My 5-Star Review from SISTAHS ON THE SHELF

What a way to leap into 2012! The New Year arrived, and in the ever present flow of one season bowing to another, I completely forgot about the anticipation of receiving a Sistahs on the Shelf review. Then came a feather-soft nudge within, and I remembered, while opening my e-mail one afternoon. Magically, there it was!


My heart took wings, fluttered and beat a wild crescendo, leaving me sufficiently spun under shafts of January sun. I inhaled. Clutched my T-shirt and stared. What rating had my artistic baby girl brought home to her still-enraptured mother?


This is what followed...
Muchas gracias, La Diosa.






Rating: 5-STAR REVIEW


Following your heart is one thing; listening to spirits is divine in IF YOU LOVE ME, COME, the lovely novel by Claudia Moss.

Spirits are what led Freenonia Roberts to the Techwood Home projects one March night, nearly striking a boy named Mookie with her gray Mercedes, and sends her on a different path than she ever imagined. The owner of a thriving bookstore, Free’s life seemed enviable, with a small circle of friends and book club members, a doting mother and a head chef boyfriend. The night she meets Mookie’s sometime baby-sitter, Miz Too-Sweet, it begins a new relationship that only the spirits could align.

Seeing it as her personal mission, Free brings the Atlanta housing project an experience they wouldn’t forget, while Miz Too-Sweet spins life stories that provide the young woman, and, eventually, those around her, light in darkness. Free contends with whether she made the right decision to leave her boyfriend, J.T., even with his demanding ways. Rhonda, her baby sister, covets Free’s storied existence and doesn’t think her own is as fulfilling as a teacher, mother and wife. Sharmayne, Free’s best friend, leaves her dreadful marriage to Vince behind, shedding her closeted sexuality. Pinky, Mookie’s mother, attempts to find love through her three baby daddies, but nothing could cure the longing for the woman who abandoned her after childbirth.

All four women have crosses that seem too much to overcome. And all four discover, through spirits sometimes unknown, that love is the answer.

If You Love Me, Come is a beautiful book. I savored every page, where the story shifted from various points of view, as well as the Southern wisdom within its pages. It reminded me of one of my favorite books, Mama Day by Gloria Naylor.

Mostly though, I was enamored by the many examples it showed of what love truly is.

Reviewed January 2012


www.SistahsontheShelf.com

By SOTS, January 14, 2012, Contemporary Romance, Mature Lesbians, Self-Love, Straight Books with Lesbian Characters


IF YOU LOVE ME, COME is also available on Kindle for $0.99.

The Southwest Arts Center Book Fair 2011

I am scintillating to be a participating author in the Fulton County Arts & Culture's Southwest Arts Center's Book Fair 2011. The gala takes place in a few days, on Saturday, December 10th. The hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.


No, I've never had my work included in a Book Fair! With this one, authors had to mail or hand deliver their books to the center to be considered. I'd never have known about it had it not been for my beloved sista/poet/friend, Colette Paul, who insistently called and e-mailed me, enthusiastically seeking word of whether or not I'd read her e-mail heralding the glad tidings. I hadn't, editing blinders shading my vision. Hearing nothing, my networking mogul called the evening before the deadline and sweetly read me the riot act. So I desisted with the endless editing (of which I do entirely too much of, let my knee-baby sis tell it, considering I'm the only one stuck on perfection) and read the e-mail.


Yikes! I fast learned they'd be closing the author considerations in a few hours. Thanking her profusely, I set two alarms, clock and cell, something I rarely do, and got myself to bed. Invigorated a few hours later, I drove to New Hope Road off Cascade, lost for approximately 25 minutes, until I could turn myself around and calm down. I'd get there in due time...in one piece.


