FROM THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE BOOK

Shelia Rushmore thought she’d be the last woman standing when it was time to fight for her man. Instead Ace, her boyfriend of two years, chose to reunite with his ex-wife, leaving Shelia emotionally devastated. It’s a year later when Sheila is convinced that sneaking into their wedding ceremony will put closure on the gaping hole in her heart.

But it’s on the back pew of the church where a new relationship begins for Shelia. She can’t explain the touch she received from God on that day, but she’s determined to be a better woman-a woman of faith. Since high school, Shelia has been chasing her definition of the good life – it’s left her with no home, no man, and no money. But now that’s she’s living life for God, things should get better, right? Shelia learns that living a faith-filled life isn’t always easy.

With faith, tough love, and some tough decisions, Shelia realizes that the life she’d been praying for she could have for herself is actually attainable. Being wrapped in God’s arms, she decided, was by far the safest place she’d ever been.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TIA MCCOLLORS is a national bestselling author who secured her spot in the publishing industry with the release of her debut novel, Zora’s Cry. She received her B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina. After ten years as a public relations professional, Tia emerged as an inspirational speaker and author of faith-based novels. Her other titles include The Truth About Love and A Heart of Devotion. She continues to pen inspirational works and is currently writing a series of children’s early reader chapter books targeted towards girls, ages 7-9.

In addition to being a novelist, Tia is a motivational speaker and instructor for writing workshops. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers organization, and serves as the vice president of Visions In Print. Tia was voted as the Breakout Author of the Year by the Open Book Awards of the African American Literary Awards Show.

Tia lives in the Atlanta, Georgia area with her husband and son. For more information, visit her online at www.TiaMcCollors.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit the author online at http://www.tiamccollors.com.

View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/SteppinIntotheGoodLife

We are featuring our review of her book, as well as the author’s video in which she shares more about her book and how we can live life completely and deal with issues.

BOOK REVIEW

COMPLETELY WHOLE BY Paulette Harper
Thy Word Publishing, August 2010
145 Pages, Paperback, $15.95
ISBN: 978-0-615331010  |    BUY IT

Genre: Christian/Non-Fiction

RAW Rating: 5 (out of 5) – **A TRR Favorite

You Can Be Whole With Christ

There are hundreds, even thousands of Christian self-help books on the market today.  Obviously, Christians often forget that what is needed is to live by the Word and not in the world.  Paulette Harper has a unique voice that reminds the reader that we must be whole in order for God to bless our lives.  She has written a down to earth and discerning self-help guide that is Biblically based.  The format will open your heart and enable you to find answers to your everyday issues.  COMPLETELY WHOLE clarifies how we should seek that fulfillment using scripture.

Harper has the gift to touch each reader at their pain.  The journey the reader is able to take will be based upon where they are in their life.  The prayers and confessions help keep you focused on the change you need to be complete.  The scripture and simple explanations make it easy for the reader to further their Bible study.  COMPLETELY WHOLE is a book you keep and refer to often.  A must have for everyone looking for redemption.

Reviewed by Deltareviewer
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

FROM THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE BOOK

On receiving the very thing she wants—a divorce and the power to sell their house—over which they have fought the past year—Anna Manning learns that Edward, her soon-to-be ex-husband is dying from cancer.

A faithful wife for three decades, and stay-at-home mother of four children, Anna endured Edward’s constant absence due to travel for his international real estate firm and numerous extra-marital affairs. With their children now adults, Edward has less than six months, possibly three, to live.

Anna takes him home to die in the house she has fought so vigorously to sell. But letting go of someone who has caused so much pain in your life doesn’t come easily. Edward has changed. There are Anna and Edward’s four children, three of whom who are married and struggling to endow their families with meaning and purpose.

News of Edward’s terminal illness provokes her to understand the present, rooted in a wellspring of the past and pouring into a future without him.

The House shows what happens when one adopts the belief that: All hold regret and are seeking forgiveness. Our salvation rests in the hands of others—most particularly the ones we love, and who have treated us wrongly.

Purchase the Book Online at: http://www.anjuellefloyd.com/books/the-house

CHARACTER SKETCH: Meet Anna Manning

Have you ever wondered how a writer comes up with her characters? Author Anjuelle Floyd provides a peek inside the profile of her main character, Anna Manning.

Anna’s mother, Elena, was emotionally distant. That she marries Edward, who holds his own secret hurts is not coincidence.  I wonder if Anna, when she was in her twenties, could have accepted Inman and all he had to offer.

Anna is very similar to the description she gives Inman of Millicent’s mother, Henrietta Regarde. Hearing Inman’s story pierces the surface of Anna’s defenses.

With Edward gone in the wake of his quiet penitence and regret she can but look within. The distant stance she takes with Inman provides space and time within which to examine herself, something she has not had the luxury of doing here-to-fore. Prior to Inman, Anna was busy being either someone’s daughter, husband, mother or all three.

It is amazing what we as women can recognize about ourselves when confronted with acceptance and love despite our foibles.

And yet often times this does kind of heart jolting and transformative experience does not often come until we are older.

Again, as with Anna, I wonder if somehow wifedom and motherhood hold the ability to prime us for surrendering to this when presented, or if perhaps it is but a matter of age, that for all individuals kneads our defenses leaving us little, if any, energy to fight and resist accepting that which for which we have always longed.

In many ways, Inman as Anna’s friend and lover was the mother for whom she had yearned.

DISCUSSION: In the comments section below, answer the question, if you were in Anna’s shoes, what would you have chosen to do? Remember – On receiving the very thing she wants—a divorce and the power to sell their house—over which they have fought the past year—Anna Manning learns that Edward, her soon-to-be ex-husband is dying from cancer. Anna takes him home to die in the house she has fought so vigorously to sell.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anjuelle Floyd is a wife of twenty-eight years, mother of three, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in mother-daughter relations and dream work.

A graduate of Duke University, she received her MA in Counseling Psychology from The California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. She has attended the Dominican Institute of Philosophy and Theology, Berkeley, California, and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, Port Townsend, Washington. She has received certificates of participation from The Hurston-Wright Writers’ Week and The Voices of Our Nations Writing Workshops.

A student of Process Painting for the last decade, Anjuelle has participated in The Art of Living Black Exhibitions 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 held at the Richmond Art Center, Richmond, California.

Anjuelle facilitates writing groups and provides individual consultation of fiction projects. She also gives talks on The Need for Family, the Writing Process as a Path Toward Self-discovery and Healing.

WIN A FREE KINDLE!

To celebrate the release of her novel, The House, author Anjuelle Floyd is offering a (1) Kindle Wi-Fi (retail value: $139.00) as a part of her promotional blog tour. A WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED DECEMBER 1, 2010.

TO REGISTER ONLINE - http://bit.ly/TheHouseKindleGiveaway

For More Information

• Visit the author online at http://www.anjuellefloyd.com

• View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/TheHouseBlogTour

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Multi-published author, teacher, wife and mother, Sherryle seeks to be a fresh voice in Christian Fiction. Her triumphant debut novel, Soon and Very Soon (2007) was followed up by her sophomore release, The Manual (2009). Soon After marks the return of her franchise characters, Pastors WIllie and Vanessa Green and the Harvest Baptist church saga. Sherrryle is currently working on her fourth novel for Urban Christian (Urban/Kensington) titled Taylor-Made. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Ministry birthed by one will be exploited by another. Can Willie Green stand idly by and let that happen?

When Pastors Willie Green and Vanessa Morton got married and moved to merge their churches, they never expected so much resistance. Now it seems someone is sending a strong message by setting fire to the Harvest Baptist Church building.

The newly unified Pleasant Harvest Baptist Church is no more than four months into business as usual before Co-Pastor Willie Green is drawn into the middle of an arson investigation. Alexis Montgomery, an overzealous reporter, sees the experienced pastor as a great source to latch onto as she tries to unearth the stories that might solve the crime. Instead of being bothered by the presence of this woman, Co-Pastor Vanessa uses it as a distraction to help conceal her own secrets.

Orchestrating the unification rift makes Deacon Charley Thompson a prime suspect. His unexpected silence only fuels the accusations of guilt, and his meek wife becomes his unlikely spokesperson. Meanwhile, his nephew, Abe Townsend, couldn’t care less about family allegiances. Led by an anonymous publicist, Abe and the remaining displaced members of Harvest Baptist Church gain notoriety when news reports garner an outcry of sympathy and support.

What should have been a simple unification of two churches has turned into something much more complicated, and it will take plenty of faith to hold it all.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Visit the author online at http://www.sherrylejackson.com.

• View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/SoonAfterTour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chizellé T. Archie is  an author, registered school nurse, mother and wife for thirteen years to her husband John Archie.  She works for a private school and lives in Atlanta, GA with her family.

Several years ago, after noticing the alarming statistics of the HIV rate of African American women, Chizellé became fed up with the way her African American  brothers  and sisters (young alike), were beginning to settle for any and everything, in that having safe sex was not an option anymore. As far as the women, as long as he drove a nice car, lived in a fine home, of better yet if he was able to “make it rain,” that was satisfaction enough.  As far as the men, as long as she had a car, maybe a job, or had enough money to pay for her “own drink in the club,” then … everything was good. Furthermore, seeing how the women that have remained faithful to their UNFAITHFUL husbands/boyfriends were contracting this deadly disease, and yet only being guilty of loving someone they thought loved them back.

Lastly, what disturbed her most was that there are so many people sitting in the church pews every Sunday hurting, because of the stigma associated with this epidemic, and yet the one place they feel most comfortable is the one place that leaves them feeling so alone.

Chizellé lands on the literary scene with authority, and it is with great fortitude that she pens her debut novel, The Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Diamond, in which her life experiences have allowed her to grab hold and take nothing less, realizing she is a Diamond!

ABOUT THE BOOK

The posh, yet chic Victoria Cartiér, is an Investment Advisor for a prestigious firm in Manhattan. Residing in the affluent Hamilton Heights of Harlem, seemingly she has it all; success, money, VIP status on 5th Avenue, and a loving husband Malcolm, so she thinks…

Apparently, Victoria feels her marriage is quickly headed for trouble and the day she plans to deliver life changing news to Malcolm, she gets deathly news of her own. The uncovered trails of lies,deceit, and betrayal, changes their lives forever, causing her to loose trust in everyone she loves, even God!

After losing everything, except her new baby, will Victoria’s love for God, her family, her best friend (tell-it-like-it-is Lucy), and her new beau, the God-fearing, charismatic Marcel Bouviér, be enough to convince her exactly how much she is worth, and that if she can only trust God, then she’ll see life is truly worth living?

