1.  What difference, if any, did Emily and Skylar's view of the world change because they

     were the children of a White mother and Black father?

2.  Do you ever find that you put off important family members for selfish reasons only later to

     realize that family is more important than anything else?  Did the situation Victoria went

     through persuade you to change your ways in that area?

3.  Were the decisions that Emily and Skylar made for themselves decisions they would

     make again if given a chance to "do it all over"?

4.  Was Mabel wrong for not giving Emily a chance to style hair or was she just being old-

     fashioned and stubborn?  Do you think Ms. Mabel was envious of Emily's success

     following her accident?  Do you think Ms. Mabel would have felt like that same opportunity

     would have been offered to her had she done Elizabeth Warner's hair that day?

5.  Should Emily have counseled Skylar away from her decision to make that drastic job

     change?  Did the opportunity for big money in her new career justify her secret

     occupation?  Would you ever hold that position?

6.  If you found yourself in the same position as Skylar following her tragedy, what would you

     do?

7.  If Joshua pursued a relationship with you, and the same things happened prior to your

     wedding that happened to Emily, would you have married Joshua after all?  Why or why

     not?

8.  Do you think Emily's reason for staying with Joshua was a valid one?  Would you be

     willing to try to weather such a drastic storm in your marriage in the name of "happily ever

     after" and "for better or worse"?

9.  Is Myeisha's view of men, especially of DeAndre', the way that most Black women view

     men and treat men nowadays?  Are we so overly protective of our hearts to the point we

     miss out on potentially wonderful relationships?

10. What should Emily have done that fateful night after the fashion show?  What would you

      have done?

11.  Was the ultimate decision Skylar made the right one?   Could you do the same thing if

       you were in the same situation? 

12.  In the end, were all the trials and tribulations revealed to be blessings in disguise that,

       while in the course of changing their lives forever, somehow made the family ties and

       friendships just that much better?

Where Friendship Lies

1.  Do you think it was wise for Cheyenne to end her relationship with a man like Chad?

2.  Should Cheyenne and Ramona have left their curiosities unfulfilled?

3.  Was Cheyenne rightfully hesitant about pursuing a relationship with Keith?

4.  Was Cheyenne being untrue to her inner self or do you think she really was just curious

     and needed her temporary ride on the wild side?

5.  Should Ramona have kept her decision to continue taking birth control pills from Darius?

6.  Do you think Darius should have tried to make his marriage work with Ramona or were all

     the things she'd done too much to forgive?

7.  In your opinion, was Ramona right in moving on with her life so quickly?

8.  Do you think Cheyenne was wrong for harassing Ramona about her decision to embrace

     a new lifestyle?

9.  Do you think Keith will be true to Cheyenne for the rest of their life together or will his old

     doggish ways resurface after the newness wears off of his marriage?

10.  What is your opinion of the character Leslie Banks and the role she played in Ramona's

       life?

11.  Would you have like to have seen Darius and Ramon get back together?  Why or why

       not?

12.  Do you think that eventually the secret shared between Cheyenne and Ramona will

       come to light or will it forever remain buried?

13.  Was Mona really gay or was she just saying that to let people think she was okay and

       she moved on after her marriage failed?

14.  Was that really Jon's baby?  How did Mona know for sure?

15.  Did Darius really like Amber or was he trying to get back at Mona?

A Lover's Deceit

1.  Do you think it would have been any more or less interesting if their brief love affair was

     discovered?

2.  Do you think that Ramona's feelings for Leslie faded because she realized she was still in

     love with Darius?  Or do you think they cooled because she found out being in an

     emotional, romantic relationship with a woman was no easier than being in one with a

     man?

3.  Did you want Darius' relationship with Amber to withstand the trials?

4.  When do you think it became apparent to Darius that he was still deeply in love with

     Ramona?

5.  Do you think Darius could have handled the dissolution of his and Amber's relationship

     differently or better than he did?

6.  Do you think it was right for Amber to keep trying to put Cheyenne in the middle of her

     situation?  And, if Cheyenne had been more involved, do you think maybe events would

     have played out differently for everyone involved?

7.  Do you now think, three years later, that Cheyenne had been right all along that Ramona's

     decision to become a full-fledged lesbian was a phase and a bad idea?

8.  When Cheyenne and Keith experienced their parallel experiences in having to choose

     between "believing what your mate says happened" vs. "believing your own lying eyes,"

     did you think they'd break up?  Have you ever been in that type of situation?

9.  Were you saddened to find out what happened to Amber and her baby?  What do you

     think Amber believed she would accomplish with her antics...or was she even thinking at

     all?

10.  Do you think Tawny over-reacted at the image of the two groupie girls coming from DJ

       N-Sane's bedroom the morning after the night she had allowed him to get with her?  Do

       you think Duane (DJ N-Sane) was too cavalier in his treatment of Tawny and maybe

       she had a point in being angry?

11.  Do you think Tawny's plan was taking things too far?  Can we assume Duane didn't think

       anything was wrong with what he did because of who he was and what he felt he was

       entitled to "get away with" as part of his career?

