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Welcome
to Black Pearls Magazine, where the real book lovers
come to read, discover, learn and share...
We
are so excited about this issue of Black Pearls. This entire issue is
dedicated to our featured authors. We shine the spotlight on guest
columnists from our newsletter, we are showcasing our bookclub
presidents, our authors shared special book
excerpts for you, as we bring you inspiration
and good cheer.
Black
Pearls Magazine is a free digital magazine committed to inspire, encourage
and empower a international group of readers. Our mission is to provide
information that is essential, enlightening and entertaining. We believe
in Giving the Gift of Knowledge! We are here to bring you those
extraordinary literary jewels, Black Pearls, that are sure to bring you
and your love ones much pleasure and empowerment.
Share this spirit filled issue with at least 10 friends and co-workers. Email Ella Curry with any questions or comments
at: elladcurry@edc-creations.com. Check
out our BMP blog and online newsletter for the latest literary news and
events. Explore
the newsletter
here today.
Ella Curry, editor-in-chief
Black Pearls Magazine
President of
EDC Creations Media Group
EDC Creations website: www.edc-creations.com
Bookclub
Night On The Town
Your group could
be our next winner!!
The
bookclub, family or group that purchases the most copies of our featured titles
January 1 - February 27, 2012 will be entered into a drawing for a 1-night stay
at the Marriott® Hotel of their choice, valued at $200.00. The
group will also receive a gift box filled with books from EDC Creations'
partners. We will present the group with an Edible
Arrangement to get the party started! Tell all of your friends and
share this page with your network too!
The rules are simple: 1) Purchase a copy or multiple copies of the
featured books; 2) Email Ella Curry a photo of you with the book or
email us a copy of the receipt from a online retailer; 3) After reading
the book, share the good news with 10 friends! Here is the email address:
edc_dg@yahoo.com. Winner
will be announced right here on March 1, 2012. Go out and download or purchase
as many copies as you can. You will be entered into the drawing based on each
proof of purchase. Make sure to list the family or bookclub's name when
submitting you entry. Final day for submitting proof of purchase is February
27, 2012.
Previous Winner Dr. Carolyn Vinson author of This Poor Tit! won a special night The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel
Downtown Atlanta, GA and a gift bag valued at $200.00 during our 2011 Black Pearls Magazine Chocolate Social!
Are you our next winner?
Passing Love by Jacqueline E. Luckett
Good Housekeeping Magazine showcased
PASSING LOVE in the Feb. 2012 Issue, on page 167!
Click here now to read
the first two chapters and to view the glowing book review from Black
Expressions Bookclub.
Publishers Weekly Book Review
It’s midnight in Paris, now and in the mid 20th century, in Luckett’s second novel (after Searching for Tina Turner). In this dreamy and lyrical paean to all things French, a restless African-American woman with a French name (Nicole-Marie Roxane, 56), shucks routine and expectations to live out her dream of traveling to Paris. But her exotic getaway turns into a relentless search for a beautiful woman known to Nicole only from an old photo, Ruby Garrett, whose race and connection to her father are both mysterious.
In alternating narratives, Nicole uncovers secrets long held by her difficult parents, as the ferociously independent Ruby describes the freewheeling Paris of the early 1950s, where ambitious black musicians found an appreciative audience and colorblind acceptance. Luckett skips surprisingly smoothly across six decades as the narrative unfolds the mystery of Nicole’s identity.
But the mystery is hardly the point: Luckett weaves a fascinating portrait of women of color who defy family and tradition to follow love and chase success. Ruby’s unflinching, unapologetic choices—even her lies about her race—unsettle Nicole. But Ruby is equally puzzled that Nicole would choose the ordinary over adventure. In the end, it’s the soulful, headstrong, romantic Ruby whose passion resonates in this story of discovery and acceptance. (Jan. 25)
Excerpt from Chapter 3 - Passing Love by Jacqueline E. Luckett
Impatient in the spacious seat of the transatlantic flight, Nicole tinkered with every button and switch on her armrests until she found a comfortable seat position, pleased she’d upgraded to business class. After two movies and five chapters of a forgettable book, she gave herself permission to daydream. Whenever Clint popped up in her head, her stomach knotted in protest. Taking a cleansing breath, she dismissed this musing and what she characterized as his proposition; he’d called it a marriage proposal.
It was bad enough that her mother hadn’t taken to the idea of Nicole’s going to Paris when she told her three weeks earlier. The older woman sidled into her kitchen on frail legs and jerked her cane at Nicole as if she was a displaced animal in the older woman’s glass menagerie needing to be reminded of her place. Clint didn’t simply think she lacked follow through; he didn’t believe in her. Queasiness proved her own uncertainty. The airplane began its descent. Nicole peered out the window at the unfamiliar territory below, released the negativity and let her thoughts drift to the blue book.
Over the years, the memory of the dictionary refused to fade and rendered the navy cover, the languages and pronunciations, the tissue-thin pages larger than they had been. If she felt comfortable with the man sitting beside her, she might have poked him and described the book that generated her love of the French language. She giggled, reverting to her nine-year-old self first discovering the blue book.
Yesterday she’d spoken a few words to her father. Not since the dictionary disappeared had they toyed with French. No recognition of the language they’d shared. If he were healthier, he would have opened an old book and celebrated her trip with a Langston Hughes’ poem written in the city where the poet had spent time or a recited a verse of his own composition. Instead, her father settled into his plastic-covered recliner and recommended she take along an umbrella. “I’m going to speak French in France, Dad,” Nicole tried to jiggle his brain and make him remember when they’d shared the language and he promised Paris was in her future. “I’ll be fluent when I get back.” Nicole teased. Her father had focused on his daughter in a single moment of clarity. “Oh, baby, your mother will be happy.”
She missed that blue book. She missed her father.
The flight attendant’s announcement alternated between French and English. It wasn’t the ten-hour flight, the drone of the engines steady and low, the tremor in her foot that cramped her calf, or the bona fide French that marked themselves as the sensations and images to remember years from now. It was her body’s reaction to the pilot’s downward turn toward the City of Light —a hint of motion sickness and what Nicole understood was anxiety. How far would reality fall short of the dream?
The
following books are our featured titles of the month. Please click on
each bookcover to be introduced to a special author and book. Consider
purchasing multiple copies of the books for your family and friends. Give
books as gifts 365! Purchase copies of the books below to enter our weekly
Black Lover's Holiday Giveaways.
Invite
Our Authors To Become Your Special Guests
If you are in a
bookclub, select our featured titles as your Book of the Month and
receive a gift box filled with books from EDC Creations Media Group.
Email Ella Curry with the book club's name and the date the group will
read and discuss the book. Submit all information to: elladcurry@edc-creations.com
ONLY.
If you would
like to interview the author, invite them to a Skype session or you would
like to host a guest blog/FB/Twitter chat with the author, email Ella
Curry today so that she can schedule the event soon.
Sanctuary Cove
by Rochelle Alers
“Alers’ hyper-realistic style highlights the mundane details and conversations of daily life and will appeal to readers looking for gentle, inexplicit romance.”
