#PowerRead: The Promised Land by Sherryle Kiser Jackson

Eighteen months into their marriage and ministry, Will and Rebecca Donovan are now faced with new challenges. Recession, sickness and stagnation hit the Grace Apostle Methodist church in a major way. With crippling doubt in his ability to lead his church community through this crisis, Will finds it hard to aid or even bring hope to his congregation when there is little hope in obtaining the one thing he desires most.  He’s left to walk the thin line between hanging in there and hanging it all up.

There is no place to hide when the truth comes looking for Rebecca. She wrestles with infertility and the best time to reveal it to her husband. Her plans to be Super First Lady in an attempt to silence her husband’s cries for an offspring are thwarted when answers to the questions that have haunted her from childhood overtake her. Passions are ignited as old grudges with longtime rivals are dredged up and exhausted, but can they be laid to rest?

Can Will and Rebecca find what they need in one another when the Promised Land seems just beyond their grasp?

Purchase the Print Edition
https://www.amazon.com/Promised-Land-Sherryle-Kiser-Jackson/dp/1530256194

The Promised Land is the third stand-alone installment of the Land of Promiscuity series. Secrets, indiscretions and a crazy twist of unrequited love have taken these two best friends from promiscuity to promise in the first two installments. In The Promised Land they find the path is not a utopian road paved with gold.

Watch a dramatic excerpt from my novel, The Promised Land. Scar Tissue is the inevitable conversation between a husband and wife about secrets of the past. Go here:  https://youtu.be/zgsCicpYqLA

The Promised Land Book Reviews

One of the things I appreciate most about Sherryle Kiser Jackson’s work is her authentic portrayal of real people living out real faith, flaws and all. As an avid reader, particularly of inspirational fiction, I actively seek out great stories about characters I relate to and grow to care about. It’s an added bonus when I also come away with a thing or two I can use in my own life. Few authors accomplish this the way Sherryle does. In The Promised Land we see parts of ourselves and the people we know in the characters. We locate our own lives within their story and we receive a message of hope as well. If you are in the market for a compelling story, then The Promised Land is an excellent choice.
— Isunji Cardoso, Author of “Faith Lifts: 31 Daily Boosts for Sagging Faith”

In The Promise Land, Sherryle Kiser Jackson illustrates the true meaning of spiritual growth, forgiveness and redemption.  As a Pastor and First Lady live out his sermons, they face their own mistakes, weaknesses and doubts on the way to God’s revelation of their own “Promised Land.”  Ms. Kiser-Jackson wraps faith and deliverance in realistic, imperfect characters in a writing style that holds a mirror to our souls; Giving the reader hope in the power of divine restoration and grace.
— Norma L. Jarrett, Essence Bestselling Author of The Sunday Brunch Series, Sweet Magnolia and other novels

 

A Letter for My Mother by Nina Foxx

A Letter for My Mother
by Nina Foxx

Whether they’re from the US, Caribbean, India, or the UK, all of the contributors to A Letter for My Mother share one thing in common: thoughts that have been left unsaid to their mothers and mother figures—until now. In this moving book, thirty-three women reveal the stories, reflections, confessions, and revelations they’ve kept to themselves for years and have finally put into words. Written through tears and pain, as well as joy and laughter, each offering presents the mother-daughter bond in a different light.

Heartfelt and deeply meaningful, A Letter for My Mother will inspire you to admire and cherish that special relationship that shapes every woman.

Excerpt from A Letter for My Mother 

My ex-husband’s mother was dying. During the time I was married to him, our relationship had been at best, tenuous. I married her oldest son and she never forgave me for that, or at least it seemed that way in my head. I couldn’t seem to understand some of her ways and she couldn’t understand mine. I was from a different place than she and my life was different than both hers and that of her daughters. At times, she seemed to resent me for that. Some days, she went from insulting me, my family, my upbringing and lifestyle in one sentence to embracing me and trying to nurture me, all in the space of a twelve-hour period. It was infuriating. I retaliated, resisted, rebelled and refused to accept. I’d already had a mother. She’d died when I was six, and no one could replace her. Various female members of my biological family had given me all the mothering I thought I would need so I saw no need to accept any from a stranger.

Over the years, our relationship changed and softened, especially after the children came, but I’ll admit I was never comfortable with her. When I divorced her son, I thought I was walking away from her family too and struggled with the link that lay between us and the desire to do the right thing. I was more compelled to stay in contact with family than my ex-husband was, but didn’t want to overstep my bounds by staying in touch with his family for my children. Divorce was a relationship quagmire I had a hard time negotiating. I wanted my children to know and love their family, all of it, but I didn’t want to be the uncomfortable bridge that made that happen. My mother-in-law didn’t care what I felt. She was always going to be here, and though my last name had changed, she still offered her opinion, advice and whatever else she felt like when we spoke, making me still more uncomfortable.

I knew she was ill, but I still felt as if I’d been knocked off my feet when I received the call that she was dying. Tears and confusion flooded my brain. At first, I couldn’t understand why I was not emotionless. My sister, the main mother figure in my life, explained my reaction to me and encouraged me to tell my mother-in-law what I had to say to her before I no longer could. She assured me that even though I was unwilling to admit it, I was close to this woman and couldn’t avoid being unnerved. We had developed a relationship over the years. My sister encouraged me to write down what I wanted to say to the woman before she died if I was unable to speak the words. The result was the letter that led to this book.

As I wrote, I realized that although she and I were very different, my mother-in-law had been mothering me all along and didn’t care whether I wanted to accept it or not. Because I had been raised to do the right thing, I started out treating her with respect, and even though my respect was peppered with defiance, it didn’t stop me from loving her. Over time, I treated her with respect not because I was supposed to, but because I had come to respect her.

I finished my letter and my mother-in-law died three hours later. I was as devastated as if she had given birth to me, but I did feel some relief that I had said to the universe the things I wanted to say but hadn’t been able to for the fifteen years our families had been linked by my marriage to her son. In writing my letter, I discovered that I had been so stressed by our relationship because I wasn’t open to mothering and mother-wisdom of the kind that we receive from the more seasoned members of the female community. I don’t know why this was. Perhaps it was because my own wound from losing my mother so young had not yet healed, some thirty-plus years later. I read my letter over and over, and as I did, it occurred to me that I was not alone.

As females, we have a way of nurturing others, usually children and men, but we are often reluctant to nurture and share with each other. As young women, we are often mean girls (or the victims of them). We might make a few close friends as young adults, but throughout our lives, many of us are very slow to let new women in. Rather than embrace each other, we push away. We argue with and resent our mothers, and more often than not, fall prey to the idea that our mothers-in-law and stepmothers, all “outside women,” are evil rather than a source of support or knowledge. As we do so, we miss our lessons until finally we only see them in hindsight.

I invited other women to write a letter to a mother in their lives, someone who guided them when they didn’t want to be guided and perhaps someone they’d never thanked. In the letter, they were to tell them what they wanted them to know. The recipient of the letter needn’t be alive or biologically related, just someone to whom they had things to say to but lacked courage or foresight to be able to say those things, a thank you. Many of the writers I asked to participate agreed to do so right away. What I hadn’t counted on though were those authors that were my friends who would refuse to participate. They had no issue with the concept.

