New York Times and #1 Essence bestselling author, Mary Monroe, has been described by the Chicago Sun-Times as a “remarkable talent,” known for insightful, entertaining and poignant stories spun around the complicated dynamics between friends, lovers and family. The daughter of sharecroppers and the first in her family to graduate high school, Alabama-born Monroe has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “magnificent.”

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In November of 2000, Monroe introduced readers to Annette Goode in the award winning novel “God Don’t Like Ugly.” Readers immediately embraced the character and fell in love with what would become the first installment of the “The God Series”. In 2006, “God Don’t Play” reunited Monroe with the characters she first introduced in God Don’t Like Ugly and marked her debut onto The New York Times bestseller list and her second #1 Essence bestselling novel.

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With her extraordinary circumstances and often unsettling portrayal, they followed Annette as she endured and triumphed over childhood poverty, sexual abuse and obesity. Perhaps what pulled readers in the most, was Annette’s longtime friendship with Rhoda O’Toole. They were forever friends–who like most friends–fought and hurt, but at the end of it all, loved. This summer, Monroe brings readers the dramatic finale of her successful God series in “God Don’t Make No Mistakes” (Kensington/Dafina Books – June 2012 – $24).

These days, Annette Goode Davis has a pretty full plate—literally and figuratively. Although she’s trying to reconcile with her husband, Pee Wee, she’s still seeing other men on the side. With her love life popping, Annette should be as pleased as punch. Instead, the stress has her eating everything in sight and when her world is rocked by a terrible revelation, she’ll discover that appearances can be very, very deceiving. Meanwhile, Annette’s best friend, Rhoda O’Toole, has her hands full—as usual—dealing with her wild child daughter Jade. Jade has always been a cross to bear, but when her antics almost cost Rhoda her man, Rhoda decides things between her and Jade must change.

You can read a chapter excerpt of “God Don’t Make No Mistakes,” HERE!

You can order a copy of “God Don’t Make No Mistakes,” on Amazon, HERE!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Monroe is the New York Times and Essence® bestselling author of God Don’t Like Ugly, which earned the author the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles National Literary Award and a nomination for the Black Writers Alliance’s Golden Pen Award. Her other novels are Mama Ruby, God Ain’t Through Yet, God Aint Blind, The Company We Keep, She Had It Coming, God Still Don’t Like Ugly, The Upper Room, Red Light Wives, Gonna Lay Down My Burdens, which is named among the BET.com Best Books of 2002, and the #1 Essence bestseller, In Sheep’s Clothing.

The third child of Alabama sharecroppers and the first and only member of her family to finish high school, Monroe, who says, “I graduated high school by the skin of my teeth,” never attended college or any writing classes. A storyteller since childhood, writing at first came somewhat easily to Monroe. Later, advice from Alice Walker, Ann Rice, James Baldwin and Toni Morrison encouraged her to continue to pursue her writing. Monroe is also included in the reference book, The 100 Most Popular African American Writers.

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It’s been months since Reverend Curtis learned that his wife, Charlotte, had affairs with two different men, and for now, he continues to be cordial and respectful to her. But he’s also made it clear that once their son, Matthew, graduates high school, he will be filing for divorce. Charlotte, on the other hand, continues to do everything possible to make amends in hopes of saving their marriage.

Unfortunately, Curtis is ready to move on and is being propositioned by a woman who desperately wants to become the next Mrs. Curtis Black. When the situation heads down a path that is frighteningly shocking, could it be the final blow to this once blessed union?

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You can order, The Reverend’s Wife, on Amazon.com, HERE!

Read a sample Chapter below:

Chapter 1

Charlotte smiled at Curtina, the stepdaughter she once hated, and could hardly wait for her guests to arrive at the huge birthday bash they were throwing for her. Curtina had turned three shortly after they’d moved into the new church, and today, here it was a whole year later in the middle of May, and her little princess was actually turning four already. She was a big girl now, and Charlotte was glad she’d chosen the most adorable little bright pink jean outfit, with cute little rhinestones forming a heart across the back of the jacket, for her to wear. She was picture perfect and more beautiful than any child Charlotte could think of. She was as sweet as anyone could imagine and a joy to be around—she was the daughter Charlotte couldn’t and wouldn’t ever want to live without, no matter the circumstances.

Charlotte scanned the pink, lavender and white decorated family room in the lower level of the house and was satisfied with the way everything had turned out. The area was filled with tables adorned with festive table cloths and a plethora of balloons, some held down by weights and others touching the high ceiling. The setting was just right, and there was no mistaking that Charlotte had spent weeks planning the biggest party Curtina had been given during her four short years on this earth, and that Charlotte had enjoyed doing what she thought would make her daughter happy.

“So, are you excited sweetheart?” Curtis asked Curtina.

“Yep. And I can’t wait for all my friends to get here.”

“I’m sure,” he said, hugging her at his waist side.

Charlotte studied her husband from head to toe. After all these years of being married to him, nearly eleven that is, Curtis was still as gorgeous as ever, and truthfully, even better-looking than when she’d met him. His skin remained flawless, his hair still held a soft wave, and even a person with poor eyesight could see how religiously he worked out. He was still the man of her dreams, the man she loved with all her heart, the man she was finally completely committed to—even if he refused to believe it. Yes, she’d made tons of mistakes, the most recent being last year when she’d slept with two different men, but she couldn’t have been sorrier for her actions. She’d allowed her ill feelings toward Curtina, the child Curtis had conceived outside of their marriage and brought to live with them permanently, to get the best of her, but now she felt differently. Today, she had forgiven Curtis and since Curtina’s mother had passed away, she was honored to fill that role. It was true that for a while, she’d treated Curtina horribly and had wished she could move elsewhere, but soon Charlotte’s heart had softened and she’d slowly become close to her. As time had continued, she’d come to love and cherish Curtina as if she were her own.

Nonetheless, her new feelings toward Curtina hadn’t made much of a difference to Curtis, and his plans hadn’t changed. He was cordial and polite enough whenever he was around her, but he’d made his intentions very clear: he was still divorcing Charlotte as soon as Matthew headed to Harvard three months from now. He seemed so sure about it, like there was no way anything could change his mind, and this saddened Charlotte. It terrified her because she didn’t know what she’d do without her husband. She had no idea how he could possibly expect her to go on, when as far as she was concerned, there was no life for her at all if it wasn’t with him.

But no matter what she said, no matter how hard she pleaded her case, he didn’t seem to care one way or the other. He was quite set on his decision, content with it even, and all Charlotte could do now was pray for some sort of a miracle. She was hopeful that God would soon intervene and bring them back together again.

Then there was her semi-strained relationship with Matthew, her handsome six-foot-two and highly intelligent eighteen-year-old son who had always been a very caring and forgiving child but now couldn’t seem to fully forgive his mother for the way she’d hurt him. Just thinking about that Tom character and how he’d forced her to meet him at a motel made her cringe, not to mention the sneaky way he’d tricked Matthew into driving miles to witness it. Matthew had even knocked on the door and caught her trying to get dressed, and while this had all been Charlotte’s fault—her sleeping with Tom, a man she’d never met, right after drinking too many long island iced teas at a jazz club outside of Chicago and then being blackmailed by him—Tom’s actions had still been downright dirty. They’d been deplorable at best, and it had taken her months to try to forget about him—months before she’d finally stopped toying with the idea of getting revenge.

“Agnes, thank you so much for all your help,” Charlotte said to their long-time housekeeper. “Thank you for everything.”

“Of course. I was glad to do it. Especially for my little pumpkin,” she said, smiling at Curtina.

“Thank you, Miss Agnes.”

“You’re quite welcome, sweetie.”

“I’ll bet you’re going to get a lot of gifts, Curtina,” Alicia said, standing close to her ex-husband Phillip, and Charlotte wished that witch hadn’t even bothered coming. There was a time when Charlotte had loved her stepdaughter, Curtis’s eldest child and the one he’d had with his first wife, but now Charlotte couldn’t stand her. Although, it wasn’t like it was Alicia’s fault that things had turned ugly between them, it was Curtis’s. Their falling-out had occurred right after Curtis had given Alicia total control over his estate, should something happen to him, and just before Curtis had transferred all of his money into new accounts that didn’t bear Charlotte’s name. Some were now being jointly held with Alicia and some were listed in his name only, and this angered Charlotte to no end. The only problem was, there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it—not when Curtis had told her right from the beginning that if she caused any difficulties for him financially, he would have no problem releasing a few of those degrading photos of her that Tom had sent him. She also didn’t complain because in all fairness to Curtis, he wrote her a five-figure check on the first of every month and had promised to do right by her when it was time for the divorce settlement. He’d told her how he didn’t expect her normal way of living to change, and that he would always honor the fact that she was his son’s mother.

“We should take a couple of family photos,” Matthew suggested.

Curtis looked for a spot they could all stand in. “I agree.”

“How about outside?” Richard said, pointing toward the sliding glass door. Richard was the hired photographer who had come highly recommended by multiple parents at Curtina’s school, and Charlotte was glad she’d contacted him.

“Sounds good to me,” Curtis said.

Everyone, including Agnes, paraded through the lower level and out to the patio, and Richard positioned each of them into place.

“I’m the smallest, so that’s why I have to be in the front,” Curtina announced proudly.

“Maybe I should kneel down in front of you,” Matthew said, teasing her.

“No, Matt, then no one will be able to see me, and it’s my birthday, remember?”

“Whatever, little girl,” he said.

Everyone laughed but all Charlotte focused on was Curtis and how she wished she could do more than just stand beside him. What she longed for was his touch and the way he’d once held her—all the time. She wanted this and so much more, and she was willing to do whatever it took to win him back. She would do anything to make him love and trust her again, and she prayed the opportunity would present itself—before it was too late.

Chapter 2

Curtis drove his black, luxury SUV into the church parking lot, eased into his designated spot and sat for a few minutes. They’d moved into the new building about a year ago, but Curtis was still in awe of all that God had blessed him and his congregation with. So much so, the thought of it all got him emotional. It sometimes made him cry like a baby with gladness. It was true that years ago, Curtis had been senior pastor of two very large congregations in the Chicago area—two churches he’d been ousted from because he hadn’t been living the way God wanted him to—but having the first two-thousand-seat sanctuary in a smaller city like Mitchell, IL was a major accomplishment. Everyone in the area was impressed by Deliverance Outreach and with how quickly its membership had grown, and Curtis was also excited about the number of people who lived as much as an hour away but still had no problem driving over to worship with them every Sunday. This kind of ministry and support was all that Curtis had prayed for, and he thanked God every day for all He’d done.

Curtis left his vehicle and started toward the church. Once inside, he strolled down two different plush carpeted hallways and into his office. Lately, he’d been arriving earlier than normal on Sunday mornings, and while he’d told himself he was only doing it because he needed a bit of quiet time before delivering his sermon, deep down, he knew the real reason was because he didn’t want to ride in the same car as Charlotte. When he’d first begun doing this a few months ago, Charlotte had highly objected to it, but Curtis had insisted this was best for everyone involved. He hadn’t elaborated, although, his thinking had been that it was better to drive separately since they’d be doing so permanently not very long from now.

Curtis removed his navy blue suit jacket and sat down at his desk. He’d certainly loved the office he’d resided in at the old building, too, but this one was on a whole other level. It was twice the size, had a sitting area larger than some living rooms, and it was decorated with the most tasteful charcoal gray leather furniture. There was also a spacious bathroom connected to the office which housed a huge shower and double sinks, and on the opposite side of the office was an attached conference room with multiple bookcases, a projection screen and a classy mahogany table that seated twenty. His suite had everything he could possibly want and he was thankful.

He thumbed through a few sermon documents and then glanced at his latest book, God’s Favor and How to Accept It, that had just been released in January. He was elated to know it had made number one on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers lists, but he was glad all the traveling to promote it was over. He’d been out for five weeks straight, visiting seventeen cities and spending two days in each of them so he could do all sorts of media interviews and book signing events—where in some cases, nearly a thousand people had attended and he’d sometimes signed for eight hours. It was all a blessing, of course, but the entire tour had proven to be physically taxing, and it had taken him a full week to recover from it.

Now, he looked at the beautiful photo of his three children and soon swiveled around in his chair, staring out the massive picture window, and sighed. Gosh. In only a matter of months, four to be exact, he’d be filing for divorce from his third wife. Even more surprising, this would be the first time he’d be the one initiating the process. His first two wives had left him and rightfully so, but this was different. Yes, he’d taken Tanya and Mariah through a lot, but when it came to Charlotte she’d dished out a lot more than she’d ever taken. She’d done things he hadn’t expected and while he’d had an affair on her, too, she’d had three, and he just couldn’t get beyond it. He had forgiven her, but his feelings had waned so much that he couldn’t see himself staying with her—not even for Curtina’s sake—and that’s who he worried about because interestingly enough, Charlotte and Curtina held a special bond. They loved each other the way any mother and daughter should, and Curtis worried how negatively the divorce would affect his child. He’d thought about that a lot, but in the end, he’d decided he just couldn’t be married to Charlotte any longer. He worried about Matthew, too, but the good news there was that Matthew had made it very clear that he understood Curtis’s decision and that he was fine with it. Although, Curtis did wonder if the reason Matthew felt that way was because he still hadn’t fully forgiven his mother for the two affairs she’d had last year. He’d been terribly hurt by them, and in many ways, he hadn’t been as close to her since.