– Publishers Weekly
Forever is thrilled to release SANCTUARY COVE by bestselling author Rochelle Alers – Forever’s first African American romance author.
Known for her warm yet sensual writing style and intriguing plots, Rochelle does a lovely job of capturing the geniality of the south in her new Cavanaugh Island series.
Reeling from her husband’s untimely death, 38-year-old Deborah Robinson is in need of a fresh start. Deciding to return to her grandmother’s ancestral home on Cavanaugh Island, Deborah packs up her home, boxes up her bookstore, and heads to Sanctuary Cove with her teenage children in tow. Full of charm and happier memories, the Cove promises the new start Deborah so desperately needs.
Also at a turning point in his life, Asa Monroe has been on a journey in search of faith and meaning since losing his family. As a member of Doctors Without Borders, he is constantly on the road, traveling from one place to the next. But when Asa catches a glimpse of the beauty with the radiant smile, he suspects he may have found a reason to stay in Sanctuary Cove a while longer.
As friendship turns to romance, Asa and Deborah aren’t prepared for the next challenge that life brings their way.
Intimate Conversation with Rochelle Alers
Rochelle Alers has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African American authors of romance and women's fiction.
With more than fifty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, Ms. Alers is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award.
She is a member of the Iota Theta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and her interests include gourmet cooking and traveling. She has traveled to Europe, and countries in North, South and Central America. Her future travel plans include visits to Hong Kong and New Zealand. Ms. Alers is also in accomplished in knitting, crocheting and needlepoint. She is currently taking instruction in the art of hand quilting.
Oliver, a toy Yorkshire terrier has become the newest addition to her family. When she's not barking at passing school buses, the tiny dog can be found sleeping on her lap while she spends hours in front of the computer.
A full-time writer, Ms. Alers lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island. Visit her website for more interesting facts and contest news:
http://rochellealers.org/sanctuary-cove.htm
BPM: What inspired you to write Sanctuary
Cove?
This novel was originally titled Help Wanted. It began as a second chance at love for two people who find love when they least expect it and at the most festive time of the year: Christmas.
It went through several revisions. I changed the locale from Connecticut to the Lowcountry, but the plot did not change.
BPM: Why did you decide to have both lead characters lose their respective spouses?
I wanted readers to see how two people, experiencing a similar loss deal with it differently. What I didn’t want was for them to be so self-absorbed and wallowing in self-pity that they forget to live.
BPM: You’ve written other books set in the Lowcountry. Why did you decide to give
Sanctuary Cove the same setting?
It all comes down to writing about what you know. The culture of the Sea Islands, because of their isolation from the mainland, hasn’t changed much since the Spanish claimed, and partly occupied, them around 1568. By the end of the 17th-century England came to claim them as part of the Carolina colony and established rice and indigo plantations. The Gullah language and the cuisine has remained the same, while developers have slowly changed the landscape with golf courses and gated communities.
BPM: Writers usually write about what is familiar to them. How familiar are you with the events in Sanctuary Cove?
I am quite familiar with the events in this novel: the Gullah language, food, and superstitions. I grew up listening to my mother and aunts talk about the old folks who ‘if you crossed them, would spit on you and turn you green.’ I didn’t understand what they meant until I realized they were talking about “black magic” and working “roots.” And with my overactive imagination I was both frightened and fascinated by their stories.
BPM: Sanctuary Cove is the first book in the Cavanaugh Island series. What can readers expect in Angels Landing? Angels Landing focuses on the island’s most prominent family and what they’re willing to do to keep an outsider from claiming what they feel they’re entitled to. Angels Landing is about a family feud, greed, and sexy lawman willing to pull out all the stops to protect a woman marked for death.
Order Your Copy Today from
Barnes & Noble or
Amazon Online Book One - Cavanaugh Island Series
Grand Central/Forever
ISBN-10: 1455501409
ISBN-13: 978-1455501403
The Stalker
Chronicles
by Electa Rome Parks
Pilar is back, and this time it's all about revenge.
Tall, dark, and
handsome bestselling male author Xavier Preston thought his
nightmare—in the form of Pilar, a fanatical stalker/fan—had finally
ended. Little does he know it’s only beginning.
When Xavier met Pilar, he got much more than he bargained for. What
started out as an erotic one-night stand quickly turned into a dangerous game of
obsession and pain, with both parties playing to win. Then she simply
disappeared.
Stunning Pilar hasn't gone away, though. In fact, she has been very near,
watching his every move and patiently waiting for him to realize they were meant
to be together forever. She still believes they’re soul mates, and
the only option for her is “Until death do us part.” If she
can't have Xavier, then no one can. Now no one is safe—not his friends, and
definitely not him. Revenge can be a real killer...
Excerpt The
Stalker Chronicles by Electa Rome Parks
Prologue
It was getting easier and easier now.
She moved quickly and efficiently throughout the spacious three-car garage. She
wanted to remove any traces of evidence that she had ever been there. She had
always been good at simply disappearing and being invisible. That was easy.
She was definitely more confident, and it showed in her cool, calm, and
collected demeanor. She was no longer afraid of being caught, because the urge
to punish those who had hurt her was stronger, much more overwhelming, and
urgent. She probably couldn’t stop herself even if she wanted to---she was
operating on pure animal instinct. The need to survive and protect herself by
any means necessary overrode anything else. Fight or flight. And she had long
been tired of running.
There had been others over the years, more than she could count on one hand.
They were mere vague gray memories that occasionally crossed her mind, like one
might think of a stray pet one owned as a child, but she dismissed the images
just as quickly. She never held on to them for more than a few fleeting moments
in time. Denial was her refuge.
Only one had successfully escaped her sharp talons and womanly wiles. Or had he?
Maybe she let him get away, just that one time. She hadn’t determined which.
Sometimes she thought of him, when her mind wasn’t a jumble of darkness,
discontent, and madness. There were moments. . . .
She missed him, yearned for his special touch, the touch that only he could
deliver with precision and skill. His touch brought heat and desire. His lies
brought pain and sorrow. She hated that he escaped her grasp, or that possibly
she let him walk away, unscathed. She still considered him her soul mate, the
one who made her complete and safe and sound. She yearned to feel complete,
because most days she realized she was broken and damaged beyond repair.
However, she couldn’t think of that one just yet. Not now. That would come
later. The strenuous act of positioning this one just right was over. Now she
had serious, delicate cleanup work to complete. Within seconds, that one, the
one who got away, was pushed to the dark, cold recesses of her mind. Forgotten .
. . for now.
It was painstakingly slow work because everything had to be absolutely perfect.
She had observed and respected what a perfectionist he was. He thrived on it.
She softly snickered to herself and had to catch herself before it became an
all-out rambunctious laugh. He didn’t look too perfect right now, slumped
behind the steering wheel of his black BMW like a deflated, tossed-aside bag of
rags and bones. Another snicker escaped. She tightly clamped her gloved hand
down over her mouth to stop it, to keep it from spilling forth.
