GRANDMOTHERS, INCORPORATED LAST BLOG POST

Okay Readers, and anyone else who might be interested, we're hanging it up.  We've been blogging for years , but we've decided that we have to concentrate our efforts in other areas that will garner more interest.  So those of you who have read our post, we hope that you've enjoyed them. Anyone else who comes here, please check out the GRANDMOTHERS, INCORPORATED cozy book series on Smashwords.com and Amazon.com, because we will continue writing.  CLICK ON any of the COVERS on this blog and read samples of our work.

Don't forget to visit our website at www.grandmothers.com.   THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT.

Evans and Rhodes

A NEW LOOK FOR GRANDMOTHERS, INCORPORATED

We almost missed posting this month, but here it is.  After nearly a decade of strutting our stuff on the same website, we decided to move to another host and a new website design.  The website name hasn't changed.  It's still   www.grandmothersinc.com .  So, we invite you to CLICK ON the website link and check out our new look.  Hope you like it!  

GRANDMOTHERS, INCORPORATED GOES TO DETROIT!

The Cast of Grandmothers, Incorporated (left to right-seated) Carol Wotring (Bea Bell) Marianne Shrader (Chevron Harris), Erin Ann Disante (Hattie Collier), (left to right-standing), Mary Stelmark (Connie Palmer), Patricia O'Brien (Director) and Sheila Wade Kneeshaw (Fanny Collier)


The Theatre Arts Club of Detroit presented Grandmothers, Incorporated, the play, on March 15th and 16th at the Players Club in Detroit, Michigan and it was quite a show. Produced by Lisa Lechniak, and directed by Patricia O'Brien , the play was presented to two nights of full houses and was well received.

The ladies of Grandmothers, Incorporated in action

In the Two Act play, the ladies of Grandmothers, Incorporated go to an isolated cabin in the woods for a  weekend of peace and quiet and, unexpectedly, encounter a notorious drug dealer hiding in the cabin.  The result is less than peaceful or quiet, but it is hilarious.  Grandmothers, Incorporated, written by Evans and Rhodes, authors of the popular cozy mystery novels of the same title, made its debut in  Off Broadway in 2010 at the Billie Holiday Theatre, and enjoyed a successful run.  The Theatre Arts Club (TAC) is a Michigan non-profit organization established in 1910 as an all women's theatre group.  The TAC produces two shows a season, and Evans and Rhodes are glad that Grandmothers, Incorporated was one of them.  We attended one of the performances and had a blast with the ladies.

If you know of a theatre group that might be interested in producing Grandmothers, Incorporated, drop Evans and Rhodes a line at grandmothersinc50@yahoo.com.

2019 - MONTH 3 - Ebook Week Sale March 3-9

The 10th Annual
Smashwords Read an Ebook Week Sale!

March 3, 2019 - March 9, 2019

Welcome to the 10th annual Smashwords Read an Ebook Week sale!  For the these seven days only, thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers will offer readers exclusive discounts on their ebooks.

Evans and Rhodes will offer the newest title in its Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy book series, WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY, for 50% Off, that's only $1.50.  So if you've enjoyed the other hilarious books in our book series, be sure to go to Smashwords.com, or better yet simply click on the book cover on this blog and purchase WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY?

In WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY? the amateur sleuths, Bea, Hattie and Connie become embroiled in a case of "real murder" this time.

When the ladies of Grandmothers, Incorporated are trapped in the woods with a group of feuding church ladies they wonder is a killer lurking in their midst?  It's another round of belly laughs as the ladies embark on a desperate search to discover the guilty culprit in WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY?

Of course don't forget the other three books in the series, Grandmothers, Incorporated, Saving Sin City and There's Something Wrong with Miss Zelda.  Buy them if you want to laugh until you cry.

2019- MONTH 2 - A GRANDMOTHERS, INCORPORATED PRODUCTION

Lights!  Action!  But no cameras, not for this production of the stage play Grandmothers, Incorporated, by Evans and Rhodes. The play will be presented in Detroit, Michigan in March 2019.  What a nice way to enjoy the third month of the year.

Grandmothers, Incorporated, the play, features the characters from the Grandmothers Incorporated book series, Bea, Hattie, Connie and Miss Fannie.  Of course the storyline is totally different than that in any of the novels, but it's still funny.  In the Two Act play the ladies go on a weekend outing only to come across a notorious drug dealer hiding in the remote cabin in which they are staying.  The results are hilarious, because as readers of our novels know the ladies back down from nothing!

Grandmothers, Incorporated, the play, made its debut in 2010 Off Broadway at the Billie Holiday Theatre, and it was a hit.  It was even held over.  There's no doubt that a good time will be had by all at the Detroit production. 

2019- MONTH 1 - NEW YEAR, NEW DETERMINATION

It’s a new year and with it comes a new effort to write at least a blog a month.  Maybe it doesn’t sound like a big deal to most, but when you’re busy writers with multi-projects going on, then finding the time to keep up with a blog can be a Herculean task, but it’s nothing the creators ladies of the Grandmothers Incorporated cozy mystery series can’t handle--we hope.

Last year was a major one for Evans and Rhodes.  L. Barnett Evans successfully produced a play she wrote.  C.V. Rhodes won a national Play Festival contest with a new play she wrote and earned a trip to Florida.  Yes, 2018 turned out to be quite a year for both of us and this year looks as though it will be just as exciting.

