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On The Flip Side Synopsis Danica is leading a double life. She owns a successful psychiatric practice and has her patients lives all figured out. She suffers from a God complex that has her believing that she is better than everyone else. Danica enjoys her double life of making people pay for their indiscretions in the worst way. On The Flip Side by Nikkea Smithers Prologue After finally being cleared for visiting, I waited in the lobby of the Richmond City Jail. The seats were as hard as they could be in the waiting area while the air was stale with a contrite odor. Sunday was the busiest visiting day of the week as many people were off work and reserved that day to visit their loved ones. I had taken a seat next to a young mother who was trying to calm her wailing child. The child was colicky and the young girl had no idea what to do. The young girl couldn't have been older than sixteen. Her huge gold earrings made her earlobes hang so low that I was concerned that her earlobe would split. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail. I imagined that she was there to visit the father of her child. He had to have been older as we were not in a juvenile facility. I turned my attention to the clock that hung on the wall. The circular item loudly ticked away at every second that passed. Tick, tick, tick, was the noise that filled in the only silent moments between the screaming child's wails. I couldn't wait to be out of there but there was something that I had to do. "Taylor!" My name was called after about an hour of waiting. I got up and made my way to the small oblong room. Thick glas.s made a partition between the visitors and parties that they were visiting.
Even Sinners Have Souls Too Introduction by National Best selling author, K'Wan, with four stories by Darrell King and Essence Magazine bestselling authors, Michel Moore, Tysha and Victor L. Martin.
Even Sinners Have Souls Too Meet author and editor E.N. Joy Ella: Introduce us to the book, Even Sinners Have Souls TOO.
E.N. Joy: Despite popular belief, everything that comes from the ghetto isn’t all bad. There are some good products of the ghetto. It produces great individuals, some even authors. But because of the type of genre that these authors choose to pen, they are stigmatized and rumored unable to create literature without glorifying a trigger happy, drug dealing thug, or a burgundy micro braid wearing, gum poppin’, promiscuous gold digger, or a television stealing crack head (in addition to at least two curse words per paragraph). Ella: Will this book change how Urban Lit is protrayed as a industry?
Ella: What are some unique aspects of the Sinners Series? What stands out the most? E.N. Joy: The authors bring to life the same raw and gritty characters found in some of their other works. There are the dope boys, the hood rats, the promiscuity, homosexuality, the gang bangers, abuse, drugs, alcohol, etc...; all the things that exist in real life on the streets. But what makes these tales so phenomenal and unique is that in the midst of it all, just like in real life on the streets, there is also, God, prayer, and sometimes a praying grandmother. What pleased me the most about each and every story is that they never, for one moment, lost their authenticity. The authors still walked away from this project with their street credit, so to speak.
Website: www.enjoywrites.com ISBN-10: 0970672659 | ISBN-13: 978-0970672650 Pick up a copy at Amazon
Drunk for 27 Years: A Story of Victory - Her Choice to Live and Not Die The road of Priscilla’s life was paved by the people that made choices for her. Through heartache, pain, trauma and tragedy, Priscilla’s experiences became stepping stones that forced her to make a choice that ultimately changed the outcome of her life. Drunk for 27 years, the compelling true story of Priscilla Gibson, mother of singer, actor and model Tyrese Gibson, suffered 27 years with alcoholicism. The book reveals the unconditional love that her children had for their mother, who despite all they had experienced remained just the strength she needed to make it through. Suffering abuse at the hands of an alcoholic mother, Priscilla began drinking at a very young age, and continued into her adult years. Many factors manipulated the course of Priscilla’s life, causing her to make one bad choice after another until she finally made the choice to live and not die. PROLOGUE