When he was discovered—hopefully, within a day or two—she wanted him to
appear perfect in death. That was the least she could do, because she honestly
felt she owed him that much. With a gloved hand, she carefully took the
typewritten note out of his jacket pocket, typed from the personal computer in
his home office, and gently placed it next to him on the soft leather passenger
seat of his car. Laughter escaped freely and drifted into the still air.
She took one last hopeful look at him and placed a single kiss on his left
cheek. She wanted to remember him at peace. Happy. So handsome. She sighed
before she carefully closed the driver’s side car door. Then she continued to
wipe down any surface she might have touched that bore her prints. She was
patient as perspiration dotted her forehead. From her experiences, she knew that
patience was a virtue.
She dreamily thought, We could have been so deliriously happy together. They
always fucked things up. Always. She hadn’t met a man yet who didn’t. It was
never a matter of if, but when. If only he hadn’t started to question or doubt
her because of that damn movie, Diary of a Stalker, which had been released a
month earlier and was a blockbuster success. Everyone was talking about it;
already there was talk of Oscar nominations for best actress and best actor. She
couldn’t escape it, no matter where she turned or what it signified for her.
Genealogy Research Tip 1: Interview Family Members
The very best genealogy resource for discovering more about your family is, well, your family. If you have elderly ancestors that are still alive and their memory is still good, inquiring them about your family can help you cover years of family ground in just a few short hours-as well as give your living relatives a chance to reminisce. Besides, getting your great grandma to dig out the old film projector or the family photo albums can be quite a bit of fun. Here are a few sample interview questions you might ask your elderly relatives to learn more about your ancestry:
1. What do you know about our surname?
2. Is there a family cemetery?
3. Has anyone in our family compiled a family tree?
4. Do you have some old films or family photo albums?
5. Do you have any old family letters, or journals, or diaries?
6. How did your parents meet?
7. Do we have a family Bible?
There are over 150 more family interview questions in the Family History Questionnaire provided by the Lake Township Historical Society at
Ancestry.com's Rootsweb. Make sure you take detailed notes-jotting down dates, names and places as your relatives divulge info about your family's history. Better yet, record your interviews with family members so that you can refer back to them later and save them for future generations. Some recording devices you might consider carrying with you on your interviews with your relatives include a video camera, a tape recorder or a smartphone with recording ability.
Genealogy Research Tip 2: Investigate Records
Useful genealogy information can be found through proper records research. There are a variety of records to explore, providing pertinent information that can help you trace your family tree. From vital records like birth, marriage and death records to ships' passenger lists; you can glean a lot of genealogical info about the names, dates and places of your ancestors and discover clues to help you map your family lineage. Here's a brief outline of records that often contain genealogical information.
Starting Your
Family History Project
by Expert Author Debbie Brodsky
When I talk to people and encourage them to begin thinking
about doing a family history project, they all seem to have a similar
reaction... they have no idea where to start or what to ask.
If you often feel the same way, I'd like to share a solution to get you away
from this fear. You want to know my secret for coming up with great story
topics? All you have to do is engage your inner young child. You know, the one
who was constantly curious about everything when you were four. For those who
have ever been around a preschooler for even an afternoon, you know all about
the constant questions. The what-s, the why-s, the how-s! This is the perfect
attitude to have when starting a family history. Be curious and start to ask
those same kinds of questions.
Take this mindset and then start thinking chronologically. If you are
interviewing your Mother or Grandmother, for example, start by asking questions
about her parents or what it was like growing up. I often try to put myself in
that person's shoes during that period of time and try to imagine what it would
be like to live during that time and how things might have been different from
today's world.
If chronology doesn't fit with your personality, another option is to pick a
significant event in their life and focus on the details of that. For example,
if your Grandmother was one of the first female doctors in a mostly male world,
I might start by asking, What made her choose this profession in the first
place, knowing it wouldn't be easy? Why a doctor and not a nurse? Or if your
parents grew up during the Depression or World War II, ask them what it was like
growing up during that time period?
Family Tree
Scrapbooking
By Jessica Gerald
Creating a family tree involves a good bit of time, effort and study. As
you research the basic chart of ancestors, you will undoubtedly collect a
treasure trove of documents, photographs, letters, and maybe even some diary or
journal entries from your ancestors. A good way to preserve and display these
records is through scrapbooking. By assembling all of the items in a scrapbook,
people can easily read it. It also keeps your research safe and protects it from
being ruined or lost.
Here are three things to
keep in mind as you create a family history scrapbook.
1. Choosing the Book
The book should be sturdy and large enough to hold the information that you have
collected. Pages with plastic sleeves are a must for preservation of the
documents, and the sleeves should be archival quality to keep the contents from
turning brown with aging.
It is also a good idea to choose a book that can be added to as more information
becomes available. You never know when you will find more interesting tidbits to
add, or your children and grandchildren may want to add to it as time goes on.
This also enables you to move pages around if you decide to arrange them in a
different order.
2. Layout of Pages
Before you even begin to add the contents to the book, take some time to plan
the layout of the pages. Organize all of the photos, letters, documents,
certificates, and other things that you plan to include in the scrapbook. Lay
everything out on a table and decide on the best way to present them in the
book.
You could organize by individuals. Each scrapbook page should be devoted to one
person. For each page layout, there may be photos of that ancestor, letters they
have written, military records, or birth and death certificates. Each piece of
information should be labeled.
It is also a good idea to include the ancestor's full name, dates of birth,
marriage, and death. If you know any tidbits about the person that you have
researched or heard from family stories, these are interesting to include also.
Making
Everyday Matter
By Laura M. Turner, M.Sc. CNHP
Recently,
I read The Alchemist by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. If you haven't
read it yet, the main character, Santiago, has a dream that he must go to the
pyramids of Egypt. Here, he's told, he will find a treasure waiting just for
him. Inspired, he followed his calling. What he found was, most on his path were
either too afraid or became sidetracked when it came to following their own
journey to what he later named the quest for a "Personal Legend."
All this got me thinking. First, what does it mean to have and find a
personal legend? And how do we go about the business of following the call
to our own treasure? To me it involves the simple (or not so simple) task of
making every day matter. In this article then, I will aim to document what I
think are several ways we can each align ourselves with our treasure. In the
light of the new year, we can all do well by taking time to think about the
possibilities our legend holds for us and, with this mindset, aim to make each
day a meaningful one.
One:
Aim To Do Something Each Day To Make It Special.
We all have circumstances in our life that are beyond our control. I'm thinking
specifically of health concerns, job stress factors and balancing our
relationships with others. Yet, there are always pockets of time that each of us
can use to make each day special. To me, it involves a ritualistic expression of
creativity.
Here's how I suggest managing this time. First, think of something that you can
do each day to make it special. I can be something different each day, however,
for our purposes here, I propose planning to create a daily ritual. Here's mine:
Each day of this new year, I plan to sit down for one-half hour with tea and my
dreams. I will use this time to write in my journal. My hope is to pen three
pages each day, as Julia Cameron prescribes in her book The Artists Way. Why
have I chosen this activity? It's what brings me my greatest joy. How to find
your joy? Read on to objective number two.