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR

Chizelle Archie talks about The Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Diamond –>

Chizelle Archie talks about what she hopes the readers will learn from reading The Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Diamond. –>

VIDEO EXCERPT

PURCHASE THE BOOK ONLINE AT:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Borders
• Books A Million
• Indiebound

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Visit the author at http://chizellearchie.com

• View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/DiamondBlogTour

*A Tywebbin/DeeGospel PR Blog Tour

Shana Johnson Burton is the best-selling author of Suddenly Single, First Comes Love, and Flaws and All. She lives in Georgia with her family and is currently a high school English and Journalism teacher and the co-host of “The Lovely Magazine” radio show . She was a 2009 Georgia Author of the Year nominee for Best Fiction (First Comes Love). Her next novel, Catt Chasin’, will be released in 2011.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Faith, family, and friendship have always been top priority to lifelong friends Lawson, Reginell, Sullivan, Angel, and Kina, but each one is about to be put to the test during one turbulent year.

Lawson Kerry is a struggling single mother who has finally gotten her life together. Now, a fierce custody battle with her ex threatens to the tear apart everything she’s built.

Reginell Kerry is a starry-eyed singer determined to make it to the top of the charts, but will she change her tune when a chance at fame means shedding her clothes and her self-respect?

Sullivan Webb is the pampered wife of a charismatic pastor with political aspirations, but she just might destroy her husband’s campaign and their marriage if she can’t control her wandering eye.

Angel King has dedicated her life to nursing following the destruction of her marriage. Can she maintain her professionalism when she discovers that her newest patient is the woman who stole her husband?

Kina Battle has had enough of her husband’s verbal and physical abuse. When she’s pushed to the edge, the situation heads in a deadly direction, and there’s no turning back.

Nothing is sacred, all bets are off, and the lives of these ladies will never be the same. Will they have the strength to hold on to their friendships and put their trust in God?

Shana Burton talks about her latest novel, Flaws and All, and shares an excerpt.

Click Here to Listen

Chapter 24 (Excerpt from Flaws and All)

“A true lady never kisses and tells.”

—Sullivan Webb

“Wow, Sullivan, you’re glowing!” noted Lawson over lunch the next day, poolside at Sullivan’s estate. “I guess ol’ Chuck hasn’t lost his touch.”

Angel lowered her shades. “She does have that morning after look, doesn’t she?”

Sullivan grinned and stretched out on the lounge chair next to Kina. “A true lady never kisses and tells.”

“But a freak details it blow by blow!” jeered Reginell, laughing and slapping hands with Angel. “Go on and tell us what happened.”

“Yeah, Sullivan, tell us which of the commandments you broke this time,” pushed Lawson, biting into a ring of pineapple.

Sullivan pinned her hands behind her head. “I can’t. It’s personal.”

“Personal gets checked at the door. You know that. Now, start talking.”

Sullivan cleared her throat and sat upright in her chair. “Well . . . I cheated on Charles,” she revealed.

Lawson nearly choked on her pineapple. “You did what?”

Reginell leaned back and crossed her legs. “Umph. I always knew there was a straight-up ho underneath all them designer clothes and foreign weaves.”

“It takes one to know one,” fired Sullivan.

“Sully, I can’t believe you would do that to Charles,” said Kina.

“Oh, I can believe it,” said Angel. “I just want to know with who.”

Sullivan smirked. “Vaughn.”

Lawson’s jaw fell. “The same Vaughn you said was rough around the edges?”

“He’s not so bad.” Sullivan giggled. “Actually, he was quite good!”

“It looks like Skankville just got a new resident,” muttered Angel.

“Hold up, now,” cut in Reginell, raising her hand. “I’ve got to side with Sully on this one. Sometimes you need to switch it up some. Variety is the spice of life.”

“Good. She can put that on a T-shirt. It’ll give her something constructive to do while she’s roasting in hell,” said Angel.

“God knows my heart,” rationalized Sullivan.

“You have one of those?” asked Reginell.

“Look at you. You don’t even feel guilty, do you? No repentance, no remorse,” charged Lawson.

Sullivan shook her head. “I can’t explain it. I do feel guilty, but it’s only because I feel bad about not feeling guilty at all. I feel . . . liberated, if you can believe that.”

“Sullivan, even if Charles never finds out, God knows, and He was watching you in the very act,” scolded Kina.

Sullivan poured a glass of juice. “Kina, that thought is disturbing on so many levels. Vaughn is so amazing, and I’m not just talking about the sex. He’s an artist, and he’s so intuitive and creative. He makes me feel more alive than I ever felt in my whole life. In the past three weeks that we’ve been spending time together, I haven’t had a single drink. I get love-drunk instead.”

“Enjoy it now. It may be hard to feel alive once Charles finds out, because he’s going to kill both of you,” replied Lawson.

Sullivan kicked back her heels. “I don’t even care if he finds out. I might even tell him myself. Maybe then he’ll finally divorce me.”

“All right, be careful what you wish for,” prophesized Angel. “The Bible says that you shall have whatever you say. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”

Sullivan sighed. “Don’t even get me started on the power of Vaughn’s tongue.”

“Sully, you’re nasty,” said Kina with a frown.

This excerpt was posted with permission from the author. 2010 © Copyright. Shana J. Burton. All Rights Reserved.

Purchase the Book Online at:

• Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Flaws-All-Shana-Burton/dp/1601628528/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281193452&sr=8-1
• BarnesandNoble– http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Flaws-and-All/Shana-Burton/e/9781601628527/?itm=1&USRI=flaws+and+all+shana+burton
• Borders – http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1601628528
• Books A Million – http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781601628527?id=4715246323067
• Indiebound – http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781601628527

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Visit the author at http://www.shanaburton.com/

• View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/FlawsandAll.

PATRICIA HALEY is the trailblazing, #1 Essence bestselling author of seven faith-based, novels, including Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, No Regrets, and Chosen. She’s a project manager with degrees from Stanford University and the University of Chicago. She is a born again believer and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Patricia lives with her husband and daughter in Philadelphia.

Visit her at www.patriciahaley.com or become a fan on Facebook.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Destined by Patricia Haley is the second novel in the Chosen series, inspired by the popular biblical kings David and Solomon.

Don, the eldest son and rightful heir to the ministry, returns from South Africa after three years of self-imposed exile. With a renewed zeal to reclaim the leadership of his late father’s multi-million dollar ministry, his plans are short-lived when a stock transfer agreement goes wrong, rendering Don powerless. Don’s little brother Joel continues as CEO, careening down the path of personal, professional, and spiritual demise, as he drags the ministry down with him. The only hope to save their father’s legacy is Don’s intervention, and so clinging to his self-worth and faith, Don is torn between fighting for a company he wasn’t chosen to run and fleeing back to his South African refuge, a place where his peace, his growing relationship with Naledi, and his dignity aren’t in question. After much soul searching, Don comes to realize that his destiny is inescapable and that his future lies in his family’s legacy.

Combining spiritual themes with family tension, corporate intrigue, and romance, this series is an exciting addition to the faith-based fiction market.

EXCERPT – Chapter 33

(taken from Destined by Patricia Haley)

Thirty years.  Every grueling minute of those years had been met with accusations, put downs, and flat out mean spiritedness mostly waged by Madeline. Loving Dave Mitchell was her joy in the beginning but realism had a way of stamping out the flame, leaving a smoldering whiff of love between them.  Sherry tidied her desk in preparation for the upcoming trip to India.  Her support for Joel was unquestionable.  The decision he was making for his personal life was very questionable.  She was overcome with doubt.  Sherry went downstairs to Abigail’s office hoping for something, not sure what.

Abigail was finishing up a conference call but beckoned for Sherry to come in anyway.  The wait was brief.  “You were looking for me?” Abigail asked ending her call.

Sherry meandered to the windows located on one side of Abigail’s office.  “You know Joel is,” she said and caught herself.  She remembered Joel telling her the board of directors didn’t know about the trip to India, which probably meant Abigail didn’t know either.  She needed to confide her concerns with someone but couldn’t risk betraying Joel’s confidence.

“I know Joel is what?”

The awful distress swirling inside threatened to overtake her hopes for Joel.  She’d lived out a distressed marriage for what seemed to be the right reasons.  Inhaling air of independence and self worth transformed her view of those years.  She saw the marriage with Dave for what it was, awkward from the beginning and straight through until the end.  There was more for her son and she wanted him to have it now, not waiting until he was fifty five years old to start living like she had.

“If the merger ever goes through with that Indian company, you know he’s going to marry the daughter.”

Abigail acknowledged Sherry’s comment through eye contact but didn’t respond.  Maybe it was Abigail’s heartache, or her confusion, or worse, her lack of interest in Joel.  Sherry wasn’t sure what the driving factor was behind the lack of interest.  “Did you hear me?” she said turning her body to face Abigail, but staying by the windows with her arms clasped.  “He’s going to marry another woman.”

“And what do you want me to do about it?  Hmm,” Abigail said firmly setting her pen on the desk.  “Do you want me to go and plead for his love, hmm?”  Sherry kept her arms locked and looked away into the sparsely cloudy sky. “Do you want me to wrestle him to the floor or better yet, how about this.  What if I clobber him over the head and tow his limp body back to my cave and make him mine.” Abigail let her gaze roll up to the ceiling and crash down to the desk.

“I know you love him,” Sherry said taking a few steps towards the desk.  “You are what he needs, stability, and genuine love.  I want my son to experience happiness every day of his life. The prospect of him engaging in a marriage for business purposes is absolutely frightening to me.  I know Joel.  Nothing good can come from that kind of arrangement.”

“Well,” Abigail said seemingly distracted, “maybe you’re worrying prematurely.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the board is effective, Joel won’t have the backing to finalize the merger.

They’ve blocked his funding, stalled his legal review, and turned down his request for approval.  Unless he creates a miracle, the deal isn’t happening.”

Sherry wanted to share the truth with Abigail but couldn’t risk it.  “I know it looks hopeless, but my son is Dave Mitchell’s child.  Miracles aren’t beyond them.”

That got Abigail’s attention.  “No disrespect to you Sherry, but Dave and Joel are very different leaders.”

“As they should be.”

“Well, Dave’s miracles came from the favor he had with God.  I can’t begin to guess where Joel would find a miracle, but I’m pretty certain it’s not from God.  At least not the same God that Dave and I serve.  Joel has his own way of doing things.”

“I didn’t come here to demonize my son.  Maybe I was wrong coming to you.  I believed he meant something to you.”

