Love is complicated.
JUST IN TIME FOR VALENTINE’S DAY!!!
This FREE cookbook, created by USA Today and National Bestselling Authors, is inspired by the Kings of the Castle Series. It contains an interesting mix of cuisines from India, Italy, Southern USA, Africa, and many other places. Several authors from the series and their friends, have shared everything from childhood favorites to main meals that are sure to please the most discriminating tastebuds.
Enjoy! http://bit.ly/FitforaKingCookbook
I was upstairs writing when the call came. My daughter’s Face timed me with the news. Kobe Bryant was dead. I told them to stop playing.
I’ve been a Lakers fan since Dad sat me down beside him on the couch to watch the Showtime Lakers. Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, AC Green, Bryon Scott. I fell in love with their style. I’ve always loved basketball (my jumper was nice) and the LA Lakers became MY team.
Even through the down years, I rooted for them. Then we traded for Shaq. And drafted a young kid named Kobe Bean Bryant. The Lakers were back, baby.
And I got to watch a young boy grow into a man. His work ethic was nuts. You had to admire the tenacity. The arrogance to believe he would emerge as THE best basketball player. And he did it. He won at the highest level. It was inspiring. It made you want to work hard on your own chosen craft. Kobe made it possible to believe that a strong will and consistency would reap rewards. I didn’t want to be like Mike. I wanted to be like Kobe. #MambaMentality
He wasn’t perfect. There are some that may condemn him forever but I saw the growth, the maturity. And I’m no one’s judge and jury. I didn’t know him personally, of course, but from what I could see he was a wonderful father. He seemed to be happily married. He loved to teach the next generation of ballplayers. Especially girls. #GirlDad
I was looking forward to his new path. A more creative path. He wrote a series of children’s books. He won an Oscar for Best Animated Short for his poem, Dear Basketball. In winning that award, he showed he was more than an athlete. It’s depressing to think of all the work he was still planning to do and know it’s not going to happen. Kobe was only 41 years old. The world was robbed of his gifts.
So, to Kobe, his daughter Gianna, Sarah & Payton Chester, Alyssa, Keri & John Altobelli, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan, rest in peace. You will be missed but remembered forever!
This print was created by Matt Sanoian of Sanoian Designs. If you would like to purchase it, please go to www.sanoiandesigns.com/buy
All proceeds will be donated to the MambaOnThree.org
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Fiona McVie. Please click the link.
ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD
No purchase necessary.
The theme for 2020 is “Stay afraid, but do it anyway”. Whatever you are called to do, you shouldn’t let anything stop you. Especially your own insecurities.
I’m sure MLK had doubts about some of the things he was called to do. But he did them anyway. And he left a legacy that people are still trying to live up too.
What legacy will you leave?
ENJOY THIS FREE COPY OF NOT THAT NICE
http://bit.ly/FreeNotThatNice-MDR
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A tragic accident took the life of Kelsee’s mother whose dying words were, “Always save yourself first”. She kept that in mind until she met a real-life hero, Officer Alex Williams. Their marriage wasn’t a fairytale but Kelsee holds out hope that a child can save their union. But can the ultimate betrayal cause her to lose everything?
Alex regrets being unable to save his mother from an abusive relationship. He dives into a career that puts him in harm’s way on a daily basis. Then he lays eyes on Kelsee and falls hard. Despite his family’s disapproval, he sets out to make her his own. Can he live up to his “nice guy” persona or give in to the demons in his DNA?
The couple struggles to conceive, and when Kelsee really needs Alex, will he rescue her again or will she learn that he is not that nice?
* * * * * This book is free for a limited time. Joining the mailing list to receive the monthly newsletters and free downloads is OPTIONAL. Feel free to share this download link with others.
🍾 Cheers to another year of making dreams come true!
#mdrayfordwrites #SettlingUp #writinglife
HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO LISA WATSON. KING OF HYDE PARK
Available for $0.99 for a Limited Time Only
Alejandro “Dro” Reyes has been a “fixer” for as long as he could remember, which makes owning a crisis management company focused on repairing professional reputations the perfect fit.
The same could be said of Lola Samuels, who is only vaguely aware of his true talents and seems oblivious to the growing attraction between them. His company, Vantage Point, is in high demand and business in the Windy City is booming. Until a mysterious call following an attempt on his mentor’s life forces him to drop everything and accept a fated position with The Castle which blindsides him with an enemy he never saw coming.
Public relations maven, Lola Samuels, has just been given an impossible task to fix the tarnished image of longtime bad boy, Shawn Mayhew. She reaches out to Dro for assistance, unaware of the underlying tension between the Mayhews and Reyes families. What starts out as a cut and dry working arrangement becomes complicated by danger, ulterior motives, and a fierce heat that won’t be denied.
When Alejandro discovers the lengths that the Mayhews will go to unseat him and ruin his family who has a decades long affiliation to The Castle, he calls in a few reinforcements of his own from his brother Kings. But there’s a hidden agenda that Alejandro doesn’t see coming who threatens his life, his woman, and his throne.
Buy Links:
BN/Nook:
bit.ly/kingofhydeparknook
Apple Books:
apple.co/2M1A8o4
Amazon:
bit.ly/kingofhydeparkamazon
Kobo Books:
bit.ly/Kingofhydeparkkobo
🔥NEW RELEASE 🔥
KING OF LINCOLN PARK
Grant Khambrel, a sexy, successful architect, worked hard to build a thriving business only to have it threatened by mistake that someone has laid at his door. The man who raised Grant after his parents died, made arrangements for Grant to receive the funds necessary to start a lucrative construction company. Soon Grant learns the money came from questionable means with strings attached; strings that took him years to cut and bury. After winning a multi-million dollar contract to renovate the United Center in Chicago, his bid comes under fire when rumors of improper business ethics arise. Grant is blackmailed by a powerful local politician for access and control of something money can’t buy, but will cost him everything if he gives in.
Autumn Knight, the beautiful Administrative Director of the United Center, grew up around both sides of Chicago politics. Her father, a local real estate tycoon and powerful Alderman, believes he should financially benefit from the good works he provides to his community. Autumn loves her father, but disagrees with how he operates and refuses to follow his path. Her career requires interaction with the new architect selected by her father’s committee. When Grant and Autumn meet, their chemistry is overwhelming, and they’re eager to explore their romantic possibilities. Unfortunately, lies and secrets threaten the future they both believe is possible.
http://bit.ly/KingofLincolnParkKobo
http://bit.ly/KingofLincolnParkBN
http://bit.ly/KingofLincolnParkiBooks
http://bit.ly/KingofLincolnParkAmazon