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.
Every issue of this monthly published magazine will celebrate the accomplishments of authors and writers from around the globe, honoring proud traditions and spotlighting ways to enhance the reader's everyday life.
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Color Me Jazzmyne Book Video
by Marian L. Thomas
Naya Mona is raped by her father, abused by her friends and struggling to
find a way to push past the pain of life. Her voice becomes her means of survival, her heart becomes her means of living and her songs becomes all
that she ever needed.
Naya Mona
is the main character and the type of woman that all women can see a
reflection of themselves in. She has dreams, struggles, obstacles and a
passion to live! In the beginning she is naïve, abused and looking in all the
wrong directions for comfort. She quickly realizes that a beautiful pair of
black leather shoes does not reflect the essence of a good man.
The drama in her life unveils as her son whom she hasn’t seen since birth
walks through the doorways of her beautiful and lavish home thinking that she
is the reason that the puzzle of his life doesn’t fit. Filled with rage,
anger and sadness he forces her to go back into her past, back to the time
when her father’s touch was no longer innocent. Visit the website of
author Marian L. Thomas for more details. You can read excerpts, hear live
readings and request signed copies
here.
Bruised Love by Nanette M. Buchanan
Bruised Love – “When love leaves a bruise, does it ever heal?”
The answer is show in the lives of the characters introduced in this dramatic novel. Cassandra Smith, who left home for love, finds herself accepting abuse. She has returned home to find her internal strength. Mary Smith realizes her love for her daughter, Cassandra, has been smothered by her hatred for Trevor Black, the lover her daughter chose. She must rekindle their severed relationship before it’s too late.
Lamont Dearling has been warned, “A woman who has been abused, can never understand real love.”, but nothing including Trevor Black will keep him from pursuing his childhood sweetheart, Cassandra Smith. Trevor Back, the abusive love and part time father of Cassandra’s four children, has found he is no longer on top of his “game”. His abusive dealings on the street, other women and now Cassandra has caused problems that bring deadly consequences.
Cassandra Smith, Mary Smith, Trevor Black, Lamont Dearling and the others, take the reader through pages of a riveting story of love, betrayal and murder.
Lori
G. Armstrong left the firearms industry in 2000. Her first mystery novel,
BLOOD TIES, published in 2005, was nominated in 2006 for a Shamus Award for
Best First Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America. The second book in the
Julie Collins mystery series, HALLOWED GROUND, released Nov. 2006, was
nominated for a 2007 Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original, a Daphne du
Maurier Award and won the 2007 WILLA Cather Literary Award for Best Original
Softcover Fiction.
SHALLOW GRAVE, released in Nov. 2007, was nominated for a 2008 High Plains
Book Award, a Daphne du Maurier Award and was a finalist for the 2008 WILLA
Cather Literary Award. The fourth book, SNOW BLIND, released in Oct. 2008, won
the 2009 Shamus Award, from the Private Eye Writers of America, for Best
Paperback Original. Lori is a proud fourth generation South Dakotan and lives
in Rapid City with her family.
Pearl Pick Mystery Book spotlight: No Mercy by Lori G. Armstrong
Mercy
Gunderson is a straight shooter with a hard edge. On medical leave from the
Army, she returns home to South Dakota, which isn’t much safer for her
than Iraq. Arriving just after the death of her father, it is up to Mercy to
decide what to do with the family ranch. Trying to deal with her
irresponsible sister and nephew and feeling guilty that she didn’t make it
home soon enough to see her father one last time; Mercy is suddenly pulled
into the local community when the body of a Native American boy is found on
her land. But nobody seems to be doing anything about it, especially not the
local law enforcement.
When tragedy strikes again, Mercy is ready to throw all her energy into her
own investigation, and she’s out for revenge. As she digs up the truth
behind the shocking crimes, Mercy uncovers dark and dangerous secrets and
must race to stop a killer before everything she’s fought for is destroyed
forever. Read
the Prologue. Read
the first chapter.
Intimate Conversation with Lori G. Armstrong
Ella: Readers, former Army sniper Mercy Gunderson debuts in the first
book in a gripping new mystery series. Lori, tell us more about your
main character.
LA) My favorite description is from a reviewer who said Mercy Gunderson is
as tough as an old army boot. Mercy is a 38-year-old woman who has spent
twenty years in the army, specifically as part of a covert all-female
sniper/black ops team.
She’s
back in South Dakota on medical leave, trying to decide what to do with the
ranch that’s been in her family for over 100 years, in the wake of her
father’s death. Mercy has dealt with more than her fair share of tragedy,
and in her mind it all revolves around the ranch. She’s trying to find her
place as a civilian, as well as dealing with her sister, her nephew, the
community’s questions and expectations about her past and her future puts
her more on edge than when she was getting shot at every day in Iraq.
She’s loyal, cool-headed and tenacious, with a taste for whiskey and
trouble.
Ella:
Are your characters from the portrayal of real people? Do you specific
characteristics from friends?
