Friday, May 26, 2023
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Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Friday, May 5, 2023
John Haynes: 1987 Sample Chapter
Finished final edits on John Haynes: 1987! And I wanted to share a sample chapter of the book with everyone!
Chapter 17
I spot the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. building in the distance as the Bx15 bus I’m riding on pulls away from the stop on 125th Street and 5th Avenue. Pop should be finished with the afternoon Soul music mix right about now and ready to take his dinner break. Maybe he’ll have a minute to give me some advice on how to get with Tisha this weekend.
I know I’m risking a lot going on Katrina’s word. But I just got a feeling Tisha gonna be there at the Skate Key tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is be coming across goofy the way John does. I want to be up on game so I can be real smooth when I step to her.
The Bx15 starts to approach Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. I hit the stop requested tape, jump out of my seat and hurry over to the back door. As it eases into the stop on Lenox Avenue and the driver opens the front door and passengers get on, the red light comes on to signal the back door release. I push it open and step out onto the sidewalk outside of the tallest building in Harlem.
I rush through the revolving door, reach into my pocket, and get out my ID. After I flash it to the security guards at the desk, I approach the elevator bank and get in one of the cars. When the elevator opens, I get in and press 16. As it ascends to the top of the tower I smile. Pop says all this gone be mine one day. So I gotta be able to handle business when I’m in school.
The elevator stops on the 16th floor. The doors open and I’m greeted with the script WGMS logo in red letters above the reception desk. As I approach the reception desk, Sadie, Pop’s receptionist greets me with a smile. “Hey Scottie, how was school?” Sadie asks.
“It was good Sadie. Where’s Pop?”
“He’s in his office. I’ll let him know you got back from school.”
“Thanks.”
While Sadie picks up the phone, I rush down the hall and pass by the broadcast booth where DJ Fab Fred is playing the afternoon R&B music mix. As I hear Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody playing from the speakers in the ceiling, I make a right and approach the Pop’s office at the end of the hall. When I step in the doorway, I see Pop sitting at his desk. The slender caramel colored man wearing a tailored navy blue suit, white shirt and a yellow tie turns away from his computer to greet me with a smile. “Hey Scottie, how was school?” He asks jumping out of his office chair.
“Just counting down the days until graduation Pop.” I say dropping my backpack on the floor and flopping on the vinyl sofa. “The Principal had an assembly talking about she gonna suspend anybody who starts trouble.”
Pop rushes around his desk and has a seat across from me. “Well, you ain’t got to worry about that.” He says. “You gonna be out of them public schools in two weeks.”
I huff a sigh when I hear his plans for me. “Do you have to put me in that private school?” I sigh.
“Safest place for you Scott.” Dad says meeting my eyes.
“But all my boys are going to Brandeis-”
“Scott, if you want to take my place you gotta get a good education. And you ain’t gonna get that in these public high schools with all them hoodlums.”
Guess I gotta make sacrifices if I want to take over WGMS when I get older. “Yeah, but my social life is gonna suffer-”
“It ain’t gonna be as bad as you think. “You got a date for the prom yet?”
“I’m thinking about asking Tisha McRyan in 8B1.”
Pop raises an eyebrow when he hears who I’m planning asking to the prom. “Ain’t that the British girl you say is with that John fella you say is so crazy?”
She ain’t gonna be his girl if I get my chance with her. “I heard they might be breaking up.”
“Heard they breaking up or are you trying to break them up?” Pop says giving me a look.
“Pop, she not really his girl.” I plead. “He hasn’t even kissed her-”
Pop scowls at me. “Boy, I ain’t raise you to be doing no dirty macking-”
“But Pop, she’s the flyest girl in school. I got to make her my queen for the prom-”
Pop shakes his head. “Boy, you don’t want to mess with another man’s girl-”
“I thought all was fair in love and war-”
“It ain’t gonna be fair to you.”
“How? I just want to take Tisha to the prom-”
“Scott, I know you want to make her your queen, but you gotta be careful about who you give a crown to.”
“You think John will want to fight me over her?”
Pop gives me an earnest look. “I think she may hurt you over him.”
“How’s she gonna hurt me?"
“Scott, girls get in they feelings for a guy they like. And them feelings just don’t go away like that.”
Doesn’t look like she has feelings for John if she’s having problems with him. “Tisha says she wants to meet with me at the Skate Key tomorrow. Can I go?”
Dad grimaces after hearing my request. “Yeah, you can go. But you better watch yourself with that girl.”
“I’ma keep my eyes open.”
“I hope so. Last thing I want to see you do is wind up in a mess of trouble that keeps you from going to the prom.”
You can Pre-order your Kindle copy of John Haynes: 1987 today! Or you can get the paperback on May 26!
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Sunday, April 2, 2023
JOHN HAYNES: 1987 Coming To Paperback & E-Readers!
Fresh! In 1987, 13-year-old John Haynes is counting down the days until he graduates from IS 148, the hellhole junior high school he attends in the burnt down ruins of the South Bronx. While John anticipates going to the prom with his girlfriend Tisha, he does his best to avoid the bullies who torment him and a principal on the warpath. However, Scott Grayson the most popular boy in school is looking to make his girlfriend Tisha his prom queen. As Grayson believes all is fair in the war he wages his war to win Tisha’s heart, John learns hard lessons about love and life that shape the man he will become in the future.
Pre-order your copy of John Haynes: 1987 on Kindle
Pre-order your copy of John Haynes: 1987 on Google Play
Get John Haynes: 1987 in paperback
Friday, March 31, 2023
JOHN HAYNES GODBREAKER NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK AND E-READERS EVERYWHERE!
Thunder! On hearing about how John Haynes defeated the Greek god Thanatos, Thor, Asgard’s god of thunder believes John Haynes is a threat to men and gods in all the realms. When he goes to confront John at the Java Joint in Hell's Kitchen and sees him consorting with the demon D’lilah he believes he’s justified in attacking him. Will the god of thunder bring the hammer down on the Man Who Rules The World? Or will John show the Thunder God the power of His Lord?
Get John Haynes: Godbreaker in Paperback & Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/John-Haynes-Godbreaker-Shawn-James/dp/B0BT7BHFXD/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=pl
Get John Haynes: Godbreaker on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=B6OnEAAAQBAJ
Get John Haynes: Godbreaker on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1320463
Get John Haynes: Godbreaker at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/john-haynes-mike-williams/1142989930?ean=9798373801041
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