Instead, their reluctance was based on where they were in their own personal journeys with the mother figures in their lives. Some were not able to say anything positive so chose to say nothing. Others had no idea what they would say or they hadn’t worked through their feelings about that mother-daughter relationship yet and they feared the experience would be too painful for them. There are emotional wounds that only another woman can inflict on you, and theirs had not yet begun to crust over. I received many calls and notes from those who did choose to participate, often filled with apprehension and tears.

This task I was asking of them was harder than any of us had imagined, yet those who got through it reported experiencing a catharsis they had never counted on. The relationship that was closest to us proved to be the hardest to be honest about and the hardest to resolve. Writing these letters, love letters to our mothers, forced us to let go of the anger that had hung around our necks for years and let it float away from us. We had to give the bad memories to the universe and embrace the good and how that had shaped us into adulthood.

While I read the submissions, my love and respect for these women grew exponentially. I’d asked them to participate because I respected them and where they were in their craft and professional lives. I challenged them to look beyond the ordinary and find something positive in their relationship with their mothers. This proved to be harder for some than others, but once I was given a glimpse of their journeys and the women that had helped to shape them, they were all much bigger in my eyes. This process was like therapy for many of us, and as we navigated the murkiness of our childhoods, our paths through our womanhoods became that much clearer.

Charlenne T. Greer died on a Friday in May, 2012.  Cigarettes killed her. She was not my mother or even related by blood.  Still, I am thankful for her lessons.

A Letter for My Mother by Nina Foxx
Genre: Creative Non-fiction

Meet the Author
Nina Foxx is an award-winning filmmaker, playwright, and novelist. She writes as both Nina Foxx and Cynnamon Foster. Her work has appeared on numerous bestseller lists around the country, and her films have won awards at the Sundance Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes, and the Rome International Film Festival. Originally from Jamaica, New York, she lives with her family near Seattle, Washington, where she works in Human-Computer interaction for a major software company. Nina is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, The Links and Jack & Jill of America. Visit her at http://www.ninafoxx.com or her blog at ninafoxx.blogspot.com

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Intimate Conversations with Nina Foxx

 

A Letter for My Mother and Momma: Gone A Personal Story

Nina Foxx is an award-winning filmmaker, playwright, and novelist. She writes as both Nina Foxx and Cynnamon Foster. Her work has appeared on numerous bestseller lists around the country, and her films have won awards at the Sundance Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes, and the Rome International Film Festival.

Originally from Jamaica, New York, she lives with her family near Seattle, Washington, where she works in Human-Computer interaction for a major software company. Nina is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, The Links and Jack & Jill of America. Visit her at http://www.ninafoxx.com or her blog at ninafoxx.blogspot.com

BPM: What drove you to sit down and actually start writing this book, A Letter for My Mother?
A year or so ago, I got a call that the woman who used to be my mother in law was dying. We hadn’t had a good relationship, but I was surprised because the news was very upsetting to me. I was across the country and couldn’t go to where she was encouraged by my sister to write a letter to her and tell her what I wanted to say. The idea was that someone who was there with her could share the letter with her.

After I was done, I thought I would blog it or try to have it published in a magazine. My agent suggested that I write this as an anthology instead; so many woman have interesting relationships with their mothers, mother figures and other women in their lives. So I asked my writer and filmmaker friends to contribute to what is now this book. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be for so many people. People caled me crying and struggling through. Others just couldn’t do it so they refused to be in the project. They weren’t ready to face whatever issues they had with their mother-figure. They are people who had things to say but chose to write under pseudonym to conceal their identities. Everyone that participated said the process was cathartic for them and the result are some amazing pieces.

BPM: Introduce us to your current work, A Letter for My Mother.  
A Letter for My Mother is creative non-fiction and essays. It is available where ever books are sold and in all digital formats.

BPM: What topics are primarily discussed? Did you learn anything from writing your book?
Every woman that participated wrote a letter and a short essay, to their mother or mother figure. They had to tell them something that they either never had the chance to, or something they coudlnt’ tell them before. My only requirement was that they had to focus on the positive that they had gained from the relationship with this person. My own mother died when I was a child, and I didn’t think I felt any way about that anymore. After I helped each person write their piece, I realized I had something to say to my own mother and sister. That is the last letter in the book.

BPM: What are your expectations for this book, A Letter for My Mother? What would you like for readers to do after reading this book?
After reading this, I would hope that readers tell a woman they love something they have given them; thank them for whatever that is. I also have related film project in my head.

Discussing Momma: Gone A Personal Story

BPM: What inspired you to write this book, Momma: Gone A Personal Story?
I started writing this many years ago. I think it is actually the first thing I ever tried to write. I had a memory of going to a bar with my mother and wanted to put it on paper. She died before I was seven, so it was very hazy, but more things unfolded from my memory.

BPM: Is this a true story, Momma: Gone A Personal Story?
Absolutely. This book is based on my childhood. It is embellished, of course. Sweetie (main character) had a story that needed to be told.

BPM: Introduce us to Momma: Gone A Personal Story.
Well, this book is literary fiction. If I’d had more courage, I would have written it as Creative non-fiction. This is a story about family and heartbreak as much as it is about loss and recovery. More truth than not, Momma: Gone is a story of survival, where all the lessons are taught by the child who must eventually lead them through and a classic American story of overcoming life’s misfortunes to find the bloom on the other side.

BPM: Tell us about your main characters. What makes them so special?
Sweetie is seven years old when this story begins. She is a precocious child that is very much aware of the things that are going on around her, even though the adults never tell her what is going on. She is aware of her mother’s illness and the effect it has on the family.

“Momma set me on the jukebox.” So begins the personal story of Denise (Sweetie) Wooten, set between a post-civil rights era New York City and a growing, but stale rural Alabama. We are thrust in the midst of a family longing for normalcy, but instead struggling with illness and all that comes with it; denial, anger and misunderstanding and love. As cultures clash, we see the family through a child’s eyes and walk with her as she makes sense of war fought far away, but with effects close to home, and a tragedy that changes her life forever.

More truth than not, Momma: Gone is a story of survival, where all the lessons are taught by the child who must eventually lead them through and a classic American story of overcoming life s misfortunes to find the bloom on the other side. -Momma: Gone A Personal Story was shortlisted for a Doctorow Award in Innovative Fiction.

BPM: What are your goals for your writing career?
Momma: Gone is my 15th book. I just want to continue to tell good stories and make a few good movies.

BPM: What would you like for readers to do after reading Momma: Gone A Personal Story?
I want people to feel along with the main character as she grows, then go out and tell someone about it.

Nina’s website: http://www.ninafoxx.com 
Blogging: http://ninafoxx.blogspot.com
Like and follow on Twitter: @ninafoxx

A Letter for My Mother by Nina Foxx
Genre: Creative Non-fiction
Link: http://amzn.com/1593095325



Momma: Gone A Personal Story  by Nina Foxx
Link: http://amzn.com/0615902162

 

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Non-fiction: A Letter for My Mother Edited by Nina Foxx

A Letter for My Mother 
Edited by Nina Foxx

Whether they’re from the US, Caribbean, India, or the UK, all of the contributors to A Letter for My Mother share one thing in common: thoughts that have been left unsaid to their mothers and mother figures—until now. In this moving book, thirty-three women reveal the stories, reflections, confessions, and revelations they’ve kept to themselves for years and have finally put into words. Written through tears and pain, as well as joy and laughter, each offering presents the mother-daughter bond in a different light.