The year 2019 will open with a production of the play, Grandmothers, Incorporated, written by Evans and Rhodes.  The play will be presented in March in Detroit, Michigan.  Evans and Rhodes will begin a speaking tour this year, touting their success in turning the characters in their cozy mystery novels into stage characters, and encouraging everyone to follow their dreams and to live their best lives.  In addition, we will be turning our writing talents to developing another mystery series which should be released in the near future.  We may provide more information on that development in this blog over the next few months.  We’ll see.  Meanwhile, we continue to collect new ideas for the next adventure for the ladies of Grandmothers, Incorporated.   Yes, 2019 should be quite productive.  We’re looking forward to sharing it with you!

2018 - MONTH 12 - Mission Accomplished!

We did it!  Evans and Rhodes completed all twelve months of this year with blog posts.  The time seemed to just fly this year, or maybe so much has happened during this time that everything was a blur.

Earlier this year L. Barnett Evans produced a One Act play for a Fringe Play Festival.  She wrote the work, titled Take My Hand ,and it enjoyed a successful run even during a snowstorm.  C.V. Rhodes wrote a Two Act play titled, The Diary of Annie Mae Franklin.  It won the American Stage Theatre’s 21st Century Voices New Play Festival for 2018.  The work will get a staged reading and a chance for a regional production.  Meanwhile, the latest cozy mystery by Evans and Rhodes, Whose Knife is it Anyway, continues to sell.  Our Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery series does especially well on Smashwords.com, particularly outside the United States.  Perhaps we’ll explore the reasons for this in an upcoming blog.

Evans and Rhodes are in negotiations now with a theatre in Detroit, Michigan for the Midwest debut of our Two Act play, Grandmothers, Incorporated.  So the year 2018 ends on a high note.  It pays to be versatile writers..Let’s see what we come up with in 2019!

2018 - MONTH 11 -GRATITUDE FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Often when writers are working we have tunnel vision.  All we see is what’s in front of us until its completion.  We want to get our creation written, completed and out to the public.  After that it’s about promoting the work so that it sells.  After that, it’s on to the next project.  That’s how it has been with Grandmothers, Incorporated.  Over the years, we’ve written four books in the series and we’re proud of that fact.

There have been other areas of which we should be proud, but more of less have taken for granted, not reveling in the accomplishments.   Maybe we’ve been too busy to acknowledge them.  Characters from the Grandmothers, Incorporated novels have been featured in two plays, the Two Act, aptly titled Grandmothers, Incorporated and in the One Act play, Stakeout.  Both productions were successful.

The titles from our book series have received great reviews.  When the book Grandmothers, Incorporated was released years ago, it received two on-line awards as best cozy mystery, but as busy authors we didn’t take the time to savor those honors.  We simply moved on to writing the next book.  We’ve spoken at Book Clubs, at Conferences and we’ve conducted Workshops and the positive reception has always been heartening.  Yet, we as authors rarely took the time to enjoy the compliments, because the next book was on our minds.

Now, in this 11th blog of the year--the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving— the writing duo of Evans and Rhodes is taking the time to review all of those accomplishments and blessings that have come our way as the result of the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery series, and we are grateful. 

2018 - MONTH 10 - Grandmothers, Incorporated goes Women's Lit

We've added another label to our categories for the Grandmothers Incorporated cozy mystery series.  That label is Women's Lit.  According to a definition on Google "Women's fiction is an umbrella term for women centered books that focus on women's life experience that are marketed to female readers, and includes many mainstream novels. It is distinct from Women's writing, which refers to literature written by (rather than promoted to) women."

Alright, we'll buy that.  The Grandmothers, Incorporated series focuses on three women--four if you count Miss Fanny.  Each of the women in the series is "sixty something"-- again, except for Miss Fanny, who is "eighty something"--so they definitely have experienced a lot of life.  Women's Lit is marketed to female readers.  There's no doubt that mostly women purchase the books in our series, but we accept greenbacks from any gender.  We don't discriminate.  We've sold our novels to quite a few men, young and old.  As for the words mainstream novels. back to Goggle for a definition.

"Mainstream Fiction Is Any Novel That Sells Well. According to this first definition, any novel, whether genre or literary, which attracts a wide audience and sells in large numbers is a mainstream novel."  

Bingo!  So we're making it official.  Mini Musings is proud to announce the addition of the Grandmothers Incorporated cozy mystery series as  part of the Women's Lit label.  Now all that remains is to see what's next for our ladies!

MONTH 9 - TRYING TO KEEP UP

Okay, so we tried to upload a video on this blog promoting our latest title, WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY? Guess what? No such luck. Yes, we're disappointed, but what can you do? Either you're tech savvy or you're not. There is a way readers can see the Grandmothers, Incorporated videos.  Go to YouTube and type in Grandmothers Incorporated Adventures.  All of our book promotion videos are there including the latest one for WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY.  Who knows, maybe we'll become savvy enough to put one of them on the blog in the near future.  We keep trying.

