Ask any teacher; the successful education of a student is directly impacted by how much or how LITTLE they read. The same goes for a community. Show me a community that could give a damn about reading and I’ll show you one that is docile, weak, and uneducated. Will Borders closing mean the end of society? No. But if it does close, it’ll be yet another place that sells books that our community will not have access to. Let’s also dispel an incredibly common and stupid misconception: just because one company closes does not mean that people will flock to their competition. IE: Borders impending doom does not mean that people will flock to Russo’s Books or Barnes & Noble. I’m so over this so called customer loyalty. Customer loyalty has gone the way of chivalry. Well all want to believe it, we’ve heard of it, and we love to wax nostalgia over it, but its gone man. Gone. Customers are loyal to their pocketbooks. Game. Set. Match. I know, I know there are your exceptions and I appreciate you. But for the other 98%… spare me.

The state of the book industry can probably be described as an overweight elephant trying to ice skate on frozen grease wearing dull skates. We are trying to figure out the happy medium between print books, e-books, e-readers, and real h-readers. Despite that, I truly believe that we (the book industry) would be able to weather this storm IF people would read more. But let me get back to my original post… Borders has partially created its own current beat-down by past bad business practices but even then; does that mean that people should throw a party because their doors might close? No. I hope Borders doesn’t close for a number of reasons. The first of them being I DO NOT want Barnes & Noble and Amazon to hold a monopoly on retail book selling. There is Books-A-Million but they are almost a non-issue when compared to Goliath and Goliath. They are the third largest brick and mortar retail book store but that’s like saying Chelsea Handler is the smartest blonde out of Jenna Jameson and Jessica Simpson. Publishers have proven they could give a two fucks about independent bookstores, so watching those two morons go at it to see who can sell a piece of intellectual property for less than $10 would be worse than watching fat-midget-amputee porn.

Independent bookstore have used the mantra of “support your local bookstore” for decades. It’s a nice Woodstock rallying cry but people don’t really care. I wonder if people will even bat an eye if Borders does indeed close. Oh you’ll hear the same clichéd bullshit lines of “I loved them”, “I shopped there all the time”. Don’t believe any of it. If people shopped bookstore as often as they THOUGHT they did, this would be a nation of bookstores. As it is, it’s become a nation of “how much does this cost? WHAT!?! $15!?! I’m going to Amazon”. You smile but I’m serious. It turns my stomach when people shop the price of a book rather than the subject, genre, title, buzz, or author.

In the next few days a monster in the indie bookstore world, ‘Mystery Bookstore’, in Los Angeles will close. You can read about it later but what’s REALLY sad is that there wasn’t another bookstore around them! There is the UCLA bookstore but that doesn’t even come close. No Borders, no Barnes & Noble, no Books-A-Million, and no other indie bookstore. What does this tell you? Despite their huge impact on the book community and their community in general they still had to close. Damn. The community figured they could get along just fine without them. They are more stupid than Congress. The community gave them a big phat middle finger and said “thanks, but no thanks”. (again, customer loyalty my high yellow ass). I’m sure the owners wouldn’t think that but they can talk about all how wonderful their customers were as they file for bankruptcy.

Borders has already started closing stores, some in major areas, and I can’t help but think… what the hell is wrong with people?! It’s one thing for A store to close. It’s a whole thing entirely for an industry to lose a major supplier. Again, I’m not here to debate the difference between indie booksellers and Borders booksellers. My point is that we/society can ill afford to lose another place that SELLS BOOKS! We’ve already lost the FREE use of the libraries. Isn’t that enough? Apparently not. Some of you won’t be happy until we have one online book retailer and one brick and mortar bookstore. (It won’t happen by the way so you can stop your wet dream).

Another reason I don’t want Borders to close; I still have friends that work there. I don’t want to hear about anyone losing their job but it’s even worse when it’s someone you actually know! The bigwigs of Borders have their protection and their money, but what about the inventory clerk? The music seller? The supervisors? The managers? If you don’t really care about the book industry because your dumb ass bitched out and bought a Kindle, then at least you should care about the PEOPLE that will suffer because of this. No, I’m not a bleeding heart liberal (quite the opposite if you really know me) but this country needs people working. And since I’m in the book business that’s where my interest lie. I’m sure the people that work at the Bakersfield Borders will be fine if worse comes to worse. They’ll struggle yes, but they’ll make it. But why even get to that point?

