SimplySaidReadingAccessories

SimplySaidReadingAccessories

Monday, August 31, 2009

Sins of the Father



Sins of the Father
Angela Benson


I knew this was going to was going to be an intriguing read from the prologue. A letter from a mother to her son. She was telling him she was a terrible mother because she didn’t call him on the things he’d done and not done. He promised to make her life easy and to be a rich and powerful man one day and that promise he kept. But Abraham was a successful man with a family, and another family that he ignored for 30 years. After the death of his mother, he tries to make up for the past, by reuniting with his abandoned family. Deborah, his daughter is making small cautious steps, but her brother Michael is hell bent on revenge and can’t get over his anger. Saralyn , Abrahams wife is not happy with his decision to make amends either, and makes no effort to be a part of this process of reconciliation, and gets in the way and throws many ultimatums.

This was a well written story, and I loved Angela’s voice telling it. You can really feel all the emotions from both sides and understand the hurt and love that comes with it. How do you trust someone how has hurt you so bad when they are trying to make amends? And how do you not let it effect your life in the process?

This book is a 5***** star read.




Meet Angela Benson, author of Sins of the Father
Angela Benson’s numerous novels include the Christy Award-nominated Awakening Mercy, the Essence-bestselling The Amen Sisters, and Up Pops The Devil. Currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama, she lives in Northport, AL.
About the Book
Successful media mogul Abraham Martin has great wealth, an elegant wife, Saralyn, and a rebellious son, Isaac. He also has a secret: a second family that no one knows about. Now, after thirty years—driven by the urging of his long dormant conscience—Abraham is determined to do the right thing by finally bringing his illegitimate children into the light…and into the family fold.
But beautiful, manipulative Saralyn will never accept the proof of her husband’s indiscretions. Isaac the heir, shaken by his father’s revelations, will fight mercilessly when his world is threatened, and may lose everything that matters as a result. And while Abraham’s forgotten daughter Deborah is open to the undreamed-of possibilities suddenly awaiting her, son Michael cannot forgive the man who cruelly abandoned them to near poverty. And he’s driven by only one desire: revenge!
Angela Benson’s Sins of the Father is a powerful story of a house bitterly divided—a rich, multilayered family saga of betrayal and redemption, rage and compassion, faith, forgiveness, and ultimately, of love.


LISTEN TO AN EXCERPT





Follow the blog tour at http://bitly.com/SinsoftheFather.
For more information about Angela, visit her at AngelaBenson.com.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Murder On The Down Low




The death of Maya Lavelle Washington, was caused by her fiancé Eugene, and her friends, Vernetta, Special, J.C. and Nichelle want revenge. But at the same time, there is a serial killer killing off some very prominent men in town, with questionable circumstances and similarities. Detective J.C. Sparks see’s a connection between the murders, but her boss Detective Jessup refuses to see it. Special who was closest to Maya, takes her death extremely hard. She is hell bent on proving her death could have been avoided by 3 words. Now those words have taken over her life. Special suspects every man she comes across even the man she truly loves. These 4 friends go on a mission of responsibility and truth, to honor Maya’s life. But Detective J.C. Sparks opens a can of snakes that no one ever suspected.

I loved the suspense and twists this story took. It opens your eyes to many details of the Down Low lifestyle that we may have all seen but never recognized. Pamela Samuels Young has told an awesome story that is probably more truth than tale.


This book is a 5 ***** star excellent read



Meet Pamela Samuels Young,
author of Murder on the Down Low
Pamela Samuels Young is a practicing attorney and author of the legal thrillers, Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit, Every Reasonable Doubt, and the forthcoming, Buying Time, A desire to see women and people of color represented in today’s legal fiction prompted Pamela to start writing despite a busy career as an attorney. The former journalist and Compton native is a graduate of USC, Northwestern University and UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. Pamela is the fiction writing expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Master your craft! Take the time to study writing the same way you would study any other profession. Also, read like a writer. When you read a book you enjoy, study the author’s writing style and the book’s story structure. Ask yourself why the book was a great read. One of the most helpful things I did as a new writer was outline John Grisham’s The Firm and examine the story structure. It helped me tremendously in learning how to build suspense.