Curtis reminisced about his past a little while longer and finally turned around and reviewed his sermon notes. At the same time, however, he thought about Sharon Green, the woman he’d almost slipped and had an affair with. But who he’d also been thinking about a lot more than usual was his first wife, Tanya, and how over the last few months, he hadn’t been able to stop reflecting on the love they’d once shared, how perfect they’d been for each other and how horribly he’d treated her. He could kick himself a thousand times for sleeping around with so many women behind Tanya’s back. It had been eighteen years since the day Tanya had taken little Alicia and walked out on him, but there were times when he felt like it had happened yesterday, and Curtis wished things had turned out differently. He wished he’d been completely faithful to his first wife, the woman he’d loved with all his heart—God forgive him, the woman he’d never fully stopped loving in the first place. He knew it was wrong, not to mention he did have the greatest respect for her second husband, James, the man she’d been married to for years, but he couldn’t help how he felt. He couldn’t change the fact that Tanya had been his soul mate ever since college or that even to this day, no one, not Charlotte or anyone else, compared to her. No woman was classier or kinder, and he’d made a grave mistake having lost her. He would regret it from now on, and it bothered him.

# # #

Greta, the church announcement clerk, gave details about an upcoming breakfast, and Curtis locked eyes with Charlotte. Only for a second, though, because soon he noticed Sharon, staring at him in her normal beguiling manner. He looked at her for a bit longer than he should have, but he had to admit that while she was extremely attractive and there was undeniable chemistry between them, he was pleased he hadn’t given in to sinful desires and slept with her. Of course, she had offered herself to him regularly for well over a year, and though at times it had been tough telling her no, his fighting nature had ultimately prevailed. Still, he longed for the day when Sharon would give up and join another church. If she did, he wouldn’t have to struggle with temptation or concern himself with what that temptation might lead to. He also wished he didn’t have this great need to talk to her by phone as much as he did because there were times when they chatted for hours.

Then there was Charlotte who had gone out of her way, too, trying to get him into bed, but he had refused her also—something that was completely out of his character. As a matter of fact, it had been hard for a man like him to go more than twelve months—twelve extremely long and very stressful months—with no intimate relations. Absolutely none. In the past, it would have been unheard of for him to as much as consider the idea of celibacy, but he was trying his best to live by God’s Word. His goal was to do right by his children and not do anything that would bring additional pain or shame to their lives, and he was proud of himself for hanging in there.

When Greta finished informing the congregation about an upcoming city-wide concert featuring Deliverance Outreach’s choir, she said, “I think that’s all I have, but at this time, I’d like to turn the podium over to our beautiful first lady.”

Charlotte, dressed in an off-white, knit skirt suit, walked over to Greta, hugged her and stood in front of the microphone. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” the congregation responded.

“As always, it’s such a blessing to be in the house of the Lord.”

Amens rang from every direction, and many of the parishioners smiled.

“I won’t keep you long, but if you’ll allow me, I’d like to tell you a little about the marriage seminar I’ve been working on for the last few months. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m happy to say that the first in the series is scheduled for next month, the third Sunday in June.”

“Amen,” more people repeated in unison.

“What a great idea,” a woman toward the front said.

But Curtis couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I’m so excited,” Charlotte continued, “because this kind of seminar is very much needed. I knew the divorce rate was on the rise, but it wasn’t until I did further research that I discovered forty to fifty percent of all marriages now end in divorce.”

Members of the congregation chattered amongst themselves, and Curtis could tell by some of their facial expressions that they were stunned.

Charlotte scanned the audience. “I know. Hard to believe isn’t it? But it’s very true, and that’s what got me thinking—what made me question why this is happening. I thought about it and then realized couples are getting divorced because they simply don’t value the sacred institution of holy matrimony anymore, and they’ve become a lot more comfortable with just living together. Even for me, there was a time when I didn’t value my marriage the way I should have, but I certainly do now, and that’s why I feel so passionate about this seminar, and I want as many folks as possible to sign up for it. Young married couples just starting out as well as couples who have been married for years. Pastor and I, too,” she said, looking over at Curtis, “have definitely had our ups and downs the same as anyone else, but we’ve both learned some very valuable lessons.”

Curtis stared at her, emotionless, and wondered how she of all people felt she could offer advice to anyone about the sanctity of marriage. He wondered how any woman who had slept around on her husband the way Charlotte had could ever believe she was qualified to help anyone with their marital issues. The whole idea of it was ludicrous.

“As I said, I don’t want to keep you long, but just so you know, flyers will be available at all exits and if anyone has questions, they can call my office here at the church. I’ll be glad to speak with you.”

Curtis sat quietly but also thought it was interesting, too, that Charlotte was finally spending more time at the church during the week and that she was so much more involved with church activities, specifically the women’s and children’s ministries. She was doing all the things she should have been doing for years and was even being a great mother and wife, but unfortunately, Curtis wasn’t moved by her newfound commitment to him or the church.

When Charlotte went to her seat, Curtis stood, stepped in front of the glass podium and quoted his favorite scripture. “This is the day the Lord hath made, so let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

He made general comments and offered his standard observations but never as much as acknowledged Charlotte’s marital seminar information. He acted as though she hadn’t said a word to the congregation, and more important, like she didn’t exist. Instead, he continued on with his Sunday morning duties, business as usual, and thought about his future. Funny how it hadn’t really dawned on him much before now, not in a serious manner, anyway, but suddenly he wondered who was going to be the next Mrs. Curtis Black. It seemed strange having to think about the idea of finding another wife, but he also knew the last thing any pastor needed was to be single. Especially given the number of women in churches hoping and praying for a pastor and his wife to break up. It was a very sad state of affairs but it was also reality, and Curtis knew he would indeed have to marry again at some point. There was no doubt he would eventually have to choose a new bride for him and mother for Curtina.

New Book,”Swirling,” Discusses Interracial Dating & Why Black Women Should Consider It

Ruth P. Watson Pens New Novel, “Blackberry Days Of Summer”

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When it comes to black women, the statistics have been grim when it comes to the prospects of dating and finding a husband, so much so that the term “black girl curse” is now part of the vernacular. Stanford Law professor and author Ralph Richard Banks made headlines last year as he put the statistics on front street: 70% of professional black women are unmarried compared to 45% of comparable white women, largely due to the fact that the majority of black women choose not to date and marry outside their race, all the while waiting on that “good black man.”  It’s an ongoing debate which has many black women wrestling with their long-held fantasies of whether to hold out for, give up on, or move towards the idea of dating men who are not African American.

For those who are flirting with the idea of an interracial relationship, journalists Christelyn D. Karazin and Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn offer the perfect roadmap to finding potential bliss.  In SWIRLING: How to Date, Mate and Relate, Mixing Race, Culture and Creed (Atria Books; Original Trade Paperback; May 2012; $15), Karazin, who is known for her popular blog BeyondBlackWhite.com, and Littlejohn, a journalist for more than 20 years, write candidly about the personal journeys of interracial dating and marriage and why it is has become increasingly important for more black women who are interested in having a male partner to look outside of the limited pool of black men for mates.  “The lamentable truth is that at least two million of us are in jeopardy of never experiencing that kind of love, especially within our own race. The shortage of black men is real – and black women are fighting like alley cats for the half a handful of eligible and marriageable brothers,” writes Karazin.  Littlejohn continues, “So as the world swirls, black women are stuck in lives filled with made-for-soap-opera drama and settling for less than they deserve.  It is telling when a woman with her master degree and making a decent amount of money decides to steal a car with her man just to prove she loves him, or a Christian woman and mother of four opts to marry a man serving a three-strikes sentence in prison because she doesn’t want to be alone anymore…and all because black women fear cultural isolation from their own community when they mix date and marry.”

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So where does it begin for black women when it comes to interracial dating and finding what the authors call a “rainbeau?” For one, getting rid of the mythical “Strong Black Woman” mentality is a must because it jeopardizes black women’s dating prospects. If the perception is that black women do not need a partner and can or prefer to do everything on her own, then it makes her a less appealing mate.  Next, Karazin and Littlejohn explain that black women should not wait for the “black community to give them the green light to swirl” because it’s never going to happen. Third, black women can love a non-black man and still uplift and represent her race. Fourth, she should know that just because she wants a man who is equally successful or exceeds her income does not make her a gold-digger. And finally, it’s okay for her to have a preference, whatever that preference is.

SWIRLING is filled with honest, straightforward and practical expert tips and personal stories from the authors and hundreds of black women interviewed. Readers will find valuable answers to a multitude of questions about:

• • Why dating outside her race is a difficult and/or scary concept for many black women
• • How to filter the potential keepers from the losers
• • How to begin conversations with a “rainbeau” about issues or concerns regarding interracial dating
• • Where to go to meet a potential “rainbeau”
• • How to know when a non-black man is showing he is interested
• • What it can mean when you encounter “stares” while out on a date
• • How to cope with feelings of self-guilt when you don’t have the desire to date black men
• • How to handle the “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” moment
• • When to know that your “rainbeau” is not “the one”

In addition, there is a comprehensive resource guide that offers the names of blogs and books, tips to finding a partner, and best U.S. cities to swirl, which further explore the concept of interracial dating.  “Janice and I did not write this book to indoctrinate, cajole, or frighten black women into doing something they have no desire to do,” says Karazin.  Says Littlejohn, “Yet, the paltry number of eligible African American men is frightening – and it’s real…Who we find attractive has a lot to do with whom we are exposed to, and if you haven’t been around people of other races and cultures, either in school or in your communities, it’s a little harder to know what it is you find appealing about someone who doesn’t look like you.”

Christelyn D. Karazin and Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn are both available for interview. Please contact me if you would like to speak with them about what is sure to be the next explosive debate in the conversation about race and relationships.

You can pre-order the book, HERE!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Christelyn D. Karazin is a columnist for Madame Noir magazine and also writes for publications including Woman’s Day, Better Homes & Gardens, and others. She runs the popular blog www.beyondblackwhite.com and lives in California with her husband and four children.

Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn has had a diverse twenty-year career as a journalist. A former television columnist for the Associated Press, her work has appeared in publications including the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Essence, Vibe and more. She is directing the forthcoming women in jazz documentary, “…but can she play?” and lives in Los Angeles.

Ruth P. Watson Pens New Novel, “Blackberry Days Of Summer”

David J. Leonard Latest Book Explores The NBA, “After Artest: The NBA & The Assault On Blackness”

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Ruth Watson, a former writer for the Atlanta-Journal &Constitution and Upscale magazine, has penned an impossible to put down, page-turner. Set against the backdrop of post- World War I, BLACKBERRY DAYS OF SUMMER (Strebor Books; $15; June 2012) is a compelling look at the Jim Crow era in rural Virginia.   This suspenseful tale of deceit is filled with lust, adultery, and romance.

In the tradition of The Color Purple and The Help, Watson introduces readers to Herman Camm.  As Robert Parker’s body is lowered into the grave, in Jefferson County, Virginia, Herman slithers into the life of the mourning family. Camm is a beady-eyed, small-framed womanizer with nice clothes, who has a complicated life involving three women: his wife, Mae Lou Parker; her daughter, Carrie, and a nightclub singer, Pearl Brown.

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BLACKBERRY DAYS OF SUMMER discusses themes, such as:

• the importance of education in the 1920’s and what that meant for the quality of life for an African American in the South,
• the mistreatment of African Americans in the Jim Crow era and the negligence among murder cases with African-American victims,
• mental health concerns within the  African-American community,
• and much more!

With BLACKBERRY DAYS OF SUMMER, Watson delivers characters that are neither good nor evil but a provocative combination of everything that makes us human. Watson is a strong writer and her talent for creating complex and fallible characters will engage readers from the very first page. Watson weaves a fascinating novel as she makes her debut on the author scene.

You can order the book on Amazon, HERE!

About the Author

Ruth P. Watson has an MSA from Central Michigan University and is currently an adjunct professor and project manager. She is the recipient of the Caversham Fellowship, an artist’s and writer’s residency in Kwa Zulu, Natal South Africa, where she published her first children’s book in Zulu, Our Secret Bond. She has written for Upscale, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other publications. She lives with her husband and son in Atlanta.

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Wahida Clark, Releases Third Novel In Her Series “Payback Ain’t Enough”

David J. Leonard Latest Book Explores The NBA, “After Artest: The NBA & The Assault On Blackness”

On November 19, 2004, a fight between NBA players Ron Artest and Ben Wallace escalated into a melee involving several other players and many fans. The “Palace Brawl,” writes David J. Leonard, was a seminal event, one that dramatically altered outside perceptions of the sport. With commentators decrying the hip hop or gangsta culture of players, the blackness of the NBA was both highlighted and disdained. This was a harsh blow to the league’s narrative of colorblindness long cultivated by Commissioner David Stern and powerfully embodied in the beloved figure of Michael Jordan. As Leonard demonstrates, the league viewed this moment as a threat needing intervention, quickly adopting policies to govern black players and prevent them from embracing styles and personas associated with blackness. This fascinating book discloses connections between the NBA’s discourse and the broader discourse of antiblack racism. Particular policy changes that seemed aimed at black players, such as the NBA dress code and the debate over a minimum age requirement, are explored.

