Intimate Conversation with Missy Jackson

Author Tennette “Missy” Jackson hails from Somerset , New Jersey . She has two daughters and three grandchildren. Missy began writing at a very young age and knew it was her passion. After years of drug abuse and numerous prison stints, Missy found an outlet in writing. Cheetah, her debut novel, was written in the state prison. Missy currently lives in Bound Brook , New Jersey while working on her second novel.

Spotlight on Cheetah by Missy Jackson
Born and raised on the mean streets of Newark, New Jersey, Yanika Johnson 
aka Cheetah is far from your average female. A true thug in every sense of the word, Cheetah has the ego and persona to prove it all. After she and her best friend Naj take Newark drug trade by storm, the haters begin to do just what they do best...HATE. Can the tough streets of this brick city accept being ran by two women, or will their budding empire come tumbling down?

Cheetah is a young woman with a heart of gold and steel. Follow her journey through a year of murder and madness. In this book, you will see how a true friendship is supposed to be. You will become engrossed in the "Hood Happenings" as you ride the wave of real street life. Cheetah will make you cry, laugh, and truly understand how things work in the ghetto.

Ella:  Missy, please tell us a little about your main characters. Who was your favorite?
A) My favorite has to be Cheetah, since she was designed from my past. Her gritty, no nonsense attitude, and love for her family made her my favorite. Actually all four of the main characters Nissan, Qua Naj, and Cheetah are mirrored after my life. I took a piece of me and structured each one.

Ella:  What inspired you to write this story,  CHEETAH? 
(A) I was in prison and the urban novels were the hot commodity. I read a book a day and knew that if I could write one myself. My bunkie doubted me, so I wrote CHEETAH.

Ella:  What issues in today's society have you addressed in  CHEETAH? 
(A) CHEETAH touched on issues close to home for me. Here are a few of them: how some young people feel as if the only way to make it is to either sell drugs or rob. It touches on how you can even be educated, headed in the right direction; yet allow the lure of the street and the lifestyle to suck you in. My main issue is how most families in society deal with either having a drug dealer, gang banger, or drug user in the household.

Ella:  What sets you apart from other books in your genre?
(A) The fact that I write from the lesbian point of view, sets me apart from many. When you read about drug dealers, gangs, clique, or a pack of robbers it is usually guys or a mixture of guys and girls. My story shows the struggle of not only the women in the hood, but also the lesbian women. The stereotyping and the differences they face due to life in an alternative lifestyle are prominent.

Ella:  If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?  
A)  No, I would leave the story as is. Though this is not a true story, it is very dear and personal. I feel that CHEETAH is one of the realest books out there. It portrays the everyday hustle and grind that's going on in every hood. The corner boy/girl hustler, the one who don't see the mansions and millions, and also the brutal end results that most encounter.

Ella:  Missy what's next for you? Are there any new books on the horizon?
My upcoming novel "THE JUMPOFF" is sure to catch the same buzz. Be on the lookout for it summer 2010.

Book Club Reviews for Cheetah

5 Stars by Readers in Motion Book Club
Can't Knock Her Hustle

Meet Yanika Johnson a.k.a. Cheetah, a female thug with more swagger than any male thug on the block. Born and raised in Brick City , life has been a struggle for her and those she loves. Her ultimate goal is to become financially stable and get out the game. With her best friend, Naj, covering her front and back, nothing is impossible. That is until she runs into a few stick up dudes, who obviously didn't know who they were messing with. Revenge soon becomes added to Cheetah list of goals.

With the love of her life, Naj, and other loyal members of the crew, Cheetah locks down the drug game in Newark . Will she survive being the backbone to her family and loved ones, since her gangsta will be tested time and time again? ---Reviewed by: Minah, for Readers in Motion Book Club
 

4 Stars by  The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
What Goes Around, Comes Around

Cheetah, born Yanika Johnson, is far from the cuddly name presented here. She is a street hustler from Newark , NJ and she is no one to mess with. She gives new meaning to the word "thug". Circumstances make her even more ruthless and she sets about the streets of Newark on a reign of terror. Eventually what goes around comes around, and unfortunately for Cheetah, it comes around in the worst way.  

Intimate Conversation with Mike Sanders

Spotlight on Thirsty by Mike Sanders 
Thirsty takes place on the mean streets of Charlotte , N.C. where you either hustle hard or stay home. 

