You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
I tell people all the time about how I was two weeks late coming into this world, but I’ve been on time ever since. And I make it my life’s work to NOT be anyone’s fool.
If I could dodge an April Fools’ due date, I can avoid being a habitual fool for anyone.
had I known I’d spend
almost 30 years loving
someone as magical as
you, I would have begged
God to have us meet
sooner.
you give the word “joy”
a whole new meaning.
I think of you and smile
uncontrollably – you ignite
the happier moments
of my life. grateful is an
understatement.
you are blessed to gift
people your heart and you
do it effortlessly.
I’m so proud to witness
your growth and to say
confidently, “She’s one
of my closest friends, and
I love her.”
for as long as the Lord
sees fit to bond us,
I will sing to the mountaintops
of the beauty of our
friendship, and I hope
the angels hear me
far and wide.
I’m willing to lose my
voice over the gift of
you.
Karen, you are an amazing human being, and you have changed my life significantly. Thank you for being who you are. Happy Birthday! I hope and pray that you are blessed to see many more. I love you!
Kazi enters the house and finds his two favorite girls in the kitchen. Kimya looks distraught. Kelsey is in tears.
*This. Must. Be. The. Day.* He thinks to himself.
“She knows?”
“She does.”
“Everything?!”
Kimya breathes out an exasperated breath, shifts in the chair, and sighs before responding. “Yes . . . Yes, Kazi. Everything.”
Kazi looks over in Kelsey’s direction and hangs his head solemnly. What more can he do but provide a safe space for Kelsey at this moment?
“Come here, Kels. Come here, baby girl. I got you. I always got you.”
This book review feels rather special to me. Why? The author is a writer I grew with as we both wrote fiction for a publication on Medium called Hinged.press, formerly, The Weekly Knob. I always envied her delivery and the way she weaved tales of horror and thriller stories. She is a beast with the pen and has this uncanny way of shoving years of hauntings and mysteriousness into compact vignettes that anyone can enjoy.
We were both featured in the publication’s “Author’s Gold” segment and you can find our features here and here. What I love about Nicole’s writing is she creates believable characters any of us can be or may have been in the past. She pulls you into their lives and then tragically scares the living shit out of you just as you’re learning to love who they are. Every time I read one of her books, it’s a wild ride, which is icing on the cake of writing.
Below is the review I did for her most recent novel, The Keeper of the Key:
“I Felt Connected To Rachel & Her Family
And I know it is because the author, Nicole Willson, made them so believable and relatable.
The Keeper of the Key is a page-turner with wrath, vengeance, horror, gore, love, and resilience blended into every page.
I found myself yelling with Rachel and siding with her regarding her insouciant stepfather, Geoff. I cheered Gram on when she set her daughter, Tara straight about marrying Geoff too soon.
Morgan House is a terror and Nick is the reason. I knew from the beginning he would be trouble, and Nicole doesn’t disappoint. That house needed to wither away in ash form, and I was happy it did.
Towards the end of the book, I wanted to rip Nick’s eyes out and throw them away. I was rooting for Rachel and the many ways she manipulated him and maneuvered herself away from him in the end.
She, her mother, and grandmother survived turmoil and their ultimate demise.
If you’re looking for a thriller with a touch of gothic horror mixed in, I highly recommend The Keeper of the Key.
You will be jolted and thrashed into a world of mysteriousness and of a haunting good time.
Be forewarned!“
Tidepool and The Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill are two other books authored by Nicole. I’ve read and reviewed them both. I vouch for this writer. She is in a class all by herself. And when you read her work, you’ll definitely understand why.
I joke about my belief that I should be
an old person with a friend who gets
the sillier side of me than most people
do–and what transpired was the birth
of pop-up love.
Earlier that day, an elderly woman
was being escorted down the hall
by one of our Techs, and someone
decided it a good time to make
hot cocoa. She looked into my
office as she hobbled by and straight
into my eyes, and said, “Did you put
on some hot cocoa?!”
I wanted to hug this beautiful aging
woman and hold on tight to her.
When I answered her, I smiled widely–“No,
ma’am. It wasn’t me.”
In that moment, I wish it were me–I wish
I had enough time to place two mugs
smack dab in the middle of that
hallway, sit in a crooked circle with her,
and down the creamy goodness of
a favorite pastime delight.
I could tell she was a pistol in her day,
making the men smile, and probably
some women, too. She had curly, wispy
hair, a lean-away from posture, and
a slow hobble that needed little-to-no
guiding. And all I could do was smile.
Smile and wish I could shoot
the shit with her.
But back to my friend who commented
lovingly about my eventually being old
and hopefully the older version of me
would meet someone like me.
Let it sit. Let it marinate.
When someone isn’t as open
with their love or their trust
and they decide to land a phrase
on you that could lift you up when
you least expect it–you’re doing what
God has formed you to do.
You are creating change.
And as I re-read her comment
several times that day and into
the next, I grew thankful for having
characteristics that meld into
the memories of my loved ones,
and they can rehash them when
the time is right.
Whoever thought my affinity
for the elderly would lead
me down a road of love
that was needed in a moment
where I was feeling I hadn’t had
the chance to feel loved as deeply
as I would like.
And then love pops up,
out of a place it usually doesn’t form,
and reminds me I am
still worthy and my flowers
lay at my feet.
To say that I fill up with joy upon reading what writers and readers alike have said/are saying about Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction is a surefire understatement.
I have to sit back with myself, take in the peace surrounding me, and nod my head at what appears to be, a job well done. I selected the stories in this collection because I knew readers would connect with at least one or two and fall in love with a few of the characters.
They were designed to be liked/loved/understood/empathized/hated/revered. And so far, they have done exactly that and more.
Nigel Byng, of Helping You To Succeed, is a passionately talented storyteller who recently reviewed Séduire. Below is some of what he had to say about this collection:
I had intended to race through this book by Tremaine Loadholt, as the early stories in this collection are fast-paced, short, and easy on the heart.
Of course, like all great storytellers, Tremaine lifts the veil on the community, the neighborhoods, and the villages we call home. Her characters are the people we encounter daily and may even know personally. And within the pages of Séduire, I found two characters who immediately set my world ablaze.
When I met Phara for the first time, which was the morning after I got the book, her story impacted the next few days of my world. Without going into details, there is enough in the opening lines of her story to fill the reader with rage, hate, and pain. Phara’s is a story that hobbles the heart. Within the first few paragraphs, Tremaine Loadholt, in her masterful style of weaving a narrative, brings home the sad, horrendous reality of what happens behind closed doors in many homes. It is a five-star read, cushioned just at the end of the first section of the book.
I love what Nigel offers to this community and how he goes about sharing his talent. To have my work reviewed by him is truly an honor.
If you want to read the complete review, please head to his blog by clicking here.
Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?
A Cornered Gurl 
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