In my new book, Dudoir Confessions, I present six different men in six different types of relationships. I think it will be something interesting for women to see because I modeled the characters, their personalities, and incidents in their lives after real things that have either happened to my muses or men that I know. I used things that my muses told me about themselves, how they see relationships, how they view women, and what we all do wrong in relationships.

In writing this book, I honestly feel like I am somewhat of an expert because I have brothers and over twenty-five male cousins. I have been around males all my life who have given me the real and told me what to look out for in men.  In relationships, often we think everything is okay because a man is talking to us and telling us things, however, we should only take the words coming out of their mouth for face value.  By nature, men are creatures of action. Communication and talking doesn't mean as much to them as it does to women. To prove this theory, all you must do is watch little kids. If you go to the playground and look at little children, you will find the little girls huddled somewhere having conversations while the boys are running, kicking, and jumping around. For the most part, males are not talkers. Now, we do know that one man that can talk a female under the table, but he's the exception to the rule, and not the norm.

Once again, men show you how they feel about you through their actions.  When you are with someone, you must ask yourself, do the words he's saying match up with what he is doing? If they don't match, then you need to go with the action. You don't go with words because obviously this man is telling you what you want to hear. He can tell you anything.  It's what he shows you.  An example would be you are dating this man, he texts you and calls you throughout the day, but you only get to see him late at night. He hardly takes you anywhere, or not at all, and you haven't met his friends or family, but he manages to come to your house late in the evening to "Netflix and chill".  He's not showing you off and basically, it's a you and him relationship, that's not a relationship.  He's basically showing you what you are . . . a booty call or a person he calls when he's done with whomever else, he is messing with.

Women are naturally hopeful, and we often choose to look on the bright side of things, when we should be keeping it real with ourselves. He can text and call you all day and still have a woman that he's with.  Again, it's what he's showing you.  Women often fail to realize what is right in front of our face.  So, part of this novel focuses on the fact that we must pay attention to a man's actions and what he does. Men are show and prove type of creatures. As women, we see the signs and we don't necessarily ignore them, but we are afraid to call men out on what we feel like they were doing wrong.  We can become insecure and be afraid that the man will think that we are crazy or being insecure. I would rather him see me as being insecure for a moment, than to be walking around worrying about what he's doing or to feel like I'm being played. I have learned that no matter how good of a man he is, you must follow your instinct and ask questions. No matter how hard asking those questions may be. If you see something that isn't right, ask.  You must learn the truth for yourself.  Trust . . .but verify.

I also want to show that woman can ruin a man.  Bad relationships ruin men just as much—if now more—than they mess up women.  I think they mess them up worse because men are more sensitive. When they love a woman deeply and she hurts them, it will make it ten times worse on the next person. Women suck it up, we get over, we may even do something petty, but eventually we move on.  Bad relationships stick with men longer.  Those memories flash back just as soon as you do something that reminds him of the woman who broke his heart. Men don't forgive as easily, so if they've had a few bad relationships, they group us all into the same category.  I'm not saying it's right . . .but it's what they do.

Dudoir Confessions is a book for the ladies.  It shines a light on the innermost thoughts of men and how they view relationships, their children, love, and even the mistakes that they make. It will even show the hard reality that, you may be the most amazing woman in the world, but you can't change a man.  He won't change until he is ready. He may do some things to get you off his back, but he will end up resenting you if the change is not something that he does for himself. Women are nurturers who want to save the world, and not even children can make a man change unless he has the desire to be a better person. I hope that in this book, women can get a better understanding of the men in their lives and the single men that are out there. They love just as hard as we do, and believe it or not, they hurt even harder. Check it out on February 2nd.

🖤🖤Susa🖤🖤

There are times in life when you find yourself in a state of perpetual bliss. Everything's going the way that you want. Your relationship is great, your career is taking off or is going in the direction you have hoped for, your family is prospering, your children are behaving, your spouse is helping around the house and your pockets are overflowing with an abundance of cash. There's only one problem; you don't know how to enjoy it. You have this feeling in the pit of your stomach that something is going to happen to ruin your happiness. You're watching and waiting for what is to come and, you have your umbrella at arm's reach just in case you get caught during a storm. You wait and you wait, and you wait but, nothing happens. Then, you're so anxious that, since trouble hasn't found you, you decide to go looking for it.

Once you've been in a bad relationship; had your heart-broken, been treated badly, been cheated on, been used, or abused, instead of resisting and fighting back, something goes haywire, and you start to expect it. You devalue yourself and tell yourself that you don't deserve something good. You're so accustomed to being mistreated that your welcome mistreatment. You don't know how to act when you're being treated well. The voice of the naysayers, previously drowned out by the cheerful music in your mind, resonates loudly, drowning out the once sweet music of your psyche. Distrust, jealousy, and resentment replace the feelings of love and elation and, the "bombs over Baghdad" start to explode. In your quest to find trouble's lair, you severe the once-strong bonds of your loving relationship and your home becomes a war zone as the rest of your life transforms into a battlefield. Even sensual sex can't bandage the painful wounds of spoiled love's grenades and your homie/lover/friend is now your archenemy.

