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October 10, 2009 - Saturday
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Read Excerpt of Chapter 1 Carbon Copy
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October 10, 2009 - Saturday
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October 9, 2009 - Friday
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In the Land of Cotton by Martha A. Taylor
 SLAVERY IS MORE THAN CHAINS AND SHACKLES
SLAVERY IS A STATE OF MIND
Immerse yourself in this highly anticipated political docu-drama set in the Deep South amidst the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement.Martha was a young white girl living in the Deep South, inundated with the racist sentiments of the times. But Martha's natural curiosity and generous heart led her to question this racial divide. When she discovered a primitive Negro family living deep in the woods near her house, everyone's life changed forever.
Take the journey of a lifetime alongside Martha as she forges relationships that lead to self discovery and a clearer understanding of the world around her. In the Land of Cotton provides an outstanding snapshot of life in the South during those troubled times - a snapshot everyone should take a close look at, regardless of era or color. The year was 1956.
Buy the book here. (Book info: ISBN-10: 1432734717; ISBN-13: 978-1432734718)
In the Land of Cotton by Martha A. Taylor
Intimate Conversation: http://edcmagazine.blogspot.com/2009/04/intimate-conversation-with-author.html
Important Excerpt from Chapter 1
The time is 1956. The main character, Martha, is speaking as a young child about her environment and daily life. She is a young girl living a relatively sheltered life with her grandparents in Memphis, Tennessee.
"In East Memphis , there were no colored folks. I didn’t go to school with any; I didn’t go to church with any. If I did see one it was only because they were working for a white person; pretty much like my grandmother had said. They were confined by unnatural zoning to their own sections of town. If a new subdivision went in it was most likely advertised as ‘No homes sold to coloreds.’ Every morning when I rode my bike from my grandparent’s house to school, I would pass the uniformed maids who had exited the city buses on Walnut Grove or White Station. They were walking to their various places in our neighborhood; to their places of employment. It was like they all knew each other. They would be laughing and talking when they got off the bus but, the minute I approached them, their heads would bow and their eyes would be clearly focused on the ground beneath their feet. My grandmother’s highest compliment of a Negro was to say ‘they were clean.’ She had employed maids from time to time. It was a beloved maid in Michigan , when she and Papaw began enjoying life on a different rung of the ladder that had taught her some of the social graces she would need to survive in an elitist world. Neither of my grandparents were bigots. I never heard either of them say anything demeaning about the Negroes. It was just the way of the South. It had begun long before the Civil War and had continued for ninety plus years past. If you moved from the North to the South it didn’t take you long to learn the ways of the South. The Negroes had their own schools, they had their own churches and they had their own commercial businesses. They had a place. They knew their place; and that was that. They were taught as small children to respect a white person and fear their power over them. There was no need to feel sorry for them after all, they weren’t slaves anymore." -- from In the Land of Cotton
BOOK REVIEW
"To be part of history is a wonderful experience but, to stand perfectly still holding your breath those precious few seconds when you know history is imminent but before it is written; before it actually becomes history, that is overwhelming." ~ Silas Boyd
In The Land of Cotton is a poignant and emotional chronicle of a young, unpretentious white girl coming to age in the color divided world of the fifties and sixties. Martha's story places the reader smack in the middle of the civil rights war; a beautiful and heart wrenching journey through history that weaves a tale of forbidden friendships, misconceptions and human nature, at both its best and worst.
Martha's passionate desire to break through the prejudice and learn for herself the truth, submerses the readers into the tumultuous, discriminatory world of soul mates kept apart by skin color and social stigma.
In The Land of Cotton is a prodigious must read for any generation. For those who experienced the world divided by flesh tone, Martha's take will bring them back to an all too familiar, and perhaps even uncomfortable, territory. For others, it will be a heart and eye opening rendition of history, and the long, hard fought battle of equal opportunity and universal acceptance, not just between colors, but people.
Martha's weaving of history and personal experience give readers a start to finish, can't put down narrative, offering a singular panorama of an ever changing, ever adapting world and the people caught in the maelstrom of it all. It is a seamlessly written tale of love, moral dilemma, honor, political uprising, conviction and self evolvement.
In light of this year's Presidential Election, In The Land of Cotton can't help but assume the form of a beacon of hope for any individual who has ever felt different and longed for more.
Well written, beautifully depicted and stirring, In The Land of Cotton is sure to present old and new reader alike with a unique perspective in to a part of history that shaped and molded past generations and formed the future as well as to serve as a reminder that true love is, and always has been, colorblind. -- 5/5 stars. Reviewed by Claudia Robinson, Amazon review
BOOK REVIEW
"In the Land of Cotton" is Martha Taylor's very personal look at one of the most volatile and exciting periods in American history, a time during which the Civil Rights Movement changed race relations in this country forever. It was a decade during which America put a man on the moon, fought one of the most unpopular wars in its history, and finally recognized that all men are, indeed, created equal. Like Martha, I came of age in the South during the 1960s. Unlike her, with the exception of how America's Viet Nam adventure impacted all young men of the time, I was largely an outside observer to what was happening around the country.
When Martha's story begins in 1956, she is a young girl living a relatively sheltered life with her grandparents in Memphis, Tennessee. One year later Martha's parents buy a home in a new Memphis subdivision and she moves back home to live with her parents and little sister, a move that will change her life forever. Martha's parents are happy enough to leave her to herself as long as she is home before dark every evening and she is quick to take advantage of that lack of attention.
Exploring the area on her bicycle one day, Martha is thrilled to discover, deep in the woods near her home, the little family enclave in which Lucy Boyd, her family's black housekeeper, lives. The Boyd family is at first a little uneasy about having Martha around so much, fearing what might happen if the little white girl is noticed there among them. Martha, however, because she understands her own family's racial attitudes well enough to know she can never tell them about her visits, is able to continue them in complete secrecy.
And continue, the visits do. Martha comes to know and love the several generations of Boyds living in their primitive family compound and they, in turn, accept her as one of their own. By the time her parents move the family to Texas, the Boyds have taught Martha more about the world and life than she will ever learn from her own parents, and she has become especially attached to Silas Boyd, a young man about her age.
What happens to Martha and Silas over the next few years is as much America's story as it is their own. Deeply in love though she might be, Martha realizes that her family is never likely to accept her love for a black man. Silas, on the other hand, has the reluctant approval of his mother but knows that being seen with a white girl in the 1960s South could cost him his life. Swept up by the rapidly changing events of the times, their story is one of inspiration and tragedy.
"In the Land of Cotton" is a touching reminder of those times for those of us who lived through them. Just as importantly, it is a very readable personal history of that period for those too young to remember it for themselves, history told in a manner that makes it both vivid and real - something even the best history books seldom achieve.
-- 4/5 stars. Reviewed by Sam Sattler, Amazon Top 1000 Reviewers
Buy the book today here.
Martha A. Taylor, Author, "In the Land of Cotton"
Email: Taylortsg@Aol.com
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October 9, 2009 - Friday
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The Making of In the Land of Cotton by Martha A. Taylor
 Hello Martha! It is such a pleasure to have you on The Black Authors Network author's tour. The Give the Gift of Knowledge tour is used to expand the variety of books that our readers receive each month. Your book is a welcomed edition. Tell us a little about you and your passion for writing.
