Simply Said Reading Accessories

One Year devotional, God’s Great Blessings

2011-10-06T10:21:00.006-04:00

Patricia Raybon Virtual Book Tour
October 3 – November 7, 2011

Thursday, October 6

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

The Secret of Courage
It’s dark, cold and early. But I’m excited. On this morning, the most important thing I have to do is hear from God. And not just a little bit. I want to hear without limits. Isn’t that what we’re all saying today? That we want to be blessed by God this year? So we can bless God without limits?

And with those words, I started my latest book—a One Year devotional, God’s Great Blessings. I tried to write bold, that is. And to sound courageous. But I’m not courageous. Not every day. And surely not by nature. More timid that tough—and more quiet than bold—I often stand in the background, not challenging myself or my gifts or my God.

But with my new book, I was writing on virtues—God’s great virtues—that He blesses. So my devotional started safely enough, exploring “soft” virtues—listening, love, kindness and so on. But a One Year devotional goes 52 weeks. And God “don’t play.” So soon enough I was writing about the tough stuff—persistence, truth, unity, enterprise, justice. Then courage, too. But what would I say?

I was thinking perhaps of times I’d held back from a battle—not feeling “enough” for a challenge. But I’d forgotten what fuels our courage. It’s God’s promise that, when we walk boldly for Him, He walks with us. Talking to Joshua of the Bible, as the young leader readied to conquer the Promised Land, God said it like this: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)

Jesus put it this way: “Take courage! I am here!” (Mark 6:50 NLT) He was talking to his disciples, walking on water—but the disciples were terrified, thinking he was a ghost. But Jesus assured them at once. Don’t be afraid. Instead, take courage. I am here.

Reading those scriptures again recently, I finally saw the secret to courage. That living with courage, taking life on--even when we feel weak—assures God’s presence goes with us. Just a bunch of Jesus talk? Or the real deal? I dare you to find out. Stop now and pray bold. Ask for God’s courage and presence. Then get moving, knowing that as you face your fears for God, the Lord will bless you with Himself.

Award-winning author Patricia Raybon’s newest book is the One Year® daily devotional, God’s Great Blessings. She is also author of two acclaimed memoirs, My First White Friend and I Told the Mountain to Move. She also collaborated with calligrapher Timothy Botts in his upcoming gift book honoring African American spirituals, Bound for Glory. Learn more at her website: PatriciaRaybon.Com

My Review
This is such a perfect gift for the holidays. The One Year God's Great Blessings Devotional, is a daily guide of virtures.
The virtures are; listening, loving, compassion, kindeness, generosity, peace, patience, forgiveness, mercy, gratitude, hope, praise, faith, joy,hospitality,reverence, obedience, righteousness, humility, purity, trust, knowledge, prudence, self control, contentment,dignity and modesty, silence and solitude, temperance, sacrifice, rest, vision, justice, truth, honesty and intergrity, repentance, passion and zeal, strength and vigor, creativity, unity, wisdom, courage, persistence, hard work, order and discipline, preparation, vigilance, commitment, service, thrift, enterprise and industry and completion.

Each virture starts with "His Promise" and "My Prayer" to start the guide through each particular theme. Patricia Raybon writes 6 very moving reflections about the theme and then has questions about how you reflect these to your own life and which changes you would like to make.

This beautiful leather bound book, is a wonderful gift for any age and truly a gift in so many ways.

The Bound For Glory book by Timothy R. Butts with reflections by Patricia Raybon is BEAUTIFUL! This is Celebrating the Gift of African American Spirituals through Expressive Calligraphy. The photos in the beautiful coffee table book are spiritual songs creativly turned in to works of art using beautiful art backgrounds and artistic fonts to lyrics of our most sung and beloved hymns. Also each song is paired up with a bible verse.
This is an amazing book and I suggest you buy 2 because you may want to frame some of the artwork!

No Ordinary Noel by Pat G'Orge Walker

2011-09-30T10:30:00.001-04:00

No Ordinary Noel!
Pat G’Orge Walker
Book Giveaway Lottery
CONTEST!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.amazon.com/No-Ordinary-Noel-Pat-GOrge-Walker/dp/0758259662/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315916576&sr=1-1

Christmas—a time of giving. But how about receiving? In Pat G'Orge-Walker's hilarious new novel, a small-town congregation will need every miracle in the Book to rediscover the real reason for the season . . .
Trustee Freddie Noel wins the lottery for $150 million and wants to give the church $25 million.
BUT...
Some cHURch member ain't having nothing to do with the"tainted" donation...
Simply Said Reading Accessories and Pat (Sister Betty) G’Orge Walker is giving away review copies!

To enter the contest
1. “Like” http://www.facebook.com/SimplySaidReadingAccessories fanpage
and http://www.facebook.com/PatSisterBettyG’Orge fanpage
2. the release date of No Ordinary Noel iwas September 27, 2011
Sooooo……
927 is the Lottery Number you must post your guess of the combination of, that will change daily for 5 days
HINT…927 is NOT the number
We have 5 books to giveaway
3. you must post your Lottery Number on both Fan Pages
4. Winners will be announced each evening
5. Pat has chosen a number for each day, if 2 people choose the same number the first one wins
6. You must PROMISE to post a review on Amazon and your Face Book Page
YOU MUST FOLLOW ALL THE RULES................
Simply Said Reading Accessories Fan Page
Pat SisterBetty G'orge-Walker
Pat Sister Betty G'orge-Walker Fan Page

Travel Tips for Authors

2011-09-30T09:28:00.007-04:00

Travel Tips
My view from the edge

As a lot of you know, I am pretty friendly with a lot of authors and most of them are having the same issues concerning traveling to book events, and book signing events. Just in case you don’t know most of these expenses come directly out of the author’s pockets, not the publishers. And if by chance the publishers do send an author, they want results….BOOKS SOLD… preferably ..SOLD OUT!

I read a Face Book post from author and publisher Zane, that posed a question
Zane Strebor
So I received some feedback regarding the Baltimore Book Festival. While some people are purchasing hard copy books, the majority are asking if they are available on Kindle or saying that they already have them on Kindle. That begs the question: should book fairs stop being held as well because people have no interest in hard copy books and/or having authors sign them? Is there any point in authors still going on tour? This has seriously made me reevaluate doing future tours/signings. If I don't sell enough books to cover the expenses, my publisher would be losing money.
Do not get me wrong. Most authors love the opportunity to be able to meet with current readers and to be discovered by potential readers. However, if they cannot afford to make that happen because they are not making enough to cover the expenses, where does that leave them? And no, I am not whining in regards to myself. I have not had a signing where a lot of books were not sold, but I have dozens of authors that I have to look out for. There are no Big I's and Little U's in this world so my concern is for the industry as a whole

I can see her point. When I’ve attended events and festivals this year, I saw people buying the books BUT in Eversion. Yes books were sold but the hard copies weren’t as much. I can also see the readers point of convenience.

I don’t own a ereader. I do consider getting one only because my home is literary filled with books I would never even think of getting rid of. My kids are saying they live in a library, and my reply is “well there are worse places you could live, and as soon as you move out I’m turning your bedroom your into a library”!

I still want to meet authors and have my BOOKS signed. Even if I had a Ereader I still want to meet the authors. I'm pretty sure I’m not alone when I say…..
Please don’t stop touring, signing and attending festival and events.

I got to hang out with Monique Mensah at The National Book Club Conference and yes they came to her table and bought her ebooks right there but she was also booking book club visits, doing sales trough her phone and selling hard copies.

So… as I was pondering these authors dilemma’s, I came up with a few ideas I think may help. Some of these tips come from traveling with my co-workers. We love to travel to hair shows and these tips help us save money on expenses. The suggestions have been adjusted to authors instead of hair shows.

Travel with a fellow author, in pairs or groups.
1 Traveling with another person or a group cuts the price of a hotel room.
You can just split the cost of the room by how many you are sharing with.
2 Ask for a business rate when booking the room. You can even get a suite for
the same price as a regular room. Don’t forget to ask for double beds.
3 Also in most hotel rooms that big comfy chair lets out to a twin bed and
the couch is a sleeper sofa!
4 Make sure to ask if the have a shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel.
If not and the hotel next door to them has one, take it.

This also helps with the prices of booths and tables at book festivals and events Some can run has high as $700.00 or more. Split that fee too. Most booths are large enough that you can share the with many people, which puts more money in your pocket. A table can fit 2 authors.

Let your fan base know your coming. With all of the new changes on Face Book, you can do groups by city and post to only those fans in those cities. One pet peeve of mine is getting invites to signings no where near where I live. Using all your social networks can bring people out that would not otherwise know you’re in their area. Also post an itinerary on your site, blog, and fan pages, far enough in advance for those who may want to travel to see you.

Ship your books ahead to the hotel or a friend in the area. Airlines have totally lost their minds with fees charged for a bag that’s over weight by even a pound. Arrange for pickup and shipped back to you, hopefully you won’t need it and can cancel the pick up.

When going to an event find out which bookstores and book clubs are in the area that you can connect with while you’re there.

Fly business class, if you book a flight early enough you can get this for the same price as coach. Sign up for air miles. Building up points can add up to a free flight. Save points for long distance travel, like California from the east coast or visa versa.

Do a signing at the airport book stores, arrange ahead of time
Sign at Walmart’s, Targets and hair salons in the areas you’re visiting, it can be arranged or impromptu.

While on a family vacation, line up places you can spend a few hours.

If you are going to a book club meeting, they may be able to put you up for the night. Book clubbers are aware of the struggles of authors and are very willing to help and assist in any way they can. They will also feed you a good home cooked meal! Make sure to send a thank you gift for their kindness.

One thing I could never understand is if you come to New York aka Manhattan, why not do Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx , Staten Island and New Jersey???? The surrounding areas are only a train ride away. Get a Metro Pass and plan it out so you know which buses and trains to take.

Same with Florida. It never ceases to amaze me that authors will come to Jacksonville and not do Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami One word…Amtrak, ok 2 Greyhound.

Better yet rent a car they have really great rates during the week.

And refer back to your networks to make your travel plans worth it.

If you are on the road, sell other books besides your own and ask the other authors to do the same for you. It’s like you being in 2 places at one time. autograph the books to up the value. This also helps with shipping costs.And extra money for both authors.

Since readers are buying Eversions, have your Amazon Associates set up so you still get paid. Let them buy from your laptop or your store.

Also offer a Kindlegraph as a perk for those downloading your book on site.

Let the post office travel for you, if you can’t be at certain events; send your marketing materials for placement in swag bags. This is another way of you being in several places at one time.

Wear your tee-shirt when traveling, read your own book, pass out bookmarks and post cards, you never know who you may run into. You could be sitting next to “Your Biggest Fan” or a bookstore owner.

Take lots of pictures and blog about your adventure. People wish they could travel and will live vicariously through you. They will also make an effort to catch with you on your next road trip.

There are authors services that do all of the planning and arrangements for you, but with planning you can do it yourself

If your would like to add any suggestions, please do. I'm sure the authors and publishers would appreciate the feedback.

Mind Your Own Business

2011-09-01T01:10:00.002-04:00

Mind Your Own Business
Lutishia Lovely
Bianca Livingston is tired of playing second place to her to older brother Jefferson and she’s just back from Europe is ready to cut her teeth into the newest addition to the new family’s business: Taste of Soul L.A.. Jefferson wants this restaurant too but wants to relocate for more than one reason, a new love.

Bianca’s fiancée Cooper Riley Jr., is not happy with her wanting to re-locate and put off the wedding he waited so patiently for her while she attended Le Cordon Bleu. Both the Livingston’s and the Riley’s have been friends forever and no one can understand her sudden determination to leave the nest, for the west coast.

But she’s got a secret, that she thought she left in Paris…

Cooper is devastated when she breaks the engagement and vow’s to get even.

Jefferson’s new love is not the person he thinks she is and when he finds out who she really is… all hell breaks loose.

Huge amounts of money starts disappearing from the family fortune, and it’s looking like it’s an inside job. The family hirers, Sterling Ross, a prominent detective, to find out who’s out to destroy the family.
They are also still looking for the man who shot Adam and nearly destroyed a family legacy.

Adam and Candace’s marriage is finally back on track after a nasty itch gets out of the way, until a deal breaker shows his hand

Chardonnay is as always all up in the business. Looking for a huge payoff and she just got the information she needs to be set for life. But of course there’s a “Lovely” twist!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!
Lutishia has a way of keeping you salivating for more as she teases you with just a taste more. She brews a great story and stirs the pot (pun intended) keeping the story simmering to a boil. And the story lines are hot enough to burn these characters in your mind.
This part 2 of new Lovely Series is The Business

Taylor Made

2011-09-01T01:03:00.004-04:00

Taylor made
By Sherrlye Kiser Jackson

Pamela "Pill" and Corey Taylor are 6 months into their marriage and are having some serious issues already.

"Pill" her nickname, is a hair stylist and a fashion diva who wants nothing but the best, even if she can't afford it. She hides her bags and baggage from her hubby, who is a UPS driver with his own dreams, differred.

"Pill" was always struggled and has carried over into her life and marriage a lot from her mother who was more concerned about getting over, getting high, and using her daughters.
None of this her husband knows.

Corey comes from a family with means but wants to make his way on his own. But after finding out his new wife's addiction to shopping, the newlyweds start a marriage maintenance class at their church, to try and get things back on track before they derail for good.

Corey also has some baggage that he needs to stop dragging around too, That his new bride doesn't know.

First Lady Rawls becomes their counselor after Deacon Tripp realizes this young couple are in much more trouble than they thought. She has a very unique and unorthodox way of counseling but understands Pill's baggage and Corey's frustration.

This was a very enjoyable read. I liked the personalities of all of the characters and appreciated the lessons that were given. Devotion to each other with a couple of slaps upside the head may be just what's needed to keep things in perspective of what's Taylor Made for you. Which can be a bitter "Pill" to swallow

Money Can’t Buy Love

2011-07-13T06:53:00.003-04:00

Money Can’t Buy Love Blog Tour

About the Author
Connie Briscoe has been a full-time published author for more than 17 years. Her work has hit the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
Visit her online at http://conniebriscoe.com.

About the Book
At age thirty-eight, instead of socializing with Baltimore’s A-list, Lenora Stone photographs them for Baltimore Scene, a glossy magazine filled with beautiful people who, unlike Lenora, never have to worry about car trouble and overdue bills. Lately even things with her boyfriend Gerald haven’t been right. They’ve been together for three years but he can’t seem to ask the one question she’s been waiting to hear.

Then just when she thinks things can’t get worse, Lenora wins the jackpot in the Maryland lottery. In a heartbeat, all her dreams become possible. She quits her job and indulges her every desire—starting with a shiny, silver BMW and a million-dollar mansion. Gerald is finally ready to put a ring on her finger, and the city’s most exclusive women’s group is dying for her to join.

Yet as her life starts to come together, the things Lenora holds dear begin to fall apart. Has her world really changed for the better, or does fortune come with a heavy price?
Purchase the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
BooksaMillion.com

Book Review
Lenora Stone is a 38 year old photographer who really loves her job, it’s her bitchy boss Dawna that is the negative. She has been sent out to a shoot a pictorial on the handsome and sexy Raymond Shearer and his crew for the magazine she works for. She arrives late and is unable to photograph her assignment. Sharks fly in more ways than one, but has to put up with Dawna’s nasty temper, even though it’s partially her fault that she was late.

Lenora’s life is a mess. She has ton’s of bills and a boyfriend Gerald, who won’t put a ring on it. By chance she picks up a lottery ticket and wins.

Finally she’s able to get rid of her debt and get her dream car, one better than her friends’ Alise’s. The Girlfriend s social club that she and her other friend Monica have been trying to get into for years suddenly want her, but still not Monica. Alise who has always been well of, gets kind of funky and distant. Gerald has finally “popped” the question but she is confused as to why now, is it the money? Sexy Ray has become her secret love, a man that she never thought she could have, But Ray has secrets of his own.

We’ve all heard the saying that money changes people, but in this story I was thinking the money changed the others not so much Lenora. I think she was able to do something’s she’s always wanted to do and “do” the man she found extremely appealing instead of the “same ole same”ole with distant Gerald. She was trying to get some of her wants, after struggling so hard for only her bare needs for so long. But then the tables turned

Great read, lots of provoking thoughts 5 stars.

For More Information

Visit the author online at http://conniebriscoe.com.

Visit blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/MoneyCantBuyLoveBlogTour

A Good Excuse To Be Bad Blog Tour

2011-07-06T09:04:00.003-04:00

A Good Excuse To Be Bad Blog Tour

About the Author
Miranda Parker is the author of the Evangeline Crawford Bounty Hunter Series. After graduating from college, she began working as a features editor for various magazines and spent many years as a publicist for national recording artists, actors, ministers, and authors. However, writing fun, fiesty, redemptive bad girl gone good stories is her passion. She resides with her family in Georgia near a horse ranch and her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop. On a perfect day she can be found curled up with a good book or in a movie theater with a bucket of popcorn.

Visit the author online at http://www.mirandaparker.com/.

About the Book
Smart gorgeous and too tough for her own good, bail recovery agent and single mom Evangeline Crawford moved to the burbs for a quiet life. Fortunately, it’s not turning out that way…

Angel has to admit she’s feeling restless. The only excitement in her life is her schoolgirl crush on the town’s new pastor, Justus-too-Hot-to-be-Holy Morgan. But a fateful encounter and a job gone wrong at Club Night Candy in Underground Atlanta is about to change all that…Soon, Angel’s trying to save her divazilla twin sister from her big mouth and a scandalous murder charge, and probing a church cover-up–with none other than Justus by her side. But Angel has one more pressing concern; will Bella be ready for kindergarten? Only time will tell for this bad girl gone good whose days are once again far from boring–and hopefully far from numbered…
Book Trailer
Watch on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_-iIDGCMP4
Embed Code

Purchase the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
BooksaMillion.com

Book Review
Angel is a bail bonds woman who gets knocked around on one of her captures. She was a reporter but makes much better money finding bad guys. Angel wakes up in the hospital to find the minister of her church, Justus, whom she has a crush on, standing over her to take her home. She is then surprised to find her twin sister Ava, with her 2 children on her doorstep. Her estranged sister is the wife of a prominent minister and he turns up dead. And she’s being arrested for the murder.

Miranda’s ambitious first installment in this new series has a great blend of humor, romance and mystery. Angel has a slightly crooked halo and a snappy personalality, that I really enjoyed.
5 stars!

For More Information

Visit the author online http://www.mirandaparker.come at /.
Visit blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/AGoodExcuseToBeBadBlogTour

Mama Ruby

2011-07-01T00:15:00.003-04:00

Mama Ruby
Mary Monroe
Anyone who is a fan of author Mary Monroe, knows she tells a damn good story. Mama Ruby is the prequel of her first story The Upper Room. Ruby Jean Upshaw is the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter and she’s also a Preachers kid, of which she cares nothing about. She doesn’t care for the superstitions that go with the 7th of the 7th, or being under the strict supervision of her well to do daddy. It was all a burden to her.

Ruby meets Othella Mae Cartier, a “fast” girl and child of Simone, mother of 7 and a prostitute, and finds her much more interesting than the girls her age. Ruby and Othella, form a secret friendship. Ruby also has a crush on Ike Simone’s brother.

Ruby’s “whoremores” start acting up and she gets involved with Ike and several boys, and ends up pregnant. Ruby hides the pregnancy until one night she gives birth at a party at Othella’s house. Simone knows how to make this “problem” go away, especially since it may be Ike’s baby. The “good” Reverend Upshaw would kill Ruby, Ike and Simone if he was to find out. Ruby wants her daughter, but they talk her into letting Simone take the child to an asylum, and makes the “problem” go away.

The “good’ Revered Upshaw gets busted by Ruby, in the same bed she gave birth in with Simone. She then uses that information to blackmail her father into letting her quit school and go to New Orleans with Othella. They want to find jobs and husbands. Ruby’s mama thinks someone has worked some voodoo on her husband when he tells her.

They make their way the The Big Easy, but life is not as easy as they thought it would be. They end up saying with a mangy old man named Mr. Boatwright. Ruby who is very proficient with her switchblade, and has to help Othella out of a bad situation. They end up at a whorehouse, the very place Othella was trying to get away from. Privileged Ruby is a maid.

The girls do find husbands, but the one the Ruby longs for, a baby girl, she can’t have. Othella has 8 children ,by 8 different men. Ruby always teases her about stealing the newest girl.

This story was so heart wrenching and times, I always wondered how she got the name Mama Ruby. The agony of her daughter being taken away from her, left a hole, that nothing could fill.
This was a fantastic, well told story that was a 5 star read.

http://www.marymonroe.org/

Message From a Mistress

2011-07-01T00:02:00.004-04:00

Message From a Mistress
Niobia Bryant

Friends Jaime, Renee, Aria and Jessa, thought their secrets and husbands were safe amongst each other. Three of the husbands leave on a day long fishing trip, and over lunch Jaime, Renee and Aria get a text from the widow of the bunch; Jessa.
Yep all 3 ladies get the same message!
“You saw him for the last time this morning, Tonight he comes home to me. Thanks for not being woman enough 4 him xoxo”

Whoaaa….. Jessa is sleeping with one of their husbands and they have to wait until the end of the day to see which husband does not come home
Renee finds a bottle
Jaime finds Pleasure
Aria is ready to go into her very disguised sista gurl mode

All 3 ladies are in shock. Each thinking it can’t be my husband. But they all start tripping down memory lane. One finding signs that were not there, only her own ghosts. One wondering if her career has hurt her marriage enough for it to be him? And one who has had one discretion and who has paid and still paying dearly for it.
Jessa knows all of their secrets.

This book was AWESOME. I could not fathom, the day of getting that message and then having to wait and see if my husband would be the one not coming home that night. All of the ladies went through some serious agony. Each one is living 12 long hours of bitter and sweet. They all rush to Jessa’s home to find the house vacant and no clues. Wondering how could the all live within steps of each other and not notice she’s made moves on one of the husbands and out of the close knit community.

Well then….. All 3 husbands come home………

I was like WHAT???? And Jessa was too!
I RAN TO THE BOOKSTORE!

Mistress No More
is part 2 to the madness. The wives are all shook up from waiting to find out if it was their husband and when they ALL come home, the real stuff still hits the fan…. None of them are aware of the message that was sent. Not even the husband that is the one…….

And Jessa is mad as hell. She proceeds to blow their lives apart, with the confidences they shared with her
I am sooooo trying not to give the story away….

But we all know God don’t like ugly so
Run to the bookstore and buy both books and enjoy this double drama
5 Stars for each book
http://www.niobiabryant.com

New Book: Mama Ruby by Mary Monroe

2011-05-30T02:44:00.001-04:00

Mama Ruby by Mary Monroe
Prequel to the Upper Room

If you are a fan of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston, you will love Mama Ruby and the writings of Mary Monroe!

New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe presents an unforgettable tale featuring Mama Ruby, the indomitable heroine of her acclaimed novel The Upper Room. Now readers will get a peek into Ruby’s early years, as she transforms from a spoiled small-town girl into one of the South’s most notorious and volatile women…

Growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, Ruby Jean Upshaw is the kind of girl who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. By the time she’s fifteen, Ruby has developed a taste for fast men and cheap liquor, and not even her preacher daddy can set her straight. Most everyone in the neighborhood knows you don’t cross Ruby. Only Othella Mae Cartier, daughter of the town tramp, understands what makes Ruby tick.

When Ruby discovers she’s in the family way, she’s scared for the first time in her life. After hiding her growing belly with baggy dresses, Ruby secretly gives birth to a baby girl at Othella’s house. With few choices, Othella talks Ruby into giving the child away and with the help of a shocking revelation, convinces Ruby to run off with her to New Orleans.

But nothing can erase Ruby’s memories of the child she lost or quell her simmering rage at Othella for persuading her to let her precious baby go. If there’s a fine line between best friend and worst nightmare, Ruby is surely treading it. Because someday, there will be a reckoning. And when it comes, Othella will learn the hard way that no one knows how to exact revenge quite like Ruby Jean Upshaw!

Excerpt from Mama Ruby by Mary Monroe

Mama Ruby - Coming June 1, 2011!

How did Ruby and Othella Mae come to be who they are today? Find out in the exciting prequel to The Upper Room. There’s a fine line between best friend and worst nightmare…but there will be a reckoning....

Introduction to Mama RubyPrequel to The Upper Room

Originally published in 1985, Mary Monroe's engaging debut novel, The Upper Room, features Ruby Montgomery, an obese, indomitable character who steals her best friend's baby daughter and flees to rural Florida, where she establishes herself as an almost mythical figure. The dialogue and setting are reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston. The Upper Room by Mary Monroe is a candid portrayal of the cold-blooded yet fascinating Mama Ruby.

~ Shreveport, Louisiana, 1934 ~

Nobody ever had to tell Ruby Jean Upshaw that she was special, but she heard it from every member of her family, her father’s congregation, her classmates, and even the people in her neighborhood almost every day. She was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. To some black folks, that was a very high position on the food chain. It meant that she had mystical abilities usually associated with Biblical icons. But as a child, Ruby didn’t care one way or the other about being “special” like that.

She balked when people insisted that she’d eventually have “healing hands” and the ability to “predict the future” like other seventh daughters of seventh daughters. But Ruby didn’t care about healing anybody, that was God’s job, and those snake oil salesmen who rolled through town from time to time. And she certainly didn’t want to be telling anybody what the future held for them. Because if it was something bad, they didn’t need to know, and she didn’t want to know.

