Intimate Conversation with Pamela Leigh Starr

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.  Katrina’s storm surge caused 53 different levee breaches in greater New Orleans submerging eighty percent of the city. 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.

Check out the Love Found book series by author Pamela Leigh Starr

FATE
· ISBN-10: 1585712582

CHANCES
· ISBN-10: 1585712965

MISCONCEPTIONS
· ISBN-10: 1585711179

IRONIC
· ISBN-10: 1585714046

STORM
· ISBN-10: 1585713236

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Authors: Your Day Is Coming by Shelia E. Lipsey

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/

Shelia E. Lipsey, Novelist/Speaker/Literary Expert
http://www.shelialipsey.com/
http://www.perfectstoriesaboutimperfectpeople.com/

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Intimate Conversation with Charles H. Fuller, Jr.

Acclaimed Screenwriter and Playwright Charles H. Fuller, Authors First Children’s Book



SNATCH: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York

Mr. Fuller’s rich, multi-layered children’s adventure novel provides a glimpse into the little known history of life for free blacks in antebellum New York during the 1830s. Both historically authentic and entertaining, “Snatch” is a must read for book lovers of all ages. Snatch is an adventure story about two brothers, David and Charles, ‘free’ black kids, living in the ‘Five Points’ neighborhood of antebellum New York City in 1838.’

While fishing in the Hudson River on a day in September, they meet a fugitive slave named Freddie Johnson who they manage to help elude a gang of slave catchers led by a mysterious man, called ‘Snatch.’ The gang is intent on returning escaped slaves or shanghaied ‘free blacks’ to the South and slavery for a bounty. Over thirty-six hours, the two brothers engineer a wild chase and escape, through the streets and tunnels of Old New York helped by the ‘Brewery Witches’ a trio of girls from the neighborhood. During this adventure they manage to involve ‘Five Points,’ their parents, and the ‘Vigilance Committee,’ as well as coming close to exposing the identity of ‘Snatch.

Intimate Conversation with Charles H. Fuller, Jr.

Charles H. Fuller, Jr.  is the author of A Soldier’s Play and the 1982 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Best American Play, New York Critics Circle Award, Edgar Allen Poe Award for Mystery Writing and the 1985 Academy Award Nominee for Best Screenplay for the motion picture ‘A Soldier’s Story.’ Mr. Fuller began writing plays in the mid-sixties and soon went on to co-found the Afro-American Arts Theatre in his native Philadelphia. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America and Board Member of the Dramatists Guild Fund. He continues to urge his audience to reject old images and stereotypes in order to accept more realistic Black characters.

After a long history in Theatre and Film, Snatch: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York, is Mr. Fuller’s first venture into the world of children’s books. Snatch: The Adventures of David & Me in Old New York is Volume 1 of a three volume series of young adult novels. Charles H. Fuller, Jr. is presently working on AMERICAN STORY a new play commissioned by Cherry Lane Theatre in New York as part of their 2010-2011 season. Read Charles’ full biography here. http://www.davidandmeinnyc.com/fullerbio.html

BPM: Why did you decide to self-publish SNATCH: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York?
CHF: I wanted to get the book in the hands of children through the school systems and libraries. We felt that we could do a better job at that than a publishing house.

BPM: How did you come up with the title, SNATCH?
CHF: The title was always ‘The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York’ but after the story was written my wife and I felt that since a character called Snatch, who kidnapped freemen and caught runaway slaves for money, was at the heart of the story we decided to title the story ‘SNATCH: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York’

BPM: What did you hope to accomplish with it, besides just writing a novel for children?
CHF: Firstly, to create a story that young people and people of all ages would enjoy even though it took place in the past. Secondly, exploit the history of the period and describe how black Americans lived, struggled, survived, helped one another and fought against slavery in the north during the era when slavery existed throughout much of the United States.

BPM: What was your inspiration, as an author, for writing SNATCH? What compelled you to put the story down in tangible form?
CHF: My two sons were my inspiration. I also had the idea that black kids needed to have adventure stories in which they could see themselves as the heroes who have the power to change the world in which they live, if they choose to do so. At the time and since, many of the stories for our children have centered around great men and women whose lives they are asked to emulate. I decided I’d give my sons something that would be fun, inspirational and exciting – something to rival the best adventures in American storytelling.

BPM: What is it that makes SNATCH unique? How is it different from the other children’s books on the market?
CHF: Snatch has perils, thrills and uncertainty. It is still a story in which the history, as well as the tale itself is important. It has footnotes to give the reader information about the period in which it takes place. There is a Teacher’s Guide that accompanies the book because we felt very strongly that Teachers would use the story to teach history, language arts, math and social studies in the school system.

BPM: If kids could take away one thing from reading SNATCH, what would you hope that would be?
CHF: That it was an enjoyable story that they would encourage all their friends to read and then sit down and talk about, because they had learned something about our history in America they never knew before they read Snatch.

BPM: How did you get your start in the arts? What motivated you to pursue a career in the theater?
CHF: I decided to become a writer because myself and my best friend Larry Neal found that in the high school we attended, there were no books written by African-Americans in our library. Of course this was a long time ago, but the impetus was to correct what we felt was a major deficiency in the education we were getting in those days. My connection to theatre grew out of a job I had as a Housing Inspector. I worked in a mixed neighborhood — blacks, Hispanics and whites — largely poor people and I wrote sketches (short plays) that called on locals to lock their doors, watch their kids — simple things that I felt could improve the neighborhood — a woman came into the area and asked me to try to write a play that could be entered with a group of plays that McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey was considering for its 1968 season. I wrote ‘The Village, A Party’ they liked it, and that began my connection to the theatre.

BPM: What do you like most about your profession?
CHF: I like the immediacy of a play in the theatre. It goes up, you know right away if it is working or not — if it isn’t you know immediately — the audience tells you. If it does, that same audience applauds – what can be faster than that?

BPM: What is your biggest challenge in business? How did you overcome it?
CHF: My biggest challenge was one felt collectively by the playwrights I grew up with in the theatre — Ed Bullins, Richard Wesley, Aisha Rahman, Samm Art Williams, Amiri Baraka, Alice Childress, Ron Milner, Leslie Lee, Joe Walker, Lonnie Elder — we all were trying to break through the racial barriers of the times and force our voices and ‘who-we-are’ onto the canvas that was America at the time. We overcame the challenge that a deaf and largely blind country presented by persevering — pushing until the nation stopped, saw and listened.

BPM: You co-founded the Afro-American Arts Theater in Philadelphia in the 1960s. Do you feel that with musicals such as FELA! and Broadway plays such as Fences, RACE, The Color Purple, and the revival of Raisin in the Sun is indicative of a movement on Broadway to tell more stories related to the black experience?
CHF: FELA! and RACE are new, but Fences, Raisin In The Sun, and The Color Purple have been with us for awhile, and I believe harkens back to another time. Lynn Nottage’s ‘Ruined’ is what’s new. Katori Hall’s ‘Voodoo Love’ is new. Susan Lori Parks, ‘Book of Grace’ is new. Tarell Alvin McCraney’s ‘The Brother/Sister Plays’ is new. Branden Jacobs Jenkins, ‘Neighbors’ is new. And I believe their emergence and staying power should be supported. I don’t believe there is any new desire on the part of theatre to showcase more blacks — this moment can disappear as quickly as it arrived. WE need to support our playwrights with the same enthusiasm WE support our hip-hop artists — or develop a desire among OUR young people to tell our stories on stage.

BPM: You recently decided to publish your first young adult historical novel, SNATCH: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York. This is a departure from the stage. What brought about this decision and how have you found the book publishing world to differ from the theater?
CHF: I promised my two sons Charles, III and David Ira Fuller when they were 11 and 8, and I was living between New York and Philadelphia, that I would write a history story in which they would be the heroes. In the process, I wanted to describe the life of African-Americans in the North before the end of slavery. I did the research, wrote the outline and — (cut) — my life as a playwright began, and I didn’t get to it for more than forty years. But I had made a promise and I intended to keep it — so, I did just that and they got their story at ages 45 and 42. Their response was, ‘It’s about time!’ The book publishing business is very hard and requires a lot of hard work. I can honestly say, the reason I am doing it myself is that everyone I spoke to before doing it, said it couldn’t be done. And there is a chance that they may be right — but ‘fail’ is not an English word I ever understood.

BPM: You are the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for your play, A Soldier’s Story, which is obviously a major accomplishment and honor. What advice would you give someone just starting out as a playwright or author?
CHF: Read a lot, write a lot and persevere. Human life is built around stories we tell each other about ourselves — we never tire of it, so there is always something to write about and there will always be an audience for whatever it is as long as it’s about us. We are nothing if not narcissistic.

BPM: What message do you hope readers will take away from SNATCH?
CHF: I hope whoever reads it enjoys the adventure and delights in the way it’s told. Also I hope that people will begin to understand that the world of ‘freemen and women’ in the North before the end of slavery was no bed of roses. Despite our difficulties, we always cherished one another, helped one another and whenever there was a chance we could disrupt those who were out to harm us, we did everything in our power to do so — from child to adult. Finally, I hope young people will learn that they have the power to act on behalf of us all — to save a life — to save a community with just the power of their determination.

BPM: What are three things all leaders possess?
CHF: I can’t imagine three things all leaders possess — one thing I think they possess is the power to convince us that following them will lead us to a state — real or imagined — that is better than the one in which we exist when they arrive. They can’t suggest that we can get to that better place on our own — the term leader always implies followers.

BPM: How do you feel that your work has impacted people?
CHF: I’m not sure how it’s impacted my audiences. I’ve always tried to make sure we defined ourselves and not be lazy enough to believe that someone else can do it for us — or to do it better than we can, or that whatever the stereotype is, it’s not even close to who we really are. Our humanity is largely overlooked whenever we’re examined by others. I hope my work has helped to change some of that.

Visit the official website of SNATCH to learn more about Charles H. Fuller, Jr.: http://www.davidandmeinnyc.com/home.html

For interviews with Charles H. Fuller, Jr. or to request a review copy of SNATCH: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York, please contact Dawn Roberts at 215.704.2615  or Dawn@KDComm.com.

 
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Digital Book Excerpt: One Who Loves You More by Andrea Clinton

Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More
by Andrea Clinton

var docstoc_docid=”51592385″;var docstoc_title=”Check out the excerpt: Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More”;var docstoc_urltitle=”Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More”;Explore the book excerpt for Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More.

• Alisa is a money grubbing gold digger who sashays through her days wearing this title like a tiara. Feeling life’s all about the expensive gifts and money a man can give her, Alisa follows the steps of her mentor and basks in the glory of using men, until she stumbles upon Omar.

• Omar is an African American Muslim trying to fight his demons and find his way back to the Islamic life he knew as a child. Distraught over disagreements that divided the Muslim community a decade prior, where many Muslims became victim to inner city chaos, Omar became a product of his environment and is at the head of that chaos.

Tired of hearing her mother rant and rave about her gold digging ways, Alisa decides to take her great grandmother’s advice, “Always get a man who loves you more than you love him.” Stumbling upon Omar in his brand new Cadillac, Alisa decides to make him her man, or rather, her victim, or will the tables turn? Hell erupts, splatters like geysers, while skeletons and bones fly out closets in, Life Knows No Bounds, “1 Who Luvs U More.”

Author Andrea Clinton: What Impact will this book have my readers?
Readers will learn about a very overlooked profession on the rise, “Gold Digging.” They’ll get to see that there’s more than what meets the eye when women toy with men’s emotions and use them for their hard earned money.

Read the a full excerpt from book  1 Who Luvs U More
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=51592385

Alisa Speaking: My Plight
Some would say I was ungrateful, and I guess to a degree I was. But more than ungrateful, I was blind, too blind to see straight. Even now I can’t see what it is I should’ve done. I just know what I shouldn’t have done. And I know I wasn’t happy. I was unhappy with myself, with what was going on, and it was the unhappiness that drove me. It drove me to do things, drove me to where I am today, nowhere, with no one. Just sitting here playing the song, I know how it feels to be lonely by Morgana King, in my head, over and over and over again.

I was a mental mess, and I mucked things up really bad, and now they can’t be fixed. Forgive me if my story’s scrambled, but how else can I tell it when my mind is scrambled. So, when my story sounds twisted, shaky, and unclear at times, just know, so is my mind. Why else would I be sitting here talking to a Greek statue of a white woman with cellulite thighs, barely any clothing and no pupils? Yes, I’m really messed up in the head, and my nerves are shot. But that’s how it is when you see yourself as a casualty, and the world deems you the antagonist.   ###

ISBN-10: 0981837638
ISBN-13: 978-0981837635
Categories/genre: Urban/Realism-Naturalism

Visit with Andrea at her website Around-The-Way Publishing, LLC
Website: http://www.aroundthewaypublishing.com/

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Sept. 20, 2010-Meet Cave Canem Fellow Tara Betts

A Celebration for author, Def Poet, and Cave Canem Fellow Tara Betts. Special guest poets, Derrick Weston-Brown, Sonya Renee, & Truth Thomas.

MahoganyBooks is excited to bring world renowned poet and author, Tara Betts, to Washington DC . The event will take place at  U-topia Bar & Grill on Monday, September 20th, from 6:30pm – 8:30pm. This event is a celebration of the one year anniversary of Tara Betts debut poetry collection, Arc & Hue.   Arc and Hue will be available for purchase at the event and will be signed by Tara Betts.

Tara Betts, a lecturer in creative writing at Rutgers University , has had her poetry appear in various journals and anthologies, as well as, in publications such as XXL, The Source, BIBR, Mosaic Magazine and Black Radio Exclusive. As a performer Ms. Betts has appeared on both HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” and the Black Family Channel series “SPOKEN” with Jessica Care Moore.

Additionally, Tara has performed her work in Cuba, London, New York, on the West Coast and throughout the Midwest . The venues in which she has performed have spanned notable sites such as Arie Crown Theater, The New School, Studio Museum of Harlem, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the Bowery Poetry Club among others.

The highlight of the evening will feature Tara Betts and special guest poets, Derrick Weston-Brown, Sonya Renee and Truth Thomas, reading from her acclaimed book in the relaxing and eclectic atmosphere of U-topia Bar & Grill.

Guest poets Derrick Weston-Brown is a Cave Canem fellow and the poet-in-residence at Busboys & Poets bookstore and restaurant; Sonya Renee is a National Poetry Slam Champion and Truth Thomas work has appeared in: African Voices, Art Times, the anthology Fingernails Across the Chalkboard: Poetry and Prose on HIV/AIDS From the Black Diaspora and many more

This is a must attend event for fans of poetry, as well as, admirers of great books. On the same historic street that once bore witness to Langston Hughes’ genius, you will meet and hear Tara Betts, a poet whose “…debut collection [Arc and Hue ] solidifies her status as a defiant and singular voice, joyous indication of a fresh new direction in poetry.” Attending this event is the best way to start your week.

About MahoganyBooks
Created by an enterprising husband and wife duo in the Washington DC area, MahoganyBooks is positioned to become the premier online destination for books written for, by, and about people of African descent. Coupling a dynamic social networking community, robust inventory selection and easy to use website, MahoganyBooks is an online African American bookstore dedicated to “Books, Community, Words, & You.”

Meet the Guest Poets

Derrick Weston Brown   holds an MFA in Creative Writing from American University. He has participated in VONA and is a Cave Canem fellow. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Ginosko, Mythium, The Columbia Review, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Drunken Boat, and MipOesia. In 2006 he released his first chapbook of poetry, The Unscene, and has recently completed a full-length manuscript, Wisdom Teeth. He teaches poetry at Hart Middle School in Washington, DC. He is the Poet-In-Residence at Busboys and Poets’ 14th & V location in Washington, DC, and the bookstore, which is operated by the nonprofit Teaching For Change.

Sonya Renee  is the director of Peer Education at Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS), a non-profit organization that promotes HIV prevention and empowerment programming in Washington, DC. At work, she recruits, trains and supervises current and former sex workers to act as sex educators in their communities. In addition to her professional job, she is a National Poetry SLAM-winning performance poet who is committed to using the power of spoken word to bring empowering and progressive ideas to the public. Sonya’s poetry is blunt, raw, and poignant. She speaks the truth with no mixed words and challenges society to face its deepest and most long-lived ills with strength, courage and sometimes a lot of laughter. In the same light, her work also reflects a checkered childhood overcoming a family riddled with drug addiction and mental illness, and dealing with the reality of living completely on her own from the age of 17. Sometimes all that is left, is to get real.

Truth Thomas is a singer and poet, born in Knoxville, Tennessee, raised in Washington, DC. He studied creative writing at Howard University under Dr. Tony Medina and E. Ethelbert Miller, before earning his M.F.A. degree in Poetry at New England College. He is formally writer-in-residence for the Howard County Poetry and Literary Society in Maryland.