Heartfelt and deeply meaningful, A Letter for My Mother will inspire you to admire and cherish that special relationship that shapes every woman.Excerpt from A Letter for My Mother 

My ex-husband’s mother was dying. During the time I was married to him, our relationship had been at best, tenuous. I married her oldest son and she never forgave me for that, or at least it seemed that way in my head. I couldn’t seem to understand some of her ways and she couldn’t understand mine. I was from a different place than she and my life was different than both hers and that of her daughters. At times, she seemed to resent me for that.

Some days, she went from insulting me, my family, my upbringing and lifestyle in one sentence to embracing me and trying to nurture me, all in the space of a twelve-hour period. It was infuriating. I retaliated, resisted, rebelled and refused to accept. I’d already had a mother. She’d died when I was six, and no one could replace her. Various female members of my biological family had given me all the mothering I thought I would need so I saw no need to accept any from a stranger.

Over the years, our relationship changed and softened, especially after the children came, but I’ll admit I was never comfortable with her. When I divorced her son, I thought I was walking away from her family too and struggled with the link that lay between us and the desire to do the right thing. I was more compelled to stay in contact with family than my ex-husband was, but didn’t want to overstep my bounds by staying in touch with his family for my children. Divorce was a relationship quagmire I had a hard time negotiating. I wanted my children to know and love their family, all of it, but I didn’t want to be the uncomfortable bridge that made that happen. My mother-in-law didn’t care what I felt. She was always going to be here, and though my last name had changed, she still offered her opinion, advice and whatever else she felt like when we spoke, making me still more uncomfortable.

I knew she was ill, but I still felt as if I’d been knocked off my feet when I received the call that she was dying. Tears and confusion flooded my brain. At first, I couldn’t understand why I was not emotionless. My sister, the main mother figure in my life, explained my reaction to me and encouraged me to tell my mother-in-law what I had to say to her before I no longer could. She assured me that even though I was unwilling to admit it, I was close to this woman and couldn’t avoid being unnerved. We had developed a relationship over the years. My sister encouraged me to write down what I wanted to say to the woman before she died if I was unable to speak the words. The result was the letter that led to this book.

As I wrote, I realized that although she and I were very different, my mother-in-law had been mothering me all along and didn’t care whether I wanted to accept it or not. Because I had been raised to do the right thing, I started out treating her with respect, and even though my respect was peppered with defiance, it didn’t stop me from loving her. Over time, I treated her with respect not because I was supposed to, but because I had come to respect her.

I finished my letter and my mother-in-law died three hours later. I was as devastated as if she had given birth to me, but I did feel some relief that I had said to the universe the things I wanted to say but hadn’t been able to for the fifteen years our families had been linked by my marriage to her son. In writing my letter, I discovered that I had been so stressed by our relationship because I wasn’t open to mothering and mother-wisdom of the kind that we receive from the more seasoned members of the female community.

I don’t know why this was. Perhaps it was because my own wound from losing my mother so young had not yet healed, some thirty-plus years later. I read my letter over and over, and as I did, it occurred to me that I was not alone.

As females, we have a way of nurturing others, usually children and men, but we are often reluctant to nurture and share with each other. As young women, we are often mean girls (or the victims of them). We might make a few close friends as young adults, but throughout our lives, many of us are very slow to let new women in. Rather than embrace each other, we push away. We argue with and resent our mothers, and more often than not, fall prey to the idea that our mothers-in-law and stepmothers, all “outside women,” are evil rather than a source of support or knowledge. As we do so, we miss our lessons until finally we only see them in hindsight.

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YA READ: Catfish by Nina Foxx

Catfish by Nina Foxx

Best Friends Dana and Damika share everything about each other, because that’s what best friends do, right? But when it comes to relationships, the high schoolers are keeping secrets in cyberspace. After Boy Crazy Dana meets the “perfect” guy, she figures the only way to get close is to tell little white lies. As their relationship flourishes, an inappropriate photo sent for his eyes only…ends up going viral, and threatens Dana’s reputation and her future. 

Tech nerd Damika is able to reinvent herself online and she’s created a cyber life that no one knows about but her. When she meets Rosheon, she’s thrilled at their budding relationship, until she discovers there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye because just as she can reinvent herself….so can others. As the lies become unmanageable, can Dana and Damika dig themselves out of a web of a mess before it’s too late?In this page-turning novel, Catfish,  Nina Foxx dives into a world where nothing is as it seems and danger takes on new meaning in cyberspace.

Excerpt from Chapter One

Dana

My father was not slick. I tried not to twist my mouth as I listened to him attempting to convince me that what he talking about was a good thing. We have a pretty good relationship since he and my mother got divorced, but sometimes he was just transparent as hell.

“Dana, you’re gonna love this new church.” He looked at me all starry-eyed and he talked in that voice he used on me when he wanted something. He looked and sounded the same way my boy crazy best friend, Damika did every time she met a new hottie.

I groaned. “Church?” Since when had he found religion? Our time together was limited and we didn’t usually spend it in church. I wasn’t sure he’d even been inside one since before my mother divorced him, and even then, he’d only gone kicking and screaming.

He wanted me to say something. So, I did.

“And what’s your new girlfriend’s name?”

My dad’s mouth dropped open. That probably wasn’t what he was looking for. I might have been sixteen, but I wasn’t born yesterday. The only reason my father would be talking about new churches and religion was behind a woman. I shook my head. He was going to have to text me from hell.

I couldn’t blame him, really. My father was a hot commodity. He’s a single, good-looking black man with a good heart. He owned his own home and paid his child support like clockwork. Plus, he had it going on – for an older man. Even though he had a teenaged daughter, he was still attractive and dressed well. He might not be all swole with underwear model abs, but he was a catch. Back in the day, he was really into fitness and now that he was old, it paid off. He didn’t have a potbelly like other people’s fathers, so I was used to women chasing him. They’d done that before, even when he was married, and it had only gotten worse since.

A lot of kids get messed up when their parent’s spilt up, but me, I was okay with it. It was a relief actually, because when they were together, they’d fought all the time. My mother said they loved hard and they fought hard, too. The problem was, I remember the fighting more than anything. If there was love, I never saw it. A few times I’d have to keep myself from throwing up when I heard the noises in their bedroom, but even I knew that sex and love wasn’t the same thing. Toward the end they would yell and scream way into the early hours of the morning.

“It’s okay. I’ll go if you need me to.” It almost hurt me to say that. I really didn’t feel like going to church, especially one all the way in Brooklyn, but it was easy to see how my words had made him happy. Unlike my mom, he was easy to please. His shoulders relaxed and the nervous look on his face was replaced by a smile.

“It’s not what you think. I actually used to go here with my mother when I was a kid,” he said.

I folded my arms across my chest and cocked my head to the side. “So, you’re saying that it’ll just be the two of us?” I knew the answer, but I couldn’t resist asking anyway. My father was just too easy sometimes. Clearly, I was the one running game here.

Dad fidgeted a little; similar to the way I did when I was about to tell an un-truth. “No. A friend invited me.”

“Um-huh. I knew it. You can’t put anything over on me, Dad. I’ve only been your daughter for sixteen years.”

He laughed. “You’ll like her. You’ll see.”

That remained to be seen. Lots of kids had hot moms, but having a hot father was another matter. Women threw themselves at him all the time, all kinds of women. They would hear that “boom-chicka-wawa” when he came in and it was all over. My parents fought about that often, like his swagger was something he could control. My mother would get mad and say it was my father’s fault. Now that they were apart, the women threw themselves at him and me, like they had to win me over, too. And they were right, they did.