MAT: I am a sixty year old grandmother of four. My writing career, until the last few years, has been one of those “don’t quit your day job arrangements”. I am a tax professional who discovered early on that my creative writing skills came in handy when writing client letters to the IRS. My passion for writing becomes evident in my books. It is a blessed opportunity to give birth to a character and watch them grow throughout the development of the story.
Introduce us to the story behind the book, In the Land of Cotton: MAT: As a child growing up in Memphis I could not have known that the Boyd family, the main characters in In the Land of Cotton, would have such a haunting effect on me. Last fall, their indelible personas became overwhelming. They were all I could think about. I sat down one afternoon and the book began to flow to paper. I still had vivid memories of Cypress Grove, a primitive farm the Boyd family had lived on since the days of the Civil War. They had no electricity, no running water and certainly no refrigeration yet they wanted for nothing. It was a step back in time but, as a child, I wanted to be part of that. As the reader journeys through the 1960's, they travel along side the Boyd family as they experience the historic events of that decade. You will find as a reader that you will become immediately vested in the characters. The Boyd's have the voice for every Black American that lived through those turbulent times.
We would like to explore some of the Intimate moments in the book. Read on as Martha takes us inside.
Martha, in your own words, tell us why this book was meant to be written.
MAT: In the Land of Cotton is a provocative and emotional chronicle of a young, inquisitive white girl coming of age in the color divided South of the fifties and sixties. My story places you smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. It’s a heart-felt journey through American history that weaves a tale of forbidden friendships, misconceptions and human nature… human nature at its best and worst.
After all of these years I suddenly became compelled to write the story of Silas and his family. I wanted this new generation to know that it hasn’t been that long since black families lived in seclusion with no electricity…no running water or sanitation…no telephones or refrigeration. My heart is always in my words as I define that sole-mates are forever and true love..really is colorblind. I wanted to remind the people of my generation of how long this journey has been; and to the younger generations, I wanted to present a time capsule of events so they would never forget the anguish, fear and tremendous sacrifices of their ancestors. In light of this year’s Presidential Election, In the Land of Cotton defines a beacon of hope for any individual, who has ever felt different or longed for more out of life.
Beside Lucy, the part-time maid for the family, what made you so drawn to the woods? MAT: It was the “not knowing”. It was the excitement of going somewhere no white person had ever been. It was the wanting to belong to something bigger than myself. (Snippet From Cotton) Not smoke like the woods was on fire but smoke like came out of a fireplace; soft, mesmerizing smoke that called you to come explore the woods, smoke that carried your imagination and made promises of a different life, far far away from the one you were living. When did you know you were in love with Silas your childhood friend? MAT: One evening after Silas walked me back to the “white neighborhood.” We were always terrified someone would see us. It would have been tragic. Silas, who was an African American male, could have been killed but, we always took the chance. (Snippet From Cotton) I stood there holding my bike like some anchor that tethered me to the ground I was standing on. I watched Silas until he completely disappeared into the woods then waited a few more minutes after that, in case he returned. At the peek of the Civil Rights Movement when did you realize there still remained tension between the North and the South? MAT: When martial law became the order of the day. When southern Governors stood chained to university doorways. When buses were bombed and almost daily we heard about some southern Black school that had been burned. (Snippet From Cotton) Martial law was declared in the South. Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General got involved and once again, Walter Cronkite had a television camera in every nook and cranny, capturing every slur and clubbing. For days he regurgitated the entire travesty right into our living rooms. The majority of country was enraged but here in the south, it was just another day in Dixie.  Did Silas share your feelings and deep emotional bond? MAT: Silas always appreciated the unspoken line in the sand. Inter-racial marriages were against the law in most states and prejudice ran high. “The Dream” was spoken of often by everyone; trouble was it was totally out of everyone’s reach and we all knew it. (Snippet From Cotton) We finished our picnic with small talk about his daily routine and the friends he’d met. Even Silas used color as a first descriptor. We were a long way from Martin Luther King’s dream. We were certainly a long way from mine.
Was there a sense that time was short for you and the Boyds? Did you feel complete racial equality would ever be realized? MAT: The country had come so far in such a short period of time I knew we had reached the point of no return. Civil Rights and racial equality were marching through the streets of the South. At the same time, I felt it would be generations before racial equality would become the way of life. (Snippet From Cotton) I thought about what Lucy had said about poverty being generational. I thought the advancement of civil rights would most probably be generational also. I thought that the Wallace’s (Governor of Alabama) of the world would eventually die off and each generation that followed would be raised to be less prejudice. I thought surely at some point all the seedlings that had been planted would eventually grow into strong trees and under their branches we would all live in harmony. I hoped that would be in Silas and my lifetime.
Thank you Martha for sharing with us! How may the readers contact you?
Martha A. Taylor, Author, "In the Land of Cotton"
Email: Taylortsg@Aol.com
ISBN:978-1432734718
Purchase is In the Land of Cotton by Martha A. Taylor from Amazon
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September 29, 2009 - Tuesday
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Watch Impact of the Black Writer on Today's Culture Intros in People & Blogs | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.comIf you missed the Congressional Black Caucus Authors Pavilion Discussions, here is a re-broadcast of 3 of the most stimulating panels about writing and the authors who create these fantastic books! We will be uploading 63 excerpts of the authors. Explore them all and enjoy! Discussion: Impact of the Black Writer on Today's Culture.
Click here to view the event videos
http://www.veoh.com/group/edc1creations
The Black Authors Network presents books and authors that can change the world! Please watch all of the exciting videos and leave your ratings and comments too. The Black Authors Network (BAN) is dedicated to providing information to help black business owners and authors gain access to the black consumer and to helping promote the growth of black businesses and literature. We will encourage, inspire, and empower our members, as they strive to fulfill their dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs, published authors, and community leaders. Ella Curry If you would like your video added to BAN eTV please email Ella to get started promoting your book today: ellacurry@edc-creations.com
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September 20, 2009 - Sunday
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How I Made The Angels Cry by Meleisa Betts
Website: www.myspace.com/433250625 ISBN-10: 0615290507; ISBN-13: 978-0615290508 Melesia Betts Online Media Center http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/meleisabetts.htm Molly is a woman who has lived the equivalent of two lifetimes, a life filled with at times hardship, struggle, triumphs but many challenges, sometimes of near epic proportions. In spite of this, she has never backed away from a situation or conflict despite the consequences, many of which have been enormous and there were great prices to be paid. This memoir, "How I Made the Angels Cry" is her struggle with spirituality, sexuality, corruption, injustice, and murder. How I Made the Angels Cry Book Video
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Book Video Trailer: How I Made The Angels Cry - The most amazing home videos are here
"It will take you from desperation to inspiration. What a liberating ride!" "Meleisa Betts has written a soul-searching memoir in order to release her demons, and the depression associated with personal trauma. With her narrative, therapeutic approach, she emancipates herself and her readers--taking us from desperation to inspiration. What a liberating ride!" --Dr. Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant, Multimedia Psychologist, Contributing Relationship Expert, Essence Magazine, and author of "The Best Kind of Loving"
Book Review: How I Made The Angels Cry by Meleisa Betts Reviewed By Heather Slocumb
(Official Apex Reviews Rating: 4.5 Stars)
"Life to me is not like a box of chocolates, life is a Pandora's Box filled with 'what if's.' It doesn't matter how rich you are or how poor you are, you going to go through hell in some form or fashion unless you are just plain lucky."-- Molly, How I Made The Angels Cry
Molly Betts claims to have done two lifetimes' worth of living in her short time on Earth, and, by all accounts, such a remark is a stark understatement. Born and raised in the one-horse town of Marionville, Alabama, she quickly gets used to enjoying a life a relative privilege; her father, the town's largest employer, provides the family with many luxuries and pleasures that others would literally kill to obtain, fostering in Molly a strong sense of pride - and near conceit - early on. Of course, the flip side of her father's success is his numerous, careless dalliances with scores of women from all over the town, often leading to dangerous repercussions for Molly, her mother, and the rest of their family.
