The Men Who Sleep With My Husband
by Alicia Coston
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Intimate Conversation with Alicia Coston
Alicia Coston is the author of two thrillers with a third waiting to be born. Always intrigued by psychological thrillers and having studied psychology at Old Dominion University, Alicia loved books with a cat and mouse twist. Thus, Alicia began her own journey as a thriller author who desired to make women of color more prevalent writers in the genre. Alicia Coston is married and lives in Washington D.C. where she strives to promote literacy among urban youth.
BPM: When did you get your first inkling to write, and how did you advance the call for writing?
I was a precocious child who came from a family of musicians and artists; I dibble and dabble in singing and the fine arts, but my inherent creativity and wild imagination has always leaned towards writing. I think that’s because I was socially awkward (though no one would believe me now) and my peers looked at me as sort of a nerd. Reading was my escape and it introduced me to a whole new world where sometimes, the underdog does win; I grew up hungry for books, and the more I read, the more I honed those skills and wanted to write. I wrote and illustrated my first book at eight years old. It gave me a sense of control that most kids don’t have when they’re trying to find their path and appeal to their peers.
Not long after and wanting a different reading experience, I moved on to adult fiction. The first “real” novel I ever read was Daddy Was A Number Runner by Louise Merriweather (and my, was that an experience I highly recommend); I must admit, my father didn’t know I had his book, but it certainly taught me about character development and that the world doesn’t always smell of roses. In the sixth grade, one of my teachers read a poem of mine and said, “This is not the class you’re supposed to be in.” Ever since, I was in advanced English classes. I remember how great it felt then to have someone admire my work, and the feeling has never changed.
BPM: Introduce us to your book and the main characters. What makes each one special? Do you have any favorites?
Most people don’t know what to expect when I tell them about my second novel, The Men Who Sleep With My Husband. First and foremost, the book is NOT about my husband; you’d be surprised how many people ask me that! It is a thriller in which the First Lady of a renowned black church discovers that her husband is involved in numerous affairs with male lovers (the story begins with her happening upon a questionable act in the pulpit between her husband and a deacon); she takes matters into her own hands by hiring a hitwoman to kill her husband’s lovers in an effort to frame him for the murders.
Pastor Quincy Wallace has known for some time that he is attracted to men; he was raised in the church and his father, who was a deacon, had high expectations he wished to live up to. Now, as an adult, he has hundreds of members who have raised that proverbial bar in addition to a son who wants to follow in his footsteps.
Lavender Wallace, the First Lady, is not only a staple of the church, she is also a successful hairstylist and business owner in addition to being a loving mother; she is an example of how even the best wrapped package can become a heap of shredded paper when met with the worst emotional dilemma and pain. The Magician is a cunning and sinister contract killer whom Lavender employs to teach her husband a lesson after learning of his extramarital affairs; she definitely proves that being a killer comes naturally to some, while for others, it’s nurtured. Jalen Wallace is Lavender and Quincy’s educated and promising teenaged son who always looks for the good in people.
Detective Tai Exavier falls for Lavender while looking into the case of the missing men; he’s an example of someone who will focus on the problems of others while finding it difficult to focus on his own. Maybe this is the twisted side of me, but my favorite character is The Magician; while I don’t condone contract killing as a profession, she is not only attractive but intelligent and strong…just like I think women should be.
BPM: What drew you to tackle the questions or topics in The Men Who Sleep With My Husband?
It’s clear that homosexuality is still a huge taboo in the black community which is why I think “closeted” or “down-low” men are so prevalent in the black community; I believe that strong Christian values and society viewing black men as uber-masculine play a huge part in why most gay black men lead this secret life. I think homosexuality is especially prevalent in the church in general(no particular culture attached) because it’s easy for any person—gay, straight or otherwise—to hide under a cloak of faith or religion and hope to be redeemed in the process.
BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
This book is about duality; the roles we play when we have to, who we really are and why. As a boss, you try to set a good example for your employees even when it’s difficult. As a parent, you try to do the same thing for your child. The problem comes in when you have played a role for so long that you forget who you really are and ultimately make decisions that destroy the lives of people who were only given the choice to meet your substitute. In terms of HIV, it is still very real, but I don’t think black women should only expect it from closeted black men; I think bisexual black men have gotten a bad rap for carrying HIV. Let’s be real; there are still some women out there, young and old, who don’t protect themselves or think they have less to worry about with straight men. I don’t recall HIV being discriminatory.
BPM: What are your goals as a writer? Do you set out to educate? Entertain? Illuminate? Inspire?
I love writing thrillers, as these are the books I also enjoy reading, so of course I want to entertain my readers; to me, there’s nothing better than not knowing what’s going to happen next. I work diligently at making sure I keep readers guessing. I want to inspire other young writers to put their best and most honest work out there, even if they write about a topic such as mine that might get some controversial attention. In regards to The Men Who Sleep With My Husband, I had an older relative ask, “Is that really going on in the church?” I was actually in disbelief because I assumed this was no secret. I suppose controversy can be very illuminating…to both the reader and the author.
BPM: What do you think the effect has been of the media attention focus on African-American literature and the arts?
Quite frankly, I don’t think there’s enough positive media attention; too often, African-American literature is placed into a very small box and I think readers, including some African-Americans, expect black characters from black authors. I think urban fiction, granted it is well-written like anything else, shouldn’t be mocked any more than books that may be seen as a sappy romance to some or weird sci-fi to others; there will always be very specific genres for very specific audiences, but there is nothing wrong with presenting AA literature to people of all races and genders just as mainstream books not written by black authors are presented to and purchased by black people. I have older white female readers as well as older black male readers so again, sometimes people just want to be illuminated.
BPM: Share with us your latest news. How may our readers follow you online?
I was working on a new thriller, entitled Etiquette, but I put it on hold when my readers requested a sequel to The Men Who Sleep With My Husband. So, the sequel, The Men Who Sleep With My Husband II: The Non-Prophet, will be released on 3/29/2013. I have other projects coming up as well including my new thriller blog, A Lady In The Streets, which will begin in April 2013; basically, I’ll be releasing “episodes” on a weekly basis to give readers a little entertainment in between my future book releases.
Though A Lady In The Streets is my alias, some readers asked me if it was a book. I then decided I’d write a series with that title to share via my blog. My most important project by far is to continue growing my spoken word and literacy group, Fempire Speaks, for urban youth. To keep up with my latest news and crazy imagination, you can visit me online at www.aliciacoston.com or www.aladyinthestreets.com. Like me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/aladyinthestreets or follow me on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/aladynthestreet
The Men Who Sleep With My Husband
by Alicia Coston
The Bible or the bullet?
 Pastor Quincy Wallace is a man of the cloth and a man of many secrets. When his beautiful and successful wife, Lavender, discovers his affairs with different men, she takes matters into her own hands with the help of a mysterious contract killer named The Magician. Lavender plans to get rid of each of her husband's lovers and then frame her husband for the murders.
Everything seems to be going smoothly until Lavender finds herself falling for sexy Detective Tai Exavier, the same person investigating the disturbing case of the missing men. Not to mention her teenaged son, Jalen, begins to have suspicions about the father he's looked up to for years. Will Lavender's scheme give her the revenge she seeks, or will her road to redemption hit a life-changing dead end?
Excerpt: The Men Who Sleep With My Husband
Lavender
When I saw Deacon Gray fumbling with my husband's zipper in the pulpit, I knew he wasn’t kneeling before him in prayer. There is one quintessential moment in a woman’s life when she realizes she never really wanted the proof that could support her intuition. Except this time, my intuition didn’t give me fair warning. The dinner I ate at Tripps suddenly climbed and lingered in my throat. I swallowed hard while I swallowed the scene before me. My husband and his lover.
My husband, Pastor Quincy Wallace.