I can't say that I haven't been there. So caught up on what could go wrong that I wasn't focusing on what was right. So ready to "pop off" if something went down; planning my attack, searching for clues that I never found, waiting for news of infidelity or deceit, and listening to those around me as they spewed forth bad advice. I was so used to a man doing wrong that, when I had one doing right, I pushed him away with insecurity and mistrust. Luckily, this man had the patience to subdue my feelings of inadequacy and has replenished my faith that there are good men out there just waiting for the right woman to come along so he can engulf her in his love. I must say, ladies that, sometimes, the pain we suffer from love lost is inflicted by our very being. I've learned to look at each man as an individual. Allow him to erase what has happened to me in the past and write his own story. Take down the walls inside and not allow the volcano within to erupt and burn all hope of love into ash. It may be one of the most difficult tasks in life but, you must learn not to harden your heart. Love is out there but, if your heart isn't dressed when love is ready to knock, you could miss your opportunity to truly be happy. We must all go through a little pain, a little rain, a sadness, and take a few blows before we find joy. Oh, when you find it. True love will make you forget about all the bad things of the past, get rid of the baggage from previous journeys of love, and start fresh and new with a person who was hand molded by God for you. I've said all of this in order to leave you with a few last words, "If love came packaged perfectly, you'd be skeptical of its intentions, so when it comes wrapped in a package that you've never seen before, make sure that you crack your knuckles, take a comfortable seat and enjoy the thrill of taking something special out of the box." Love, make love, and give love.

🖤🖤Susa🖤🖤

I can’t lie, there is something about a “bad boy” that makes a woman feel some type of way. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard a woman say that they love “thugs” or street dudes. The hustler you see with muscles, gold teeth, tattoos, and a rap sheet whose name is ringing in the streets. I won’t lie, I was one of those women too. Attracted to the bad boy; intrigued by a life of excitement, lured by the call of a man who lived by his own rules, and drawn to the challenge of trying to see the good in him and make him change for the better.  Like many others, I truly loved him, and I thought that, if I showed him a better way of life, when he came to the fork in the road, he’d choose the straight and narrow over the wide road to destruction. In the words of Biggie, ‘it was all a dream’ and a huge waste of time, a source of needless pain, and a situation I should have turned and ran like hell from. I know what you’re saying, a person can’t help where they came from and just because someone was raised/or is in the streets doesn’t make them a bad person or mean that they cannot change. They may be a product of their environment. They may be resorting to the only means they know to take care of themselves and their family. All of this may be true but let me tell you why I’d take a good man over a bad boy any day.

What exactly is a thug? We may have our own definition but what is Webster’s definition. In the dictionary, the definition of thug is a violent person, a brutal ruffian, a criminal and historically, a thug is a member of a religious organization of robbers and assassins in India who were devotees to the goddess Kali (goddess of time, doomsday, and death) who waylaid and strangled their victims in a ritual manner. Some of you may call them hustlers but what exactly is a hustler. According to Webster, a hustler is a person who obtains or sells something by energetic or underhanded activity, to convey forcibly or hurriedly and often in a rough manner. Unfortunately, these definitions describe a thug and a hustler accurately. Reading this, I think to myself, now who wants someone like that? Why in the world would anybody in their right mind want someone who is described as a brutal ruffian? Who would want to bring someone around their family, children, or into their household who is described by society as a criminal or violent person who obtains or sells something by doing underhanded activity? Some of us, are gluttons for punishment and we would accept the unfulfilling and impossible challenge of falling in love with someone we know is bad for us just to one day have the joy of saying our love “changed” them. You can have those bad boys and thugs. I’ll take a good man and hold him up against any one of them. His pants don’t sag below his waist but, in his polos, khakis, and loafers, he’s got definite swag. His might is not in his fists but in his progressive thoughts, prosperous decisions, and calculate actions he proves a worthy adversary to dispel any stereotypes that may stand to place a damper on his steady rising star. His intelligence and wit are fascinating; drawing you in to his world, taking you on a mental fantasy ride, making you high while keeping you grounded. His dreams are big, and his determination is even bigger. He doesn’t need to adjust his crotch in hopes of staking a claim at being a man or shout profanities from the rooftops to show his edge; his stance reeks manhood and his presence alone speak volumes. He can change minds with just one sentence and commands attention when he enters any room. He understands that you allow the experiences to teach you about life, the books to teach you about history, and society to teach you about people but you never allow your past to define the present or your future. He’s a man that can network with presidents, CEOS, and government officials while still holding his own at any neighborhood barbeque.

So, you see ladies, you can keep your bad boy thug. I’m a woman, I don’t need, nor do I want an oversized boy. I’ll take Superman personified over your Dolomite. His intelligence is the new swag. He’s what every girl should ask Santa for. I’ve found mine and daily, he proves to me that I made the right choice. Choose wisely ladies. Just because you see his potential doesn’t mean he wants to put it to use. Love and be blessed.

🖤🖤Susa🖤🖤