Carolina Soul: The Down Home Taste of the Carolinas by Chef Jerome Brown

Carolina Soul: The Down Home Taste of the Carolinas by Chef Jerome Brown, Personal Chef to the Stars showcases a compilation of family recipes, client favorites, and low-calorie meals featuring frog legs, oxtails, marsala meatloaf, and other Southern delicacies indigenous to North and South Carolina.

“I put everything I could into this book, and I did it with love,” said Chef Rome, who has cooked for athletes and celebrities such as Shaquille O’Neal, Byron Cage, and Cam Newton. The former Food Network Star and featured Epcot International Food & Wine Festival chef prides himself on putting a healthy spin on Southern cuisine, helping many of his clients, like former NBA great Shaquille O’Neil, lose weight.

Chef Rome has shared his passion for cuisine with a variety of A+ list entertainers, dignitaries, and elite community leaders such as President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, the late Colin Powell, Priscilla Presley, Star Jones, Raymond Felton, Lamman Rucker, Carl Gustaf (King of Sweden), Byron Cage, Mike Bibby and more.

He was cast in the premiere season of the Food Network’s reality show “Extreme Chef,” and appeared in the United States Army series “I’ve Got Skills” that aired on ESPN. Throughout his journey, Chef Jerome Brown has always maintained a desire to help others and has given back to aspiring chefs and marginalized youth.

Chef Rome was a featured celebrity Chef for two years at the prestigious Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. He has been featured at the Taste of Chicago, the world’s largest outdoor food festival.

Purchase your copy of Carolina Soul: The Down Home Taste of the Carolinas by Chef Jerome Brown! Explore the book here – https://bit.ly/411xGQQ

 

Chef Jerome Brown partnered with iCan Dream Center

Chef Jerome Brown has partnered with Tinley Park, Illinois-based nonprofit iCan Dream Center (www.icandreamcenter.com) in the creation of Spice & Spectrum. He is donating proceeds of the book to the organization which serves students in the south suburbs of Chicago who are marginalized by neurodiversity, disabilities, trauma, and other learning challenges.

Spice & Spectrum is a collection of Chef Jerome Brown’s most recent recipes broken into five sections that align with the iCan Dream Center mission. Throughout the Dream, Restore, Empower, Amplify, and Mobilize sections of the book, Dr. Evisha Ford, the founder and executive director of iCan Dream Center, shares the mission of the organization, stories of students navigating trauma, and the healing benefit of the organization’s culinary program that is highlighted throughout the book.

Students with autism (neurodiversity) and disabilities are nearly twice as likely to be suspended or expelled from school than their non-disabled peers. What’s more, 35% of inmates in juvenile lockups have some form of neurodiversity (autism, ADHD, et. all) or other learning disability.

iCan Dream Center seeks to empower students with autism and other learning deficits with the skills needed to thrive in life and to defy the statistics. Whether it is giving students opportunities to grow as student leaders, gaining vocational skills, self-advocacy, and self-care skills like cooking, the organization works with students individually to thrive. iCan Dream Center is a 501c3 nonprofit therapeutic school endorsed by the Illinois State Board of Education and serves dozens of school districts throughout the suburbs of Chicago.

Chef Jerome Brown, who has championed the iCan Dream Center cause, has shared his passion for cuisine with a variety of A-list entertainers, dignitaries, and elite professional athletes such as President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, Shaquille O’Neal, the late Collin Powell, Priscilla Presley, Star Jones, Raymond Felton, Lamman Rucker, Carl Gustaf (King of Sweden), Byron Cage, Mike Bibby, Cam Newton and more.

Chef Jerome Brown appeared in the United States Army series “I’ve Got Skills” that aired on ESPN. Throughout his journey, Chef Jerome Brown has always maintained a desire to help others and has given back to aspiring chefs and marginalized youth.

Dr. Evisha Ford is an experienced speaker on educational equity and is available to discuss her students’ involvement in Chef Jerome Brown’s book and the intersection of trauma, disability, and the incarceration/school-to-prison pipeline.

Dr. Evisha Ford and Chef Jerome Brown are available for joint or individual media interviews on the release of Spice & Spectrum: Recipes for Resilience.

The authors can be contacted at https://icandreamcenter.com/contact

 

Spice and Spectrum, Recipes for Resilience by iCan Dream Center and Chef Jerome Brown

Spice and Spectrum, Recipes for Resilience is an illustration of the iCan Dream Center students’ passion. This is more than a cookbook – it is an expression of creativity. Many diverse students have internalized the messages that reinforce limitations, but our dreamers are encouraged to be boundless in the kitchen. This heart-warming book is separated into sections that include original entree recipes, dessert recipes, and activities to extend learning in the kitchen.

These pages are filled with sentiments that give a little taste of the iCan Dream Center’s family culture. This is your invitation to join us in a feast of celebrating growth, innovation, and the accomplishments of our learners.

Get your copy today!
https://icandreamcenter.com/product/spice-and-spectrum-recipes-for-resilience-coming-soon

Meet Dr. Evisha Ford
Dr. Evisha Ford is the Founding Executive Director of iCan Dream Center, a therapeutic school in Illinois, that serves the needs of neurodiverse learners and their families. She began her career serving inner-city homeless youth in Chicago by providing therapeutic intervention and linkages to community resources. She worked with various community agencies to build their capacity to support the needs of vulnerable youth via training, resource development, and program evaluation.

Dr. Ford was recruited by Chicago Public Schools launching her path in education. She is a former Assistant Superintendent, Director of Special Education, and Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership.

Dr. Ford is a sought-after thought leader and consultant in schools nationally and internationally. She specializes in trauma-compassionate leadership, program design, cultural and racial equity, developing continuums of service for diverse learners, and a variety of other topics relevant to effective school and nonprofit leadership. She is the author of Benches in the Bathroom: Leading a Physically, Emotionally, and Socially Safe School Culture.

Dr. Ford has a passion for marginalized youth which began at an early age. She earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and completed her doctoral studies at Aurora University in Educational Leadership in 2010. Her research focus was students with disabilities, youth resiliency, and systemic injustice.

Additionally, Dr. Ford serves as President of the Board for the United Way Blue Island Robbins Neighborhood Network. In March 2018, Dr. Ford was awarded “Woman of the Year” by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. In July 2018, she was honored as one of the influential “100 Black Women in Chicago” for her educational contributions.

Dr. Ford was recognized by the Professional Women’s Network as a “Community Ignitor” In July 2019. In Winter 2019, she received the Paige Award for her impact within the special needs community. In July 2022, Dr. Ford received the “Dream Maker Award” from the Bronzeville Children’s Museum of Chicago.

To learn more about Dr. Ford’s work visit her website http://www.drevisha.com or follow her on LinkedIn at DrEvishaFord.

Website: https://icandreamcenter.com
IG: @spiceandspectrum
LI: /iCanDreamCenter
FB: /iCanDreamCenter

Meet Chef Jerome Brown
Chef Jerome Brown, also known as Chef Rome, is the Chef to the stars! With 35 years of professional cooking experience, he’s become the go-to chef for celebrities worldwide. You’ve seen him on the Food Network’s Extreme Chef, ESPN, IVillage live, Black Enterprise Magazine, IHeart Radio, and many publications.

Chef Rome has shared his passion for cuisine with a variety of A+ list celebrities, dignitaries, and elite professional athletes such as Colin Powell, Shaquille O’Neal, Lamman Rucker, Priscilla Presley, Star Jones, Nancy Kerrigan, Carl Gustaf (King of Sweden), Byron Cage, Mike Bibby, Cam Newton and more.

He has earned an international reputation for being trustworthy and results-driven. “Chef Rome allowed me, for the first time in my entire career, to lose weight while inactive” stated retired NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal.

Chef Rome has been a featured chef for Disney’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival. In 2016, he was ranked #8 in the world out of the top one thousand chefs in the seafood category of the World Food Championship.

His Southern roots are from North Carolina. His mother was the oldest girl out of twenty-three children. Everyone had to learn how to cook. His roots in the kitchen run deep. His father was a chef and his mother a dietician. Chef Rome truly knows his way around the kitchen. He travels around the world bringing his southern cuisine with a gourmet twist approach to soul food. Get your taste buds ready, unbuckle your belt, and hold on tight. Chef Rome is bringing the soul of the kitchen to your home now! Bon Appetit!

Purchase your copy today: https://icandreamcenter.com/product/spice-and-spectrum-recipes-for-resilience-coming-soon/

 

Afro-Bougie Blues: A Collection of Short Fiction by Lauren Wilson

Step into the world of Afro-Bougie Blues and walk in the shoes of different protagonists as they struggle to move through the world. Read how ordinary black women and men develop tenacity when they have to deal with the reality of their choices.

