When Theresa Reese Dorsey speaks, her words are not just heard; they resonate with the soul of each listener. Our latest episode features this literary maestro, who shares the story of her evolution from a poetic youth to a masterful author of contemporary romance and fiction. Reese's journey is a testament to the transformative power of embracing one's spiritual calling and the influential role of friends who challenge us to spread our creative wings. Join us as we celebrate the art of storytelling, with Reese’s vibrant narratives that are as much a tribute to her Louisiana roots as they are to her unyielding faith.
Through the tapestry of her characters, like the compelling Jasmine from her book series, Reese’s illustrates the intricacies of personal growth and the strength found in sisterhood. Our conversation takes a deeper look at the resilience required to navigate the world of writing, from the arduous task of publishing to the personal trials that test our spirits. We also share a stirring moment with fans Gentry and Mel, who bring an energy that only true book lovers can, culminating in a suspense-filled excerpt from Reese’s latest work that will leave you craving more.
We wrap up with an invitation to support the creatives like Reese’s by diving into their stories and a reminder that our shared paths are laced with purpose. It's an empathetic note to acknowledge the challenges you might be facing while reassuring you of the divine strength within to overcome and thrive. This episode isn't just about the journey of an author — it's a beacon for anyone seeking to find the courage to pursue their calling, underscored by the soul-stirring melodies of Mary J. Blige, symbolizing our collective narrative of perseverance and passion.
When Theresa Reese Dorsey speaks, her words are not just heard; they resonate with the soul of each listener. Our latest episode features this literary maestro, who shares the story of her evolution from a poetic youth to a masterful author of contemporary romance and fiction. Reese's journey is a testament to the transformative power of embracing one's spiritual calling and the influential role of friends who challenge us to spread our creative wings. Join us as we celebrate the art of storytelling, with Reese’s vibrant narratives that are as much a tribute to her Louisiana roots as they are to her unyielding faith.
Through the tapestry of her characters, like the compelling Jasmine from her book series, Reese’s illustrates the intricacies of personal growth and the strength found in sisterhood. Our conversation takes a deeper look at the resilience required to navigate the world of writing, from the arduous task of publishing to the personal trials that test our spirits. We also share a stirring moment with fans Gentry and Mel, who bring an energy that only true book lovers can, culminating in a suspense-filled excerpt from Reese’s latest work that will leave you craving more.
We wrap up with an invitation to support the creatives like Reese’s by diving into their stories and a reminder that our shared paths are laced with purpose. It's an empathetic note to acknowledge the challenges you might be facing while reassuring you of the divine strength within to overcome and thrive. This episode isn't just about the journey of an author — it's a beacon for anyone seeking to find the courage to pursue their calling, underscored by the soul-stirring melodies of Mary J. Blige, symbolizing our collective narrative of perseverance and passion.
I oh, he never changes never found a who's better than Jesus. Make no mistake about it it's Jesus, jesus, jesus, jesus, Jesus. When I was five, I got down on my knees and prayed to you. I saw my peace in your presence, like on my prayer bed.
Speaker 1:I got a business for. Down to my soul's pray to you. You gave me service when gifts I was afraid to give. You never leave me, don't be just easy. That's what it can't give me. I know that he is always with me. You're always with me. You're always single to me. You're always with me. You're always single to me.
Speaker 3:Welcome, welcome, welcome. You all already know how I do. This is the listen lindsay show, the waiting room. And today we have a special guest I'm talking about. I'm an honest lady. I met her on the clubhouse, the book slam, and the moment I heard her read I was like this lady got a pin out of this world. I am so happy and honored to have Ms Teresa Ries Dorsey. How are you, love? I am going fabulous. How are you? Girl, I'm glad you're here. Child, I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you're here for the love of me now. I'm glad you're here for the love of me. And just so you guys know, we have listeners now Out of there coming in and out, but we are piqued at 12,000 listeners. So, for everybody, thank you so much for tuning in and I want to say this lady, a pin, is out of the universe, out of this world. When I met Ries, like I said, we were on the clubhouse, in this room called the book slam, and I heard her read some of her work and I was like this lady got it because her range is bananas.
Speaker 3:But before we get into that, y'all already know how to do we gotta come in with prayer. So we're gonna come in with prayer and I'm gonna go right into questions, okay, dear Heavenly Father, we gather here today to celebrate and honor the incredible journey, the most fabulous journey, of Therese Ries Dorsey. Now, as we go through this show, we seek your divine presence and guidance. We thank you for the talents and gifts that you have bestowed upon Ries, allowing her to touch the lives of many through her storytelling. We pray that you bless this show, which are grace and your wisdom. May it be a platform for inspiration, encouragement and spiritual growth. As we explore Therese's spiritual journey and the role of God in her success, may we be reminded of the power of faith and the impact it can have on all of our lives. Lord God, we ask for your blessings upon Therese as she shares her experiences and her insights. May her words resonate deeply with those who listen, igniting a spark of hope and a renewed sense of purpose. Lord God, grant her the strength and clarity to convey her message effectively. Lord, we invite you to be the guiding force behind this show. Lord God, as you always are Infusing it with your love and your light. May it be a source of inspiration For those who tune in, reminding them of the incredible ways in which you work. In all of our lives and your holy name we pray amen, amen.
Speaker 3:Now, now that I've got that out the way, oh Lord, god, forgive me, lord, now that I've got the bread out the way, okay, so the way I do my show, rhys, is a little different. Okay, I don't want to start the show by saying, oh, tell everybody who you are, what you do, know. That's the point of the questions. My question is going to answer any questions, hopefully, that the audience may have. If not, they have free range to tip the show to ask questions. That's right, guys. It's a little diamond right there on the side of the fab five, there in the middle. It's a diamond there and once you do with that diamond, my sweet, lovely angel squad, as you click on that diamond, you tip the host and you can ask questions, okay, so, lord I love, can you tell us about your journey as a writer, from the dare to write a book in high school to becoming an accomplished author of contemporary romance and erotic fiction?