Torn between her undying love for her mother and her subconscious emulation of her father's ways, Molly's life soon becomes a reflection of the emotional dichotomy that lingers within her. As such, she begins dating men simply for the superficial thrill of what they can do for her, all the while secretly desiring women for the very same thing – only in the sexual, not the material. At an early age, she becomes aware of her affinity toward women, and her struggles to reconcile the resulting moral conflict yield often disastrous results for her over the course of the various relationships into which she enters to scratch her ever-present sexual "itch." At their beginnings, each of her involvements seem to promise the ultimate spiritual deliverance for which she constantly prays, but they, without fail, only lead her further down the path of confusion, loneliness, and pain.
Eventually, Molly begins to realize that only by searching within – rather than without – can she finally receive the peace for which she longs day in and day out. One would think that only a few episodes of heartbreak, rejection, and brutality would hasten such an epiphany, but Molly's tortuous journey toward ultimate truth serves as proof that the sojourn on the road to enlightenment - and the scope of its learning curve – truly varies from person to person.
How I Made the Angles Cry is one of those rare, invaluable finds that must be celebrated and shared widely once discovered. In it, Meleisa Betts takes the reader on a literal emotional rollercoaster of highs and lows, with all the typical jerks, false starts, and sharp curves caught in-between. At times overwhelmingly heavy and sad, her tome nonetheless offers just the right amount of insight and hope to ensure the reader that, no matter how dark or gloomy the circumstances, light truly resides at the end of the tunnel, and ultimate victory over such circumstances is assured – as long as you keep pushing through the tough times.
A stirring memoir of a life whose amazing story must be told and retold. Highly recommended.
Buy the book at: Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com or order from your local bookstore, distributed by Ingram Book Group.
Neighborhood Publishing (April 1, 2009) ISBN-10: 0615290507; ISBN-13: 978-0615290508
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September 20, 2009 - Sunday
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 HONESTY is liberating, LIES are condemning
Through my book "How I Made The Angels Cry" I hope to offer an example of how being honest can save a soul. --author and publisher Meleisa Betts
"HONESTY is liberating, LIES are condemning and things that are kept within are potentially maddening!"
I am Meleisa Betts, an author and owner of my own publishing company "Neighborhood Publishing". I am single, currently living in New Orleans LA., however, I was born in a small town in the state of Alabama called Monroeville. My only child is my darling dog, my peekapoo, MaryBell. ( A peekapoo is a cross between the Pekingese and the Poodle)
I have always had a need to share and communicate my thoughts to others. I am an accomplished member of "Toastmasters" which filled a need to convey my thoughts somewhat, yet it did not allow the opportunity for me to reach a broad audience. I felt as though I had an important message that could help people.
We all have stories and a belief that ours are capable of sustaining book and movies yet how many lives actually are living morals; examples of what NOT to do and the consequences of those actions? I felt and still feel that there are many people living secret lives with things that they dare not share for a fear of being judged. My mission is to prove to the reader that the best therapy for the soul is not a psychiatrist (although counseling is a necessary process in many cases) but rather blunt force honesty; a raw openness and truth.
Fundamentally a psychiatrist makes the patient talk about his or herself, and in revealing those intimate truths the patient feels better. Why must we wait until the psychiatrist asks us to before we can be honest with ourselves? We give ourselves aspirin for a headache or an antacid when our stomach is upset; then why can't we give ourselves a little "self-revelation" therapy? That is my approach to "How I Made The Angels Cry". It is 100% truthful but I chose to use a principle of "shock and raw". What this means is, I wanted to leave my life exposed and threadbare, not filter or edit the book for an audience but to tell the honest truth.
Before I decided to always be forthcoming, I was living a shell of a life, frustrated, confused and basically a farce. However since changing my perspective to one of complete honesty and openness it has been an altogether different life for me, one which is free of pretense and pressure to be SOMETHING. I now simply am.
I want the book to stand as testimony to future readers that LIES only escalate, and have to be escaped, yet the truth has to be told only once, and it stands on its own. The best therapy for a troubled conscience is for one to be completely honest with the one person who matters most on planet Earth: Yourself.
"How I Made The Angels Cry" is a memoir based upon my actual experiences in an improbable life, and only the names have been changed to protect the anonymity of the persons involved in the book. It is indeed graphic and discusses sexuality and manipulation of people and circumstances in an open forum that many dare not to attempt. In fact few authors have written in such open and graphic detail, as I have left my life completely open to the judgment of others. I accept this wholeheartedly and if this method helps others to escape their own demons and unlocks the door of emotional imprisonment, then I have succeeded.
I hope that by writing such an open discourse that I can encourage others to be as open in discussing their own fears and desires rather than keeping them simmering below the surface like a pot ready to boil over. HONESTY is liberating, LIES are condemning and things that are kept within are potentially maddening; Again, that IS why we have psychiatrists, is it not?
Listen to the audio message by author Meleisa Betts Molly is a woman who has lived the equivalent of two lifetimes, a life filled with at times hardship, struggle, triumphs but many challenges, sometimes of near epic proportions. In spite of this, she has never backed away from a situation or conflict despite the consequences, many of which have been enormous and there were great prices to be paid. This memoir, "How I Made the Angels Cry" is her struggle with spirituality, sexuality, corruption, injustice, and murder.
"It will take you from desperation to inspiration. What a liberating ride!"
Buy the book at: Amazon.com Barnes and Noble.com or order from your local bookstore, distributed by Ingram Book Group.
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September 12, 2009 - Saturday
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Black Pearls Magazine Interview with new author Monique D. Mensah
Website: www.blackpearlsmagazine.com
 Monique D. Mensah is a native Detroiter. She declared her dream of becoming an author at eight years old. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan, she completed her first manuscript. Shortly after, she launched Kisa Publishing, and published her first novel, Who Is He To You. Monique now resides in Southfield, MI where she is raising her daughter and working on her second novel.
Tell us about your passion for writing. Why do you write? What drives you?
MDM: I write because it is my God-given talent. I believe that everyone is blessed with a talent and writing is mine. Writing gives me a great sense of satisfaction and value. I am fulfilling my purpose. When I am writing I can be whomever my imagination guides me to be, go anywhere I desire, and I can express myself in ways I could never do otherwise. It is an outlet for emotions I may have been holding inside. I found my identity in writing. I am an author.