Thank goodness the day loomed sunny, uncluttered. A small, smiling gentleman greeted me at the glass doors of the center, warmly accepting my three offerings: my novel, "If You Love Me, Come" and the second and third books in my Wanda B. Wonders series, "Wanda B. Takes the Cake" and "Wanda B. Sings the Bailout Blues." I didn't have the first in the series, "Wanda B. Wonders Speaks Her Mind" on hand. My sister might have fainted if she'd known. "You should always have extra copies of your art for promotion/marketing purposes at all times" is her unerring motto.


Tickled, I didn't even offer a self-addressed, stamped mailer to have the books returned to me if they didn't make the cut-off. Most likely, in my mind, that option didn't exist.


Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to invite you to the Book Fair, if you are in the Atlanta area on December 10th. Uh huh, I will be grinning broader than any other author, just chatting and laughing, fluttering and soaring! Come out and give me a hug! And while you're present, buy a book or two, share it with a friend and make a mental note to share your thoughts with me. I'll be waiting...


Living a golden life,


TheGoldenGoddess

On Visiting D.C. for the Daughters of Isis Book Club Gala

What a blessing it is to travel!


Recently, sweet September winds blew me into one of my favorite cities: Washington, D.C. At the start of my journey, the weather was perfect for gazing out of a tiny Delta window to admire a stretch of cotton-candy clouds drifting lazily against crystal-clear skies. The novel on my lap struggled to maintain my flagging attention as the sweetness of the day, unapologetic, charmed me shamelessly. Pushing into my revelry, my seatmate cornered me with a bright-blue gaze and began chattering. Behind my half-interested smile, I wondered why it was forever my luck to attract the most loquacious seatmate on the flight, but her witty tales of her cats' exploits, complete with sound affects, weren't terribly boring, so I gave myself over to half listening and reading and admiring the Divine's handiwork.


Minutes before we touchdown in Baltimore, rain painted the sky a foreboding navy, and, walking out of the airport, I shivered as the breath of fall greeted me, trailing goosebumps along my arms under my light pink shawl. Brendolyn, my hostess and longtime, beloved Tuskegee Institute sisterfriend, one of the founding members of D.C.'s Daughters of Isis Book Club, had advised me to fly into Baltimore and take the train into the District. Considering she worked a few blocks from Union Station, I knew she'd retrieve me as soon as she got my text. That left the purchase of a Mark train ticket (as the Amtrak was $58) and I was off, enjoying a vibrant conversation with a lovely Delta flight attendant heading home. I passed her my cell phone to snap pictures of me on the train and at the station, our conversation popping from possible titles for my next book to her daughter's literary tastes to the valley between the price of our $6 train fare and the Amtrak fare to the beauty of shawls.

(Me on the Mark train)


At Union Station, we parted, hugging, and I winded my way to the street-level entrance to await Bren's call. Before it came, I considered retreating inside the belly of the station, the wet wind leaving me shivering yet excited about being in D.C. again.


Bren and her jovial hubby, Mike, are a lively, artsy and fun-loving twosome. Visiting them is the equivalent of a resort vacation! There is always an exciting activity somewhere on the visit's itinerary. This time it was The Ivy Foundation in association with Bren's AKA sorority presenting its "Crab and Pearls: Treasures of the Sea 2011 Crab Feast." Never having pledged at Tuskegee, I savored the line of dancing AKA's, pretty in uniform black with the characteristic splashes of pink and green, the scrumptious buffet, the get up and shake your groove thang music and the unbeatable company around my dinner table.

(At the Crab and Pearls Gala)


For much of my visit, though, I relaxed and enjoyed several books being that the writing of my own books didn't leave much time for my personal reading, a simple pastime I adore.


On the day of the Daughters of Isis Book Club gathering at Bren's cozy, three-story home, she spent a sizable portion of the morning preparing a meal--I was to learn later--that replicated the meal served at one of the book club meetings in my novel, "If You Love Me, Come." And I never recognized it, not even as she put me to slicing and dicing vegetables and fruits to compliment some of the dishes, the meal so incredibly delicious!

