We are kicking things off today at Noon EST with two of our author favorites, ReShonda Tate Billingsley & Victoria Christopher Murray.   RAWSISTAZ has selected their upcoming book SINNERS & SAINTS as our January 2012 Book of the Month, so today we wanted to give a little sneak peek into the book, the collaboration between the ladies and of course let you pick a team.  Rachel or Jasmine??  You’ll also have an opportunity to win a copy of the book (release date January 10th) before it is officially released and Team Jasmine or Team Rachel t-shirt are up for grabs!

Stay tuned for the Team Jasmine & Team Rachel poll which we’ll post later in the month.  And mark your calendars because the actual book discussion with our online & local chapters (and all fans of Rachel & Jasmine) will be January 31st.

Victoria Christopher Murray has made Jasmine Cox Larson Bush infamous four times over with A Sin and a Shame (2006); Lady Jasmine (2009); Too Little, Too Late (2008) and Sins of the Mother (2010).

ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s Rachel Jackson Adams has frustrated and charmed readers in Let the Church Say Amen (2004); Everybody Say Amen (2009) and Say Amen, Again (2011).

Now for the first time, bestselling, award-winning authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley, bring their favorite heroines together in SINNERS & SAINTS: A Novel  (Touchstone Books / A Simon & Schuster Trade Paperback; January 10, 2012; $15.00; ISBN: 978-1-4516-0815-1) which is bound to delight their fans.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SINNERS & SAINTS: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray & ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Touchstone Trade Paperback Original / Simon & Schuster
On Sale: January 10, 2012
Price: $15.00 | Pre-Order the Book | Get the Kindle Version
ISBN-10: 1-4516-0815-2 / ISBN-13: 978-1-4516-0815-1

SINNERS & SAINTS is the first novel of a two book deal with book two releasing in January 2013.  Murray’s next solo project, Destiny’s Diva’s, releases in June 2012.  Secret She Kept will be released by ReShonda in July 2012.

Victoria Christopher Murray’s Jasmine Cox Larson Bush and ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s Rachel Jackson Adams are not your typical First Ladies. But they’ve overcome their scandalous and drama-filled pasts to stand firmly by their husbands’ sides.

But when a coveted position opens up—the President of the National Baptist Association—each woman thinks her husband is perfect for the job.  As Jasmine and Rachel’s husbands are both nominated, the scheming begins and both women are back to their old ways. With their husbands as President, they will have more power, prestige, and money than they could have ever dreamed! The competition is on and both will do anything and everything in their power to get their husbands’ the job.   It becomes a battle of the First Ladies as these women try to one-up each other.

Just when Jasmine and Rachel think they’re going to have to fight to the finish, the current First Lady of the National Baptist Association steps in…a woman bigger, badder, and more devious than either of them. The women have finally met their match, but the conspiracy behind the position runs deeper than either Jasmine or Rachel could have imagined.

Double the fun, with a message of faith, SINNERS & SAINTS will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors—Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley—it’s a match made in heaven.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of nine Essence bestselling novels, including The Ex Files, Too Little, Too Late, and Lady Jasmine. Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction and Author of the Year, she splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Visit Victoria at www.victoriachristophermurray.com.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is an award winning former television and radio reporter, as well as the author of twenty-one books which have appeared on the Essence bestseller list more than twenty times. She is married with three small children and lives in Texas. Visit ReShonda at www.reshondatatebillingsley.com.

For more information on SINNERS & SAINTS please visit:

www.sinnersandsaintsbook.com and www.simonandschuster.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Chris Shella is a graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Texas Law School and started his legal career in Long Island, New York at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office. He is admitted to the practice of law in New York, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and North Carolina. Shella is also admitted to the federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Middle District of North Carolina, U.S. District of Columbia, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eastern District of New York, and the Southern District of New York.He is also admitted to the Bar Of The United States Supreme Court. He and his cases have been covered on Court TV, CNN, and in the New York Times, and other media outlets across the globe. He has represented everyone from lawyers to major drug traffickers to a serial killer in Baltimore. His two most famous case are the Vegan Baby Case and his defense of the Duke Lacrosse Case accuser for the alleged murder of her boyfriend. Chris now resides in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and son. Chris still actively represents clients up and down the East Coast.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can Jasper Davis pull himself from his life of loose women, liquor, and general debauchery in enough time to win a murder case and possibly save his own hide? Jasper Davis is a criminal trial lawyer in Baltimore who has slowly but surely become like the drug dealers and lowlifes he represents. He spends more time with hookers than clients and more time drinking Jack Daniels than studying the law books. Simply put, he is a shade of his former self.