Bottle of Life–another tide rising–September 30th of 2010. Truth Thomas’ reputation as an “ironic, funny, sexy, tender” poet is founded on the seeds of his debut pamphlet, Party of Black, which introduced the world, not only to his eloquent, politically-charged voice, but also to a new poetic form of his own invention – the Skinny. But the roots of his recognition lie in his sophisticated, inventive first collection, A Day of Presence. In the run up to the release of his second full collection, Bottle of Life, his poem ‘Harriet Tubman’s Email 2 Master’ has been selected by Nikki Giovanni, to be published in The 100 Best African American Poems, due out in the fall of 2010.

###

Ramunda Young
Chief Community Relations Officer
MahoganyBooks
Tel: 703.730.3873
Fax: 888.573.3987
http://www.mahoganybooks.com/
Books, Community, Words & You

 
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Excerpt: One Who Loves You More by Andrea Clinton

Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More
by Andrea Clinton

• Alisa is a money grubbing gold digger who sashays through her days wearing this title like a tiara. Feeling life’s all about the expensive gifts and money a man can give her, Alisa follows the steps of her mentor and basks in the glory of using men, until she stumbles upon Omar.

• Omar is an African American Muslim trying to fight his demons and find his way back to the Islamic life he knew as a child. Distraught over disagreements that divided the Muslim community a decade prior, where many Muslims became victim to inner city chaos, Omar became a product of his environment and is at the head of that chaos.

Tired of hearing her mother rant and rave about her gold digging ways, Alisa decides to take her great grandmother’s advice, “Always get a man who loves you more than you love him.”   Stumbling upon Omar in his brand new Cadillac, Alisa decides to make him her man, or rather, her victim, or will the tables turn?   Hell erupts, splatters like geysers, while skeletons and bones fly out closets in, Life Knows No Bounds, “1 Who Luvs U More.”

Andrea Clinton: What Impact will this book have my readers?
Readers will learn about a very overlooked profession on the rise, “Gold Digging.”  They’ll get to see that there’s more than what meets the eye when women toy with men’s emotions and  use them for their hard earned money.

Excerpt from  1 Who Luvs U More

My Plight:
Some would say I was ungrateful, and I guess to a degree I was. But more than ungrateful, I was blind, too blind to see straight. Even now I can’t see what it is I should’ve done. I just know what I shouldn’t have done. And I know I wasn’t happy. I was unhappy with myself, with what was going on, and it was the unhappiness that drove me. It drove me to do things, drove me to where I am today, nowhere, with no one. Just sitting here playing the song, I know how it feels to be lonely by Morgana King, in my head, over and over and over again.

I was a mental-mess, and I mucked things up really bad, and now they can’t be fixed. Forgive me if my story’s scrambled, but how else can I tell it when my mind is scrambled. So, when my story sounds twisted, shaky, and unclear at times, just know, so is my mind. Why else would I be sitting here talking to a Greek statue of a white woman with cellulite thighs, barely any clothing and no pupils?  Yes, I’m really messed up in the head, and my nerves are shot. But that’s how it is when you see yourself as a casualty, and the world deems you the antagonist.   ###

RAWSISTAZ Book Review — 4 Stars
“Life Knows No Bounds: 1 Who Loves You More,”  Andrea Clinton’s first installment in the LIFE KNOWS NO BOUNDS chronicles, is a harsh realistic portrayal of urban love and life in mid-1980’s New Jersey. Alisa, a boastful, self-proclaimed gold-digger, finds herself lost in a world of love and conflict as she tries and fails to apply her great-grandmother’s wisdom to her complicated love life.

Alisa is well known in her hood for her selfish, gold-digging ways. Despite aggressive warnings from her family, she has mastered the game of getting a man for everything he has and gracefully moving on to the next. But when she hooks up with Omar, she soon realizes that she has entered into a game that she is ill-equipped to play.

Omar, a young, sexy hustler from around the way, knows what it takes to get Alisa’s attention. He uses his flashy car and genteel manners to lure her in, but he has so much more in store for her. They start a tumultuous love affair that’s riddled with gun fights, jealousy, expensive gifts, explosive arguments, and Alisa’s spoiled rotten attitude. When Alisa’s antics push Omar to the limit as he struggles with the conflict of his religion and his love for her, the future of their relationship is gravely threatened.  “Always get a man who loves you more than you love him”, the powerful last words of her dying great-grandmother which Alisa vowed to follow. When she finally understands the meaning of those words, it may be too late, as she comes dangerously close to losing what she fought so hard to gain.

With Life Knows No Bounds: 1 Who Loves You More, Andrea Clinton has created a dynamic urban love story, decorated with realistic dialogue and hard-hitting pragmatism. The story was compelling and the characters were vibrant. Although Alisa was a spoiled brat with an ugly attitude, I found her to be relatable and worthy of my empathy. I felt Alisa’s and Omar’s struggle until the very end and found myself routing for them despite their flaws and troublesome relationship. Life is no fairytale and Clinton has colorfully portrayed that truth through this novel.  I was able to thoroughly enjoy the read. I recommend this novel for those looking for an explosive urban love story with a realistic perspective.
— Reviewed by Guest Reviewer Monique D. Mensah, The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Author Andrea Clinton

About The Author:
Andrea Clinton is a novelist, poet and essayist, and aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker. As a Montclair State University graduate, she posses’ a degree in English, Film and Journalism. She’s the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization, People Helping People; worked as Editor in Chief of AMISTAD newspaper, New Jersey; and is presently working on a biography and screenplay featuring the life of her uncle George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic and the Clinton family.

Visit with Andrea at the Around-The-Way Publishing, LLC website: http://www.aroundthewaypublishing.com/.  To request a complimentary review copy and press kit, or to purchase copies for resale, call: (973) 280-2729. Tear sheets may be sent by email: AroundTheWayPub@aol.com.   ISBN-10: 0981837638

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Finding the Way Home by Fabiola Sully

Finding the Way Home by Fabiola Sully
This book is for any one who experience roadblacks, challenges, and obstacles in life. I am opening my soul and experiences to the world; so that readers will know that they are not alone.

I have written and published my book of poetry, “Finding the Way Home” in 2009.  It is a group of poems written from my early college years through the year 2008. The poems pertain to my life experiences, roads I have taken and obstacles I have faced growing up. I’ve dealt with my emotions and issues more effectively by writing them down. Whenever I felt low and going through situations, I wrote them down. My poems are about growth and finding your true self.  You can’t find yourself or see what you are capable of, without dealing with the harsh roadblocks and walls in your life.  I have written this book for young girls and adult women who are dealing with a life of fear and doubts.

Book Video: Finding The Way Home

WHO I AM by Fabiola Sully

I’m the one you tease
Because I’m different.
I’m the one you bother
Because I’m merely there
I’m the mat you step on
I’m the rock you kick around

And you think you can control me
Like I’m the clay and you’re the sculptor
Like I’m the robot and you press my buttons
But you can’t control me

I may be nothing as you say
But your words don’t mean jack to me
I am SOMEBODY
Sooner or later you’ll see me on the street
With my head held high,
While you’re eating my dust
And I’ll be wondering
Who’s laughing now!

About Fabiola Sully
I am from Long Island, NY but born in Brooklyn. I have been writing since I was seventeen. I became interested in poetry after taking a writing course in high school, this continued on into my college years. Currently, I work full-time and write part-time. I started taking part in poetry slams and blogs to show off some of my work. I would like to do poetry readings and perform in more shows.

You can view samples of my work and blog on my Myspace page: www.myspace.com/fabiolaakamysticpoet   or on Facebook under Fabiola Sully. Other than poetry, I am into movies, reading, acting, wrestling and basketball, the arts & theater, music and world travel. If you have any questions or comments, you can email me at mysticpoet729@gmail.com  For more information, visit http://outskirtspress.com/findingthewayhome

ISBN-10: 1432716220 | ISBN-13: 978-1432716226

Finding the Way Home by Fabiola Sully
ISBN-13: 978-1432716226
Category: POETRY / General
Distributed via: Ingram, Baker & Taylor
Available at:   www.outskirtspress.com/findingthewayhome
Receive up to 40% off at: www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore

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Bookclubs and Friends Slideshow

Check out just a few of our event photos and photos submitted by bookclubs to Black Pearls Magazine. You can meet the bookclubs here:  http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/bookclubs2010.htm

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Intimate Conversation with SUES Books Club

Intimate Conversation with SUES Books Club
Sistahs United on the Eastern Shore Book and Social Club

Sistahs United on the Eastern Shore Book and Social Club was found on July 26, 2008 by Lori Morris. She got the idea to start the book from family and co-workers. The conversation of books always came up at family gatherings and at work. A co-worker told her she should start a book club. She invited friends and family members to the first meeting, there were 6 ladies that registered at the first meeting. Now we have 11 members. We are a small group of women on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware, we coming together once a month, for at least three hours to discuss books.

Our first book of the month was “Jezebel” by Jacqueline Thomas. We have attend the Chocolate Social and National Book Club Conference 2010. The vision for our organization is to come together as sisters to share our feelings, love of reading and to socialize. We host the Mother’s Day Social each year.

BPM: Give us a deeper understanding of how important reading is to you.
I love to read a good story, I like when I see the characters as if I were looking at a movie and it keeps my attention thru the whole book.

BPM:  Would you say you read more for escape or for entertainment?
I read two to three books in one month, I read more for the escape and entertainment.

BPM: Do you download books? Do you prefer a hard copy book or a digital book?
I do not download books, I perfer to have a hard copy book. I do think that digital books will replace printed books in the near future.

On your night stand now:
Shack by William P. Young

Favorite book when you were a child:
The series from author Mildred D. Taylor “Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry” “Road to Memphis” “Let the Circle Be Unbroken”.

Book you bought for the cover:
A Change Had to Come by Gwynne Foster

Book that should be a movie or play:
Up To No Good by Carl Weber.

Name three authors you would like to do a phone chat with this year:
Wes Moore, Victor McGlothin, and Jacqueline Thomas.

Connect with us online:
http://suesbookclub.webs.com/
www.myspace.com/suesbookclub
www.facebook.com/sistahsunited-easternshore-bookclub

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Reader Spotlight: Rose Wright, Pres.of Savvy Book Club

Intimate Conversation with Rose Wright
President of the Savvy Book Club

BPM: Rose, tell us a little bit about yourself and your favorite things, hobbies and about your family.
My name is Rose Wright and I live in Jackson, Mississippi with my family. Husband Frank of 20 years. Our family consists of 3 lovely children, Takesha, Khadijah and Frank Jr.. I am an educator by profession. I have been in the education arena for 22 years.

I currently teach APAC  U. S. History. I love to read and spend quality time with family. I am the President and Founder of the Savvy Book Club. My hobbies include reading, cross-stitch and flora arrangement.

BPM: Share with us the history of the organization. How did you get started?
Savvy Book Club began April 2007 in Jackson, MS. The club started because we were always talking about the good book we read, when we passed each other in the hallway at work. And people use to think we were talking about someone real and when we revealed we were talking about a book character everyones response was, you all should start a bookclub.

So, one day I told them I was ready and wanted to know if I could count on them as members. They agreed. I researched other clubs and even visited other meetings to get ideas. The librarian at the local library in the area were looking to start bookclubs in their library so we started our club at their library. We had a lot of help from the ladies at the library. Three of them joined the book club and have been faithful members from the beginning. Our First Book chosen was “Let the Church Say Amen” by Roshonda Tate Billingsley. We currently have 15 active members.

Events: Since beginning the bookclub we have met over 40 authors. Many in which we hosted Author Meet and Greets for them. We have also hosted several book release celebration. We have hosted alot of writers over the years. This year we sponsored several book release celebrations for authors. Those authors include:

Virginia Deberry &Donna Grant /NY Best Selling Author
Kendra Norman- Bellamy /Atlanta Christian Fiction
Brian S. Smith /Texas
Bruce Wright/Atlanta

We also hosted Mississippi author Sydney Molare’ (Author Pick of the Year 2009) We teamed up with author to do a Literacy Drive and she provided books to everyone who attended the event.

BPM: What is the vision for your organization? Do you host events during the year? Donate to charities or provide any service for the community?

Our Vision: Keeping in tune with the latest Books and Literature, through our Love of Reading and Meeting those who have touched our lives through books.

Charity: We have donated books to youth through day care centers, learning centers and summer programs. We hold book drives to do this.

BPM: Give us a deeper understanding of how important reading is to you.
Reading is so important. As my pastor recently said. “Words have power.” When I read a book I always try to find the message. It may not be the one the author has set for me, but a message no the less.

BPM: What impact has reading had on your life? Has there been any books that help shape your life or gave you inspiration during a trying time in life?
Reading had impact me alot. It is my escape. When you have a family you sometimes need some down time. So after everyone has gone to bed I curl up with a book. I can relate to many of the books I read.

BPM: How many books do you read in one month? Would you say you read more for escape, for educational purposes or for entertainment?
Books are my escape. I speed read so I can finish a book in two to three days. Sometimes in shorter time (summer months). Summer months I may read 6 to 10 books a month. Other months two at the most. Unless I have a book to reivew. If the book is really good I can really get through it fast. I will read a book before I watch television.

There are so many books I have not read and many that I have read and want to read. I can’t mention them all but I do love their work. I mostly Christain Fiction, Romance, little Mystery Autobiographies and Drama.
I have not read Sci Fi, Vampire etc. It does not interest me. But it doesn’t mean they don’t have some good novels.

BPM: Do you download books? Do you prefer a hard copy book or a digital book?
I have only dowloaded one book. I like the hard copies and audio books. I can clean my house, exercise, and drive using audio books. I don’t think it will ever replace a printed book. Some may like it. I just dont have time for it, right now.

BPM: Do you think the writings of today’s authors are leaving the same legacy as authors from other generations? Do you see others following their path? If so, who?
I think that all writers have had a author to inspire them at one point in their lives and or career. Some authors may have more impact than others. I think that today many authors write about everyday life situations and are not limit as many earlier writers were. That’s why we are finding more and more self publish authors with great little books. I think there are many that will go on to be just as great as many of those past auhtor if not greater.

Finish these fun loving sentences with the question and answer:


BPM: Living your best life includes:
Love, Trusting in God and Spending time Family & Friends

BPM: On your nightstand now:
Power of the Praying Women

BPM: Favorite book when you were a child:
Little House on the Praire and Box Car Children.

BPM: Book all readers should own excluding the bible:
Daily Devotionals, I recommend Jacequlin Thomas’s novels

BPM: Book you gave as a gift:
Kimberla Lawson Roby’s ” Deep Dark Secret”

BPM: Book you’ve bought for the cover:
The Vow

BPM: Favorite couple from a book:
Hosea Bush & Jasmine Lawson, series “Victoria Christopher Murray” and Mary Monroe, “God Don’t like Ugly series”

BPM: Book you most want to read AGAIN much slower, to savor:
Terry McMillian’s “How Stella Got Her Grove Back”

BPM: Favorite genre, series or sequels:
I read a lot of Christian Fiction. I do not have just on type I love to read. Brenda Jackson “Madris Soga” or Kim Robys “Curtis Black Series” or maybe Mary Morrison’s “Darius Jones Sogas”. There are so many. Hard to chose just one.

BPM: Book that should be a movie or play:
Several of Brian S. Smith book’s

BPM: Name three authors you would like to do a phone chat with this year.
Maya Angelou, Terry McMillian, and Francis Ray

Website Address: www.savvybookclub.com

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Reader Spotlight: Meta V. Anthony, Book Talk Book Club

Intimate Conversation with Meta V. Anthony
Book Talk Book Club

BPM: Meta, tell us a little bit about yourself and your favorite things.

My name is Meta Anthony and I am an 50 plus avid reader and president of Book Talk Book club in Atlanta. My favorite authors are James Patterson and Kimberla Lawson Roby. I enjoy all types of plays, mostly geared to black artists.

BPM: Share with us the history of the organization. How did you get started?

Our book club was formed in 1997 by four co-workers who worked at a local company in Atlanta, GA. Since that time we have had many members, fortunately some have stayed and unfortunately some have decided to move on to other things. We have had as little as five members and as many as twenty-one. As you can see Book Talk goes on.

Our current active members are 12. I’m not sure of the first book we read back in 1997, but the first one we read in January of 2004 was Mary’s Little Lamb by Lawrence Christopher. We are currently reading Uptown by Dewberry and Grant for August, 2010. We usually attend the National Book Club Conference in July/August in Atlanta. We also attended the 1st Black Book Club Expo on August 7th in Atlanta, GA this yr. Also, in December we will be attend the Dekalb Count Jubilee Annual Book Conference in Decatur, GA.

BPM: What is the vision for your organization? Do you host events during the year?

Our vision to make life better for someone by reading and making dreams come true. We are not currently involved as a book club in donating to charities, but several members donate their time and energy on their own.

BPM:  Speak to the writers, what would you like to see written in books?

Reading is very important to me, for it helps me to look at this in a different prospective.

BPM: What impact has reading had on your life? Has there been any books that help shape your life or gave you inspiration during a trying time in life?