The bottom line was, and she’d told a lot of people this when they brought it up, she didn’t want those responsibilities. The last thing she needed cluttering up her life was a bunch of superstitious people taking up her time, and drawing unwanted attention to her. Just being the daughter of a preacher was enough of a burden.

And since Ruby was the youngest member of the Upshaw family, her parents watched her like a hawk, and tried to monitor and control most of her activities. “Why do I have to go to church every Sunday?” she asked her mother one Sunday morning when she was just eight. “I want to have some fun!”

“You go to church because you are supposed to, gal. How would it look to the rest of your Papa’s congregation if his own daughter don’t come to church?” Ida replied, giving Ruby a stern look. “Don’t you want to be saved?”

“Saved from what, Mama?” Ruby questioned, looking out of the living room window at the kids across the street building a tent in their front yard.

“Saved from the world, worldly ways. This planet is full of all kinds of pitfalls out there waitin’ on a girl like you. Drinkin’. Men with more lust in their heads than brain matter. Violence. Loud music and sleazy outfits that would shock a harlot,” Ida answered.

Ruby already knew all of that. From what she’d been able to determine; it was a lot more fun to be “worldly” than it was to be the way her parents wanted her to be. “I want to have some fun like the rest of the kids!” she pouted, knowing that she faced a no-win situation. Her parents’ minds were as nimble as concrete. Once they laid down the rules for Ruby, there were no exceptions.

“You can still have fun and keep yourself virtuous,” her father insisted. “Me and Mother ain’t makin’ you do nothin’ we didn’t make your sisters do, and look how well they all turned out.”

Ruby pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Before they got married, all six of her older sisters snuck out of the house at night, drank alcohol, slept with men, and wore clothes that would shock a harlot. That was the life that Ruby thought she wanted, and she had already started on the journey that would lead her to a life of fun and frivolity. And as far as violence, she wondered what her over bearing, but naïve, parents would say if they knew that she was already carrying a switchblade in her sock.

Ruby made good grades in school and she had a lot of friends, but it was hard for her to maintain both. She didn’t like to study, and she didn’t like having to attend that run down school four blocks from her house. Those activities took up too much of her time. She appreciated the fact that her classmates and playmates were at her beck and call, not because they liked her, but because they feared her. They all knew about that switchblade she carried in her sock, and they all knew that she was not afraid to use it. She was the most feared eight-year-old in the state.

(continued)

© 2011 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author and the publisher, Kensington Publishing Group. This excerpt has been adapted for Internet viewing. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the publisher's written permission. Share a link to this page or the author's website if you really like this promotional excerpt.

About the Author
Mary Monroe is the author of the award-winning, New York Times bestselling God series, which includes God Don’t Like Ugly and God Ain’t Blind. Mary Monroe is the third child of Alabama sharecroppers and the first and only member of her family to finish high school. One of her proudest moments was when she became a winner of the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Award.

She is currently celebrating the release of Mama Ruby, the prequel to the Upper Room, the book that started it all. She still writes seven days a week and gets most of her ideas from current events, and the people around her, but most of her material is autobiographical.

Mary Monroe currently lives in Oakland, California. She is divorced, loves to travel, loves to mingle with other authors, and she'll read anything by Ernest Gaines, Stephen King, Alice Walker, and James Patterson. Author website: http://www.marymonroe.org/

Mama Ruby by Mary Monroe
ISBN-10: 0758238614
ISBN-13: 978-0758238610

Purchase from Black Expressions
Purchase on Barnes & Noble
Download to NOOK Book (eBook)
Purchase on Amazon
Download to KINDLE

Contest Time!!!!

2011-05-11T07:51:00.004-04:00

Authors and Friends... Contest Time!!
Join my Fan Page (Simply Said Reading Accessories)
and Tell me a great "Bookmark Story" and you could win a
Bookmark Package from Simply Said Reading Accessories!
Fans will decide the best story!

Hustle and Grow

2011-05-01T08:17:00.000-04:00

Hustle and Grow
Congrats to K'Wan

80 Proof Lives -YA Fiction by Felicia S.W. Thomas

2011-04-28T13:16:00.000-04:00

80 Proof Lives (YA Fiction)

80 Proof Lives (YA Fiction) Debut Novel by Felicia S.W. Thomas

Felicia S.W. Thomas is the author of 80 Proof Lives, her debut novel, which was released in February 2011 and published by Amani Publishing, LLC, in Tallahassee, Florida.

Felicia holds a B.S. degree in Journalism from Florida A&M University, and a Juris Doctorate degree from Florida State University. Felicia practices Unemployment Law. She is also an editor, as well as a freelance writer. Felicia currently lives in Quincy, Florida, with her husband and three children. She is hard at work on a sequel to her debut novel and other creative titles.

80 Proof Lives (YA Fiction)
Primary Subject Matter: Coming of age, cautionary tale that touches upon many issues young adults struggle with today. 80 Proof Lives is a young adult novel set in a small, southern town where graduation is optional but a life of despair seems mandatory.

This is the story of Fla (rhymes with clay), a 15-year-old girl who is brilliant but ignorant that she's supposed to be somebody great, because her emotionally abusive, alcoholic mother stifles her dreams and forces her to work for Miss Lipstick, the queen of the bootleg business and the local madam.

While working for Miss Lipstick during the summer of 1976, Fla learns why some people live inside a liquor bottle, as well as some life-changing information about herself that could plunge her into an 80 Proof life, or break that bottle hanging over her head to become somebody great.

~~ Now on the summer reading list for Crossroad Academy Charter School ~~

80 Proof Lives Book Review
Fla's plight is handled expertly by author Felicia Thomas in her ground-breaking new book 80 Proof Lives. The reader is moved to cry or to celebrate with Fla as she determinedly makes her way through her fifteenth year of a cruel life. Finally, Thomas brings the reader up short with an unpredicted plot twist that explains a great deal and may cause the reader to thunk herself in the head and ask, "Why didn't I see that coming?"

The author ties up loose ends and brings the novel to a satisfactory close. While closure is good, this reviewer still wonders what lies ahead for Fla and can only hope that this is the first in a series that follows Fla into what will undoubtedly be an interesting adulthood. -- Liz Jameson, Reviewer

Website: www.feliciaswthomas.com
E-mail: feliciathomas917@hotmail.com

Purchase from Amazon, GO HERE

ISBN-10: 9780981584775
ISBN-13: 978-0981584775
Target audience: 13 and older

My Father’s Colors

2011-04-18T07:20:00.004-04:00

My Father’s Colors Blog Tour

About the Author
Marian L. Thomas graduated Magna Cum Laude, receiving her Bachelor degree in Business Communication. She began her writing debut as a Sports Editor and as a News Editor for a local Atlanta college paper.
It took over twenty-years for Marian to see her first piece of published fiction in Print─Color Me Jazzmyne, in early 2009. Color Me Jazzmyne went on to become a Amazon Best-selling novel for Marian, reaching #1 in the Rhythm & Blue category, #2 in Inner-Child and #7 in Performance/Voice for her character Naya Moná’s, amazing melodious tones that are developed throughout the book.
Color Me Jazzmyne was awarded as one of the “Top 100 Books” for 2010 by the Sankofa Literary Society Review.
While Marian’s books are a work of fiction, they touch on the struggles of women, abuse, relationships and friendships, giving each one a hint of reality that readers are looking for in a good, clean and emotional story.
Visit the author online at http://www.marianlthomas.com/

About the Book
Four people will travel on a journey that will lead to one destination.
How do you find a daughter you never knew you gave birth to? That is the question that Naya must answer as she once again finds herself on a journey filled with betrayal, lies and shocking secrets of her past.
How far would one go for love? That is the question that Chris wastes no time answering. He will do whatever it takes to remove his wife’s pain, even if it means being the one to cause her the most.
Fame and Fortune have been the determining factor for Misty ever since her father passed away. How far will she go, this time to achieve it?
Carl Thompson has found the love of his life, only she doesn’t know it. Green eyes and hazel brown hair fill his dreams for the future. Does he have enough love for the both of them?
Join best-selling author Marian L. Thomas as she takes you through the pages of My Father’s Colors. This book is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and get caught in the drama-filled story of a woman’s journey to find her voice, again!
Purchase the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BooksaMillion.com
BarnesandNoble.com

Podcasts

Marian L. Thomas’ Podcasts

PODCAST 1 – About the Book

OR

Click here to listen...

PODCAST 2 – What Marian Wants Readers to Learn

OR
Click here to listen...

For More Information

Visit the author online at:http://www.marianlthomas.com

View the blog tour schedule at:
http://bit.ly/MyFathersColors

Sixty~Nine is Hot Pynk

2011-03-24T10:04:00.004-04:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446563331/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img#_

Hot Pynk
Sixty~Nine starts out on New Years Eve, where 3 friends are celebrating the birthdays of Magnolia and Darla. They are all born in 1969 and hitting the big 40. The 3rd friend, divorcee` Rebe is too on Valentines Day. Friends for 20 years, they hit Miami Beach. They challenge each other to do something they have always wanted to do, but never had the nerve. Darla a widow wants to open a sexy lingerie store, Rebe wants to be a exotic dancer and Magnolia wants to explore online sex.Rebe meets a guy and starts her new adventure that very same night.

Rebe; A former NFL player’s wife, makes it rain
Magnolia; bank vice president divorced and becomes Tasty Tangie
Darla; has only had one man in her life and he died on top of her.

The 3 ladies have some serious baggage and secrets that the others don’t know, including an affair and pregnancy by one of the BFF’s man.

Sixty~Nine was a great story. Pynk’s ability to pull you into the minds and psyche of these characters is amazing. The way she wrote it, you can almost hear her voice weaving this hot and sexy not so tall tale.
This book is Hot Pynk, 5 Stars

Man Enough for Me Blog Tour

2011-03-16T08:21:00.003-04:00

Man Enough for Me Blog Tour

About the Author
Rhonda Bowen is a writer and event planner living in Toronto. When not stressing over her job, she can be found at church stressing over the kids she teaches in youth class. She enjoys spending time with her family, trying on shoes she can’t afford, and enjoying life’s unexpected twists and turns.
Visit her online at http://www.rhondabowen.com

About the Book
Twenty-something public relations gem Jules Jackson has everything in her life under control, and that’s exactly the way she likes it. She’s got no problem handling two jobs, her crazy friends, and her difficult mother. But she’s just about given up on men—until she meets fine Germaine Williams …
Straight-up catch Germaine is eager to prove his worth to Jules, and she falls hard. But it’s soon clear Germaine’s keeping at least one big secret. And the deeper Jules digs, the more her balancing act, and her romance, begins to crumble. Now Jules can either turn to her faith and open her heart to love—or risk getting it broken…

PODCAST: Rhonda Bowen talks about Man Enough For Me

OR
Click here to listen...

I’m Rhonda Bowen and I’m the author of MAN ENOUGH FOR ME. Man enough for Me is about Jules Jackson, publicist by day, and promoter by night. Jules is passionate about her career, especially her after hours job promoting new artists and helping them get exposure in Toronto’s growing entertainment industry.
She is also passionate about her family – even though her mother drives her crazy. She is passionate about her friends, especially her girls Maxine and Tanya. Yes, they bring a lot of drama to her life, but she knows she can count on them when it matters most. But above everything else, she is passionate about her faith and about following the path God has for her.
While working an event one night Jules meets Germaine Williams, a record store and nightclub owner who makes a lasting first impression. She can’t deny her attraction to him, and the fact that he shares a lot of her interests doesn’t hurt either. But there are things in Germaine’s life that don’t add up for Jules. Like the suspicious looking brothers she catches him doing business with, and the tension between Germaine and a good friend of Jules which Germaine won’t talk about. In fact the more time she spends around him the more she begins to worry that his passions are motivated by a not-so-pure source.
As her relationship with him begins to break down, so do her other friendships, her family relationships and both her careers. She eventually comes to a junction in her life where she must decide whether she will play it safe or risk everything for the chance at real happiness.

Purchase the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BooksaMillion.com
BarnesandNoble.com

For More Information
Visit the author online at http://www.rhondabowen.com
View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/ManEnoughForMe

We Ain’t the Brontes Blog Tour

2011-03-09T07:49:00.007-05:00

We Ain’t the Brontes Blog Tour

About the Author
Rosalyn McMillan is a dedicated wife and devoted mother of four, and grandmother of five, who is currently surviving both rheumatoid arthritis and Alopecia Totalis, a disease that causes bodily hair loss. Rosalyn worked as a sewing machine operator at Ford Motor Company for nineteen years before medically retiring. She used the challenges in her own life as inspiration to become a successful novelist. Rosalyn loves to research newsworthy stories and use them as sub-plots in her real-life novels.
Her first novel, Knowing, debuted as a highly successful initial achievement. Knowing sold over 70,000 hardcover copies and over 400,000 paperbacks. It was a national best-seller and charted admirably on many book lists.
Rosalyn then followed the success of her first book with One Better, then Blue Collar Blues, The Flip Side of Sin. This Side of Eternity was Rosalyn’s fifth novel; the plot centered around the sanitation workers strike in 1968.
Rosalyn remains a loyal student of her profession by reading two to three hundred books a year. She feels that it’s imperative for an author to keep abreast of the New York Times best-sellers as well as fresh voices of fiction.
Currently, she lives in Memphis, TN, with her husband, John, where they relax fishing in their stocked pond.
Some of her favorite authors are John Sanford, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, John Grisham, Toni Morrison, Eric Jerome Dickey, Kimberla Lawson-Roby and Terry McMillan.

Visit the full blog tour and LIVE Radio schedule at http://bit.ly/WeAintTheBrontes.

About the Book
The relationship between Charity Evans and her sister Lynzee Lavender brings new meaning to the term “sibling rivalry.” Lynzee writes science fiction, and her New York Times bestseller status gets her into A-list parties and fattens her bank account. She can’t stand the fact that Charity is a published author too, though she swears that Charity is nowhere near as good.

It seems like the publishing industry might agree, because Charity is having trouble getting her contract renewed. Is it possible that Lynzee has had her blacklisted? With her savings dwindling, Charity struggles to pay her bills, and the pressure is putting incredible strain on her marriage. Things only get worse when Lynzee drops a bomb: she reveals that Charity’s husband is the father of a child she gave up for adoption years ago.

Charity’s life goes into a tailspin as she struggles with the shocking news. Should she tell her husband about the child he never knew he had, or would that be more drama than their already fragile marriage can handle? Charity chooses to fight back against her sister in a very creative way, but the fallout from all this drama might leave plenty of casualties in its wake.

Bestselling author Rosalyn McMillan narrates the tale of two literary sisters that will make readers ask: How much of this is based on actual events?
Purchase the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BooksaMillion.com
BarnesandNoble.com

Book Review
Two sisters, both writers, take sibling rivalry to a whole new level.Lynzee Lavender thinks her sister Charity Evans is riding her coat tails.Evil Lynzee does everything she can to keep her sister from the success she has experienced. Charity has always known the the rivalry was serious, but has never known the degree that has sister has gone to. To add insult to injury, she drops yet another bomb on her, drops it in her lap and waits for the demise.
Charity then writes a new book that soars. It affords her the life she has always dreamed of, but here comes evil Lynzee to take that away too. Charity is finally fed up and takes control.In the process she loses the love of her life, and finds her on strength.

Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHg8c_-VxEU

Invite Rosalyn McMillan to Your Book Club Meetings

Take a sneak peak at the fun you can have with author Rosalyn McMillan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylB5t3GviDU&feature=related

For More Information:

Visit the author online at rosalynmcmillan.com

View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/WeAintTheBrontes

Meet Life Changing Books Authors

2011-02-28T01:22:00.001-05:00

Meet Life Changing Books Authors
and the CEO Azarel Smallwood

Life Changing Books, better known as LCB, established in 2003 is quickly becoming one of the most respected Independent Trade Publishers amongst chain stores, vendors, authors and readers. LCB offers a variety of African-American literature including Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Urban/Street Literature, Erotica, and a host of other fiction categories.

CEO, Azarel, launched the company with the release of her self-published title, A Life to Remember, and from there she has continued to add best selling authors onto her label. Currently, LCB has sixteen authors and offers outside distribution to selective projects. The success of LCB is a team effort combined with our outgoing authors, and management team.

As of 2008, LCB has joined forces and constructed progressive relationships with both wholesale and retail establishments across the United States of America and abroad. We’ve topped the charts with some of our Essence Magazine best-selling titles such as Millionaire Mistress, Secrets of a Housewife, Bruised 2, and Deep. In addition, LCB is progressive in contributing to children in need. Visit the Life Changing Books Website: http://www.lifechangingbooks.net/

Life Changing Books presents 4 Urban Literature Sensations!

View the interviews, videos and book excerpts here: http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/lcbauthors.html

Video Introduction: One Night Stand by Kendall Banks

Video Introduction: Snitch by VegasClarke

Video Introduction: The Dirty Divorce 2 by Miss KP

Video Introduction: Money Maker by Tonya Ridley

Purchase all the books from the Publisher's website - http://www.lifechangingbooks.net/

Clutch your Pearls Girl Blog Tour

2011-02-16T07:46:00.006-05:00

Clutch your Pearls Girl Blog Tour

YOUR DREAMS
I’m sure we all can remember as young ladies growing up, how we had dreams that we wanted to fulfill. We would often fantasize about them, we would share our dreams with our bestie and at times we would make efforts to make our dreams a reality. Now that we’ve grown up a bit and as we look back at our past experiences, some of those dreams are still futuristic, some of them are closer than before, some of those dreams are fulfilled and some of those dreams have been snatched away.
Futuristic Dreams: For those dreams that are still futuristic, I want to encourage you to continue to press forward until you see the fulfillment of those dreams. Keep speaking positively over them as you move closer to their completion. Remember that there is power in your words and you can actually have what you say. So keep saying it until you see it. Keep applying the works that are needed to see it come to pass. In order for a dream to surface into reality, it requires effort, courage, tenacity, stamina and speaking positively over it no matter what.
Dreams are closer, but not yet fulfilled: For those dreams that are closer than before, keep doing what you’re doing, but intensify it so that it can reach fulfillment as well. Whatever you do, don’t give up on your dreams. Your dreams are a part of you, so to give up on your dreams is like giving up on you. Roll up your sleeves and move forward.
Snatched Dreams: Sometimes during the course of our lives there are a series of events that may cause us to lose sight of our dreams and/or for our dreams to be snatched away. Sometimes our dreams are snatched away because of the people we have allowed in our lives. Instead of continuing to follow our dreams, we allowed them to talk us out of our own. This may mean you may need to severe the ties and begin dreaming again. Surround yourself with those who are desiring to do things that are similar to your own dreams. Dust off your dreams and begin going after them!
Completed Dreams: For those dreams that you have completed, I must congratulate you on your hard efforts. It is such a blessing when you have completed something you have deeply desired to achieve. Now that you’ve completed one dream, it’s time to work on the next set of dreams you’ve been dwelling on. It’s not over for you, you have just begun.
As long as we have breath in our body, our dreams continue to flow and grow. So today as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I encourage you to continue dreaming. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that was life changing for many people even after his death. The dream is still alive and so is the dream inside of you.
If you would like to post something on this blog entry, please do so by sharing some of your dreams and/or expressing encouraging words to the readers about the importance of working towards the fulfillment of their dreams.
I encourage you to dream again! Dust off those dreams and do what is necessary to cause them to become realities.
About the Author
Stephanie McKenny is a licensed minister who resides in South Carolina. She has written one novel and three non-fiction books. She facilities a yearly women’s retreat (dates for 2011 are May 19-21, 2011) and has recently started her own self-publishing company (J & J Publishing).

Visit her website at: www.stephaniemckenny.com for more information.

About the Book
Is Mr. Right…Really Right? Some women are caught off guard when they finally find out Mr. Right isn’t so right after all. By then, their heart, mind, and body are already ensnared by an unhealthy relationship.
Relationships are what keep us all connected. Every woman wants a man of her own whether she wants to admit to it or not. We all have an innate desire to love and be loved. However, there are some relationships we should never entertain. Every man that comes into your life doesn’t necessarily deserve access to your heart.
This book is filled with sister wisdom that brings awareness to healthy and unhealthy relations, exposing unhealthy characteristics in men and pointers n helping you become the woman God intended for you to be.

For More Information

Visit the author online at:
www.stephaniemckenny.com

href="http://www.clutchyourpearls.wordpress.com ">www.clutchyourpearls.wordpress.com>niemckenny.com

View the blog tour schedule at:
http://bit.ly/ClutchYourPearlsGirl

Samara King

2011-02-14T07:18:00.002-05:00

Samara King began her literary journey at the age of twelve years old while sneaking to the back of the library and indulging in romance novels; soon after, she wrote her own! She has penned three novels and eleven novellas all within the multicultural erotic romance genre, as well as two poetry collections. Her first collection, The Ebony Kryptonite was published in November 2010 and will be followed by The Naked The Bare. She has been published by Cobblestone Press, Changeling Press, Loose Id, and Total-e-Bound.

Currently she is working on her next SK MINI project under her self-publishing company, Samara King Books or SKB. She recently become a columnist for The Urban Source Magazine. Her column, Real Talk with Samara King will launch in January 2011.

Samara lives in Chicago with her teenage son, where she encounters new adventures every day that service her in the creation of each of her stories!

Club Owner Belinda Gilles has come a long way since the little lost girl from Leimert Park who’d married millionaire Brandon Forde she once was. Now a wealthy widow and independent businesswoman, Belle has finally left her past behind her and severed ties that had left her with nothing but a broken heart. During a chance encounter with a masked stranger during the annual Grown & Sexy masquerade ball, Belle gives in to a soul-stirring passion that reawakes a lust, she’d long thought gone. Now a year, later that unquenchable lust has only intensified as Belle hopes to come face to face with her mystery lover. She could have never suspected for her past and present to collide in one heart pounding moment and losing her soul in the next.

Readers can reach her at: ms_samara_king@yahoo.com or visit her site at: http://samaraking.com

Wounded soul, Jordan Harris knows all about fate and the game of chance. His whole life had been turned around and altered the moment he entered an alley and witnessed the death of his best friend. The stain of the past was neither one he could never erase nor the memory of Belle, the woman he’d always loved. When chance brought them back into each other’s lives, will Jordan walk away or reach for the first glimpse of redemption?

Interview with Samara King

Why did you become a writer? I love creating characters, learning new things and people watching and my plots/characters are birthed from these elements.

When did you know you wanted to publish a book? I knew when I started writing seriously for publication and had the hunger within to see my book in another person’s hands.

Why did you pick the genre that you write? I’ve been reading romance novels since I was in 8th grade and I love the genre, I’m a romantic J

If you could write in any other genre what would it be? I write multi-genres: paranormal, suspense, contemporary, etc.

What is your writing process? It depends on the project. However, I definitely start with character first, picture browsing, reading, etc. and progress to character profiles.

How long did it take you to write your current book? It took about 6 weeks.

What mistakes have you made with this book that you will be sure to correct next time? I think I will not overcomplicate details, lol. In shorter fiction, you try not to leave anything out and I try very hard to do that.

When do you feel most comfortable in your writing zone? When the characters are so vivid that I can close my eyes and see them.

Who is your favorite author? Brenda Jackson Favorite book? I love all her work.

What books are you currently reading? I have not had the time to crack open a book for the last two months but working on rectifying that soon J

What advice do you have for those who are looking to publish their first book? Stay true to your voice, keep honing your craft and never stop learning

~a woman with a vision
www.tamikanewhouse.com
www.twitter.com/tamikanewhouse

Twisted

2011-02-14T07:07:00.004-05:00

I have to do what’s best for me……Has been Dionni’s new motto since that horrible night when she found her finance Dale entangled between the legs of her best friend Eva. Enraged and torn; Dionni goes on a hiatus trying to get as far away from Las Vegas as possible to clear her mind and get her heart back in order.

Her much needed vacation was interrupted once Dionni was informed that Tiana, her other best friend was found raped and beaten and now in a coma and was in need of constant care. Being the only family that Tiana has; Dionni has to return home to face her past while trying to put the shattered pieces of her life back together.

Twisted, the highly anticipated sequel to Over and Over Again will explain if the demons of Dionni’s past will allow her to be free; or will they continue to keep her twisted.

Excerpt – I removed my Armani Exchange sunglasses and extended my left hand to take a good look at my ring finger. I was in love with my two carat, sky blue diamond, platinum engagement ring that Dale gave me when he proposed to me.

The ring he gave me just hours before I went on a high speed chase with a damn near empty gas tank through the city of North Las Vegas chasing him and his chick of the moment. The same ring that he gave me before he knew that Ashley, his mistress from the garage was pregnant. The same ring that he gave me despite of the secret love affair that I discovered that him and Eva, my supposedly best friend was entangled in.

Yea, I was oh so in love with this beautiful ring, that I did not think twice as I stood in line at the small pawnbroker downtown to do the inevitable.

I was about to pawn it.

That’s right. I walked up to the elderly Middle Eastern woman that stood behind the counter and asked her for her best offer.

The lady peered at me for a moment over her wire reading glasses, before stepping away to speak to her supervisor. I really was not in the mood for speculations, and I glared right back at her. My hazel colored eyes never blinking.

