I missed the Emmys last night, but caught the opening skit on YouTube.

LeBron James longtime girlfriend and the mother of his two boys, Savannah Brinson, has always been pretty low-key. You would rarely see her in photos and I only remember her being interviewed once in a piece on LeBron at home (before he moved to the MegaHouse).

It was great to see her and the boys in this piece for Harpers Bazaar. It was interesting to hear her thoughts and it sounds like she has lots of projects on the table in the near future. Glad to hear it. I wish her lots of success on Girl Listen (her girls empowerment project) and the furniture line she designed called Home Court by LeBron James. Read the Harper’s Bazaar article here.

This is an absolutely fantastic song. It definitely made me sit up and take notice on Melanie Fiona – a Canadian born singer and one of Motown’s newest artists.

It was also very interesting hearing Melanie talk about her journey as an artist, her commitment to staying true to herself, and her determination to find a label that would appreciate her rather than try to change her.

Check out the interview and studio performance of her Grammy-nominated song below.

I adore Jane Green.

As a reader I’ve read several of her books. I love the characters that she brings to life and her amazing gift for writing dialogue. As a writer she is one of my Writing Heroines.

The last Jane Green book I read was the Beach House. It took me a minute to warm up to the style of this book which I felt was decidedly different from her books I’ve read in the past – Jemima J, Straight Talk, The Other Woman. The more I got to know each of the characters in this ensemble cast the more attached I became to them. Especially the main character – Nan – a spunky senior citizen who owns a beach house in Nantucket. She can no longer afford the home she’s owned for decades so she takes in boarders. As the summer goes on they slowly become a family.

I enjoyed the book very much. Today I ran across an interview Jane did on Good Morning America. Watch video of the interview about The Beach House and how the story and many of its characters are derived from events in her own life. Click here to read an excerpt of the book.

I stumbled across the video above while searching for the video for Jane’s recent appearance on GMA to promote her book Promises to Keep, which she referenced in a recent blog post on JaneGreen.com. Jane was interviewed by Robin Roberts – another remarkable woman who I greatly admire. Promises to Keep deals with the relationship between two sisters and how that relationship changes when one sister is diagnosed with cancer.

Check out the video below:

Who are your favorite authors and what do you admire about them most?

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

Ernessa T. Carter’s debut novel, 32 Candles is a wonderful ride from the misery and anguish of Davidia (Davie) Jones’ upbringing in Glass, Mississippi to a life – eventually of her own making – in sunny Los Angeles.

Davie is an ugly duckling growing up in small town Mississippi. She’s never known her father and she wishes she didn’t know her mother – a woman who would just as soon beat her senseless as have a conversation with her. Davie is dark-skinned and considered ‘ugly’ by her classmates (and many of the adults who loathe her mother). She is tormented by classmates who call her “Monkey Night.” Growing up, the thing she wishes for most is to just be ‘invisible.’

Davie – who ceases speaking, as a way to truly become invisible – finds escape in her vivid imagination and in a movie that changes her outlook on life – Sixteen Candles. Suddenly she believes that happy endings are possible, even for ugly ducklings like her. The object of Davie’s happy ending obsession is Glass, Mississippi golden boy, handsome football player, James Farrell. Just when Davie thinks that her happy ending might be in reach, a school prank goes way too far. Davie decides she’s had enough. She leaves behind the only life she’s ever known and hitches her way to Los Angeles at the age of fifteen.

The once ‘ugly duckling’ puts her years of practicing Tina Turner songs in the mirror to good use. She reinvents herself as a lounge singer in an up and coming nightclub. She makes a new family with the club owner – Nicky – his aunt, Mama Jane, and the rest of the club’s cast of characters.

Just when Davie is satisfied with her life she runs into her once obsession – James Farrell. It took a lot of years and a Psych degree for Davie to get over her obsession/hatred of James Farrell and his sisters. When he reappears, and doesn’t recognize her, Davie can’t bear to tell him that she was the pitiful Monkey Night from Glass High. But just when it seems that she might be due for a happy ending, the past comes back with a vengeance.

Ernessa Carter’s story of Davie Jones physical and emotional transformation is inspiring, funny, and heartbreaking. After a superb first effort, I look forward to her next novel.

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I love all kinds of music. It’s always fun to discover a new artist. After seeing Esperanza Spalding during the Prince tribute on the BET awards I’ve been listening to her music quite a bit. Would love to see her in concert.

Dear LeBron,

I’ll admit that this whole circus around your free agency has driven me up a wall. About seven months ago I declared that I didn’t care about any of the hushed whispers and rumors about Jay-Z (love the Jigga Man) whisking you off to Brooklyn or about you partying in South Beach with Dwyane Wade.

I refused to listen to any of it because NONE of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was what YOU had to say. Your final decision.

