Her Deadly Secrets by Laura Griffin
A young private investigator finds out the price of keeping deadly secrets when a vicious killer sets his sights on her in this pulse-pounding thriller from the USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling author of the Tracers series.
Private investigator Kira Vance spends her days navigating the intricate labyrinth of Houston’s legal world, and she knows all of its shadowy players and dark secrets.
On a seemingly normal day, she’s delivering a report to her top client when suddenly everything goes sideways and the meeting ends in a bloodbath. Twenty-four hours later, the police have no suspects but one thing is clear: a killer has Kira in his sights.
Fiercely independent, Kira doesn’t expect—or want—help from anyone, least of all an unscrupulous lawyer and his elite security team. Instead, she launches her own investigation, hoping to uncover the answers that have eluded the police. But as Kira’s hunt for clues becomes more and more perilous, she realizes that she alone may hold the key to finding a vicious murderer. And she knows she must take help wherever she can find it if she wants to stay alive…
Written with Laura Griffin’s signature “gritty, imaginative, sexy” (Cindy Gerard, New York Times bestselling author) style, Her Deadly Secrets is an electrifying and scintillating novel that packs a powerful punch.
Purchase Her Deadly Secrets (Wolfe Security) by Laura Griffin
https://www.amazon.com/Her-Deadly-Secrets-Wolfe-Security/dp/1501162438
About The Author
Laura Griffin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tracers series, the Wolfe Sec series, the Alpha Crew series, and several other novels. A two-time RITA Award winner and the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award, Laura lives in Austin, where she is working on her next book. Visit her at LauraGriffin.com, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/LauraGriffinAuthor.
Her Last Breath by Dan Padavona
Her Last Breath (Wolf Lake Thriller Book 1 of 10 in Series) by Dan Padavona
He’s hunting a psychopath. And now the killer wants him dead.
After he’s shot in the line of duty, Detective Thomas Shepherd returns to Wolf Lake to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. Living beside the water, he finds peace…until the body of a missing woman washes up on his shore and the town blames a teenage boy with a history of violence.
Is a killer stalking the sleepy resort village?
Thomas isn’t convinced the teenager committed murder. Challenging a village that wants justice at any cost, he pursues the real killer as evidence mounts against the teenager. If he fails, an innocent boy will go to prison.
Can Thomas clear the boy’s name before he becomes the killer’s next victim?
Her Passionate Promise: Women Of Park Manor by Sheryl Lister
Her Passionate Promise: Women Of Park Manor by Sheryl Lister
Order your copy today: http://bit.ly/HerPassionatePromiseRGP
After kissing one frog too many, Kathi Norris is content to remain unattached. But her well-ordered plans are turned upside down the moment she meets Eric Dawson. The skillful attorney by day and soulful musician by night, fires her up in more ways than one. The closer she gets to him, the more she realizes he’s her prince charming …if he can let go of his past.
Eric risked his heart, only to see his world shattered by tragedy and betrayal. He’s spent years running from relationships, but with Kathi’s tender embrace and sultry kisses, Eric finds her hard to resist. He’ll have to come to terms with his deepest hurts to win her trust and claim a love that promises forever.
Be sure to order the other books in the anthology. They can be read in any order.
Her Forbidden Fantasy: bit.ly/HerForbiddenFantasyRGP
Her Essential Love: bit.ly/HerEssentialLoveRGP
Her Little Secret: bit.ly/HerLittleSecretRGP
Her Undeniable Distraction: bit.ly/HerUndeniableDistractionRGP
Explore Books by Sheryl Lister
https://www.smore.com/shbwd-books-by-sheryl-lister
Hold You Down: A Novel by Tracy Brown
Hold You Down is an edgy novel from rising star Tracy Brown about the perils of love and the ties that bind…
New York City. Late 1980s to early 1990s.
Mercy and Lenox Howard have always only had each other. Growing up on the mean streets of Harlem with an absentee mother meant that they had to have each other’s backs. Now young, smart mothers they are determined to survive in New York City while raising their two sons, who have bright futures ahead of them.
Mercy is the quiet, straight laced hospital administrator, struggling to make ends meet. At night and on weekends, she pours her heart into her cooking and her dream of owning her own restaurant. Lenox is the diva, the wild child, looking for excitement and her big come up in life and love. Their boys, Deon and Judah, have been raised more like brothers than cousins, forging a bond that is unbreakable.
When Lenox heads down a path that she believes will bring success and power, it changes the entire course of her life and her family’s life forever. As a result of their mother’s choices, cousins Deon and Judah soon find themselves in uncharted territory.
Homecoming Chaos by Dominique Brooks
Homecoming Chaos by Dominique Brooks
Jamison Jones Scott has been out of the country and out of contact with most of her family for four years. Distraught, she had left the states previously to join a physicians’ relief organization after canceling her wedding and turning down a cushy job offer.
Now Jamie is back. It’s a homecoming where she is unsure of her family’s reception—especially her mother’s—and she walks into a murder mystery at her family’s business and a big birthday soiree. While trying to navigate her return and learning more about this case, she runs into a tall, handsome detective who is working to solve the mystery and who finds her a sexy challenge even when she interferes.
Can Jamie survive the chaos and protect her family’s business, deal with her family, and handle the dance with the hot detective without managing to get herself killed?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKXNZJ7H?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzsanklite-20&creativeASIN=B0CKXNZJ7H&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.12S9MRAGH2VIY&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
How Women Negotiate from a Position of Strength. Protecting Brand and Intellectual Property Rights by Raye Mitchell, Esq.
This book and the “How Women Master” book series are part of the growing compendium of works generated to address the unmet needs of millions of women who seek to thrive, to master the art of rising up, and to excel with new skills to conquer new challenges and accomplish amazing breakthroughs. Derived from years of research, experience, and lessons learned along the way from leaders like Michelle Obama and a host of high-profile influencers, this book comes from Raye Mitchell, Esq., a Harvard Law School-trained attorney, speaker, negotiator, and power and influence expert, who has taken over 30 years of legal and business experience in marketing, branding, and intellectual property litigation as a trial attorney and compacted the secrets she has learned along the way into this power and influence leadership training series.
Focused on building core expertise in fortifying your personal brand and mastering negotiation and deal-making skills, this unique master series will enable the reader to become the ultimate influencer, brander, and persuader. With books designed to work separately and together, this series provides maximum flexibility in a limited amount of time and propels the reader to not just lean in but rise up to beat the odds by deploying outside-the-box thinking and strategies and forward-moving action plans.
Each work in this book series can stand alone, but when taken as a whole, the series presents quick and easy-to-digest go-to strategies, tips, and insider secrets to assist the reader as she seeks to master her journey forward. The book series also offers companion workbooks for various workshops, seminars, and master classes offered by Raye Mitchell and The Winning Edge Institute.
We welcome everyone to the learning table. This book series is for every woman who wants to be an effective influencer and make a difference in a noisy world of competing issues and opportunities. It is not only for lawyers. If you want to make a difference, your personal brand is your calling card that will connect you to success, influence, and impact. Protecting and leveraging a strong brand are the ultimate competitive advantages. Branding is critical leverage that enhances negotiation strength in all low-and high-stakes transactions, interactions, and exchanges. In fact, the most controversial and unconventional candidate in the history of presidential elections ran an entire campaign based on his personal brand.
As the Stormy Daniels scandal continues to emerge alleging to link and now President Trump to an affair with the adult film star, we have learned that someone valued protecting Trump’s brand not for the mere $130,000 allegedly paid in hush money to Ms. Daniels, but for the harm her story might inflict upon Mr. Trump’s brand. It is alleged that a violation of the hush money agreement carried a penalty of $ 1,000,000 per incident. Such penalty demonstrates the intense efforts to protect the Trump brand.
Whether you are a woman making decisions early in your career, a mid-level manager, or a rising C-suite executive, How Women Negotiate from a Position of Strength is a quick and handy primer and interactive journal that you will want to keep handy as you rise up in leadership. It is a tool to help the reader beat the odds and negotiate from a position of strength and leverage. This is a must-have series if you care about protecting your most valuable intellectual property: your personal brand.
How Women of Color Master the Art of Persuasion to Win Big Battles by Dr. Raye Mitchell
How do women master a plan to rise up and beat the odds in an age of workplace disruptions and corporate invisibility at the leadership table for Black women in all sectors? America is facing a leadership crisis of insufficient women in general and an absence of Black women in particular in the C-suite at major Fortune 500 companies. In addition, the #MeToo movement and the eruption of the Times Up initiative promise to shift the balance of power and forge new definitions of equality and inclusion for women in general. Now more than ever, women and Black women in particular need to hone their leadership, power, and influence skills in all sectors in order to beat the odds.
This book is about women and Black women influencers who want to be at the top of their games and master the art of persuasion and know that leveraging grace under fire is both a skill and an art. In this book, Raye Mitchell, Esq., a Harvard Law School trained attorney, speaker, negotiator, and power and influence expert, utilizes over 30 years of legal and business acumen in negotiation and persuasion to share some of the inside secrets of what it takes to maintain integrity when locked in the tough negotiations and critical battles we encounter every day as we engage in a wide range of power struggles to advance ourselves.
In an age in which the emphasis is on outrageous behavior, the Trump presidency and its legacy demonstrate the urgent need for women to master their persuasion skills in order win big battles. While numerous books cover the subject of persuasion in general, few examine the subject matter through the perspectives of women and Black women, our experiences, and our journey to become highly effective persuaders and influences.
Few of us could imagine getting away with the antics of Trump that emboldened his candidacy and have persisted into his tenure as President.
This book is a quick read and primer that is part of the expanding How Women Master series offered by Raye Mitchell. This series provides insights and an integrated journal all in one place. Focused on assisting women in general and Black women in particular, this book, the book series, and the interactive companion workbooks and courses help them beat the odds.
How Y’all Doing? by Leslie Jordan
How Y’all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived by Leslie Jordan
Viral sensation and Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan regales fans with entertaining stories about the odd, funny, and unforgettable events in his life in this unmissable essay collection that echoes his droll, irreverent voice.
When actor Leslie Jordan learned he had “gone viral,” he had no idea what that meant or how much his life was about to change. On Instagram, his uproarious videos have entertained millions and have made him a global celebrity. Now, he brings his bon vivance to the page with this collection of intimate and sassy essays.
Bursting with color and life, dripping with his puckish Southern charm, How Y’all Doing? is Leslie doing what Leslie does best: telling stories that make us laugh and lift our spirits even in the darkest days. Whether he’s writing about his brush with a group of ruffians in a West Hollywood Starbucks, or an unexpected phone call from legendary Hollywood start Debbie Reynolds, Leslie infuses each story with his fresh and saucy humor and pure heart.
How Y’all Doing? is an authentic, warm, and joyful portrait of an American Sweetheart— a Southern Baptist celebutante, first-rate raconteur, and keen observer of the odd side of life whose quirky wit rivals the likes ofAmy Sedaris, Jenny Lawson, David Rakoff, and Sarah Vowell.
I Am God’s Work of Art by Yvonne Strachan
I Am God’s Work of Art by Yvonne Strachan
Every child is a blessing from God. No matter where they come from, how they look physically, their gender, or nationality.
I Am God’s Work of Art inspires children to become one with themselves and to embrace their unique characteristics, personality, and appearance. This book empowers children always to know that they are special, creative, wonderful, and love unconditionally by God.
Each reader is assured that they have a special purpose to fulfill. This book builds the confidence of children, reminding them to be confident and courageous in everything that they do. Children will also be inspired to do everything that they desire to do in life and to stay in their own unique lane.
I Am God’s Work of Art is filled with inspiration and power that will assist children to be victorious and never to reject embracing their greatness.
Length: 31 pages
Age Level: 0-12
Grade Level: P-5
Children’s School Issues
Children’s School & Education Books
Children’s Christian Inspirational Books
I Did It to Myself: True Confessions of an Overachiever by Edgar L. Vann
I Did It to Myself: True Confessions of an Overachiever by Edgar L. Vann offers strategies on cultivating a healthy life-work balance. Read an excerpt today: http://www.edgarlvann.com
I Did It to Myself: True Confessions of an Overachiever by Bishop Edgar L. Vann is the featured book on BAN Radio Show with Ella D. Curry at: http://tobtr.com/s/11041781
Bishop Edgar L. Vann is the anointed Senior Pastor of Second Ebenezer Church, in Detroit, Michigan, where he has served since 1976. For the past 41 years he has been a preacher, teacher and civic leader of the community. Bishop Vann’s ministry focus has always been to encourage people to aspire to a higher level of spiritual, personal and transformational growth. With a membership of over 6,000 and over 20 ministries in operation, Bishop Vann is led by God’s Voice to empower his flock with the Word of God.
Bishop Vann has traveled and preached the Word of God extensively throughout the world including Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Haiti, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. He is a product of Wayne State University, and the University of Detroit, with a Doctorate of Divinity from Urban Bible College and St. Thomas Christian College, and a Doctorate of Laws Degree from Tennessee School of Religion.
Bishop Vann has had extensive community involvement, serving on several boards throughout the state of Michigan. A few of his civic and community organizations have included: Mosaic Youth Theater, Wayne State University’s Research & Technology Park, The Skillman Foundation, Detroit Regional Chamber, Michigan Coalition of Human Rights, Detroit Institute of Arts, Henry Ford Health System, Commissioner for the Detroit Police Department, Habitat for Humanity, and the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. He is also an inductee in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He has also served as consultant and advisor to governors, mayors, civic officials and corporate executives throughout the state of Michigan.
