My
brother Nanabanyin Kobina Prah (Nab for short) was born on Novemeber 17th.
He died ten years ago at the age of 26. I’ve gotten over mourning him, but
still miss him. He was my only living sibling. His sarcastic sense of humor put
my own to shame, and with his quiet yet caring nature he was loved by everyone
who knew him. He was my little brother so of course he annoyed me, um, a lot.
Nab
was a budding artist. I have one of the only three pieces he ever painted, but
it will forever remain incomplete. He used to consult with me before he added something to it,
discussing the shading and coloring. Of course I would praise him, impressed
with his new skills.
He’d
been talking about writing a fantasy book (he’s the one who got me into
watching Star Trek the Next Generation and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), but he died
before he got the chance.
He
had a vision for the cover. These are the pictures we took for them.
For
my brother’s birthday I’m putting my paranormal romance Love Through Time on sale for 99 cents from November 12 - 25 so take advantage and get a copy. Please spread the word.
Here’s
the blurb and an excerpt where Jasmine and her brother Ed, have a chat after a
battle the previous evening. Note that I did not base the character Ed on Nab. Jasmine’s brother isn’t sarcastic enough to
represent him.
Blurb:
Defending her family – no problem. Recalling past
lives – maybe just a small problem. Taking a chance on love again – well…
Jasmine Gibson has her world turned
upside down when she meets gorgeous Sean Taylor. He’s the first man she’s been
attracted to since her fiancé dumped her two years ago. But when the disturbing
daydreams start, Jasmine begins to fear that her actions in a past life may
have finally caught up with her.
Sean finds it impossible to stay away
from Jasmine even though he can’t shake the inexplicable feeling of betrayal,
simmering deep inside him every time he sees her.
To complicate things, someone is out to
hurt Jasmine and every time she and Sean are together, the police have to be
called. Even if Jasmine can make Sean trust her, the two of them may not stay
alive long enough to enjoy their love this time around.
Excerpt:
Jasmine
didn’t even wait until Ed stepped into their parents’ house on Saturday before
she asked about Sean. After she had recovered from her breakdown in her
mother’s arms she spent a sleepless night worrying about his reaction to the
whole situation.
Ed
moved past her into the house before answering. “I think you need to give him
some time.”
“What
if I call him and explain?”
Ed
shook his head and walked to the kitchen. “Any food in here?”
Jasmine
sat down at the kitchen table as he stuck his head into the refrigerator.
“There’s some leftover pot roast.”
“I
love Mom’s pot roast. It’ll make a perfect sandwich. Care to be a good sister
and make it for me?”
She
snorted. “Not in this lifetime, SB.”
“I
had to try. How’s your arm?”
“It
hurt like hell when Mom was cleaning it, but it’s all right. The cut wasn’t
deep enough for stitches.”
Ed
chuckled. “Last night seems like a nightmare. I can’t believe we took those
guys on like that, but I’m not surprised we did.”
“So
do you think I should call Sean to explain?”
He
paused in cutting the roast beef to look directly at her. “Do you remember the
first time I saw you fighting?”
“Yeah.
It was when I was going from my white to yellow belt. You all came to cheer me
on.”
“I
must have been thirteen or so because you were in your first year of college at
the time.”
She
nodded.
“You
remember what happened after the exam?”
“You
refused to be alone in the same room with me for almost a month.”
“I
couldn’t grasp how my sweet loving sister could be so brutal. I was scared of
you.” He placed a huge chunk of the beef on bread slathered with mustard. “When
you first started taking karate I thought you were so cool, but after watching
you test I was afraid of you. It wasn’t just the techniques because most people
can do those. It’s who you become,” he told her, grabbing a soda from the
fridge.
“You
change when you’re doing martial arts. You become this cold, hard, calculating,
battle-driven, unrecognizable person. I could see this in you, and I was just a
dumb kid watching you in a controlled situation.”
Buy Link for 99 cent sale:
Other buy links (Not on sale):
Buy
Links: Black Opal Books | Barnes &
Noble
| Smashwords |ARe | Kobo
Oh Nana, I'm sincerely sorry to know that you lost your only brother. Though it is ten years as you say, the pain and memory linger on. May he continue to rest peacefully.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celestine. You always say the best things.
DeleteI'm so sorry about your brother, Nana. It sounds like you two were close and I'm sure he's proud of your writing, looking down and smiling at you ;)
ReplyDeleteI can see it too, Debbie. Thanks.
DeleteSorry Nana. Your loss is irreplaceable but you've pulled through, thank God. You've done him proud. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stella.
Delete