89: A Thrilling Conclusion

In this episode, I share progress on my Goodreads challenge (did I increase my goal? Tap in and find out!) and I give you a glimpse into the prepublication process for my upcoming novel, THE PEARL AT BLACK DIAMOND, a Black Diamond romance book 3. We are super close to pub day! 

I also discuss the summer writing challenge I'm running and conclude with the thrilling finale of my serial fiction story THE PHOTOGRAPH.  Thank you for being a part of this experiment and I am looking forward to the next story.   

Find full show notes including the books I talked about, upcoming events, transcript for today's show and sales on Books by DL White at Booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/89. 

Transcript

DL White [00:00:14]:
Well, hello, everyone, and welcome back to the book cast. This is my platform for sharing short fiction and updates on life as a self published author of romantic fiction that centers black love. I am DL White. I'm an Atlanta based author of 14 and counting novels and numerous short stories and fan fiction works. A reader first. So we usually begin with the book report, and we talk about writing and topics of the day. I'm currently in prepublication for The Pearl, a Black Diamond Romance, tentatively scheduled for, on or before July 2, 2024. Check my blog and social media for Goodreads and story graph links as well as samples, teasers, and even a playlist for this book.

DL White [00:01:00]:
I'm on pins and needles excited to bring Davis and Kari to your faces. The book has a 5 star rating on Goodreads and StoryGraph right now. So pop them a collar a little bit. It only has one review so far, but I details. Minor, minor details. Today is the final day of my sale on Leslie's curl and dye. It's been 99¢ as part of the blue collar romance Kobo promotion. It'll probably still be on sale through 16th, on Kindle, because I can't remove it from sale until tomorrow, and then it takes however long it takes for them to put the price back.

DL White [00:01:41]:
It's also book 1 in the Powder Lake Small Town Romance series that was never meant to be a series, but I'll be writing book 4 for that at some point. And, Beach Thing is also still on sale for 199 if you still need to get started on the Black Diamond romance series that was never meant to be a series, but now book 3 is coming soon. Last week, I mentioned that I had a hankering to refresh myself on the Black Diamond Couples. I did dig into Vance and Athena. I really enjoyed my reread of that book that I totally wrote. There's a lot of sex in it. Yes. Yes.

DL White [00:02:12]:
It's a great story. It's a great story about seasoned people who meet the one for them, and they both have to make that choice to just go for it. It is just, there's there's a lot of there's more sex in that book than I feel like I intended. But also if you send 2 late forties people, one of who of which is probably at her sexual prime, to an island on a romantic vacation, and they have, like, no work, no family, no kids, nobody hanging on them, nothing to worry about. And they're, like, basically with the love of their life. Like, what do you think they're gonna do? There's lots of vacation y things happening, but, like, what else they gonna do? I really enjoyed that book. I'm probably gonna run Wade and Amina back this week. Seems like a good week to do so, and that book is also in audio book.

DL White [00:03:07]:
So snatch that up if you haven't, dug into it. My most recent newsletter is out. It actually came out June 7th. You'll find a link to that if you're not subscribed on my links page. It's books by dlwhite.com/linkinbio. I also need you to take care of that subscription thing asexually. Booksbydlwhite.com/newslettergetsyouonthatnewsletter. I'm gonna try to work on a couple of exclusive excerpts to go out before the book is published.

DL White [00:03:36]:
Thank you so much. Don't forget to confirm. Your mailbox will not be blessed if you do not confirm. As always, if you're a member at Kobo Plus, you can grab all of my ebooks and audiobooks as part of your subscription. And if you're a premium subscriber at Spotify, you get 15 free hours there. So snatch up my audiobooks. They're all there. Just waiting.

DL White [00:03:57]:
And lastly, I am available in ebook and audio at your local library, so hit up Libby or Hoopla. Request me. If you don't find me, let me know when your request is granted. I love it so much because libraries buy books. Libraries pay more than retail for books because they lend it out more than once. A lot of authors will just double their retail price, and that's their library price. And so us libraries do buy books. That's a whole revenue stream.