He is the visionary behind over $65 million of development in the city of Detroit; $25 million is invested in the 15-acre Worship Center, located on Dequindre Road, at I-75 and East McNichols in Detroit, Michigan. Bishop Vann is the Founder of the Vanguard Community Development Corporation where $63 million dollars of housing and commercial property has been developed, by way of affordable real estate housing and commercial developments, including a $9 million dollar, 48-unit senior citizen complex.
In 2008, Bishop Vann was elevated to the Office of Bishop by the Joint College of African-American Bishops, and is now the Presiding Prelate over The Kingdom Alliance Covenant Fellowship.
Bishop Vann has been a wonderful and devoted husband to Elder Sheila Renee’ Vann for 40 years and they are the proud parents of two wonderful young adults, Edgar III and Ericka Monique.
I Know My Community Workers by LoLo Smith
I Know My Community Workers by LoLo Smith
This picture book exposes young children to 17 different occupations, some of which they may not have considered for themselves such as being a chef, astronaut, or politician. Many are playing important roles during the COVID-19 pandemic such as the doctor, nurse, teacher, grocer, chef, construction worker, fire fighter, police officer, train engineers and the mayor.
The 4 pages of JUST FOR FUN facts are a very creative way for parents to determine if their child understands the information in the book. Beautifully produced books like this will get the children off the internet.
VIDEO: I Know My Community Workers by LoLo Smith
For children age 4-7. Teaches young children the titles, tools and workplaces of community workers and encourages them to set career goals. Four pages of activity sheets are available to delight and excite the children. Watch the Living Storybook Program: https://youtu.be/nLb1u6gGTMM
I Know My Community Workers by LoLo Smith
Genre: Children’s Picture Book; Community Workers
Purchase I Know My Community Workers by LoLo Smith
https://www.amazon.com/I-Know-My-Community-Workers-ebook/dp/B01CZC6OM8
I Spat: Poems Inspired by God’s Grace and Mercy by Stephanie R. Bridges
I SPaT: In Spirit Power and Truth, takes you on one woman’s triumphant journey to spiritual wholeness.
Author and Poet Stephanie R. Bridges introduces the idea that struggles with addictive behavior, which she continues to deal with, should never be reviled, but instead embraced as a call from God. Addiction is an illness that only He can heal, and oftentimes it is the only bridge that we will take to true salvation.
Stephanie is refreshingly honest and often unavoidably raw in her poetic commentary on subjects such as fornication, abortion, adultery, and incarceration.
Every poem that stems from her personal story is accompanied by scriptures that remind us that no matter where we are in life, God is right there with us In Spirit Power and Truth.
About the Author
Ignore The Voices In Your Head by Julius Kane
After leaving his favorite bar, a wild, womanizing advertising executive takes a woman back to his place and immediately regrets it.
Jack begins to hear a strange voice telling him to do horrible things. Initially thinking his house may be haunted, he becomes extremely paranoid after finding out he is being watched by other world beings.
In order to get to the bottom of the aliens’ fascination with him, Jack joins up with a group of misfits who’ve had a few bizarre encounters of their own. After receiving a reliable tip, the group goes into the notorious Dark Entry Forest looking for answers; despite the disappearance of dozens of people who entered before them.
Along the way, they find out their ruined lives are connected by tragedy. Jack and his new friends then get caught in a life-and-death struggle against many powerful forces.
Purchase Ignore The Voices In Your Head by Julius Kane
Explore a new Genre, Survival Fiction blended with Sci-Fi Suspense.
Chapter Excerpt – Ignore The Voices In Your Head
A clear, masculine voice responded. It was the same voice from last night I heard laughing. The same pitch. The same tone. A nervous pain shot through my abdomen. Who the hell was in my house? I stared anxiously down the hall towards my bedroom. The door was partially cracked. I couldn’t remember if that was how I left it. The bathroom door was shut. Did I close it this morning?
I grabbed the biggest knife I saw from my kitchen cutlery set and went to investigate. I intentionally left the front door cracked; just in case I needed to run out fast. I didn’t want to fidget with the doorknob. Cautiously, I searched my bedroom; prepared for some fiending drug addict to jump out at me. The closets and hideaways were clear. I opened the bathroom door; nothing.
“Great!” I was relieved. But I was hearing things. I chalked it up to an overactive imagination. That was my reasoning. That was how I would be able to get through the next hour…the next day…the next week without checking myself into Bellevue.
I hurried to close my front door. I shut and locked my window as well. I didn’t want that giant fur ball sneaking back in. I was hoping nobody got off the elevator and saw Mrs. Toombs’ cat Flandy dead on my living room floor. That would be a huge headache I didn’t need. I grabbed about five trash bags and a pair of work gloves I sometimes used whenever my trash can became extra nasty.
I didn’t know how pet owners disposed of their dead pets in New York, but I was going to throw Flandy into the dumpster out back. She wasn’t my cat. She wasn’t my problem. And that oversized fur ball that killed her didn’t belong to me either. But here I was in the middle of this weird God-knows-what-shit.
( Continued… )
Purchase Ignore The Voices In Your Head by Julius Kane
Explore a new Genre, Survival Fiction blended with Sci-Fi Suspense.
Connect with Julius Kane
Your words can hurt, help or heal. Choose your words wisely. That said, if you love words that paint pictures, implant ideas and whisk you away from the monotony and stress of everyday life, you’re in the right place. If you’re ready to use your imagination, take a journey with me!
Website: https://juliuskane.org
Audible: https://adbl.co/3zHMTuQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliuskane7
Ingram: https://www.instagram.com/realjuliuskane
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@writerjuliuskane
Innocence Denied: Forced Into The Game by Julius Kane
Innocence Denied: Forced Into The Game by Julius Kane
A young, expecting couple leaves a poverty stricken town for new opportunities and a fresh start in a big city. But after their terminally ill son is born the guilt and frustration takes its toll. As the financial rope tightens around them, Drake coerces his naive wife into entering the sex industry to make ends meet. Forced to use her body to help get her husbands business off the ground, Amber becomes exposed to all types of unsavory characters. Meanwhile, unrenowned to her, Drake has a secret side job she knows nothing about. Soon sex and greed begins to erode their unbreakable bond. By the time Drakes overbearing mother shows up with a dark secret and a hatred for Amber, he’s doing everything he can to keep his little family from self destruction.
Featured Audible Audiobook! Listen now: https://adbl.co/3zHMTuQ
About the Author
Your words can hurt, help or heal. Choose your words wisely. That said, if you love words that paint pictures, implant ideas and whisk you away from the monotony and stress of everyday life, you’re in the right place. If you’re ready to use your imagination, take a journey with Julius Kane!
Julius Kane is the author of dozens of titles. His resume boasts an eclectic array of genres and categories including, fiction, non-fiction, stageplays, essays, poetry and most recently, sci-fi. Julius Kane is a community activist and social reform advocate who currently resides in the DMV area.
Invisible No More. Empowering Young Black Women and Girls to Rise-Up as Leaders by Raye Mitchell Esq.
From Raye Mitchell, Esq., a Harvard Law Schoo ltrained attorney, award-winning activist, humanitarian, fierce advocate for young Black women and girls, and founder of the G.U.R.L.S. Rock and G.U.R.L.S. Lead Global Leadership programs, comes a compelling book designed to assist those striving to support young Black women and girls as they rise up as global leaders.
For so many, the passion to empower our girls to become leaders is personal, and we continually seek practical and innovative insights into how to help achieve the vision of equality and inclusion for Black women and girls at the leadership table in all sectors. With information that is comprehensive and all in one place yet quick and easy to read and digest, this book delivers a plan of action, not just a description of the status quo.
From the schoolroom to the boardroom, there is a national crisis of invisibility for Black women and girls. While highly visible, in general, millions of Black women and girls are virtually invisible at the leadership table in America. The number of African-American chief executive officers is so low that we are losing the race to achieve real diversity in the traditional and the newly forming notions of the C-suite.
Invisible No More. Empowering Young Black Women and Girls To Rise Up as Leaders is intended to inspire and provoke action to address the leadership crisis facing corporate and non-corporate America related to the urgent need for diversity, the inclusion of Black women in leadership, and a substantial pipeline of leaders that puts Black girls in line to move forward. Included in the book is a preview of a leadership book written by Black girls delivering thoughtful peer-to-peer leadership insights.
The work, entitled #I Lead Like a Girl, is a testament to the strength, creative genius, ambition, and can-do attitude embodied in all Black girls when they are empowered to lead and effect change. All sales proceeds fund leadership and C-suite training boot camps for young Black women and girls.
Island Mindfulness: How to Use the Transformational Power of Mindfulness to Live an Abundant Life by Janet Autherine
“DON’T WORRY, EVERYTHING IS IRIE.”
Island Mindfulness: How to Use the Transformational Power of Mindfulness to Live an Abundant Life by Janet Autherine
Island Mindfulness creates a path for transformation through self-empowerment, meaningful relationships, spiritual fulfillment and the creation of a purposeful life. Who you become and how you experience the world is a result of how you see everything that exists around you. When mindfulness is practiced, the mind has the ability to ride the waves of life and find calm in the midst of all the sun, wind, and rain that we encounter on our unpredictable journey.
Janet invites you to slow your pace, and in the spirit of the islands, mindfully and intentionally embark on a journey to nourish your mind, body and soul. Her “island mindfulness” journey is filled with heartfelt stories of navigating love, marriage and divorce, adjusting your sail in the face of financial and career challenges, and having an Irie time raising children.
Island Mindfulness is a gift of peace and a treasure box of life lessons. Take a mindful moment to embrace joy — say no to negative news, negative body image and everything that keeps you from living your best life. Island Mindfulness is the peace needed to love and embrace the person that you are today.
Purchase Island Mindfulness: How to Use the Transformational Power of Mindfulness to Live an Abundant Life by Janet Autherine, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Janet-Autherine/e/B00KXINZJM
It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World by Justin Tinsley
It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him by Justin Tinsley
From a talented young journalist on the rise, a deeply reported, timely new biography of the Notorious B.I.G., publishing for what would have been his 50th birthday.
The Notorious B.I.G. was one of the most charismatic and talented artists of the 1990s. Born Christopher Wallace and raised in Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, Biggie lived an almost archetypal rap life: young trouble, drug dealing, guns, prison, a giant hit record, the wealth and international superstardom that came with it, then an early violent death.
Biggie released his first record, Ready to Die, in 1994, when he was only 22. Less than three years later, he was killed just days before the planned release of his second record Life After Death.
Journalist Justin Tinsley’s It Was All a Dream is a fresh, insightful telling of the life beyond the legend.
It is based on extensive interviews with those who knew and loved Biggie, including neighbors, friends, DJs, party promoters, and journalists. And it places Biggie’s life in context, both within the history of rap but also the wider cultural and political forces that shaped him, including Caribbean immigration, the Reagan era disinvestment in public education, street life, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and the booming, creative, and influential 1990s music industry. This is the story of where Biggie came from, the forces that shaped him, and the legacy he has left behind.
It’s Not All Downhill From Here: A Novel by Terry McMillan
It’s Not All Downhill From Here: A Novel by Terry McMillan
After a sudden change of plans, a remarkable woman and her loyal group of friends try to figure out what she’s going to do with the rest of her life—from Terry McMillan, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale
“McMillan brings her signature wit and wisdom to It’s Not All Downhill From Here.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
Loretha Curry’s life is full. A little crowded sometimes, but full indeed. On the eve of her sixty-eighth birthday, she has a booming beauty-supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a husband whose moves still surprise. True, she’s carrying a few more pounds than she should be, but Loretha is not one of those women who think her best days are behind her—and she’s determined to prove wrong her mother, her twin sister, and everyone else with that outdated view of aging wrong. It’s not all downhill from here.
But when an unexpected loss turns her world upside down, Loretha will have to summon all her strength, resourcefulness, and determination to keep on thriving, pursue joy, heal old wounds, and chart new paths. With a little help from her friends, of course.
Jefa in Training: The Business Startup Toolkit for Entrepreneurial and Creative Women by Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda
Step-by-Step Toolkit to Turn Your Passion Project into a Successful Business
“…a much-needed guide for all of us who need a blueprint to becoming a successful entrepreneur.” —Eva Longoria, award-winning actress, producer, director, activist, philanthropist and CEO of UnbeliEVAble Entertainment
Women, now is the time to build your enterprise. Jefa in Training is the only Spanglish project-launching toolkit and female entrepreneur planner specially made for a new generation of boss women.
A solopreneur and small business guide. A business startup planner and toolkit for women in leadership, business, and beyond, Jefa in Training offers women entrepreneurs the female empowerment needed to take a side hustle to the next level. Whether it’s learning to define your brand, set up a beta test group, or draft an LLC operating agreement, this compendium of lessons, anecdotes, worksheets, templates, and quotes teaches the next generation of women in business how to work for yourself and turn your ideas into something much bigger.
Solopreneurs and creatives, you are invited to let go of your fears and finally launch your blog, project, or platform. Jefa in Training isn’t your typical small business book. Part Latinx book, it is a conversation with a special tribe of Latina immigrants, Hispanic American generations, and women of color in financial, media, entrepreneurial, and creative spaces. Explore a more complex view of Latinidad, covering everything from imposter syndrome to micro-aggressions and bilingualism.
Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda is an author, community-builder, business development strategist, coach, and socialpreneur. Originally from Queens, NYC and born to a Mexican mom and French-American father, Ashley’s career started in the music industry in 2012, working at major record labels, publishers, and venues. After relocating to Portland, OR post-college, she created her own network for local womxn songwriters, now a national organization that has been featured in The Recording Academy, called #WomxnCrush Music.
Since the rapid growth of her organization, she has dedicated her career to creating opportunities and developing businesses and communities of underrepresented entrepreneurs through her coaching and consulting, and has become known as the Business Hada Madrina (Business Fairygodmother).
Josephine Baker’s Last Dance by Sherry Jones
From the author of The Jewel of Medina, a moving and insightful novel based on the life of legendary performer and activist Josephine Baker, perfect for fans of The Paris Wife and Hidden Figures.
Discover the fascinating and singular life story of Josephine Baker—actress, singer, dancer, Civil Rights activist, member of the French Resistance during WWII, and a woman dedicated to erasing prejudice and creating a more equitable world—in Josephine Baker’s Last Dance.
In this illuminating biographical novel, Sherry Jones brings to life Josephine’s early years in servitude and poverty in America, her rise to fame as a showgirl in her famous banana skirt, her activism against discrimination, and her many loves and losses. From 1920s Paris to 1960s Washington, to her final, triumphant performance, one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century comes to stunning life on the page.
With intimate prose and comprehensive research, Sherry Jones brings this remarkable and compelling public figure into focus for the first time in a joyous celebration of a life lived in technicolor, a powerful woman who continues to inspire today.
JOY: Jesus on You – A Novel by D. Michele Jackson
JOY: Jesus on You (Book Two of The Trilogy: The Travels to the Promise)
D. Michele Jackson isn’t afraid to fight. For readers familiar with her debut memoir, “Amazing Grace: A Tribute to You, The Story of Us,” it’s also clear that D. Michele Jackson isn’t afraid to ask for God’s help.
She’s always made it a habit to pray, but following the death of her mother, rather than demanding answers or solutions, D. Michele begins to make it a daily practice to pray for strength and guidance.
In her new book, “JOY,” she articulates how she navigated a painful divorce with prayer and how she, a registered nurse and legal nurse consultant, found an opportunity to fight for women’s health at the national level.
From Proverbs 31, she committed to “…ensure justice for those being crushed…” and, as a benchmark to expose injustices in our legal system, she presented her experience to Congress.
Seducing the Pen Tour Page: https://www.smore.com/y0bp7
About the Author
D. Michele Jackson is a registered nurse who advocates for women’s health based on the framework of Florence Nightingale, promoting health by “manipulating the client’s environment.”
“JOY: Jesus on You by D. Michele Jackson” is a novel based on actual events of her legal battle, which led to a request to amend women’s rights in the Nineteenth Amendment.
Having attended a historically Black college, it is the legacy of Mary Eliza Mahoney that inspires Donna’s journey to beyond still standing. Her message is one – women: we can.
Website: https://www.dmichelejackson.com
Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness by Laura Coates
This instant New York Times bestseller offers “a firsthand, eye-opening story of a prosecutor that exposes the devastating criminal punishment system” (Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award–winning author of How to Be an Antiracist) in this “compelling collection of engaging, well-written, keenly observed vignettes from [Laura Coates’s] years as a lawyer with the US Department of Justice” (The New York Times Book Review).
When Laura Coates joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor, she wanted to advocate for the most vulnerable among us. But she quickly realized that even with the best intentions, “the pursuit of justice creates injustice.”
Coates’s experiences show that no matter how fair you try to fight, being Black, a woman, and a mother are identities often at odds in the justice system. She and her colleagues face seemingly impossible situations as they teeter between what is right and what is just.
On the front lines of our legal system, Coates saw how Black communities are policed differently; Black cases are prosecuted differently; Black defendants are judged differently. How the court system seems to be the one place where minorities are overrepresented, an unrelenting parade of Black and Brown defendants in numbers that belie their percentage in the population and overfill American prisons. She also witnessed how others in the system either abused power or were abused by it—for example, when an undocumented witness was arrested by ICE, when a white colleague taught Coates how to unfairly interrogate a young Black defendant, or when a judge victim-blamed a young sexual assault survivor based on her courtroom attire.
Through these “searing, eye-opening” (People) scenes from the courtroom, Laura Coates explores the tension between the idealism of the law and the reality of working within the parameters of our flawed legal system, exposing the chasm between what is right and what is lawful.
Justice on the Jersey Shore by Dr. Geneva Jones Williams
Justice on the Jersey Shore: How Ermon K. Jones Ignited Change and Won by Dr. Geneva Jones Williams. Listen to the BAN Radio Interview with Ella D. Curry and Dr. Geneva Williams
Justice on the Jersey Shore: How Ermon K. Jones Ignited Change and Won demonstrates the power of inspired leadership—how an ordinary person can use his or her personal influence to transform reality. In this riveting, true story of how a spiritual, soft-spoken basketball star became a fearless advocate for the oppressed and powerless in his community, a decades-old battle for social change gains new relevance. Ermon K. Jones’ two college degrees, sports fame, charisma and good looks meant nothing when he was denied the right to apply for a job and buy a new house in his own hometown. How he fought back against a segregated society, outdated thinking and even hate crimes made a lasting difference for his family and for the lives of countless others. Dr. Geneva Jones Williams, an expert on influential leadership, uses interviews with her heroic father, her own recollections and the historic record to share lessons from the past that can help resolve the worst conflicts and divisions of our time.
About the Author
Award-winning executive Geneva Jones Williams, EdD, CEO of Dr. Geneva Speaks, coaches business executives, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders. Dr. Geneva led the United Way in metropolitan Detroit, founded City Connect Detroit—an innovative national model of public-private cooperation—and launched Figure Skating in Detroit, a leadership development program for girls. She raised millions for community change initiatives, and served as a university professor and as superintendent of a public school system.
Today, Dr. Geneva hosts a weekly podcast, Ignite2Impact, on iTunes and iHeart Radio— featuring insightful conversations with innovative leaders in business, nonprofits, government and the arts. She’s a native of Neptune Township, N.J., and an alumna of Morgan State University who also earned a doctorate in education from Wayne State University. Recently, she was honored as a Golden Soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. To learn more, visit drgenevaspeaks.com
Kairos: The Perfect Time for Love by Natasha D. Frazier
Listen to this amazing Women’s History Month interview with Natasha D. Frazier on BAN Radio Show with Ella D. Curry – http://tobtr.com/s/10676309. We discussed living The Life Your Spirit Craves and how often times God calls you to step into your purpose but you hesitate and hinder others from enjoying the gift of it.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… Ecclesiastes 3:1
Kensi Jacobson believed in that truth with all of her heart, but when she’s up for a promotion for her dream job as assistant editor-in-chief of The Big Apple Chronicle, she hits a roadblock. She put in the work and trusted God for what she believed was her season of elevation, but her boss’ idea of a promotion was to send her to Pepperton, TX for another assignment. This new assignment pairs her up with a handsome widower, Darren Shaw, who helps her learn that delay and disappointment can sometimes become a catalyst for something greater.
Seemingly burdened with the fact that she is the only one in her circle who isn’t married with children and a career that isn’t headed in the direction she planned, she begins to wonder when her time and season are coming.
Will Kensi learn that Kairos – God’s perfect timing, is much more powerful than Chronos – her chronological timetable, and trust that things will fall into place at the right time? What begins as a crush to her ego and life plan may become the perfect time for love and everything else she’s wanted.
About the Author
Natasha’s first book, The Life Your Spirit Craves won the Readers’ Choice Award in 2013 at the Christian Literary Awards. Her second book, Not Without You: 365 Days in the Lord’s Presence was nominated for the Henri Award.
Love, Lies and Consequences was nominated for the Henri Award as well and won the Readers’ Choice Award in 2015 at the Christian Literary Awards. For book releases, contests and events, please join her mailing list via her website at www.natashafrazier.com
Natasha writes to inspire readers to become all they were created to be and encourage them in their daily walk with God. Whether devotional or fictional, she desires to leave a legacy to inspire readers to take their lives to the next level.
Born and raised in Greenville, MS, Natasha graduated magna cum laude from Jackson State University with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting and from Texas A&M University with a Masters of Science in Accounting. Natasha has since earned her CPA license and worked in both public accounting and the federal government. Natasha is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Houston Area Alumni Chapter of Jackson State University.
Natasha resides in Houston, TX with her husband, Eddie and their three children: Eden, Ethan, and Emilyn.
King of Corium by J.L. Beck and C. Hallman
King of Corium: Dark Enemies to Lovers Bully Romance by J.L. Beck and C. Hallman
(Corium University 5 Book Series)
King of Corium is a dark new adult, enemies to lovers romance, that contains dark themes.
She came here for protection, but that’s the last thing she’s going to find.
Welcome to Corium University, where the most dangerous criminals in the world send their offspring. Assassins, mafia leaders, arms dealers and art thieves.
You name it, this college houses them. Nothing can touch us here. The only rule: No one can die. I knew she would be here.
Aspen was my enemy in every shape of the word. A liar, a thief. I wanted revenge for my family, revenge against her father.
I knew the rules. Knew I couldn’t kill her, but I could hurt her. I could make her wish she never came to Corium. She wasn’t made for this place.
If she thought the university was the only nightmare she would have to face, she was wrong.
I was the king, and this was my kingdom.
Lawful Deception (Vernetta Henderson Series Book 5) by Pamela Samuels Young
Lawful Deception (Vernetta Henderson Series Book 5) by Pamela Samuels Young
Read more: https://a.co/d/5ChcltE
“Pamela Samuels Young has crafted a page-turner that will keep you engrossed until the very last page. If you’re a fan of smart legal thrillers with brisk pacing, crackling dialogue and edgy, intriguing characters, Lawful Deception is for you.”
–Dwayne Alexander Smith, Award-winning Author of Forty Acres.
Once again, award-winning author Pamela Samuels Young delivers another captivating legal thriller full of unexpected twists and jaw-dropping moments you never see coming. The beautiful Bliss Fenton won’t be winning any awards for Mother of the Year. Truth is, motherhood isn’t nearly as important to Bliss as the cottage industry she’s created: extorting wealthy men for the hefty child support she can collect.
But Bliss’ greed goes too far when she takes on Fletcher McClain. The handsome music industry mogul refuses to accept her conniving conduct lying down. He retains high-profile attorney Vernetta Henderson to sue Bliss for fraud.
Enter Bliss’ unscrupulous attorney, Girlie Cortez, who has a personal score to settle with Vernetta. As the two lawyers once again go head-to-head, their legal battle quickly escalates from merely contentious to downright deadly.
Leadership in Action: 5 Key Principles of Effective Racial Justice Work by Kofi Annan
As painful and upsetting as George Floyd’s murder was, it was encouraging to witness not just the intense condemnation–and ultimate prosecution–of the officers involved, but the almost universal recognition that that incident was a mere symptom of a greater problem, systemic racism.
In the subsequent months, more resources and energy were invested into efforts to fight systemic racism than ever before. America experienced the largest and longest-running protests in its history, and corporate America pledged over $200 billion to racial justice initiatives.
Unfortunately, according to research conducted by Forbs Magazine, as of late 2022 the majority of that money either went unspent while the rest was spent on efforts that had little systemic impact. The problem is that even individuals and organizations that have the best of intentions are clueless about how to craft an effective strategy to conduct racial justice activism. This work can be daunting, and even seasoned veterans can become overwhelmed or burned out.
In this book, Kofi Annan, a nationally recognized racial justice activist, and award-winning author lays out his five key guiding principles for conducting efficient and effective racial justice work. The guide serves as a tool for individuals, corporations, or non-profit organizations whose heart is in the right place but could use help crafting a strategy.
Connect with Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan is the author of the award-winning book, Bull in a China Shop: Evolution of a Racial Justice Activist, and Leadership in Action: 5 Key Principles of Effective Racial Justice Work. He and his wife founded Fighting Words LLC, a racial justice and DEI Consulting Company in 2023. He is the former president of The Activated People (TAP), an independent activist organization dedicated to promoting racial equity.
Kofi previously served two terms as the president of the Fairfax County, Virginia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which was awarded the NAACP’s Thalheimer Award for being the best branch in the country in 2018.
Kofi is also the owner of Soul Rebel, a food truck based in northern Virginia that serves a unique blend of Caribbean-American fusion cuisine.
Kofi Annan served eight years in the U.S. Army and holds a Master’s of Science in International Relations from Troy University, and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Tennessee State University.
Website: https://42fightingwords.com/books-1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1942fightingwords/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084925573429
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fighting-words-llc/?viewAsMember=true
Let The Truth Be Told (4 Book Series) by Antoinette R. Davis
Let Truth Be Told Vol 1 (Let The Truth Be Told) by Antoinette Davis
From Book 1: Claudia Ellison is straight out of Baltimore; she’s just graduated from college and ready to bring major changes to her social and financial situation however there are some missing pieces. Claudia wants a husband, a baby and a successful career but living in Baltimore, Maryland men are not plentiful and the one man her heart longs for is in the federal penitentiary and the men she’s been dating are not up to part.