Alexis finally finds love after seventeen years of a lonely existence, but life throws a curveball into her life. Watch as she overcomes the challenge despite her past still looming over her head.

Walk with Rodney, a gulf war veteran who tries to drown the war memories with alcohol.

See Bessie, overweight and stuck in life, make a decision that sets her on a journey that transforms her life in ways she never imagined.

Thirteen-year-old Aisha wants answers to her complicated question about love. And this sets her father on the task of reflecting on what the word “love” really means.

Listen to Lenore and her sisters recount stories from their father’s life after he succumbs to cancer.

From depression, abortion, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), spousal abuse, addiction, and extramarital affairs to colorism. Each short story takes you on a rollercoaster of emotion as you experience different areas of life narrated from a first-person perspective.

Afro-Bougie Blues is about characters with stories that are relatable because it captures struggles people deal with in everyday life. The author’s captivating prose and incredible storytelling will plunge the reader into fascinating worlds and challenge them to take on new perspectives that in turn inspire, move and entertain.

A great read for anyone who wants to know how people with diverse problems face the toughness of the world they inhabit. How they move forward when the future is uncertain and fortunes change in the blink of an eye, challenging their reality and overcoming it. “You will find yourself not wanting this book to end.”

Purchase your copy of Afro-Bougie Blues: A Collection of Short Fiction by Lauren Wilson
Genre: African American contemporary fiction

Editorial Reviews for Afro-Bougie Blues

In a beautifully written debut collection of short stories, Lauren Wilson gives us a reflective meditation on ordinary people’s expectations and assumptions with stories that are emotionally rich whilst feeling fresh and disturbingly relevant in today’s world.

In a short story, nothing is superfluous and that’s certainly true in Afro-Bougie Blues where the focus of Wilson’s sentences is sharp and vivid but splendidly elliptical too.

Particularly skilled at compression, Wilson is not afraid to take risks, with form, content, style, and structure as is clearly evident in “Transformations” where she writes a story that doesn’t look how short stories are meant to look by presenting it as email exchanges. It’s close to faultless, ingenious, singular, and full of the echoes of real life.

The best short stories should explore ideas as well as emotions centering around an instant where intense change becomes possible or, at least, imaginable for the character and this is true in all of Wilson’s stories but perhaps no more so than in “Mourning Angela” where every sentence is as full and alive as a sentence can be while managing to stay ordinary and wholly relatable to her readers. And it’s this kind of attention to detail and richness of texture that lifts her characters from the page into some more lasting place in a reader’s mind.

With twelve stories for readers to immerse themselves in and characters that feel vulnerable and real Afro-Bougie Blues is a must-read for fans of short fiction and is an unreservedly recommended 5-star read! —BookViral

 

Book Reviews for Afro-Bougie Blues: A Collection of Short Fiction

Lauren Wilson is a safety consultant who is occasionally visited by a muse that allows her to write amazing stories. It only happens a few times a year, but it is a wondrous experience. The rest of the time, Lauren evaluates the safety of manufacturing equipment being sent to Europe. The machines are often the size of a room, so she travels frequently.

In her spare time, she is a voracious reader of sci-fi alien encounters, UK historical mysteries, and stories about vampires and werewolves. She’s an online spades player and has a 5-story apartment building dollhouse project that she figures will take her another 10 years to complete. One of their favorite things to do is to drive 4 hours into the Pocono Mountains in PA and visit the Cove Haven couples resort. It’s a long way to go in order to play air hockey, but it’s worth it.

Lauren and her husband, Howard love watching stand-up comedy videos and he has recently started finding online joke videos that they can laugh at together. They have one dog, a pit bull named Petey who is a major bed hog.

You can follow Lauren on her blog and on Facebook by visiting her website for more details, https://www.afrobougieblues.com.

Purchase Afro-Bougie Blues: A Collection of Short Fiction by Lauren Wilson
Genre: African American contemporary fiction

Editorial Reviews for Afro-Bougie Blues

In a beautifully written debut collection of short stories, Lauren Wilson gives us a reflective meditation on ordinary people’s expectations and assumptions with stories that are emotionally rich whilst feeling fresh and disturbingly relevant in today’s world.

In a short story, nothing is superfluous and that’s certainly true in Afro-Bougie Blues where the focus of Wilson’s sentences is sharp and vivid but splendidly elliptical too.

Particularly skilled at compression, Wilson is not afraid to take risks, with form, content, style, and structure as is clearly evident in “Transformations” where she writes a story that doesn’t look how short stories are meant to look by presenting it as email exchanges. It’s close to faultless, ingenious, singular, and full of the echoes of real life.

The best short stories should explore ideas as well as emotions centering around an instant where intense change becomes possible or, at least, imaginable for the character and this is true in all of Wilson’s stories but perhaps no more so than in “Mourning Angela” where every sentence is as full and alive as a sentence can be while managing to stay ordinary and wholly relatable to her readers. And it’s this kind of attention to detail and richness of texture that lifts her characters from the page into some more lasting place in a reader’s mind.

With twelve stories for readers to immerse themselves in and characters that feel vulnerable and real Afro-Bougie Blues is a must-read for fans of short fiction and is an unreservedly recommended 5-star read! —BookViral

Afro-Bougie Blues by Lauren Wilson is a short story collection that basically requires all the content warnings: domestic violence, rape, addiction, abortion, and abuse. But there’s never anything gratuitous in this moving collection. Instead, each story looks at how well-developed characters are coping with what they’ve experienced.

In one story, a woman struggling to conceive a much-wanted baby looks back on an abortion she chose to have when she was a teenager. In this thoughtful and thought-provoking story, she considers who she was as a teenager, and how that choice is both a tragedy and another step along the path that led to who she is now: married, successful, and ready on all levels for motherhood. This is what I mean by the content warning. There’s nothing gratuitous or thrown into the book in order to shock readers, but readers, especially readers with similar traumas or similar experiences, may want to go into this book forewarned.

These twelve stories in Afro-Bougie Blues are fresh and original looks at universal questions of love and loss. Every day families face tragedies or readers meet individuals at a personal crossroads. Characters are often tested by heartbreak, loss, or the smaller disappointments of our lives, and some characters face dark, tragic events, but the overall feeling of this book isn’t depressing. These blues are relatable experiences, and through their setbacks, many characters are shown gaining strength from loved ones and making interesting personal discoveries. Warm, supportive friendships and quiet inner strength connect some of the short stories.

The challenge in any short story is developing full, human characters in such a limited space. Wilson succeeds here and brings complicated families and warm friendships to life in just a few pages. In a few cases, readers will see a conflict but still find themselves nodding along with characters on opposite sides. In one story, a married woman begins a queer affair that changes her outlook on love and life. Discovering this new side of herself brings light and joy into her everyday life, even deepening the understanding in her marriage and with her children.

In another story, a habitual cheater faces the horrible consequences of his actions, forever. His irresponsibility catches up with him in a meaningful, dark way that can still never make it right for his children. The author never shies away from showing a character’s raw emotions. She shows our likable characters making mistakes, sometimes at great cost, and she brings out a sympathetic hint in the more unlikable characters, too.

There are no recurring characters in this collection and the setting and mood change in each story. It’s suitable for reading with breaks between the stories since each one stands alone. I found one story, Transformations, slightly flat. I was unsure what the epistolary format or even the secondary character Cecilia added to the story of BeBe’s reinvention. But in a collection of a dozen short stories, eleven unique and moving stories is a pretty great ratio.

Overall, Afro-Bougie Blues is a solid short story collection of memorable characters facing love and loss. —ManyBooks

 

Black Pearls Magazine Intimate Conversation with Lauren Wilson

Lauren Wilson is a safety consultant who is occasionally visited by a muse that allows her to write amazing stories. It only happens a few times a year, but it is a wondrous experience. The rest of the time, Lauren evaluates the safety of manufacturing equipment being sent to Europe. The machines are often the size of a room, so she travels frequently.

In her spare time, she is a voracious reader of sci-fi alien encounters, UK historical mysteries, and stories about vampires and werewolves. She’s an online spades player and has a 5-story apartment building dollhouse project that she figures will take her another 10 years to complete. One of their favorite things to do is to drive 4 hours into the Pocono Mountains in PA and visit the Cove Haven couples resort. It’s a long way to go in order to play air hockey, but it’s worth it.

Lauren and her husband, Howard love watching stand-up comedy videos and he has recently started finding online joke videos that they can laugh at together. They have one dog, a pit bull named Petey who is a major bed hog.

