Book Review: "Playing the Hand You're Dealt"

Playing the Hand You're Dealt by Trice Hickman

Reviewed by A. Jarrell Hayes

We’ve all heard the saying, “There are two sides to every story.” In Trice Hickman’s new novel Playing the Hand You’re Dealt, readers discover four sides to the same story. The story revolves around Emily Snow, an all-around good girl, as she deals with being in love with the father of her best friend of twelve years, Samantha Baldwin.

Emily and Samantha meet in college, where they were roommates freshman year and nearly inseparable since. The same day Emily meets her best friend for life, she also meets the love of her life: Samantha’s father, and successful attorney, Ed Baldwin. Not only is Ed the father of Emily’s best friend – and old enough to be her father – he is also married to Brenda Baldwin, a high-maintenance socialite. Emily was raised to play it safe, taking the paths acceptable by society, and never rocking the boat. She lost her father at a young age to unnecessary violence, and she definitely has daddy issues to deal with.

The death of Emily’s mother prompts her to move from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. – and right into the Baldwin household. Although time has passed since Emily had last seen Ed, her attraction to him hasn’t diminished; she doesn’t know if she can remain the “good girl” living under the same roof as him.

Everyone else is wrapped up in their own affairs – Ed with an important case, Samantha dealing with baby-daddy drama, and Brenda with her various schemes to climb the social ladder – that Emily is sure no one has noticed her attraction to Ed. But she still wonders if Ed feels the same about her, and what would happen if he and Emily were to get together. The only person that seems to have picked up on the chemistry between the two is the Baldwin’s maid and cook, Gerti – but she’s just the hired help and won’t say too much, right?

Hickman spins side tales into the novel – involving lust and love, secrets and affairs – and weaves them into the main storyline like Rumpelstiltskin turning wool into gold. The characters are alive and dynamic – especially the loud-mouth, firecracker Samantha; who, despite being raised in a wealthy and prestigious family, is as no-nonsense and street-savvy as they come. Where Emily is quiet and unassuming, Samantha is loud and obnoxious.

Although they are as different as night and day, Emily and Samantha are like sisters. The key word is “like”; Emily has to decide whether to take a chance of losing her best friend, the only family she really has left, and go after Ed – who’s married, old enough to be her father, and she doesn’t even know if he likes her! Playing the Hand You’re Dealt is thought-provoking and riveting.

Have a book you want The Black Urban Times to review? Email the B.U.T. Book Review Editor, A. Jarrell Hayes, at ajhayes@theblackurbantimes.com for details.

 
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Book Review: "Alibi" by Teri Woods

Alibi by Teri Woods

Reviewed by A. Jarrell Hayes

Desperate times call for desperate measures. The characters in Teri Woods’ novel Alibi are desperately trying to survive in the tough streets of 1980s Philadelphia.

The book starts with two young men desperate to make it in the drug game decide to rob a stash from Simon Shuller, the city’s biggest drug lord. The robbery is spontaneous and unplanned, and they run into Nard, who is desperate to keep his good name with the boss. This results in a shootout, where Nard is the only survivor. As he flees the scene, he is spotted by a neighborhood child and his mother. Now Nard is desperate for an alibi.

That’s where Daisy comes into play. She’s a stripper that does more than tease her customers. She’s also broke and takes care of her ailing mother. She’s desperate for some cash. When Sticks, Nard’s running buddy and Daisy’s part-time lover, approaches her with a wad of cash to provide Nard with an alibi, she accepts. It sounds like a good deal to her; she thinks all she has to do is talk to an investigator and that’s it. Besides, she’s desperate for the extra money.

Unfortunately, the plan doesn’t go through as Sticks predicted. There are some loose ends that need to be tied up – like the two witnesses to the shooting. Instead of talking it over with Simon Shuller, the main boss, Nard takes matters into his own desperate hands, making more of a mess for himself and his buddy Sticks. When holes begin to appear in Daisy’s alibi, Sticks adds to the body count in a desperate attempt to keep Nard from getting a heavy prison sentence.

Stick’s efforts are in vain, because Daisy wises up and bolts out of state, to live with relatives in the south. Daisy is a naive woman desperate for love. When her new boyfriend, who planned to marry her and buy her a house, disappears on her, and the authorities begin to pressure her, Daisy wants to leave it all behind and escape. Once she is on the run, Sticks and government agents follow her, both desperately trying to drag her back to Philly.

The book is non-stop action; full of plot changes and shootouts, as fans of Teri Woods’ writings have come to expect. The book has a frenetic pace; everything happens quickly and time gets compressed. To keep the action moving, there isn’t many parts for introversion by the characters. Especially for Daisy, who deals with a personal loss and being raped, but doesn’t seem effected by the events as one would imagine. After each traumatic event, Daisy continues with life as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. It isn’t that she’s a character with a particularly strong will.

Woods’ exchange of emotion for continued action is probably the book’s most glaring flaw. But Woods does a great job of adding short little quips of thought from inside characters’ minds – oftentimes the thoughts are humorous. If Woods’ goal with Alibi is to entertain and increase the heart rate of her readers as they read, then she hit the proverbial nail on the head.

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Interview with Ci Ci Foster

 Photo used with permission.

Recently, Ci Ci Foster, actress and author of the novel Sunny Rain (read review here) was made available for an interview with The Black Urban Times.

The Black Urban Times: What was your motivation to write Sunny Rain?

Ci Ci Foster: I wanted to tell a story that women from all walks of life could relate to. Some of the serious topics I touch on in the book like infidelity, sexual abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases are very real issues that we are afraid to talk about. My hope is that people will discuss these issues more and start on the path to healing.

TBUT: How did the characters Natalie, Leslie, and Monica come into existence? Are they based off people you know?

CF: I took key personality traits from people I know and used my imagination to build from there. It’s kind of funny because almost everyone who has read Sunny Rain thinks they are one of the characters. 

TBUT: Do you relate to one of the protagonists more than the other two?

CF: I can relate the most to Natalie.  I’m also married with children, so I can understand the challenge of keeping a marriage strong.

TBUT: What lessons and experiences, if any, from acting have helped with your writing?

CF: My acting has helped me tremendously with my writing.  An actor is a creative person who has to be able to be present in the moment. So when I’m writing, I can easily imagine I am there. That helps me to paint a picture in the readers mind. Acting has also made me more observant to little things that the average person doesn’t pay attention to like, facial expressions, body language, and the way people pronounce certain words. I think it’s that attention to detail that strengthens writing.
 
TBUT: What is the most rewarding aspect of writing?

CF: Completing the project. When you’ve spent months, sometimes years working on something, it’s a huge sense of accomplishment when you actually finish it.  It gives you a huge boost in confidence.

TBUT: What is the most difficult aspect of writing?

CF: Right now, the challenge is finding the time. I have so many projects I’m working on; I can only allot a few hours a day to writing. It’s hard sometimes when I really have a good flow going and have to stop because I have somewhere to go. Once I break that flow, it can be difficult to get it back.

TBUT: What is the best piece of advice on writing you have received?

CF: Writer’s block is a myth. It forced me to stop making excuses and write.

TBUT: What can your fans expect from you in the future?

CF: I am currently working on my second novel, Hollywoodn’t. It’s a three part series about a starlet that will risk it all to save her reputation. In the summer, I start production on a short film I wrote about a female assassin blinded by greed.

You can find out more about Ci Ci Foster on her website at www.cicifoster.com.


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