Azarel, CEO of Life Changing Books is a former teacher and native of North Carolina. She received her BS degree from University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and earned a Masters of Arts in teaching degree from Bowie State University in 1999. Her love for writing sparked a career change in 2002. She resigned from her teaching tenure in the Prince George's County public school system to fulfill her dream of becoming an author. After writing her first novel, "A Life to Remember," written in an attempt to help change lives of young men, Azarel launched her own publishing company, Life Changing Books (LCB). Now with over twenty-one titles published to date, LCB is one of the most well known and successful African-American publishing companies in the publishing industry.

Listen to the Intimate Conversation Interview below as Azarel reads from the book.
.. Many titles produced by Azarel have continuously topped the charts on the national Essence Best sellers list and many national book store chains.Although Azarel publishes a wide variety of adult fiction, her title roster includes “Teenage Bluez" an urban series of books for teens. Teenage Bluez is designed to capture the hearts of teens across America by providing them with entertaining stories in a positive manner.
 

As a wife, and mother of two Azarel enjoys spending time with family and friends and lending support to those in need. By mentoring teens and speaking at shelters for abused women she continues to achieve that goal. Azarel’s greatest wish is for every able body to reach out to a teen. Visit her foundation, Spreading Literacy and Love and lend your support to youth in need Spreadlitandlove.com


Book Intro: Carbon Copy by Azarel
Have you ever craved someone so bad…that you’d be willing to do anything?

Meet Dominique Lewis, a foul, hard-boiled, go-getter who spends most of her days yearning to be just like her sister, and plotting on taking her man. For her, it’s all about money, sex, and power. Although she possesses the perfect physique and sexy features, her life-long dream is to become wealthy and a house-hold name. By any means necessary, she vows to get what she wants.

As Dominique’s mission unfolds, she manages to get connected to Yuri, a violent replacement for the man she really sought. After realizing she’s partnered with a beast, her world turns upside down. And soon, after the tragic murder of her sister, all hell breaks loose when Dominique’s cover is blown.

Armed with revenge on the brain, and a status goal in mind, Dominique soon appoints herself as Rapheal’s woman, the most sought after millionaire in Atlanta. Raphael’s lavish status in town would put her on a new level, right where she always dreamed…the only problem …he never said he wanted her. In an effort to hold on to Rapheal, and all the elaborate material possessions, Dominique sets out on a deadly mission to remove anything that stands in her way.   • ISBN-10: 1934230677   • ISBN-13: 978-1934230671

BOOK REVIEW
If you believe that you’ve read about many crazed and demented women like Dominique …guess again.  Dominique is off the hook and Carbon Copy is destined to be a classic.--Tiphani- bestselling author of The Mistress Series

•ISBN-10: 1934230677
•ISBN-13: 978-1934230671

Buy the book from Barnes and Noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Carbon-Copy/Azarel/e/9781934230671/?itm=4&usri=1





 

 

Sibling Rivalry at Its Finest
by Azarel

Got a sister? Got a brother? If so, you probably can testify to a few low-key feuds over the years. And some folk…well maybe a couple of jabs here and there. What about murder? Yes, I said it…Murder! It’s been done before more than you’ll ever know.  

Family melt-downs go back to the beginning of time. 

Think about Cain and Abel, Marsha and Janet Brady, or even Latoya and Janet Jackson. Of course we hear about sibling celebrity feuds nowadays  since every Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to be the paparazzi. Let’s take the Olsen twins, Mary Kate and Ashley. They have billions, yet still have that contention and competition amongst themselves. Now one lives on the West coast and the other on the East. The one thing they have over the rest of us…they have billions to fuss over, most of us don’t.

Sibling rivalry is just something that can’t be erased. If you’re human, chances are you have some crazy stories that come to mind.  Do you want what he or she has? Jealous about how they look? Didn’t get your Mama’s shape…ended up with your Dad’s instead? What about being pissed because you are the sibling who didn’t go to college, or the sibling who can’t keep a good paying job?
 