You can follow Lauren on her blog and on Facebook by visiting her website for more details, https://www.afrobougieblues.com.

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

Many years ago, I learned something very special about myself. I am comfortable around old people and people who are dying. I have no problem visiting people in the hospital. I can talk to them honestly and often enjoy making them smile and laugh.

Back in 2003, my father moved in with me before losing a battle to lung cancer. He only lived for 6 more weeks, and it was a truly meaningful moment in time. Two years later, I moved from North Carolina to Maryland to spend more time with my mother when she was in her 80s. My husband and I cared for his brother and daughter for 5 months until he died. And I worked as a hospice volunteer for a year, visiting people in nursing homes and providing respite care. When I retire, I plan to go back to being a hospice volunteer. It’s not something that everyone can do.

BPM: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Intelligent, empathetic, and sensitive.

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

Mourning Angela was my first short story. I have very strong views about abortion, and I wanted to tell a story that bridged the pro-choice/pro-life gap, because, although I am pro-choice, I understand both sides.

One day, I found myself having an overwhelming desire to write the story, so I sat down at my computer and let it pour out of me. It took about 4-5 hours to get it down on paper. I didn’t know what it would be until I wrote it down. That is usually how I write – I don’t know the end until I write it. And then, I went back and filled in the setting. I am very bad at setting a scene, and it’s something I have to work at.

BPM: Introduce us to your most recent work, Afro-Bougie Blues. Available on Amazon Kindle?

Afro-Bougie Blues is available on Amazon in ebook, hardcover, and paperback formats.

I usually only write 1-2 stories per year. I write when I am inspired, for the most part, and when I try to write at any other time, it doesn’t come out well. But there were some things I felt I needed to write about, so I made an effort.

I wrote about campaigning for former President Obama, which I did extensively in both 2008 and 2012, I wrote about COVID, and then I wrote a story that was inspired by a tragedy. One of my work colleagues lost her son. She talks about her grief process quite publicly, in fact, she has turned it into a social media opportunity. But she doesn’t talk about how he died.

She is from Baltimore, and the murder rate in Baltimore is horrific, so that is a possibility. I wanted to capture a mother’s grief. So, I wrote a story about a woman whose son is killed in a freak car accident. I shared the story with a few people, and they sent condolences. I think the story is good enough to submit for prizes – we shall see what happens. If I ever write “More Bougie Blues”, this will be the first story.

 

Leadership in Action: 5 Key Principles of Effective Racial Justice Work by Kofi Annan

As painful and upsetting as George Floyd’s murder was, it was encouraging to witness not just the intense condemnation–and ultimate prosecution–of the officers involved, but the almost universal recognition that that incident was a mere symptom of a greater problem, systemic racism.

In the subsequent months, more resources and energy were invested into efforts to fight systemic racism than ever before. America experienced the largest and longest-running protests in its history, and corporate America pledged over $200 billion to racial justice initiatives.

Unfortunately, according to research conducted by Forbs Magazine, as of late 2022 the majority of that money either went unspent while the rest was spent on efforts that had little systemic impact. The problem is that even individuals and organizations that have the best of intentions are clueless about how to craft an effective strategy to conduct racial justice activism. This work can be daunting, and even seasoned veterans can become overwhelmed or burned out.

In this book, Kofi Annan, a nationally recognized racial justice activist, and award-winning author lays out his five key guiding principles for conducting efficient and effective racial justice work. The guide serves as a tool for individuals, corporations, or non-profit organizations whose heart is in the right place but could use help crafting a strategy.

Leadership in Action: 5 Key Principles of Effective Racial Justice Work by Kofi Annan is available on Amazon.

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Bull in a China Shop: Evolution of a Racial Justice Activist by Kofi Annan

Black Pearls Magazine features books by author and award-winning racial justice activist Kofi Annan. The following books explore various aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion and the fight for racial justice. Read the interview and find out more about Kofi here: https://bit.ly/3YOF6pY

Bull in a China Shop is a memoir by Kofi Annan, an immigrant from the Caribbean who despite having little foreknowledge of the inner workings of American politics, successfully challenged the inertia of the established political systems to generate positive changes for his community. His relative ignorance about how things “should” be done was a double-edged sword.

Kofi quickly became president of a local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and sketched out an approach that led the branch to be recognized as the best in the nation. But on the path to doing so, he created enemies within the established Democratic Party and fellow NAACP members and learned some difficult lessons.

This memoir chronicles how Kofi’s life experiences growing up in the Caribbean, coming of age in Washington, DC during the crack cocaine epidemic, and professional experience in the United States Army and Intelligence Community shaped his perspective and approach to the civil rights fight.

The memoir can serve as an educational tool for seasoned civil rights activists who wish to become more effective, and a motivational tool for those not yet involved in the fight but have the desire to engage.

Bull in a China Shop: Evolution of a Racial Justice Activist by Kofi Annan is available on Amazon.

Connect with Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan is the author of the award-winning book, Bull in a China Shop: Evolution of a Racial Justice Activist, and Leadership in Action: 5 Key Principles of Effective Racial Justice Work. He and his wife founded Fighting Words LLC, a racial justice and DEI Consulting Company in 2023. He is the former president of The Activated People (TAP), an independent activist organization dedicated to promoting racial equity.

Kofi previously served two terms as the president of the Fairfax County, Virginia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which was awarded the NAACP’s Thalheimer Award for being the best branch in the country in 2018.

Kofi is also the owner of Soul Rebel, a food truck based in northern Virginia that serves a unique blend of Caribbean-American fusion cuisine.

Kofi Annan served eight years in the U.S. Army and holds a Master’s of Science in International Relations from Troy University, and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Tennessee State University.

Website: https://42fightingwords.com/books-1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1942fightingwords/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084925573429
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fighting-words-llc/?viewAsMember=true

 

Ignore The Voices In Your Head by Julius Kane

Genre: Sci-Fi Suspense. Survival Fiction.

After leaving his favorite bar, a wild, womanizing advertising executive takes a woman back to his place and immediately regrets it.

Jack begins to hear a strange voice telling him to do horrible things. Initially thinking his house may be haunted, he becomes extremely paranoid after finding out he is being watched by other world beings.

In order to get to the bottom of the aliens’ fascination with him, Jack joins up with a group of misfits who’ve had a few bizarre encounters of their own. After receiving a reliable tip, the group goes into the notorious Dark Entry Forest looking for answers; despite the disappearance of dozens of people who entered before them.

Along the way, they find out their ruined lives are connected by tragedy. Jack and his new friends then get caught in a life-and-death struggle against many powerful forces.

Chapter Excerpt – Ignore The Voices In Your Head

A clear, masculine voice responded. It was the same voice from last night I heard laughing. The same pitch. The same tone. A nervous pain shot through my abdomen. Who the hell was in my house? I stared anxiously down the hall towards my bedroom. The door was partially cracked. I couldn’t remember if that was how I left it. The bathroom door was shut. Did I close it this morning?

I grabbed the biggest knife I saw from my kitchen cutlery set and went to investigate. I intentionally left the front door cracked; just in case I needed to run out fast. I didn’t want to fidget with the doorknob. Cautiously, I searched my bedroom; prepared for some fiending drug addict to jump out at me. The closets and hideaways were clear. I opened the bathroom door; nothing.

“Great!” I was relieved. But I was hearing things. I chalked it up to an overactive imagination. That was my reasoning. That was how I would be able to get through the next hour…the next day…the next week without checking myself into Bellevue.

I hurried to close my front door. I shut and locked my window as well. I didn’t want that giant fur ball sneaking back in. I was hoping nobody got off the elevator and saw Mrs. Toombs’ cat Flandy dead on my living room floor. That would be a huge headache I didn’t need. I grabbed about five trash bags and a pair of work gloves I sometimes used whenever my trash can became extra nasty.

I didn’t know how pet owners disposed of their dead pets in New York, but I was going to throw Flandy into the dumpster out back. She wasn’t my cat. She wasn’t my problem. And that oversized fur ball that killed her didn’t belong to me either. But here I was in the middle of this weird God-knows-what-shit.

( Continued… )

Connect with Julius Kane
Your words can hurt, help or heal. Choose your words wisely. That said, if you love words that paint pictures, implant ideas and whisk you away from the monotony and stress of everyday life, you’re in the right place. If you’re ready to use your imagination, take a journey with me!

Website: https://juliuskane.org
Audible: https://adbl.co/3zHMTuQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliuskane7
Ingram: https://www.instagram.com/realjuliuskane
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@writerjuliuskane

Purchase Ignore The Voices In Your Head by Julius Kane on Amazon.
Explore a new Genre, Survival Fiction blended with Sci-Fi Suspense.