Reading has been a great impact on life. Mainly, because I come from a background of teachers….mother, grandmother, aunts and uncles..I always loved to read, for it took some places I may never visit

BPM: Would you say you read more for escape, for educational purposes or for entertainment?

I usually read at least books a month, if time permits. One for the book club and two on my own.

BPM:  Do you prefer a hard copy book or a digital book, such as a Kindle book?

Yes, I have been introduced to the kindle and I enjoy the books on digital. I do have some authors that I collect their writings and I prefer them on hardback. No, I don’t think the digital will ever replay the hardback, for some just like the feel of a book and turning pages..

BPM: Do you think the writings of today’s authors are leaving the same legacy as authors from other generations? Do you see others following their path? If so, who?

Not too sure about this statement, for a lot of these new authors are just catering to todays subjects…such as hip hop urban books.

Finish these fun loving sentences with the question and answer:

BPM: Living your best life includes:

…being true to yourself

BPM: On your nightstand now:

…my kindle and Uptown by Dewberry and Grant

BPM: Favorite book when you were a child:

Raggedy Ann & Andy

BPM: Book all readers should own excluding the bible:

Write it down make it happen by Henriette Anne Klauser

BPM: Book you gave as a gift:

Fifteen Years by Kendra Norman Bellamy

BPM: Book you’ve bought for the cover:

E Lynn Harris — In My Father’s House

BPM: Book that should be a movie or play:

Fifteen Years by Kendra Norman Bellamy

BPM: Name three authors you would like to do a phone chat with this year.

Kimberla Lawson Roby, James Patterson and Victoria Christopher Murray

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Reader Spotlight: Denise Turney founder of Book Lover’s Haven

Intimate Conversation with Avid Reader Denise Turney

BPM: Denise, tell us a little bit about yourself and your favorite things.
I am an avid book reader and an author (Portia, Love Has Many Faces, Spiral, Long Walk Up, Rosetta’s Great Hope, and Love Pour Over Me @ http://www.chistell.com). My favorite male singer is Maxwell. Aretha Franklin is my absolute favorite female singer (have been loving her sound for years)! Love to travel and visit with my family. The one and only, Gwendolyn Brooks, is a writing inspiration.

BPM: Share with us the history of  the Book Lover’s Haven . How did you get started? Do you host events during the year?Founded the Book Lover’s Haven ten years ago. Over 1,000 avid subscribers read the literary magazine monthly. In March 2010, founded the Book Lovers Haven Network. It’s a Ning site that is free for writers and readers to join. Forums, blogs, chats, book reviews, etc. are posted at the Book Lovers Haven Network. Also host the annual Chistell Writing Contest (short stories and poetry). The contest is going into it’s 11th year!!

BPM: Speak to the writers, what would you like to see written in books?
I’d like to see more literary pieces (i.e. James Baldwin, Edwidge Danticat) and intricate storytelling (i.e. J. California Cooper). I’d also like to read more autobiographies of people sharing their personal stories of struggle, faith, and triumph (i.e. The Pursuit of Happyness).

BPM: What impact has reading had on your life? Has there been any books that help shape your life or gave you inspiration during a trying time in life?
Currently reading Paula Deen’s, “It Ain’t All About The Cooking.” Her book (as do other books that I read and enjoy) encourages me, lets me know that focus and perseverance yield tremendously good rewards. Gwendolyn Brooks’ and other poets’ work have inspired and enlightened me as well. I love the lessons that J. California Cooper teaches through her stories.

BPM: Would you say you read more for escape, for educational purposes or for entertainment?
I haven’t been reading as much as I used to. My average reading is about two books a week. I read for escape, inspiration and entertainment.

BPM: Do you prefer a hard copy book or a digital book, such as a Kindle book? I prefer hard copy books (print).

BPM: Do you think the writings of today’s authors are leaving the same legacy as authors from other generations? Do you see others following their path? If so, who?
Yes. Urban erotica and other urban literature that focuses on dysfunctional relationships has become popular. But there are many books (and writers) that respect and continue to hone their craft. The same Source that brought us the Mayas, Octavias and Alexes is still at work in the universe gifting us with great art.

Finish these fun loving sentences with the question and answer:

BPM: Favorite book when you were a child:
Pippi Longstocking books

BPM: Book all readers should own excluding the bible:
A journal (so they can pen experiences from their own life journey)

BPM: Book you gave as a gift:
Long Walk Up, Spiral and Portia

BPM: Favorite line or couple from a book:
Something to the effect “The calvary ain’t coming. If you want to change or do so something, you’ve got to get out there and make it happen” — from “The Pursuit of Happyness”

BPM: Book you most want to read AGAIN much slower, to savor:
A Course in Miracles

BPM: Favorite genre, series or sequels:
Autobiography, inspiration

BPM: Book that should be a movie or play:
Loving Donavan by Bernice McFadden

BPM: Name three authors you would like to do a phone chat with this year.
Bernice McFadden, Jamaica Kincaid, J. K. Rowling

Ella, thank you again for the opportunity!!

Denise Turney, Author – Long Walk Up
Website: http://www.chistell.com/

Off The Shelf Radio Host
Denise host the international radio program Off The Shelf which airs on Blog Talk Radio live from 11AM-12PM on Saturday and 24/7 throughout the rest of the week.

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Book Video: When I Get Where I’m Going by Cheryl Robinson

When I Get Where I’m Going by Cheryl Robinson
featured in Essence Magazine, September 2010!

 
“WHEN I GET WHERE I’M GOING is about three very different sisters and is a wonderfully entertaining read.”  — Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times Bestselling Author
 
 

(Can’t view the video, click here to see the original video spotlight)

=======================================================

After thirteen years in Hollywood, Alicia Day is ready to give up on her dream of becoming a movie star. A call from a woman in Detroit claiming to be her half sister couldn’t have come at a better time, and Alicia decides to return to her hometown to meet her.

Heaven Jetter was shocked when her father told her about his secret daughter. But now that she and her full sister, Hope Teasdale, have fallen out again—perhaps permanently this time—and her abusive boyfriend has finally gone too far, Heaven yearns for a fresh start.

Hope is still mourning over her husband’s disappearance two years ago in a boating accident, struggling to be a good mother to her young daughter. She doesn’t need more drama from Heaven—or her new “sister.”

But an earth-shattering discovery, a lucky lottery ticket, and a near-fatal encounter finally bring all three estranged sisters together . . . and they realize that nothing can save a person like family.

Note: Discussion Topics inside When I Get Where I’m Going by Cheryl Robinson
Domestic violence, sisterhood, estranged family, the entertainment industry, specifically the lack of roles for black women in Hollywood.

About the Author
Cheryl Robinson was born and raised in Detroit. She has a degree in business marketing from Wayne State University, and currently resides in Ocala, Florida where she is writing her next novel that is due out in the fall of 2011.   ISBN: 978-0451229472    |   Website: http://www.cherylrobinson.com/

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

Cheryl Robinson
http://www.cherylrobinson.com/
www.myspace.com/cherylrobinson
When I Get Where I’m Going available September 2010

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

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Intimate Conversation with author Cheryl Robinson

Cheryl Robinson is the author of five novels. Most recently, 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.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer?
As a person I feel power in my faith. It allows me to press on through the rough times and to remain positive. I try not to let the daily stresses of life get to me. And I try not to judge others. The more I stop myself when I feel my mind going in that direction, the easier it becomes. I get tired of seeing people get built up by the media to later get knocked down. The less I judge others the better I not only feel, but also when I write and develop characters it’s much easier for me to remove myself from the situation. I realize it’s impossible for everyone to love my books, but I always keep that as one of my primary writing goals. And, I try to keep a healthy balance between being my own worst critic and one of my biggest fans.

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: Introduce us to your main characters in When I Get Where I’m Going.
Heaven Jetter, Hope Teasdale, and Alicia Day are three special sisters! Heaven is twenty-one and the youngest sister. She’s on probation, caught up in an abusive relationship, and trying desperately to get her life back on track. Hope is a young widow and single mother searching for the truth behind her husband’s death, but once she finds out, can she handle it? Alicia is a struggling actress trying to catch a break in Hollywood after thirteen years of trying, but a devastating one-two punch forces her back to Detroit.

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 or problems 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.

Discussion Topics inside When I Get Where I’m Going by Cheryl Robinson
Domestic violence, sisterhood, estranged family, the entertainment industry, specifically the lack of roles for black women 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.
BPM: How can our readers reach you online?
Readers can connect with me through my website at http://www.cherylrobinson.com/  and also join me on my recently created Facebook page. There is a link on my web site.

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

Cheryl Robinson
http://www.cherylrobinson.com/
www.myspace.com/cherylrobinson
When I Get Where I’m Going available September 2010

 
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Insider News: Meet Business Leader Stacey Ciceron

Intimate Conversation with Stacey Ciceron

Becoming the Dream. Stacey attended Dudley’s Cosmetology University in Kernersville, North Carolina. While there, she was selected to represent Dudley’s as a Jr. Technician at The Bronner Brothers Show in Atlanta.

Ms. Ciceron later received her certification in Make-up Artistry and frequently audited advanced cutting classes held at the University to develop and perfect her techniques. It was here she realized that there was more to this business than glitz and glamour.

Blessings in Disguise. Once her studies were completed at Dudley’s, Stacey was on a mission to find a place that would nurture her budding interest and talent. That search led to two places that would change her life forever. The first place was Vidal Sassoon where she learned the foundation of precision cutting and having discipline in the styling profession; and the second, was Bumble and Bumble where Stacey’s passion for learning, teaching, and styling was nurtured.

The Journey. Along the way, Ciceron learned to creatively express herself through hair cutting and styling. Her skills were recognized and quickly thrust her into the world of high fashion, commercial and print. Stacey’s work has afforded her the privilege to contribute to runway shows in New York, Paris and Milan, as well as numerous fashion spreads for fashion magazines and commercial and print for major cosmetic companies.

Living the Dream. Stacey says, “I have fulfilled my dream in almost every aspect. My desire is to teach what I’ve learned thus far. I have a wealth of knowledge to share and I am taking an active role in can giving back to my fellow cosmetologists. I do this by sharing these experiences that made me who I am: A Motivated and Ambitious Professional whose joy is found also in giving back.”

BPM: Stacey, introduce us to your company, The Stacey Ciceron Studios. What exactly does your company do for the client or the community?My company is called The Stacey Ciceron Studios and we cater to our clients by offering a full range of hair care and styling services. I have trained at Vidal Sassoon and had the privilege of working at Bumble and Bumble. I have also done Milan and Paris Fashion Week, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, the Project Runway fashion show, TV work on America’s Next Top Model and Rocawear and Vogue editorial work.

BPM: Did your company change the way consumers were previously taught to think?
My company has definitely changed the perspective of hair care for my clients. At The Stacey Ciceron Studios we teach our clients that healthy hair is the platform to achieve a fabulous hairstyle. This entails them to have higher expectations from a stylist and be more educated on what hair “care” truly is.

BPM: How did you get your start in this business/industry?
I received my start in this business from working at Bumble and Bumble. Doing an employee’s hair one day on my down time the owner seen my work and was immediately impressed. He referred me to work at the upcoming Fashion week and that catapulted me into different opportunities and set the platform for future success.

BPM: What separates you and your firm from the competition?
What separates me from the competition is my past and continuing education. The opportunities I have had being trained by the best being present at Vidal Sassoon and Bumble and Bumble. Also, my passion for doing hair and my customized approach to hair styling.

BPM:  Working on America’s New Top Model must have been fun. How would you describe your experience as an Entrepreneur? Is it still exciting and fun?
Yes, it is! I feel it is a blessing being an entrepreneur. With running my own business I have the ability to follow my own vision and see my creations come to life. I also have the freedom and flexibility to spend time with my family. Being a leader has always been a natural feeling to me sort of like breathing.

BPM: What do you like most about your profession?
I love being around people and having a connection with them. I love being a part of people’s lives by hearing their stories and being in a position to influence them in a positive way. And that’s what my job allows me to do.

BPM: What is your biggest challenge in business? How did you overcome it?
Controlling my perfectionism and wanting to have things my way and right away. I have overcome these challenges by having structure and being organizing. Putting thoughts down on paper helps me practice patience. And learning how to balance family life with my career helps me overcome many obstacles that arise.

BPM: What advice would you give someone just starting out in your industry?
Explore every area of your craft and become an expert at the area that you love the most. Set realistic short term and long-term goals and pace yourself to achieve one each day. And the most important one, continue to educate yourself.

BPM: What do you hope to offer your clients or customers to shape their lives?
I hope to provide an environment of nurture and warmth where clients can rejuvenate and rebuild themselves from the inside out. Because I have clients from different walks of life I hope to offer a continuous source of networking. I also throw workshops to help people build their passion and find their purpose. And of course the obvious beautification.

BPM: What are three things all leaders possess?
Determination, focus, drive passion, purpose ambition

BPM: How does your mission or vision keep your business growing?
My vision helps me keep a competitive edge, which differentiates me from other businesses. Because I have a vision I’m able to set clear and concise goals on which I strive for. I obtain success and growth because I keep focused on the business and adapt to change.

BPM:  How is your organization or company impacting the public?
I help women by empowering them in the areas of finance and the pursuit of their passion. While partnering with Sankofa Salon we did suit drives and workshops on how to turn your passion into profit. On my own, I did a women’s seminar on health beauty and finance and also a spa day that introduced woman to the necessity of pampering yourself.

BPM: What’s new in your company?
The Stacey Ciceron Studios is continuing its involvement in the freelance industry by working on editorial, TV, film, print and runway projects. We are tapping into the online market by offering products and services online and networking through avenues such as face book and twitter. I also have a blog called Hair Stories that’s documenting my journey to pursue my passion for the next 365 days.

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

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Intimate Conversation with Vernon Samuel

Meet Author & Motivational Speaker Vernon Samuel

Virgo – She Did It Her Way is a book/diary that is written to have people understand that in life you will go through so many things. And as long as we continue to fall into those same mindsets of trying to please others and loneliness we will keep doing the things that don’t get us anywhere. This book touches on how easy it is to put others first and how hard it will be to begin to put yourself first and give examples of how to do it. Purchase: Virgo – She Did It Her Way

BPM: Tell us about your passion for writing. What drives you?
I write because I want it to be a way to get my thoughts out to the public and promote awareness of real life issues. I am driven by the need to be a positive person for others so they know that they have someone they can feel comfortable talking to.

BPM: How did you start your writing journey?
I began my journey by understanding the importance of telling my story to get people to understand that they don’t go through situations by themselves and I believe that this is something that I wanted to do. Since it was write my own book, I studied how to do it and began to do it.

BPM: Why was this book so important to create?
It was important because I wanted the people to understand where I come from and what I have been through in order for them to understand that others have faced similar situations in their life and to spread my message.

BPM: How will your book impact community relationships?
My book will impact community relationships by having everyone understand the importance of Loving Yourself Unconditionally and living their life their way.

BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
Ultimately the reader will gain an understanding of the importance of recognizing that the issues in life are real and as long as you take the steps to overcome them it is possible to live their life their way.

BPM: What is the most surprising thing you have learned from the community?
The most surprising thing I learned from the community is that there is a severe lack of self love and self respect. I also learned that people don’t know that they do have the ability to change what is going on in their life.

BPM: What would you say has been your most significant achievement with this book?
My most significant achievement with this book is becoming an example and advocate for what I preach in self growth and self love.

BPM: How has this book changed or shaped your life?
The book has changed me because it has given me the ability to recognize what I have been struggling with in my life and understand that I have to put my past behind me in order to move forward into my future and also be an example for others.

BPM: Name three things that it takes to make a successful leader or parent, in your opinion?
To me a leader and a parent are one in the same.Three things that it takes to be successful at both are:

1. You must have understanding in both in order to be an example and deal with the character traits people possess. 2. You must be able to teach and encourage others to know that they are capable of doing anything they put their minds to and be able to see when they need your help. 3. You must also have patience which will allow you to be effective when you are leading or parenting.

BPM: What can we expect from you in the future?
In the future I will be active in being an advocate for the importance of Enjoying Yourself First and my Take Your Life Back Campaign which will consist of seminars, workshops, counseling sessions, speaking engagements and three books.

BPM: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.
Virgo – She Did It Her Way has been released on August 23, 2009. I also plan on releasing my next book “Real Male or Real Man” on Mother’s Day of  2010. To learn more about Author and Motivational Speaker Vernon Samuel please visit his website at http://www.vernonsamuel.com/

Read inside of Virgo, She Did It Her Way:
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-vernon-samuel-virgo-she-did-it-her-way

Available for purchase at: http://www.Amazon.com and
http://www.vernonsamuel.com/buybook.html

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

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Intimate Conversation with Lawrence Wayne

Intimate Conversation with Lawrence Wayne

Lawrence Wayne is a writer, producer, director and editor (VIP MEMPHIS Magazine). He is author of the book, “How to Encourage Young African American Children to Read…A Black Reader’s Guide.”