Speaker 3:Like, how did your early experiences shape your writing style and your storytelling approach? Ooh, I will say honestly, it started with writing poetry in middle school. That's how everything kicked off. It was a challenge because I had a friend that was writing at the time and I'm like, okay, I bet I can do that too. I mean, I write a little bit, let me test the waters, I don't see what I can do. So we started challenging each other back and forth with the poetry at first, and after a while I started branching out into short stories. So once I got into a short story time, it was hey. So I got this dream that I had and I want to tell you about it because I want you to write it, I want to see how you can put your little twist on it, and it just started going and going from there.
Speaker 3:Then, lo and behold, it's freshman year in high school and one of my best friends is like now I know that you have been writing short stories for a long time. I bet you can write a book, girl. I want to write a book. Are you serious? Do you know how long that's going to take? Right, a book? Come on, man, you can do this. They know this is the issue with that. My friends know that I'm a daredevil and I'm one of those people that will never back down from a dare, no matter how ridiculous it is. So, lo and behold, at least it was a good pen version. Lo and behold, it comes up and it's like so okay, you don't want to do it, I dare you. Alright, fine, let's go ahead and do it.
Speaker 3:Overall, though, I would say just, I've always liked to read. I'm a big reader. So I think, in transition to that, it always gave me an opportunity to try to tell my own stories and to make up my own characters and my own world. So, yeah, I like doing it and it's been a very interesting journey. Yes, it has, because I have heard the books, I have read the books, I love the books. Move along y'all. Look, I tell y'all what to get the books at a little later. But your book Trap has received several awards, including the best book, including the Book Fest book Awards and the literary Titan Silver Book Award.
Speaker 3:Can you share with us the inspiration behind the story and what sets it apart from other contemporary romance novels? Well, believe it or not, trap started out as a short story. One day I was just sitting around and I'm like you know something? My girls and I always have conversations about stuff. We hang out and we dish and we talk about different things and I think that might be a cool idea to just do a little short story on that. And as I started developing the characters just for the short story, I realized they had a whole lot more to say than what I was about to put on paper. So it just literally grew. It grew overnight and two years after that it's a full-fledged novel and it's just one of those things where it kind of took on a life of its own. I would say Trap is a combination of a coming of age for my characters because they start out in college, they're fresh out the gate, learning about life and how to manage their families and their love lives and their friendships. So I love the fact that I was able to bring those characters to life and allow people to get to know them and hopefully connect with them. I've actually had people tell me that hey, look, I read through just the back cover just to try to check out what the book was about, and I know a couple of people that could fit in the category of some of these folks. I like the fact that everybody can get something out of it. I know I did. I was a little late about that.
Speaker 3:Your educational background includes a bachelor degree in general studies with concentration in humanities, and you are currently pursuing a master's degree in creative writing with a concentration in fiction.
Speaker 3:How has your academic journey influenced your writing process and the themes you explore in your current books that you're working on now, like your current projects?
Speaker 3:Ooh, that's a really good question. Honestly, it's helping me to stay focused on the things that I have going on, because I have at least four projects that I'm standing right now, one of which is actually going to be a spin-off. We don't get to the info on that too, but I'm working on a spin-off with my master's class. It's allowed me to have more free time to write and it's going towards my degree, which is my favorite part of the entire process. I'm learning a few different tricks and tweaks to just stay on task and be able to develop myself a little bit more. I'm getting feedback from my peers and my instructors, and I seem to be on the right page as far as what they're telling me. That's been one great thing there Overall just being able to have that time to spend, to free-write and get those ideas down, or even just to let those ideas flow. As a writer, I know you can probably attest to this too.
Speaker 4:Sometimes these characters will take over, they take over and it's two, three o'clock in the morning and they wake you up in the middle of the night and go hey look, I need you to write whatever it says.
Speaker 3:I want to say now because this is the time. Let's go. So, having the time outside of the middle of the night, girl, you have no idea, look, look, all I can say is that I think me, you and me I was on the phone the other day. I'm a second. I think I told y'all like I'm working on a project. It's my invite only, so I will not be talking about it on here. This is for weeks, for weeks only, but anyway, it's my invite only, so everybody ain't invited to this project. But you know about it, right, Breeze? And so I was telling y'all, like you know what. I didn't want to do it. I said, but God woke me up in the middle of the night and said why you ain't do this thing yet.
Speaker 3:And then I went on Facebook and I'm scrolling through Facebook and a Facebook friend of the man who I had never even noticed her on my page her name is Ms Jackie Denise. How you doing prompted. And man, when I tell you that ladies lit my timeline on fire. I tagged everybody. All I heard her say and I knew that God was using her to. You know, using her to get to me was I gave you an assignment. I gave you an assignment. Why haven't you started so?
Speaker 3:for everybody who's listening. I gave you an assignment. It's a stamp on that assignment. God gave you an assignment. He told you to do it. What are you waiting for? What are you waiting? What are you waiting? No closure for what are you waiting on? Signs for God. This is your sign. People, if you listen, tell them. Tell them Reese. God gave you an assignment. Yes, god gave you an assignment. He told you get it done. Why ain't you did it?