 

Innocence Denied: Forced Into The Game by Julius Kane

A young, expecting couple leaves a poverty-stricken town for new opportunities and a fresh start in a big city. But after their terminally ill son is born the guilt and frustration takes its toll. As the financial rope tightens around them, Drake coerces his naive wife into entering the sex industry to make ends meet.

Forced to use her body to help get her husband’s business off the ground, Amber becomes exposed to all types of unsavory characters. Meanwhile, her husband Drake has a secret job she knows nothing about. Soon sex and greed begin to erode their unbreakable bond.

By the time Drakes’s overbearing mother shows up with a dark secret and a hatred for Amber, he’s doing everything he can to keep his little family from self-destruction. Amber and Drake are fighting for their lives, sanity, freedom, and most of all their child.

Innocence Denied: Forced Into The Game by Julius Kane is available on Amazon and Audible Audiobooks.

Meet Julius Kane
Julius Kane is the author of dozens of titles. His resume boasts an eclectic array of genres and categories including, fiction, non-fiction, stageplays, essays, poetry, and most recently, sci-fi. Julius Kane is a community activist and social reform advocate who currently resides in the DMV area.

Website: https://juliuskane.org
Audible: https://adbl.co/3zHMTuQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliuskane7
Ingram: https://www.instagram.com/realjuliuskane
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@writerjuliuskane

 

Alternative to Divorce by Julius Kane

An obsessed husband ignores a restraining order and is determined to get his young, beautiful wife back into his arms. His jealousy quickly turns into rage when he catches a new man at his house. He then decides to hatch one last plan in hopes to deter his impending divorce.

Alternative to Divorce by Julius Kane is available on Amazon and Audible Audiobooks.

Meet Julius Kane
Julius Kane is the author of dozens of titles. His resume boasts an eclectic array of genres and categories including, fiction, non-fiction, stageplays, essays, poetry, and most recently, sci-fi. Julius Kane is a community activist and social reform advocate who currently resides in the DMV area.

Website: https://juliuskane.org
Audible: https://adbl.co/3zHMTuQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliuskane7
Ingram: https://www.instagram.com/realjuliuskane
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@writerjuliuskane

 

Create Crown Holders Sisterhood Audio Presentation

Hello,

Come on in, have a seat! I would like to invite you to create an audio presentation for the Crown Holders Sisterhood. 

We are looking for uplifting, motivating stories of overcoming obstacles or lessons that will empower women! We want to learn from women who inspire, motivate and entertain audiences with their stories…their voices!

Your presentation will be posted on the Crown Holders Transmedia website. Also, I will play your podcast on BAN Radio Show. The recordings will become part of our Crown Holders web series that will be shared on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

There are NO fees for this service. But, this can not be used solely to promote a product or service. We are truly seeking to pour into and uplift the women in our community.

Read this entire page to answer most of your questions.  This page is long, but I want you to have all of the information to make the process seamless. This email breaks down the process of recording. 

 

 

Write for Crown Holders

Crown Holders Transmedia Submission Guidelines
Join our team of writers, see details here:
http://crownholderstransmedia.com/write-for-crown-holders


The Crown Holders Transmedia team of contributors are a network of writers who are strong, intelligent and driven! Their mission is to uplift, support, and encourage the Morning Tea and Sankofa Lit community.

They are Believers! With their combined wisdom, they give a perspective on life from all ages and from all walks of life.

If you would like to submit your story or inspiration for the online magazine, monthly newsletter and our blog, please read the entire page and submit your material to Ella D. Curry, the editor.

Crown Holders is now a verified Amazon Influencer! I’m loving the new stores. Check out our new book shelves: www.amazon.com/shop/edc1creations

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I’m always looking for beautiful ways to showcase my clients and their amazing books! Have fun exploring our talented writers and poets.

 

Let EDC Creations Join Your Team

If I had to make 4 suggestions to new authors or business owners it would be:

1. Social media profiles are not as good as having your own website. Everyone in business…needs a control center, your website! That website will house the options to purchase your product/services, samples of your work and it should provide visitors with a way to connect with you. Audio and video are a must.
   
   
2. Get a newsletter or an opt-in to capture the email addresses of your followers. Start a newsletter that really pours into your audience! Entertain, educate, empower, and most of all nurture the people you care about. Let your audience inside your world and invite them to be a part of your team. Give, give, give!
   
   
3. You can not do this alone! Create your team as soon as possible. Find those go to people, create a plan and activate it together. The key is having a plan and working it. You will feel lost and un-accomplished if you can’t measure your results and it won’t always be about money.
   
   
4. If you are launching a new product or service, you need to pick up one of our packages today!
   

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I gotcha on the first 3, you just have to make the first move to add me to your team!

 

Girl Get Up!: 21 Day Devotional and Journal by Temeka Davis

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Girl Get Up is a 21-day devotional and journal that will encourage, inspire and motivate you to Get Up!

Get up and go get everything God has for you! Girl get up and get moving! Get up and pray!

You have dreams, goals and visions that you need to work on. There’s a journal included in the back of the book for you to write down things as God speaks to you.

Get up and start that business. Get up and go back to school. Get up and move!

 

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty: A Novel by Akwaeke Emezi

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A New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and “one of our greatest living writers” (Shondaland) reimagines the love story in this fresh and seductive novel about a young woman seeking joy while healing from loss.

Feyi Adekola wants to learn how to be alive again.

It’s been five years since the accident that killed the love of her life and she’s almost a new person now—an artist with her own studio and sharing a brownstone apartment with her ride-or-die best friend, Joy, who insists it’s time for Feyi to ease back into the dating scene. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined: a luxury trip to a tropical island, decadent meals in the glamorous home of a celebrity chef, and a major curator who wants to launch her art career.

She’s even started dating the perfect guy, but their new relationship might be sabotaged before it has a chance by the overwhelming desire Feyi feels every time she locks eyes with the one person in the house who is most definitely off-limits—his father.

This new life she asked for just got a lot more complicated, and Feyi must begin her search for real answers. Who is she ready to become? Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, there’s the biggest question of all—how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love?

Akwaeke Emezi’s vivid and passionate writing takes us deep into a world of possibility and healing, and the constant bravery of choosing love against all odds.

 

Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout Book 1) by Lucy Score

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Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon.

Knox doesn’t tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.

Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order.

Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi didn’t know she had. Now she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of.

There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.

At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.

 

How Beautiful We Were: A Novel by Imbolo Mbue

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A fearless young woman from a small African village starts a revolution against an American oil company in this sweeping, inspiring novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers.

“Mbue reaches for the moon and, by the novel’s end, has it firmly held in her hand.”—NPR

We should have known the end was near. So begins Imbolo Mbue’s powerful second novel, How Beautiful We Were. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells of a people living in fear amid environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of cleanup and financial reparations to the villagers are made—and ignored. The country’s government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interests. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. Their struggle will last for decades and come at a steep price.

Told from the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula who grows up to become a revolutionary, How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community’s determination to hold on to its ancestral land and a young woman’s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people’s freedom.

“The unforgettable story of a community on the wrong end of Western greed, How Beautiful We Were will enthrall you, appall you, and show you what is possible when a few people stand up and say this is not right. A masterful novel by a spellbinding writer engaged with the most urgent questions of our day.”—David Ebershoff, bestselling author of The Danish Girl

ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, People • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, The Christian Science Monitor, Marie Claire, Ms. magazine, BookPage, Kirkus Reviews

 

Searching for Sylvie Lee: A Novel by Jean Kwok

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“Powerful . . . A twisting tale of love, loss, and dark family secrets.” — Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train and Into the Water

A poignant and suspenseful drama that untangles the complicated ties binding three women—two sisters and their mother—in one Chinese immigrant family and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears, and a series of family secrets emerge, from the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation

It begins with a mystery. Sylvie, the beautiful, brilliant, successful older daughter of the Lee family, flies to the Netherlands for one final visit with her dying grandmother—and then vanishes.

Amy, the sheltered baby of the Lee family, is too young to remember a time when her parents were newly immigrated and too poor to keep Sylvie. Seven years older, Sylvie was raised by a distant relative in a faraway, foreign place, and didn’t rejoin her family in America until age nine. Timid and shy, Amy has always looked up to her sister, the fierce and fearless protector who showered her with unconditional love.

But what happened to Sylvie? Amy and her parents are distraught and desperate for answers. Sylvie has always looked out for them. Now, it’s Amy’s turn to help. Terrified yet determined, Amy retraces her sister’s movements, flying to the last place Sylvie was seen. But instead of simple answers, she discovers something much more valuable: the truth. Sylvie, the golden girl, kept painful secrets . . . secrets that will reveal more about Amy’s complicated family—and herself—than she ever could have imagined.