When the gala began and I found myself seated before the eager-eyed, smiling members, I was filled with exhilaration. The exchange sent embers of sisterly camaraderie, enthusiasm for the story, insight into the characters and their motivations and input from each Daughter that shed a special light on the give-and- take of our electric conversation! I loved every moment. They proffered marketing tips and suggested ideas for connecting with sisters in England. Many commended me on the theme of motivating women to honor their voices. Their questions pithy, thoughtful, the women represented the different walks of life, some having once lived in England and Jamaica, some retired, two members a mother-and-daughter team, all expressly unique and articulate.

(I am animated when I share with others!)


Breaking bread with them later was as exciting as engaging them in conversation. Most had traveled the world, spicing the dinner conversation with delectable snippets proving as appetizing as the repast. I missed them, even while they gathered their wraps and hugged me, whispering how much they enjoyed me and my enthusiasm and wishing me well on my literary journey. I shall long cherish the emotions cloaking my heart that day, emotions for life, my art, our exchange, women coming together to read and share and inspire one another, all of it filling me with a soul-stirring joy!

(My sisterfriend Brena and I pose for Mike's camera!)



Living a golden life....

The Golden Goddess

Passion Lived in Nzinga's Fortress

Chapter 21


Sharmayne’s hair got so it knew the gentle touch of Nzinga’s fingers better
than it knew her own. Since the afternoon Nzinga had driven to Sharmayne’s house
and whisked her off in a white Camry to her fortress, Sharmayne’s hair and
Nzinga’s fingers had become lovers, like the women themselves.

“Didn’t know what you preferred for brunch,” Nzinga said, setting a feast of a
repast on the freshly wiped white gazebo table in her fenced-in North Highland
backyard, a wilderness of magnolia trees, lush grass, and spray of bees and flowers.

“Thus, I’ve prepared a sampling of tastes for your palate’s pleasure.”

Sharmayne’s mouth watered, savory smells whetting her appetite.
There were waffles, vegetable omelets, fresh fruit, pancakes, maple syrup,
hash browns, bacon, sausages and even a dainty pot of brewing chamomile tea.

“You shouldn’t have.” Sharmayne was outdone. And to think, they’d only
known one another for less than a month, via telephone; yet in spite of that, Nzinga
had unrolled the red carpet, a thing Victor Naylor had never done, would never do.
She flushed, hands fluttering to her lips. “I’m overwhelmed. I feel so honored.”

Nzinga sat on a sun-warmed seat across from the diminutive woman and
smiled.

“That so. Before you dole too many accolades, taste a mouthful, and if it’s
yummy, I promise I’m yours for the heaping on of more praise.” She speared a
forkful of a fat omelet and brought it to Sharmayne’s mouth, waving it slightly to
release whiffs of its wafting heat.

Sharmayne parted her lips. Its flavor, like the aphrodisiac of Nzinga feeding
her, ricocheted inside her mouth, snapping her thighs together under the round
table.

The movement not lost on Nzinga, she unfolded a cloth napkin, fanned an
insect, and dabbed at the corners of Sharmayne’s lips. “Good?”

Sharmayne finished chewing, nodding her appreciation and amazement.

“Speechless, huh? That’s a good thing.” Nzinga tapped slender dark fingers
when they reached for silverware beside a mirror-clean plate. “What of the
waffles?”

“Oooh goodness! Fabulous and filled with blueberries.” Sharmayne licked her
lips. “They make me want to shout. To teach Women’s Studies, must one know
one’s way around a kitchen?” She opened her mouth and accepted a bubbly brown,
juicy sausage. The taste beat a drum roll in her stomach.

Next, Nzinga waited with a love offering of buttery, syrupy pancakes. “To
love a woman is to be open to learning what stimulates her appetite.”

Sharmayne’s moistened lips agreed, her insides singing, mouth baby-bird
wide. With a low, delirious sigh, she licked butter trickling towards her chin. And
moaned.

“I could eat your cooking all day, every day.” A darting tongue swept her lips.

“Do that again.”