In Reasonable Facsimile, Jasper is in the middle of a first degree murder trial when he becomes the suspect in the murder of a DEA agent who was set to testify against his client. Jasper is so far gone on women and liquor he sees his trial skills deteriorate right before his eyes. Jasper is confronted by the situation. Is he gonna continue to be a reasonable facsimile of a human being or is he gonna become the man he once was?

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Website:  http://www.reasonablefacs.com
Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Reasonable-Facsimile-3-Chris-Shella

PHENOMENALLY ME is a carefully crafted blend of classical and modern influences, feminism and post feminism. There is a strong sense of confidence and pure honesty felt from the very beginning all the way to the very end. The reader can feel the pulse of passion on every page. Phenomenally Me is a book that dares you to explore life mentally and emotionally and is a strikingly bold adventure through a woman’s heart, mind, and soul.  It would be a welcome addition to an update of the Ras Baraka and Kevin Powell anthology, IN THE TRADITION.

PHENOMENALLY ME is new wine in new bottles, and Sarah J. Heidelberg is a right poet for the New Millennium worthy of her icons, which include Jessica Care Moore, Alice Walker, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, and Sylvia Plath.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah Heidelberg, born in Kansas, is a carefree spirit with many words flowing from her mind and heart. She’s been through many trials and tribulations and experienced losses, but they have only made her stronger. She doesn´t just write about the trials, she writes about conquering and emerging triumphant. Sarah, 29, graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi (2005) with a degree in English. She followed with a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science (2010).

STAY CONNECTED

Website: http://www.authorsden.com/sarahjheidelberg
Twitter: http://twitter.com/southernpoetess

“Possession is nine-tenths of the law, and the other tenth is being able to whip your opponent’s ass” was the motto of Trust Nyarai.   It was hard to take shit from a Nyarai woman.  The swamps were littered with those who had tried.  A badass chopper-riding, machete-wielding woman, Trust was good at three things: slinging hash, separating assholes from their entrails, and protecting her family.

Bad tempered on his best day, Thamesis Ceanncath was lethal.  His prowess in battle had earned him a fearsome reputation…and banishment from his native Scotland and pretty much the rest of the world.  Stuck in Georgia, he’d taken up new hobbies: riding choppers and enjoying Southern cuisine.  And then Trust rode into town.  Jealous of the jeans that had the privilege of cupping her ass, he wasn’t prepared for her…on any level but that didn’t stop him from wanting her.

Thus began their relationship…as far as he was concerned.  He decided he wanted her the moment he witnessed her handling her weapon.  He decided he was going to keep her the moment she responded to his threat with one of her own.  She may not have mouthed it, but she yelled it with her eyes.  Later, when they’d had some alone time, she reiterated it with her beautiful, tempting mouth.

Yeah, she was his.  Now all he had to do was convince her…and the rest of Mid NFW, who’d taken a liking to the spirited woman.  No one was making it easy for him.  Instead of getting angry, he simply grew harder and more determined.  Not a man to back down from a fight, he wasn’t going to start now.   Lord help them all.

AUTHORS’ BIO

A kickass tag-team bound together by the pen, Jeanie (the shagalicious wordslinger) and Jayha (the ninja master of h*ll no’s) are forces of nature that will either leave you begging for mercy or begging for more.

We are women who have brains we aren’t afraid to use; feelings we aren’t afraid to express; and, middle fingers that we aren’t afraid to extend.  We pen stories that push all kinds of boundaries and we don’t apologize for it.  Our heroines are feisty; our heroes are hot, and our stories are one-of-a-kind adventures.

STAY CONNECTED

Purchase Link: https://beautifultroublepublishing.com/xcart/In-Love-and-Trust-EBOOK.html

Website: http://www.jeanieandjayha.com/

Facebook Page:  http://www.facebook.com/jeanieandjayha

Twitter Address:  http://twitter.com/#!/jeanieandjayha

Just in case you missed debut author Carolyn Moncel & the release of her short story collection Encounters in Paris, we’re showcasing her fall 2010 press release.