Claudia befriends the new First lady of her church and leans on her for advice and guidance when her world starts spinning out of control but it seems the First Lady of the church wants to put her own spin on Claudia Ellison.
Let Truth Be Told Vol 2 (Let The Truth Be Told) by Antoinette Davis
Vol 2, This is a thrilling novel about an upstanding family enthralled with lies. Claudia just said I do to pastor Terrence Madden and saying Good-bye to her worldly way of living.
Transitioning into the First Lady has it’s challenges especially now that Claudia has a baby and a career. The Ellison family faces one obstacle after another and they are holding together by a thread. It’s going to take everyone in the family to pull together if they expect to survive.
Let The Truth Be Told Vol 3 (Let The Truth Be Told) by Antoinette Davis
We left off in Vol 2 with a new addition to the Ellison family, Constance Ellison. Hold on tight because she did not come in peace she came to take down her half-siblings with the help of a surprising source. Constance refuses to let go of the idea that her father left a will and his illegitimate child was left out of it. Constance came to get what is hers and take more in the process. Constance will touch each one of her half-siblings, one by one in an attempt to ruin them all.
Let The Truth Be Told Vol 4 (Let The Truth Be Told) by Antoinette Davis
Constance is ready to strike and the time is now. She has set everything into motion and Michael’s incarceration is just a mild technicality for her. Constance has new plans with a new love and her new lover will surely to shake the foundation in which the Ellison are standing on.
The near-death experience Phyllis had made Terrence revisit his former occupation but only this time he’s working it from another angle. Lisa is done with trying to hide her sexuality and after a few sequences of events, she steps out of the closet completely and into an unexpected love affair that has her in a whirlwind. New unlikely alliances will be formed and some truths will be told however, lies will lead to a loss of life.
Purchase the series here:
Light in the Darkness by Adrianne C. Jones
Be captivated by a compilation of poems for those difficult times. Be an over-comer and hold onto faith in the midst of every storm. Adrianne Jones shares with her readers these original pieces that helped keep her encouraged and lifted during her darkest hours.
Book Genre: Poetry
Primary Subject matter: Poems & affirmations.
Audience: Christian men and women. Individuals going through depression, grievance, and young black women.
About the Author
Adrianne Jones, born and raised in Oceanside, CA. in a loving two-parent home. But unfortunately, for Adrianne, both of her parents passed away within months of one another. The death of her parents sent Adrianne on a downward spiral which landed her in a dark place. With no one to turn to for guidance, depression began to set in. After several years of trials and tribulations, Adrianne turned to her faith for some clarity and began writing poems.
It was during this time that Adrianne began to see the light that led her from the darkness. Currently, Adrianne is raising her 7-year-old daughter while building her Fearless Faith brand. Her book of poems titled Light in the Darkness is available on Amazon Kindle as well as her website, www.Faithfullyfearlesss.com
Love in the Age of Dragons by Fatima R. Henson
Love in the Age of Dragons by Fatima R. Henson
Young Adult Fiction / Coming Of Age
“This fast-paced dystopian fantasy is intensely captivating until the very last page.” —BookLife Reviews
Two years ago, a wormhole opened and ushered vicious dragons into the world. The dragons burned Earth’s cities to the ground and sent its inhabitants scattering for cover; and since then, Ayanna Grace, a seventeen-year-old Black girl, has been scratching out a life in an abandoned subway system, part of an extensive underground community.
Underground, medicine runs short and outbreaks of disease spread uncontrollably. The water supply is low, uprisings occur frequently, and dragon attacks are imminent. But those aren’t the only challenges Ayanna is facing: she’s also busy wrestling with her feelings, torn between Richard, who she’s known all her life, and Jackson, a mysterious newcomer. Worse, her mentor, the community’s only doctor, is dying from a failing heart. With no hope of rescue from aboveground, will Ayanna be able to save him before it’s too late?
Love Like It’s Hot!
Love Like its Hot! Celebrates Independence Day – a day celebrated around the country – and will never be seen quite the same as six of today’s contemporary, nationally best-selling romance authors bring the heat in this box set filled with unique stories of impassioned love and intense romance! The Fourth has never been hotter – be sure to Love Like its Hot!
Love Like It’s Hot! is a searing, sensuous box set featuring stories of love and romance from six of today’s hottest contemporary romance writers! Each story surrounds the Fourth of July holiday, bringing passion and heat to life. This box set abounds with smart, witty, and loving characters these authors are known for and their readers have come to expect.
The featured writers for this BLISTERING e-box set are: Ann Clay, Barbara Keaton, Deatri King-Bey, Donna Hill, Nicki Night and Xyla Turner.
#UnWrappedLit: Heat at First Sight by Barbara Keaton
Listen to a reading from the book – http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/Ch9WVxrX
#UnWrappedLit: Sweet Heat Rising by Nicki Night
Listen to a reading from the book – http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/C7tk5HLX
#UnWrappedLit: Love For Liberty by Ann Clay
Listen to a reading from the book – http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/Cpwj43WX
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Love, Honor, Betray by Mary Monroe
Award-winning New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe delivers the latest thrillingly scandal-filled novel in her Depression-era saga of a church-going lady and her oh-so-upstanding husband racing to cover up their many sins—and gambling on one scheme too many. . .
With mysterious serial murders putting peaceful Lexington, Alabama, on edge, Jessie and Hubert Wiggins’ steadfast calm and devotion to each other reassures everyone that faith will see them through. But Jessie and Hubert have paid a terrible hidden cost to maintain their devout facade and respectable standing. Nothing can allay the guilt they feel—or stop the growing distrust between them . . .
Hubert thought he and his secret lover, Leroy, could continue seeing each other on the down-low in peace. But when Leroy’s ex-wife moves back in with him, a heartbroken Hubert is driven to distraction trying to keep Jessie in the dark—and quell his mounting jealousy. And his need for satisfaction is driving Hubert to reckless extremes—and desperate risks. . .
Jessie believes the struggles between her and Hubert will all be worth it if she can connive him to finallyconsummate their marriage—no matter what she has to do. But his erratic behavior and her frustration soon has her trying yet another new lover, who is as charming as he is unreliable—and unexpectedly dangerous. . .
Now with their secrets out of control—and the police perilously near—Jessie and Hubert discover who might be behind the deaths plaguing their town. But can they risk a pursuit that could expose their own web of lies? When their only choice pits them and their suspicions against each other, their next move will either bury their deceptions deep for good—or reveal the one truth they can’t escape.
Love, Lies & Fight by Terri D and Julie Bellatrix
Love, Lies & Fight by Terri D and Julie Bellatrix
What do you do when the love is gone? The lies are revealed. You Fight.
Valerie appeared to have the perfect family life while suffering in silence to formulate her escape plan. When a past indiscretion is revealed will she have the courage and strength to move on and what will get in her way? How will she find the ability to trust anyone again?
Joy is a successful therapist who has helped dozens of addicts over the years. When she decides to take on virtual clients including Valerie, she gets a little more than she bargained for including having to learn to face her own past.
Love, Lies & Fight is an emotionally charged story of how helping others through their pain and issues is sometimes exactly what we need. Listen to a reading from the book, go here.
Purchase Love, Lies & Fight by Terri D and Julie Bellatrix
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Lies-Fight-Terri-D/dp/0983188769
Genre: Contemporary Fiction; Women’s Fiction; Women’s Psychological Fiction
Love’s Sweet Kiss (Sassy Seasoned Sisters Book 1) by Sheryl Lister
Nzinga Carlyle has finally gotten her life together after her divorce and is happily single. However, the moment she sees her teen crush at her high school reunion, old feelings start to rise. Nzinga isn’t sure she’s ready to move forward, although she can’t deny the attraction between them. And after one sweet kiss, she has to decide how far she wants the relationship to go.
Byron Walker can’t believe his good fortune when he runs into the woman who stole his teenage heart. Once he realizes their chemistry is still explosive, he vows not to let Nzinga get away a second time. Circumstances forced them apart over thirty years ago, but Byron intends to show her they were always meant to be.
Loving You by Jessica Tilles
Sixteen years ago, Julian knew he would marry Grace the first day they met. He imagined living and loving his Gracie forever, never anticipating the unexpected would occur. Now, Julian’s struggle to come to terms with the inevitable battle of losing the love of his life pushes them both beyond physical and emotional pain.
Loving You is a gut-wrenching story of unconditional love that shows how one can go beyond living for the moment to enable a deeper value of an innate love beyond the surface.
Listen to reading from the book: https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/C8w8HL8X
About the Author
Jessica Tilles is publisher, speaker, and an award-winning, best-selling author of ten books: Anything Goes, In My Sisters’ Corner, Apple Tree, Sweet Revenge, Fatal Desire, Unfinished Business, Erogenous Zone: A Sexual Voyage (an anthology), Loving Simone (a 2013 Black Expressions® Book Club Best Seller), Crossing Sisters, and Loving You. She also penned a short story, “Julian’s Grace,” in The Triumph of My Soul Anthology, and co-authored No One Has To Know with critically acclaimed, Essence® bestselling author William Fredrick Cooper. In addition to penning her own novels, she has written many books as a ghostwriter under http://www.LiteraryGhostwriter.com.
In 2000, Jessica founded TWA Solutions and Services (formerly The Writer’s Assistant), a full service, creative design firm offering services in graphic design, book design, web design, editing, book/self-publishing, packaging/branding and ghostwriting. Her design skills have garnered her the Best of Upper Marlboro in Graphic Design Services Award in 2015.
In 2006, Jessica opened her publishing company, Xpress Yourself Publishing, to talented authors, growing her roster to more than eighty authors. In 2008, she received the prestigious title of Independent Publisher of the Year awarded by the African American Literary Awards Show.
In addition to her many accomplishments, Jessica is a staff writer for Black Men In America.com. She has contributed the article “Third Shift Blues” to Black Romance Magazine, is the recipient of the Memphis Black Writer’s Guild’s Rising Star award, the Jackson, Mississippi Reader’s Clubs’ Outstanding Contributor to Literature award, and is listed in Heather Covington’s Top 100 Literary Divas. Jessica resides in Maryland with her furbabies: Piccachu, Chelsea, and Chanel.
Lust: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray
From the NAACP Image award winner and national bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray, a novel inspired by the seven deadly sins about a woman caught between an entertainment mogul with a shady past and his childhood friend who is out for revenge.
Tiffanie has lived a sheltered life in a very strict household with her pastor-grandfather and grandmother in Washington, DC. But when she meets Damon King, she falls for the successful entertainment business man despite his history as a drug dealer. Everyone sees nothing but the brightest future for the couple—but there’s one person who wants to destroy them.
Trey Johnson is Damon’s childhood best friend with whom he built quite a successful drug business. But when the game got hot and Damon decided to leave, Trey stayed and continued to sell drugs, until he was arrested and spent seven years in prison.
But now he’s out and able to attend the wedding. While Damon is thrilled to have Trey back and hopes to bring his best friend into his business, Trey has other plans. He blames Damon for his demise and plans to ruin him, even if that means bringing Tiffanie down as well.
Trey is sure he will succeed, but he doesn’t know that there will be deadly consequences. And at the end, there will only be one man standing…
Man of the Year by Caroline Louise Walker
Beware the Man of the Year. You may praise him, resent him, even want to be him: but beneath the elegant trappings that define him, danger looms.
Caroline Louise Walker’s stunning debut novel, for fans of Herman Koch’s The Dinner and Shari Lapena’s The Couple Next Door, delves into the increasingly paranoid mind of a man whose life as the most upstanding of citizens hides a relentlessly dark heart.
Dr. Robert Hart, Sag Harbor’s just-named Man of the Year, is the envy of his friends and neighbors. His medical practice is thriving. He has a beautiful old house and a beautiful new wife and a beautiful boat docked in the village marina. Even his wayward son, Jonah, is back on track, doing well at school, finally worthy of his father’s attentions. So when Jonah’s troubled college roommate, Nick, needs a place to stay for the summer, Hart and his wife generously offer him their guest house. A win-win: Jonah will have someone to hang with, and his father can bask in the warm glow of his own generosity.
But when he begins to notice his new houseguest getting a little too close to his wife, the good doctor’s veneer begins to crack. All the little lies Robert tells—harmless falsehoods meant to protect everything he holds dear—begin to mount. Before long, he’s embroiled in a desperate downward spiral, destroying the lives that stand in his way. It’s only the women in his life—his devoted office manager, his friends, his wife—who can clearly see the truth.
Biting and timely, Man of the Year races along at an electric pace, with a wicked twist that you won’t see coming.
Book Review
“This is THAT book. You know the one I’m talking about…the one hidden under your teetering should-read, have-to-read, said-I-would-read-months-ago pile. The one you grab at the end of the day because, damnit, you earned this deliciousness, and it reminds you of why you loved reading in the first place. Not only because it’s a blisteringly intelligent, breathtaking debut, drenched with a masterful understanding of human nature, brimming with twists, surprises, suspense and razor sharp language, but because it’s witty and hilarious and also – long lost thing – the book is a blast to read: it’s fun. So go grab a copy and disappear yourself, I’ll understand completely.” — Erica Ferencik, author of The River at Night
Caroline Louise Walker grew up in Rock Island, Illinois. For her fiction and nonfiction, she has received fellowships from The MacDowell Colony, The Kerouac Project, and Jentel Arts. She holds an MA from NYU. Man of the Year is her first novel.