Quincy, my “better” half, commanded the attention of the crowd for the majority of his life. He’d certainly caught mine the first time I saw him. I was a sophomore in high school, perusing the football field as most teenaged girls do after they’ve reached puberty. My deep-set eyes followed the skyscraper making his way around the track. Quincy’s legs were pistons pounding the hot asphalt. I wondered what led God to make a seventeen-year-old boy look like a man. Dark as sin. Faint mustache. Determined lips.
“Don’t even waste your time!”
I jumped when I heard Corinne’s voice behind me. Ms. Michaels, my best friend since the age of six, stood there with a hand on her hip and a crooked smile on her lips. I hoped the way I watched the sweat trickle from his flat top haircut down his forehead to his muscular torso wasn’t obvious.
“What?”
“What?” she mimicked in a high nasally voice. “Girl, you know who I’m talking about! Quincy Wallace. Star athlete. Straight-A student. And did I forget fine as hell?” I rolled my eyes.
“Okay, so I was checking him out. And? After all those things you just named, what’s not to like?” Corinne shook her head sympathetically. She placed an arm around my shoulders and put her lips to my ear as though she was about to share a CIA secret.
“I hear he’s not into girls.” I pulled away to look at her.
“Whatever, Corinne!”
“It’s true! I heard he messed with Fruit Rollup. And I’m a cheerleader so you know I hear all the good gossip first.”
“And that’s exactly what it is, Corinne. Gossip. Don’t tell me you believe everything you hear? Furthermore, who in the world is Fruit Rollup?” Corinne cocked her head to the left and looked skyward.
“Never mind. You don’t know him.”
“Besides, who could turn down all this?” I did a little spin as we walked along the fence, an afternoon ritual we shared whenever Corinne finished practice.
“Well, you ain’t all that,” she joked. “Let me stop, you know you’re beautiful. Out of all the girls at this school, I think you have the best chance. After all, he is a deacon’s son and that’s probably why he’s turning down all these fast chicks left and right. He has standards. And you have more to offer than just your looks. Plus, you’re the new girl.”
That’s why I love Corinne. Not because she strokes my ego but because she doesn’t mind giving props to another black girl when they’re due. Even a “high-yellow” one.
My parents taught me a long time ago not to rely on my face as soon as I was old enough to realize that everyone thought I was “cute”. I followed their cue. I applied myself to my studies and even though I started modeling at the age of nine, I wasn’t thinking about investing my money in a Reese’s peanut butter cup. I wanted my own beauty salon one day. Maybe my model’s height was what really drew me to Quincy. When you’re a girl that’s sixteen and stands almost six feet tall, it’s hard to find a boyfriend who reaches your chin while you’re wearing heels. Or one that doesn’t joke about being so short that he can offer other things—supposedly, that was the advantage to being vertically challenged.
I never tried to lure a guy with sex because unlike most of my friends, I was still a virgin. I would run to every base but the last one for fear that I would get pregnant and ruin my dreams. And I made that clear from the beginning with any guy I messed with. But as Quincy rounded the track and headed towards us, I realized for the first time I was willing to make an exception.
“Are you going to say something to him, or do I have to embarrass you?” Corinne teased.
“Shut up.”
The mime-like smile I plastered on my face felt phony and stupid. Quincy didn’t seem to notice as he stopped at the fence. He panted harshly before finding his voice.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Corinne and I said in unison.
Can't remember what happened after that. Only the itch I didn't scratch. He's not into girls.
( Story Continues... )
© 2012 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Alicia Coston. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the publisher's written permission. Copyright infringement is a serious offense. Share a link to this page or the author's website if you really like this promotional excerpt.
Purchase The Men Who Sleep With My Husband by Alicia Coston
Genre: Thriller; ISBN: 0979510015
Available on both Kindle and Nook (Paperback available on Amazon only)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sleep-With-Husband-ebook/dp/B008MH1UM0
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-men-who-sleep-with-my-husband-alicia-coston/1015317157
Primary Topics discussed: Homosexuality, the black church, deception, crime, religion, and relationships
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