Meanwhile, we're busy gathering material for a new mystery novel  Everywhere we go we come up with ideas that could put our ladies in hilarious situations.  Mackinac Island, a quaint island in Northern Michigan looks like it might be the next candidate for one of their adventures.  It's isolated.  The only way to get there is by ferry.  No motor vehicles are allowed on the island.  Either you walk or ride a bike to get around,  and rumor has it that there are areas  on the island that might be haunted.  Sounds like the perfect place for a Grandmothers, Incorporated Adventure, doesn't it?

Mackinac Island, Michigan

MONTH 8 - GRANDMOTHERS INCORPORATED SERIES SALE CONTINUES

The July Summer Sale on Smashwords.com went so well for the Grandmothers, Incorporated book series that we decided to celebrate! For the rest of 2018 Grandmothers, Incorporated, Saving Sin City and There's Something Wrong with Miss Zelda will be on sale for .99, as well as From the Stage to the Page.

Of course we can't give all of the books in our fabulous cozy book series away.  Our latest novel  Whose Knife is it Anyway will still be the same low price, but click on any of the links below and read a sample of the book you want to purchase.  Happy Reading!  

 

Grandmothers, Incorporated

www.smashwords.com/books/view/85519

 

Saving Sin City

www.smashwords.com/books/view/111068

There's Something Wrong with Miss Zelda  

www.smashwords.com/books/view/344422

 Whose Knife is it Anyway

  www.smashwords.com/books/view/720349

AND 

From the Stage to the Page

www.smashwords.com/books/view/535997

 

2018 - MONTH 7: GRANDMOTHERS, INCORPORATED Titles on SALE at 50% OFF THROUGH JULY

The 10th Annual Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale Runs July 1-31

The biggest sale of the year at Smashwords has begun!

From July 1 through July 31, you'll find deals on all of the GRANDMOTHERS, INCORPORATED titles in the 10th annual Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale.

ALL TITLES FOR .99 cents

Including 

THE 4th BOOK  

in the hilarious
 GRANDMOTHERS INCORPORATED
Book Series!

  

by L. Barnett Evans and  C.V. Rhodes 

That's what Bea, Hattie and Connie want to know as the amateur sleuths become embroiled in a case of "real" murder this time. 

When the ladies of Grandmothers, Incorporated  are trapped in the woods with a group of feuding church ladies, they wonder is a killer lurking in their midst?  

It's another round of bell laughs as the ladies embark on a desperate search to discover WHOSE KNIFE is it ANYWAY?

 READ A SAMPLE and PURCHASE 

at

www.smashwords.com/books/view/720349

 

Visit us on the web at: www.grandmothersinc.com

2018 - MONTH 6 - busy! Busy! BUSY!

Busy is the only word that can be used for all that has happened during the month of June.  Evans and Rhodes have been busy getting ready for a major Book Festival held on June 16th. Both authors were asked not only to sell our novels, but to speak at the event.  L. Barnett Evans ended the Book Festival with the reading of Excerpts from her recently produced play, Take My Hand.

C.V. Rhodes served as the keynote speaker at the Festival.  The title of the speech was "Follow Your Dreams, but Take Care of Your Business".  Since Evans and Rhodes are both authors and playwrights, in that speech important suggestions were made for those who aspire to  become writers. 

If you choose to follow these suggestions, no matter what type of  creative artists one might, remember that your work is valuable.  Know your worth.  Live your dreams, but take care of your business.

    SUGGESTIONS FOR CREATIVE ARTISTS

                                   

·        Copyright your work (own your work in case of future disputes) Go on line to the U.S. Copyright Office Official site and register your work.  It cost $35 to $85.

·        Have an attorney review contracts ask questions regarding what you don’t understand on those contracts (Legal Shield membership will provide such services)

·        Playwrights, you own your work and when a producer wants to put your play up all you are doing is giving permission for that producer to do your work for a limited time.  You should receive rights and royalty monies.  Every time that play hits the stage you should receive royalty money.  Never give permission for a producer to do your work without a written contract.

·        Authors when you get a book contract, even if you have an agent, you should understand every right that you’re giving up, especially your digital rights (ebooks, audio books, streaming of any kind anything to projects your rights for the future ).  Giving up too much for too long can cost you.

·        If you’re an author with a publishing contract, (whether you have an author or not) learn how to read a Royalty Statement (question anything that looks suspicious, be willing to challenge the publisher regarding it)

·        Playwrights and Authors know how much you’re willing to give away to get produced or published

2018 - MONTH 5 - THE WRITING ADVENTURE CONTINUES

L. Barnett Evans' One Act play, Take My Hand,  enjoyed a successful run at the Indy Fringe Onyx Festival. Who knows where it will go from there.  Meanwhile,  Evans and Rhodes are  scouting locations for other exciting adventures  for the characters in our Grandmothers, Incorporated book series. 

Recently, we had the pleasure of visiting Mackinac Island in Michigan, a picturesque island that can only be accessed by ferry or boats and on which the only motor vehicles allowed are for emergencies.  The major transportation on the island is by horse drawn carriages, bicycles or foot.  It's quite a charming place and a perfect setting for our ladies from. Grandmothers, Incorporated to  relax and get into mischief.

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

The Grand Hotel is a stately place for excitement to happen on the island.  Every year the hotel recruits employees from around the world to work for this impressive hotel during the summer season.  What an exciting place this would make for cozy mystery mayhem.  

