Behind The Lens...

Today, I would like to introduce you to Kennedy Marie Holloway, independent photographer for Courtside Magazine. Kennedy will soon find herself in the spotlight because of the company she's keeping. On the surface, she may be living the dream of some groupies, but she is carrying a lot of baggage that keeps her from enjoying this new spotlight. Read on...

The basics...about me. I'm a thirty-three year old, former finance consultant for Thompson-Meyer, one of the country's top bank and brokerage firms. I am married to Rick Holloway and we recently celebrated three years of marriage. The only child of Marilyn Everett-Briggs, defense attorney and Scott Briggs, a police detective for DeKalb County.

Of mixed race descent I have always been proud of who I am and where I come from. There were several things that split my parents' marriage up, one of which was my father's African-American heritage that was not high on the list of my maternal grandparents' reasons to love about him. They wanted her to marry within her WASP background, and she failed to do so. The other thorn in their marriage was their conflicting career choices. Her career as a defense attorney and his as a detective eventually pitted them against each other.

I did not want my own marriage to follow their fate, but eventually it did. My reasons for preparing to divorce were dissimilar to my parents. They still loved one another very much. My husband's actions did not depict true love.

When my eyes were opened to the truth about him, I realized my entire life was a characterization of what others thought my life should resemble. Now, I'm on the way to a new life. Picking up the camera has been my life's passion, something I did on the side that no one took seriously except myself.

That love and desire led me to make some serious changes, the first of which has been my career. Giving up my career as a financial consultant, I am now an independent photographer on the brink of success and notoriety. Is it because of some well-placed ads, perfectly timed appearances, and the right connections...that landed me gigs as a contractor for Courtside Magazine? That helps, but it's not that.

Courtside Magazine is the premier sports magazine, following the lives of professional NBA players both on and off the court. I have landed several small gigs with them, but when asked to do a feature spread on Elias Da Silva, the NBA's number one forward, playing for the Atlanta Cobras, I was overjoyed. This would surely lead to more higher paying jobs.

I should have known from the first moment I met Elias things would never be the same. Try as I might to shut down his interest, he did not take no for an answer. There was a reason I was able to see something in him that others failed to see. And against my better judgment, I ignored my initial instincts and went out on a date with him.

That wasn't altogether the worst thing that could happen. No, the worst thing was when my husband found out. And the thing he's asking of me now? This thing that is crazy in the scheme of things? It isn't so easy to turn away from. I have choices to make, and someone is going to get hurt no matter what I decide. My connection to Elias Da Silva has thrust me into the spotlight that I once shunned, and has Elias' personal life at the heart of the media's focus. The one thing he hates the most.

Follow our love story in the upcoming novel, Bel Amour (Beautiful Love).

About Chelle Ramsey...

Women's fiction author and blogger, Chelle Ramsey lives in the metro Atlanta area with her husband and three children. Chelle wants readers to become empowered to rise above life's adversities, with faith in the Almighty God, and belief in themselves. She hosts the annual 20 Days of Love authors’ blogging campaign, March Madness authors’ giveaways campaign, and showcases other authors on her blog at www.chelleramsey.com/beautifully-inspired-blog. Her novels can be found online at Chelle Ramsey Amazon.
 
LINKS:
WEB: www.chelleramsey.com
EMAIL: chelleramseywrites@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: ChelleWrites
TWITTER: @UndeniablyChell
PINTEREST: ChellesBooks
INSTAGRAM: UndeniablyChelle

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