I knew that we were in Las Vegas, home of big dreams and huge losses. Land of gambling your rent money away, and spending all night at the neighborhood casino trying to flip it back. The city known for its connection of sin, and the motto of by any means necessary; but this situation was not the case.

I am far from being hard up for money. I do not harbor any typical addictions such as gambling, drinking, sex or smoking. I did not have to live by the rules of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

My kryptonite was on a totally different level. My addiction was Dale, and the heartbreak that he proposed on me on so many occasions. Getting rid of this ring was going to be the first step of my road to recovery, and I really didn’t care about what this old lady nor anyone felt or thought about what I was doing.

Pawning this ring was in the best interest of me.

Striving to establish a new flair to the term contemporary fiction, Best-Selling author Ni’cola Mitchell entered the literary scene with one main objective: To Stimulate Your Mind, One Word at a Time.

Through her independent publishing company NCM Publishing; Ni’cola published her debut novel entitled Over and Over Again in June 2009. Following on the heels of her debut’s critical acclaim, The Appetizer: When You’re Not His Main Course was released February 2010. Ni’cola’s growing readership eagerly awaits her next literary masterpiece Twisted, due out December 2010. Much of her work revolves around complex relationship issues situations and Mitchell’s compulsive desire to see women over come challenges.

Over and Over Again was featured in the top ten by EDC Creations Recommended Reading List for the 2009 fall season under Mainstream Fiction and Women’s Fiction. She was recently nominated Self-Published Author of the Year with the African-African Literary Awards Show. She is also a member of the national touring group the Literary Sistah’s.

Because of her outstanding representation of Las Vegas’ African-American community, she was featured in the second edition of Who’s Who in Black Las Vegas. Ni’cola is also a motivational speaker and literary consultant. When Ni’cola isn’t writing, she loves to spend time with her family and volunteer as a mentor for youth activities.

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Ni’cola Mitchell currently resides in North Las Vegas, Nevada, with her two daughters, Destani and Diamond. She holds a Bachelors degree of Science in Business Management and is currently pursuing a Masters of Business Administration in HealthCare Management.

Get to Know Ni’Cola

1: Introduce yourself.

My name is Ni’cola Mitchell and I am originally from Kingston, Jamaica. I am a single mother of two daughters Destani age 16 and Diamond age 11. I am currently in graduate school, pursuing a degree in Healthcare Management. I am also a head coach of a youth football league cheer team.

2: Tell the audience about your new title Twisted.

The Appetizer is the direct sequel to my first novel Over and Over Again. Even though all of my stories are connecting, Twisted is centered around my main character Dionni Stone.

In Over and Over Again I described Dionni as being charismatic, goal oriented, and very sophisticated. Even though she had everything together on the outside, Dionni was not as successful in the area of love.

Her life was in so much turmoil, which in the end of the book sent Dionni on hiatus.

Several months later, Dionni finds out that her best friend has been beaten, raped, and left for dead which is why Dionni has to come back to Vegas to face her demons. Dionni has a new perspective on life and has come back with a vengeance sporting a new look and attitude. Trying to find out what happened to Tiana; Dionni is faced with a new set of tribulations that she has to face.

I brought back all of the original characters, including Candy, Dionni’s direct foe, and introduced Rain. A young beautiful woman, who’s main focus, is getting rid of Dionni by any means necessary.

This book is filled with so many twist and turns, that I could not believe that I wrote it. It will also explain the importance of not playing with a person’s heart and emotions. I can’t lie, Candy and Rain are both crazy, but Twisted gives the reader an explanation on how they each got that way.

3: Describe how you came up with the title?

Actually, my cousin came up with the title. She just finished reading Over and Over Again, and was like” wow…how that book ended, everyone had Dionni Twisted” in hence the name. So I would like to shout out Autumn for her creativity.
4: Who is the audience for your book? What would you like the reader
to take away from your novel?

Men and women are both the audience for this book. I want readers to find entertainment while learning life lessons at the same time. I want people to understand and see first hand that there are always two sides to every story. This story will hit home on so many levels because we all know one of the characters in this book.

5: Twisted is your third novel, and an introduction to
publishing. What are a few misconceptions you had about the publishing industry before your debut book? Have any of the misconceptions changed?

Over and Over Again was actually my introductory lesson in the publishing field. I learned a lot though from both of these projects. I knew that it was going to be a hard road, so I was actually prepared for the kinks that have been thrown at me. The only misconception that I had was that at some point it was going to get easier. I am faced with a different challenge everyday, but in essence I am always up to a good challenge as well.

6: Multitasking (marketing, promotion, etc.) becomes apparent after
the debut book. Did your writing process change any?

The only thing that changed about my writing process is the speed. In writing Twisted, it took me six months from start to finish; vs. Over and Over Again that took a year.
I try to start off every project in an outline form. I take the topic and use it as the foundation. Then I try to put in as many subtopics as possible. I do not write from beginning to end. I write whatever is in my heart.

7: What upcoming projects or plans do you have that you’d like to share?

Candy my villainess in Over and Over Again, has gained her own story, entitled Candy, and it will be out in the end of the year. Also I will be included into several anthologies.

NCM Publishing is also going to be very busy with the releases of God Don’t Like Ugly, by Rekaya Gibson, A Lil Sumthin, Sumthin, by Imani True and A Generation of Curses by Patricia Bridewell.

Find Ni’Cola at the following:

www.facebook.com/msnicola

www.twitter.com/msnicola

Nicola@nicolacmitchell.com

Purchase the book at:

www.ncmpublishing.com, www.nicolacmitchell.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.borders.com, www.amazon.com

~a woman with a vision
www.tamikanewhouse.com
www.twitter.com/tamikanewhouse

THE APPETIZER

2011-02-14T06:52:00.003-05:00

Biography:

Striving to establish a new flair to the term contemporary fiction, Ni’cola Mitchell entered the literary scene with one main objective: To Stimulate Your Mind, One Word at a Time. Through her independent publishing company NCM Publishing; Ni’cola published her debut novel entitled OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Much of her work revolves around situations that are a compulsive desire to see women over come challenges. Her next novel THE APPETIZER, when you’re not his main course will be released February 2010.

Ni'cola Mitchell is originally from Kingston, Jamaica. Currently she resides in North Las Vegas, Nevada with her two daughters, Destani and Diamond. She holds a Bachelors degree of Science in Business Management and is currently pursuing a Masters of Business Administration in HealthCare Management.

Ni’cola is also a motivational speaker and consultant. Due to the fact that she is an outstanding representative of Las Vegas’ African-American community, she was selected to be featured in the second edition of Who’s Who in Black Las Vegas. Her novel Over and Over Again was also featured in the top ten by EDC Creations Recommended Reading List for the 2009 fall season under Mainstream Fiction and Women’s Fiction. She is also a member of the national touring group the Literary Sistah’s. When Ni'cola isn't writing, she loves to spend time with her family and volunteer as a mentor for youth activities.

Synopsis:

Three girlfriends with totally different lives; or so they think.

Yazmin

Yazmin and Trey have been together for five years. Yazmin enjoys her life as a stay at home wifey. The couple is also expecting twins. Their life could not have been any more picture perfect, until the day Yazmin was involved in a hit and run accident. Scared for the life of her babies, Yazmin almost goes into shock after she attempts to call Trey, only to be greeted by his wife of the past ten years.

Monae

Monae and Malik have had a drama free long distance relationship for the last two years. Malik is a Marine, and is stationed in San Diego. They both have an understanding that once Monae graduates from UCLA, they will have their dream wedding. While planning an intimate surprise party for two in his apartment, Monae discovers that she is not the only one waiting for “her” man to come home.

Nia

Devaugn is in a relationship, but Nia simply doesn’t care. He is the ideal man, and Nia is convinced that if she works hard enough, she can show him that she is all the woman he needs. Stephanie will be a thing of the past and Devaugn can start taking care of Nia and her three children full time. Or will he?

These three friends all have one thing in common; they are their man’s chick on the side. What happens when a woman finds out she is not her man’s main course? But only his appetizer.

Interviews:

1. Are your characters from the portrayal of real people? What inspired you to write this story?
All my characters are fictional, but I did take situations, mannerisms, and characteristics from real life people to create them.

2. What are THREE adjectives that best describe OVER AND OVER AGAIN?
Emotional, suspenseful, hilarious

3. What are THREE adjectives that best describe YOU?

Intelligent, beautiful, hard worker

4. What issues in today's society have you addressed in the book?

I addressed many issues in this book such as infidelity, deceit, low moral and self worth, sex, lies, relationships, friendship, betrayal, and single mothers.

5. NI'COLA: THE SOUNDTRACK. What are three tracks that would HAVE to make it onto the soundtrack of your life and why?

The first song would be Beauty, by Dru Hill. I believe Beauty comes from the inside. I will do anything for anyone. I go the extra mile at all times. One thing that I am complimented on is how well I treat others. I believe those attributes is what makes a person beautiful.

The second would be No More Rain (In this cloud) by Angie Stone. Just like anyone else in life, I have been through a plethora of trials and tribulations. I had to decide that I was going to be stop letting life harbor me, and press forward. So I consider the cloud me and my life, and I had to learn to stop crying and start living up to the potential that I know that I have. I’m only half way there though. The storm tends to come, but I do not allow for the rain to develop.

The last song would be Queen of the pack by Patra. Being from Jamaica, I know all about struggle. But I had to let people know that I am not accepting anything. The song compares life to a pack of cards. It basically states that I am telling you what I am about, and I am not going back on my word. What ever life brings, I will come out on top, and be the Queen of the pack. I make my own destiny, so you better watch out.

6. What is your most valuable lesson about the publishing industry?
That if you stay grounded, focused, and believe in your self, you can put out a successful book that can hold its own among other works in your genre.

7. You're strutting down the street - not a care in the world, looking like a million bucks; what is your theme song and why?

My theme song would be Everyday I’m hustling by Rick Ross. The title speaks for itself

Over and Over Again Book Trailer:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=84ddb55c4d52f5fad3db67&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=email

Appetizer Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPMPi4_bh7Y&feature=youtube_gdata

www.nicolacmitchell.com

www.ncmpublishing.com

www.facebook.com/msnicola

www.myspace.com/nicolacmitchell.com

www.twitter.com/msnicola

www.literarysistahs.com

www.nicola.ning.com

Delilah When Love Deceives Tour

2011-01-14T07:54:00.004-05:00

Delilah When Love Deceives Tour

5 Questions with Shelia M Goss

Shelia M. Goss is the Dallas Morning News and Essence Magazine Best-Selling author of My Invisible Husband, Roses are Thorns, Paige’s Web, Double Platinum, His Invisible Wife, Hollywood Deception, Savannah's Curse (March 2011) and the teen series The Lip Gloss Chronicles. Delilah is her tenth novel and first Christian fiction novel. She’s also the recipient of three Shades of Romance Magazine Readers Choice Multi-Cultural Awards and honored as a Literary Diva: The Top 100 Most Admired African American Women in Literature.

What is the hardest part of writing?
Writing for me isn't hard...there just never seems to be enough time in the day to write everything that's in my head.

Have you experienced writer's block?
Writer's block for me is called procrastination...that's when I put everything else ahead of me writing...the solution: stop answering the phone or checking email or reading blogs and get to writing.

Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
The story comes to me, then the characters and the setting.

Fill in the blank. What is your favorite?
Dessert. Banana Pudding
City. Miami
Season. Tie Spring & Fall
Type of hero. Tall, dark, and handsome.
Type of heroine. Independent

How do we find out about you and your books?
My website is http://www.sheliagoss.com/. You can also find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sheliagoss or Twitter www.twitter.com/sheliamgoss

About Delilah:
Behind every successful man is a good woman. The downfall of a good man is a woman up to no good.
Thirty-year-old Samson Judges is a prominent pastor of the Peaceful Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. His church owns land that real estate mogul William Trusts wants. When Samson refuses to sell, William hires Delilah Baker to find out Samson’s Achilles heel.
Money isn’t Delilah’s only motivation for taking the assignment. After watching Samson every Sunday morning on a local television station, Delilah has fallen in love with him. In her mind, there is only one person standing in her way of getting Samson—his fiancée, Julia Rivers.
Samson is far from innocent. He feels his longstanding relationship with God puts him above reproach. His weakness for one woman, Delilah, threatens to ruin his relationship with Julia, his parents, and his church. When he realizes the length Delilah will go through to get her man, Samson vows to protect his ministry by any means necessary.
DELILAH is in stores everywhere or at an online retailer such as:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/1601628854?tag=officiwebsi03-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1601628854&adid=19YJPN9NQBAAXDJN59CQ&

Barnes and Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Delilah/Shelia-M-Goss/e/9781601628855/?itm=1&USRI=delilah+shelia+goss

Borders

BlackExpressions.com (HARD COVER ONLY)

Interview with Elitess

2011-01-13T07:18:00.004-05:00

>

Phyllis Jackson is a graduate of Savannah State University (Savannah, GA) with a BBA in Marketing and a MBA in Public Administration. Phyllis, also known as “The Elitess,” has had a passion for word imagery since 1994. It was that same year in which she wrote her first, award winning poem. Since then, Phyllis has been writing poetry that mainly focuses on the intimacy of the heart, mind, body and spirit. The Elitess’ poems are also based on the life experiences of both men and women. Ms. Jackson’s writings are powerfully vivid on the subjects of self discovery, love, heart ache and growth. In 2007, Ms. Jackson debut book, “Soul Searching Confessions” was published. Her debut book focuses on the nostalgia of our firsts (loves, heartaches, fantasies, self discovery & realization, etc). The Elitess’ hope is that her art reaches the hearts and souls of all who read as well as support her passion. Poems like “Realization,” “Transition,” and “22 to 1,” portray an artistic ideal behind the experiences of many of our lives. In 2010, the second book, Reflection Of A Journey was published.
Interview with Elitess

How long have you been writing?
I have been writing since 1994. My introduction to the artistry of poetry was given at the age of 10.

• What prompted you to write Reflections of A Journey?
I felt compelled to share my life’s story with others. I believe that other people are going through the same things & should know that they are not alone. I, also, needed to display my roots & growth process in my writing, after publishing my debut book “Soul Searching Confessions”.• Your alias is “The Elitess” , why was this name chosen to exemplify who you are as a writer ? Well, people often confuse my name “Elitess” with the term ‘ Elitist”. My name simply means, above average. I do not see myself as being better than anyone, but I do believe that I set myself to a higher standard of life. I make it my business to live, exemplify & deliver greatness in everything that I do. For these reasons, I have been christened as “The Elitess”, but maintain a great deal of humility towards my people.

• What are some of your other projects?
I have had the opportunity to be featured as an Ultra Model Role Model, which has allowed me to reach out to a new market within communities around the world. I am, also, writing monthly poems for One Entertainment Magazine. While embracing all of these great opportunities, I am working to complete my Master’s degree program & working on my third book. “As I Am: Poetic Memoires of the Soul” should be complete by the spring of 2011.

• What are some of the experiences you have gone through as a young black writer?
As a young African American Writer, I have experienced the challenges of self publishing ( self, promotion,editing,managing,etc) I have ,also, experienced the reluctance of acceptance by people who have not initially open to change.

• What words or suggestions would you provide to inspiring writers?
I would suggest that inspiring writers learn the business behind publishing, management, etc. I would also suggest that people should go for what they desire & hope for. Never let anyone stunt your growth or kill your dreams. Only you have the power to stop your progress.

• What are your literary endeavors?
As an author, it is my goal to become a household name. I want to share my experiences & allow them to serve as inspiration to those who are going through similar situations.

Find her at:

http://www.facebook.com/mspljackson

http://www.twitter.com/elitess

http://ArtsofElitess.com

http://www.urbanprofessionals.com

Email: mspljackson@hotmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Excerpt of book

Every Woman’s Dream Man
I can, only, describe you as every woman’s dream man.
You seem to hold every woman’s peaked interest in your hand.
With the tone of your voice & with the sensuality in your
Speech, you, effortlessly, knock even the most jaded
Woman off her feet & makes the strongest of women weak.
You are every woman’s dream man.
The wisdom you provide & the respect you, silently, demand
Arouses the imaginations of an woman that comes through
You’re passing. At first meetings, all females hope
That you’re enticing face & strong embrace w/ them
Will be everlasting because…..
You are every woman’s dream man,
Every lady’s midnight fantasy, epitome of perfection
Every female’s answered prayer & every girl’s
List of wants & needs brought to life. Anyone
Woman would be blessed to be titled as your wife;
That is every woman’s dream & in spite of your
Humility, I know that you know that all that you request
Is at your beck & call…
After all you are every woman’s dream man.

All Up In My Business

2011-01-10T07:56:00.004-05:00

All up in my business

A Taste of Soul, is an Atlanta upscale soul food restaurant chain; owned by the Livingston’s and is a family legacy, so is staying divorce free for over 50 years.

Adam and Candace have been married for 30 years and are parents to Toussaint and Malcolm.

Candace is working the business in many ways. But a sudden itch almost destroys the 30 year union, and her husband’s life.

The ribs are not the only succulent things about Taste of Soul, so are Toussaint and Malcolm Livingston.

Un-happily married Malcolm has a hungry Joyce wanting to take a bite out of him, after his Dad, Adam, refused her.
His wife Victoria has 5 things one her mind and her husband is not one of them.

Toussaint has been tasting, many saucy ladies around town, But interior designer Alexis St.Clare is about to shut that feast down.

Zoë and Shyla are not friends but have the same goal in mind, Toussaint. They are on the menu but not his main dish!

Chardonnay gets busted mixing things up, but Bobby gets in a mix!.

I loved This Story
This sink your teeth into story was mouth-watering. The tasty tale was sexy and feast you want to devour. Lutishia did a great job bringing this story she gets a high 5 for this new “Lovely” series.

Playing the Hand You’re Dealt

2011-01-03T08:10:00.003-05:00

Playing the Hand You’re Dealt
Trice Hickman

Samantha and Emily have been friends from the day they met at Spellman.

Samantha has always had a very privileged life, on the right side of town with two “perfect” parents. She lives her life fearlessly and bold

Emily is focused and has moral values and is a loyal friend.

From the day these two met, they were bonded for life, close as sisters could ever be
But there is a third party in this bond…
Samantha’s father, Ed, a decent, conscientious and honorable man.

Ed has been in love with Emily from the moment he laid eyes on her 12 years ago. The man he is would not act or even acknowledge the forbidden fruit.

Emily is in love with a man nearly twice her age, Samantha’s father.

Brenda, Ed’s status climbing, drama queen and bourgeois wife; is so focused on herself and being the socialite, has a thing on the side that knows her better than she knows.

Gerti the wise and knowing housekeeper knows everyone’s secrets and lies, of 25 years.

What has slowly simmered for 12 years is about to come to a boil but who will get burned?

This sexy and well told story by author Trice Hickman is a 5 star sexy read. I loved how Trice told the story from several angles, my side your side, and the other side. All of the characters and the story lines were believable and well thought out. The dilemmas were absolutely delicious that left you very satisfied with the not so tall tale.

My Favorite Reads of 2010

2010-12-31T09:52:00.002-05:00

My Favorite Reads of 2010

Glorious
Bernice McFadden

What Mother Never Told Me
Donna Hill

Wench
Dolen Perkis-Valdez

When I Get Where I’m Going
Cheryl Robinson

Sister Girl Devotions
Carol Mackey

Reverend Feelgood
Heaven Forbid
Lutishia Lovely

Searching For Tina Turner
Jacqueline Luckett

Re-Rambled
Angelia Menchan

Uptown
DeBerry and Grant

Don’t Blame the Devil
Pat G’Orge Walker

Blow Your Mind
Eric Pete

Visible Lives
Dean, Hardy and Clay

Let’s Get It On
Jill Nelson

32 Candles
Ernessa T. Carter

Diary of a Stalker
Electa Rome Parks

The Other Wes Moore
Wes Moore

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot

The Help
Kathryn Sockett

Playing The Hand You’re Dealt
Trice Hickman

Living Out Loud
Dr. Cornel West

Beautiful Ugly
Shelia Lipsey

An Inconvenient Friend
Rhonda Mcnight

Big Girls do Cry
Carl Weber

Stand The Storm
Breena Clake

Alibi
Terri Woods

In My Fathers House
E.Lynn Harris

The Conversation
Hill Harper

Favorite Re-Reads

The Hand I Fan with
Tina McElroy Ansa

Naughty or Nice
Chasing Destiny
Eric Jerome Dickey

Book Preview: True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks

2010-12-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks

Twenty-eight year old Kennedy Logan is gorgeous, educated, talented, and in love. Unfortunately, Drake Collins has other ideas about the true state of their relationship. Kennedy hopes to turn him around; Drake just wants to turn her out sexually. Kennedy is also searching for her biological mother, who gave her up at birth. She wants answers and she has tons of questions. The enormous weight of these predicaments leads to a failed suicide attempt.

Her overprotective and overbearing mother, Dorothy Logan, moves in with Kennedy and makes it her mission to get her daughter's life back in order. The first step is getting rid of Drake Collins once and for all, but that's easier said than done. Drake has no intentions of going anywhere. Kennedy's ever loyal and fun-loving best friend, Taylor, and her absentee father join forces to help support Kennedy in her time of need.

At her psychiatrist's advice, Kennedy uses writing as her therapy. She starts to keep a daily journal detailing the erotic circumstances and family drama that led up to her despair. Through very personal, funny, and graphic entries, readers will share her confessions. Brace yourselves for a very steamy journey!

Prologue True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks

(Erotic Fiction)

My reality is surreal and happens in super, slow motion. A nervous giggle escapes my chapped, dry and parched lips. I lick them to restore moisture. Then, there is utter, deadly silence. If I listen closely, I can hear my heartbeat beating away at an accelerated pace. My senses are heightened and I marvel over the brilliant, bold colors of my bedroom as I inhale my favorite fragrances, from their spot on my antique dresser, colliding into one another with their potent allure. Even my sense of touch is different somehow. Everything is magnified to the nth degree. It’s like I’m looking down at myself from a huge movie screen with surround sound as I ready myself for the big finale---the final shot and then fade to black.

I’ve never been good at saying goodbye, even on short, weekend trips. I keep the handwritten note short and sweet and pray to God that mother will understand, and hopefully, one day, forgive me.

I don’t mean to hurt her or cause her any fresh pain. I sincerely don't. I hope she understands that this isn't her fault, that I love her with all my heart and being. No matter what, that fact will never change. I’m so thankful and forever grateful that she chose me to be her daughter out of all the orphaned babies in the world. She chose me. I told myself over and over again that that made me special. I needed to feel special instead of unwanted and discarded.

I’ll miss mother the most, but the hurt I feel inside is too unbearable and indescribable. It is too painful for me to continue, day in and day out, with just a hollow emptiness that erodes and corrupts any happiness that briefly surfaces. The dawn of each new day only brings me more heartache and renewed memories. Some memories are like leeches. They latch on for dear life and slowly, ever so slowly, suck and drain all the blood, all the living out of you. You are left with just a shell of the old you and that's no way to survive. Not for me, anyway.

When they find me, I want it to look like I’m sleeping, peacefully. Just like Sleeping Beauty who only needed a handsome prince to kiss her and awaken her from the darkness that engulfed her. However, for me, there won't be a handsome, charming prince to wake me, save me, and ride off into eternity. All my so-called princes were monsters in disguise with their own hidden agendas that attempted to crush and stamp out my self-esteem. Yes, just blessed sleep awaits me.

I chose pills. I couldn’t subject mother to a messy, bloody scene that comes with slitting one’s wrists or shooting one's self. I refuse to take my final breath with that heavy on my heart. I don't think my heart could handle anything else weighing against it. As it is, I feel like I have three hundred pounds weighing me down. Crushing the life out of me.

As I settle myself comfortably on my queen-size bed, slowly pull the red, satin comforter up to my chin and stare at the full bottle of prescription pills carefully nestled in my right hand, I can’t imagine not waking up in the morning.

What will it be like to not see the rising sun? To not hear my alarm clock going off announcing it’s time to get ready for another day of work? Not hitting snooze to give myself another fifteen minutes? Not rushing to finish my morning rituals before I dash out the door and into rush-hour traffic? What will that feel like?

More important to me now, though, is will it hurt? I hope not. I have never been able to tolerate too much pain, physical, mental or emotional. Yet, that’s what Drake has caused me for the last year of my life. Pain. Intolerable suffering.

I only wanted to love him and for him to love me in return. Simple enough. Was that asking too much? My part of the equation was accomplished, effortless. Drake claimed he loved me, but he really didn’t. Probably never could. Didn't know how to love or receive it. After what happened last week, I know he didn’t. Yet, I gave him everything: my heart, my body, my soul. Now, I have nothing left to give myself. I'm empty inside.

As tears slowly flood my weary eyes and blur my vision, I look around my cozy bedroom for the last time. Ever. It used to be one of my favorite rooms in my small two bedroom, one bath apartment. There was nothing better than lighting several fragrant candles, drinking a little white wine and cozying up with a good romance novel. Yes, that was heaven. Simple things excite me. Always have. Watching a sunrise or sunset, waking up to birds chirping in the treetops, walking hand in hand through the park with the one I love, all these things brought me great joy.