“What is wrong with you?” he cried out with tears streaming down his face. “Why do you think I’ve been calling you Mommy Dearest ever since I was a little boy? It’s because you drink just like that lady in the movie, and you act like her too! Why can’t you stop drinking?” “I don’t know how to stop!” I said putting my head down on the table and crying. “I’m scared!” “You’re scared? Mama, you’ve scared us to death for years, wondering where you were, not knowing if you were dead or alive. What did you think could happen to you living in these streets?” Junior said before crying out with loud sobs. “I’m going to stop drinking, I promise. I’m going to stop drinking! I don’t want to be like my mother,” I cried out loudly. I put my head down on the table and began to pray silently, ‘God in Heaven, please hear my cry. I am an alcoholic and I have become just like my mother. If you deliver me from this alcoholic disease I promise I won’t ever take another drink for the rest of my life. I want to live and not die’
Wow! This is an inspiring book. It’s straight to the point on how things really were and it’s very honest. The book touched me and told me things about my mother that I never knew. My mother had a lot of issues that she covered up with alcohol - something that a lot of people do because they can’t express their feelings. It’s really, really a good movie…I mean book! I couldn’t put it down. The book goes into depth, telling a story that kept unfolding, a story that unfolded as I read it and as I lived it. I experienced several emotions while reading, I got upset, then mad, then sad, then happy. God is a forgiving God. I’m proud of my mother for having a relationship with Him and making the right choice. Growing up was hell! My mother was drunk all the time, so the streets raised us. The older we got the more distant we became with our mother. She never really got to know any of us, but we loved her any way and we loved her unconditionally. We survived all that hell and managed to come out of it pretty decent human beings. I thank God for remembering the Gibson family. Life with my mother as an alcoholic was very emotionally draining and tough. You never knew if she was going to have a bad day or a good day. Her day started with alcohol – everyday! Because of that my relationship with my mother was strained and distant. As a child regardless of what card life deals you, you always have to try to respect and acknowledge your parents. I never disrespected my mother during her illness, which caused a lot of pain. As a result of being a child of an alcoholic it caused me to make better choices in my life, especially never to drink. I went the opposite direction. I’m proud of my mother for taking the steps to recover from her addiction. I love her dearly.
Download Your Copy and Read it Today! **Ella Curry recommends this book to the group
Meet bestselling author Dwight Fryer Fryer shares from his twenty-five years of business experience in leadership, technology, finance, accounting, marketing and publishing. He has written two critically acclaimed novels. The Legend of Quito Road and The Knees of Gullah Island. Dwight speaks about life, healthcare, business, leadership, history, literature, community and storytelling. The University of Memphis teaches The Legend of Quito Road in its Masters of Fine Arts Program in the English Department. Dwight Fryer has inspired audiences at universities, corporations, schools, faith communities and nonprofit organizations. His passion is to help people do all they can to succeed and use his experiences to inspire others. Fryer was diagnosed with cancer two days after a 1998 layoff. In 2001, the disease meningococcal meningitis took his youngest daughter’s life. He works as an advocate for immunization against bacterial meningitis with the National Meningitis Association. He survived a wreck caused by a driver under the influence.
Today, we must decide — persons of color and not of color — how we're going to work together, sowing is what I am writing about. We have to truly realize the dream that Dr. King had for us. So as I tell these historical stories and we look at how often people focus on their differences and not their similarities and how they can work against each other instead of together. Too many of our areas are still very divided communities, too often on race, religion, or political alliance separates us. Unfortunately too many people that are in powerful positions are not trying to find ways to build bridges to each other and work as a coalition builder and a success builder. We live in a very divided world where it's not so much about color. Quite often it's about ethnicity and who and what we believe in. Instead of mankind finding a way to work together, we too often are prone to work apart.
The Legend of Quito Road called to me early in the mornings of most days until I finally obeyed and wrote the book. The Knees of Gullah Island shares the family history and readers learn what happened to Gillam Hale. He was Son Erby’s grandpa by his second family after his first was taken and sold away. I wish the modern reader knew more about their origins. This would help us unlock some of the mystery of who we are and who our children can become.
