Black Pearls Magazine Bookclub Selections, bringing the jewels of publishing to the book clubs

Advice from the Top: What Minority Women
Say About Their Career Success
by author Valencia Campbell

» Sneak Peek Excerpt: Advice from the Top will inspire minority women and others who want to advance their careers, and the compelling stories here will help them avoid common pitfalls on the road to success. To that end, the book provides action steps designed to help readers vault the hurdles encountered by the women profiled, and to do with aplomb. Advice from the top will also help organizations, educational institutions, and businesses develop and support career and mentoring programs that support the success of minority women.

While women of color have made significant gains in the workplace since their days when the top of their career meant a lowly service occupation, there is still a long way to go. Thankfully, as Advice from the Top so clearly illustrates, there is plenty of room at the top—and in many diverse industries—for ambitious minority women with street smarts and the right education. In spotlighting the enormous contributions minority career women continue to make in the country, Advice from the Top will help many more attain success. Perhaps most important this book and the stories it conveys will leave a lasting legacy for all those who care about improving the status of women in our society.

» Read from the first chapter of Advice from the Top, click here.
ISBN-10: 0313358583 | ISBN-13: 978-0313358586

» About the Author
Valencia is a consultant on educational topics and women’s issues Her completed projects include those for the Baltimore Public School System, National Science Foundation, National Congress of Black Women and the National Council of Negro Women. She has taught sociology courses at Howard University and Bowie State University. Her many awards include: Governor’s Citation for Work on the Improvement of the Status of Women, Woman of the Year for Southern Prince George’s Business and Professional Women, WHUR Hometown Hero Award, 9to5 National Association of Working Women Awards and a Presidential Appointment to the United Service Organization World Board of Governors from 2006-2008. Valencia holds a Ph.D. and M.A. degree in Sociology from Howard University and B.A. in Sociology from Virginia State University.

Website: www.advicefromtopwomen.com; Email: valenciacampbell2003@yahoo.com

Breathe a lie, live a lie. That's what Nadirah Lewis learns when she uncovers the stunning lie she was forced to live for seventeen years. Nadirah was twelve years old when she was blamed for crippling her Aunt Stephanie. Guilt and her trust fund kept Nadirah a prisoner in Stephanie's home and the object of Stephanie's cruel tongue, but it took another vicious lie and a threat to Nadirah's career as a teacher to infuse her with the energy to fight back.

Nadirah's fight, however, is not just for herself. It is also for one of her young students, Bree Morrison. When Bree is hospitalized after drinking a near fatal dose of poison, Nadirah petitions the Administration for Child Services for guardianship. Bree's mother has inexplicably disappeared, and what Bree won't say is what Nadirah needs to hear before Bree's aunt Erma, a she-devil on wheels, wins the custody battle.

Erma, the soon-to-be ex-wife of Austin Gray, Nadirah's handsome new landlord, and close friend of Lynn, Nadirah's cousin, lets Nadirah know in no uncertain terms that she will never get Bree or her husband. But what unforgivable lie does Erma live that could stop her cold yet devastate all around her? And Lynn, as well put together and as orderly as her life is, what shameful lie lurks behind her picturesque suburban doors? While the revelation of many of the lies give Nadirah the courage to find herself, she must accept the fact that those same lies may well destroy the lives of those closest to her. Unveil the shocking, real life truths of Living, Breathing Lies.

Book Reviews
"LIVING, BREATHING LIES is a powerful character study that focuses in on dysfunctional interrelationships built on fabrications. As the web of lies....begins to unravel one thread at a time, readers will demand more angst family dramas like this tense tale." --Harriet Klausner

Living, Breathing Lies by Gloria Mallette
ISBN-10: 0967878926 | ISBN-13: 9780967878928
Purchase your copy: Amazon Online, Barnes and Noble or by visiting Gloria's website for a signed copy.

Meet the Author
Nationally acclaimed award winning author GLORIA MALLETTE began her true literary journey by self-publishing her second novel Shades of Jade in April of 2000. By July and 13,000 sold copies later, Gloria signed on with Random House who re-released Shades of Jade in 2001. Shades of Jade made several best sellers lists, including Black Board, Essence Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, and The Washington Post/Washington is Also Reading listing.

Gloria has been featured in The New York Daily News, USAToday, ToDay’s Black Woman, Upscale Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, and The Pocono Record. Gloria also has a featured novella, Come Tomorrow, on the USAToday website. To her credit, Gloria now has ten published titles including the newly released SASSY, a Finalist in the National Best Books 2009 Awards; Weeping Willows Dance; and Living, Breathing Lies, winner of the National Best Books 2007 Awards and the 2008 Indie Excellence Award.