Mother will have to understand. I left her a note, propped up on the nightstand, in full view, that explains how much I love her and daddy. What will she think when she can’t reach me tonight? I would love to hear her soothing, loving voice one last time. Yet, I know I wouldn’t be able to go through with my plan if I did. I’d give away my intentions over the phone or mother would pick up on my foul mood and that would be that. I’d wake up another day with this aching, dull pain inside, tearing me apart, bit-by-bit. Pain that dulls and diminishes every ounce of my strength, all the way down to my pores.

Drake Collins. His name leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. Just the thought of him brings bile to the back of my throat. I will forever regret the day I met that man. If I could turn back the hands of time, do it all over again, I would have called in sick that day or run for the hills. I was just fine with my life the way it was. Sure, it wasn’t exciting or glamorous, but it was enough for me. Drake came with the charm, movie star looks, glitz and high drama and reeled me right in like a bass caught at sea. I gladly jumped into his net.

I say a silent prayer of forgiveness as I place one, then two colorful pills on my tongue and swallow dry. I didn't think of getting a glass of water. I can't think. The lump in my throat quickly diminishes. There’s no turning back now. Just like there was no turning back when Drake turned me out. The countdown begins. Ten, nine, eight. . . I've lived a happy life. I have tons of good memories. I've treated others the way I wanted to be treated.

I hope this happens quickly. I steadfastly place three, four pills on my tongue and swallow again. Hot tears start to spill forth and stream down my cheeks as I realize the final result of my actions. Seven, six, five. . . It’s for the best. I need to stop the pain. Will he even miss me? Or will he just move on to his next victim? Will all this be in vain?

I guess I’ll never have that family now. The one I used to daydream and write about in my journal. The family with the almost perfect mommy and daddy and two kids, a boy and girl. The boy would be the oldest, and he'd look out for and protect his younger sister. They'd have cute, adorable names and they'd know they were wanted and loved and cherished by their parents. They'd never feel unwanted.

Four, three. . . I swallow a handful of pills this time. I've lost count as to how many I've digested. As spittle escapes from my mouth, I gag. I wipe the overflow away with the back of my hand and keep right on shoving pills in my mouth until the orange-brown medicine bottle is empty. I look inside, in awe, shake the bottle, and can’t believe the pills are gone so quickly. Just like the illusion of love. If you blink, you'll miss it.

I wonder if Drake even realizes how much I loved him? Now, I wait for blessed relief and peace to take away my hurt and pain. I’m so tired. Tired of loving the wrong men. Tired of giving my all, coming up empty, and getting absolutely nothing back in return. Good sex isn’t the end all to everything. Drake taught me that lesson.

Two, one. . . It won’t be long now. I faintly smile and lay back against my down pillow.

I welcome peace. In my mind, I start silently repeating Psalms 23. I shall walk through the valley of death; I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me. I’m so sleepy. I can barely keep my eyes open. I can feel myself giving in to the fog that slowly invades my mind. Maybe if I close my eyes for a few moments. Yeah, just rest them for a few minutes without seeing Drake’s face behind my heavy eyelids.

Suddenly, I feel lightheaded, like I’m floating on a big, fluffy white cloud, bouncing up and down, giddy with not a care in the world. This is a different sensation that I literally reach out my right hand to embrace and never let go of. Not a care in the world. Nothing matters but blessed, uneventful sleep. I close my tired, weary eyes as the countdown ends. Fade to black.

###

True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks

ISBN-10: 1601622392

ISBN-13: 978-1601622396

Purchase from Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/True-Confessions-Electa-Rome-Parks/dp/1601622392

Purchase from Barnes & Noble.com

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/True-Confessions/Electa-Rome-Parks/e/9781601622396

© 2010 All rights reserved. Book Excerpt Reprinted by Permission of Electa Rome Parks, author. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. Copyright infringement is a serious offense. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only. Share a link to this page or the author's website if you really like this sample from True Confessions.

About the Author

Electa Rome Parks lives outside Atlanta, Georgia and is the best-selling author of six acclaimed novels, The Ties That Bind, Loose Ends, Almost Doesn't Count, Ladies' Night Out, These Are My Confessions (anthology) and Diary of a Stalker. Dubbed a "book club favorite," avid readers have embraced Electa's true to life characters that tackle prevalent and heavy hitting issues that take them on an emotional roller coaster.

The self-proclaimed Queen of Real, Electa has been a frequent guest on radio shows, nominated for many industry awards and interviewed by numerous newspapers and national magazines. Electa is currently following her passion and working on her next novel and first screenplay.

Connect with Electa Rome Parks online at:

Email: novelideal@aol.com

Website: http://www.electaromeparks.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/electaromeparks

Book Review: Raising Him Alone by David Miller and Matthew P. Stevens

2010-12-02T05:06:00.000-05:00

Book Review: “Raising Him Alone” by David Miller and Matthew P. Stevens

Reviewed by Lynia White, founder of The Quality Corner Bookstore

Millions of black women find themselves in the very challenging position of raising a son on their own. Raising Him Alone is a valuable resourcedesigned to help single mothers to successfully face the challenge. It is written by two men that are passionate about empowering youths todayand dedicated to helping young people succeed. David Miller is Co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer of the Urban Leadership Institute, anenterprise that focuses on creating positive youth development strategies.

Miller has a background in education and has authored several books. Matthew Stevens is the Founder of Empower Today’s Youth, whichprovides youth with tools to make healthy life decisions. Stevens is also a presenter, youth counselor and freshman college advisor. Miller andStevens have brought their experience together to create Raising Him Alone.

Absent fathers has become an epidemic in the black community. It can be very difficult for black single mothers to raise a boy to be a man.Statistics reflect how young black males have been affected by the absence of a father in the home. For example, a recent report ongraduation rates indicates that in some US cities, the drop out rates among black males exceed 65 percent. That is a staggering statistic. Young men in the black community need help. The help that these boys need must start at home. The purpose of Raising Him Alone is to providethe support and guidance that single mothers need to help their sons flourish.

This guide provides so much practical wisdom. Issues such as literacy, sex education and law enforcement are discussed. The importance ofknowing your son is stressed. A mother needs to know what her son’s interests are, who his friends are and what’s in his room. I appreciatethe candid approach of this book. Often, self-help books will dance around sensitive issues. However, the writers of Raising Him Alone arevery honest about their own experiences with raising children and they get to the heart of issues that matter the most. Black women face veryunique challenges when raising sons.

This book is based on interviews with women that have faced these challenges successfully. They share their success and failures so others can learn from them. While the book is directed to mothers, the role of the father is acknowledged. It is critical that boys have a relationship with their father. Mothers are helped to determine how to deal with the connection between their son and his father. The assistance of mentors and otherrole models is encouraged. There is even a section that addresses grandparents that are raising grandsons.

I applaud the effort of Miller and Stevens to help mothers raise their sons alone. The strategies found in this book will benefit any mother that wants to raise a boy to be a strong asset in the community. In addition to this book, there is a website dedicated to this cause. For more information, visit http://www.raisinghimalone.com/.

Reviewed By Lynia White:
Lynia White is a columnist, book reviewer and the founder of The Quality Corner Bookstore. For more book reviews by Lynia, visit her blog at: http://thequalitycorner.blogspot.com/ and http://www.blackbookreview.com/

A Special Offer

2010-12-01T10:21:00.002-05:00

Order books from any of these authors, and get a bookmark for $2.00 or a book thong for $4.00 You must send proof of purchase.

Donna Hill, Lutishia Lovely, Carleen Brice, Bernice McFadden, Trice Hickman, Rhonda McKnight, Cheryl Robinson, Rochele Alers, Bettye Griffin, Shelia Goss, Pat G’Orge Walker, Carol Mackey, JJ Michaels, Roy Glenn, Terrance Dean, Kwan, Pamela Samuels Young, Tracy Darity, Zuri Day, Shana Burton, Aleysha Proctor,
Angelia Vernon Menchan, Tamika Newhouse. You must send proof of purchase

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Said-Reading-Accessories/100662481230?v=photos&ref=ts

The Black Friday special this year is RED HOT

2010-11-26T10:05:00.003-05:00

Sale #1
The Black Friday special this year is RED HOT {clue 1}
If you are clever, you will clean up on this sale (clue 2)
I LOVE RED for the holiday, but I don’t do seasonal product (clue 3)
Red comes in many ways (clue 4)
Can you figure out the 4 ways Red is used (clue 5)
It can also be an antonym (clue 6)
It can be changed to be red (clue 7)
Read, can be a verb, a noun and a adjective (clue 8 )
The price is the number of letters in RED (clue 9)
If you have “read” the clues and “get it” go shopping
shop here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Said-Reading-Accessories/100662481230?v=photos&ref=ts#!/photos.php?id=100662481230

Sale#2
Book Thongs this weekend only are
10 book thongs for $30.00
24 book thongs for $60.00
These DO NOT include the Limited Editions

Sale #3
In Honor of EDC Creations Black Book Weekend, Simply Said Reading Accessories has a special offer for every book club. Join us in this momentous tribute to the Gift of Knowledge. I was inspired to create a Limited Edition line of Book Jewels to honor the uniqueness of each book we read.

The one of a kind designs are an exclusive, distinctive, individual, extraordinary work of art just for your group or book clubs. I have acquired some fabulous pieces that are truly gorgeous. The amounts are limited. For your group or book club, I will create a unique piece for each member.

In addition to the Book Jewelry, I will also create a “Giftmark” for each member in your book club. It will feature your book club photo or logo and your club name and favorite quote.

The exclusive set of these Limited Editions are only $10.00

They also make a perfect gift for the book lovers in your life so take advantage of this special Black Book Weekend Limited Edition Special!

Orders for this special is code 10LTD.
Please email me at odebdeb@aol.com promptly to place your order. Place your orders now in order to receive it in time for your holiday gifts and Secret Santa’s.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Said-Reading-Accessories/100662481230?v=photos&ref=ts#!/photos.php?id=100662481230

Caught Up by JB Burrage

2010-11-19T07:38:00.003-05:00

BIO: Author JB Burrage is definitely a power to be reckoned with. An extremely talented writer, JB Burrage has written Caught Up, a street thriller that is comparable to the juicy story that you might hear going on in the neighborhood; and the sci-fi thriller Secrets Revealed, a story that adds a lot of realism to science fiction. But he is not done showing the world his talent. Author JB is also working on The Forbidden Lounge, the sequel to Caught Up, and a novel that will be better and juicier than Caught Up itself and is due to be released in 2011. He is also working on other projects that he chooses to keep secret, for now.

Jacob “JB” Burrage was born in Jackson, Mississippi and raised in Meridian, Mississippi. After leaving Mississippi, JB Burrage served in the US Army from 1999 until 2010. During his time in the Army, he has been to Hawaii, Egypt, Israel, New York State, Maryland, and Texas; as well many other states. While in the Army, he discovered himself and his true talents, and decided to pursue that by founding J. Burrage Publications.

Normally a science fiction writer, Caught Up was written in an attempt to express himself through other genres. With the release of Caught Up, JB Burrage is now focused on the publication of Secrets Revealed by the beginning of 2011 and the development of The Forbidden Lounge. He also has a blog series, The Chronicles, at The JBP Chronicles blog at www.jbpublications.com/blog.

Synopsis:

Jeremiah Blackwood is a young, dark and very eligible bachelor who is trying to defy the odds of the stereotypical black man in the dirty south and overcome the small town mentality that constantly threatens his success. Through hard work and determination, he honed his craft as a writer and began making his mark in the community when he met a caramel complexioned girl who could make Buffy the Body look like Miss Celie in The Color Purple. She seemed so innocent the first time they met. Her beautiful brown eyes beckoned him into her lonely soul. Her smile was enticing, yet friendly. He knew she was the woman of his dreams. Much to his surprise, he found that not only was she far from perfect, but soon realized that she was involved in some things bigger than he could wrap his small mind around. Find out what happens when a man gets caught up in a tangled web of lust, lies, and unadulterated drama.

Excerpt:

We just laid there in the bed. I was holding her, and she was resting her head on my chest the way she always did after we made love. Tonight was no different. We were quiet. I think we wore each other out. Sex with Shirley was always good, but I didn’t want to get into it too much because I didn’t want to get sprung. I’ll be damned if I had a girl make me go crazy over some p**y.

We must have been quiet for about fifteen minutes. I was dozing off, but I didn’t want her to spend the night. She was here almost every night this week, and I didn’t want to see her too much. I was about to sit up so I could hint to her somehow that I wanted her to leave. Then, she started kissing my chest. Damn, her kisses felt good. I couldn’t stop her, so I just let her continue what she was doing.

After a few minutes of her kissing on and arousing me, she stopped and laid her head on my chest. She took a deep breath. It seemed like she had something on her mind.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“Nothing,” she said.

“Are you sure?” I asked, concerned.

She said, “I’m fine, baby.” She was silent for a minute. Then, she spoke up. “Jay, do you love me?”

I coughed because my spit went down the wrong pipe. “Do I what?”

“Do you love me?”

What was wrong with her, I thought. What the hell was she sipping on tonight?

“Uh, Shirley, why are you asking me that?” I asked

nervously.

“I want to know,” she answered. “Do you: yes or no?”

Now, I was silent.

“Oh, I see,” she said. “You want to hit it, but that’s it. Never thought about how this shit would affect a girl.”

Interview with the Author/Publisher:

1. What is the mission of your publishing company?

My overall mission/goal for J. Burrage Publications, LLC (JBP) is to publish, distribute, and promote quality books, as well as establish a foothold in the publishing world as a company to be respected and reckoned with. This is especially the case for novels that could really make an impact but haven't been given the chance by other publishing houses. Once JBP is ready to publish other writers, the selection for novels will be very difficult due to the fact that we do not want to just put any type of work out there. Our two mottos basically say it all, “Read into my Dimension, 3-B”, and “Taking over the industry, one book at a time”.

2. What year was J. Burrage Publications founded?

In the spring of 2007.

3. What is the website address for J. Burrage Publications?

www.jbpublications.com, currently has hundreds of unique visitors that view the site on a monthly basis.

4. What inspired you to start a publishing company for self-publishers/new authors?

I am the type of person who likes to have control over his own work, goals, etc. I started JBP after my first attempt with going with a publisher. When I realized I rushed into the project (a sci-fi novel called The Journal of John Baker, (which is what Secrets Revealed is based off of) and wrote Caught Up, I decided it would be best if I handled my own projects. I have made attempts to reach out to a few publishers and agents, which I can't even remember who they are now, but were rejected or didn't get replies back. This further helped me decide that I should just publish my own work. Plus I felt like a mainstream publisher would not understand my work and take away most of its effects. So, instead of dealing with that, I just simply did my research on the industry and started JBP.

5. What other publications are on the horizon for J. Burrage Publications?

Secrets Revealed is in the pre-publishing phase with an anticipated release date of on or about January 2, 2011. The Forbidden Lounge is currently being written.

6. Are there any other services offered by J. Burrage Publications?

Currently, there is J. Burrage Creative Services, which will be a network of writers and graphic designers. JBCS will provide affordable editing and designing services to self-publishers, businesses, and individuals just requiring certain projects. Website is for JBCS is www.jbcreativeservices.com. Also, JBP is launching its own online bookstore, called The Book Store. The Book Store will carry JBP titles and will be another outreach to our reader base in addition to Amazon, whom we work closely with. Also, JBP will start publishing other authors within a year to a year and a half.

7. What’s the future of J. Burrage Publications?

I have a very ambitious goal for JBP within the next 5 years. I want JBP to eventually become a full media entertainment business, publishing books, magazines, stage play productions, and even screenplay productions.

Jacob L. Burrage (JB) can be reached by:

Email: jb39301@jbpublications.com

Telephone: (800) 940-5604

Social Networks:

Facebook: Jacob L. Burrage and Caught Up Book Club

Twitter: JBBurrage

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jb39301 and http://www.myspace.com/jbpubs

Website: www.jbpublications.com

Email: info@jbpublications.com

Blog: www.jbpublications.com/blog

Conversation with Gwynne Forster

2010-11-18T09:01:00.000-05:00

Intimate Conversation with Gwynne Forster

Gwynne Forster, bestselling and award-winning author of When the Sun Goes Down, Blues from Down Deep, If You Walked in My Shoes, and A Different Kind of Blues, conjures a riveting story of fractured ties, secrets, and forgiveness in this powerful family drama in When the Sun Goes Down, the sequel to: If You Walked In My Shoes.

Gwynne Forster is a national best selling author of forty-five works of fiction, including her latest of nine mainstream novels, WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN. Gwynne is author of thirty-six romance novels and novellas, of which the latest novels are DESTINATION LOVE and YES, I DO. She has won numerous awards for fiction writing, including the Romantic Times 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award, the Romance In Color Author of the Year award, the Gold Pen Award and has been inducted in the Affaire de Coeur Hall of Fame.

Gwynne loves to sing, read and listen to music, especially jazz, classical music, opera and blues. She also loves to sing and dance, and enjoys entertaining at small dinner parties. She lives in New York with her husband, who is her true soul mate.

Listen to a lively interview with Gwynne Forster and BAN Radio host Ella Curry

BPM: Mrs. Gwynne, we are celebrating the holidays! What was your most memorable holiday from the past?
GF: My most memorable Christmas holiday was the first Christmas Eve that I spent with the man who is now my husband. I cooked a turkey, the first I'd ever cooked and, to my astonishment, it was a perfect bird. Many things happened that evening that we still joke about. We didn't know each other too well then, and we "tiptoed" around each other, each wanting to assure the other a happy Christmas and neither of us knowing how. We had a wonderful evening, singing, eating, listening to music, telling each other tall tales of our lives and, of course, exchanging gifts. I shall never forget it.

BPM: How do you celebrate the holidays? What are the traditions for your family?
GF: We celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, always with a roast goose dinner and mounds of gifts around the Christmas tree. We began the Christmas Eve tradition when my step son--then a teenager--got his first girlfriend. Of course, he wanted to have Christmas dinner with her and her family. So we invited her for Christmas Eve, and he went to her family on Christmas day. We liked the custom. We open the gifts after dinner on Christmas Eve. One beauty of that is that I enjoy Christmas day with no work to do.

BPM: What are you most thankful for today? What does all your books have in common?
GF: I am most thankful for Jesus Christ in my life and for the health and well being of my family and myself.

GF: My books have different themes, but everyone of them demonstrates the importance of loyalty and common decency and the rewards of reaching for a higher goal. Website: www.gwynneforster.com

BPM: Mrs. Gwynne please tell us about your latest release, When the Sun Goes Down.
GF: When the Sun Goes Down deals with the strengths and fragileness of relations among family members. When self-made millionaire and widower Leon Farrell dies, he leaves behind a legacy of family dysfunction—and a missing will. The possible loss of a fortune only increases the existing tension between his three grown children.

While handsome slacker Edgar kicks back in anticipation of his windfall, middle child Gunther struggles to save his software business, and fiercely independent Shirley unsuccessfully tries to stay out of the fray. But things soon take an explosive turn. And as the siblings find themselves battling each other to protect their own interests, they’ll face choices that could bring them together at last—or tear them apart for good.

Caught in the middle of her brothers’ ill-will, and doing her best to keep the peace, Shirley is further unsettled when she falls for Carson Montgomery, the smart, sexy private investigator Edgar hires to tract down the will. And when Gunther suddenly falls ill, Edgar’s attempt to manipulate him causes a conflict of interest that will shock them all!

BPM: Are your characters a portrayal of real people?
GF: Not at all. Something about a person may give me an idea, but I invent my characters.

BPM: Who did you write When the Sun Goes Down for? Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?
GF: I wrote it for my readership. I thought that the women and men who have read my novels over the years would enjoy a frank discussion of some of the problems common among people of African descent. I’m not sure you’d call it a message, because I make it a policy not to preach to the reader. My first agent told me that it is a writer’s duty not only to entertain, but to inform. I’ve taken that advice seriously, and in every book that I write, whether mainstream fiction of a romance, I include some worthwhile information as a part of the story.

BPM: If you could change one thing you from your road to publication, what would you have done differently?
GF: I wouldn't have written a romance as my first book. I write mainstream fiction, and some of my books have won awards, but they are always judged as romances, because reviewers associate me with romance. And when they complain about something, it's usually what distinguished mainstream women's fiction from a romance.

BPM: Do you write full time? Describe your writing schedule for your readers.
GF: I write full time. I get up around seven-thirty and usually write from nine to about four Mondays through Fridays. Important errands may interfere with the schedule, but that’s basically it. I write after dinner for about two hours, unless my husband and I are going out or have guests. I often write on Saturdays after I’ve finished my shopping and errands. I don’t write on Sundays. I work in my office, and I don’t listen to the radio unless there’s a program of Mozart music.

BPM: What do your do when you’re not writing?
GF: In the summer, I’m an avid gardener. I love music—opera and classical music, classical jazz, blues, some Sinatra/Nat Cole type popular songs and a couple of old fashioned country singers. I enjoy entertaining at small dinner parties and consider myself a rather good cook. And, of course, I read.

BPM: What does your family think of your writing?
GF: My family consists of my husband and stepson. Both are very proud of my success as a writer and read my books. Although my husband is an academician and not a computer expert, he makes my fliers, brochures, and bookmarks and does an elegant job of it.

BPM: What two pieces of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
GF: Don't be disappointed by rejections. When you get one, clean up the manuscript and send it to the next editor on your list. The appraisal of fiction is, in some important aspects, highly subjective.

GF: Learn English grammar, and cultivate an extensive vocabulary so as to express yourself precisely as you intend. Write each day and, if possible at the same time. Try not to get a habit of procrastinating, and don’t rewrite until, say, you’ve at least written a chapter. It’s best to rewrite after you finish a first draft. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. Join a writing group such as the local

RWA group and attend writing conferences whenever possible. Remember: if you write a page every day, at the end of a year you can have a book.

BPM: Thank you Mrs. Gwynne for joining us today! Readers you can find out more about Gwynne Forster and her books at: http://www.gwynneforster.com/

When the Sun Goes Down by Gwynne Forster
Book Review: 5-Stars by Sharel E. Gordon-Love

Dysfunction can be part of a family even when one looks from the outside in and all appears to be well. In Gwynne Forster's When the Sun Goes Down, we find this to be so with the three Farrell siblings after the death of their father, Leon.

Leon Farrell was an odd character, who seemed to lose touch with real life and the children that most fathers would hold dear to his heart, especially after the loss of his beloved wife. However, he retreated within himself and played a cruel joke on his family, that could have them at odds with one another and ruin their relationships for good.

The eldest sibling, Edgar, was determined to get what was coming to him as a means to an end and continue to be the rebel that he is and live life on his terms. In the meantime, his brother, Gunther, and his sister, Shirley, tried to live their lives in spite of Edgar and the way they were treated by their father when he was alive. No doubt, their upbringing had a lot to do with who they grew to be, albeit, all three different in their own way.

When it was all said and done, secrets were revealed and hidden things brought to the light as this family strived to keep their families together and receive the things that they believed they were entitled to outside of their father and his eccentric ways. At the end of the day, it is about family and the things that we do to remain one.

What I loved about When the Sun Goes Down is how author Forster took her time to tell the story; there was no need to rush the storyline. I recommend this book to everyone who loves stories about family love and romance. This book was provided to me courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.
--Review by Sharel E. Gordon-Love APOOO BookClub

When the Sun Goes Down
ISBN-10: 0758246994
ISBN-13: 978-0758246998

"When the sun goes down on my life, you'll all come apart like ripped balloons." -- widower Leon Farrell

When stingy self-made millionaire and widower Leon Farrell dies, he leaves behind a legacy of family dysfunction—and a missing will. It's soon clear that his three grown children, Edgar, Gunther, and Shirley, don't handle loss well—the possible loss of a fortune, that is. And when Edgar hires a private investigator to track down the will, it's just the beginning of a search that will lead the siblings to re-visit their childhoods, uncover buried secrets, and ultimately learn for themselves what it means to be a family. For as tensions escalate between the brothers—with their peace-keeping sister caught in the middle—an unexpected conflict of interest is brewing that will shock them all—and either bring them closer together or tear them apart for good... Peek inside the book and read excerpt chapters!

Purchase your copy today. Give as a great holiday gift book!
http://www.amazon.com/When-Goes-Down-Gwynne-Forster/dp/0758246994

ALSO AVAILABLE NOW!
Once in a Lifetime by: Gwynne Forster
ISBN-13: 9780373831944

With a young daughter to support, recently divorced Alexis Stevenson jumps at the chance to become household manager for wealthy businessman Telford Harrington and his two brothers. Though she knows it won't be easy turning their bachelor-pad mansion into a home, she is determined to handle any obstacles, while maintaining a separate life for herself and her daughter. But Alexis isn't at all ready for the red-hot chemistry crackling between her and Telford—or the fact that she's suddenly caught in a maze of unexpected secrets and deep mistrust. But if she and Telford find their way through it—together—can they both embrace the love they so deeply desire?

Free Money Now For African Americans

2010-11-09T08:49:00.006-05:00

SYNOPSIS:
Private Companies Giving Free Money to African Americans?
And, NO! They Don’t Want the Money Back.

After spending 20 years of attempting to find organizations that give grants to People of Color, Dr. Donna and her daughters decided to be a part of the solution. They have written one of the most important books of this time, Free Money Now for African Americans.

“I wanted to create a well organized book filled with something that is nearly impossible to find in one location - grants for us. In other words, money to change our lives and money to make a great impact on our communities that we never, ever, ever have to pay back,” states Dr. Donna. “For organizations and those who dream of starting their own business, expanding, following their passion or being a block in the building of a greater community, the time has come; the time is now.”