Finish this sentence – My writing offers the following legacy to future readers
MDM: I have coined the term “Dramatic Fiction” to describe my style of writing. In creating this genre, I will offer a legacy of literature that is bold and uninhibited. I will write about issues that are infrequently discussed in the African-American community and offer a realistic portrayal of characters and plots. Although my characters are African-American, the themes and underlying messages in my novels are universal which means that readers of all races will be able to identify and relate. I will leave the legacy of a writer that is not afraid to explore the unexplored and bring fresh, alternative perspectives to those issues that may be more familiar to us.
How did you start your writing journey? MDM: I was born in Detroit, but I was raised most of my life in the nearby suburb of Southfield, MI. I began my writing journey at the age of eight when my third grade teacher first recognized my talent. She would have me read my short stories to the class and during PTA meetings and assemblies. My mother always loved art and literature; consequently she prompted me to begin reading African-American novels at an early age. My passions for reading and writing are almost parallel and they sparked my desire to become an author. As time progressed, however, I put my dreams on the back burner, thinking I needed to be more practical. So after graduating from college, I entered the corporate world. Although I made a decent living, I was never satisfied and I felt unfulfilled. Then, in 2007 a close friend reminded me of my purpose and urged me to get started on making my dream a reality. I started writing Who Is She To You that same week. Two years later, I started Kisa publishing and published my novel. Now I am doing everything I can to spread the word and make my mark in the literary world. I write as much as I can and although it is hard work, I enjoy being an author.
 Share with us the story behind Who Is He To You. MDM: Simone, a shockingly beautiful teen is on the downward spiral of destruction as she battles incest and self-hatred. Rapidly losing faith in a seemingly unresponsive God, she has no hope or refuge. She finds cutting to be the only way to heal her wounds. As she loses herself in uncertainty and mixed emotions, she realizes that she must do something to restore her family back to normalcy and happiness. But Simone may be too late as unexpected events threaten to throw her dreams of contentment far out of reach.
Due to her husband, Ross’, business acumen and affluence, Jessica lives the upscale lifestyle of a refined society matron. She strives to be the perfect wife, but without her husband, she would be nothing more than the abused stripper he rescued 16 years ago – and he never lets her forget it. When their marriage is threatened and it forces her to face her detestable past, Jessica vows to do whatever it takes to protect what she has rightfully earned – even if it means murder.
MDM: Ryan, a fiery and fashionable thirty-something, is quickly slipping into depression and prescription drug addiction. The only thing that keeps her dangling on to hope is the faint sound of wedding bells as her boyfriend, Anthony, artfully dangles the empty promise of marriage. As she watches their relationship dissolve, she finds that she must dig deep within herself for love and self-esteem. But when she digs, she uncovers much more than she bargained for. She finds herself on a mission of self-restoration while trying to save the life of someone she doesn’t even know.
MDM: As the shattered lives of three very different women collide, they find they have one thing in common: they are all in a desperate fight to hang on to love. But when love involves incest, self-injury, drug addiction and murder will they fight to hold on? Or will they find out who he is to you and escape before it’s too late? Follow Simone, Jessica, and Ryan’s emotional journeys through to the shocking end when these women will experience injury, imprisonment, and even death while crafting new lives from the ashes of their ruination.
Who are your two main characters and what do you like most about them? MDM: I actually have three main characters – Simone, Jessica and Ryan. Although they have their own identity and lives, separate from my own, I can see pieces of me in each one of them. Often after reading the synopsis, people will turn to me and ask, “Now which one of these women is you”. None of them are me, but I identify with Ryan the most. I like Ryan because she’s real. Although she is a successful accountant, with a nice car and closet full of clothes and shoes that most women would envy, she’s undergoing an internal battle in search of self-satisfaction and validation. She’s sexy and outwardly confident, with a walk to kill and a fierce attitude to match, but the tough exterior is just a smokescreen, subconsciously created to hide her insecurities and lack of self-worth. That’s real. So many women, including myself, struggle with these issues. Ryan brings them out in the open and offers insight to a possible solution.
MDM: Jessica is so desperate to leave her past behind and forget that it ever existed, that she is willing to become someone that she’s not and ultimately hates. But Jessica is not to be underestimated. She may have allowed herself to be misguided for the past 16 years, but she’s still the fighter that her hardcore upbringing has bred. She plays the role of a refined woman of society, but Jessica isn’t a punk and I love that about her. She represents that side of me that wishes I was a little more bold and uninhibited. If Jessica is pushed far enough, her past resurfaces within her and it’s on. There is no escaping her wrath. She fights for what is hers and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her own.
MDM: My heart goes out to Simone. Although I have never suffered sexual abuse, I empathize with her the most. She is an unbelievably beautiful girl, but she is unable to look herself in the mirror because she believes her beauty to be a curse. She’s lost and she doesn’t understand the conflicting emotions that she is experiencing and cutting is the only thing that provides the comfort she seeks. I admire Simone because of her loyalty and devotion, although misplaced. She is a beautiful person, inside and out. She seeks harmony and sees the good in people when others don’t. I love that about her.
What makes your book stand out and would entice a reader to pick it up. MDM: I believe the cover of Who Is He To You is a bold, striking image that will entice readers and have them wondering what this book is all about. In reading the synopsis, I believe readers will be intrigued by the intelligent exploration of sensitive issues such as cutting, emotional abuse, depression, and drug-addiction. After scanning the synopsis, the potential buyers may opt to read the first page which is filled with intense emotion and a descriptive setting that pulls the reader right into the scene. I believe the combination of the cover, synopsis, and the first page will grab a hold of readers’ attention and compel them to give Who Is He To You a try.
Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book? MDM: When I started writing Who Is He To You, I did so with the sole purpose of entertaining. It wasn’t until after I completed the manuscript and read the story in its entirety, did I recognize the underlying messages weaved throughout the plot. Women too often count on the men in their lives to make them happy, to validate them, or complete them. For Simone, it was her father, Jessica’s husband, and Ryan’s boyfriend. Women must learn to love themselves more than anyone else and more than anyone else loves them, recognize their self-worth, and learn to be happy instead of expecting a man to fill in the gaps in their lives. If you’re not happy and satisfied with yourself, independent of anyone else, you may never have a successful relationship. Simone, Jessica, and Ryan had to learn this the hard way and so did I. I want my readers to identify with my characters and their struggles and hopefully they will learn something from their journeys.
What advice would you give a new writer? MDM: I would advise aspiring authors to find their own writing style, perfect it, and stick to it. Don’t compare yourself to other established authors. Don’t try to write like your favorite author. Write In a way that identifies you as an individual and differentiates you from everyone else. While I was writing my manuscript, I read a lot of novels. Often after reading a book by one of my favorite authors, I would immediately begin to feel insecure about my own writing because I did not write like him or her. I had to learn to be confident in my writing and secure in my talent. Even though I don’t write like Eric Jerome Dickey or the late BeBe Moore Campbell, I am still a great writer with my own unique voice. You don’t want to be just like someone else. You want to stand out and be different. That’s how you build a reputation and make a name for yourself.
Name three things that it takes to make a successful writer. MDM: 1. The number one requirement of all successful authors is to read. You must read frequently in order to enhance your writing skills, vocabulary and overall knowledge of what readers are looking for. Reading will make you a better writer.
MDM: 2. Create a polished work of art. Professional editing is such an important key to an author’s success. If your writing is riddled with typos grammatical errors, and an overall bad structure, it will have a negative impact on your success. Hire a professional who will comb through your work with an unbiased eye and help to turn your writing into a polished work of art.