PRESS RELEASE

New Short Story Collection Confronts Love and Lost in the City of Light

First-time Fiction Author Carolyn Moncel Releases Encounters in Paris – A Collection of Short Stories

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND, November 9, 2010 — African-American author, Carolyn Moncel announced today the release of Encounters in Paris, her first collection of short stories.

Ellery Martin-Roulet, a 35-year-old American public relations executive living and working in Paris has the perfect life. She is married to a handsome Frenchman, has adorable twin daughters and a successful bilingual PR firm located in one of Paris’ trendiest arrondissements. Unfortunately, Ellery soon realizes that life isn’t always perfect. When betrayal, loss, and regrets enter Ellery’s world at five different periods of time over a ten-year span, she quickly learns that it is how she chooses to deal with life’s trickiest situations that shapes her soul.

“We all have fallen in and out love or encountered life’s various disappointments, but both good and bad experiences make us who we’re meant to be,” says Moncel, a Chicago native, who has lived between Paris and Lausanne, Switzerland for the last eight years. “Working through real-life problems is never neat and tidy. In fact, it can be quite a messy affair but problems remain until they are confronted and resolved one way or another.”

Moncel is a life-long storyteller. She admits that choosing to write a collection of short stories instead of a novel–an even riskier endeavor for any aspiring author in a down economy–was no accident. In today’s fast-paced society, Moncel believes her fans will want more short stories because they provoke introspection. “To really enjoy a short story, one must slow down and think about the characters and their circumstances,” says Moncel. Short stories are more affordable and easily digestible in one sitting; and can be downloaded and read quickly from eBook readers or smart phones.

“Writing short stories provides the perfect format for inviting readers to take a peek inside the lives of others, if only for a brief moment,” says Moncel. “Stylistically, I am allowed to say my peace, get off the page, move on to another story, and I love it!”

About Carolyn Moncel
A virtual media and web consultant by day and author by night, Carolyn Davenport-Moncel moved to Paris from Chicago, her hometown, in 2001. Known for her online articles on media relations, Moncel owns MotionTemps, LLC (www.motiontemps.com), a Digital Project and Web Content Management firm, and its subsidiary, Mondavé Communications (www.mondaveinc.com), a media relations and publishing company. S

he has written, placed articles and been featured in such diverse publications as Entrepreneur.com, Expatica.com, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, Wired News, International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Working Mother, Bonjour Paris and PrissyMag. She currently resides in Lausanne, Switzerland with her husband and two daughters. Encounters in Paris is her first work of fiction. Her next collection of short stories, 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover will debut in fall 2011.  Discover her other works at www.carolynmoncel.com.

About Encounters in Paris
Published in October 2010 by Mondavé Media via CreateSpace, Encounters in Paris – A Collection of Short Stories is now available in paperback and also in digital format for Kindle at all major online bookstores including,

Amazon.com (http://bit.ly/cB9bfR). The retail price for paperback is $17.99. The Kindle edition is $9.99. Single story downloads start at $2.99. The ISBN number is: 978-1-4538-9821-5. Ms. Moncel is available for appearances, book club discussions and interviews.

# # #

TIP FOR WRITERS:
There has never been a better time to become a writer. Everyone has at least one story to tell. Keep writing and never give up.

BOOK TRAILER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD6P8P9AoU0

STAY CONNECTED
Website: http://www.carolynmoncel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Encounters.in.Paris
Twitter: http://twitter.com/carolynmoncel
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/motiontemps

AUTHOR BIO

Angela Nicole Parker is a freelance writer who currently lives in Los Angeles, California. She is the author of Tethered and writes Under the Hill, a column that takes an irreverent look at life as a thirty-something singleton.