Speaker 3:You need to do it, you have to use your gifts. There's a reason why See, now you got me about to print. There's a reason why, when you have gifts, the intention of that gift is for it to be used in whatever manner you know it seems fit. Sometimes your journey is not always for you. Your journey is not always for you. It is for you to set the path for somebody else's journey, to get them going, to get them motivated, to keep them on task. It's not always for you. You got to go through it so they can get to you in order for you to guide them. Don't start me up in here. Look you see, I'm quiet. You know I ain't never quiet. I'm trying to get you to flow. Child, come on with it now. God ain't finished with Come on, let me use you now. We just aren't here to be misused, we're here to be used.
Speaker 3:But it's true, honestly, I have talked to so many people when I finally want to get jumping on book slam. That was one of the ways that I was able to get you know, get in touch with a lot more authors. I'm in an outgirl gentry in the atmosphere, hey, ma'am. So I mean, it's so funny how you get connected to so many different people and doing the book fairs and being out in public, you know, talking to people about my book and just talking to them about the process in general, you get a chance to talk to a lot of people that are like well, I was thinking about writing a book, so what do I do to get started? Listen, I don't want to pass on as much as I can. I'm going to give you the links. I've done a lot of research. I am one of those people that I have to make sure that my ducks are in a row. I'm not just going to go out here, I want to nearly just go. You know what? I want to write a book. I wrote it. No, I need to know what is the process. How do I get this put together? What does it look like? I'm doing research all in the stores, so for me to come across people that are interested in doing it, but they are terrified to step out there. I was one of them. Look, I'm telling you, I got pushed, I got put in place. I got put in place in 2022. 2022 was a great year to bad year, but I can't go through. 2022 started off excellent.
Speaker 3:I got into a program with a friend of mine, one of my classmates, my girl, chris. He was doing a women's builders group and basically what was happening in the group is everybody's entrepreneur. Each woman had a different thing going on. There was a couple of ladies that had. There was one other lady that was an author. There was a lady that's a beater. She was doing her business. One of my other girls is she owns her own wine brand.
Speaker 3:Shout out, lycee, veny, y'all better get y'all liquor, because it's good but I'm going to get on to that later. But no, it's good, but I mean a lot of. It was me being in that atmosphere, us being able to feed off of each other, positive sisterhood. You know what I'm saying. It was an all around good experience for all of us that pushed me to finish my novel. That also pushed me to be able to start getting myself, get the information advertised for myself, those type of things. So it's really you get put in places where you need to be put and people are put in your path as well. And that's what it's all about.
Speaker 3:You got to take those opportunities and run with them. Yes, yes. And that brings me to my next question. New Orleans and Baden Rouge are known for their rich cultural landscapes, right? How has growing up and living in Louisiana influenced your writing? Do you find yourself drawing inspiration from the local cultural traditions there? Oh, yes, for sure, for sure, and a lot of it is. I mean my city, my city, lord, I love my city. Growing up in New Orleans is probably one of especially in between the 80s and 90s, was one of the most interesting times because our schools allowed us to get into a whole lot of stuff. We were able to go into the French Quarter as little kids. They took us out there. We were exposed to the culture in the city at the time, so we went to plays, we went to the museums. They brought in people to our schools to be able to, you know, to spend time and show the kids. It's not just about being a basketball player, being a football player, you can be an athlete, that's totally fine.
Speaker 3:But there are so many other things and there's other stuff that you can do outside of that as well. You can play some music. You don't have to sing to be a musician, so a lot of it and honestly, you can even hear it in the things that I write. You can basically hear the rhythm of the city in it. I would have to say it that way, yeah, because you know, I told you on that long talk that we had on the phone that I went to Louisiana and I said I was never going back.
Speaker 1:But I will say Let me tell you something I'm from.
Speaker 3:Sharrac. Okay, you want that. I'm from the gut on every part. Let me tell you. I'm just thinking about how much I wreck and got nothing on Louisiana Bay. But what I will tell you is that she is absolutely right.
Speaker 3:It is a beautiful city. It's so full of our black culture and our southern roots and our ancestors and where they came from. Everything, and you know, especially by me, my grandmother was Creole in black, and so when I went down there, I immediately felt at home. Me and my family were immediately embraced. Okay, even though we were in a rough part of the city, we said we were immediately embraced. We stayed in the French quarters.
Speaker 3:It was so beautiful where we were and I truly, you know I enjoyed it, but I'm not going to speak negatively about it. I enjoyed, I really enjoyed, and the part that I don't miss, I will never miss, okay, I'm not going to miss that. But as far as like the landmarks and the culture and just the experience of the strip and the food and the people and the hospitality, it was immaculate. It was nothing like I've ever, ever experienced, ever experienced. It was truly remarkable and my kids had a great time. They didn't notice anything out of whack. So that's these values of values like the way that we were treated and our family was embraced down there, so it was nothing but love. To be honest with you, we had a great time.
Speaker 3:Now get it back on track, because I want to get more in depth about like your achievements and different things like that. In addition to your achievements as an author. You mentioned that storytelling is your superpower. Can you share how your spiritual journey and connection with God has influenced your writing process and the impact of your stories on readers? When I tell you it's so funny because I almost didn't do it- Just like we said you put.
Speaker 3:You know people get put in your line for a reason and you get put into places and you get put into situations to move you through or to be a testimony for somebody else. And I remember, even with that particular book in middle school, I'll take it from that level, finish the book following year and I bring it back to school. I gave it to my friend. I'm going on my day Two weeks later I get tapped on the shoulder by some British guy and took some random kid. Hey, so I heard you wrote the book, the book in a blue notebook, and I'm like what, first of all, how do you even know about that? Oh, you know, I'm in class with such and such. I didn't know who such and such was either. All of a sudden I'm walking on the hallway and I'm seeing people whisper it could have been somebody random like oh yeah, you know, you know, you know, jonathan. No, no, I don't know who that is. So they took your book and just pass it round, ran through when I said people are still asking me about that, people are still asking me about that notebook. That's how much of an impact that it had on it.
