Signing Off

Here's a brief update on me. I have put Christine Townsend away.
That was a pseudonym I used for BET because when I started writing
the great Mildred Riley and the wonderful Linda Walters were already
on the list. My editors decided there would be less confusion if I
did not use my real name, Mildred Walters. However, I sometimes
feel like a fraud when I do workshops and speaking engagements
because all the other credible things that I do are under my real
name. People wonder if I am a fraud becomes my novels have one name
and my other work has another name.

So, I plan to stop writing as Christine Townsend. I'm not
sure when I will write another romance. I am currently building a
practice as a business and writing coach. I plan to self-publish my
next book. It combines my two great loves—romance and business. It
is about the business of marriage.

I also recently dropped the Christine Townsend website. Take a look
at my new site: www.bizownercoach. com.I will keep Christine's Tea
Room, my blog. The address is www.christinestearo om.blogspot. com.

One great thing about becoming a pubished author, is that it gives
me instant credibility in so many ways. The best thing about being
an author was meeting all the generous and caring authors at
conferences, signings, and retreats. Well, that's enough about me.
You all are great! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New year.

She's Got Barack's Back

Before I go, I want you to know how much I support Barack Obama. I am passionate about his campaign. I just heard that Caroline Kennedy has endorsed the Obama campaign. However, I think the greatest endorsement of all is the one he gets from Michelle. It is clear that his woman has his back. She is not in for the glory, fame, prestige or power. She is clearly in because she knows that Barack is the best man for the job and she knows him better than anyone else does.

Mr. Obama has already proven himself as a committed community organizer, a brilliant self-sacrificing attorney who chose service to the working person over the opportunity to earn a high six figure income. I support him because of his track record and his experience. However, I support him even more because Michelle does. She is an intelligent attorney who knows this man better than any other person. She has show us time and again that she has his back. Because of this endorsement, I support him.

Total Indulgence

The best thing about our trip to NY is that we took the time to reconnect, to relax, and to renew. If one of us wanted to sleep late, no one pestered her. The other two would get up and go do what they wanted. If all we wanted to do was shop, that's what we did. We left all the "shoulds" at home. It was wonderful! Since our return, when I get tired and stressed, I think about that wonderful, stress free time with my sisters.

Letting the Son in

We were delighted to have our NY area relatives join us for some fun time together. We went to New Jersey to spend time with Joyce's son,Keith,his wife Mendi, and Mendi's parents who had just retired and moved to NJ. It was fun catching up.

Where is the son? Why isn't he in the picture? Oh, yeah, he's the thoughtful one with the camera. He took this group shot of us.

God Help The Mister

Sunday night in NY we went to see a play about two sisters who loved each other very much, Celie and Nettie. We were fortunate to get our tickets for a night that Fantasia was still starring as Celie. It was wonderful.

Although my sisters and I live in the same zip code, we don't often have time to spend together. Life so ofter gets in the way. It felt good to be totally selfish and seize this time together for ourselves.

3 Chicks in the Big Apple

In August Mary, Joyce and I decided it was time for us to have a little fun. We had been through so much emotional upheaval in such a short time. I don't know if we had ever been anywhere together, alone, without others, in our lives.

We decided to take the 3Chicks Tour to NY. It was just the three of us. . . no husbands, children, not even girlfriends. It was going to be like it had been for us growing up. Our two oldest sisters were not with us physically, but they were forever on our minds.

The Circle of Life

We’re still reeling from the shock. It all happened so fast. On January 24 we discovered that my oldest sister, Lois, had lung cancer. It was pretty far along when it was discovered. The family did what we always do--we huddled together, girted our loins, and then proceeded to battle this unseen enemy. We were always one step behind. Cancer is so insidious. It spreads and you can't predict where it will go. We prayed, preached, read scriptures and hollered. We told Lois that "by his stripes" she would be healed. We were persuaded that disease does not come from God, but from the Devil. We tried to deny Satan. Was he stronger than our faith?

Joyce and I sat in the doctor's office with Lois as she received blow after blow. She stoically accepted the bad news with very few tears. What a strong woman? How could I have known her for so long and not known her courage?

She had to have been strong to have raised another woman's children. She was only twenty-two when our mother died and five years later our father died. She raised the last three siblings through her strength and courage. I had forgotten her determination to get me through high school and into college. It was her steel will that has kept our family together.

First Dr. Campbell, the pulmonary specialist told her that she had cancer and advised her to pray. We prayed. Then the oncologist told her that her cancer was already stage IV. We prayed more.