Meet Justice, a half-black, half-Filipino goddess whose appetite for a quick dollar is insatiable. Having moved from Chi-town to Charlotte, North Carolina, at an early age, Justice and her younger brother, Monk, decides to take the streets of the Queen City by storm. Justice and Monk, the two main characters are a team of sheisty individuals definitely hustle hard. 

Justice uses her exotic looks to get next to dope boys, then sets them up for Monk and his crew to rob. All is well and their hustle is fruitful until Justice ex-boyfriend Carlos (a vicious drug dealer) is robbed and all fingers are pointed towards Justice and Monk. Subsequently, a war ensues between Monk and Carlos clique of dealers and killers. No one is exempt from the bloodbath!

Justice life begins to spiral out of control. She has sworn off hustlers and is determined to find a guy with a legitimate job to settle down with. She meets J.T., a handsome business man who becomes her every fantasy in human form. J.T. rescues Justice from a deadly and cruel world. Justice thinks she has moved into a safe haven, only to find out that she has actually landed in a snake pit! She decides that her only escape is to leave Charlotte behind altogether. However, this may leave Monk with no one to watch his back.

Justice refuses to leave without punishing all those that caused her harm, but her past soon catches up with her. She is confronted with a bare truth that explodes her world into a million tiny pieces. As her thirst for money grows, so does her appetite for revenge. However, she soon realizes that some thirsts can NEVER be quenched! 

Ella:  Mike, tell us a little about you. How did you start writing?
I am the author of "Hustlin' Backwards",  "Snitch",  "Thirsty" and the soon-to-be released  "Thirsty 2."  I was born and raised on the grimy streets of Charlotte, N.C. which inspired my writing. My writing journey began in 2001 when I penned my first novel and subsequently published it in 2004. I am now with Wahida Clark Presents and I'm currently in the process of penning my fourth novel.

Ella:  What was the most powerful chapter or scene in the book for you?
To me, the most powerful chapter in the book was the last chapter. That chapter shows how lost alot of us are as far as "family" is concerned. In too many African-American household, the father is not present. Therefore, there is always the possibility of siblings outside of the original household.

In a lot of cases like that, siblings don't even know one another. I've got a sister 18 months younger than me who I met for the first time in 1995!  We'd been living in the same city all of our lives and never knew the other existed. The situation with my sister was one of the reasons I wrote the storyline of this book the way I did. I sat back and thought about how screwed up it would've been if we had met under different circumstances. It happens!  

Ella:  Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp and share?
The message I want readers to grasp is the fact that there are ALWAYS consequences for the actions we choose to take. And without a doubt, KARMA is a bitch!  What goes around definitely comes back to stare you in the face. Most times, it's when you least expect it and it's way more severe than what you dished out!

Ella:  What does your family think of your writing career? 
My family is very supportive of my writing. They are beyond proud of the fact that I am finally doing something legitimate with my life now instead of taking penitentiary and graveyard chances. My daughters love the attention they get from teachers and classmates when they find out their father is a published author. My mother who recently passed away was by far my biggest fan...When I write now, I can still see her smiling face all over again just like when she found out my first novel had gotten published. She is my continued motivation.

Ella:  What is the best piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?
Actually I have two key pieces of advice to offer aspiring authors. First and foremost, be mindful of who you are trusting with your material. Do your background check on your publisher and check their track record. Don't just sign a contract because you want to see your book on shelves. I guess I'm saying MAKE SURE YOUR BUSINESS IS 100!

Secondly, I advise anyone who is thinking about jumping into this game to come with something NEW. There are so many of the same books out there right now just with different titles. Bring something refreshing to the game. The game needs it!!

Ella:  Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.
THIRSTY was nominated for a literary award at the African-American Literary Award show last September. It was #2 on Don Diva magazine best-sellers list in the July '09 issue. I am currently working on the sequel to Thirsty which will be out soon. I can be reached online for interviews and to buy books at: www.wclarkpublishing.com, www.amazon.com , www.myspace.com/queencitysbest, Facebook (Mike Sanders), and I can be emailed at: queencitysbest@yahoo.com
 

Book Review
From the excitement of the first page, THIRSTY moves like a no brakes runaway car that involves stickup boys, drug dealers, hit men, and shady ladies like Justice, who is introduced with a gun in hand in this unpredictable edge-of-the-seat thriller. There's mystery, suspense, gunplay, and a touch of erotica in this street novel that transcends the narrow confines of this genre and becomes a serious minded and entertaining story of sociopaths and the women who loves them. THIRSTY is a not to be missed novel with gritty realism and biting irony, and a must read page turner. ---Terry B. author of Dancer's Paradise : An Erotic Journey, At Midnight: Choice Fowler's Story and The E Collection: A New Definition of Erotica 