Speaker 3:But at that time I was like I don't know how I feel about this. People are enjoying what I'm writing and I'm grateful for it, but at the same time it was unnerving to me. I think it took me this long to really put myself out, because I had to take that time to grow and to be confident in myself. So that that was a part of my journey. It's really just trying to find who I am as a woman. What is my place, you know, in this industry, in this world, who I mean? Everybody is not for everybody. Let's just be honest. Everything's not for everybody, and that's OK. But I felt like, if I wanted to.
Speaker 1:If I was going to put my name out there, I had to make an impact. It had to make sense.
Speaker 3:I want you to be able to feel something from anything that I put out there, and the main reason is because I don't feel like anything comes from. If you have a gift. We're going to take it back to what we were talking about a few minutes ago. If you have a gift, if you have a God-given gift, it is a talent and people keep on bringing it up to you. It's the reason why they keep bringing it up to you. It's the reason why you keep on getting pushed. It's the reason why you keep on getting asked constantly.
Speaker 3:Hey, you? So you still writing you, you? Because I know you're right when I ask a guy and I remember what you wrote when I was in high school. Man, that was good. I found a book here and I finally got the nerve to go. You know what? I think it's time. I think it's time to go ahead and push this out here and see what happens. Now I want to ask you a question. Many creative individuals they find inspiration and guidance from a high of house, right? How has your faith in God supported you throughout your writing career, like? Can you share a specific instance where you felt God's presence or his guidance in your creative process or the reception of your books?
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 3:God? That is definitely a good question. Look at what story I tell you, hey, Mel.
Speaker 3:Hi oh, what's a? What's a good question I can tell you about? It's the silent ones. That's always the fun ones for me. I was in the process of finishing and I'm still out. At the time. So we, we, we shoot and breeze going back and forth about the cover and I'm like, oh, I got to finish this book, I got to get my, I got to get my. My last chapter is done so I can go ahead and do my, my final edit and get this pushed on through.
Speaker 3:Everything was leading in the right direction. Got to my deadline date, finished that final chapter, hit the save button, close the computer, walked away from it, came back a couple of days later, opened that computer up. That chapter said look for me. I'm like all right, lord, that's not right. I saved this chapter. I know I said I finished this chapter.
Speaker 3:I remember every word that I wrote and I don't see this. I have stressed out. My mama comes back to me and goes let me tell you something. Take a breath, take a break. You know that whatever plan is in place is gonna work itself out. You don't have to worry about it, don't stress yourself out about it. Give it to them, let it go, because the stress point for me was the content and the content. What are people gonna think about me? How are they gonna feel it? Oh Lord, people gonna be looking at me sideways and this, that other, and her voice comes to me. After I said publish this book.
Speaker 3:Two weeks prior to my book being put in out for sale, my mom passed and every single day within those two weeks I could hear her. She was coming to me in dreams and we having these conversations about what's going on and she keeps telling me no stress is gonna be all right, it's gonna be okay, everything's gonna work itself out. So that was a part of it. I would say I would send my angel back for that timeframe to guide me where I needed to be, to calm me, to keep my spirit lifted even in the midst of my grief, between putting together this piece of my heart and having a piece of my heart taken away. That is deep.
Speaker 3:And my condolences because I definitely I know that pain of losing a parent and it is not easy. It is not easy. That was the start of my writing journey. You know I mean losing my dad and going through that. So I won't get into depth about that girl because we ain't got time to be swapping tears. We got thanks, that's good. That's good, okay. We ain't got time to be having nobody on her crab today, because you know, everybody come on my show class and they say that I am the reason I be trying to do it on purpose, and I don't. I just, you know I'm a very empathetic person and am I hard-hurt for people, especially people who lose parents. So you know those type things because I know they're hurt and so you know we're not gonna. I don't want to make you cry today, and I ain't got time to be crying either because I got time to do chat. I don't want to get into this new book. So I'm going to say my condolences to you seriously. You know I'm just. You know I'm a jokester, so I try to make lighter things, but I definitely don't want you to be feeling like I don't. You know I'm kind of. You know I'm a jokester girl. You know I'm good. You know I'm good for one or two of them.
Speaker 3:Now, in addition to being an author, you also describe yourself as a storyteller. Yes, how do you see the power of storytelling impacting and connecting people Like? What role do you believe stories play in providing escapism or exploring the complexities of human emotions. Ooh, I mean, that's what it's about, isn't it? Personally, I will say one of the reasons why I turned to writing and this was just journaling, you know, when I was younger was because I didn't really know how to express myself. I might be outgoing as a person when it comes down to me, just kind of hanging out with friends and stuff, but when it came to guys, that was a whole nother ball game. Yeah, completely nerd, awkward black girl. So I would write things. Now I don't know about that. Now, reece, like no, no, no, because I read these books. Now you can fool the other listeners who don't know.
Speaker 3:Y'all see, no, nerd, no, no, don't write like this now, listen Lenders, listen Lenders. I wish y'all could see my face. No, I know what face you made, but you know what them nerds? Be the one, the nerds be the one. That's the only people that you never really see coming. And I was one of those people because, like I said, I'm the goofy friend. Nobody ever saw that coming Child, when I was with. Just the short stories, before I even got to the actual novel, I had friends read the stuff because I mean I had my little crew that I knew I could trust and I'm like, well, you read it and tell me what it sound like.
Speaker 3:Does it make sense? Does this sound believable? Do I need more? I need to mix some stuff and move around. So for me I was like I could trust you. Then, yeah, yeah, you heard everything I got. But I'm not gonna get this little random, strange and these people don't know me, I'm not about to put my heart out here are you crazy?