I had to admit that I was going to miss the last one. She’d been a buyer for Macy’s, and let me tell you, that had its benefits for me. I owed the hot Baby Phat outfit I had on right now to her. She’d hooked me up with clothes regularly, but of course, the gear stopped coming as soon as they’d broken up.

“Dad, what happened to Susan? I liked her.”

“Too high maintenance. Can you go upstairs and put on a dress? If we’re going to get there on time, we gotta get going.”

I was a little upset that we’d be spending what was left of our weekend with someone that was practically a stranger to me, but it was obvious that my father really wanted me to go. I could overlook my disappointment just this once.

We picked up my father’s new girlfriend just a few blocks from the church. My dad was nervous as he introduced us. “Dana,” he said. “I’d like you to meet Wanda. My friend.”

I raised my eyes, but answered her politely as I was taught to do. “Nice to meet you, Ma’am.”

My father looked as nervous as the cat that just got caught with his paw in the fishbowl as she laughed. “You don’t have to call me Ma’am. Aunty Wanda will do.”

As if. My Mom had no sisters. I sat in the back so she could ride with my dad, and she was very polite. We’d been through a few girlfriends by now and I’d learned to watch and wait. If they made it past a few weeks, then maybe the two of us could be friends. Otherwise, there was no reason to get attached too early. One mistake, and poof, she could be gone, just like that.

If nothing else, this one was well-dressed, even if she was wearing one of those old lady knit suits. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her makeup was flawless. She looked a little uptight, but was tall and Top Model thin. Her navy suit fit her like a glove, and she smelled good. Two points for the new woman. My dad was into smell. The funny thing was, this one seemed as high-maintenance as Susan had been. Another mom-ism echoed in my head. What was that she’d say? The things that attract you also make you crazy later? It was like my father was attracted to the same woman, over and over.

I stared out the window of the car and tried to ignore her chattering as we made our way through the streets of Brooklyn. A glimpse into the rearview mirror told me what I already knew. My father had a grin plastered to his face. He liked this one, but then, they always started out good.

“Dana, I’m so glad you were able to join us. Our church has such a great youth program. You’ll be able to meet some nice young people. Young people that are doing things.”

I rolled my eyes and kept looking out the window. There was no need for all the noise. Now, did I look like I needed a “program”? She obviously had things twisted. It wasn’t like I was some kind of problem child. I went to school regularly and got mostly good grades, and I was generally respectful to my parents, wasn’t pregnant and didn’t do drugs. I’d said I would go today, but I wasn’t trying to enjoy it and I made no promises about going again. And I certainly wasn’t trying to hang out with no church kids. I had my own life, in Queens, with all the friends I needed. What could I possible have in common with any of these people? Brooklyn was just too far for anything. I didn’t drive, and taking the bus or train all the way across town was just crazy.

We pulled up in front a huge, white brick building that seemed to take up the entire block. Crowds of people walked toward it. I was speechless as my father maneuvered the car into a space and we got out. I don’t know why I’d pictured a tiny little cute church, in a storefront or something like that. This building was huge, very old on one end, but it got newer as it went down the block. The corner stone said 1902. There was nothing that old in my neighborhood. Across the street, there was a huge parking lot that took up another city block and that looked like it was filling up, too.

Both Dad and Wanda smiled and greeted people and I tagged behind them. Wanda was the only one that looked comfortable, while my father just looked embarrassed. He was about to be on display like Wanda’s new man-candy. All the church ladies were grinning at him while Wanda walked with her head held high and her huge pink bible tucked under her arm, without a care in the world as she showed off her add-water-stir family.

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Let The Truth Be Told (4 Book Series) by Antoinette R. Davis

Let The Truth Be Told (4 Book Series) by Antoinette R. Davis

From Book 1: Claudia Ellison is straight out of Baltimore; she’s just graduated from college and ready to bring major changes to her social and financial situation however there are some missing pieces.

Claudia wants a husband, a baby and a successful career but living in Baltimore, Maryland men are not plentiful and the one man her heart longs for is in the federal penitentiary and the men she’s been dating are not up to part.

Claudia befriends the new First lady of her church and leans on her for advice and guidance when her world starts spinning out of control but it seems the First Lady of the church wants to put her own spin on Claudia Ellison.

Let Truth Be Told Vol 2 (Let The Truth Be Told) by Antoinette Davis
Vol 2, This is a thrilling novel about an upstanding family enthralled with lies. Claudia just said I do to pastor Terrence Madden and saying Good-bye to her worldly way of living. Transitioning into the First Lady has it’s challenges especially now that Claudia has a baby and a career. The Ellison family faces one obstacle after another and they are holding together by a thread. It’s going to take everyone in the family to pull together if they expect to survive.

Let The Truth Be Told Vol 3 (Let The Truth Be Told) by Antoinette Davis
We left off in Vol 2 with a new addition to the Ellison family, Constance Ellison. Hold on tight because she did not come in peace she came to take down her half-siblings with the help of a surprising source. Constance refuses to let go of the idea that her father left a will and his illegitimate child was left out of it. Constance came to get what is hers and take more in the process. Constance will touch each one of her half-siblings, one by one in an attempt to ruin them all.

Let The Truth Be Told Vol 4 (Let The Truth Be Told) by Antoinette Davis
Constance is ready to strike and the time is now. She has set everything into motion and Michael’s incarceration is just a mild technicality for her.

Constance has new plans with a new love and her new lover will surely to shake the foundation in which the Ellison are standing on. The near-death experience Phyllis had made Terrence revisit his former occupation but only this time he’s working it from another angle.

Lisa is done with trying to hide her sexuality and after a few sequences of events, she steps out of the closet completely and into an unexpected love affair that has her in a whirlwind. New unlikely alliances will be formed and some truths will be told however, lies will lead to a loss of life.

 

Karma Series by Antoinette R. Davis

Karma by Antoinette R. Davis

He’s independent, successful and enjoying the fruits of his labor however with all of his new found success Elston Amos finds himself in a compromising situation after a night of celebrating with the boys that leads to a deadly outcome. He is torn between doing what is right and facing the consequences or hiding behind a lie. That’s when Brenda Vander a total stranger walks into his life from out of the shadows of darkness.

Brenda decides she wants Elston for herself and she will do whatever it takes to have him. Brenda seduces, manipulates and finally pushes Elston to the end of his rope with her lies and interference into his personal life so Elston devices a plan to get rid Brenda once and for all and get his life back on track so he can marry Samantha his true love of over ten years however the plans go all wrong and now Elston is life has taken a turn he was not prepared for.

Elston’s lost soul leads him to a pathway of destruction.

Elston Amos has just landed the job of his dreams; all of the effort and hard work he and his father sacrificed for has paid off. Elston plans a night of celebrating with his long-time frat brothers and friends; however, things turn deadly for Elston after a night of drinking and driving. What was a celebration has turned into a tragedy for Elston’s future, but there is one woman who can save Elston; however it could cost him his soon to be wife and his house in the suburbs.

Brenda Vander, a total stranger, walks out of the shadow of darkness and right into Elston’s life with a secret she uses to blackmail him with to get what she wants. Brenda seduces, manipulates and finally pushes Elston to the end of his rope.

Elston devises a plan that will remove Branda from his life permanently; however, his scheme fails and now Elston must face a judge and jury.