Oh, and what about your love life. Are you the one upset because your brother or sister stole your man? Yep, I said it. This day in time you never know. You gotta watch your mate with both sexes. But let’s focus on sisters for a moment. Sister rifts are torturous; especially  in black women. I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying, “Don’t let me take off my earrings”.  Well in 2009, we don’t just fight anymore. What about, “I will kill you!”

Well for now, ingest what I’ve just said.  Let author, publisher, Azarel take you behind the scenes and finish the rest in Carbon Copy, a new novel exposing Sibling Rivalry at its Finest.
 

 

Book Intro: Carbon Copy by Azarel
Have you ever craved someone so bad…that you’d be willing to do anything?

Meet Dominique Lewis, a foul, hard-boiled, go-getter who spends most of her days yearning to be just like her sister, and plotting on taking her man. For her, it’s all about money, sex, and power. Although she possesses the perfect physique and sexy features, her life-long dream is to become wealthy and a house-hold name. By any means necessary, she vows to get what she wants.

As Dominique’s mission unfolds, she manages to get connected to Yuri, a violent replacement for the man she really sought. After realizing she’s partnered with a beast, her world turns upside down. And soon, after the tragic murder of her sister, all hell breaks loose when Dominique’s cover is blown.

Armed with revenge on the brain, and a status goal in mind, Dominique soon appoints herself as Rapheal’s woman, the most sought after millionaire in Atlanta. Raphael’s lavish status in town would put her on a new level, right where she always dreamed…the only problem …he never said he wanted her. In an effort to hold on to Rapheal, and all the elaborate material possessions, Dominique sets out on a deadly mission to remove anything that stands in her way.   • ISBN-10: 1934230677   • ISBN-13: 978-1934230671

BOOK REVIEW
If you believe that you’ve read about many crazed and demented women like Dominique …guess again.  Dominique is off the hook and Carbon Copy is destined to be a classic.  --Tiphani- bestselling author of The Mistress Series

Author- Azarel
Meet Azarel, author and CEO of Life Changing Books. Azarel comes to the publishing world as a former teacher and native of North Carolina. She received her BS degree from University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from Bowie State University in 1999. Her love for writing sparked a career change in 2002. She resigned from her teaching tenure in the Prince George's County public school system to fulfill her dream of becoming an author. After writing her first novel, 'A Life to Remember," written in an attempt to help change lives of young men, Azarel launched her own publishing company, Life Changing Books (LCB).
 
Now with over thirty-one titles published to date, LCB is one of the most well known and successful independently owned African-American publishing companies in the publishing industry. Many titles produced by Azarel have continuously topped the charts on the national Essence Best sellers’ list and many national book store chains, including her own titles Bruised 1 and 2, and Daddy’s House.
 

Although Azarel publishes a wide variety of adult fiction, her title roster includes “Teenage Bluez" an urban series of books for teens. Teenage Bluez is designed to capture the hearts of teens across America by providing them with entertaining stories in a positive manner.
 
As a wife, and mother of two Azarel enjoys spending time with family and friends and lending support to those in need. By mentoring teens and speaking at shelters for abused women she continues to achieve that goal.

You may reprint or republish this article as long as the author's byline and credit for the article are posted in its entirety.

Publisher: Life Changing Books
Web address- www.lifechangingbooks.net
•ISBN-10: 1934230677
•ISBN-13: 978-1934230671

GIVE THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE

EDC Creations, The Sankofa Literary Society and The Black Authors Network announced the launch of their 2009-2010 "Give the Gift of Knowledge Campaign," bringing readers and authors together to help improve literacy. In 2004, during the Christmas holidays, Ella Curry, the founder of EDC Creations, reached out to women's groups and literary organizations to help promote early literacy by giving new books to children from low income homes.


Today, the "Give the Gift of Knowledge Campaign," seeks to expand even further! “Based on the “each one teach one,” model, our goal is to help people introduce reading and new books to their family and friends,” says CEO and founder of EDC creations, Ella Curry. “Instead of giving expensive gifts that don't shape lives----let's “Give the Gift of Knowledge” and help to strengthen our future generations!”