Speaker 3:I'm not about to put my heart out here. Are you crazy? I know how artists feel. Listen, erica Vardu was not playing when she said I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my stuff. It's the truth. That's a part of you. That's a part of you. I'm on camera that you put yourself out there. It is hard. It takes a strength that you don't even realize. You have to put yourself out there and give a piece of yourself to somebody and say, okay, the world got it now what you wanna do, but you know what?
Speaker 3:I used to be the total opposite. I didn't want to give it to my friends and family because I care so much about what they thought, but I told a stranger I give it to them, no problem, because you know what they say. It's not a personal connection. It's not a personal connection. And see, everything, if you know, everything that I write come from personal experiences. Until now, like I'm doing this audio thing with Pocket FMware, I'm doing a fiction now, but all my stuff was memoirs and not fiction. So everything I wrote was real life, what happened to me. So I would rather people that I did not know to go and critique it because they don't know me, so they're not trying to hurt me. They're giving me their original input. And see with me, I always was on the defense when it came to my friends and family because, to be honest with you, even though they were my friends and family, they were always the ones that attacked first. They are the ones when it comes to the black sheep, or the ones that secretly envious to try to say something, to try to knock you off, because, like I said, they don't wanna see you sell, so that's their assignment to push you to. That word has been floating around me for the last four days assignment. Everything I see online is assignment, assignment, assignment, assignment. So it must be a reason why it was out there. You know the reason why it's out there Because I got an assignment in your email that you need to check.
Speaker 3:But move along, we go on to. We finna get into your new project. Can you tell people the name of your new project? Just the name, cause I got questions. Okay, yes, so I am actually working on book two, which is released, so that'll be the second book of the Trap series. And who? If y'all thought the first one was crazy, the second one is about to blow you away. Yes, okay, so I read Trap and this is my questions for your new project. Okay, okay, I'm not, you know, because this is a faith based platform. But if y'all love romance novels, okay, and y'all grown, we gon tell y'all what to go get trapped at right after this.
Speaker 3:Can you tell us more about the themes of societal pressure and family legacy that Naomi faces in the book, like, how do these challenges impact her character development and her relationship with the love of her life? Ooh, because honey, and that's so much more to come. But Naomi, I love Naomi, I love her growth in this book. But as far as her family line, naomi, it comes from an Ashland family, so she's already put on a pedestal of what she needs to be as perfection when it comes down to her family. Not directly, her parents, but her grandparents have put this pressure on her that she has to be a certain way and act a certain way and connect with certain people. Well, naomi goes to a public college, so she's going to experience all of these different people and the person that she ends up connecting to is Nate. Nate is the perfect person that they want for her and everything's going great with him until the surprise guest shows up and all of a sudden she has to figure out.
Speaker 3:Okay, so which way do I want to go? I'm going left or I'm going right? And at the same time, how is my family going to look at me? How are they going to perceive me if I decide to go right versus staying with Nate? Is it a good idea for me to stay with him? Is it a bad idea for me to end things with him? So she's struggling with her identity. She's struggling with her desire to please her family above her own happiness. I think that's the best way I can put that. Okay, now I was also in the office that she gave me a look. I told you I had questions. You thought I was playing.
Speaker 3:Look, now Arnie and her partner are given another chance at happiness. Past secrets threaten their family. Can you give us a glimpse into the secrets from the past that haunt them and how do these secrets affect their relationship and the dynamics within their family? For people who have not read Trap yet or maybe need a refresher about Arnie and her partner, can you kind of give like that background about the past secret that threatened their family? Okay, so I'm getting ashamed. I love Arnie and Shane so much and what happened to them just destroyed me. As an orthoside note, yes, we do not like breaking people up, we don't like taking people out, but sometimes it's a necessary evil and I'm a digress on that point.
Speaker 3:But Arnie is one of those characters that has had a hard life. She lost her mind at a young age, so she's living with other family members. She's trying to basically get a fresh start. At this particular point she's going into her adulthood, just trying to navigate and make her mind proud so she can say you know what? You might not be here, but I still got you on my back, my angel sitting on my shoulder, and unfortunately she runs across the wrong person at the wrong time and she has a job. So this kid is now in the mix of everything that's happening, so she feels like her world is about to fall apart. But she's got her girls. They're making sure that she has support, the support that she needs in order for her to continue and for her to get her degree. So I is good. A couple of years down the road, here comes Shane. So her and Shane work out, they're getting ready to get married and then all of a sudden, here comes baby daddy. The problem is baby daddy, the bone, yeah, baby daddy. And Shane again. Okay, move right along.
Speaker 3:Let's get to Stephanie's character now. Stephanie's character seems to go through a transformation after a chance and counter with a stranger. So you'd say, could you elaborate on a hidden side of Stephanie that is awakened without giving too much, and how it influences her decisions regarding her career, pleasure and the possibility of new love? So initially, with Stephanie, she's gone through some pretty interesting things. She's been abandoned by her mom, she was raised by her grandmother and while she's in college her grandmother becomes ill and it just takes a toll on her for a while. So she's going through. She ends up reconnecting with her mom and things just don't go as planned, that there's a lot of animosity there and there's some family history. That is just. It's deeply embedded and I don't think they're ever gonna come back from that. But in the midst of that she's moving into her career and then she gets involved with this older man and he kind of shifts her gaze a little bit into some unknown, to some new territory that she hadn't experienced before. So unfortunately, there's some things that happen where they fall out and some backlash happens with her with her job. So, and released, she's still kind of battling with that stuff.