DL White [00:04:24]:
I do believe all of my audiobooks are now available on Hoopla, and, they've recently been adding some of my ebooks. It's very exciting. If you are a library patron and would like to read books by DL White, you can for sure get me there. You can at least request me there. Do you have a topic you would like me to cover on the book cast? Something you want me to ramble on about 27 to 32 minutes about? Shout me out holler. I'm always on Instagram or Twitter. I'm always on Twitter. On quite honestly, I'm always on Twitter.

DL White [00:04:56]:
It's author_dlwhite, or you can visit the show notes of this year episode atbooksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/89. You can also drop me a voice note. Peep the link in the show notes and send me some dulcet tones of love. I welcome your comments and questions. I'll dedicate a part of the show to answering them. Let's get it. Today's gonna be a great show. It's the weekend.

DL White [00:05:20]:
I don't have a book to write. I have plans to see bad boys through with my road dog, Karma, this afternoon. She's my movie friend. She watches movies like I read books, so it's gonna be a nice meld of the 2. Looking forward to seeing her. It's been a minute since I saw her, so I'm very excited about that. So I'm trying to get the podcast up so I can shower, take off this bonnet, take my hair out of the twist so I can have, like, a big curly thing going on, and get on the road because we're gonna see a movie this afternoon. If you know one thing about me, though, it's that I'm all about the books, so we will talk about my reading challenge progress.

DL White [00:05:56]:
I've been trying to say progress like the Canadians do because that's the type of person I'm I am. So we'll talk about what I've been putting into my face and my ears, mostly my ears. I will finish today's episode with the thrilling conclusion to my 4 part serial, the photograph. I'm pretty impressed with how this turned out. Today is Saturday, June 8th. It is 8:59 AM. It is sunny and 76 at 8:59 AM in the Atlanta area, so you know it's going to be a hot one. I have a mic and I am ready to dig in, but first, won't you join me for some coffee? All Alrighty, friends.

DL White [00:06:50]:
Let's get to it. We begin as always with the book report because I am a book head. Today, I decided my challenge was just too easy. The way I inhale books, I was about 25 books ahead, and I need something to shoot for. It's it can't just be that easy. So I increased my challenge goals to 175 books. So today I have read 92 books toward that goal, and I'm still 13 books ahead. But I have a feeling that's gonna, like, catch up with me in the next few weeks because I'm slowing down a little bit.

DL White [00:07:20]:
But I have had a very good reading week, so let's talk about it. This week, I read 3 books. I actually listened to 3 books. I was traveling this week, so I had limited time to listen to books or read ebooks. So only 3 books this week. I read the wrong bones, listened to the wrong bones, but this is widows island number 10 by Melinda Lee. You know how I am about my Melinda Lee and my Kendra Elliott. They are, books I read when I need just need something in the background.

DL White [00:07:49]:
They're pretty good. I listened to What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzeld Hall. I actually listened to this yesterday. I really struggled with this one. I love me some Rachel Howzeld Hall, particular particularly her, Lou I can't remember the last name of her detective series, but, like, her first series is a detective novel. It's based on a, an an an LA police detective. And I love that series, and I've been I've kept reading her based on that series, but her books past that series have been, like, hit or miss for me. This one was a struggle.

DL White [00:08:30]:
I like the premise of a woman that goes undercover to find someone who's been missing for quite some time. As I always say, execution just didn't work for me. This it just seemed like a a lot going on, and sometimes a book is billed as a thriller when it's really a mystery. I just feel like the timeline for a thriller should snap. There should be someone should be in peril. Someone should be in danger. There should be a threat of future danger. People should be dying.

DL White [00:09:07]:
I just felt like I was 20 percent in, and I was like, what is happening with this book? The narrator, I guess, of the book is just like a woman that's just fraught with, like, anxiety, and I just feel like a person like that would not be a private investigator. They're just always, like, seeing things and hearing things and worrying about things and, like, I just I feel like I want my PIs to be a little more steely. I don't know. Am I I don't know. I if I if I'm being, like, stereotypical about private investigators, I didn't buy her as a PI. I did buy her as it's as more of like a you know how in in cozies, the investigator is always an amateur that's out, like, solving crimes and doing things the police should be doing. Like, this book wasn't a cozy. I just felt like it wasn't a thriller.