“What?” Sharmayne played ignorant, knowing full well what Nzinga
referenced.

“Lick your lips. That simple act rivals all of your generous compliments.”

Nzinga leaned in close to better watch Sharmayne’s pink tongue gloss those
dark, berry-sweet lips from across the table, the mouth playful, her lashes batting
under half-mask lids. Didn’t admit that she, too, could eat all day and night, equally as ravenously. But she put no stock in telling, preferring instead to show the lovely lady, sooner than later. Right now, feeding her satisfied a long dry well-spring of passion she hadn’t felt in ages, until now; the inclination to inhale another woman mentally, physically, and spiritually, not just smooch her, feel her up and wield her dick, overwhelming.

When Sharmayne had eaten to her stomach’s content, she sat back and stared
at Nzinga, concerned she hadn’t touched a morsel of the delicious spread since
lowering the fork.

But Nzinga surprised her by half standing to kiss traces of crumbs from Sharmayne’s mouth.






AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON KINDLE in the U.S. and worldwide! Download your copy, and discover what comes of Sharmayne and Nzinga's blooming attraction! Get it for only $0.99.

TheGoldenGoddess
June 16, 2011

The IF YOU LOVE ME, COME Book Release Party...

My first book release party took place for the release of my second novel! Be that as it may, I was elated to experience the festive, transformative occasion. Energy charged through my limbs, my body, my core in a cleansing and intoxicating rush. I might have been flying if my feet weren't safely encased in strappy, sparkling sandals! To stand before a captive audience and speak, read or entertain is one of the endeavors of my life that fills me with an unspeakable joy, a virtually indescribable bliss! It is as though I become another person. Truth be told, I become an actress, performing each part in the story.

Captured on the lens of my friend Gina Parks' serious camera, one can "see" enough to "feel" whatever was coursing through my mind and being filtered back at my silent and, I hope, enraptured audience! I couldn't have prayed for a more adept camerawoman. Gina immortalized the audience, their interactions with me and the flavors and spectrum of emotions inside Little Five Points' Charis Books & More on the eve of April 29, 2011.





I love sitting before an audience to read, though I cannot sit long. Somewhere in the midst of the reading, I will spring to my feet, and the story pops and sizzles on another level! What, I imagine, could be better? Perhaps, writing, when the story is flowing and all time belongs to me. Yes, perhaps that would be better by a few degrees. Same as I adore the sensation and weight of a book in my palms, I cherish the beauty in the sound of the human voice, its lilt and timbre, the modulation of the flow of words, the dramatic pauses and the theatrical floodgates---it's all music of a sort! The symphony of its composition is enough, if done to perfection, enough to leave you entwined with the molecules of your seat, lost in mid-air, struggling to find your way back to the solidity of the activity around you! I know! I have been regaled by awe-inspiring readers, and I know when I have serenaded listeners with the magic-wand tap of a riveting story. Reading is pure magic. Unadulterated and true. Every time I reflect on that magic for any length of time, I thank Spirit for my Reading Mother, Clementine Young Moss.





This is Miss Gina F. Parks, my beloved photographer sistahfriend. And yes, the "F" is for FABULOUS! The bulk of the pictures I shall upload to a new Facebook album, as they didn't upload well here in numbers. So if you haven't a Facebook account, get one! It's the latest, greatest thing to have in our Internet world. Anyway, Gina is an artist of a plethora of talents: her cooking is magical, edible art; she creates some of the BEST slide show presentations you will ever experience; her organizing/managerial skills are legendary; she is impeccable with money and figures; and she is unconquered in Monopoly!





This is Miss Crystal! Isn't she lovely? I feel like singing that Stevie Wonder song to better explicate what I mean! A sweeter personality is hard to find when she is near. She and the beautiful Alicia Brown attended my book signing. Yes, they are my former students, excellent ones, I might add. Seeing them smiling up at me from the audience added 20 inches to my stature!





