ebony did not disappoint. Her almond shaped eyes
were a rich shade of brown, dark and mysterious. She wore no makeup on her
caramel skin, and her lips were naked, with no hint of gloss.
I
chuckled when she finally got her front door unlocked. It appeared she’d run
into some trouble with her key. Flustered perhaps?
I hoped so. With a little luck, I just might
have a chance to get her to talk to me about more than grass.
You can connect
with MJ here:
FacebookGoodreads
This Writer’s Life Blog
The Butterfly Memoirs Blog
Google+


4 comments:
Hi, Chicki! Thank you so much for having my drop by!
Hi MJ!!
Made it to the last stop... Still loving Brian everytime I read a excerpt.
Chynarey,nice to see you here too!
I have recently started a site, the info you provide on this site has
helped me greatly. Thanks for all of your time & work.
My website > elg.massey.ac.nz
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