ISBN-10: 0981854540

Intimate Conversation with Tash Hawthorne

Tash Hawthorne comes out strong and does her thing with her freshman novel... Showing that Karma is definitely a mutha! --J.M. Benjamin, Essence Bestselling author of Ride or Die Chick and On The Run With Love

Tash Hawthorne, born in Summit , NJ and raised in the Valley section of Orange, NJ ,  cannot be viewed as the typical Jersey Girl. For the first 18 years of her life, Tash had the rare privilege of being raised by three generations of strong Black women; all who lived under the same roof. Having received such ingredients like fearlessness from her mother, compassion from her grandmother, and resilience from her great grandmother, Tash grew to be a product of her environment. One of pure love and unadulterated passion for the human condition. 

As a child, Tash dreamed of becoming an Olympic gold-medalist in track & field and an Alvin Ailey dancer, but her hopes to run and dance were soon deferred due to medical reasons. Writing evolved from that of her mother. Tash showed early signs of her gift of script at the age of 9; winning second place in a state-wide essay contest for students in grades 4-6. At age 14, she placed first in another essay contest which consisted of 1300 junior high school candidates along the East Coast. 

Despite her early accolades, Tash did not seriously begin writing until the age of 17, three months after the untimely passing of her best friend. Writing became a therapeutic way to escape the unpleasant realities of her surroundings. And it was in that time of salutary that her first screenplay, "The Jaded Edge" was born.

After graduating from high school, Tash went on to attend the first college of her choice, Hampton University , where she furthered her love for the arts, pursuing a degree in theatre. She would soon be faced with another tragedy. Just seven days into her studies at the university, Tash received a phone call from her mother stating that her great-grandmother had unexpectedly passed away. Tash's entire academic world came to a standstill. The woman she used to secretly meet in the middle of the night to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with had been taken away from her. It would take Tash the rest of her tenure at Hampton to fully recover from the sudden loss.

Having regrouped and accepted God's will, Tash turned her focus back to her studies. With the help of some of her professors and staff at Hampton , she went from being on academic probation to graduating on time with Honors. During her term, she was able to write a second screenplay entitled "Nu JeruSlum" and a stage play entitled "Mourning Glory."  After returning home to Orange , Tash began to write a third screenplay entitled "Karma." Throughout that year, she experienced unsettling thoughts about the format of the piece. It was not until a year later when she decided to turn it into a novel. “Karma,” like all of Tash's works, encompasses the reality of life as she sees it and knows it.

Ella: Tash, you've had a full life for one so young! Please tell us about your passion for writing. 
My passion for writing stems from life experiences (mine and others) and my love for the arts. I write because I believe the genre of urban literature is missing something…and that something is substance. My goal is to give readers an alternate view of the urban world. This goal is what drives me.

Ella: What legacy do you want your writing to leave future readers?
My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…A legacy of integrity. When I say that, I mean to say that I stood my ground in telling my characters’ stories. It was important to always tell the truth…their truths.

Ella: Introduce us to your new book, Karma with a Vengeance.
There is a time in a young woman’s life where the choices she makes will determine the outcome of her existence in the years (of uncertainty) to come. Those choices will lead to mistakes. The mistakes will lead to hard times. The hard times will lead to answers, searched for by that lost soul.

In the urban setting of Newark , NJ , we accompany Karma Alonso-Walker, who, on this journey, gains support from an unwanted, unlikely source through life's greatest troubles. At the age of 17, Karma becomes caught in the middle of her parents' deteriorating marriage. Due to the unexpected appearance of her father's one night-stand at the family's church on Easter Sunday, Karma's perception of men changes for the worst. With an opportunity to join the US Women's Track and Field team for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia , Karma is driven to achieve her dream of winning Olympic gold. But to her dismay, her mother is stricken with Ovarian Cancer. Karma is forced to choose between running professionally at her mother's request or running home to be at her mother's side. 

Ten years later, we follow Karma to her mother's home on her fifty-second birthday. Her parents have separated and found comfort in new partners. All the while, unbeknownst to Karma, her mother's boyfriend has made himself a permanent fixture in their life. While trying to protect her mother from her abusive lover, Karma finds herself distracted by the presence of her cousin's new police partner. As distraction and attraction become intertwined, Karma loses focus of her mother's safety. And on the very same celebratory day of her birth, Karma is forced to mourn her mother's death.