Next a second oncologist told her that the chemotherapy drug was too strong for her. She was already in a fragile condition. The only drug left for him to recoomend cost $3,152 per month. She looked at me and asked, "Should I?" My answer: "You have your life savings. This is what you have saved all your life for." She said, "Okay, write the check." The doctor said, first let us see if we can get the pharmaceutical company to underwrite some of the expense. She raised her tired, aching head that had been drooping and said, "I can't wait." She looked at me again and said, "Write the check." I did. I'm the baby sister I always obey.

She told the doctor she was so tired. She had not wanted to come to see him that day. She had wanted to send me. He told her that it was not necessary for her to come again. Next time she could call in her visit. He asked if we had considered Hospice. I asked him to explain what he meant my Hospice. He explained that it was caring for a patient at home at the end of life. Lois said she wanted to try the miracle drug first.

We waited for the miracle. As she took this miracle drug that cost $3,152 for a 30-day supply, we watched her. We thought it would be like putting water on a wilting plant. We wanted to see her skin plump again. We wanted to hear her laugher ring out again. We wanted to see color in her cheeks. The only color we saw was yellow. She was jaundiced. The cancer had spread to her liver.

Two days before her death she allowed us to put a diaper on her for the first time. Before she'd insisted that she could make it to the pot. At this point she must have been in great pain, but she allowed herself enough morphine only to get sleep at night. On her last day she allowed me to give her morphine at 5:00 p.m.

Not realizing how close she was to the end, we called Hospice and said we needed help. The nurse came, took one look at Lois in called in an urgent care nurse to spend the night. We were down to hours.

Lois peacefully passed away at home on May 9. She was in her beloved home, in her favorite bed with sun streaming through the windows. Joyce, the nurse, and I, along with my daughter and two church members, held hands in a circle around the bed. We sang old hymns, prayed and praised God. Lois quietly slipped away. No one knows exactly when she stopped breathing. She quietly and undramatically left this life. She really never liked to cause anyone too much trouble.

After at lifetime of hard work, she retired several years ago and was able to do exactly what she wanted to do. She deserved that after rearing her siblings after our parents died. Now she is with our family who preceeded her in death. She has peace, love, and rest.

We had a wonderful homegoing service for Lois. Jackie, my eighteen year old daughter hd written a poem for Lois ten years earlier. It was first recited at Lois' retirement party. Jackie recited it again at the funeral. She was amazed that Lois had saved the poem so long. She didn’t understand how sentimental women can be about things like that.

I hope you things are going well for each of you.

Happy Valentine’s Day !

As a romance writer, I celebrate love 365 days a year. With every book I write, every book signing, and every conversation with readers, I try to convey how important I believe love is in our lives. I try to tell the story about the love between black men and black women who are positive influences in their communities.

Woven throughout my romance novels is the importance of our culture and community. What better time to recognize the value of our love than during this month when we celebrate Black History? Except we don’t limit ourselves to just one month. That's another thing we do 365 days a year. We can't wait for a special occasion to celebrate who we are.

This month take the time to reflect on who we are as a people, what we have endured and overcome. I belive that the secret to our survival in this often hostile land is our great capacity to love deeply.

NOVELIST DEBUT IS A SWEET DESIRE
By: Janice Malone
Tennessee Tribune
Originally posted 3/30/2004

Author Christine Townsend has combined her writing talents with the love she has for her hometown here in Nashville. SWEET DESIRE, is the debut novel from this busy wife, mom and career woman. Ms. Townsend works as the executive director of the Nashville Business Incubation Center. But as she will later share, she somehow found time to create a new book that’s been rated 4 out of 5 stars by Romantic Times magazine.

The reviewers describe Sweet Desire as being fresh and original.

The storyline is about an African American woman, “Regina”, who is a successful country music songwriter.

The book’s hero, “Thomas’, is the head basketball coach at a fictional university that’s located near Fisk, MeHarry and T.S.U. The coach has dealt with many problems in his life and Regina helps him face and overcome many of his past issues.

But it’s all wrapped together in a tight love story. Christine says that she used country music as part of the storyline because she wanted to pay homage to the contributions African Americans have made to country music. But the book is not just about country music. It’s also about love and romance. “My book isn’t exactly traditional in any aspect however, it does offer readers a chance to find themselves wishing,” says Christine.

Sweet Desire is published by BET/Arabesque. More with author Christine Townsend as follows.