On July 1st I promptly yanked my head out of the sand, shook the dust out of my ears, pulled out my #23 jersey, and started to listen to all the so-called experts. Each with an opposing take on the situation. I, along with thousands of other Cleveland Cavalier fans in Ohio and across the country, began my vigil, holding my breath, waiting for you to give me the good news.

That you remembered your promise to put Akron and Cleveland on the map. That you would finally deliver the championship that has eluded us for long. That this is your home. And though you are loved around the world, you feel it most strongly in Ohio where we each hold a special sense of pride. Many talented people (Bob Hope, Paul Newman, Erma Bombeck, Doris Day, Thomas Edison, Steven Spielberg, Gloria Steinem) once called Ohio their home. Yet, for some reason you seem more a native son than any of them.

We have watched you since your years at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School, beaming with pride because the “Chosen One” of the NBA was one of our own. We rejoiced in a way this town hadn’t known in so long over signing you as the first round draft pick. We marveled as you delivered, like no young athlete had before you. Living up to the hype, then adding a few mad moves on top of it, just because you could.

We’ve celebrated every milestone with you. Watched you break one record after another in the NBA. We didn’t even mind when you smashed the Cavs records of our beloved Cavalier greats. Because you were our LeBron.

Now we will all wait, knees shaking, hearts thumping, wondering if you will stay in Cleveland, in the city and state where you are so admired and loved – not just for your skills on the court, but your generosity and commitment to your community. I will even DVR my beloved Burn Notice and watch with my Cavalier brethren as you render your decision.

I know that you’ve already made up your mind, but I just had to throw out one last plea. I wanted to remind you how much we appreciate the thrills and joy you’ve given us over the past seven years. We respect you and your decision to do what is best for you and your family. But, if it’s not too much to ask, we request that you give us another chance.

You want to win a championship and we want that for you, too. But wouldn’t it be great if we could all get what we want RIGHT HERE in Cleveland? We’re not asking you to commit to us forever (though, don’t get me wrong, that would be awful nice). What we are asking for is just a few more years to work things out and get them exactly right.

You need a championship. I get that. But so does this town.

Cleveland is a city that is so often maligned by outsiders, like Charles Barkley and Joakim Noah. But the worst is the internal negativity that is often bred among Cleveland natives. We say things like, ‘Nothing good ever happens in Cleveland.’ ‘This is the kind of thing that can only happen in Cleveland.’ ‘Cleveland is just so unlucky.’ Worse still, is how these feelings are evidenced in our everyday lives.

The City of Cleveland needs a championship. The State of Ohio needs a championship. We need you, the right coach, and the right cast of characters to make it happen. The fans are committed. The Cavs ownership is committed. It is our hope that you are committed to it, too.

With great admiration and respect,

Roxanne Ravenel

I changed to a Plant-based, or Vegan Lifestyle a little more than three months ago. I LOVE IT! I am still discovering new prepared foods for Vegans and I’m discovering lots of wonderful recipe resources for plant-based diets.

Eating out can be challenging. However, for the most part I’ve been able to find something on the menu at any restaurant that I’d enjoy. I did find it much more difficult to eat out at restaurants when I took my women’s travel group on a Girlfriends Getaway to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Everything there seemed to be drenched in cheese. However, I managed to find a couple of really delicious meals. My favorite was a Portabella Mushroom Fajita. A meal I now make regularly at home.

I also discovered a really tasty vegan prepared meal at Harmony Farms Market on Creedmoor Road in Raleigh, NC. The Thai Dumplings are amazing. Even my son loved them. I’d highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys Thai foods.

Wannabe Writers is a writing group for the un-published and anyone is welcome to join. It’s a place where future authors can ask questions, share stories, and get feedback. Click (here) to find more about how it works.

Yesterday I finished my second novel. I am thrilled about this, of course. However, I am now struggling with two major elements of a story. An engaging beginning and how to write the perfect ending. These will be two key elements that I will focus on when I am at the editing stage for this book. Honestly, I am very happy with how the book ends in general. I would like to tweak the last couple of sentences a bit.

Had I stayed on track with this series perhaps I would have gotten a few answers BEFORE I wrote the ending. Since I didn’t, I guess that’s what editing is for.

Where I am in the writing process: A yet-to-be published writer that just completed my second manuscript.

My question(s) this week: What are the essential elements of a perfect ending to a novel?

To anyone who hasn’t lived in Cleveland the whole will LeBron stay or will he go thing must seem pretty ridiculous. (I lived there for 39 years and even I’m tired of hearing about it!)

However, if you’re clueless about just how big an impact his decision will have on the city, check out the video below. If you’ve lived in The Cleve you’ll understand just how big a deal this is. For everyone else, let’s just suffice to say that just about everyone who is anyone in Cleveland is in this “We are the World” knockoff. Gotta love their hearts, but the singing makes me wish for Justin Bieber.

C’mon LeBron, have a heart. Who else is gonna love you enough to make complete fools of themselves like that? Nobody but Cleveland (and Akron and Elyria and Mentor). That’s who.