Free Money Now for African Americans is the first and only book of its kind. Though there are numerous books for government grants, female grants and even a few on minority grants, there isn’t a book written specifically for People of Color. Separated by the most popular categories, so the readers can easily find companies giving out Free Money that matches them, this book of facts is segmented by church, HBCU’s youth, sports, children, health, schools, business/entrepreneurship and all art forms, just to name a few. Every possible subject is covered from organizations to individuals to community service.

The book also contains two bonuses. Free Money Now for College Students. Why pay for school when you don’t have to? And, How and Where to Get Grant Writing Assistance For You Absolutely Free.

Website:

www.FreeMoneyNowForAfricanAmericans.com

Email:
Freemoneyforafricanamericans@gmail.com
Contact Phone Number:
619-719-9888

Biographies:

ABOUT DR. DONNA
Dr. Donna is a noted author and motivational speaker. She has been in the education field for over 50 years and has truly done her part and continues to play a part in leaving her unforgettable mark in the world. Her first book, Do You Have Kitchen Disease, continues to teach many people about nutrition with a revolutionary way of eating and caring for bodies. She is dedicated to enhancing lives globally one community at a time.

ABOUT MIA MORE
Mia More is the creator of Harmony Rhymes. A fun filled, nursery rhyme cd with tunes that stick in your head from the first time you hear it. This extremely important cd teaches children and reminds adults about love, health and wealth. She believes that if you can instill a healthy, positive, big thinking mindset in children - The world will automatically change for the better.

Project Name: Free Money Now For African Americans

1. Can we really get free money?
Yes, you can, you can't make them take your money, they don't want your money, it's 100% free!
2. Do we have to ever pay the money back?
No, you never ever have to pay the money back! This money is set aside enhance people’s lives and their communities.
3. Can I use the money for any type of business?
You can use the money for hundreds and hundreds of businesses and they are all listed in the book plus more.
4.How long does it take to get the money?
It takes approximately three to eight months and it’s well worth the wait. After all, you never have to pay the money back.
5. Can I use the money to expand my existing business?
Yes, you certainly can, you may also read the section in the book which list places where you can get free assistance in completing your applications.
6. Can I apply for more than one grant?
Yes, you may apply for as many as you wish. Simply follow what is asked of you on the applications.
7. Are there any grants for me to attend college?
Yes , we have a special section in the book for college grants and scholarships that you, of course, never ever have to pay back - Over 200.

Convenant of Lies

2010-10-25T08:38:00.003-04:00

Synopsis: The drama, lies, deceit, and hidden secrets are revealed in this second release of the Covenant of Lies trilogy. Continue to follow the lives of the McFinley, Richardson and Taylor families. What will become of Jill and Shane’s budding relationship? Will the long time relationship between Henry and Carl survive the years of deceit and lies? Will Marcie’s relationship with her father be the final straw for Selma? “Covenant of Lies The Revealed Truth” is the second book in the “Covenant of Lies” series of self created web of lies by Author Holly Spence.

BIO:
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Holly Spence is a graduate of the School of Creative and Performing Arts in which she majored in Drama, Technical Theatre Management and Vocal Music. She attended the University of Cincinnati, majoring in Chemical Technology.

Mrs. Spence is an author (“Servant Leadership The Heart That Serves” and “Power of 10 Gaining Empowerment in 10 Minutes, 10 Words, 10 People”), Conference Speaker and Workshop Facilitator.

She’s the mother of 3 beautiful children: Heather, Jehoshua and Joshijah-rapha as well as best friend and covenant partner of Vinnie Spence.

Excerpt:
Courtney wakes up, her head is pounding and blood is all over her lab coat. She does not know how long she has been out, but she remembers being knocked out by Calvin Taylor. She looks at Selma’s bed and she is still sleep. Selma was administered a heavy dose of Percocet to help her sleep through the night as comfortable as possible. Courtney then began to look around for Marcie, calling her by name, but unable to move swiftly. Water in the bathroom is running. Courtney managed to get to her knees and use the couch to get to her feet. When Courtney opened the bathroom door, Marcie was in the shallow shower with water running, bruises on her arms and legs. Her shirt was around her neck; her bra ripped off, her pants and underwear, all at her ankles.

“Oh God!!! Marcie!” Marcie doesn’t reply nor does she move. Courtney turns off the water, runs outside for help. The officer was getting up off the floor the same time Courtney was coming out of Selma’s hospital room. “Sir, are you ok? I will have someone come by to look at you, don’t get up stay seated.”

Courtney made her way to the nurse’s station, the nurse looked up, “Oh Courtney, what in the world happened?” said the nurse.

“I was attacked by Calvin Taylor, Selma Taylor’s husband, please call hospital security and have them dispatch the police. I need to call down regarding my shift, I was supposed to report to work, what time is it?” Courtney sees the clock, “Oh no, I have been out for over 30 minutes? I also need someone to look at the officer outside Mrs. Taylor’s room and I need help getting Marcie Taylor to emergency for examination.”

The sixth floor nurse scrambles to meet the request and makes the necessary calls. A second nurse joins Courtney to check out the officer. Courtney heads back down to Marcie with a gown and blankets in hand to cover Marcie. When Courtney gets back to the room, the nurse behind her tends to the officer to identify his injuries. Courtney opens the door. Marcie is still in the bathroom lying in the shower.

Visit the Author:

http://twitter.com/monarchpubllc
http://monarchpublicationsllc.blogspot.com/

Skeletons in Her Closet

2010-10-18T07:47:00.004-04:00

Skeletons in Her Closet

Synopsis:
New author, L’Mignon, takes pride in bringing the girl next door character to reality for her readers, creating a story that many can identify with in some fashion. In her first novel, Skeletons in Her Closet she introduces us to McKenzie Johnson. Over the years McKenzie has become so involved in work she neglects having a social life. As a New Year begins, McKenzie is convinced by her friends to trade in her conservative business attire for some sexier club gear and finally let her hair down.

All work and no play is never any fun. Not knowing when she will get out again she is determined to make the most of this night. Unbeknown to her, not only will she enjoy a fun night with the girls but also meet the man she would soon marry, Milton Williams. Ordinarily, she would never go for a man that she met in a club, but there is something different about Milton once she takes the time to get to know him. He is everything she has always wanted and felt she needed to make her life complete. But as with all things in life, McKenzie’s journey with Milton is not an easy one.

L'Mignon leaves you on the edge of your seat until the very end wondering how this story will play out.

Book Excerpt

On the outside I, McKenzie Johnson, came across as being your average girl next door. Go to work, come home, go out occasionally with the girls, you know the type. I am definitely the kind of girl every man’s mother would just love. Indeed, the kind of girl every man dreams of. I am like a chameleon. I can adapt to any environment and still hold my own. I worked as a business professor at a local community college. I really enjoyed working in this environment. Sometimes it was complicated having students older than me and some the same age. But all in all it was interesting.

I have always been dead set on establishing my career as a teacher before entertaining anything as it would relate to my personal life. For a period in my life I became so consumed with school and developing a career that my friends would have to schedule time for us to grab dinner or a movie. I started out at the high school level but knew that would be a temporary situation as I did not have the tolerance to deal with the immaturity of the high school students at times. The only worry I had with the college level is that there was a greater chance that I would see my students out in some of the local hang out spots. Regardless my age in comparison to theirs I needed them to always respect me as their professor. Bad enough I had to prove myself to some of my older colleagues. Being a professor at thirty-five was impossible in the eyes of some. However, I worked hard for every degree that I held and was surely reminded of it every time I received a bill that a student loan payment was due. The administration recognized my accomplishments so to my colleagues there really was nothing left to prove.

My friends always teased that I was too devoted to my credibility as a professor. They just did not get it. But they did have a point. As Kelly would say, ‘what’s the point of hard work if you don’t play just as hard’? Kelly and I had been friends since high school. If any one knew me she was clearly one of very few that knew everything about me. She and our friend Jay were always convincing me that I needed to branch out and devote just as much time to my personal life as I did my profession. I had come along way from the McKenzie I was back in the day and it would be an honor for any man to have me. I knew this but it was just hard conveying that into my everyday life. I had not been on a date in years. Jay and Kelly did make some attempts over the years to hook me up. But nothing ever materialized. The men they picked for me were more the type of men they would date. They both liked men that had an edge to them. It did not matter where they worked or any of that. They just needed him to look fine and be able to lay it down in the bedroom. They had no problem calling me snooty. They were such loyal friends and had no problem at all speaking their minds. I have to admit as harsh as they were at times, it made sense. Jay and Kelly were persistent they did not care how long they had to continue to sing the same mantra. They knew eventually I would give in and accommodate their requests to venture out with them and let my hair down.

As I new year was about to set in I decided that this would be the last year that Jay and Kelly would be chanting that mantra. Even my mom was pressuring me to get out there and see what life had to offer outside of the classroom. Kelly and Jay had been telling me about a party they were going to attend to bring in the a new year, so I figured the best gift to them would be a phone call saying that I would join them. When I placed the call I have to say I never heard either of them scream so loud.

“You mean to tell me that after all these years you finally stepping out with the girls. Lord it is going to snow tonight,” Kelly said. Jay just screamed when I told her. They were excited. As crazy as it may seem it had been three years since I had been to a club with the girls. We have done dinner and a movie but nothing of this sort. This was clearly about to be a new start for me.

Biography

L’Mignon was born June 29, 1979 in Richmond, VA. She graduated from Highland Springs High School in 1997. She attended Strayer University, where she received both her Associates and Bachelors Degree, majoring in Business Administration with a primary focus in Contract Management. This fall she will be returning to college to pursue her MBA with a focus in Human Resources Management.

She is the proud mother of a ten-year-old son, Makari. When she is not on the baseball or football field with Makari she can be found writing, working on various projects, or spending time with her family. L’Mignon is a social butterfly who values being able to spend time with very supportive and caring friends; and the women of the Ladies of Life~Love~Laughter chapter registered with the Red Hat Society, where she serves as chapter queen.

Skeletons in Her Closet, her first novel, was released March 2010. L’Mignon takes pride in bringing the girl next door character to reality for her readers. It is her aspiration to continue to write novels that everyday people can relate to and refer back to their daily lives.

Interview with the Author:

1. How did you come up with the pen name, L’Mignon?

When I sought out to establish a pen name I wanted something that was going to be a unique representation of me. My middle name alone is very unique. So I thought I would combine that with the first initial of my first name, hence L’Mignon was created.

2. How long did it take you to complete Skeletons in Her Closet?

I started Skeletons in Her Closet in 2007. I completed the first six chapters before putting it on a very long pause. I pulled it out in August 2009 after my 30th birthday and vowed that I would have it completed and released before my 31st birthday. After pulling it out it took me five months to have it completed and on in route to the editor.

3. What has been the response from the readers of Skeletons in Her Closet?

The response to date has been amazing. I really was not expecting the great feedback that I have from the readers. Readers have gone so far as to compare my writings to that of Zane, which is an honor. Since reading and completing Skeletons in Her Closet the readers have been constantly emailing me to see when the second novel will be available.

4. Does the main character, McKenzie, embody any of your actual personality?

Like me McKenzie has a great sense of style when it comes to her attire. Through out the novel she clearly makes sure to put a lot of detail into her gear. In my actual life, I am big on appearance and believe in looking and dressing for the occasion.

5. Will there be another book from L’Mignon?

There will definitely be more to come from me. I have even gone as far as tentatively titling the second novel, Seven Nights & Seven Days. I am aiming to have this one available March 2011

6. Can you see Skeletons in Her Closet being a film or stage play?

I read Skeletons in Her Closet for the first time a month ago on an airplane ride to California. As I was reading it vivid images was playing out in my mind. I could clearly see different scenes and even the soundtrack played in my head. I am hoping that by the time I finish the McKenzie series I will be in the developing stages of having it at transpired into, at the very least, a stage play.

7. Are there other avenues you would like to pursue?

In addition to writing, I would like to venture into being a radio host. I would like to have a female hosted version of a Michael Baisden Show. I would also like to venture into public speaking. I think as a single mother & a product of Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority, the political way of saying projects, I have had the stereo types stacked against me. And to overcome and excel where I should be is a message of motivation alone.

Find the Author at:

www.lmignon.com

email: mignon629@gmail.com

Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVaz7Rze-gw

Book Review: “Raising Him Alone” by David Miller

2010-10-15T17:59:00.000-04:00

Book Review: “Raising Him Alone” by David Miller and Matthew P. Stevens
Reviewed by: Lynia White, founder of The Quality Corner Bookstore

Miller has a background in education and has authored several books. Matthew Stevens is the Founder of Empower Today’s Youth, which provides youth with tools to make healthy life decisions. Stevens is also a presenter, youth counselor and freshman college advisor. Miller and Stevens have brought their experience together to create Raising Him Alone.

Absent fathers has become an epidemic in the black community. It can be very difficult for black single mothers to raise a boy to be a man.Statistics reflect how young black males have been affected by the absence of a father in the home. For example, a recent report ongraduation rates indicates that in some US cities, the drop out rates among black males exceed 65 percent. That is a staggering statistic. Young men in the black community need help. The help that these boys need must start at home. The purpose of Raising Him Alone is to provide the support and guidance that single mothers need to help their sons flourish.

This guide provides so much practical wisdom. Issues such as literacy, sex education and law enforcement are discussed. The importance ofknowing your son is stressed. A mother needs to know what her son’s interests are, who his friends are and what’s in his room. I appreciate the candid approach of this book. Often, self-help books will dance around sensitive issues. However, the writers of Raising Him Alone are very honest about their own experiences with raising children and they get to the heart of issues that matter the most. Black women face veryunique challenges when raising sons.

This book is based on interviews with women that have faced these challenges successfully. They share their success and failures so others can learn from them. While the book is directed to mothers, the role of the father is acknowledged. It is critical that boys have a relationship with their father. Mothers are helped to determine how to deal with the connection between their son and his father. The assistance of mentors and other role models is encouraged. There is even a section that addresses grandparents that are raising grandsons.

I applaud the effort of Miller and Stevens to help mothers raise their sons alone. The strategies found in this book will benefit any mother thatwants to raise a boy to be a strong asset in the community. In addition to this book, there is a website dedicated to this cause. For more information, visit http://www.raisinghimalone.com/.

Reviewed By Lynia White:Lynia White is a columnist, book reviewer and the founder of The Quality Corner Bookstore - http://www.thequalitycorner.com/. For more book reviews by Lynia, visit her blog at: http://thequalitycorner.blogspot.com/ and http://www.blackbookreview.com/

Raising Him Alone (http://www.raisinghimalone.com/) is designed to provide support and advocacy for single mothers raising boys and focuses on creating a safe space for single mothers to discuss parenting strategies, personal development, managing finances on a single income and a variety of other topics determined by single mothers.

Win a Copy of A Slip In The Right Direction

2010-10-13T21:08:00.003-04:00

Win a Review Copy of the YA Novella

A Slip In The Right Direction by author Rachel Berry

Audio preview: A Slip In The Right Direction

A Slip In The Right Direction, a coming-of-age story for tweens & teens. The story of life, puppy love, and lessons, as seen through the eyes of a 14-year-old young man coming-of-age in Chicago.

Homesick for his life and friends back home, a family move forces 14 year old Clifton Henderson, aka Slip, to grow up on the north side of Chicago. In his mind, life sucks at the moment and can't get any worse. But it does. A kidnapping by gang members, a crush on a girl playing hard to get, a strict father, a mysterious neighbor, and the gift of premonitions all help take him on a ride of life until eventually he takes A Slip In The Right Direction.

Listen the book excerpt above and leave your comments, along with your email address to enter a drawing to win a review copy of Rachel Berry's new YA title, A Slip In The Right Direction. Author Rachel Berry will pull all the comments from her online book tour on Nov. 25, 2010 and announce the winners on Dec. 1, 2010. Please consider giving books as gifts this holiday season!

How To Enter the Contest: To enter the drawing, hosted by EDC Creations Media Group, readers must preview the excerpt podcast and leave a comment of 10 words or more. Three readers will win copies of this book, while the author is on tour. Winners will be randomly selected to receive a copy of the featured book. Winners will be posted on the author's teen blog. Books mailed within 7-10 business days of the contest ending. All prizes distributed by EDC Creations, not the publishers. Your privacy is protected. Email lists are never sold.

Eligibility: To be deemed eligible to participate in this contest, you must be 20 years of age or older and the contest legal in your state. Open only to permanent legal residents of the 50 states of the U.S.A. and D.C. This contest is NOT available outside the United States all federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply void where prohibited or restricted by law. Winners will be notified via email. Books will be shipped media mail 7-10 days after contest ends. The winners will be listed on the author's website on December 1, 2010 at: http://www.thecliftonhendersonseries.com/ and http://www.rachelberry.webs.com./

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Only one book per month per household or bookclub. All that we ask is for the reader to post a review online or in the social network of their choice, after reading the book. Spread the word and tell 10 people about the book.

Meet Author Rachel Berry
Rachel Berry is a word-fairy that enjoys the craft of words that create and inspire life and people. As an author & poet Rachel feels blessed to have the creative opportunity of expression. Berry is also a motivational speaker, mentor, community leader, independent book publisher, entrepreneur, columnist for SORMAG, and host of From The Heart & Soul show on Blog Talk Radio.

She currently resides in Virginia with her husband, adult children, grandchildren, and parents. Rachel puts family first and enjoys life in Virginia. When she's not writing, she also enjoys reading, dining out, traveling, and watching movies. She accredits her gain in blessings and achievements to her relationship and guidance from her creator, association with great women, positive family members, loyal friends, the upbringing of an amazing woman-her mother, and the support and love of her husband and children.

Connect with Rachel Berry, CEO Kimathi Enterprises & Publishing Company
Author Website: http://www.rachelberry.webs.com/

For Those Who Stare at the Moon

2010-10-12T07:27:00.004-04:00

http://thegoldenbutterfly.blogspot.com/2010/10/re-book-give-away.html

Getting to Know Tiffany Flowers

Who are some of your favorite authors/books?

I read memoirs, fiction, children’s books, and non-fiction daily. So, I do not have a favorite author or book.

What was the one book that most influenced your life and why?
The one book that influenced my life was Judy Blume’s series. During fifth grade, I was a reluctant reader. My fifth grade teacher read Fudge, Superfudge, and Sheila the Great aloud. That book pretty much changed my life as a reader. I began to read all the time after that.

What authors influence your work?

Dr. Suess, Dav Pilkey, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jon Scieszka.

About the Author
Tiffany A. Flowers is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and the author of two children's books. Born the child of an artist, she spent the majority of her childhood attending poetry readings, festivals, and art shows with her mother. The majority of her stories reflect a culmination of all of her experiences from childhood to adult. However, the ultimate goal of her work is to promote hope and creativity, and to bring joy into the lives of children.
Tiffany lives in the south and spends her time teaching, writing, reading, and spending time with her family.

Visit Tiffany online:
http://www.goldenbutterflypublishing.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1426034761

Hear Tiffany read from her book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqdYqxDcBkA

Be sure and leave a comment for Tiffany! Sign up for Tiffany’s blog and be entered to win one of three copies of For Those Who Stare At the Moon! Winner will be randomly chosen by the author and announced on the last day of the tour.

http://thegoldenbutterfly.blogspot.com/2010/10/re-book-give-away.html

About the Author
Tiffany A. Flowers is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and the author of two children's books. Born the child of an artist, she spent the majority of her childhood attending poetry readings, festivals, and art shows with her mother. The majority of her stories reflect a culmination of all of her experiences from childhood to adult. However, the ultimate goal of her work is to promote hope and creativity, and to bring joy into the lives of children.
Tiffany lives in the south and spends her time teaching, writing, reading, and spending time with her family.

Road to Publication with author Katie McCabe

2010-10-11T04:03:00.000-04:00

Road to Publication with author Katie McCabe

Author Katie McCabe joins us today to share her journey to publication that led to a major movie deal. She discusses her latest book and shares advice for new authors.

Katie McCabe is a National Magazine Award winner whose Washingtonian article on black surgical legend Vivien Thomas formed the basis for the HBO film Something the Lord Made, one of the highest rated original movies in HBO history and the winner of the 2004 Emmy and 2005 Peabody Awards.

McCabe’s 2009 book Justice Older than the Law, co-authored with pioneering lawyer Dovey Roundtree, won the Association of Black Women Historians’ Letitia Woods Brown Book Prize.

For her work in science and medical journalism, McCabe has been honored with awards for investigative reporting (William Allen White Award, 1991) and public service (National Magazine Award finalist, 1986).

» Book Spotlight: Justice Older than the Law: The Life of Dovey Johnson Roundtree by Katie McCabe and Dovey Johnson Roundtree. Chapter One, "Walking Unafraid," about Dovey Roundtree's courageous Grandma Rachel, the woman Dovey calls "the greatest warrior I ever knew." Listen to a live reading from Katie here: http://www.audioacrobat.com/sa/WC3S5tj4

BPM: How did you get your start in writing/publishing?

KM: As a former high school English teacher who had always wanted to write, I launched my writing career in 1985 by pitching an article to Washingtonian magazine on the subject I knew best: education. I was fortunate to sell that very first piece, whereupon I began writing regularly for the magazine, branching out from education and private school topics to lengthy narrative pieces on medicine, medical research, and medical history.

The article that moved my career to another level was an August 1989 Washingtonian article on black cardiac surgery legend Vivien Thomas, “Like Something the Lord Made,” which won the 1990 National Magazine Award for Feature Writing and was optioned for a television movie. The 2004 HBO film that was based on my article, also named “Something the Lord Made,” starred Mos Def and Alan Rickman, and it won the Emmy for Best Made for TV Movie and the 2005 Peabody. The HBO film enabled me to secure representation by a premiere New York literary agent and led to a host of other opportunities, including speaking engagements.

KM: In the 14-year period during which the Vivien Thomas piece was in development as a movie, I continued to write for Washingtonian, and I was approached by Reader’s Digest to write for them on contract. While the Digest experience was not artistically satisfying for me as a writer who places great value on style, writing on contract for the Digest provided income while I worked on other projects and embarked on a book, and it helped me hone my narrative skills.

In the 11 years I wrote for the Digest (1989 to 2000), I did lengthy “Book Section” pieces which required not only extensive research but also a mastery of narrative structure and character development within the strict confines imposed by the Digest form. I found that those storytelling skills stood me in good stead when I embarked on my first book, Justice Older than the Law: the Life of Dovey Johnson Roundtree, in February 1995, in collaboration with the book’s subject, pioneering civil rights lawyer, veteran and minister Dovey Roundtree. Nearly 15 years in the making, the book was published in July 2009 by the University Press of Mississippi and won the 2009 Association of Black Women Historians’ Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Prize for the best publication on an African American woman.

BPM: Katie, what can readers expect when they open a book created by you?

KM: I believe my power as a writer derives from my lifelong love affair with words and literature, my sense of the compelling stories hidden beneath the surface of outward events, and my fascination with unsung heroes. These passions came from my late parents, John and Kathleen Burns. They exemplified for me the kind of nobility and courage I endeavor to portray over and over again in my non-fiction as I seek out heroes and heroines whose lives have profoundly altered our world but whom history has forgotten or marginalized. My goal is to portray these history-makers with the vividness of fiction, and to bring them alive for future generations.

BPM: What are you most proud of as a writer in today’s market?

KM: I have endeavored to pass on to the next generation of readers the stories of men and women who have prevailed over almost insuperable odds to achieve greatness in medicine, in the law, in athletics, and in public service. I believe that my legacy as a writer is that I have brought to life some truly extraordinary examples of the triumph of the human spirit. These examples speak to people of all races and backgrounds about what is possible when one draws strength from mentors and taps into one’s own well of courage, faith and tenacity.

In today’s market, which is dominated by books and movies that glorify violence, brutality and sexuality run rampant, I choose to tell stories that celebrate the eternal values, and I think that sets me apart from the mainstream.

BPM: What advice would you give someone just starting out as a writer?

KM: I would tell young writers two things: first, to choose stories that they consider deeply important, to bring to bear every particle of talent they have to those stories and market them with all the energy they can summon; and second, to operate on the assumption, at least at the beginning, that it will not be possible to make a living by writing. It is possible to succeed in today’s brutal publishing market, but the reality is that one needs a reliable income from a steady job in order to “support the writing habit.”

BPM: What social issues do you address in Justice Older than the Law? How is this book affecting the public?

KM: I have never been a “political writer” in that I have never set out to address any social issues. I am a storyteller, and my goal is to pass along stories that matter, that illuminate lives that exemplify nobility, courage, tenacity, faith and goodness. All truly great stories change the world, and they do so precisely because they come in “under the radar” of our critical sense and move our hearts and minds.

When I set out to write Dovey Roundtree’s story, I did so because I was enthralled with her life experience and with her personal charisma. Having said that, I do believe that Justice Older than the Law speaks importantly to some of the most critical issues of our time.

Contemporary America urgently needs this book. As we contemplate at fifty years’ distance the meaning of Brown v. Board in the light of recent Supreme Court rulings, as we struggle with issues of race at every turn, there is a sense that we’ve lost our bearings.