Max & Bo: Two Dogs On The Go by LoLo Smith
Meet Max and Bo, two fun-loving dogs that like to celebrate the holidays including New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, July 4th, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Young children will enjoy seeing the illustrations of the dogs in their different hats, ties and costumes. This is a delightful book with rhymes on every page to engage young kids. JUST FOR FUN facts help parents determine if their child remembers the information in the book.
But it is not all fun and games for Max and Bo. At the end of the book, they are shown in face masks. This illustration can be used as a springboard for parents to discuss COVID-19 with young children. Max and Bo are in face masks since it’s not too much to ask, to help prevent COVID-19, and avoid being in quarantine!
Max & Bo: Two Dogs On The Go
Genre: Children’s Book, Animals/dogs, holidays; COVID-19
Purchase Max & Bo: Two Dogs On The Go by LoLo Smith
Maxine Escucha (Spanish Edition) by Lynda Jones-Mubarak
Maxine Listens by Dr. Lynda Jones-Mubarak
Maxine Hill continúa con sus técnicas de investigación para revelar misterios and acertijos mientras practica servicio comunitario y la compasión humana en la escuela y en su comunidad. Un diagnóstico médico envía a Maxine en un viaje para conseguir respuestas a una inquietud muy personal. ¿Qué descubrirá Maxine esta vez? ¿Tendrá éxito? Sigue a la joven Maxine Hill a medida que busca revelar y abordar otro reto importante.
Maxine Listens by Dr. Lynda Jones-Mubarak available in paperback, hardcover and Kindle ebook. Read excerpts and meet the author: https://www.smore.com/xhn65
eBook:
https://www.amazon.com/Maxine-Escucha-Spanish-Lynda-Jones-Mubarak-ebook/dp/B07TDNG3XW
Paperback:
https://www.amazon.com/Maxine-Escucha-Spanish-Lynda-Jones-Mubarak/dp/1626766770
Hardcover:
https://www.amazon.com/Maxine-Escucha-Spanish-Lynda-Jones-Mubarak/dp/1626766711
Maxine Listens by Dr. Lynda Mubarak
Maxine Listens by Dr. Lynda Mubarak (Book II, Detective Maxine Hill Series)
Maxine Hill is an inquisitive fourth grade student who loves to read, work crossword puzzles, visit her best friend, Amanda Grayson, and play with her cat, Amos.
Young Detective Maxine Hill is always busy performing community service, investigating issues, and exploring future careers. However, Maxine is facing a special challenge this year. This time it’s very personal. Follow our little problem solver as she finds a solution for a unique situation. Detective Maxine Hill is on the case again and she’s on the way back! If you enjoyed Maxine’s New Job, you will like Book II of the series; Maxine Listens.
The Stations for Kids Book Series is a collection of stories emphasizing early childhood literacy, human compassion, and community service. Each story can be used as a classroom supplement to teach social skills, personal and civic responsibility, and encourage career exploration. The characters are family members who find themselves facing everyday life challenges, but they find ways to address, solve or cope with each situation.
Dr. Lynda believes that social skills and community service are an integral part of early childhood education. In addition, these two components are essential in creating a balanced child who understands that he or she is part of a global community.
Visit the Stations for Kids website today: https://www.stationsforkids.com
Stations for Kids Books: https://www.stationsforkids.com/stations-for-kids-books
Maxine’s New Job by Dr. Lynda J. Mubarak
Listen to a reading from the book: https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CwnKcptX
Maxine Listens by Lynda Jones Mubarak
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Shorty and The Sullivans by Lynda Jones Mubarak
Listen to a reading from the book: https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CPC100lX
Carver Park by Lynda Jones Mubarak
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STATIONS FOR KIDS is dedicated to early literacy and community service. The best way to ensure your child’s personal and career success is to begin the learning process as soon as possible. Academic success is always necessary, but your child also needs to see how he or she fits into the world community. A combination of community service and applicable educational concepts will give your child a balanced view of the world.
All of the books are available on Kindle and in print as paperback & hardcover.
All STATIONS FOR KIDS books are available at Amazon: http://amzn.to/2FiomT8
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Maxine’s New Job by Lynda Jones-Mubarak
Maxine Hill is an inquisitive 4th grade student who has a talent for solving problems and enjoys helping people in need. While using her quirky skills of observation, Maxine discovers an unexpected secret about Mrs. Sullivan, her sweet, quiet neighbor that changed their relationship forever.
BOOK REVIEW
Memphis Blues by Cheryl Mattox Berry
Set in the powerful backdrop of the 1960s civil rights movement, Memphis Blues will test the loyalty and strength of three people whose dreams were deferred. Will the women and the handsome doctor who controls them find their true callings? If so, at what price?
Nadine was looking forward to getting her first real job, then starting a business. But when she finds herself pregnant before she even finishes high school, the young man’s mother forces them into wedlock. It was not the life she had planned.
Carrie also saw her plans for a better life derailed after a fling leaves her pregnant with twins. At the center of their angst is Cyrus, a man not yet ready to be a father…with his wife…or his girlfriend. Still, Cyrus manages to keep the two lives separate while coveting the life he really wants.
What’s Done in the Dark
Secrets don’t stay buried for long. Years later, when the three of them accidentally meet at a protest rally, everything changes. The fireworks that ensue suddenly alter the dynamic of these relationships forever.
MIAMI BEAT – TV Series Written by Frederica P. Burden
MIAMI BEAT – TV Series Written by Frederica P. Burden
Welcome to Miami! Beneath its sun-kissed beaches and clear blue skies lies a city that truly comes alive when dusk falls. As darkness envelopes the city, Miami nights pulse with tantalizing temptations, drawing even the noblest souls into its seductive depths. For Sidney, this truth is all too real.
Sidney, a young and spirited woman, is not just in Miami to chase her dreams. She has a purpose, a burning ambition, that she guards closely. The tragic loss of her father to police brutality when she was just a child became a turning point, hurling her family into a spiral she is determined to reverse. But as determined as Sidney might be, her heart remains her greatest vulnerability. Torn between two love interests, her choices could either lead to her salvation or her undoing.
Marcus Mystic, the man who has Sidney’s heart, grapples with shadows of his own. His estranged wife, Vondra, blinded by her longing for a love once shared, is relentless. Vondra will do anything, even commit the unspeakable, to reclaim Marcus and the life they once had. Marcus now stands at a crossroads, with choices that not only impact his life but that of Sidney as well. As Police Chief, Mystic is caught in a web of love, ambition, and danger, especially with Vondra posing a constant threat to Sidney’s life.
The story takes a shocking turn when Sidney’s brother, Randy Jr., unveils the dark truths about Marcus Mystic and his unfathomable crimes. Faced with this revelation, Sidney’s heart battles her mind, torn between love and a haunting reality. Can Marcus, despite his newfound authoritative position, sway Sidney before time runs out? Could he be responsible for robbing Sidney of her first love? And where does Sidney’s other suitor stand amidst this chaos? Could he be the key to avenging her father’s untimely demise?
Delve into the enigmatic world of Miami Beat. It’s a tale that meanders through the complex lives of lifelong friends, the deep-rooted corruption within the Police Department, and the devastation it wreaks on unsuspecting families. In the end, some will find redemption, while others will be left with blood on their hands.
TV Series: MIAMI BEAT
Creator: Frederica P. Burden
Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller
Format: 45-60 min per episode
Production Company: Relentless Media LLC.
MIAMI BEAT – TV Series Written by Frederica P. Burden
Watch a sample: https://youtu.be/3vpCxlHUcwE
THE BOOK SERIES
Miami Beat: The Secret Society by Frederica Burden
Welcome to Miami! When the sun-kissed beaches and clear blue skies fade into the darkness things really heat up. Miami nights give way to tantalizing temptations that can excite and coerce the darkness out of even the best of us.
Sidney is learning this the hard way.
A young, vibrant woman, Sidney is on a mission to pursue her dreams. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Sidney also has a goal and she will stop at nothing to see it through.
Losing her father to police brutality at a very young age became the catalyst in Sidney’s life, setting her family on a spiral that she desperately tries to end. Once an Explorer in the police department, she learned a great deal about law enforcement, which she intends to use to bring her father’s killers to justice.
The only thing standing in her way is her heart. There are two love interests in Sidney’s life and she’s forced to choose.
Will her choice lead to happiness or her destruction?
Purchase your copy of Miami Beat: The Secret Society at https://a.co/d/dGRUrBv
Mine by Courtney Cole
Tessa was prepared for the hurricane. Lindsey was the storm she didn’t see coming.
When Tessa Taylor unlocked her husband Ethan’s iPad to discover nude photos from a twenty-six-year-old bombshell named Lindsey, her seemingly perfect life came to a screeching halt.
With a hurricane barreling toward Florida and Ethan stuck on a business trip, Tessa finds herself imprisoned in her own home with a choice to make: Does she ride out the storm until she can confront Ethan in person, or does she take matters into her own hands?
Increasingly restless and desperate for revenge, Tessa resolves to act. And when she lures Lindsey over a few hours later, there’s no turning back.
What ensues is a battle of wills between two well-matched opponents, blinded by love for the same man but driven by demons of their own. Like storm-ravaged Florida, neither woman will be the same when the skies clear.
He’s mine. Both wife and mistress would stake their lives on it. But only one of them can be right.
Momma: Gone A Personal Story by Nina Foxx
“Momma set me on the jukebox.” So begins the personal story of Denise (Sweetie) Wooten, set between a post-civil rights era New York City and a growing, but stale rural Alabama. We are thrust in the midst of a family longing for normalcy, but instead struggling with illness and all that comes with it; denial, anger and misunderstanding and love.
As cultures clash, we see the family through a child’s eyes and walk with her as she makes sense of war fought far away, but with effects close to home, and a tragedy that changes her life forever.
More truth than not, Momma: Gone is a story of survival, where all the lessons are taught by the child who must eventually lead them through and a classic American story of overcoming life’s misfortunes to find the bloom on the other side. Momma: Gone A Personal Story by Nina Foxx was shortlisted for a Doctorow Award in Innovative Fiction
Praise for Momma: Gone A Personal Story by Nina Foxx
A grief laden journey that will tug at your heart. Profoundly moving.
—Anita Doreen Diggs, author The Other Side of the Game, former editor, Random House
Purchase Momma: Gone A Personal Story by Nina Foxx
Ms. Missy: Bishop’s First Dog Longtale #2 by Duane Filer
Ms. Missy: Bishops First Dog is a true story concerning my familys first pet Ms. Missy the diva dog!
Follow along as Bishop, oldest child of the Morrow household, learns the ins and outs of owning and taking care of a dog. Bishop has daily duties of feeding and caring for Ms. Missy, bathing her in the Morrow backyard with younger siblings, Maxine and Kelvin, and training Missy in the ways of the pet and human world. Time passes as both Missy and the Morrow family grows with additional kids. One day, Missy disappears, and young Bishop feels it is his fault because he scolded Missy too hard. Bishop feels terrible and fears she has run away for good. When Missy is finally found, she has a surprise of a lifetime for the Morrow family!
Ms. Missy: Bishops First Dog is Duane’s second children’s storybook from his upcoming seven-story LongTALES for ShortTAILS collection, following his recently published Fastjack Robinson.
Duane self-published his first book, Square Squire and the Journey to Dreamstate, in 2012; he published his second book, The Baby Boomers First-Hand/First-Year Guide to Retirement: 365 Days of Bliss in 2014. Duane also just completed a teens and young adult version of his first book entitled Square Squire and the Journey to Dreamstate: Squared Version 2.0 for Teens and Young Adults.
Duane can be contacted at duanelancefiler@gmail.com, at his website (http://duanelancefiler.wix.com/duanelancefiler), or at Facebook or LinkedIn.
Murder: Secrets Among Colleagues by Dr. Shauntey James
Murder: Secrets Among Colleagues by Dr. Shauntey James
Prestigious faculty members at Mill Run University vie for a position to work on a national grant that will make a difference in all their careers. Secrets, lies, and cutthroat resentment stemming from graduate school dominate tenuous relationships between faculty, administration, and students, especially as tensions rise with an impending sexual misconduct hearing.
What length will a faculty member go to gain membership on the research team, earn tenure, achieve higher status, or even cover up a secret?
Is murder the only viable option?
Who can be trusted? Who is telling the truth? And how does one’s past impact future goals? See if you can figure out who has the motive to kill.
About Dr. Shauntey James
Dr. Shauntey James received her Ph.D. from Western Michigan University in 2000 in sociology with an emphasis in criminology, criminal justice, and feminist theory. Dr. James received her J.D. in 2014 from Thomas Cooley Law School. In law school, Dr. James was on the National Mock Trial Team, became certified in mediation, and worked in the Ingham County Probate Court and Estate Planning Clinic. Her teaching experience has enabled her to present on the local, state, and national level. Her most distinguished honor was being an Oxford Round Table Delegate. Presently, her research focuses on women, gender identification, and sexual assault.
My Government Means to Kill Me: A Novel by Rasheed Newson
The debut novel from television WRITER/PRODUCER OF THE CHI, NARCOS, and BEL-AIR tells a fierce and riveting queer coming-of-age story following the personal and political awakening of a young, gay, Black man in 1980s New York City.