In doing our research regarding using this island as a possible backdrop  for our next Grandmothers, Incorporated adventure, we took a horse and carriage tour of the island and the tour guide mentioned that there were places on Mackinac that were haunted.  Bingo!  That stoked the imaginations of Evans and Rhodes! Of course we went to the island library to find out more about the spots that might be haunted on the island and the librarians informed us that the whole darn island was haunted.  One of the librarians had even lived in one of the old haunted apartment buildings!  

What more is there to be said? The ladies of Grandmothers, Incorporated more than likely will end up invading Mackinac Island in the near future. We just don't know when!

2018 - MONTH 4 - THE PLAYWRIGHT WRITERS

Most of the readers of our Grandmothers, Incorporated book series may not know it, but L. Barnett Evans and C.V. Rhodes aren't only authors of one of the funniest cozy mystery series around, but both of us are playwrights.  If you check our website out at www.grandmothersinc.com you will see that we've written two plays together.  The first one, Grandmothers, Incorporated, is a Two Act comedy based on the characters from our book of the same name, and it enjoyed a successful run Off Broadway.  The second play we co-wrote was Stakeout, a One Act Comedy.  It was one of the Top Ten Grossing plays in the 2014 Indy Fringe Play Festival.  

Evans and Rhodes not only write the book series and write plays together, but we also write plays and novels separately.  Last year, both of our individual plays, The Diary of Annie Mae Franklin and Take My Hand, were selected to be read at the prestigious National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

During the month of April, L. Barnett Evans' One Act play, Take My Hand,  enjoyed a successful run at the Indy Fringe Onyx Festival. It was a hit!  Here is L. Barnett Evans below addressing an overflow audience!



So, the writing continues for both of us.  Look for the next Evans and Rhodes writing adventure.  Who knows what it will be!! 

2018 - Month 3 - ANNUAL BOOK SALE

We're excited about the 9th Annual Read an Ebook Week Sale!  Starting March 4 - March 10, 2018 each of the books in the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy book series will be on sale at Smashwords.

Grandmother's Incorporated, Saving Sin City, There's Something Wrong with Miss Zelda and From the Page to the Stage will each be on sale for only .99 cents!  Our latest novel Whose Knife is it Anyway will cost only $1.50.  Simply go to Smashwords.com, and apply the coupon provided at checkout so that you can purchase your favorite titles.  Better yet, read the entire series!    

You'd better hurry, because the sale only last a week!  Until next time...

2018 - MONTH 2 and COUNTING!

Yes!  we're on top of this.  It's February and we remembered to post this month.  Just for an update Whose Knife is it Anyway is still rolling along.  The authors have a Book Club presentation in March and the discussion will center around Whose Knife is it Anyway?  We're looking forward to that.

The first draft of our mystery trilogy is finished, and it's a good story, even if we have to say so ourselves.  If we keep on schedule the first book in the trilogy is on point to be released later this year.  We hope to give readers of this blog a sneak preview of the heart pounding excitement soon.

The play L. Barnett Evans wrote and is producing titled Take My Hand:  A Blue's Man's Path to Gospel will open in March 2018.  As stated in last month's blog, Take My Hand... is the riveting story of gospel legend, Thomas Dorsey.  Take My Hand:  A Blue's Man's Path to Gospel enjoyed a reading at the prestigious National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in August 2017 and received rave reviews.

C.V. Rhodes is still busy trying to get her latest play, The Diary of Annie Mae Franklin, produced by theatres, however, she should be releasing Someone Like You, the second book in her Stillwaters Book Series, in 2018.  In addition, she should be releasing the third edition of her romantic suspense novel, Sinful Intentions this year.  February is turning out to be a good month.  Until next time...

2018 Month 1 and Counting!

We're trying to keep our commitment to post every month in 2018 and although we barely made this month, we're here! Whose Knife is it Anyway is doing well. It's available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. However things have been crazy for both of the Grandmothers, Incorporated creators ! 

L. Barnett Evans and C.V. Rhodes have finished the first draft of the first book in the trilogy of new mysteries we're working on.  This trilogy will not be a cozy mystery series, or connected with the Grandmothers, Incorporated series.  It's heart pounding excitement this time, but we'll be posting more on that later. 

L. Barnett Evans is producing a play she wrote titled  Take My Hand:  A Blue's Man's path to Gospel.  It's the riveting story of gospel legion, Thomas Dorsey.  C.V. Rhodes is busy trying to get her latest play, The Diary of Annie Mae Franklin produced by theatres and that's an ongoing process.  Finding time for all of this is a miracle, but we manage.  Until next time...

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW: WHOSE KNIFE IS IT ANYWAY?

Dear Readers,

We have no doubt that you have been wondering what the ladies of Grandmothers, Incorporated have been up to lately.  With that in mind, we thought we'd present a sampling of our latest adventure. In  Whose Knife Is It Anyway we have a real murder to solve this time.  You see,  we go on a retreat with ladies from three rival churches who, unfortunately, have no sleuthing skills at all.  The problem is, one of them may be skilled in murder!  That's when the " fun" begins.

CHAPTER 1

“You did what?” Bryant Bell bellowed.

Beatrice Bell didn’t let the incredulous look on her son’s face impede her pride in her accomplishment. Proudly, she repeated her announcement.

