Hair She Goes! BookBuzz: ‘This Twisted Life’ by Tracye D. Bryant | An Excerpt | Read It Here First

Hair She Goes! BookBuzz – Tracye D. Bryant will take the literary world by storm this fall with her debut novel “This Twisted Life.” The compelling story is an intricate view into the lives of family and friends and how our one degree of separation keeps us connected. The Coleman family is your typical middle-class African-American family in Atlanta. Split by divorce, the family has managed to become comfortable in the new life they have to create. However, those comfortable days are fleeting when unexpected twists in the lives of those around them impact their reality. They’re forced to make decisions in love, relationships and money can ultimately lead to death.

Read it here first. Enjoy an excerpt. Link to pre-order below. (Audio: Click Listen Now Button Above)

This Twisted Life By Tracye D. Bryant

Sherita sat on the side of the bed with her head hung low. The past 48 hours seemed like a blur. As much as she wanted to believe that she was in the midst of an impossible nightmare, she was quickly reminded that the loss she had experienced was all too real. “Mom?” Josh knocked lightly on the door.

Without saying a word, she looked up into her son’s eyes. “Mom, can I get you anything?”

“No sweetie, I am fine. Thank you,” she said softly.

Josh sat down on the bed next to his mom and gently pulled her body toward his until her head rested on his chest. As she wept lightly, he couldn’t help but feel like this was partly his fault. The last thing Josh wanted was to see his Mom crying and in search of answers. As the two sat in silence, the stillness of the room was abruptly interrupted by the phone.

“Hello?” Josh answered.

“Hey Josh, it’s me, Alana. How is mom holding up?” she asked with concern. “Ah, we are sitting here now. She seems to be coming along as well as can be expected. Want to talk to her?”

“Yeah, if she’s up to it.”

Gently wiping tears from her eyes, Sherita takes the phone.

“Hey Lan, sweetie – how are you?” Sherita asked.

“Mom I am fine. The question is – how are you?”

“I am coming along. Just trying to put together the pieces to it all in my head, but I will be fine. When are you coming home?” she asked.

“Um, Daddy bought me a ticket last night and my flight gets in this evening at 7:20. I was calling to ask Josh if he would pick me up from the airport?”

“I am sure your brother will make himself available to pick you up. I will let him know what time. The services have been scheduled for tomorrow morning and I think it would be good for us all to be there to show support.”

Alana was a bit taken aback at her mother’s calm demeanor over the phone. Perhaps she had already cried as much as she could, but the way she was acting was just out of character for her. As Alana hung up the phone, she couldn’t help but feel sad for her mom. The past few weeks had been a tremendous burden it seemed. First, the death of her best friend, and now this. Alana just couldn’t imagine what that must be like. Looking at the clock, it was almost 10:00 a.m., she didn’t have much time to run errands, have lunch with Bella and Nehemiah and then take a taxi to LaGuardia International Airport to catch the flight home. The weather in New York was already cool and crisp. As Alana slipped on her coat and scarf, she headed up the street to grab a cup of coffee from a nearby street vendor. Waiting in line, she caught the eye of a handsome stranger. They exchanged pleasant hellos with their eyes, but never spoke. The hustle and bustle of New York City never stopped. Everyone seemed to be in a rush to go nowhere. Heading North on Broadway Street, Alana knew it would take her about 25 minutes or so to make it to the Gray’s Papaya Restaurant on 6th Avenue for lunch. However, she had one stop she needed to make at the drug store. As she entered the building, she got this overwhelming sense that she was being watched. Trying not to be paranoid, she quickly shopped for the items she needed and headed to the checkout counter. Turning the corner, she surprisingly runs into the intriguing stranger from the coffee stand earlier.

“Are you following me?” she asked annoyed.

Realizing that his immature attempt to get her attention didn’t go as planned, he let out a nervous sigh. “Um, sorry. Yeah, sort of. You walked away so quickly earlier that I didn’t get an opportunity to say something to you,” he said.

Alana was leery at this point and not feeling this strange man’s feeble attempt to talk to her. She abruptly pushed her way past him.

“Yeah, well, I am not interested. Keep it moving.”

Not wanting to startle her any further, he complied with her request and left. Paranoid all the more, Alana paid for her things and rushed out to get to the restaurant. She had to be careful of the creepy people who would approach her at any time and really needed to stay focused. Alana quickly paid for her things and left the store abruptly. She was shaken by the encounter with the stranger. As she entered the restaurant, she looked flushed.

“Hey Alana. Honey, what’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost or something,” said Nehemiah as he stood to greet her coming in the door.

Visibly shaken by the entire incident, Alana took a deep breath and shared her encounter as she took off her coat. Bella had gone to the restroom and the two waited for her to return before ordering. As she approached her friends, Bella could see that Nehemiah appeared to be comforting Alana, who looked scared.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Some guy followed Alana into the drug store and tried to talk to her. She is just a bit shaken up.” Instantly concerned for her friend, Bella reacted.

“Oh my God, are you alright?” she asked.

“Yes, I am fine. He went on about his business and it’s over. I guess I am just a ball of nerves today anyway knowing that I have to go home this evening and deal with this stuff with my family,” Alana said. “Well honey, you are safe now. So just relax and let’s get something to eat,” Nehemiah said. After lunch, the three headed back to the dorm to help Alana finish packing for the trip home. Not wasting any time, Alana knew she would be gone for at least 4 days and only took what she needed for the funeral. The weather in Atlanta was still relatively warm and she had plenty of clothes at home. “So, Alana, how is your family holding up?” Bella asked.

“You know, I am not sure. The past 12 months have been an interesting twist of events for us and hopefully, this is the end of this whirlwind,” she said.

Alana sat on the bed gazing aimlessly out the window as she thought back over the past year and how so much had changed in their lives. Who knew, life really isn’t a series of happy endings, and yet there were more surprises still in store.

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More About the Author

Tracye D. Bryant enjoys stepping outside the box and leaning on her faith. Bryant holds an undergraduate degree in Communications and a Masters degree in Public Administration. She had two sons and calls Atlanta home. Book Info: ISBN: 978-0-9762738-5-1 LCN: 201-294-6426 Price $15.95 Publication Date: September 2012 Paramind Publications