TETHERED SYNOPSIS

Madison Baldwin is having a bad year. Her fiancé, the commitment-phobic Spencer Newman, is getting cold feet. Her divorced parents can’t seem to stop fighting or, much to her chagrin, making out. To make matters worse, her “perfect” half-sister Jaqueline has flown all the way from across the pond to make her feel even more inadequate. The only bright spot in her life is Craig Barnett, her life-long friend and champion, whose cool demeanor and playful sarcasm is masking a secret that will change Maddie’s life [Tethered] forever…

LINKS

Angela Nicole Parker’s Facebook Page

Angela Nicole Parker Online, Angela Nicole Parker’s official website

Angela Nicole’s Parker Twitter Page

Under the Hill Blog, an irreverent column on life as a thirty-something singleton

The Parkerverse, Angela Nicole Parker’s official writer’s blog

RAW:  Who is Shawneda Marks?  The author, activist, mother, entrepreneur & more…

Shawneda Marks’ true identity is found in Christ, which is funny cause I don’t like to be called religious.  After my relationship with God, most important to me is being a good wife to hubby, and mother to my children.  As an author, I love to pen fiction that shows real people from every dimension– spirit, body and soul as they discover life’s journey is best traveled with the Holy Spirit as an internal compass, Jesus as brother/savior and God as Lord. The activist is dedicated to raising awareness and funds. At the core of who I am, I have a passion for helping people and the earth walk in wellness.

RAW:  Your website is a wonderful source of information & inspiration.  How did you come up with this niche?

Thank you so much, it sounds really corny (which those close to me say I am), but I just love sharing and giving. It is an affordable way to share my passions with others and avail myself to those God has given me the heart to pray and walk with. Almost everything I do is related to writing and wellness with God as the foundation.

RAW:  Who/what are Diamond Butterflies?

Diamond Butterflies are women who have experienced some emotional trauma in life due to sexual assault, rape, molestation, abuse, and parental neglect, but have the sincere desire to move past the brokenness to be emotionally whole. I’m a Diamond Butterfly. My past includes rape, sexual abuse and neglect which led to time in foster care, but I choose to look at the blessings that came into my life despite the evil done to me. I’m currently completing the devotional and finishing research on how to offer group mentoring and curriculums to be used for organizations mainstream and faith based.

RAW:  This is wonderful, Shawneda! It’s so pleasing to see someone giving back to others; despite their past hurts.  (I’m so sorry you went through all that too.)

How did you get started in the literary world?  And, who do you turn to for inspiration?

I started in the literary world as a teenager. My foster father found one of my poems and sent it in to a poetry contest that I won. From that moment on he encouraged me to write. Even on his deathbed he told me to no matter what I did I needed to write and let nothing stop me. I’ve been writing in some form or another ever since then. I became serious about pursuing it as a career in 2004 and was called to the carpet by God through Tia McCollors after she read my website. Funny you should ask about who inspires me cause with the onslaught of “mainstream” publishing crucifying the technology I use and publishing path I’ve chosen over the last few weeks I’ve needed a lot. I turn to God through prayer and listen to my family, friends and writing circle for inspiration.

RAW: Now, to your book It’s In My Blood.  You released it December 1^st to coincide with HIV Awareness month.  Why?  Also, please tell us about the book as well as the first one in the series and what you hope to accomplish by publishing them.

I released It’s in My Blood on World WORLD AIDS DAY in honor of my friend who passed and planted the seed for the need for a story like this to be told. It’s in My Blood uses the vehicle of fiction to show how HIV/AIDS is affecting the everyday family, raise awareness and funds for two deserving charitable organizations: Aniz Inc. and Balm in Gilead Inc. I’ve forged an official partnership with Aniz Inc., a local charity here in GA and Balm in Gilead won a twitpoll.

Synopsis: Rosalyn Bell has to return home after being tested as part of her routine pregnancy exam.  She is at odds with her mother, who is praying for a chance at reconciliation.  At the same time she adores her father and wants him to help her make her next move in the right direction. Her plan is to go home for a few weeks and sort things out, but God has other plans for her life.

Love Is…the first novel where we meet Rosalyn she is the “villain” in a story about best friends Toney and Colby. I follow Toney and Colby through the trials and tribulations of being attractive, platonic saved friends who everyone else believes will hook up. I wrote this book after reading so many stories and watching so many movies showing a distorted picture of relationships between men and women, and I wanted to show love from a different light. All of my stories are written to inspire readers into action even if its just starting a dialogue about the issue that is addressed in the book and for at least the first year of the books availability support at least one deserving charity.