Two:
Find What Brings You Joy.
I often think of happiness in terms of energy currency and am constantly taking
my energetic temperature. I believe, when we do things that bring us joy, we
allow this positive energy to expand. I've written before, in effort to receive
what we wish, we have to give away that something first. For example, If I long
for joy, I can create joy in my life by giving "joy" away. How? By
sharing what I have. And it's easy to do this time of year. For example, I can
share by giving to the Salvation Army at the mall's entrance or sending care
packages to the homeless. All this creates a forum for joy to expand.
Love
Your Body: Forgive Your "Self"
By Laura M. Turner, M.Sc. CNHP
This
may sound a bit odd coming from me, but I believe that regardless of what you
eat - how many times each week you exercise or what particular diet you decide
to try - if you do not have your inner life in order, it will be difficult to
be at peace with yourself and your body.
In discussing ways to love your body, therefore, it is important to look at
ways we can have peace with ourselves. Moreover, in this article, we will
discuss an idea you may not have considered: forgiveness.
The
Past Is The Past, Let It Go:
The most important process we can undertake for our health and well being is
to make a conscious effort not to leave negative energy embedded in the past.
In effort to move into present time, and be at one with our own body, it
becomes essential to let go of all the hurts and struggles that have led us to
this moment. There is only one road to this state of oneness, however: The act
of letting go.
As it turns out, I'm not the only one who stands by the belief system of
releasing the past in effort to improve the health of our minds, as well as
our body and spirit. Carolyn Myss in her healing lecture series: Why People
Don't Heal, makes the claim that forgiveness is the #1 way to move forward in
health. And she can back it up. She has used the healing process of letting go
to transform people from near death to glowing health. With this in mind then,
ask yourself: Is there anyone or anything from my past which prevents me from
moving forward? Said differently: is there something in your past that's
holding you back?
Learn
To Forgive Others, The Process:
This brings us to the next step in our progress of releasing the past:
learning to forgive others. Keep in mind, most often others say and do things
as a result of how they are feeling about themselves. In most cases, whether
they are aware of it or not, unhealthy individuals inflict their wounds upon
us to salve their own pain. This can no longer affect us if we make a full
effort to do as Don Miguel Ruiz says in his book The Four Agreements, and
"not take things personally." When we do take things personally, we
really could gather up a lifetime of emotional baggage.
As it pertains to body image and self-esteem, however, is there anyone you
need to forgive? Has someone knowingly or unknowingly inflicted a negative
body view onto you? Here's my personal example: When I was in high school, I
had a "friend" who was popular, pretty and blonde. As an introvert
and troubled youth, I took everything most personally. Imagine my emotional
baggage when any time I would so much as mention my interest in a particular
boy, she'd make sure she would go out of her way to get his interest.
Needless to say our friendship wasn't long term. And later I learned she was
living in an unstable home. Yet, when I was younger, her actions just plain
hurt my feelings and gave me a negative self image. Now I realize my
insecurities at the time were my wounds to heal, and once I'd forgiven her and
not taken her actions personally, I could move forward without holding on to
past insecurity.
Body Image,
Health, and Fitness
What’s It Really All About?
by Trice Hickman
Body image. It’s an issue that most women
struggle with at some point in our lives—I know I certainly have, and still
do. During my 20’s everything was perky and tight. I ate whatever I wanted
and I still looked pretty good. When I entered my 30’s I began to
notice subtle changes. Things weren’t as they had been a decade before, but,
it was still all good! When I slid into my 40’s reality started kicking in,
my metabolism slowed down, and I found myself wondering what had happened to
my body. Even shopping, one of my favorite pastimes, became challenging.
*Cautionary Note*: There is nothing more
sobering than taking your clothes off in a department store dressing room and
looking at your half-naked self under the glare of those ultra bright lights.
As we age, we gain things we didn’t have before, and lose things we wish we
could hold on to.
I don’t know a woman alive who thinks, “My body is great just the way
it is!”
I’m sure such women exist, and that they are actually inhabiting this planet
(well-adjusted aliens living among us, disguised as humans)…just kidding…a
little! If I conducted a poll and asked the average woman to name one thing
she’d like to change about her body, I guarantee she could come up with at
least three different things off the top of her head. Some want thinner
thighs, smaller waistlines, slimmer hips, and firmer everything! And on the
flip side, some long for larger thighs, rounder behinds…and yes, firmer
everything! Whether we’re big or small we fantasize about having the perfect
bikini body. But let’s face it, even the svelte swim suit models gracing the
fashion magazines are airbrushed to death, so what’s it really all
about?...I believe it all starts with good self-esteem combined with good
health and fitness habits.
Our society has become obsessed with beauty over substance. We
live in an age of mid-drift bearing, booty-shakin’, breast implant having,
show-what-you-got, in-your-face boldness. The unrealistic standards of beauty
and body size thrust in front of us by way of magazines and music videos can
make the average woman feel inadequate…and I’ll be the first to admit that
I’ve been guilty of succumbing to the hype.
I’ve often bemoaned and criticized my wide hips, thick thighs, and big legs.
But slowly, and I mean very slowly, I’m learning to appreciate my curvy,
grown woman shape. The other day I stood in front of the mirror, naked as the
day I came into this world, and studied my body closely. Every inch of it. I
closed my eyes, then opened them again. I spoke affirming words to the woman
staring back at me. I embraced my taunt, smooth, skin that protects my body,
and I thanked my big legs for allowing me to walk everywhere I need to go.
I’m truly thankful for both. And even though I didn’t get around to
praising my wide hips or thick thighs, I know I’ll get there soon, and when
I do I will appreciate them, regardless of their size. This whole thing is a
process—and it’s called acceptance. Loving who you are is a necessary
exercise. Both the mind and body must be treated with reverence and care.
Marriage
Help: Ways To Rekindle The Fire
By Marlo Gino
If you feel that your marriage is starting to fall
apart, here are some ways that will help save your marriage:
1. Grow as individuals and as one
In marriage, it is important that you grow together but this doesn’t mean
that you have to lose your individuality. You and your partner should make a
constant effort to better yourselves and grow in harmony and intimacy
together. Be positive around one another and try to remove the negativity that
is damaging your relationship.
2. Bond together
With the busy life, you and your partner may be missing out on bonding
together. Creating bonding time is one of the ways to save a marriage. All
your time and efforts are focused on work and the kids that you don’t have
fun with each other anymore. Take a vacation for just the two of you or go out
on dates. Do activities that will help rekindle the flame that was once
burning brightly.
3. Be presentable
Marriage doesn’t mean you have to stop looking good for your other half. In
fact, looking presentable and attractive is an everyday job. Most couples tend
to let go of themselves during marriage. They get fat and don’t take care of
themselves anymore which is one of the reasons for infidelity.
4. Communicate
If you go to a counselor, she will tell you that communication is the most
important way to fix marriage problems and she is right. Everything can be
fixed with proper communication and it should go both ways. Both of you should
take turns in talking and listening. Be patient in getting your point across
and try to agree to disagree in order to save a marriage. Remember, that you
are also individuals with different opinions and thoughts.
