Fifteen Years Blog Tour with Kendra Norman-Bellamy
February 23, 2010
Kendra Norman-Bellamy Addresses Foster Care in her latest release, Fifteen Years
Listen to the Excerpt
Can children in foster care be affected their entire lives by their experiences even if they have obtained a level of success?
ABOUT THE BOOK
Josiah Tucker, the son of a substance dependent and neglectful mother, spent most of his childhood years in the custody of the State, living in foster homes throughout Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of fourteen, he was taken from the foster family that he had grown to love, the Smiths, and returned to his negligent birth mother. Enduring the hardships faced while living with his birth mother JT manages to make something of his life.
However, fifteen years after being taken from the Smiths and at the peak of success, he finds himself feeling empty and at his lowest. When he decides to reconnect with the Smiths, JT finds his faith in God renewed and discovers his attraction to his foster sister.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KENDRA NORMAN-BELLAMY is a national best-selling author and the founder of KNB Publications LLC. She is the organizer of Visions in Print, an Atlanta-based national organization for faith-based writers, and The Writer’s Hut, an online fellowship for African American Writers. She is the founder of Cruisin’ For Christ, a groundbreaking at-sea ministry that celebrates writing, gospel music and other God-glorifying arts, and also serves as a motivational speaker.
A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Kendra currently resides in Stone Mountain, George with her family.
For more information, visit www.knb-publications.com.
View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/FifteenYearsBlogTour.
**A Tywebbin Blog Tour
Open Hearts Blog Tour – Getting to Know Victoria Wells
February 11, 2010
Getting to Know Victoria Wells
When you’re not writing, what keeps you busy? What are some of your favorite things to do?
Mostly reading keeps me busy when I’m not writing. Before I started writing I could easily knock out 3-4 books in a week. I really enjoy knitting, shopping with my daughters, traveling, and hanging out with family and friends.
What are three things your fans don’t know about you?
Hmm, let’s see. First, I flunked Chemistry in the 11th grade because I would hide my Harlequin romance novels behind my chemistry textbook and read all period long. Second, I have a very mischievous side to me that comes out to play every now and again. For instance I convinced my husband one Christmas to hide the kids’ gifts and put charcoal in their stockings. And thirdly, I hate, hate, hate public speaking. I actually get all nervous jittering inside. But once I get going you can’t shut me up! LOL
If you could create a perfect day, what would it consist of?
Being able to do all the things that make me happy. Spending quality time with my family, having my patients be 100% pain free (if only for a day), and having a block of time to write.
If you could go back and change one thing in your past, what would it be?
I wish I had gone to a historically black college. I feel like I missed out on a wonderful experience.
If you were granted three wishes, what would you wish for?
I would wish for longevity for both my hubby and me so we’d be around to spoil our grandchildren and great grandchildren, my children to live up to their optimal potential in life and not settle for a life of mediocrity, and to become financially secure before the age of retirement.
What five things do you want to accomplish or do in the next five years?
1) Go to Tuscany, Italy. I fell in love with the place after watching the movie Under The Tuscan Sun.
2) Finish all the home projects I’ve started and stopped.
3) Learn to speak French fluently.
4) Devote more time to my writing.
5) Make it on somebody’s bestseller’s list! LOL
ABOUT THE BOOK
Key to My Heart by Victoria Wells
Sassy talking, no-nonsense Ava Peretti has a mysterious past that has finally caught up with her. Agonizing nightmares terrorize her by night as painful memories of a love lost haunt her by day. Ava has vowed never to love again, but she will soon find out that sometimes vows are made to be broken.
Attorney Langston Warrington III is the one man that can make Ava love again. The only problem is . . . he’s her archenemy! And to make matters worse, Langston has a secret of his own—a secret that will change Ava’s life forever.
For more information and to follow the tour, please visit Victoria’s site at: http://www.victoria-wells.com
Leave your comments and be entered to win some great prizes courtesy of Victoria!
Marriage 101 Blog Tour with Jewell Powell
November 17, 2009
**BLOG TOUR DRAWING**
At the end of the week, one winner (randomly chosen from all participating blogs) will receive a $30 DATE NIGHT gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice (Applebees, Chili’s, Ruby Tuesday or Red Lobster) and a gift pack of books (includes Marriage 101, I Don’t Want a Divorce, and Have a New Husband by Friday.)
To enter, you MUST answer the question at the end of this post and actively participate in the discussion, not just leave an “I’d like to get this book, here is my email address.”
15 WAYS TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH YOUR SPOUSE BY JEWELL POWELL
1. Listen attentively while your spouse is speaking, rather than concentrating on what you are going to say in response. This way, you can hear what your spouse is really saying. You may be also able to hear what your spouse is not saying, as well as what he is.