Speaker 3:She's trying to figure out. Okay, what do I go next? You know, in life, what am I doing? I mean, I can't go back to where I came from, but how do I move forward? And it just so happens, on this random trip by herself, that there was supposed to be a girl's night, but some things happen and she ended up by herself. She meets this stranger, she meets storm. His name is significant for a reason and I can't wait to have to be, to have to be dropped for that particular evil. But storm basically rocks her world. He comes in and and takes her off to a whole another realm of craziness she's never thought she was gonna experience and at the same time it ends up being a business situation. They're gonna actually make her some money while she's trying to watch, just trying to figure out her next move. So she's got a lot that she's got to deal with and unfortunately, we don't know.
Speaker 3:No, no, no, no. Get the book. Get the book. The experience of storm get the book. I got to cut you off, girl, cuz I know I read it good. Yes, sterling a miss, I did mail. Go say my man. So no, my man is not storm honey in certain aspects. But it's something to ask me. Someone have to say no, male, okay, move a right alone.
Speaker 3:Now in Jasmine's storyline, her comfortable existence starts to unravel when someone from her past reappears. Can you provide some insight into the challenges she faces and how she navigates them? Like does this unexpected blast from the past lead her to reevaluate her life choices and goals? That is what I really want to know about Jasmine. Oh, my firecracker, that's. That's my wild card right there.
Speaker 3:It's so funny how, in the very beginning of the book, when most people read it, the first thing they tell me is that I hate her, I hated her character, and it makes me laugh because I'm like, if you hated her that much, that means I did my job. I didn't want you to like her. You weren't supposed to like her. You were supposed to understand her. There was no reason for you to like Jasmine in the beginning, because Jasmine didn't like herself. She didn't know it yet, but she didn't like herself.
Speaker 3:Jasmine is an orphan. She has been out in the world by herself. She feels like I gotta take care of me because nobody else is gonna do it. So when she meets these girls she's like I'm not about the trust. Women, are you serious? I've had to deal with people like this in, you know, in different aspects of my life up to this point. I don't need nobody to keep to keep it pushing. But she got her ace in the hole. Tie in the background too. But he, she, you, she manipulates him as well. So there's a lot of things about her that are not redeeming initially. But what happens is.
Speaker 3:Jasmine. She falls in love and what happens is usually when you fall in love you start thinking about things a little bit differently. So she, she puts herself out there and she almost puts a foot in her mouth in the process. But um, yeah, there's, there's gonna be some fun happening in this next book, with her past situation catching up with her, and once the girls find out, it's gonna be a real headspin. Oh man, I cannot wait. I cannot wait.
Speaker 3:I saw a little of myself and each one of these characters. That's why it was like crippling to me. Naomi, arnia, stephanie, jasmine those were my four and I absolutely understood Jasmine, as you know, for many reasons, and I actually understood her. And not near time, did I blame her? Not near time, I will say that. So if y'all don't like Jasmine, then I know you wanted him once. You must have been one of them once. It was only in the beginning. No, because what? When I tell you about a time, they made it about me way through the book. It was like you from that world, like I was from her world. I immediately was like I like this. You know, she was like no, she was not for no, I loved it. I loved one thing, mabada. She is a fierce protector of the people that she cares about. And you see those scenes. Even though she doesn't say it, all right, the girls talk about it she tells it Yep, yep, she's an action kind of girl.
Speaker 3:She's definitely about that life. She's definitely about that life. Now, girl, Jasmine girl. Now the Trap Series series I'm sorry. The Trap Series promises secrets, sisterhood and overall passion, right? How does the bond between these characters evolve in the second installment and are there any particular moments or conflicts that highlight the strength of their sisterhood, and how do their relationships contribute to the overall story line?
Speaker 3:I would say, with the transition from Trap Dense to Release, there's going to be a lot of rallying around Jasmine. I can't understand why Jasmine's story is the easiest one for me to rate. I already have Jasmine stuff for book three. Now, you know that's crazy, but anyway, there's so much depth to Jasmine, there's so many layers to develop from her, that they're going to have to rally around her.
Speaker 3:This is going to be one of those times where because right now she's only confiding in Naomi she's mainly confiding in her with the things that she feels and that she thinks, but she's going to have to come out with something that happened to her when she was younger. She's got to deal with some family connections that she wasn't expecting to have to deal with again and it's going to take a toll on her. It's really going to shake her foundation and she's going to need them. She's going to need them more than she knows for them to be there for her and there's going to be some friction between her and Stephanie behind that because of Stephanie's upbringing.
Speaker 3:There's conflict with them a little bit because of the different ways that they all came up, Because I mean, they're four different personalities that I literally just mashed together but there's so many similarities. Just like you said, everybody can kind of take a little bit from each character but even though their differences are distinct, you can tell why they're all connected together. There's just a lot of moving parts with them. I just transition. I want this to work. I want this to work. I've been ruining her.
Speaker 1:I want it to work.
Speaker 3:I'm telling you because she deserves it, she really deserves it. I felt like it was moving in that direction. And then, all of a sudden, when that scene hit me, when I tell you, I literally sat there and cried when I was writing that scene Because I was mad at myself. I had to close the computer and just walk away. I couldn't. I was mad at myself. I was like man, I can't believe. I just did that.
Speaker 3:Yep, because once you write it, it's wrote. Once you write it, it's wrote. And there's a reason why it comes out the way it does. I mean she was Stephanie man. I tore Stephanie's life apart. I tore her life apart. Funny.
Speaker 3:They all mean Jesus, I don't know what happened to them. They all mean basically. And then it's funny because one of the girls was like so she basically turns you out and I'm like it's not even that, that's not what's happened. Yeah, because here's a melody. Let me read some of the comments Melody's for them. They all mean Jentris says Sterling has me.
