In these technology hyped days, me and my girls talk by Bluetooth, text and email. Planning to see each other in a home setting, where we can take off shoes, vent, laugh loudly and reconnect is a treat.

Girls' night at home is a relaxing, low effort endeavor: No cover charges, no Spanx, no line for a table and good talk with no strangers in earshot.

Imagine my thrill when a reporter from Essence Magazine contacted me for a quote for May's Essence, with Wendy Williams on the cover. On page 157, above the popcorn picture, you'll see a BRIEF, edited blurb of my thoughts on how to have a Frugal Fun Fest with your girls. 

THANKS so much to Stacy Gilliam, who wrote a fab feature on friendships. And, great appreciation to Nicole Nelson, who suggested my Frugal Socialite prowess to Stacy, which kicked this thing off.

As The Frugal Socialite I wear many fly hats: Travel writer, broadcast personality, marketing partner to many small businesses and Party Planner extraordinaire! The Frugal Socialite company started as cake decorating and catering business in the '90s, way before The Ace of Cakes and D.C. Cupcakes made this a trend.

My tagline used to be Pampered Promotions & Parties for Pennies…I still can make that happen. If you need a quick party (executed in less than a week), a shower, meeting, soiree, wedding or any large fest, call me! I can create magic with the smallest of budgets. Email me: events@frugalsocialite.com

Appeared in The Washington Informer, February 2009 Two attendants guarded heavy curtains that enclosed a private, V.I.P. access only area at the close of the Disney's Dreamers Academy of 2009. Inside were 100 of Disney's special guests, who got a rare chance to talk one-on-one with comedian, actor and nationally syndicated radio personality, Steve Harvey, who gave them straight dialogue, "like I talk to my kids", about not letting the bad things in life deter their dreams. This was not a time for camera clickers or any interference to distract from the message that was no jokes, no chasers, a side of Harvey that many have never seen...  READ rest of article   

Lucinda mentioned on many professional websites after the Procreation Vacation

From The Publicity Hound, a PR industry website.

‘Procreation Vacation’ helps writer procreate, not just write

https://publicityhound.com/blog/procreation-vacation-helps-writer-procreate-not-just-write

One of the best ways to attract media attention for your product, service, cause or issue is to invite journalists to actually experience your story, not just report it.

That’s what PR firm Quinn & Co. did when trying to generate publicity for its client, Starwood Hotels and resorts worldwide.

The firm discovered that the locals in the Bahamas had been using pumpkin soup and sea moss for generations to help make babies. Combined with certain spa treatments and lots of relaxation, it made the perfect “Procreation Vacation.”

Then it was time to interest a journalist in experiencing the story. The agency already knew freelance writer Lucinda Hughes, and that she was trying to get pregnant. So they invited her and her husband to be guests at the resort.

A staffer at “Inside Edition” read about the vacation package in “Travel + Romance” magazine and asked to follow the Hugheses. Then “Good Morning America” jumped onboard by featuring recipes for pumpkin soup and sea moss elixir. Next month, it will air a tasting demonstration of the recipes.

Many top-tier publications featured the story, including USA Today (read the story here) as well as CNN, “Live with Regis and Kelly,” “The View,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.”

What happened next copuldn’t have been planned any better. Lucinda got pregnant, and that sparked even more interest from the media. Now, other hotels are stealing the idea for “The Procreation Vacation.”

I think the PR campaign was brilliant. The most important element, however, was that the freelancer experienced the story, rather than just wrote about it from the sidelines.