Blessings of Purpose, A Novel – Chapter 7

Blogged by:  Lia Braxton (Conrad), Nigel Braxton, and Dionne McAuthur

Lia:  Welcome back to the Hang Suite!  Let’s get right into chapter 7.  Nigel and I have a special guest with us today.  She makes her debut appearance in this chapter and boy, she does it well.  Mrs. Dionne McAuthur, welcome to the Hang Suite.

Dionne:  Thank you.  It’s good to see you Lia, and Nigel.

Nigel:  Nice to see you too, Dionne.  It’s been a long time.

Lia:  Yeah, it’s been a while.  How are you doing?

Dionne:  I’m wonderful.  Sam and I are still residing in L.A. and I’m in the process of getting back into my acting.  So, Nigel, keep me in mind for future projects.

Lia:  Well you know Nigel, is producing Christian films now. 

Dionne:  Yeah, I know.  What are you trying to imply?  I keep my options open to all types of films—if the price is right.

Lia:  I’m not trying to ‘imply’ anything.  I just didn’t think you would be interested in those roles.  But how could I forget your love of money. 

Dionne:  Well, this book is “Christian” fiction and I’m a part of it.  The money…I’m not even goin’ there with you—

Nigel:  Alright, ladies.  Y’all have enough confrontation in the book.  Let’s get through this chapter cordially, okay?    

Lia:  Well for those who are reading or have read the book, you’ll know that I may have been the “Leading Lady”, but Dionne was the “Diva”.  I’ve never known someone for such a short period of time, yet have such a strong history with them.  You are definitely an unforgettable character in this book. 

Dionne:  Yeah, I tend to have that affect on people.

Lia:  Anyway, before Mrs. Dionne comes on the scene in this chapter, Nigel and I enjoyed my first day in L.A. together.  The more I learned about him, the more space he filled in my heart.  Finally, I am introduced to two of his friends; that would be Dionne and her husband, Sam.

Dionne:  Yes, Sam couldn’t make it, but he sends his love.  Business as usual.

Lia:  This chapter really gives me a sample of what L.A. living is like.  Richmond didn’t compare and by the end of the chapter I was really enjoying myself, despite a few awkward moments.

Dionne:  Well I’m glad I didn’t ruin your trip, Lia.

Lia:  Oh, no I wasn’t going to give you that pleasure. 

Dionne:  Speaking of ‘pleasure’, I bet you can’t wait to tell everyone what’s gonna happen in chapter 8.

Lia:  No, I bet you can’t wait, but we’re going to end here today.  I’m curious to know what the reader’s think about you, Dionne McAuthur.  Whether they’ve read the book or just read this blog, I’m sure they have many words to describe you.

Dionne:  That’s fine.  I don’t hold grudges—like some people. 

Nigel:  Okay, I’m going to wrap this up, quickly.  Everyone drop us some comments and we’ll see you next week…

Blogged by:  Lia Braxton (Conrad) and Nigel Braxton

Lia:  Welcome back to the Hang Suite!  We’re moving right along into chapter 6.  You know what Nigel, even though we’re happily married today, when I read this chapter I still ask myself “What was I thinking?”  You must have put some Voodoo or something on me J

Nigel:  Why does it have to be all that?  Things were going fine between us and this was just another opportunity to get to know one another better. 

Lia:  Yeah, but sometimes when you let your emotions lead the way you can get in trouble, as we find out a couple of chapters later.  Anyway, despite all of my qualms, I really was excited to be in L.A.    In this chapter you really made a good impression on me.  Too good, to be true I kept telling myself back then. 

Nigel:  You know, I’ll be glad when we get through these chapters because I had no idea you were feeling so confused about me.  Your actions seemed to be in sync with mine, but in the back of your mind you were waiting for me to do something wrong.  Wow, that’s a little disappointing. 

Lia:  No, I wasn’t necessarily looking for you to do something wrong.  I just wanted to be sure I was doing something right.  If I thought that bad about you I wouldn’t have came L.A.

