Author Mara Prose

In the summer of 2018, a seed was sown and I am now beginning to reap the benefits of that seed. An independent creator and producer named Johnny B stumbled across my writing and reached out to me to help him create his vision for a movie he had in mind titled Warlock. At the time, I was furiously working to revamp the Davenports, promoting Prosey’s Corner for sponsorship and heading into a new career opportunity. I honestly did not think I had the bandwidth to provide anything of value since my plate was full, I had little interest in horror films and no confidence in my ability to provide anything of value. Thankfully, Johnny saw otherwise and continued to encourage me to work with him.

A year later, we now have a completed script and an official short film that is under consideration by Paramount and as an exhibit for the SXSW festival. Won’t HE do it! I want to send a huge thank you to Johnny B and Timothy Russell for including me in their vision, believing in my writing and opening doors for me that align with my ultimate writing goal of becoming a well sought after screenwriter! I hope my Prosers will enjoy the movie trailer and go out and support the film when it is released.

In addition to the wonderful news of the upcoming release of Warlock, I am also releasing the official prologue for book two of The Davenports: crescendo. I still fully intend to release the book in 2020 and I am aiming for a January date. I am still hard at work editing and revamping the story so that it exceeds my Prosers expectations. I so appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding in the delay of the book. It has to be right and it has to represent the Mara Prose brand well and when I feel that it does, it will be released to everyone. Enjoy the snippet below and stay tuned for the official release date when we find out how Alessandra is fairing with the company now that her father has been pushed out. Will Steven reunite with Priscilla? And what does Blake Kane really have up his sleeve in regards to his partnership with Makhail Davenport?

Prologue

The court room was silent and the air was ripe with tension.  Alessandra Davenport could feel the beads of sweat running down her back beneath her black Chanel blazer and Clic C’Est Noue Hermes blouse.  Her matching gold plated Chanel belt felt extremely constricting on her abdomen and she longed to remove it and toss it out the nearest window.  If she was honest, her entire ensemble was asphyxiating.  This was an all-new nightmare for her; she had lived through too many to count at this point.  Her role as President at Davenport Industries had been anything but ideal.  It was just shy of her dream of chairmanship; the position that would give her enough power to finally avenge her brother Cale Davenport and his untimely death.  But heading up Davenport Industries had become an albatross and detriment to her existence and so far had only resulted in more pain and disappointment for her. 

Was this what her grandfather, brother and dare she think it…father were trying to protect her from all along?  Lately, her confidence in her abilities were sorely lacking.  Once the Department of Justice decided that Davenport Industries was largely responsible for the Norway explosion and placed the company under criminal investigation, Alessandra found herself under fire at every turn.    The company’s every move was now scrutinized, the board distrusted her and even her grandfather had tucked tail and left her to fend for herself while he focused on taking the company in a new direction without her.  And to make matters worse, she was no closer to solving the mysterious death of her beloved brother.

Over the past three years, Alessandra spent every day continually fighting for the rightful control of Davenport Industries.  Her grandfather’s sudden resurgence in the industry had been unforeseen and never did she think he would become her adversary.  Of course, he was nothing like her father Makhail Davenport and truthfully, she enjoyed a good deal of free reign within the company.  But Maki Davenport had made it very clear that he had no intention of retiring the company to her any time soon, especially with the current state of affairs.  This trial, if Davenport Industries were found solely at fault, could cost the company billions and this would threaten their position in the industry for many years to come.  It would leave them vulnerable to takeovers and they could even lose their current multi-million dollar projects to their competitors.

After her father was removed from the line of succession, Maki surprisingly rekindled a passion for Davenport Industries.  He had not realized how much he wanted his son Makhail pushed aside and how much of a dark cloud that relationship had been over DI.  He was free once again to run the company as he saw fit, and he was enjoying his second chance at controlling the very empire he worked tirelessly to build.  At first, Alessandra did not take Maki’s revelation seriously but as time progressed, and she started to be excluded from major decisions, an inner fury started to build within her. 

She felt betrayed, slighted and ashamed of herself for the thoughts she was beginning to have towards Maki.  No one could have predicted this sudden change of events, least of all her and she was at a loss at how to rectify it.  It had been easy to sabotage Makhail, but her grandfather was a different story.  She loved the man fiercely and she could not find it in her to betray him.  Yet, he was blocking her deepest desire and Alessandra was finding it harder and harder to hold back her sinister nature.