DL White [00:10:07]:
Like, if I knew it was a mystery going in, I would've been able to relax more, but I just this was billed as a thriller. It didn't hit for me. I didn't even rate it, really. I haven't put a review on it. I just said that I read it. I didn't get an advanced copy for this book, so I'm not obligated to. So I'm not gonna, but I did get it read. And then I listened to secret, in the secret series by Nia Forester.

DL White [00:10:33]:
She's putting a lot of her backlist books in audio, which pleases me greatly because I have read a lot of her backlist, and a lot of them I read so quickly so long ago, like, 2012. I read this one in 2012. I did not remember a single word this book. Like, I don't remember reading any of it. Like, I remember reading the premise that a man was renting out his basement apartment, that his sister used to live in, but his his sister moved out, and so he rented out the basement apartment to this woman that was like a friend of his sister. That's all I remembered of this book. I didn't remember any of it, anything else of it. This was very good.

DL White [00:11:12]:
New narrator, can't remember the name. I'll look it up and maybe put it in the show notes. I'll put a link to this one, in the show notes. I mean, it's Neo Forester. It's another book cast episode where I just talk about Nia Forester and Tasha l Harrison the entire time. It's a sickness. I don't want help. This was really good.

DL White [00:11:35]:
It was a very, very good book. It ends in a cliffhanger, which I, immediately hopped into her DMs about. I did forget that it it it ends in a cliffhanger. I do have the next book in my Kindle library, but I don't think I'm gonna listen. I don't think I'm gonna read it. I'm gonna wait until it comes out in audio because it's been I don't know. It's been 10 years plus since it was out. It's not like I have to rush right to it.

DL White [00:12:03]:
But I believe it's a trilogy, and it is complete. So if you're looking to read it, it's out there. I believe it's in Kindle Unlimited, but I am just gonna rate wait on the audio because that's who I am as a person. This week, in my reading list, I did not move a single title from last week's slush pile to my face. I feel like my travel had a lot to do with that. I just didn't have time to dig in and pick 1. They were mere suggestions, I suppose. I don't have really anything in the at the moment.

DL White [00:12:32]:
I do have a few ARCs that I need to read and review, and I do actually have a lot sitting on my Kindle. I just I just gotta pick some stuff out. This week, on Tuesday, how racism is making us sick by Lyle Liverpool, in the spirit of medical apartheid and killing the black body, a science based, data driven, and global exploration of Racial Disparities in Health Care by virologist, immunologist, and science journalist, Lael Liverpool. Kinda looking forward to that. It sounds it's it's very nonfiction y, but I am all about, like, if it's, like, scandal based or if it's something that could be, like, like, something that's gonna, like, rile me up. I'm I'm more into, like, I'm more into nonfiction that's, like, meant to evoke emotion. I'm really into that. And then what you leave behind by Wanda Morris publishes on Tuesday.

DL White [00:13:31]:
I'm hoping to see Wanda next week at the DeKalb County Library book launch event. I have a long all day meeting on Tuesday, so, hopefully, I can drag myself to this after we close. I don't know. We don't even the day doesn't end for me until 5:30, and then I have to zip over to DeKalb County Library by 6:30. I don't know if I'm gonna make it. I may not. I don't know. And then A Taste For More by Phyllis Dixon publishes, June 25th, and I have a, advanced copy of that.

DL White [00:14:06]:
I also got, I did get an advanced audio ARC for something. Like, why have I why am I even mentioning it if I can't remember the name of it? I'm gonna look it up super quick. I have an advanced copy of Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts, and that publishes July 16th. So that has gotta go on the calendar as well so I can get it listened to and reviewed before pub day. And then I did get a little sneaky link from miss Alex's house, so I'm gonna get into that before the girls start reading and spoiling the dang thing. I really have so many good books just sitting on my Kindle. I just have to get to them. This week, I put down the love shack by Laurie Foster.

DL White [00:14:57]:
I'm not gonna say this was a bad book. I just, I didn't really read past the first few pages. I was not in the mood for it. It really highlights why I don't read romance by women who are not black. It just didn't hit me at all in the first few pages, and I think this book is more of a women's fiction and not a romance, and that's definitely not, not no. It's that's not for me. So I did go ahead and put that one down. That's probably the last I don't know.

