NO HALO REQUIRED just won First place in Literary Fiction in the Incipere Awards presented by Entrada Publishing!
No Halo Required
Carolina Callings Book 1
by Travis Casey
Genre: Thriller
*First Place winner in Literary Fiction in the Incipere Awards presented by Entrada Publishing
Isaiah Hightower has everything a forty-nine-year-old man could want: respect as a high school principal; admiration as a leader in the black community; and a wife who would do anything for him.
Despite his shining public image, Isaiah's life is plagued with indiscretions. When these threaten to unravel his world, he silences the threat by any means necessary.
When his wife, Yvette, witnesses her husband's greatest sin, her life is about to change forever. But it doesn't have to. One lie will protect her lifestyle and save her husband's reputation.
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The Mayor's Race
Carolina Callings Book 2
Cory
Logan retired from boxing after winning millions of dollars, but he
never won a world title. When he dies, all he'll have is a headstone
that no one will visit. To live in infamy, he wants a sports facility
named after him. The only thing that stands in his way is the mayor
of Hilton Head, who insists it be named after an African
American.
Yvette
Tyson is frustrated since she divorced her cheating husband. She
struggles with her new life, embarrassed by her past and unable to
gain the respect she once had. Does she really have to spend the rest
of her life working the graveyard shift at the supermarket?
When
Cory runs into Yvette, their past lives converge. It soon becomes
clear that Yvette winning the mayor's office would benefit both of
them.
It's
a simple case of Black and White.
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Dark Alley to Power
Carolina Callings Book 3
Yvette
Tyson is making a run for the governor’s office. Her goal is clear.
Win.
She
has the backing of her boyfriend, Cory Logan. He is kind, gentle, and
determined— and offers the kind of support an unmarried black woman
needs to get into office. Their relationship has grown over the past
year, and she had been seen arm-in-arm with him in public numerous
times. She is proud to show him off, and him, her—so there is no
color issue—or is that exactly what it is?
Does
Cory need a black governor to get a sports center named after
him?
Does
Yvette need a white boyfriend to win that demographic to get
elected?
All
bets are off as convicts, ex-husbands, mistresses, unscrupulous
family members, secret club affiliations, and manipulating the media
are all part of the ammunition at a candidate’s disposal.
All
parties are willing to take a
DARK
ALLEY TO POWER
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NO HALO REQUIRED
By Travis Casey
Excerpt from Chapter
2
Yvette enjoyed the ride to church. What she relished even
more than the passing green scenery were the sly glances Isaiah threw her way
"checking her out." He had complimented her over breakfast on how
nice she looked in her brown and white dress. The brown was the same color as
her skin making it look as if she simply wore white strips covering her
modesty. The look excited her—and obviously Isaiah too. A million bucks, he
compared her to. She was pleased she could still wear horizontal stripes
without looking fat. Not all women could do that at forty-one. She was anxious
to get to the church and tell Gloria Huntington she still had what it took to
get her husband to acknowledge her as desirable. And while in church she'd pray
that the good Reverend would keep his sermon short—assure the righteous of
their passage to heaven, damn the sinners to hell, and get the heck out of
there so she could get back home and screw the principal's brains out.
They pulled into the parking lot where Isaiah parked in one
of the six spaces reserved for deacons. Yvette waited for Isaiah as he walked
around and opened the door for her. He didn't do it all the time, but church
was one place where he always opened the door for her—Sundays and special
occasions—that was their arrangement.
Yvette got out of the car, gave Isaiah a smile and a pat on
the cheek, and then headed for the church. She bounded up the stairs to the
white wooden chapel in three-inch heels in search of her friend, leaving Isaiah
behind to shake hands with other parishioners.
Gloria Huntington stood at the entrance of the Hilton Head
Evangelical Free Church waving a Japanese paper fan in true Southern Belle
style—with short, rapid strokes—each stroke barely covering a two-inch span
from start to finish. Despite her fanning vigor, the South Carolina humidity
threatened to penetrate her makeup base. That would be unacceptable. God and
Maybelline would have a lot to answer for if her superior good looks melted on
the steps of the house of the Lord.
They first met when Gloria was fighting to clear her
husband's name of murder charges, crimes she insisted he didn't commit. Isaiah
donned his shining armor and raised the profile of the case. He loved bringing
national attention to injustices against people of color. Yvette and Gloria
became friends and both were delighted when the Hightower's moved to Hilton
Head, making it an even closer friendship.
Following Gloria's lead, the two women air-kissed, leaving
Gloria's makeup intact. Yvette admired her spirit to use such a rich red
lipstick to compliment her light-brown skin. Large red and gold earrings
dangled prominently over her shoulders ensuring she would be seen as a woman of
daring—and style.