Follow Author Gloria Mallette
Email: gempress@aol.com
Website: www.gloriamallette.com
Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/gloriamallette

About the Author
Renee Daniel Flagler ( www.reneedanielflagler.com ) is an award winning writer and the author of Miss-Guided, Mountain High, Valley Low, and In Her Mind. As a freelance writer and marketing professional, her writing has been featured in business and consumer newsletters and magazines, nationwide. Flagler’s company, Aspicomm Media ( www.aspicomm.com ), founded The Self-Publishing Symposium ( www.aspicomm.com/selfpublishingsymposium ), an annual business conference for self and independent publishers along with the S’Indie Awards, which honors the works and accomplishments of self and independent publishers.

In 2007 Flagler launched the Divas of Literature Tour
( www.divasofliterature.com ), a multi-city promotional book tour featuring several authors. Flagler and her books have been featured in such media as Ebony Magazine, Black Issues Book Review, Black Star News, Mahogany Baby, The Columbus Post, and The Amsterdam News.

Flagler is one of the resident “Literary Leaders” for WBAI Radio’s talk show, ‘Off the Page.’ She received an award for Excellence in Journalism by the New York Association of Black Journalists, was honored by Black Star News for her accomplishments in business for starting the Self-Publishing Symposium and honored at the Unlock Your Dreams conference.

Flagler resides in New York and is currently at work on her fourth novel, The Houseguest.

Web address: www.reneedanielflagler.com
ISBN-10: 0976046628 | ISBN-13: 978-0976046622

Somebody's Sinning in My Bed by Pat G'Orge-Walker

Chyna and her sister Janelle are always moments away from a catfight. They love each other, but Janelle has never forgiven her sister for swiping her first love, Cordell. That was ages ago, and now Chyna is showing off as the First Lady of New Hope Assembly, a church that’s caught between the old ways of Holiness and new ways of serving its community. New Hope’s leader, Reverend Grayson Young, is also caught…in the infamous Sweet Bush lounge, an establishment well-known for adult pleasures.

With the church congregation running wild in the aftermath of her husband’s scandalous behavior, Chyna turns to her sister Janelle for guidance. But if Chyna thinks she’s getting sympathy from Janelle, she’d better think again, because Janelle’s got her own crisis. And when Cordell suddenly comes back into the sisters’ lives, what follows are squabbling, chaos, and surprises that show just how hard the road to salvation really is…

“SOMEBODY’S SINNING IN MY BED”
ISBN-10: 0758235402 | ISBN-13: 9780758235404
Kensington/Dafina Books © 2009
Available wherever books are sold
Purchase the book today

Explore the Black Authors Network Radio Show blogspot. Meet the authors from the radio show.

Purple Snowflake Marketing - How to Make Your Book Stand Out in a Crowd is a reference guide for self-marketing authors who want to be noticed in a snowstorm of writers. With nineteen chapters and twenty-five appendices, this e-book is a means for authors to design an effective marketing plan and utilize frugal promotional tools with the click of their mouse. The e-book also offers over 900 resources that will accelerate your marketing efforts far beyond your peers. As a reassuring marketing plan guide, it contains ample advice for avoiding pit-falls and setting a pace for marketing endeavors.

Help Dave and Lillian Brummet, award-winning authors of Purple Snowflake Marketing - How to Make Your Book Stand Out in a Crowd, donate 30% of the royalties they receive from book sales to raise funds for the SPCA, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Seeds of Diversity Organization simply by purchasing your very own copy for only $10 today: http://www.booklocker.com/books/2949.html

Founded in 2001 by Jessica Tilles, best-selling author and founder of Xpress Yourself Publishing (the 2008 African American Awards Show Independent Publishing House of the Year recipient), The Writer's Assistant offers services in desktop publishing, typing, editing, book cover design, book layout (typesetting), small business solutions and other customized services. For more information on The Writer’s Assistant and services offered, visit us online at www.TheWritersAssistant.com.

America I AM Legends: Rare Moments and Inspiring Words
by Smiley Books (Editor), Tavis Smiley (Foreword)

“Would America have been America without her Negro people?” — W. E. B. Du Bois

This lavish photography book captures the dynamism of 75 legendary African Americans through powerful images and penetrating words, showcasing the indelible imprint they have made on the United States and the world. A comment on each iconic figure—made by someone who knew the legend well or is carrying on their legacy today—captures the vision and contribution of each subject. AIA Legends is a companion volume to the historic America I AM: The African American Imprint, a traveling museum exhibition, presented by Tavis Smiley and sponsored by Wal-Mart.