Download Karma by Antoinette R. Davis
https://aerbook.com/maker/productcard-4649530-8601.html

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Karma II by Antoinette R. Davis

Greatness can rise from the ashes of horror.

Elston Amos learns the truth about Brenda Vander’s murder; and the fate t of his future. Elston is trying to pick up the pieces of his life; however, there are still skeletons in his closet that are making it difficult for him to live in his skin comfortably.Amongst the turmoil, lies, and deceit Elston has created, he decides to run for Mayor of Baltimore City and give back to the community he grew up.

A family crisis will rock the Amos family and Elston has to deal with one crisis after another. Elston thinks his ride to City Hall will be a breeze but a bittersweet reality shakes the core of his manhood and the foundation of his marriage becomes quicksand. Elston must now face the consequences of his past actions and it all resembles KARMA.

Order the Karma Series by Antoinette R. Davis (2 Books)
https://www.amazon.com/Karma-2-Book-Series/dp/B077XL96S7

CrownHoldersTransmedia, #SeducingThePen, #UnWrappedLit, #CrownHoldersLead, #ThankBlackWomen, #BlackWomenAppreciationDay, #BlackHistory365, #BlackHistoryBlackLit365

 

Saving Her Shadow by Lutishia Lovely

Saving Her Shadow by Lutishia Lovely | Publish Date: March 31, 2020

“Vibrant characters, artful storytelling, and an original voice make Lutishia Lovely worth every moment.” —Donna Hill

Lutishia Lovely returns with a compelling and provocative new novel where the clash between personal freedoms and religious convictions become a matter of life and death.

When eighteen-year-old Raina Reed is given an ultimatum—her family or her first love—she chooses the latter, leaves the rigid cult community she’s grown up in and finds herself shunned, ex-communicated . . . ghosted. Not seeing her parents is tolerable. Raina is happy for more time with her sweet, talented boyfriend Bryce, and enjoys the freedom found in living with him, his free-spirited cousin, Jackie, and Jackie’s mom Valerie, a struggling attorney. But her heart breaks at the thought of not seeing her baby sister. Abby is ten years younger and they’ve never spent one day apart—until now.

While Raina embraces her new life, she can’t shake her concern about Abby, especially when a lingering illness worsens and her parents refuse to seek medical help. Raina is determined to break through the religious rules that stand in the way of her sister’s well-being. Drawing on her new family and support system, including chanting, angel-card reading Jackie, justice-seeking Valerie, loving Bryce, and his eccentric grandmother, Raina finds her own kind of faith, one built on a love strong enough to move mountains . . .

Order your copy today at: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/39364

Available at B&N, Hudson Booksellers, Amazon, Target, BAM, IndieBound and Walmart.

About the Author
Lutishia Lovely is in love with words. Her diverse career path has embraced almost every form of use imaginable: executive assistant, radio personality, actress, and that which she presently enjoys the most—writer.

She also loves to travel, having visited more than a dozen countries and forty states. After unpacking her bags, she unwinds by attending a great show, chilling at the beach, reading a good book, or cooking vegetarian masterpieces for family and friends at home.

To see her 2020 travel schedule and stay current on all things lovely, visit http://www.lutishialovely.com

 

Her Passionate Promise: Women Of Park Manor by Sheryl Lister

Her Passionate Promise: Women Of Park Manor by Sheryl Lister

You met Kathi Norris in Giving My All To You as Faith Alexander’s best friend. Now, it’s her turn.

After kissing one frog too many, Kathi Norris is content to remain unattached. But her well-ordered plans are turned upside down the moment she meets Eric Dawson. The skillful attorney by day and soulful musician by night, fires her up in more ways than one. The closer she gets to him, the more she realizes he’s her prince charming …if he can let go of his past.

Eric risked his heart, only to see his world shattered by tragedy and betrayal. He’s spent years running from relationships, but with Kathi’s tender embrace and sultry kisses, Eric finds her hard to resist. He’ll have to come to terms with his deepest hurts to win her trust and claim a love that promises forever.

Her Passionate Promise: Women Of Park Manor by Sheryl Lister

After kissing one frog too many, Kathi Norris is content to remain unattached. But her well-ordered plans are turned upside down the moment she meets Eric Dawson. The skillful attorney by day and soulful musician by night, fires her up in more ways than one. The closer she gets to him, the more she realizes he’s her prince charming …if he can let go of his past.

Eric risked his heart, only to see his world shattered by tragedy and betrayal. He’s spent years running from relationships, but with Kathi’s tender embrace and sultry kisses, Eric finds her hard to resist. He’ll have to come to terms with his deepest hurts to win her trust and claim a love that promises forever.

 

Love’s Sweet Kiss (Sassy Seasoned Sisters Book 1) by Sheryl Lister

Love’s Sweet Kiss (Sassy Seasoned Sisters Book 1) by Sheryl Lister

Nzinga Carlyle has finally gotten her life together after her divorce and is happily single. However, the moment she sees her teen crush at her high school reunion, old feelings start to rise. Nzinga isn’t sure she’s ready to move forward, although she can’t deny the attraction between them. And after one sweet kiss, she has to decide how far she wants the relationship to go.

Byron Walker can’t believe his good fortune when he runs into the woman who stole his teenage heart. Once he realizes their chemistry is still explosive, he vows not to let Nzinga get away a second time. Circumstances forced them apart over thirty years ago, but Byron intends to show her they were always meant to be.

Purchase Love’s Sweet Kiss (Sassy Seasoned Sisters Book 1) by Sheryl Lister, go here: http://bit.ly/LovesSweetKiss

Love’s Sweet Kiss Excerpt:

They went to the bar and ordered glasses of wine. As they sipped, she watched the people still dancing. A few of them seemed to have no idea what rhythm meant, but they were having fun and that’s all that mattered. She turned and found Byron staring at her intently. “What is it?”

For a moment, he said nothing. “I was just thinking about my prom and how I had been looking forward to dancing with you. When your parents wouldn’t let you go with me…” His voice trailed off.

Nzinga understood. She later found out he’d gone alone and that hurt her, as well. They’d both missed out on that special moment in time. Without thinking, she reached up and touched his cheek. “I know. We can’t go back, so let’s enjoy ourselves tonight.”

The music changed to a ballad. Byron took their glasses, set them on the table behind them and escorted her to the dance floor once again. “You’re right, and I am enjoying myself.”

When he slid an arm around her waist, pulled her close and moved in time with the sultry beat, she almost melted.

“I always wondered what it would feel like to hold you in my arms and it’s even better than I imagined.”

( Continued… )

Escape into a great book! Download Romance Novels by Sheryl Lister

Closer To You by Sheryl Lister:
http://bit.ly/CloserToYouSL

Have you taken a trip to Blackmont?
Her Passionate Promise by Sheryl Lister: http://bit.ly/HerPassionatePromiseRGP

Have you had a chance to read Her Passionate Promise yet? These three little words get Kathi into more trouble than she bargains for! If you have read it, please consider leaving a review.

BlackLove #WomenofParkManor #HerPassionatePromise #RoseGoldPress #ReadAndReview

 

Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel (The Seven Deadly Sins Book 3) by Victoria Christopher Murray

Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel (The Seven Deadly Sins Book 3) by Victoria Christopher Murray

Passion, money, and a deliciously devious twist: Greed is the newest novel in award-winning author Victoria Christopher Murray’s Seven Deadly Sins series—“the drama of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (Booklist)—and soon to be a Lifetime movie.