He founded the Memphis Black Writers Conference in 1995 to support writers, poets, artists and others who portray positive aspects and cultural achievements of African American people across the globe.

“How to Encourage Young African American Children to Read…A Black Reader’s Guide.”  By Lawrence Wayne

The book is a non-fictional book about the importance of instilling the love of reading and research and an early age. It is for all African American children, especially young African American males.

BPM:  What inspired you to write this story?
One day while watching my son playing in the living room a thought came to me. “What if you were no longer here to take care of your son and family? What legacy would you want to leave behind? What gifts would you like your son to have? “

After giving this some serious consideration I came up with two concepts:
First, I would want him to know and accept the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, I would want him to have a love for reading and learning. I knew that if he had these two basic things in his life I could leave this world knowing that he was in good hands.

BPM: What issues in today’s society have you addressed in the book?
Education, dropout problem, and violence among our youth.

BPM: What is your most valuable lesson about the publishing industry?
You have to adapt to the changing industry and trends.

BPM: What writers inspire you and why?
Frederick Douglas and Guy Johnson. They both have given me a deep sense of pride and knowledge about our history.

BPM: What did you hope to accomplish by writing this particular story?
I hope to encourage more young Black children to read.

Lawrence Wayne
MemphisBlackWriters@yahoo.com
Website: Southern Black Writers & Artist Film Festival

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Intimate Conversation with Klarque Garrison

Intimate Conversation with Klarque Garrison

BPM:  Tell us a little about the real Klarque Garrison.
I was born in Los Angeles, CA and raised by a single mom with little to no education. However, what she lacked in education she made up in unconditional love. I came to writing much like most authors, it chose me! Writing became a tangible voice that could be heard and always spoke true. This book “How to survive the next 365” takes the reader on a journey of understanding that you truly hold the answers for a better life. My life has thus far been a true testimony of this revelation. I’ve owned and operated, even partnered several very successful businesses. 13 years of experience in real estate investing and negotiating terms with hundreds of lenders around the country have compelled me to master “The Art of believing in the power within me”. It is my hope that this book can do the same for you!

BPM: What inspired you to write this story? I was inspired to write this story because this was the story that led me back to respectability and self-worth. I was on top of the world at one point in my life yet there was always something missing. I felt empty and never felt satisfied with any accomplishment I attained. So, like many people out there I lost everything. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. After crashing, I came to the conclusion no one is going to get me out of this mess but me (the question was how?). One thing was for sure, if I continued to do the same things… I would get the same results (“I knew I knew nothing”). I built my way back to respectability on the basis of a few fundamental principles. These principles were not new, they were just being ignored. How many more of my fellow mankind were ignoring these truths? I decided it was my destiny to be that reminder and in some cases….the sage!

BPM: Introduce us to your new book, How to Survive the Next 365.
“How to Survive the Next 365” can be your guide to developing a proper mind-set to get you to “your” next level! I also helps you re-define what the next “level” for you will be. Survive 365 was developed from my failures that ultimately became my road map to a better ME! I lost over $1 Million in assets and cash between 2007 & 2008. My world and my self-confidence were trashed. I went from the big house in an upscale neighborhood to renting in the “hood”. After feeling sorry for myself, I realized the results I received were due to the person I’d become. So, I began speaking to successful people from all walks of life.

Then, I began interviewing them to better compare their mind-sets. What I found is no matter the age, race, religion, look or gender these success minded people shared common links and ideologies! I quickly studied these traits and made them a part of who I am. It is these traits that “Survive 365” speaks to. It is these 12 principles that helped me become a more well rounded person and build my greatness to heights never seen! I decided to share these axioms with the world. “365” has become a movement of awareness of who we are and who we are to become. A 365er is anyone who believes in developing their self into the best person they can be despite the struggles of life. This commitment is built by uniting liked-minded people to a common idea….Greatness!

There are 12 chapters with 12 concepts or ideologies that I’ve found make up the spirit of successful people. The 12 chapters symbolize the 12 months in a year..thus we have 365 (days). Life is not supposed to be easy. We do not learn from our successes we learn from our failures. That is why I titled this book “How to Survive the Next 365”. Through surviving we develop a basic knowledge of life and through knowledge we gain wisdom. Once a person grasps wisdom he/she can control the thing that is most difficult to control…oneself! If a man/woman can learn to control their self there is nothing they can not do.

There are chapters in this book that you may not have difficulty with so read it as it speaks to you. Then apply the lessons by working the exercises at the end of each chapter. Lastly, share your success with the world. Your journey for your “Next 365” days does not start with the purchase of this book. Nor does it begin once you have read this book. You will discover your journey only begins once you decide your self worth is directly linked with “The Creator” and that makes you God-like. Everyone has greatness to share with the world. I hope you can see what I already see in you…

BPM: What issues in today’s society have you addressed in How to Survive the Next 365?
Each chapter address a different issue. Things like having “gratitude” for what you do have in life, being a slave to service and giving back to society or controlling what you see, hear and say are issues we urgently need help with. Learning how to master the one thing most people refuse to master…yourself! The hardest thing, yet the most important thing to control in our lifetime is ourselves. However, most people dedicate far too much time in controlling things they have no control of! Reading this book does not mean your problems will be solved. However, reading this book will force you to take an honest look at what your issues are and how you can develop a mind-set to solving each issue you acknowledge.

BPM: What is your most valuable lesson about the publishing industry?
The publishing industry is a business and like any business its focus in on making money. People think its about the “art” and that being a writer is about being published. I was once told “a writer..writes”. Do not wait for the publishing world to recognize you as a writer. In most cases they catch on last!

BPM: What writers inspire you and why?
I’ve always been an insatiable reader dating back to my teens. I was told by my mother that through reading you will obtain the wisdom and eyes of the world. However, the 2 most important authors who lead me to writing are Natalie Goldberg and Anne Lamont. When I knew I wanted to become a serious writer I knew I had to find a voice that spoke to me. These were the 2 voices that found me! Both Natalie and Anne wrote books on developing traits to become a great writer. Their words taught me that there is a writer locked inside each one of us. We need only cultivate and motivate that voice.

BPM: What did you hope to accomplish by writing this particular story?
In the beginning writing this book was just about putting my thoughts on paper to free myself from myself. It wasn’t until later that I began to believe there was a more worthwhile goal ahead. I felt this book would lead to a journey I’d have to take through sharing these ideologies with as many people I could find. The journey would soon become a movement that would take on a life of its own. I want to inspire, motivate & cultivate self-awareness and growth in myself and in others through my books, lectures, seminars, retreats and workshops. I hope to see each one of you soon!

“How to Survive the Next 365…Your lifeline to a better life”
Klarque@survivethenext365.com
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.survivethenext365.com/
http://www.anobamaworld.blogspot.com/
also available on “Kindle”

Klarque Garrison, Best Selling Author
Do you know anyone who needs to learn “The Art of Trusting Yourself”?
“How to Survive The Next 365” is a masterful look into a new way of thinking!
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Black Jack by Jean Holloway…Available Now!

Meet author Jean Holloway

The daughter of an entrepreneur, Jean saw the only limitations you have are the ones you put on yourself. In the early 60s, her father owned his own cab in NY, which was unusual for a Black man armed with a tenth grade education. Jean’s debut novel “Ace of Hearts” started in 1980, in answer to a bet, yet it wasn’t published until 2007. Her story’s moral: Never give up your dream.

Created with her literary sisters, Destiny Carter and TL James, Jean is VP of Membership and Managing Co-Founder of Beta Lambda Gamma, a literary sorority created to provide a supportive forum for women authors of color.

Jean now lives in Kennesaw, GA with her husband, Fred and their dog, Kayla. Their six grown children all live nearby. They have eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Trailer: Ace of Hearts by Jean Holloway

NY detective Shevaughn Robinson is having a hard time with life. Feeling a little down, she treats herself to a night out, but it doesn’t improve her mood until a handsome stranger asks her to dance. The evening ends with a kiss that haunts her.

She begins investigating an especially gruesome murder case, which quickly evolves into serial murders. Right before they find the first victim, she meets Tony O’Brien, a reporter interested in doing a piece on her and her career. Sparks fly. Shevaughn follows murder after murder trying to solve the case; not realizing the murderer is a man who not only is obsessed with death, but becoming more and more obsessed with her. Brewing is a sensual love story between Shevaughn and Tony. The killer watches the relationship blossom from afar and plots its demise.

Trailer:  Black Jack by Jean Holloway

Lead Homicide Detective Shevaughn Robinson has gone from the cop everyone, including herself, doubted to the “golden child” of the Portsborough Police Department with a record of sensational arrests and closed cases.

But when a lonely widow is found dead from an apparent suicide, her family insists it was murder and pressures the Portsborough Police Department to take on the investigation. Detective Robinson is assigned to the case at a time when she is struggling to strike a balance between her personal and professional life following the death of the love of her life. This case awakens a complicated relationship with someone who harbors resentment towards Shevaughn for the death of the serial killer dubbed Ace of Hearts.
Was it suicide or the work of a cold-blooded predator? Will life throw Shevaughn another unexpected blow? And will Shevaughn’s attempts to move forward inadvertently lead death to her front door yet again?

Black Jack is the sequel to Jean Holloway’s acclaimed debut novel, Ace of Hearts. Buckle up and follow Shevaughn as she moves closer to solving a new, yet old case, unknowingly rekindling old grudges and awakening a sinister spirit. Get ready, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

You can purchase either novel at: http://www.deckofcardz.com/special-book-rates.html

Black Jack by Jean Holloway…Available Now!
Detective Shevaughn Robinson is back and investigating the apparent suicide of a lonely widow, unknowingly rekindling old grudges and awakening a sinister spirit. Wanna Play?

P.S. Ace of Hearts, Black Jack and Coffee Confessions are all available on Kindle!

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

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Shana Johnson Burton–Flaws and All Blog Tour

Flaws and All by Shana Johnson Burton

Shana Johnson Burton is the best-selling author of Suddenly Single, First Comes Love, and Flaws and All. She lives in Georgia with her family and is currently a high school English and Journalism teacher and the co-host of “The Lovely Magazine” radio show . She was a 2009 Georgia Author of the Year nominee for Best Fiction (First Comes Love). Her next novel, Catt Chasin’, will be released in 2011.

Join Shana and Ella Curry on the BAN Radio Show  to discuss the book on Monday, September 6, 2010 at 8:00 pm EST. Call into the show to join the conversation at 646-200-0402.

About the Book, Flaws and All
Faith, family, and friendship have always been top priority to lifelong friends Lawson, Reginell, Sullivan, Angel, and Kina, but each one is about to be put to the test during one turbulent year.

Lawson Kerry is a struggling single mother who has finally gotten her life together. Now, a fierce custody battle with her ex threatens to the tear apart everything she’s built.

Reginell Kerry is a starry-eyed singer determined to make it to the top of the charts, but will she change her tune when a chance at fame means shedding her clothes and her self-respect?

Sullivan Webb is the pampered wife of a charismatic pastor with political aspirations, but she just might destroy her husband’s campaign and their marriage if she can’t control her wandering eye.

Angel King has dedicated her life to nursing following the destruction of her marriage. Can she maintain her professionalism when she discovers that her newest patient is the woman who stole her husband?

Kina Battle has had enough of her husband’s verbal and physical abuse. When she’s pushed to the edge, the situation heads in a deadly direction, and there’s no turning back.

Nothing is sacred, all bets are off, and the lives of these ladies will never be the same. Will they have the strength to hold on to their friendships and put their trust in God?

Visit the author at: http://www.shanaburton.com  

Purchase your copy at Amazon today!
http://www.amazon.com/Flaws-All-Shana-Burton/dp/1601628528

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

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Intimate Conversation with Andrea Clinton

Intimate Conversation with Andrea Clinton

Andrea Clinton is a novelist, poet and essayist, and aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker. As a Montclair State University graduate, she posses’ a degree in English, Film and Journalism. She’s the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization, People Helping People; worked as Editor in Chief of AMISTAD newspaper, New Jersey; and is presently working on a biography and screenplay featuring the life of her uncle George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic and the Clinton family.

BPM:  Tell us about your passion for writing. Why do you write? What drives you? What impact do you want your book to make on the readers?
What drives me is my passion for story telling and entertaining the readers or listeners (I’ve been summoned to randomly make up and tell stories). I write to enlighten or to pull the readers coattail to an issue or subject matter. I pray the impact that my books have on readers is that: The upper class begin to learn and are introduced to the other classes and what they live and experience, why they make the decisions they make, etc.;  I give the middle class a chance to learn not to look down their noses at the poor or lower class, but have a respect for their struggle and to recognize that they are being played in the game as well.

I also give the less fortunate a chance to not revere the upper class so much, as their problems are as great as their money.  My writing offers the lower class a way to reach for the stars by obtaining KNOW-HOW.  I teach them how to work hard to maintain that sense of “down-to-earthness” we posses, that the other classes wish they had and seek, but can’t find because of the airs they put on and their ongoing evil to maintain what they have. I want to show the poor or lowered class that we really aren’t missing as much as we believe, and we’re much happier than we think.

BPM:  Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…
Realness with an understanding that: Our upbringing/what and how we’re taught, our environment, innate qualities that we get thru genetics or are God given, instincts and drives such as Self-preservation and Desires all play a role in how we turn out, how we think and the decisions we make. We have to look at all of these things and decide who we will be, hopefully enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong.

BPM: Introduce us to your new book, Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More.The book is about Alisa, a money grubbing gold digger who’s following in the foot steps of the older girls who came before her. She’s got several men thinking she’s their woman, and when one drops her off at home, another picks her up.

She has gold, diamonds, money and more, but when her family gets on her case about the trouble it’s causing, Alisa decides to get her one man with riches to take care of her, thus Omar. Omar has his own issues trying to stop hustling drugs and going back to being the Muslim he grew up as without the street troubles, but when he and Alisa come together, it’s like clash of the titans and he loses his focus. Then, Hell erupts in, “Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More.”

BPM:   Introduce us to your main characters in One Who Loves You More.
Alisa is the main character and she is a hand full. She’s not too long out of high school and acting a fool. She thinks she’s grown but has much the behavior of a young minded girl in a woman’s body. She shares her mind set with you but this doesn’t make her inviting. She is who she is, young and dumb. But, you couldn’t tell her that because she is head strong in what she feels, but is always contradicting herself with her behavior and her tongue lashes that cut like a knife. She doesn’t want to face that she loves Omar because in her mind, she’s still a gold digger; no strings attached and still tries to wear this title like a tiara.

BPM: Who were your favorites? Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?
Omar was probably my favorite, he and Man-Man; I loved their friendship and dedication to having a true and real friend. I made them alike so that they would appreciate that about themselves. Omar is like most of us, succumbing to his environment but knowing he can do better and wants to do better, but stuck in the game because it’s all he knew for over 10 years or so. Man-Man seems so “street” you think he just doesn’t care, but, he wants peace, just doesn’t know how to get it, feels trapped and never shows what he’s really thinking or feeling. But they both accept where they are and have each others back while there.

Man-Man is much like my brother Salaam, he’s dead – was murdered. You could never know when he was up to something or not because like Billy the Kid, he always had this little laugh or smirk. When Omar is mad, he bites down on his jaw bone and you see the veins in his head pop out, but when Man-Man is mad, he does this little giggle, like, “hmmp – hmm hmm!”

Omar, I created from a character I felt I could see my friend Sean Blakemore play. Sean is an actor who played in “Motives I & II” with Vivica Fox and “Restraining Order” with Robins Givens. I always wanted to make this book into a play and maybe even an HBO or SHOWTIME (or some other cable channel) series. So, I tried to envision Sean as Omar, especially since he inspired me to add more male characters and said he was down to play the role.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer? Who are your mentors?
I would say as a person, Islam humbles me and any power I feel should probably be interpreted as blessed. As a writer, my professors back at college who helped me to think of the type of writer I wanted to be and if I wanted to be put in a little box or write creatively in many genres, they are my mentors. A good professor shows you paths and gives you one to grow on; they should mentor. My mentors are my professors I listed in my book and people I barely met like Whoopi Goldberg who graduated from Montclair State University with her masters when I graduation with my BFA. The words she spoke reminded me of the obstacles to come and helped me to set my mind straight to continue full steam ahead and not listen to naysayers, and as she emphasized, “Know that they are coming.”

BPM:  What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
There were too many young girls out there using men for money. Like the main character, they use men so much it’s almost a form of prostitution, but they don’t see it that way as they may never have sex with these men, just use them for what they can get from them.

BPM: Take us inside the book. What are two major events taking place?
I would like to say, when Alisa and Omar decide there is definitely something there, and speak to each other with their eyes just after he gave her his leather trench; and a cross between when he addresses her about another guy and/or when they have it out at her house.  I say that part because it reminds me of so many relationships where we allow our emotions to make us stubborn and hide how we really feel, and we end up not giving in to our mate and are left sad and alone.