DL White [00:15:32]:
Probably the last one I will request by an author that isn't black. For appearances reminders, I will be celebrating Danielle Allen's first trad pub release, Kirby Girl Summer, in Petersburg, Virginia next weekend. She'll be at Resist Booksellers for the Kirby Girl Summer release party. I'll be a featured author. I'm looking forward to seeing Danielle and Demetrius. That's June 22, 2024 from 1 to 3 PM. I'm gonna link to the event page from Resist Booksellers in the show notes, so come see us if you are local or have the ability to travel. I will be at Essence Fest July 3rd through 7th.

DL White [00:16:11]:
I am not featured. I am not on anybody's stage. I will simply be in the building. If you see me, come say hi. I'll also be at the Black Romance Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, May 30th through June 1, 2025. I am a featured author. I will be well, I won't be on a stage, but I will be at a table. Tickets go on sale June 21st, so set your alarms.

DL White [00:16:32]:
I will be adding a link to the show notes for this event as well. Moving on to our writing update. As I mentioned, I am still in prepublication for the pearl. When I tell you the writing is the easy part, there's so much involved in bringing a book to the masses the way I want to bring a book to you. Documenting it here on the podcast highlights the entire process, and this is honestly only bits and pieces of it. It's a lot, and I do most of it alone because I, have control issues. Like, even if it comes out and it's not, like, awesome, it's not perfect, it's not, like, lights and sirens. It's the way I wanted to do it because I wanted to do it myself.

DL White [00:17:20]:
So I have a small team of people that I count on for help like editor Kai, author Maya who does my full rap covers based on the cover I designed myself with input from my friends and my advanced reader copy readers. My advanced readers advanced reader copy readers was a lot of words. Anyway, I write in Dabble, which is the cloud based writing software like Scrivener, but, like, way, way stripped down. I don't like Scrivener, but I love Dabble, which is exactly like Scrivener. Anyway, I export it to Word. When I'm done, I run it through ProWritingAid before I send it over to editor Kai where we do 2 passes. Once the initial pass for anything that's glaring, and the second pass goes in deep. We are changing lots of things.

DL White [00:18:07]:
We are clarifying lots of things. We are moving things round. It's getting in there. Lots of messages back and forth. Should it be this or this? That or this? This or that? What color is this? I'm like, I don't know. I pulled this out of my behind. I don't know. Then it goes into vellum where I format and type set the novel for print and ebook.

DL White [00:18:32]:
I assign an ISBN to it, set up my files and book funnel in payhip in Draft2Digital. I should go ahead and do it in KDP and Google Play as well, but I really can't without the actual manuscript to load up. KDP too often publishes the wrong version of something, so I'm not giving them anything to mess up. And I'm not doing a preorder, so I ain't in no hurry. You know what I'm saying? Front matter, back matter, marketing copy, all that happens while the book isn't editing because technically, I can't touch it even though I have shifty eyes. I expect final edits back sometime this weekend. I am super, super close. I'm this close.

DL White [00:19:10]:
This this, like, you see you see how close if you're watching on video? Nobody's watching on video, but, like, super super my finger, my forefinger, my thumb are, like, very, very close. I'm super, super close, to being done. And then I'll be heads down making my corrections getting my girl ready for her close-up. As I mentioned, arcs are out. The initial reception is good. I really struggle with whether or not to be vulnerable here on the podcast and give a voice to the imposter that lives inside my brain. But, like, just a peek into what's happening in there. Sometimes I see how the book girlies, the influencers, the reviewers, the readers fawn over books that are not better than mine.

DL White [00:20:02]:
And I wonder why I don't get the same response. Is it is it because my characters are older? Is it because my books aren't full of slang and music references and pop culture references. I don't think I'm a bad writer. I think my books are good. I get depressed when it seems like only a 127 people agree with that assessment. I feel like my books are okay and forgettable to the general population. And I wish I could be satisfied with just sitting over here in my corner of the world pushing out these books, but nothing ruins my confidence in my work like a milquetoast reaction to something I think is very good. Like, I can tell when people didn't really like the work, but they're being nice to me.