2. Learn to speak the same things (for example, you want to live debt free or have a happy, fulfilling marriage). If you are speaking the same things, you are in agreement. The scriptures ask, “Can two walk together unless they are in agreement?” The answer is no. Therefore, agreement is very important in a marriage.
3. Make eye-to-eye contact when you are speaking. Eyes will reveal anger, pain, sickness, and so on. Eye-to-eye contact also creates a connection between you and your spouse.
4. Think before you speak, thereby giving yourself time to speak your words with love. People are easily offended. Once anger or offense enters the conversation, the person who is offended stops listening and goes on the defensive. So think carefully before you speak.
5. Pray together. Again, this brings agreement, but more importantly, brings God into the conversation.
6. Dream together and write a vision. Understanding the purpose for your marriage should drive you and your spouse to accomplish God’s will for your life. Whether His reason is for you to raise your children a certain way, to start a business, to start a non-profit organization, to start a prayer meeting in your community, or to sing, every couple has a purpose.
7. Know your spouse and why she does what she does (for example, is it based on her upbringing? military background? being from a single-parent home? growing up poor?). Knowing this will help you to communicate more effectively. For example, if your spouse grew up poor, then you can understand why she responds a certain way when you spend a lot of money. Because of your spouse’s past, she might be used to people telling her to not spend as much or feelings of poverty may rear their ugly head.
8. Communicate with your spouse—he is not a mind reader. You must communicate your wants and desires.
9. Know what your spouse expects from you (such as dinner every night, or a phone call to let her know you are okay). You have been with your spouse long enough to know what she expects.
10. Understand what your mate is trying to say. Men are definitely from Mars and women are different from Venus. We can speak the same things, but in different ways. Understanding your spouse’s background and gender, and knowing his heart, will help you to decipher what he is really trying to say. For example, your spouse may have a hard time expressing love verbally but may be able to express it physically, giving you hugs or kisses that say, “I love you.”
11. Forgive one another. Every marriage, including yours, will get to a point at which your spouse will do something to hurt you. At the end of that day, make up in your mind to forgive your spouse. If you don’t, that unforgiveness will grow day by day until your heart is hardened or your ears get dull and you no longer want to hear what he has to say. Those are walls that start the separation process. Don’t let that happen. Forgive and move on. God says that He gives us new mercies every day; therefore, because He has given freely, you should give freely, too.
12. Compliment and say “I love you” and “I appreciate you” often. By doing this every day, this is something that can keep a marriage peaceful and strong.
13. Know the best time to talk with your mate. If your spouse is not a morning person, 7 AM is not the best time to have a serious conversation. If your spouse needs an hour after work to relax, wait to have that heart-to-heart.
14. Conduct family meetings regularly. This allows you to discuss what’s going on with the child(ren), plan dates and vacations, agree about large purchases, and other important matters.
15. Control your emotions. Keep your mouth shut! DO NOT discuss issues when either of you is upset. If your spouse is trying to discuss a matter while angry, find a way to let her cool off first. For example, excuse yourself to the bathroom and go pray. If you are the one who is upset, definitely pray first and wait until you are able to speak nicely.
© Jewell R. Powell, the Marriage Coach and author of Marriage 101: Building a Life Together by Faith. For more information, visit www.marriage101.us
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In July of 1992, Jewell met her Prince Charming at a Roy Rogers restaurant. When the couple decided to marry four years later, both were aware of the latest marriage statistics and the legacy of divorce that lay between them. Her parents divorced when she was four, after moving the family to Maryland, leaving her to be raised by a single mother. To circumvent the odds, they went through pre-marital counseling, attended church regularly and felt a strong love for one another. They believed they were ready for marriage.
While desiring to have a happily ever after, Jewell found life after marriage anything but a fairy tale. In 2001, she and her husband, Lewis, had been married for five years but were growing apart, after experiencing problems with infertility, sleeping in separate bedrooms and Lewis’s increasing disinterest in going to church. As she searched for answers to her marital troubles, Jewell found herself on a journey, seeking answers to save her marriage.
Despite a shaky beginning, the Powells now have a relationship with a strong foundation. After successfully resolving their marital problems, they started the Happily Ever After Marriage Ministry to help others do the same. Her new book, Marriage 101: Building a Life Together by Faith (Revell Books February 2009, ISBN 978-0-8007-3332-2, $13.99), offers hope and guidance to help transform broken relationships through the use of biblical wisdom in a simple workbook format.