“Consistently engrossing.” —New York Times Book Review
“Full of joy and righteous anger, sex and straight talk, brilliant storytelling and humor… A spectacularly researched Dickensian tale with vibrant characters and dozens of famous cameos, it is precisely the book we’ve needed for a long time.” —Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Earl “Trey” Singleton III arrives in New York City with only a few dollars in his pocket. Born into a wealthy Black Indianapolis family, at 17, he is ready to leave his overbearing parents and their expectations behind.
In the city, Trey meets up with a cast of characters that changes his life forever. He volunteers at a renegade home hospice for AIDS patients, and after being put to the test by gay rights activists, becomes a member of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). Along the way Trey attempts to navigate past traumas and searches for ways to maintain familial relationships—all while seeking the meaning of life amid so much death.
Vibrant, humorous, and fraught with entanglements, Rasheed Newson’s My Government Means to Kill Me is an exhilarating, fast-paced coming-of-age story that lends itself to a larger discussion about what it means for a young gay Black man in the mid-1980s to come to terms with his role in the midst of a political and social reckoning.
My Last Baggage Call Aboard Air Force One: A Journey of Sacrifice, Service, Family, and Friendship by Glenn W. Powell
Sergeant Glenn W. Powell’s MY LAST BAGGAGE CALL is the story of a most unlikely young man who leaves his working-class environment of Toledo, Ohio, to become a soldier. Seeking excitement and a way to “make something of himself,” Glenn Powell’s journey exceeds his wildest dreams—a journey that began in basic training in Fort Hood, Texas ends at 1600 Pennsylvania avenue—the most important address in the world.
MY LAST BAGGAGE CALL is about so much more than Glenn Powell’s military journey, but about poignant memories of family, friendships, sacrifices, and love—central to his story is Ronda Holloway, the beautiful young woman he falls in love with in Manheim, Germany, and, who joins him on his life journey as wife, soulmate and mother to their two sons.
MY LAST BAGGAGE CALL offers readers a glimpse into Sergeant Glenn Powell’s 30-year transformation from the much-beloved boy who seeks more in life…to the man, who discovers it—in adventure, in friendships, and in service to three American presidents. a service he delivered with pride, unquestioned loyalty, distinction and in the end, great admiration.
About the Author
My Name Is Ona Judge by Suzette D. Harrison
New Hampshire, 1796. “My name is Ona Judge, and I escaped from the household of the President of the United States. I was the favored maid of George and Martha Washington, but they deemed me a slave and thought me property, and I hear ten dollars is offered as reward for my capture. Now I must write the truth that I have lived, and tell my story…”
Chincoteague, Virginia, present day. Rain soaks Tessa Scott as she runs from her car to the old, vine-covered property she has been called to survey. She’s too busy to accept a new job, but doing this favor for the grandmother of her childhood sweetheart delays a painful decision she must make about a future with her controlling boyfriend.
But when Tessa finds a tattered journal carefully hidden inside the house’s ancient fireplace, the tragic story of how Ona was ripped from her mother’s arms to live and work in the palatial Mount Vernon, and the heart-shattering betrayal that led her to risk her life and run, has Tessa spellbound. Could discovering this forgotten scandal at the heart of her nation’s history force her to confront her own story? As she races to reach the final page, will anything prepare her for the desperate moment when Ona’s captors find her again? Will it inspire Tessa to take ownership of her own life and set herself free?
A completely heartbreaking tale of love, loss and redemption, based on an astonishing true story from the founding of America. Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Marie Benedict and America’s First Daughter.
My Son’s Fugacious Life: Two Murderers, One Conviction
Nandi’s Unexpected Gift by Ama Kuma
With her 10th birthday coming up, Nandi is eager to receive a special gift that she’s never asked for before, something that makes her feel like she’s really growing up and becoming more like her big sister Vanessa. She and her buddies Anara and Lila have some very important studying to do for school, but Nandi’s excitement about her birthday causes her to lose focus and head down a path she wasn’t expecting to go.
In the end, it’s her Grandma Janie who teaches her a very important lesson and gives her the best gift she’s ever received. The unexpected gift her grandmother gives her is not only a gift for Nandi, but for you as well!
READ MORE: https://www.smore.com/d49rc
National Security by Matt Sloane
National Security (Vince Carver Spy Thriller Book 1) by Matt Sloane
Vince Carver left the CIA with a dead friend and a close call.
So much for so-called intelligence work. No longer knowing what he was fighting for, Carver switched to the private sector and swore he’d never go back. Armed with the elite skills of a special operator, he now leads a team of security specialists far from the battlefield.
Everything changes when his convoy is ambushed on American soil.
The three-letter agencies all want a piece of him, and the CIA is front and center. His client, a semiconductor billionaire, may be selling secrets to the Chinese. As his bodyguard, Carver is the asset best placed to uncover the plot, and he begrudgingly commutes to Taipei for one last mission.
Soon he’s embedded in a world of slick intrigue and fast lies.
Carver is pitted against a resident security team led by a beautiful and enigmatic woman, but she’s far from the only one keeping secrets. When foreign agents gun for him, old doubts resurface, and not even the CIA is above suspicion.
Carver rediscovers his drive to fight.
He may be guarding secrets vital to US national security, but he’s a private contractor to the bone. This is Carver’s show, and he knows the key to a timeless truth. When best-laid plans fall by the wayside, nothing can replace the indifferent precision of a man with a gun.
National Security by Matt Sloane is stunningly real. A debut espionage thriller packed with intrigue, spycraft, and blistering action. From high-stakes business deals in Taipei to a strategic installation nestled in America’s Appalachians, this instant classic doesn’t stop to breathe until the last page.
Recommended for fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp, Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath.
Night Wherever We Go: A Novel by Tracey Rose Peyton
A gripping, radically intimate debut novel about a group of enslaved women staging a covert rebellion against their owners.
On a struggling Texas plantation, six enslaved women slip from their sleeping quarters and gather in the woods under the cover of night. The Lucys—as they call the plantation owners, after Lucifer himself—have decided to turn around the farm’s bleak financial prospects by making the women bear children. They have hired a “stockman” to impregnate them. But the women are determined to protect themselves.
Now each of the six faces a choice. Nan, the doctoring woman, has brought a sack of cotton root clippings that can stave off children when chewed daily. If they all take part, the Lucys may give up and send the stockman away. But a pregnancy for any of them will only encourage the Lucys further. And should their plan be discovered, the consequences will be severe.
Visceral and arresting, Night Wherever We Go illuminates each woman’s individual trials and desires while painting a subversive portrait of collective defiance. Unflinching in her portrayal of America’s gravest injustices, while also deeply attentive to the transcendence, love, and solidarity of women whose interior lives have been underexplored, Tracey Rose Peyton creates a story of unforgettable power.
Nights Over Egypt (Contemporary Romance) by Barbara Keaton
Ashalon is a professor of Egyptology at Cairo University in Egypt and he is none too happy to learn that another American is coming to his country to conduct a dig among the ruins of his ancestors. He vows to make it difficult for this foreigner, who has been given permission by the Supreme Council of Antiquities … at least until he meets the American, Corina Camden.
Professor Camden is searching for mummified remains from the Twenty-first and Twenty-second dynasties and is hard pressed to hear her every move in Egypt would be supervised by some professor.
Corina and Ashalon are each surprised by their reaction to each other as they set across the blazing desert, captivated by their love of antiquities and unknown passions.
Nights Over Egypt is a story of archaeological digs, rich culture and buried passions.
Book Review from The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
4.0 out of 5 stars In Search of an Egyptian Tomb or Egyptian Love
For years Corina Camden has been the baby everyone doted on and the geeky little girl of the family, with the exception of one night when she was transformed into a raving beauty to attend her high school prom. Her date was arranged by her older brother with plenty of threats and instructions. The date was magical a one for Corina considering the response she was getting from her classmates and her escort. She listens intently to him as he describes his Egyptian homeland and his desire to be an archaeologist, echoing similar desires she herself has dreamed of doing.
Fast forward several years and Corina is all grown up and a well-known professor of archaeology in the United States. She has been offered the chance to participate in an excavation in Egypt among the Royal Tombs of Tanis. The honor is one that hasn’t been granted in ten years and will establish her as a serious Egyptologist. It is of little consequence Dr. Ashalon El Asab will be supervising the dig; she only hopes they can get along.
Upon meeting Dr. El Asab, they each get a vague feeling of familiarity. There is one thing for sure; they are both instantly attracted to each other. However, Corina recognizes a personal involvement could only lead to trouble, so she resolves to fight the feelings. Working in close proximity with fireworks looming in the background, the dig may result in more then ancient artifacts to secure.
NIGHTS OVER EGYPT is an endearing love story that casts an African American woman in a very nontraditional role in a country rich in history and culture. I was captivated by the obvious research Barbara Keaton put into this project and the vivid imagery she used to bring Egypt, its people and its heritage to life. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought Keaton herself was of Egyptian decent. Her character development was excellent with even the secondary characters showing budding potential for an additional story or two. This is definitely a must have for the romance enthusiast. —-Reviewed by Brenda M. Lisbon of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
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One Blood: A Novel by Denene Millner
One Blood: A Novel by Denene Millner
https://a.co/d/4Wh9zli
Inspired by her own adoption journey, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Denene Millner delivers a symphonic and emotionally transfixing epic set in pivotal moments in American history about three women with an indomitable spirit.
ONE BLOOD. THREE GENERATIONS OF WOMEN, LEGACY, AND SURVIVAL.
Join New York Times bestselling author Denene Millner as she explores the lives of three generations of women tied together by love, hope, dreams, ambition…and family secrets in this epic novel.
Meet Grace: raised by her beloved grandmother in tension-filled, post-segregation Virginia, Grace is barely a teenager when she loses her grandmother. Shellshocked, she is shipped up North to live with her formidably ambitious Aunt Hattie―a woman who firmly left behind her Southern roots in pursuit of upward mobility. Feeling like a fish out of water in the high society world filled with fancy teas and coveted debutante balls, Grace’s only place of comfort is with the smart, handsome son of one of the society’s grand dames.
Meet Delores: beautiful, intelligent and fierce, Delores a.k.a. Lolo has never had it easy. Once she makes it north, she puts aside her dream of being a model to do what she has to do to survive as a woman with little money and no mooring: get married and have a family of her own. When secrets start to spill out and she and her family slowly begin to unravel, Lolo is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her dream intact and those she loves together.
Meet Rae: when Lolo’s headstrong daughter, Rae discovers that she is adopted, it’s just one secret among others that her family is keeping. When Rae finds out that she’s about to become a mother herself, she knows that there is an important reckoning that must be faced about herself and her two mothers.
Potent, poetic, powerful, told with deep love, and spanning from the Great Migration to the civil unrest of the 1960s to the quest for women’s equality in early 2000s, Denene Millner’s beautifully wrought novel explores three women’s intimate, and often complicated, struggle with what it truly means to be family.
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Overcoming Bias and Racism in Your Workplace: A Primer for Minorities in the Business World by Gregory L. Harris
Imagine a society where bias, prejudice, and past discrimination’s impact on employees doesn’t exist. Not reality. Overcoming Bias and Racism in Your Workplace helps everyone deal with the real world as it is.
Bias and Racism in our country won’t just slip away. It takes a combined effort to change patterns of beliefs and practices that have been fostered and entrenched for some centuries. Each person deals with these realities every day in their workspace to one degree or another.
Each individual can take a stand and make a way—converting one person at a time if necessary—while thriving in their job, career, and profession. We can accomplish that goal while being successful in our day-to-day work responsibilities. Not as a new burden, but in ways that make all of us better.
In a society dealing with overt racism in its daily atmosphere, Gregory L. Harris has written Overcoming Bias and Racism in Your Workplace with the intended goal to help you not just survive, but thrive, whether just starting out in a job, or in the middle of your career.
Information on how to accomplish your goals while maintaining who you are and who you want to be are between the pages of this book. It is a primer for steps in your business and relationships that will make a difference.
All that’s needed is you!
Passport Wife by Terri D.
Passport Wife takes you beyond the fairy tale behind the scenes straight to my journals. Here is my story about how when I stopped looking for it love found me. It’s been quite the journey and all along I’ve been asking myself how did I end up here?
Terri D’s three children have always been her inspiration to push to get to the next level. Terri D. writes as a way to express herself and to document her inner most feelings. Terri D. published her debut novel titled Yesterday’s Lies in 2011. She has since released four more novels and had a poem published as a part of an Anthology of poems about love. Her sixth novel, Passport Wife is a memoir.
Purchase Passport Wife by Terri D.
Genre: Memoir > Relationships
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KPVRVW9
Listen to a reading from the book: https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/C701VWxX
Play to Win: A Novel by Jodie Slaughter
Jodie Slaughter’s latest rom-com, Play to Win, is a sizzling romance where a winning lottery ticket is meant to be a new start but instead becomes a second chance at love.
Miriam Butler’s life is going nowhere in the slowest, most excruciating way possible. Stuck in the same barely-paying job she’s had since she was sixteen and spending every night sleeping in the spare twin bed in her mother’s house, her existence might be hilarious if it wasn’t so bleak. One trip to her favorite Quickie Mart upends everything when she finds herself the winner of a Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot. Unfortunately, not even life-altering roses come without their painful thorns. Hers just so happen to be in the form of an estranged husband who has the right to claim his share of her money.