RAW: I’ve joked around with you about the video vlogs and how I would probably NEVER record a video of myself to show via the website.  I love the concept of Faithful Folios though.  How has it been received and do you plan to continue this into 2010?  If so, how can someone get more information on how they can set up an interview or get their book/product reviewed?

Those who have seen it really enjoy it.  To be honest many authors are just now getting webcams since Oprah started skype (thanks O!), so it was hard to get a video to video interview at first. Booker T Mattison was the first to go “live” with me and the feedback has been great. It’s raw and untouched (for now) but I do plan to continue it in 2010. I’m actually getting more books and agreements for video interviews for the new year; I’m really excited. People can contact me via the correspondence form on my website or @shawneda on twitter for info on requesting an interview on the show. My only requirement is I read the book first.

RAW:  Tell us about your custom jewelry marks and the various events you’ve participated in to showcase them? I love the play on your last name. 

Jewelry Marks are environment and binder friendly book jewelry. They have been used as swag gifts for Tyler Perry’s I CAN DO BAD ALL By MYSELF celebrity premiere in NY, and a featured sponsor for Sheryl Lee Ralph’s 19th Annual DIVAS SIMPLY SINGING HIV/AIDS fundraising event. I’ve gifted a community baby shower for Wayne Metro and Hot Pink Nights a breast cancer fundraiser in Virginia. They were also gifts for Jene Luciana’s THE BRA BOOK fundraiser book release in New York last month. I have another event I’m doing for this month and a huge event in January I’m really excited about. I’ll post the media alerts about those in the months once their completed.

RAW:  Can you share more information about the It’s in My Blood New Voice Book Club Contest?

I would LOVE to! As a new voice in fiction I wanted to give something back to book clubs who decided to read my novel.  Two deserving book clubs who select It’s in My Blood as their book of the month will be selected next year to receive awareness gift baskets which will include 12 It’s in My Blood HIV/AIDS jewelry marks, gift certificates to Kingdom Klothes and other awareness items like the awareness bracelets, posters et cetera. The first book club will be announced June 27 National HIV testing day, and the second winner on Dec 1 2010.

I’m also doing the Green Readers Choice Award where one blessed reader of It’s in My Blood who fulfills all of the criteria for the contest will receive a free eReader of their choice (up to $299).  The details are on the readers page of my website (big smile).

RAW: Woo hoo!  Sounds like I need to highly encourage RAWSISTAZ (and our local chapters) to select It’s In My Blood, huh?  LOL.  These are both wonderful contest and as a reader…I love it!

Any words of wisdom for our readers and/or aspiring authors?

For readers don’t be afraid to share your books and lives with others. The best gift you can give someone is your time and why not talk about something beautiful, liberating and creative like a book when you’re together (of course as a word addict I’m biased).

For writers I say read, study, write, rewrite, study and read again. Follow your heart and no matter what path of publishing you choose, embrace the journey. There are pros and cons to everything. Each blessing comes with responsibility. Whatever you do share your gift with the world even if you start out doing it for free on a blog. There are billions of people in the world and there will never be too many books or authors. Go to conferences and festivals online and in person. I’m host author for the MACWriters Festival October 2010 featuring Booker T. Mattison and Stanice Anderson, as well as other African-American authors and industry professionals. I hear this fabulous Literacy Advocate and founder of RAWSISTAZ is gonna be there (smile).  There is an early bird rate of $55 you can find more about it at www.macwriters.info.

RAW: I am looking forward to the conference!  What else are you working on for 2010?

I’m currently completing my devotional Diamond Butterfly: Share Heal Sparkle Shine Fly, and working on the rough draft of the next novel My True Essence set for release in October 2010. My True Essence chronicles the lives of Rebecca and two of her friends battling triple negative breast cancer.  People can find more information on my website www.shawneda.com and if they sign my guestbook and tell me they learned about me here on RAWSISTAZ, I’ll make a custom jewelry mark with the RAW Sistaz logo (if that’s okay with you).

RAW: Oh, it sounds fabulous to me, so I’m headed over now to check out the website and sign the guest book.  I want one too.  Thanks for the offer and thanks so much for a wonderful interview and allowing us to spotlight you on RAWSISTAZ.  Definitely keep us posted and know we’re rooting for your continued success.