Jewell serves as co-owner of Antiok Holdings, an emerging full-service management consulting firm, which she owns with her husband. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Maryland and is pursuing a Master of Divinity. The Powells reside in southern Maryland with their two daughters.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Your marriage can be strong, healthy, happy, and blessed. Marriage coach Jewell Powell shows you how in this 8-week plan for marital success. She reveals how God’s truths can transform two individuals into the union he desires. Laying a spiritual foundation is crucial to your marriage. In Marriage 101: Building a Life Together by Faith, you will discover God’s purpose for marriage, how to develop godly character, how to communicate effectively, and much more.
With biblical examples, study questions, and Scripture meditations perfect for individuals or couples, you will be challenged to examine areas in your life that may need change so that your marriage can thrive.
Follow the blog tour at http://bit.ly/Marriage101.
For more information, visit Jewell at http://www.marriage101.us.
**BLOG TOUR DRAWING QUESTIONS: Of the 15 ways to communicate effectively listed above, which ones seem the easiest? The hardest? Why? Which one(s) do YOU need to work on?
Banned from Vegas with Jean Holloway (Oct 5-31)
October 4, 2009
Nia Promotions is excited to host Banned from Vegas with Jean Holloway. For the next month get ready to dive into play in the thrilling, and sometimes erotic, world of Black Jack!
Jean Holloway, author of thrillers—books from her Deck of Cardz series—a fiction detective storyline following the career of a female lead homicide detective Shevaughn Robinson.
Join us from October 5 – October 31, 2009 for a few blog interviews, radio interviews, exclusive excerpts, and more. Along the way we’ll have daily giveaways for commenters (where stated), three (3) Reader Prizes, and one (1) Reader Grand Prize. Also, one book club will win 10 copies of Ace of Hearts.
To learn more about Jean Holloway and her work visit www.deckofcardz.com. There you can download Black Jack eBook; watch the book video: Black Jack…Wanna Play, read the book synopsis; and more.
Virtual Stops
Oct. 5: Kickoff with Jean Holloway
Oct. 6: Black Jack…Wanna Play? with RAWSISTAZ
Oct. 7: 5 Minutes 5 Questions with Joey Pinkney
Oct. 8: Black Jack Excerpt with PHE Ink
Oct. 9: Interview with Jean Holloway with Visual Arts Junction
Oct. 10: Don’t Let the Grandma Fool Ya with Nia Promotions
Oct. 11: Exclusive Excerpt from Black Jack
Oct. 12: About Author Jean Holloway with author CM Jones
Oct. 13: Introduces Black Jack Heroine Shevaughn Robinson with author Arlether Wilson
Oct. 14: Separated at Birth with author Terra Little
Oct. 15: Silent Revenge with author Adrienna Turner
Oct. 16: The Men in Jean’s Life with author Brooklen Borne
Oct. 17: Jean Holloway at Georgia Literary Festival
Oct. 18: Exclusive Excerpt from Ace of Hearts
Oct. 19: Show Your Kitty with author DeiIra Smith-Collard
Oct. 20: Jean Holloway Talks with Page Readers
Oct. 21: Fan Faire
Oct. 22: No Excuses…Just Do It with author Brooklyn Darkchild
Oct. 23: New Look, Same Thrill with author TL James
Oct. 24: Jean Holloway at Books & Brunch
Oct. 25: Exclusive Excerpt from Deuces Wild
Oct. 26: Readers Sound Off with author Diane Dorce
Oct. 27: In My Own Words with Nia Promotions
Oct. 28: Banned from Vegas’ Date with Destiny
Oct. 29: Evidence of Love with author Gail McFarland
Oct. 30: Banned from Vegas Lands in Houston (Hosted by PHE Ink)
Oct. 31: Holloway’s Halloween (Grand Prizes Announced)
Del Bay Blog Tour with Paula Chase Hyman
September 17, 2009
When author, Paula Chase Hyman, wrote a manuscript in 2003 about a bright-eyed optimistic fourteen year old, suburban girl who happened to be African American, the landscape of young adult fiction featuring contemporary Black characters was barren.
In 2004, Hyperion released Dana Davidson’s Jason & Kyra and from there the slow trickle of books featuring characters of color without race being the primary focus began. And in 2006, So Not The Drama, Chase Hyman’s debut was acquired by Kensington Books to launch their YA line. She went on to write four more books that followed Mina Mooney and her group of friends and The Del Rio Bay series officially joined the small fray of books depicting a more heterogeneous teen point-of-view.
Since then, Chase Hyman has been on a journey to inject books like hers into the literary mainstream, so they’re mentioned in the same discussion as books by Sarah Dessen, Cicely Von Ziegesar and Meg Cabot.