You can’t put a price on love…

Zuri Maxwell isn’t happy. Her job is a grind, and money is always tight. Her boyfriend Stephon is the best part of life, but between his income as an artist and her commission-based paycheck, they are barely scraping by.

When Zuri meets a sleek entrepreneur eager to pick her brain, she jumps at the chance to talk business with someone who has everything she wants. As he wines and dines her, Zuri starts moving in elite circles, and she faces a crossroads: Will she give up the stable, loving life she knows for one that glitters, but may not be gold?

Read an excerpt from Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel (The Seven Deadly Sins Book 3) by Victoria Christopher Murray : http://a.co/eJNfiqi

BOOK REVIEW

PatriciaW gives Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel 5 stars

How far will you go to live out your dreams?

When her life is unfulfilling, what’s a woman to do? That is the question facing Zuri as she grapples with living the affordable life she has versus grabbing the high roller life dangled before her. What’s so wrong with wanting and experiencing the finer things in life?

Murray does it again with this third book in her Seven Deadly Sins series, this installment the strongest, most intriguing of the series so far, at least for this reader. That’s the beauty of this series. As each storyline wrestles with one of the deadly sins, readers are forced to do the same. I would never go down the path that Zuri takes in Greed, but I understand wanting more out of life than one’s current position and I’m sure many of Murray’s readers will too.

As I read this book, I was reminded that we are to be content with where we find ourselves (Phil 4:11-13), a lesson Zuri certainly could have benefitted from.

I can only imagine what Murray has in store for her fans with the remainder of the series, but if Greed is any indicator, each book will provide great entertainment mixed with a bit of soul-searching. Can’t wait for book 4!

 

Intimate Conversation with Massocki Ma Massocki

Massocki Ma Massocki is a columnist, activist and pan-Africanist. He has written columns for newspapers around the world as well as articles for regional and international organisations. Massocki has also given talks and conferences in Africa, Asia and Europe on Pan-Africanism and global issues. Massocki was born in Cameroon, West Africa.

BPM: Please, share something our readers wouldn’t know about you.

I have always been fascinated by my birth. Thanks to the mystical intervention of my great grandfather Djami Som, I was born. Before my mother had me, she gave birth to two dead babies, so when I was conceived, she thought she would also lose me.

However, one morning, at around 3:00, when my mother was 3 three months pregnant with me, my great grandfather—who passed away 15 years before I was born—appeared to my mother and told her, “I came so that the baby you carry will live. I left medicine outside the house in a snail shell. At 6:00 a.m., you shall collect the medicine and place it under your bed during your whole pregnancy so that the child will live.” This is how I was born—a premature child.

BPM: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

As we cannot see our own faces, we need a mirror to do so. Likewise, society is a reflection of ourselves. Some have described me as “lionheart” and “fearless lion”; and others, as “king.”

BPM: Is writing your full-time career? How much time do you spend writing?

Right now, writing is not my source of income. However, I was born to write. It is my destiny, and I cannot run away from it, just like how a fish cannot run away from water. Let me tell you a story.

When my father was in secondary school, Candide—a novel by Voltaire, a French philosopher—was part of his curriculum. Candide was also the main character in Voltaire’s novel. My father liked Candide so much that the first name he gave me was Candide. However, I decided to get rid of my first and middle names, which are European, to affirm my African identity. Moreover, Voltaire made racist remarks towards Africans.

BPM: Tell us about your first published book. What was the journey like?

So far, I have written 10 unpublished books, and The Pride of an African Migrant is the first to be published among them.

The Pride of an African Migrant’s first draft was written in 2010 while I was in England, and it is getting published 10 years later, in 2020. It is needless to say that the journey of getting this book published proved to be challenging.

Since 2010, I have received more than 5000 rejection letters from publishers. Most of those letters praised my writing skills, and yet I ended up with rejections.

Africa and its diaspora are at the center of all my works, considering that the publishing industry is overwhelmingly white at 89%, while black people are only 1% of the same industry. This also explains all those rejections. However, those rejection letters immensely helped in improving my manuscript’s quality.

I want to take this opportunity to remind aspiring writers that the pyramids of Egypt were not built in a day or two. They should not be discouraged by publishers’ rejections because these are opportunities for improvement. Do not just look for publishers; find the right one. There is always one publisher who can’t wait to receive your manuscript.

 

A Deep Dive into The Pride of an African Migrant

The Pride of an African Migrant: In Remembrance of Jimmy Mubenga, a Martyr of Globalisation, Murdered by the UK Border Regime on a British Airways Flight to Angola by Massocki Ma Massocki is available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/PRIDE-AFRICAN-MIGRANT-Remembrance-Globalisation-ebook/dp/B0847CVDLV

Pierced Rock Press is proud to announce that, The Pride of an African Migrant, due for publication on May 4, 2020, is now available for order on Amazon.com as in paperback or hardcover.

However, bookstores, librarians and wholesalers will be able to pre-order on Ingramspark at 55% discount with a return policy starting on April 1, 2020

The Pride of an African Migrant is a contemporary mental, physical, and political odyssey. It is a personal and graphic account of an extended period spent by a migrant experiencing former Prime Minister Theresa May’s ‘hostile environment’ in all its finery.

A young man, Massocki Ma Massocki sets out from Cameroon, West Africa, to the paradise that awaits in Europe. But instead in the United Kingdom, he encounters racism, state violence, insecure jobs, and imprisonment in three different detention centres, destitution and begging on the streets, entrapment by drug dealers, and an arson attack.

He journeys from London, to Southend and Liverpool. He meets and tells the stories of other migrants. He meets Sarah Jane, a white Rasta woman who astonishes him by singing Burning Spear’s ’Slavery Days’. Sarah has her own problems but she is a lifeline to him.

At some point, Massocki encounters a new understanding of life, and this is at the core of the book. As well as Zen masters, Massocki also refers to and quotes among others Marcus Garvey, Mfumu Kimbangu, Sékou Touré, Patrice Lumumba, Frantz Fanon, historian Cheik Anta Diop, Ethiopian poet Lemn Cissay, the Cameroonian philosopher Ebénézer Njoh-Mouellé, and singers such as Bob Marley, Youssou N’Dour, and Fela Kuti.

Massocki documents his struggle for his own and other’s freedom and dignity: speeches about migration to students in Liverpool John Moore University, to his first class of meditation students, an open letter challenging Cameroonian dictator Paul Biya, his lone protests against the murder of Jimmy Mubenga by the UK Border Regime on a plane at Heathrow Airport, demanding freedom of speech inside Campsfield detention centre (for that he was ‘knocked down by 10 guards’), and
against his own deportation at Heathrow Airport (which provoked another violent reaction by guards).

The Pride of an African Migrant is subtitled ‘In Remembrance of Jimmy Mubenga, a Martyr of Globalization, Murdered by the UK Border Regime on a British Airways Flight to Angola ’. The book starts with a letter of condolence and consolation to Jimmy Mubenga’s family. The letter is titled ‘Our Hearts Are With You’.

There is a very productive tension between the teachings of Zen lightly touched on in this book, the calm of meditation, and the implication of the realization that for Africans the answer is not to chase a dream in Europe, but to stay and challenge and overturn the neo-colonialism of corrupt African leaders and Western financial institutions, military and governments.

There are some superb passages such as that comparing the spending on average of $7000 to get from Cameroon to the UK, with better results obtained from investing the same amount in an African
stock exchange, or like the young worker Aisya, staying in the country and with a fraction of that amount of money and building up a successful business.

