I met this author on social media last year and we became
friends fast. She is such a pleasure to
know. I’m honored to feature Chicki Brown in this week’s Author Spotlight.
She has written several books and recently released book two
of the Stafford Brothers series.
With book number three of the Stafford Brothers scheduled to release in December 2014,
it’s not too late to get in on the beginning of this wonderful new series.
Till You Come Back To Me
Released: June 1, 2014
Excerpt:
The hospital staff
and their guests settled under a white canopy covering two tables laden with
bowls and platters. Nurse Okoro introduced their servers, three women from the
village dressed in colorful traditional clothing and head wraps. Dr. Ijalana
asked the women to serve the assistants first and instructed them to take turns
checking on the patients. Charles bowed his head and silently offered a prayer
over the food. Even though it smelled wonderful, most likely it contained
ingredients he would never have eaten. The facilitator at the briefing
mentioned the necessity of being careful not to insult the locals in any way,
and one of those ways was by refusing food they had prepared. When he raised
his head and opened his eyes, Nurse Okoro was studying him with a hint of a
smile.
The
new combined staff got to know each other while they ate. Charles took a few
minutes talking with the two local doctors and the other nurse before he
settled in the seat next to Nurse Okoro.
He
nodded toward his plate. “Can you tell me what all of this is?"
"We
asked the three best cooks in the village to prepare your first meal, and
requested they fixed only chicken and vegetable dishes." He listened
intently while she described the assortment of rice dishes, fruits, and
vegetables in detail.
"Thank
you. Everything is delicious. You have a British accent. You weren’t born here
in Nigeria?”
She
smiled and her cheeks rose like apples on her high cheekbones. “I was born
here, but my family moved to London when I was twelve, and we lived there until
I graduated from nursing school.”
“Why
did your family decide to return?”
“They
didn’t. My parents still live in London, but my brother and I always wanted to
come back.”
“That’s
interesting. I’ve recently moved away from my family too. Have you ever visited
the United States?”
“No,
but it’s on my bucket list.” She laughed and her obsidian eyes danced. “Is this
your first visit to our continent, Dr. Stafford?”
“Please,
call me Charles. Yes, it is, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of
Nigeria.”
“We
have our problems, but Nigeria also has its own unique beauty both in the
villages and in the cities. Are you staying in Lagos?”
As
she spoke, Charles admired the slant of her eyes and the tempting pout of her
full lips. “Yes, the organization put us up in apartments in Surelere.”
"Really?
That's not far from where I live. Are you satisfied with your
accommodations?"
"So
far. We only had time to unpack before the car arrived to bring us here."
Charles
tore his gaze from her face when Dr. Pategi said, “Doctor Stafford, you will
find our nurses to be invaluable to you,” he said with a wide smile. “Because
our funding and staffing are limited, Nurse Okoro and Nurse Bankole have often
had to handle patient care and perform procedures normally dealt with by
physicians. Likewise, our nursing assistants have stepped in to take care of
traditional nursing duties. We all pitch in whenever and wherever necessary.”
The
way Dr. Pategi suddenly interrupted him, Charles wondered if he’d been ogling
her. He gathered his senses and concentrated on her words rather than her face.
Available on ebook:
Available in Paperback:
CreateSpace
A Woman's Worth
Released: December 16, 2013
Excerpt:
Once she settled in the chair and smoothed her
dress, Gianne busied herself with reading the short printed program placed
above each water glass, which took all of five minutes. She closed her eyes and
willed herself to at least enjoy the meal. When she opened them, she looked
right into the watercolor gaze of the handsomest man she’d ever seen. And he
was staring directly at her.
Not knowing what else to do, Gianne offered him a
small smile, yet he just stood there appearing startled, which she didn’t
understand. Just to be certain she was the object of his attention, she turned
and glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone stood behind her. When she
looked back, her movement seemed to stir him.
“Please forgive me for staring,” he said in a
deep, rich tone that sent waves of warmth right to her core. “Have we met before?”
Although she tried, Gianne was unable to keep her
gaze from traveling the length of his tall body from those incredible eyes to
the long black hair that curled onto the wide shoulders of the designer suit
that fit his lean, yet well-built body perfectly.
“I don’t think so. You must be one of the
Stafford brothers.”
He moved closer and acknowledged the other two
guests at the table for the first time with a smile and a casual nod before he
extended his hand to her. “Marc Stafford. And you are?”
“Gianne Marvray.”
“Beautiful
name.Very fitting.” He smiled, and an air of sensuality surrounded him.
“I’m an elementary school media specialist, which
means I run the school library, buy books, show the children how to find
information on the computer, teach them how to create media presentations in
programs like PowerPoint and on sites like YouTube and Vevo. I also help the
teachers.”
“You’re a librarian?”
She laughed at his slack-jawed expression. “You
don’t have to say it like that. Most librarians are extremely capable,
well-educated and knowledgeable of what’s going on in society, but people rate
us a step above nuns on the sophistication meter.”
Now Marc laughed. “I’m sorry, but that is the general impression I get when I
think of the job. You are so…attractive and…stylish, and…” He appeared to be at
a loss for words, which did wonders for her recently battered self-esteem.
Available on ebook:
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Meet Chicki Brown
Shades of
Romance Magazine 2011 Author of the Year, Chicki Brown has published nine
novels and one novella, all of which have made different Kindle bestseller
lists. A voracious reader since she was a child, Chicki grew up reading everything she could get her hands on. Now she
concentrates on reading romance, women’s fiction and suspense. When she is not
writing or reading, Brown devotes her time to helping aspiring authors.
Mother of two and grandmother of five, Chicki was born and raised in New Jersey and now calls suburban Atlanta, Georgia home.
She can be found at any of the following sites:
Mother of two and grandmother of five, Chicki was born and raised in New Jersey and now calls suburban Atlanta, Georgia home.
She can be found at any of the following sites:
Blog:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Google+:
Pinterest:
Amazon Central Author Page:
Goodreads:
I love Adanna. She has a great heart. Happy writing, Chicki. Come out with Book 3 soon.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Stella