I truly believe that my book industry would be A-OK if people would do just one thing. Read. More. I just came from a weekend in Vegas (don’t worry I was good I was with my family) and one thing I noticed was the variety in everything that place has to offer. There is really something for everyone in that den of sin in the desert. I bet if I tried really hard I could find a place that sold pretzel bowling balls covered in whipped cream and carrots. And I bet there would be at least three other businesses that did the same thing! Competition is good. It keeps entrepreneurs fresh, current businesses on their toes, and people happy. Having only two book retailers doesn’t do ANYONE any good! Once it’s just Amazon and B&N how long do you think before they start price fixing, create more price wars, and the inevitable “who is going to buy whom”. Actually… I don’t think that last one would happen but you understand my point.

If you follow my FaceBook posts, my Twitter, and my blogs then you know that I’m an advocate for the love of books. I LOVE my authors, their work, and the people who read their work. My joy of books comes from many, many places and I love it when someone buys a book that I recommend. Of course, if you buy a book or an e-book I want you to buy it from my bookstore Russo’s Books, but that wasn’t what this post was about. There are plenty of things you can rejoice about. Free buffalo wings, a muddy Jeep, Toni Braxton in a teddy, the next iPad, a grocery bag full of steamed blue crab with enough Old Bay to make your eyes water. Toni Braxton in boy shorts, watching a James Bond movie with a rootbeer float, sleeping late, and a full body massage. Yes, there are a million and one things to be happy about. The closing of a bookstore should not be one of them.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Still reeling from divorce and feeling estranged from her teenage son, Trish Taylor is in the midst of salvaging the remnants of her life when she uncovers a shocking secret: her sister is alive. For years Trish believed that her mother and infant sister had died in a car accident. But the truth is that her mother fatally overdosed and that Trish’s grandparents put the baby girl up for adoption because her father was black.

After years of drawing on the strength of her black ancestors, Billie Cousins is shocked to discover that she was adopted. Just as surprising, after finally overcoming a series of health struggles, she is pregnant–a dream come true for Billie but a nightmare for her sweetie, Nick, and for her mother, both determined to protect Billie from anything that may disrupt her well-being.

NEWS FROM CARLEEN

Jill Scott (“No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” and singer extraordinaire) will play Nona in the Lifetime Movie Network version of Orange Mint and Honey, which is called “Sins of the Mother.” Nicole Beharie (“American Violet”) portrays Shay, and Mimi Rogers plays Nona’s sponsor Lois.

The photo is of Nicole Beharie (“Shay”), Carleen Brice, and Jill Scott (“Nona”) on the set of “Sins of the Mother.”

Also, here’s a link to an interview Carleen did with a bookseller at the Tattered Cover Book Store – http://www.tatteredcover.com/carleen-brice-interview.

AUTHOR’S WEBSITE

http://www.carleenbrice.com

Intimate Conversation with Pamela Samuels Young

Pamela Samuels Young is the Essence bestselling author of the legal thrillers: Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit, Every Reasonable Doubt and the newly released Buying Time. The former journalist and Compton native is the fiction writing expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Pamela served as legal consultant to the Showtime television series Soul Food. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of writing and self-empowerment.

• Where are you from? What is your favorite book?
I grew up in Compton, California, which gave me a very grounded perspective on life. When I mention my hometown, people automatically assume that I dodged bullets on the way to school every day. But it was nothing like that. I had two strong, hard-working parents, who still live in Compton today. The foundation they laid – faith in God, hard work and education – is responsible for who I am and what I have achieved.

I’m an avid reader who enjoys reading both commercial and literary fiction. I enjoy a broad spectrum of writers, so it’s impossible for me to pick a favorite book. But if there’s one book that impacted me more than any other, it would have to be Claude Brown’s Manchild in the Promised Land. I can still remember stumbling across a copy of the book at my aunt’s house when I was about twelve. It was the first book I remember reading that had African-American characters and I was thrilled to be reading about people who looked like me. It was also a very gritty and graphic coming of age story. I promptly “borrowed” the book without asking for permission for fear that my aunt would think I was too young to be reading such a sexually graphic book. After that, I developed an insatiable appetite for African-American fiction. That led me to James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison and many, many other great writers.

• How did you feel when you saw your first book on the shelf?
I still have a very vivid memory of seeing Every Reasonable Doubt on the shelf at the Barnes and Noble near my home in February 2006. I went to the store on the book’s scheduled release date, not really expecting to find it. My stepson and I searched the shelves but couldn’t find it. I was about to leave, but decided to, ask for it at the reception desk. To my delight, the clerk found it and led us to the book. I just stood there staring at it. So much blood, sweat and tears led me to this point. My stepson took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of me holding the book. And just as I started to started to tear up, he promptly warned me not to embarrass him by crying in the store.