“You’re right, he did, but that’s ancient history.  I’ve accepted his choice, perhaps it would be helpful to all of us if you did too,” Abigail said and pushed the power button on her laptop

Sherry read the signal and departed gracefully refusing to let her son be maligned by anyone.  She shifted energy to the India trip.  There was much to be done for Joel and such little time.

Question taken from Reading Guide in back of book: Abigail was hurt by Joel’s rejection and marriage to Zarah. Will she ever be freed from Joel emotionally?

View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/DestinedBlogTour.

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

What is your definition of a Holy Roller? Join us today as we chat with ReShonda Tate Billingsley about her new release, Holy Rollers!  **This is not a book discussion, so no need to worry about not having read the book.**

Get your copy of Holy Rollers!!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Holy Rollers tells the story of three life-long friends—Coco, Audra and Nita—and their quest to find true love. The three women have endured their share of heartache: Coco is abused by her boyfriend Sonny; Audra is a single mother who only seems to meet unreliable men; and Nita can’t get over a married man who wants to keep her as his mistress.

Deciding to take fate into their own hands, the three women attend a conference for ministers, hoping to meet men who are God-fearing and wholesome. The results are varied, but the experience with the church changes the lives of these three women in this hilarious and heartbreaking story.

BOOK EXCERPT

“Those preacher men ain’t ready for me.” Nita wiggled her hips in the full-length mirror. She wasn’t trying to be vain, but she looked good. Real good. The mini-skirt hugged her size ten frame in all the right places. She’d taken Audra’s advice and covered up her 38 Triple D’s, but she still wore a form-fitting white ruffled jacket. As always, her honey brown curls cascaded down her back.

“If you say so,” Coco responded. “But what’s with the white suite? I know you’re not going for a virginal look.”

Nita placed her hands on her hips. “And if I were?”

Coco and Audra exchanged looks, then burst into laughter. They were in Audra’s bedroom, where they’d all gotten dressed for their night of ‘holy rolling’ as Audra had dubbed it.

“I have the red shoes to give a hint of bad girl,” Nita said, sticking out her leg to reveal the high-heeled strappy pumps.

Both Audra and Coco shook their heads. Nita waved them off and leaned into the mirror to check her reflection one more time. After licking her thumb and running it over her eyebrow to smooth it down, she turned to face her friends. “Laugh all you want. I’m going for a pure look if you must know. And when I have all these preachers falling all over me, you’ll wish you hadn’t worn that old demon red,” she said, pointing at Audra, “and that library-navy blue,” she added, pointing at Coco.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Coco said, glancing down at the navy knee length dress with a white lace collar.

“You look like a school marm,” Nita deadpanned. “We’re supposed to be going to catch, remember?”

“I thought this was a look ministers would like – you know, kind of First Ladyish,” Coco said, motioning toward her outfit.

“Girl, I know I haven’t been to church in a long time, but I don’t think that’s what First Ladies dress like. Maybe the First Ladies’ grandma,” Nita said.

“Yeah, Coco,” Audra chimed in. “It is kind of old and homely looking.”

“Whatever,” Coco said. “I think I look cute.”

“If you say so.” Nita walked over to her purse, which sat on Audra’s nightstand, pulled out a Bible and tore the plastic off. “Let’s go. We’ve got some men to snag,” she said, slipping the Bible under her arm.

“Shameful. Just a shame fo’ God,” Miss Bea said when they walked into the living room. She was sitting on the sofa watching “Wheel of Fortune.” Andrew was asleep next to her.

“What’s a shame, Miss Bea?” Coco asked. While Miss Bea gave them all a hard time, each of them loved the cantankerous old woman. Nita would never admit it, though. The two of them were always going at it and Audra swore it was because they were exactly alike.

“Y’all actually going through with it? You actually goin’ hoing rolling.”

“Holy rolling,” Audra corrected.

“I said it right,” Miss Bea tsked. “Blatantly going after a man of God.” She eyed Nita’s five-inch heels. “And you’re even wearing hooker shoes.”

“Operative word, man,” Nita replied. She held out her foot and wiggled it. “And I’ll have you know, these are Christian Louboutin.”

“Christian Lou-booty who?”

“Christian Louboutin,” Nita snapped. “Designer, seven hundred and eighty dollars.”

Miss Bea shook her head in disgust. “That just don’t make sense. That’s my rent for two months.” She eyed the heels again. “And ain’t nothing Christian ‘bout them hooker shoes.”

“They were a gift,” Nita said. “I didn’t pay for them.”

“Oh, you paid for them all right,” Miss Bea replied, shaking her head. “You paid one way or another.”

“Okay, on that note,” we’re going to go,” Audra said.

Of course, Nita couldn’t let the issue drop. “Don’t start judging us,” she said.

“I’m not judging. I leave that to God. But I’m tellin’ you, this ain’t the way to find a man. Hawaiian Luau,” she said, solving the “Wheel of Fortune” puzzle.

“Well, I guess you would know how to find a man, seeing as how you’ve been married four times,” Nita chuckled.

Miss Bea didn’t see anything funny. “If I’ve been burned enough, it seems like you’d listen to me when I tell you to stay out the fire,” she said, not taking her eyes off of the TV.

“Maybe I like it hot,” Nita said. She always enjoyed getting under Miss Bea’s skin.

“Then you’ll fit in just fine in hell,” Miss Bea said before turning the volume up even more.

Want more? Order your copy today at www.Amazon.com, or wherever books are sold!

View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/HolyRollersBlogTour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a national bestselling author of 19 books, all published by Simon and Schuster/Pocket Books. In 2000, after numerous rejections from publishers, ReShonda stepped out on faith, established her own publishing company, and self published her debut novel, My Brother’s Keeper. The book caught the attention of one of the country’s top literary agents, who secured a deal for ReShonda with megahouse publisher, Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books.

The rest, as they say, is history.

ReShonda went on to sign one deal after another with Simon & Schuster and to date, is considered one of the country’s top inspirational authors. Her sophomore novel, Let the Church Say Amen, is being made into a movie of which she is Executive Producer and actress Regina King is the director. ReShonda’s literary career is such a success that in 2007, she was able to leave her job as a reporter with Fox 26 News in Houston to write full time.

ReShonda has appeared on the Essence Bestseller’s list more than 20 times, as well as The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News and Ebony Magazine Bestseller’s lists. Her books include The Devil is a Lie, Can I Get a Witness, The Pastor’s Wife, Let the Church Say Amen, Everybody Say Amen, I Know I’ve Been Changed and My Brother’s Keeper. Her inspirational teen novels include Nothing But Drama, Blessings in Disguise,With Friends Like These, Getting Even, Fairweather Friends, Friends ‘Til the End, and Caught up in the Drama. She has one non-fiction title, Help! I’ve Turned into my Mother. ReShonda has won numerous awards for her journalism, fiction and poetry writing skills. She is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Spirit in the Words competition, one of Rolling Out Magazine’s Top 25 Women in Houston and H-Texas Magazine’s Top Professional.

ReShonda’s upcoming projects include Holy Rollers (July 2010), Say Amen, Again (July, 2011), the teen novel Drama Queens (Fall 2010), and two travel suspense novels. The Houston native also serves as a freelance editorial and marketing consultant. She has ghostwritten four fiction projects and five non-fiction projects. She is married with three small children and does not hide her addiction to Reality TV and Facebook.

She welcomes readers to her website at www.reshondatatebillingsley.com.

**A Tywebbin Blog Tour

ABOUT THE BOOK

In Daddy’s Delight, Dr. Karia Bunting reminds women that they are God’s workmanship, His masterpiece, His “poema”. That God has intricately woven together every fiber of their being and created each one special and unique. That God, having completed His work of art, gave her to mankind as a gift.

Evident in this great care God took in fashioning woman is the importance and value of each one. So why do so many women struggle with God’s design, wishing they could change just this or that one thing about themselves?

Dr. Bunting challenges each reader to accept and embrace the truth that, regardless of what season of life she’s in, she is God’s masterpiece-not her own work of art. When God sees her, He sees His beautiful creation. A creation that yes, has some wrinkles needing to be smoothed out and yet, is one in whom is His delight to love to perfection.

Your Name is Victory

For a number of reasons, maybe you don’t feel like a work of art on this particular day.   In your opinion you’re either too skinny or too fat.  You may have PMS symptoms that are causing you to be bloated and grouchy.   You may have PMS symptoms that are causing you to be bloated and grouchy.  As this moment you might just feel like pulling off every piece of clothing you’re wearing because you are having the biggest hot flash this side of heaven!  Maybe you are in your ninth month of pregnancy, feeling like an overinflated balloon with nowhere to turn for comfort.  Nevertheless, in whatever way you describe yourself, in God’s eyes you still reflect His greatest creation.

As a single person, did you ever have to endure the experience of someone else’s wedding celebration    at a time when you were longing for a mate?  You probably sat there with a smile on your face while silently your heart was aching.  In situations like that, it’s easy to feel like you are nothing special.  But you are.  Maybe your husband or boyfriend cheated on you and now you are wondering why you weren’t good enough.  You were.  Maybe that costly mistake you made makes you feel worthless.  You are still a masterpiece.  Maybe you were abused and nobody else knows about it.  You think, If I am such a masterpiece, how could that have happened?  I might be a torn work of art, but never the real thing.  Know that you are precious to God.  He delights in you.  You are His work of genius.

Whatever your state of mind may be, God wants to have an intimate relationship with you.  He wants to bless you, redeem you, and heal you.  In fact, your heavenly Father has planned a lifetime of good things for you to do.  To make sure that you accomplish them, He will orchestrate the events of your life so that you will use everything you have experienced for His glory.  For this reason, it is important that you recognize how valuable you are to God.  He wants you to listen to what He is saying to you through your daily trials.  Reach out to Him for answers that will transform and improve your life.  He is reaching out to you.

But you say, “What about how I feel?”  You must understand that your feelings are not reliable and they don’t always reflect the truth.  Only the Word of God is truth – it is dependable and trustworthy – and it never changes.  Have you ever felt one way about something and, after you got more information, you reacted in a completely different way?  A shift in circumstances can cause a change in your perception about a given situation.  Even though you can’t always depend on them, the Lord understands that your emotions can sometimes get the best of you.  Scripture even tells us that Jesus is touched by our feelings: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize without weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we re, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus knows how you feel because He shared those same feelings.  But, as the Son of God, He has the power to help you defeat everything that hinders you from moving forward.  He wants you to move past your emotions and rely on Him so that you can see your circumstances in a different light- the light of His loving concern.  It’s not about the way that you feel about a problem; it’s your faith in Jesus’ power that will conquer every challenge.  Faith will allow you to depend on His strength to overcome those stubborn feelings that would keep you stuck in the past.  Jesus wants you to live a victorious life.  Always have these words on your lips and remember to say of our Lord, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13)

The truth of the matter is, even when you feel like God doesn’t love you, He does.  His love is a fact.  His love for you is true – regardless of what you are going through.  Love Him back. He’ll show you who He is and how much He really does care.  Even during the times when you might want to quit because you feel like you are too far behind, finish the race.  You will win.