Pamela is the Fiction Writing Expert for BizyMoms.com. Her bi-monthly articles cover a range of topics on fiction writing. Here’s a link to Pamela’s article Creating Fiction from Fact.
Follow the rest of Murder on the Down Low Blog Tour at http://bit.ly/MurderOnTheDownLow
For more information about Pamela, visit her at PamelaSamuelsYoung.com.

Murder on the Blog Tour Giveaway


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Please leave a comment to be eligible to win an autographed book and a 25 dollar gift card from Pamela Samuels Young. One winner will be chosen each day for a total of FIVE winners.


Schedule

August 17 - Black Authors Network (9:00 pm EST)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/black-author-network


DAY 1 | Monday, Aug 17

All The Buzz Reviews
http://www.allthebuzzreviews.com


AAMBC Book Tours
http://www.aambcbooktours.blogspot.com/

Jenny Reed
http://takemeaway-jennala9.blogspot.com/


DAY 2 | Tuesday, Aug 18

APOOO Books
http://www.apooobooks.com

Simply Said Reading Accessories
http://www.simplysaidreadingaccessories.blogspot.com

Sheila DeChantal
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/


DAY 3 | Wednesday, Aug 19

Black Pearl Magazine
http://edcmagazine.blogspot.com

SORMAG
http://sormag.blogspot.com/

Urban Reviews
http://www.urban-reviews.com/aafiction-oct08.html#pamelasamuelsyoung


DAY 4 | Thursday, Aug 20

RAWSistaz Literary Group
http://www.rawsistaz.com

Joey Reviews
http://www.joeypinkney.com/


DAY 5 | Friday, Aug 21

Vanessa Richardson
http://thecertainones.blogspot.com

Faygo's Report
http://instanter.wordpress.com/
Britni Vigil
http://booknookclub.blogspot.com

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Somebody's Sinning In My Bed


Somebody’s Sinning in My Bed
Pat G’Orge Walker


When The Sweet Bush Lounge burns down, all hell breaks loose at New Hope Assembly, Church. The Reverend Grayson Young’s “good book” is not good at all. The “talented” First Lady of New Hope, Chyna, is at the church’s mercy and doesn’t know why. Janelle, Chyna’s sister comes to help her sister out, BUT now the sisters Ex Cordell shows up! What a mess. Then add in several pious church members who have their own agenda, and secrets of their own, stirring the pot calling the kettle black.

This was an excellent read an quite a turn for author Pat G’Orge Walker. She has packed so much love, redemption and wisdom in the chaotic tale, of sinners, yet reminds us all that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future
.

5 STARS*****

www.simplysaidreadingaccessories.blogspot.com

Monday, August 10, 2009

What Didn't YOU Do???



What didn’t you do?

As some of my followers and readers of this blog know, I do several book festivals, conferences, signings, events etc a year. I am at these events selling and promoting my line of handmade bookmarks and book thongs. I am also there to connect with others who are authors, readers, and industry professionals, like myself. I love doing book events of all types because I am also an avid reader and huge fan of the people I feel blessed to meet. There have been some really great events and some really bad ones. Some I made money at, some I didn’t and some where I barely broke even. In doing so many book events I’ve learned which ones to do and which not to. I’ve also learned how to measure the actual advantages of doing certain one’s that cost a grip and I did not sell a thing.

We would all love to sell out of all of our merchandise at these events. The question is how to make the most of any event? I hear a lot of comments and people speak freely around me because I am not an author, but little do they know I coach authors on how to make themselves stand out in a sea of authors. The very things they are bitching and moaning about are the very things that I tell authors not to do. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

I recently did a book club conference that had at least 650 attendees. There were many major authors in attendance and readers galore. There were also many self published authors and other venders selling their wares. I had an awesome time. The readers were there ready to buy books and spend money. Several of the readers told me they save all year for this particular conference. I attended this event last year, as a reader and I knew I would be there this year.

It really pained me to over hear negative comments from people who did not feel they were doing as well as they could have, for a laundry list of reasons. Some were valid and some was whining. As I listened, the question then became, what are you NOT doing to make this work for you? Instead of complaining, how do YOU turn this around to your advantage?