“I got my P. I. license.”

“But you’re in your sixties!” Bryant croaked.

“That’s right, and I am now certified by the state of Indiana as a Private Investigator.”

“You’re kidding.” Bea’s best friend, Hattie Collier, looked as dumbfounded as Bea’s son.

Her other best friend, Connie Palmer, laughed out loud. “What other jokes do you have for us, Bea?”

“Oh, it’s a joke.” The relief in Joshua Pierce’s voice was palpable. “Thank goodness!”

Bea glowered at her handsome boyfriend. With his silver mane, athletic build and great disposition, there were times this man made her feel absolutely giddy. This wasn’t one of those times.

“No, it is not a joke,” she told him coolly.

Bea had been beside herself with excitement when she called her family and friends to invite them to her house for dinner. She told each of them that she had something important to announce. All through dinner they had bombarded her with questions about her mysterious announcement. Now that it had been made, it was being treated as a joke. That didn’t sit well with her.

The only one who seemed to be taking her seriously was Tina, the granddaughter that she shared with Connie. The girl was staying with Bea while her mother was out of town on business.

“I believe you, Grandmother,” the fifteen year old declared. She flashed a smile so like her deceased father’s that for a moment Bea lost focus. Her oldest son, James, Jr. had been married to Connie’s daughter, Ernestine. He had died from cancer years ago and his only child was the center of Bea’s life.

“Thank you, baby.” She kissed the girl softly. “At least somebody takes me seriously.” She glared at the others. “As for all of you doubters—.” Picking up an envelope off a table, she removed its contents, then held up her certificate for all to see. “Here’s the proof.” She thrust it toward her son.

Plucking it from her hand, he scanned it briefly.

“What in the hell is the Get Your Man Institute for Private Eyes? Where’s that located?”

“On the internet, and don’t you dare use that kind of language with me.”

“On the internet!” Bryant exploded. “You mean to tell me that you got your detective license on-line?”

“Yes,” Bea replied defiantly, determined not to let his reaction dampen her spirits.

She loved her son dearly. He was a wonderful man, and good looking too. Like his late father, his complexion was a warm, chestnut brown and his eyes were dark and expressive, but he was in his forties and ought to be out looking for a wife instead of meddling in her business.

“How much did all of this cost?’ Hattie inquired.

“The license fee was $150.00.”

“Is that all?” Connie’s interest was piqued.

“Yeah, girl, and all I had to do was fill out an application.”

Bryant was not impressed. “Let me get this straight. I went to college, majored in Criminal Justice...”

“But I wanted you to be an engineer,” Bea reminded him. He ignored her.

“I went through rigorous training at the police academy to become a member of the Indianapolis Police Department...”

“And I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”

“Then, after years of paying my dues, I finally get promoted and became an investigator, when I could have saved myself a lot of time and trouble by simply going on line.”

Bea shrugged. “Who knew?”

“What did you have to do to qualify for this certificate?” Josh carefully scrutinized the official looking document Bryant handed him.

“Well I had to be at least 21 years old and have no felony convictions. On top of that, I had to demonstrate the skills and knowledge on how to operate a firm and do investigations.”

“And you have experience doing this?” Josh raised a skeptical brow.

Hattie piped in. “I don’t know if Bea told you, but the three of us have solved several crimes. There was the Frank Schaffer case...”

“And the bust at the drug house,” Connie added.

“Don’t forget the incident with Miss Zelda,” Bea reminded them.

“And of course all of you must remember how I solved the mystery in Las Vegas practically by myself,” Hattie bragged.

Bea shot her an exasperated look. “This is not about you.” She turned to Josh. “And to finish answering your question, I also had to have an Indiana business license to get certified.”

“You’ve got a business license?” Hattie looked surprised.

“Yes I do, from the State of Indiana. It didn’t cost that much.”

Bryant threw his arms in the air in frustration. “Oh great! Since when did you become a business woman? You’re a retired city administrator, Mom! Retired! Remember? ”

Bea tried to remain patient. “Not any more dear. Connie owns and runs Palmer Realty. Hattie started, her funeral consultant business, Half Way Home, and now I’m the proud owner of Grandmothers, Incorporated.”

“Grandmothers, Incorporated!” Hattie and Connie screeched in delight.

“Private Investigators!” Bea took her certificate from Josh and held it high in the air. “Ladies and gentlemen, Grandmothers, Incorporated, is officially in business!”

The three women squealed with excitement, hugging and laughing exuberantly as they gave each other high fives.

“You did it, Bea!”

“Congratulations!”

“Way to go, Grandmother!” Tina joined the trio, giving Bea a big hug. “I’ve got to spread the word!” She started tweeting on her cell phone.

Josh looked on in silent disapproval. Bryant made an attempt to remain calm. It didn’t work.

“Listen, Mom, while I applaud your initiative, let me remind you that I am a decorated member of IPD and I cannot have my mother running around Indianapolis playing detective. It’s dangerous, and those streets are no place for a bunch of old ladies playing games.”

As soon as the words left his mouth Bryant realized his mistake. Josh groaned in anticipation of the eruption. It didn’t take long.

“What?” Bea demanded. The look she gave Bryant was primal.

“Who in the hell are you calling old?” Connie yelled.