You will be able to echo the words to Jonathan Nelson’s song “My Name is Victory”.[1]

I’ve got evidence

I’ve got confidence

I’m a conqueror

I know that I win

I know who I am

God wrote it in His plan for me

MY NAME IS VICTORY!

As a believer in Christ, victory belongs to you. The good works you are going to perform are already ordained for you.  Breathe in and step out.  Do what God tells you to do and He will do the rest.  Remember, your name is “Victory”.

1. What is meant by “Victory”?  I have known peope who have claimed victory, but never been healed, and never seemed to experience “victory”.
2. I have been in a number of bad relationships, and now I feel worthless.  How do I begin to feel like I am worth something again?
3. You said I have to move past my emotions.  How do I do that?
4. I don’t know who I am anymore, or what I am supposed to be doing with my life.  How do I find out?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KARIA BUNTING is an expository Bible teacher whose mission is to communicate the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that people are saved, and disciples are developed. She is the founder of Focused Forward Ministries, a communication and media ministry, and a member of several community and ministry organizations. She also partners with her husband, George, in his management & financial consulting company.

Karia received her master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary. She’s currently receiving a second doctorate from the University of Texas. She serves as an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University and enjoys ministering the Word and its’ principles through her lecture series and power lunches held throughout the year.

Karia and George, her husband of 26 years, live in Dallas, Texas where she teaches the Word weekly in the women’s Bible study at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. Mother of three children, Karia is also a mentor to many young women. She enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with family and friends.

Visit her Dr. Karia online at focusedforwardministries.org.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/DaddysDelight.

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

C. M. Jones is well on her way to becoming a household name. She has just completed her second publication, Nothing Is Too Hard for God, and launched a publishing company with her family, HortonJonesInc., that also mentors young writers. In addition she has begun to offer writing seminars and motivational speaking services. When asked about her endeavors, C. M. Jones has said that writing and mentoring is her ministry and she does it all to the glory of God.

Her debut novella, I Still Do, which was published through Author House but is now apart of the HortonJones, Inc. portfolio, sold thousands of copies in the United States and abroad. This Christian ficton writer indeed is no stranger to writing creative and inspiring stories. She began writing at the young age of eight years old while acting in her elementary school drama club. C. M. Jones has written countless poems, musicals and short stories that include themes of redemption, forgiveness and a real picture of the things that can happen in life, when you have faith in Jesus Christ.

Visit her online at http://www.cmjonestheauthor.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Nothing Is Too Hard for God is the sequel to the novella I Still Do. These three best friends are back to take you on a journey through their past and into their future. This book is full of truth, faith and testaments to what God can do when we submit our lives to Him.

Do you want to know how God brought Deborah through her haunted past and into His saving grace? Would you like to know why Damien was disloyal to Karen and if their marriage can really survive after his affair? Last, but not least, if you want to know how Leslie’s heart went from being as cold as stone to being full of love, then you must read Nothing is too hard for God.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, this novel will take another turn.

AN EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 14 of Nothing Is Too Hard For God

“No, I don’t want to talk about it; let’s just pretend that I came here to help you pick out your clothes and that you didn’t call me over so we could talk about Charles,” Leslie whimpered.

“Child, please, you think you know everything. Let’s go inside and talk, and I’ll let you see my outfit for the wedding,” Vicky snickered.

Leslie knew that she was right about Charles calling Vicky, so she decided to tell her everything.

“Ma, do you remember when Vernon left you for that white woman? I never got over that.” Leslie continued without giving Vicky a chance to respond. “I hated him for it. We were a family, and he just left us. I remember it like it was yesterday. I came home early from volleyball practice, and he was packing his bags. I asked him where he was going, and he lied to me. He said he had a trip to go on for work and that you probably forgot to tell me about it.” Leslie stood up and started pacing about the room.  “You know Ma that was the day I learned how to tell when a man is lying. Yup, Vernon taught me that if a man starts trying to explain himself for no reason, he’s lying.” Leslie had begun to cry but couldn’t understand why Vicky appeared to be frustrated.

“Leslie, what does any of this have to do with Charles?”

“Well, Charles and I are going on a vacation after the wedding. We are going to Florida, and since his parents live there, he wants to take me to meet them, but we got into an argument when he told me that his mother is white.”

“What kind of argument, Leslie, and what difference does it makes what race his parents are?” Vicky said in an irritated tone.

Leslie could hear the irritation in Vicky’s voice, so she thought that she should tread carefully. She had the feeling that she was in for a verbal whipping.

“Well, Ma, I just don’t approve of interracial relationships. I just don’t see why our black men can’t ¾ ”

“Our black men?” interrupted Vicky. “Let me tell you something. Girl, whether you are Black, White, Hispanic, or Interracial, it doesn’t matter; we are all God’s children. And, let me guess, when you learned that Jason’s father was married to a white woman, that brought back all of the memories of Vernon?” Vicky yelled.

“Well, yeah!” Leslie said in a confident tone. She was trying to reassure herself that she had a right be angry.

Vicky stood up and walked around to the side of the bed where Leslie was now sitting.

“You know what, Girl?  You are the most educated yet foolish person that I know.  Are you trying to tell me that you are going to let something that happened when you were in high school keep you from marrying the man of your dreams, the man that you know God has given you? Les, I don’t know why Charles puts up with your stubborn rear. You need to grow up and apologize to that man and go and meet your mother- in- law. After all, you should know what it’s like to fall in love with someone regardless of his or her race. You love Charles, and he is interracial,” Vicky said in a reprimanding tone, although, she knew that sometimes Leslie didn’t take correction too well.  Vicky was hoping that Leslie wouldn’t leave because she still hadn’t told Leslie the real reason why she’d asked her to come over.

Leslie listened to Vicky, and it was as if a light bulb had come on in her head. Charles was the best thing that had ever happened to her; he was the one that had led her to Christ two years ago. They loved each other, they worshipped God together, and he was so patient with her. Not to mention that, he loved Jason like he was his own. Jason would be turning seven years old in July, and he hadn’t spent any time with his father since he was one year old. He was, however, very fond of his soon-to-be stepfather. Leslie thought about all of these things, and she also thought about when she and Charles first met. It was a feeling that warmed her soul.

In this particular passage, Leslie is dealing with her feelings about black men dating/marrying white women. How do you feel about interracial relationships? Does it bother you when you see black men with white women or white men with black women? Why?

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/NothingisTooHardforGod.

DEVOTIONAL EXCERPT (taken from Ch. 2 of Who Speaks To Your Heart?)

In my early adulthood, I thought living by the “thou shall nots” in the Ten Commandments was the answer to salvation. As I’ve matured and experienced life’s highs and lows without being abandoned by God, I’m continually reminded that “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,”  and that it is mine to be explored and appreciated, because God created it for all of his children, including me. That means we can walk this journey of faith hand in hand with God, with joy and an open heart, trusting that as we listen for his instructions and obey him when he speaks, he’ll tell us when to run, and where.

Esther must have longed for God to speak when the man who had raised her, her uncle Mordecai, came to her and insisted that she approach the king and save the Jews. Esther knew what had happened to the queen who preceded her. Vashti had made the king angry and lost her head.

Esther wasn’t willing to walk smack dab into a similar fate. But when Mordecai warned her that she might face death anyway if she didn’t try to save her people, she did what her uncle had trained her to do. She instructed Mordecai and every Jew in the city to fast and pray on her behalf. She too turned to God in prayer and fasted with her maids for three days.

Notice that after this period of dwelling with the Lord, Esther didn’t rise and immediately approach the king. God seems to have instructed her how best to soften the King’s heart. Esther made herself as beautiful as she could, then she went to the king and prayed that he would extend his golden scepter, giving her permission to approach him….

Put yourself in her place. What would you have done? Esther had to run this race before she felt ready, finally understanding that maybe, just maybe, God had put her in this place for this very reason. She was going to run with him holding her hand all the way.

Whatever stage of the race you’re in, slow down enough to see if God is ready to give you direction and move you into your purpose. Don’t rush the process; his timing is perfect.

If you are sprinting in your faithwalk instead of pacing yourself, maybe it’s time to slow down and wait for God to speak. If you’re jogging, maintain your steady pace but know that only when you’re paying attention will you see and hear what God has to say to you. If you’re walking, be patient. God is grooming you for your season and your time.

© Stacy Hawkins Adams.  Excerpted from Who Speaks To Your Heart? Do not reprint or publish this excerpt without full attribution to the author or without express permission from the author or publisher, Zondervan.

ABOUT THE BOOK

With insight, inspiration, and practical ideas in her new book—Who Speaks to Your Heart?—, author Stacy Hawkins Adams shows you and all women—regardless of the labels placed on you—that your best and most important title is the one given by God … chosen vessel.

“I wrestled with whether a God that I couldn’t see or touch would be willing to single me out from the millions of other people who wanted love, attention and help.”

To women all over the country, from all walks of life, this uncomfortable uncertainty is all too familiar. Now—for inspiration, for affirmation, for a divine connection—you have a new place to turn … to this authentic look at what it takes to pursue God with abandon, by acclaimed author Stacy Hawkins Adams.

Offering insight, inspiration, and practical ideas on how to connect more often and more deeply with God, Adams helps give you and women the world over the courage to go deeper and grow deeper in God’s word to hear Him more clearly. Women young and old will be empowered and renewed by Adams’ reminder that—regardless of the labels placed on you by society, your family, your friends, and even yourself—your best and most important title is the one given by God … chosen vessel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stacy Hawkins Adams is a nationally-published, award-winning author and speaker. Her contemporary women’s fiction novels are filled with social themes and spiritual quests that take readers on journeys into their own souls.

She holds a degree in journalism and served as a newspaper reporter for more than a decade before turning her full attention to penning books, speaking professionally and writing freelance articles.

Stacy lives in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two young children. Visit Stacy online at stacyhawkinsadams.com.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/WhoSpeaksToYourHeart.

*A Tywebbin Virtual Tour

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sherri Lewis’ writing was put on hold while she attended Howard University as an undergraduate, then medical school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After working almost fifteen years in the medical field, Sherri left her position as a staff physician at a Georgia Department of Corrections’ Women’s prison to pursue writing and ministry full time.