• What is your process for creating a novel? Do the characters speak to you?
I will spend any where from a few weeks to as long as three months outlining a book before I sit down to write. I also mull over my story a lot. I’m thinking about it in the shower, while I’m standing in line at the grocery story, during my 45-minute commute to work. I can almost see each chapter as if it were a scene in a movie. Only after I have a completed outline do I start writing. And when I write, I go from page one to the last page without doing much editing. For me, it’s psychologically motivating to complete that first draft, even if it’s so bad I’d never dare show it to anyone. Once I have a finished first draft, then the real writing starts. I revise, and revise and revise some more. That process can last six months or more.

• How do you spend your free time?
Free time? What’s that? Writing is how I spend my free time and I love every minute of it. I still work part-time as a lawyer and when I’m not at work, I’m usually someplace writing – be it at home, the library or the nearest Starbucks. Sometimes I write early in the morning before work, other times I’m up until one or two in the morning typing away on my laptop. My most productive writing time is when I can get away from home and lock myself in my timeshare in Palm Desert for a weekend. When I’m in that environment, the writing is non-stop. When I’m writing, I’m happy.

• Share with us your latest news and book releases.
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.

You can read excerpts from all my books at my website: http://www.pamelasamuels-young.com.

To schedule a visit with Pamela, email her at author@pamelasamuelsyoung.com

Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young
Goldman House Publishing, November 2009
Paperback, 370 Pages, Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780981562711
ISBN: 098156271X

Purchase via Amazon /Purchase via Barnes and Noble

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he’s about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential to solve all of his problems.

In Waverly’s new line of work, he comes to the aid of people in desperate need of cash. But there’s a catch. His clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies before they can collect a dime. Waverly then finds investors eager to advance them thousands of dollars—including a hefty broker’s fee for himself—in exchange for a significant return on their investment once the clients take their last breath.

The stakes get higher when Waverly brokers the policy of the cancer-stricken wife of Lawrence Erickson, a high-powered lawyer who’s bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General. When Waverly’s clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly and Erickson—who has some skeletons of his own to hide—are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.

Book clubs, select one of Pamela’s novels for your book club meeting and she will join you in person, via webcam or via speaker phone.

Read more book excerpts at: http://www.pamelasamuels-young.com/books/index.html.

EDC Creations is a Prince George’s County, Maryland marketing and promotions firm that specializes in graphic design, Internet marketing campaigns, creating logos, websites, and marketing materials for small to medium-size businesses, new authors and individuals.  Visit http://www.edc-creations.com for more information.

Push by Sapphire

PUSH by Sapphire
Vintage, April 1997
192 Pages, Paperback, $13.00
ISBN-10: 0679766759
ISBN-13: 9780679766759

BOOK DESCRIPTION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sapphire was born in 1950 and spent her first twelve years on army bases in California and Texas. As a teenager she lived in South Philadelphia and Los Angeles. She graduated from City College in New York and received an MFA from Brooklyn College. From 1983 to 1993 she lived in Harlem, where she taught reading and writing to teenagers and adults. Sapphire is a performance poet and the author of a collection of poetry and prose, American Dreams. She lives in New York City.

Also check out the movie, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, in select theaters November 6th – http://www.weareallprecious.com

Also, check out  Cast Interviews by Jeff Bayer at The Score Card Review

THE WEDDING by Dorothy West
Anchor, January 1996
265 Pages, Paperback, $13.95
ISBN-10: 0385471440
ISBN-13: 9780385471442

Book Description

On the island of Martha’s Vineyard in the 1950s there exists a proud, insular, nearly unassailable community known as the Oval, made up of the best and brightest of New York’s and Boston’s black bourgeoisie. Dr. Clark Coles and his wife Corinne, pillars of this community, are mortified that their youngest daughter Shelby is set on marrying Meade Wyler, a white jazz musician from New York. Equally alarmed is Lute McNeil, a successful black furniture maker from Boston who is new to Oak Bluffs and desperate for social acceptance. Lute has fallen in love with Shelby Coles, or at least the way of life she represents, and he will stop at nothing to pull her away from Meade. As the day of the wedding approaches, the tension surrounding Shelby, Lute, and Meade builds, climaxing in a single tragic act that will forever change the lives of three American families.

The Wedding is a wise and heartfelt novel about the shackles of race and class we all wear and the price we pay to break them. It is also an unforgettable history of the rise of the black middle class, written by a woman who lived it. Wise, heartfelt, and shattering, The Wedding is Dorothy West’s crowning achievement.