Paula also co-founded The Brown Bookshelf with five author friends. The site is dedicated to honoring vanguard authors and showcasing the myriad of talented African American children’s lit authors and illustrators flying under-the-radar of librarians, parents and teachers.
Visit her at www.paulachasehyman.com and www.thebrownbookshelf.com.
ONE-ON-ONE (Throwback) INTERVIEW
(Excerpted from our interview conducted March 2007 by Stacey Seay)
RAW: Tell us all about you, the author. And then tell us about the person behind the author.
I’m a type A, shoe-a-holic whose habits of multi-tasking have spun so out of control I can only relax 100% if I’m away from email access. Oops, that’s the person behind the author. Paula the author is a true pantser (as in, I fly by the seat of them when I write). Even when I attempt to outline my stories, they tend to wander off where they want to once I begin writing.
RAW: How long have you been writing and what has the experience been like for you?
I’ve always been a writer. My parents have boxes of stories I wrote as a kid. And I have a box, somewhere, of stories I used to write with my best friend, Nicki. It was like a create-your-own adventure deal. I’d start the story and then she’d add on, then I’d add on etc… I don’t think the story ever came to a true end. I really need to find those things. They could make a good book.
Having my first book published has been an eye-opening experience. There’s so much you learn about the publishing industry that you sort of wish you didn’t have to know, because it infringes a little on the creative side. I always joke that I’ve gone from green to jaded in 12 months. But it’s kind of true because so much of what I know now has forced me to always look at my writing as a business, with a critical eye. I have an agent who handles the serious lifting. Still, I’m much more aware that I have to constantly juggle two very essential components – the business side and the creative arts side.
RAW: What was the inspiration behind the book(s) and what inspired you to write young adult fiction?
In ’03 when I wrote So Not the Drama, my daughter was eight years old. She had gotten to a point where she loved buying books and getting books at the library, but she wasn’t finishing them. An avid reader, myself, this habit bothered me. But then I began looking around at the books out there for young readers and it surprised me that YA fiction was still very much vanilla, twenty years later. It wasn’t that books with black characters were lacking, but that 1) they were still either historical fiction or problem novels and 2) YA books, overall, weren’t diverse. You had books with white casts. And books with black casts. Where were the books with multi-culti casts? My daughter is growing up very much like I did, with a diverse base of friends. There weren’t any books that showed that side of suburbia. So I set out to create a book that would.
RAW: I really enjoyed how you incorporated characters with diverse family lives and backgrounds into the story (Book 1). Was this something you did purposefully? How did you create your characters?
The idea for such a large cast came, once more, from my own reality as a teen and my daughter’s. Some kids roll in huge cliques. It was six of us, back in the day. And my daughter has no less than four close girl friends and a few close guy friends. I’ve heard some minor grumbling that it’s “too” many people in So Not The Drama. But I think a large circle of friends is realistic. Even if you have one best friend, you have more than just that one friend. So my Del Rio Bay clique rolls deep. And when you have a large cast, it’s important that they’re different somehow. Otherwise the characters begin disappearing into one another.
The friends share a common bond and many similarities, but it would have been unrealistic if they’d all been cut from the same exact cloth. So yes, I did consciously set out to make the characters diverse. For example, Mina, JZ and Michael all live in the same exact neighborhood. But it’s pretty obvious that JZ’s parents are wealthier. Also, JZ and Mina come from traditional nuclear homes, where Michael is being raised by a grandmother. So even in the same nabe, there are distinct differences that help flesh out each character.
I’d say that my characters are a hodge podge of my own character traits, my teen clique, my daughter’s quirks. All rolled into a big old potpourri of wacky, teen angst.
RAW: How challenging is it to make your characters and plot relevant and interesting for today’s young readers? What do you do to stay “hip” <<grin>>?
What’s funny is, being hip is so here today, gone tomorrow. Yet, I can’t lie, I love that people think I’m hip and trendy. Truth is, writing for teens is just where my heart is. I’ve worked with teens and children since I was in college. And writing for teens is another way of mentoring for me. I don’t intend for my books to have a lesson in them. It’s fun, light-hearted fiction. But if someone thinks twice about their own actions because of a misstep of one of my characters, that’s cool as hell.
Teens fascinate me. The way everything is so dramatic and is life or death, it’s really something to behold. Instead of feeling frustrated that they just don’t “get over it,” I envy that they’re in a place where their drama is relatively harmless. They’ll figure out soon enough that a break up is nothing compared to holding a marriage together. Or all the other adult balls life throws at you.
So my plots come from knowing that everything is a massive crisis when you’re a teen. And I take that notion and run with it. When you think like that, it’s not hard to create a plot point. Maybe an adult would read it and think, how is an entire book based on a fight with your friend? But a teen knows that one simple argument can send seismic waves through a friendship and take days or weeks to right.