5. Consider the children
You have built a family because of love. Your children are products of love
and intimacy and you shouldn’t let them suffer because you cannot fix your
marriage. Your children should be your motivation to doing everything you can
to save your marriage.
Women
in the Workplace: Baby, Have We Come A Long Way?
By Lutishia Lovely
“Why
can’t a woman be on top?” This is the first line in my novel Mind
Your Own Business, spoken by the daughter of a successful soul food
chain. The company is expanding out west and she is competing with her older
brother to head up the new location. In 2011, one might consider that a moot
question.
After all, we have females in all manners of high government,
female presidents of major corporations, female fire fighters and police
officers, doctors and EMT personnel. We’re no longer wearing aprons, pearls
and heels while waiting for daddy to come home…but we’re not yet a
gender-blind society either.
For instance in the workplace and regarding same-held positions, women still
generally make less than men. In 1979, when the National Committee On Pay Equity
was founded, women made 59.7 cents to every man’s dollar. In 1994, this total
had risen to 72 cents to the dollar men received. This organization estimates
that the figure is still hovering around 76-77 cents to the dollar. Now, in
2011. Can you believe that there’s still a need for the slogan “equal pay
for equal work?” If you’re doing the same thing, isn’t getting the same
pay a no-brainer? The reality causes me to shake my head and brings to mind one
of my father’s favorite quotes, “common sense ain’t too common.”
While conducting research for the Business
Trilogy (okay, translated staying glued to the Food Network, one of my
favorite channels), I learned that women make up roughly ten percent of the
chefs/cooks in America. For me, that was an astonishing figure. How is it that
when it comes to home cooking women rule the proverbial roost but when it comes
to cooking as a career, as a money maker, it’s a man’s world? Do you find
this as interesting, and somewhat disturbing, as I do? If you are a chef or a
cook in the industry, do you have an explanation?
One of the joys in writing the above-quoted character, named Bianca Livingston,
was the ability to portray a smart, strong, successful woman who knew what she
wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Who could hold her own in the
boardroom, and roll with the big boys. When I recently read this line during an
internet radio show, it was met with knowing chuckles. Some readers assumed
Bianca wanted to be on top in the bedroom. Knowing Bianca, these readers are
probably right but taking this question from the boardroom to the bedroom would
be a whole other discussion! Maybe next time… ::smile::
About
the Author
Lutishia Lovely is
the award-winning, best-selling author of sixteen novels. The
Business Trilogy, her latest work, combines two of her passions: writing and
food. This series (All Up In My Business, Mind Your Own Business and Taking Care
Of Business) centers around the Livingstons, owners of a soul food dynasty
called Taste Of Soul—where sizzling scandal and delicious drama are always on
the menu. Find out more about this series and Lutishia at her website: www.LutishiaLovely.com.
And please sign up for her newsletter, where readers are treated to contests,
updates, excerpts from upcoming novels, contests and more!.
The Resurrection of Nat
Turner
Part 2: The Testimony
A Novel by Sharon Ewell Foster
( Coming Feb 7, 2012 )
They were all heroes . . .
Sparked by an indigo sun, Nat Turner stormed into history with a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other.
Thirty years before the advent of the Civil War—in the predawn hours of August 22, 1831, commanding a small army of slaves,
Nat Turner led a bloody fight for freedom that shined a national spotlight on slavery and left more than fifty whites dead.
In The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 2: The
Testimony, as Harriet Beecher Stowe seeks to learn the truth of the man his people called
Prophet, Nat Turner shares the faith, triumph, tragedy, and hope of his fight for liberty, brotherhood, and self-determination.
For 180 years, the truth of Nat’s story has been tainted. Award-winning author Sharon Ewell Foster reinterprets history to offer a new American story of one man’s struggle for freedom and the redemption of his people.
Based on actual trial records, interviews with descendants, official documents, and five years of research,
The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 2: The Testimony is a story of the quest for truth and the true meaning of liberty.
Freeman is a love story--sweeping, generous, brutal, compassionate, patient--about the feelings people were determined to honor, despite the enormous constraints of the times. It is this aspect of the book that should ensure it a strong, vocal, core audience of African-American women, who will help propel its likely critical acclaim to a wider audience. At the same time, this book addresses several themes that are still hotly debated today, some 145 years after the official end of the Civil War.
Setting the Scene for Freeman Excerpt
Freeman is about a former slave named Sam who, at the very end of the Civil War, embarks on foot from Philadelphia to Mississippi in search of Tilda, the wife he has not seen in 15 years. He doesn't know if she is still in Mississippi, he doesn't know if she still alive, he doesn't know if she has another man, he doesn't know if she wants to see him again; when they parted, there was a tragedy between them and she blamed him for it and hated him for it. In this scene Sam, over a campfire, explaining to his friend and travel partner Ben what happened after he was captured and his son killed on an escape attempt Tilda told him not to try.
SNEAK PEEK: Freeman by Leonard Pitts, Jr.
She shrieked at him, "Where is Luke? What happened to Luke?" Then the slave catchers whipped him, and...
“When they were done, they threw me in the pest house to heal up. They would not let anyone in there except an old blind woman, Mammy Sue. She tended my cuts as best she could. Once, I asked her how Tilda was doing. ‘Not good,’ she said. I said, ‘Would you tell Tilda something for me? Tell her I’m sorry.’”
Sam’s laugh was bitter as unripe fruit. “Are there any two words in the English language more useless than those?” he asked. “‘Sorrow makes us all children again.’ Ralph Waldo Emerson said that.”
“What she say?” asked Ben.
“I asked Mammy Sue the next day when she came in to apply the poultice to my back. She told me Tilda said nothing, not a word. She said it was as if she had spoken to the tree. As I said, the word is useless.”
‘Yeah, but wasn’t too much else you could say,” said Ben.
Sam looked at him. “As soon as I was feeling better, Mistress sold me. One day, she walked into the pest house; it was the first time I had seen her since they brought me back. She faced me with me a sorrowful countenance as if to express to me how profoundly I had disappointed her. She said, ‘Perseus, I never would have thought it of you.’
“What you say?”
“I said nothing. What am I supposed to say to that? Then this white man entered behind her. He looked me up and down as though appraising a horse. He said to her, ‘Yes, he’ll do just fine.’ That was when I realized I was being sold.
“An hour later, I left there, tied in the back of his wagon. It rolled past the fields where the slaves were working, chopping cotton. Some of them stopped to look as I went by. Tilda never lifted her head, never even looked my way. I wanted to cry out to her, but it would have been useless, and besides, what could I say? I saw them telling her I was leaving, I watched them point toward me. She never stopped what she was doing.”
“Angry,” said Ben.
Sam nodded. “She was furious. She had a right to be.”
“So why you going back?”