Alessandra had expected a period of mentoring from him and even anticipated that it would take a few years for the knowledge transfer from her grandfather to be complete.  Unfortunately, she did not plan for Maki’s reluctance to make her CEO of Davenport Industries.  She had no choice but to accept his offer of President and his new plans to remain Chairman until his last breath. Death…Alessandra pushed the thought away.  It was an unspeakable thought but it continued to reverberate through her.

Her presidency within the company would have been an acceptable start for her at DI but Alessandra’s past dealings were dependent on her repaying debts that could only be repaid inconspicuously as CEO of Davenport Industries.  Maki could never gain knowledge of her secret agreements; those deals held promises she had to figure out how to fulfill.  Out of sheer desperation, she had already taken several risky measures over the last three years and it was those very underhanded dealings that landed her in her current situation – facing a grand jury in a court room full of powerful enemies that wanted nothing more than to see the downfall of a Davenport.

Alessandra searched the room for a friendly face, willing herself to remain unreadable in a sea full of sharks.  They were out for blood, her blood, and she would be damned if she let them beat her.  Her attorneys were in a huddle furiously arguing amongst themselves.  She almost laughed at the absurdity of them arguing about her future.  Could they save her?  Well that remained to be seen but the outlook was grime.  There was a mountain of circumstantial evidence against her but they were missing the coup de gras – actual proof that she was responsible for the arson that caused the Norway oil rig explosion. 

When her father was blamed by their board of directors for the catastrophe, Alessandra foolishly believed her troubles were behind her.  She had underestimated her father’s vengeance and his partnership with Blake Kane had proven detrimental to her and Davenport Industries.  She could not prove it but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt her father was behind the anonymous reports to the DOJ.  No one had connections like her father and she knew she had been betrayed by someone within Davenport Industries but she had yet to discover the actual mole.  Luckily, the Colt family had as much to lose as she did and remained firmly in her corner.  If they turned on her, Alessandra could kiss her freedom goodbye.  But she wouldn’t allow that to happen.  The Colts would continue to be handsomely taken care of well beyond their initial undocumented agreements.

A wave of nausea suddenly hit her with that last thought and Alessandra motioned to her attorneys.  “I need to excuse myself for a minute, I am not feeling quite well” Alessandra explained.  “Is there anything I can get you Miss Davenport?” Daniel Goldblatt, DI’s chief counsel asked immediately with a concerned look on his face.  “No, no, I just need a minute to gather myself.  I only had coffee this morning and should have stopped for a bite to eat.  I will be fine, thank you” Alessandra stated.  This seemed to pacify Daniel somewhat and he turned back to consult with his team of counsels.

Alessandra pushed herself back from the table and stood but had to quickly grasp the table to steady herself.  Her feet were unsteady and her head was swimming.  She could not allow anyone to see her in this state, so she willed herself to move quickly from the room to the ladies room down the hall.  She avoided eye contact with everyone and kept her gaze straight ahead and pushed through the doors of the courtroom.  Once outside the room, she picked up her pace and almost ran the last few feet to the restroom.  She barely made it to the stall before she hunched over and started retching into the toilet. 

After several moments, she backed away and propped herself against the wall.  Waves upon waves of nausea and cold chills continued to ripple through her system.  She knew she had to pull herself together and fast.  They only had a short period of time before the break was up and she was back under persecution.  She reached into her purse and furiously began to dig around for her towelettes and makeup attaché’.  When she grasped what felt like a useful cosmetic, she quickly pulled it out and gasped.  How could she have forgotten?  It had been days but it still should have been at the forefront of her mind.  She could feel all the color draining from her body. 

As if her life wasn’t tumultuous enough, she now had a new concern due to one night that occurred exactly seven weeks ago of reckless behavior.  Alessandra looked down at the positive pregnancy test in her grip.  She was pregnant with Steven Kane’s child.

