First, I got to thank my number one fan, my mother, Doris Patrick, the reason I was even able to become a teacher, so for this one, you really get some credit. Aunt Nancy, I want to thank you so much for coming to the rescue and allowing me some crucial time to knock this out, you are the best, and to my sister Tanya, I just love you the most, girl, welcome home. Much love to Chuck, Ted, Marcus, Damien and all of my family, near and far.
India, no matter how things wind up, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done to help. I love you always.
Tressa Smallwood, God saw me down here struggling and he sent you to come help a brother out. You are the best, even if you call me out on the regular. It’s rough out here, thanks for being the best partner in the world.
Rockelle Henderson, if I can call this thing I do a job, I want to thank you for making it a dream job. I know that I bug you and drive you crazy…I’d always heard that authors did that, but now I know it’s true. But you always have an ear, a laugh, and some time for me. You’re my friend, my editor, my publishing everything, and I appreciate you and you are definitely earning your check with me. Dawn Davis, I’m working on my craft so that one day soon, I’ll have you eager to snatch up one of my manuscripts to work on. It’s an honor to work with you. Gilda Squire, I gotta say “Wow,” I have a super publicist in you. You are the best; thanks for making sure everything is up to par for a brother and never taking any shorts. All of the Harper/Amistad family; thanks a million for the confidence and support, and for making me feel like a star. Morgan, Laura, Tanya, Mary, Michael, and Andrea and everyone who I haven’t met, but has a hand in taking me on my journey, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Special thanks to my editorial team.
Josie, I had picked you for that cover and couldn’t be happier. You’re a star and a pro. Fulani S. Hart, great job also. Les Green, thanks for the work on the website as always. Thanks also to Joshua Sheldon and to Ed Walker for the photography.
Thanks also to Karibu Books. Especially Lee, Sunny, and Trina. Congrats to Yao and Simba on the new store in Baltimore. You two are the trailblazers of black bookstore commerce. Much love to every one of the other store owners and vendors out there doing it for me. Thanks to the crew at A&B. To Tamara Cooke, my accountant, thank you a thousand times for always taking care of me. Sheryl Hicks, still us…here after all these years, they come and go, but I’ll always have you. Thanks to Yolanda Marie, Lynn Thomas, Lori, Vangie, Ma, and Zero at 4 Star’s Hair Salon. There are so many lovely women in my support system. Thank you all for all your endless support. I’m on a roll but I can’t name you all; I’d certainly run out of paper. But if you’ve helped me, past or present, please know that I truly appreciate you.
Some of you I have to love from afar, and some of you still creep into my dreams even after all this time. Sadly, some of you just don’t understand me, and maybe you never did, but I still love you. On the flip side, some of you just haven’t got a clue…and it’s clear now, more than ever, that it was your loss.
Tikeya, stop being so rough on a brother; I am not a loser, even if my niece calls me one! She’s only four, what does she know? Shout out to the Chase twins. Lisa Lamar, you are now immortalized. Thanks for all the memories. Much love to Tracye Stafford, we got to keep it moving. It’s so good knowing you have my back to the fullest. To Lisa Richardson and Angela Oates, looking forward to getting back to work.
Kelli Martin, I still hear your editorial voice, much love, always. Patty Rice, you are always remembered. Stacey Barney, look forward to working with you. Much love to all my old colleagues at Woodridge.
DeWright Johnson, much respect and love you always. To all my friends, past, present and future, what can I say…I need ya’ll. Shaka, you know what? I should call my brother. Anthony, Mike Davis, Rufus, Lowe, Eric Patterson…man, you are one of the wildest dudes ever, Black, Butter, Daren, Carl, and my brother Jim Chaney.
Nothing but love to some of my fellow authors out there. Victoria C. Murry, Karrine Steffans, Zane, Shannon Holmes, Lolita Files, Danette Majette, Zach Tate, Candace Dow, Wahida Clark, K’wan, Crystal Winslow, and so many others I’ve met out there who are so down-to-earth, it’s a real pleasure. There’s a lot of haters, snakes, and thieves out there, but don’t let ’em wreck your flow. Even if you don’t lift a finger they get pushed back and around and still don’t wind up happy; it’s funny to me.
Thanks to all the radio stations, book clubs, and magazines. Especially my sweetheart Justine Love, and my homey Todd B at WPGC, and my girl Natalie Case at Magic 102.3.
Much love and gratitude to Nina Graybill. To Manie Baron: here’s to the future, show me what you know.
If you feel like I left you out, don’t. Sit down and try to list everybody who has lent you a serious hand in life, or this year even, you’ll understand. I got nothing but love for you.