Each year thousands of people — educators, concerned parents, community leaders, authors, poets and publishers — devote their time and resources to presenting the reader with great books! However, too many outstanding books do not get the attention and reader support that they deserve. It is our mission to connect readers with these hidden gems and bring them books that will change their lives.

 

Each week EDC Creations will sponsor bookclub chats, live readings from authors, podcast presentations, seminars, community relations discussions, and radio shows that deliver the best our writers have to offer. All we ask is that the readers of the world spread the word.

Please join the campaign by becoming a blog tour host, radio interviewer, chat host or by purchasing one of the books featured here and giving it to a friend.  We welcome the community into the program and will support any of our partners with promotion in return. Spread the word.... we want to bring more entertainment, education and enlightenment to the community!  Review the books below and invite the author to meet your family and friends in person or via the phone.


AUTHORS ON TOUR WITH EDC CREATIONS

Pamela Samuels Young    Legal Thriller; Legal Suspense
http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/pamelasyoung.htm 

  

Book Intro
When love involves incest, self-mutilation, drug-addiction, and murder, will Simone, Jessica, and Ryan fight to hold on or will they escape before it’s too late?

Simone, a shockingly beautiful teen, is on the downward spiral of destruction as she battles incest and self-hatred. She finds cutting to be the only way to relieve her pain. She must do something to regain control of her life and restore her family back to normalcy. But Simone may be too late as unexpected events threaten to throw her dream of contentment far out of reach.

Jessica lives the upscale lifestyle of a refined society matron. She strives to be the perfect wife, but without her husband, Ross, she would be nothing more than the abused stripper he rescued 16 years ago. When their marriage is threatened and it forces her to face her past, Jessica vows to do whatever it takes to protect what she has rightfully earned, even if it means murder.

Ryan, a fiery thirty-something, is quickly slipping into depression and prescription drug addiction. As her boyfriend, Anthony, artfully dangles the empty promise of marriage, she watches helplessly as their relationship dissolves. In an attempt to regain her sanity and self-esteem, she finds herself on a mission of self-restoration while trying to save the life of someone she doesn’t even know.

As the shattered lives of three very different women collide, they find that they have one thing in common: They’re all in a desperate fight to hold on to love. Experience their emotional journey through to the shocking end where these women will experience injury, imprisonment, and even death while crafting new lives from the ashes of their ruination.

Issues Addressed in this novel
1. Incest, sexual abuse, and rape in the African-American community
2. Depression
3. Identity — Finding your self-worth
4. Teen cutting and self-injury
5. A woman’s desperate search for validation through the men in her life

Monique D. Mensah is a native Detroiter with an innate love for the written word. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan she completed her first manuscript, Who Is He To You. Shortly after, she launched Kisa Publishing and published her debut novel.

Monique now resides in Southfield, MI where she is raising her daughter and working full-time as an enrollment counselor for a private university. She is also a freelance copywriter and copyeditor and is currently working on her second novel.

Important links:

Website: http://www.moniquedmensah.com
Email: monique@moniquedmensah.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mdmensah
Fanclub: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84945652309
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/monique-d-mensah/14/33/220
Blog at: http://moniquedmensah.wordpress.com

 


I Love Me Some Me!

Who loves you more than you love yourself?

If the answers to these questions are anyone other than yourself, maybe it’s time for a little re-evaluation. Too many of us are searching for that special someone to complete us and make us whole. We depend on that man or woman to make us happy and fill in the gaps in our lives. The truth is, you will never have a successful relationship if you don’t love yourself more than you love anyone else. When answering the first question above, “Who do you love more than you love yourself”, some of you may have stated your children, parents, husband, or wife. If you ask me, I’ll tell you no one. I am the mother of  a beautiful little girl. I love her to death and I will do anything to nurture and protect her. I love my mother deeply and I am eternally grateful for the exceptional job she did in raising me. My mother and daughter come very close, but I have to say I love myself more. The same will be true of my husband when/if I get married.