MDM: 3. Get out and promote your book and spread the word. A lot of authors (especially self-published) find that they didn’t gain the success they were hoping for and most of the time it’s because they didn’t give enough energy and effort into promoting their work. You can have the greatest novel in the world, but it doesn’t matter if no one knows about it. Network, do online marketing, get reviews, and get on the scene.
What can we expect from you in the future? MDM: My readers can expect more dramatic, intense novels filled with literary adrenaline. I will always provide original plots, real dialogue and compelling, believable characters. I like to read the type of books that make me want to flip back to the beginning once I’ve finished. I hope to provide that same type of experience for my readers. My novels will evoke strong emotion and audible reactions. Overall, my readers can expect a unique experience.
Just about every author has dreams of topping a bestseller list and I am no different. I want to be able to reach a wide range of readers and make my mark on the literary world. I am currently working on my second novel and I plan to keep going from there, making a successful career for myself as an author. My ultimate goal is to earn the privilege of being a full-time author. I look forward to the days when I will make a living from my passion.
Book: Who Is He To You by Monique Mensah
Website: http://www.moniquedmensah.com
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September 12, 2009 - Saturday
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 Who Is He To You by Monique D. Mensah Readers will be intrigued by the intelligent exploration of sensitive issues such as cutting, emotional abuse, depression, and drug-addiction.The first page which is filled with intense emotion and a descriptive setting that pulls the reader right into the scene. 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. 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. 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. As the shattered lives of three very different women collide, they find that they have one thing in common: they are all in a desperate fight to hang on to love. But when love involves incest, self-mutilation, drug-addiction and murder, will they continue to fight or will they find the strength to escape before it's too late? Audio Introduction Who Is He To You by Monique D. MensahRead an Excerpt of Who Is He to You by Monique D. Mensah
Chapter 1-Meet Simone
He was coming! Simone knew he was coming.
She could feel it in the air. It was colder, thinner. The atmosphere was pitch black, darker than dark. Everything was always more extreme, more heightened when he was coming. The tree branches scratched at the windows from outside. The wind whistled a chilling tune, and fat raindrops plopped on the windowsill. It was the soundtrack of her trepidation. She was alone, surrounded by nothing but the dark shadows that engulfed her as she floated in the darkness of the starless, midnight air. But she knew that she would not be alone much longer because he was on his way. She knew it because she could feel the fear breaking through from inside of her. She could feel her heart pounding, fighting relentlessly as if struggling for freedom from the imprisonment of her chest. The pounding was getting louder, so loud that she knew he too would hear it soon. If the lights were on, she was certain she would have been able to see her heart throbbing in and out, back and forth, trying to escape, faster and louder. Her heart was about to explode! Oh my God, am I dying? Am I having a heart attack? Yeah, that's it I'm dying of a heart attack.
Oh God, please take me before he gets here. He's coming! Lord, please take me now! I want to die. She wanted to escape that place and become a beautiful angel bearing brilliant, white wings and long, flowing hair. She would have wings so massive, fluffy and white, that she would be God's favorite angel. She would dance in the clouds and slide down the rainbows, laughing and playing with angelic benevolence. It would be just like a fairytale. She was certain the Lord would finally answer her prayer that night. He would not let her down. He couldn't, not again. She could still feel her heart pounding, but she refused to move or make a sound. She just closed her eyes tightly, squeezing them shut as hard as she could.
I know that in a minute I'll be gone. Any minute now, I'll be up in Heaven, smiling and dancing with the angels. The pounding will stop and he won't be there. He will never come again. She allowed a flush of serene calm and happiness to overcome her.
Any minute now...
"Hey, baby girl."
He's here! Why is he here? Why am I still here? Lord, I asked you to take me up to heaven. I asked you to take me from this place. Why won't you save me from him? Why would you leave me here to suffer? Don't you love me? Don't you want me to be happy? I've been good. I do my homework everyday after school. I do everything my mother tells me to do. I make sure my clothes are neat and clean. I get straight A's. I brush my teeth every morning and night before I go to bed. I pray every night and go to Sunday School every Sunday. I do everything I am supposed to do and you just left me here. I've asked you every night to save me, to take me to heaven. Why won't you answer my prayers?
"Are you sleeping?"
Simone refused to move or open her eyes. But her heart was still pounding. She was certain he could hear it. He knew she was awake, petrified with dread. She could hear his breathing; it was louder than the pounding of her hammering heart. His breathing was heavy, as if derived from exhaustion. With every inhalation, she could imagine him sucking the breath right out of her lungs, leaving her to die a slow death of suffocation. He was staring at her. His eyes were piercing her through the night. He could see her through the darkness, right through her purple fleece blanket. The blanket kept her covered and did the best it could to shield her from his eyes, but she knew it wasn't working. She suddenly flinched as his cold presence snapped her back to a brutal reality. She was no longer floating in the midnight sky. She was at home, in bed, eyes still shut tight, heart still pounding uncontrollably and wishing she were dead. He knew she wasn't sleeping. He knew she had been up all night, fearing that he would come, and praying that he didn't.
He knew that she hated him and he hated himself. He told her the night before last. He hated himself for loving her and craving her the way that he did. He wanted to take her every night and he tried to fight it, but his desire was just too strong to control. The nights that he did not come were the times that he was able to win the battle with himself. Those nights were becoming sparse. He would often talk to her about when she was a baby. He remembered holding her when she was just a few months old and looking down at her wiggling in his arms. She was so tiny, chubby, and pink, the prettiest baby he had ever seen. He would put his finger out for her to hold and she would grab it with the strong grip of a grown man. He would always laugh about that. He used to talk to her about what she would be when she grew up. He imagined her being a famous actress, singer or model. With a face like hers, she was destined to be on somebody's stage. Simone had an undeniable beauty. With the kind of face that one would only come across once in a lifetime, she was too pretty to be called pretty. She was extraordinary. Her skin was the color of roasted almonds. Her jet-black hair, thick and curly, grazed the small of her back. Her huge, green, emerald-like eyes were hypnotic. She had a perfectly symmetrical face with striking features that hit you with the impact of an explosion if you were lucky enough to catch sight of her. She was phenomenal and he was mesmerized from the day she was born.
He promised her, from the beginning, that he would be the best father possible, and he kept his promise throughout the years. He made sure that he played with her everyday, just the two of them. He bought her anything she wanted, before she would have to ask. She always had the best of everything and he made sure that she attended the best schools. Even on his busiest day, he took the time to help her with her homework. Her hair and clothes were always impeccable. Her poise and grace were flawless. Most of her peers hated her for her beauty and even more so for her perfection. He never let her forget how much he loved her. He sat on the left side of her bed. Still, she wouldn't open her eyes, but she knew he was still looking at her, longing to touch her. He pulled back the purple blanket and exposed her shivering, petite frame. He tenderly touched her face and wiped the salty tears from her cheeks. She was lying there frozen with her hands glued to her sides as if prepared for burial. She tried her best not to make a sound, but eventually a sniffle crept through against her will. Come on-- Come on, just do it! What is taking him so long? Why is he making me go through this? Another sniffle interrupted the silence, but it was not her own. She finally opened her eyes to see her father, his back turned to her, crying. The cry was a soft one at first, then with uncontrollable sobs. His broad shoulders shook as his face rested in his large hands. Simone was confused and did not know how to react. Dumbfounded, she fought the urge to comfort him. This man had ruined her life. This man caused her infinite pain and self-loathing, yet she could not help but to feel sorry for her father. "I'll pray for you, Daddy." She looked up at him and softly said this just above a whisper.