One of my biggest pet peeves has always been ‘know-it-alls’.  I used to abhor people who felt the need to tell me what to do and how to do it because their way was supposedly superior to my own.  It would burn me up inside and I would always make it a point to push back and do everything I could in an effort to prove them wrong. However, the back and forth was exhausting and ultimately we both simply ended up looking like fools. “Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth.” Proverbs 18:2 MSG

It always felt like the ‘know-it-alls’ were trying to control me.  However, I have learned that there is a lot more to a ‘know-it-all’ than meets the eye.  A lot of it stems from insecurity on their part, but there are some who simply want to be heard for once.  So I am now of the opinion, what does it really hurt to allow them to have their ‘know-it-all’ moment?  Does it really cost me anything to sit back and listen to someone tell me something I already know?  Is there any real harm in allowing someone to feel like they are guiding me when I already know where I am going?  Especially when it comes to your loved ones; it is simply who they are so why not accept it?

It was probably my own insecurities that had me opposing the ‘know-it-alls’ that crossed my path.  Maybe I had to be the only ‘know-it-all’ in the mix, who knows.  For whatever reason, I am certainly glad I have outgrown that type of mentality.  It really is a waste of energy to constantly challenge individuals who feel like they are helping you.  I have no qualms about sitting back and listening to unsolicited advice that I may or may not take to heart.  I now respectfully listen and then I quietly come to a decision that I believe is in my best interest.  It saves a lot of time, headaches, petty arguments and frustration.

I have always been a very contrary person, but the older I get, the more I realize this is not a big deal to me.  It is so much easier just to sit back, allow the ‘know-it-all’ to have their moment and respectfully accept that this is just a part of their personality.  You are never going to change them, so why bother trying?

Self preservation is the key to everything in my world right now.  There are so many things I formally expended a lot of energy on, that are simply not worth my time.  Let me leave you with this thought:  Why not embrace all personalities, nurture the needs of those you love no matter how irritating, since it doesn’t cost you anything?  Because really, what does it hurt?

~ Mara Prose

I had the most freeing moment this weekend and I simply had to share it with my Prosers. Anyone who knows me or who has followed me for sometime knows that I am all about promoting the right image. But those closest to me are well aware of how picky I am about, or should I say, WAS about my pictures. Well, this past week my gorgeous daughter turned 17 and she had several different events throughout the week to celebrate. The last one involved a dinner with her friends that took place after a very long day at work for me. By the time I reached the event, my hair was pulled up in a loose bun, my make up had wore off and I simply was not at my most stylish best; so far removed from the meticulously put together Mara of the past.

Of course, my candid camera daughter wanted a picture with her mother. I reluctantly posed and gave my usual instructions – watch those angles, LOL! When my daughter sent me the picture the next day, I inwardly groaned and quickly started to critique how fat my face looked, how I should have worn a dark colored cardigan, how I should have left my hair down that day, blah blah blah. I spent about an hour in this ridiculous state of mind until I really felt an inner voice tell me “wake up and shut up.” It suddenly came so clear to me that it was not about the way I looked in the picture, it was about capturing a beautiful moment with my daughter that I could forever treasure. Who cares how I looked! Especially since that day, that moment and that picture was not about me; it was about celebrating another year with my daughter on her birthday. The joy she had that night made everything else seem very unimportant.

In the past, I would have never posted the picture to my social media or really even shared it with anyone. But this time around I plastered it all over Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I purposely added a filter with the word Love – and it represents not only the love for my daughter, loving that moment in time but also finally just loving ME as well. I have wasted so much time worrying about what other people will think of me, making sure that I always meet their expectations of how I should look, act, feel, etc and the freeing moment is that I can FINALLY say to HELL with all of those small minded critics. The beauty within me radiates far past how I wear my hair, what I choose to wear and whether or not I have a full face of makeup on. The true beauty of Mara equates to so much more than the superficial. My beauty lies in my relationship with my Heavenly Father, within my heart, within my children and within my passions and purpose in this life. I am very much over having to deal with anyone who cannot see past the exterior.

The people I gravitate towards on a continual basis make me feel good about me – ALL of ME! They are in my corner and supportive whether I am glammed up, a hot mess, grumpy, impatient, loving – they are simply there for it all, loving me, supporting me and encouraging me. They don’t focus on my weight, my hair, what I am wearing or what I am doing in life. They love me for me. So here is sending a special shout out of THANKS to a few women in particular who I am so grateful to God that He has recently blessed me with their friendship and sisterhood – Alisia Kennedy, Debra Young, Teresa French and Stacy Strickland. These women encourage me everyday and I do mean, everyday! Every morning we all start our day with praise, worship, inspiration and uplifting one another. There is no negativity, there is no competition, ulterior motives – it is all LOVE. I absolutely love being around them, chatting and sharing our lives with one another.

