September 5, 2013

Chewing the Fat With...Chicki Brown

Chicki Brown has a new eBook out!  A Woman's Worth kicks off a new series about the Stafford family of Atlanta.  She's here to tell us a little about it and whet our appetites...

Bettye:  What's A Woman's Worth about?

Chicki:  School media specialist Gianne Marvray has been through the worst two years of her life, physically and emotionally.  After a battle with cancer and all it entails, she is finally ready to start living her life again.  She wants to see new places, meet new people and experience new things, but she isn't ready for the roller coaster ride she's about to embark on when she meets Las Vegas personal trainer and raw vegan foods advocate Marc Stafford.

After a four-year absence, Marc comes home to Atlanta to attend a family celebration in one of his brother's honor.  He's not thrilled about seeing his father, but he has promised his mother that he won't throw off the family balance by being the only one of their six sons absent.  All Marc wants to do is make an appearance at the event and spend a little time with his brothers.  Little does he know that this is the night he will meet the woman who will forever change his life.

Bettye:  What was your inspiration for writing this book?

Chicki:  My story ideas always start with the hero.  I get an idea of what he looks like or what his profession is, and I run with it.  My role model for Marc Stafford was Marcus Patrick, who used to play Jett Carver/Derrick on Days of Our Lives.  He left Hollywood nd moved back to Great Britain to become a personal trainer.  He is also a raw vegan who is zealous about teaching others how to live the raw lifestyle.  I found his story so interesting, I decided to steal his new profession and give it to my male protagonist.  The first question I asked myself was, "What would make this guy's life miserable?"  The answer I came up with was for him to have a longstanding conflict over his career with his father, who is a doctor.  To exacerbate his woes, the woman he falls for is one of his father's patients.

Bettye:  I really like that twist...it's different from the same old, same old.  Did you happen to bring an excerpt along? 

Chicki:  I sure did!  Here it is: 
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By the time Marc returned to Charles’ condo, his brain was buzzing with a plan. Before he arrived in Atlanta, he’d devised a mental schedule of how he’d be able to spend time with each of his brothers. Now that he’d met Gianne, all of those warm and fuzzy sibling reunion ideas had gone right out the window.  In five days he would be flying to Vegas. His attraction to her was undeniable, and he was certain she felt it too. Acting on the attraction was probably a bad idea, but all he wanted was to spend as much time with her as possible. He’d almost kissed her, and he had less than a week to discover if it was more than mere sexual desire.

Marc found Charles waiting up for him when he returned to the condo. “Well, Daddy and Uncle Rod didn’t show out too much today.”

“Really? You think?”

“I didn’t hear everything, though.” 

Seeing Gianne and his mother engrossed in an animated discussion, for reasons Marc didn’t understand, pleased him immensely. Why did it matter whether or not his mother liked her? He’d only known Gianne for a matter of hours, and he’d only be in town for another few days. He shook his head at the thought and went into the kitchen.

“How did Gianne enjoy herself?”

“She’s an only child, so she asked a lot of questions about how we all get along, but she said she had a good time.”

Charles sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “What’s going on, man? I saw the way you were gawking at her when I came to the table at the hotel. You looked like Michael Corleone when he got hit by the thunderbolt,” he said, recalling their favorite movie, The Godfather.

“What are you talking about?” Marc asked, knowing exactly what he meant. They had probably watched the film together a dozen times.

“The thunderbolt.”

 Marc shook his head. “There’s something special about her.”

“Yeah, she’s fine as hell. A little skinny, but fine just the same.”

“I’m not talking about her looks. It was something else I can’t explain.”

“The thunderbolt,” Charles repeated and laughed. “Are you seeing her again before you leave?”

“Yeah. I’m taking her to lunch tomorrow.”

“I hope you plan to feed that girl some real food. Remember, she’s a woman not a gerbil.” He gave Marc’s back a playful slap. “I’m going to bed. Check you in the a.m.”

“You’re going to the gym with me, right?” Charles nodded. “I think I’ll take in your view for a while,” Marc opened the doors to the terrace and stepped outside. It was only May, yet the Atlanta evenings were already warm. He sat and propped his feet on the railing and gazed at the skyline. The view was so different from his view at home. Although he lived in Las Vegas, his house was built in the desert eight miles from the strip. He had gotten used to the flat landscape with its backdrop of the Spring Mountains. As his eyes took in the twinkling lights, he considered his twin’s words.

When he’d first seen Gianne sitting at the table, he’d be lying if he said what he felt was anything other than a thunderbolt. And he knew it had nothing to do with how pretty she was. Ever since college he had been attuned to his spiritual nature, which is what eventually led him into the vegan lifestyle. His spiritual sensibilities had been shaken. A connection existed between them he didn’t understand, and he’d learned to never dismiss those spiritual jolts. No way was he going back to Nevada without discovering the nature and depth of that connection. Tomorrow was his chance to learn more about her. Health-wise, she clearly needed his professional help. Gianne needed to counteract the effects of her medical treatments through nutrition and exercise, and he knew he was able do that for her. But the natural help wasn’t what it was all about. The moment they’d met, he had the strong sensation that they somehow needed each other. 

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Chicki:  I'll also give a complimentary download of A Woman's Worth to a commenter on this blog.

Bettye:  All right, now!  Did you hear that, readers?  It's time to post a comment for a chance to win this exciting new eBook!  Chicki will be announcing the winner's name sometime tomorrow (Friday, September 6th), so be sure to check back by tomorrow evening to ee if you're the lucky winner so you can contact Chicki with your information.

For those of you who don't win, A Woman's Worth is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo, so all devices are covered!