KM: What is justice? What sort of a society are we aiming toward? How can we capture the values we seem to have lost? How do we arrest what Dovey calls “the demon of violence” that is destroying our cities? To be able to tap into the world view of a 96-year-old living legend who brought her fight into the streets, the jailhouses, the churches, and ultimately, into the hearts of the individuals to whom she ministered, is an extraordinary opportunity, I believe, for people of all races.

Special Note: First Lady Michelle Obama saluted Dovey Johnson Roundtree on the occasion of the book's Washington, DC launch.

"She [Dovey Johnson Roundtree] has clearly demonstrated that even in the face of enormous challenges, an unblinking belief in equality and justice will spur real change. I am inspired by Ms. Roundtree, and I hope that her story continues to motivate all Americans to fight for our shared values. It is on the shoulders of people like Dovey Johnson Roundtree that we stand today, and it is with her commitment to our core ideals that we will continue moving toward a better tomorrow." --- First Lady Michelle Obama, July 2009

BPM: What’s new? Tell us about your latest awards and media mentions.

KM: Dovey and I are proud that the book won the 2009 Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Award from the Association of Black Women Historians, which praised Justice Older than the Law for the way it “aided in connecting with the person and the pathos of Dovey” by its use of the novel format. The judges stated, “Your work enhances our understanding of the importance of storytelling as biography.”

We are also deeply gratified by the fact that law firms in Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Hartford and Charlotte have embraced the book and made it a part of their diversity programming. This represents a whole new wave of Dovey’s activism, which neither she nor I anticipated when we set about to tell her story together 15 years ago.

KM: Dovey and I are also thrilled that 30 or more law firms in Washington, DC featured the book at a “Law Night” on Thursday, July 8 for the rising ninth graders at Thurgood Marshall Academy, a charter school located in Anacostia, where Dovey ministered for 35 years at Allen Chapel AME Church. The Law Night, held at Dovey’s alma mater, Howard University Law School, brought together the Thurgood Marshall Academy students with attorneys and summer associates from the law firms for a program I presented on Dovey and the book.

One of the great crusades of Dovey’s later years in Washington was to find a way to quell the tide of violence among young people, to do what she called “heal the brokenness” in society and especially the black family. This book is part of her healing effort. She believes that her story will point young people to the essential truths that will sustain them amid the chaos of contemporary culture and set them on the path of goodness. At age 96, she is prevented by gravely ill health from participating in these and other book promotion events, but she continues to celebrate with me the ripple effects of the book on which we worked together for so many years.

BPM: How may readers view the photos of Dovey, contact you for more information and to find out more about the book?

KM: Visit us at http://www.justiceolderthanthelaw.com/ , the web site address for the book, and there is a link there to email Katie McCabe (at mccabe.kathleen@gmail.com )

Justice Older than the Law by Katie McCabe

Purchase your copy today!
It is the story of pioneering Army veteran, attorney and minister Dovey Johnson Roundtree, co-authored by Katie McCabe. This is a love song to the black family and a celebration of the eternal values that make it possible to transcend our pain and limitations. Dovey Roundtree is an icon, and her story is an inspiration to all families.

Hardcover: 288 pages; ISBN-10: 160473132X

Loved To Death

2010-10-08T08:02:00.002-04:00

Rosa Elmore Ferguson is the author of LOVED TO DEATH: A Different Kind of Love Story and LOVED TO DEATH: The Truth Unfolds. LOVED TO DEATH: The City Speaks will be out in early 2011.
Born Infant Sleigh, Mrs. Ferguson, and adoptee, has been searching for her biology for over forty years. Rosa uses her writing to release the frustration and anger caused by failed attempts to find out who she is and where she came from. The author would like her readers to have a better understanding of what can happen when they become a part of an unsuccessful adoption triad.

Mrs. Ferguson is the proud mother of two sets of twins and currently resides in Olive Branch, MS with her husband.

In LOVED TO DEATH: A Different Kind of Love Story and the sequel, LOVED TO DEATH: The Truth Unfolds readers are introduced to a fictional Gaston City, Indiana and will see it through the eyes of Morosa Denise McKinley. Morosa is the adopted daughter of Morrow and Rose McKinley. Adoption, love, murder and intrigue seem to rule the day with the underlying theme being the pitfalls of adoption and what happens when a person isn't allowed to know the truth about themselves. These are the first two books in the LOVED TO DEATH short story trilogy

Follow the author along her virtual blog tour and as she chats with readers about her books and the challenges she faces in finding her roots.

Enter for a chance to win a copy of LOVED TO DEATH: A Different Kind of Love Story and LOVED TO DEATH: The Truth Unfolds courtesy of the author. The winner will be announced at the end of the tour. Please visit the author’s website at http://www.rosaferguson.com/">www.RosaFerguson.com

Now, let’s have a conversation with Rosa about her books and her quest to find her biology. Leave a comment and be a part of the conversation

Intimate Conversation with author Renee Wiggins

2010-10-01T15:40:00.000-04:00

Intimate Conversation with author Renee Wiggins

Renee Wiggins is the owner of Results By Renee, a wellness company based in Maryland. Her mission is to help people achieve optimum health through nutrition, fitness and supplemented with stress reduction techniques.

Ms. Wiggins designs lifestyle programs for individuals and groups. She is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Massage Therapist.

Listen to various health related coaching sessions by Renee, by clicking here today.

BPM: Renee, please introduce us to your latest non-fiction, self-help book, Transformations: Give UP The Struggle.

RW: Transformations: Give UP The Struggle is a unique collection of affirmations written to encourage readers to break the chains of negative thoughts and actions, to embrace the positive aspects of change and to take the necessary steps to live a happy, fulfilling life. We all have had our ups and down in our lives, some more than others. But, how we end up in the end, determines how we actually see the storms. The storms help us to change to a better and stronger person.

BPM: How did the title of your book, Transformations: Give UP The Struggle, come about?

RW: I was searching for a word that would express the idea of change, so I came up with four different titles that embodied that concept and I sent them to friends, family members and colleagues I trusted. With their help, I came up with the word" Transformations", as I thought, that really got to the core to the message I wanted to share. I added the "Give UP The Struggle because I wanted the reader to know in order to transform, one must give up. Thus the title, " Transformations: Give UP The Struggle' was born.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write Transformations?

RW: As a diabetes educator, nutritionist, and personal trainer, I hear a lot about the struggles my client's experiences. And as I've listen to them over the years, I soon began to realize that many of these men and women were in unpleasant, unhealthy situations because they were unable to break bad habits and unable to realize that making simple changes in their lives could make the difference they desired. So I wrote the affirmations in this book as a way of teaching people that their chain can be broken and that they I wrote Transformations" Give UP The Struggle as a way to let people know that just as a caterpillar grows wings and transforms into a butterfly, they too, must also be open to similar evolutionary process in their lives.

BPM: Are the affirmations a representation of your life?

RW: Yes, some of these affirmations come deep within my soul, while others were birthed from the experiences men and women have shared with me regarding their own personal struggles. I want to reach men and women from the ages of 18 years to 92 years of age, who are entering a storm or going through a storm. The affirmations presented in this book can be a turning point in the reader's life.

BPM: What are some of their specific issues, needs or problems
addressed in this book?

RW: The central themes of my book revolve around encouraging and empowering my readers to embrace their struggle as life lessons that they can move from their current situation toward greatness. I 'm happy to have these themes in the form of affirmations because research has shown that people who recite and /or live by affirmations have a more positive attitude.

BPM: What is your best advice to anyone who wants to be a writer?

RW: I encourage writers to take classes, workshops, travel to seminars, connect with other writers, join groups and most of all, and help other writers without hesitation.

BPM: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.

RW: I am currently writing part two of my current book, Transformations: Give UP The Struggle. This book will be a collection of stories of people who successfully danced through some of life's most turbulent storms. It s my hope that these stories will provide the strength and guidance others may need to change their lives for the better.

BPM: How can readers reach you online?

Readers can find more info on me and purchase the book at: http://www.resultsbyrenee.com/. Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/giveupthestrugg for diet tips, health tips and more.

Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine. Visit the magazine here: http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

2010-09-30T22:15:00.003-04:00

Authors, Literary Service Providers and Book Clubs
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Think Pink bookmark

2010-09-30T12:23:00.005-04:00

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?"
So she did
and she had a wonderful
day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M," she said,
"I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
So she did and she had
a grand day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
"Well," she said,
"today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and she
had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
"YEA!" she exclaimed,
"I don't have to fix my hair today!"
Attitude is everything.
Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Think Pink

Read and tease

2010-09-30T12:05:00.007-04:00

Read and tease
Most people who know me, know I LOVE BOOKS. They know I am reading something or just got finished a book or 3. So my clients at the salon know it even more. I always have the last few and the current books I've read or reading, at my station, by the dryer, or in my purse. I get to share, discuss, and tease my girls.

After I relax and put a conditioner in their hair, I put them under the dryer with a current read. I rinse and talk about what they have read for the last 15 minutes. I then roll or mold and put them back under for 30 to 45 minutes more. As I am blow drying, flat ironing, or laying that hair, we are talking about what they have read, now, an hours worth. I love to tease them about what's coming next, and oooh girl you gonna love the ending.

Those who are new to the salon will ask " I can I borrow it" those who are not, know better! "I don't loan books, authors don't get paid on loans, only banks" is my standard answer. I'll hand them a bookmark or even write the authors site on the back of my card. Yeah, I have gotten some smart ass remarks. But you get paid for working, why should they?

I then promply send them on their way to the book store or to the site to continue. I LOVE when they come back and we can really get into the story because then, I know they have read the book. The surrounding ears are hearing us laughing and discussing and want to to know which book we are talking about. I start the process again, under the dryer. Subliminal suggestion, gentle persuassion, soft sell, maybe. Just letting it do what it do.

Now the moral of the story is............

you figure it out and let me know what YOU think, please post a comment

Pleasure Principles by Lesley E. Hal

2010-09-29T12:44:00.000-04:00

Pleasure Principles by Lesley E. Hal

Listen to the sexy preview here: http://www.audioacrobat.com/sa/W8HJTZ94

Can Bianca keep a married couple from finding out that the person they’re cheating on each other with is her? Or will living the love-them-and-leave-them lifestyle that Rick James and Teena Marie sang about in the eighties be more fire than desire? That’s the mantra that has become Bianca Brooks’ claim to fame after being stood up at the altar by her longtime fiancé, Michael Jones, five years ago.

Since then, Bianca’s life has consisted of a steady string of bedmates and running her burgeoning event planning company, Pleasure Principles, with best friends Cody and Reggie. With love having nothing to do with her newfound lease on life, Pleasure Principles is her one and only commitment, until she meets Taylor, wife of Dallas Mavericks golden boy, Eric “All Air” Sims. A torrid affair ensues with Eric being none the wiser until he pays Bianca an eye-opening visit. During his stay, Bianca’s world is turned upside down when she finds herself in the middle of a forbidden love triangle, adding even more drama to her already flawed sex life.

Even though Eric’s being unfaithful, his insecurities run rampant, prompting him to hire a detective to see where Taylor’s infidelities lie. When given the proof he needs, all hell breaks loose and everything about Bianca’s promiscuity brings forth malicious consequences of revenge.

Purchase Pleasure Principles
Purchase Pleasure Principles from the Author
Lesley E. Hal website: http://www.pleasureprinciplepublishing.com/

Connect with Lesley Online
http://www.lesleyhal.com/
http://www.twitter.com/lesleyhal
http://www.facebook.com/lesleyhal

Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine.
Visit the magazine here: http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

The Diary of the Secret Wife

2010-09-27T19:25:00.004-04:00

The Diary of the Secret Wife

Synopsis - People always say that journaling is good for the soul...those people don't know Sheree. She knew the deal when she married Matt. She was suppose to be the silent wife, but when that silence made her invisible, it was a problem. Her invisibility allowed Kelly to be the woman in the eye of Matt's friends, family, and colleagues. Matt was the kind of professional that had to keep a perfect image; an image that didn't include a black wife and mixed breed baby. Trying to deal with Matt, Kelly, and the fact that she can never be seen, was proving to be to much for her. To add insult to injury, their baby is stuck not knowing his fathers side of the family; he is the biggest secret of all.

All the while she continues to be the perfect wife and mother. The rage inside and builds until she can't hold it anymore. There is a plan brewing and her diary is the only one that knows...

• Excerpt

“Hold on,” he told the person on the other end of the phone. Looking at Sheree, “I am not discussing this with you right now. I am tired and I need to get some sleep before I have to go back to work at nine,” he informed Sheree calmly as he walked off. He pinched the baby’s cheek and walked up the stairs toward the bedroom. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?” he continued on the phone.

Sheree couldn’t believe what had just transpired. She and Matt had been married for a little over a year and had dated for three years. She had never seen him act like that. She was used to coming second when we in the eye of the public, but never in their own house. He was treating her like some ho off the street. Sheree didn’t understand it, but she damn sure wasn’t about to settle for it. She put Lil Matt’s swing on automatic and ran up the steps. By the time she got to the top of the steps she heard the shower start. She attempted to catch him before he actually got in the shower.

“Matt!” she pounded on the door. “Matt, open the fucking door!”

“Sheree, I am not in the mood for this right now; I just wanna clean up so I can get a quick nap,” Matt replied in his normal, non-emotional voice.

“Not in the mood….just wanna clean up?! Don’t you think I need to know where you been all night?!”

“A meeting ran late,” he responded.

By this point Sheree was heated. She couldn’t believe he was acting like it was no big deal that he hadn’t been home since the morning before. It was almost as if he thought since Sheree hadn’t made a big deal out of anything before that he could do whatever he wanted to.

“Matt if you don’t bring ya ass out of that bathroom, we gonna have a problem,” she threatened.

The door didn’t budge. Matt was not going to open that door. Sheree decided that if he wasn’t going to open the door himself, she was going to do it for him. She ran down the steps to grab a butter knife. She heard noises on the way down the steps. She had completely forgotten Lil Matt was in the swing. He was giggling and enjoying another half hour of Blue’s Clues on the TV. She tiptoed behind the swing into the kitchen. If he saw her he would want to her to pick him up. She inched into the kitchen, opened the silverware drawer and grabbed a butter knife.

She tiptoed back by the swing and ran up the stairs. Matt was still in the shower and it didn’t look like he even attempted to come out and talk about anything. She was livid, so much so that she couldn’t get the knife in the straight keyhole because her hand was shaking so much. She took a couple of deep breathes, gripped the knife with both hands. She slipped the knife into the long shaped slot and turned it slowly. She didn’t want him to know she was coming in.

She turned the doorknob and entered the bathroom and looked around. His clothes were on the floor and his cell phone was on the sink counter. Sheree thought about checking his phone to see who he was talking to when he entered the house. Matt had no idea she was in the bathroom and she wanted to keep it that way. She grabbed his cell phone and pushed the talk button. The last seven calls came up on the screen. Five of those calls were from Kelly. Most importantly, she was the last call outgoing call. That call was made at three forty-five in the morning. It was almost like he had been with her at the ‘business dinner’, left and went out with the potential clients and met back up with Kelly later on that night. The pattern of the calls made it evident that she was calling him to see when he was going to be done with those clients. Sheree was far from stupid and her imagination was far from being dull. She put that whole scenario together by just checking a phone log. She placed the phone back on the sink counter and thought about what she should do. She had no concrete evidence, but she knew the two of them were together.

“Matt?!” she yelled at the shower curtain. “You ain’t gonna just walk up in here and not acknowledge the fact that you just got home! It’s almost five in the morning…”

Matt slid the shower curtain back and gave her the nastiest look, “Why are you in here?”

“’Cause you wouldn’t open the door. And I’m not leaving until you answer some questions!” she screamed holding the butter knife upright, as if she was threatening to stab him.

“I am not answering any questions you have. I told you I had a business dinner and that is that. You need to put that knife down before you do something you are going to regret.”

Biography - T. Nicole has always had a love for writing. As a young child she could be found in her room writing anything from poetry to short stories and graphic novels. Her love for the written word has continued to grow and she now has decided to share her projects with the world. T. Nicole has experienced much in her short time on this earth and she allows her everyday occurrences to guide her in creating innovative and never to be duplicated works. She takes every moment in her life and uses it as inspiration to do better things.

T. Nicole currently resides in Philadelphia, Pa. where she works as a Social Worker to at risk youth. She enjoys reading the works of others, listening to music, and hanging out with her girlfriends. She takes life as it comes, one second at a time.

To find out more about T. Nicole go to www.tnicoleonline.com

Interview with Author T. Nicole:

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I can remember when I was about 7 pr 8 years old and I had an assignment in school. The assignment was to write a poem. Now most of the children in the class wrote the typical "Roses are red, Violets are blue", but not I. I decided to write a poem about something completely different involving intense feeling about my 7 or 8 year old life. Ever since that day I have been writing.

2. When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I have written several short stories in my younger years, but never did anything with them. I took all the poetry I had written over the years and put them together for my first book. That was released in December 2007.

3. How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on what the book is about. Some situations and characters come easy because they are loosely based on people I have encountered in my life. Other books may take longer if I am basis the characters off of one or nothing. It typically takes me about 6 months to come to a final draft of a book.

4. Do you have any suggestions to help others become a writer? If so, what are they?

The one suggestions I have for others trying to become authors is to stick to your guns. Listen to your inner voice and strive to achieve what you have set out to accomplish. Also, attend as many literary events as you possible can - they are filled with information and chances to network with other authors.

5. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

It is not as cut and dry as the readers may think. The writing of the book is the easiest part. Publishing your book is what is going to test your dedication.

6. What’s next for you?

I am working on several projects right now. I have my third novel, The Diary of the Secret Wife hitting stores on September 14th. I am always busy working on my next creative venture.

Unraveled

2010-09-19T23:44:00.002-04:00

Synopsis: The story of Love, lust and memories lost. Sam Bradford is the only hope of a desperate professor, the only love of a jealous harlot and the only friend to a man facing insurmountable odds. While Sam holds the key to so many lives, he can't remember anything of his own life, not even the reason an ambitious prosecutor hopes to lock him away forever.

Excerpt:
Rising from her chair, the old woman slowly stepped towards an open window. “You young folks are disillusioned by your fancy machines and your cell phones. You’re too busy Facebooking and emailing to know what real emotion looks like. I know it. I’ve seen it. I know that boy is innocent.”
Pointing her finger outside the window she motioned for each juror to join her. “Look, look over there” she instructed. “See those people? Tell me what you see? Ms. Mad-at-every-man, tell me what your eyes see over yonder.”
“I see people walking” the girl reluctantly answered. “Why? What does it have to do with anything?”
“Oh my child” the old woman winced. “It has everything to do with everything. You kids are so unfeeling now. Alla’ these shoot’em up movies and killing makes you forget what real smiles and frowns look like, you’re missing the big picture. When I look from this window I see that young mother walking her child to school for the first time. I see the fear in his eyes and in hers. I see the way he holds his head and the uncertainty they both surely feel. I notice her apprehensiveness to let him go and the pride she has that he’s grown. I see it because I’ve been there before.”

Biography:
Maxx Kilbourne was born and raised on the Eastside of Detroit, Michigan, an area known for drugs, gangs and violence. Kept in line by a stern mother, supportive father and strong male role models, Maxx graduated from Denby High School and received a Bachelors Degree in History from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton New Jersey. Maxx worked in the radio industry for ten years before leaping into the world of writing, penning his first novel, "Heart of Justice" in 2009 as a tribute to a fallen comrade.
Maxx carefully crafts his novels in a manner that appeals to readers of all backgrounds, he's a product of the inner-city, not a hostage. Maxx knows the "hood" is more than sex, drugs and violence and believe Urban novels should be more as well. Each Maxx Kilbourne novel is written to entertain readers and offer insight to virtues of life, each interjects comedy, drama and pleasant subtleties of life without a single phrase of profanity. Maxx Kilbourne novels are easy reads offering messages of hope and understanding to men and women alike.
Maxx is currently writes for The Source Magazine and working on a Masters of Education degree from the University of Southern California.
www.maxxkilbourne.com

Prologue True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks

2010-09-18T10:08:00.000-04:00

True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks

Twenty-eight year old Kennedy Logan is gorgeous, educated, talented, and in love. Unfortunately, Drake Collins has other ideas about the true state of their relationship. Kennedy hopes to turn him around; Drake just wants to turn her out sexually. Kennedy is also searching for her biological mother, who gave her up at birth. She wants answers and she has tons of questions. The enormous weight of these predicaments leads to a failed suicide attempt.

Her overprotective and overbearing mother, Dorothy Logan, moves in with Kennedy and makes it her mission to get her daughter's life back in order. The first step is getting rid of Drake Collins once and for all, but that's easier said than done. Drake has no intentions of going anywhere. Kennedy's ever loyal and fun-loving best friend, Taylor, and her absentee father join forces to help support Kennedy in her time of need.

At her psychiatrist's advice, Kennedy uses writing as her therapy. She starts to keep a daily journal detailing the erotic circumstances and family drama that led up to her despair. Through very personal, funny, and graphic entries, readers will share her confessions. Brace yourselves for a very steamy journey!

Prologue True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks
(Erotic Thriller)

My reality is surreal and happens in super, slow motion. A nervous giggle escapes my chapped, dry and parched lips. I lick them to restore moisture. Then, there is utter, deadly silence. If I listen closely, I can hear my heartbeat beating away at an accelerated pace. My senses are heightened and I marvel over the brilliant, bold colors of my bedroom as I inhale my favorite fragrances, from their spot on my antique dresser, colliding into one another with their potent allure. Even my sense of touch is different somehow. Everything is magnified to the nth degree. It’s like I’m looking down at myself from a huge movie screen with surround sound as I ready myself for the big finale---the final shot and then fade to black.

I’ve never been good at saying goodbye, even on short, weekend trips. I keep the handwritten note short and sweet and pray to God that mother will understand, and hopefully, one day, forgive me.

I don’t mean to hurt her or cause her any fresh pain. I sincerely don't. I hope she understands that this isn't her fault, that I love her with all my heart and being. No matter what, that fact will never change. I’m so thankful and forever grateful that she chose me to be her daughter out of all the orphaned babies in the world. She chose me. I told myself over and over again that that made me special. I needed to feel special instead of unwanted and discarded.

I’ll miss mother the most, but the hurt I feel inside is too unbearable and indescribable. It is too painful for me to continue, day in and day out, with just a hollow emptiness that erodes and corrupts any happiness that briefly surfaces. The dawn of each new day only brings me more heartache and renewed memories. Some memories are like leeches. They latch on for dear life and slowly, ever so slowly, suck and drain all the blood, all the living out of you. You are left with just a shell of the old you and that's no way to survive. Not for me, anyway.

When they find me, I want it to look like I’m sleeping, peacefully. Just like Sleeping Beauty who only needed a handsome prince to kiss her and awaken her from the darkness that engulfed her. However, for me, there won't be a handsome, charming prince to wake me, save me, and ride off into eternity. All my so-called princes were monsters in disguise with their own hidden agendas that attempted to crush and stamp out my self-esteem. Yes, just blessed sleep awaits me.

I chose pills. I couldn’t subject mother to a messy, bloody scene that comes with slitting one’s wrists or shooting one's self. I refuse to take my final breath with that heavy on my heart. I don't think my heart could handle anything else weighing against it. As it is, I feel like I have three hundred pounds weighing me down. Crushing the life out of me.

As I settle myself comfortably on my queen-size bed, slowly pull the red, satin comforter up to my chin and stare at the full bottle of prescription pills carefully nestled in my right hand, I can’t imagine not waking up in the morning.

What will it be like to not see the rising sun? To not hear my alarm clock going off announcing it’s time to get ready for another day of work? Not hitting snooze to give myself another fifteen minutes? Not rushing to finish my morning rituals before I dash out the door and into rush-hour traffic? What will that feel like?

More important to me now, though, is will it hurt? I hope not. I have never been able to tolerate too much pain, physical, mental or emotional. Yet, that’s what Drake has caused me for the last year of my life. Pain. Intolerable suffering.

I only wanted to love him and for him to love me in return. Simple enough. Was that asking too much? My part of the equation was accomplished, effortless. Drake claimed he loved me, but he really didn’t. Probably never could. Didn't know how to love or receive it. After what happened last week, I know he didn’t. Yet, I gave him everything: my heart, my body, my soul. Now, I have nothing left to give myself. I'm empty inside.

As tears slowly flood my weary eyes and blur my vision, I look around my cozy bedroom for the last time. Ever. It used to be one of my favorite rooms in my small two bedroom, one bath apartment. There was nothing better than lighting several fragrant candles, drinking a little white wine and cozying up with a good romance novel. Yes, that was heaven. Simple things excite me. Always have. Watching a sunrise or sunset, waking up to birds chirping in the treetops, walking hand in hand through the park with the one I love, all these things brought me great joy.

Mother will have to understand. I left her a note, propped up on the nightstand, in full view, that explains how much I love her and daddy. What will she think when she can’t reach me tonight? I would love to hear her soothing, loving voice one last time. Yet, I know I wouldn’t be able to go through with my plan if I did. I’d give away my intentions over the phone or mother would pick up on my foul mood and that would be that. I’d wake up another day with this aching, dull pain inside, tearing me apart, bit-by-bit. Pain that dulls and diminishes every ounce of my strength, all the way down to my pores.

Drake Collins. His name leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. Just the thought of him brings bile to the back of my throat. I will forever regret the day I met that man. If I could turn back the hands of time, do it all over again, I would have called in sick that day or run for the hills. I was just fine with my life the way it was. Sure, it wasn’t exciting or glamorous, but it was enough for me. Drake came with the charm, movie star looks, glitz and high drama and reeled me right in like a bass caught at sea. I gladly jumped into his net.