Driven by hatred and fury, Karma sets out to find her mother's boyfriend and avenge her death. Having severed her ties with God, been dismissed by her family and the Newark Police Department, Karma becomes a menace to society--and to herself.  This timeless chronicle about a young woman's unyielding loyalty to her mother will open your eyes to the way life can be, even when the glass looks half empty. As Karma’s life spirals out of control, her exploration leads her to self-preservation and true happiness…or does it? 

Ella: Who are your two main characters? And what do you like most about them?
My two main characters are Karma Alonso-Walker and Money Parks . What I like most about Karma is that she is a strong, independent woman who can adapt to any environment. I also admire Karma’s ability to be dependent on someone else when her burdens are too much for her to bear. What I like most about Money is that although he makes many mistakes (terrible ones at that) his intentions are good. 

Ella: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
I want readers to know that there are successful people of color in the inner city. Every woman is not materialistic or abusing the system or bedding multiple men for financial gain. Every man is not a drug dealer or a gangster or a male gigolo. For the most part, people are living their lives trying to do the right thing.
 

Ella: What advice would you give a new writer?
I would advise a new writer to not write pieces for the sole purpose of sales or what he/she thinks other people would want to read. I would encourage the writer to write what he/she feels people NEED to know. It is imperative to ALWAYS tell the truth. 

Ella: Name three things that it takes to make a successful author in your opinion.

1. A writer must have discipline. For instance, they must have the strength of mind and will to be able to shut the world out so they can immerse themselves in their work. 
   

2. A writer must be able to deal with adversity.  They must have tough skin and be able to take criticism, be it constructive or destructive.  They must have an open mind and be flexible in their approach to the art and craft of writing.  
   

3. A writer must be a consummate student. A successful author reads works written by other authors, not only for pleasure, but also to learn new ways to invent and deliver their own stories.

Intimate Conversation with Kwame Teague aka Dutch 
(DC Bookdiva Presents Dynasty)

National Bestselling Author Dutch debut's "Dynasty", the first urban soap opera! The Bells and Simmons are family. The Bells, a crime family in New York, have the cocaine market on lock. The Simmons, hailing from the South, reign supreme in heroin. Talks of joining forces are suddenly stalled when family patriarch Guy Simmons is gunned down. Suspicions fly. Jealousy breeds. The body count rises. 

Guy Simmons has created a legacy he wants to pass on to his two sons, Kevin and Tyquan. However, his womanizing ways have spilled over and jeopardizes all he's worked for. The mothers of his sons hate each other. Like mother, like son. Guy s shooting has ignited a new brotherly beef; a beef that could have deadly repercussions, especially when you have a family where the enemy may lie within.  

Book Review
"Get in where you fit in, Dutch has taken the game to another level with this vicious new tale"  -- Official DC Reviewer Michelle Rawls  

Meet author Kwame Teague
Hailing from Newark, New Jersey, Kwame Teague is the award winning, critically acclaimed, and Essence #1 bestselling author of the street classic Dutch trilogy. His other novels include The Adventures of Ghetto Sam and the Glory of My Demise, and Thug Politics under the pseudonym Dutch. With a passion for writing, Kwame is hard at work on his next novel.

Pearl Pick: Sweet Seduction by Maya Banks

He was the stuff erotic dreams are made of… 
Salon owner Julie Stanford wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body, stripped, oiled, and spread out in front of her? Stuff dreams are made of. But the sexy guy was oblivious to the signals she was sending-until she finished off his final rub- down with something extra. In fact, the best extra he ever had. Unfortunately, he came around too late. Now Julie's moving on...

She was everything he'd dreamed of… 
The woman was driving him crazy. She lit fire to his insides then ran like a scalded cat. And now she's going to someone else to have all her fantasies fulfilled? Over his dead body... He's more than willing to give her what she wants, and as soon as he pins the little minx down, he'd show her his own brand of sweet seduction.  

B&N Reader Review
From the first time salon owner and masseuse Julie Stanford gave him a massage to the last one with a crowning finish she has wanted Nathan Tucker. However, he is either blind or gay as he ignores her seductive endeavors even when she makes him come in her mouth. Deciding she has had enough with frustration, Julie visits the House so her sexual fantasy of doing two men can be at least satiated.  