He turned to face her with tears streaming down his face. He was overwhelmed with love for her - this time the kind of love a father is supposed to have for his daughter. He wanted to hold her, but resisted the urge to act. How could he continue to destroy the one thing that he adored more than life itself? How could he be so monstrous and self-serving? He was killing his beloved baby and he knew it. He despised himself. "I love you, Simone. You know that don't you? You know that I love you more than I can begin to express to you. Don't you ever forget that I love you, baby. I do this because of how I love you. No matter how hard you try, you just can't control who you love. You'll understand that when you get older. I know you think I'm horrible and that I want to cause you pain, but that's not true. You have to believe that. I don't want to hurt you, baby girl. I want to love you and I want you to feel the same way. You are everything to me and I'm just too weak to fight it when I know that I should." Simone remained silent. Tears ran rapidly from her eyes. She knew that he loved her. She read it in his eyes every time he looked at her. She heard it in his voice and felt it in his touch. There was no doubt that he loved her. He was in love with her. She listened as he continued his attempt to justify the sick actions and irrational feelings he had for his 14-year old daughter with the word "love." Love. What was love anyway? She thought she knew at one time, but if this was love, she wanted no part of it. Love was pain. Her father was in love with her because she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. Her body had developed into that of a beautiful young woman, sparking a lust in his eyes. He constantly told her how gorgeous she was and she hated it. She hated the image that stared back at her while looking in the mirror. She hated it so much, that she tried to avoid her reflection at all times. She kept her head down when passing mirrors. It felt natural to avoid pictures and to hide her face whenever possible. God had cursed her with her looks. He damned her to a life of misery and pain -- at the hands of her own father.
"I know you love me, Daddy. I just wish that you didn't."
He stood slowly, letting the tears fall freely down his face and forced himself to walk out of the room with slow, measured strides. He had won the battle for that night. But the following night he was defeated yet again.
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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.
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.
(Book info: ISBN-10: 0578023482; ISBN-13: 978-0578023489)
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September 12, 2009 - Saturday
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 Who Is He To You by Monique D. Mensah
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 Who Is He To You by Monique D. Mensah
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
About the Author
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.
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September 9, 2009 - Wednesday
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Why Write Murder on the Down Low?
Intimate chat with author Pamela Samuels Young
MURDER ON THE DOWN LOW is an intense eye-opener!
A high-profile lawsuit erupts into chaos, revealing its place in a larger spree of violence in this scandalous tale of lust, lies, and vengeance. A brazen gunman is targeting prominent African American men on the streets of Los Angeles, and police are completely baffled.
At the same time, savvy big-firm attorney Vernetta Henderson and her outrageous sidekick, Special, lead the charge for revenge against a man whose deceit caused his fianceé's death. For Special, hauling the man into court and suing him for wrongful death just isn’t good enough. While she exacts her own brand of justice, a shocking revelation connects the contentious lawsuit and the puzzling murders.
Special Moore has vowed to extract revenge on Eugene Nelson. She's willing to do any and every thing to make him pay. Even if it's with his life! When Special's lawsuit and J.C.'s case begin to sound alike everyone becomes desperate to figure out the extenuating factors. With Special knee-deep in drama, there is no way Vernetta is going to allow her to sink. What will this do to her chances at O'Reilly and Finney? Listen to a live interview with author Pamela Samuels Young on BAN RadioMurder on the Down Low- A high-profile lawsuit erupts into chaos, revealing its place in a larger spree of violence in this scandalous tale of lust, lies, and vengeance. (Book info: ISBN-10: 0981562701;ISBN-13: 978-0981562704) ..
Ella: What motivated you to write Murder on the Down Low?
PSY: I often have a hard time recalling exactly when or how the idea for a particular novel originated. For the most part, the ideas simply pop into my head from some unknown place. That's not the case with Murder on the Down Low. I have a crystal clear recollection of watching an Oprah show featuring J.L. King, author of On the Down Low. As I listened to his insider's account of the mindset of men on the down low, I was completely stunned. My emotions went from shock to anger to fear. The next day, while driving to work, the concept of a killer who targets men on the down low, popped into my head.
Writing Murder on the Down Low gave me an opportunity to both entertain and raise awareness about how HIV/AIDS is impacting the African-American community, African-American women in particular. While African-American and Latina women make up 24% of the U.S. population, we account for more than 80% of the total AIDS diagnoses for women. It's my hope that Murder on the Down Low helps people understand that HIV is not a gay disease. Until we take our heads out of the sand, it's going to continue to devastate our community.
Ella: Based on your research, why do you think HIV infection rates are so high among African-American women?
PSY: We can't deny that men on the down low contribute to the problem since more than three-fourths of women infected with HIV contracted the disease through heterosexual sex. But there are other factors as well. Many people – male and female, straight and gay -- don't know their status because they haven't been tested, so they're unwittingly spreading the disease. Many men who engage in high-risk sexual behavior while incarcerated, return home and spread it to women. Some women still refuse to demand that their mates use protection. We also still think of HIV as a gay disease and assume that it won't impact us. Finally, women must learn to honor their bodies as sexual promiscuity also plays a role.
Ella: Why did you decide to write legal thrillers?
PSY: I’m a big fan of legal thrillers, but I got tired of never seeing women or African-Americans depicted as lawyers in the novels that I read. So, I sat down at my computer and started writing the kind of legal thriller that I wanted to read. I wanted a diverse cast of characters and a protagonist who wasn’t always a white male.
Ella: Did you self-publish?
PSY: While my first two novels, Every Reasonable Doubt and In Firm Pursuit, were published by Harlequin, I was forced to self-publish Murder on the Down Low after my agent wasn’t able to sell it. I really didn’t want to self-publish, but I wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines and accept the publishing industry’s view that there isn’t a large market for the type of book I’m writing. They’re wrong.
Pamela: Self-publishing Murder on the Down Low was definitely the right decision for me. The book has received tremendous praise from readers, particularly book club members. My decision to self-publish was further validated when Murder on the Down Low was selected as an Editor’s Pick by the Black Expressions Book Club. Just recently, Murder on the Down Low was a finalist for the 2009 African American Literary Awards in the mystery category alongside, two incredibly talented writers I have long admired: Walter Mosley and Tananarive Due.
Ella: What is your most valuable lesson about the publishing industry?
PSY: You need to have faith in your talent to survive in this business. Even the mega-successful writers—e.g., J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and John Grisham, just to name a few—were rejected by multiple publishers. The writers who survive are those who ignore the rejection and just keep writing.
Ella: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.
PSY: I’m thrilled that Murder on the Down Low is a finalist for the 2009 African American Literary Awards in the mystery category. I don’t need to win. Just being nominated alongside Walter Mosley and Tananarive Due is honor enough.
I’m extremely excited about the upcoming release of my fourth legal thriller and first stand-alone novel, Buying Time, which goes on sale November 1st.