It’s been eight years since Leo Vaughn has had a conversation with his wife. When she calls out of the blue, practically begging him to come back to Greenbelt, the last thing he expects her to tell him when he gets there is that she’s come into a whole heap of money. She offers him a life-changing proposition of his own. Take a lump sum, finally sign the divorce papers, and be done with her for good. Only, a forever without her is the last thing Leo wants. So he gives a proposition of his own. One that won’t cost her nearly as many millions, but will buy him the time to do the one thing he’s been hungry to do since he left — win her back.
Purple Lotus: A Novel by Veena Rao
“The dazzling tale of an Indian-American woman finding her way through the labyrinth of tradition to self-awareness in the modern world. The writer employs an energetic prose style interspersed with melodic passages to make the writing itself a hybrid. Set in particular times and places, Purple Lotus nonetheless appeals to readers everywhere, especially women, to claim the full measure of their human rights. A vivid and resplendent novel for our time.”―Elaine Neil Orr, critically acclaimed author of Swimming Between Worlds
Tara moves to the American South three years after her arranged marriage to tech executive Sanjay. Ignored and lonely, Tara finds herself regressing back to childhood memories that have scarred her for life. When she was eight, her parents had left her behind with her aging grandparents and a schizophrenic uncle in Mangalore, while taking her baby brother with them to make a new life for the family in Dubai.
Tara’s memories of abandonment and isolation mirror her present life of loneliness and escalating abuse at the hands of her husband. She accepts the help of kind-hearted American strangers to fight Sanjay, only to be pressured by her patriarchal family to make peace with her circumstances. Then, in a moment of truth, she discovers the importance of self-worth—a revelation that gives her the courage to break free, gently rebuild her life, and even risk being shunned by her community when she marries her childhood love, Cyrus Saldanha.
Life with Cyrus is beautiful, until old fears come knocking. Ultimately, Tara must face these fears to save her relationship with Cyrus—and to confront the victim-shaming society she was raised within.
Intimate and deeply moving, Purple Lotus is the story of one woman’s ascension from the dark depths of desolation toward the light of freedom.
Purposeful Living Journey by Patricia L Gadsden
Purposeful Living Journey by Patricia L Gadsden
Still trying to figure out your life’s purpose? Look no further. This journal provides you with many exercises and tools to help you discover the you that you were meant to be.
Patricia L. Gadsden is the founder and President of Life Esteem, a personal and professional enrichment training/consulting firm and Founder of the Life Esteem Holistic Health Center. She is an entrepreneur and respected workshop and seminar leader who works with businesses, state agencies, colleges and schools, educations and human service organizations. Mrs. Gadsden has compiled materials that will assist you with finding your life purpose.
About the Author and Community Leader
Patricia L. Gadsden is the founder and President of Life Esteem, a personal and professional enrichment training/consulting firm and Women-Connect, a quarterly magazine which focuses on connecting women of all cultures, backgrounds, ages and experiences. She is an entrepreneur and respected workshop and seminar leader who works with businesses, state agencies, colleges and schools, educational and human service organizations. Mrs. Gadsden has made numerous presentations and speeches at conferences and conventions.
Mrs. Gadsden was named one of the top 50 Pennsylvania Women in Business for 2006, by the Central Penn Journal. She co-hosts (with husband Nathaniel Gadsden) a weekly television program called Life Esteem focusing on community issues, airing Sunday mornings at 6:00 am on the CBS affiliate WHP-TV 21. She also just launched in May 2008 a quarterly women’s magazine called, Women-Connect with a focus on highlighting women from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
She has contracted with the University of Pittsburgh’s PA Child Welfare Training Program since 1993 to provide diversity and other trainings for supervisors and new social workers in children and youth agencies and other providers of services to these agencies. Mrs. Gadsden co-wrote two diversity curriculums and train the trainer outlines. The first curriculum is a one-day training entitled, “Valuing Diversity and the second curriculum is, “Managing Diversity”. She also trained auditors and other support staff for the Auditor General office staff a curriculum she wrote entitled, “Diversity: A Vision for Understanding.” She recently contracted with the Workforce Investment Board to conduct diversity trainings for health care professionals in hospitals and nursing home settings.
Mrs. Gadsden was a master trainer for the Girl Scouts of the USA where she received her Instructor of Master Trainer’s Certification. She also serves as a National Operational Volunteer for GSUSA where she travels to girl scout councils across the country to conduct council performance assessments and diversity/pluralism trainings.
Mrs. Gadsden is married to Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Gadsden, pastor of Imani African Christian Church. She co-hosts with her husband a weekly public affairs TV talk/show program called Life Esteem, on the CBS Harrisburg affiliate television station, WHP-TV 21
Purchase Purposeful Living Journey by Patricia L Gadsden
Razorblade Tears: A Novel by S. A. Cosby
A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance.
Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid.
The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss.
Derek’s father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed of his father’s criminal record. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.
Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.
Provocative and fast-paced, S. A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears is a story of bloody retribution, heartfelt change – and maybe even redemption.
One of Barack Obama’s Recommended Reads for Summer • New York Times Notable Book • NPR’s Best Books • Washington Post’s Best Thriller and Mystery Books of the Year • TIME Magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books
Reason by Becky DeWitt
THE CONTEMPT 3-BOOK SERIES BY BECKY DEWITT
The Contempt Series including sequels Reasons and Sabotage, is a maze of mystery with twists and turns that will keep the readers on the edge. The character connections involve murder, suicide, deception, deliverance and salvation.
The series is filled with questions that keeps readers rapidly flipping pages yearning for answers. All three are available on Kindle. Listen to Becky read from the series: https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/C4Vn42bX
Watch the book trailer for The Trilogy – Contempt, Reasons, & Sabotage by Becky DeWitt
Watch the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/S2YnB83f9Xo
Contempt: Lies Deceit and the Miracles by Becky DeWitt
Contempt is the riveting journey through deceit, death, and betrayal which was a way of life. It is the journey of the twists and turns of life, taking toil, leaving one in devastation. Only the arrival of a miracle just in time changes everything. Nothing just happens. Becky DeWitt leads the readers through a maze of mystery and intrigue capturing ones’ fascination.
Who is that girl? The intrigue continues the lives of Tristan, Arianna and Takeshi are exposed in the web of many secrets from their past through their children. Reasons answers the many questions of who, what, when, where and why that were left unanswered at the ending of Contempt. The truth is embedded in every page as the reader attempts to find the conclusion of this story. Contempt lured and captivated readers into a world of a thought-provoking drama. Becky DeWitt has responded to the unanswered questions of the destiny of many lives from Contempt with the sequel, Reasons. Is this really the end?
Sabotage: The Final Chapter by Becky DeWitt
SABOTAGE, The Final Chapter pieces together the dark side of Tristan, Arianna and Takeshi’s lifestyle of murder, intrigue, contempt and lies, while experiencing God’s mercy, grace, eye-opening revelation and truth. The readers who have followed the drama in the previous books, Contempt and Reasons, will experience the conclusion in the maze of mystery that captured their attention. The story ends with answers to the many questions about the life of each character and their unfolding destinies. Your heart will skip a beat as you discover the answers to the truth.
Purchase the Contempt 3-Book Series by Becky DeWitt
ReQuiem (Clairvoyance – Poetic Vault Series) by Marc Lacy
ReQuiem: Poetic Canticles Producing Personal Revivals offers a creative hardline approach to everyday and ordinary life situations that people may endure from time to time.
Although it tends to pull no punches in the aims of the poetry, it can easily be deemed a sweet escape from the harsh conclusions that life can sometimes present. Lacy journeys to the edges of the creative window with which God has blessed him and creates a figurative-looking glass through which the reader can gaze intensely at the messages.
Once the eyes zero in on the stanzas, the rhythm of the rhymes are locked into a sequence of beats like a metronome. In essence, the flow is so silky that no head will go unbobbed.
ReQuiem provides the reader with 73 opportunities to catch the flow, feel the vibes, and get moved to a higher version of self through the lyrics. This particular collection is a beneficiary of Marc Lacy’s timeless vault of poetic secrets. He reached way back in the stash to pull pieces that have been highly anticipated. But alas, there are also a few new pieces and yes, one will also be able to tell them apart based on the writing style.
ReQuiem is like a rent-a-car, once you pick it up, it can take you anywhere you want to go…that is…if you stay focused on the smooth highway of pages that awaits you. Check out the entire Poetic Vault Series – https://a.co/d/0ggNVSI
RestoreHER 7 Steps to Healing Enlightenment, and Renewal by Cheryl Lacey Donovan
RestoreHER 7 Steps to Healing Enlightenment, and Renewal by Cheryl Lacey Donovan
We spend our days rushing from one task to another at work and home only to drop into our beds at midnight , completely exhausted. Our society has changed a great deal since our parents were in their prime.
Today we are addicted to speed, see busyness as a status symbol, take care of not only our children, but also our aging parents, and work as many hours as possible to keep ahead of the Jones’. It’s no wonder most of us ignore ourselves and our own needs. It seems like there is simply not the time to do more than grab food on the go and snag a few hours of sleep before starting it all again.
Read excerpts from the book and order your copy, go here: http://bit.ly/RESTORECLD
About the Author
Cheryl Lacey Donovan lives an authentic life as a multi-talented preacher, teacher, mentor, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and author. She is a woman of integrity with a keen level of wisdom and humor that is nothing short of refreshing.
An award-winning bestselling author Cheryl has influenced the lives of thousands in the U.S. and abroad through her powerful life-changing messages. Desiring to see the saints efficiently armed with the knowledge of God, Cheryl’s passion is assisting those in the kingdom, especially women, in discovering their authentic purpose and destiny.
After more than 20 years of educating and advising allied health care professionals, Cheryl followed her passion for bringing out the best in other people by choosing to be more involved in the vision and direction their lives were taking.
This culminated in the launch of Cheryl Lacey Donovan LLC, a coaching and mentoring program which is one facet of her multi-level group of projects which includes Worth More than Rubies Ministries, Cheryl Lacey Donovan Ministries, Worth More than Rubies Productions, and Imni Publishing Unlimited.
Cheryl presents a powerful message with a conversational style that’s just like sitting around chatting with one of your sisters – one who is filled with pearls of wisdom and whose heart is filled with giving. Some of us long for that kind of sister or friend who will just sit you down, tell you the truth about life, share her experiences, and then give you access to a greater more meaningful purpose in life.
You will want to sip a warm cup of your favorite drink, bring a note pad and enjoy a candid and educational presentation with Cheryl Lacey Donovan.
Read more here: https://www.cherylspeaks.org
Rhythm Bay Love by Patricia A. Bridewell
Antoine Bailey AKA DJ Ant is one of the wealthy heirs to his father’s prominent real estate business. He enjoys his wealth, but life is not perfect. Antoine is ready to move past the drama of his family issues, and ex-girlfriend’s infidelity. Relocation from the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles for a new position is a godsend. Within a year, DJ Ant’s ratings are over the top, and he’s one of the most popular DJs on the West Coast.
Disputes with Jada Carson, a co-worker, becomes a challenge. Even more challenging is their conflict transitions into an attraction that he can’t resist.
Jada Carson’s life has not been easy. Thrust into the parenting role of teenage sisters, at age twenty-two she’s the head of household. Ten years later, she is the Traffic Director at a radio station where she did her college internship. After her love-life dives, so does her trust in men. Then along comes Antoine, who becomes the nail in her side. But he’s oh, so gorgeous.
Although she’s attracted to him, she dismisses the notion of a relationship because she doesn’t want any part of that arrogant man. When Cupid steps in, a romance between Antoine and Jada ignites.
Will Jada and Antoine survive the turmoil that hovers over their blossoming love? Only God knows the answer.
Listen to a reading from Rhythm Bay Love:
http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CRt29ybX
Purchase Rhythm Bay Love by Patricia A. Bridewell
https://www.amazon.com/Rhythm-Bay-Love-Patricia-Bridewell/dp/1732130922
Sabotage: The Final Chapter by Becky DeWitt
THE CONTEMPT 3-BOOK SERIES BY BECKY DEWITT
The Contempt Series including sequels Reasons and Sabotage, is a maze of mystery with twists and turns that will keep the readers on the edge. The character connections involve murder, suicide, deception, deliverance and salvation.
The series is filled with questions that keeps readers rapidly flipping pages yearning for answers. All three are available on Kindle. Listen to Becky read from the series: https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/C4Vn42bX
Watch the book trailer for The Trilogy – Contempt, Reasons, & Sabotage by Becky DeWitt. Watch the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/S2YnB83f9Xo
Contempt: Lies Deceit and the Miracles by Becky DeWitt
Contempt is the riveting journey through deceit, death, and betrayal which was a way of life. It is the journey of the twists and turns of life, taking toil, leaving one in devastation. Only the arrival of a miracle just in time changes everything. Nothing just happens. Becky DeWitt leads the readers through a maze of mystery and intrigue capturing ones’ fascination.
Who is that girl? The intrigue continues the lives of Tristan, Arianna and Takeshi are exposed in the web of many secrets from their past through their children. Reasons answers the many questions of who, what, when, where and why that were left unanswered at the ending of Contempt. The truth is embedded in every page as the reader attempts to find the conclusion of this story. Contempt lured and captivated readers into a world of a thought-provoking drama. Becky DeWitt has responded to the unanswered questions of the destiny of many lives from Contempt with the sequel, Reasons. Is this really the end?