Speaker 3:I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, okay, I'm getting full when they say I use those words so better than what they say Honestly, when you put thatMuscleFins and it uses the word, you have to sharpen the terms and meaning of it. Dion dragged them down the earth and it doesn't have to use words. What's wrong with that? They're playing the fishbowl game and Jasmine pulls out the question and the question is can you basically be in love with two different people at the same time? And she's like I think you can, but you have to choose. At some point you're going to have to choose and hopefully it's the right choice. And nobody sees that coming, because they're like man, we waiting for Jasmine to say something about the box and Jasmine come out here being profound.
Speaker 3:I'm like what has she come from? What is the profound sense come from? Because we don't even say some craze. Oh, maybe because that lemon line. Oh, my goodness, the lemon juice. Oh no, we not about to do this? Okay, now we got. Let me see, I know I got some more questions. Lord, what a question I'm ready, I'm ready.
Speaker 3:Oh, my goodness, my note. I think that you know what that is. That's not. Can I be out of questions? No, I was like. You got some more by the book and you can run them. Run it, do you know what? No, I did not, because I knew I only had an hour, but I bet you, some of these people do. Let me see. Let me bring some of these folks in the audience up for questions. I already know it. Let me bring Gentry up first. Let's see what Gentry got to say. Hello everyone, hi, gentry. Oh, rhys is so good to hear your voice. Sit awhile. It has been.
Speaker 3:And I love when you were saying, you know, you basically kind of showcase on the book slam and that's how we all met and that was good. But your reads, your reads from Trap, were just awesome to me. Yeah, fell in love with Sterling. I'm fell in love with the way you write. I fell in love with your characters. So, yeah, definitely can't wait to get this next one. Or you know, I told you the last time I heard you read that you could probably do three more books out of this one book, because your marriage is so many different directions, and I think it was Naomi, but it was so many ways that could peel off because everybody could do so much. I was like, oh, she's writing for the future. So you said, oh, don't laugh, I'm writing my third book. I'm in the middle of my. I understood, I truly understood that. You know, because I hate you know when the idea comes, you got to put it somewhere. You read it Exactly.
Speaker 3:It has been a pure pleasure listening to you tonight. It really is. I appreciate it. Okay, so I have any question because I want to read and I want to be. I want to be shocked. Okay, I'm going to be shocked. Yeah, because I've been trying to get all the team without giving none way. I had to stop. Okay, they get the book, because you ran Give it out to me, girl. And then you know, and then I have to spend off y'all. I still have to spend off, on top of the, just the three books from trapped. Okay, wait, okay, this is going to be something. I'm excited about it. Thank you so much, gentry. I'm going to put you back in the audience and I'm going to bring up male, because I know male, yeah please bring up male yeah.
Speaker 4:You know, you see her down there like okay, what's all doing?
Speaker 3:I know y'all going to bring me up, thank you so much I appreciate you, sweetheart.
Speaker 3:Thank you, I'm good to listen to you, rhys. Thank you. Oh, you're more than welcome, and you know what, rhys, before you go, I want you to, if you don't mind, to read just an excerpt of the new one. Maybe I'll take it too. Okay, let me bring up male to see which character that she would like for you to read from. That would be a good one. I just want to feel like I know who it is Me too, male. Come on in the room, come on in the way. Hello guys.
Speaker 2:Hey boys.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry I'm in a public place but y'all may not be here yet. But I apologize in advance.
Speaker 1:But Rhys, please, please, oh my God, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:Yes, ma'am, yeah, ma'am, I appreciate you. We need you to give her the character that she would like for the read and excerpt from the new one. I already know Y'all think I'm going to show Sterling. No, ma'am, I know what you're going to say. I want to hear from Zaz, of course. See, I knew it. That's exactly who I was thinking about. I know who you're talking about. You know, Zaz, you've got many layers. I wanted you to be able to. I was reading back over it today and I was like you know what it's? On me to understand.
Speaker 1:I was wondering if you could understand her confidence.
Speaker 3:Of course, yes. So, rhys, we're going to have you take the floor. Mel, thank you so much for coming up. I didn't want to.
Speaker 3:Y'all know I miss you guys from this land, but that's okay. Just having y'all here I feel like we all family again. Yes, yes, we got the right people in the room and we were talking about Rhys giving out the tea. I was talking to y'all. Now that tea was loaded. We had one loaded Girl. She had the tea, she had the sugar, the honey, the mint the lavender, whatever the other stuff is it was loaded honey. I had to stop her. She was giving us a little excerpt now, not too much, remember.
Speaker 3:No, no need to the platform is safe face now, so you've got to give a little taste of it and then tell people where they can find your book right after. Okay, thank you so much, ma'am. Love y'all.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much.
Speaker 3:Okay, rhys, whenever you ready. Sweetie Rhys, are you there? Can you hear me? Oh, yeah, I can hear you. Okay, good, I'm going to pull it from the computer. I was trying to pull it from my phone, but I think it keeps cutting out my audio when I try to open it from there. So, that's all good, I'm going to pull it from the computer. It's quick. Oh, yes, I'm sequel, but I'm glad about the way everything's painted out with these characters, because it has been a ride. I will say that much. It has definitely been a ride. It has been an interesting twist of fate here we go.
Speaker 1:My phone rang early in the morning.
Speaker 3:I quickly pushed the button on myself to silence the ringer and then glanced at the color ID. I placed the phone to my chest inside. This was not the call I expected. Usually my morning calls were from Naomi, greeting me with her sweet voice, that is if she wasn't angry with it and she threw my bed. Those mornings were the best. I'm going to skip a little bit, not this time. This time it was the newly minted detective Gregory Sanders, late as usual. I glanced to my left to see if she was still asleep. Her heavy breathing gave me some relief. I quietly slipped out of the bed to keep me from waking her and hit it to the living room for some privacy. Once my butt hit the couch, I hit the button to accept the call.