Nigel:  Sure, I hear you now, but it sounds like at the time I was on cloud nine alone.

Lia:  Oh no, you weren’t and that’s what scared me.  I wanted to trust that God was taking me to another level in my life, but it was hard to believe that it was happening so fast and so good.  Anyway, things do get better, so come back and join us in chapter 7.  You’ll be in for a treat with the next cast member you meet.

Blogged by:  Lia Braxton (Conrad) and Nigel Braxton

Lia:  Welcome back to the “Hang Suite”!  Today, we are reviewing chapter 5, which starts off with me returning to work as a high school counselor and trying to get back in the swing of things after the summer break.  I know some folks have a hard time jumping their work gears after a week of vacation, so you can imagine how I felt being away from work for over 2 months. 

Anyway, in this chapter Nigel is really laying it on thick, despite being hundreds of miles across country.  He makes me an offer that some women would find hard to refuse, but I was struggling with my decision. 

Nigel:  I don’t really see what the problem was.  It was just an opportunity for us to get to know one another better and I was definitely missing you.

Lia:  I missed you too, but things seemed to be moving so fast.  It was hard for me to get back into relationship mode, since it had been a long time since my last one.  Anyway, I finally make a decision and now I want to ask the readers in the Hang Suite…do they think I made the right choice?  Marinate on that question for a minute and leave your comments below. 

Nigel:  I don’t discount how you were feeling, but it will be interesting to see how many people think you were being just a little too cautious.

Lia:  In the world today, as a single woman, you can never be “too cautious”.  Let’s just see what our readers think about my decision.  We’ll end here and look forward to getting some good feedback to talk about next time.

Be Blessed!

Blogged by:  Lia Braxton (Conrad), Nigel Braxton, Chanelle Edwards, and Crystal Miller

Lia:  Hi everyone and welcome back!  Last week’s blog was quick because Chapter 3 was short.  Now, in Chapter 4 Alicia must have decided to make up for lost time.  There’s quite a few things going on in this chapter and I have some of the cast members with me.  You’ve been introduced to the sister I’ve never had, Chanelle and my wonderful husband, Nigel.  This week Nigel’s cousin, Crystal joins us.  Welcome, Crystal!

Crystal:  Hello everyone…here and out in cyberspace J

Lia:  Before we get into your role in this chapter let’s start from beginning.  In Chapter 3 Nigel and I had our first date, which left my emotions all over the place.  And guess what?  They don’t get any better in Chapter 4.  We have a couple more encounters before you [Nigel] leave to go back to California.  The seed is planted for our relationship and now the reader comes along for the ride to see how the blooms unfold.

Nigel:  You keep talking about how ‘emotional’ you were, but you seemed fine to me.

Lia:  I’m a good actress.  It comes natural for most of us ladies, especially when we first meet someone.  Right, ladies?

Nigel:  An act…so that’s what you call it?  I’ll keep that in mind for any upcoming movies I have, because you deserve an Oscar if you were acting.

Chanelle:  So you were ‘Mr. Cool’ those first couple of times you two were around each other?

Nigel:  Yeah, I was fine.  It was nice to finally meet someone genuine, since in L.A. there are a lot of ‘actresses’.  Now that Lia has let me in on her secret I feel a little deceived.

Lia:  Oh please!  I had to feel you out before I let my guard down, that’s all.

Nigel:  You mean take off the mask J

Chanelle:  Well, I knew that day you left, Nigel, that the guard was down.  I talked to her…

Nigel:  Oh really?  What did you two talk about?

Lia:  Nothing.  It wasn’t anything really to talk about. 

Nigel:  I’ll get with you off the record on that.

Lia:  Anyway, let’s move on. Ms. Crystal let’s talk about your role in Chapter 4.  I thought this point in the book would be good to introduce you since you really start gettin’ in my business.  Notice I said ‘start’ because you keep it coming throughout the book.  Why was it so important to you that Nigel and I get together?