Is there any spiritual difference in making moonshine and crack cocaine or crystal meth? Was this knowledge a gift or a curse and what is does that information produce today for modern drug industry participants? Red-headed Rafe Coleman and mocha skinned Thelma Louise Smith enter a relationship of mutual exploitation. Who is really in charge of this love-match between the large town constable that readers love to hate and a woman with a sordid family given nickname because of her physical traits. They call her Bustie and all know why! In The Knees of Gullah Island, Queen Esther Hale has been enslaved twice. She is still not free when the book begins in July 1883, even though she is an intelligent and successful business woman with a flourishing restaurant in downtown Charleston. Her husband Gillam Hale, has not seen her in twenty-five years since their illegal sale into slavery. He must make a huge decision when he discovers she is in Charleston: does he leave all he has known in the second half of his life to search for what he loved in his first half of his existence? How does this type history impact the modern man’s exit from the home and children they have parented? How did slavery impact the slaveholder? For that story, we look at the lives of Claude and Marjorie Crenshaw, rich Southerners with a storied past and many secrets. Miss Grozalia is a Gullah-Geechee matriarch and root doctor. You better treat her with respect or she will put a root on you! Miss Grozalia told a young gal, “Daa’tuh, mos’ time two lay down three get up!” How many young folks today need to receive that message. Dora and March Crenshaw are young, barely black and have big decisions to make in their young adult lives. Which side of the color line of their mixed heritage will they be drawn too and why does society make them choose one when they originate from both? Mule Jenkins is an African American vendor who sells fish to the exclusive homes South of Broad on the Charleston peninsula. Homeless Mule sings as he walks to market his wares and forget his troubles. Cuppie Geechee is a voluptuous Gullah woman who has waited for thirteen years for the love of a man from her past. On a cool afternoon near Christmas 1883, she decided not to wait any more. Gullah John is as mean as he is lanky. His Gullah speech and wicked sense of humor makes the hair stand up on the back of the neck of most folks he meets. Why does he have such a hold on June, daughter of Queen Esther and Gillam Hale? June is thick with muddy red skin and has a weakness that only the love of a father can heal. How many children today suffer similar challenges? Bent knees do straighten crooked deeds. All the characters eventually learn this and someday so will each of us.
The Legend of Quito Road by Dwight Fryer Both books are filled with rich historical details and spiritual truths that are applicable to the modern reader.
 Author Interview: Color Me Jazzmyne by Marian L. Thomas I would like to introduce you to a fantastic new book, Color Me Jazzmyne. Readers of Color Me Jazzmyne have been captivated by the depth of the emotional journey that the book takes them on. It digs deep into what it takes for women to embrace who they are no matter what size, color, educational background or social status. Sisters will learn to love themselves despite what society says or the voices that surround them!
Marian L. Thomas is native of Chicago but currently resides in Atlanta.She first awakened her desire to write while in her second year of high school. She majored in Journalism but received her Bachelor of Art degree in Business Communication, graduating Magna Cum Laude. 2009 the dream of becoming a published author was realized when she was able to debut her first title Color Me Jazzmyne. She is a wife and supporter of victims of abuse and was recently featured in the Atlanta Skirt! Magazine as one of Atlanta's 9to5 Women in the Media Industry.
Why do you write? Is is healing or to create awareness in our community?
Are your characters, in Color Me Jazzmyne, a portrayal of real people?
Contact Marian Online
New York Times bestselling author Francis Ray continues her captivating series about the Grayson family and their circle of friends with One Night With You, as two people with no plans for romance find themselves blindsided by desire…
“FAST, FUN, AND FULL OF EMOTIONAL THRILLS AND SEXY CHILLS.”—Roxanne St. Clair, bestselling author on Nobody But You
One Night with You Details Pick up a copy at Amazon One Night with You by Francis Ray Link to read full screen: Book Spotlight: One Night with You by Francis Ray National bestselling author Francis Ray is a native Texan and graduate of Texas Woman's University where she was twice nominated for the Distinguished Alumni Award. INCOGNITO, her 6th novel, was the first made-for-TV movie from BET. With the release of THE TURNING POINT, her first mainstream, she established The Turning Point Legal Fund to assist women of domestic violence. The fund is administered by The Family Place, a woman's shelter in Dallas. Her writing awards include the EMMA, Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, Atlantic Choice, Golden Pen as well as several awards from libraries and book clubs. NOT EVEN IF YOU BEGGED, her 37th title, is the fourth book in the popular Invincible Women Series was released January 24, 2008 and made Border's and WalMart bestselling list. September 2008 saw the release of THE WAY YOU LOVE ME, Book One in her new Grayson Friends Series. In November UNTIL THERE WAS YOU, Book One, in the Graysons of New Mexico Series was reissued.