This means that I focus on my happiness before that of anyone else’s. I make sure that I am satisfied and fulfilled independent of the people in my life before I can give a piece of myself to those people. If I’m not happy, it effects my relationships. I can’t be a good mother if I don’t take care of myself. I will not be able to have a positive influence on my child if I’m not happy and I don’t carry myself in a way that makes my level of self-love and self-worth obvious.


I can’t teach her how to be a dynamic woman if I am not one myself. How can you give a piece of yourself to anyone if you are not whole? Don’t start a romantic relationship because you need validation and completion. Don’t have a baby because you need someone to love you unconditionally. Don’t expect your relationships to succeed if you create them under these expectations because more than likely they won’t. If you don’t value yourself and focus on your own happiness, what can you honestly offer someone else? Not much.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we should be completely self-centered and selfish. There’s a thin line to cross. In making the decision to put your own happiness first, you must learn to find a balance. Realize that you are doing this not only for yourself, but also for the other significant people in your life. The success of your relationships are a direct product of your own happiness and sense of value. In short, get yourself together!

I know it’s hard. To be honest, I’m not sure that  am completely there myself. The words you’re reading are the same things I tell myself as I strive to create the kind of relationship that I want to have with myself. Fake it until you make it! Your man, woman, child, parents, and friends will thank you for it.
 

AUTHOR BIO
Monique D. Mensah is a native Detroiter with an innate love for the written word. After earning a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Michigan she completed her first manuscript, Who Is He To You. Shortly after, she launched Kisa Publishing and published her debut novel. Monique now resides in Southfield, MI where she is raising her daughter and working full-time as an enrollment counselor for a private university. She is also a freelance copywriter and copyeditor and is currently working on her second novel.

Check out Monique Mensah
Book: Who Is He To You; Genre: Dramatic Fiction; ISBN-13: 9780578023489    
http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/moniquemensah.htm

Author Website: http://www.moniquedmensah.com
Email: monique@moniquedmensah.com
Fanclub: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84945652309



Original post: http://moniquedmensah.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/i-love-me-some-me

 



Michigan Literary Network … Motown Writers Network Author of the month MONIQUE MENSAH.

Author & Blogger, Monique’s first literary work breaks on the scene poignant, urban, and AWESOME!

Where does your inspiration and/or passion come from to stay in the business of writing?

My drive for success and my dream of becoming a full-time writer motivates me to keep writing. I want to earn the privilege of earning a living from doing what I love. I have been a writer for as long as I can remember. Nothing else gives me more of a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. I don’t think I will ever stop writing because it is what I was meant to do.

What is your latest book?

Who Is He To You is my debut novel.

Simone, Jessica, and Ryan are three very different women with one thing in common: They are all in a desperate fight to find self-worth, validation, and ultimately love through the men in their lives. But when love involves incest, self-mutilation, drug-addiction, depression, and murder, will they continue to fight or will they escape before it’s too late.

Who Is He To You is a dramatic novel filled with unique,multi-dimensional characters, edgy plots, shocking twists, and yes DRAMA! Be prepared to feel a myriad of sentiments as each chapter evokes emotion and sometimes audible reactions.
 

List any literary endeavors or events forthcoming?
I am currently working on my second novel, Inside Rain. If everything goes according to plan, it will be released by summer 2010. I will be participating in a number of events in August and the upcoming months:

What is your web site and how can people contact you?
Please visit www.MoniqueDMensah.com to learn more about me and my debut novel, Who Is He To You. I encourage all of my readers to contact me via email to share their thoughts on the book. I can be reached at Monique@MoniqueDMensah.com

BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR
Who Is He To You

Available for order at www.MoniqueDMensah.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com, www.Amazon.com, and all other online retailers where books are sold.


Read excerpts from Who Is He To You at:  www.MoniqueDMensah.com

Visit author’s blog at:   http://moniquedmensah.wordpress.com

Fanclub:   http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84945652309

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Site: http://michiganliterarynetwork.com/2009/08/monique-d-mensah-author-of-who-is-he-to-you