“In After Artest, David Leonard confirms why he is one of the sharpest minds writing about race and sports in America today. Race is serious business and no one understands better than Leonard how that extends to the arenas and stadiums that have long been the site of confrontation between black bodies and spectators.” — Mark Anthony Neal, author of New Black Man

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“David Leonard offers an incisive analysis of race, in a league defined by race, thus adding meaningful dialogue and a sharp perspective to conversations about the ever-evolving image of the NBA in the post-Jordan era. Though haters will undoubtedly try to call a technical foul, Leonard goes hard in the paint nonetheless, shining another light on the always complicated racial politics that continue to inform the game of basketball.” — Dr. Todd Boyd, the Katherine and Frank Price Endowed Chair for the Study of Race and Popular Culture in the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts

“The power of the event is that it changes everything. So it is, David Leonard demonstrates in After Artest, in the post-Palace NBA. When Ron Artest went into the stands in the Palace of Auburn Hills in that fateful game in 2004, he not only subjected himself to unprecedented punishment, he also altered the entire discourse of race in the NBA. After Artest offers a critique not only of the NBA’s new modes of policing blackness, but it brings to light—and to life—that combustible encounter between ‘new racism’ and postracism in contemporary America. Racial politics, sociology, the nasty underside of America’s history, and sport are brought together forcefully by Leonard in After Artest.” — Grant Farred, author of What’s My Name? Black Vernacular Intellectuals and Long Distance Love: A Passion for Football

“After Artest breathes new life into the critical scholarship on sporting-based racial representation, and that of the NBA more specifically, by fleshing out the key political sites and struggles of the post-Artest moment. Leonard’s combination of rigorous empirical command and nuanced theoretical interpretation generates a compelling and insightful analysis.” — David L. Andrews, editor of Michael Jordan, Inc.: Corporate Sport, Media Culture, and Late Modern America

You can order the book on Amazon, HERE!

About the author:

David J. Leonard is Associate Professor of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies at Washington State University and the author of Screens Fade to Black: Contemporary African American Cinema. He is also the coeditor (with C. Richard King) of Commodified and Criminalized: New Racism and African Americans in Contemporary Sports and of Visual Economies of/in Motion: Sport and Film.

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“Payback Ain’t Enough” (Cash Money Content; April 2012; $14.99) is the follow up to Wahida Clark’s bestselling title “Payback With Ya Life” (2008).  Payback With Ya Life was one of the few urban fiction releases to appear on the New York Times Extended Bestseller list. “Payback Is A Mutha,” the first release from the trilogy, was released in 2006.

Wahida Clark was crowned “The Queen of Thug Love Fiction” after the success of her erotic and dramatic Thug Series of novels which have sold nearly 350,000 copies.  Based on her life growing up on the streets of Trenton, NJ, Wahida Clark began writing novels while serving a 10 ½ year prison sentence for money laundering and mail fraud. Clark has written 11 successful novels to date, 7 of which were written and published while behind bars.

Payback Ain’t Enough is the third novel in Clarks successful “Payback” series.  The book tells the story of ‘around-the way-girl’ Shan and the chaos surrounding her relationship with her wealthy drug Kingpin lover Briggen; with even higher stakes, danger and glamour than the novels two predecessors, Payback is one unexpected twist after another, and leads Clark ’s characters down a perilous path where ambitions, secrets and revenge collide.

You can order a copy of Payback Ain’t Enough on Amazon.com, HERE!

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Electa Rome Parks Sizzles With New Novel, “The Stalker Chronicles”

About the author:

In 2011, Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams, co-founders of the chart-topping rap label, Cash Money Records and Cash Money Content books, joined forces with Clark for the release of Justify My Thug, CMC’s first New York Times bestseller.  A smart businesswoman, Clark saw the venture as a way to gain greater visibility for her brand in the hip-hop marketplace, a decision that has more than paid off.

“Ronald “Slim” Williams of Cash Money Records and Cash Money Content said of the New York Times debut of “Justify:” “We are expecting only big things from Wahida.  The Cash Money collaboration with “The Queen” is a match that can do nothing but succeed.”

Clark’s novels are written to entertain its readers as well as to serve as cautionary tales.

Leaving prison in 2007, Clark created “Wahida Clark Presents” Publishing which, in just 4 short years, has grown into a successful business worth nearly 1 million dollars.  Wahida Clark Presents is home to 14 successful urban fiction authors with 18 titles currently in stores!  Clark attributes her savvy business model to jail house-mate and multi-millionaire businesswoman Martha Stewart, who she consulted with on her business plan, receiving invaluable advice.

Clarks other books include: Thugs and the Women Who Love Them (Part 1 of the “Thug Series”), Every Thug Needs a Lady (Part 2), Thug Matrimony (Part 3), Thug Lovin’ (Part 4), Justify My Thug (Part 5), Payback is a Mutha (Part 1), Payback With Ya Life (Part 2), The Golden Hustla and Sleeping with the Enemy.  She has also edited her first anthology, What’s Really Hood!: A Collection of Tales from the Streets.

As well as an accomplished author, Wahida Clark is a motivational speaker who has shared her amazing story with young people at juvenile facilities and high schools in the New York/New Jersey area.   “I share my story as often as I can in hopes of opening the eyes of young people caught up in the life of fast money on the streets of our urban communities,” said Clark.  “If my story changes the path of just one at-risk youth, I have done what I have set out to do.”

Clark actively serves as Vice President of the East Orange NJ- based Prodigal Sons and Daughters Redirection Services, a re-entry program for convicts and ex-convicts and Phoenix Academy Inc., an organization that provides support groups and mentors for at-risk youth.

For more information on Wahida Clark, click HERE!

Follow Wahida on twitter @wahidaclark and on Facebook, HERE!

Sarah Pekkanen Releases New Novel, “These Girls”

Hottest Celeb Pics Of The Week: April 18- April 11

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Readers have come to love Sarah Pekkanen’s novels in large part because she writes stories about women whose lives often reflect that of the women who eagerly turn the pages of her books. Reading Sarah Pekkanen’s novel is a literary experience.  Her extraordinary talent for creating compelling characters is what has earned her a permanent place in the hearts and on the bookshelves of countless readers.

In Sarah Pekkanen’s third novel, THESE GIRLS (Atria/Washington Square Press; April 2012; $15), she explores the lives of three women who live together in New York City.  Cate, Renee and Abby are each at a major crossroads in their lives, and it is through the bond of their friendship that each woman finds solace and insight.  And with one another’s encouragement and support, they each take a hard, honest look within themselves in order to learn the lessons that will help determine their best solutions.

Cate has just been promoted to features editor, a highly coveted and visible position at the popular magazine, Gloss.  She has a lot to prove in this new role, especially since she’s rapidly risen through the ranks.  She’s concerned that her colleagues at the magazine believe that she got the job due to reasons that have nothing to do with her work performance. But what Cate’s co-workers don’t know – and Cate will do whatever she can to keep it this way – is that her past is much more complicated than they can ever imagine. It is that past that Cate constantly tries to bury but at every turn, the threat of being exposed is often the motivation behind a lot of the decisions she makes.

Renee is on a quest for professional success and personal fulfillment.  She wants it all—the great, rewarding job and the handsome, loving boyfriend.  She comes close, but happiness always seems to be just beyond Renee’s grasp. When the beauty editor position opens up at Gloss, Renee is determined to get the job.  She just has to do one thing first: lose weight…and fast.  Renee believes that being a size 4 will solve all her problems.  When she looks in the mirror, she sees an overweight, unattractive woman despite others telling her that they view her as beautiful and voluptuous. Still, Renee turns to black market diet pills.  She quickly begins to drop the weight; however, there are other more serious, dangerous problems that may destroy more than just her self-esteem.

Abby left her job and the place where she lived in a hurry. She had to get out of town.  She sought refuge in her successful writer brother, Trey, from an emotionally charged drama that had hit its boiling point. Abby had nowhere else to go, and her brother welcomed her with open arms.  Abby is distraught, feels hopeless, and is deeply depressed.  Although the love of her brother helps, it is the understanding, empathy and support of her new friends and roommates that allow Abby to open up and finally address the circumstances – both past and present – that have brought her to such an incredulous level of despair.

Pekkanen’s THESE GIRLS is an exceptionally compelling, reflective, richly woven story about three women who find themselves in crisis yet together, emerge as triumphant, strong, and resilient, ready to tackle whatever the world has in store for them.  THESE GIRLS will be the definitive novel centered on friendship that women will discuss and share with one another for years and decades to come.

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THESE GIRLS is in bookstores everywhere, or you can order a copy on Amazon, HERE!

About the author:

Sarah Pekkanen is the internationally bestselling author of The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat and the original short estory “All is Bright.”  Her novels have won rave reviews from O, The Oprah Magazine, People, Harper’s Bazaar and The Washington Post.  Sarah may be found on Twitter @sarahpekkanen, and at her Web site, HERE!

Victoria Christopher Murray Prepares New Release, “Destiny’s Divas”

Electa Rome Parks Sizzles With New Novel, “The Stalker Chronicles”

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Victoria Christopher Murray brings us her latest novel, DESTINY’S DIVAS (Touchstone Books / A Simon & Schuster Trade Paperback; June 2012; $15) where secrets, scandal, and sin abound in the private lives of a popular evangelic gospel group. Sierra, Raine, and Liza, are Destiny’s Divas, and their hit tracks are just starting to gain them stardom. It’s the unique blend of singing and sharing their testimonies and triumphs that has gained them fans throughout the country.

Sierra Dixon, the twenty-something model and actress, is intelligent, ambitious, and speaks to young women about how she is saved, single, and celibate. Raine Omari, the thirty-something married mother is an earthy woman, who opens her home and heart to her mother-in-law, always putting family first and says that you, too, can have it all if God joins you and your husband in marriage. Forty-something, Liza Washington has been married for twenty-five blissful years to a well-known and respected reverend. The on-stage personalities of Destiny’s Divas have garnered many fans, but behind it all each woman holds a dark secret…

Sierra does the exact opposite of what she preaches; she is not celibate and instead goes from one bad relationship to another. Raine’s husband begs her to be patient and kind to her mother-in-law, but Raine is at her breaking point and ready to take drastic steps. Liza discovers her husband is in the middle of a scandal – one that, if revealed, could end their marriage and his ministry.

On one fateful evening all of their secrets are exposed, and one diva commits an act that will land her in prison for the rest of her life. DESTINY’S DIVAS is another compelling novel by Essence bestseller Victoria Christopher Murray, a surefire hit about three women struggling to bridge the dangerous gap between appearance and reality.

You can pre-order your copy of DESTINY’S DIVAS on Amazon, HERE!

You can also visit Victoria Christopher Murray on her website, HERE! And, you can visit her Facebook page, HERE!

About the author:

Victoria Christopher Murray always knew she would become an author, even as she was taking an unlikely path to that destination. A native of Queens, New York, Victoria first left New York to attend Hampton University in Virginia where she majored in Communication Disorders. After graduating from Hampton, Victoria attended New York University where she received her MBA.

Victoria spent ten years in Corporate America before she decided to test her entrepreneurial spirit. She opened a Financial Services Agency for Aegon, USA where she managed the number one division for nine consecutive years. However, Victoria never lost the dream to write and when the “bug” hit her again in 1997, she answered the call.

Victoria originally self-published Temptation in 1997.  “I wanted to write a book as entertaining and compelling as any of the books on the market, put God in the middle, and have the book still be a page-turner.  I wasn’t writing to any particular genre.  I just wanted to write about people I knew and characters I could relate to.”

In 2000 Warner Books published Temptation “It was a long road before my agent was able to find a publisher.  However, it has truly been a blessing.” Temptation made numerous bestsellers list across the nation and remained on the Essence Magazine bestsellers list for nine consecutive months. In 2001, Temptation was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literature.

Since Temptation, Victoria has written seven other novels. Victoria’s recent novels Grown Folks Business (Touchstone Books/June 2005), A Sin and a Shame (Touchstone Books/June 2006), and The Ex Files (Touchstone Books/June 2007) were all Essence Magazine bestsellers even reaching the coveted #1 position.  In 2008, Touchstone Books published Too Little, Too Late,  Lady Jasmine (2009) and the last in the Jasmine Cox Larson Bush saga Sins of the Mother in 2010.

In March 2008 Victoria began a Christian teen novel series called the Divine Divas.  It is a four book series which chronicles four fifteen-year-old girls who form a gospel singing group to compete in a talent search.  The series has already been optioned to become a television series.

In June 2011, Touchstone Books will publish Murray’s tenth novels, THE DEAL, THE DANCE, AND THE DEVIL.

Victoria splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington D.C.  In Los Angeles, she attends Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church under the spiritual tutelage of Dr. Beverly “BAM” Crawford.  She is also a member of the Long Beach Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Aliya S. King Returns With Juicy Hip-Hop Novel, “Diamond Life”

Cairo Releases New Steamy Novel, “Man Swappers”

What happens after you make it to the top?  Once you achieve Diamond status in the hip hop world with ten million albums sold, you can have anything (and anyone) you ever wanted, but be careful what you wish for.  In this juicy follow-up to Aliya S. King’s Platinum, set in the highest ranks of the music industry’s fame machine, Diamond Life (Touchstone / Simon & Schuster; February 2012; $14.99) is an intoxicating story of love, sex, ambition, money, betrayal, and the surprising realities of making it big.

Alex Maxwell’s career as a journalist and celebrity ghost writer is taking off, despite the slightly embarrassing authorship of hip hop super-groupie Cleo Wright’s memoir. And while Alex’s star is on the rise, it pales in comparison to her husband Birdie’s multi-platinum debut and world tour. Slowly but surely, everything they swore would never happen begins to come true, like leaving Brooklyn for a mansion in suburban Jersey and letting a reality TV crew into their home. Birdie is confronted time and again by the sexy groupies who pursue famous rappers like heat seeking missiles and he’s forced to make some life-changing choices.