ELLA: Introduce us to your book, One Night with You. ELLA: Introduce us to your message in One Night with You and the main characters. ELLA: What issues in today's society have you addressed in the book? Thank you,
Journey Less Traveled: Choose to Turn Your Tragedy into Triumph The Journey Less Traveled: Choose to Turn Your Tragedy into Triumph; highlights Loretta's bout with death, grief, depression, anger and countless experiences, which she encountered after her tragic car accident on May 24, 2006. At some point in this life's journey, you will come face to face with tragedy. Enduring the hardship, while holding true to your faith and the promises of God are key components in your victory over any adverse situation. Readers of all ages, cultures, and experiences will relate to one woman's choice to triumph over her tragedy. This book has the potential to transform lives! The Journey Less Traveled is an inspiring, uplifting account of an indomitable spirit, as well as a striking testament to the sheer power of human will. Readers will surely be enlightened by this compelling tale of someone who was thrust into the darkest recesses of earthly suffering and overcame it all with the force of a true spiritual soldier. The greatest lesson offered in the pages of this moving memoir is that no matter how difficult events in your life may seem, always know that someone else has not only suffered worse, but overcame it all - so nothing is stopping you from doing the same. Seven Steps to Developing a Conqueror's Mentality
Review Website: www.chpublishing.org
101 Reasons to Live!" - Summer 2010
What would you do if you husband just suddenly picked up and left what appeared to be a perfect marriage? Would fall apart or investigate? This book, I Need More could be reffering to just that ...more information! It is a romantic suspense. The author has won several awards for her books over the years. It has a truly surprise ending right off the pages of the local magazine! She has a number of other great titles in the Romance and chick lit genres. I Need More by Kimberley White-Read More
Except The Man She Loves...
BAN Radio Interview with Author Azarel  Azarel, CEO of Life Changing Books is a former teacher and native of North Carolina. She received her BS degree from University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and earned a Masters of Arts in teaching degree from Bowie State University in 1999. Her love for writing sparked a career change in 2002. She resigned from her teaching tenure in the Prince George's County public school system to fulfill her dream of becoming an author. After writing her first novel, "A Life to Remember," written in an attempt to help change lives of young men, Azarel launched her own publishing company, Life Changing Books (LCB). Now with over twenty-one titles published to date, LCB is one of the most well known and successful African-American publishing companies in the publishing industry. Listen to the Intimate Conversation Interview below as Azarel reads from the book. Many titles produced by Azarel have continuously topped the charts on the national Essence Best sellers list and many national book store chains.Although Azarel publishes a wide variety of adult fiction, her title roster includes “Teenage Bluez" an urban series of books for teens. Teenage Bluez is designed to capture the hearts of teens across America by providing them with entertaining stories in a positive manner.
As a wife, and mother of two Azarel enjoys spending time with family and friends and lending support to those in need. By mentoring teens and speaking at shelters for abused women she continues to achieve that goal. Azarel’s greatest wish is for every able body to reach out to a teen. Visit her foundation, Spreading Literacy and Love and lend your support to youth in need Spreadlitandlove.com
Book Intro: Carbon Copy by Azarel Have you ever craved someone so bad…that you’d be willing to do anything? Meet Dominique Lewis, a foul, hard-boiled, go-getter who spends most of her days yearning to be just like her sister, and plotting on taking her man. For her, it’s all about money, sex, and power. Although she possesses the perfect physique and sexy features, her life-long dream is to become wealthy and a house-hold name. By any means necessary, she vows to get what she wants.
As Dominique’s mission unfolds, she manages to get connected to Yuri, a violent replacement for the man she really sought. After realizing she’s partnered with a beast, her world turns upside down. And soon, after the tragic murder of her sister, all hell breaks loose when Dominique’s cover is blown. Armed with revenge on the brain, and a status goal in mind, Dominique soon appoints herself as Rapheal’s woman, the most sought after millionaire in Atlanta. Raphael’s lavish status in town would put her on a new level, right where she always dreamed…the only problem …he never said he wanted her. In an effort to hold on to Rapheal, and all the elaborate material possessions, Dominique sets out on a deadly mission to remove anything that stands in her way. • ISBN-10: 1934230677 • ISBN-13: 978-1934230671 BOOK REVIEW If you believe that you’ve read about many crazed and demented women like Dominique …guess again. Dominique is off the hook and Carbon Copy is destined to be a classic.--Tiphani- bestselling author of The Mistress Series •ISBN-10: 1934230677 •ISBN-13: 978-1934230671 Buy the book from Barnes and Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Carbon-Copy/Azarel/e/9781934230671/?itm=4&usri=1
The Making of In the Land of Cotton by Martha A. Taylor
Introduce us to the story behind the book, In the Land of Cotton: MAT: As a child growing up in Memphis I could not have known that the Boyd family, the main characters in In the Land of Cotton, would have such a haunting effect on me. Last fall, their indelible personas became overwhelming. They were all I could think about. I sat down one afternoon and the book began to flow to paper. I still had vivid memories of Cypress Grove, a primitive farm the Boyd family had lived on since the days of the Civil War. They had no electricity, no running water and certainly no refrigeration yet they wanted for nothing. It was a step back in time but, as a child, I wanted to be part of that. As the reader journeys through the 1960's, they travel along side the Boyd family as they experience the historic events of that decade. You will find as a reader that you will become immediately vested in the characters. The Boyd's have the voice for every Black American that lived through those turbulent times.