Crystal:  Well, since you had been leading the youth ministry we became close and I looked up to you as a big sister.   With Nigel being my cousin, I knew that if y’all got together you would truly be a part of my family.

Lia:  Awww…that’s so sweet Crystal.

Nigel:  Yeah, yeah, yeah, just admit you’re nosey, Crystal.  She doesn’t like miss out on nothing.

Crystal:  No, Lia knows that I really love her.  In this chapter I approach her for advice on a situation I was dealing with.  She was the closest thing I had to a big sister.

Nigel:  So what if we wouldn’t have hit it off, then what?

Crystal:  I would have told Mama to find another relative to set her up with J

Chanelle:  (LOL) That’s a good one!

Lia:  (LOL) You loved me that much, huh, Crystal?  Girl, you are a mess!

Nigel:  I don’t see what’s so funny.

Lia:  Awww… baby don’t get upset.  You didn’t let me get away.  Thank God for email and text messaging.  Well, to sum up Chapter 4, Nigel leaves a good impression before he leaves Richmond and heads home to L.A.  He has it all set up for his next move in Chapter 5.  I may have let my guard down too early…what do y’all think?  (Leave your comments).

That’s it until time.  Nigel will be here, of course, and I think one new cast member may stop by, but I won’t say who.  Crystal and Chanelle, I guess we won’t see you two for a few weeks, unless you decided to make a surprise visit.

Crystal:  You’ll just have to wait and see J

Chanelle:   I’m going vacation—hint, hint.

Lia:  (LOL) I like that…a good way to lead until Chapter 5.   Don’t you go too far, Chanelle.  Chapter 9 will be here before you know it.

Thanks everyone for stopping by the BOP Hang Suite and if you’ve been hanging out with us since the beginning, PLEASE, take one more minute to leave a comment.  Just your name and what state you’re representing would be fine.  We want to know that someone, besides us, is enjoying this ‘tour’.  We have 23 more chapters to go, but time flies when you’re having fun. 

See ya later!

Lia:  Hi everyone and welcome back!  Today you’ll hang out with just Nigel and me for Chapter 3.   The spotlight is on us in this chapter.

Nigel:  What’s up bloggers?!  Is L.A. in the house??

Lia:  All right, enough of the ‘shout outs’.  It’s blog, not a concert, baby J.  Now, let’s talk about Chapter 3.  “Short and Sweet” are the three words that sum up Chapter 3.  I know it’s a cliché, but this chapter is only about four pages long and sweet in the sense that it gives you front row seats to me and Nigel’s first date.  If you’ve read the book or at least Chapter 2 you’ll know how I felt about this date before, during, and after it happened.  At each phase, my emotions were different.  So honey, what do you think about our date in chapter 3?

Nigel:  I was feelin’ it— and you too J.  Seriously, there was just something special about you and I definitely wanted to find out what it was.  I’m glad the physical distance between us didn’t keep us from becoming closer.  Here we are today…

Lia:  Yes, I eventually get myself together, but in this chapter my emotions are just all over the place.  I’m glad you were patient with me J.  I think a lot of females can relate to having scattered feelings when you first meet a guy.  Especially, if you have a past of choosing the wrong guy to give your heart to.  First dates can be so awkward—on one hand you’re trying to bring your “A” game to impress him and on the other you’re trying not to be too impressed with him…it’s a catch 22.  You have your guards up, so that your feelings will stay behind the gate around your heart. I understand ladies; it’s hard to tell when it’s okay to open up.  But guess what?  Prayer does work!  Just make sure you have your ears and mind open for when God answers.

Well, y’all as I mentioned before Chapter 3 was short, so guess what?  This blog is too.  That’s it for this week.  Remember if you have any questions or comments as we go along be sure to leave them in the comment box below.  That way they can be addressed in the upcoming blog.  No questions…then just drop us a few lines to let us know that you’ve been here or what you think about this blog so far.  Later this week, we’ll be covering Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7.  Be sure to come back and join us in the Hang Suite.

