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Welcome to my website entitled
BookRemarks
(Page updated October 13, 2000)
I hope you enjoy the information provided and I would love to hear your feedback. If you have a quick minute, feel free to e-mail me. Thanks for your support.
- Cydney
BookRemarks Contact
Renee Swindle Interview
A. First of all, thanks for noting Babysister's strong voice. She's so different from me and I worked very hard at keeping her voice consistent. Before writing Please Please Please, I only wrote short stories and a few poems. And yes, what drove all of the stories were the character's voices. I've always been drawn to characters I don't necessarily see in literature and usually they are women who make wrong choices and have to deal with the consequences. I enjoy creating "people" not necessarily plots. I'm especially interested in women who are flawed in some way and women who are different from me (not that I don't have my share of flaws!)
Q. So far, what has been the response to Please Please Please?
A. The response to Please Please Please has been great. I really thought everyone would either hate Babysister and not be able to read the book at all, or they'd think Babysister was me and not respect the writing. But with the exception of very few cases, people have been writing and telling me they couldn't put the book down or that while they didn't like Babysister, they thought the book was fun. So I'm very happy with that. People have also been asking me when the next book is coming--which is also a good sign.
Q. Being a relatively new author, what is something about the publishing industry that shocks you?
A. I actually have been treated very well--maybe that's the shock. I do have friends, however, who get ignored by their editors or agents so I know that goes on. I've also learned that publishing is basically a business. It's all about numbers these days not necessarily nurturing a new writer's career. As for trying to get a novel published, I would like to give the advice to work hard on your manuscript. I hear so many people complaining that they can't find an agent but then I look at the material and understand why. Usually they're rushing. I think people send out their novels too soon. You should be doing tons of rewriting and taking classes and having people look at the material before trying to find an agent. You have to do it for the love of it, 'cause like I said, you don't get pampered much once your book is out.
Q. In what ways do you interact with your readers? Do you meet them at Expos or Conferences? What are some of their comments?
A. Right now, I only interact with my readers through my website www.reneeswindle.com. I respond to all emails and comments and have enjoyed it very much. I was fortunate enough to go on a book tour last summer when Please Please Please first came out. I don't have any tour money right now and I'm busy on book two so I don't travel far unless someone pays to fly me out. I've been trying to do what I can, like meeting with a few book groups here in the Bay Area and I'm also having an on-line chat on Wednesday, October 4, 7 PM US West Coast/10 PM East Coast Time (http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/swindle).
Whenever I meet with people they all want to know if I'm Babysister (NO!) and they usually get right into the story and start talking as though everything in the novel really happened and they know Lisette and Deborah and the father. It's great. It's the best thing to have people respond to your work on an emotional level like that. Everyone has been so supportive.
Q. When you write, do your books begin with the storyline or the characters? Or does it depend?
A. My writing always begins with the characters. I like getting in the heads of people who are different from me and I like creating people. Right now, for instance, I'm writing from the perspective of a woman in her sixties, one in her late forties and one in her early twenties. I never write with an outline or with any idea about what's going to happen next. Sometimes this is a problem because I get stuck, but I've learned to just follow what comes and to write several drafts. I take it chapter by chapter and let the characters' actions and thoughts guide the plot.
Q. When you were writing Please Please Please, did you have any fears or hesitations or did you feel this was the story that you wanted and/or needed to write?
A. I first started writing Please Please Please while I was in graduate school. I waited until the very last minute to write a story that was due the next day for one of my creative writing classes. The voice of Babysister came to me and I went with it because I didn't have time to edit. My professor suggested that her voice was strong enough to turn into a novel. Since I didn't have my thesis completed--or even started--I thought I'd try to write a novel--which later became Please Please Please. I sent the first hundred pages off thinking that maybe some small publisher might want it. I thought the narrator, Babysister, might be too much for a big publisher, but luckily I was wrong. Once I knew the book was actually going to be published I did worry about how it would be received. I thought everyone would think that I was Babysister, and I was worried about my mother reading all those sex scenes! I also tried to write this happy ending--what I call my Color Purple/Alice Walker ending, but it was too forced and I ended up not changing a thing because in the end, I think it's an interesting story and I'm proud of the fact that Babysister isn't your typical character.
Q. Do you have any other goals besides writing books? If so, what are they?
A. My goals are to continue to work solely as a writer. I hope I never have to work as a substitute teacher again!!! I also hope to write screenplays some day. I'd love to do adaptations from novels--my own and others. (Can you hear me Hollywood??!!)
Q. When can we expect the next Renee Swindle novel?
A. Hopefully by next summer--which means that I need to get to work 'cause so far I only have two chapters!
And before I leave I want to give a huge thanks to Cydney and her great site BookRemarks. These were great questions and I enjoyed answering them. Best wishes to you all!!!!
BookRemarks Review
One way for a new writer to gain attention is to create a character who refuses to leave the minds of the readers. This is what we have in Babysister, the main character and narrator of Renee Swindle's Please Please Please. Babysister's voice is strong and uncompromising. And this is why she will tell you exactly what she found attractive about Darren, the boyfriend of her best friend Deborah. That's why she'll tell you the conniving things she did to be with Darren. She'll tell you the things she did as she attempted to console Deborah who's heartbroken because of the things Darren is doing. However, as Babysister plots, lies and schemes her way to getting what she wants, mid-way through the book we're treated to another side of her: the human side, the side that shows us no one, not even the spoiled Babysister, can get what they want all the time; and Babysister learns this, and more, through Swindle's delightful and contemporary story.