My family accompanied me to the bookish festivity. My only son, the handsome Avery M. Sarden II, and his lovely lady, Shanice Smith. The gentleman in the green shirt is my beloved, remarkable sistahfriend pretty in pink, JazzthePoet's, eldest son, Rashad Wise. My stunning cover model Meka beamed that unforgettable smile and captured hearts! And then there was Miss Tonya, a gorgeous longtime friend of mine and Gina's!


What an enchanting evening that was! Everything about it from beginning to end was GOLDEN! To name all of the souls who made my evening with their presence would topple short of the extraordinary occasion it was if I should omit one, precious name. Therefore, my sincere, unwavering appreciation remains with everyone who attended! You know who you are! I will forever adore you!


I was grateful I took the time to prepare homemade, whole-wheat cookies for the audience! Presented door prizes...made possible by Las Vegas author, Imani True, a cherished writer friend. All adoration and respect to Sharlise Lowe of GraphicsBysax for the amazing job she did with the novel's cover! Sincere love and appreciation for my knee-baby sister, Glenda for designing my red T-shirt with the glittering letters of my novel, IF YOU LOVE ME, COME on the front! (And to think she did it in under an hour, considering I was rushing her with a cat-o-nine tails!) Oh, I was truly beholden to Nazir and Laila Amor Sarden for not turning the party out, as they may have been prone to do had I spoken a tad bit longer!


The book in praise is IF YOU LOVE ME, COME, my second novel! It can be ordered on my author website at www.ClaudiaMoss.net or ordered on KINDLE from www.Amazon.com. I plan to make it available soon on BarnesandNoble, Books-a-Million and Borders.


Looking forward to many more book releases.


Living the Golden Life,
THE GOLDEN GODDESS


www.ClaudiaMoss.net
IF YOU LOVE ME, COME: a novel

July Gems...Getting Ready for THE COVER...

Next week is the middle of July, and I'm standing in the middle of the month marveling at how fabulously fast time passes. This month, my mind and calendar are set on finishing the final edits of my second novel manuscript, IF YOU LOVE ME, COME! Yes, that's right! I said it, and I mean it, even after 10+ years.

One thing us writers must learn to do is let the baby go...release it into the world knowing that you've done your absolute best and believing that it will return to you heaped with blessings!

As I was editing the work today, for the umpteenth time, I fell in love with the story all over again. The characters yet moved me, the writing still engaging and charismatic. But if my knee-baby sis, Glenda, Miz Know-It-All, had her way, she'd be screaming at the top of her lungs, "You should have let that book go years ago! Learn as you go! I'd be working on my 15th book by now, like E. Lynn Harris, had he been here!" She has a point, I know!

Maybe it's the former teacher in me. I want my literary baby to be the absolute BEST that she can be, before I swirl her out debutante-fashion to bookshelves around the country.

I've decided to go with Country Press. A fellow writer friend suggested them, I did the research, and they won out! My excitement could fuel a roundtrip sojourn to Venus about now. It seems all my life I've been waiting for this ONE moment, not that I haven't published before. This time, everything is different! I'm grown now. Like Shug Avery in the church, exclaiming, "I'se married now, Daddy!"

The paradise of a picture at the top of the blog is from my foray into Lake Allatoona this summer. It reminds me of where I stand, of my vantage point. I can see only the next 100 feet, yet I am confident the Divine paves a road before me, miraculously, and my destination will be wondrously ventured. I intend to be photographed by the Lovely Lady Photographer Toni Hughes sometime SOON! And identical to Oprah, I intend to be on the cover of all my books---from the Wanda B. collections to the novel. Holaaaaa?

Yep! You got it! Es verdad! I'll be posting the pictures that make the cut here and on Facebook to determine what you feel about which ones should be used.

Prayerfully those July Gems should be ready for posting before July 31, as I am on a mission!

Stay tuned! I'll be posting a teaser of a short story in parts, to keep you near and beckon more readers. And whatever you do, please remember, your comments are greatly appreciated, so leave what you will, AMADOS!!!