Sherri is co-founder of the Faith-Based Black Fiction Writers of Atlanta with Essence Best-Selling author Tia McCollors. Selling My Soul is the anticipated sequel to Sherri’s debut novel, My Soul Cries Out. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.  Visit Sherri online at www.sherrilewis.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Trina Michaels steps off the plane after her two-year missions trip in Africa, she realizes that other than longing to see her mother and her best friend, her heart aches to fly back to the place that now feels more like home than anywhere she’s… ever lived. And to the man who’s stolen her heart.

Her dream of a quick return to Mozambique fades within hours when Trina discovers that her mother has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Trina is forced to go back to her job as a publicist to cover her mother’s health costs.

She’s assigned a damage control client, Bishop Walker, a megachurch pastor accused of covering up a church sex scandal within his church involving the molestation of young boys. Representing him could cost Trina her most valued friendship, the love of her life, and her soul.

AN EXCERPT FROM SELLING MY SOUL

Before Trina Michaels can get out of the airport after returning from her two year missions trip in Africa, she finds out that all hell has broken loose in her best friend Monica’s life. Little does she know, she’s about to become a part of the problem…

My eyes fell on The Washington Times. My heart fell as I read the large front-page headline. “Church Sex Scandal.”  I glanced down at the picture of two men in handcuffs, being led away by policemen. One guy had turned his head to shield his face but the other had been captured dead on.

I gasped. It was the head deacon at Love and Faith Christian Center, the church I had gotten saved at and the church that Monica had been a member of before she moved to Atlanta. Her husband, Kevin, had been the minister of music there for years, but after everything that happened with them, he had moved to Atlanta about a year after she went.

I scanned the article. The head deacon at Love and Faith and the pastor of their daughter church in Alexandria, Virginia had been arrested the day before. The men were accused of molesting little boys in the church for as long as twenty years. I remembered Monica telling me that Kevin had been molested at the church when he was ten years old. I was sure that it had been by one of those men. The article said the arrest came after the ministry council governing the churches received a letter from a man who had been molested there as a child. He had finally spoken out after God had begun taking him through a healing process.

Monica had told me that as part of his therapy, Kevin had mailed a letter to the Bishop’s council overseeing Love and Faith Christian Center. In spite of his fears that his celebrity status as a gospel artist would be affected by the admission, he couldn’t stand the thought of any more boys being molested.  He felt guilty that he had kept the secret for so long. I was glad they kept the source of the letter confidential in the article. Monica would die if the truth about Kevin’s past life got out.

I read the article further. Since the ministry council had begun their investigation, they discovered that several boys at Love and Faith DC and Alexandria had been molested.  They expected that as the investigation continued, more would come forward.

My stomach churned. Twenty years? How had they gotten away with it that long? How come no one came forward before Kevin had? How many other mens lives had been affected like Kevin’s? How could their pastor, Bishop Walker, not have known what was going on?

Did Monica know that the men had been arrested? How was she going to handle it when she found out? Was it possible to keep Kevin’s past out of the press or would he be exposed and affected by this as well? If he was exposed, how would Monica handle it?

I tucked the newspaper into the front pocket of my suitcase and grabbed both bags and ambled slowly toward the front door to look for my sister and my car.

I was ready to go home. I had hoped to be able to relax for a few days when I got back, but already I had issues to take care of. First order of business was getting up to Baltimore to see how my mother was doing. Second, I had to call Monica to find out what was really going on.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: Trina comes home from Africa to find that her mother has terminal cancer and can’t afford the medical treatment that can keep her alive. Also, Trina’s little sister hasn’t kept up with her mortgage while she was gone, so she’s in danger of losing her house. She has to return to her career as a public relations specialist and is assigned a damage control client, Bishop Walker whose top priority is to keep his reputation intact so he can maintain his mega church status. If Trina refuses to represent him, the bishop threatens to expose Monica’s husband’s past.

Trina has to decide between covering her mom’s medical bills, keeping her house, and protecting her best friend’s family at the risk of selling her soul to the devil. Faced with such a decision, what would you choose to do?

View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/SellingMySoulBlogTour .

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

LaShawnda Jones is the publisher and author of Jazzy Media LLC. Her latest publication, My God and Me: Listening, Learning and Growing on My Journey is full of inspiration and testimony of personal growth.

Jazzy Media’s early publications brought local recognition to LaShawnda Jones’ work and requests for speaking engagements poured in. In 2004, she began facilitating body image and self-esteem workshops. Over the years, she has facilitated workshop discussions on the effects of family, friend, media and societal influences on our body image, self-esteem. She combines all that and more in My God and Me as she addresses, explores and strengthens her and her readers’ identity in Christ.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Relationships change with the tide of life. When your relationships ebb more than flow, do you find yourself asking, “Were my dying relationships ever real relationships? Are the people who maintain contact, but with whom there is no connection, worth holding on to? Should I expect a person’s presence in my life to equal dependency in my time of need? Does the quality of interaction determine the level of importance?”

These questions and many more flow through the interactions shared in My God and Me: Listening, Learning and Growing on My Journey.

AN EXCERPT FROM My God and Me

Young daughter, as you grow into an inquisitive little girl, a precocious teen and a delightful young woman you may have moments of self-doubt. We all do. But, never forget, life is a never ending journey that began in love. Keep that knowledge – build on it, grow from it, use it to gather strength as you mature on your walk.

Days may come when you question your purpose. Know that your purpose is for greatness and you were born with everything you need to fulfill it. Every step of your journey is preparation for everything to come. You’ll climb mountains and tumble into valleys; you’ll rest in fragrant pastures and be refreshed with cleansing waters. You may feel like you’re completely alone, but your Big Brother is walking with you. You may feel as if there’s no reason for all the walking and falling, or the long rests and waits, but your Father has a plan. You’ll rejoice with laughter and rant in tears. Give equal thanks for your troubles and your blessings, for even your pain will benefit you.

Don’t be fooled when you view others from the distance of your height or depth or through the lens of your grief and solitude. Their route may look smooth and uneventful. You may be tempted to pray for their ease, swiftness and surefootedness. Don’t. Pray instead for wisdom, guidance, and strength or other characteristics of Grace that will help you through your whole journey, not just a portion of it. Pray that the obstacles you encounter, the enemies you face and the many disappointments that weigh you down become opportunities to fellowship deeper with God. Stay focused, remain faithful, keep moving and your life will be a blessing to others.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/MyGodandMe.

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

Last week, we chatted briefly with author Vanessa Miller during her Celebrating Women in Ministry Blog Tour, but unfortunately our site went down several times.  So, my apologies to those who tried to join us, but were unable to do so.  We’re back today to wrap up with Vanessa.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vanessa Miller of Dayton , Ohio is an Essence best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying and Abundant Rain. To date, Vanessa has written the Rain Series and the Storm Series. The books in the Rain Series are: Former Rain , Abundant Rain, and Latter Rain. The books in the Storm Series are: Rain Storm and Through The Storm . These books have received rave reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous Bestseller’s lists.

BOOK TRAILER (Yesterday’s Promise)

Yesterday’s Promise is the first book of a series entitled, Second Chance of Love. Whitaker House plans to release the next two books in October 2010 and January 2011. Visit her online at www.VanessaMiller.com.

Also read the excerpt of Yesterday’s Promise and answer the questions Vanessa brought posed last week:

What do you think about women preachers? Should they preach the gospel or do you believe God has designed another path for women in the ministry?

Celebrate Women in Leadership Series

During the month of March 2010, Dawn McCoy, author of Leadership Building Blocks will highlight great women in leadership during Women’s History Month.

Tee, Thank you for allowing me to be a guest blogger today at RAWSISTAZ. Today, in the Celebrate Women in Leadership series, I want to highlight Dr. Dorothy Height.

On Wednesday, March 24, civil rights icon Dr. Dorothy L. Height celebrated her 98th birthday at a Washington, DC hospital where she was recovering from a brief illness. Interestingly enough, her birthday occurs in Women’s History Month and it is worth noting that she has made contributions to the advances for women of all races and backgrounds by advocating tirelessly.

Known to many as the “godmother of the civil rights movement,” Height has received numerous international honors, including the NAACP Spingarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom award, the Congressional Gold Medal, among others. She is the president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, a position she held for more than fifty years. She is also the primary force for launching the annual Black Family Reunion, a national celebration held on the National Mall in Washington to celebrate African-American family values.

During the civil rights movement, she was the only female frequently identified as an equal among the civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney H. Young, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins and Floyd McKissick.

In 1937, Mary McLeod Bethune who founded the National Council of Negro Women noticed a young Height who was at the time an assistant executive director of the Harlem YWCA. Bethune invited Height to join the cause to advocate for women’s rights for equal pay and education. From 1944 to 1977, Height served on the staff of the National Board of the YWCA of the USA and held several leadership positions, such as director of the National YWCA School for Professional Workers. In 1965, she became director of the Center for Racial Justice.

In 2002, in honor of Height’s 90th birthday, a gathering of friends that included entertainment moguls and civil rights veterans pledged $5 million to pay the mortgage of the NCNW headquarters building located on Pennsylvania Avenue. At an annual fundraising in 2009, she said that “Young people need a sense of strategy. They must learn the big task is to take hold and move … that silence is not the position we need to take. We need to make our voices heard, but we need a sense of timing.

What makes her so profound it that she knows how important it is that young people have a sense of the issues in injustice, how to articulate inequity, and learning to be advocates. Dr. Dorothy Height is a beloved African-American but more importantly and true “sheroe” for her dedication to supporting the development of women.

TOUR GIVEAWAY: Blog visitors who leave comments  OR radio callers with questions for Dawn are eligible to win an autographed copy of Leadership Building Block and a copy of the Effective Community Engagement CD.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dawn McCoy is author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success. As one of the youngest elected African-American elected to the Sacramento City Unified School Board, McCoy shares seven leadership fundamentals in her book. Inspiring readers to be top in their field, Dawn shares her insights based upon twenty years serving as a nonprofit and government executive.

A motivational speaker, coach, and founder of Flourish Leadership Group, a leadership development and communications firm, Dawn is dedicated to transforming ordinary people into extraordinary leaders. In recent years, she has worked with organizations to develop their vision and create phenomenal results. Dawn has worked with hundreds of individuals to help them capture their spirit of leadership and truly become the effective leaders they were meant to be.

Visit Dawn online at FlourishLeadership.com.

Read an excerpt online and visit the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/LeadershipBuildingBlocks.