Be Blessed!

Blogged by:  Lia Braxton (Conrad), Chanelle Edwards, Rita Miller, and Nigel Braxton

Lia:  Welcome back!  I tell you, this blog is really giving me something to look forward to.  Great idea, Alicia!  Today, I have some special guests with me.  With the exception of Rita from Chapter 1, these other two characters are introduced in Chapter 2.  My mother, Elaine, is not here with us today, but hopefully she’ll join us in later blogs. 

Now, let me introduce you to one of the virtuous women I know…I mean, this lady can cook, clean, and still strut in her 3-inch stilettos.  Seriously, because of Mrs. Rita Miller, I was enlightened and my life started to change in Chapter 2.  Welcome to the “Hang Suite”, Rita.

Rita:  Thank you, baby.  Lord, I don’t know how I let y’all talk me into this blog stuff.  I don’t even know what a “blog” is.

Lia:  Don’t worry, you’ll be okay.  If you can talk and type, you can blog.

Rita:  I don’t know about all that, but we’ll see…

Lia:  Now, the next person I want to introduce is another special lady in my life.  My right hand woman and play sister, Chanelle Edwards.

Chanelle:  Girl, you are so crazy!  Hello everyone!

Lia:  Last but not least, what would a “Leading Lady” be without her “Leading Man”?  And what a handsome smile he has.  Welcome the love of my life (though I didn’t know it in Chapter 2), Nigel Braxton.

Nigel:  Thank you, baby and I love you too!

Chanelle:  Oh God, don’t y’all start all that.  We haven’t even got to that part in the book.

Nigel:  She’s just hatin’ on us, baby.

Lia:  That’s okay, we love her anyway.  Now, let’s get back focused on the task at hand…a peek into Chapter 2.  Well, I’m not going to bore our audience with an interview type of structure.  I’ll just start off telling a little about what goes in Chapter 2 and my guests can jump in as they like.

Rita:  Good, I’ll just sit here and nod in agreement with everything you type.

Lia:  Oh no, you won’t get off that easy.  I’ll throw some questions at you, if I have to.

Okay…Chapter 2.  This was a big day for me, thanks to Rita. 

Chanelle:  Yes, you were a ball of nerves.

Lia:  Yeah, you’re right.  The fear of the ‘unknown’ will do that to you. 

Nigel:  You didn’t seem like you were nervous about meeting me.  I was the one nervous, especially after I saw you; a vision of natural beauty.

Lia:  Aww, thank you, baby.

Chanelle:  There y’all go again—mushy, mushy.    

Rita:  It’s called ‘love’, Chanelle.  I don’t have anymore nephews, but Aunt Rita is going to look out for you too.  Shoot if Nigel wasn’t my nephew and I was 25 years younger I would have scooped him up for myself!

Chanelle:  I don’t know if I want anymore ‘hookups’.  We all know how that goes later in the book.

Rita:  We sure do and let’s not go there right now.  Actually, I would prefer we not go there at all.

Lia:  Yeah, it’s a lot of things I wish would we could skip over in this book, but we made a commitment to Alicia to help spread the word.  Luckily, we don’t have to go into too much detail. 

Anyway, back to Chapter 2.  To me, this chapter focused a lot on family.  Here the reader is brought into a variety of interactions between family members, which sets the stage for tests that these relationships go through in later chapters.  My mother, Elaine, makes her first appearance in this chapter and the reader gets some insight on our relationship as well.  On the note of relationships, I will add that my introduction to Nigel was not the typical “boy meets girl”, “love at first sight” encounter.

Nigel:  Oh, it wasn’t? 

Rita:  It wasn’t?

Lia:  God, don’t y’all jump on me!  That love at first sight stuff happens in the movies, but not in this book.  Now, I’m truly, nose wide open, head over heels in love.  After what happens in the later chapters, I must be. 