Meanwhile, aging rapper Z, in recovery from drug addiction, is too busy trying to repair his marriage to leave much time for his son Zander, newly signed to Z’s label and struggling to maintain his appeal in the wake of a domestic violence scandal with his diva girlfriend Bunny.  Record label president Jake is trying to deal with the death of his wife, multiplatinum R&B artist Kipenzi Hill, by drowning his sorrows in alcohol and women.  When he meets Lily, a beautiful, quiet waitress, he can’t get her out of his head. But Lily has her own demons to handle, and she wants nothing to do with the fame, drama, and baggage that Jake carries with him.

Diamond Life is a sexy, scintillating look behind the curtain showing readers the real scoop on the biggest players in the hip-hop game – and the first ladies who hold them together.

You can order your copy of Diamond Life at Amazon.com, HERE

You can follow Aliya S. King on Twitter, HERE

Cairo Releases New Steamy Novel, “Man Swappers”

Electa Rome Parks Sizzles With New Novel, “The Stalker Chronicles”

In MAN SWAPPERS, Cairo introduces three sisters–Porsha, Persia, and Paris who are carefree and adventurous when it comes to sex and relationships with men. They embrace their sexualities without embarrassment, guilt, ridicule, or shame and are raised to share everything together and function in their adult lives. There is no jealousy, envy, or possessiveness between the three of them; what one sister has the others have as well. They celebrate each other’s joys and pleasures and experience those same feelings at the same time.

By day, bombshell beauties work hard, travel, and are always on the prowl for their next adventure with unsuspecting men. Getting the attention from the opposite sex has never been a problem for these sexy vixens. In fact they’ve had more than their share of men vying for their attention. However their requirement is this—if you date one, you must date them all with no exceptions.

Behind closed doors, these sex goddesses become Passion, Pain and Pleasure. These sisters have insatiable libidos with one mission in mind and that is to transform their deepest desires into flesh-to-flesh reality. There are no boundaries as they ignite the sexual heat, burning up the sheets as they engage in voyeurism, exhibitionism, role-play, phone-sex, and more, together—with one man, one orgasm at a time.

But what happens when two of them break the rules of engagement and begin seeing one of the men they’ve been sharing behind the other’s backs, and wants him all to herself? What happens when they both find out it’s the same man?

Filled with explicit sex and graphic language, readers will squirm with delight as they read about the sinfully delicious deeds of these three vixens as they indulge their wildest fantasies, taking men to rapturous new heights of carnal bliss.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cairo is the author of Daddy Long Stroke, The Man Handler, andThe Kat Trap. His travels to Egypt are what inspired his pen name. Visit him on Facebook, HERE!

You can order you copy of Man Swappers on Amazon, HERE!

Sarah Pekkanen Releases New Novel “THESE GIRLS”

T.D. Jakes Releases New Book, “LET IT GO: Forgive So You Can Be Forgiven”

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Tall, dark, and handsome bestselling male author Xavier Preston thought his nightmare — in the form of Pilar, a fanatical stalker/fan — had finally ended. Little does he know it’s only beginning.

Electa Rome Parks currently resides outside Atlanta, Georgia. After successfully self-publishing her debut novel, The Ties That Bind, New American Library, a division of Penguin Group, bought the rights. Electa signed a three-book deal with New American Library. All three books were immediately chosen as Black Expressions Book Club main selections and embraced as Books of the Month by book clubs across the country. Dubbed a “book club favorite,” avid readers have embraced Electa’s true to life characters that tackle prevalent and heavy hitting issues.

Since then Electa has become an award-winning, national bestselling author of several other mainstream (Loose Ends and Almost Doesn’t Count) and erotic (These Are My Confessions, Ladies’ Night Out, Diary of a Stalker and True Confessions) novels with Penguin Group, HarperCollins and Kensington. Electa was highlighted in Literary Divas:The Top 100+ Most Admired African-American Women in Literature and has written articles for several on-line magazines. The self-proclaimed, Queen of Real, Electa has been a frequent guest on radio shows, has been nominated for many industry awards and has been interviewed by newspapers, AOL’s Black Voices, Vibe Vixen, Upscale Magazine, Today’s Black Woman, Rolling Out and Booking Matters, to name just a few.

With a BA degree in marketing and a minor in sociology, she is following her true passion and working on her next novel, The Stalker Chronicles (coming Feb. 2012), and first non-fiction book.  Electa is also currently touring with Atlanta’s GA Peach Authors tour.

You can order your copy of The Stalker Chronicles, at Amazon, HERE!

It was getting easier and easier now.

She moved quickly and efficiently throughout the spacious three-car garage. She wanted to remove any traces of evidence that she had ever been there. She had always been good at simply disappearing and being invisible. That was easy.

She was definitely more confident, and it showed in her cool, calm, and collected demeanor. She was no longer afraid of being caught, because the urge to punish those who had hurt her was stronger, much more overwhelming, and urgent. She probably couldn’t stop herself even if she wanted to–she was operating on pure animal instinct. The need to survive and protect herself by any means necessary overrode anything else. Fight or flight. And she had long been tired of running.

There had been others over the years, more than she could count on one hand. They were mere vague gray memories that occasionally crossed her mind, like one might think of a stray pet one owned as a child, but she dismissed the images just as quickly. She never held on to them for more than a few fleeting moments in time. Denial was her refuge.

Only one had successfully escaped her sharp talons and womanly wiles. Or had he? Maybe she let him get away, just that one time. She hadn’t determined which. Sometimes she thought of him, when her mind wasn’t a jumble of darkness, discontent, and madness. There were moments….

She missed him, yearned for his special touch, the touch that only he could deliver with precision and skill. His touch brought heat and desire. His lies brought pain and sorrow. She hated that he escaped her grasp, or that possibly she let him walk away, unscathed. She still considered him her soul mate, the one who made her complete and safe and sound. She yearned to feel complete, because most days she realized she was broken and damaged beyond repair. However, she couldn’t think of that one just yet. Not now. That would come later. The strenuous act of positioning this one just right was over. Now she had serious, delicate cleanup work to complete. Within seconds, that one, the one who got away, was pushed to the dark, cold recesses of her mind. Forgotten…for now.

It was painstakingly slow work because everything had to be absolutely perfect. She had observed and respected what a perfectionist he was. He thrived on it. She softly snickered to herself and had to catch herself before it became an all-out rambunctious laugh. He didn’t look too perfect right now, slumped behind the steering wheel of his black BMW like a deflated, tossed-aside bag of rags and bones. Another snicker escaped. She tightly clamped her gloved hand down over her mouth to stop it, to keep it from spilling forth.

When he was discovered—hopefully, within a day or two—she wanted him to appear perfect in death. That was the least she could do, because she honestly felt she owed him that much. With a gloved hand, she carefully took the typewritten note out of his jacket pocket, typed from the personal computer in his home office, and gently placed it next to him on the soft leather passenger seat of his car. Laughter escaped freely and drifted into the still air.

She took one last hopeful look at him and placed a single kiss on his left cheek. She wanted to remember him at peace. Happy. So handsome. She sighed before she carefully closed the driver’s side car door. Then she continued to wipe down any surface she might have touched that bore her prints. She was patient as perspiration dotted her forehead. From her experiences, she knew that patience was a virtue.

She dreamily thought, We could have been so deliriously happy together. They always fucked things up. Always. She hadn’t met a man yet who didn’t. It was never a matter of if, but when. If only he hadn’t started to question or doubt her because of that damn movie, Diary of a Stalker, which had been released a month earlier and was a blockbuster success. Everyone was talking about it; already there was talk of Oscar nominations for best actress and best actor. She couldn’t escape it, no matter where she turned or what it signified for her.

No, you didn’t reject me and attempt to walk away, without a backward glance, she thought. How dare he? She didn’t do well with rejection. Never had. Never would. She chuckled to herself, thinking the joke was definitely on him. If he were alive, he would probably appreciate the joke as well. She had decided years ago that no one, especially not a man, would ever hurt her again. Never again. So far, she hadn’t broken her promise to herself, nor did she have any intentions to going forward.

She exited the beautiful, spacious home that screamed quiet elegance, luxury, and money. She let herself out and quietly disappeared into the night, under the cover of darkness. She craved the darkness for its mystery and power. She whistled a happy tune to herself as she walked away. No worries. No rush. She was lost in her own demented world. Enter at your own risk.

She reminisced about a man—a beautiful, tall, dark, and very sexy man with deep dimples and gorgeous teeth, a man she couldn’t wait to be reunited with. Her body craved him, and she could hardly contain her excitement and joy at just the mere thought of being in his presence again. It had been too long. As for the one in the garage, with the car engine running and the towel stuffed in the exhaust system, he had already slipped her mind, before his body was even cold and stiff. Her last thoughts of him were that when they found him, she hoped he would look perfect. She knew he would want it that way. After all, that was the least she could do. She hummed a lively tune and strolled off into the darkness.

Readers have come to love Sarah Pekkanen’s novels in large part because she writes stories about women whose lives often reflect that of the women who eagerly turn the pages of her books. Reading Sarah Pekkanen’s novel is a literary experience.  Her extraordinary talent for creating compelling characters is what has earned her a permanent place in the hearts and on the bookshelves of countless readers.

In Sarah Pekkanen’s third novel, THESE GIRLS (Atria/Washington Square Press; April 2012; $15.00 Paperback), she explores the lives of three women who live together in New York City.  Cate, Renee and Abby are each at a major crossroads in their lives, and it is through the bond of their friendship that each woman finds solace and insight.  And with one another’s encouragement and support, they each take a hard, honest look within themselves in order to learn the lessons that will help determine their best solutions.

Cate has just been promoted to features editor, a highly coveted and visible position at the popular magazine, Gloss.  She has a lot to prove in this new role, especially since she’s rapidly risen through the ranks.  She’s concerned that her colleagues at the magazine believe that she got the job due to reasons that have nothing to do with her work performance. But what Cate’s co-workers don’t know – and Cate will do whatever she can to keep it this way – is that her past is much more complicated than they can ever imagine. It is that past that Cate constantly tries to bury but at every turn, the threat of being exposed is often the motivation behind a lot of the decisions she makes.

Renee is on a quest for professional success and personal fulfillment.  She wants it all—the great, rewarding job and the handsome, loving boyfriend.  She comes close, but happiness always seems to be just beyond Renee’s grasp. When the beauty editor position opens up at Gloss, Renee is determined to get the job.  She just has to do one thing first: lose weight…and fast.  Renee believes that being a size 4 will solve all her problems.  When she looks in the mirror, she sees an overweight, unattractive woman despite others telling her that they view her as beautiful and voluptuous. Still, Renee turns to black market diet pills.  She quickly begins to drop the weight; however, there are other more serious, dangerous problems that may destroy more than just her self-esteem.

Abby left her job and the place where she lived in a hurry. She had to get out of town.  She sought refuge in her successful writer brother, Trey, from an emotionally charged drama that had hit its boiling point. Abby had nowhere else to go, and her brother welcomed her with open arms.  Abby is distraught, feels hopeless, and is deeply depressed.  Although the love of her brother helps, it is the understanding, empathy and support of her new friends and roommates that allow Abby to open up and finally address the circumstances – both past and present – that have brought her to such an incredulous level of despair.

Pekkanen’s THESE GIRLS is an exceptionally compelling, reflective, richly woven story about three women who find themselves in crisis yet together, emerge as triumphant, strong, and resilient, ready to tackle whatever the world has in store for them.  THESE GIRLS will be the definitive novel centered on friendship that women will discuss and share with one another for years and decades to come.

ABOUT SARAH PEKKANEN

Sarah Pekkanen is the internationally bestselling author of The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat and the original short estory “All is Bright.”  Her novels have won rave reviews from O, The Oprah Magazine, People, Harper’s Bazaar and The Washington Post.  You can visit her at her Web site, HERE!

Melvin Childs gathered the media because he wanted to set the story straight. A producer from Oklahoma City, OK, Melvin wanted to let the world know that had it not been for him there probably would not be a Tyler Perry. There probably would not be a Madea, and there probably would not be a black media tycoon taking Hollywood by storm.

In Melvin Childs’s new book, Never Would Have Made It – The Rise of Tyler Perry, the Most Powerful Entertainer in Black America (And What It Really Took To Get Him There), he shares his personal story of how he discovered Tyler Perry and how their relationship eventually ended. But, Melvin Childs admitted that he wrote this book because he wanted to help other young aspiring artists, and those interested in a career in entertainment.

Dining over steaks in the bustling and illuminating Grand Central Station, Melvin Childs, an unassuming man, stood and addressed all of us in attendance. With a broad smile, Melvin shared how he was introduced to Tyler Perry many years ago in Atlanta. He was invited to Tyler Perry’s first play, “I Know I’ve Been Changed,” and said he was hooked on the content of the play. “There wasn’t a Madea character in the play,” Melvin said. “The play was very spiritual and uplifting. It was a gospel play, but the story was similar to Tyler’s own upbringing of molestation and abuse.”

After experiencing the play, Melvin shared that he was willing to take a chance with Tyler Perry because he was, “very talented and very creative. He had ‘it.’”

A homeless and broke Tyler Perry became Melvin Childs’s newest project. He took care of Tyler. He helped Tyler Perry and put him up in a cheap hotel, and according to Melvin Childs he began devising a way to get money to properly fund Tyler Perry’s first play. “Nobody was interested in Tyler,” Melvin said. “He was a nobody, but I knew there was something about him.”

With his connections, Melvin Childs was able to get the money, but from less than savory resources. “Tyler was oblivious to where the money came from,” Melvin said. “I admit that we all were young and made lots of mistakes.”