I say a silent prayer of forgiveness as I place one, then two colorful pills on my tongue and swallow dry. I didn't think of getting a glass of water. I can't think. The lump in my throat quickly diminishes. There’s no turning back now. Just like there was no turning back when Drake turned me out. The countdown begins. Ten, nine, eight. . . I've lived a happy life. I have tons of good memories. I've treated others the way I wanted to be treated.

I hope this happens quickly. I steadfastly place three, four pills on my tongue and swallow again. Hot tears start to spill forth and stream down my cheeks as I realize the final result of my actions. Seven, six, five. . . It’s for the best. I need to stop the pain. Will he even miss me? Or will he just move on to his next victim? Will all this be in vain?

I guess I’ll never have that family now. The one I used to daydream and write about in my journal. The family with the almost perfect mommy and daddy and two kids, a boy and girl. The boy would be the oldest, and he'd look out for and protect his younger sister. They'd have cute, adorable names and they'd know they were wanted and loved and cherished by their parents. They'd never feel unwanted.

Four, three. . . I swallow a handful of pills this time. I've lost count as to how many I've digested. As spittle escapes from my mouth, I gag. I wipe the overflow away with the back of my hand and keep right on shoving pills in my mouth until the orange-brown medicine bottle is empty. I look inside, in awe, shake the bottle, and can’t believe the pills are gone so quickly. Just like the illusion of love. If you blink, you'll miss it.

I wonder if Drake even realizes how much I loved him? Now, I wait for blessed relief and peace to take away my hurt and pain. I’m so tired. Tired of loving the wrong men. Tired of giving my all, coming up empty, and getting absolutely nothing back in return. Good sex isn’t the end all to everything. Drake taught me that lesson.

Two, one. . . It won’t be long now. I faintly smile and lay back against my down pillow.

I welcome peace. In my mind, I start silently repeating Psalms 23. I shall walk through the valley of death; I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me. I’m so sleepy. I can barely keep my eyes open. I can feel myself giving in to the fog that slowly invades my mind. Maybe if I close my eyes for a few moments. Yeah, just rest them for a few minutes without seeing Drake’s face behind my heavy eyelids.

Suddenly, I feel lightheaded, like I’m floating on a big, fluffy white cloud, bouncing up and down, giddy with not a care in the world. This is a different sensation that I literally reach out my right hand to embrace and never let go of. Not a care in the world. Nothing matters but blessed, uneventful sleep. I close my tired, weary eyes as the countdown ends. Fade to black.

(continues in the book)

True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks
Order your copy today!

© 2010 All rights reserved. Book Excerpt Reprinted by Permission of Electa Rome Parks, author. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. Copyright infringement is a serious offense. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only. Share a link to this page or the author's website if you really like this sample from True Confessions.

About the Author
Electa Rome Parks lives outside Atlanta, Georgia and is the best-selling author of six acclaimed novels, The Ties That Bind, Loose Ends, Almost Doesn't Count, Ladies' Night Out, These Are My Confessions (anthology) and Diary of a Stalker. Dubbed a "book club favorite," avid readers have embraced Electa's true to life characters that tackle prevalent and heavy hitting issues that take them on an emotional roller coaster.

The self-proclaimed Queen of Real, Electa has been a frequent guest on radio shows, nominated for many industry awards and interviewed by numerous newspapers and national magazines. Electa is currently following her passion and working on her next novel and first screenplay.

Connect with Electa Rome Parks online at:
www.electaromeparks.com
www.electaromeparks@blogspot.com
www.facebook/electaromeparks.com

Sweeter Than the Honey Blog Tour

2010-09-14T08:17:00.004-04:00

Sweeter Than the Honey Blog Tour

LaShanda Michelle is an author and a playwright. In her free time she enjoys reading, dancing, and spending time with her family. She is a native of Huntsville, Texas.

About the Book
Kamilah Wright has a lot on her shoulders for someone entering their senior year of high school. Not only does her mom expect her to raise the other seven children in their home, but she’s also required to turn a blind eye to her father’s infidelity, as well as maintain a perfect 4.0 GPA in order to get the academic scholarship she desperately needs to attend college. To complicate matters even more, she’s also a rape victim. The only person she’s told is her best friend, Eric, whom she’s secretly in love with. Through all of this Kamilah convinces herself that she has everything under control.
That is until she meets Summer Freeman. The beautiful new girl at school, Summer introduces Kamilah to a lifestyle that she’s never known, including fashion, luxury, and alternative viewpoints that conflict with her Christian upbringing. Pretty soon the love she has for her new friend evolves into something more, and Kamilah has to prove which love she will devote herself to. Will she stay in the same sex relationship that feels so right, or will she embrace the faith she didn’t know meant so much to her
Book Trailer

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Book Review
I'm still reading but this was a great review posted on Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars A Feeling Deep Within, July 7, 2010
By The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweeter Than The Honey (Paperback)
SWEETER THAN THE HONEY welcomes us into the life of Kamilah Wright, a high school senior who is at a crossroads in her life. She holds a long-time crush on her best friend, Eric, and can't bring herself to tell him her true feelings. Along comes Summer Freeman, the new girl in school, who turns heads the minute she steps in the door. Will Eric fall for Summer and never recognize Kamilah's true feelings for him?

Summer is a free spirit who opens up a whole new world to Kamilah. She opens up Kamilah's eyes to fashion, make-up and sexuality. While Kamilah loves the new transition, her holier-than-thou mother is not so fond of the change. Will Kamilah sacrifice the bond she has with her family? Is the change in her life a good thing?

Kamilah finds herself at odds with a strong mix of feelings and she ultimately has to make a decision between right and wrong. Her journey of self-discovery, and of weighing good and evil, is one that many of us can relate to. LaShanda Michelle is a very prolific writer with a style that keeps the readers intrigued. I look forward to more of her work.

Reviewed by Marcia Brevard Wynn
for The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Purchase the Book Online at:

• Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Sweeter-Than-Honey-LaShanda-Michelle/dp/0979123763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281396496&sr=8-1

• BarnesandNoble – http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Sweeter-Than-the-Honey/LaShanda-Michelle/e/9780979123764/?itm=1&USRI=lashanda+michelle

• Books A Million – http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780979123764?id=4715246323067

• Indiebound - http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780979123764

For More Information

• Visit the author online at http://www.lashandamichelle.com/

• View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/SweeterThanTheHoneyTour.

Advertise here!

2010-09-10T21:18:00.004-04:00

3 month advertisement and product Package $99.99

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3 months

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my subscribers via email, Good Reads, Shelfari, Visual Bookshelf,etc

*50 custom half marks

Buy now to benefit from the holiday season
http://www.simplysaidreadingaccessories.blogspot.com

Urban, Not Necessarily the Opposite of Rural

2010-09-10T17:51:00.001-04:00

Urban, Not Necessarily the Opposite of Rural
by Sherryle K. Jackson

Poor Merriam-Webster, how demoralizing it must be to put out an annual reference that is basically outdated before it’s typeset. Once again, I have to call him on one of his definitions: Urban. Of, or pertaining to a city was one of his listings. Is that the kind of Christian Fiction that I write? New genres are created everyday. Citified Christian Fiction, although I like the premise and overall ring of the title; it is not necessarily what I write.

What are categories anyway, but catch-alls, and that’s the catch 22. I write Urban Christian Fiction. I write for Urban Christian (literally, that is the name of the publishing company I write for). Urban, loosely, subjectively and connotatively means of or pertaining to African Americans. It’s that simple or complicated. Like I said before, it’s a catch all category.

Believing that African Americans even in a niche market like Christian Fiction write all the same is like believing all African Americans are citified. What about the Southern Belles and gents. I just came back from The Faith and Fiction retreat (www.faithandfictionretreat.com) in Atlanta created by fellow Christian Fiction author, Tiffany L. Warren (What a Sista Should Do, Father than I Meant to go, Longer than I Meant to Stay and In the Midst of it All) where I learned that our audience, as well as why we write, is as varied as our skin tones.

Some write primarily to edify the body of Christ, and others dubbed as pioneers of contemporary Christian Fiction like author, Victoria Christopher Murray (Joy, Temptation, Sins of the Mother) feel compelled to write for those who may never grace a church pew. Me? I feel a certain weight to write in order to demystify the black church. I am a certified church girl that was tired of movie portrayals of church with their attempts to paint a caricature or rely on stereotypes of “church folk.” Folks who liken sitting in Sunday service to serving fifteen years to life in a maximum security prison.

I really hated those classic redemption scenes where the prodigal son or daughter literally crashes a Sunday service, joining in with the choir and dramatically giving their heart to the Lord. Sorry Steven Spielberg and his adaptation of Color Purple, but Alice Walker’s book shows what happens with Shug Avery between the time she’s singing Sista in the juke joint and when she comes down the aisle singing, Speak Lord in her daddy’s church.

I try to illustrate Christians exercising their faith. I love to write about burgeoning love and a burgeoning relationship in Christ. Either may or may not take place in a church. African American Christian writers are bound only by their conscious and publisher’s guidelines. We are CPA, self and mainstream published. We write multi-layered novels, often tackling taboo topics with the overall theme of God’s love, forgiveness and redemptive power. Our diversity gives us our edginess.

Here’s the catch 22. (I’ll ask you to hold my base steady while I ascend my soapbox.) You will not see Urban Christian Fiction authors in the Christian Fiction section of the local bookstores. I dare you to look for me or any of my titles. Lord forbid if we are placed in two sections. Where are we then? As if we are children of a lesser God, we are clumped into the two to four shelves set aside for African-American interest. We are in with Urban romance, Urban classics, Urban contemporary, Urban Erotica and Urban Urban or what is known as Urban Street Lit genre.

Don’t get me wrong, I know my audience is primarily ‘urban’. I know some authors prefer to be the only race categorized by ethnicity. I am sure there are Caucasian Christian authors who would prefer to be shelved in fiction instead of Christian. Like a true evangelist, I wonder who might be missing my message because they failed to realize or fail to wonder into African American interest section because they are not African American.

Just like rural doesn’t mean Caucasian, Urban does not literally mean African American. According to connotation, Urban is not necessarily the opposite of rural. You’ll find Christian fiction is more alike in its root message than different no matter what section you find it in or what race the author happens to be.

Meet author Sherryle K. Jackson

Multi-published author, teacher, wife and mother, Sherryle continues in her pursuit to be a fresh voice in Christian Fiction. Her triumphant debut novel, Soon and Very Soon (2007) was followed up by her sophomore release, The Manual (2009).

Sherryle is currently working on her fourth novel for Urban Christian (Urban/Kensingon) titled Taylor-Made. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.

Soon After by Sherryle K. Jackson picks up right after Jackson's 2007 release, Soon and Very Soon. Pastors Willie and Vanessa Green are no more than six months into business as usual, in the combined Mt. Pleasant Harvest Baptist church after marrying and combining congregations, when they receive word that Willie's former church has been burned down by an arsonist's match. With more than one person with interest in the deed to the property and still more with an emtional investment in the church itself, it's up to Alexis Montgomery a local reporter and Chief Herbert Rich to solve the the crime.

Soon After by Sherryle K. Jackson
Christan Crime Fiction
ISBN-10: 1601628676
ISBN-13: 978-1601628671
Website: http://www.sherrylejackson.com/
Blog: http://www.thefateofthefire.blogspot.com/

Purchase your copy of Soon After from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/After-Urban-Christian-Sherryle-Jackson/dp/1601628676

Jazz, Java and Jesus

2010-09-09T08:26:00.004-04:00

Jazz, Java and Jesus Blog Tour

Aleysha Proctor is an award winning Christian inspirational author & entrepreneur. She’s the author of three books; “With Style & Amazing Grace”, “He’s the Keeper of My Soul” and “Jazz, Java & Jesus”. Her passion in life is helping to inspire people to use their potential now.

Jazz, Java and Jesus Twitter Party

Chat with Aleysha LIVE on Twitter on September 20, 2010 at 8:00 pm EST

Follow Aleysha at http://twitter.com/AleyshaProctor
Follow the moderator Tywebbin Blog Tours at http://twitter.com/tcblogtours
GIVEAWAYS INCLUDE:
• (4) signed copies of “Jazz, Java & Jesus” by Aleysha Proctor
• (4) copies of “Everyday With Jesus: Daily Devotional” by TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network)
• $25 Target gift card
• $25 Starbucks gift card courtesy of Tywebbin.com
Use the following Twitter Hashtags to be eligible for winning a prize.
#AleyshaProctor #JazzJavaJesus #Aleyshasbooktour

About the Book
Twenty-four Christian devotions and puzzles about jazz, java and Jesus. The perfect book to take to a coffee or tea house, or anywhere, and meditate on the promises of God.

Review
Just the titles of the chapters are soothing, they are things we tend to say all day, out loud and in our heads. Teaming up this phases with the word of God and some smooth jazz and a cup of java, makes for a great little get away. I enjoyed the puzzles which are music and coffee inspired brain teasers.

Book Trailer

Podcast

PODCAST 1 - About the Book

PODCAST 2 - For Readers

PODCAST 3 - Excerpt

Purchase the Book Online at:

• Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Java-Jesus-Aleysha-Proctor/dp/1441574352/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281223302&sr=8-2

• BarnesandNoble – http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Jazz-Java-Jesus/Aleysha-R-Proctor/e/9781441574350/?itm=2&USRI=aleysha+proctor

• Books A Million – http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781441574350?id=4715246323067

For More Information

• Visit Aleysha online at http://www.aleyshaproctor.com/.

• View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/JazzJavaandJesusTour

Joey Pinkney

2010-09-08T08:07:00.006-04:00

I get to turn the table on book reviewer Joey Pinkney today! I have been following Joey since our My Space days and has admired his 5 Minutes 5 Questions with Joey. He has inteviewed many of the authors that we know and don't know. I love how in 5 questions he gives us just enough to tempt us to look further. So the Curious George that I am decided to interview the interviewer! I got a better look at who Joey Pinkney is. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

1. What made you decide to start Joey Pinkney?

I decided to start JoeyPinkney.com initially to do something constructive with my Internet addiction. It started as a blog about a lot of different subjects. It slowly transformed into an outlet for books and authors from my love of reading and affinity to books. I noticed that many Black authors don't get the same amount of coverage as their white counterparts. I made the focus of JoeyPinkney.com Black authors to help promote and advertise their books to potential readers.

2. How long have you been doing it?

I've been running JoeyPinkney.com since June of '06. The JoeyPinkey.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With... Author Interview Series started in August '08. When I first started, I had to beg authors to be a part of it. (Now that I think about it, I still have to beg... Hm.)

As it slowly began to gain popularity, more and more authors became in tune with viability of the series. I think word-of-mouth and being somewhat consistent has really boosted the popularity of JoeyPinkney.com.

I've been trying to learn different social media networking techniques to broaden the scope of that I'm trying to achieve. It's a lot of hard work, and I've come into contact with people that have given my priceless experiences.

Although the JoeyPinkney.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With... Author Interview Series has only been going on for two years, it feels like four or five. I really appreciate my readers for all of the comments they leave as words of encouragement for the various authors that stop through.

3. What types of services do you offer?

In addition to the interview and book reviews, I also do book giveaways, contests for author-related products and promote my author interviews on other websites. As I am learning more about social media networking, JoeyPinkney.com's author interview and book reviews is starting to be seen by a myriad of authors, readers and publishers.

4. Who are you clients?

My clients area mostly independent authors and publishing companies looking to give an extra push to one of their books. It's a pleasure to work with a person directly who is really invested in the well-being of their book. Every once in a while I get a celebrity like Faith Evans, Tray Chaney (from HBO's The Wire)or Shoshana Johnson (the first African-American POW)

5. What is the most rewarding aspect of your business?

The most rewarding thing that comes my way are the candid comments and emails that I get from time to time. It's such a pleasure to read something from a person who genuinely appreciate what I'm attempting to do.

There are times when I think about quitting and doing something more profitable with my free time money-wise. Just when I seriously contemplate throwing in the towel, I get an email, a JoeyPinkney.com comment, a facebook message or something like that. The nod of encouragement puts me right back in the game and refuels my obsession.

6. What has been the most difficult?

It's very hard balancing all the tedious, behind-the-scenes stuff needed to keep JoeyPinkney.com functional with a work schedule, kids, wife and other very important people. There is so much that I want to do with the website that time and lack of money limits. But I started it with nothing, so I am still very proud of that JoeyPinkney.com has become.

7. What has brought you the most joy?

I don't do this for the accolades, but I am more than overjoyed when somebody says "Good job". Don't get it wrong, though. If I did the website for the ind words, I would have quit before I started.

I got a comment the other day on my website where a reader actually said that she told an author at a book festival that she first saw the author's book on my website. I thought it was so cool that the reader saw the book on my site first and told that author about seeing it on my website. It doesn't get any better than that!

Being nominated for "2010 Book Reviewer of The Year" by the AAMBC put me on cloud nine. I was on a BlogTalkradio show with the other nominees before the winner of that category was announced. I said, "I already won!" That wasn't me being conceited or cocky, although that's how it sounded.

I had to explain that I said that because I felt like a winner to even be recognized and nominated without even knowing that the award existed. I found out two weeks after voting had started. Two different people congratulated me with an hour of each other. I was like, "What in the world are they talking about?!" I spoke it into existence because I did end up winning.

8. How do you promote your services?

I try to let people on my social media networks know about my services. I email authors, publishers, agents. But word-of-mouth seems to be the most effective way to gain new clients. In terms of what I do for authors, I post a status update twice every hour, highlighting a recent author interview or JoeyPinkney.com-related thing. I'm constantly changing the ways I let people know about me and what I can do for them.

9. What do you see people do that drives you crazy?

One thing that really drives me crazy is all of the people who read these good books and never take the time to write a three sentence on Amazon or Barnes & Nobles. I wish readers would understand how important that is, even if it's a not-so-good review. A book on one of those websites with one review looks 100% better than a book has that "be the first to review this book" thing on it. You know?

10. Where would you like to be in 5 years?

I would like to be 10 years younger... Oh, you meant? I would like to be on a schedule of publishing a book or two a year. I would like to have the "5 Minutes, 5 Questions With... Author Interview Series" still going strong, bigger and better. I would like to have a deeper understanding of the publishing world, so I can help the up-and-coming authors gain traction faster.

11. Who would you love to work with?

That's hard to answer because I work with so many great people, whether or not they are well-known. I wish I could get more authors to participate with me on a whim. Sometimes, I reach out to authors, and they don't holler back at me. I know that they are busy, doing this, that and the third. Plus, other people don't know me. So, I can't really expect someone to hop on board at the drop of a dime.

12. Who are your mentors?

There are a lot of people who offer encouragement and great advice. Specifically I would have to name K.L. Belvin, Ni'cola Mitchell, Cyrus Webb, Mari Walker, Tamika Newhouse, Faydra Deon. L. Martin Johnson Pratt and Elissa Gabrielle. I know I'm forgetting somebody. The people that I have named have in one way or another really given me some solid, heartfelt advice on how to progress in this industry.

13. What makes your business or service, stand out from the rest?

A couple of things that makes JoeyPinkney.com stand out from the rest is consistency and familiarity. I have been posting author interviews every few days for over two years by the time of this interview's initial run.

I have authors of a variety genres stop by and grace my readers with their presence. I think that variety falls in step with the realistic reading habits of the readers who check out my website. In terms of familiarity, my author interview series and book reviews really dig deep into what makes books what they really are: a connection.

14. Are you adding any future services to your business?

I really want to sit down and learn how to put together good book trailers and other video presentations. I am going to learn more about graphic design, so that will be something else I will provide in the near future.

15. Do you have a staff or is it all you?

Right now, I do everything in terms of updating the website. I have been offered help. My system of getting things up and running is so eclectic that I wouldn't put anybody through the pain and suffering of trying to learn it.

Maybe when I simplify what I do, will I pull more people in. JoeyPinkney.com has been a one man operation since it's inception. I have Faydra Deon to thank in the past couple of months for helping get some of the back-end stuff under control.

16. What do you want people to know about you?

I want people to know that I truly love books, authors and readers. The amount of time that I put into everything dealing with JoeyPinkney.com and the money I currently get would average out to be minimal wage at best.

I would love to make more money at this. I would love to spend more time going this. If neither is possible, then I am more than satisfied the way things turned out, all things considered. If I didn't have to pay for things like web hosting, shipping charges, social media stuff and lunches, I would be more than happy to keep the money aspect out of JoeyPinkney.com.

17. What do you want people to know about your business?

I want people the know that this is fun, but you have to be dedicated. I want potential authors to know that your support means a lot. I want the readers to know that their comments are valuable beyond measure. JoeyPinkney.com has my name, but I really look at it as a community of authors, publishers and readers.

18. When you have completed a project, how do you celebrate?

I am a glutton for Crazy Fire Mongolian Grill. When I get a couple of author interviews lined up and paid for, I usually go to Crazy Fire during lunch for my day job. It's something about making your own spicy dish that's so fulfilling... I'm getting hungry typing this.

I also tell my wife when I hit a milestone for the website. She would rather I take my tail to bed at night, but she is as supportive as possible.

19. What has been the most surprising thing you’ve learned from your business?

I've been surprised about how some authors choose to put very little time and effort behind marketing their book. As a published author, I know exactly what they mean when they say writing the book is the easy part. It's amazing that some authors expect that since they have a book that it's all sales and awards from there on out...

20. Would you change anything about your journey?

I would have started writing and saving money to publish a lot earlier. I would have spent less money on Crazy Fire Mongolian Grill and saved it for a trip to a conference or something. Other than that, nothing... I like the journey and what it has taught me so far. I just wish I was a faster learner.

21. Do you have any advice for people in business?

I don't think Ben Franklin said it first, but "Keep business hours, and your business will keep you..." This means put consistent, focused time into what you are trying to achieve. It will eventually pay dividends.

22. Success leaves clues, whose clues did you follow?

I've pulled from so many different sources that I don't know where to begin or end. I would say Black people in general have left clues on how to be survivalist and not letting what they see affect what they do.

23. What have you realized about yourself since doing this business?

The one thing that I learned that really surprised me is that I can operate weeks on end with a lot less sleep than that I thought I would require. All through college, I was a sleepy head. I did a lot of fun things. Oh, I got an education, too.. But I got tons of sleep.

Nowadays, I spends plenty of late nights and early mornings updating and tweaking this or that. My family jokes about me going to bed after then and waking up before them on a daily basis. I have to do this, so it's not a joke to me.

HOT SEAT

**Other than the Bible

1.One book that changed your life:

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (Penguin)

2. One book you'd want on a deserted island:

Survive on a Desert Island by Claire Llewellyn (Andromeda Children's Books)

3. One book that made you laugh:

1-900-Anytime by Tracy Price-Thompson (Atria)

5. One book that made you cry:

Torn by Keisha Ervin (Triple Crown Publications)

6. One book that you wish had been written:

The Greatest Book Over Written by Fulton Oursler (Triumph Books)

8. One book that you are currently reading:

Biker Club by Kenny Blue (Journey Publishing)

9. One book that you've been meaning to read:

Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson (Hyperion)

10. One book you've been meaning to finish:

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (Penguin)

11. One guilty pleasure:

Tons of Chocolate. Tons!

12. What’s your theme song?
"Raggy Road" by Capleton from I Testament

Sites and Contact information

http://joeypinkney.com
http://facebook.com/joeypinkney
http://twitter.com/joeypinkney

Thanks,
Joey Pinkney

5 Minutes with Joey

2010-09-06T10:41:00.005-04:00

Simply Said, Reading Accessories is a “Novel” approach to marking your words in a reader’s heart and mind as well as holding their place. We custom-design and create keepsake “Gift-Marks”, such as bookmarks and book thongs, note cards that we call “Love Notes” and other promotional items for authors, book stores, book clubs and book lovers.

We design our hand-crafted treasures exclusively for you. I started this in 2005 as Christmas gifts to my clients, at the salon, and has turned into a business I never dreamed of.

Joey Pinkney: Many authors and readers think postcards and bookmarks when imagining book accessories. What do you do to offer with Simply Said Reading Accessories that goes above and beyond the mundane?

Debra Owsley: Bookmarks are an industry standard, but these “Gift-marks” are not the standard. They are keepsakes for your fans and your contacts. These are not throw away items. These souvenir type promotional tools are excellent marketing items that are designed with your fan base in mind.

When creating this product, all of your promotional and information is retained, giving that personal, hands-on touch. These Gift-marks are perfect for promotional and thank you gifts, giveaways, book signings, book events, release parties, contests, party favors and additions to your press packets

JP: You do more than just reading peripherals. What other services does your company offer to the author who is looking to take his or her book to the next level?

DO: I coach authors on how to promote their books on a tight budget. I help them brainstorm there way to a marketing plan that fits there pockets and niches.

I knew I was on the right track when I started to really look at the way the industry does business. Authors are not rich even though their works are. Most struggle because the advances and world wide tours left with Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

We fans hear of huge advances and see photos of authors all over the globe doing signings and guest appearances on TV. If your name is not Rowling, Grisham or Patterson, you’re pretty much on your own. Even those lucky enough to be signed with a major house soon realize it’s all about what YOU do because they won’t do much.