Last but definitely not least are the most important—my readers. To any Darren Coleman fans, and to the readers who aren’t fans yet, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a shot. Spread the love and send a friend to scoop up a copy.
Till the next episode, I love ya’ll. I’m out.
Dr. C
Reading Group Guide
1. This book tells the story of Diego, who is able to give no-nonsense advice, yet unable to make almost any wise decision regarding his own life. How do you think he got to be that way?
2. At the outset of the book, Diego was reflective of his behaviors and how he got into a horrible predicament. After reading the story, do you feel that he was truly sorry for anything he did?
3. Is Diego’s attitude toward women indicative of how you feel most men are? In what ways?
4. Jacob seemed to be the most sensitive and the most sensible of the pair, which made what happened with him and Elise all the more shocking. Do you think his fall from grace was realistic, believable, and understandable?
5. In the end, do you think it was possible for Jacob to really have found love with Elise? Could it last?
6. Although the author uses humorous situations to depict Lee’s problematic situation with his wife, he recognizes that domestic abuse is very serious. Roughly 40 out of 100 domestic abuse cases involve women against men. While women have been encouraged to report it, virtually nothing has been done to encourage men to come forward. Do you feel that this trend is acceptable, and if not, what should be done?
7. Jacob’s story is a classic tale of a cover-up spinning out of control. He contemplated trying to talk to his superiors earlier but changed his mind out of fear that he would lose it all. Do you think things worked out best for him?
8. Diego used sex as a medication to numb himself during tough times. Do you think he was a typical man, or a sex addict?
9. Was Diego qualified to write the column based upon all of his experiences with women?
10. Did it seem realistic that Alicia’s pain would drive her to do the things she did?
11. Which character was your favorite/least favorite? Which one, if any, could you relate to the most in your life, past or present?
12. Could you ever imagine that school teachers behave like Diego, Jacob, and even Willie, who drank and smoked marijuana on school grounds daily?
13. Which letter to Dr. C. did you most relate to?
14. What was your favorite part of the story and why?
15. Ultimately, what did you take away from this book? What do you feel the author’s motivation was for writing it?
About the Author
Darren Coleman is the author of Before I Let Go and Don’t Ever Wonder. A former elementary-school teacher, he is now a full-time writer and coaches in a youth football league. He lives in Bowie, Maryland.
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Praise for Darren Coleman’s books
“Darren Coleman is a super storyteller. Don’t Ever Wonder if this book is a page-turner; it is a sizzling-hot page-burner!”
—Mariss
a Monteilh, author of Hot Boyz
“It’s hot!! Darren Coleman captures sensuality and eroticism through the written word. It takes you there and has you biting your bottom lip! Three cheers for the brother!”
—Justine Love, “The Sexpert,” host of Lovetalk and Slowjams (WPGC, Washington, D.C.’s number one radio station)
“Darren Coleman keeps it real. He creates outstanding characters and drama that make you want to keep turning those pages. This is Waiting to Exhale of the 2000s.”
—Shannon Holmes, author of B-More Careful and Bad Girlz
“Darren Coleman establishes himself as one of the premier male voices of our time.”
—Patty Rice, bestselling author of Somethin’ Extra and Reinventing the Woman
ALSO BY DARREN COLEMAN
Before I Let Go
Don’t Ever Wonder
Do or Die
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
LADIES LISTEN UP. Copyright © 2006 by Darren Coleman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition April 2006 ISBN 9780061746390
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Coleman, Darren.
Ladies listen up : a novel / Darren Coleman.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-085191-0 (acid-free paper)
ISBN-10: 0-06-085191-0
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
1: …and I Can’t Get Up
2: Better Love
3: Crossing the Thin Line
4: Birds of a Feather?
5: More Sh#% Than a Little Bit
6: Do or Die
7: Protect Ya Neck
8: Knocking Opportunity’s Boots
9: After-school Special
10: A Song Worth Singing
11: One Way or Another
12: The Love Experience
13: A Brand-new Groove
14: Don’t Push Me
15: Who Knows Where This Could Go?
16: Sweet Thing
17: Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
18: Taking Candy from a Baby
19: My Mic Sounds Nice
20: Under Fire
21: A Brick Wall Has Got to Fall
22: Just Like Cats
23: Out with the Old
24: Right to Do Wrong
25: Might Be the One
26: It Don’t Hurt Now
One Year Later
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Reading Group Guide
About the Author
Praise for Darren Coleman’s books
ALSO BY DARREN COLEMAN
Copyright
About the Publisher
Ladies Listen Up Page 25