Chanelle:  Amen, to that!

Lia:  Before we end this blog, I want to take a poll.  Now that the readers know a little about how I felt about meeting Nigel, I would like to know what they think.  To the readers out there, what was your first impression of Mr. Nigel Braxton after reading Chapter 2?  Seems like a sincerely, nice guy?  Or too good to be true?  Please leave your responses below in the comment box.

Nigel:  Why are you putting me on the spot like that?

Lia:  I know you’re dying to read all the wonderful things the readers will say about you. 

Nigel:  All right, y’all don’t make me look bad.

Rita:  Nigel, baby, you have nothing to worry about.  You came into Chapter 2 and represented well.  You made me proud. 

Lia:  Gosh Rita, are you sure Nigel is your ‘nephew’ and not your son?  Look at him blushing.

Rita:  I’m sorry, I have to give him credit for all that he has accomplished.  His life could have taken a totally different route.  You know what he dealt with as a child, but I’ll let the readers find out on their own.

Lia:  Look at you—you have caught on real quick with the blogging.  Well, I think this will be a good point to end, unless anyone has more to add.

Chanelle:  I just want to say this blogging is a cool idea.  I enjoyed being a part of Lia’s story in Blessings of Purpose and encourage people to read it.  Not just because she’s my dear friend, but the spiritual messages are powerful.  At the very least, you will be entertained by all of the drama that is yet to come.

Nigel:  Yeah, we definitely hit some rocky spots along the way.  I’m talking boulders, not pebbles.

Lia:  I know that’s right!  On that note, make sure you continue to join us in the Hang Suite.  My story gets better, but unfortunately, it gets worse first.  If you’re currently reading the book, feel free to read ahead if you can’t stand the suspense.

Until then, God bless!  Don’t forget to tell us what you think about the ‘Leading Man’, Nigel.  Put him on blast! J

Welcome back! Judging from the comment section of yesterday’s blog, it appears that no one had ‘checked in’ to The Suite yet. I’ll just assume that some “lurkers” are out there and I’m not here all alone

Anyway, let’s jump right into Chapter 1. Before we do, just to give you a little idea of where I am today, I’m still a SAHW (Stay At Home Wife). However, while Nigel is busy (for Christ) with his film career, I do volunteer with a women and children shelter in my community a few days a week. It’s a good opportunity for me to minister and encourage women who would, otherwise, feel hopeless. Some of the women have children, but most of them are preschool or elementary school age. There are a few teens that stay at the shelter at their mother’s side, but the majority has fallen prey to the streets. They resent their parents for the circumstances they are living under and feel they can do better on their own. It’s a sad situation.

Now in Chapter 1 of the novel, this is where you meet “my girls” who were a part of the youth ministry at my home church. What an entertaining bunch! I looked forward to getting together with the girls every week. It was like having eight little sisters—never a dull moment. Personalities may have clashed, but at the end of the night we were one happy family again. From time to time, I hear from Monica and Kenya, who are doing well. Crystal is family now so, of course, we talk on a regular basis. She’ll be making a stop here, at The Suite, real soon.

Mentoring to the girls gave me the opportunity to change my childhood tragedies into testimony. They received me well not only because I spoke from experience, but I didn’t preach to them. We talked and discussed how things in their lives related to the Bible. This made it easy for them to understand and they appreciated it. At that point in my life, I felt like I had finally found real purpose. Before, I had accepted Jesus as my Savior, but it took years before I actually surrendered to His will.

On a more personal note, after a long day working with the youth, it would have been nice to go home on a Friday night and have someone to unwind with. We could share our events of the day and make plans for the weekend. However, I wasn’t one to go out and hunt for a man. Most of my time was occupied and I believed that when God was ready, He would send a mate to me. I was content in the place where God had put me at that point in my life. It’s “he” that finds a virtuous woman and a good thing, right? Well, by the end of Chapter 1, it was obvious Rita Miller, Crystal’s mother, was planning to give God a little help in my ‘love’ life.