This beautifully conceived work highlights the central theme of the exhibition, posed by W.E.B. Du Bois, “Would America have been America without her Negro people?” Whether black artistic genius, athletic excellence, political leadership, scientific innovation, or the struggle to make America true to its promise, each legend reminds us that America would be unrecognizable without the African American imprint. America I AM Legends takes us on an unforgettable journey to the heart of the American experience.

About the Author
The editors of SmileyBooks are dedicated to the creation of book and multimedia projects that educate, enlighten, and empower. ISBN: 1401924050 and ISBN-13: 9781401924058. Publisher: Hay House, Inc.

Cheryll Y. Greene is the former executive editor of Essence magazine and editor of Malcolm X: Make It Plain, the book tie-in to the PBS "American Experience" documentary. This book was the first major photographic biography of one of this century's most provocative thinkers.

Sassy by Gloria Mallette

Sassy Davenport is a successful romance novelist looking to fulfill her own fantasy. When the man of her dreams step right out of the pages of her latest novel, Sassy falls madly in love with him. But what evil lies behind Norris Yoshito's beautiful eyes and sexy smile? And while Sassy has to take care of her favorite cousin, Bernard, who is dying of AIDS, is the man of Sassy's dream a serial killer of women who made the mistake of trusting Norris just as Sassy did? Will Sassy's love for Norris lead to her own death? Read Sassy and you will be stunned.

Sassy Excerpt from Chapter 1
Thursday, 3:38 p.m.

LOUD! The music was loud! The bass was thunderous! The catchy, finger popping beat was heart pounding! The singing was exhilarating, the words catchy, but there was no party. There was no dancing. There was no one to enjoy the music that penetrated the blood-splattered walls inside Myra Barrett’s statically still apartment and seeped through plaster and concrete walls out into the adjourning apartments and into the long, pastry tan colored hallways of Ellington Tower Apartments. Myra couldn’t understand why no one had come pounding at her door yelling for her to turn down the music. Her floor, the thirteenth floor, was one of the quietest floors in the whole twenty-two story building, and it was rare for anyone to blast their music so loudly. Maybe that was because most of the tenants of the ten apartments on her floor were over fifty years old. That is except for Myra herself and Alice Reynolds down the hall. Myra was only thirty-three years old. She wasn’t ready to die.

“God,” Myra said feebly, the taste of her own blood on her tongue, “help me.”

Someone had to hear the music. Someone had to be annoyed. The music was deafening. With the right side of her face smashed into floor, Myra’s head was pounding from the roaring bass which was making the floor under her pain-racked, blood soaked body vibrate. The walls had to be vibrating, too. They usually did when the music was especially loud. By now Mrs. Harris next door should have been banging on the door and hollering for Myra to turn down her music. Did Mrs. Harris have a doctor’s appointment today? Where in the world was she? God, please let her come. Oh, God, please. Myra started to gag. The taste of her own blood seeping into her mouth from her throat reminded Myra that her weak hold on a life she desperately wanted to continue living was slipping away.

Oh, God! Footfalls. He’s coming back! Oh, God. Myra tried to stop breathing in what little air she was getting. She tried to close her eyes. She couldn’t. Her eyes were frozen open and when Norris stepped in front of her, she couldn’t even shift her gaze to look at his foot. Norris stood over her and Myra could only guess that he was most likely looking down upon her with that same evil mask of disdain over his handsome face that he’d had on when he first started stabbing her. She had no idea Norris hated her so.

###

Purchase your copy today from Barnes and Noble or by visiting Gloria's website for a signed copy.
ISBN-10: 0967878934 | ISBN-13: 9780967878935

Scratches is a series of life episodes, drama and positive messages. Scratches transcend across all barriers and backgrounds because we all have them - dealing with issues that hinder our growth, direction and focus. Scratches is a page-turner and a fictional book for ALL - young, old, male, female, rich, or poor.

Charlie, the protagonist, unexpectedly befriends the characters, which are woven throughout the book, to help them deal with their emotional scars of a failed professional sports career, abandonment, incest, cheating, job termination and so much more. The inspiring message is to help you understand your purpose and empower others to have healthier lives by overcoming pain or scratches that occur in life. We do this by forgiving others, loving unconditionally, becoming responsible, facing adversity, learning life lessons, and understanding that this too shall pass.