Sam pondered this a moment. Then he said, “I do not rightly know. I suppose I just feel there must be something more I should say, some word I can find that will be more meaningful than
‘sorry.’ ”
He pulled out his watch. It was getting late. “I am going to turn in,” he said. He found a likely spot and lay down on the thin spring grass, clasping his hands behind his head as a pillow. Ben did the same and after a moment, Sam heard the other man’s breathing grow steady and deep. Only then did he allow himself to weep. The tears fell silently, his body shaking. He covered his mouth with his hand, lest any sound escape.
Regret ate him like cancer. It gnawed at the very gut of him.
His son, his only child, quick and lively boy who had looked like him and walked like him, even stood like him…and his Tilda, who had adored him and nurtured him, who had given shape and meaning to his days…why hadn’t that been enough? Wasn’t it more than many men had? Wasn’t it more than he even had a right to hope for? Why, then, had he risked it and ruined it? Why did he need all that, and freedom, too?
God, he had loved her.
Not just because she was beautiful, not just because her thighs were round and strong and her hair thick and long. No, he had loved her laughter. He had loved the quiet moment lying together on a mattress of corn shucks after a hard day, not speaking and not needing to. He had loved holding her hand and watching the rain from the front door of their cabin. He had loved watching her nurse their son, watching the boy tug greedily at her nipple while she gazed down on him with all the tenderness in the world. He had loved reading a book and handing it to her saying, ‘You should read this,’ and then talking about it with her afterward. He had loved her.
He still did.
The knowledge of it brought tears rushing in fresh sheets of pain down his cheek. He wept in silence.
Freeman by Leonard Pitts Jr.
Purchase Freeman from Amazon
Paperback 432 pages
ISBN-10: 1932841644
ISBN-13: 978-1932841640
THE LETTER
by Trae Macklin
Wahida Clark Presents THE LETTER that is causing a FRENZY!
This is thee Apology Letter written by Trae Macklin to his wife Tasha Wahida Clark's Thug Series. THE LETTER is the result of Trae making an attempt to get their
marriage, their lives and their relationship back to where it was . . . if at all
possible. Unlike a thug, he pours out his heart and writes THE LETTER. Only to find it the next
morning balled up in the trash. He takes it out, angry . . . of course, and threatens to post it on the Internet for the world to see.
Tasha dares him, the readers beg him to do it and Wahida posts it!
Get your copy of THE LETTER NOW!
Download to Kindle, your phone or home PC Today:
About the Author
Wahida Clark is hailed the 'Queen of Thug Love' Fiction and is a New York Times, USA Today
and Essence Magazine bestselling author and founder of Wahida Clark Presents Publishing
and its two imprints Yah Yah Publications and Wahida Clark Presents Young Adult.
Wahida's first bestselling novel came out in 2003 entitled "Thugs and the Women Who Love Them."
The success and high demand for more gave birth to her other best sellers,
"Every Thug Needs a Lady", "Thug Matrimony", "Thug Lovin",
"Justify My Thug", "Payback Is A Mutha", "Payback With Ya
Life"," Sleeping With the Enemy" and "What's Really Hood".
Wahida is known for her foresight, and with that gift she realized that she could not only write a great novel but she could start her own company and help others do the same. Since then Wahida has published eleven authors and her company is one of the fastest growing and one of only a few Black owned Publishing companies in New
Jersey publishing bestseller, month after month.
Wahida Clark Presents Publishing, LLC
Website: www.wclarkpublishing.com
Follow her on Twitter: @wahidaclark
Like her on Facebook: Wahida Clark Readers Club
A SEDUCTIVE KISS
by Francis Ray
(Grayson Friends)
Bestselling author Francis
Ray celebrates the lifelong bonds between the Grayson family and their
friends—with a heartwarming love story years in the making…
YOU
CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON FRIENDS
Dianna Harrington is known throughout the world as "The Face"-the
stunningly beautiful spokesmodel for her family's fashion empire. She could
probably have her pick of any man she wants. But Dianna would rather kick back
and relax with a good friend-namely Alex Stewart, who she's known, and harbored
a crush on, her whole life...
BUT CAN YOU TRUST YOUR
HEART?
Ever since they were kids, Alex has been Dianna's protector and pal, a shoulder
to cry on. But as the brother of her best friend, Alex always seemed
untouchable. Now a handsome, successful New York lawyer, Alex never realized how
lonely Dianna's life has been-or how innocent she is in the ways of love. Alex
wants more than anything to reach out to her, to heal her heart. But is his
desire worth the risk? After a lifetime of longing building up between them,
something has gotta give. Maybe all it takes is just one kiss...
Excerpt from CHAPTER ONE
People thought Dianne Leigh Herrington had the world on her personal yo-yo
string. Strikingly beautiful with an exquisite face the camera loved, she was
known around the world as The Face, the only model for the House of
Harrington’s print advertisement and lead model for their runway shows. She
was on the A list, got into all the exclusive night spots, was voted one of
beautiful people in People magazine, sought after by some of the richest men in
the world.
Those who thought she lived a fairy tale life were wrong.
In a one-of-a-kind haute couture strapless blush pink evening gown created
especially to show off her smooth bare shoulders, shapely curves, and long legs
from the side-split to mid thigh, Dianne sipped her vintage champagne in a quiet
corner of the lavish Plaza hotel suite, and fought not to sigh.
She was lonely. So, what else was new?
Dianne could recall few occasions in her life when she had truly felt happy and
wanted. Tonight, with her two closest friends in the room, should have been one
of those rare occasions. It wasn’t. She felt too much like the odd man out,
just as she had always been.
So, she did what she always did when she felt left out, smiled, sipped her drink
and pretended she didn’t have a care in the world. Too bad it wasn’t true.
She should be content for once to observe rather than be observed. But the more
she watched the obviously in love couples circulate around the suite, the
lonelier she became. Because, just like always, tonight when the party was over
she’d go home alone.
While she enjoyed her glamorous career as a model and spokeswoman for the House
of Herrington House, who visited some of the most fascinating cities in the
world, she wanted more out of life. She was frequently in the company of other
models or people in the fashion industry. They tended to go out in groups, but
before the night was over, they usually paired up with someone in the group or
with someone they’d met. Dianne wasn’t into casual affairs so she always
ended up alone.
The couples in the room had what she’d longed for all of her life,
unconditional love. She wasn’t jealous, she just wanted what they had,
wondered what it felt like to be totally loved and wanted.
As an only child she’d been barely tolerated by her self-absorbed parents. Her
mother, beautiful, elegant and always perfect, was a slave to fashion. Her
handsome father’s unrelenting passion was golf. They looked good together, and
freely enjoyed being the recipients of the Harrington’s fashion fortune.
Neither would have dreamed of working. If they thought about Dianne at all it
was when it was convenient or when it made them look like the loving, charitable
couple they pretended to be in public.
Discovering the Meaning of Life Through Partnership
By Robert S. Cosmar
Great awareness can come out of relationships, if both
parties are unafraid to reveal their true self to each other, and if they see
the relationship as a tool to understanding their inner workings, beliefs and
complexes.