In some exclusive excerpts from Melvin Childs’s book, he writes, “To ascend to the level of celebrity, you have to want it to the point of desperation. It has to consume and dominate your every waking moment. It has to be the first thing you think of in the morning and the last thing you think about at night. And if you want something, anything, that badly you will be willing to do just about anything to get it. Show me someone as famous as Tyler Perry and I will show you someone who, at some point, sacrificed his or her integrity at the altar of fame.”

He goes on to write, “Taking money from a drug dealer was never questioned. We saw it as a blessing because to us, he was that dude. Now if you were to look up “that dude” in the dictionary you would probably find a picture of Chico. He had it all – designer suits, five hundred dollar shoes, expensive cars and a stable of beautiful women at his disposal. Everything about the man absolutely reeked of money.”

Melvin goes on to tell of how much money he received –

“How much you need?” Chico asked as we gathered our things to go home.

“$100,000 would be nicely.” I replied.

“We split what comes back 50/50?”

“Right down the middle.” I said confidently.

“Alright my man, come down to Miami and I’ll take care of you.” He said with a smile. “Just let me know when you’re coming.”

Finally, Melvin writes how anyone willing to make it in the entertainment business will do anything to make it to the top, “…if you want something bad enough, you will be willing to do just about anything to get it. I am no different from anyone else in that regard. I walked away from a family that needed me and, essentially, left them to fend for themselves while I was hustling down in Atlanta, trying to launch Tyler Perry’s career. Getting that show back up was my only concern. Everything else, including family, was a distant second and would have to wait.”

“As ugly as that sounds, I was more than willing to make that sacrifice. You have to understand, it’s not just the Will Smith’s or Tyler Perry’s of the world that make difficult choices for the sake of their dreams. Behind every Tyler Perry there is somebody else who is just as willing, if not more so, to do whatever it takes. Someone crazy or foolish enough to put himself in harm’s way for the sake of something he or she perceives to be bigger than they are. Only their stories are rarely told because what they had to do is often contrary to the image that has been created for the celebrity in question.”

“But that doesn’t lessen our contribution to their success. I have no problem recognizing Tyler Perry’s talent but here is the worst kept secret in the world. You do not make it in this business based on talent. Talent is not enough. It wasn’t enough then, it’s no enough now and it won’t be enough tomorrow. Without someone standing in the shadows, hustling and grinding for him, Tyler Perry is not Tyler Perry. He is just another cautionary tale of big, unrealistic dreams that come crashing down to earth at the feet of the monster we call maturity.”

Melvin Childs reveals another shocking revelation in his book regarding Tyler Perry and the success of his first play, and his continued success, “If you want to know how Tyler Perry went from being a virtual nobody to selling out the House of Blues, the answer is simple. He was able to buy $45,000 of advertising. How was he able to do that? We gambled a hundred thousand dollars of drug money without regard to our personal safety or that of our families. That is how it happened and that is what separated him from all the other talented artists out there struggling to make it.”

“For anyone who simply doesn’t believe Tyler would have done that, I am sorry but you are being naïve. Just as naïve as anyone who thinks Tyler Perry is the only celebrity to get his start this way. For good or bad, that’s the way the entertainment business works and any aspiring performer who buys into the fantasy Tyler puts out as his bio is dooming himself to failure because it doesn’t happen that way. It didn’t for Tyler and it won’t for you.”

Melvin Childs’s book, Never Would Have Made It – The Rise of Tyler Perry, the Most Powerful Entertainer in Black America (And What It Really Took To Get Him There), is available wherever books are sold and also on Amazon.com.

You can also visit his website, HERE!

About Melvin Childs:

Over the last 15 years, few individuals have been more innovative in the entertainment industry than Melvin Childs. At the same time, probably nobody in America has worked harder behind the scenes to launch the careers of beginning writers. Some might consider him a great producer with a special eye for talent, while others might call him a shrewd, no-nonsense business man. Whichever view you take of Melvin Childs, the story of his role as the Executive Producer of Tyler Perry’s first national tour is nothing short of remarkable.

Having started out in the radio industry, Mr. Childs was able to meet and work with many veteran promoters and producers very early on in his career. These industry vets fueled his aspirations to become one of the best in the business. His willingness to gamble on young talent put him in a position to work side-by-side, with Tyler Perry on his first national touring project ‘I Know I’ve Been Changed’. That successful tour is the one that ultimately led to Tyler’s success and spawned his multi-million dollar empire.

In T. D. Jakes’ new book, LET IT GO: Forgive So You Can Be Forgiven (Atria Books; February 28, 2012; 978-1-4165-4729-7; $25.00), T.D. Jakes explores what he calls “the art of forgiveness,” in which he goes beyond the topical meaning of the word. Rather, he takes it apart, examines every facet of what it means to forgive and to be forgiven, offers examples as to what may have caused the crisis, and provides solutions on how to work through betrayal and accept true forgiveness.

So why an entire book on the topic of forgiveness? Because in the tradition of T.D. Jakes, he puts forth forgiveness as a life lesson, something that is as necessary as the air we breathe. LET IT GO is a comprehensive road map to forgiveness, arming readers with the knowledge and spiritual instruction that will enable them to release from past offenses and acts that may be holding them back.  “Forgiveness is essential if we are to grow into the fullness of who God created us to be…When we refuse to forgive, we basically insist on setting our standards higher than God’s,” explains T.D. Jakes.  “Forgiveness isn’t about weakening you but strengthening you to live again and love again performing at your highest capacity unencumbered by yesterday’s maladies.”

Using deeply personal circumstances and examples from his life’s journey, T.D. Jakes opens up to readers about his own confrontations with forgiveness and how embracing it helped put his career and life on a trajectory that he could have never imagined. In one instance, he writes about a relationship in which he harbored resentment towards someone whom he felt was taking advantage of – and cheating – him and his then small church.  That relationship took an unexpected turn when that very person asked for forgiveness when challenged about his unethical business practices.  In the end, T.D. Jakes did forgive him, and it would be that very person who unexpectedly helped to engineer T.D. Jakes’ television debut, with sermons that would allow him to reach people around the world.  “Even now…I look back and think to myself, I was right in my assertion I was being used…But that isn’t the important thing to remember,” writes T.D. Jakes.  “The truth of the matter is the important thing to remember was that my greatest opportunity was born in the middle of an offense.  I learned that day that it is possible to be right about the issue but you can be wrong to take on the fight.”

In LET IT GO, T.D. Jakes offers readers tips and suggestions about how to deal with disappointments and forgive in a way that will most benefit their lives going into the future:

• • Realize that disappointments will come.  The difference in people emerges in how they respond to the conflicts they encounter.
• • Learn to manage the disappointments in life…Since we cannot control when offenses will come or through whom they will arrive, then we can only control the way in which we experience them.
• • Understand that forgiveness does not equal vulnerability.  On the contrary, forgiveness requires great strength and maturity of character.
• • Love above the offense.  Find ways to communicate about the things that are not always polite or flattering.  Hiding or not discussing them doesn’t help intimacy and build trust; it destroys the relationship.
• • Think of anger differently, as not only a negative emotion.  If properly allocated and managed, anger can do a lot to ease the torment of a boundary that has been disrespected.
• • Write off the past, take back the power in your life even if the person cannot or will not right the wrong you have been done.
• • Never be afraid to enter into a confrontation, but make sure it is worth the energy and effort.
• • Practice self-forgiveness and self-love.  Change the way we think about ourselves.  When we change our thoughts and beliefs, it makes it easier to develop new ideas that will reflect a healthier identity of our true worth.

“Whoever said opportunity only knocks once, must have died young.  If you live long enough, you discover that life does give second chances – and third and fourth,” says T.D. Jakes.  “The word ‘forgiving’ means you have been ‘giving’ to that which is prior, before your present moment and the gifts of your future.  Now that you have been liberated from old grudges, released from deep-seated resentments, and set free from the snares of unforgiveness, a most important question looms…To what endeavor will you give that extra energy and passion that you just freed up?”

In LET IT GO, T.D. Jakes serves as the reader’s personal tour guide through learning about and embracing forgiveness, a word that is an ever present part of our vocabulary but not something that we truly apply in our lives with any regularity or meaning.  This book will serve as the definitive blueprint for anyone who finds him or herself at the crossroads of forgiveness.  The inspiring thoughts and ideas within these pages will help readers to release, recharge one’s life, and press forward in peace and prosperity.

Ten years ago when renowned lifestyle guru, celebrity branding expert and business mogul Maxwell Billieon was bound by cheating in his relationships—because no mentors or role models had ever taught him how to function differently with women—he had an epiphany. Driven by an overwhelming desire to stop cheating, he set out on a life-changing journey to undo decades of destructive behaviors. With no experts or instructors to advise him, Billieon quickly realized he would have to draft his own operating manual for learning how not to cheat. Through insightful observations and copious note-taking, he accomplished this and in the end, created an accessible and foolproof blueprint for avoiding the pitfalls of cheating. Because of his personal success, Billieon decided to share his findings with others in an attempt to teach both men and women the truth about male cheating and to give women the information and skills needed to get and keep faithful men.

Now, in DEATH OF THE CHEATING MAN: What Every Woman Must Know About Men Who Stray (Simon & Schuster/Atria/Strebor Books; February 2012; $24.00) Billieon—with celebrity personality and multi-platinum artist Ray J serving as a fascinating case study—reveals the hidden truth about unfaithful men and exposes why he believes deceitfulness is the primary cause of the demise of the American family. As Billieon outlines, step-by-step, what women need to know about how and why men manipulate their emotions, coauthor Ray J applies Billieon’s tenets to transform his own life from that of a reckless and indifferent playboy to a man capable of a committed and loving relationship. In a forthright, no-holds-bar style that is reminiscent of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Billieon examines male cheating from a global perspective and reveals why powerful men such as John F. Kennedy, Tiger Woods and Arnold Schwarzenegger achieve incredible milestones in extraordinary ways but can’t manage to avoid the temptations of cheating. He also teaches women:

* How to stop enabling men to cheat;

* How to create the “New Monogamy”;

* How to recognize the signs that a man is cheating;

* The difference between being faithful and being committed;

* The danger of choosing pockets over pedigree;

* How to know when it’s time to “pull a Yoko Ono.”

At the heart of DEATH OF A CHEATING MAN is the chapter entitled “The Six Virtues of a New Man,” which Billieon notes is a list of the fundamentals every man needs to reinvent himself from a cheater to a reformed man. These basics include:

* Strengthening the internal voice and listening to the good guy versus the bad boy. We all need that little tap on the shoulder every now and then to keep us from getting into the waters of trouble. When a man’s nature tries to overpower his common sense, a strong internal voice can provide the clarity and direction that is sure to keep him out of harm’s way;

* Establishing a “consequence mechanism.” Learning to weigh the outcome of any given situation will help a man decide how to proceed. As a man uses a consequence mechanism daily for small decisions, it will eventually become a guide for the big things, like cheating.

* Building self-restraint. Men learn self-restraint in sports and education but never apply it to relationships. When distractions pop up here and there, men have to treat them the same way they treat unhealthy food choices; leave them alone.

* Knowing and recognizing limitations. Why tempt yourself with something you know is your weakness? Steer clear of things that are overpowering until internal voices and use of the consequence mechanism is successful.

* Be honest with yourself.  There is a fine line between being a player and a predator. The latter is only suitable when you are upfront, honest and transparent about your desire to be with more than one woman. Women would much rather know where you stand so they can make an informed decision to be with you or not.

* Become a thinking man.  A thinking man understands there are consequences to all of his actions and he can become better equipped to deal with the temptations and obstacles men are presented with in relationships.

Billieon also points out that men should not look at their decisions or their outcomes as right or wrong. “See them as consequences you can or cannot live with and base the outcome on how it affects you and others,” he says. “Letting go of right and wrong and accepting consequences is guaranteed to aid you in building character for the challenging times where your natural instincts try to take over. What men will find is that once consequence becomes dominant in their daily thinking, their demons will become quiet and as in a movie, they will be able to walk by them and smile.”

About the authors:

Ray J became a household name as his public relationships with a bevy of beautiful Hollywood startlets make pop culture headlines all over the world and his playboy personal spawned the hit television shows, For the Love of Ray J and the spin-off, Brandy & Ray J – A Family Business on VH1, adjoining his string of hit albums Raydiation and All I Feel. One of the web’s top trending personalities, he lives in Beverly Hills.

Maxwell Billieon is a true renaissance man. A former star-making development executive who generated over $100 million in global sales, Billieon is now the CEO of The Billieon Group (TBG). TBG develops high-end luxury lifestyle goods sold worldwide, making Billieon globally known at the “Lifestyle Guru.” But of all of Billieon’s extraordinary achievements, it is his personal reformation from Cheating Man, after being unfaithful for over 20 years, that he is most proud of. He lives in Los Angeles.

You can purchase Death Of The Cheating Man at Amazon, HERE!

Ray-J Dishes On Relationship With Whitney Houston & “KK”

3 Reasons Why I Don’t Support Ray J’s New Book

Start Gallery

The bling is brighter, the drama is amped up, and the delicious beauties from Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker’s Millionaire Wives Club are back for a second season of backstabbing, divorce parties, and family sagas. Lights, camera, action!

Money Never Sleeps: A Millionaire Wives Club Novel (One World/Ballantine – December, 2011; $15) features Milan, Jaise, and Chaunci who are the gorgeous, high-rolling divas starring in the hit reality show Millionaire Wives Club. As they struggle with love, lies, lust, and the pressures of sudden fame, their friendships turn into cat fights that keep the cameras following all their malicious moves.