Who Is He To You by Monique D. Mensah

Simone, a shockingly beautiful teen, is on the downward spiral of destruction as she battles incest and self-hatred and she finds cutting to be the only way to relieve her pain. Jessica lives the upscale lifestyle of a refined society matron. She strives to be the perfect wife, but without her husband, Ross, she would be nothing more than the abused stripper he rescued 16 years ago. Ryan, a fiery thirty-something, is quickly slipping into depression and prescription drug addiction as her boyfriend, Anthony, artfully dangles the empty promise of marriage.

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

Monique D. Mensah is a native Detroiter with an innate love for the written word. Her talent for writing was first discovered by her third grade teacher when she declared her dream to become a published author. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan she completed her first manuscript, Who Is He To You. Shortly after, she launched Kisa Publishing and published her debut novel. Monique now resides in Southfield, MI where she is raising her daughter and working full-time as an enrollment counselor for a private university. She is also a freelance copywriter and copyeditor and is currently working on her second novel.

Monique D. Mensah, Author of Dramatic Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-578-02348-9
Blog: www.moniquedmensah.wordpress.com
Website: http://www.moniquedmensah.com

On The Flip Side by Nikkea Smithers

A Different Kind of Baby Momma Drama...

Tavares has one thing on his mind and that is being a good father to his kids. This proves to become a difficult act when he faces obstacles from the mother of his children who abandoned their twins at the hospital after birth. Her only concern is making a profit off of the children she birthed by making Tavares pay child support in two different states, even though he has custody of the kids. When her child support payments are reduced, she threatens to take back the kids causing all hell to break loose.

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.

When Danica and Tavares's worlds clash, things get shaken up. Danica feels it is her duty to intervene in Tavares's personal problems without his willful consent. Will Tavares be freed from the financial and emotional burden that his children's mother inflicts on him? Will Danica have her way regardless of the consequences? On The Flip Side is a wild ride that you do not want to miss out on as roles get reversed and lives are forever changed.

On The Flip Side by Nikkea Smithers
Website: www.nikkeasmithers.com
ISBN-10: 0977938751 | ISBN-13: 978-0977938759

Sherryle Jackson, Author of Soon and Very Soon & The Manual (coming October 2009)
Who said there isn't a manual for love, relationships and raising kids?

With a chance to confront their past with the hindsight of adulthood, two high school sweethearts must forgive and forget to raise their teenaged son.

Now available for pre-order on Amazon-The Manual (October 2009)
ISBN-10: 1601629354
ISBN-13: 978-1601629357
www.sherrylejackson.com

Soon and Very Soon (Urban Christian) by Sherryle Kiser Jackson
Everyone thought the ten month courtship and marriage between Willie Green, the strait-laced pastor of the traditional Harvest Baptist church, and Vanessa Morton, the dynamo preacher-pastor from the contemporary Mt. Pleasant Baptist church, was too soon. Neither pastor realized that after the nuptials, all heck would break loose as they planned to combine their respective churches.

The honeymoon abruptly comes to an end as Willie tries to maintain control of his congregation as the staunch Deacon, Charley Thompson, and a group of dissenters go to extreme lengths to keep their religious routine going at Harvest. Meanwhile, Vanessa struggles with the new balancing act of being a competent co-pastor and a nurturing first lady to her husband. The price of having too much too soon leads them both to deal in their own way with letting go of the way things used to be. ISBN-10: 1601629494

Loving Simone by Jessica Tilles

From the outside, Simone has the perfect life and family. However, the inside tells of a different story. After ten years of being the faithful, dutiful wife and mother, Simone desperately struggles with releasing the hidden desires of pleasure she can't seem to get from her husband, causing her to turn to self-fulfillment and outside influences.

Jackson is too busy focusing on the women who work for him, self indulgence, and sticking his pole in every hole, rather than his wife. Darius is every woman's dream and has had a crush on Simone since he was a teen. When their paths cross, all of Simone's inhibitions are released and finally someone is Loving Simone.

Loving Simone is Jessica's ninth novel.
ISBN: 0981809456 and ISBN-13: 9780981809458
Publisher: Xpress Yourself Publishing, LLC
Email: JTilles@aol.com and Website: http://www.jessicatilles.com

The Knife In My Back by Stacey Covington-Lee

Brook seemed to have it all and was glad to share it with her best friend, Tameka. But the more she gave, the more Tameka wanted and there were no limits on what she'd do to get it all. However, after taking the most meaningful part of Brook's life, it was Tameka's turn to suffer and she would suffer for years to come.
ISBN 978-0-9779398-4-8