Too often, people seek a relationship to calm their emotional storms and sexual
urges. These relationships often end on the rocks because the connection is
superficial and not deep and lasting. People walk away angry, frustrated and
blaming each other for the failure to make it last. They do not see that each of
them is triggering pain deep inside the other and, while it seems to be the
other person's fault, it is still THEIR pain. It comes from inside you and it is
a key as to why you feel cut off from life.
Till death do you part is only realized by people lucky enough to have found
love. Love calls you to unity, it reveals hopes and it also binds you to
discover those fears, doubts and illusions that prevent you from being more
conscious and aware. It is for your Being and not just your body. Love is an
energy that permeates everything, but it is separated from us by the duality of
existence. Mind is the opposite of being. Thought is a bridge for being to
relate to mind in our outer reality. A barrier exists between being and thought
and that is mind. It allows us to function in this realm as a separate ego,
still connected to being but unaware of its location or presence. Our aloneness
is our lack of awareness of our totality as beings.
Lesbian - Much More Than A Word
By Alex Karydi
A few months ago I received an email from a woman who was upset, over a conversation that happened with a few of her friends. One of her acquaintance's thought that a woman could not call herself a lesbian if she had not being sexually active with another woman. True, that the primary use for the word lesbian is to describe a woman sexually attracted to another woman; however, there is no indication in that same definition that you must have been sexually active with another woman to be identified as a lesbian.
I would hope that being a lesbian is more than just enjoying and taking pleasure from being sexual with a woman.
The majority, often identify us in the narrowest sense of the word. However, lesbianism is not only a sexual orientation, but also a complex system supported by psychological responses, cultural values, societal expectations, and a woman's own formulation of identity. It is this narrow and limited understanding that prevents lesbians from getting respect and consideration from the societies we belong too.
When I first come out, I was completely taken by the sexual experience and intimacy of being with another woman. I had never had sex with a woman, but had relentlessly imagined it in my mind (where I am pretty sure I wore some parts of my brain out). It was only after a few years, and my first real heartbreak that I began to learn the lesbian culture. I was exposed to music and literature, specifically written and sang in a way that meant something to me and my identity. I did not have to remove the "hims" and "his'" to make it familiar. I also enjoyed lesbian cinema, where I could visibly dissect the different aspects of a lesbian relationship- they were sadly my only role models.
It was also around that time I made friends in the lesbian community, women who I shared stories with. I enjoy all of my friendships, but my lesbian friends have a special hold on me (and not because I slept with them, because I do not sleep with my friends); because they understand the passion and craziness of loving a woman. I discovered the familiar heartaches we experience, and that there is an intricate depth among lesbian women. Unfortunately, I was also exposed to how vulnerable and alone we are. The little support there is in our society to protect us, for example, for years I was afraid of getting divorce and having my child taken away from me.
Being a lesbian became more than just who I slept with, because even as a single celibate woman I was still a lesbian.
My new identity challenged me to become stronger when faced with hurdles (discrimination and homophobia), but also pushed me to embrace the beautiful and unique differences. I learned the meaning of community and the reason that standing together is more powerful than standing alone. I have had the privilege of being part of a historic time in our community, and fighting for civil rights. None of which have to do with sex, but more so what I represent.
We have enough labels (e.g. baby dyke, butch, femme), let us not discriminate any further, or with
judgment force each other into social/sexual boxes. We all have our own journey in life, and for some that means living openly gay; whereas for others the choice is to live a celibate or heterosexual life- knowingly that their spirit will always be Lesbian.
About Alex Karydi~The Lesbian Guru
I am a Internationally Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor that has been trained in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender LGBT related issues.
I write for the Examiner.com as their Lesbian Relationship Expert and am a featured writer on SexGenderBody.com. My intention is to start a movement towards a healthier and more supportive community! Where LGBTs can find one another, learn from each other, and build a stronger support system. I, myself, am on a personal quest in discovery for a healthier gay relationship and self-fulfillment.
Alicia
Singleton embraced the written word at an early age. She credits this to her
loving, older sister whom, while they were youngsters, made the author eat
lotion on a regular basis. Realizing the need to sound-out the ingredients on
the lotion label, Alicia stopped the lotion-eating practice, but continued to
read the labels of the concoctions her sister brought for her to try. This early
necessity to read flowered into a passion; hence, a writer was born. Alicia
resides in Maryland and is currently at work on a new novel.
BPM: What are you the most thankful for now?
So many persons in this country and all over the world don't have the basic
necessities of shelter, food, safety, or the blessing of someone to love. I'm so
thankful to God for gracing me with wonderful family and friends, my health,
peace of mind and for bringing my dreams to fruition in His time.
BPM: What are the holidays like for you and your family?
For the most part, my family is spread out along the east coast. This
Thanksgiving, we were blessed to have a good portion of our family together in
Virginia. Seeing each other, laughing, reminiscing, cutting up, cooing new
additions to the family and thanking God for the guidance and wisdom of our
ancestors were the highlights of the day. We had a fabulous time. For Christmas,
we have family and friends over for dinner, games, movies and more laughter.
It’s great!
BPM: Do you have anyone in your life that was heavily influential in your
deciding to become an author?
My elementary school reading tutor stoked my love of reading and hence my
passion to write. By the time I was well into the second grade, I could not
read. Not even simple words like,' See Spot Run’. My teacher told my mother
that if I didn’t get help, I would be functionally illiterate. When my mother
hired a reading tutor, my hate for reading turned into a love of reading. I
loved suspenseful, conflict driven novels. From classics like Romeo and Juliet,
The Odyssey, The Iliad to contemporary books like Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys
Mysteries and anything Edgar Allen Poe wrote.
After I fell in love with reading, I believe in my spirit, I wanted to become a
writer, but I went to Howard University to get my Bachelor's in Nursing. In my
sophomore year, I wanted to change my major to journalism, but I didn’t know
what changing one’s major entailed. Too intimidated to go to the Registrar’s
Office and too afraid to go home and tell my mom that I wanted to follow another
career path, I stuck it out. A couple of years after I graduated, I began to
attend writing classes, reading books, attending seminars, conferences and
workshops on the writing process. That education coupled with my overactive
imagination for plotting storylines and my love of reading was why I became a
writer.
BPM: Success leaves clues, whose clues did you follow on your journey?
Robert McKee for his expert knowledge and instruction on Story. Walter Mosley
for being a beacon for African-American mystery writers. Aristotle for his
incline and three act structure. L.A. Banks for writing awe inspiring
supernaturals. Edgar Allen Poe, even though his mind was troubled, he was
brilliant in his prose. Iris Johansen for her staying power and for writing
suspense-rich, conflict driven thrillers.
LOVE
& REGRETS
If
love was uncomplicated, this would be a simple story with a fairytale ending -
add betrayal, lies, secrets, family drama, and sexual exploits, and love spirals
out of control.
Carmen,
a thirty something mother of one, is happily married to her loving husband Devon
- so she thinks. At the wrong time in her life, along comes Kendall, the man who
awakens a side of Carmen that is better left slumber – her oversexed side.