RAW: As we close out the interview, share some words of advice or inspiration that have been shared with you that you always hold onto?
Now, I have no idea who uttered these words originally, but my father was the first one to say to me, the only constant in life is change. I keep those words top of mind, because change is around us, all the time. And change is the one thing that seems to frighten almost all people equally. Because for every welcome change in our lives there’s one or ten changes we’d prefer to reject. For some reason, realizing that change is the only constant gave me a sense of control over the uncontrollable. You may not be able to control some of it, but if you’re accepting of the fact that change is around the bend, you find ways to cope.
THE COMPLETE SERIES
The Del Rio Bay series books are: So Not The Drama, Don’t Get It Twisted, That’s What’s Up!, Who You Wit’? and Flipping The Script.
DEL BAY BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:
September 15: Shades of Romance
September 16: Devyn Burton
September 17: RAWSISTAZ
September 18: Linda Gerber
September 21: Melissa Walker & Readergirlz
September 22: Mitali’s Fire Escape
September 23: YA Fresh
September 24: Color Online
September 25: APOOO Book Club
Girl, Naw! Blog Tour
September 15, 2009
Meet LaCricia A’ngelle, author of Girl, Naw!
LaCricia A`ngelle is a licensed Evangelist, writer, and the President and CEO of His Pen Publishing LLC. A native of Chicago, LaCricia currently resides in Tennessee with her four children. Girl, Naw! is her first novel.
Her writing career began when she was a child writing songs, and short stories. LaCricia has always had a God given gift of putting words together.
As a Christian Fiction author, LaCricia not only writes for entertainment, but she also writes for ministry. Her goal in every piece of written work is to draw someone closer to Christ. The characters face real situations. LaCricia writes so that anyone can read her work and get something out of it, whether they are young or old. When you read a LaCricia A`ngelle original prepare to laugh, cry, pray, and stop to say “hmmm.”
How would you describe your writing style?
I would say my writing is contemporary Christian fiction. I write to a broad audience
Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind?
Most of the time I listen to music when I write. Depending on the scene I am writing at the time the music I listen to varies from Gospel to R&B/Soul
Tell us anything about you as a writer that you think might be interesting or unusual.
I sometimes verbalize scenes when I’m alone. I will audibly run through dialogue to make sure it sounds like actual conversation before I key it into the computer.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
No matter how long you have been working on your project, don’t get discouraged. Keep going to 
completion. If you have to push back a deadline, don’t beat yourself up, just keep pressing forward.
Writers are often encouraged to write what they know. Have you found that to be the case with your writing?
I definitely pull some of my writing from things that I know. My life has at times truly been stranger than fiction. Because of this I have some interesting things I could put in my books from suspense, to drama, to laugh out loud comedy.
Okay, a not-so-fun question. How important are reviews to you as a writer?
I was once told by my mentor Jacquelin Thomas to not focus on reviews. She said, “as long as you know you have written the best book you could, and you have written what God has given you to write then you can move forward, no matter what someone else says about it.” That being said I must admit I do like to see and hear good reviews about my work, but if I hear something less favorable, I reflect on Jacquelin’s words.
About the Book
Antoinette Walker has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Those that know and respect her think she has it all, a wonderful husband, children that thrive in school, and a counseling practice that is growing by leaps and bounds. When hidden things from her past begin to surface, they threaten to destroy everything Antoinette loves. Only God can give her the strength to continue to counsel other women, as she struggles with her own issues of forgiveness. Will her faith be strong enough to help her stand in the midst of opposition?
Follow the blog tour at http://bit.ly/GirlNaw
For more information about LaCricia, visit her at http://lacriciaangelle.com.
Sins of the Father Blog Tour (Aug 24-Sep 4)
August 20, 2009
This tour is for Angela Benson, author of Sins of the Father (Avon 2009).
About the Author
Angela Benson’s numerous novels include the Christy Award-nominated Awakening Mercy, the Essence-bestselling The Amen Sisters, and Up Pops The Devil. Currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama, she lives in Northport, AL. www.angelabenson.com
About Sins of the Father
“Wonderful….An entertaining, enjoyable novel that deserves to be on every bestsellers list.” –Victoria Christopher Murray, bestselling author of Too Little, Too Late
Successful media mogul Abraham Martin has great wealth, an elegant wife, Saralyn, and a rebellious son, Isaac. He also has a secret: a second family that no one knows about. Now, after thirty years—driven by the urging of his long dormant conscience—Abraham is determined to do the right thing by finally bringing his illegitimate children into the light…and into the family fold.