Milan is finally engaged to Kendu, the man of her dreams, and though things look perfect on the outside, distrust and jealousy are crumbling their romance. Jaise has found the love she so desperately craves, but her son, Jabril, remains the No. 1 man in her life—for better or for worse. And Chaunci, the independent, single mom who doesn’t feel she needs a man, is contemplating taking the plunge into a deep love affair—but will the man she chooses have room in his life for her? Add to this crafty cast Vera, a venomous new vixen who plays the game better than any of them, and you’ve got a season even more scintillating than the last.

Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker is the Essence bestselling author of Millionaire Wives Club, The Ex Factor, Flip Side of the Game, and Game Over. Under the pseudonym Risqué, she’s written the One World erotic novels Smooth Operator, Red Light Special, and The Sweetest Taboo. She received the Ella Baker and W.E.B. Dubois International Award for fiction writing. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters.

You can contact and follow Tu-Shonda Whitaker on Facebook, HERE!

You can purchase your copy of Money Never Sleeps at Amazon, HERE!

Kevin Taylor Releases Two New Books That Inspire & Empower Readers

Author Suzetta Perkins Returns With New Novel, “Betrayed”

Katrina, Cairo’s cut throat killer from the Kat Trip, is back with a score to settle! It was her cutthroat ambition and ruthlessness that got Katrina, “Kat”, out of the hood and on top of her game. Once a murderer on a seductive prowl with two missions in mind—satisfying her insatiable libido and killing unsuspecting marks—Katrina has lain down her guns. Having once used her alluring charm and exotic beauty to lure men to their deaths, Katrina has had a change of heart.

She’s settled for a simpler life and traveling, partying, and shopping have become her only guilty pleasures. In addition, she’s avoiding relationships and men like the plague. For her, life couldn’t be any sweeter—at least that’s what she wants to believe.

But, when drama rears its ugly head, Kat returns with a vengeance. There’s the issue of confronting her ex-friend who she learned had slept with an old boyfriend. Then there are her three aunts—who are angry about how she treated her mother.

And now she has to face her family, her demons, and the woman behind them—reopening old wounds, trying to mend new ones. Ultimately Kat has a new mission: to find the man behind her mother’s death and serve him up a dish of her own justice the only way she knows how—with a bullet to his head.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cairo is the author of The Kat Trap, The Man Handler, Deep Throat Diva, and Daddy Long Stroke. His travels to Egypt are what inspired his pen name. Visit him on Facebook, HERE!

You can order a copy of Kitty-Kitty, Bang Bang on Amazon, HERE!

A noir crime novel based on a man who worked for a civil rights organization and became an informant for the FBI during the months leading up to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the tradition of Walter Mosley and Chester Himes comes OUR MAN IN THE DARK by Rashad Harrison (Atria Books, November 2011, $25), a debut novel about a civil rights worker who becomes an informant for the FBI.  Proving once again that fact is stranger than fiction, OUR MAN IN THE DARK follows last year’s revelation that famed civil rights photographer, Ernest Withers, was an FBI informant – and that informants were placed throughout black movement organizations. Skillfully plotted, with remarkably complex characters set against one of the most dramatic times in our nation’s history, OUR MAN IN THE DARK is a timely exploration of morality, personal ambition, and the high cost of change.

“Most people let the beast in them run amok, John. And they merely shrug their shoulders at the damage left in its wake. America has let that beast run wild. I may not be morally perfect, but we are on the right side of morality. We need to remind America of its moral obligation to accept the struggle within itself.”

So says Martin Luther King, Jr in OUR MAN IN THE DARK, speaking to John Estem, one of his foot-soldiers in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It’s the summer of 1964, and Estem is a downtrodden number-cruncher, a man with a polio-inflicted limp and only the dimmest hope of career mobility. Marginalized even by his fellow SCLC members, Estem desperately wants to contribute more to the movement than just his bookeeping skills. An outsider who longs for relevance, Estem  is tormented by the things that are so close and yet out of reach: Money. Influence. The woman he loves.

And so one day, Estem decides to help himself to a ten thousand dollar donation check meant for the SCLC, and finds himself in the custody of the FBI.  They not only know about the check, they have been watching him all along: If Estem wants to keep his theft from his fellow SCLC members, he needs to get the FBI the information they want: Specifically, any information that links Martin Luther King to the Communist Party.  “This country is under attack,” they tell him. “Every day, foreign interests threaten to unravel the very fabric of American society. This is a matter of national security.”

But it’s not just Communism the FBI is after, but King himself. And in this endeavor, they are not alone: Estem soon finds himself caught between two forces trying to bring down Martin Luther King – the FBI, and Count. While both parties want MLK taken down for different reasons, they play equally dirty.

With OUR MAN IN THE DARK, Rashad Harrison delivers characters that are neither good nor evil but a provocative combination of everything that makes us human. As their actions bring consequences the reader never anticipates, they beg the question: Is a great man defined by his weaknesses, or his strengths? OUR MAN IN THE DARK is a tautly plotted story that in the end reminds us that the more things change, the more things stay the same: The greatness of our country is limited only by our endless willingness to judge and destroy those who dare to dream of change and progress.

About the Author

Rashad Harrison’s writing has appeared in Reed Magazine, and he was a finalist for the Alexander Patterson Cappon Award in Fiction from New Letters Magazine. He has taught creative writing at New York University and, during the presidential campaign, he was a contributor to MedicineAgency.com, an online journal of political and cultural commentary. He recently received an honorable mention for the Gulf Coast Magazine Fiction Prize, and was shortlisted for an Editor’s Prize from Carve Magazine.

Harrison earned a Master of Fine of Arts in Creative Writing from New York University, where he was a Jacob K. Javits Fellow. He also attended post-baccalaureate writers program at Columbia University. He lives in Chicago. For more information, you can visit his website, HERE Or, you can visit him on Facebook, HERE!

Over 10 years as a pastoring, 20 years of ministry and social justice and a lifetime of caring about people through service, I have been capturing and captivated by words.  I have always been overwhelmed by the fact that people have always taken things that I’ve said and written and used them in their lives.  To have words come back at me has always been powerful, so going into this new year, I finally decided to take the sermons that people talked about Sundays after they were preached, the sayings that have followed me for years, the status updates that have garnered hundreds of comments and likes and the tweets that have been re-tweeted by many and assemble them in one book.

The book, released on 11-11-11, is about being able to have something in your spiritual, emotional and empowerment arsenal that can grab you and hoist you into clarity.  Some of the sayings are two words and some of the sermons are pages, but the end result is you being able to find something that changes your mind and your perspective and helps you continued on the course of greatness that is the intention of your LIFE!  You are not here by accident or incident. You are here on purpose and it’s time that you get off of the slow-moving, hard-working thing that got you to where you are today and do something at your next level!

ENVY: The Darkest Shade of Green

In Kevin Taylor’s previous novel, JADED, we met Joshua Arrington Knight and Elijah Monroe in a love story that author L.M. Ross (“The Long Blue Moan”) said, “Will change the way you see men, gay men, black gay men and even men and love. This is a masterpiece.”  Now, 5 years after they have come together, we go back into the story of the couple that dug their way out of jadedness and succeeded into love. But years later, did they make it?  Are they still together?  Did Joshua’s best friend Carlton, who moved to Europe with his professor-partner Donovan make it and discover that love and survive struggle?  DIVE INTO THE STORY OF ENVY and return to their story and meet young Kamal, who is young, beautiful and entitled and who’s willing to do whatever (and whomever) it takes to have the kind of career that he sees Eli having!

ENVY: The Darkest Shade of Green – It’s not pretty.  Love never is.  Unfortunately, neither is greed.

In Kevin Taylor’s previous novel, JADED, we met Joshua Arrington Knight and Elijah Monroe in a love story that author L.M. Ross (“The Long Blue Moan”) said, “Will change the way you see men, gay men, black gay men and even men and love. This is a masterpiece.”  Now, 5 years after they have come together, we go back into the story of the couple that dug their way out of jadedness and succeeded into love. But years later, did they make it?  Are they still together?  Did Joshua’s best friend Carlton, who moved to Europe with his professor-partner Donovan make it and discover that love and survive struggle?  DIVE INTO THE STORY OF ENVY and return to their story and meet young Kamal, who is young, beautiful and entitled and who’s willing to do whatever (and whomever) it takes to have the kind of career that he sees Eli having!

You can order both books from Kevin Taylor’s website, HERE!

You can also follow Kevin Taylor on Facebook, HERE!

Are you TEAM JASMINE or TEAM RACHEL?

Bestselling and award-winning novelists Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley bring their favorite heroines together in a novel that will delight their legions of fans. Victoria Christopher Murray’s Jasmine Cox Larson Bush and ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s Rachel Jackson Adams are not your typical First Ladies.

Jasmine Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams are not your typical first ladies. But they’ve overcome their scandalous and drama-filled pasts to stand firmly by their husbands’ sides. When a coveted position opens up—president of the American Baptist Coalition— both women think their husbands are perfect for the job. And winning the position may require both women to get down and dirty and revert to their old tricks. Just when Jasmine and Rachel think they’re going to have to fight to the finish, the current first lady of the coalition steps in . . . a woman bigger, badder, and more devious than either of them. Double the fun with a message of faith, Sinners & Saints will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors.

You can order you copy of SINNERS & SAINTS: A Novel on Amazon, HERE!

About Victoria Christopher Murray:

Victoria Christopher Murray always knew she would become an author, even as she was taking an unlikely path to that destination. A native of Queens, Victoria first left New York to attend Hampton University where she majored in Communication Disorders. After graduating, Victoria attended New York University where she received her MBA.

Victoria spent ten years in Corporate America before she tested her entrepreneurial spirit. She opened a Financial Services Agency for Aegon, USA where she managed the number one division for nine consecutive years. However, Victoria never lost the dream to write and when the “bug” hit her again in 1997, she answered the call.

Victoria originally self published Temptation. “I wanted to write a book as entertaining as any book on the market, put God in the middle, and have the book still be a page-turner. I wasn’t writing to any particular genre – I didn’t even know Christian fiction existed. I just wanted to write about people I knew and characters I could relate to.”

In 2000, Time Warner published Temptation. Temptation made numerous best sellers list and remained on the Essence bestsellers list for nine consecutive months. In 2001, Temptation was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literature.

Since Temptation, Victoria has written nine other adult novels, including: JOY, Grown Folks Business, The Ex Files, and the popular Jasmine Cox Larson Bush series. She was a contributor to the first Christian fiction anthology, Blessed Assurance and the Contributing Editor for the Aspire Women of Color Bible published by Zondervan. Victoria has received numerous awards including the Golden Pen Award for Best Inspirational Fiction and the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award for being the pioneer in African American Christian Fiction. Since 2007, Victoria has won six African American Literary Awards for best novel, best Christian fiction and Author of the Year – Female.

In 2008, Victoria’s first novels in her Christian fiction teen series – The Divine Divas – were published. “I was concerned with what our young ladies were reading. I decided to do something about that – give them stories full of drama, but with a message.” The Divine Divas has already been optioned to become a television series.

Victoria splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington D.C. In Los Angeles, she attends Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church under the spiritual tutelage of Dr. Beverly “BAM” Crawford and in Washington, D.C., she fellowships at Metropolitan Baptist Church under Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr. She is also a member of the Long Beach Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

You can find out more about Victoria on her website, HERE! Or, you can visit her on Facebook, HERE!

About Reshonda Tate Billingsley:

ReShonda Tate Billingsley always did have an active imagination. From making up stories to crafting award-winning poems, the national bestselling author has always maintained a love for telling stories. After numerous rejections from publishers, ReShonda stepped out on faith, established her own publishing company, and released her debut novel, My Brother’s Keeper. The book caught the attention of one of the country’s top literary agents, who secured a deal for ReShonda with megahouse publisher, Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books.

A former television and radio news reporter, ReShonda has been in the journalism business for more than two decades. Currently, she is the co-host of From Cover to Cover literary talk radio show, a freelance reporter, an editor for the Houston Defender Newspaper, as well as a professional editor, ghost writer and literary consultant.   ReShonda recently added ‘actress’ to her impressive resume, starring in the national touring stage play “Marriage Material,” along with Allen Payne, Tank, T-Boz, Michael Colyar and Jill Marie Jones.  ReShonda has worked as a reporter for The National Enquirer and as an anchor and reporter for NBC, ABC and FOX television stations in Beaumont, TX, Oklahoma City, OK and Houston, TX. She left her job at FOX 26 News in Houston in 2007 to write full-time.

And write she does…

ReShonda is the national bestselling author of 21 titles (Eight adult novels, eight teen novels, one non-fiction, three anthologies and one poetry book). Her sophomore novel, Let the Church Say Amen, is being made into a movie of which she is Executive Producer and actress Regina King is the director.  Her teen books, Nothing But Drama and Caught up in the Drama are also being made into movies.

A much sought-after public speaker, ReShonda has won numerous awards for her journalism, fiction and poetry writing skills. She is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Spirit in the Words competition. Considered one of the top Inspirational Fiction authors in the country, her books have appeared on the Essence Bestseller’s list more than 20 times, as well as The Washington Post and Dallas Morning News Bestseller’s lists. Her books have also been featured in USA Today and Ebony Magazine as Summer Sizzlers and she was recently inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, along with R&B singer, Ne-Yo.