The New Orleans Goddess of Gastronomy, Ambrosia Bourgeois, uses food to seduce men in hopes of creating Mister Right. Paralleling southern cuisine, each short story captures the hearts and minds of different men. When she discovers that her meals fall short of converting the man to her specifications, she moves on to the next one—a total of 16 ranging from the local sheriff to a Bourbon Street musician. The Food Temptress serves up a delectable treat connected by Ambrosia’s continuing quest for both romantic and culinary perfection. ISBN-10: 0-977-9398-3-9 / 13: 978-0-9779398-3-1

BOOKSELLERS:
Xpress Yourself Publishing Company
BarnesandNoble.com
Amazon and Bookstores Nationwide

WEBSITE: www.foodtemptress.com

Rekaya Gibson, Author 0f The Food Temptress
Recipe Contest Details at www.thefoodtemptress.blogspot.com

Secrets Unveiled by Sheshena Pledger

The Harris Family, America's most notorious fiction crime family of her time, is thirsting for one thing: BLOOD. Faced with their most fierce rival to date, the Harris' will stop at nothing to rest assured that their nemesis is at least six feet below anyone else's reach. And with their biggest opponent finally out of the way, the Harris' can taste the sweet flavor of pure vengeance on the tip of their tongues . . . and they're salivating for their full meal.

Nick Miller can't wait to get off of work so he can escape the madness surrounding him. From constant memories of his suppressed past to continuous news coverage of 'Cleopatra's' death, Nick is aching for relief of such a mentally draining day. So much so, that he finds this comfort in the wrong hands. Will this chance encounter open a door that leads to the secrets behind Nick's past? Or will his lapse of judgment cost him his last breath? As Nick's world collides with that of the blood thirsty Harris Family, he comes face to face with the one thing that terrifies him more than the thought of dying: the truth about his life. ISBN-13: 9781435719187

The colors of love come in several shades for Queen Thomas, and has been prevalent on her canvas of life as she continues to paint by the numbers. Successful beyond measure, but flawed to a degree where bright hues tend to fade a bit, happiness should be much more than an illusion. Queen is a young African American defense attorney passionately advocating justice for her brown-skinned clients, despite being subjected by black and blue bruises from her ex-boyfriend. Then there are the shades of gray that matters most when trying to balance the memorable scales of a loving relationship with a father that raised her as a single parent. Along with that are the dark clouds of uncertainty accentuating the need to suppress the void of missing the touches that only a mother can manifest.

Is a successful but committed relationship so hard to fathom where integrity and faithfulness is not compromised? The whispers gets louder with promises of primal screams as the colors take on a different tint as the plot thickens. Enter Quincy Hughes, a handsome doctor easy on the eyes but with an underlying intrigue that allows curiosity to kill much more than the cat. Quincy is on a mission...He relentlessly pursues her despite his mystique, and forces Queen to question the taboo concept of accepted love vs. forbidden fruit; and whether there’s a future in it for her. Is she ready to tackle the relevancy of this different persuasion? And what about her ex-lover -- will he settle for second best and allow Queen to pursue matters of the heart, albeit with someone else?

Sensual and brimming with sexuality, this heart-wrenching drama is written in a fashion that can only be delivered by Elissa Gabrielle, the best-selling author of Good to the Last Drop. A Whisper To a Scream is groundbreaking fiction. A sexy, moving and riveting tale that will pull you deep into an unforgettable erotic, socially-conscious, and emotionally-charged ride.

SERVING JUSTICE by Jacqueline D. Moore
ISBN: 978-0-9790222-7-2
GENRE: Fiction, Inspirational

Sometimes love resides above the law!

What happens when a prominent and successful Chicago Judge falls in love with her driver?
Angela Jenkins decided as a child that she would become a lawyer. Fighting injustices perpetrated against those who could not or would not fight for themselves ran like passion through her veins. Growing up, Angela was taught that putting God first in her life, respecting the rights and choices of others, and working hard, were the most important things a person should strive for. While in pursuit of her law degree, Angela meets Rhonda, Theresa, and Darlene who are there reaching for the same goals. Over the next two decades, an unbreakable bond forms and friends become sisters.