Hattie held her hands skyward, “Lord! Don’t let me have to hurt Bea’s child.”

Bryant had opened a can of worms. The barrage of barbs and insults came fast and furious. Hands were placed on hips, heads were rolling, fingers were wagging in his face. Tina recorded the action on her cell phone. Wisely, Josh stayed out of the fray. Bryant was on his own.

He accepted the consequences of having misspoken until enough was enough. Placing his fingers between his lips he released a piercing whistle.

“Okay! Cool it!”

The shrill sound and commanding order brought gradual compliance. Three pair of defiant eyes threw daggers his way. Bryant was humbled.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Believe me, I know that you three are far from being helpless old ladies.”

“You better believe it,” spat Bea.

“And, Mom, please don’t remind me of how you and your friends helped get me my promotion with that raid on the drug house.”

“And don’t you forget it.” Miss Hattie couldn’t resist one final jab.

“The three of you are beautiful, intelligent and more than capable of doing great things, but Mother, surely you must understand that getting a piece of paper over the internet doesn’t mean that you’re a real Private Investigator. Come on, now!”

Bea disagreed. “The State of Indiana seems to think so.”

“And they trump you any day,” Connie declared.

“Amen!” Hattie seconded.

Bryant thought it best to retreat. “I tell you what, Mom. I’m going home. I’ve got an early day tomorrow, and don’t you have to pack for that woman’s retreat the three of you are attending?”

Bea stood arms tightly folded. She didn’t feel very forgiving. Old ladies indeed! “That’s right.”

Bryant started backing toward the front door. “How many days are you going to be in those woods?”

“We leave on Thursday and we’ll be back on Sunday,” Hattie answered for Bea.

“Good, that will give both of us time to clear our heads about this P.I. thing.” Bryant took Tina’s phone out of her hand as he was retreating.

“Hey, Uncle Bryant!”

“No Facebook.” Her uncle deleted the video before handing the cell phone back to her. “Find something else to post.”

“Awww, man.” The look she gave her uncle now resembled those of the other females in the room.

“I don’t need a conference to clear my head,” snapped Bea. “My mind is clear as a bell. And I plan on engaging in quiet contemplation and spiritual growth while I’m gone.”

“How’s that supposed to happen?” Connie scoffed. “You told me that we’re going to be stuck in the woods with the worst bunch of two faced, backstabbing, blabber mouths in Indianapolis.”

Josh looked confused. “But Bea, you said the ladies volunteered for this retreat to mend hard feelings between some churches.”

“That’s right,” Bea assured him.

Connie rubbed her hands together eagerly. “And I can’t wait to see how this turns out. ”

“Connie, you’re just going to start some devilment,” Hattie chastised

“Sounds interesting.” Bryant had reached the front door and couldn’t wait to exit. “Well, have a good time all of you. And Mom, I’ll give you a call before you go on that trip with the Road Warriors...”

“The Road Wanderers.”

“I stand corrected. Who knows, maybe you ladies will have a story to tell when you come back from your trip. Love you, Mom. Good night all.”

“Love you too.” How could she help but love him. He was her baby, despite his big mouth.

Bryant hurried out the door. Bea turned to Josh, the remaining dissenter in the room. “Have you got anything else to say?”

Josh swallowed hard. His mama didn’t raise a fool.

“Just let me know what time the three of you are leaving on Thursday and I’ll pick you up.”

CHAPTER 2

Several clusters of women stood in the parking lot of stately Mt. Malachi Baptist church laughing, chatting and enjoying shared camaraderie. Conversation gradually ceased when Joshua Pierce’s Aston Martin pulled into the lot and rolled to a stop. It was followed by Connie’s small sedan which parked behind them.

Necks craned to see the driver of the luxury vehicle, and when he stepped out there were murmurs of admiration. When Bea emerged from the passenger side there was a collective gasp.

Hattie and Connie got out of her car and went to the trunk to remove their luggage. Connie then walked over to where Bea stood behind Josh’s car waiting for him to remove her bag.

“Oh, oh, Bea,” she teased. “Looks like you gave the gossipers something to talk about on the trip. I told you to show Josh off a long time ago.”

“I couldn’t care less,” Bea huffed. “Let them talk. As long as these hussies keep their hands off the merchandise...”

Hattie cut her short. “Listen you two! This trip was organized to heal bad feelings, so let’s change your attitudes right now.” With luggage in hand, she stalked off to find Dorothy and Thelma.

“I guess she told us,” Connie scoffed.

“Oh be quiet,” Bea grunted. “You know doggone well you’re just going on this trip to meddle. You don’t even go to church.”

“I do, sometimes. But I have to admit that I do plan on sitting back these next few days and enjoying the fireworks.”

When Hattie reached Dorothy Riggs and Thelma Reeves she could tell that the two friends were upset. It was through their travel club that she had helped plan this trip and they wasted no time complaining to her.

“We’ve got trouble,” an exasperated Dorothy began. “Me and Thelma thought we’d have everyone sit next to a member of another church—you know, mix it up so people could get acquainted.”

“But the way these women are acting, you would think we asked them to drink poison.” Thelma gave a disgusted grunt.

Dorothy shook her head in agreement. “Lord, that’s the truth. You might call this trip a Reconciliation Retreat, but so far the spirit of cooperation ain’t working.”