Massocki writes: ‘The book’s goal is to inform Africans aspiring to migrate to the European Union or the US of the issues related to their plans so that they can be better prepared.’ But I believe its more serious and intended aim is spelled out in this passage:

‘My stay in the UK not only allowed me to demystify and destroy the
European myth; most importantly, it allowed me to understand that for
the young African, fighting for social justice should be imperative.
It is the only way to prevent the young African from dying in the
desert or drowning in the Mediterranean Sea, experiencing the same
humiliation and torture suffered by African migrants in Europe. Either
through protest movements for social change, we brave the dangerous
streets of our dictatorial and terrorist states, or as cowards, we
abdicate and accept death in the Mediterranean Sea or suffer the
humiliations and tortures reserved to African migrants in Europe.

Migration as a ‘revolt against misery’ is a theme developed from ‘The song of the traveler’s sung by Africans in Ceuta, Spain, who have crossed the Sahara. Such people are described as economic migrants. But as Massocki says:

‘The sea is dreadful, and for people to embark on such a journey,
there must be terror in the land. Yet, nobody acknowledges the
terror—at least the economic terror those ‘economic migrants’ are
running away from. African despots voluntarily keep systemic poverty
flowing in the land to control their citizens and stay in power.
Through so-called international institutions and multinationals,
Western powers financially terrorize African nations, causing deaths
to millions of Africans.’

The Pride of an African Migrant is a powerful book. The more I go back to it, the more I see its potential to change minds, those of migrants those of people not forced to migrate. I think its publication is very significant.

Massocki Ma Massocki is a columnist, activist and pan-Africanist. He has written columns for newspapers around the world as well as articles for regional and international organisations. Massocki has also given talks and conferences in Africa, Asia and Europe on Pan-Africanism and global issues. Massocki was born in Cameroon, West Africa.

The Pride of an African Migrant: In Remembrance of Jimmy Mubenga, a Martyr of Globalisation, Murdered by the UK Border Regime on a British Airways Flight to Angola by Massocki Ma Massocki | May 4, 2020

 

Intimate Conversation with Dr. R. Wayne Swan

With nearly 20 years’ experience as a minister and motivational speaker, Dr. R. Wayne Swan has dedicated his life and work to the service to others. He is the founder of Crossroads Ministries, an organization focused on helping men connect and develop spiritually and the Chairman of Prison Fellowship Bermuda, an outreach program for inmates and their families. Addressing universal human issues, in Mind Over Mountain Dr. Swan shares a message of courage, hope and faith that will inspire anyone to overcome their obstacles.

Visit his website today: http://drwayneswan.com

BPM: Please share something our readers wouldn’t know about you.

Although I am a new author, I am also a lover of art and paint as a hobby.

BPM: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Optimist, Believer, and Dependable.

BPM: Is writing your full-time career? How much time do you spend writing?

Writing is not my full time career but when inspired, I usually spend 1 to 2 hours writing a day. I am a Motivational Speaker, Mentor, Life Coach, Entrepreneur & Certified Divorce Coach.

BPM: Tell us about your first published book. What was the journey like?

The Mountain We Climb, is my first book. In 2014, I successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and I journaled my entire experience.

It was not my aim then to write a book about it. But I learned so many life lessons and discovered many things about the human spirit that I thought that my experiences could help someone else. The entire journey from finally deciding to write a book and finding a coach to help me write, to then finding a publisher was for me like “ climbing a mountain.”

The Mountain We Climb is available on Amazon, Kindle and all major bookstores.

BPM: Did you learn anything personal about yourself from writing your book?

I learned that our experiences are not for us alone. Writing my book stretched me and allowed me to be creative in a way which I never dreamed.

BPM: Is writing easy for you? Do you feel lonely being a writer during the creative process?

Writing comes very easy for me when writing my sermons. But writing my book was a challenge. The writing process was not lonely due to the help of my coach Robert Nahas, but there many hours spent in solitude.

 

How does amending the 19th Amendment serve women? by D. Michele Jackson

“SOME AMERICANS ARE HEALTHIER THAN OTHER AMERICANS.” THE TIME HAS COME TO TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE. HOW SO, YOU ASK…

LIVING CONSTITUTION

In divorce proceedings, a registered nurse uses her training to argue how women’s health infringements occurred by government officials. The nurse lost a lifetime investment in her career and personal property. At starting over with nothing, the nurse now pulls from intuition. As reformers before her, she fights for “lives, liberty, and property.” The pursuit of happiness.

This is a milestone for women as we celebrate one-hundred years on August 18, 2020, the ratifying of the 19th Amendment; women continue with stories of oppression. Socially disadvantaged. Spiritually, exhausted. Sexual violation. Economic despair. And officials allow sitting a proposal for women: the “Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), 1972.” in expiration.

There is a reason for every woman to be interested in facts reported from 1959 to 2018. “Poverty rate for people in female house-holder families shows a decline from close to 50% to the lowest percentage noted at 26.8% in 2018. Every woman should be concerned at learning that we have taken such a backseat to progress. Women are making choices for individual situations; women’s health can no longer serve as a political collective bargaining decision.

Historically, we have cast ballots for many people with views that hold women to standards that the same people don’t maintain. With this, a political year, the focus will undoubtedly continue to be on appeals to the nation for an opportunity to lead. Women, as people, are in a unique position to address women’s health. Socioeconomic conditions and current legislation have proven inadequate to the evolution of wellness.

How does the “overdue” take control? I think of the historical city that has gone pink for the occasion, known this year as the “city of sisterly love,” the “Philadelphia Convention,” offers a blueprint as a guide for women. Why now? Nursing is at an all-time vulnerability.

 

The Year of the Nurse: Celebrating “The Lady with the Lamp”

As nurses celebrate a pioneer in the industry, the world is threatened with a crisis that would have professional nurses recall the framework of Florence Nightingale, ‘The Lady with the Lamp’. Nursing got a highly favorable value because of her. Nightingale’s birthday, May 12, marks the celebration of International Nurses Day.

Healthy People 2020 reports, “Global health plays an increasingly crucial role in both global security and the security of the U.S. population.”

COVID-19
We know the part that frequent hand washing plays on decreasing infection. In the case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the World Health Organization (WHO) includes respiratory hygiene as a mechanism to safeguard health. WHO recommends, “covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.”

For travelers’ information, the CDC confirms “cases associated with travel and person-to-person.” Symptoms are fever, cough, or having difficulty breathing. If you are experiencing these symptoms and suspect you may have come in contact with the virus, as of February 26, 2020, the CDC recommendations include “seek health advice by telephone from a healthcare provider or local health department to determine whether a medical evaluation is needed. “

As WHO announces 2020, “The Year of the Nurse,” the CDC releases a statement, “Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths.”

D. Michele Jackson’s blog tour considers the framework of Florence Nightingale as she advocates for wellness by “manipulating the client’s environment.”

How very little can be done under the spirit of fear. — Florence Nightingale

Celebrating twenty-five years as a professional nurse and author of Amazing Grace: A Tribute to You, The Story of Us. Having studied Sociology at the historically Black college: Tuskegee University and graduating from Charter Oak State College with honors, it is as a Columbus State Community College graduate registered nurse opportunity lends itself.

As a novice legal nurse consultant, Donna represented herself pro se. The experience allowed the drafting of legal documents during historical time. It afforded her a voice advocating for health as she submitted arguments to the United States Supreme Court and Congress supporting amending the Nineteenth Amendment. “Thy word is a light unto my path.”