In listening and hearing and watching for the last few years, dealing with authors and their promotional needs, it dawned on me that you, the authors, are so wrapped up in the writing of your books that when it comes to promoting them: A – your clueless and B – you’re broke.

No longer the days when you could sit back and live off your advance and royalty payments. You are now a marketer, a publicist, and an agent; AKA Book Pimp! This book is written for you to show how on a very tight and limited budget, how you can make things happen.

I am first and foremost a huge fan and avid reader. I am looking at things from a fans point-of-view, something that you may not be able to do. We fans look at things from totally different angles, ones you may have never thought of. So my hope in this offering is to help you see the forest, beyond the trees. I am telling you what fans want and how we see things. I am teaching you how we want to be treated, and best of all, doing it on a starving artist budget….

JP: What do you like most about that you do with Simply Said Reading Accessories? What do you find “more tedious”?

DO: What I love the most is the design process. I love creating that perfect piece for each individual. I find making them to be very therapeutic, and I love coming up with new designs. I’m work on a project now that is very challenging. The tedious part is getting it out of my head into an actual piece.

JP: What has been your most memorable experience with an author or a reader who has come into contact with your reading accessories?

DO: There have been so many. I’ve done custom work for several best selling authors such as Donna Hill, Rochelle Alers, Marcia King-Gamble, Noire, Cheryl Robinson, Dwan Abrams, L.A. Banks street team, Pat G’Orge Walker, LaConnie Taylor Jones, SORMAG, Marissa Monteilh, Pynk, Lutishia Lovely, Zuri Day, and this is just to name a few.

All have been memorable and defining moments for one reason or another. I guess the time Donna Hill called me and said “ Hi, this is Donna”, I’m like, “Who…” “Donna Hill”, she said, and I almost fainted! It blows my mind every time an author who I’ve been reading, some for years, contacts me. It’s a surreal moment.

I truly love coming up with personalized items to create the perfect feel. And I love when I get a phone call or an email from my clients saying I nailed it! I did a large order for LaConnie Taylor Jones. When she called to say she got her package, I thought she was upset because she was almost speechless. I was almost in tears. She then gathered herself and said “Girl, they are perfect! They are exactly what I wanted” I was overjoyed.

There have also been times where the author did not “get” what I wanted to do. But when the order was received, a re-order was placed the same day

JP: What’s next for Debra Owsley and Simply Said Reading Accessories?

DO: I’m always looking for ways to expand and grow. I have several projects in the works that I’m extremely excited about, which is going to taking Simply Said Reading Accessories to another level. I’ll be adding several new items as well as new services. Stay tuned be subscribing to my site.

Simply Said Reading Accessories
A “novel approach* of making your mark
odebdeb@aol.com
http://www.simply-said.net/
http://www.simplysaidreadingaccessories.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/SimplySaid
http://www.twitter.com/odebsimplysaid

P.S. To join the JoeyPinkney.com Newsletter, click here.

Please click on the banners to learn more about each JoeyPinkney.com sponsor:

Soon After Blog Tour

2010-09-06T08:44:00.004-04:00

Soon After Blog Tour

Multi-published author, teacher, wife and mother, Sherryle seeks to be a fresh voice in Christian Fiction. Her triumphant debut novel, Soon and Very Soon (2007) was followed up by her sophomore release, The Manual (2009). Soon After marks the return of her franchise characters, Pastors WIllie and Vanessa Green and the Harvest Baptist church saga. Sherrryle is currently working on her fourth novel for Urban Christian (Urban/Kensington) titled Taylor-Made. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.

About the Book
The Ministry birthed by one will be exploited by another. Can Willie Green stand idly by and let that happen?
When Pastors Willie Green and Vanessa Morton got married and moved to merge their churches, they never expected so much resistance. Now it seems someone is sending a strong message by setting fire to the Harvest Baptist Church building.
The newly unified Pleasant Harvest Baptist Church is no more than four months into business as usual before Co-Pastor Willie Green is drawn into the middle of an arson investigation. Alexis Montgomery, an overzealous reporter, sees the experienced pastor as a great source to latch onto as she tries to unearth the stories that might solve the crime. Instead of being bothered by the presence of this woman, Co-Pastor Vanessa uses it as a distraction to help conceal her own secrets.
Orchestrating the unification rift makes Deacon Charley Thompson a prime suspect. His unexpected silence only fuels the accusations of guilt, and his meek wife becomes his unlikely spokesperson. Meanwhile, his nephew, Abe Townsend, couldn’t care less about family allegiances. Led by an anonymous publicist, Abe and the remaining displaced members of Harvest Baptist Church gain notoriety when news reports garner an outcry of sympathy and support.
What should have been a simple unification of two churches has turned into something much more complicated, and it will take plenty of faith to hold it all.

Podcasts

PODCAST 1 - About the Book

PODCAST 2 - For Readers

PODCAST 3 - Excerpt

Purchase the Book Online at:

• Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Soon-After-Sherryle-Kiser-Jackson/dp/1601628676/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281221062&sr=8-1

• BarnesandNoble – http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Soon-After/Sherryle-Kiser-Jackson/e/9781601628671/?itm=1&USRI=soon+after

• Borders – http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1601628676

• Books A Million – http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781601628671?id=4715246323067

• Indiebound - http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781601628671

For More Information

• Visit the author online at http://www.sherrylejackson.com/
• View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/SoonAfterTour.

Intimate Conversation with Cheryl Robinson

2010-09-02T15:59:00.000-04:00

Intimate Conversation with author Cheryl Robinson
Cheryl Robinson

BPM: Where do you find your inspiration? All of the inspiration I could ever need I can find from everyday life--the joys and the pitfalls. I can open one email from someone telling me how upset they are at the way I ended my last book and then turn around and open another email from someone telling me how much they thoroughly enjoyed it. That's an example of how life is in general. One minute you can be down, but in a second it can all turn around. You have to take the good with the bad and learn from them both. But honestly, sometimes I just want it to all be good.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
Some years ago, when I was about nineteen or twenty, I answered the phone at my parents' home and there was a woman on the other end who insisted that we were related. She was trying to tell me that she was my half sister and that we had the same father. I remember my heart sinking. In order for that to be true, based on her timeframe, that would mean my father, who I thought had been happily married to my mother for years, had cheated. But as the conversation continued we both realized that while the two men shared the same name they weren't the same person.

Still, for those few minutes, I had to ask myself what if that was actually the case. The thought never completely escaped my mind, and in some ways it was that event that prompted me to eventually get around to exploring the scenario. And now, in the age of social networking, it's much easier to find your missing relatives. And in the case of these three sisters, it's also true, and they do share the same father.

BPM: Who do you want to reach with When I Get Where I'm Going and the message within?
I am a Women's Fiction author. That does not mean I only write for women. Nor does the fact that I'm black mean I only write for black people. I don't write to exclude any one, but to enlighten and entertain us all. I write about women and women's issues, and of course, men are in my novels too. As an author I have an opportunity to go beyond stereotypes. I've learned over the eight years that I've been writing professionally that there is a way to entertain without offending.

If I, as a black woman, do not feel good about how we are represented in the media. If I don't feel empowered about what is being written about us on the internet and elsewhere and if I have to continuously hear from the media that black women are "the least desirable of all the races" or not a preference by some men even within our own race, as an artist, I have an opportunity to present a different message that isn't a negative one, but can still be realistic. It's like music. Some songs only have a good beat while others also have wonderful lyrics. I want to write books that make people feel good.

My intended message isn't given to readers, but written in such a way that the reader gets out of it what they came to the story with and how they view the story and the characters will be interpreted by how they view the world. But maybe, if I do my job as I intend to, they will have a different opinion after it's all said and done.

BPM: Introduce us to your latest book, When I Get Where I'm Going.
What would you do if you discovered that you had a sibling you never knew existed? Would you be like Heaven, so excited to connect to that person that you quickly took to Facebook and started searching? Would you be like Hope, too caught up in the trials and tribulations of your own life to even care? Or would you be like Alicia, skeptical at first, but willing to open up to the idea?

Alicia, Hope, and Heaven are three estranged sisters embarking on one special reunion. And it will take an earth-shattering discovery, a lucky lottery ticket, and a near-fatal encounter to finally bring three sisters together and have them realize that nothing can save a person like family.

BPM: What are two major events taking place? The novel is written in third person and begins with a prologue that occurs five months prior to the start of the story. And then the rest of the novel is divided into three parts and most of the chapters alternate between the point of view of each sister. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that each sister has a major turning point that makes each of them reevaluate their life.

BPM: What are a couple of the specific issues addressed in this book? One issue in the story is domestic abuse. Heaven is involved in an unhealthy relationship, but like so many other women involved in something like that, she finds it nearly impossible to leave. Her story isn't from the viewpoint of a woman who is both a wife and mother and being abused, but from a young woman who has gotten caught-up with the wrong man and finds herself so confused that she doesn't know what to do and feels that her life in general is spiraling out of control.

Alicia Day's character was written for anyone who has been holding on to a dream for a very long time and wondering if it will ever come true. Aspiring actors, singers, and writers should be able to especially relate to her story. Black actresses, in particular, should also be able to as much has been discussed about the struggles that black women experience while trying to succeed in Hollywood.

BPM: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.When I Get Where I'm Going is featured in the September issue of Essence Magazine. And I recently completed my next novel, Remember Me, that will be released in September 2011.

Cheryl Robinson--When I Get Where I'm Going
Purchase your copy today at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/When-Get-Where-Im-Going/dp/0451229479

is the author of five novels. Most recently, When I Get Where I'm Going, In Love with a Younger Man and Sweet Georgia Brown. She is a native Detroiter and graduate of Wayne State University. Robinson now resides in Central Florida where she is writing her next novel.

My Testimony

2010-09-01T23:12:00.004-04:00

Synopsis : My Testimony documents Arquila's remarkable journey from dating drama and distress to dating experiences with knowledge and revelation. This highly personal yet universally relatable book outlines how Todd rose from the depths of despair after finding the true love of her life, God. Through her inspiring story readers will learn:
What the Bible really says about relationships - key Scripture to uplift, enlighten and heal.
How to learn, grow, and mature from your past boyfriends or partners no matter how painful or dysfunctional, with the help from Jesus Christ. She sat at His feet and was transformed.
The secrets to living a happy, fulfilled single life, whether dating or not. Discover the inner strength you didn't know you had by relying on God's glorious Word.
Through Todd's honest frank and always engaging personal history, readers will gain life-changing insights into the way God really commands us to live and the peace and fullness of life that follows. This book is for all women who have ever struggled with the answers that solve their dating frustrations.

Excerpt: So many men have been conditioned by the reactions of women. A man will mention plans and not follow through, which causes the woman to chase after him because the woman wants what he has suggested. Pavlov was a scientist famous for demonstrating that if you give a dog something to eat every time you ring a bell, soon the dog starts to salivate when you just ring the bell because it has associated one stimulus with the other. It’s the same way with men. The ladies they date enjoy spending time with them, and after a while, they just offer to spend time with the women, who begin to salivate, wishing for the reward of being with these men.
Awareness of the situation is key. We have a choice to step back for a moment and witness what is happening. Is a man putting a carrot in front of his woman’s face because he’s so conditioned to seeing women chase after the hope of being with him? He wants her to chase after what he is offering or what he has. And if so, we can make a conscience choice to not chase that carrot. We accomplish this by not allowing their proposals to get us so excited that we plan everything or nag them about their suggestion. We don’t run after what they are offering; we simply allow them to give to us. We can see the proposal for what it is—just a suggestion—and say, “Oh, well, maybe he will follow through but maybe not. We will see. I am not affected by what he does or doesn’t do. I can make a conscious choice to not get bent out of shape if he doesn’t follow through. His proposal doesn’t make me or break me. His calling or not calling doesn’t rock my world. His follow-through, or lack thereof, doesn’t ruin my day. He doesn’t have that kind of control over my feelings. He is not the be-all to end-all. If he doesn’t make plans, life goes on. I am not thrown off one bit.”
Now, that’s girl power!

Biography: Arquila grew up in small town Phenix City, AL where her parents instilled in her a reverence for God. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Airway Science Management and has been an air traffic controller for the past 20 years. Arquila enjoys reading, vacationing and visits with friends and family. She lives in Arlington

Interview with Arquila

1. What was the biggest problem in your dating relationship? I put the man before God. I loved the creation more than the Creator. I had forsaken my first love which caused chaos in my relationship.
2. What was your biggest lesson you learned during your journey? That there is a cost for the sin I commit. Scripture teaches me not to fornicate which is having sex and I am not married. I could not be mad at the guy I was dating because of my choice to be disobedient which caused me pain. I was experiencing consequences for what I choose to do. In taking responsibility I could never say, “There are no good men left or all men are dogs.” If I want things to go better in my relationships, the change starts with me.
3. How was your past affecting your dating? I grew up in a house hold were my father would tell me I would never amount to anything and couldn’t do anything right. My ex-husband had that same condescending attitude towards me. What I learned is I had to forgive my father because that childhood relationship was still affecting me. And I had to learn what godly relationships looked like. I read how Boaz protected and provided for Ruth and she let him. Now this is my example and new standard for the special man in my life.
4. What did Scripture teach you as far as dating? First, Scripture taught me the difference in a man who treats me as someone who is special compared to someone he just wants to sleep with. The example is Jacob, Rachel and Leah where Jacob had an outward show of affection for Rachel. Jacob knew who he wanted and chose Rachel. He helped her with her task. He wanted to be in her presence. She was special and he waited to have sex with her. Jacob did not choose Leah but had sex with her and the next morning was calling for Rachel. Leah having sex with Jacob did not keep him from calling the woman who had his heart. Leah had sex with Jacob but was miserable and unloved. Jacob used Leah but loved Rachel. There was no mention of any outward show of affection or any mention of him spending time with Leah. All Jacob wanted was sex from Leah. As women we must decide if we are going to be a Leah or a Rachel.
5. How do you handle a guys disappearing act? By having a life that does not revolve around him. I had to learn to keep my appointments with my friends and family and it was okay to tell him no to us getting together when I had previous plans. Absence makes the heart grown fonder and too much of anything is not good. I do not want my male companion complaining of Arquila overload. Balance is key. So I volunteer with big brothers and big sisters, spend time writing books and hanging out with friends.
6. How do you handle the frustration when a guy makes possible plans for the weekend but doesn’t follow through which leaves many women sitting a home waiting on his call? I have him RSVP. I tell him to let me know by Wednesday if we are going to get together on Friday or else I will make alternate plans. This way my life is not on hold because of some possible plans he may have.
7. Does it frustrate you if a guy gets your number but does not call? No, I had to learn that when a guy does not call he is not the one for me. God blocked the connection and instead of being angry I am thankful. Life is all about perspective.

Email address Kinsmanredeemer41@gmail.com

Author Site: www.outskirtspress.com/mytestimony

When I Get Where I’m Going

2010-08-31T09:09:00.005-04:00

When I Get Where I’m Going

3 sisters with one thing in common, their father.

Heaven is a confused, abused and a lucky girl.

Hope is angry, hurt and is a widow from suspicious circumstances

Alicia has been trying to make it in Hollywood for 13 years, with a friend who is her worse enemy.

The sisters find out about each other from a letter from their father, who is in jail for murder.

Alicia has been contacted by Heaven who claims to be her sister. They share the same father. So when Alicia comes home to have surgery, they have a family get-together. Hope wants nothing to do with this gathering nor Heaven or her father. Heaven and Hopes mother was killed by their father and Alicia was a high school mistake. Glenn, the father tells them they have an elder sister, Alicia that he hopes they will connect with. Hope has her own issues. The mysterious death of her husband 2 years ago has her still in mourning and with no closure. Heavens life is chaos. On probation, a man who beats her and she’s not living, she’s existing. She has also stole her sister’s identity and racked up 10,000 in debt, while her sister was going through the lost of her husband. So the two sisters are estranged.

They say you can’t pick your family but you can surely pick your friends. These sisters become the friends and family they choose. Persistence and several life changing events in these sisters lives, make them realize that they are a blessing to each other they never knew they had.

I truly LOVED this story. I felt the pain and anguish of each sister and LOVED how they came together. Cheryl is one hell of a storyteller. She had me so wrapped up that I could not put this book down. I also loved that she brought Olena Day, the character from In Love With A Younger Man into the story so we could catch up with her. I am always left wondering when reading Cheryl’s books; how much of this is true because it’s so real. Her stories always seem to come from so deep down and feel like they are true confessions.
This book was an outstanding read and is one of the best books I’ve read in 2010. Cheryl if I could give you a 10 on this I would but 5 is as high as I can go. High 5 Cheryl!

http://www.amazon.com/When-Get-Where-Im-Going/dp/0451229479/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

www.cherylrobinson.com
www.newfictionwriter.com

Romance Novel Remembers Katrina: STORM by Pamela Leigh Starr

2010-08-30T20:27:00.000-04:00

Intimate Conversation with author Pamela Leigh Starr

This week we celebrate the survivors Hurricane Katrina, on its five-year anniversary, and remember those who were lost. On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, LA. At least 1,836 people lost their lives in the actual hurricane and in the subsequent floods, making it one of the deadliest U.S. hurricanes. Author Pamela Leigh Starr wants to honor those who survived and continue to thrive by sharing her romance novel, STORM, with readers around the globe.

CATCH the Spirit of Survival
and Renewal!

Discussion: STORM by Pamela Leigh Starr and 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Chat Date: Tuesday Night, September 14, 2010 at 8-10 pm EST
BAN Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/black-author-network

Invite all of your friends and fellow readers to join the conversation at 646.200.0402

Purchase your copy of STORM by Pamela Leigh Starr and let's discuss the book on BAN Radio Show, Tuesday Night, September 14, 2010 at 8pm EST. Pick up your copy today, by clicking here.

Call into the radio show at: 646-200-0402. Three callers will win other books by author Pamela Leigh Starr.

STORM is a story of hope and the renewal of the spirit that can only come from surviving the devastation of one's history and the loss of everything we hold dear."
--- 4 Stars, Romance in Color Magazine

CATCH A STARR!

Author Pamela Leigh Starr traces her love for writing back to her first creation, The Terrifying Night, a comedic thriller illustrated by a classmate. Long after, Mrs. Starr developed romantic stories, falling in love with the never-ending cycle of two people meeting, opening their hearts and finding their way to love.

Ella: Where are you from? How did you start your writing journey?
PLS: I was born and raised in New Orleans where I still live, surrounded by its unique culture of jazz, the best food in the country and people who know how to let the good times roll! Les bon temps roulez!

Ella: Pamela, please introduce us the book STORM and the characters within?
PLS: POST-KATRINA NEW ORLEANS: In STORM experience the aftermath of the worst natural disaster to hit the Gulf Coast through the eyes of the Lewis's as Sabrina Adams and Josh Lewis find and preserve love in the midst of devastation.

John has always been a fixture in her life and Sabrina knew she could count on him to do any and everything... Except admit that he loved her. Despite the fact that she threw herself at him, Despite the closer, deeper relationship that had grown because of the hurricane and its aftermath, John was determined to stay within the eye of the storm brewing between them.

Sabrina was going to make sure that they quickly passed through that false calmness; for it they could survive the horrible winds and rain of the hurricane and deal with the horrific aftermath and destruction of their city after it had passed, she would make him understand that they deserved each other.

Ella: What would you like your readers to take away from your book, Storm?
PLS: I would like readers to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Though television allowed the world to witness the aftermath of the storm, the slow rescue and complete devastation of the city I love, I wanted to share a more personal insight of the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Through STORM, I was able to show the Post-Katrina effects on a family my readers have come to know and love. In my 4-book LOVE FOUND series, the Lewis clan gives a Pre-Katrina view of a black, southern family in New Orleans. STORM shows how this strong family came together to overcome the challenges Hurricane Katrina created in their lives as well as the discovery of a love despite them.

Ella: What is the most surprising thing you have learned in creating books?
PLS: The most surprising thing I've learned in the creation of my stories is that I should always listen to my characters. They "speak" to me as I write, guiding the story in directions I had not intended to go. When I begin a story I have an outline and set format. As my character develop they sometime tell me, "Whoa, Pam, that's not what I would do!" or "Are you crazy? I need to...". What can I do but give in to their demands?

Ella: What makes your book stand out and would entice a reader pick it up?
PLS: A pre-Katrina and post-Katrina view of family, love, resiliency and determination makes this series of books stand out. Readers have the opportunity to get to know and love a New Orleans family before Hurricane Katrina and then experience the changes in their livers after the hurricane. I began my LOVE FOUND series long before Hurricane Katrina blew into my life and the lives of the Lewis'.

In my 4-book LOVE FOUND series, the Lewis clan shows a Pre-Katrina view of a strong, New Orleans family . Through STORM, I was able to relay the Post-Katina effect on a family readers have come to know and love. STORM shows how this strong family came together to overcome the challenges Hurricane Katrina created in their lives as well as the discovery of a love despite them.

Ella: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
PLS: I would like readers to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Though television allowed the world to witness the aftermath of the storm, the slow rescue and complete devastation of the city I love, I wanted to share a more personal insight of the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Article: Your Day Is Coming by Shelia E. Lipsey

2010-08-28T10:09:00.000-04:00

Your Day Is Coming by Shelia E. Lipsey

Book Launch Party for My Son's Ex-Wife: The Aftermath by Shelia E. Lipsey
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 8-9:00pm EST
Speak to Shelia by calling into the show at 646.200.0402

Chat with the partygoers here: http://tinyurl.com/sheliapartyex

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. This is taken from a well known passage of scripture, Ecclesiastes 3:1 King James Version to be exact. I have found this verse to be true with each moment that passes in my life. There was a time when I felt like I would never reach the pinnacle of success that I have achieved in my literary career. There were times I would cry and ask God, “When is my time?” I have learned through living that there is a time for everything, even when it comes to the ordinary things of life. Even when it comes to my writing, there is a time for everything.

I often dream of doing great and marvelous works. I have a desire to help others achieve their dreams and provide the resources they need to help them accomplish greatness. I believe that my time has arrived. It is my season to see the desires of my heart come into fruition. Not only has God blessed me to be a writer, but he has blessed me to be an award winning author of Christian fiction books. The desires of my heart are constantly being met, but not in my time. They are being met because it is my season. My season is now. I see doors opening and I see pathways being stretched before me. I am closer than I think.

If you are an aspiring author, I encourage you to remain full of hope. I encourage you to keep moving in the direction of your dreams. I encourage you to learn and study the craft of writing. Read what you want to write. If you desire to write fiction, read fiction. If you desire to write nonfiction, read nonfiction. If you desire to speak, listen to successful speakers. Learn your craft. Many of us ask for certain things to come forth in our lives, but we don’t want to do the work that is required to bring dreams into the state of reality.

Your desires, your dreams, your life’s goals, your hopes, are achievable if you first of all: Believe. Believe that what you desire is possible. Believe that your day is coming. Believe that you are closer than you think.

Next: Work. Work toward achieving your dream. Research, learn, study and do not give up. Work hard at what you want. Work hard for what you want. Network with others who are willing to share information with you. Work on your dream as often as possible. Work on being the best that you can be. Work. Work. Work.

Have Passion: Passion is what will drive you to never give up. Passion will push you toward seeing your dreams and the desires of your heart come to pass. Passion will ignite the fire within you to move in the direction that leads you on the road to success. Without passion, your dreams, your desires and goals will die. Keep Passion in your life, even when you don’t see anything happening.

Applaud. Applaud others for their accomplishments. Do not be envious or jealous of those who are already at the place you’re trying to reach. Applaud them because that means you have a chance to make it too. When I see someone else who has ‘made it’ then I know that God will do the same for me. If I am jealous and angry, mad or envious over the success of others, then I null the chances of my success. Always seek good for others and good will return to you.

Your desires may not come when you want them to, and that’s all right. They may not come when you expect them to. So what? All you have to do is believe that to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Believe, work, have passion and applaud others because your day is coming. As a matter of fact: "You're closer than you think."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christian Novelist, Shelia E. Lipsey, is a native Tennessean, residing in the city of Memphis. She attended Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, graduating magna cum laude with a BBA degree. Shelia is an award winning, bestselling author of four Christian novels. She is also an inspirational speaker, professional proofreader and literary expert.

If you would like to contact Shelia Lipsey, please do so at shelialipsey@gmail.com or http://www.shelialipsey.com/. Click here to read the full bio, preview her latest release and listing of books: http://www.shelialipsey.com/content/biography.html

NEW BOOKS BY SHELIA E. LIPSEY
My Son’s Ex-Wife: The Aftermath is the second book in Author Shelia E. Lipsey’s My Son’s Wife trilogy. The story of the Graham family continues in My Son's Ex-Wife. First Lady Audrey Graham is more than relieved when Stiles encounters the young, vivacious nutritionist Detria Mackey. Rena is equally captivated by recent divorcee, Robert Becton.

Does the handsome, science teacher Robert Becton possess what Rena needs to give her life a much needed jump start? When Rena returns to Memphis for less than pleasant reasons, Stiles and Rena realize they still have deep feelings for one another, but will their feelings overcome the past that severed their relationship?

Will Audrey manage to come between them again or will other circumstances intervene that will give them cause to rethink their past and move forward to the future. Available at bookstores and online at amazon.com, bn.com, borders.com and booksamillion.com.

Order your copies today at the author’s website: http://www.perfecstoriesaboutimperfectpeople.com/

Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine. Visit the magazine here: http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/