Carmen can’t seem to get enough of Kendall, even at her wits end. Facing a
sure divorce isn’t Carmen’s worse fear; losing her prestigious job has her
equally petrified; and Kendall, who happens to be her employee, is out to
make sure both take place. Can Carmen salvage her life or has she done
irreparable damage?
Second to God no one is more important to Tempest than Sterling. Her
every waking moment is spent planning to wed the “Cinderfella” of the NFL,
that is until media sensationalism comes into play. Desperate to uncover the
truth, Tempest sets out to prove naysayers wrong. Is Sterling up to no
good or should Tempest hold fast to her belief in fairytales and happily ever
after?
Dana has one desire - to own a home, marry and start a family by her 27th
birthday. That sounds simple enough, if Omar, the man Dana loves, would step up.
Enter into the picture Matthew, a modest rich man who woos Dana with romantic
excursions and exciting adventures. No sooner than Dana allows Matthew to
encroach upon her heart, Omar proves her perceptions of him wrong. Has
Dana just made the biggest mistake of her life or is Matthew more than meets the
eye?
Love & Regrets exposes the struggles of commitment, the human
capacity to rise above hatred and revenge, and the power of love and kinship.
Meet
Sheryl Mallory-Johnson I write for my own enjoyment. If I don't enjoy my stories, no one else surely
will.
Sheryl Mallory-Johnson was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.
She holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Texas Southern
University, and a Masters Degree in Social Work from San Diego State University.
Among Sheryl's many passions, writing a good book is chief. While working in
child welfare some years ago, Sheryl Mallory-Johnson discovered her true purpose
in life, writing real stories about real people. She began her writing career as
a screenwriter and was ultimately led to writing novels. She went on to adapt
her first two screenplays into her first published novels. Sheryl's endeavor
didn't come easy. Taking a series of writing courses, attending writer's
workshops and leaning on her lifelong love of literature, Sheryl became a true
novelist. "In any career choice, educating yourself is a necessity,"
Sheryl says.
Ice
Cream Girls
by Dorothy Koomson
Coming
April 2012
As
teenagers Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe were the only
witnesses to a high-profile murder. Amid heated public debate, the two seemingly
glamorous teens were dubbed "The Ice Cream Girls" by the press and
were dealt with by the courts-Poppy headed to prison after being convicted for
murder and Serena was set free.
Years later, after having led very different lives, Poppy is keen to set the
record straight about what really happened. The only problem is she has no one
to turn to and no clue where to begin her hunt for Serena.
Meanwhile, Serena is married with children and wants no one in her present to
find out about her past. Constantly looking over her shoulder, Serena knows she
should come clean to her husband, however, she can't seem to find the words.
With Poppy determined to salvage what's left of her reputation, Serena may not
have a choice in reopening a can of worms that may threaten both their
lives...again.
Meet
the Author
Dorothy Koomson
wrote her first (unpublished) novel when she was 13 - and has been making up
stories ever since. As a journalist she has written for several publications
including The Guardian, New Woman and Cosmo. Her seven novels have all spent
several weeks on the bestseller lists and have been translated into 28 languages
across the world.
Dorothy Koomson has always loved the written word. And as she explains "I
always had my nose in a book or magazine when I was younger - or had my eyes
glued to the TV screen. I wrote my first novel called There's A Thin Line
Between Love And Hate when I was 13. I used to write a chapter every night
then pass it around to my fellow convent school pupils every morning, and they
seemed to love it." Despite her dedication and imagination, her first
novel, The Cupid Effect, was published more than 17 years later in 2003.
After that, she didn't look back - The Chocolate Run was published in 2004, and
then her "breakthrough" novel, My Best Friend's Girl, was released in
2006. It was picked for the Richard and Judy Summer Reads Book Club and as a
result went on to sell over 500,000 copies. Dorothy recently spent two years
living in Sydney Australia, but is now back in England, but only for the time
being, as she has been "well and truly bitten by the travel bug".
Her latest book is The Woman He Loved Before. The Ice Cream Girls will be
available in April 2012. For more information on Dorothy, please visit her
website at: http://www.dorothykoomson.co.uk
Top 10 Reasons to Legalize Gay Marriage
By Justin Mohs
Marriage is the key ingredient for a happiness and stability and this shouldn't be denied from gay persons.
Written by a straight man, this article highlights some of the best reasons to support legalizing gay marriage.
If America wants to call itself free there simply is no other option.
1.
It's simply the right thing to do.
2.
Gay parents have been proven to be just as good parents as straight parents. Also, there are countless children waiting to be adopted and gay persons in wedlock are more likely to have children.
3.
Children that are raised by gay parents have no more chance of being gay children than any other child. This is a notorious lie that has been perpetuated by hate and the extreme conservative right-wing of American politics. Being gay results from nature, not nurture.
4.
To support the troops. "Don't Ask Don't Tell" has been repealed but this doesn't alleviate stress caused by not allowing gay partners to marry. It's not good policy to let gay combatants fight for their country with the uncertainty they have for what might happen to their partner if they die while fighting.
5.
To give survivors rights to gay couples. Currently gay partners are not able to fully exercise their right to handle the legal matters of their dying partner and cannot fully be there for them in their final years. This is an insult to humanity to deny gay persons of the dignity of having their most loved and trusted person in the world be there during their last days.
6.
For economy stability. Not just for the tax credits that straight married people enjoy, but also for the stability of the American economy. Allowing gay people to get married would give a growing population increased spending power. The tax benefits and extension of credit with two incomes in a married relationship could increase spending in industries such as durable goods, home improvement, automobiles, childcare, services, event planning, the economic benefits are endless!
7.
Gay people deserve happiness just as much as straight people. Happiness derives from the love and devotion that comes from marriage. While it's true that many gay people are happy with the arrangement they currently have. They have two incomes, successful careers, and if they don't have children they more have more disposable income, but they commonly still feel like something is missing.
8.
To reduce depression in adolescents. Giving gay children the hope that they can get married some day and have children in a socially acceptable country will reduce depression among gay young people. Straight children are allowed this freedom and should be no surprise that many gay teenagers experience extreme depression.
9.
To reduce gay bullying in schools. If we legalize gay marriage, there will be one less reason for gay children to get teased. They will be less reluctant to be ashamed of their personal preference and will have hope that they can be just as happy as their straight counterparts.
10.
To help end the hate and intolerance of homosexuality in America. Just because America has a long history of prejudice that's no reason to keep perpetuating it. The unwelcoming fringes of our society seems to become accustomed to moving from alienating one demographic to another and the resistance to gay marriage is just another example of prejudice in America.
The Defense of Gay Marriage Act (DGMA) - Started in 2011 by the people supporting gay rights and human rights in America and throughout the world!
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Alicia
Singleton embraced the written word at an early age. She credits this to her
loving, older sister whom, while they were youngsters, made the author eat
lotion on a regular basis. Realizing the need to sound-out the ingredients on
the lotion label, Alicia stopped the lotion-eating practice, but continued to
read the labels of the concoctions her sister brought for her to try. This early
necessity to read flowered into a passion; hence, a writer was born. Alicia
resides in Maryland and is currently at work on a new novel.
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