ReShonda’s upcoming projects include A Good Man is Hard to Find (Mar. 22, 2011), Saints and Sinners (collaboration with Victoria Christopher Murray, Jan. 2012), Say Amen, Again (July 2011) and A Little Bit of Karma (March 2012). Her current books include: Holy Rollers, The Devil is a Lie, Can I Get a Witness, The Pastor’s Wife, Let the Church Say Amen, Everybody Say Amen, I Know I’ve Been Changed and My Brother’s Keeper. Her teen novels include Drama Queens, Caught Up in the Drama, Nothing But Drama, Blessings in Disguise, With Friends Like These, Getting Even, Fairweather Friends, Friends ‘Til the End, and Caught up in the Drama. And the anthologies Have a Little Faith and Four Degrees of Heat. She has one non-fiction title, Help! I’ve Turned into my Mother.

A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, ReShonda is married with three small children and was recently voted a Top 25 Woman of Houston by Rolling Out Magazine.

You can find out more about ReShonda on her website, HERE! Or, you can visit her on Facebook, HERE!

We came up with our list of books that kept us glued to the pages, and yearn more from these authors.

In no particular order, these are the hottest books of 2011 that everyone should have on their shelves, and consider passing along as great Christmas stocking stuffers.

All books are available on Amazon or at your local book seller.

MOGUL: A Novel by Terrance Dean

Dean writes a fascinating fast-paced un-put-down-able book that gives reader’s an insiders a look into the down low world of the “Family” that makes up the music industry. And, they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their family at the top at all costs.

A Silken Thread by Brenda Jackson

As secrets old and new are revealed, a couple finds themselves caught between the bonds of the past and an uncertain future, each making painful discoveries about who to believe and trust.

Allure of the Game: A Novel by Danielle Santiago

Sexy, suspenseful, and unflinching, Allure of the Game gives fans exactly what they’ve been hoping for—a deeply satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy, packed with insight into the mean streets she knows so well.

Big Girls Do Cry by Carl Weber

The Big Girls Book Club, where members have to be at least a size 14; Sibling rivalry can escalate to open hostility, especially if your sister has married your rich ex-fiance.

Football Widows: A Novel by Pat Tucker

During football season, when NFL coaches gear up for war on the gridiron, their wives are left to fend for themselves. And what better way to exact that revenge than to air everyone’s dirty laundry in a juicy tell-all book!

Justify My Thug by Wahida Clark

Following the action of Thug Lovin’, the story rejoins the saga’s favorite couple, Tasha and Trae, as they try to overcome their troubles and make their marriage work.

Murderville: First Of A Trilogy by Ashley & JaQuavis

This is a story of love and redemption that will leave you breathless from the unpredictable and mind-blowing ending.

My Soul To Take: A Novel by Tananarive Due

Tananarive Due weaves a tangled web in this novel, including beloved characters from her bestselling Joplin’s Ghost, in a war of good against evil, making My Soul to Take a chilling and thrilling experience.

No One In The World: A Novel by E. Lynn Harris & RM Johnson

E. Lynn Harris and RM Johnson— two powerful voices of a generation—unite with an insightful and emotional project that tackles themes of family, loyalty and identity.

Say Amen, Again by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

The spirited Houston congregation featured in ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s Let the Church Say Amen and Everybody Say Amen has a major scandal unfolding—and, as always, the outspoken Rachel Jackson Adams is at the heart of the drama.

Silver Sparrow: A Novel by Tayari Jones

Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and two teenage girls caught in the middle.

Snitch: A Novel by Booker T. Mattison

In Jersey City the code of the streets is simple. No matter what, you don’t talk to the cops. You don’t snitch. But when young bus driver Andre Bolden witnesses a murder on his route, the code gets personal and every decision leads him deeper into worlds that he never intended to enter.

The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray

The recession hits and rips apart a family’s financial stability. Unable to support their three children and other relatives, Adam and Evia find themselves drowning in financial trouble and teetering on the brink of complete disaster. With nowhere to turn, the Langstons have no idea what to do. Until Shay-Shaunté, Evia’s multimillionaire boss, comes to the Langstons with a five-million-dollar offer that seems so hard to refuse.

The Goat Woman of Largo Bay: A Novel by Gillian Royes

The Goat Woman of Largo Bay begins the detective series featuring Shad, a bartender in a fishing village in Jamaica, who is the community problem solver and right hand of Eric, an American who owns the bar and a hotel left in ruins by a hurricane.

The VIPs: A Novel

On a steamy June day in New York City, mega-star rapper TNT gathers a group of four successful men together, childhood friends who called themselves “the VIPs,” signaling the big dreams they all once had. The VIPs, who haven’t seen one another in years, are greeted at the Hotel Gansevoort by an openly hostile TNT, who asks them the bombshell question: “Which one of you bastards is my father?”

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Allison Hobbs is known for her titillating, salacious novels—Big Juicy Lips, Bona Fide Gold Digger, Dangerously in Love, and Climax. She published her 15^th novel, PUT A RING ON IT, this past summer; fans can’t seem to get enough of this grand dame of erotica fiction. This fall, she returns with SCANDALICIOUS (Strebor/Atria Books; October 2011; $15.00) a novel where scandal abounds as a couple takes on new lovers in the quest to save their marriage.

Allison Hobbs introduces us to Solay, a woman who went from baking in her kitchen to opening Scandalicious, a trendy cupcake shop known for its gorgeous and dangerously delicious cupcakes. Practically married to her business, Solay does not have time for romance or its complications.

After nine years of marriage and two kids, Chevonne is bored and her husband Lincoln is starved for physical attention. When the couple seeks help from a relationship counselor, he suggests they take a bold step and explore an open marriage. Six months later and happy with their new situation, Lincoln and Chevonne enter Scandalicious looking for some naughty treats. Sparks fly between Lincoln and Solay, and Solay is both shocked and thrilled to discover that Chevonne doesn’t mind sharing her husband.

What Chevonne doesn’t expect, however, is the emotional connection that appears to be developing between her husband and Solay. Is this really what the doctor ordered?

Author Bio

Known for writing provocative and controversial novels, Allison burst on the literary scene with her highly successful debut novel, Pandora’s Box, in 2003. A prolific writer, she is the national bestselling author of fourteen novels and novellas of multiple genres, including paranormal and fantasy. Allison is one of the contributing writers of Cinemax’s Zane’s Sex Chronicles, Season 1. Her novel, Double Dippin’ was nominated for the 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. The Climax was nominated for the 2008 African American Literary Awards Show. Big Juicy Lips was nominated for the 2009 African American Literary Awards Show. Allison received a Bachelor of Science degree from Temple University. She resides in Philadelphia, PA.

Visit the author HERE!

You can order your copy of Scandalicious on Amazon, HERE!

Readers are introduced to Setrina  “Mimi” Bailey. Mimi is carrying a nineteen-year-old secret that she’d like to remain hidden forever.  However, a move to Durham, North Carolina, threatens to expose her secret and forever disrupt the lives of those she’s protected from the truth all those years.

Mimi was raped by Victor Christianson, her best friend Brenda’s fiance, while they were in college.  Later, she gives birth to Afrika, now eighteen years old and college bound.  An expected call finds Brenda at Mimi’s doorstep, however Brenda isn’t ready for what Mimi lays on her:  Victor raped Mimi and Afrika is Victor’s child.

Later, Afrika is shot and Mimi is distraught; what Mimi needs at this moment is her husband, Raphael, who arrives from overseas the next day where he serves in the military.  Raphael is obsessed with finding who shot Afrika, and in his quest to do so, he learns much more—his wife’s secret, which means he’s not Afrika’s father.

Upon learning that Victor Christianson is Afrika’s father and possibly the person who shot her, Raphael seeks Victor who carjacks him at gunpoint.  Raphael makes a daring escape, however, hours later Victor is found dead.  Who killed Victor Christianson?

In a complex tale of mystery and suspense, BETRAYED explores the fine line between passion and power…and what we’ll do to protect the ones we love.

About the author:

A native of Oakland, California, Suzetta Perkins’ writing history dates back to her high school senior year when she shared the title of co-editor of her high-school yearbook.  Since then, she’s traveled the globe making stories of her own, which have been the subject of some of her unpublished short stories. Suzetta is the author of five published novels, Behind the Veil, A Love So Deep, Ex-Terminator: Life After Marriage, Déjà Vu, Nothing Stays the Same, and a contributing author of My Soul to His Spirit, an anthology that received the 2006 Fresh Voices Award. She is the mother of two grown children and the grandmother of two delightful granddaughters.

You can visit Suzetta’s website, HERE!

You can also add her on Facebook, HERE!

You can order your copy of Betrayed on Amazon, HERE!

Essence bestselling author Travis Hunter tells the story of a young woman who takes control of her own destiny after lifelong abuse in MOMMA’S A VIRGIN (Strebor/Atria Books; September 2011; $15)

Ngiai Zaire never had a chance to choose her man. Raped at fourteen, her mother threw her out at sixteen and she was forced to live with a man three times her age. When that man died a mysterious death, his nephew stepped in to take his place. Abuse was all she’d known, until she decided she had enough.

Momma’s a Virgin is Ngiai’s struggle to overcome a horrible past and take control of her future. With the help of a brother she never knew she had, they settle all past scores—but is her quest for revenge going to jeopardize her future?

Travis Hunter is an author, songwriter and screenwriter. The Hearts of Men was self-published in 2000 by Hunter’s own company, Jimrose Publishing House. During the 2000 Book Expo America in Chicago, Hunter was signed by Random House’s imprint, Villard Books for the re-release of The Hearts of Men, Married but Still Looking, Trouble Man, A One Woman Man, Something to Die For, A Family Sin. Dark Child followed. Hunter is currently working on his first young adult novel.

Hunter is a native of Florence, S.C. and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. He attended Clark Atlanta University, University of Washington and subsequently enrolled in Georgia State University where he majored in psychology.

During his tour of duty in the military, he discovered his interest in music, ultimately writing his first song for a Sony recording artist. Always an avid reader, Hunter parlayed his interest in music into a passion for storytelling that led to his critically acclaimed debut novel, The Hearts of Men.

Hunter lives in a suburb outside of Atlanta and is the founder of the Hearts of Men Foundation, through which he mentors underprivileged children.

You can find out more about Travis Hunter on his website, HERE!

You can order Momma’s A Virgin at Amazon, HERE!

On The Grind (Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster Trade Paperback Original; January 2011; $15) introduced readers to Goldie, a misguided young woman who was bold enough to run a strip club out of her apartment after her relationship with an older, wealthy man is ended by his wife. Now, REAL WIFEYS: GET MONEY (Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster Trade Paperback Original; January 10, 2012; $15) brings us Harriett “Luscious” Jordan, a former friend of Goldie’s and minor character in On the Grind, who now takes center stage and whose strong will and ruthlessness surpass even Goldie’s.

Goldie’s ex-business partner, rapper Make$, is serving hard time in prison for his role in covering up her brutal rape. His wifey Luscious finds herself out in the cold as his family and friends close ranks to protect his money. Like Goldie, Luscious is a first-rate hustler and she soon builds a successful business as a party promoter. Yet the force that truly drives her is a blazing ambition to destroy Goldie. Luscious never forgave Goldie for sleeping with Make$ behind her back and she’ll stop at nothing to exact revenge.

You can pre-order your copy of Meesha Mink’s upcoming book, REAL WIFEYS: GET MONEY on Amazon, HERE!

You can find out more about Meesha Mink, HERE!

About the author:

Raised in the gritty Central Ward of Newark, New Jersey, Meesha Mink beat the odds of being raised in a single family home. Thankfully, with a strong and resilient mother who worked hard and struggled not to raise her two children in the projects, Meesha Mink knew there was more to life than just drugs and violence. From a young age, her mother introduced her to reading and used it as a tool to teach Meesha and her brother to know more so that they wanted more.

As a child, she remembers writing her first story in the second grade. At that time horror was her genre of choice. Over the years Meesha Mink continued writing short stories and poetry. She even recalls making up stories and entertaining both her friends and strangers on the back of a New Jersey transit bus on her way to and from University High School. Even then she was a natural born storyteller.

She went on to attend Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey but writing always called to her.  A college professor commented that although her essay on the Million Man March was “more emotion than fact”, that it was stirring, uplifting, and inspiring. He suggested a career in writing and she promised herself she would have a book in print before she reached the age of thirty.

While unsatisfied with her career after graduating college with a double major and a minor, Minke began writing short stories for African-American romance magazines. She soon gained the confidence to write a full-length novel–an African-American romance–which eventually led to the completion of a dream as the first book she ever finished was offered a two book deal by two publishers. She has since written over twenty books under a different name in the romance and women’s fiction/mainstream genres.

Interested in telling the stories of the urban environment which help shaped her into being both street savvy and educated, she felt the urban fiction genre was calling to her.

Her urban fiction debut, c0-written with De’Nesha Diamond, led to an amazing deal with Simon & Schusters’ Touchstone line.  They went on to pen an entire trilogy together that has been defined as classic.  The bestselling HOODWIVES series includes Desperate Hoodwives (January 2008), Shameless Hoodwives (August 2008) and The Hood Life (January 2009).  Meesha’s solo project, Real Wifeys: On The Grind, dropped January 2011 with Simon & Schuster’ Touchstone line. The follow-up to the bestseller, Real Wifeys: Get Money, will be released January 2012.