BPM: Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?
All the girls out there using men for money like it’s a profession. They need to know the dangers of such Ways of life. I could tell you some despicable situations women have gotten themselves into messing with men in such fashions.

BPM:  How will reading your book shape the readers lives?
It will give young girls something to think about. The book challenges girls to consider getting an education; get your own money instead of using men for their money and suffering what there is to suffer, because, there is a price to pay.

BPM:  What are some of their specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?
I guess using men for money is a quick resolve to being poor or getting the things they want. With sex so free – for – all these days, some of them look at it like a quick harmless gain if they do partake in sex for money. But majority in this new game they play are not having sex with these men they make their mark. They instead make the man think they’re his woman, and then get that money, jewelry, credit cards, etc. And it’s dangerous because these men REALLY think these girls are their woman, their mate.

To top it all off, the girls have rules also. Three, four or six months tops. Then, they find some ill excuse to drop them and get a new sucker. Because there was no sex involved, meaning he waited on her, a lot of the men take it personal and feel played and some have been known to be dangerous.

BPM: What was the most powerful chapter in the book?
“Bang Bang” because it’s got: Love, Loss, is Live with action and like the streets it comes to a head, letting you know early how these people in the book are living.

BPM:  Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
Enlightenment; enlightenment on the dangers of playing around with people’s emotions, etc. When you put the book down, walk away feeling like, “What? Wow! That’s an aspect I haven’t heard of, thought about, seen in a while, etc.”

I want them to feel like they gained something that can help them or help them, help someone else. Really, I want them to sit as many young girls/women down and like they used to say in the ’70’s, “Tell ’em like it is!” Let them know feelings are precious and not to be taken lightly. Get your own! Get a degree; get a trade.

BPM:  What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?
I don’t know; I think I might, might help the reader experience the characters instead of just reading about them and saying, “Oh, that Omar is something else” or “Alisa is a trip.”  Because Alisa has a lot of crap with her; she’s no walk in the park. But the readers will experience her and what she’s going through even when they don’t agree with her or understand fully what the heck she’s doing or her motives. Omar, you can’t help but love him, and I did that on purpose. He’s much like my brother, he and Man-Man in the sense that they are lovable people, but out there doing wrong, and you hope they get it together before it’s too late. For my brother, it was too late; let’s see how it goes with Omar or Man-Man.

But you don’t just read this; you feel this in your chest at times. I’ve had some tell me as they read the chapters, they went through so many emotions from chapter to chapter and sometimes from page to page. That’s the Realism genre. Real stuff making you feel mad, glad, happy or sad for the characters. Naturalism stems from Realism and Naturalism, which is the basis of the book, shows the character’s self-preservation/greed drive, hustling and their desires via their attraction to one another throughout.

And, the reader feels it, gets goose bumps or chills, and is excited to move on in the book hoping Alisa get’s hers, hoping Omar get’s a grip. But it’s all thru the emotional aspects of the novel, not just the words on the page. I believe it’s heart felt and how I arrived there, or so I’ve been told, was, I wrote it with the flow of a soap opera in my head. I took myself through all of that drama just to appease my readers.

BPM:  Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.
We’re about to launch our newspaper again, this will help us to contribute to supporting the hard working authors, artist, actors, and so on, as well as keep our community up on the news around the world. I think the reward right now is to be exposed to so many opportunities. I think I’ll be even more rewarded when I began speaking engagements, speaking to the youth and young girls and women about this new trend.

Upcoming releases: There’s the second book in the “Life Knows No Bounds” chronicle titled, “A Blessing and A Curse,” then there is a non fiction book on Writing. So many students in high school and college are having a hard time writing properly; scoring low on SAT’s and essays and research papers in school. So, I want to shed light on that. I have a writing component I used with my students and they still email me today saying Thank You because it helped them with their college writing. Those books will be forthcoming in the Spring season 2011. By fall I pray to have a book done on Critical and Analytical Thinking for tests, decision making and life. I don’t know, maybe I’ll make it three different books since a book on life would take on a life of its own.

BPM:  How can our readers reach you online?
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/teaclinton
Blog:  http://around-the-way.blogspot.com/  
Website: http://www.aroundthewaypublishing.com/
FB: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/AroundTheWayPublishing

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Intimate Conversation with author Brook Blander

Liken to the waves of the ocean in her hometown of Savannah, GA, Brook Blander, is a force of nature. At the tender age of five, she penned her first story and has since matured into an author, poetess, publisher, lecturer, teacher and mentor. Honesty, passion and the power of words are her weapons to proclaim love, profess healing and calm the unrest in the souls of the lost. Her personal movement includes the restoration of the hearts and spirits of women wounded by violence. Thus, she is a compassionate philanthropist to the cause. Her proudest of all accomplishments is being a mother and partner in love. She lives in Michigan where she continues to write, design and manage her companies.

Believing every artist’s vision is the truth of their work led to her founding ebonyLotus Creatives in 2009, a publishing company which allows her full creative control of her works and offers the same to poets, and authors. In conjunction, it is the revitalization of the art of journaling through her exquisite handmade journal line. Later that year, the perfect storm, quiet and mighty, arrived in her fourth book, Personal. Intimate Comforts of Reflection (2009).

With her own, true and personal journal entries included, the book portrays love and exposes the horrors of physical abuse passed on by women generations before her, and in beauty with grace tells of their strength to endure. Left without choice, Detroit split wide open to make way for her and she has not refused them. She has performed at various venues to including Artist Endeavor; Collaborative Art and Poetry (feature poet), Echoverse Poetry Series DPL Words After Dark at the Detroit Public Library, I Am Woman Expo (feature poet) in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at Wayne State University. In addition, she has been a featured guest on Sol Searching BlogTalk Radio as well as Motown Literary Writers Radio Show. Blander was also a feature poet for the opening ceremony night for the 2009 Essence of Motown Literary Jam Conference. These opportunities extended her reach to the world and today the benefits continue to astound.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer?
It is my belief that every person has the power to create change. Writing is my power. I have and continue to reach many through the power of the written word. What’s important, as a writer, is to be aware of that power and use it for positive change.

BPM: How much of what you write reflects on your outlook on life?
A great deal of what I write is a reflection of my outlook on life. I vie to tell stories (through poetry, memoir and fiction) of triumph in overcoming the obstacles placed in our lives. The subject lines that I illustrate are real and it is my duty to write them authentically and as I know them.

BPM: Who are your mentors? Where do you find your inspiration?
I find my inspiration to write in everyday living and triumphs. To see a woman feeding her child with no worries of where the next meal will come from is an inspiration for me. I’m inspired by the many things I observe in a day. I also read the poetry of poets that I admire and am inspired.

BPM: What do you think of the increasingly fortuitous sex in African American literature?
It’s disappointing to say that least. Literature is a mockery of life as we see it, and unfortunately in all the other medias, we are seeing an overflow of the same thing…sex filled movies, sex filled songs…sex, sex and more sex. Someone told a truth long ago in the statement that “sex sells.” It does and many African American artists have taken this as an invitation to write it to sell make money. I am often thrown off by the few books of literature on the shelves amongst the overflow of other writings. To me, this is an encouragement to continue writing the literature that I write.

BPM: Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…
My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…Truth, in its most raw form. We, African Americans, have lost and been misinformed on so much of “our” Truth. It has been sugar-coated and watered down so much that there are as many accounts as there are people giving them. My writing removes the substitutes and fillers and bestows my own honest interpretation of the world that I see around me today to the eyes that will view it tomorrow.

BPM: now that Im here is a story filled with the joy and pain of remembrance, and the glory of a journey to the sun. Like the lotus flower, the roots of poetess, Brook Blander, settle in the muddy waters of her past. These seven chapters rearrange the mind and reach for the deepest regions of the heart. The product of a rape and molestation, the collection opens in The Basement of moist walls, singing blues and the marks the end, and the beginning of two souls. Hanging Moss is a meal to remember those gone during a season of unjust killings. Waiting for Tomorrow tells of a child deprived and Girl of a life of growth and acceptance. Making You tells of the desperation for and need for love while A Getting Society shows how selfish behaviors and laziness are inherited.

BPM: What specific revelation prompted you to write now that I’m here: lyrics from the mud to the sun?
It is my belief that at some point and time in all of our lives, we are victims of something. It is also my belief that to be a victim is not something that is supposed to be permanent. I have reached a point in my own life where the title simply does not fit anymore. I was abused, I am no longer. I was molested. It is going on no longer. I believe that those that are blessed with the chance to leave a situation that made them a victim are obligated to share their story with others in hopes of bringing another survivor through. “To whom much is given, much is required.”

BPM: Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?
There is a list of people that I am aiming to reach with this book. I want to reach people that are still in the situations of domestic violence. I want to reach the parents that have had a hand in causing a pain that still lingers in their adult children. I am extending my reach with the lyrics of this book to youth that are beginning the journey into their adulthood with the same strikes on their backs that I carry. It is my desire to show them that there is a higher living, a forgiving life, and a life that can move forward and away from the pain.

BPM: How will reading your book shape the readers lives?
Though we read for entertainment and information, we read to relate. When a story or a poem or a character reflects an image of our own lives, we relate and hope for a solution to follow so that we get the outcome or avoid the outcome of the one in the writing. now that I’m here is an inspiration, and hopefully a motivation, to all that read it to heal, forgive, help, and live.

BPM: What are some of their specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?
now that I’m here  touches on the topics of child abuse, domestic violence, rape and molestation. It also speaks on my view of poetry, love, triumph and acceptance.

BPM: What was the most powerful (section) chapter in the book, now that I’m here?
The most powerful section of now that I’m here has to be the final one, At The Feet of Yesterday. This portion of the book tells where I am, the height of feat that I have reached, in spite of all the prior chapters, of the book and of my life. It gives honor to those that have come before me and recognizes them as my foundation and strength. It is the part of the book that invites the reader into their own triumphant existence.

BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
…the realization that triumph awaits….that being a victim lasts as long as the victim desires. now that I’m here is my personal story, through lyric, of all that I have endured throughout my life. It ends with my joy. It ends with me denouncing my label of being a victim of molestation, witnessing domestic violence, and physical, sexual and verbal abuse. I write because I am a survivor and a conqueror and I desire for my readers to see the possibility for their own lives.

BPM: What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?
This is my story. Mine. And though the topics are universal, I have written them in the voice of my own Truths to challenge and compel people to look beyond their cultures, religions and beliefs and find their way out of these situations. Poetry and pain are often found together, but less often is it written in a way that shows the ‘happy ending’. now that I’m here is my happy ending that cannot and could not be written by anyone else.

BPM: Share with us your latest news. How can readers reach you online?
Readers can visit my website at: http://www.brookblander.com/.  Latest news, lets see. I have just released “The Soul’s Expanded Edition” of Personal; Intimate Comforts of Reflection. This is a re-release of my fourth book with additional poems. I will also be starting my e(mail)-gazine, ZoeticScribe, which is an email delivered magazine about and for women writers. Readers and writers can subscribe at http://www.brookblander.com/

Book: now that I’m here: lyrics from the mud to the sun


View the full electronic presskit from Brook Blander
http://content.bandzoogle.com/users/BrookBlander/files/EPK_BrookBlander_NTIH.pdf

Purchase now that I’m here at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/now-that-Im-here-lyrics/dp/0976759233

ISBN-10: 0976759233
ISBN-13: 978-0976759232

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

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Breaking Organizational Ties by Dr. Daryl D. Green (Author)

Breaking Organizational Ties
How to Have a More Fulfilled Life in Your Current Job
Dr. Daryl D. Green (Author)

Over 9 million people want to work full-time but can only find part-time employment. According to a Yahoo survey, a third of American workers are anxious about their job security. Breaking Organizational Ties provides practical strategies for employees attempting to cope in jobs or environments which they hate. While most managers are only concerned with the bottom-line, they leave their employees vulnerable to the casualties of competitive markets.

This book will enable readers to (a) learn how to survive and even enjoy your time at work even in a hostile environment, (b) gain greater confidence in your ability to grow while in a downsizing organization, and (c) discover the insight to go beyond your limitations by breaking the barriers of your self-doubt.

Look at what others are saying:

“Many issues affect why we don’t reach our fullest potential. As a human resources professional myself, Daryl Green has hit the nail on the head.” –Daphine Glenn Robinson Human Resources Manager and Inspirational author of Brotherly Love and Betrayal

“…I recognized sound validity in Dr. Daryl Green’s business insights and the resulting impact change has on its workers.” –Dr. Stephen M. Doty Strategic Initiatives Manager National Grid USA

“Simply a must read.” —Marcus J. Glasper Executive Manager Washington State

“This is a must read for those who continue to work for others but have entrepreneurship dreams.”
—H. Frank Shanklin, Jr. President/C.O.O.

About the Author
Dr. Daryl Green provides motivation, guidance, and training for leaders at critical ages and stages of their development. He has over 20 years of management experience and has been noted and quoted by USA Today, Ebony Magazine, and Associated Press. For more information, you can go to http://stores.lulu.com/darygre  or http://www.darylgreen.org/.

Purchase at Amazon today!
ISBN-10: 1450511317
ISBN-13: 978-1450511315

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

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Intimate Conversation with Phyllis Wilson

Phyllis Wilson is currently pursuing her PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and is a professional member of the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE), National Speakers Association (NSA), the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), the Society of Evidence Based Organizational Consultants (SEBOC) and the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychologists (SIOP).

Phyllis Wilson also hosts a weekly radio talk show “Do the Right Thing ~ Right.” She loves to travel as often as possible from her home in the Houston suburbs. Between enjoying her granddaughter Evan and helping raise a spunky yellow lab, Phyllis finds joy in writing.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer?
I have a sincere passion for all things true and good. I can convey those feelings creatively and thus find joy in writing and living

BPM: Where do you find your inspiration for writing Many Paths, Many Feet?
I find inspiration daily in the people I meet and talk to. Inspiration can even be found in just watching people.

BPM: Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…
My writing offers the following legacy to future readers… know that you have a story inside of you that should be shared with someone else. I truly believe that this is a small world and you can make an impact on someone just by sharing YOUR story!

BPM: Introduce us to your book, Many Paths, Many Feet.
Many Paths, Many Feet is an anthology of women’s stories, some fiction and some non-fiction, that candidly reveal women’s triumph and perseverance. The stories, coupled with splashes of poetry, bring to light the essence of the human spirit. You will read familiar refrains of faith, determination, and tenacity. We will take you on a powerful journey with incredible stories of challenges and the discovery of ourselves!

The authors are fearless, indefatigable, and righteous in their march to victory, thus presenting the archetypal story of what all men and women experience in their quest for an exemplary life. At Many Paths, Many Feet, we believe the journey is as powerful and rewarding as the destination!

BPM: Introduce us to your main characters in Many Paths, Many Feet.
Well the main characters are the 13 authors in this anthology as they all have different perspectives on how to use their faith in situations.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
I had written my first book “Top Ten Things to Consider ~ All in a Day’s Work” after being called the “N” word at work and it was such a healing experience that I knew there was more for me to say. So I collaborated and got 12 other women to share in the journey.

BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
I want them to know that they are not alone in life’s situations…someone somewhere has been there, done that!

BPM: How can our readers reach you online?
Phyllis Wilson Author, Consultant, Radio Personality & Keynote Speaker

MANY PATHS, MANY FEET
http://www.manypathsmanyfeet.com/
http://twitter.com/MnyPathsMnyFeet
http://www.myspace.com/manypathsmanyfeet

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

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Intimate Conversation with R. Jenkins-Oliver

R. Jenkins-Oliver was born and raised in McIntosh County Georgia. She is the oldest of four children, and is a graduate of Todd-Grant High School, Margaret M. Washington, and Brunswick College . She has worked for the FBI, as a health care professional, and was an entrepreneur. She has appeared in several industrial and feature films.

BPM: Introduce us to 1878 the Life and Times of Henry Forest, and the main characters.
1878 is based on the life of Henry Forest, who lived during the late 1800’ until the mid 1900’s. The fourth son of a farmer, Henry was born in 1878 on a farm in Georgia . He and his brothers were raised to be hard-working and responsible men, to marry and raise their own families. Henry married a young woman named Mollie, with no farm of his own; he decided to work for another farmer in Dexter. Shortly after Jack Johnson won the heavy weight championship of the world in July, 1910, racial tension ignited around the country. Henry gets involved in a fight with a number of white men who made racist comments about blacks with the rise of the Klu Klux Klan. Wanted by the FBI and afraid of getting killed, he moves to Eulonia and assumes the name Robert. He spent the rest of his life living in fear for his life and the life of the family he left behind.

The main characters in the book are Henry, John, Joe, Viola and Hettie. The book is written in a mixture of Geechee and Gullah dialect which is still spoken in the area today and almost entirely in dialogue.

BPM: What make you powerful as a person and as a writer?
I think what makes me powerful as a person is that I’m proactive, an empathic listener, respectful, I’m willing to support and network with others. I plan ahead and I always have more than one plan. I welcome criticism because there is always room for improvement. And most of all I commune with the Holy Spirit every day of my life.