A deeply moving story of family, secrets, identity, and longing, Searching for Sylvie Lee is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive portrait of an immigrant family. It is a profound exploration of the many ways culture and language can divide us and the impossibility of ever truly knowing someone—especially those we love.

“This is a true beach read! You can’t put it down!” – Jenna Bush Hager, Today Show Book Club Pick

 

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

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“This gentle, gorgeously written book may be one of my favorites ever.” —Jenna Bush Hager (A Today show “Read with Jenna” Book Club Selection!)

“A thoughtful, beautiful multigenerational novel about love, God, jealousy, and friendship.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

Charles and Lily, James and Nan. They meet in Greenwich Village in 1963 when Charles and James are jointly hired to steward the historic Third Presbyterian Church through turbulent times. Their personal differences however, threaten to tear them apart.

Charles is destined to succeed his father as an esteemed professor of history at Harvard, until an unorthodox lecture about faith leads him to ministry. How then, can he fall in love with Lily—fiercely intellectual, elegantly stern—after she tells him with certainty that she will never believe in God? And yet, how can he not?

James, the youngest son in a hardscrabble Chicago family, spent much of his youth angry at his alcoholic father and avoiding his anxious mother. Nan grew up in Mississippi, the devout and beloved daughter of a minister and a debutante. James’s escape from his desperate circumstances leads him to Nan and, despite his skepticism of hope in all its forms, her gentle, constant faith changes the course of his life.

The Dearly Beloved follows these two couples through decades of love and friendship, jealousy and understanding, forgiveness and commitment. Against the backdrop of turbulent changes facing the city and the church’s congregation, these four forge improbable paths through their evolving relationships, each struggling with uncertainty, heartbreak, and joy. It’s a poignant meditation on faith and reason, marriage and children, and the ways we find meaning in our lives.

 

We Go High: How 30 Women of Colour Achieved Greatness Against all Odds by Nicole Ellis

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Follow the life lessons of 30 remarkable women of color who are making their mark on society and culture.

“When you are struggling and you start thinking about giving up, I want you to remember something … and that is the power of hope.” -Michelle Obama (White House speech, 2017)

We Go High brings together the inspiring stories, motivational quotes, and personal philosophies of 30 influential women of color who have sought to overcome challenges in their lives.

From activists to scientists, artists to sporting icons, each woman’s story is different-but all have in common a deep-seated resilience to fight against the prejudices and barriers to success that women of color face on a daily basis. The book features political powerhouses such as Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams, as well as businesswomen like Arundhati Bhattacharya and Angelica Ross, and writers Michaela Coel and Amanda Gorman.

With 30 stunning, specially commissioned portraits, We Go High not only celebrates these remarkable women’s achievements, but uncovers the personal beliefs, attitudes, and determination that drive them.

 

Running to Fall: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon

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From the award-winning author of Speaking of Summer comes a suspenseful, truthful look into the lives of women who drink to survive or just to cope, with a provocative narrator who carries readers along an emotional journey to acceptance.

Tragedy and Victor Powell have moved to the desirable but dark Grayson Glens enclave of dream homes just outside of Chicago. Stressed urbanites, they’ve got to live large in real life to stay large online. With only a few blacks in their elite gated community, they settle in but never quite feel at home. Then, a missing young black woman floats up in the Grayson River.

Is the spirit of the mysterious scarlet-lettered woman, Raven McCoy, haunting Grayson during the pandemic?

Tragedy, haunted by her own difficult checkered past versus Victor’s sterling history, thinks so. The pressure to manage his image for profit drives her to drink, even when his trying teen daughter visits. But Victor’s ex-wife, the Grayson gossip and a female detective all close in on Tragedy’s unraveling life. Then Tragedy spirals into addiction, past secrets and the local women’s fight for justice for a woman.

 

Standing in the Need of Prayer by Carole Boston Weatherford

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From an award-winning author and critically acclaimed artist comes a stunning and deeply moving picture book based on the popular spiritual “Standing in the Need of Prayer.” The classic lyrics have been reworked to chronicle the milestones, struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of African American history. A perfect gift or timeless keepsake!

This inspirational book encapsulates African American history and invites conversations at all levels. Carole Boston Weatherford’s riveting text and Frank Morrison’s evocative and detailed paintings are informative reminders of yesterday, hopeful images for today, and aspirational dreams of tomorrow.

Starting from 1619 and stretching more than four hundred years, this book features such pivotal moments in history as the arrival of enslaved people in Jamestown, Virginia; Nat Turner’s rebellion; the integration of the US military; the Selma to Montgomery marches; and peaceful present-day protests. It also celebrates the feats of African American musicians and athletes, such as Duke Ellington and Florence Griffith Joyner.

At the end of the book, readers will find descriptions of the people, places, and events that are featured, along with a note from Carole Boston Weatherford.

Visually stunning and incredibly timely, this book reckons with a painful history while serving as a testament to the human spirit’s ability to persevere in even the most hopeless of circumstances. Its universal message of faith, strength, and resilience will resonate with readers of all ages.

 

One Two Three: A Novel by Laurie Frankel

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From Laurie Frankel, the New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is, a Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick, comes One Two Three, a timely, topical novel about love and family that will make you laugh and cry…and laugh again.

In a town where nothing ever changes, suddenly everything does…

Everyone knows everyone in the tiny town of Bourne, but the Mitchell triplets are especially beloved. Mirabel is the smartest person anyone knows, and no one doubts it just because she can’t speak. Monday is the town’s purveyor of books now that the library’s closed—tell her the book you think you want, and she’ll pull the one you actually do from the microwave or her sock drawer. Mab’s job is hardest of all: get good grades, get into college, get out of Bourne.

For a few weeks seventeen years ago, Bourne was national news when its water turned green. The girls have come of age watching their mother’s endless fight for justice. But just when it seems life might go on the same forever, the first moving truck anyone’s seen in years pulls up and unloads new residents and old secrets. Soon, the Mitchell sisters are taking on a system stacked against them and uncovering mysteries buried longer than they’ve been alive. Because it’s hard to let go of the past when the past won’t let go of you.

Three unforgettable narrators join together here to tell a spellbinding story with wit, wonder, and deep affection. As she did in This Is How It Always Is, Laurie Frankel has written a laugh-out-loud-on-one-page-grab-a-tissue-the-next novel, as only she can, about how expanding our notions of normal makes the world a better place for everyone and how when days are darkest, it’s our daughters who will save us all.

 

My Government Means to Kill Me: A Novel by Rasheed Newson

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A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR’S CHOICE

The debut novel from television WRITER/PRODUCER OF THE CHI, NARCOS, and BEL-AIR tells a fierce and riveting queer coming-of-age story following the personal and political awakening of a young, gay, Black man in 1980s New York City.

“Consistently engrossing.” —New York Times Book Review

“Full of joy and righteous anger, sex and straight talk, brilliant storytelling and humor… A spectacularly researched Dickensian tale with vibrant characters and dozens of famous cameos, it is precisely the book we’ve needed for a long time.” —Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less

Earl “Trey” Singleton III arrives in New York City with only a few dollars in his pocket. Born into a wealthy Black Indianapolis family, at 17, he is ready to leave his overbearing parents and their expectations behind.

In the city, Trey meets up with a cast of characters that changes his life forever. He volunteers at a renegade home hospice for AIDS patients, and after being put to the test by gay rights activists, becomes a member of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). Along the way Trey attempts to navigate past traumas and searches for ways to maintain familial relationships—all while seeking the meaning of life amid so much death.

Vibrant, humorous, and fraught with entanglements, Rasheed Newson’s My Government Means to Kill Me is an exhilarating, fast-paced coming-of-age story that lends itself to a larger discussion about what it means for a young gay Black man in the mid-1980s to come to terms with his role in the midst of a political and social reckoning.

 

First and Only: What Black Women Say About Thriving at Work and in Life by Jennifer R. Farmer

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“Essential reading.” —Marie Claire

First and Only is a guide for every Black woman who has found herself closing the cover on other business leadership books, convinced that something is missing. We are looking for roadmaps to on-the-job success while also acknowledging the unique barriers that Black women face in the workplace: hostile work environments, being perceived as the Angry Black Woman, being asked to do more for less than our white colleagues. But we can heal, fight for our liberation, and succeed in business and in our lives. In these pages, you will find a love letter to Black women that connects our personal growth and inner healing and the fight for liberation.