Read on:

QUESTION: SINCE YOU ALSO WORK FULL TIME, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?

CHRISTINE: “The initial writing took about 3 months. After I finished the synopsis, I sent it to a publisher then it took an additional 6 months for me to fine tune everything. I originally started on it in 2001. I didn’t have an agent. I just looked through this book called Writers Market, and found the right publisher to match with my book’s s style.”

QUESTION: THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT HERE WHO HAVE A DESIRE TO BECOME WRITERS.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING AND HOW DID YOU FIRST GET STARTED AS A WRITER?

CHRISTINE: “I’ve been writing most of my life, since I was in school. I’ve written poetry, short stories, Letters To the Editor of The Tennessean, just where ever I could but I haven’t written anything that I was paid for. I think it’s important for writers to always do some kind of writing all the time, whether you’re paid for it or not.”

QUESTION: I UNDERSTAND THAT THE LEADING FEMALE CHARACTER IN YOUR NOVEL WAS INSPIRED BY EMILY HARRIS, ONE OF THE LONG TIME SINGERS ON BOBBY JONES GOSPEL TELEVISION SHOW.

CHRISTINE: “That’s right. Emily is a relative. She’s my brother-in-law’s sister. Emily is such a terrific person.

She was delighted when I told her that she was the inspiration for the “Regina” character. Emily told me that she would like to sing on the soundtrack if the book should be turned into a movie.”

QUESTION: EXPLAIN HOW DO YOU MAKE THE TIME TO WRITE A NOVEL AND ALSO WORK A FULL TIME JOB?

CHRISTINE: “I make writing a priority each day, no matter what. I really enjoy writing. My children are now teenagers, so after dinner when the kids are doing their homework and my husband is watching tv, this is a quiet time at our house. I usually spend about 2 hours per night at the computer with my writing and more hours writing on the weekends. If you’re serious about becoming a writer, especially writing a book, you have to set priorities and make a writing schedule for yourself.”

QUESTION: YOUR NOVEL HAS A HEAVY FOCUS AROUND COUNTRY MUSIC. ARE YOU A BIG FAN OF COUNTRY MUSIC?

CHRISTINE: “Somewhat. I was a fan a few years ago of Dr. Cleve Francis, a black country singer who was trying to make his mark in country music. I also liked this country music style album Patti Austin did a few years ago. And I’m a fan of Frankie Staton, a black woman here in Nashville who has sung country music for many years. The reason that I chose country music to be a big part of my novel is because I had done some research and found that many novels didn’t really feature that genre of music as a backdrop. I think some African American Nashvillians sometime get a little embarrassed our country music heritage. And I think that’s unfair to the Blacks who have contributed so much to that style of music. My book makes note of the fact that Nashville was dubbed Music City USA when the Fisk Jubilee Singers traveled around the world to raise money for their school.”

QUESTION: WHAT’S BEEN THE REACTION OF YOUR CHILDREN TO YOUR BOOK?

CHRISTINE: “They’re nonchalant. To them, it’s just one of those things that momma does. They really can’t keep up with me. I seem to always have a project going. My daughter has gone to some of the book signings with me because she’s not old enough to stay home by herself.

My son is 18, so he’s got plenty of other things he’s involved in. But my daughter has been so surprised to see how many people are interested in my book at these book signings.

The book’s been out since February and I’ve done media interviews in the area, spoken at book clubs and so far, the book has been so well received.”

QUESTION: HOW DO YOU LIKE LIFE ON THE ROAD AS A WRITER?

CHRISTINE: “I’m really enjoying it.

Promoting the book is totally different than when I was writing it.

Writing is so solitary. But at book signings I have to be more open and come out of that solitary mode. But I like it that readers are enjoying my characters and my imagination of creating them. And I love discussing the book with them.”

QUESTION: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER IN YOUR BOOK?

CHRISTINE: “I would say the couple ‘Regina and Thomas.’ They’re both really good people. They’re the kind of people that I would like to get to know in real life. I’ve tried to show their flaws without painting them as perfect people. Thomas is a good man, and a great father. I didn’t pattern Thomas after anybody in particular. He’s sort of a compilation between my husband and other men that I respect.”

QUESTION: WHAT WAS YOUR HUSBAND’S REACTION TO THE BOOK WHEN HE FIRST READ THE FINAL DRAFT?

CHRISTINE: “He also loved the book, especially chapter 11 and the other more hotter chapters.”