12.  Do you think Cheyenne should have discouraged her from going to such extremes to

       make Duane pay for his actions?

13.  Would you do something like that to a celebrity if you slept with them and felt dissed

       when they didn't return your affections?

14.  Do you think she should've simply kept her focus on the one man who wronged her,

       and not spread her net out to ensnare other men, to right the perceived wrongs

       visited upon not only herself but other women as well? 

15.  Is financially benefitting for disbursing the secrets and actions of others something that

       should always be seen as "snitching" and if so, is whatever happens to the "snitcher," in

       most cases, just dessert for the things they've done to others?

Girls' Night In: The Passion Party

General Questions

1.  Would you go to a party like the one Deirdre hosts?

2.  Do you purchase erotic paraphernalia for your own personal use with/without your

     significant other?

3.  If not, do you think that maybe now you'll be open to trying out different products,

     techniques, and devices?

4.  Were there any stories that closely mimicked one of your own personal erotic sexual

     experiences?

5.  Is this a book you would read to your significant other as a way to add spice to your

     romantic experiences and experimentations?

6.  Are there things mentioned in the book that you absolutely would not be interested in trying

     or being involved in?  Any that peaked your curiosity?

7.  Erotically speaking, do you prefer to read erotica that is more "Wham Bam Thank You,

     Ma'am" or more geared towards the explicit storytelling of short and long term sexual

     escapades?

8.  Have you ever hosted a "Passion Party" at your home?  Will you consider hosting a party

     now?

9.  Have you tried any of the Aphrodisiacs listed in the Alphabet of Arousal?  Which have

     worked wonders for you?

10.  Have you taken any erotic classes to enhance your love life (pole dancing, lap dancing,

       strip tease, etc.)?  Has it helped?

**Chapter Specific Questions

Chapter One:  Would you ever engage in a spur-of-the-moment sexual tryst with a service professional (such as a delivery man/woman)?  Have you?

Chapter Two:  Have you ever been attracted to a cowboy?  Does living on a ranch with a sexy Casanova seem like something you'd enjoy?

Chapter Three:  Have you ever been to a swinger's club?  How about a private swinger's party?  Ever been curious to attend?  Why?

Chapter Four: Have you ever had an affair with your boss or a supervisor of any sort?  Have you been a supervisor who has slept with a subordinate?  Were you caught?  Did you have intercourse on work grounds?

Chapter Five: Have you ever overlooked a wrongdoing because you were attracted to the culprit?  Would you?

Chapter Six:  Have you ever engaged in public intercourse or had sex in front of a room of people who were simply watching?  Are you and your mate exhibitionists?  If not, could you do something like that?  If you were an actress and you got a chance to act out a love scene with your favorite star, would you wish something like this could happen?

Chapter Seven:  Have you ever been attracted to your physician, dentist, psychiatrist, lawyer, accountant, etc.?  If so, would you ever engage in a love affair with him/her if you found out they were similarly attracted to you?  Have you ever actually had to stop going to this provider because your attraction to them was so strong?

Chapter Eight:  Have you ever engaged in a one-night-stand while you were out of the town/state/country where you reside?  Was it during a casual or business trip?  Was it with a co-worker (maybe someone who works for a different branch of the company), a fellow traveler (perhaps the person who you sat next to in the plane), or a local hottie (someone you met out at a hotspot while vacationing)?

Chapter Nine:  Have you ever had a sexual encounter with a famous person?  Was it a mistake?  If not, would you, if presented the opportunity?  Who could "get it" if they came to town and you got hold of a backstage pass?

Chapter Ten:  Have you ever been tempted to sleep with a roommate's boyfriend/girlfriend?  If so, have you ever crossed the line and taken it to the next level?  Was it worth it?  Did that person end up being with you?

Chapter Eleven:  Have you ever found a bus driver, taxi driver, limo driver, etc. sexy enough to pursue something with them sexually or romantically?  A lot of people think bus drivers are "promiscuous".  Would that be a reason you'd never consider dating someone in that profession?

Chapter Twelve:  Have you ever walked into a business and become overwhelmed with attraction to one of the people working there?  Have you got any self-image hang-ups that hold you back from finding real love?

**Note for "Girls' Night In: The Passion Party" Chapter-Specific Questions Only**

Intimate product distributors/party hosts are encouraged to use these questions at your next "Passion Party" to stimulate conversation amongst your guests, regardless of if they've read the book or if you sell the book.  However, please do not forget to list my name and website on your question sheet as writer's credit.**

For the Author(s) at Your Book Club Event(Use these FAQ's to help you interact with Raquel/Shawnte' at your event.  Then make up your own!)

1.  What do you base your characters on?

2.  What is your favorite part of the featured book?

3.  Because of how well-written 'Where Friendship Lies' and 'A Lover's Deceit' are, has

     anyone ever asked if you or your co-author were lesbians?

4.  If you had a choice to make the featured book into a movie, whom would you pick to play

     the roles and why?

5.  Do you ever write so much and get to a place where you become stuck or suffer from

     writer's block?

6.  Do you have another project in the works?  If so, what is it going to be titled and what will it

     be about?  Is it solo or another collaboration project?