After all of these years I suddenly became compelled to write the story of Silas and his family. I wanted this new generation to know that it hasn’t been that long since black families lived in seclusion with no electricity…no running water or sanitation…no telephones or refrigeration. My heart is always in my words as I define that sole-mates are forever and true love..really is colorblind. I wanted to remind the people of my generation of how long this journey has been; and to the younger generations, I wanted to present a time capsule of events so they would never forget the anguish, fear and tremendous sacrifices of their ancestors. In light of this year’s Presidential Election, In the Land of Cotton defines a beacon of hope for any individual, who has ever felt different or longed for more out of life.
Beside Lucy, the part-time maid for the family, what made you so drawn to the woods?
MAT: It was the “not knowing”. It was the excitement of going somewhere no white person had ever been. It was the wanting to belong to something bigger than myself.
(Snippet From Cotton) Not smoke like the woods was on fire but smoke like came out of a fireplace; soft, mesmerizing smoke that called you to come explore the woods, smoke that carried your imagination and made promises of a different life, far far away from the one you were living.
When did you know you were in love with Silas your childhood friend?
MAT: One evening after Silas walked me back to the “white neighborhood.” We were always terrified someone would see us. It would have been tragic. Silas, who was an African American male, could have been killed but, we always took the chance.
(Snippet From Cotton) I stood there holding my bike like some anchor that tethered me to the ground I was standing on. I watched Silas until he completely disappeared into the woods then waited a few more minutes after that, in case he returned.
At the peek of the Civil Rights Movement when did you realize there still remained tension between the North and the South?
MAT: When martial law became the order of the day. When southern Governors stood chained to university doorways. When buses were bombed and almost daily we heard about some southern Black school that had been burned.
(Snippet From Cotton) Martial law was declared in the South. Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General got involved and once again, Walter Cronkite had a television camera in every nook and cranny, capturing every slur and clubbing. For days he regurgitated the entire travesty right into our living rooms. The majority of country was enraged but here in the south, it was just another day in Dixie.
 Did Silas share your feelings and deep emotional bond?MAT: Silas always appreciated the unspoken line in the sand. Inter-racial marriages were against the law in most states and prejudice ran high. “The Dream” was spoken of often by everyone; trouble was it was totally out of everyone’s reach and we all knew it.
(Snippet From Cotton) We finished our picnic with small talk about his daily routine and the friends he’d met. Even Silas used color as a first descriptor. We were a long way from Martin Luther King’s dream. We were certainly a long way from mine.
Was there a sense that time was short for you and the Boyds? Did you feel complete racial equality would ever be realized? MAT: The country had come so far in such a short period of time I knew we had reached the point of no return. Civil Rights and racial equality were marching through the streets of the South. At the same time, I felt it would be generations before racial equality would become the way of life.
(Snippet From Cotton) I thought about what Lucy had said about poverty being generational. I thought the advancement of civil rights would most probably be generational also. I thought that the Wallace’s (Governor of Alabama) of the world would eventually die off and each generation that followed would be raised to be less prejudice. I thought surely at some point all the seedlings that had been planted would eventually grow into strong trees and under their branches we would all live in harmony. I hoped that would be in Silas and my lifetime.
Thank you Martha for sharing with us! How may the readers contact you?
ISBN:978-1432734718
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Hello Martha! It is such a pleasure to have you on The Black Authors Network author's tour. The Give the Gift of Knowledge tour is used to expand the variety of books that our readers receive each month. Your book is a welcomed edition. Tell us a little about you and your passion for writing.