In Buying Time, Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer who comes to the aid of terminally ill people in desperate need of cash. Waverly finds investors eager to advance his dying clients thousands of dollars—including a hefty broker's fee for himself—in exchange for rights to their life insurance policies. Once the clients take their last breath, the investors reap a hefty return on their investment. When Waverly's clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly, and a high-powered lawyer who’s bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General, are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.
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September 9, 2009 - Wednesday
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 CONTROVERSIAL NEW THRILLER TACKLES IMPORTANT TOPIC FOR BLACK WOMEN
-- Are men on the down low solely to blame for the high HIV infection rates among African-American women?
-- Is the black community ignoring the AIDS epidemic?
-- What will it take to stem the high HIV infection rates among African-American women?
-- Is promiscuity to blame for the high HIV infection rates among African-American women?
Please share your thoughts on these questions after reading the message below. Pamela Samuels Young, author of Murder on the Down Low speaks. Los Angeles -- When Los Angeles attorney and Essence bestselling author Pamela Samuels Young began writing her third legal thriller, Murder on the Down Low (ISBN: 978-0-9815627-0-4), she was not prepared for the impact that it would have — on her. “I consider myself fairly enlightened,” says Pamela, “but I realize now that I was completely ignorant about HIV and AIDS.”
Murder on the Down Low grapples with the devastating impact of HIV on African-American women and also takes on gay bias in the African-American community. The idea for the book stemmed from an Oprah show featuring JL King, author of On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of “Straight”Black Men Who Sleep With Men. “I listened to King describe this secret world of African-American men who engage in sex with other men, but who insist that they aren’t gay and I was completely floored,” Pamela recalls.
While listening to King’s frank conversation with Oprah, Pamela’s emotions went from shock, to anger to fear. She was even more astonished to learn that African-American women were the fastest-growing segment of the AIDS population. “I just didn’t understand how that could be. Once I started talking to people, I realized that African-American women are being infected at such alarming rates because we think HIV is a gay disease that can’t touch us. That’s just not the case.”
The day after watching that Oprah show, the idea for Murder on the Down Low came to Pamela while stuck in traffic. In Murder on the Down Low, a brazen gunman is targeting prominent African-American men on the streets of L.A. The victims are all quintessential family men, well-educated, attractive and successful. But appearances can be deceiving. When the baffling murders are linked to a high-profile lawsuit, the frantic search for the killer exposes a scandalous tale of lust, lies and vengeance.
“I didn’t begin writing Murder on the Down Low with the goal of sending a message about HIV,” Pamela says. But after researching the subject, she quickly realized that the novel provided an excellent opportunity to educate as well as entertain. “I hope readers are intrigued by the mystery that unfolds in Murder on the Down Low,” Pamela says, “but I’m also hoping they’ll learn something that might just save their lives.”
MURDER ON THE DOWN LOW PAMELA SAMUELS YOUNG BOOK TRAILER
About the AuthorPamela Samuels Young, an attorney who specializes in discrimination law, is the legal columnist for Global Woman magazine and a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. The Compton native is a graduate of USC, Northwestern University ’s Medill School of Journalism and the University of California Berkeley , Boalt Hall School of Law. She is married and lives in the Los Angeles area. Note from Ella: Author Pamela Samuels Young is available for literary events, speaking engagements, tele-conferences, bookclub chats and interviews. Submit all requests at: www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
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June 17, 2009 - Wednesday
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Black Pearls Magazine Presents the Pearl Book of the Month
Children of the Waters: A Novel by Carleen Brice
The author of the #1 Denver Post bestseller and Essence Book Club Pick Orange Mint and Honey explores the connection between love and race, and what it really means to be a family. AUTHOR BIO Carleen Brice’s debut novel, Orange Mint and Honey (One World/Ballantine), was an Essence “Recommended Read” and a Target “Bookmarked Breakout Book.” For this book, she won the 2009 First Novelist Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and the 2008 Break Out Author Award at the African American Literary Awards Show. Her second novel, Children of the Waters (One World/Ballantine), a book about race, love and family, is available now where ever books are sold. If you don't see it at your local retailer, please go to the representive and request it. You can read an excerpt at her website www.carleenbrice.com.
She also edited and contributed to the anthology Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number: Black Women Explore Midlife, which was published in the U.S. (Beacon Press) and the U.K. (Souvenir Press). She is author of Lead Me Home: An African American’s Guide Through the Grief Journey (Avon/HarperCollins). Her book Walk Tall: Affirmations for People of Color, an Essence bestseller, was in print with traditional publishers for 10 years and sold 100,000 copies. It is currently available through iUniverse and Louis Gossett Jr.'s Eracism Foundation. Carleen and her husband live in Colorado.
Book Intro
Trish Taylor’s white ancestry never got in the way of her love for her black ex-husband, or their mixed race son, Will. But when Trish’s marriage ends, she returns to her family’s Denver, Colorado home to find a sense of identity and connect to her past. What she finds there shocks her to the very core: her mother and newborn sister were not killed in a car crash as she was told. In fact, her baby sister, Billie Cousins, is now a grown woman; her grandparents had put her up for adoption, unwilling to raise the child of a black man. Billie, who had no idea she was adopted, wants nothing to do with Trish until a tragedy in Billie’s own family forces her to lean on her surprisingly supportive and sympathetic sister. Together they unravel age-old layers of secrets and resentments and navigate a path toward love, healing, and true reconciliation.
Children of the Waters: A Novel by Carleen Brice
One World/Ballantine; Price $14.00 Pub date: June 23, 2009 ISBN: 978-0345499073
EXCERPT: PROLOGUE
Time was short. Maxine Kuepper was starting to say things she didn’t mean. Yesterday, she told her granddaughter to Move my dish, when she wanted to ask her to bend her leg. Trish stared, stumped and afraid, yet all Maxine could do was yell the word “dish” over and over knowing that she wasn’t making any sense. Cell by cell, bone by bone, Maxine was floating away. She didn’t know if it was the cancer or the medication that made her say such things. She was wearing a patch that released heavy doses of relief into her bloodstream, and still the littlest weight on her, like a sheet or the cotton nightgowns they dressed her in, hurt. The nurse promised that when the time came Maxine wouldn’t have any pain. “We’ll snow you out,” the nurse assured her. “Don’t worry.” Maxine would die the way her daughter did: like a mermaid swimming at the bottom of an ocean of drugs. It was small comfort after all these years to believe that Jocelyn hadn’t been in any pain when she died. Jocelyn. Such a cultivated name for a daughter who would not be tamed. They were coming for her, Jocelyn and John, her husband, both dead. She dreamed of them so much now that sometimes she could swear they were really here in this room, whispering their secrets to her. They were coming for her. If they weren’t already here, she knew they were just over the other side waiting. And even though she was only sixty years old and her granddaughter Trish was only seventeen, she was ready to join them. But she had one last thing she had to do. She had secrets of her own to tell. She looked at the Polaroid picture she’d kept hidden for thirteen years. Not even John knew she had proof of this moment. There was Jocelyn, blond and movie-star gorgeous even after just giving birth, holding the baby, only hours old with a cap of thick dark hair. And Trish, smiling wide, skin, teeth and hair white as cream, on the hospital bed next to them. Both girls marked with a stain that couldn’t be washed away. Maxine wished she had done things differently. But wishes are for the living. She sighed and pain rippled through her as her lungs pushed up against the battlefield of her ribs and the space where her left breast used to be. She raised the pen with the same amount of exertion that it used to take to lift a gallon of milk and began to write. The nurse said don’t worry. But how could she not? What would they think of her? Would they hate her or would they be glad to know the truth? Probably both. But she would do this one last thing for them. She would make things right. As soon as Trish came home, Maxine would give her the letter. I should have told you this a long time ago, she wrote to her granddaughter, putting everything that was in her battered heart onto the page so that when the time came cowardice wouldn’t seal her lips. Each word, a lifetime. Just as she finished, she heard the front door open and close. Or she thought she did. Lately it was hard to tell what sounds were real and what sounds were memories sweeping over her like ocean waves. But if it was Trish coming in, Maxine knew she did not have the strength to see the look on her granddaughter’s face after she read this letter. She didn’t have the strength to answer the question she knew would come no matter how hard she tried to explain: How could you? She opened the box, put the letter and photo inside, and replaced the lid. After she was gone, Trish would find everything she needed to know. When Maxine was buried, her lies would be unearthed. It wouldn’t be long now. She was sipping life from a glass that was neither half empty, nor half full, a glass emptying so rapidly she could see it in the eyes of the hospice nurses and the few friends who came to visit her at home. The bedroom door opened, and Trish poked her head in. “Nana, you awake?” Maxine nodded, thinking For now, and, Please God let them forgive me. ------------------
Carleen Brice, Author of Children of the Waters, June 2009 www.carleenbrice.com
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April 16, 2009 - Thursday
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 From bestselling author and motivational speaker Lisa Nichols comes a unique and powerful inspirational program that will both move you and empower you to realize your dreams. Millions are trying to live by The Secret's Law of Attraction, but the truth is it won't work unless you flex your all-important "bounce-back" muscles, which give you the ability to successfully navigate life's speed bumps.