Speaker 3:When Rook, who finally decided to call Yo Jazz Greg, began, I got a hit on that number. Looks like it belongs to a Savannah Taylor. I griped Too little, too late. Greg, your research skills suck. Why did you sleep with some big detective anyway? Hey, it hurts me when you try to change my abilities. Great joke. Whatever, I need everything you can find on her.
Speaker 3:Something tells me there's more to this little pop-up than a friendly visit. I keep you posted on any real flag to come up. Thanks, wow, I better write this down. Jasmine Taylor just thanked me. This is gonna be a good day. Shut up, I laughed. Later I disconnected the call and set the phone on the end table. The humor died on my lips. As I glanced back toward the hallway, silence greeted me. I flopped back against the couch in the cushions, my thoughts a tornado of chaos. This was a bad dream. It had to be. Remember that bad choice I made in high school. Well, the results showed up on my doorstep the morning. They only left from Dallas and I was right there. My fingers are snapping, my fingers are snapping. I don't know if you hear me, but my fingers are snapping. Girl, girl, girl, girl, girl.
Speaker 3:Tell people what they can find trapped and when is your new book release scheduled for release? I know it's so weird trying to say that all at once, it's a tongue-twister. So you can find trapped at amazoncom in paperback and digital form. You can also get the hardcover, the digital and paperback form, on BarnesandNoblecom. If you want a signed copy, you're welcome to hit my website, that's ReeseRightsBookscom. And of course I guess we'll get everything sent out for that too, but definitely hit me up for that.
Speaker 3:Pre-sales are available on BarnesandNoble right now for book two, which is called released. That one fingers crossed. We should be finished up with editing by March, so I'm looking at May, june, at least early summer to drop book two. So, man, there's so many exciting things coming and, of course, I also have to spend off on working on with Destiny's Revenge, so there's going to be some fun things happening in the next year, but I cannot wait. I'm so excited, I truly am excited, and you know you are welcome to the waiting room anytime, anytime. Can you tell people how they can connect with you on social media? Yes, yes, you can catch me on Facebook at ReeseRightsBooks. You can catch me on TikTok at ReeseRightsBooks and you can also catch me on Instagram at IamRice the storyteller, and that's R-E-E-S-E.
Speaker 3:Well, I just want to thank you so much for coming into the waiting room, gracing me with your presence. It's been a long time and I truly, truly, truly am grateful just to know you, to just be. You know, just so cool with you. You are just such a dynamic person. From the first day I read, you read, you listened to my reads and it was like girl, you got it and I'm just like what she's telling me. I got it. Huh, with that book Girl. So I just I appreciate you, I appreciate your spirit, thank you. You are just such a dynamic person and, like I said, listen Linda is a no judgment zone, so you are. This is a safe space. We love you over here. You're a friend to the show, you welcome anytime. And look at Melanie at the bottom. She put up the flames. I'm going to read. She says you love you. Yeah, everybody, just I appreciate everybody for tuning in. Like I said, today we peaked at 12,000, 12.9 thousand listeners. So thank you to all my listeners, everybody who tuned in to listen to reads tonight. I appreciate you all.
Speaker 3:And before we go, I'm going to end in prayer, like I always do, and we're going to have one more song, okay, guys. So let's end this in prayer. You know what? Usually I've started this new thing, as a matter of fact, while I have my guest lead us out, can you lead us out? And then I'm going to end with song, and then I guess we can end with a song of your choice, as long as it align with the platform. We can end with a song of your choice. Oh, john, listen, you can pick whatever one you want. I know that's totally fine with me. Okay, can you close us out in prayer, sweetheart? Okay, I want to thank you for allowing us to be able to gather tonight to fellowship in your name and for us to be able to share with one another and to be able to connect with one another on levels that we didn't even expect.
Speaker 3:Thank you for guiding us and for giving us words today that some people, some of these listeners, may have needed to hear. Some people may be battling some things or they may be in the process of trying to get something off the ground. We just want to make sure that they know that you are able and you are there and you will give them the strength they need to be able to move in that direction that you have for them, moving those gifts, except those assignments. And thank you for allowing me to be able to be used as a Vessel tonight. And yes, son Jesus, in the name of the Lord, amen, amen, amen. I want to thank you again to the listeners on all 40 platforms, 10 different countries.
Speaker 3:If you're listening to the replay, download this now, get in, get her book on Amazon, on Barnes and Nobles, on visitreacebookscom. That's right For the pre-order. Support the author. We love Amazon, we love Barnes and Nobles, but get your signed copy. Support the author, let her get every dime because I'm telling you it is absolutely worth it, and you want your signed copy because she's going places and you're going to wish you had her signature. Okay, in the name, in the name of the Lord, amen. So, with that being said, I'm going to bid you guys to do it's 7-eleven. So you know, those are angel numbers. Have a blessed night, you guys. Right now I'm going to end with reflections I remember by Mary J Blige. Have a wonderful night, you guys, and don't hang up. Listen to the song. Good night.
Speaker 4:Today we'll be here d'ayca with a Boss. He did his leuation. Thank you, Lady.
Speaker 2:I was young and tough and fresh and rough and it was all a dream Signed in a contract, no guiding lies, just hoping I I can get off the projects and get my family right, cause they bought my life and I breathed so hard and the families all catch me, all the duty. I was jaded on the ride, fading on the ride, fading off the ride and I I remember back when I didn't know which way to go. I remember back when plain was all my hands to give the reflections of my life. I see the dances that I've learned and now I know I pray don't exist when it's been told apart by