LA) No. I’ve never based a character—main or secondary—on a person I
know, or a person I’ve seen on TV, or in the movies, or in magazines, etc.
Some authors get a kick basing fictional characters on their family and
friends, and if that works for them, great. But it doesn’t work for me—I
prefer making stuff up, picking one or two internal defining
characteristics, throwing in a rational or irrational fear or two, and then
narrowing those parameters to see what chaos ensues.
Also, the problem with using real people is many readers already assume
I’ve written myself into the lead female role of a book. Not so. Obviously
I’ve never done half the crazy or dangerous stuff my characters do, nor do
I want to experience it firsthand, but it is fun and often exhausting living
vicariously through them. I’ve been asked on several occasions if I’ve
based a character on “so and so”– invariably readers are disappointed
when I admit all my characters, from major ones to minor ones, are 100%
fictional. Yet, I borrow specific characteristics, sometimes physical,
sometimes personality quirks or odd mannerisms from people I run across. I
always carry a notebook with me since I’m a big people watcher. I love to
read body language and attribute meaning to it.
Ella: What issues in today’s society have you addressed in the book?
LA) Because NO MERCY is based on a ranch in western South Dakota, I’ve
concentrated on the land issues that affect families who’ve been ranching
for generations. The conglomerates coming in buying up land and turning it
into private hunting areas, driving land prices sky-high. The family ranch,
the family farm, and that entire rural way of life is disappearing. Is it a
good thing? Is it a bad thing? What if an outsider’s definition of
progress hurts the entire community? Race relations are still a big issue
here—the “us versus them” mentality of whites and Native Americans. As
much as I try to incorporate the reality of these serious issues facing us
here in the west into my books, I strive to strike a balance between
relaying accurate information and providing engrossing entertainment.
Ella: What sets your book apart from other books in your
genre?
LA) Off the top of my head, I say location and setting separate my books
from the pack. The greatest compliment I’ve received as an author was from
a reader who said they’ve “been” to South Dakota and the setting in my
books is as vivid as the characters. Another plus, few writers are penning
mysteries set in modern-day South Dakota. There’s a lot written about
pioneers and the Deadwood Gold Rush Days, so my goal was to create a
contemporary story that shows the diversity of the people who live here.
Also, what I feel sets my books apart is the fact I write kick-ass female
leads. Strong women, with strong minds, strong bodies, who use strong
language, embody a strong sense of self, and are unapologetic about having a
strong sex drive. Some of what they do and say isn’t politically correct,
but it is accurate. I’d rather stay true to my characters and my vision
for a story arc, than knuckle under to what is selling well within the
genre.
Ella: Please share your latest news, awards and online contact
information:
LA) The fourth book in my Julie Collins mystery series, SNOW BLIND, won the
2009 Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original. I’ll be doing an extensive
blog tour for the release of my hardcover debut, NO MERCY, throughout the
month of January. I’ll also be on book tour across the country for NO
MERCY from Jan. 12, 2010, through the first part of February. The specific
details and event dates are listed on my website: http://www.loriarmstrong.com
I blog once a week on a variety of topics at my group mystery blog: http://www.firstoffenders.typepad.com
I recently joined another group blog where every two weeks I’ll be talking
about writing and maintaining two identities—writing mystery under my
“real” name, and writing contemporary erotic westerns under a pen name: http://www.murdershewrites.com
I still haven’t been bitten by the Twitter bug, but my daughters (and my
publicist) have been nagging me to open a Facebook account, so I gave in!
Ella: Thank you Lori for joining us today. We love a great
mystery!
A Hot Mess: Sin Secrets and Scandal
by S. James Guitard
S.
James Guitard is the national bestselling author of four books in a row: Delilah's Revenge, Chocolate Thoughts, Mocha Love and Blessed Assurance. Mr. Guitard's highly-anticipated book, A Hot Mess, is a fast-paced, drama-filled, entertaining novel that is suspenseful, uplifting and entertaining.
His first book Chocolate Thoughts has consistently been rated one of the nation's best African-American books and has appeared on numerous bestseller lists. A native of New York who now resides in the Washington, DC area, Mr. Guitard has devoted his professional career to improving the quality of education for poor and minority children as a college instructor, administrator, school teacher, Capitol Hill lobbyist, as well as an education policy specialist.
A Hot Mess: Sin Secrets and Scandal
ISBN-10: 1929642717
A Hot Mess, is a fast-paced, drama-filled, entertaining novel that is suspenseful, uplifting and entertaining. A Hot Mess is a Hot Mess!
Conniving and confident, De'Borah Harriston is the kind of woman you love to hate. Beautiful and backstabbing. Fashionable and fake.
But De'Borah couldn't care less. She's got a job to do. Will De'Borah succeed in bringing down one of Bishop Jackson's arch-enemies or find herself entangled in her own web of destruction?
Bishop Xavier Jackson is a charismatic and seductive mega-church pastor who leads a secret society involved in corruption from City hall to the halls of Congress. Targeted by a criminal investigation, how far will the Bishop go to keep his mega-power, mega-money and mega-stardom?