Angela finds the more successful she becomes, the more she begins to lose her connection with God and starts conforming more to the world, than to the word of God. When love enters her heart, she must decide if having a relationship is more important than what others, including her friends, have to say. Angela is forced to look at what's important in her life and has to choose between allowing others to shape who she is or conforming to what God wants her to be.

http://www.peaceinthestormpublishing.com
http://www.JacquelinedMoore.com

Content...Right Where I Am by Joy Turner

Finding contentment in everyday living is attainable through searching out and finding value in what matters in life. This book will encourage, uplift, and provide a few tools and strategies to cultivate contentment. The INTENT is to get us to line our lives up with the will of God, our true source of contentment. The PURPOSE is to maximize our present state despite our past mistakes. The OBJECTIVE is to shine the light on the source of dissatisfaction and restore our joy and purpose through Christ Jesus The GOAL is to encourage the reader to appreciate life right now, in the present tense. The SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE is agreement. The time is now for you to say I'M CONTENT, RIGHT WHERE I AM

About the Author
Joy Turner is an accomplished musician, vocalist, composer, and author born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. As a published songwriter and writer/editor for her church newsletter, she has embarked upon her first published literary work Content...Right Where I Am.

ISBN-10: 097930122X and ISBN-13: 978-0979301223

Consequences by Linda R. Herman

Consequences isn't a love story-it's a LIFE story.

In Consequences, readers are taken on a journey into the lives of a down-low husband, his wife, his lovers, and a cast of others who are affected, whether directly or indirectly, by the HIV virus. The story is fiction but the reality of HIV is fact, and the reality is that each year there are thousands of new cases diagnosed-most of those new cases being women of color and minority.

Linda Herman did an outstanding job in conjuring up the emotional and psychological reality of a soul who has been robbed of life.

Publisher: Xpress Yourself Publishing
ISBN-10: 0981809405 and ISBN-13: 978-0981809403

Linda R. Herman, Co-Founder of Authors Supporting Authors
www.LindaRHerman.com and www.LindaRHerman.webs.com

Reality Check: Stepmother Chronicles by Anjalon Edwards

Carmen Fuller is getting fed up with the baby mama drama, her medaling in-laws and her guilt-driven husband. Balancing her personal life and her job as a caseworker at the county's Friend of the Court system is challenging. Stress levels run high for this thirty-two year old mother of two. Carmen keeps her family on a need-to-know status leaving her girlfriends- Tonya and Simone, who are dealing with their own family drama - as her only support. As she struggles with the feelings she experiences as a stepmother to nine-year old Junior, she discovers that she is not alone. Her situation intensifies when she suspects her husband, Tyrell, of unfaithfulness. Although she felt the separation from her husband far before her suspicions of infidelity, Carmen's dream family life is at-risk of crumbling apart. But she refuses to hand her husband and family over on a silver platter.

Meanwhile, her home and work life overlap when she receives "hate mail" from someone who obviously wants her husband. She keeps the letters a secret from Tyrell, but uses other tactics to feel him out. As she figures things out, she makes some astonishing discoveries about her stepson that have been happening all along. Tyrell shares with a marriage counselor that his feelings towards his wife changed when he noticed that she didn't like his son anymore. Carmen is offended and shocked by his bogus accusations. After all of the drama she puts up with, this was the sorry excuse her husband had for treating her the way he did. While eluding their family members and Tyrell's baby mama, the couple struggles with moving forward. As Carmen works on herself, she decides to choose her battles and accept things for what they are. She digs deep for some real soul searching to improve her roles as a wife, a mother, and a stepmother.

About the Author
As a mother and a stepmother, Anjalon Edwards found writing to be therapeutic and relaxing. This Western Michigan University graduate began her interest in writing in 2005. She hopes to catch the eye of a traditional publishing company to pick up her novel on the increasingly popular but rarely exposed topic of stepmotherhood. Anjalon continues to write both adult and children books in her leisure. She resides with her husband, Anthony, and their three children: Keynan, Londyn, and Briaja in West Michigan. ISBN-10: 1436323509 and ISBN-13: 978-1436323505

No More Tomorrows: Two Lives, Two Stories, One Love
by Rodney Lofton

After awaking from a restless sleep that has plagued him for weeks, Mark Jones awakes to the realization it is his last physical day on earth. Mark begins to reflect on his life of living with HIV and his love for his HIV negative partner Kevin Williams, who despite his initial reservations has embraced and loved Mark knowing that "death would come knocking soon." This love story traces the relationship between Mark and Kevin from the very first date, the very first kiss, the first time they made love and the last time they would say good-bye.

Genre: Gay & Lesbian Fiction
ISBN-10: 593091745 and ISBN-13: 978-1593091743
Website: www.nomoretomorrows.net

Other Books by Rodney Lofton
The Day I Stopped Being Pretty by Rodney Lofton
ISBN-13: 9781593091231
People & Cultures - Biography
Website: www.rodneylofton.com and www.myspace.com/rodlofton

The Soul Of A Man by Elissa Gabrielle (Editor)
Publisher: Peace In The Storm Publishing

What lies in the soul of a man? Love, laughter, heartache and sorrow? Pride, fear, rage and contentment? The true measure of a man lies in his heart and in his soul.

