Lawyer /Author - Gives 'Guilty!' Five Stars

Norwood Holland - Attorney and Author of the fast paced legal thriller 'Sleepless Nights' gives his review of 'Guilty!'.He gives the book five stars and gives a detailed review.
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Norwood Holand's review of 'Guilty!' at Black Literature Magazine

Excerpt from "Revenge"

Phil felt the tension in his body ease as the effects of the alcohol made itself evident and Teddy's humour invaded his funk. The soft easterly breeze and the laid back atmosphere of his location helped He forgot about Isaac for more than moments at a time, he needed the breather he was working himself up to breaking point. He looked around at the place ,not a location he would choose to frequent but Teddy loved places like this and was at home in the environment.  Phil favoured establishments with staff who took orders and served , often places patronized by similar professionals and business men and typically located on the West Coast . Here he was standing at an up ended barrel which served as a table by the side of the road .Several other patrons were around their presence evident by the boisterous conversations competing with each other for Phil's undesired attention. There was no staff that came to take orders to get drinks. Teddy went to the bar and ordered , or rather shouted, for the drinks and collected them then took them to the table( or up ended barrel). He was sharing Teddy's favourite drink Johnny Walker Black, but he chased with coconut water ,he was in luck the shop actually had some whereas Teddy stuck to his usual chaser Monster.

Phil was on his second glass. The first glass kind of shocked his system ,he was so keyed up but the second one hit the spot he was really feeling mellow. Phil was not much of a drinker, unlike his friend facing him and pouring his fourth.

"We should go in the club." Teddy peered at Phil through his locks which fell across his face.

"Club my partying days done long time ago. I only shake a leg at Jade's invitation."

"I don't mean a night club ,I mean a strip club. I mean girls." Teddy's eyes gleamed at his suggestion.

"Come on Teddy ,you can't be serious."

"Serious as a judge presiding over one of your cases in court.

Suddenly Teddy stood and banged the Johnny Walker bottle on the barrel come tabletop , for a moment there was silence. Teddy looked straight at Phil and threw his locks back out of his face.

" I hereby sentence you to night of fun."  Teddy delivered with his sternest voice. Then he smiled a warm smile at his friend ,the subdued light producing a glitter from Teddy's gold tooth .Teddy  then poured a glass for himself and clinked glasses with Phil.

"Salud ,buddy."

Phil couldn't help but smile

"Salud."

Phil finished his drink and by then was sweet enough to follow any of Teddy's suggestions. They departed for the club in Teddy's pick up truck.

Book Clubs a virtue in the literary world

I am all pumped after being invited to the Cool Readings book club meeting yesterday. "Guilty!" was the book to be discussed and the members were glad to have the author ,yours truly, present to contribute. One of the things that struck me most was the passion the readers had for the story, the characters ,even the descriptions found in the novel. The passion was the same I saw in their North American counterparts at the Slam Jam conference in Little Rock Arkansas last month. They talked about their initial reservations in reading a novel by a local author. It is a common scepticism that a local author can produce a fiction novel with a reading experience as good as one offered by established North American or British authors. They did override their misgivings and read 'Guilty!" . They reported that they got a new experience, a thriller that read like an international book but with Bajan/Caribbean characters and set in Barbados .They loved it and they are ready for more. A sincere thanks to Michelle Hood who 'risked' choosing the book and recommending it to the club and to Celia who was one of the first fans and an active converter of her fellow readers.
It was a special experience have discussions about the characters and their inner thinking as their personalities extended beyond the book in the minds of the readers. There was much very animated debate about Phil and Amanda , Jimmy the one we all love to hate and Teddy with his quirky charm . They also wanted to get to know Jade more.  Interactions like this are priceless for me as a writer as I feel that all who have read the book have gotten a gift of hours of entertainment and distraction. It is very rewarding seeing people enjoy that gift.
I gave them a preview to"Revenge" the sequel to "Guilty!". It's an excerpt with Phil getting himself into more trials and tribulations. (See the next blog if you want to read it). They loved what they heard and are ready for it. There was also talk of "Guilty!" being a film. I would love to see that happen myself and you never know.
I'm inspired to push on with finishing the sequel ,as well as improving my writing- thanks to Cool Readings Book Club- Michelle , Celia ,Karen, Claire and everyone else. Forgive me for forgetting those whose names I have not yet retained. Much love to all of you.

Author Interviews -2012 Slam Jam

Norwood Holland interviews authors at 2012 Romance Slam Jam.

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