The Black Carrie Bradshaw, Demetria L. Lucas Releases New Advice Book “A Belle In Brooklyn”

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Bruno Ranieri has always lived at a chaotic pace, and that goes double lately. Since his uncle’s untimely demise, Bruno is working himself to the bone, trying to keep his nose clean and save the family business. Not easy when the nightmares that plagued his childhood are hi-jacking what little rest he gets.  So when exotically beautiful Lily Parr sashays into his all-night restaurant, claiming to be on the run from mysterious assassins, Bruno starts to wonder if sleep deprivation is finally getting to him. Especially when Lily implies that Bruno is involved. But the violence that accompanies her arrival is no illusion. Nor is the blisteringly hot, completely inconvenient desire that explodes between them…

Shannon McKenna is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy, suspenseful romantic adventures.  A Yale University alumna,  her previous career was as a singer.  One summer, she worked as a strolling madrigal singer at a Renaissance Faire. There she met her future husband: an Italian musician who she followed back to Italy after the ultimate summer romance.  Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in Italy with her husband and two children.  Please visit her website, HERE!

You can order BLOOD AND FIRE on Amazon, HERE!

Pat Tucker has finally exposed the truth! While millions of men escape into their own little world’s during football season each year and leave their women to fend for themselves, the women often have a “game plan” of their own. In Tucker’s second foray into fiction, FOOTBALL WIDOWS (Atria Books/Strebor Books; October 2011; $15) gives a glimpse into the secret and unique lives of the women behind NFL coaches—game day takes on a whole new meaning as these lonely women turn up the heat off the field.

NFL wife B.J. Almond has had enough. When she walks in to find her head coach husband in bed with one of his assistant coaches’ wives, she is livid. But what really sets her off is when she discovers the other wives knew about the affair all along. Now she’s furious and hungry for revenge. And what better way to exact that revenge than to air everyone’s dirty laundry in a juicy tell-all book!

B.J. knows where all the bodies are buried, and she’s digging up all the dirt. But before she starts writing, she’s running up the score with a lawsuit against her husband and his mistress. Armed with flight records, copies of naughty emails, phone records, and pictures, B.J. isn’t holding back. And neither are the other football wives, who will stop at nothing to keep their dirty secrets from going public.

Secrets will be revealed, feelings will be hurt, and revenge will become the main pastime in FOOTBALL WIDOWS, instead of shopping for new Jimmy Choos with each other. Tucker, who is also author of the gut-wrenching Daddy by Default, does a great job of once again creating an entertaining, humorous look into the lives of unforgettable characters.

AUTHOR BIO

By day, Pat Tucker Wilson works as a radio news director in Houston, TX. By night, she is a talented writer with a knack for telling page-turning stories. A former television news reporter, she draws on her background to craft stories readers will love. With more than fifteen years of media experience, the award-winning broadcast journalist has worked as a reporter for ABC, NBC and Fox affiliate TV stations and radio stations in California and Texas.  She also co-hosts the literary talk show, “From Cover to Cover,” with ReShonda Tate Billingsley.

Known as one of the fastest writers in the country, Pat has wowed editors with her ability to turn out five to ten thousand words a day. But it’s not just quantity that has Pat at the top of her game. The quality of her stories is what keeps the readers coming back. A much sought-after ghostwriter, Pat gets her greatest joy in creating her own stories. She is the author of six novels and has participated in three anthologies, including New York Times Bestselling Author Zane’s Caramel Flava.

A graduate of San Jose State University, Pat is a member of the National and Houston Association of Black Journalists and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She is married with two children.

You can order Football Widows on Amazon, HERE!

Rosalind Noonan Releases New Novel, “The Daughter She Used To Be”

Common Releases His New Memoir: “One Day It’ll All Make Sense”

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Rosalind Noonan, acclaimed author of One September Morning and In a Heartbeat, is known for her emotionally charged and riveting novels.  In her forthcoming book, THE DAUGHTER SHE USED TO BE (Kensington Books, October 2011; Trade Paperback – $15), she combines the morally complex suspense elements of Jodi Picoult’s family dramas along with the romantic elements of Kristen Hannah to explore ideas of loyalty, family and justice.

Bernadette Sullivan was born to uphold law and order. The daughter of a career cop, she grew up with blue uniforms hanging in the laundry room and officers laughing around the dinner table. Her brothers joined New York’s finest, her sister married into the force, and Bernie is an assistant District Attorney.  Collaring criminals, putting them away–it’s what the Sullivans do. And though lately Bernie feels a growing desire for a family of her own, she’s never questioned her choices.

Then tragedy rips the tightly woven fabric of the Sullivan family; a shooter targets cops in a local coffee shop, killing three officers. A Sullivan is among the dead. Anger follows grief–and Bernie realizes that her father’s idea of retribution is very different from her own. As Bernie struggles to protect the people she loves, she must also decide what it means to see justice served. And in her darkest hour, she will find out just what it means to be her father’s daughter.

ROSALIND NOONAN went to college in New York City and currently lives with her husband, a retired officer from the NYPD, and two children in the Pacific Northwest.

You can order, The Daughter She Used To Be, on Amazon, HERE!

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“As Common, I’ve often been classified as a conscious artist. I take that as a compliment…The only problem with being labeled a conscious artist is that people assume that’s all you are, that you’re not also a complex and flawed individual…I made a conscious decision early in my career to focus on growth and positivity…In my own life, I still deal with the negativity sometimes, but I don’t choose to reflect that in the art I put out into the world.  I strive to be a conscious artist because I strive to be a balanced human being on my path towards the light.” –Excerpted from ONE DAY IT’LL ALL MAKE SENSE

When Common entered the scene in 1992 with his album, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, the new, mostly underground artist, found himself thrust into a music environment where game-changing albums such as Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Ice Cube’s The Predator, and Eric B. & Rakim’s Don’t Sweat The Technique blazed trails in hip hop.  It would have been easy for Common to disappear into the history books of hip hop like many other artists of that time.  After all, the competition was stiff.  Yet, Common still stands today, not only as an accomplished and award-winning recording artist but also as a leading man who has co-starred alongside such thespians as Denzel Washington (American Gangster), Queen Latifah (Just Wright), Christian Bale (Terminator Salvation), Ray Liotta (Smokin Aces), Steve Carrell, Tina Fey and Mark Wahlburg (Date Night).

Despite his vast accomplishments as an artist, however, very little is actually known about Lonnie Rashid Lynn, the man.  That’s all about to change with the publication of ONE DAY IT’LL ALL MAKE SENSE (Atria Books; September 2011; $25).  In this deeply personal, introspective memoir, Common unveils himself, layer by layer, from his childhood on the streets of the South Side of Chicago; to grappling with the decision to leave college, disappointing his mother, and pursuing a career in hip hop; to emerging as a talented recording artist faced with all the trappings of fame and success but working hard to remain true to himself and the people who’d supported him along the way.  “People who know me as Common might find it hard to believe some of the things that made me Rashid,” says Common.  “That’s partly why I’ve written this book, so that I can show myself as a man in full.  That means telling some tough truths, revealing my faults and vulnerabilities.  But it also means showing the true strength of my character.”

Common’s journey is by no means a rags-to-riches story.  The emotional and spiritual place where Common is today came about as a result of witnessing the tragic losses of loved ones to addiction and the very cold, hard streets of the South Side of Chicago that were once his stomping grounds; making mistakes for which he dealt with the consequences but also learned from them; and loving hard and dealing with the end of failed relationships.

Common’s memoir also highlights the fact that his mother – his friend, confidante, and moral compass – very much contributed to his evolution as a man.  Readers will also absorb her words and perspectives about her son throughout the book, which makes for an incredibly balanced and honest look at the life of Lonnie Rashid Lynn.  She writes: “By the time he started getting exposed to street things, he had a foundation…It was also letting him have his freedom and make his mistakes…I think about it like little lion cubs.  The mother protects them until they’re old enough. But if you don’t put them in the wilderness they’ll never survive by themselves.”

Compiled with open letters to loved ones, both living and those who’ve passed on, peppered with lyrics from some of Common’s songs throughout his career and his mother’s unflinching insight, ONE DAY IT’LL ALL MAKE SENSE challenges the reader to look beyond the celebrity and understand fully the man behind the spotlight.  He also writes openly about his relationships with the women who have been a part of his life – Kim, the mother of his daughter, Omoye; singer Erykah Badu; and Academy Award nominated actress Taraji P. Henson – and how each played a role in his emotional growth as a man.  “Having a daughter has made me to understand people better – particularly women.  I began to consider and question how any woman I was dealing with might have been raised. Did she have her father in her life? What was she missing? What helped her move forward? Thinking about all that makes me want to make sure that I give all I can to my daughter,” writes Common.

Make no mistake, ONE DAY IT’LL ALL MAKE SENSE is a no-holds-barred coming-of-age memoir, providing the reader with a window seat into the life and world of an artist who is not only unafraid to tell the truth, but he faces his truths in all of its guts and glory.  In fact, it is a book that everyone – boy or girl, man or woman – should read.

Common Hoping To Raise $50,000 For Charity

Common will be touring with his new book and you can meet him in the following cities and locations:

September 16^th:

LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY

MARK TAPER AUDITORIUM

Conversation with Kevin Frazier

630 West Fifth Street

LOS ANGELES, LA

7:00 pm

September 20^th:

Barnes & Noble—DePaul

Signing Only

1 E. Jackson Boulevard

Chicago, IL

6:00 pm

September 24^th:

BALTIMORE BOOK FESTIVAL

Conversation with Dr. Eric Dyson

600 North Charles Street

Baltimore, MD

6:00 pm

When Black Don’t Crack: 12 Celebs That Have Aged Gracefully [PHOTOS]

Common

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Bestselling Author JL King reveals the cure for an age old human instinct – love – in the new inspirational book, A Healing Guide For Women Who Need Understanding: Men, Sexuality, Love, Trust—It’s Not Your Fault. In the highly anticipated book, Author JL King reminds us that in spite of past circumstances, same sex secrets, temptations and fears, the spirit of appreciating the unique qualities in ourselves builds a foundation of hope.

A Healing Guide For Women Who Need Understanding: Men, Sexuality, Love, Trust—It’s Not Your Fault focuses on four fundamental principles that evoke emotion in our lives which challenges us to try and understand the desires of our hearts. In response to countless letters, emails and conversations from people puzzled about the down low (DL) phenomena, JL King responds with a resource guide, providing solutions to move pass the hurt. The guide addresses: 1.) What to do if you have suspicions that your partner is living a double life; 2.) How to mentally prepare for a candid conversation with your partner about your sexual histories; 3.) Surviving tragic life-altering events; and, 4.) Ways to strengthen relationships while maintaining a clear sense of self.

An advocate for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted disease prevention awareness, JL King expands his movement to enhance emotions of trust in relationships; campaign on understanding sexual orientation; and, reestablishing motivational messaging among woman, reassuring the possibilities of love.

A Healing Guide For Women Who Need Understanding: Men, Sexuality, Love, Trust—It’s Not Your Fault shows women the power of love and forgiveness; outlines the reasons DL men avoid exposure; and makes certain that women know that it’s not your fault.

JL King will reveal guide exerts during his Love on a Two Way Street campaign which kicked off on Friday, August 19, 2011 in Orlando, FL and will continue on a national 20 city tour. To order [autographed] copies of A Healing Guide For Women Who Need Understanding: Men, Sexuality, Love, Trust—It’s Not Your Fault and for more information on the Love on a Two Way Street campaign, visit JL King’s website HERE!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since JL‘s debut nonfiction book, which appeared on The New York Times best seller list for more than 30 consecutive weeks and, landed him a seat on the Oprah Winfrey Show, he has been on a motivational crusade. JL‘s gift of spontaneity allows him to fully involve his readers through relatable characters, familiar situations and unpredictable outcomes.

Author of (9) nine books that range from the nature of human behavior to guides on the affects of health issues on minorities and, sexual orientation and its impact on schools to animal adventures, JL has more than 25 years of experience in writing, publishing, creating and implementing communications strategies for corporations, organizations, aspiring writers and authors. Due to his contributions to the literary world, King has been the keynote speaker and presented awards by approximately 250 education, health and faith based organizations to include: Tuskegee University, Harvard, Howard, Princeton, Alabama A&M, Southern, Florida A&M and Tulane Universities; and, the African American Conference for HIV/AIDS, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE). His commitment to multiculturalism and, candid approach to majority issues and minority concerns has made JL one of the most influential Americans.

JL encourages healthy relationships by providing reliable resources, timely tactics and insight on social misconceptions in the public awareness DVD, ―No More Secrets, No More Lies – Saving our Daughters: II.” The sequel DVD is a follow-up to the best selling, health and social conscious VHS, ―No More Secrets, No More Lies.‖ The video series pays special attention to the social context of health, HIV/AIDS, relationships and environmental threats that affect youth through a host of interviews with young ladies, clergy and same-sex partners. As well, JL provides practical information on how women and men can make better decisions about sex and relationships in the Docudrama DVD, The Top 10 Signs of ‗Down Low‘ Behavior and… More; he offers answers to that never ending question, ―What are the signs of a man on the Down Low?

Pulling from life‘s experiences and people personalities, JL is committed to community outreach and philanthropy. JL has raised awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS through not only his community focused network, but also through his work as an activist and inspirational speaker at clinics, schools and organizations around the world. Because of his BOLD approach to fostering education, JL has been a guest on hundreds of television broadcasts ranging from CNN and Inside Edition to NBC and ABC affiliates. And, appeared in more than 150 [inter]national publications ranging from Newsweek and Time Magazines to The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune. King has been listed in Ebony Magazine‘s 50 Most Intriguing Blacks and honored as a NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work.