Publisher’s Website: http://www.harpswellanchor.com

ABOUT THE BOOK

Death has a way of exposing secrets better left untold, and no one knows this better than sisters Veronica and
Victoria Mendoza. They’re about to find out that things aren’t always as they appear to be. Veronica takes a bite of forbidden fruit when she becomes romantically involved with her boss. The one-night fling leaves her pregnant with another man’s child and headed straight to divorce court. Victoria can identify with her Sister’s plight as she, too, harbors a secret love that goes against their strict upbringing.

After the sudden death of their mother, Victoria enlists the help of her lover to unravel a decade’s worth of
deceit. Armed with letters written by their father, the sisters soon find out that deception runs deep, and their
time here in America has been based on a lie. The man they once respected has become a symbol of fear with a hidden
agenda, and he has no intentions of releasing them from a contract they didn’t sign.

Deep Deception demonstrates how greed and the love of money can twist perception. As the mystery unfolds, readerswill be shocked by the consequences of these vices.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Brooks McKinney is the author of All That Drama, Lawd,Mo’ Drama, Fool, Stop Trippin’ and Dubious.
To learn more about her, visit www.tinamckinney.com.

Reach out to Tina at tybrooks2@yahoo.com. She is also availableon the social networks facebook and myspace under tybrooks2.

You won’t believe what she’s got up her sleeve. Chloe somehow regains her strength, and resumes her mission to kill Oshyn once and for all. Everything seems to be going as planned, until Chloe’s new man surprises her with a secret that will destroy her forever. Buckle up- this is a ride you won’t want to miss.

AUTHOR BIO:

Tiphani Nicole Montgomery was born and raised in Rochester, New York, and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of twenty-one, where she enrolled in Saint Augustine College. Realizing early on that school wasn’t for her she left college after attending one semester and quickly chose a different route. In 2005, Tiphani jumped out on faith and self published a book of poetry, selling over twenty-five hundred copies. Following her first release, Tiphani’s sophomore book made its debut in 2006.Content with just writing poetry, it took a stranger to push the possibility of something bigger. It was when Tiphani caught the eye of author, Tonya Ridley, did she ever consider writing fiction. Shortly after, Tonya put Tiphani’s work in the hands of Life Changing Books and the rest is history. Tiphani’s first fiction effort, The Millionaire Mistress, sold out everywhere within the first four months of its release, landing it a spot on Essence Magazine best sellers list for: March, April, May and June of 2007. It finally hit #1 in July 2007, and March 2008. Still A Mistress, the successful sequel of her first novel, made its debut on Essence Magazine best sellers list, taking over the #2 spot for March and April of 2008. Her third novel, Expensive Taste, landed in bookstores December 2008 and her forth book, The Millionaire Mistress III, will be released nationwide Fall 2009. In addition to being an accomplished writer, Tiphani Montgomery, is a motivational speaker focusing her energy on developing outstanding leaders and encouraging her generation to defy the odds. Tiphani currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with her nine year old daughter, Jaedah, where she is penning her fifth novel, and establishing a non-profit organization to encourage financial literacy to teenage mothers.

Website: www.lifechangingbooks.net

Myspace: www.myspace.com/tiphanitheauthor

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tiphanimontgomery

Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorTiphani

Direct Link to Amazon: http://amzn.com/1934230723

CHILDREN OF THE WATERS by Carleen Brice
One World/Ballantine, June 2009
336 Pages, Paperback, $14.00
ISBN-10: 0345499077
ISBN-13: 978-0345499073

BUY IT NOW!

Book Description

Still reeling from divorce and feeling estranged from her teenage son, Trish Taylor is in the midst of salvaging the remnants of her life when she uncovers a shocking secret: her sister is alive. For years Trish believed that her mother and infant sister had died in a car accident. But the truth is that her mother fatally overdosed and that Trish’s grandparents put the baby girl up for adoption because her father was black.

After years of drawing on the strength of her black ancestors, Billie Cousins is shocked to discover that she was adopted. Just as surprising, after finally overcoming a series of health struggles, she is pregnant–a dream come true for Billie but a nightmare for her sweetie, Nick, and for her mother, both determined to protect Billie from anything that may disrupt her well-being.

Publisher’s Website: www.randomhouse.com

Author’s Website: www.carleenbrice.com

MAMA DEAREST by E. Lynn Harris
Karen Hunter, September 2009
400 Pages, Hardcover, $25.99
ISBN-10: 1439158908
ISBN-13: 978-1439158906

Buy it Now

Book Description

New York City, you’ve been warned: Yancey Harrington Braxton is back. The ambitious singer and actress is fired up to move past her recent professional and personal setbacks — including an explosive romance with NFL tight end John Basil Henderson — and prove her talents are stronger than ever. After being out on tour, Yancey realizes what she really wants is to star in her own reality TV series, and she’s even found a rich and well-connected lover to make it happen. There are, however, two women fierce enough to derail Yancey’s plans with ambitions of their own: Madison B., a hot new bombshell taking the music industry by storm, and Ava Middlebrooks, who happens to be Yancey’s own mama dearest.

