Hello There!

It’s 2020. Can you believe it?

I want to thank you all for hanging in there with me. Aside from my supportive family who have known me all my life, I’ve known some of my now-online folks since elementary school. Some I know through Jarvis Christian College, some from work in education. Many of you have been hanging with me since LaShondra met Stelson in Boaz Brown. Others came along when Mama B helped out at the church. We might have met when Stanley (Deacon Brown’s Daughters) started acting right.

So many of you say such kind things to me online and inbox me little pictures and encouraging words. That people would take time out of their busy days to write reviews and tell friends about my books and re-post sell-links, invite people to signings and workshops…it all matters to me.

Some of you know that these past few years have been rough for me. My mom, my grandmother, and a co-worker with whom I worked closely transitioned. Even Mi-Mi (my 15-year old “writing dog”) passed away in 2018. I think I spent 2019 in a peaceful stillness, learning how to view this next season differently. I let a lot of projects drop. Honestly, I needed to. (I know you all understand.) But I say all of that to say: your kindnesses have been so very welcomed and received.

Thank You. You’re a blessing to me! Happy 2020 – let’s make it an AMAZING year!

In Christ’s Unfailing Love,

-Michelle

Just wanted to share the amazingly good (like Ephesians 3:20!) of what’s going on with the film, Deacon Brown’s Daughters, which CaSandra McLaughlin and I wrote and later created a movie around this book. As some of you know, we finished it in the summer of 2018. It was shopped around by an agent for a while. Then we entered the CapCity Black Film Festival this year and won Best Feature film. Hallelujah! That was an amazing moment.

Our friends and family and cast members were too, too excited for us and we’re so thankful to God for the recognition!

And now we’re sharing the news with media to spread awareness about the film and it’s message. Here’s the local Fox4News Interview: https://www.fox4news.com/video/607544

We’ll let you know when it’s available for viewing!!!

• Have you been putting off writing or publishing your book because you just don’t know what to do?
• Tired of feeling guilty about not walking in your purpose?
• Needing to talk with someone about making changes in your marriage, but don’t want your business “in the streets”?

I’m here for you! Yes. For real for real. I get calls, email messages, and texts every week from people who need everything from a detailed relaunch plan to a brainstorming partner to some Scriptures to pray for their marriage. Most of the time, I have to decline because I just don’t have the time to set aside my own work and focus on others. But you know what? That’s gonna change. Helping people is part of my work. The truth is: I love people! And I want to help everyone who desires my help and expertise to achieve their God-ordained purpose. That includes you!

So, if you’d like to schedule a consultation with me, click here:

MICHELLE, WE NEED TO TALK!

My calendar and available times are there for you to see.

With each consultation, you’ll receive:

• An intake session survey so I can adequately prepare for our time together
• 60-minute online or phone consultation with specific, actionable next steps
• A 15-minute followup
• Most of all, the peace of mind in knowing that you’re moving forward!!!

And this month (my birthday month!) I’m offering a 10% discount so that YOU can birth a great thing in your life! The discount code is: HBDMICHELLE

I look forward to being a part of your success!

Hope to see you soon!

Hey there! If you know me, you KNOW one of my greatest passion is to help women learn to thrive in sometimes (or all the time!) difficult marriages. Feb. 5-7, I’m hosting a LIVE webinar at my WarriorWivesClub Facebook page.

Until then, sign up to get your workbook, save the date, and get ready to grow in our time together!

Hello everyone! Whew! I know it’s been a while since I published a Mama B book – two years, actually. I can’t believe it took me THAT long to return to her wisdom, her wit, and the characters. I missed them tremendously, but I truly had a bunch of other stuff come up over these past years. Not the least of which is my sweet granddaughter.

She’s growing up!

This one here keeps me busy – in a good way! Watching her grow up through a grandmother’s eyes is something for which I’m truly grateful.

I also accepted a full-time, grant-funded position working with teachers to create and share research-based lessons. It’s a lot of fun and very gratifying, but it’s also a lot of work because of the “grant” status. I’ve made some new friends and gotten a chance to view teaching and learning in a different light. I’ll decide when the grant is over if I’m ready to stay in full-time get-up-and-comb-your-hair-every-day world!