BOOK SYNOPSIS

After witnessing the brutal murder of their mother, the three Jackson sisters are separated, and living hard lives far away from each other.

Dominique is a well adjusted twenty-five year old professional, now living a perfect life…or so it seems.  She’s in love with a man who once saved her, but is now threatening to destroy her.  Will she be able to break free from him in time?

Donya has clawed her way from living on the streets to being a self-made Bohemian chick whose life is now filled with rainbows and dance.  But then she finds herself stuck in the middle of two disasters. She has to save one of her sisters.  Which one? And can she really tamper with fate?

DJ is the fast-talking, fast-thinking, straight-A high school senior with an attitude and temper she inherited from her father.  Will she let her ways ruin her the way his ruined him?

Holler at the Moon is the coming of age story of three sisters who fight hard to create their place in the world without the love of a father or the guidance of a mother.  Can they find healing to become the women they hope to be or will their dark pasts be their ultimate downfalls?

AUTHOR BIO

Having graduated Summa Cum Laude with dual degrees in Database Technology and Information Systems with an emphasis in programming, Tinesha Davis authored two books that have nothing to do with engineering—a collection of poetry, All Black Girls Ain’t Got Rhythm and other urban hymns, and her debut novel, Holler at the Moon. With these achievements she made it official: she is a writer who happens to play computer engineer by day.

Tinesha serves on the Board of Directors of the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation and is a writing coach for Book-in-a-Day, a non-profit program that teaches high school students how to write poetry, and publish a book—in one day. Tinesha lives in the DC metropolitan area with her sixteen year old son and is currently working on her follow up project Twice on Sundays.

For more information:

www.TineshaDavis.com

www.facebook.com/tinesha.davis

HollertheNovel [at] gmail [dot] com

Raleigh, North Carolina—Lisa Y.  Watson, author of The Switch from the Essence bestselling anthology, Love is Blind, is back with her debut novel, Watch Your Back.

Devon Mitchell’s past is tormenting him and his future is uncertain.  Plagued with the thought that he was responsible for his girlfriend’s death, Devon finds solitude at his uncle’s farm in rural Illinois. When he hears that his beloved grandmother’s art gallery is in financial trouble, he returns to Washington, D.C. He commissions himself as the gallery’s new art director to investigate.

Enraged doesn’t begin to describe Jayde Seaton when an outsider shows up and takes the coveted promotion she thought was rightfully hers. Refusing to make his transition a smooth one, she sets out to make Devon’s work live miserable.

Tensions between them spark intense heat. As the two grow closer, Devon learns of hostile takeovers and hidden agendas—all revealing the truth about his girlfriend’s death. Could Jayde be next on the hit list because of him? Devon will do whatever it takes to ensure she’s not.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a native of Washington, D.C., the political arena and historical surroundings fueled Lisa’s romantic imagination.  Creating expressive characters who challenge personal and spiritual growth are her forte.  Lisa’s first published work, The Switch appeared as a novella in the Essence Magazine best selling Anthology, Love Is Blind (2004) with Parry “Ebony Satin” Brown and Pat Simmons.  Her short story, The Reunion appeared as a “10-minute Love Story” in the Sun Magazine.

Lisa also writes fan fiction based on characters from a popular 80′s television show, Remington Steele and has both a national and International fan base.

When she’s not writing or working you’ll find Lisa at the annual Romantic Times BOOKLOVERS Convention.  Lisa is the co-publicist for the convention and works to secure author interviews via television, radio and newspaper for national bestselling authors like Heather Graham, L.A. Banks, Bobbi Smith, Brenda Jackson, Christina Skye, and others.

Lisa resides in North Carolina with her husband, two children and dog, Boomer.  She is an Asset Management Specialist at a technical services company.

AUTHOR’s WEBSITE: http://www.lisawatson.com

In His Own Words…

Although the discovery that my grandfather, a man I knew little of and had never met, had been a railroad engineer in Panama was the catalyst which led me to write Panama Fever, it was Marcus Garvey’s widow, Amy Jacques Garvey who planted the seeds of interest in the heroic Jamaicans who over multiple decades helped to build and maintain the historic Panama Canal.