Well, that’s all for now. Tune in tomorrow to see what was on Rita’s agenda in Chapter 2. I believe she will be stopping by and bringing a very special guest along

TTYL,
Lia

PS. Remember, at any point during these blogs you want to comment or ask questions please do so. The cast (or author) will do our best to respond, if necessary, in the upcoming blog.

Welcome everyone to the Blessings of Purpose Hang Suite! I’m Lia Braxton (Conrad), the “Leading Lady” (wow, I like the sound of that) from the novel written by Alicia Hill Jones. After the book was published, I began enjoying a, much needed, vacation. However, it was cut short when Alicia called me back to host this “sneak peek” into the novel. Apparently, many of you have not read Blessings of Purpose and I guess she figured I could intrigue you with my commentary, but once you read the first chapter or even the first page of the book, you’ll be hooked! On the other hand, maybe you’ve already read the book and just didn’t want it to end. Well, whichever your case may be, this is the place for you to be! Other characters will be joining us along the way so, get ready for 7-weeks of fun, laughs, and thought provoking dialogue.

Now, where do I begin…oh yes, the “Prologue”. I was hoping never (well not this soon, anyway) to re-live that 1 ½ years of my life that was captured in the novel’s 267 pages. Since I’m grateful daily to be a living testimony of God’s grace and mercy, it would be selfish of me not to share my story. Alicia believes it will enlighten and encourage many people—it was her inspiration for writing the book. I hope you will be inspired by my story as well.

The first section of the book begins with some of my background as a teenager. This bit of information is important for how things play out later in the book. I was a wild child and everything I did was in the name of “fun”. Can I get a witness? My friends and I weren’t hurting anyone and at the time, it never crossed our minds that we were hurting ourselves. Actually, we felt no pain in doing whatever, wherever, whenever. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes that there’s “nothing new under the sun”; teenagers did and continue to do rebellious things in the name of “fun”. But it’s those unknown, unfamiliar consequences that no one is ready to face. The question “Is it really worth it?” is usually asked when it’s too late.

That fateful, life-changing Friday night, began like any other. We partied hard and didn’t want to leave when it was time to meet curfew. I don’t even know whose party it was, but the people there were much older than 14 year-old me (including my boyfriend). I believe it was someone’s house that, Andre (my boyfriend), knew. Anyway, free alcohol and weed (marijuana)…that was my kind of party. It was good–while it lasted.

Unfortunately, my closest friends, Candice, Andre, and Desmond weren’t able to be here today. I shouldn’t be either. It’s been many years ago and hard lesson to learn for all of us. I tell you, the images of that night will always be so vivid to me. The pain never goes away…I miss you guys! I think this would be a good point to end, before I get too emotional.

Thanks for hanging out with me and come back to The Hang Suite tomorrow for Chapter 1.

P.S.
If it seems that something is missing…like the juicy details…they’re in the book. So purchase your copy today to read along with this blog. Most likely you’ll finish the book before the end of these 7-weeks—it’s a page turner (check out the reviews on Amazon).

Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Blessings-Purpose-Alicia-Hill-Jones/dp/0979464609/ref=sr_1_2/105-6264010-0339625?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180614996&sr=1-2

This will be a VERY interactive blog, so make sure you join us back here at “The BOP Hang Suite”: www.living4bop.wordpress.com

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 will begin a 7- week sneak peek and commentary into the 27-chapter novel.  This blog will be interactive, so if you haven’t read or picked up your copy of the book you still have time.  Order it today at Amazon.com:  http://www.amazon.com/Blessings-Purpose-Alicia-Hill-Jones/dp/0979464609/ref=sr_1_2/105-6264010-0339625?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180614996&sr=1-2

Then, come back and join us here, at the Hang Suite for drama and spritual revelations!