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

Yesterday’s Promise by Vanessa Miller

Melinda Johnson has always felt called to ministry. So, when her father, Bishop Langston Johnson, decides to step down after thirty years of leadership at Omega Christian Center, it seems only natural for her to take his place. But Bishop Johnson feels led by a God who has other things in mind, and to succeed him, he appoints Steven Marks-a man who is opposed to female pastors, not to mention the fact that he is Melinda’s ex-fiancé.

Feeling defeated, Melinda nevertheless maintains her position as the church’s Missions and Community Outreach Director. Frequent interaction with the new bishop incites bitter sparring-and rekindles long-suppressed attraction, which grows only stronger when Melinda develops a relationship with Steven’s precious daughter, Brianna, who’s still struggling with the death of her mother.

Can Steven and Melinda set aside past pains, forgive each other, and learn to love again? Or will their opposing positions regarding women preachers keep them forever at odds?

Read an Excerpt from Yesterday’s Promise

Anxious to see her father and make sure he was all right, Melinda rushed down the hospital corridor that led to his room. He had been admitted to the hospital three days prior, complaining of chest pains. After several tests, the doctor had confirmed that no sign of a heart attack had been detected. Melinda was thankful that her father was recuperating and doing well. She was also excited to tell him about some wonderful, unexpected news she had received that morning.

Her father’s eyes were closed when Melinda walked into his hospital room. As she approached his bed, she noticed for the first time that his hair was no longer salt-and-pepper but completely white. The wrinkles beneath his eyes, which had long made him look distinguished, were now more pronounced and distracting. When did all of this happen? Melinda wondered as she picked up her father’s frail hand and pressed it to her cheek.

Bishop Johnson’s eyes fluttered as he turned toward his daughter. “Hey, baby girl. When’d you get here?”

“Just a few minutes ago. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get here earlier.”

“You had to handle my responsibilities at the church. Don’t worry about it. I had plenty of visitors this morning.”

Melinda sat down in the chair next to her father’s bed and hung her purse on the arm of the chair. “I have some good news, Daddy. I’ve been asked to speak at the Women on the Move for God conference in August!”

“That’s great, baby girl! But I have even better news.”

Melinda raised her eyebrows. “What, the doctor gave you a clean bill of health and said that you’ll live to be a hundred?”

Bishop Johnson shook his head and then blurted out, “I found you a husband.”

“Excuse me?” Melinda said in as even a tone as she could manage. After all, she was a thirty-seven-year-old woman living in the twenty-first century. Fathers didn’t go out and find husbands for their daughters in this day and age. “Please tell me you’re joking, Daddy.

“No joke to it,” Bishop Johnson said as he hoisted himself into an upright position. “I’m an old man, Melinda. I haven’t got many years left. I’d like to see at least one of my grandchildren before I die, you know?”

Melinda couldn’t deny that her father was showing signs of aging. But that didn’t mean death would sneak into his hospital room and suck out his last breath while she stood there and watched. “You talk as if you’ll die tomorrow.”

“I could. The next heart attack could be my last.”

Melinda rolled her eyes. “It was an anxiety attack, Daddy. Stop being such a baby. The doctor says you’re fine.”

Bishop Johnson shook a shaky finger at Melinda. “Now, you listen to me. I’m eighty-two years old. I know what’s best for you, and that’s why I called Steven Marks.”

Melinda bolted out of her chair and moved away from her father’s bed. She put a hand to her mouth and shut her eyes, trying to block out the same feeling of humiliation she’d experienced when Steven had dumped her ten years ago. This has to be some kind of horrible joke, Melinda thought. But her father was a serious man who rarely joked with anyone.

“Calm down. It’s not as bad as you think,” he said. “I didn’t come right out and tell Steven I wanted him to marry you. He’s a smart young man…he’ll come to that decision on his own.”

“Why are you even talking to me about Steven, Daddy? That man walked out on me and married someone else. Do you really think I’d want him back now, just because his wife is dead?”

“Pride goes before destruction, Melinda.”

She really hated it when her father tried to rein her in by quoting Scriptures. “What does being prideful have to do with not wanting to marry a man who rejected me?”

“I have more to tell you. Would you please sit back down?”

Melinda inched back to her seat and slowly settled into it. If this marrying Steven Marks thing was supposed to be a buffer for the rest of her father’s message, then she was truly petrified. She glanced at her father with a look of apprehension.

“This last hospital stay has convinced me that I need to retire.”

Melinda rolled her eyes. “I’ve been telling you for years now to retire. I can pastor Omega, and Pastor Lakes can take over as bishop.”

“Let me finish,” Bishop Johnson said, holding up a hand to silence Melinda. “I know the ministry goals that you have. I also believe that there is a way for you to do God’s will and also have a family. Plus, Steven’s church did not support him during his grieving process. They want him to leave, Melinda. So, after prayerful reflection, I’ve asked him to take over for me as bishop.”

Melinda must not have heard him right. He couldn’t have just said that Steven Marks—the man who’d called off their wedding because she’d refused to give up her dreams of preaching the gospel—was going to be the new bishop of Omega Christian Church. In Melinda’s mind, this could mean only one thing: her sin had finally caught up with her.

DISCUSSION & GIVEAWAY

What do you think about women preachers? Should they preach the gospel or do you believe God has designed another path for women in the ministry?

Participants will be placed in a drawing for an autographed copy of Yesterday’s Promise by Vanessa Miller and a $25 Gift Card.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vanessa Miller of Dayton , Ohio is an Essence best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying and Abundant Rain. To date, Vanessa has written the Rain Series and the Storm Series. The books in the Rain Series are: Former Rain , Abundant Rain, and Latter Rain. The books in the Storm Series are: Rain Storm and Through The Storm . These books have received rave reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous Bestseller’s lists.

Yesterday’s Promise is the first book of a series entitled, Second Chance of Love. Whitaker House plans to release the next two books in October 2010 and January 2011. Visit her online at www.VanessaMiller.com.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/WomeninMinistry

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Many believers have a hard time accepting transformation is a part of God’s plan for their lives. Changes happen every day. We accept address changes, income changes, management changes, and we even agree that our physical appearance changes, but we do not embrace that God wants to change our sinful nature to that of a Holy people. Change is something we all need; however, few are willing to make the change from mediocre to greatness.

Prophetess Lori McKenney shares about the four stages a caterpillar must achieve before it transforms into a beautiful butterfly. In correlation, she imparts how the heart and mind is connected to the complete metamorphosis process. The powerful scriptures and motivational quotes found in “Transformation” also reveal the treasures of how God wants you to have a successful life. A must have for your personal library and chat groups. “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”(Psalm 37:5)

Transformation can be found at most online bookstores and www.amazon.com or at her website: www.lsktransformation.com.

Listen to an excerpt from Pastor McKenney

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/TransformationBlogTour.

Sonya shares her heart with her husband, Pastor Tony Visor, who she calls her better half, for nineteen years. She and her husband have ministered effectively in the city of Racine together at NCC since 1999. Sonya is blessed to love two sons, Jason and Tony, Jr.

Visit her online at sonyavisor.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Who are you when nobody’s looking? It’s time to take off what hides who you truly are…the mask! Are you tired of going around family, friends and church folk with a frozen smile and a broken heart? Unmask your true identity and learn your real name as pastor’s wife and playwright Sonya Visor cuts to the heart with dynamic testimony of sexual molestation at a young age.

BEING SILENT GAVE POWER to the hands that touched her life. Can hands meant to protect you also have the power to crush your identity? YES! But when we stop allowing a mask of shame to hold us captive with CLOSED mouths, WE CAN let Jesus be real in our lives.

Discover who you have become and embrace who you really are in a book that goes past the pews and what other’s think about you — to bring glory to God by being transparent and transformed. It’s time to take off your mask and let the true you show up!

Excerpt from the Book (CHAPTER 7)

Audio excerpt version with commentary from Sonya

Can I Tell You My Story?

Can I talk to you for a minute? I mean like really; can I trust you with my stuff, or my situation? Or are you one of those people who run and thrive off somebody else’s trouble or mistakes? If people are really going to break the silence, are you a safe place for them?

Masking is often implemented because most folk can’t really handle the truth about others or what they are hearing. The situation, if shared, will usually render responses that immediately are classified as judgment or rejection. There’s a rare group of people who can handle the true story that’s being told or deposited into one’s hearing.

If someone came and told you that they were struggling with lust, pornography, lying, stealing, homosexuality, or lesbianism, what would you say? How would you address the problem presented? I mean, both you and the person know that the issue is wrong, so where do you go from there? People are dying because they can’t find anybody to be real with. So they remain quiet and undercover, which will eventually rot the inside of their souls.

My heart goes out to the person who everyone perceives to have all the answers, but in reality, they are barely making it. He finally comes to the point of sharing his heart, only to hear the person he was about to share with speak against someone else with a similar problem. So what happens? The mouth is closed; there’s a retreat. A whisper on the inside says, I can’t tell a soul.

This secret continues to eat at the inside of them. I know, because I felt that I could tell no one my story. It has to come out in order for the individual to be free. I tried, but they responded with the “right” religious jargon, but not the right spirit. Sometimes just having an ear to listen is the best gift you can give someone. The right heart or spirit loves the person right where they are, at that moment.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/TakeOffTheMask.

Discussion: If people are really going to break the silence, are you a safe place for them?

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

Visit Dwan online at http://dwanabrams.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lyric Stokes lives, by most standards, a charmed life. Married to Michael Stokes, a prominent heart surgeon, she has financial security and lives in the lap of luxury. All is not perfect, though. Lyric feels inadequate because she gave birth to a daughter, rather than the son that her husband so desperately wanted.

After an unexpected turn of events, Lyric discovers that she’s pregnant again, but now she has to decide whether she even wants to keep the child she has longed for. She seeks solace in her church, where her daughter also feels at home; but they can’t get Michael to join them. Disagreeing with organized religion, he has put his job before all else, including God. The distance between the couple grows further every day.

Nigel Fredericks has a history of stalking women. He’s been accused, but never convicted. Now he’s set his sights on Lyric. She’s at a low point in her life, and Nigel knows just how to take advantage of that vulnerability. Lyric’s life is turned upside down; Nigel is like a cancer eating away at her mental stability, her marriage, and ultimately, her life. Will Michael reevaluate his priorities and his faith in time to save his family?

CHAT/DISCUSSION

Read brief excerpt from My Mother’s Child …

Lyric couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t bless her with a son. If only she could get pregnant. She really wanted to give Michael, her husband of fifteen years, a son, a namesake. No matter how much Michael assured her that he was happy with her and their twelve-year-old daughter, Autumn, a part of her felt as if she were less than a woman because she couldn’t give her husband a son.

On the surface, she didn’t lack for anything―big house, fancy cars, and money. She didn’t know whether she was the luckiest or unluckiest, woman in the world.