D. Michele Jackson shares her experience in a novel based on a true story, Joy: Jesus on You. (ISBN: 978-0-9796998-7-0)

For more information on D. Michele Jackson visit: http://www.dmichelejackson.com

To receive a review copy of Joy: Jesus on You or to set-up an interview: pr@dmichelejackson.com

 

Intimate Conversation with Patricia A. Saunders

Patricia A. Saunders was born and raised in Connecticut before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area nearly 27 years ago. She received her Master’s in Management from the University of Phoenix in 2011.

After the passing of her mother who had Alzheimer’s, Patricia decided if she inherited the disease she wanted her words to be her legacy and that all the words that she kept to herself were to be released.

Patricia’s work has been featured on a Coast to Coast Book Tour at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Toronto Word On The Street, Sacramento Black Book Fair, Tucson Book Festival, Miami International Festival of Books and AARP Life@50+ Spring Convention.

Recently she was chosen among 100 authors from around the United States to participate in the Author’s Pavilion at the 2018 Congressional Black Caucus Convention in Washington, DC.

Her latest book, Four Seasons of Love, covers all aspect of love broken into four chapters relate to the four seasons.

Patricia, a Supervisor in Silicon Valley, in her spare time she enjoys to travel, wine tasting, and spending time cooking for friends.

BPM: Please share something our readers wouldn’t know about you.

I love to watch documentaries and home decorating shows to get inspired.

BPM: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Loyal, Funny, and Confident.

BPM: Tell us about writing your first non-fiction book. What was the journey like?

It was therapeutic because it was after the passing of my mother. When decided I wanted to write a book I reached out to my niece who was also self published. She explained what she had done and sent a package for me to read.

I researched to find an on demand publisher. I wanted full control of my first book. The journey with the publisher was easier than expected I signed a contract, uploaded my manuscript, paying for a package that included formatting, cover design, copyright, marketing, and promotion.

I met my editor at an event and trusted her to work with myself on three rounds of edits.

Once everything was completed I review my proof and made the approval. Within 4 weeks I was shipped 25 copies of my book to present at my very first book signing.

BPM: Introduce us to your most recent work, Four Seasons of Love: Anthology of Poetry.

Four Seasons of Love is a book of poetry that I separated into four seasons. It covers all the emotions for both men and women. From the moment of attraction, falling in love, and everything in between. A reader who has never read poetry will be able to easily relate to the style of poetry. It captures your attention from the first page until the last. It is available on both Nook and Kindle.

BPM: Can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?

Sure. There is poetry for those going through separation, grief of losing a love one and for those who need to move forward as well.

BPM: Did you learn anything personal from writing your book?

That it is never too late to fall in love. Upon doing my research to write I was observing couples of all ages.

 

Intimate Conversation with D. Michele Jackson

Celebrating twenty-five years as a professional nurse, Donna now adds a writer, published, politically active nurse to her accolades.

Having studied Sociology at the historically Black college: Tuskegee University and graduating from Charter Oak State College with honors, it is as a registered nurse opportunity lend itself.

As a novice legal nurse consultant, Donna represented herself pro se. The experience allowed the drafting of legal documents during historical time. It afforded her a voice advocating for health as she submitted an argument to the United States Supreme Court and Congress supporting amending the Nineteenth Amendment.

Donna shares her experience in a novel based on a true story, “JOY: Jesus on You.” Donna is on a mission to encourage, educate, and empower.

BPM: Please, share something our readers wouldn’t know about you.

The highlight of my life occurred seven years after saying, see you again to my mother and one year after divorce. God never forgets an injury to His children’s hearts. I turned fifty in Israel. I will always remember landing in the Promise Land.

BPM: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Confident, tenacious, and wise.

BPM: Is writing your full-time career? How much time do you spend writing?

I wish. I write around a full-time work schedule.

BPM: Tell us about your first published book, Amazing Grace: A Tribute to You, The Story of Us. What was the journey like?

Writing is cathartic for me. And as I have written in some capacity since a young girl, not once did I ever dream of sharing with the world. The journey started for me after saying farewell to my mother. I was in a house that became cold after losing her. I will always remember that night as my darkest hour. I will never forget questioning the Lord, “That’s it? You give us these people, take them away; then what?” Out of nowhere, I made a request. “Will You allow me to tell our story. I will be very careful to give You all honor, glory, and praise.” As I start writing, the emptiness was replaced with a rekindled love.

 

Explore Books by D. Michele Jackson

The Travels to the Promise Trilogy by D. Michele Jackson

Amazing Grace: A Tribute to You, The Story of Us by D. Michele Jackson

How do you trust God will never fail you?

Lyrical and poetically-charged, “Amazing Grace” is a memoir of love, loss, and rebirth. As a farewell of sorts, D. Michele Jackson, an only child, writes about how her life is forever changed after her mother’s death. A woman of great faith, D. Michele knew firsthand the power of prayer to overcome trials and tribulations. D. Michele always turned to God; she would pray, and God would answer.

Nearly every prayer was responded to until one prayer—a prayer that wasn’t answered—led her to have a deeper, more meaningful take on things. With this new relationship, one with more give and less take, one where prayers aren’t answered, D. Michele discovers that the Lord has a plan and a path for her.

Book Reviews: Amazing Grace: A Tribute to You, The Story of Us

Midwest Book Review
Faith is simply a powerful thing. “Amazing Grace: A Tribute to You, The Story of Us” presents Donna’s story of how her faith carried her through a dark time in her life and allowed her to move on after the devastating loss of her mother. Hoping to inspire faith and bringing light to Jesus’ greatest gift, “Amazing Grace” is worth the read for those going through a rough time themselves.

Praise from Grateful Readers

Carol Franklin says, “I received your book on Saturday and could not put it down…I just want to say thank you, and GOD has done great work through you.”

Carol Jones says, “We all have a gift given from God, and sometimes life has to take unforeseen turns before we realize our true talents…Donna, a registered nurse by trade, has, through an unforeseen turn, came across her GIFT. She has written and published a story that only she could.”

Val Parker says, “I can’t put this book down. It is so good with so many memories; it made me cry…excellent job…”

Retha Mae Farley says, “Wow. What a great book. I’m at a loss for words. You did a really good job. I know this is the beginning for you.”

Alberta Herde, RN, says, “I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading your book…I never experienced someone so in love with their mom and able to put it in writing. I never read anything like it before. It’s just beautiful… God bless.”

Zach Myers says, “This book is an inspiring story of a girl growing up in Philadelphia, PA, with her mother, who was her Rock and foundation in finding a strong bond with Christ. This book shows how in keeping Christ first, all things are possible. It takes you through how people can live with little and believe in Jesus and have so much; how if you put God first, He will make a change in your life.

Mommie was a living angel who guided this young lady through the path of life, showing her the way to Jesus without pushing her. If you love Jesus, this book will show you the faith you seldom see. It will inspire you to want to know Jesus more and want to become closer to Him. If you don’t know Jesus, this book will show you the love of Christ and how He can impact and change your life.

This book reminded me or the relationship I had with my mother and how I coped with her passing and reiterated Jesus can and will see you through anything and everything, it shows Jesus is the light and the way to life and living. Thanks for this production Donna, the book was an enjoyable read, and I am looking for more literature from you (the Writer) in the future! Highly recommended!”

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