QUESTION: CHAPTER 11 IS SOMEWHAT QUITE SEXY. WHAT’S BEEN YOUR CHURCH’S REACTION TO THE NOVEL?

CHRISTINE: “Initially, I didn’t tell my pastor about the book. (She attends Friendship Missionary Baptist Church pastor Jimmy Greer). I didn’t tell people from church at first because I didn’t know what their reaction would be. I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate for the Sunday school crowd. But several members from my church came to the book’s launch party. The pastor has announced my book signings from the pulpit. His wife and daughter have also read the book and they’ve all been very supportive of the project.”

QUESTION: YOU’VE HANDLED THE SEXUAL ASPECT OF THE BOOK VERY TASTEFULLY.

CHRISTINE: “I think that’s one reason that many Christian people have told me that they like the book and that’s because I have made sure that the passionate love scenes are only done with characters who are married. When I was writing the book, I made a pledge that I would try my best to keep sex inside of marriage in all of my books. I want to make sure my readers know that marriage is a gift from God and that the marriage bed should be undefiled, as the scripture states.

Chapter 11 in the book shows how passionate and loving this couple’s love life is after they're married.”

QUESTION: HAVE YOU HAD WOMEN TELL YOU THAT YOUR BOOK HELP SPICE UP THEIR LOVE LIFE WITH THEIR HUSBANDS?

CHRISTINE: “I received a letter from a lady who said that her husband was upset because she was spending so much time reading the book. She said that she enjoyed reading it so much until she couldn’t put it down. So I suggested to her that she should go back and read the steamier chapters out loud to her husband. She took my advice, wrote me back, saying that my suggestion worked because her husband now loves the book as much as she does. I’ve been married for over 20 years, so I’ve got a few pretty good ideas on keeping marriage happy.”

QUESTION: HAVE YOU STARTED ON YOUR NEXT BOOK?

CHRISTINE: “I have already finished my next book. It will be out in August. It’s another novel that’s called ‘Passion’s Promise.’ It’s also a very romantic novel. It’s a lot hotter than this book but once again all of the love scenes are between couples who are married.”

QUESTION: WHEN WILL THE NEXT BOOK SIGNING TAKE PLACE?

CHRISTINE: “The next book signing will be in Memphis on May 15th.

Later this month I’ll be in New York at the African American Romance Writers conference. In June I’ll do a signing in South Carolina and Elizabethton, TN. And then after school is out I’ll have some more book signings in St.Louis, Chattanooga and Greenville.”

Questions? Comments? Write Christine at http://www.ChristineTownsend.com.

Sweet Romance

While some people consider romance novels to be mere brain candy, I believe they have a very serious purpose in our lives. These emotionally charged stories feature extraordinary African American characters who live their lives in exemplary ways. Hopefully you recognize these characters or have known people like them.

Although my novels provide an entertaining escape from your daily toils, they are also based in reality. Any woman can imagine herself in a relationship with someone like Jet Stevens, the hero in Passion’s Promise and Love on Hold. He’s just that approachable. But it’s his willingness to become vulnerable in his pursuit of Cara that makes us care for him even more.

And who wasn’t infatuated with Thomas Simmons, the head basketball coach in Sweet Desire? We were attracted to his tenderness toward Regina and his playfulness with his sons. I believe it is for this reason that Sweet Desire received the Romantic Times critics award for Best First Multicultural Romance.

In all my stories, the men have a strong sense of integrity, confidence and passion. Few of the heroines are the typical females we associate with romance novels. They are independent, responsible career women.

My novels are not about people struggling for economic survival. If finance is the only issue, all the couple would need to do is work harder, win the lottery or receive an inheritance and their story would be over.

I write stories with conflicts that can’t be solved with money. Relationship issues—trust, commitment, love and lust. Interwoven throughout my stories are historical facts about our culture and contemporary community values.

If you enjoy my stories featuring positive images of African-Americans, please share them with your sisters, mothers, cousins, mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, sorority sisters, co-workers, neighbors, church members, classmates.

Be careful who you hang with

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. " Mark Twain (1835-1910)

This seems to be the season for writers. I encounter people everyday who say that they want to write a book. My response is always, "Great idea. Do it." I encourage everyone to do what they've always wanted to do. We never know who will be the next Mark Twain, Wiliam Faulkner, Langston Hughes, or Terry McMillan for that matter. Each of those authors has a different style, but each is great. Be open and excited. It is never too late. Tell your story.