Anyhow, now that THE WAIT IS OVER, Mama B is back with Frank, Son, Debra Kay, and some new characters that I hope you’ll enjoy as well.

Mama B: A Time for Peace finds Mama B away from Peasner, TX, in unfamiliar surroundings and out of her usual schedule. Though Mama B has a strong relationship with the Lord, the stresses of life outside her normal routine cause her to lose sight of things and lean to her own understanding rather than consult with the Lord about every matter.

This, of course, is something I’m dealing with in real-time right now! The changing of life-seasons, a new schedule, working with new people, splitting time between writing and working outside of home–these are all things that compete for my attention. And, like Mama B, I have had to make my “prayer closet” mobile, stealing away for quiet moments at lunch, in my car, or whenever I can grab them.

The mobile prayer closet!

I know we are to pray unceasingly (which is something I am learning all the more, too). But the quiet, uninterrupted, dedicated time alone with God is so sweet to me. I NEED IT!

I pray that my story and Mama B’s latest adventure will encourage you to live life in the fullness of Christ wherever you might go, whatever you might find yourself doing!

Mama B: A Time for Peace

I  know, I know…it’s a different kind of title. (Thankfully, my husband is still alive – we’re looking forward to celebrating our 24th anniversary soon!)

But this story, Who Killed My Husband, did make me look at relationships differently. Believe it or not, we are not in control of the entire universe. And we can pray effectually, but we don’t always immediately see things the way God sees them. Even the prophet Elisha was stumped by why God didn’t reveal something to him ahead of time–and he was truly close to the Lord! (2 Kings 4:27)

My main character, Ashley Crandall, is growing in her relationship with the Lord while it seems her husband, Allan, is not. He doesn’t even look like he’s trying to grow in the knowledge of Christ. Their marriage was recently shaken by the loss of their only child, which has placed yet another wedge between them.

This fast-paced story starts with the death of Ashley’s husband but ends with a lesson about life that she’ll never forget…and I hope you won’t forget the lesson, either!

Deacon Brown’s Daughters, which I co-authored with CaSandra McLaughlin, has opened up a whole conversation with fellow authors and acquaintances who grew up without their natural fathers. It’s been interesting to hear their stories and learn how, even as adults, they are forming new relationships with their dads.

One of the most interesting stories came from Carla Butler. Though she had seen pictures of a man she didn’t know while growing up, no one would tell her who that man was. No one would talk about her Daddy. Carla didn’t start demanding answers until she was an adult. She met her father when she was 30 years old and spent her first Father’s Day with him when she was 50.  She wrote about her experience in getting to know herself, her biological father, as well as her Heavenly Father in her book: This Little Girl’s Journey. 

I’m always curious about how things are going once estranged family members meet. In Carla’s case, she says, “Initially, the relationship seemed to be progressing quite  nicely. We talked  on the phone  regularly, mostly me calling him.He would send nice cards and for holidays or my birthday, he often would send a token of love. We seemed to have good conversations about everyday things, not much about the family.

After meeting my second sister for the first time that Father’s Day, I came home with lots of questions. She looked so very different from me or the sister I had met years prior. Apparently me writing him a letter asking questions caused a distance between us. At this point, he will answer and talk when I call him but he no longer sends cards or initiates phone calls.”

Some of the people who have read Deacon Brown’s Daughters wanted more information–did Stanley and Yolanda start a new relationship? What about Debbie? Will he be able to have a relationship with Sabrina without Valerie’s interference? Though I’m completely in control of what happens with a fictional novel, life itself can make some unexpected turns!

Whether your relationship with your father is great, rough, or nonexistent, I pray that you will take a moment to thank the men in your life how have contributed to the wonderful person you are today. It’s not easy being a man. And not every man was ready to be a father when that time came. But for many of us, it’s not too late to move forward. The relationship may not look like a traditional father-child relationship, but it might be a pretty picture nonetheless.

Happy Father’s Day!

Be Blessed!