A lot of women think that having a husband with money would make them happy.  Why do you think that women who seem to have it all still find something to complain about?  Could it be that some women are never satisfied and want what they can’t have?  LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/MyMothersChild.

*A Tywebbin Blog Tour

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

Dreams That Won’t Let Go by Stacy Hawkins Adams is the third and final book in the Jubilant Soul Series. Stacy is well known for writing Christian Fiction that truly uplifts the reader. Today, we want to introduce this series of books to you.

Have you read one of the books? Let us know which book inspired you.

**The Someday List (Book 1)

Rachelle Covington has it all. A fabulous home, a handsome and prestigious husband, two beautiful children, and a place in the upper crust that’s quite comfortable. But her life is not all it’s cracked up to be. Rachelle visits a dying friend who leaves her with an unsettling challenge. As she seeks to meet it, she takes an honest look at her dissolving marriage, loss of identity and an abandoned faith and tries to pick up the pieces. Read this inspiring tale to discover how one woman finally faces the truth and triumphs in the face of it

What did you add to your “someday list” after reading the novel?

**Worth a Thousand Words (Book 2)

Life has always gone Indigo Burns’ way. She’s smart, pretty, and talented, and she knows exactly what she wants. A photography internship at her hometown’s local newspaper is the next step in her well-laid plans for her future. But her long-term goals are put to the test when her boyfriend Brian proposes–two years before he’s supposed to and in front of all the guests at her college graduation party. Too concerned about his feelings to say no, she heartily agrees, but inside she’s cringing. Indigo knows in her heart that she’s not prepared to sacrifice her dreams to become Brian’s wife–not before she has achieved any of them.

Will she find the answers among family and friends in Jubilant, Texas? Or will the picture-perfect life she dreams of be left behind?

What personal truths were you able to embrace after reading about these characters’ choices?

**Dreams That Won’t Let Go (Book 3)

Indigo Burns is excited. Her wedding preparations to the man of her dreams are underway, her photography career is a success, and her family seems to be doing better than ever—all except her brother Reuben, who nobody has seen in years. But that’s about to change.

When Reuben decides to move back home to Jubilant, Texas, he hopes to find healing with his sisters. But Indigo isn’t so sure their relationship can be mended. And when younger sister Yasmin makes a life-altering choice, it seems like only a miracle can put the Burns family back together.

Will these siblings – and the rest of their family - ever be able to love unconditionally and release each other to live their dreams?

What dreams are simmering in your heart and waiting to be birthed?

DREAMS THAT WON’T LET GO GIVEAWAY!

WIN a set of signed books from the Jubilant Soul Series AND a free one-hour session with Helena Nyman, an executive coach.  Answer one or more of the following question in the comment section to be eligible for the giveaway.

• THE SOME DAY LIST
  What did you add to your “someday list” after reading the novel?
• WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
  What personal truths were you able to embrace after reading about these characters’ choices?
• DREAMS THAT WON’T LET GO
  What dreams are simmering in your heart and waiting to be birthed?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stacy Hawkins Adams is a nationally-published, award-winning author and speaker. Her contemporary women’s fiction novels are filled with social themes and spiritual quests that take readers on journeys into their own souls.

She holds a degree in journalism and served as a newspaper reporter for more than a decade before turning her full attention to penning books, speaking professionally and writing freelance articles.

Stacy lives in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two young children. Visit Stacy online at stacyhawkinsadams.com.

Visit the full blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/DreamsThatWontLetGo.

SistahFaith – A Revolution of Restoration

Silent as the Grave by Robin Caldwell

My friend Pamela and I would recite the lines from a particular scene in the movie “Sense and Sensibility,” where one of the characters cajoles another into sharing a secret by

vowing to be as “silent as the grave” or a keeper of the secret. The scene is comedic though it ends with one woman violently attacking the other. We’d rewind that scene over and over, laughing hysterically every time we watched it. And the line, “I’ll be as silent as the grave” became a catch phrase we’d repeat in jest, in an affected British accent and as our little secret between friends.

One of the requirements of my profession (publicist) is that our code of ethics vows us to secrecy and confidentiality. You don’t ask and we don’t tell. We don’t tell, praying to God you don’t ask. Sometimes we know every angle to a story, and have to eat insults, lies and even verbal attacks in the name of being as “silent as the grave.” I’ve been silent when someone’s interpretation of an event or circumstance inconveniences my credibility and dignity. So, I sometimes think it’s not too terribly useful to have to share my side of any story for the sake of peace. My peace.

That’s Robin professionally.

Robin personally… Well, let’s just say I’ve been known to cut off people who withheld the truth from me. Two of my besties have been instructed to come and get me from the altar should my denial take me that far and it looks like I’m about to say ‘I do’ to Mr. Wrong.  And if they don’t, the plan is for me to stop the ceremony to beat them down for letting me hurt myself.

To me, you tell the truth when you love someone. Right?

Etched in my heart is another idiom, “Silence is the voice of complicity,” and I’ve never understood how people could remain silent and watch as someone is hurting or being hurt. Remaining silent is like handing over a weapon or balling up a fist or signing the permission slip for abuse, assault and even death in some cases.

Remaining silent about something that has happened to you is just as deadly.

I’ve surmised that the difficulty most of us have in delivering such truths stems from an inability to tell our own truths. To tell the truth means we have to be transparent and to hear it means we have to be vulnerable. And in the interim, all of this shame and these stories are causing such pain on the inside that manifests on the outside, whether we think we’re clever, like me, in covering it up.

When Marilynn Griffith first shared her vision of SistahFaith, I was sold on two important aspects of the project. (1) Women would unite and learn to have more empathy for one another by (2) learning to be more transparent about our sufferings.

Marilynn said, “It’s time for us to lift up our skirts to show our scars.” That’s what the book represents to me. A collective group of women who have experienced the gamut in humiliations and indignities and who are willing to share our stories – lift up our skirts – so that some sister somewhere can relate and perhaps find fellowship in our common sufferings and our common triumphs. And God knows it’s needed because a unique gifting of women is that we can sure pretty up our messes, can’t we?

An irony in that scene from “Sense and Sensibility” is the violence between the two women. Yes, I laughed, but I have to admit that it saddens me that in keeping secrets we commit a form of violence against our own. Being silent as the grave can actually send someone to their grave.

Deep, ain’t it?

Have you ever struggled with remaining silent to avoid confrontation or making a sister-friend angry? Have you ever remained silent and regretted it? Have you broken your silence and it saved a sister?
ABOUT THE BOOK

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? (Jeremiah 8:22, NIV)

Twenty-five women, including Bunny Debarge, Sharon Ewell Foster, Stanice Anderson, Claudia Mair Burney and Marilynn Griffith, tell their stories of coming full circle from tragedy to triumph. Each contributor keeps it holy, keeping it real in these raw, relevant tales of redemption and restoration. Think of it as Prozac for the Christian Woman’s Soul!

A twelve week study is included for churches and book clubs. Instructions provided on gathering your own SistahFaith circle.

BUY THE BOOK

Join the network of sistahs at http://sistahfaith.ning.com/.

Check the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/SistahFaith

SISTAHFAITH CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

• MARILYNN GRIFFITH (Editor)
• STANICE ANDERSON
• TANYA R. BATES
• CLAUDIA MAIR BURNEY
• WANDA J. BURNSIDE
• ROBIN CALDWELL
• SHELETTE CARLISLE
• LADY CATHERINE
• ETTERLENE “BUNNY” DEBARGE”
• DEE EAST
• SHARON EWELL FOSTER
• DORIEN HAGE
• GAIL M. HAYES
• DR. NAIMA JOHNSTON
• DELORES M. JONES, MSW, LMSW
• STEPHANIE L. JONES
• CARMITA MCCALL
• LAVONN NEIL
• CARLEAN SMITH
• DAVIDAE “DEE” STEWART
• SONYA VISOR
• LITTLE SALLY WALKER
• ROSALYN “ROS” WEBB
• ROBIN R. WISE
• KISHA WOODS

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.~ Psalm 34:18

See details below on how you can participate in the Healthy Heart Blog Tour with Rhonda McKnight.

10% of donation during this blog tour will go to the American Heart Association (AHA).

MEET RHONDA MCKNIGHT

Rhonda McKnight has been writing since she was six years old. Her first book was about a family of mice who lived under the boardwalk near her home in the coastal town of Asbury Park. It’s no coincidence that more than thirty years later, she would pen her first novel about a family.  Family means everything to her.

When she wrote Secrets and Lies her own family was in trouble. Her marriage of nearly ten years was falling apart. While she is clear that the novel is a work of fiction, she admits some elements of the story are her own. The emotional intensity of Faith’s pain was hers and the feeling of utter hopeless filled her heart. Join her today as she shares some of that pain and frustration in her segment on “the broken heart”.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Faith Morgan is struggling with her faith. Years of neglect leave her doubting that God will ever fix her marriage. When a coworker accuses her husband, Jonah, of the unthinkable, Faith begins to wonder if she really knows him at all, and if it’s truly in God’s will for them to stay married.

Pediatric cardiologist Jonah Morgan is obsessed with one thing: his work. A childhood incident cemented his desire to heal children at any cost, even his family, but now he finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Will he continue to allow the past to haunt him, or find healing and peace in a God he shut out long ago?

An Excerpt from the Novel

Faith was surprised she was able to keep up the front of being “okay” until she put the children to bed because, in truth, she was boiling under the surface. How could he do this to her, again? How could he do it to Eric?

She pulled Eric’s bedroom door closed, took a few steps and then stopped. Unable to move forward, she leaned sideways against the wall. Her anger and disappointment were mixing together in her spirit like a cocktail of oil and vinegar. Neither dominated, but each equally strong.

“Lord, how much more am I supposed to take?” she spoke into the darkness of the hallway. “How many more times will it be okay for him to break my baby’s heart?”

Faith is angry with her husband Jonah in the excerpt. He was a no show for an important family activity and as you can see, it wasn’t the first time. She’s heartbroken. I think many of us have challenges with communication and time. The demands in our current workforce make it difficult for families to have quality time. But it’s a must if we’re going to have healthy, happy, strong families. Jonah Morgan’s work is more important than his family, or at least it appears that way. At the heart of his work-a-holism is a childhood hurt that has never healed. His broken heart affects everyone in his life – his wife, children, even his parents. But how much does Faith have to put up with? How much does anyone have to deal with when a person who’s hurting won’t talk about it or get help? I believe we owe our families to be the most healthy, happy, whole person we can be. Because who we are shows up in our relationships and our work and our spiritual lives.