Ava is out, about, and ready to reclaim her throne. Not even a stint in prison for attempted murder has curbed Ava’s competitive nature, and it doesn’t faze her in the least that her #1 rival is her own daughter. Ava is willing to do whatever it takes to make Yancey pay, including using Madison B. to turn Yancey’s world upside-down by forcing her to confront the past…and making her comeback dreams more exciting and dangerous than she ever imagined.

Taking readers on a wild, passion-filled tour of the entertainment world, E. Lynn Harris’s Mama Dearest delivers sensual thrills and electric plot twists — with one unforgettable woman of radiant star power, sexual magnetism, and unapologetic ambition at the heart of the action.

Publisher’s Website: www.karenhunterpublishing.com

Author’s Website: www.elynnharris.com

See Our Online Tribute & Celebration

Mrs. Black answers these questions and more. Center City’s major players are about to shake things up and get shook!

Author’s Blog: http://acvermen.blogspot.com

Amazon Link:

http://www.amazon.com/MRS-BLACK-Angelia-Vernon-Menchan/dp/097878359X/

PRE-ORDER MRS. BLACK @www.angeliavmenchan.com

Also get Schae’s Story, RAMBLINGS, and Is No Not Clear Enough For You?

We’re almost at the end of the Written Summer Reading Challenge which ends September 15th.  For those not IN THE KNOW, Written Magazine its 30 Books in 90 Days Challenge June 15th  and RAWSISTAZ members & site visitors joined in the challenge.

So, with not quite a week left in the challenge, where are you?  (You don’t have to repost your entire list, but do let us know how many books you’ve read and/or how many you’ve read since the last update.

To subscribe to Written, visit http://www.writtenmag.com/Subscribe/index.cfm

Why I Read by Tee C. Royal

Ever really think about why you read?  Sure, there’s the entertainment factor.  We all want to be entertained, but there’s the connection between the reader and characters, there’s the ability to travel to new places and do new things, and there’s the opportunity to meet new friends…and enemies.  But if you had to pinpoint one reason why you read, what would it be?  I found myself asking this question this weekend as I spent the entire time reading through manuscripts, listening to a book on audio, resting, and watching television. It was a good experience to actually relax, and though I was technically working most of the time, the reading part didn’t really feel like it.  I simply love reading…

I endured the times of slavery, was inspired by a man’s conviction in Christ, I rolled my eyes as a selfish diva lost the man she loved, I mourned when a daughter found out about the hard upbringing of her mother, I skipped a few pages looking for the plot lost in a lot of rambling and sex, and I cheered when a young boy made it through the tribal initiation of becoming a man.  I experienced so many emotions in such a small amount of time, and I loved almost every minute of it.  Some of the writing drew me in, but some of the characters turned me off.  On the flip side, some of the stories I could relate to or empathize with, while others broke me down so low, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get back up.  There were unique stories I’d love to finish, but sadly there were also stories which I felt I had read before; nothing new and different about them.  Those were the most disappointing, but all in all, I know clearly why I read and what I like to read.

I like to tap into the “what if’s” of life, learn new things, and be inspired by characters or empowered by their actions.  I like to know that there’s good in people and that the bad can be explained.  I like strong voices, witty dialogue, fast-paced storylines, realistic characters and situations, thoughtful endings and a little something-something extra.  Something unexpected…something that makes it different than every other story out there.

What about you?  Why do you read and what have you found you like in books?  What don’t you like?

*Originally written November 2007 for BloggingInBlack.com

(sequel to From My Front Porch)

Coming October 2009, Published by Urban Books

• ISBN-13: 9781599830650

• ISBN-10: 1599830655

After chasing her dreams and becoming a successful, famous playwright in fast-paced New York City, a family crisis brings the young socialite, Rayanne Wilson, back to her small South Carolina home town. Leaving behind, handsome, sophisticated, Ralph Underwood, the love of her life and ten years her senior, not only is Rayanne challenged with pitfalls of a long distance relationship, she’s further devastated when she learns he’s been unfaithful.

When the tall and fine, Scott Christopher enters Rayanne’ life, showing her it is safe to trust and love unconditionally again, saying no to Ralph is the easiest decision for Rayanne when he tries to rekindle their relationship.