I consider myself a powerful writer because my writing was inspired by a higher power. I would have never thought in my wildest dreams that I would have ever written a book and become a published author because I have never challenged myself to be a creative person.

BPM: Who are your mentors? Where do you find you inspiration?
I find my inspiration in my faith. My mentors are people who encouraged and inspired me to trust in my faith and to stay focused on my goals in life.

BPM: Take us inside the book. What are two major events taking place in the book?
The book depicts what life was like for Henry and his family in both the early and later years of their lives. The stories talks about faith and the trials, tribulations that the family went through, and how they pulled together to survive the hardships in life. Henry’s distrust of the justice system, and his fear that he and his family would be killed was a major issue.

BPM: Who were your favorite characters in 1878 the Life and Times of Henry Forest?
My favorite characters are Henry, Ben, and Joe. Henry was a hard working man who lived for his family; he was determined to survive. He made a decision that haunted him for years, but through it all he never lost his faith in God.

Ben grew up before reconstruction, and he knew that a colored man only chance for survival was to keep his opinions to himself and to stay out of trouble. He loved his grand children and he told them stories about what could happen if they didn’t stay in their place.

Joe was a man who opened his home to Henry while he worked as a sharecropper to earn a living for his family. Over the years Joe became fond of Henry and treated him like a son.

BPM: Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?
Yes the story was based on facts. Most of the characters are the families’ real names, however, there are a few fictional names in the story used to portray real characters.

BPM: Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…
My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…My writing offers the reader a glimpse of what life was like for so many African Americans before us, and what they had to endure in their lives to survive the injustice they received.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write the book?
The Holy Spirit placed it in my heart to write the story. I think the reason the Holy Spirit gave the vision to me to write the story was because there were whispers about Henry’s life as a young man, but in later years at a family reunion, the secrets came out that he had a different life and identity before he came to Eulonia.

Once I received the missing parts to the story, I had no idea where to start the story. That’s when I started having the dreams about people that I never knew. In the dreams I heard their voices and saw their faces. That’s why the story is written almost entirely in dialogue and in dialect.

BPM: Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?
I think the story sends a message to Americans that we as a people have made many achievements together in racial relations and we have freedom of speech in the 21st century especially when compared to the era when this event happen in the early 20th century. However, we can be encouraged that improvements are being made in spite of what’s going on behind closed doors.

BPM: How will reading your book 1878 shape the readers life?
I think the story invites the reader to experience a vivid and engaging bird’s eye view of what life was like for African America during the dark period in American history. The experience can stir up personal feelings of joy, pain, suffering and despair as the reader enters in to the world of the characters.

BPM: What is the most powerful chapter in the book 1878?
The most powerful chapter in the book is when Viola and Hettie met while working at a motel in Eulonia, and the two of them discovered that they grew up hearing the same story about one of their family members.

BPM: What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?
I think that Henry’s story is unique because there were so many who found themselves in a similar situation and didn’t survive because they were murdered before they could get their day in a court of law to tell their sides of the story before a jury of their peers.

BPM: How can readers reach you online?
Readers can reach me via email  l_rolivercorpllc1@yahoo.com

Book seller link: http://www.blackbookplus.com/  or web page http://www.authorsden.com/ 
Also, readers should be able go into bookstores and order the book.

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

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Intimate Conversation with Sean XLG Mitchell

Sean XLG Mitchell is the ultimate hip-hop griot. I began my career promoting hit makers from Rockmaster Scott and the Dynamic Three to M.C. Hammer. As an artist, I recorded several underground hits as a member of Unlimited Skills, I’m the first rapper to win a national music competition and I’m the creator of the hip-hop category Adult Contemporary Rap.

BPM: Introduce us to your book, The Roof is on Fire: 101 Greatest Moments in Hip Hop.
“The Roof is on Fire: 101 Greatest Moments in Hip Hop” celebrates and highlights outstanding events and achievements in rap music over the last 30 years. From the success of mainstream artists like Lil Wayne, Eminem and Snoop Dogg to hit films like Krush Groove and Hustle and Flow, every era is explored and documented. Using over 25 years of experience in rap music, I chronicle events from the past and present and add shine with exclusive interviews with hip-hop legends to include Dana Dane, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Mele Mel, the Fat Boys and Queen Pen. I reveal a vast array of feats, from the extraordinary and outrageous to the noble and obscure that is both informative and fascinating.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and writer?
What makes me powerful as a person and writer is my extensive experience in Hip Hop and passion as a fan and artist. I started rapping in 1979 at a young age so I grew up with the music and culture and watched how it unfolded, developed and evolve throughout the years. In 1993, I filmed a rap video in Washington, DC for the Proposition One Initiative 37 act. As part of an anti-nuclear weapon campaign, the infomercial aired in the Washington DC area on WDCA TV Station. On September 14, 1993, DC Initiative 37 won a special election with 56% of the vote and was introduced to Congress as HR-3750 in 1994: The Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act, becoming one of the first rap artists to participate in the success of a legislative process.

BPM: Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?
I would like to reach every generation of Hip Hop fans. One of the problems with the culture is that it seems to be divided from one era to the next. Some of the young artists today aren’t familiar with some of the pioneers and some of the pioneers aren’t familiar with the young artists so my book “The Roof is on fire” bridges the gap by highlighting the great achievements of all the artists so we can develop a mutual respect for one another and keep Hip Hop moving in a positive direction.

BPM: What specific revelation prompted you to write your book?
What prompted me to write my book is to credit the artists for their great achievements and to take a wholistic approach in looking at the music and culture. When young people ask what was so great about Mele Mel they’ll be able to see what he accomplished 25 years ago and how significant he was to the survival of an art that was once deemed a fad. Equally,to add the achievements of Lil Wayne, Geto Boys, Luke, NWA, Biggie, Pac, DMX, Eminem, and all of the other artists allows us to appreciate each generation so everyone is respected.

BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
I want readers to gain a respect for Hip Hop as an art form, and specifically to understand that rap music is diverse and not all songs are the same. There was a time period in the early 80’s when you had dozens of rap songs with positive messages, then you had party songs and later you had the dance records with the uptempo style like “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa, “It Takes Two” by Rob Base, a political side with Public Enemy and a gangsta side with NWA. You had comical rap with the Fat Boys, Fresh Prince and Biz Markie, a little bit of romance with Whodini and LL, lyrical fire with Rakim and Big Daddy Kane, story telling with Slick Rick and Dana Dane. The music is multi-demensional and that’s one point I would like to get across.

BPM: How can our readers reach you online?
Readers can reach me online at seanxlg@gmail.com  and can visit my web site at http://www.seanxlg.com/.

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

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Intimate Conversation with Ammanuel Moore

New to the world of fiction, acclaimed writer and communications professional A.C. Moore brings unique, exciting and tasteful stories to reading lovers.  A.C. likes to describe his writing style as fresh storytelling with a keen ability of building intimacy and interaction between his readers and his characters. As a Christian, husband, and father, he prides himself on including plenty of detail, yet keeping his stories free from obscenities and unnecessary pursuits.

Growing up and now working in the Baltimore / Washington DC Metropolitan area, A.C. discovered his dream of becoming an author early in his childhood. A fan of creative writing courses and assignments, he flourished in school and began to apply his talent in the workforce.

Countless published writings and awards followed him throughout his education and career. A.C. graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications. He has since worked in several writing, public relations and marketing environments.
Currently, A.C. is pursuing a Master’s degree in Communications from Johns Hopkins University.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer?
What makes me powerful as a writer is that I can create an entire world from thought. I spoke at a conference once and talked about the spiritual side of writing. Writing gives me a sense of how God must operate. To be able to create a world, characters (with flaws and all) for a reason, purpose and story, is God-like. Also, to know the outcome, when the characters obviously do not and when they go through struggles that ultimately benefit them or work toward a larger good, it makes you wonder if perhaps we struggle from time to time or deal with our shortcomings because of a story that’s being written. Think about it.

BPM: Who are your mentors? Where do you find your inspiration?
I’ve been fortunate to land jobs after college that have allowed me to write and publish my works in various channels. Currently, I write a newsletter for more than 1.2 million customers. Before that, I worked as a Marketing Director for a weekly newspaper I would write for that publication all the time and prior to that I worked for a nonprofit Communications Department, where I wrote everything from newsletter articles to press releases, speeches and other correspondence. My mentors have been all the people throughout my career. My inspiration is Tyler Perry, President Barack Obama, Joel Olsteen, Jay Z – they have reached the top of their game and are still pushing forward. I love that.

BPM: Finish this sentence – My writing offers the following legacy to future readers …
The legacy of honorable success. I am a self-published author, but have been offered the chance to be picked up by an agent and potentially a publishing house if I made my book more “ethnic” by that they meant more cursing, more sexual detail. I chose not to take that path. I have three daughters, a wife and mentees that look up to me for various reasons. I want to make this climb without sacrificing my character and values. I don’t knock those that write more graphic novels, but I believe there are other stories to tell and there is an audience that really want authentic stories without choice words and descriptions. So the legacy I want to leave behind is honorable success.

BPM: Introduce us to your book, Even Angels Need Miracles.
Even Angels Need Miracles is a Christian Fiction that centers two main characters Aalon, a guardian angel and Erin Crawford, an attorney from Baltimore.

Aalon has served as a guardian angel throughout his entire existence. He’s experienced and wise, yet his latest human assignment proves to be a difficult challenge. Crime, substance abuse and mistreatment of others have put his human on a very destructive path. Daily, Aalon watches over him and protects him from dangers seen and unseen – but not without frustration. When his human assignment sets out to murder his girlfriend, Aalon tries to stop him and actually causes his death. This is the first time in history an angel – guardian angel no less – has ever “killed” his own human assignment. To make matters worse, the devil stumbles upon the aftermath and decides to bring Aalon to trial and have him sentenced to the same fate he suffered millenniums ago. While just about every angel has turned their back on Aalon, a few angels stand by his side – one in particular, Athyna, travels to Earth to seek the help of a human. This is where Erin comes into the picture.

Erin has proven on many occasions that money is not her main driver. She takes pride in helping the honest and less fortunate. This noble cause, however, has kept her in debt and behind on her bills. And as she refuses to take on prestigious, yet shady clients her family and friends shake their head in disagreement. When Erin is approached by a woman, who claims to be an angel needing her help. She is almost ready to change her mind about her mission.

Athyna has to convince Erin, without the full use of her powers that everything she is saying is true and that her help is desperately needed. But, there’s no guarantee that even if Erin is convinced that she can defend this angel against the most cunning debater of all time – Satan himself.

Meanwhile, as Aalon awaits his trial outcome in hell. He runs into the human soul he mistakenly helped to send and decides he will attempt to do what has never been done before – rescue that soul from hell.

Even Angels Need Miracles is a mystical journey that takes readers from Earth to heaven and hell, and through a rare plot, explore the complexities of sacrifice, redemption and values. Through the lives of these main characters and others, readers should be able to see bits of themselves and ask questions such as what kind of character do I embody when faced with a difficult situation? Can my values ever change without the feeling of compromise? And are the lives and well-being of the unknown ever worth a steep sacrifice?

While the book has some Christian references and overtones, it’s not religious or preachy. It’s actually written to be entertaining and fun.

BPM: Who were your favorites? Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?
My favorite writers include Walter Mosely and James Patterson. I also like Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, for their creation of Superman, who is one of my favorite characters in literature – if you consider comics to be a part of the literary world. One of my goals in writing is to create characters that readers fall in love with, idolize and have the ability to outlive me and my writing. I’m sure my characters portray qualities of real people in my life, but a bit here and there.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
This is my second novel. In 2004, I wrote a romance entitled Always Room for Dessert. It was a romance novel that dealt with a woman marketing consultant and her client who was a chef/restaurant owner. In the book he cooked for her as a way to court her and I thought it would be interesting to share the recipe with readers. It was an idea I had way back in high school and wrote it in my late 20’s. The response was very welcoming. Many people asked me for another and I decided there were plenty of romance novels out there, but not Christian Fiction from a black male author. So let’s see.

BPM: Take us inside the book. What are two major events taking place?
The death of the human at the hands of his own guardian angel and the engagement between the angel and Erin. Two others that have to be mentioned however is the exchange between Aalon and the Devil and the Devil and Erin in court.

BPM: Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?
I want to reach readers who have ever thought they made a mistake so bad that they thought there wasn’t a solution. This angel has made what is considered the ultimate mistake and while there are consequences that come with the mistake, there is also a solution to the matter- albeit difficult, a solution nevertheless. I also want to reach anyone who is interested in reading a unique story. A story written by an author that values clean literature without sacrificing authenticity.

BPM: How will reading your book shape the readers lives?
This book will shape readers lives in that it will give them an opportunity to see how real problems that are bigger than the reader can actually be solved with a little help. And sometimes that help comes in an unexpected form. Furthermore, it’s possible that help can come from someone who normally should be receiving help.

BPM: What are some of their specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?
Again, the importance of sacrifice – even if to benefit unknown beneficiaries; after all, we are all connected in some way. The book also really teaches us that even the impossible can be overcome with help and faith.

BPM: What was the most powerful chapter in the book?
Probably right around chapters eight and nine. In eight, Erin is approached by the angel, desperately trying to convince her of the magnitude of the situation. As a reader you can see how difficult this will be. In chapter nine, the devil receives Aalon in hell to be held there until the end of the trial. Every angel in heaven just knows that the devil is going to torture and maim him to his heart’s content, but instead the devil does something out of character –by the end of the chapter readers can see just how smart and cunning the devil is, which shows just how much of an uphill battle Erin has if she is going to face off against him in the court.

BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
Ultimately, an entertaining story – one that will encourage them to tell others about the book.

BPM: What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?
In most angel / human relationship books, it’s usually the angel providing help to the human. In Even Angels Need Miracles, the help is coming from the other direction. It’s unique. While it passes along some moral sprinkles to readers, it does it not through preaching, but clever storytelling.

BPM: Share with us your latest news or upcoming book releases.
I’ll be participating in book fairs and conventions across the country over the next several months. Check my Web site, MooreNovels.com for details, but also – this book ends in a way that begs for a sequel and I plan to introduce the guardian angel again.

BPM: How can our readers reach you online?
MooreNovels.com, Twitter.com/authr_a_c_moore, and I also have a fan page on Facebook.

A.C. Moore, Author of Even Angels Need Miracles and Always Room for Dessert
Information about my books, and my bio. can be found at http://www.moorenovels.com/

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

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Intimate Conversation with author Kenny Blue

Kenny Blue is the Atlanta-based author of The Beach House, which quickly became a favorite among Atlanta book clubs in 2005. His second novel, Biker Club, was released this February through his publishing company, Journey Publishing. He is a founding member of two Atlanta-based writers groups, Indigo Ink, and Grown Folks. Kenny’s parents are nationally known ceramicists Curtis (d.) and Yvonne Tucker. He lives in Conyers with his family and is involved in his community as a USA swim coach, youth mentor, and a volunteer for Hosea Feed the Hungry.

BPM: Who are your mentors? Where do you find your inspiration?
Marissa Monteilh, Jihad, Eric Jerome Dickey, Electa Rome-Parks, and other writers have always found the time to give me valuable advice. I find my inspiration in writers of the past. Frank Yerby, Raymond Andrews, and Ernest Hemingway were all geniuses. They were master storytellers who perfected their craft through complex storylines, excellent character development, and colorful settings. My goal as a writer is to capture the fast-paced narration and grit of today’s popular street fiction and blend it with yesterday’s styles.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
I was pumping gas one day at a QT on Panola Road, and these biker chicks come rolling up with these colorful vests looking all fly, and everybody at the gas station is like “Whoa.” They parked in perfect formation, stepped off their bikes, took off their helmets, and walked inside with this attitude and swagger that was like “Ya’ll better respect this.” I was speechless, and I think everybody else was too. That’s when I knew that’s what my next book was going to be about. I started researching on the Internet, contacted a few female biker clubs, and the rest is history.

BPM: Introduce us to your book, Biker Club, and the main characters.
Biker Club is about an Atlanta-based motorcycle club called the Divaz on Steel. Alexis Preston, AKA “Jazzy,” is on a voyage of self-discovery after leaving her fiancée and parents behind in Ninety Six, South Carolina, to break a cycle of abuse. After landing a nursing job in Atlanta, she reconnects with her recently divorced cousin Carla, AKA “Pinky,” who takes Jazzy to a biker party and introduces her to the Divaz, and a male biker named Strap. Jazzy doesn’t want to be in a rebound relationship though, and focuses on adjusting to life in the city. After she settles into her new job, her past comes back to haunt her, signaling the beginning of an internal struggle within her conscience. Without giving too much away, I will tell you that Jazzy finds herself at a crossroads and decides to join her cousin’s biker club. From there, the drama that unfolds teaches her that the nickname “Hotlanta” is more than a reputation—it’s a way of life.