By developing and toning her own bounce-back muscles at critical points in her life, Lisa found the power to become her authentic self and achieve everything she dared to hope for. Now, in NO MATTER WHAT, she offers a groundbreaking program that outlines these 9 Steps or "muscles", which include among others your Confidence, Faith-in-Myself, Honesty Out Loud and Forgiveness muscles, and explains how anyone can use them to achieve happiness and off-the-charts success.
In this powerful guide Lisa Nichols introduces her dynamic plan, shares her own remarkable story, and prescribes specific exercises and action steps to inspire readers to learn from their past and move toward a courageous future.
Intimate Conversation with Ella Curry and best-selling author Lisa Nichols
Ella: Can any one of us be truly content with only our dreams?
--Having a dream is only the beginning, the seed of possibility, to what can be created. It is your heart’s way of saying "you’re alive!" You will only feel fully alive when you are in "action" toward what you value.
Ella: What action steps did you take to help your dream, of being a writer, become a reality?
--I first had to stop judging my writing skills based on my past writing experiences. My last year in English, I received a failing grade. I had to detach myself from my past and create a new possibility for myself. This was done with a lot of “mirror work” that's mentioned in the "Inspired Action Steps" in my new book No Matter What! I actually list the very same things that I did. I had to allow my voice to come out uniquely and not compare myself to anyone else. I began to see myself as a best selling author before my first book was ever sold. Most people stay in conversation about what they want to achieve but I stayed "in action", there is a difference.
Ella: Lisa, how do you go about connecting with your audience? What “out of the box” ways do you convey your message and hold their attention? What makes you unique?
--First, I am disarmingly honest. I say the things that we normally don't want people to know and that we normally would take so much time to get comfortable enough to share. I tell the truth, sooner quicker, faster. I make it OK to share with my audience that I did it all wrong before I did it right. I say that there was a time when I did not love myself, so I looked for love and validation in men and relationships. I make it OK to share the truth by putting some skin in first. I am very humorous on stage and I use my own quirks and lessons learned as the humor, so that people can relax in their own situations. I hug a great deal and I allow myself to cry on stage and still move forward. This allows the audience to again see that we don't have to pretend that it all perfect and we get to move through everything, No Matter What!
Ella: We are who we are; our actions define who we really are. Our actions create our brand! What are some of the actions you have taken, in life or in your writing, which will create an impact on your readers?
--The rawness and unedited truth. I pour myself out, for all to see. I come off the stage, off the platform and into the reader’s safe and intimate space. In my writing, I make all of our breakdowns OK. And we need to know that our mistakes are OK. This way we will stop holding ourselves hostage to guilt, shame, blame and anger. In my writing, you will see baby step by baby step how I cut the shackles to those toxic feelings, then I will guide you to discover anything that is consciously or unconsciously limiting your greatness and give you action steps that you can do today to have a breakthrough.
Ella: In your new book, No Matter What!, what is the overall message you hope to relay to your readers? What is it you hope they take away and share with other readers?
--We all have a set of "Bounce Back Muscles" that when fine tuned and developed, they are our greatest assets. The overall message is that you can turn every single breakdown into a breakthrough and every single setback into a set up for something greater. Before you can truly reach for the stars and stay in that place you need to know how to bounce back when life's speed bumps occur. When you know how to bounce back then you inevitably begin to bounce forward with new energy and possibilities.
Ella: Why was it so important to bring out this message?
--In the time that we are in right now, people are living inside of powerless, scarcity, fear based thinking. This book will give each person the inspiration and knowledge to understand their ability to build their own bounce back muscle and make it through this time. People are looking for REAL and HONEST hope, no fluff and no false promises. No Matter What! will be like a healing balm of candid, forthright yet loving tolls to help each person navigate through this period and come out on the other side powerful and resilient because they understood what it means to adopt a No Matter What mindset.
Ella: What is the best way for readers and the media to contact you for event invitations or to share reviews?
--No Matter What is becoming a worldwide movement and we would love for you to join us in living a No Matter What life. To join thousands of others who have taken this stand, go to www.NoMatterWhatTour.com there you can click on free downloads and allow me to give you a great gift called "Setting Your Champion Free" then purchase a book, next explore the site to see where all of our free events will be and join us. We would love to welcome you to our community.
Web: www.Lisa-nichols.com -- Tour: www.NoMatterWhatTour.com -- Buy the Book
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Join the Conversation, leave questions or comments below.
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April 2, 2009 - Thursday
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 Black Pearls featured bestselling author Danette Majettehttp://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/danettemajette.html Black Pearls Featured author Danette MajetteMeet author Danette Majette on BAN Radio to discuss her new book, "Good Girl Gone Bad".Showtime: Monday, April 6, 2009 at 8:00pm EST Call in to Speak to Danette and host Ella Curry: 646-200-0402 Chat room: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/black-author-networkGood Girl Gone Bad (Contemporary Fiction)by Danette Majette Release date- April 8, 2009 ISBN 10 – 1934230669 ISBN 13 - 9781934230664 Most people think when you say, “I do,” all problems come to an end. When happily ever after seems impossible, three women transform from good girls to bad women. Just when they think they’ve made it out of the grimy streets to a more ideal lifestyle in the suburbs, their lavish lives turn sour. Unfortunately, for the sexy threesome they are all suddenly faced with financial hardships that land them between a rock and a hard place. Danette Majette
District Heights, MD 20753
Email: dcmajette@gmail.com
Buy Books: www.lifechangingbooks.net
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