Hattie frowned. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of that later. Right now we’d better get the meeting started.”

The three women moved to the front of the gathering.

“Ladies!” Dorothy tried to get their attention. The chatter continued.

Thelma tried, with an increase in volume. “Ladies!” She was also ignored.

Hattie marched over to Josh, who had stayed to see Bea off.

“Josh, could you help us get everyone’s attention?”

Many of the women were throwing admiring glances his way, leaving Josh both confused and amused by the assembly. Doing as Hattie requested, he put his fingers between his lips and let out a piercing whistle. The incessant chattering was replaced by indignation.

“What in the world?”

“Has he lost his mind?”

With a nod of thanks to Josh for focusing attention in her direction, Hattie announced, “All right, Christian women, it’s time to meet in the church dining hall before the bus arrives.”

“Follow us,” Dorothy directed. With varied degrees of compliance, the ladies did as told.

****

When everyone had settled in their seats inside the church, Dorothy and Thelma stood in front of the contingent. Some of the women were receptive, others appeared indifferent.

“Ladies, as most of you might know Thelma and I started Road Wanderers years ago to travel with some friends in order to have fun.”

“It seemed that many of you who had retired wanted to do more than park your carcasses in a chair, play bingo, do crossword puzzles or watch soap operas,” said Thelma, “and traveling to new places was the perfect solution.”

“With Thelma’s skills at getting cheap group rates for hotels and entertainment venues, our trips have been very successful,” Dorothy boasted.

“And hopefully the trip we’re going to take today will be the best one of all.” Thelma broke into a bright smile. “You, the members from the Church of the Living Unity of Christ’s Kingdom Missionary Baptist church or CLUCK Baptist as it is so fondly called.”

“I ain’t never been fond of it being called that,” someone in the back of the room shouted.

Thelma continued undaunted. “Twelve Disciples Christian church and Mt. Malachi Baptist have all signed up for this church retreat...”

“And we all have to thank our friend, Hattie Collier of Mt. Malachi, for this splendid idea,” Dorothy interjected. “Hattie, come join us.”

Thelma and Dorothy led the applause, joined by an enthusiastic ovation from Hattie’s friends and fellow church members as she came forward. There was polite acknowledgement from the others in attendance.

A grinning Hattie was more than glad to be recognized for her Christian contributions. “Thank you everyone, and in the spirit of the Lord and of this gathering, I know that you’ll cooperate with our trip coordinators and sit on the bus according to the seats they have...”

“Hold it, Hattie!” Once again the cry came from the back of the room.

Lucretia Martin, the seventy-something year old widow of Mt. Malachi’s former pastor, made her way to the front where Hattie, Dorothy and Thelma stood. Because the current pastor, Reverend Samuel Trees was a widower, the formidable Lucretia believed the title of first lady automatically reverted to her by default. It certainly did not belong to Hattie Collier, the woman that the present pastor was courting. Lucretia made sure to stand directly in front of Hattie.

“I’ll handle this,” she told the trio. “As you know, as a first lady, I have experience organizing.” She addressed the gathering. “Ladies, if we can each sit next to someone you don’t know or who goes to a church other than your own, it would facilitate what I feel we want to accomplish.”

Bea was standing with Josh at the back of the room, but she made certain that her comment could be heard. “We? We who, Lucretia? You didn’t have a thing to do with organizing this retreat. Hattie did.”

A member of Mt. Malachi took offense at how her former first lady was being addressed. “Mother Lucretia is an elder in our church. Have some respect.”

A CLUCK Baptist member came to Bea’s defense. “But she’s right. You would think that you’d give credit where credit is due.”

A Twelve Disciples church member spoke up. “Anyway, Miss Lucretia’s husband is dead. Why does she think she’s a first lady? Reverend Trees has been the pastor at your church for years. What’s she first lady of?”

Eyes widened and backs stiffened as malevolent glares passed between the members of the three churches represented. Rumblings of dissent began to rise. Chuckling, Josh teased Bea.

“Look what you started.”

“Oh be quiet.” She rolled her eyes at him.

“Ladies! Ladies! Raising her hands to gain their attention, Thelma tried to halt the rising rebellion, but the gauntlet had been thrown.

LaVerne Nelson, another member of CLUCK Baptist spoke up. “All I’ve got to say is that if what Bea said was disrespectful, some people must not know what respect means!”

“When did CLUCK Baptist become familiar with respect?” Pearl Mason shot back.

Hattie’s eyes slid to Dorothy and then to Thelma. The two women looked shell shocked. World War III was surely looming. Every woman in the room was aware of the feud between Pearl Mason, the pastor’s wife at Twelve Disciples Christian, and LaVerne Nelson.

When CLUCK Baptist sponsored its big “all city” church musical a couple of years ago, Laverne had been the president of the planning committee. She and Pearl had been on speaking terms then and Laverne’s committee had picked Pearl’s brain about how to pull it off and who to invite. It was well known that Reverend Mason’s wife had a great deal of influence in the city’s religious community. She could be quite charming as well as politically savvy.

Pearl also fancied herself as being a great gospel singer. Although she was in her sixties, she had dreams of launching a recording career. In exchange for her ideas and contacts Pearl was to be listed as a soloist in the program. Yet, when the program came out, not only was she not on it, but her church wasn’t invited to the event. The memory of that insult and betrayal was still fresh. Lavern and Pearl hadn’t spoken since—that is, until now.