Sabotage: The Final Chapter by Becky DeWitt
SABOTAGE, The Final Chapter pieces together the dark side of Tristan, Arianna and Takeshi’s lifestyle of murder, intrigue, contempt and lies, while experiencing God’s mercy, grace, eye-opening revelation and truth. The readers who have followed the drama in the previous books, Contempt and Reasons, will experience the conclusion in the maze of mystery that captured their attention. The story ends with answers to the many questions about the life of each character and their unfolding destinies. Your heart will skip a beat as you discover the answers to the truth.
Purchase the Contempt 3-Book Series by Becky DeWitt
Sankofa: A Novel by Chibundu Onuzo
Named a Best Book of the Month by Entertainment Weekly, Harper’s Bazaar, and Time • Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Month by Goodreads, PopSugar, PureWow, LitHub, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and Buzzfeed
A woman wondering who she really is goes in search of a father she never knew—only to find something far more complicated than she ever expected—in this “stirring narrative about family, our capacity to change and the need to belong” (Time).
Anna is at a stage of her life when she’s beginning to wonder who she really is. In her 40s, she has separated from her husband, her daughter is all grown up, and her mother—the only parent who raised her—is dead.
Searching through her mother’s belongings one day, Anna finds clues about the African father she never knew. His student diaries chronicle his involvement in radical politics in 1970s London. Anna discovers that he eventually became the president—some would say dictator—of a small nation in West Africa. And he is still alive…
When Anna decides to track her father down, a journey begins that is disarmingly moving, funny, and fascinating. Like the metaphorical bird that gives the novel its name, Sankofa expresses the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present to address universal questions of race and belonging, the overseas experience for the African diaspora, and the search for a family’s hidden roots.
Examining freedom, prejudice, and personal and public inheritance, Sankofa is a story for anyone who has ever gone looking for a clear identity or home, and found something more complex in its place.
Saving Her Shadow by Lutishia Lovely
Lutishia Lovely is back and it’s a matter of life and death in this witty, wise new novel where family, fanaticism, and the rebel spirit of young adulthood collide . . .
When eighteen-year-old Raina Reed is given an ultimatum—her family or her first love—she chooses the latter, leaves the rigid cult community she’s grown up in and finds herself shunned, ex-communicated . . . ghosted. Not seeing her parents is tolerable. Raina is happy for more time with her sweet, talented boyfriend Bryce, and enjoys the freedom found in living with him, his free-spirited cousin, Jackie, and Jackie’s mom Valerie, a struggling attorney. But her heart breaks at the thought of not seeing her baby sister. Abby is ten years younger and they’ve never spent one day apart—until now.
While Raina embraces her new life, she can’t shake her concern about Abby, especially when a lingering illness worsens and her parents refuse to seek medical help. Raina is determined to break through the religious rules that stand in the way of her sister’s well-being. Drawing on her new family and support system, including chanting, angel-card reading Jackie, justice-seeking Valerie, loving Bryce—and his eccentric, praying grandmother—Raina finds her own kind of faith, one built on a love strong enough to move mountains . . .
Praise for the novels of Lutishia Lovely
“Vibrant characters, artful storytelling, and an original voice make Lutishia Lovely worth every moment.” —Donna Hill
“The scintillating brew of sex, faith and sharp humor will have Lovely’s fans breathless for more.” —Publishers Weekly on A Preacher’s Passion
Saving Raine by Marian L. Thomas
Saving Raine by Marian L. Thomas
Read more: https://a.co/d/2sEv9KS
Raine Reynolds stands at the crossroads of despair and opportunity.
When the life you’ve built crumbles and the past refuses to release its grip, sometimes you need a fresh start-a new beginning that promises hope and redemption.
Once a celebrated author, Raine’s life unraveled, sending her fleeing to the picturesque streets of Paris to escape the tormenting heartache that threatened to consume her. Yet, no matter how far she traveled, the pain remained her unwelcome companion.
Returning to bustling Atlanta as a senior VP for an ad agency, Raine is forced to confront a city steeped in memories she’d rather forget. But as life would have it, an old friend resurfaces, offering a glimmer of healing in the midst of her turmoil. Can she summon the courage to trust once more?
In a world where everyone yearns for the saving grace of love, Raine is no exception. Her story is a testament to the enduring human spirit, a reminder that a path to love can be found even in the face of the darkest storms.
- Inspiring contemporary fiction
- Stand-alone novel
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
Saying Goodbye by Patricia A. Saunders
Saying Goodbye by Patricia A. Saunders
Have you lost someone?
Have you experienced grief?
Are you trying to pick up the pieces?
Saying Goodbye is the book for you!
In the heartfelt pages of her memoir, Patricia A. Saunders, the youngest in a family of thirteen siblings, reveals the profound reverberations of losses to cancer that have left an indelible mark on her life.
Within her narrative, she sensitively explores the depths of grief accompanying the departure of a cherished family member, navigating the distinctive connection between the eldest and the youngest. Patricia eloquently traces the path toward accepting her sister’s passing, bravely sharing the intimate details of her personal journey.
In this courageous exploration, Patricia extends solace and inspiration to those grappling with the challenge of saying goodbye to their loved ones, fostering a sense of comfort and resilience in the face of loss.
Patricia A. Saunders is an author, poet, blogger, and motivational speaker. Visit her website at https://patriciaasaunders.com
Saying Goodbye by Patricia A Saunders
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1665748265
Seeds of Deception by Arlene L. Walker
A clash between Cherokee Indians and their former African slaves comes to a head in the tribal town of Feather Falls.
On the same day Sput Louie McClendon is evicted by reviled town tycoon Goliah Lynch, her husband mysteriously vanishes. Has he fallen prey to bushwhackers or timber thieves? Or is Lynch behind his disappearance?
Alone and desperate, Sput Louie turns to town elder Two Bird for help, but with racial tension between the two factions, are his intentions pure?
As Sput Louie’s frantic search for her husband intensifies, she stumbles onto a dark twisted family secret – one that could not only have devastating implications for her, but the entire town of Feather Falls.
Reviews for Seeds of Deception by Arlene L. Walker
“Seeds of Deception has characters you’ll love, a plot that pulls you in and twists you’ll never see coming.”
— Pamela Samuels Young, author of Anybody’s Daughter and Abuse of Discretion, NAACP Image Award winner
“Hypnotic prose, vivid characters. I was blown away. A masterful first novel.”
— Dwayne Alexander Smith, author of Forty Acres, NAACP Image Award Winner
“I wish I could go back and meet all her characters again. Haven’t stopped thinking about them yet. Easily one of my favorite reads this year.” — Lisa Bobbit, reviewer, ReadInColour.com
“Ms. Walker’s writing is uninhibited and honest.”
— C. Knight, Book-a-licious Book Club
Self-Love in Action: Practical Ways to Bring Self-Compassion Into Work, Relationships & Everyday Life by Zo Crook
A practical approach to self-love with evidence-based therapy skills to trust your inner voice, make confident decisions, and live with greater personal empowerment in your relationships, career, and everyday life.
Many studies show that self-love is central to good mental health. Self-Love in Action helps you cultivate compassion, accountability, and self-respect in all areas of your life. In this practical, everyday guide, self-love becomes a verb–a moving declaration towards personal empowerment. This psychology-driven book offers proactive strategies to redirect you back to your authentic self by learning to listen to the voice within. Guided by a therapist, you’ll confront the past, examine the present, and prepare for the future by setting boundaries, taking accountability, and practicing the ultimate act of self-love.
Boost confidence with small rituals that shift the focus from “them” to “me”–reminding you that true love flows from the inside out.
Implement “Time to Practice” exercises to pause, set boundaries, say no, and invest in yourself.
Take self-love quizzes to reflect on the ways current habits might impede self-love action.
Explore real examples of clients who have overcome common hardships through their commitment to self-love.
Shift into a Higher Gear by Delatorro McNeal
Shift into a Higher Gear: Better Your Best and Live Life to the Fullest by Delatorro McNeal
Kick fear-based living to the curb and discover exactly how to manifest the life of your dreams!
Is there another level of life that you want to live? Are there goals you’ve been struggling to achieve? Are there areas of your life where you’ve settled for excuses instead of excellence?
With close to two decades of experience working with high achievers globally, peak performance expert Delatorro McNeal II is passionate about teaching people how to live life full throttle. A motorcycle enthusiast, McNeal uses biking metaphors to vividly illustrate how to reject the monotony of living on cruise control. Packed with exercises, journaling activities, compelling questions, and thought-provoking stories, analogies, and examples, this book teaches you the psychology and methodology of shifting into a higher gear. Each of the twelve chapters starts with the word Shift and invites you to make a simple but profound change that will accelerate your results and expand the horizons of your possibilities. You’ll discover how to
• Lean into the curves of life and business
• Sever your dependency on the “kickstands of life”
• Put your weight into the changes you desire most
• Steer the flow of your emotional states
• Shift your core relationships to invite the right posse to your biker club
• Drive defensively to avoid the potholes that stop most people from succeeding
From the introduction all the way through to the conclusion, this book is a transformational seminar on paper. Join Delatorro McNeal as he takes you on the personal development journey of a lifetime.
Shine Bright: Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith
Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith
American pop music is arguably this country’s greatest cultural contribution to the world, and its singular voice and virtuosity were created by a shining thread of Black women geniuses stretching back to the country’s founding. This is their surprising, heartbreaking, soaring story—from “one of the generation’s greatest, most insightful, most nuanced writers in pop culture” (Shea Serrano)
“Sparkling . . . the overdue singing of a Black girl’s song, with perfect pitch . . . delicious to read.”—Oprah Daily
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Publishers Weekly
A weave of biography, criticism, and memoir, Shine Bright is Danyel Smith’s intimate history of Black women’s music as the foundational story of American pop.
Smith has been writing this history for more than five years. But as a music fan, and then as an essayist, editor (Vibe, Billboard), and podcast host (Black Girl Songbook), she has been living this history since she was a latchkey kid listening to “Midnight Train to Georgia” on the family stereo.
Smith’s detailed narrative begins with Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved woman who sang her poems, and continues through the stories of Mahalia Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Mariah Carey, as well as the under-considered careers of Marilyn McCoo, Deniece Williams, and Jody Watley.
Shine Bright is an overdue paean to musical masters whose true stories and genius have been hidden in plain sight—and the book Danyel Smith was born to write.
Shorty and The Sullivans by Lynda Jones-Mubarak
Meet The Sullivans, an African American couple in their early 50s. They do not have children, but they do have a big, black dog named Ebony Joyce who they sometimes call Ebony J. In this story, The Sullivans discover that sympathy, empathy and compassion can emerge from very small events, and that sometimes, the best friendships can develop from very unusual circumstances.
BOOK REVIEW
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Skin of the Sea (Of Mermaids and Orisa) by Natasha Bowen
Teen Young Adult › SciFi & Fantasy Grades: 9 – 12
The must-read Black mermaid fantasy series that #1 NYT bestselling author Nicola Yoon calls “epic and original,” in which one mermaid takes on the gods themselves. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and anyone who can’t wait for the live-action The Little Mermaid.
A way to survive.
A way to serve.
A way to save.
Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.
But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable—she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.
To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There’s the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail . . .
Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she fails, she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.
Snapshot by Camryn King
An ambitious photojournalist. An uber-dedicated enforcer. And an explosive, high-profile scandal ignites Camryn King’s provocative new thriller . . .
Breathtaking oceanfront views, friendly locals, festive meals. At first, award-winning photographer Kennedy Wade’s magazine shoot in Bahamas is more play than work. Until she loses 48 hours of her life after flirting with a sexy stranger. Until her camera goes missing—and once back in the States, she feels certain of being watched. So when Kennedy gets an unmistakable warning to quit digging deeper, she’s not about to give up.
His instructions: confidential. His orders: stop a traitor from posting photos threatening national security. But former Special Ops agent Zeke Foster’s instincts are telling him something isn’t right with this picture. Especially as Kennedy challenges his special skills and lethal tenacity to get her life back and find the real story.
Soon she has evidence that casts everything she and Zeke thought they knew in doubt—and puts them on the same team. Nothing will stop Kennedy from exposing the truth. Not losing her career, being personally exposed, or a cost far more than she ever imagined . . .
Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford
“This is a book people will be talking about forever.” ―Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed
“Ford’s wrenchingly brilliant memoir is truly a classic in the making. The writing is so richly observed and so suffused with love and yearning that I kept forgetting to breathe while reading it.” ―John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author
One of the most prominent voices of her generation debuts with an extraordinarily powerful memoir: the story of a childhood defined by the looming absence of her incarcerated father.
Through poverty, adolescence, and a fraught relationship with her mother, Ashley C. Ford wishes she could turn to her father for hope and encouragement. There are just a few problems: he’s in prison, and she doesn’t know what he did to end up there. She doesn’t know how to deal with the incessant worries that keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley begins dating a boy her mother hates. When the relationship turns sour, he assaults her. Still reeling from the rape, which she keeps secret from her family, Ashley desperately searches for meaning in the chaos. Then, her grandmother reveals the truth about her father’s incarceration . . . and Ashley’s entire world is turned upside down.
Somebody’s Daughter steps into the world of growing up a poor Black girl in Indiana with a family fragmented by incarceration, exploring how isolating and complex such a childhood can be. As Ashley battles her body and her environment, she embarks on a powerful journey to find the threads between who she is and what she was born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them.