I sincerely pray that everyone is able to surround themselves with people who make them feel good about who they are, who will not try to change them and who will encourage them to simply celebrate their uniqueness. So much time is wasted when you spend it with anyone other than people who bring out the best in you. Believe me, I know and I am grateful to be awake.

The glamorous pictures may bring more likes but the likes on the REAL pictures are the ones that count for they tell me who all see ME for ME and deserve a place in my life – another tool of discernment so to speak. I share this enlightening experience to help others who may be struggling with seeking unnecessary validation from virtual strangers when all you have to do is look within and listen to that inner voice that tells you “YOU ARE ENOUGH!”

Until next time,
Author Mara Prose

PS: Do not forget to follow this link and purchase your copy of The Journey to Mara Prose: A Poetic Testimonial and/or The Davenports: A Battle of Wills and thank you in advance for ALL who support my writing. You also have contributed to bringing out the best in ME! November 6th, 2019 will be the release of The Davenports: Crescendo.

I learned a long time ago that perception does not equal reality. Our society is built on nothing but perception. We look at pictures daily via social media and believe what we see based off of a single moment in time. If we do not have a lot of social media nonsense to go off of, then we begin to make assumptions. Nothing irks me more than people who feel they know you based off of a social media post or meme.

Perception is dangerous in my opinion. It is just too easy to take everything at face value and causes us to be lazy in our relationships with one another. It also places the person who is being perceived at an unfair advantage because the perceptions generally come with unrealistic expectations that are based on ideals that do not really exist. Yes, that is a mouthful, but it is true. We need to stop projecting and begin to focus on everyone’s true attributes. We all have many sides to our personality and for me personally, it is frustrating and annoying to be pigeon-holed into just one single side. Granted, I do not show all sides of me but then again, I am not always able to because it is simply too irritating to try to change one’s warped view of who you are.

I am deeply saddened at the state of our world. A lot of times it is so much easier and peaceful to stay far removed from it all. The message today for what it is worth is to stop judging and start learning to relate more and stop making ASS-umptions about everyone else. Stop looking only at the surface and stop the false pretenses you maintain with others. We need to work towards more meaningful relationships since we never know what someone else is truly going through.

Until next time, keep those you love very, very close.

~Author Mara Prose

By popular demand, I will be releasing the Prologue for Book Two of The Davenports: crescendo in the coming weeks; with an official release date of November 6th, 2019 – in honor of my loving son’s birthday!

I have packed Book Two with an equal amount of suspense and cliffhangers as we return to Alessandra’s world of greed, corruption and vengeance. I hope you will continue on this journey as we discover the hidden secrets of The Davenports

Several years ago, someone very close to me told me NO twice when I was in need and I attribute my entire transformation as a Woman of God, Renewed Focus and the Development of my Self Identity to this encounter.  At first, I was stunned, shocked and rejected.  My heart was hurt and I could not fathom how this person who had always been my rock could reject me in my desperate time of need.

I realized I was on my own and I was the only person I could depend on to bring myself out of the mess I had created in my life.  I am forever grateful for this rejection because it has opened so many doors that I would have never knocked on had I not been rejected.  Because of this NO, I am writing more than ever, I am officially a published author, I have my own radio show and a new career in IT and I am pursing more and more endeavors every day.

The NO I received set me on a path to true independence.  Stepping out of my comfort zone, desperate to find a new direction, made me focus on self improvement.  Thinking outside of the box has been a Godsend.  My do or die situation lead me to network with new clients who wanted my writing skills, my technical skills and excellent social media ability. But most importantly, it brought me closer to God, made me a better mother, a better daughter, a better sister and a better friend.

So in essence, do not feel bad or rejected when you are told NO.  It simply means it wasn’t meant to be.  All you have to do is shift your focus and learn that all you really need is faith in God and sheer willpower.  Believe in Yourself, Motivate Yourself, Love Yourself, Nurture Yourself and most importantly Embrace All That Is You!

Life is hard but it is not impossible.  Always remember, you got this and you can do anything you put your mind to.  All it takes is stepping out on Faith!

~ Mara Prose