Trials are measured and grounded by inner feelings and the expectations placed on them and they persevere. The weights of the world sometimes are carried on their shoulders.

From socio-economic barriers, to racial tensions, broken hearts, to new found faith-experience the plight of man, as only he can explain it, told from his perspective and from his heart. Through expressions of the history of his past, the reality of his present, and the optimism of his future, these gifted men relate what stirs a man's soul and ignites his actions and his thinking.

Men the world over have always been much maligned and strident in how life portrays and prefaces their successes and failures. This collection of enlightening stories personifies the sentiment, faith, resilience and love embodied in the creation God made in His own image. The Soul of a Man is a Divine truth and an affirmation of the passion running through the minds of men where hearts and souls are bared.

In continuation of the Triumph series, the second book, The Soul of a Man: A Triumph of My Soul Anthology, features these brilliant men; Joe Thomas, Jihad, William Fredrick Cooper, Alvin C. Romer, Marc Lacy, Maurice M. Gray, Jr., Brian Ganges, Jarold Imes, K.L. Belvin, Joey Pinkney, Thomas Ashburn, Jr., Clarence "Baba Simba" Mollock, Tyrell Floyd and Eddrick Dejuan.

Peace In The Storm Publishing, LLC
ISBN-13: 9780981963136
www.peaceinthestormpublishing.com
Email: Publisher@PeaceintheStormPublishing.com

Ella Curry and EDC Creations are proud to announce the books that created an impact, for readers and the EDC Creations network. Our “literary hallmarks” indicate excellence in writing and storytelling. These are the books we want to feature to the world. Each year thousands of people — educators, concerned parents, community leaders, authors, poets and publishers — devote their time and resources to presenting the reader with great books! However, too many outstanding books do not get the attention and reader support that they deserve, they float just under the radar. It is our mission to connect readers with these hidden gems and bring them books that will change their lives.

Readers please take a moment and examine the list below. There is something for all book lovers! The books ARE NOT listed in any order pertaining to the quality of the literature—they are ALL 4-5 star literary gems. Each book on this list will bring something of value to enrich the lives of the readers, make you sit up and take notice, and to help to strengthen our future generations.

We have reviewed all of the books below and these are just a few of the magnificent books we love. Keep in mind we reviewed some of these books for the publishers and they might be on pre-order status. Other lists will be posted of our fantastic literary finds. This is the partial list of 20-60 books per genre. You can read the full list here, enter now. You are invited to explore the shelves of our book store where most of the books are listed: http://astore.amazon.com/edcmagazine-20. Enjoy!

Books Change Lives—Young Adults/Our Experiences
Young Readers and Teen Literature
1. Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul by Jack Canfield
2. Love, Ocean by Celia Anderson
3. Unsigned Hype by Booker T. Mattison
4. Step To This: So For Real Series by Nikki Carter
5. Prayers That Avail Much for Teens by Germaine Copeland
6. How to Win Friends and Influence People for Teen Girls by Donna Dale Carnegie
7. Me, Just Different by Stephanie Morrill
8. Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph
9. Learning to Love by Stephanie Perry Moore
10. Friends 'til the End by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

On the Shoulders of Giants —Faith Based Books
1. Somebody's Sinning in My Bed by Pat G'Orge Walker
2. Practicing What You Preach by Vanessa Davis Griggs
3. Any Minute: A Novel by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford
4. Guilty of Love by Pat Simmons
5. Somewhat Saved by Pat G'Orge Walker
6. Lady Jasmine by Victoria Christopher Murray
7. Heaven Right Here by Lutishia Lovely
8. Up at the College by Michele Andrea Brown
9. The Enclave by Karen Hancock
10. Take Two by Karen Kingsbury

Our Literary Legacy —Historical Based Fiction/Historical Black Fiction
1. A Song for Harlem by Patricia C. McKissack
2. In the Land of Cotton by Martha A. Taylor
3. What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy
4. A Worthy Legacy by Tomi Akinyanmi

Our Literary Legacy —Non-fiction/Motivational/Poetry Books
1. Women of A New Tribe from Jerry Taliaferro
2. Grandpa Does Grandma: The ABCs of Senior Sex by Phil Parker
3. From Incarceration 2 Incorporation by J.M. Benjamin & Randy Kearse
4. Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom by Cornel West
5. Almost Persuaded, Now to Believe by Joshua McClure
6. America I am Legends by Smiley Books
7. Family Affair by Gil L. Robertson, IV
8. No Matter What by Lisa Nichols
9. Raising Boys to be Like Jesus by Sharon Norris Elliott
10. Ministry of Motherhood by Cheryl Lacy Donovan

