BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Love and Happiness
AUTHOR – Ben Burgess Jr.
GENRE – African American Fiction/ Urban Fiction
PUBLICATION DATE – April 24th 2015
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 240 Pages
PUBLISHER – Self Published (CreateSpace/IngramSpark)
COVER ARTIST – Leah Friday
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Karen has it all: a handsome husband, beautiful twin daughters, a lovely home and a great job. Karen also has a secret; she’s cheating on her husband, with not one man, but two. On the outside her life seems perfect, but on the inside Karen feels neglected, bored and unappreciated. Yearning for affection and excitement, she falls into the arms of first Raheem and then Tyrell. Out of fear of losing her husband and breaking up her family, Karen ends the affairs but things don’t turn out how she planned. When Karen’s dirty secrets are revealed she must fight to keep her family together. Chris is doing all he can to hold his marriage together. He loves Karen but she grows more distant every day. When she starts coming home later and later, he suspects she is being unfaithful. When Chris accidentally takes her cell phone what he finds changes their lives forever. When tragedy strikes, Karen must decide if she should sacrifice her happiness for her husband’s love, and Chris wonders if he should stay with Karen because he still loves her despite her infidelity. But if they do stay together, will they ever find love and happiness again? Sexy and relatable, insightful and inspiring, Love and Happiness shows us both sides of Chris and Karen's story, and reminds us that sometimes to have it all, you must first lose it all.
BUY & TBR LINKS
EXCERPT
When we got home, I decided to put all our bickering aside and make love to my husband. While Chris pleased me sexually, our busy work schedules had reduced our lovemaking to mundane quickies. I knew if I was bored, he must be too.
To spice things up, I’d read magazines, watched porn, and gathered tips from my friends. He loves lacy lingerie, so I wore my black bustier, black French-cut panties, and fishnet stockings. I lit scented candles and put on soft jazz to set the ambiance in the bedroom. Chris walked in.
“Damn!” he said.
He tugged on my lingerie to take it off. I couldn’t hide my smile. His hands hungrily roamed my body.
“Easy, baby. Enjoy what you’re looking at.”
I felt self-conscious as he groped me because his earlier comment about me looking chunky, kept replaying in my mind.
We made love. I used a lot of the new ideas I learned to spice things up, but he didn’t seem to notice. Chris always has the decency to make sure I cum, but again we ended up having another quickie because he had to wake up early the next morning. He rolled over on his side and went to sleep almost immediately after. I frowned, shook my head and stared at the ceiling. Was it me? Is this how marriage was supposed to be? Had we both gotten too comfortable?
I decided I’d start going to the gym and get a personal trainer. I hoped working with a trainer would change me enough that even Chris would have to say something positive about it. I didn’t imagine how much it would change me.
AUTHOR BIO
Ben Burgess Jr is the author of the award winning novels "Monster", "Wounded", the poetry book "Times Have Changed and Life is Strange" and the new novel "Love and Happiness" He is an active performer of spoken word poetry. Ben Burgess Jr uses his love of writing to inspire and influence youths to strive for what they believe in, and to never give up on their dreams. His poetry book "Times Have Changed and Life is Strange" and his novel "Monster" are currently used in schools on the lower east side of Manhattan. Ben Burgess has a BA degree in Business Management, and a MA degree in Educational Leadership. He is the proud father of his daughter Jaelynn and is active in trying to improve urban neighborhoods and communities. facebook.com/BenBurgessJr Twitter: Ben_Burgess_Jr
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Muffy
Wilson Interview Questions
Which
living person do you most admire?
What
is your greatest fear?
Which
book have you read the most in your lifetime? Why?
What
quality do you most admire in a woman/man, lover/spouse or influence/boss?
What
authors or friends influenced you in helping you become a writer?
A
teacher that influenced me would be Mrs. Marcus. When I was in her 8th-grade
class, I read Richard Wright’s “Native Son” I read that book, and it was life changing
for me. I knew I wanted to one day write something that could have the same
effect on people. While in 8th grade, my English teacher Mrs. Marcus gave the
class a poetry assignment. My poem was on basketball. I don’t remember what I
wrote, but I remember my teacher was blown away by it. She encouraged me to
keep writing. She was one of my most influential teachers, and I promised her
if I ever wrote a book, I would write a poem about the Holocaust for her. (She
was Jewish and had family that were survivors.) My dream was to publish a
poetry book. I continued to write throughout high school and college.
My
college professors told me I had talent as a poet and writer, so I decided to
go to lounges that had open mics to perform my poetry. Hearing people cheer for
me and appreciate my words, inspired me to keep writing. My first published
book was a poetry book titled “Times Have changed and Life is Strange.” I wrote
a poem for Mrs. Marcus titled “Holocaust”, keeping my promise. The poem “Ugly”
from “Times Have Changed and Life is Strange”, is the poem that inspired me to
write my first novel “Monster.” I reflected on my life and felt it would be a
good story that would teach and possible change people’s lives the way Richard
Wright’s “Native Son” had done for me.
Which
are your three favorite books? Top Favorite authors?
Where
do you get your greatest ideas for writing?
What
is your ‘Writing Routine’, if any?
How
can readers connect with you online?
Can
you tell us what is coming up next for you?
*Bonus
Question: What are your Top (10?) Writing Tips? Writing Advice?
AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
GIVEAWAY PRIZES
(5) Five paperback books to (5) selected winners.
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I was born when we kissed; I died when we parted. I lived in your embrace while we loved..........