AUTHOR BIO

Award-winning and widely-acclaimed author Minnie Dix, writing as Leigh McKnight, has entered the world of mainstream publishing with her novel FROM MY FRONT PORCH published by Urban Books.

A South Carolina native, Leigh McKnight left her roots and moved to New York City to learn her craft from the best teachers in the writing world.  But it was her position as a production assistant for Reader’s Digest that taught her the business of writing. In the years that followed, she became an accomplished playwright, lyricist and poet, as well as an author.  However, it was her novels that surged to the forefront and have put her on the world stage.

Although writing is the love of her professional life, she’s careful to balance work with the pleasure of life’s simple things-a quiet moment with her own romantic hero, laughing with friends and taking loving care of her family-knowing that when it’s all said and done, it’s the joy we bring into people’s lives that will be remembered long after we’ve gone.

NAPPILY IN BLOOM by Trisha R. Thomas
St. Martin’s Griffin, September 15, 2009
Trade Paperback, 288 pages, $14.99
ISBN: 978-0-312-55764-5
ISBN10: 0-312-55764-7

Airic and his famous televangelist wife, Trevelle Doval, make the evening news when Airic is accused of domestic battery and his life is suddenly turned upside down. But when Venus and Jake try to suspend Airic’s visitation rights with Mya, they discover that Airic isn’t willing to go down without a fight.

Meanwhile, Jake’s best friend, Legend, turns up on his doorstep with trouble not far behind. The past is back with a vengeance, including blackmail, murder and enemies who are looking for payback. But everything takes a dangerous new turn when Venus goes missing. For Jake it’s now a race against time to save the woman he loves.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TRISHA R. THOMAS is the author of Nappily Faithful, Nappily Married, Roadrunner, Would I Lie To You and the top selling Nappily Ever After, which was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Her debut novel was optioned by Halle Berry and Universal Pictures for adaptation to film. Trisha lives in Riverside, California.

ENTER TO WIN AN ADVANCED READING COPY

1) Share your favorite Nappily book (and why) in the comments section below or what you just finished reading and your thoughts.

AND

2) Fill out the Contest Entry Form.

Contest Ends September 1st and book will ship September 2nd.

Library Journal praised ALIBI in its starred review: “Woods makes her hardcover debut with this gritty, botched robbery tale…Her fans are sure to demand this.”

ABOUT ALIBI:

Where were you on the night in question? Revolved around an inquiry echoed on crime dramas like Law & Order and CSI, ALIBI (Grand Central Publishing Hardcover; $21.99; August 11, 2009) is a tangled tale of a botched robbery gone horribly wrong. The plan seems easy to two stick-up kids: rob one of the stash houses of notorious drug dealer Simon Shuller. Get in and get out. But getting out proves to be deadly when a shootout ensues and one of Shuller’s henchman Nard is the only man left standing. Dead bodies and possible witnesses means he needs an alibi.  Enter young and sassy Daisy, a stripper desperate for a better life far from Philly’s fast streets. She is tired of using her body to survive, and to make matters worse, her mother just died and she can’t afford a proper burial. When a shady boyfriend offers her a sizable amount of cash to provide one of his buddies with an alibi, Daisy only sees easy money.  But when bodies start turning up around the city of brotherly love, and the FBI starts hunting her, Daisy decides to run before her time runs out. Like Nard, she’ll also learn that getting out can be fatal.  No one can be trusted. Bloodshed spills into the streets. Authorities want to catch everyone involved. It’s a recipe for gritty drama that only Woods can deliver. Marking her hardcover debut, the former legal secretary turned author writes with the suspense and ingenuity of a crime novelist and has crafted a literary adrenaline rush for mystery, thriller, and urban fiction fans alike.  Following in the footsteps of her True to the Game trilogy, ALIBI is a story that’s bound to continue her successful track record with an ever-growing readership.

ABOUT TERI WOODS:

Teri Woods is a native of Philadelphia. As the first urban fiction author to appear on the New York Times bestseller list, Woods’ impact in the urban fiction market is monumental. Teri Woods resides in New Jersey with her two children. She is hard at work on her next novel.

TERI’S WEBSITE:

http://www.teriwoodspublishing.com

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.”

Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
Knopf Books for Young Readers, June 2009
Hardcover, 352 pages, $16.99
ISBN-10: 0375857141
ISBN-13: 978-0375857140

BUY A COPY

Book Description
Meet Mare, a grandmother with flair and a fascinating past.

Octavia and Tali are dreading the road trip their parents are forcing them to take with their grandmother over the summer. After all, Mare isn’t your typical grandmother. She drives a red sports car, wears stiletto shoes, flippy wigs, and push-up bras, and insists that she’s too young to be called Grandma. But somewhere on the road, Octavia and Tali discover there’s more to Mare than what you see. She was once a willful teenager who escaped her less-than-perfect life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American battalion of the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.