Panama Fever narrates the adventures of two young Jamaicans who seek glory by joining the French in their valiant but vain attempt to build the canal during the 1880s. The two protagonists, Thomas Judah and Byron, find themselves caught up in a cycle of political corruption, murderous insurrection, natural disaster, and deadly disease. A story of love, ambition and corruption that explores the antagonisms of class, nationality, race, and gender, Panama Fever brings to life the experiences and tragedies of those who worked on the monumental Panama Canal project.

She was adamant that although it took French brains and American money to conceive the Panama Canal, it was West Indian sweat and blood that built it, something which the world at that time refused to acknowledge.  Looking back, I suppose Panama Fever is in some small way my thank you to dear Amy Jacques for those inspiring afternoon teas.

Before I learned about my grandfather’s work in Panama I had assumed that the Jamaicans working on the canal had all been common laborers. As I would discover, the symbiotic tie between the isthmus and Jamaica dated from the 1840′s when the California Gold Rush spurred North American investors to build the Panama Railroad.  Jamaica, being close by and inhabited by underemployed English speakers, became a handy source of cheap labor.  By the time the French began their failed canal effort, there was a ready pool of workers to enlist, not only as diggers but also as stenographers, cooks, carpenters, mechanics and engineers.

I was a scruffy schoolboy living in Kingston when the refined Mrs. Garvey used to invite me for tea.  She had recently finished Garvey and Garveyism, her loving biography of her distinguished husband and her memories of his work and their dramatic life together were like vivid crystal.  She was clearly pleased by my eagerness to hear stories about my famous relative  and seemed determined that I grasp both the essence and the complexities of her great man.  I remember her stressing that it was the abuse of his Jamaican countrymen working in Panama that convinced Marcus Garvey to start the Black nationalist movement that would finally “destroy the old slave mentality.”

I originally wrote Panama Fever as a saga covering both the French and American periods, with different, although related, main characters in each period.  I later decided that the story could be better told as two linked novels, each of which also stands alone as a complete story. The second novel, forthcoming soon, focuses on a Jamaican engineer and his wife during the American period of canal construction, when Jim Crow laws were introduced to the Canal Zone.

Author’s Website: http://www.wbgarvey.com

Book Spotlight: Panama Fever: Digging Down Gold Mountain by W. B. Garvey

I.B. Freeman

He is currently working on his new novel Can I Live.

Mr. H.I.V. – Book Synopsis

Darren Wade is the perfect man. He is college educated, has a good job, and has a wonderful relationship with his mother. He is also H.I.V. positive. Darren’s H.I.V. status leads him on a mission to intentionally infect women.

To complete his mission Darren will have unprotected sex with any female who is willing to have unprotected sex with him. This story is entertaining, educational, and a classic example of art imitating life.

Available at:
Amazon.com
myspace.com/mrhiv
shelfari.com/mrhiv

To read an excerpt or order a copy of the book, visit her website at www.irisceleste.com. 

Iris can also be found writing her weekly column As a Woman Thinketh for Big Time Publishing Magazine, as well as, being a contributing writer for Victorious Magazine.

Book Trailer – Click Here to View

MORE INFO:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AngelMenchan

Website: www.angeliavmenchan.com

Blogs: http://acvermen.blogspot.com & http://mammproductions.blogspot.com

He calls his genre of literature, conscious hip-hop fiction. His goal is to be the voice of the thousands of self taught positive prison inmates that will never be heard. Just as Kanye West, Common Sense, Jada Kiss, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, NAS and other conscious hip-hop artists are setting the music industry on fire with their lyrics of hope and change, Jihad’s goal is to do the same with his writing.  

Jihad is a single father who lives in a suburb of Atlanta. He is a bestselling author, motivational speaker and real estate investor.  He is CEO of Envisions Publishing, LLC and Custom Care Landscaping & Home Renovations. He is also the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization, The Wake-Up Everybody Foundation, which is dedicated to positively and pro-actively re-awakening the African-American psyche through self-realization and re-education. The voices and hands of The Wake-Up Everybody Foundation show why it is imperative to READ to re-establish the identity of the urban nation, and how doing this will create positive, productive, pro-active, self-reliant people. 

Jihad is highly energetic, provocative and compassionate about youth issues.  He’s a highly sought after inspirational speaker who always avails himself for interviews.  For more on Jihad, log onto www.jihadwrites.com or www.thewakeup.org.