To me the obvious first thing was stop wasting your time and energy complaining. You are letting hundreds of people pass you and you’re sitting behind your table moaning and groaning. Look at the glass as half full and figure out how to fill it.

One of the first things I would tell you to do is SMILE. It’s free and welcoming. If you’re pouting and complaining, no one wants to be around you. The readers are your customers. They don’t need to know you’re unhappy. They did not pay to come to this event to see you sulk. They don’t need to know all the politics of what’s going on behind the scenes. They want you to tell them about your book. Smile even if you’re not happy.

The next thing is plan. What is your objective in doing this event? Did you plan on what you want to gain from this experience besides sales?

Why aren’t you getting sales? Are you sitting behind the table waiting for the readers to come to you, or are you standing in front of your table, with your book in hand introducing yourself to the people passing by?


Did you dress you table up? Or do you just have your books on a table, with nothing to grab the attention of passerby’s.

Are you collecting the email addresses for contact later, when the competition is not so steep?

What did you offer in the way of promotional tools and as giveaways, that they will take home and check you out later?

Even if you were not a featured author, did it stop you from coming? Why did you come?

Trust me I have felt the same after leaving some of these events at first, and I have bitched and moaned too. But I learned how to turn it around. I figured out what to do before I got there, while I was there and to have plan A B C and D if necessary in place.

There are many things you can do prior to get the ball rolling, simple things that you can do now

Email all of your fans and let them know your going to be at this venue
Offer them a gift for coming
Find a way to dress up your table that is eye and attention getting
Create your brand and use it
Define your mission
Have an agenda
Build relationships with your social networks
Have several plans in place just in case things are not going the way you want them

While your there
Don’t stand behind the table
Smile
Get email addresses
Read an excerpt
Create a scene from your book
Where a tee shirt with your book title
Pay attention to what others are doing
Meet people
Talk to other authors
Pass out promotional materials that stick

These are just a few things that you can do.

Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.
The glass is half full what are YOU going to do to fill it up?

Don’t just show up, show out. Work these events like a job, because they are.


I offer coaching classes on “Novel Approaches” to market your book, and theme scenes for authors on a budget
odebdeb@aol.com

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Roy Glenn; No More Tears in The End





No More Tears in the End
June 2008

Following the death of Freeze, Mike Black and Bobby Ray are back in control of their organization, and it seems like old times. Black knows its time to get out of game before he loses somebody else close to him. But he hasn’t taken his eye off the man he believes arranged the murder of his wife. His sleepless nights could only end when everybody involved in her death is dead. The police say that the death of Tatiana Phillips was just part of a robbery gone wrong and was probably related to drugs. End of story. Whether that’s true or not, the Phillips family still wants to know who killed her. As a favor to the family, Nick Simmons agrees to look into the senseless murder. His investigation leads him to Loraine Robinson, a ride-or-die chick that’s involved in a little bit of everything and it’s all bad.

Roy Glenn


Known as the master of urban suspense
, Roy Glenn began writing his first novel Is It a Crime, what he then called “a different type of love story” in 1995. Unable to find a publisher he decided to start his own publishing company Brittney Press Publishing and released Is It a Crime, which became a best seller and gave birth to the popular character, Mike Black.
The novels that followed which include, MOB, Drug Related, Payback, Outlaw and In A Cold Sweat, as well as the recently released No More Tears in the End the seventh installment in The Mike Saga. Roy is also a contributing author of Girls From da Hood and Around the Way Girls 4 and Gigolos Get Lonely Too. His other novels include Crime of Passion, Body of Evidence and Ulterior Motive feature the character, attorney Marcus Douglas.
Roy was born and raised in The Bronx and currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida where he is working on several projects including Bury Me Deep and Commit To Violence, the next two books in the Mike Black Saga. And Killing Them Softly, an erotic tale of murder.




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Gochenour
(904) 710-6392
Local author creates best selling novels while receiving dialysis treatments
Nation's Leader of Dialysis Services provides welcoming/relaxing environment allowing patient to continue his writing career.