Nathan and his friend Micah make love to the blindfolded Julie. When he reveals what he did, she decides to give him a taste of female strength using handcuffs to dominate him. Gentle under her control, afterward he admits to Julie he loves her, but she flees having been hurt by love before. He will have to persuade her that they belong together one dominating but gentle stroke at a time. This heated erotic romance is fast-paced from the opening blow- job to the final BDSM seduction.  

Pearl Pick: What's Really Hood! 

What's Really Hood! : A Collection of Tales from the Streets
by Wahida Clark, Bonta ( With) , Victor L. Martin ( With) , Shawn Trump ( With), and LaShonda Teague 

Life in the streets take on a whole new meaning in this urban anthology of "hood" tales compiled by New York Times bestselling author Wahida Clark


WHAT'S REALLY HOOD!

Black Is Blue by Victor L. Martin delves into the life of a corporate woman who falls in love with a thug and finds out just how easy it is to stray from the straight and narrow. 

Eighteen and hungry Wiz's only addiction to drugs is the money it made. But Crystal changed all of that and shows him just how powerful a woman can be in The P is Free by LaShonda Teague. 

In The Last Laugh by Bonta, Bobo, a member of the infamous Eight-Trey street gang, learns that gang life isn't all it's cracked up to be as "street wars" take on a whole new meaning. 

Shawn "Jihad" Trump tells the story of loyalty, love and honor, when The Point Blank Mob is brought to its knees leaving the crew fighting for their lives and freedom in All for Nothing. 

And New York Times bestselling author, Wahida Clark, introduces Nina, a woman tired of being disrespected by men who takes revenge to the ultimate level in Makin' Endz Meet. 


Meet the Authors
Wahida Clark was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey. She began writing fiction while incarcerated at a woman's federal camp in Lexington, Kentucky. Her first novel, Thugs and the Women Who Love Them, and the sequel, Every Thug Needs a Lady, appeared on the Essence bestsellers list. Since her release, Wahida has achieved much success with her follow-up of Thug Matrimony. Payback With Ya Life, made its way onto the prestigious New York Times bestseller's list. Wahida is working hard on her next novel in East Orange, New Jersey.

Victor L. Martin is the author of four published novels: A Hood Legend, Menage's Way, For the Strength of You, and Unique's Ending. He is currently incarcerated in a North Carolina prison.

LaShonda  "L.L.Dasher"  Sidberry-Teague is a Wilmington, North Carolina native, coming into her own as an up-and-coming author. She is the wife of author Kwame "DUTCH" Teague, one of the hottest street writers, and the mother of five children. She has found her calling in writing, and has her first novel coming soon, entitled Kiss. LaShonda lives by the motto...be a blessing and you will be blessed. 

Bonta was born and raised on the mean streets of Chicago's southeast side. After graduating high school and a brief stay in the U.S. Army, he answered the streets' calling. His cost of chasing the mirage of fame and fortune was a 151-month federal sentence. While there, the legendary Joe Black inspired him to get serious about writing. Since then, he has written two novels and a few short stories. 

Shawn  "Jihad"  Trump was born in Pennsylvania. In November 1999, Shawn was arrested and subsequently indicted by the federal government and sentenced to 84 months in prison. During his time there he learned to channel his emotions through writing. Since being released, Shawn continues to write and is also the partner of an up and coming indie label, South of the Burgh Entertainment. Shawn is married with two daughters. 

ISBN-13: 9780446539166 

Pearl Pick: In My Hood Part 3 
Wahida Clark (Foreword), Endy (Author) 

The streets of Newark have never been as cutthroat as in Endy's third installment of her In My Hood epic. Just when the hood seems at momentary peace, the emergence of an enigmatic hit-woman known as the Black Widow jolts everyone back to attention when she marks one of the hood's dignitaries as her target. But she's not done. She's on the hunt, out for blood, and relentless in her pursuit to right the wrongs committed against her family.

Ishmael and Desiree's teenaged son Nyeem is trying to step out of his father's shadow and avoid becoming another casualty of the hustle. Escaping from his heritage becomes especially troublesome, however, when his world is shaken to its core by an extraordinary turn of events.  The fall of the head hustler in town conjures up droves of backstabbers, small-timers on the come-up, and young Nyeem facing a grown man's decision just to survive. [Melodrama]



Book Reviews
I am amazed by this young lady's talent. --New York Times bestselling author, Wahida Clark

In My Hood is saucy, fast-paced, and uncompromising. --Library Journal

This debut novel {Hood} will hit the bestseller's list. --KaShamba Williams 

ISBN: 978-193475762-6

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