BPM: Who were your favorites? Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?
I am definitely attached to Jazzy and Strap because of how their relationship evolves throughout the story, but I also like Carla because of her spunky attitude and determination to become a better mother. There are some minor characters that I like as well, such as Mr. Yocum, which might seem strange because his dialogue is very limited. I also like Tammy and Curvz, because their lesbian relationship is normalized by Curvz’ battle with cancer. I used bits and pieces of real people to develop my characters. I think all writers naturally do this, whether consciously or not. I wanted my characters to be unique, but developed enough for readers to think, “Hey, that’s something I would do,” or “My friend such and such is just like that.”

BPM: What are some of the specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?
I tried to address many issues in Biker Club, because I wanted to take my readers on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Family and love relationships, self-identity, power struggles, social stereotypes, and the search for faith are all dealt with in this novel.

BPM: What was the most powerful chapter in Biker Club?
Chapter Thirty-Nine is very powerful. It takes readers from an emotional high to a gut-wrenching low, and it happens on Valentine’s Day. It took me two months to decide how to approach writing it, and when I finally did, I felt like I became part of the book. Many readers have called or E-mailed me to discuss how they felt when they finished that scene.

BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
I want readers to be thoroughly entertained, feel like they got to know each one of my characters intimately, and learn some life lessons along the way. If it’s as simple as repairing a broken relationship with a family member, then so be it. If it’s having more tolerance for someone from a different culture or lifestyle, then so be it. By giving readers a snapshot of the Atlanta experience, I hope they can see the common threads that bond us all together as human beings, regardless of our racial, political, religious, and social differences.

BPM: How can our readers reach you online?
I can be reached at http://www.kennyblue.com or on http://www.facebook.com. For book club discounts, E-mail me at journeypublish@bellsouth.net.  Single purchases may be completed on my website through PayPal, or through http://www.amazon.com.

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

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Intimate Conversation with Markeise Q. Washington

Born November 21, 1984 in South Philadelphia, PA, Markeise Washington has been writing since he was ten years old. In late 2006 his literary journey began when he started penning his debut novel Entrepreneur . With his mind set on ownership, 5ive Star Publications was born in May 2007. His goal was to cover all genres of fiction as well as children’s literature. Destined and encouraged to do great things Markeise is constantly reminded of the early and unfortunate passing of his biological mother whom is indeed the catalyst to his success. Proactive, determined, thought provoking and intelligent Markeise BPM: Washington will always and forever remind us that Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions .

BPM: Introduce us to your books, Entrepreneur 1 & 2. What genre are the books?
Entrepreneur follows Swift and Block who are best friends. Swift is a college graduate determined to make something of himself in the “real world.” Block is a hustler and a legend in the Philly streets. When Swift realizes that his degree doesn’t guarantee a job, he becomes frustrated. That’s when Block offers him the chance to make money to finance his business ideas. And that’s also when his life changes. Block is incarcerated, and Swift is left to fend for himself. Entrepreneur 2 picks up right where part one left off. I promise it won’t disappoint. As far as the genre, I guess people would classify it as urban fiction. I look at it as pure “fiction.”

BPM: Who were your mentors growing up? How did they shape your life?
My mentors were my parents and my oldest brother Keith. They all had different qualities that I picked up on. I took the good with the bad and applied it to my life.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer?
I think what makes me powerful is my determination and drive. I live for this. I love writing. It isn’t a hobby or a chore. It is something that I have enjoyed for as long as I can remember. My imagination is always working overdrive. I thank God for the creator of the blackberry because it came in handy when I was writing some of my work. I think when you put words on paper and people enjoy it…that’s powerful.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
A couple different things happened. My brother knows a guy that wrote a book and I’m reading it like, “Wow, I can put my thoughts on paper, too.” I knew I was creative and said to myself, “Let me try my hand at this.” Then I had to have an idea or a story, right? Well then I thought about some of the things in my life, and I had a starting point. Then one night I was watching my favorite show, which was The Wire, and I just jumped and went to the computer. The rest is history.

BPM: Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?
You know what, I would like to reach my target audience which are women between the ages of 18 and 35. I also would like to touch people who may not have read my type of book. I’d like to break down a barrier or two.

BPM: How will reading your book shape the readers’ lives?
I think it will offer them a chance to read something entertaining. Not necessarily to shape their lives, but to hopefully give them a getaway from this hectic thing we call life.

BPM: What was the most powerful chapter in the book, Entrepreneur?
I think the most powerful parts are when Swift interacts with his stepmother Camille whom he has a rocky relationship. It is authentic and I think the readers will feel those parts.

BPM: What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?
What makes my book different is while it may have some of the same things as other books, it’s unique. I made sure I put a twist on it meaning injecting humor or family issues. I just wanted to have little things that would stick out. I mean from the way that Swift and Block talk to each other. Down to something like them listening to music that people wouldn’t expect them to listen to. I wanted to write outside the box. I also think Swift is someone people can identify with. He could be your neighbor or your co-worker. I wanted the main characters to be memorable. I think that is what sets books apart from others. A great main character carries a book.

BPM: Share with us your latest news or upcoming book releases.
In addition to Entrepreneur 1 & 2, my company 5ive Star Publications will be putting out several releases. Bruthas by J.L. Whitehead, Through Her Eyes by Krystol, Lady Vicious by Victoria Vanee Anderson, A Father’s Struggle, and the Temptation Of Love by Amore, just to name a few. Also I will start posting short stories via the company website, http://www.5ivestarpublications.com/.

BPM: How can our readers reach you online?
The readers can reach me at mqw@5ivestarpublications.com,  www.twitter.com/authormqw,  www.myspace.com/5ivestarpublications,   and on Facebook. I try to answer all questions as quickly as I can.

http://www.5ivestarpublications.com/
www.twitter.com/authormqw
mqw@5ivestarpublications.com

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

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Black Like Me by Shelia E. Lipsey

Remember the famous slogan, “I’m Black and I’m Proud? I grew up chanting these infamous words as a teenager and through my young adulthood. For me, it meant pride in my race, my color, my nationality. It stood for strength and courage to persevere through some of life’s most difficult times as a black person. It meant having an attitude that would overcome the spirit of segregation, bigotry and racism. Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.

Today, I want to sing at the top of the rafters and proclaim these words again to our youth, to those who don’t know anything about the struggle that were endured so that we can enjoy the opportunities we have today as a people. I want to somehow convince our young men and women that we are unique, divine, and special. We are victors and not victims. What will it take for us to stop black on black crime? What can we who know the struggle, who’ve lived the history of our people, do to help make a difference that will leave an indelible mark on our young people?

When will we learn more about our history and the importance of supporting and encouraging one another? There comes a time when enough is enough. This is the beginning of a new decade. Let us reach out to embrace one another rather than murder and maim each other. It’s time to change from gangs to help each other gain.

We need more James Baldwins in the world today. James Baldwin (Aug. 2, 1924 – Dec. 1, 1987) was a very important American author who wrote about the struggle of being black in America. James was the oldest of nine children and was born into poverty in Harlem, New York.

We need to encourage our youth to use their minds to invent again, like Sarah Goode. Goode invented the folding cabinet bed, a space-saver that folded up against the wall into a cabinet. When folded up, it could be used as a desk, complete with compartments for stationery and writing supplies. Goode owned a furniture store in Chicago, Illinois, and invented the bed for people living in small apartments. Goode’s patent was the first one obtained by an African-American woman inventor (approved on July 14, 1885). http://www.npr.org

We need more youth aspiring to be like Maggie Walker. Maggie Lena Walker (July 15, 1867 – December 15, 1934) was the first woman in the USA to become a local bank president. Throughout her life, Walker worked for civil rights and other humanitarian causes. http://www.npr.org

It’s time for our young people to put down weapons of destruction and began to build mental weapons of knowledge to improve life for themselves and others. We need more great novelists like New Hampshire indentured servant-turned-novelist Harriet Wilson who wrote Our Nig: or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black more than a century ago. Wilson’s work is the first known publication by an African American. http://www.npr.org

The time is now. It’s a new decade. It’s time to make a positive difference. It’s time to bring dreams from the realm of thoughts to the realm of reality. It’s time to become proud of who we are as a people again. With the first Black president in office, and black people holding higher positions and obtaining greatness, there should be a greater sense of urgency to turn things around for the good. It’s time to believe and achieve. It’s time to rise and shine and proudly proclaim that we are Black and Proud. Let me hear you say it. Say it loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud!

Available Now!
My Son’s ex-Wife: The Aftermath
Website: http://www.shelialipsey.com/
Website: http://www.perfectstoriesaboutimperfectpeople.com/

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Intimate Conversations with Kea Taylor

Kea Taylor is the founder of Imagine Photography, a professional photography studio in Washington, DC specializing in special event, portrait and architectural photography. Her work has been featured in the British News and Observer, Black Enterprise, Ebony/Jet, The Source Magazine and various newspapers, book covers and publications.

BPM: How do you feel about the status marriages today?I think that the institution of marriage in the U.S. is truly being threatened. Not just in the Black community, but in every community. I think we are turning into a more misogynistic and narcissistic society than we’ve ever been—and that doesn’t suit marriages well.

But I believe in the power of love! I am committed to promoting love and encouraging love in spite of what anyone else is doing. And I’m encouraged in my line of work because I’m reminded constantly that I’m not alone. There are lots of people that feel the way I do.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person, mate and a writer? Who are your mentors?
What makes me powerful as a person is that I have God in me and I believe that I can do anything God puts on my heart to do if I put my mind to it. I’ve always been that way.

As a mate, I think my power comes from my faith and my open-ness to change and genuine desire to want to be a better person and pleasing to God and my husband.  As I writer, I think I’m most powerful when I’m being honest. I think that’s when I have the most power to inspire and truly touch other people.

My mentors, as photographers, are my photographer friends—local photographers in the Washington area. As a self-published writer, Trice Hickman (who is one of my clients) has helped and inspired me tremendously.

I’m sad to say that I don’t really have many mentors, in the traditional sense of having an ongoing relationship with someone for the sole purpose of helping me develop my skills. There are many photographers that I have admired from afar for different reasons…James VanDerZee, Addison Scurlock, Gordon Parks, Kwaku Alston, Sharon Farmer, Carrie Mae Weems, Annie Leibowitz, Henri Cartier Bresson. I’ve also learned from other photographers and people that I’ve worked for. My former boss from my “past life” working in the world of finance, Michael Hodge was a great mentor for me in terms of teaching me how to carry myself professionally. There are countless older women that I admire and attempt to emulate with respect to their class, femininity, strength and humility. But I would have to say that my only long-term mentors have been the women in my family. My mother, Cynthia Prather…my grandmothers, aunts and cousins who always possessed those traits I mentioned above.

BPM: Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…
My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…proof of a legacy of commitment to family, community, mutual respect and love.

BPM: Introduce us to your book, I Still Do, and the message created with photos.
It’s truly a pleasure to introduce my book, “I Still Do – A Celebration of African-American Weddings”. This book gives the reader a rare opportunity to see Black love in the new millennium through my eyes as a professional wedding photographer. It’s a keepsake, coffee-table book of the most inspiring moments, images and couples from my nearly ten years capturing African-American weddings that truly speaks to that place in all of us that needs to be reminded that Black love still exists.

The photos in the book are so powerful that I couldn’t begin to put into words the message they convey. The images truly transcend, inspire and demonstrate the beauty of Black love and that despite seemingly insurmountable odds, we are still falling in love and getting married.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
Well really, I would have to say it was a series of prompts. I believe when God wants you to do something, you start getting these hints…they start out small and just get bigger and harder to ignore. So there were a series of prompts, but perhaps the largest was during now-President Obama’s campaign when images of he and First Lady Obama started popping up all over the media and they looked so genuinely in love. People were forwarding these images to me almost daily, sharing how nice it was to see a Black couple in love. I was amazed that their images seemed to have such a transformative power. It was painfully clear to me after the ninth or tenth email that we, as Black people, have been bombarded with depressing images and messages about the state of our relationships for so long, we were just starving to see that there was at least one happy Black couple in the world somewhere.

And don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the images. (I mean, the Obama’s are an undeniably a handsome couple and they clearly share mutual respect and tenderness for each other—and we knew their story). But these images were nothing particularly new to me because as a photographer that shoots weddings, I see Black people in love all the time. But I had an “aha moment” and realized, that my experience seeing Black people in love is actually quite rare. And it really got me thinking how blessed I am to be exposed to such beauty on a regular basis and how it positively shapes my view of the world and my own marriage.

So ultimately, I wrote the book because I really wanted to share the beauty that I see in our people and inspire Black people to continue to believe in love.

BPM: Take us inside the book, I Still Do. What are two major events taking place?
There are two wonderful things going on simultaneously in the book. You have these stunningly beautiful, romantic, truly heartwarming images of Black couples in love and getting married all over the world. And Ms. Curry, images are powerful. They effect you viscerally in ways you can’t imagine or control. So without reading one word, anyone that picks up the book will feel the excitement, happiness, pride, anticipation and sheer joy that each of these couples and their families felt on their wedding day.

But opposite these powerful images, are candid interviews with some of my most inspiring couples. And they are so honest and real, they’re really refreshing and funny and they truly ground the book, making the images even more real. You start to actually put stories behind the images. You hear couples talking about how they couldn’t afford their wedding ceremony but wanted to get married so bad, they secretly eloped until they could save up for an actual ceremony…women being honest about how they didn’t want to date their husband initially because he was too young or didn’t have a college degree. They talk about the fights they had in the first years of their marriage over not answering the cell phone, growing up in a female-dominated household, feeling guilty about not being able to cook.

But what’s most inspiring, I think, is that each of them shares how they’re overcoming and learning to love in spite of the challenges. And that makes the pictures even more meaningful.

BPM: Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?
The very first page of the book is the dedication page and it reads, “For little brown girls everywhere who have never seen themselves in love.”

I meant that dedication literally and figuratively. This book is for women of color of all ages. For the young women of color who have been raised on a misogynistic diet of music videos, reality shows, and don’t have examples of a successful marriage in their circle of life – I just wanted to present an alternative. For new brides and married women, I wanted to show how beautiful we can be when we just smile, humble ourselves and commit the act of loving and being loved. I can’t think of anything more powerful in our community than a Black woman with a genuine smile that radiates love. For the older women who may married or want to pass on the values of commitment and family to their children – I wanted to provide a piece that they could pass on to their children and grandchildren/nieces and nephews without preaching.

Most importantly though, I want this book to speak to the little girl in every woman and remind them that in spite of the negative statistics and seemingly insurmountable odds, that Black people still are falling in love and getting married.

At the risk of complicating this answer too much, I think it’s important to point out that I was very careful not to imply that marriage is for everyone (a theme mentioned multiple times in the book), because I think it’s cruel to indoctrinate little Black girls with the vision of their Black prince coming to rescue them because statistics do show that that may not happen. But I also think it’s equally as cruel to deny our little girls the right to have that dream. A minute percentage of our little boys will become professional basketball players, but we don’t stop them from dreaming. For many little girls, their dream of being married will still come true.

BPM: What are some of their specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?
For a coffee table book, we really touch on some profound and, I think, common and universally challenging issues for Black women. The importance of communication, personal responsibility, professional and income disparity between couples, defining relationships, sexual promiscuity before marriage…are all discussed in the couples’ interviews.

BPM: What was the most powerful chapter in the book?
I think each chapter will resonate more powerfully to different readers because every Black woman will see herself in at least one of the interviews. But if I had to choose, I would say the last chapter is the most powerful and it’s called, “Completing the Circle.” It’s an interview with a couple that just encompasses so much. The groom had seen six divorces between his parents, the bride grew up in a single family home, but this couple talks about how, in each other, they found someone with a shared purpose. And that purpose was ending the dysfunctional cycles in their family…of failed relationships, uncompleted education, lack of financial planning…So years later, they’ve committed to staying married no matter what, they’ve both completed graduate degrees, they started an asset acquisition company together called NexGen, LLC (for Next Generation) and they have a beautiful son with possibly another on the way. Their story alone demonstrates how powerful we are when we commit to seeking and following our purpose and richly successful and fulfilling it can be when we decide to do it with a partner.

BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
I just want people to be inspired to love. I want to remind people that Black love is still alive.

BPM: What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?
Well I think whenever we hear about Black marriages these days, we usually are discussing how few people are getting married or trying to identify who to blame for why that is so. This book is markedly different. There are over 300 images of undeniably happy, married Black couples. As one of my readers wrote me, “The whole concept of Black love is nothing new to us, but you’ve so eloquently captured it in a way I have never seen.”

It’s also different from other wedding idea books, guides or magazines because when we’re normally featured in those publications, we are marginal. We’re thrown in to add a little color. It’ll be us and an Indian couple. And they write as though jumping the broom is the only tradition African-Americans celebrate. My book will tell you the history of the Electric Slide and the Soul Train line to the Yoruba tasting ceremony and the symbolism of cowry shells in your bouquet.