But beautiful, manipulative Saralyn will never accept the proof of her husband’s indiscretions. Isaac the heir, shaken by his father’s revelations, will fight mercilessly when his world is threatened, and may lose everything that matters as a result. And while Abraham’s forgotten daughter Deborah is open to the undreamed-of possibilities suddenly awaiting her, son Michael cannot forgive the man who cruelly abandoned them to near poverty. And he’s driven by only one desire: revenge!
Angela Benson’s Sins of the Father is a powerful story of a house bitterly divided—a rich, multilayered family saga of betrayal and redemption, rage and compassion, faith, forgiveness, and ultimately, of love.
VIRTUAL TOUR
ONLINE RADIO SCHEDULE
- August 18 - Sistah Confessions (9 pm EST)
- August 24 – AAMBC Online Radio (8 pm EST)
- August 25 -The Sharvette Mitchell Show (6 pm EST)
- August 26 - Inspiration Station (6:30 pm EST)
- August 26 -WordThirst Literary Online Radio Show (8 pm EST)
- August 31 - Black Authors Network (8-10 pm EST)
- September 2 - Steve Kendell (11 am CST)
- September 3 – Chocolate Pages Show (6 pm EST)
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Monday, August 24
Tuesday, August 25
Wednesday, August 26
Thursday, August 27
Friday, August 28
Monday, August 31
Tuesday, September 1
Wednesday, September 2
Thursday, September 3 (FIRST Wild Card Tour)
- Mimi Pearson
- Marta Hoelscher
- Amy Riley
- Christi Stapleton
- Cecelia Dowdy
- Kim Clay
- Laura Williams
- Janna Ryan
- Andi Johnson
Friday, September 4
The Last Woman Standing Blog Tour with Tia McCollors
August 6, 2009
Meet Tia McCollors, author of The Last Woman Standing
Tia, tell us about yourself.
Wow! That’s such a broad question. Besides being an author of Christian novels, my first love (and first priority as far as I’m concerned) is taking care of my family. This November my husband Wayne and I will celebrate five years of marriage. Since the day we said, “I do,” we’ve been blessed with two children. Evidently they were sent here to keep us young and spry because we have a very lively three year old son and a daughter who’s almost one.
In my (limited) free time, I love to read, browse through home decorating books (which means I’m a HGTV junkie), and enjoy scrapbooking – which by the way I’m about one hundred and twenty pictures behind on!
Would you say you are an extrovert or introvert?
Definitely an extrovert.
Do you like to cook? If so, what are your favorite dishes to cook?
Nope..I don’t like to cook, but a person’s gotta eat right? I’m the queen of casseroles because I’m all about mixing ingredients, throwing it in the oven, and setting the timer. But on another note – this isn’t a “cooked” dish – but I make a slammin’ banana puddin’.
Do you like books being turned into a movie? If so, what is your favorite book-to-movie?
I don’t mind when books are turned into movies even though with a movie it’s hard to thoroughly depict every character and include every scene. If I think about recent movie releases, I’d say the producers did a good job with The Secret Life of Bees. And oh yeah, I don’t know how I forgot about The Color Purple.
If your book was turned into a movie who would you cast to play your characters?
For The Last Woman Standing I would cast Angela Bassett as Lynette Bowers (the ex-wife), Taraji P. Henson as Sheila Rushmore (the current girlfriend), and Blair Underwood as Ace Bowers (the man in the middle).
Which social networks do you enjoy the most?
You know what? I really need to get better about maximizing the capabilities of the social networks out there. Right now I tend to be on Facebook the most and have recently been getting tapped back into Shoutlife.
What’s next for you?
I know authors are supposed to think three books ahead, but I can’t say I have a solid idea in mind. I have a few I’ve been tossing around, but nothing concrete. Most of my faithful readers have been asking about a sequel to my first novel, A Heart of Devotion. We’ll see.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Lynette Bowers had no intention on falling in love with her ex-husband, “Ace” Bowers. After all, it has been ten years since their marriage ended, and two years since the beginning of his relationship with the younger and prettier, Sheila Rushmore. Besides Sheila, everyone knows that only a fool makes the same mistake twice, especially when it comes to marriage.
Ace seems stuck between his past and his future. With his conflicting emotions, he risks losing two women who hold a significant place in his heart. It’s going to take his faith and God’s love to handle the ensuing drama.
Sheila is starting to see Ace’s ex-wife as a threat to her lifelong dreams of achieving the happily-ever-after. Sheila is used to getting what she wants – except Ace’s commitment to marriage. When Sheila realizes Lynette may be the cause, she launches a plan to play the hand of God, instead of allowing Him to bring the love all three of them desire.