A true man of God, Pastor David Goodwill finds himself embroiled in a controversy and plagued by a vicious smear campaign as he shepherds his congregation from sin to Savior, lust to Lord, world to Word. Will being true to his authentic call mean tearing down his prestigious family name and everything he loves?
Crystal Calloway has already proven she'll kill to protect her family and philandering husband. Now the exposure of a deeply hidden secret threatens to destroy everything. Can Crystal save her family while protecting the only man she's truly loved her brother-in-law, Pastor David Goodwell?
Purchase the book today
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Just download the new FREE Barnes & Noble eReader app and you can have a great book with you any time, any place.
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of great African American ebooks here.
Never What it Seems II: A Mother’s Love
by Diane Martin
Never What it Seems II: A Mother’s
Love is a story of sacrifice, dedication, and unconditional love. Dee and AJ, best friends, thrown together by circumstances beyond their control are up against their biggest challenge ever – motherhood. Dee, mother of two adopted daughters, grew-up in a household void of love. She struggles each day to juggle a career and a family that desperately requires twenty-four hour attention, but she can’t assume a role foreign to her.
Raised in a household with an alcoholic father and an absentee mother, Dee has no idea how to handle these girls who were placed into her life by God to eliminate the loneliness created by a husband, her first love, who betrayed her by living a life on the “down-low.”
AJ, her best friend and mother of one, is married to the man of her dreams. A union that birthed a beautiful little boy struggles to survive.
Born to a father who thought she was put on earth to be his surrogate wife and a mother who sat quietly by, ignoring the screams and cries for help that came from her bedroom at night, AJ wants to love her son, but can’t because she doesn’t know how. She reaches out to her husband for help, but he’s MIA due to situations beyond his control.
In a role unfamiliar to them, life and experience will take them on a journey that will lead them back to the place where it all started.
Lord, I'm Ready to Be a Wife: Helping You Go From Single
to Married God's Way
by Christine Pembleton -- Book Video
The author shares her experiences as a single and now married woman. You ll discover how to change your marital status by changing the way you look at marriage and, after you ve read this book, Queen Esther will no longer be just a Bible character, but your girlfriend. Her story, along with Ruth, Rachel and Rebekah, will encourage you in your preparation to become the queen in your husband's kingdom.
Endorsements
"Lord, I'm Ready to Be a Wife is the perfect companion for any woman who is believing God for a mate."
- Kim Brooks, Bestselling author
"Who knew so much power could be packed in such a cute little pink book"
- Sherri Lewis, Bestselling author
"Christine Pembleton did a great job in giving single women a realistic picture of marriage to determine if they are really ready for marriage".
- Jewell Powell, marriage coach
"Candidly compassionate, thought provoking and insightfully inspirational"
- Catrice Jackson, author and speaker
"It was practical application to prepare yourself for one of the most important roles of your life if you are single and desire to be a wife"
- Darnyelle Jervey, speaker and author
Purchase the book today
ISBN-10: 0615292011
ISBN-13: 978-0615292014
Black Pearls Monthly
Bookclub Selections
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entrance into your life. It amazes me each month as I check our subscribers how
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sharing the gift of knowledge!
Please
know, as we prepare each issue for you, we look for those stimulating
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books on the shelves. We want each page of this magazine to add value to your
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what you want to read too!
As we take off in this new decade we hope to bring you more provocative topics
and life empowering books to shape your lives. We have contest for the readers
and more interactive sections added to the magazine. Let us know what you think
of the fresh new content by emailing
us here. Thank you!
Ella Curry, President of EDC Creations
Founder & Editor In Chief Black Pearls Magazine
Lori
G. Armstrong left the firearms industry in 2000. Her first mystery novel,
BLOOD TIES, published in 2005, was nominated in 2006 for a Shamus Award for
Best First Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America. The second book in the
Julie Collins mystery series, HALLOWED GROUND, released Nov. 2006, was
nominated for a 2007 Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original, a Daphne du
Maurier Award and won the 2007 WILLA Cather Literary Award for Best Original
Softcover Fiction.
Ella:
Are your characters from the portrayal of real people? Do you specific
characteristics from friends?
S.
James Guitard is the national bestselling author of four books in a row: Delilah's Revenge, Chocolate Thoughts, Mocha Love and Blessed Assurance. Mr. Guitard's highly-anticipated book, A Hot Mess, is a fast-paced, drama-filled, entertaining novel that is suspenseful, uplifting and entertaining. 
Never What it Seems II: A Mother’s
Love is a story of sacrifice, dedication, and unconditional love. Dee and AJ, best friends, thrown together by circumstances beyond their control are up against their biggest challenge ever – motherhood. Dee, mother of two adopted daughters, grew-up in a household void of love. She struggles each day to juggle a career and a family that desperately requires twenty-four hour attention, but she can’t assume a role foreign to her. 