BPM: How can our readers reach you online?
Please drop me an email and let me know what you think about the book at: kea@istilldoweddings.com  or check out the website for the book at: http://www.istilldoweddings.com/.  Send me a tweet. I’m @ ImaginePhotog

Kea Taylor, Imagine Photography
Web: http://www.imaginephotographyonline.com/

Know anyone getting married? We love weddings! Check out our new site just for weddings…

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

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Poem: What Matters Is Love by Doris Washington

Remember when you feel at times there’s no love, always ask yourself am I carrying love in my heart. What am I doing to help someone? As we take a look inside our own heart, then as we spread it to the next person we are helping the world be a better place. For with love we make a difference, even a small gesture we make a difference in someone’s life.

Spread the love no matter how big or small. For what matters is Love. I have a poem I thought I would share with you. I hope you will enjoy. This poem is titled What Matters Is Love. This poem is also from my book Faith, Hope & Love. And please share this poem with others.

God Bless,
Doris Washington

What Matters Is Love
(Excerpt from Faith, Hope & Love Poems of Inspiration from Doris Washington)

What matters is what’s in your heart.
For it’s all about Love.
Just to keep it with you always.
To see with compassion, mercy,
Tolerance and understanding.
For it’s all about Love.

What matters is to be ready to forgive,
Even when the heart is tired and weary,
And to stand no matter your trails, no matter your
Circumstance, no matter your position with the Grace of God.
For it’s all about Love.

What matters is to know the respect you give to others,
Will also come back to you.
And to pray at all times, even if you feel there’s no
Love around.
For it’s all about Love.

What matters is giving always with a humble heart,
Placing less value on things,
And more value into helping others.
For it’s all about Love.

Yes!

What matters is what’s in your heart.
For it’s all about Love!

What Matters Is Love  copyright (c) Doris Washington, April 2008. All rights reserved.
Email: Djeanw831@aol.com;   Web Site: http://www.poetdoriswashington.com/

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

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Many Doors To Open by Doris Washington

Sometimes the Lord closes doors,
So another door opens.
Sometimes it’s a test of your faith
In Him to know
He has greater things in store for- You.

And when you find your dreams are deferred
That’s the time to believe in them even more.
Always go forward with Faith that no matter
What happens there’s a reason for it.

A closed door can be an open door
To where you are to go.
Only He can shut doors that no one can open.
Only He can open doors that no one can close.

For as you trust in Him
You’ll find there’re
Many Doors To Open

Many Doors To Open copyright (c) Doris Washington, January 2010. All rights reserved.
Email: Djeanw831@aol.com;   Web Site: http://www.poetdoriswashington.com/

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

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A Godly Marriage by Arnita L. Fields

God gave man an awesome role to cover his wife and to band around his home.
The husband’s presence in the home, lets the whole world know that he takes
his position seriously, and that God has given him control.

His wife respects and praises him and neither are ashamed.
There’s total peace in their home and no shifting of any blame.

The husband loves his wife and cherishes her with all of his heart.
He teaches his children God’s statures to give them a godly start.

He is the priest of the home and a good provider too.
He manages his affairs with integrity, as a Godly man should do.

The husband does not allow outside forces to come in to disrupt his home.
Even with small concerns he does not try to handle them alone.

He and his wife share and are honest from their start.
They open up their extra baggage and also the doors to their very hearts.

Their marriage is a success as Godly marriages should be.
With obedience, faith and their special love with God the Father

Poems taken from the book, “And the Beat Goes On, Includes Poems from a Restored Marriage” Copies can be purchased from the following websites.  Purchases books at  www.amazon.com  and  www.barnesandnoble.com 

Arnita L. Fields, a woman after God’s own heart, has been blessed with the opportunity to write and publish four books of Christian poetry to date. She is currently working on her first novel and a new poetry collection which both will be released late 2010.

Because of her passion and desire to see marriages operating in God’s divine order, Arnita has returned to school to get a degree in Psychology and Marriage Counseling so she will be better equipped to help couples move past the hindrances that seek to destroy marriages today.

To contact Arnita you may email her at arnitafields@yahoo.com  or you may reach her on her Face book, Twitter and My Space pages.

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

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Book: Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young

Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young

Listen to the reading from this book, here.

What happens when a straight-laced L.A. lawyer falls for a bad boy disguised as a good guy? Find out in Buying Time.

Pamela Samuels Young’s newest legal thriller is a scandalous tale of blackmail, murder and betrayal, evoking John Grisham with a sister’s twist! Recently disbarred attorney Waverly Sloan is unwittingly drawn into a financial scheme targeting people who are terminally ill.

When Waverly’s clients start dying sooner than they should, federal prosecutor Angela Evans is determined to bring him down. Before she can, it’s Angela’s life that begins to unravel.

Enter Dre, an unassuming guy with a dark, dangerous side who comes to Angela’s rescue. The lives of all three characters—Waverly, Angela and Dre—intersect, and soon, they’re on the run . . . forced to rely on each other if they’re going to survive.

Visit Pamela online at www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com  to read an excerpt of Buying Time.

Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young
ISBN 13: 9780981562711

Pick up a copy today at Amazon
http://tinyurl.com/buyingtimeamazon

 
About Pamela Samuels Young

Pamela Samuels Young is a Los Angeles attorney and the author of four legal thrillers. Her most recent release, Buying Time, won the 2010 Fiction Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, which called the book a captivating, suspenseful thriller. A former journalist, Pamela is the Fiction Expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. To invite Pamela to your book club meeting or event, visit her website at http://www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com/.
 
 
 
 
 

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Book: Wretched Saints by Marc Lacy

Wretched Saints
by Marc Lacy and Assuanta Fay Howard

Listen to reading from this book, here.

Between these covers may be your spark to eternal life or a ticket to everlasting confusion…depending on how you look at it. For we all have the greatest intentions at heart regardless of whatever we may desire to accomplish. Our faith provides energy and focus during the lifelong scamper down the path of righteousness. However, one thing that poses the greatest challenge is the fact that no human being can escape being human… til death do us part. Temptation lies behind each exit off of Heaven s highways. Detours become more alluring as construction takes place within the most crucial times of our lives – in turn, potentially providing a next day delivery service to hell s doorstep.

Wretched Saints provides a literary window through which we may possibly see traits of ourselves within one or more of the characters as they learn the hard way to listen when God is talking. Thus His signal, when digested properly allows suppression of sinful urges opening up the door, for spiritual growth. Are you a Wretched Saint?

Open the covers…and see. Of course our desire is to walk within The Kingdom’s Neighborhood, but it can be very difficult leaving the alluring amenities of home. We have the protocol down pat; especially when others can witness us witnessing. However, when backs are turned and the sun has set, the righteous hotness of the self-proclaimed saint can suddenly turn lukewarm. Although the tongue can no longer house rationalizations, we still find a way to verbally cover spiritual deficits…thus casting us further into a pit of unrighteous debt surrounded by several unused shovels.

» Review by Books2Mention Magazine “Editor” (www.Books2Mention.com)

“…A gripping compilation of spiritual short stories that exposes life’s pitfalls into a perpetual abyss of turmoil.”

“Wretched Saints is a reality check that brings to life many trials and tribulations that people face, that demonstrates how one bad decision can lead to a path of destruction.”

“It is a gripping compilation of spiritual short stories that exposes life’s pitfalls into a perpetual abyss of turmoil, that can only be alleviated through a sincere willingness to repent and honestly seek help from God.”

“This amazing read provokes deep thought and reflection. Encouraging readers to objectively evaluate their lives and make the ultimate decision to overcome spiritual deficits and embrace the journey of spiritual growth.”

“Marc Lacy and Assuanta Fay Howard have penned a powerful read that dares to challenge its readers to pose the question…Are You A Wretched Saint? Open the covers and see.”

About the Authors
Marc Lacy, a graduate of Alabama A&M University is a nationally renown, award winning poet/author and spoken word artist. He has performed all of over the country for many national literary events and spoken word venues. Marc is the author of Rock & Fire – Love Poetry from The Core, and The Looking Heart – Poetic Expressions from Within. He is also the producer of REFlux, RTIQLation, and LyriCode 256 spoken word CDs. Marc is the contributor to many anthologies such as: The Soul of a Man, Step up to The Mic, and Witness the Truth. He is the co-host of Essence Best Selling Author Donna Hill s, The Donna Hill Blogtalkradio show which airs weekly. Marc is a member of ArtNSoul Society of Expression, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Church Street CPCA, Huntsville Literary Association, and National Society of Black Engineers. He credits his faith in God and love of family for providing energy to succeed. Checkout marclacy.com, myspace.com/mlacy, and facebook.com/marclacy.

Assuanta Howard was born and raised in New York City. She is the proud founder of Asta Publications, LLC, a mainstream and self-publishing company and Asta Public Relations Services, a public relations firm that focuses on brand management and marketing campaigns for literary professionals. Howard holds a Master of Science degree in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Early Childhood Education from the College of New Rochelle. Howard is also an active board member of the Fulton County Workforce Investment Board and serves as the co-chair of the Quality Assurance Taskforce. Assuanta Howard currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her youngest daughter.

ISBN-10: 0974971235
ISBN-13: 978-0974971230

Buy Now: http://www.amazon.com/Wretched-Saints-Marc-Lacy/dp/0974971235

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Book: Ultimate Moment No Regrets by Tamika Newhouse

The Ultimate Moment No Regrets
by Tamika Newhouse

Listen to reading from this book, here.

The famed characters from The Ultimate NO NO are back and are still searching for love. The scam Nitrah and Dahlia created was just the beginning of their heartaches. Now time has passed and the ladies are back for round two.

Nitrah has decided to move on with her life and even took a new step in her career, but as soon as she moves on Troy comes back to Fort Worth. Not only does Nitrah face Troy, she also will face the past when Michael is back to start a committed relationship with her. She is now torn between the two, and you want believe who she chooses.

Jazzaray and Tim are now married. But aren’t you suppose to be living the happily ever after. Well that isn t the case when Jazzaray and Tim both face so many turmoil s that they will be tested in some of the most difficult ways. Now, Monica who turns out to be a predator for married men will make it her mission to make Tim all hers. Will Tim and Jazzaray s relationship survive or did they jump the broom too soon.

Finally, will Dahlia find true love with the man who got away? Can she finally let go of the past with Troy. Things for her becomes worse before it gets better and as you expect for her to finally get her prince charming, her life takes a unexpected twist that you will be shocked to see how it all ends. Are all her sister s secrets really out of the closet? Can these women finally find true love and stop playing with people s hearts. They will all come face to face with their problems in their final Moments, and in the end they must make a choice and having No Regrets in the end. It s now or never!!   ISBN 978-0982145524

Meet the Author
Tamika Newhouse is the Best Selling author of The Ultimate No No. She is also known as the creator and President of African Americans on the Move Book Club, which is an online book club catering to avid readers across the nation. In March 2009 Tamika was announced the Women of the Year by Alive Magazine. As well as the African American Literary Awards awarded her as Self Published Author of the Year in less then a year after the release of her first novel.

She is currently the CEO of Delphine Publications and has the vision of building a powerful company. She can be heard on the syndicated AAMBC Radio, where she interviews new and seasoned authors. The show showcases many of the author’s talents and their current projects.

Tamika created the national tour group called Literary Sistah’s, where she and authors tour all over the nation. She is currently living in San Antonio with her husband son, and daughter. She released her second book The Ultimate Moment No Regrets in September 2009 and is currently working on her third novel Cookie: A Fort Worth Story. She plans to release her fourth novel Will Love Ever Know Me in the Spring 2011. Website: http://www.tamikewnouse.com/

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Book: Pleasure Principles by Lesley Hal

Pleasure Principles by Lesley Hal
Listen to reading from this book, here.

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.

Editorial Reviews

Erotic, intense, and extremely satisfying, Lesley E. Hal’s writing never disappoints and always delivers!
— Zane New York Times bestselling author

In reference to Lesley E. Hal’s first book Blind Temptations: the details are juicy, the storyline is engaging and the drama is scandalous.
—- Reviewed by Nedine of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewer

Leslie Hal has built a very scandalous drama that draws the reader in and keeps them there till the very end. Ms Hal planted the seeds of her characters and took the time to cultivate their personalities while the drama escalated around them.
—- Locksie ARC BOOK Club Inc.

ISBN-10: 0977865525
ISBN-13: 978-0977865529

» Buy now:
http://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Principles-Lesley-E-Hal/dp/0977865525

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Book: Chameleon by JA Adams

Chameleon by JA Adams
Listen to the reading from this book, here.

Chameleon, suited for readers from young adult and beyond, is the ideal book for those who enjoy novels that keeps them on the edge of their seats and where the ending can not be predicted until the last sentence is read. Chameleon is a book that must be read from beginning to end. Readers, although tempted, will find themselves unable to skip chapters to quickly get to the end.

Chameleon is an intriguing story of true love, deceit, passion, and the bond of family. Covering a span of three years (1975 to 1978), the novel opens at fictitious Welington University located in Northeast North Carolina. The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of unconditional love between man and woman, as well as family. With ties to Creole culture, the story unfolds with the reader being introduced to the silent codes of family honor rooted deep within the African-American family. The characters experience real to life situations where spur of the moment decisions effect their lives and the lives of those they love forever.

Diane Lorraine Darhling, the heroine, finds herself on a runaway roller coaster of emotions being desired by two handsome young men. Their unrelenting desire for her is felt to the depths of the soul but for reasons on both ends of the spectrum. Diane, smart, intelligent, beautiful and heir to the multi-million dollar Darhling fortune, finds herself a victim symbolically trapped in a birdcage without a key. Finding sanctuary through the love of family, she emerges from victim to survivor.

Jimmy Ray Dupree, the villain, a struggling young man from the other side of the tracks, sees Diane as his ticket out of “po’ folksville”. Unknowingly to Diane, Jimmy stalks her for years before taking her out for a hamburger the fall of 1975. Conniving and deceitful, Jimmy Dupree grovels his way into Diane’s life. Nicknaming his scheme, “Operation Diane”, he has a plan and the means to carry it out, not caring who gets hurt along the way in his climb to the top. His family, for generations has dealt on the darker side of immorality. Jimmy, is no different.

Then there is Jerrell Ellison, Diane’s first love, and the young successful debonair millionaire from Atlanta. His love for Diane is unconditional. He carries a torch for Diane, the true love of his life. The glow from that torch, buried deeply within the depths of Diane’s soul, lies idle awaiting. In 1977, their paths cross again for only a brief period in which time stands still for one night in time. True love’s torch ignites as a new heir to the Darhling fortune is conceived. Then, Diane’s confused state of mind interferes and the glow buried within her heart is snuffed to all but a small cinder.

Diane and Jerrell both become victims and then survivors of psychotic manipulation at the hands of the chameleon. Through the love of family and the close bond of sisterhood, Diane makes the difficult psychological journey beyond the grasp of the chameleon. With a surprise ending, Chameleon is guaranteed to keep the reader fully engaged to the very last word.

About Author JA Adams
JA Adams, author of three psychological suspense/thriller novels, uses personal and professional experiences to bring awareness to psychological issues that affect our relationships. For 30 years, Adams has worked with traumatized victims of violence and crime. Adams’ experience, paired with her writings, allude to healing the spirit and soul of victims.

In 1993, Adams decided to marry her cause with her passion for writing, beginning with contributions to the teacher modular curriculum, Responding to Violence in the Lives of Young Children, at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University), Educare Training Institute.

Adams currently resides outside of Austin, Texas. She continues to write and volunteers with numerous organization bringing awareness to teen dating violence and women issues, as well as, advocating against intimate partner and family violence. Such organizations include Any Baby Can, the Ortralla Foundation, and Recovery Ministry at  Gateway Church. Moreover, she regularly speaks and mentors women using her life as proof that one can find love again after trauma.

» Chameleon by JA Adams

ISBN-10: 097620052X
ISBN-13: 978-0976200529
Genre: Psychological Thriller
http://www.jaadamsauthor.com/
jaadamsauthor@yahoo.com

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Book: Journey to Surrender by Hazel Mills

Journey to Surrender by Hazel Mills

Ahmad and Nikki Jacobs are the picture perfect couple. They began their love affair as college sweethearts. Now, they are married, live in the biggest and most beautiful home on their street, and drive the finest cars money can buy. Ahmad is the most successful attorney in the state and Nikki gave up her career as a teacher to become a stay at home mom; raising her daughters and lunching with her girlfriends several times a week.

But what appears to be picture perfect from the outside of this three- story brownstone is very different from the real drama that is happening on the inside. Nikki’s painful past and Ahmad’s irresponsible behavior has led them down a road that has takes many tragic turns. Shannon, Nikki’s younger sister, has her own plans for Ahmad. Lies, deception and murder all take their toll on this already struggling marriage. Can this couple get to a loving and trusting place in their relationship or has the collateral damage ruined it for life?

Listen to the reading from the book now.
ISBN-10: 0977939898
ISBN-13: 978-0977939893

Buy Now: http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Surrender-Hazel-Mills/dp/0977939898

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