THE LAST WOMAN STANDING BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY
Tia McCollors is the author of four Women’s Fiction books. Read the question below to see if you can answer it and provide the name of the book in which it was featured.
What is the name of Monet Sullivan’s long-time (but unequally yoked) love interest in Zora’s Cry?
Leave your answer in the comment section. All posts with correct answers posted to the blog comment sections will be entered in a random drawing for prizes. The more you post (with correct answers) the better your chances. Winners will be contacted via email and also posted on Tia’s Blog, “From Tia’s Pen”.
Contest prizes include:
- $5 gift card to Smoothie King or Panera Bread (Winner’s Choice)
- $5 gift card to Chick-Fil-A
- $10 gift card for Border’s
- Autographed copy of The Last Woman Standing
- Autographed copy of The Last Woman Standing
Follow the rest of The Last Woman Standing Blog Tour at:
http://bitly.com/TheLastWomanStanding
Tia’s Contact Info:
- www.TiaMcCollors.com
- Tia@TiaMcCollors.com
- www.myspace.com/TiaWrites
- http://www.shoutlife.com/TiaWrites
- Visit Tia’s blog: www.TiasPen.blogspot.com
Literary Round-Up Blog Tour (August 2009)
August 5, 2009
Over the last month, we’ve used the RAWSISTAZ Fan Page on Facebook to spotlight various authors, books, events, & companies. We also wanted to have a place to share them with our site visitors, so, the Literary Round-Up Blog Tour was formed…
AUGUST 2009
Coloronline (Blog)
http://www.coloronline.blogspot.com
We are a community organization dedicated to empowering young women. We operate a library and offer support to young girls at local non-profit in Detroit. Our blog focuses on women writers of color for children, YA and adults. Find reviews, quizzes, interviews and more.
African American Literary Awards Show (Event)
http://www.literaryawardshow.com
The AALAS is an entertainment event production and marketing company with a focus on writers and authors. AALAS produces an annual Literary Awards show to recognize, honor, celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements and contributions that African-American authors and writers make to the publishing, arts and entertainment industries.
From Cover to Cover Radio Show (Radio Show)
http://www.fromcovertocovershow.com
Two bestselling authors with extensive media experience, ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Pat Tucker have joined creative forces to launch From Cover to Cover literary radio talk show.
The show, which is designed to explore aspects of the literary industry, provides a venue for authors to expand their audience and readership through the powerful medium of FM Radio and the Internet.
LABBX – Los Angeles Black Book Expo (Event)
http://www.labbx.com
The Los Angeles Black Book Expo (LABBX) is a non-profit community-based organization founded in 2004 to advance African world community literary and spoken word activity governed by an executive circle and administered by an executive director. Event is scheduled for August 22, 2009.
BlackBookReleases.com (Website)
http://www.blackbookreleases.com
A comprehensive listing of black book releases, presented by Urban-Reviews.com
Books and Beignets (Book Club)
http://www.booksandbeignetsbookclub.com
Books and Beignets (BAB) was established in March 2009 by Sonya Ward in Monroe, LA.
Mahogany Books (Bookstore)
http://www.mahoganybooks.com
Created by an enterprising husband and wife duo in the Washington DC area, MahoganyBooks is positioned to become the premier online destination for books written for, by, and about people of the African Diaspora. Coupling a dynamic social networking community, robust inventory selection, easy to use website, and provocative literary content–MahoganyBooks is the ideal online bookstore dedicated to “Books, Community, Words, & You.”
What the Bayou Saw Blog Tour (June 18)
June 18, 2009
What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy
Segregation and a chain link fence separated twelve-year-old Sally Flowers from her best friend, Ella Ward. Yet a brutal assault bound them together. Forever. Thirty-eight years later, Sally, a middle-aged Midwestern instructor, dredges up childhood secrets long buried beneath the waters of a Louisiana bayou in order to help her student, who has also been raped. Fragments of spirituals, gospel songs, and images of a Katrina-ravaged New Orleans are woven into the story.
Take a Sneak Peek inside “What the Bayou Saw”
Chapter 1
Call to Action
I see the bad moon arising. I see trouble on the way.
-John Fogerty, “Bad Moon Rising”
October 25, 2005, Normal, Illinois
Need to speak to you before class. Today. It was just a sheet of paper stuck under the wiper blade of her Suburban. Yet something about the bold black letters sent a chill up Sally Stevens’s back. Then she thought of her Sam and thawed a bit. He’d written this, wanting to schedule a coffee date. It was his math professor way of being romantic, yet it seemed odd that he’d disguise his handwriting. Maybe it was a peace offering after that little misunderstanding last night over her headache.
