"JUST BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A MAN DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T WANT ONE!" Audria is a thirty-eight year old woman who finds herself uttering this line over and over to her nagging Mother who keeps insisting something must be wrong with her to still be single and with no prospects at her age. But it's not her fault all the fine, eligible, healthy, sane, and financially stable Brothas are ignoring the fact she exists. They were doing that on their own with no encouragement from her, thank you very much. They just weren't beating her door down for dates. And they didn't seem to give a crap that The World Class Nagger had already picked out the perfect Mother-of-the-Bride wedding dress, had the minister on standby and the reception hall paid for. What was a girl to do under all that pressure? Exactly what Audria keeps doing - ignoring her nutty Momma and enjoying her life as much as possible. Then, on a whim, she begins a pen-pal friendship with Michael, a man in prison. He's fine, eligible, healthy as far as she knows, seems sane in his conversation, and obviously he doesn't have too many financial worries. But he's far from perfect. He is a flawed, often angry man who battles personal demons and his memories of a time when he lived without conscience. He has never had time for love. Never, before Audria. The more they talk, the deeper they fall. Michael touches emotions inside her that have long been buried, and before she knows it, Audria shares her most intimate secret with this man that she has kept hidden from everyone all her life. It is something from her past. Deep, dark, and disturbing, it has hovered over her and threatens to destroy any happiness that comes her way. Unless she faces it. This is a story about two people's willingness to step away from society's hang-ups, dictates, and their own personal fears. They bring light and happiness to dark spaces, warmth and healing to hurt places. They embrace each other and the love they find together as they discover what it feels like for the first time to have their Hearts On Lock.
About the Author: Olivia Scotland, a/ka Lady O is, by self-definition, a spiritually driven creative expressionist who is most alive when putting pen to paper. Originally from the Caribbean, she has been writing since childhood. She has self-published six mini books of poetry and has directed and starred in a one-woman production called "Windows to my Soul" produced by Phoenix Theatre D.C. She resides in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, and is presently at work on the sequel to Hearts On Lock.