Jacksonville, Florida (June 2009) -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of dialysis services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and disease, has provided author, Roy Glenn, an environment suitable to create the storyline for his latest novel titled “No More Tears in the End”.
When he was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Failure in September of 2008, Mr. Glenn, who had authored ten novels and three short stories, felt that his life would have to change. The biggest adjustment was not letting dialysis stop his life completely. He states he had to keep reminding himself that dialysis was just a small part of his life. He found that the friendly and welcoming team and physicians at DaVita Regency Dialysis in Jacksonville, Florida provided him with a relaxing environment which allowed him to focus that and continue to write his stories while receiving dialysis treatments.
Mr. Glenn proudly announces the release of his seventh novel of “The Mike Black Saga” titled “No More Tears in the End”. The highly acclaimed series is part of the mystery/suspense genre. Mr. Glenn has been called the master of urban suspense!



More Books By Roy Glenn

Is It A Crime
December 2003
If you’re looking for an exciting blend of romance, mystery and danger, Is It A Crime is one you have to read. It combines those powerful elements into an explosive tale of love on the edge. Is It A Crime tells the story of Mike Black, whose violent rise to power earned him the name Vicious Black. Although he has everything he ever wanted, none of it seems to matter. He becomes enchanted with Cassandra Sims, a beautiful woman involved in the drug business. When an attempt is made on her life, Mike rescues her and becomes her protector. On the trail of her attacker, their relationship develops with an intriguing journey through Washington DC, Miami Beach and the Bahamas in the backdrop. The pursuit leads them back to New York City where all the pieces to the puzzle come together.

Girls From Da Hood
October 2004
Nikki Turner, the Queen of Hip Hop fiction, with the help of her home-girl Chunichi and right hand man Roy Glenn, she's about to take street fiction to a place it's never been before in the Original Girls From Da Hood. If luck were money, Nina Thomas would be one broke sister. After taking a stab at stripping, she finds herself once again on the wrong end of a bad choice. Now she's on trial for murder, and the consequences of spending too much time with the wrong folks might just end up costing her life.

MOB
December 2004
Who say crime doesn’t pay? Because it sure does for Travis Burns. He’s the leader of a well organized, prepared, and over all else highly disciplined robbing crew, and he and his partners Jackie Washington and Ronnie Grier are living the good life. They Target banks, grocery stores, jewelry stores, and anything else that they can hit quick and come away with a large return on their investment of time. All three are college graduates who fell victim to corporate lay-offs and down sizing. Now they live by rules which have serviced them well in what do. They are, Until Travis runs into Me'shelle Lawrence. She's beautiful, intelligent and has no involvement in the life Travis leads. Now he must reconcile his loyalty to his crew, his love for Me'shelle and find a way to make it out of the game alive.

Drug Related
April 2005
When Mrs. Gabrielle Childers’ brother goes missing, the first person she suspects is her husband, Chilly, a major player in the drug game. Chilly, of course, denies any involvement in her brother’s disappearance, but Mrs. Childers is not convinced. She hires Nick Simmons, a former army special operations officer turned private investigator. He was once a member of Mike Black’s criminal organization and his investigation leads him back to a world of drugs and murder that was once his life. Nick gets so caught up, not only in the case, but with Mrs. Childers that it leads to his arrest and forces him to deal with a dark past that he left behind ten years ago.

Payback
Revenge is a dish that is best served cold
February 2006
Semi-retired; living the good life in the Bahamas with his wife Cassandra “Shy” Black, however that peaceful island life is disturbed when Black’s old friend Nick Simmons (Drug Related), decides to pay him a visit. Before Nick has the chance to reunite and reminisce with Black, the drama begins. After a wild shootout at Black’s Paradise, Mike’s restaurant in the Bahamas, Shy is kidnapped by South American drug dealers and taken to New York. Now Black must find his kidnapped wife, while fighting off a take-over attempt, and solve a murder with political implications, only to find that there is one man behind it all.