Trainer and activist Jennifer R. Farmer offers practical strategies for how to thrive in workplaces that can be ambivalent about Black women’s success, as well as tips and stories from psychologists, activists, and organizational experts that equip us to lead others and heal past wounds. Learn to shed fear and embrace courage and vulnerability. Our path to success includes a commitment to self-care, spiritual growth, and a willingness to push for progress even as we fight for our own liberation.


First and Only is not just about how to lean in, or how to discover the irrefutable laws of leadership. It’s also about healing so that we can sustain work for justice and equity. It’s about finding personal and social redemption—and leading other Black women to it, too.

 

How Y’all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived by Leslie Jordan

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Viral sensation and Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan regales fans with entertaining stories about the odd, funny, and unforgettable events in his life in this unmissable essay collection that echoes his droll, irreverent voice.

When actor Leslie Jordan learned he had “gone viral,” he had no idea what that meant or how much his life was about to change. On Instagram, his uproarious videos have entertained millions and have made him a global celebrity. Now, he brings his bon vivance to the page with this collection of intimate and sassy essays.

Bursting with color and life, dripping with his puckish Southern charm, How Y’all Doing? is Leslie doing what Leslie does best: telling stories that make us laugh and lift our spirits even in the darkest days. Whether he’s writing about his brush with a group of ruffians in a West Hollywood Starbucks, or an unexpected phone call from legendary Hollywood start Debbie Reynolds, Leslie infuses each story with his fresh and saucy humor and pure heart.

How Y’all Doing? is an authentic, warm, and joyful portrait of an American Sweetheart— a Southern Baptist celebutante, first-rate raconteur, and keen observer of the odd side of life whose quirky wit rivals the likes of Amy Sedaris, Jenny Lawson, David Rakoff, and Sarah Vowell.

 

Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear by Jinger Vuolo

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Jinger Vuolo, the sixth child in the famous Duggar family of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, recounts how she began to question the unhealthy ideology of her youth and learned to embrace true freedom in Christ.

When Jinger Duggar Vuolo was growing up, she was convinced that obeying the rules was the key to success and God’s favor. She zealously promoted the Basic Life Principles of Bill Gothard.

Jinger, along with three of her sisters, wrote a New York Times bestseller about their religious convictions. She believed this level of commitment would guarantee God’s blessing, even though in private she felt constant fear that she wasn’t measuring up to the high standards demanded of her.

In Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger shares how in her early twenties, a new family member—a brother-in-law who didn’t grow up in the same tight-knit conservative circle as Jinger—caused her to examine her beliefs. He was committed to the Bible, but he didn’t believe many of the things Jinger had always assumed were true. His influence, along with the help of a pastor named Jeremy Vuolo, caused Jinger to see that her life was built on rules, not God’s Word.

Jinger committed to studying the Bible—truly understanding it—for the first time. What resulted was an earth-shaking realization: much of what she’d always believed about God, obedience to His Word, and personal holiness wasn’t in-line with what the Bible teaches.

Now with a renewed faith of personal conviction, Becoming Free Indeed shares what it was like living under the tenants of Bill Gothard, the Biblical truth that changed her perspective, and how she disentangled her faith with her belief in Jesus intact.

 

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama

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In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed, #1 bestselling memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world.

There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life’s big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?

Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.”

She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.

“When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle Obama. A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires readers to examine their own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in a turbulent world.

 

Uphill: A Memoir by Jemele Hill

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One of Oprah Daily’s Best Fall Nonfiction Books of 2022

An empowering, unabashedly bold memoir by the Atlantic journalist and former ESPN SportsCenter co-anchor about overcoming a legacy of pain and forging a new path, no matter how uphill life’s battles might be.

Jemele Hill’s world came crashing down when she called President Trump a “white supremacist”; the White House wanted her fired from ESPN, and she was deluged with death threats. But Hill had faced tougher adversaries growing up in Detroit than a tweeting president. Beneath the exterior of one of the most recognizable journalists in America was a need―a calling―to break her family’s cycle of intergenerational trauma.

Born in the middle of a lively routine Friday night Monopoly game to a teen mother and a heroin-addicted father, Hill constantly adjusted to the harsh realities of not only her own childhood but the inherited generational pain of her mother and grandmother. Her escape was writing.

Hill’s mother was less than impressed with the brassy and bold free expression of her diary, but Hill never stopped discovering and amplifying her voice. Through hard work and a constant willingness to learn, Hill rose from newspaper reporter to columnist to new heights as the coanchor for ESPN’s revered SportsCenter. Soon, she earned respect and support for her fearless opinions and unshakable confidence, as well as a reputation as a trusted journalist who speaks her mind with truth and conviction.

In Jemele Hill’s journey Uphill, she shares the whole story of her work, the women of her family, and her complicated relationship with God in an unapologetic, character-rich, and eloquent memoir.

 

Black Women Will Save the World: An Anthem by April Ryan

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In this long-overdue celebration of Black women’s resilience and unheralded strength, the revered, trailblazing White House correspondent reflects on “The Year That Changed Everything”—2020—and African-American women’s unprecedented role in upholding democracy.

“I am keenly aware that everyone and everything has a story,” April D. Ryan acknowledges. “Also, I have always marveled at Black women and how we work to move mountains and are never really thanked or recognized.” In Black Women Will Save the World, she melds these two truths, creating an inspiring and heart-tugging portrait of one of the momentous years in America, 2020—when America elected its first Black woman Vice President—and celebrates the tenacity, power, and impact of Black women across America.

From the beginning of the nation to today, Black women have transformed their pain into progress and have been at the frontlines of the nation’s political, social, and economic struggles. These “Sheroes” as Ryan calls them, include current political leaders such as Maxine Waters, Valerie Jarrett, and Kamala Harris; LaTosha Brown, and other activists. Combining profiles and in-depth interviews with these influential movers and shakers and many more, Ryan explores the challenges Black women endure, and how the lessons they’ve learned can help us shape our own stories.

Ryan also chronicles her personal journey from working-class Baltimore to the elite echelons of journalism and speaks out about the hurdles she faced in becoming one of the most well-connected members of the Washington press corps—while raising two daughters as a single mother in the aftermath of a messy divorce.

It is time for everyone to acknowledge Black women’s unrivaled contributions to America. Yet our democracy remains in peril, and their work is far from done. Black Women Will Save the World presents a vital kaleidoscopic look at women of different ages and from diverse backgrounds who devote their lives to making the world a better place—even if that means stepping out of their “place.”

 

Embers on the Wind: A Novel by Lisa Williamson Rosenberg

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The past and the present converge in this enthralling, serpentine tale of women connected by motherhood, slavery’s legacy, and histories that span centuries.

In 1850 in Massachusetts, Whittaker House stood as a stop on the Underground Railroad. It’s where two freedom seekers, Little Annie and Clementine, hid and perished. Whittaker House still stands, and Little Annie and Clementine still linger, their dreams of freedom unfulfilled.

Now a fashionably distressed vacation rental in the Berkshires, Whittaker House draws seekers of another kind: Black women who only appear to be free. Among them are Dominique, a single mother following her grand-mère’s stories to Whittaker House in search of an ancestor; Michelle, Dominique’s lover, who has journeyed to the Berkshire Mountains to heal her own traumas; and Kaye, Michelle’s sister, a seer whose visions reveal the past and future secrets of the former safehouse―along with her own.

For each of them, true liberation can come only from uncovering their connection to history―and to the spirits awaiting peace and redemption within the walls of Whittaker House.

 

Cooking from the Spirit by Tabitha Brown

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Cooking from the Spirit: Easy, Delicious, and Joyful Plant-Based Inspirations by Tabitha Brown

Tabitha Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Feeding the Soul, presents her first cookbook—full of easy, family-friendly vegan recipes and stories from the spirit, inspired by her health journey and love of delicious food.

Sometimes people say to Tabitha Brown, “I’ve never eaten vegan before.” As Tab says, “Have you ever eaten an apple?”

After living with a terrible undiagnosed illness for more than a year and a half, Tab was willing to try anything to stop the pain. Inspired by the documentary What the Health, she tried a thirty-day vegan challenge—and never looked back. Wanting to inspire others to make changes that might improve their own lives, she started sharing her favorite plant-based recipes in her signature warm voice with thousands, and now millions, of online fans.

Tab’s recipes are flexible, creative, and filled with encouragement, so you trust yourself to cook food the way it makes you happy. If you’re already a “cooking from the spirit” sort of person, you’ll love how much freedom Tab gives to make these delicious vegan dishes your own. If you’re newer to cooking—or to vegan cooking—Tab will help you get comfortable in the kitchen and, most important, have fun doing it!

In this joyful book, Tab shares personal stories, inspirational “Tabisms,” and more than eighty easy, family-friendly recipes.