Living on the Edge— Mystery/Fantasy Books
1. Deadly Intent by Lynda LaPlante
2. Immortal I and II by Valjeanne Jeffers
3. The Defector by Daniel Silva
4. The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner
5. Swimsuit by James Patterson
6. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke
7. The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss
8. Who's Been Sleeping in Your Head by Brett Kahr
9. The Thirteenth by L. A. Banks
10. Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Our Passions— Mixed Genre Fiction/ Erotica/Urban Literature
1. Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice
2. Life is Short But Wide by J. California Cooper
3. Chaser by Miasha
4. Alibi by Terri Woods
5. And Mistress Makes Three by Frances Ray
6. Single Husband by HoneyB
7. Lies of Blue by Lynne Forde
8. A Lova' Like No Otha' by Stephanie Perry Moore
9. Reality Check by Eric Pete
10. Temptation and Lies by Donna Hill
11. A New Kind of Bliss by Bettye Griffin
12. Quieting the Storm by Shelley Parsons
13. Private Lives by Gwynne Forster
14. B as in Beauty by Alberto Ferreras
15. Thug Lovin' (Thug ) by Wahida Clark
16. His Invisible Wife by Shelia M. Goss
17. Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina López
18. Body By Night by Zuri Day
19. A Private Affair by Donna Hill
20. Sisters & Husbands by Connie Briscoe
21. Maneater by Mary B. Morrison
22. Nothing but Trouble by Bettye Griffin
23. Bliss Inc. by Chamein Canton
24. The Highest Price for Passion by Laurinda D. Brown
25. Keeping Secrets and Telling Lies by Trice Hickman
26. Song of the Siren by Avah LaReaux
27. In Her Mind by Renee Daniel Flagler
28. Loving Simone by Jessica Tilles
29. Unexpected by Tinisha Nicole Johnson
30. Carbon Copy by Azarel
31. When Life Becomes a Love Story by Sonia Matthews
32. How I Made the Angels Cry by Meleisa Betts
33. That Devil's No Friend of Mine by J. D. Mason
34. Murder on the Down Low by Pamela Samuels Young
35. Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos by Margaret Mascarenhas

Note: EDC Creations does not accept payment for book reviews. Our team reviews books for BAN Radio Show, publicists, publishing houses and independently published authors. We have rated all of the books on this list as 4/5 or 5/5 stars. They are all fabulous reads, recommended by Ella Curry, AJ Curry (Teen reviews), Jackie Lawson (Sweet Soul Sisters), Casino (Sankofa Literary Society), Carolyn Morrow (Sankofa Literary Society), Gwendolyn Garrett (Sankofa Literary Society), Rhonda Seals, Monica Givens, Lois Spanks (Sankofa Literary Society, may she rest in peace, she left us September 25, 2009), LaTisha Knight (BMore Moms), Cheryl Rhodes, Marvin Sparks (Journalist, AL), Gene Garrett, Vontessa Lewis (Sisters Networking and Reading), Katona Swain, Tonya Marks, Katalena Dubose, Maggie Dubose (Moms Rock, Dothan Chapter), Jennifer Tolbert, Rita Mae Riggins, Audrey Riggins (Sankofa Literary Society), Marion Teagues, J-Jigger (Journalist, AL), May Sanders-Dubose, TaSherra Curry (Teen reviews), RaLeigh Curry, Minnie B. Swain and our fans in the United States and abroad.

All of the books are kept by the reviewers, given away to book clubs, donated to literary event grab bags, used as prizes in EDC Creations, Sankofa Literary Society and BAN Radio contests and gift bags. EDC Creations does not sell review copies online or at events. All books are given away in the hopes that the readers will spread the word.....

Authors, if you see your book listed, please leave a comment with your website address, book seller links and any news about you and your books! Ask your network to stop by and share their reviews of your books too. Make sure you tell your friends if you see their names listed. Follow this blog on the right hand side of the site, to keep up with the comments. Leave all news, reviews and comments here.

Readers, if you have read any of the books listed, please share your reviews. If you would like for any of these authors to speak with your friends or book clubs, please leave your request and email address in our comments section. We will try to pass them on to the publicists or the authors. Request the authors for a phone chat and live reading with you and 10 friends: Email: edc_dg@yahoo.com Leave all reviews and comments here.

Ella Curry, president of EDC Creations
http://www.edc-creations.com

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