Gigolos Get Lonely Too
March 2006
Three men that have a way with the ladies struggle to keep their heads when each finds that love is more important than sex. It's a dream come true for Vernon Gordon -- a threesome with two of the finest women in Atlanta. Forget the fact that he's married, or that the two willing women are his estranged sister-in-law and his wife's best friend. Vernon's just out to get his. Carter’s found the woman of his dreams and to keep her, he’s all set to change his lifestyle as a gigolo. But all hell breaks loose when he agrees to meet Deanna for what he’s decided is going to be his last appointment. Rick has to find a way to make it out the game, when he falls in April. Now he has to find a way to cut loose, Laura, Yvette and Vanessa.

Crime Of Passion
October 2006
Attorney Marcus Douglas is hired to defend business man Roland Ferguson, who is on trial for the brutal murders of his wife, Desireé Taylor Ferguson and her lover Rasheed Damali. When Ferguson is acquitted of all charges the victims sister, model Carmen Taylor demands justice for her sister. “If Roland didn't kill her, fine. Somebody did! What bothers me is that nobody is interested in finding out who did." She enlists the help of Marcus Douglas and together they begin an investigation into a case that involves drugs, prostitution, money laundering and murder that the police weren’t interested in perusing.

Outlaw

February 2007
After settling some unfinished business in the Baja Peninsula, Mike Black returns home only to find that his wife, Shy has been brutally beaten, shot to death. The police arrive shortly after he does. They take Black into custody and charge him with murder. Now Nick Simmons (Drug Related), the family lawyer, Wanda Moore, and an unlikely ally, Detective Kirkland must work together to find out who framed Mike Black for murder.

Around The Way Girls 4
July 2007
There’s a sayin’ that if you come from my part of town, that you’re from around the way. Around the Way Girls 4 features three stories that take a look at the lives of some street-smart who think they have the world in the palm of their hands, but are about to find out that things are not always as they seem. For Jada West it was All About the Money. From dancing at the best strip club to becoming the city’s top Madame, whatever it took to make piles of paper, that’s what she was about. Roy Glenn brings a different flavor to the around the way girl as Jada discovers that in the end, there is something more important than money. Essence ® Best Selling Author La Jill Hunt brings the drama in Thug Passion and Dwayne S. Joseph weaves a dramatic tale of love and betrayal in All For Love.



Body Of Evidence
October 2007
Panthea Daniels is stunned and devastated when she learns her husband of seven years is having an affair. She visits attorney Marcus Douglas to begin divorce proceedings, but sparks immediately begin to fly between the two. Things take a dramatic and unexpected turn as they engage in an illicit affair. After receiving pictures of the woman— “It’s not every day that you see your husband’s mistress.”— Panthea is arrested and charged with murder. The victim, Abril Arrington, was involved with several men, and she was conning them all out of money—including Panthea’s husband Scott. Marcus is convinced that each men, and not his client-turned-lover Panthea, have a compelling reason for killing Arbil. But as the investigation continues, Marcus is faced with undeniable facts that leave him questioning everything he thought he knew, including whether Panthea is capable of murder!

In A Cold Sweat
April 2008
Following the brutally murder his beloved wife, Cassandra (Outlaw), Mike Black still laying low in the burbs at the home of his friend Bobby Ray. Haunted by the fact that the people behind Cassandra’s death are still breathing, Black vows to find the people responsible and kill them all. He is distracted from that when assassins make and attempt on Black’s life and he finds that he has a new enemy, a group of drug dealers that called themselves The Commission. Originally formed as a buying co-op, their sole purpose was to protect themselves against Mike Black.

ULTERIOR MOTIVE

October 2008
While he is forced to deal with personal issues of his own, Attorney Marcus Douglas is hired by Angela Pettybone, an old college friend who called out of the blue saying that she needed to speak to him. Angela was his best-friends girlfriend in college, but Marcus was in love with her and the feelings are still there. Angela had just been questioned by the police in the death of Stephanie Covey, her boss, Robert Covey’s wife. Angela admits to having an affair with Robert. Marcus realizes that there is more going on than a simple affair and a murder, when the body count rise and they all are connected to Angela and Robert. Now Marcus must unravel the twisted details, and keep his personal feelings for her from clouding his objectivity if he is going to keep his old friend from going to jail.


Read an excerpt from Bury Me Deep, his latest work online
www.royglenn.net

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