It nagged at Sally as she stuffed the note into her skirt pocket. Maybe it was from a student, since it referenced class. But how had it gotten under her wiper, inside her garage? She fumbled for her keys, then shrugged it off as one of those mysteries, like unmatched socks and empty cookie jars. It was just a note.
A glance at her watch told her she’d better get going if she wanted to spiff up her lesson plans before her eight o’clock class. She started the car, turned on the radio, and managed to back out of the garage without clipping the rearview mirror.
I hear a hurricane’s a blowin’. I hear the end is comin’ soon . . .
CNN images of post-Katrina New Orleans flooded her mind as Creedence Clearwater’s lyrics poured out of her car speakers. By the time Sally had pulled into the nearly empty parking lot at Midwest Community College, her mood was as black as the charcoal-streaked clouds, amassing liquid weaponry as they began to obliterate the blue sky.
Sally grimaced. It was the start of a war-a Midwestern winter. A war requiring her to summon every character trait she’d inherited from the Flowers clan, a genetic jumble of Cherokee, English, and Cajun ancestors, who’d certainly had their share of troubles in this land. A clan she’d left down in Texas. A clan that, with the exception of Mama and her crazy aunt Gayle and uncle Will, hadn’t edged a toe over the Mason-Dixon line for a visit. And she’d been up here for nearly ten years-three years in Indiana, over six years in Illinois. The steering wheel became a target for Sally’s frustration as she drummed it, squeezed it, forcing one of Daddy’s old sayings into her mind: “You can do it-you have no choice. We Flowers not only survive, we thrive.”
The college administration building, a gray concrete monolith, windowless on the long walls, did nothing to dispel the feeling that Sally was in a war zone. As an afterthought, it seemed, someone had planted twiggy saplings and anemic burning bushes around the perimeter of the building. The pitiful things bent in bare-branched surrender to the west wind, the biggest weapon in winter’s ample arsenal.
. . . it’s bound to take your life. There’s a bad moon on the rise.
With a twist of the knob, Sally stopped the music. What possessed some Midwest deejay to play Southern rock and tweak at the chords of her heart like this? She’d accepted being a Midwesterner, and had adjusted darn well. But like any good Southerner, she longed to go back home. And when the sun shortened its daily visits, when the wind hinted at snow and sleet, she almost hated it here.
Hate. Sally shivered, not only from the cold, but also from the emotion involved with even thinking that word. “Hate never solved anything,” Mama always told her, waggling her finger and clucking like an old hen. As Sally checked the rearview mirror for orange pulp in her teeth or smudged lipstick, she knew Mama was right.
She leaned closer to inspect her makeup. Menopause’s marks made her grimace. A complexion as drab as this campus. Her eyes? Dull as used spark plugs, and ringed with dark smudges from a halfhearted attempt at eyeliner. Even her hair, once a crown of glory, at least according to Mama, had been infiltrated with so much gray, Sally couldn’t see any blond in the shaggy mess, even though Sam assured her that he could. But with Suzi in college and Ed having all kind of senior year expenses, a good stylist was out of the question. Maybe she should succumb to a Clairol kit, but Mama always said those were for trailer trash and fast women.
Just thinking about Mama made Sally raise her head and jut out her chin, considerably tightening up her middle-aged jawline. Mama had taught her to face bad hair days, bad any kind of days, with a smile. “Don’t let them know how you really feel. You can change the world with a smile. Plus, honey, did you know it burns more calories than frowning?” Sally plastered on a grin that would make even a Southern mother proud.
Maternally fortified, Sally grabbed her briefcase and purse and got out of the truck. She didn’t have to shut the door-the wind did it for her. Snippets of the spirituals she planned to play, the pop quiz she planned to give, spun on the turntable of her mind. She had so much to do if she wanted to teach these kids about protest music, so much-
“Well, well. Just who we wanted to see.”
Wha-Sally’s blood ran cold. It couldn’t be, could it? Rufus’s hateful voice, Rufus’s hateful tone. Risen from the murky waters of that bayou to haunt her. She whirled, and so did the scenery. Like a crazy carnival ride, everything blurred into whites and blacks and grays. She gripped her briefcase, which had become a roller coaster lap bar.
—
Are you interested in reading more? CHAPTER ONE will be continued on the tour tomorrow. Purchase What The Bayou Saw at Amazon.com.
For more FREE peeks inside “What the Bayou Saw,” be sure to view the full blog tour schedule at http://bitly.com/WhatTheBayouSaw.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patti Lacy graduated from Baylor University in 1977 with a B.S. in education. She taught at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois, until she retired in 2006 to pursue writing full time. She has two grown children with her husband, Alan, and lives in Illinois. Visit Patti online at http://www.pattilacy.com/.