DL White [00:20:59]:
I get reviews like, I like the part where she has hair. I'm a be honest. You can keep that. I watch people fawn over work that I tried reading, and I couldn't get past the first chapter. And I'm like, what's the draw? Is it is it the story line? Is it the writing? Is it more urban where mine is decidedly suburban and sometimes a little, like, upper middle class? Are my books boring? Like, listen. I tried adding more sex to the books because the girlies said they wanted spice. Elysium is the worst launch I've ever had for a book. The worst.

DL White [00:21:35]:
And that's a damn good book. And I really wanna tell myself to, like, get over it. Just publish the books. It'll find its audience, but, like, I wanna expand the audience. Are the books actually not good and people are just being polite? Do I want to know the answer to that question? No. Let's just pretend they're good. Anyway, I don't know why I even complained because these books are coming. I always say if you can quit writing, do it because I can't.

DL White [00:22:05]:
The people just be talking mad mess in my head nonstop, and they don't shut up sweat, and tears to perfect a story, there's no way I'm not putting it out. If I get a cover concept in my head, it's coming. You heard? Side note, if you have not read Beach Thing or Elysium, first of all, you have time, but do not let that stop you from snatching up this novel. I did add a bit in the front matter, some previously on Black Diamond goodness. So you can catch up without having to read both books. This book will spoil the first two. It is delightful. The pearl is delightful.

DL White [00:22:41]:
Elysium is steamy and romantic and decadent and lovely. The beach thing beach thing is the cutest thing I've ever written. I absolutely love all 3. I absolutely love all of my books. I do not have a book out that I do not stand 10 toes behind. They are good reading. You will love them if you give them a chance. That's all I'm saying.

DL White [00:23:08]:
Sunday is our next check-in for the summer writing challenge that I'm writing running over at the fiction archive. I hope the pens and the keyboards are red hot from all of the writing they're doing. I have curiously seen an uptick in writers coming back to the archive to finish old stories or start new ones, and that warms my cold dead heart. That's not actually cold or dead. It's just a thing we say. I didn't get, much writing in this week since I was traveling outside of finishing the serial, but, I'm gonna give it a slight rest and then prep something for the next series to share on the podcast. This has been really such a good way to just for me to just be, like, writing even if it's, like, one day a week, like, a couple hours a week. I just sit and write just to write.

DL White [00:23:53]:
Again, this challenge is an offshoot of the, 1,000 words of summer challenge, which ended yesterday on day 14. So from here on out, it's just us. The OG is a 2 week challenge to write a 1,000 words a day. Our challenge will span June July, and it would be hard to maintain that for 2 months. So the idea is to jump into summer with words and gear up for our most popular challenge, awesome August. Believe it or not, we're 6 weeks out from the start of that challenge. That's wild. Anyway, I'm looking forward to writing for fun, writing just because, writing to write and not worry about selling words because I just I do enough of that.

DL White [00:24:32]:
Speaking of writing, it's time for the conclusion of the photograph, which is a little ditty I came up with because it's been too long since I shared fiction on the podcast. As I mentioned last week, my short my next short serial is gonna be romantic. I don't have an idea yet, but I'm just gonna locate an idea and go with it. It only has to be 4 episodes long. I think the photograph is a total of 6,000 words, so it it's not like it has to be a 20,000 word thing. So I am going to conclude with part 4 of the part 4 of the photograph. I'll close out the show after the jump. So if you're jumping here, thank you so much for joining me for this week's chat.

DL White [00:25:14]:
Go ahead and skip to the end for all of the ending episode nonsense, and we will talk again next week. The photograph, part 4. Armed with the name Donovan and a renewed sense of purpose, Robin and I threw ourselves into the investigation. We spent long hours combing through online records, tracking down Damon's old associates, and piecing together the events leading up to his disappearance. It wasn't easy. Donovan, it turned out, was a ghost. He had no online presence, no known address, and no one seemed willing to talk about him, but we kept digging fueled by our determination to uncover the truth. After weeks of dead ends and false leads, Liam called Robin late one night, his voice shaking with fear.

DL White [00:26:17]:
I have proof, he said, his words tumbling out in a rush. Everything you're looking for. Robin's eyes widened as she put the phone on speaker. Liam, say that again. What kind of proof? Proof that Donovan killed Damon, but I can't keep it here. It's not safe. You need to meet me tonight. Bank records, emails, phone logs, Donovan has a mole.