“How many times?” Faith Morgan asks. How many times indeed? God answers Faith. You’ll have to read Secrets and Lies to find out how. But in the meantime – what are some ways you can carve out family time? What might be hindrances to making it happen? What do you think about “for better or for worse” when what’s hurting one spouse is crippling the other? What about the children?

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rhonda McKnight is the owner of www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com, a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction and Legacy Editing, a freelance service for fiction writers. Her second novel, An Inconvenient Friend will be released on August 1, 2010. She has two sons, ages four and eighteen and one lonely goldfish. Originally from New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for eleven years. Her website is www.rhondamcknight.net

ENTER TO WIN 3 GREAT GIVEAWAYS!

GRAND PRIZE (one winner possible)

A “Start” Fitness Pack she purchased from the American Heart Association’s Online store. The online store helps in the fight against heart disease by promoting heart-healthy lifestyles that include physical activities like walking. Net proceeds from the sale of these items support the Start! movement.

The Fitness Kit includes: Start BackPack, Start Water Bottle, Start Shoe Wallet, and the Power to End Stroke 46 Recipe Healthy Soul Food Cook Book.

SECOND PLACE PRIZE (one winner possible)

Autographed hardcover copy of Secrets and Lies will be given away to the 2nd person whose name is pulled in the drawing.

THIRD PLACE PRIZE (one winner possible)

In honor of Rhonda’s birthday on Feb. 6th – a $10 Barnes and Nobles, Borders or Starbucks Gift Card will be given to the 3rd person whose name is pulled in the drawing. (winner chooses).

HOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING:

All entrants with 10 POINTS AND UP will be entered in a drawing to win the GRAND PRIZE – FITNESS PACK.

All entrants with 5 POINTS AND UP will be entered in a drawing to win PRIZES TWO AND THREE.

HOW TO Earn points:

+15 Point ENTRIES: Purchase a copy of Secrets and Lies from the online store during the tour through www.urbanchristianbooks.com.

+1 point ENTRY: join the discussion by commenting on one of the blog tour sites each day (must comment on the day of the tour site by 9 pm). Comment must include your thoughts on the subject. (can not just say – great point or I agree).

+1 point ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING INTERESTING YOU FIND WHEN YOU GO TO Rhonda’s WEBSITE or blog. LOOK AROUND AS THERE IS LOTS TO SEE. HERE are THE LINKs www.rhondamcknight.net and www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com

+1 point ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY. On Twitter Retweet @rhondamcknight or use the hashtags #Health or #hearthealth

+2 point ENTRIES: Join Rhonda’s Facebook Reader Page or Sign up for her newsletter on her webpage.

THE RULES:

• U.S. Residents Only
• Email address must be included in comment **RAWSISTAZ will provide email addresses upon request to ensure privacy of participants.
• All Entries/Comments must be separate in order to count as more than one entry.
• Maximum of 3 points can be earned on any one tour day.
• Tour host bloggers can not enter to win.

DRAWING WILL BE HELD AT 9 PM EST on FEBRUARY 7th

Kacie Mayweather, stricken with cerebral palsy, has had her share of men—five baby daddies for six children, in fact. But she’s never had one man to call her own.

Take a Peek Inside Kacie’s Story
(excerpt from Beautiful Ugly by Shelia E. Lipsey)

For the fifth time in a week, Kacie couldn’t muster up an appetite, not even for Coco Puffs, which was her all time favorite cereal since she was a little girl. The very thought of milk and cereal sent her to the bathroom heaving.  Having given birth to six children, she didn’t have to go to a doctor, or run to the drugstore for a pregnancy test.  There was no doubt about it.  She was pregnant. Kacie freshened up and when her stomach settled, she drank an ice cold glass of pineapple –orange juice.  Sitting alone at the kitchen table, Kacie stared outside at the orange and gold leaves as they fell to the ground.  The site was beautiful to her.  The leaves fell gently, one by one, some two by two.  Kacie folded her arms inside each other and hugged herself like she was warding off the cool wind blowing through the trees in the front yard.

Standing, Kacie retreated to the living room and started picking up behind the kids.  She paused a moment and massaged her belly.  Looking down; she smiled at the idea of giving birth to the child of the man she loved – the man God had finally sent her way.  “You’re going to have a wonderful daddy,” she whispered. “And, unlike the rest of the bums I’ve had in my life, this time, everything is going to be different.  I wouldn’t be surprised if your daddy asks to marry me.”  She drew back into the living room and leaned against the spotless wall.  She turned with a start when the phone rang.

“Speak of the devil,” she said when she looked at the Caller Id then down at her tummy.  It was Deacon. Kacie beamed with joy.

“Good morning, beautiful.”  The voice on the other end of the phone forced her to smile.

She loved Deacon.  The four and a half months they had been seeing each other seemed like a lifetime to Kacie.  It was like she’d known him all of her life.  Except for the times like yesterday when Deacon seemed like he’d fallen off the face of the earth, their relationship was good.  Maybe he didn’t tell her he loved her, like she told him, but Kacie believed he did.  “Actions are better than words,” Layla reminded her from time to time.  Kacie retained Layla’s words in her mind to retrieve whenever Deacon didn’t call or when she wanted to hear him say those three special words.

“Deacon, honey. I’ve been so worried.  You weren’t at church yesterday and you didn’t answer my calls.  Are you okay?” Kacie asked with grave concern.

“What have I told you about getting yourself all in a tizzy when you don’t hear from me everyday?  I got called out of town at the last minute late Saturday evening, after we talked.  You know how those trips can be.  Quick, exhausting and definitely spur of the moment.  I’m sorry. I wanted to call you, but I was up half the night with a client trying to kiss up to him so he would sign a contract with our company.  It was late by the time I convinced him to sign on the dotted line and I was exhausted.  I didn’t make it back to Memphis until after midnight. I wasn’t about to wake you up then, knowing you had to get up early yourself to get your kids off to school.”

Kacie exhaled. ” I was so worried. When I talked to you Saturday, you said you were going to see me at church.  I just started going out of my mind thinking all kind of crazy thoughts when I didn’t see you. I forgot how your job keeps you on call twenty-four seven.”

“Well, now that, that’s settled.  How’s my favorite girl doing?” he asked.

“Perfect, now that I’m talking to my favorite guy,” she answered.  Kacie walked around the sofa where she spotted one of the boys’ wrestling figures on the floor.

“I was thinking about coming by before going to the office this morning.  You up to seeing me?”

“Do you have to ask?” Kacie sat on the back of the sofa.

“Do you want me to stop somewhere and grab you a sandwich?”  Little thoughtful things like that is what made Kacie adore Deacon.  He was such a considerate man.

“No, I’m not hungry this morning.  I just want you.  You’ll be my breakfast,” she crooned into the phone.

“Hey, hey, I like that.  I’ll see you in about ten minutes, love.”

What Do You Think?

Like many women, Kacie has been searching for a man to call her own. Do you think Kacie is on the right track in the passage above? What do you think she may be or should be doing differently.?

Leave your comments below and DON’T FORGET to leave an answer for the contest question too.

To find out more about Kacie and her two friends, consider purchasing a copy of Beautiful Ugly. This book makes a great book club selection for discussion!

Win an autographed copy of Beautiful Ugly

Shelia Lipsey is the author of three other Christian Fiction novels. The trivia questions below are from one of those novels. Leave your response to the trivia question below in the comment section.

What was the relationship between Frankie and Rena? Tell us the title of the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Shelia E. Lipsey is a multi-award winning author.  Her novels are available at most bookstores nationwide as well as online.  Lipsey’s books have been called gripping, life-altering, memorable and realistic. Lipsey was recently awarded the 2009 Top Shelf Award for Beautiful Ugly by Black Pearls Magazine. She also won 2009 Shades of Romance Readers’ Choice Awards for My Son’s Wife in the following categories: Author of the Year, Christian fiction Book of the Year, Christian Romance of the Year, Best Book Cover of the Year, Best Fiction Book of the Year, among several other awards for her novels, Into Each Life and Sinsatiable.

Lipsey is the proud mother of two sons and the grandmother of three blessed young men. She is president of UCHisGloryBookClub.net, founder of Living Your Dreams Now a non-profit organization and MAAW (Memphis African American Writers). For more information, visit www.shelialipsey.com.

Check the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/BeautifulUgly

Deborah Billingsley says “We are our own worst enemy being harder on ourselves.  We tend to ask everyone how to get out of a situation and get emotionally tied to the circumstance. We continue to speak about it not knowing that what we’re speaking about, thinking about, keeps rehearsing itself in our lives.  We have a tendency to depend on others to help us get out of whatever it is and questioning our decisions constantly. We try and solve ourselves and do not listen to our heart only our head. We tend to not have direction, goals final destinations to what we want to happen out of life.  We know what we don’t want, but do we know want we DO want?  This keeps us going in circles back to the same situations.

I have learned that Jesus, God’s son was the best friend I could ever have. He directed my paths when I learned to listen. I learned that when a situation presents itself instead of thinking about how…. I relaxed in the things of God, music, aromatherapy for pleasant smells, enjoying beautiful landscape, helping someone else getting my mind off me and exercise to release tension and reading what God promised.  And I realized that most situations would only last a matter of three days!  If you research the word three days you will see that just about everything renewed after three days!”  

We need to RELAX, BREATHE and BELIEVE. There is more joy there.

Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them ALL.

Donna M. Saunders says “The first issue that comes to mind is fear.  We talk ourselves out of moving forward and living victoriously by fear of not being accepted, fear of failure, fear of losing control etc.  We must remember that the battle is the Lord’s and not ours (I Samuel 17:47, II Chronicles 20:14-16, II Chronicles 32:8).

I would like all women to remember that we must Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8)”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Victorious Living for Women is filled with the inspiration, wisdom and pathways to victory of 42 incredible women who share stories of their life experiences, from their heart to yours. They have endured personal pain and have come through empowered, encouraged and victorious.

As they take you on their personal journeys you will find inspiration, encouragement and blueprints for victory embedded in each chapter. You will discover principles for transforming your life. You can learn how to overcome fear, find you purpose, define your destiny, recover from divorce, heal your heart, physical healing, dealing with the loss of loved ones and so much more.

This stellar assembly of women with inspiring true-life stories will captivate you throughout each page as you read how their lives were transformed from anger to joy, disappointment to destiny and trial to victory. Their candor, wisdom and inspiration can help you to pursue your path of becoming a victorious woman.

Read an excerpt and check the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/VictoriousLivingForWomenTour.

Now It’s Your Turn

What are some major issues you think keep women from living victoriously?

We look forward to your response in the comment section below.