"Darling," Gloria purred. "How delightful to
see you. I must say, you look adorable."
Yvette stood back, opening her arms and smiling—showing
white teeth worthy of a TV commercial. "He noticed," she boasted.
"Darling," Gloria eyed her up and down,
"Stevie Wonder would notice you in that."
Yvette slid her hands over her hips. "I do work hard to
make him proud."
"And you succeed. The man appreciates his wife. How
wonderful is that?"
Even through her dark skin, Yvette blushed. "You're too
kind."
"Not kind, observant. After all, you married a
significant cog in the education of our children, a champion of the African
American community, and a deacon of this very church. You have every reason to
be proud of him. And isn't he up for the Citizen of the South?"
"Yes, I nominated him for the COTS award and had the
Chief of Police in Savannah second it. Isaiah is the most wonderful man I've
ever known—and so driven."
"Yes, and, girl, I bet he's driven you to some places
most of us can't even imagine."
Yvette play-smacked Gloria on the arm. "Stop it. You're
so naughty." She stepped closer and whispered. "And yes he has. He's
driven me to some places even God doesn't know about."
The women giggled.
Yvette straightened her posture. "But when the lights
are on, I'm honored to hold the title as Mrs. Isaiah Hightower."
"Of course you are."
Isaiah stepped between the women. "Good morning,
Gloria." He attempted to deliver an affectionate peck to her cheek but she
pulled back, protecting her makeup. She puckered her lips and simply kissed the
air in front of her.
"Isaiah," she greeted him. "Slain any dragons
lately?"
"I can't say that I've disposed of any mythical
creatures recently, no."
Yvette draped her arm over her husband's shoulder. "But
what he has done …"
He held a victorious beam. "Well, only if you consider
the Hilton Head Town Council a dragon."
"Oh?"
"I've persuaded them to close the Bare Trap on Madison
Street."
Gloria smiled. "I can understand with a wife as
beautiful as yours you have no need for strip clubs, but why would you invest
your valuable time in such an insignificant crusade?"
"Insignificant? It's hardly that. We need to protect
the children."
It was barely noticeable through her packed foundation, but
Gloria's face creased. "Isaiah, why are you worried about strip clubs? As
immoral as those places may be, they have checks in place to ensure they are
kept as a visual orgy for adults; whereas all the children of today's world
have to do is jump on the pornographic gateway known as the internet and they
can see all the nudity they want—and heaven knows what other kinds of
debauchery."
Isaiah shook his head. "It's too near the high school.
Young girls see the strippers arriving at work in Corvettes and Mercedes and
will give up their education to make money the easy and uneducated way. No, God
has spoken to me. He asked me to shut down this particular playground of sin,
and I answered. The council has accepted my arguments and the Bare Trap was
closed down two days ago." He thrust both arms in the air.
"Halleluiah!"
"And that's your dragon?"
Isaiah dipped his head. "No halo required."
"And they did it on that argument? Your students may
become strippers one day?"
"I may have mentioned that a sophomore student was
already a dancer there."
"What? At sixteen? Was she?"
Isaiah shrugged. "It's possible—one day … maybe."
Yvette stepped forward. "And statistically, the ratio
of minority dancers to white ones was grossly out of proportion. The place is
not only immoral; it discriminates against people of color."
Gloria looked at her friend. "And you researched this,
did you?"
Yvette nodded. "As you mentioned, Isaiah is a busy man.
I help where I can when discrimination is involved. Out of twenty-three
performers at the Bare Trap, twenty-one were white, one African-American, and
one Native American—I believe she dresses up as a squaw."
"I see." Gloria continued flapping her fan.
"And you want to see more people of color taking their clothes off?"
Yvette frowned.
"No, you're missing the point—"
Isaiah patted her hand. "Not to worry, darling. Those
Jezebels won't be taking their clothes off for the underclasses of Hilton Head
anymore."
"Thanks to you," Yvette congratulated him, then
turned to Gloria. "He's one of God's angels."
"No halo required," Gloria echoed.
Yvette looped her arm through Isaiah's. "Let's go give
God the thanks He deserves and get the heck out of here. My pom-poms want
shaking."
They entered the church—Isaiah's favorite place on earth.
Travis was brought up in Midwest America before embarking on a nine year Navy career that allowed him to travel the world and learn about life. He has ping-ponged across oceans moving from mainland United States to Hawaii, to Scotland, to Seattle, to England, to Minnesota, back to England, and back to Minnesota where he currently resides ... for now
He writes easy-reading, light-hearted fiction and true stories about his own experiences that even the best fiction writer couldn't make up. Relax by the beach or curl up on the couch on a rainy day while Travis takes you on fun-filled adventures that let you forget about life for a while and have a laugh.
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