Cooking from the Spirit is for anyone interested in plant-based eating and all lovers of food, plus anyone who wants a little warm inspiration in their lives. As Tab says, “Honey, now let’s go on and get to cooking from the spirit. Yes? Very good!”

 

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

Winner of the Carl Sandberg Literary Award • National Book Award Longlist • Dayton Literary Peace Prize Finalist • PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Finalist • PEN/Jean Stein Book Award Longlist

“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.”

In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched, and beautifully written narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.

Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more.

Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their outcasting of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics.

Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.

Original and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today.

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The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

This “powerful and disturbing history” exposes how American governments deliberately imposed racial segregation on metropolitan areas nationwide (New York Times Book Review).

Widely heralded as a “masterful” (Washington Post) and “essential” (Slate) history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law offers “the most forceful argument ever published on how federal, state, and local governments gave rise to and reinforced neighborhood segregation” (William Julius Wilson).

Exploding the myth of de facto segregation arising from private prejudice or the unintended consequences of economic forces, Rothstein describes how the American government systematically imposed residential segregation: with undisguised racial zoning; public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities; subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs; tax exemptions for institutions that enforced segregation; and support for violent resistance to African Americans in white neighborhoods.

A groundbreaking, “virtually indispensable” study that has already transformed our understanding of twentieth-century urban history (Chicago Daily Observer), The Color of Law forces us to face the obligation to remedy our unconstitutional past. 13 illustrations

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The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER • A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
The Washington Post, NPR, Esquire, Marie Claire, Electric Lit, Ms. magazine, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist

In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States.

The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning “1619 Project” issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This new book substantially expands on that work, weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself.

This is a book that speaks directly to our current moment, contextualizing the systems of race and caste within which we operate today. It reveals long-glossed-over truths around our nation’s founding and construction—and the way that the legacy of slavery did not end with emancipation, but continues to shape contemporary American life.

Featuring contributions from: Leslie Alexander • Michelle Alexander • Carol Anderson • Joshua Bennett • Reginald Dwayne Betts • Jamelle Bouie • Anthea Butler • Matthew Desmond • Rita Dove • Camille T. Dungy • Cornelius Eady • Eve L. Ewing • Nikky Finney • Vievee Francis • Yaa Gyasi • Forrest Hamer • Terrance Hayes • Kimberly Annece Henderson • Jeneen Interlandi • Honorée Fanonne Jeffers • Barry Jenkins • Tyehimba Jess • Martha S. Jones • Robert Jones, Jr. • A. Van Jordan • Ibram X. Kendi • Eddie Kendricks • Yusef Komunyakaa • Kevin M. Kruse • Kiese Laymon • Trymaine Lee • Jasmine Mans • Terry McMillan • Tiya Miles • Wesley Morris • Khalil Gibran Muhammad • Lynn Nottage • ZZ Packer • Gregory Pardlo • Darryl Pinckney • Claudia Rankine • Jason Reynolds • Dorothy Roberts • Sonia Sanchez • Tim Seibles • Evie Shockley • Clint Smith • Danez Smith • Patricia Smith • Tracy K. Smith • Bryan Stevenson • Nafissa Thompson-Spires • Natasha Trethewey • Linda Villarosa • Jesmyn Ward

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Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness by Laura Coates

This instant New York Times bestseller offers “a firsthand, eye-opening story of a prosecutor that exposes the devastating criminal punishment system” (Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award–winning author of How to Be an Antiracist) in this “compelling collection of engaging, well-written, keenly observed vignettes from [Laura Coates’s] years as a lawyer with the US Department of Justice” (The New York Times Book Review).

When Laura Coates joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor, she wanted to advocate for the most vulnerable among us. But she quickly realized that even with the best intentions, “the pursuit of justice creates injustice.”

Coates’s experiences show that no matter how fair you try to fight, being Black, a woman, and a mother are identities often at odds in the justice system. She and her colleagues face seemingly impossible situations as they teeter between what is right and what is just.

On the front lines of our legal system, Coates saw how Black communities are policed differently; Black cases are prosecuted differently; Black defendants are judged differently. How the court system seems to be the one place where minorities are overrepresented, an unrelenting parade of Black and Brown defendants in numbers that belie their percentage in the population and overfill American prisons. She also witnessed how others in the system either abused power or were abused by it—for example, when an undocumented witness was arrested by ICE, when a white colleague taught Coates how to unfairly interrogate a young Black defendant, or when a judge victim-blamed a young sexual assault survivor based on her courtroom attire.

Through these “searing, eye-opening” (People) scenes from the courtroom, Laura Coates explores the tension between the idealism of the law and the reality of working within the parameters of our flawed legal system, exposing the chasm between what is right and what is lawful.

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Explore Books by Author and Poet Janet Autherine

Explore Books by Author and Poet Janet Autherine
https://www.amazon.com/Janet-Autherine/e/B00KXINZJM
Motivational, Self-help, Poetry and Children’s non-fiction books!

Island Mindfulness: How to Use the Transformational Power of Mindfulness to Create an Abundant Life by Janet Autherine, order here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089ZKVYBH

Island Mindfulness creates a path for transformation through self-empowerment, meaningful relationships, spiritual fulfillment and the creation of a purposeful life. Who you become and how you experience the world is a result of how you see everything that exists around you. When mindfulness is practiced, the mind has the ability to ride the waves of life and find calm in the midst of all the sun, wind, and rain that we encounter on our unpredictable journey.Janet invites you to slow your pace, and in the spirit of the islands, mindfully and intentionally embark on a journey to nourish your mind, body, and soul. Her “island mindfulness” journey is filled with heartfelt stories of navigating love, marriage, and divorce, adjusting your sail in the face of financial and career challenges, and having an Irie time raising children. Island Mindfulness is a gift of peace and a treasure box of life lessons. Take a mindful moment to embrace joy — say no to negative news, negative body image and everything that keeps you from living your best life. Island Mindfulness is the peace needed to love and embrace the person that you are today.

The Heart and Soul of Black Women: Poems of Love, Struggle and Resilience by Janet Autherine
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GJVT4H2

The Heart and Soul of Black Women is a celebration of the beauty, vulnerability and humanity of black women. It is the healing, uplifting, heartbreaking stories of all aspects of our human journey, through the art of poetry.

The poems are powerful and boldly address issues, such as: Raising Black Boys, Black Love, Self-Worth, Sisterhood, Raising Special Needs Children, Addiction and Abuse, Single Motherhood, Healthy Dating and standing for Justice and Equality in the face of Racism.

“My sisters, we are precious and vulnerable and resilient and powerful. We are the dream of our ancestors. We deserve to hold our heads high, walk in strength, cry openly, and get angry without being labeled an angry black woman. We are human. Our hearts break and mend. We don’t always bounce back for adversity as fast as we are expected to; we sometimes need therapy and an extra dose of love. As a matter of fact, we need deep and abiding love. I hope that when you read these poems, you see all the beauty and complexity that is inside. I hope that you see your majesty, and the world sees your humanity.” Janet Autherine

Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul: Poems and Inspiration to Live and Love Harmoniously by J. Autherine
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MXPYWQT

J. Autherine’s inaugural collection of poems and inspiration is a love offering to strong, vulnerable, badass women who lead with their hearts, love deeply and sometimes fall hard.

Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul is a deep, gritty, raw look at the thrill of loving unconditionally, as well as the mental and physical toll that it takes when peace and harmony are lost in the process. The author draws inspirations from her own journey spanning 30 years, and also dives deeply into the vulnerable hearts of women globally, including her experience growing up in Jamaica. She captures the pain and struggle of women who love deeply and pour into others without first filling their own jars.

A reoccurring theme is reclaiming your heart in order to live and love harmoniously. Chapter 1, Wild Heart, takes the reader on a journey of self discovery — being an empath in a sometimes harsh world, feeling broken after losing love, not feeling good enough to be loved, facing rejection and abandonment, and navigating life with a heart that just wants to love unconditionally. The second chapter, Peaceful Soul, is an empowering meditation on the peace that comes with reclaiming your heart — finding strength in the love and support of sister friends, practicing self-love while responsibly loving others, and finding joy in loving those that are worthy of our love.

Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul is a patchwork of vulnerability, truth and empowerment for everyone who loves deeply.