Told in alternating chapters, half of which follow Mare through her experiences as a WAC member and half of which follow Mare and her granddaughters on the road in the present day, this novel introduces a larger-than-life character who will stay with readers long after they finish reading.

About the Author
Tanita S. Davis is the author of the young adult novel A la Carte, published by Knopf in June 2008. A native Californian, she lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

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

Book Synopsis

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

Jessica lives the upscale lifestyle of a refined society matron. She strives to be the perfect wife, but without her husband, Ross, she would be nothing more than the abused stripper he rescued 16 years ago. When their marriage is threatened and it forces her to face her past, Jessica vows to do whatever it takes to protect what she has rightfully earned, even if it means murder.
Ryan, a fiery thirty-something, is quickly slipping into depression and prescription drug addiction. As her boyfriend, Anthony, artfully dangles the empty promise of marriage, she watches helplessly as their relationship dissolves. In an attempt to regain her sanity and self-esteem, she finds herself on a mission of self-restoration while trying to save the life of someone she doesn’t even know.

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

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

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.

Important links:
Author’s Website:  http://www.MoniqueDMensah.com
Amazon Link  : Click Here to Purchase
Barnes & Noble Link: Click Here to Purchase
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/MoniqueDMensah
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/MDMensah

ABOUT THE BOOK

Badly injured, Thomas falls in love with the beautiful young Creole woman who nurses him back to health and who, to their mutual frustration, intends to become a nun. Meanwhile, Byron, who has been taken under the wing of a local businesswoman running a saloon and brothel, is falsely accused of being an insurgent and ends up in prison, where he narrowly escapes the firing squad and is brutally tortured. Contending against enormous difficulties, the duo pursue their dreams. Thomas discovers a chance to strike it rich with a claim to a secret lode of gold in Venezuela, and as the novel hurtles toward its climax, he faces a devastating revelation while Byron must make a fateful decision.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author W.B. Garvey is a relative of the famous pan-Africanist and Jamaican National Hero Marcus Garvey.  While going through his father’s papers, Garvey learned that his grandfather had been an engineer on the Panama Canal.  That revelation sparked years of research and correspondence leading to Panama Fever:  Digging Down Gold Mountain.

A classically trained violinist, W.B. Garvey has performed as soloist and recorded with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Wynton Marsalis, as well as playing for films, including Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Woody Allen’s Purple Rose of Cairo, and Martin Scorsese’s Age of Innocence.

WEBSITE
www.jonkrobooks.com
www.wbgarvey.com

JULY 2009 Alternate BOM Selection

Mass Market Paperback
Kimani, July 2009
ISBN-10: 0373861206
ISBN-13: 978-0373861200

Product Description
When a man finds a beautiful woman asleep in his bed…

…he has only one choice. To seduce her with a night of lovemaking she’ll never forget. Trouble is, Donovan Steele’s sultry new housekeeper is just as determined not to become the legendary playboy’s latest conquest.

Trading the Ivy League for down South, Natalie Ford is helping out with her ailing aunt’s housecleaning service. But she finds that this powerful, potent man of Steele ignites a different kind of chemistry-one that defies every law of attraction the science professor ever learned.

Natalie knows she has to come clean to Donovan about who she really is…especially when he starts believing she’s out to sabotage his family business. Will she lose her chance to love the real man behind the seductive legend?

REVENGE…LUST…HOLY MATRIMONY

What would you do for a million dollars???

Texas businessman Jacob “Jake” Banks is about to lose his business and everything else he’s worked for until his uncle dies and leaves him as the executor of his estate–only catch is, he has to marry and marry a specific woman in order to cash in on the inheritance. Big problem, since Jake has vowed to be a bachelor for life.

Brianna Mayfield is at her last rope. Her father lost his business due to Jake’s uncle turning down a loan. She’s convinced this caused her father to fall into a deep depression. She blames the Banks and vows to pay them back one day. When she sees an ad in the paper for a job at her self-proclaimed enemy’s company, she feels her luck is turning around. She applies and is later approached by Jake with a proposition she can’t turn down.

Release Date: July 2009/Urban Books

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

 

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

When the MFP Posse converged on the city of Las Vegas, everyone suspected something major was going to happen. But burning down a chunk of the Strip’s most exclusive resort? No one could have foreseen that. While the LVFD conducts their investigation of the fire, the women of the Posse are treated by tempting views of the gorgeous firefighters putting out the blaze. Inspired, Shara Azod calls a challenge. Each member of the Posse must entertain the group with a fantasy inspired by the beefcake surrounding them. Join the MFP Posse in Las Vegas and get a taste of the authors’ fantasies.

