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When Lightning Strikes by Keya

How can you have it all – education, personality, and beauty - yet your life is flooded with a sea of troubles?

Imminent, new author Keya answers this question and more in When Lightning Strikes, a novel about Ms. Taylor Devereaux, her three best friends, and her spiraling-out-of-control life. Taylor is on the road to happiness and success. She is a gorgeous and classy woman with a thriving career and a wonderful fiancée. One day, Taylor’s near perfect world is turned upside down when she discovers her future husband is cheating.

To make matters worse, while trying to put the pieces of her life back together, she finds out someone at her job has filed a sexual harassment complaint against her. She realizes someone is out to ruin her life. With Taylor’s personal life, profession, and overall reputation at stake, can she overcome it all? Or, will the stress of it all bring out another side of Taylor? See how Taylor reacts “When Lightning Strikes.”

Website: http://www.keyalit.com

Read the first chapter online:
www.keyalit.com/WhenLightningStrikes-Chapter1.pdf

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 2/13/2008 5:18 AM UTC

  Unexpected Interruptions by Trice Hickman
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  Synopsis: Take an unforgettable journey with Victoria Small, a smart, savvy sister who's fresh off a year-long, self-imposed hiatus--from men! Now that she's ready to start dating again, she gets more than she bargained for when Ted Thornton, a powerful blue-eyed CEO, and Parker Brightwood, a talented, ambitious young surgeon, enter her life. As Victoria's relationship heats up with both men, she resurrects a painful secret she thought she'd buried long ago, and finds herself doing things she never thought she'd do! Along the way she's joined by a colorful cast of friends and foes as she tests the boundaries of love, race, class and where she fits in.
  
  
  Distributors: Baker & Taylor (available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million)
  
  
  Author Bio-- Prior to writing, Trice Hickman's diverse professional career included work in both corporate and non-profit organizations. She holds a B.A. from Winston-Salem State University and an M.A. from Wake Forest University. Currently, she is putting the finishing touches on her second novel, and a third book is already underway. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband.
  
  
  
  
   Book Review
   
  "The story is about love and the fears involved when attempting to take the plunge and give up your heart.   Hickman tackled issues of racism, even within the African-American community, as well as, those regarding interracial dating.  Well-written and a definite page-turner, which kept me up all-night, I really enjoyed the book.  This is one I recommended for fans of a good love story."
                                                                           The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
                                                                           4.5 out of 5 Stars
   
  
  
  
  SLS Author's Interview: Trice Hickman
   
  Tell us a little something about your publishing journey. Did you have a manuscript that was submitted to several publishers?
  Initially, I sought to go the traditional route and submitted my manuscript to several agents and publishers for consideration of a publishing contract. After many, many tries they all turned me down. Finally, I decided that I wasn't going to let agents or publishers determine the fate of my work. I decided to let readers make that determination, so I formed my own publishing company, Platinum Books, published Unexpected Interruptions myself, and never looked back! I'm so glad I did!
   
  In what way did these characters reveal themselves to you? Do you sketch them or do just flow with the text? I create a biography for each character as they come to me, that way I know them very well and can tell their stories more clearly. My characters definitely reveal things to me when I'm writing about them. For instance, the story that I ended up with is not the story I set out to write. Initially, I wanted to write a story that we seldom see in contemporary fiction--the best friend/platonic relationship between a young black woman and a young black man. But very quickly the characters started taking on a life of their own, so I listened to them and followed their lead. The result is a thought-provoking, complex novel that many readers have told me they enjoy.
   
  In your opinion, what is the absolute best thing about being a writer? The freedom and creativity. Writing is a very solitary endeavor, but in those quiet moments when it's just you and your characters, they can take you down interesting paths you'd never travel yourself...it's an awesome feeling.
   
  What’s the biggest compliment you’ve been getting on this book? The biggest compliment I've been receiving  from readers about Unexpected Interruptions, is that once they started reading the book, they couldn't put it down because the story and the characters drew them in.
   
  As a writer, what are some of the most important things you try to get across through your books? That life wonderfully imperfect. That we are all flawed, but those flaws make us who we are, and who we are is good enough (I learned that from the great Mary B. Morrison...thanks Mary!). I want readers to know that there is struggle, but there is also happiness, and if you look beyond conventional norms, that's when you usually stumble upon greatness.
   
  What is your definition of success? Being happy and having peace in my life!
  
  
  
  
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