Growing into Greatness with God: 7 Paths to Greatness for Our Sons & Daughters by Janet Autherine
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0991200047

Every child is created in the image of God, and every child carries this amazing gift of greatness inside himself or herself. But children hear mixed messages on a daily basis—about life, about the world, and about themselves.In Growing into Greatness with God: Seven Paths to Greatness for Our Sons and Daughters, author and mother of three boys Janet Autherine encourages kids to see themselves as unique and amazing—already blessed with what they need to succeed in life and achieve their God-given dreams.Readers learn how to grow in love, faith, courage, leadership, happiness, gratitude, and confidence through the inspiring stories of Bible heroes such as Abraham, Sarah, David, and Hannah. Each chapter includes a brief summary of two Bible stories, with reflections on each, and concludes with three action-oriented suggestions on how to put the lesson into practice. Growing into Greatness with God inspires kids and young adults with wisdom applicable to their daily lives and empowers them to always love themselves and to be their best selves.

About the Author
Janet Autherine has a heart for storytelling and empowering women. She uses her extraordinary immigrant journey from humble beginnings in Jamaica to a respected author and attorney to inspire others to embrace their unique journey, and to be mindful of each moment.

She is the author of four books:

• The Heart and Soul of Black Women: Poems of Love, Struggle and Resilience is a celebration of the beauty, vulnerability and humanity of black women. It is the healing, uplifting, heartbreaking stories of all aspects of our human journey, through the art of poetry.
  
• Island Mindfulness is a gift of peace and a treasure box of life lessons. Take a mindful moment to embrace joy — say no to negative news, negative body image and everything that keeps you from living your best life. Island Mindfulness is the peace needed to love and embrace the person that you are today.
  
• Growing into Greatness with God, 7 Paths to Greatness for our Sons and Daughters is inspired by her own experiences growing up in Jamaica, as well as her experience raising her three sons to recognize and nourish what God has planted within each of them. Her goal, through her writing, is to empower adults and children to see themselves as unique and amazing, already blessed with the ability to succeed in life and achieve their dreams.
  
• Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul, is a beautiful collection of poems that tell the stories of strong, vulnerable, courageous women who love deeply, sometimes fall hard but always lead with their hearts. It is a deep and gritty, fresh and robust look at the thrill of loving unconditionally, as well as the mental and physical toll that it takes when peace and harmony are sometimes lost in the process. Drawing on personal experiences from her own journey of the past 30 years, J Autherine delves into the vulnerable hearts of women from around the world, including from her early years in Jamaica.
  

Janet Autherine is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Boston College Law School and Georgetown University School of Law. She is the proud mother of 3 wonderful boys who provide daily inspiration for her writing. Follow her on Instagram @JanetAutherine

 

Wrath: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray

Join the Seducing the Pen Book Tour and help spread the word about Wrath: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray. This title will be released on January 5, 2021! Explore the books on tour, go here: https://www.smore.com/k32vj

Wrath: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray
Book 4 of The Seven Deadly Sins Series
This title will be released on January 5, 2021.

The award-winning author of Lust, Envy, and Greed—soon to be Lifetime movies—delivers a passionate and unforgettable exploration of a marriage caught in the crossroads of rage.

When Chastity Butler and Xavier Owens first meet, they instantly connect over their shared dedication to activism. After all, Xavier is a civil rights attorney and Chastity uses her business degree to work with a local foundation that helps battered women.

Together, they work to make the world a better place and find themselves falling deeper in love. Even though friends and family warn them to slow down, Xavier and Chastity marry within a year.

But their marriage is soon strained by the intense differences between their backgrounds. Chastity, the only child of a prominent popular pastor in Philadelphia, was raised with privilege. Xavier, meanwhile, never knew his father, was abandoned by his mother, and shuffled between houses, leaving him feeling isolated and inadequate. As an adult, he was determined to leave his past behind.

As time goes on, Xavier is slowly overcome with resentment about his past. Soon, Chastity finds herself on the receiving end of his increasing rage. It starts with verbal abuse and escalates until the physical abuse makes Chastity feel like she’s living in a prison. She has built a career on helping women in similar situations, but her religious upbringing, her position at the domestic violence foundation, as well as her family’s high social profile all work to keep her in their home, praying that Xavier will change.

Things only get worse when the local Democratic Party asks Chastity to run for office, and Xavier can’t handle the amount of attention his wife is suddenly getting. When his rage explodes at a level Chastity has never seen, will their marriage survive or is this finally the last straw?

Editorial Review
“In the fourth installment of her Seven Deadly Sins series…Murray delivers another intense morality tale….Offer Murray’s novel to readers who are looking for gritty Christian romantic suspense about love gone wrong.” —Booklist

About the Author
Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of more than twenty five novels including: Greed; Envy; Lust; The Ex Files; Lady Jasmine; The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil; and Stand Your Ground, which was named a Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Winner of nine African American Literary Awards for Fiction and Author of the Year (Female), Murray is also a four-time NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Fiction. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, DC. See all of her books here:

The Seven Deadly Sins…Coming to TV on Lifetime!
Read the entire Seven Deadly Sins series at: https://amzn.to/2T7BMW7

BOOKS BY VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY
Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of more than twenty seven novels including: Greed; Envy; Lust; The Ex Files; Lady Jasmine; The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil; and Stand Your Ground, which was named a Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Winner of nine African American Literary Awards for Fiction and Author of the Year (Female), Murray is also a four-time NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Fiction. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, DC. See all of her books here:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Victoria-Christopher-Murray/28279517

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Dangerous Consequence AND Surviving the Chase by Lisa Renee Johnson

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Dangerous Consequences by Lisa Renee Johnson

Author Lisa Renee Johnson delivers an edgy, sexy novel about a man who has it all—until one night changes everything . . .

Dubbed the “Sex Doctor” on his local radio show, psychologist Donathan James advises callers on their sexual issues. With his gorgeous and brilliant neurosurgeon wife, Sydney, at home and women flirting with the hot doctor everywhere he goes, Donathan is living the high life. But when he wakes up naked and drugged in a hotel room, with no memory of the evening before, the doctor suddenly has problems of his own.

Soon, Donathan’s sexy stalker is sending him photographic evidence of what they did that night, turning up in his office to rant about her unstable past, and demanding they meet again and again. All Donathan wants is his life back—and for his wife not to find out. But when the relentless stranger goes too far, it leads him to discover his beloved wife has secrets of her own. Now, to save their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. James will have to hold on tight to survive the bumpiest ride of their lives.

Praise for Dangerous Consequences by Lisa Renee Johnson

“An edgy tale eager to be told. The pace is blazing hot!”
—Victor McGlothin

“A fast-paced, suspense-filled, dramatic curve ball that will keep you turning the pages.”
—Sistah Friend Book Club

“An exceptional read . . . fast paced and full of drama.”
—OOSA Book Club

“Layered with enough suspense and drama to send your mind racing.”
—BookReferees.com

Purchase Dangerous Consequences (Book 1) by Lisa Renee Johnson
https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Consequences-Lisa-Renee-Johnson-ebook/dp/B01JEJCA4Q
Available on Audible as audiobook, ebook on Kindle and paperback!

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Surviving the Chase by Lisa Renee Johnson

In this page-turning follow-up to Dangerous Consequences, a serial killer wants revenge—but two surprising people stand in her way . . .

Abandoned by her mother as a kid, Payton Jones wants no reminders of her past and no commitments. She’s beautiful, educated, rich, and gets what she wants—even if her favorite friends-with-benefits, Tony Barnes, is a hot complication. But her life of shopping, spa appointments, and mindless sex is interrupted when the most wanted woman in the Bay area starts hunting for Payton’s estranged mother. Curiosity leads Payton into unfamiliar—and risky—territory.

Psychologist and local radio show host Donathan “Sex Doctor” James almost became a victim of the killer, who bared her every twisted thought to him. He knows she won’t stop until she commits the most personal murder of all. But when his wife’s best friend, Payton Jones—who Donathan isn’t quite sure he can trust—uncovers a shattering connection to the killer, they team up to find her.

Now, surviving the chase puts Donathan’s marriage, career, and life on the line while Payton comes face to face with everything she’s been running from for years . . .

Purchase Surviving the Chase (Book 2) by Lisa Renee Johnson
https://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Renee-Johnson/e/B0060LFP08
Available on Audible as audiobook, ebook on Kindle and paperback!

About the Author
Lisa Renee Johnson is a woman with many hats. She’s an author, foodie and closet mixologist, and co-founder of a long-running book club for over 2 decades!

After her debut novel “Dangerous Consequences”, her follow-up novel, “Surviving the Chase”, is in stores now! They are also available on Audible and Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about Lisa Renee Johnson on her website and follow her trail of sunshine on Social Media!
Website: https://buff.ly/37rhcJe
Twitter: @iamlisarjohnson
Linkedin: lisareneejohnson
Facebook and Instagram: @iamlisareneejohnson