Publication Date: 20 April 2009

Purchase: CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Beautiful Trouble Publishing, LLC is owned by two authors who wanted their own digs.  The goal of Beautiful Trouble Publishing is to be recognized as a publisher who is not afraid to say yes to an unknown author or no to a best-selling one.  Stories that we publish rock one’s sense of humor, pricks the soft places within us, challenges one’s assumptions, sparks one’s sense of adventure, and stays with the reader.  A Beautiful Trouble Publishing story may not fit into any known genre; it may fit into several… either way, it’s going to be a kickazz story.

AUTHOR’S WEBSITES:

http://www.sharaazod.com
http://raelynnblue.blogspot.com
http://badazzauthors.com/reidyazmin
http://www.drearileyandlauraguevara.com/Laura_Guevara.php
http://www.drearileyandlauraguevara.com
http://jeanieandjayha.com

Synopsis:

 Through lively and revealing interviews with women from various walks of life, I Didn’t Work This Hard Just to Get Married, explores the challenges facing single women. They candidly discuss aging without a man and reevaluate dating, single homeownership, career, children, and caring for aged parents. The book speaks directly to the black woman’s experience, addressing challenges such as the high rate of male incarceration, and the Baby Mama Syndrome.

Written in the tradition of women talking to women, the book delivers tales of lessons learned, hard times and good times, told by women who found ways to achieve their dreams by defying convention. Their conclusion: Singlehood, whether temporary or permanent is a fulfilling state.

Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Work-This-Hard-Married/dp/1556528191/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245509268&sr=1-1

This moving love story traces the soulful relationship between two men-one who are HIV positive, from their first date, their first kiss, to the last time they would say good-bye.

Written in beautiful, brutally honest prose, No More Tomorrows offers insight into the lives of two gay men as they love each other in the face of adversity and discrimination. When the HIV-positive Mark Jones awakens from a restless sleep that has plagued him for weeks, he realizes it is his last physical day on earth. After everything they’ve experienced together, Mark feels prepared to confront his mortality with the unshakeable support of Kevin Williams, his lover, best friend, and confidante.

Since the inception of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s, men who have sex with men constitute the majority of the demographic that has been hit the hardest by the disease. In spite of the successes of the gay civil rights movement and the recent advances of medical research relating to HIV/AIDS, society still places a harsh stigma on those living with the disease. No More Tomorrows is a riveting novel about living and loving in the age of AIDS.

 AUTHOR BIO:

Rodney Lofton has been a voice and face for those living with HIV. He has served as a keynote speaker and facilitator by the New Jersey World AIDS Day Celebration, the U.S. Conference on AIDS among others. He is a former freelance writer and public relations professional. He served as a columnist for the online GBMNews. His column focused on issues around HIV/AIDS and African-American gay men. His debut novel The Day I Stopped Being Pretty: A Memoir, was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. He currently resides in Virginia. To learn more about the author, please visit www.nomoretomorrows.net, www.rodneylofton.com or www.myspace.com/rodlofton.

PUBLICATION INFO: 
Publisher: Strebor Books
On sale: June 30, 2009
Genre: Fiction
ISBN-13: 978-1-59309-174-5
ISBN-10: 1-59309-174-3
$14.00 paperback
$16.00 in Canada

Also available by Rodney Lofton
The Day I Stopped Being Pretty: A Memoir
978-1-59309-123-1
ISBN-10: 1-59309-123-0, $14.00/$16.00 Can.

Synopsis:

However, one day she woke up, realizing that she was now well into her forties, no children, no man of her own and surrounded by all the finery money could buy…so why the heck did she feel so lost, so lonely, as if she had wasted so much time…

Schae had to admit to herself that she had been sold a bill of goods, she had to realize that only what God brought was lasting and sustaining and that all of the designer clothes, fancy cars and rich men in the world could not fill her soul…she knew it was time to change…but would they allow her…

The men can’t accept the change, they are convinced she still has a price, and they are willing to pay it…
 
Friends and family are struggling with the transformation…surely the ultimate get money girl, can’t even dream about giving up easy money…

But Schae knows the truth, she knows that God is trying to tell her something and that she had better listen….the time is now…
 
But will she be able to change, will the world allow the changes, or will she get caught up and decide it is easier to do what she has always done before….only Schae knows, and you can find out….

Websites:
http://acvermen.blogspot.com
http://mammproductions.blogspot.com
http://www.angeliavmenchan.com
 
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/angeliam
 
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/angelmenchan