DL White [00:26:39]:
This mole knows I've been passing on information. I'm not safe, and you might not be either, but it would be easier for you to get it to the police. We need to meet tonight. I leaned in, my heart pounding. Liam, it's Jada. I've been working through Robin to dig up information. I can come with her. I know who you are, Jada.

DL White [00:26:58]:
I tried to warn you to stay out of this. My eyes popped open wide. Liam has sent me that text. I have a thumb drive with everything you need. I need to just get it to you immediately. You know where. Make sure you're not followed. The line went dead, and Robin and I exchanged a glance.

DL White [00:27:18]:
We knew it could be a trap, but we also knew it was our best chance at getting the evidence we needed to bring Donovan down. An hour later, we arrived at Robin and Liam's regular meeting space, an abandoned warehouse near the airport. In the distance, we watched a figure nervously pace the shadows. He looked up as we approached, his face pale and gaunt, his red beard in patches across his cheeks. In his hand he clutched a duffle bag. Did anyone follow you? He asked anxiously bobbing his head to see behind us. No. We shook our heads.

DL White [00:27:49]:
He heaved a sigh of relief, then pulled a small device from his pocket. Good. Here. He thrust the item into Robin's palm. It's all in there. What do you mean? What is all on here? Proof, he said, his voice low and urgent. That drive holds all the proof that Donnan was laundering money through Damon's business. He wasn't always a drug dealer.

DL White [00:28:13]:
He was forced into it. He was using Damon's business as a front for his drug operation. He ordered the hit when Damon got married, had some kids, tried to go straight. He made the mistake of telling Donovan that he could take him down with everything he knew. He he was gone a few days later. I felt a chill run down my spine as the pieces began to fall into place. Though Damon wasn't a drug dealer? He was working for Donovan? Liam nodded, his face grim. It's what he does.

DL White [00:28:43]:
Gets cozy with small business owners, ropes them into getting involved to the point where they can't untangle themselves. Donovan's been running this operation for years. Damon was just one of his many pawns. There's proof of that too. Probably some people who don't want it known that they're backed by a drug king. When Damon tried to break free, Donamin couldn't let him live. He knew too much. Robin's face was ashen as she clutched the drive to her chest.

DL White [00:29:09]:
I have to take this to the police. We have to stop him. Good luck. Like I mentioned, I'm not safe, so I'm taking off. I destroyed my phone so you won't be able to reach me after tonight. Stay safe, Robin. He nodded to me. Jada, sorry I tried to scare you.

DL White [00:29:26]:
I really thought you'd back off. This this is a lot, and I was trying to protect Robin. I know. Thank you for the sound of screeching tires filled the air. A black SUV came barreling toward us, its windows tinted and its engine roaring. Run, Liam shouted, pushing us toward the warehouse. Don of his men must have followed me. We sprinted towards the building, our hutch pounding in our chest, but we were too late.

DL White [00:29:51]:
The SUV skidded to a stop and 4 armed men leaped out, their guns trained on us. Hand over the drive, one of them demanded, his voice cold and menacing. Robin and I exchanged a glance knowing we couldn't let them take the evidence. It was our only chance at bringing Donovan to justice. In a split second, I made my decision. I charged toward the men, my fist raised, and my adrenaline pumping. Robin followed suit swinging her heavy purse like a weapon. The fight was brutal as it could be with 2 women fighting off men with guns with only a purse.

DL White [00:30:22]:
The men tried not to be vicious, but we certainly took hits. We gave them back in spades. Liam jumped in surprising them and taking their attention away from us. Run, he shouted. I was tempted, but I knew they'd kill him if we left. In the chaos, I managed to grab one of the men's guns, gripped it in both hands, pointed it at a body, and pulled the trigger. The sound was deafening and the kickback almost knocked me off my feet. I recovered enough to aim then shoot again and again.

DL White [00:30:51]:
It was over in seconds, but it felt like hours. When the dust settled, the men lay near the SUV, a pool of blood growing around them. Liam, go, I said my voice shaking with adrenaline. Robin, call 911. Lights and sirens blazing, the police screeched into the warehouse parking lot. They pried the gun from my fingers. Robin held a thumb drive, refusing to turn it over until we could speak to a detective about Donna Ridge Donovan Ridge's involvement in the disappearance of her husband. It was a risk.