“Lord have mercy! These women are too old to be acting like fools!” Hattie croaked. “We have to do something!” It wasn’t farfetched to think that this confrontation might end up in a fist fight.

It was the petty feuds, slights and exchange of insults that had amassed over the years between members of the three churches represented in the room that resulted in the proposal for a Reconciliation Retreat. Each of the churches was highly respected in the Indianapolis community, but the growing animosities between their members threatened to erode any influence the institutions might have, especially among young people where it was sorely needed. Something had to be done.

At this particular moment, Hattie knew just what to do. Throwing her arms skyward, she called on a greater force.

“Heavenly, Father, this is a day that you have made, so please help these people to be glad and rejoice in it.”

As the women began to realize that Hattie Collier was praying they slowly transferred their attention to her. She was known to take prayer to a whole new level. Dorothy’s cell phone rang and she stepped aside to take the call, as Hattie continued to plea her case to a Higher Power.

“Lord, we ask you to forgive these women for their uncooperative spirit. Teach them to fear you, for your wrath is mighty! Sweet Jesus, I want to see love and harmony on this trip so that none of us here will find ourselves at the fiery gates of hell for not cooperating. In your precious name, Amen.”

“Amen,” a few scattered voices echoed.

Dorothy stepped back into the room and addressed the women. “I just heard from the bus driver. He’s a block away. Now he’s not our usual driver, but I heard he was good. So, come on ladies, grab your bags and let’s go outside.”

Tension was still high as Pearl and Laverne glared at each other, but like the others they did as asked and started filing out of the room. Thelma gave a sigh of relief and whispered to Hattie, “It looks like we avoided that disaster.”

“Thank God. Let’s hope that things get better rather than worse.”

The words were barely out of Hattie’s mouth when their charter bus came barreling down the street toward the church. The big vehicle tilted as the driver made a sharp turn into the parking lot, coming to an abrupt stop with tires squealing. Several women screamed and ran for their lives.

“What the hell?” Connie was dumbfounded. “I thought Dorothy said he was a good driver!”

Alarmed, Josh pulled Bea back to safety. “If this guy drives this foolishly, I don’t know if I want you going on this trip.”

“That makes two of us,” Bea agreed.

Dorothy and Thelma approached the bus cautiously just as the doors flung open. They gawked at the dark-skinned man who stared back at them. Leaning on the steering wheel, the driver gave them a lopsided grin.

“Ladies, your chariot awaits.”

“I don’t think so!” a member of the group shouted defiantly.

“You’re not scattering our bodies all over the highway!” another one proclaimed.

“We’re not getting on that bus with him!” That declaration became the consensus. It looked as though the trip might be over before it began.

Hattie, Dorothy and Thelma coaxed, pleaded and finally compromised to get everyone aboard. If the women would get on the bus, they could sit where they wanted.

“I’m not going to be bothered with a bunch of nagging females,” the bus driver stated arrogantly.

“Excuse me.” Dorothy glared at him. “Maybe I need to call your boss for a new driver.”

“That’s exactly what we should do.” Hattie agreed.

Unnerved, the driver stared at them. After thinking about it for a moment, he tried to look as contrite as possible.

“I’m sorry I ruffled your feathers, ladies. How about we get this show on the road?”

“That’s not much of an apology. I suggest you watch your step from now on and drive like you got good sense.” Dorothy gave him a look that said she meant business.

Still grumbling, the women clambered aboard, delighted to ignore the seating plan.

“Ladies, I need your attention.” Thelma clapped her hands loudly. “Quiet please, so we can do the roll call.” She was ignored.

Tired of Thelma’s polite request, Dorothy stood up and barked, “Shut up so we can hear!”

There was instant silence—for about 15 seconds.

“Dorothy you’re not talking to a bunch of children.”

“She must be having flashbacks about driving that school bus.”

“She’s not going to talk to me like that.”

After waving goodbye to a departing Josh, Bea came to a half standing position to seek out the source of the complaints. As she studied her fellow passengers she frowned, then leaned over to Hattie. “Where’s Miss Fanny? Where’s your mother-in-law?”

Hattie shrugged. “I don’t know. She said that she was coming.”

A half block away, the continuous blare of a car horn could be heard. The noise came closer and closer, until a red Mercedes screeched into the parking lot and pulled beside the bus. Miss Fanny was behind the wheel.

Hattie muttered a prayer, asking for the strength to endure her mother-in-law through this weekend. She had hoped that the crabby octogenarian wouldn’t show up.

With her luggage in tow, Miss Fanny climbed aboard the bus and announced to no one in particular. “Whew! I made it! And in one piece too. Not bad for a woman in her eighties, huh?” Glancing at the man behind the wheel, she realized that he wasn’t the Road Wanderers’ usual bus driver. “Who are you?”

“I’m George Hadley, the substitute driver.”

“Oh, that’s why I had to struggle with my bag. Our regular driver, Mr. Sweeney, is a gentleman.”

“Well, Sweeney ain’t here.”

Looking him up and down, Miss Fanny griped, “Young man, I don’t think we’re going to get along.” Taking a seat, she barked, “You can go now.”