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Violence against women and girls has become an issue at the forefront of the African American community due in large part to media coverage and organizations that are committed to ending abuse and changing the course of women’s lives.  Yet, despite the depth and scope of the information available about domestic and sexual violence, there are still misconceptions about the types of women who are plagued by this problem and who also perpetuate the cycle.

In the collection MY BLUE SUEDE SHOES (Atria Books – April 2011; $15), writers Tracy Price-Thompson, TaRessa Stovall, Desiree Cooper, and Elizabeth Atkins present four novellas that are interconnected through themes of love, violence, redemption, and the pairs of blue suede shoes that help the women at the heart of each story overcome the abuse in their  lives. The second installment in the authors’ successful Sister4Sister Empowerment Series, this book offers hope and promise in the wake of violence.

In the first novella, Cooper’s Breakin’ It Down, Cornelia Christine “CC” Smart, a stylish and award-winning talk show host harbors a dark secret involving her seven-year-old daughter.  With appearances and reputation at the forefront of CC’s mind, she allows nothing to stand in the way of her success, including her daughter who is too young to care for herself.  Haunted by a childhood spent in the foster care system and the fact that her mother was a drug addict, CC directs her frustration and anger at the most innocent person in her life.  Through a series of tragic incidents, CC is forced to confront her demons, which costs her dearly both professionally and financially.

In Price-Thompson’s Brotherly Love, a seasoned social worker named Regina Wilson is on the cusp of retirement when she is drawn into the life of a brilliant but street-tough teenager named Zana who has nearly died due to a botched, self-performed abortion. As Regina delves more deeply into Zana’s case file, she realizes the girl’s seemingly attentive brother, who has raised his sister since their parents’ death, is continuing a cycle of abuse that began years earlier, which forces Regina to become Zana’s advocate.

In Stovall’s Breakin’ Dishes, Armstrong Worthington, a local politician on a meteoric rise and his charismatic news anchor wife, Monique, appear to have the perfect marriage. Behind closed doors, however, Monique exacts physical revenge on her husband for his extramarital affairs. Upon the discovery that one of his mistresses has becoming pregnant, Monique’s rage consumes her and leads to an arrest that changes her life forever.

In Atkins’ The Wrong Side of Mr. Right, a high-powered attorney named Charmaigne Carter becomes an ecstatic bride-to-be when she lands the man of her dreams. Shortly after her engagement, however, Charmaigne begins to witness a dark side to her fiancé’s personality and questions whether she is making the right decision to marry him.

With surprising plot twists and turns and rapid-fire pace, MY BLUE SUEDE SHOES is as engrossing as it is engaging.

Tracy Price-Thompson is the nationally bestselling author of several novels including Black Coffee, Chocolate Sangria, A Woman’s Worth, Knockin’ Boots, Gather Together in My Name and 1-900-A-N-Y-T-I-M-E.  A native of Brooklyn, Price-Thompson lives in Texas with her husband and children.

TaRessa Stovall is a Seattle native and playwright and the coauthor of the novel The Hot Spot, A Love Supreme: Real-Life Stores of Black Love, Catching Good Health: An Introduction to Homeopathic Medicine and The Buffalo Soldiers.  She lives in New Jersey with her two children.

Desiree Cooper is a journalist and former co-host of American Public Media’s Weekend America.  A 2002 Pulitzer Prize nominee for her column in the Detroit Free Press, Cooper has been published in Best African American Fiction 2010 and is a founding board member of Cave Canem, a national residency for emerging black poets.

Elizabeth Atkins is the author of the bestselling novels White Chocolate, Dark Secret and Twilight, which was coauthored with actor and artist Billy Dee Williams.  A former reporter for The Detroit News, she has written for the New York Times, Essence, BET.com and the San Diego Tribune.  She lives in Detroit with her husband and son.

The publisher has agreed to give away three copies of MY BLUE SUEDE SHOES to three persons who can answer the following question correctly.

**What is the name of the main character in the book,  1-9-0-0-A-N-Y-T-I-M-E, written by Tracy Price-Thompson?

Please send your answers to: girlworkonyou@aol.com

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