DL White [00:31:22]:
Donovan had eyes and ears everywhere, but it was a risk we had to take if we were ever going to find out what happened to Damon. Days later, Robin and I sat at Atlanta Police Department headquarters to hear about what the detectives had found and what they were able to police piece together. The detectives were skeptical at first, but as they began to sift through the evidence, they became true believers. Bank records showing large sums of money flowing into offshore accounts, emails detailing drug shipments and distribution routes through small businesses around Atlanta, including Damon's photo framing shop. In the video, the one that had haunted Robin for so long, showing Damon's final moments. The lead detective leaned back in his chair, his face bearing a grim grim expression. This is big, he said, tapping the file in front of him, bigger than anything we've ever seen on this guy. Whoever his mole is, he's not safe either.

DL White [00:32:15]:
With this evidence, we have the best chance we've ever had at taking Donovan Ridge down for good. Robin and I wilted in relief, tears welling in our eyes. It had been a long difficult road, but we had done it. We have found the truth about Damon's disappearance and brought his killers to light. And with video evidence of Damon's death, he could be declared dead and put to rest, and the next chapter of Robin's life could begin. In the end, justice was served. The next few months were a blur of legal proceedings and media attention. Donovan and his and his associates were arrested and charged with a litany of crimes, including Damon's murder.

DL White [00:32:52]:
The case made headlines across the country, and Robin and I found ourselves at the center of it all. We leaned on each other for support. The bond we had forged in our shared quest for justice was unbreakable, and we knew we could always be there for each other no matter what. Donovan was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. It was a bittersweet victory knowing that it couldn't bring Damon back, but it brought a measure of peace to Robin and her children. As we walked out of the sentencing hearing hand in hand, Robin turned to me, tears streaming down her full cheeks. Thank you, Jada, she said, her voice thick with emotion, for everything. I couldn't have done this without you.

DL White [00:33:32]:
I pulled her into a tight hug, feeling the weight of everything we had been through. That's what really nosy friends are for Robin. That'll do it. That brings us to the end of the photograph. That was super, super fun, very good for me. Good for that writing muscle. I I just I literally wrote it piece by piece, week by week, forcing myself to stay out of the document until probably like the day or a couple days before, and I'd read I would read through what I I had already written and then just take the story on for, like, a 1000 words just to go till I got to, like, a really good ending point and then cut it off until the next part. So, I will do that again in July, perhaps.

DL White [00:34:26]:
I don't I don't I don't know. The next one is gonna be romantic, like I said, but, I'm very pleased with how this turned out. It is not, I mean, it's not anything fancy. It's not something I could publish. It's definitely not intricate enough, but it is, good enough to share with the podcast. So the entire point of this podcast was to write short fiction and share it with my audience, and I did that, and I'm very happy about it. It only took 4 years years to get to this point. So, thank you for listening.

DL White [00:34:59]:
I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for joining me for today's chat. I enjoy having you here. Welcome any comments or feedback at booksbyd0white.com/bookcast/89. You will also find full show notes with all the books I talked about talked about today, links to all of the events I talked about today, and a transcript for today's show at that link. Please share the podcast if you enjoyed this episode, and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, give a girl a rating. I'd really, really appreciate it. Do not forget that you can support this podcast with your book purchases by spreading the good word or by throwing some coins in the hat at bookcast dot buzzsprout.com.

DL White [00:35:38]:
Every little bit helps. I will be back next Saturday. You know what? I will not be back next Saturday, June 22nd, because I will be in Petersburg, Virginia with Danielle Allen. Yes. I am not taking my microphone. I am not recording anything. So I will see you back the following Saturday, which I think will probably be July. Right? Nope.

DL White [00:35:59]:
Saturday, June 29th, I will be back. And then the following Saturday, I will be at Essence Fest, so there will also not be an episode on Saturday, June 6th. I will be seeing Brenda Jackson and Beverly Jenkins on that day, and I could not be more happy about it. I'm very excited about my summer, so I hope to see you all out in the wild. And if not, I will see you back here on the podcast on June 29th. Thank you for joining me. Please enjoy your weekend. Have a superlative week.

DL White [00:36:31]:
We'll chat again soon. Bye bye.