If you haven't read the book yet, now's a good time to do it. Buy it, curl up on the couch, and become lost in Please Please Please, a story that will make you laugh, touch your heart, and make you think.
Book Description
Annette Goode is a shy, awkward, overweight child who keeps a terrible secret. Mr. Boatwright, the boarder her hardworking mother has taken in, abuses her daily. Frightened and ashamed, Annette withdraws into a world of books and food.
But the summer Annette turns thirteen, something incredible happens: Rhoda Nelson chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, generous Rhoda, who is everything Annette is notógorgeous, slim, and worldlyówelcomes Annette into the heart of her eccentric family, which includes her handsome and dignified father; her lovely, fragile, "Muh’Dear;" her brooding, dangerous brother Jock; and her colorful white relativesóhalf-crazy Uncle Johnny, sultry Aunt Lola, and scary, surly Granny Goose.
With Rhoda’s help, Annette survives adolescence and blossoms as a woman. But when her beautiful best friend makes a stunning confession about a horrific childhood crime, Annette’s world will never be the same.
Set on the streets, porches and parlors of 1960s and 1970 Ohio, GOD DON’T LIKE UGLY sparkles with clear-eyed wit and uncompromising honesty. Readers will find this remarkable new novel full of laughter, inspiration, and pure enjoyment.
Book Description
What happens when you toss tradition out the window and really start living for yourself?
Venus Johnston has a great job, a beautiful home, and a loving live-in boyfriend named Clint, who happens to be a drop-dead gorgeous doctor. She has a weekly beauty-parlor date with Tina, who keeps Venus's long, processed hair slick and straight. Ever since childhood, the tedious hours in the salon and the harsh, burning chemicals have grated on Venus, and increasingly she dreams of cutting off her beautiful "good" hair. When her boyfriend keeps balking at commitment, and the thought of another hour at the salon is just too much, Venus decides to give it up -- all of it. She trades in the long hair for a dramatically short, natural cut and sends Clint packing. It's a bold declaration of independence -- and one that has effects she never could have imagined. Reactions from friends and coworkers range from concern to contempt to outright condemnation. When Clint moves on and starts dating a voluptuous, long-haired beauty, Venus is forced to question what she really wants out of life. With wit, resilience, and a lot of determination, she finally learns what true happiness is . . . on her own terms.
In the bestselling style of Eric Jerome Dickey, Bebe Moore Campbell, and Terry McMillan, Nappily Ever After captures the hopes, dreams, and conflicts of the contemporary African-American woman. It's a delicious story told with style, savvy, and humor -- a novel that marks the debut of a fresh new voice in fiction.
NOT A DAY GOES BY IS AN INSTANT HIT - As of this writing, Not a Day Goes By achieved bestseller status on a number of lists including USA Today (No. 12), the Wall Street Journal (No. 5), and Publishers Weekly (No. 1). In addition, the book debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times Bestseller List. It's also a No. 1 Blackboard Bestseller.
BookRemarks Review
E. Lynn Harris has a reputation for being one of today's finest writers: a reputation that's well deserved. Not a Day Goes By literally has everything that makes an excellent novel excellent: fast-paced storytelling that puts you on the edge of your seat; characters that are unforgettable, vivid, and who say and think shocking lines; an airtight plot that gets thicker and more thick; and editing that is so superb that each and every scene adds something to the central theme of the story.
Basil, Yancey, and Ava, plus the other cast of characters, should make E. Lynn's latest one of the most talked about novels of the year.
BookRemarks hereby casts its vote for Not a Day Goes By as a candidate for Book of the Year.
Click here to read an excerpt from Not a Day Goes By.
Click here to send E. Lynn Harris an email.
Click here to read an interview with E. Lynn Harris as conducted by Jeanee L. Fox, of Borders.com.
Working in the Dark
By Yvonne Grays Nathane
Book Description
For someone who's always played by the rules, Regina Everette has broken some doozies lately. But as her choices create a ripple effect through the lives of her family and friends, she falls headlong into a new career and a new relationship, certain of just one thing: she'll live--and love--on her terms.
Book Description
He'd Won Her Heart
Hillary Houston has it all---a vivacious personality, looks to kill for, a successful public relations career, and the singing voice of an angel. When she meets sexy and savvy architectural engineer Brandon Blair, her world is complete---until she's offered the chance of a lifetime by a major recording studio.
...But Could He Keep Her For Eternity?
The only real challenge Brandon Blair has ever encountered is drop-dead gorgeous Hillary Houston. Just listening to her sweet, sultry voice sets him on fire. He knows he's the luckiest man in the world to have her love. But when Hillary is given the opportunity to become a superstar, Brandon's threatened with the possibility of losing the woman of his dreams---unless he can find a way to serenade her forever.
Book Description
Spanning her 25-year career, Grammy Award-winner Natalie Cole tells all in this autobiography that is unforgettable...in every way.
Born to legendary singer Nat King Cole in the halcyon days of the 1950s, Natalie Cole grew up to become a versatile and soulful singer whose talents catapulted her all the way to Grammy Award-winning status. But that success came with a price. Dragged down by drugs, depression, and divore - and enduring everything from bankruptcy proceedings to surviving the ordeals of rehab, Natalie realized she had spun out of control and was in grave danger of losing custody of her son. What follows is the inspirational and riveting story of her tremendous musical comeback, from wrenching heartbreak to crowning glory, culminating in the international success of Unforgettable with Love, a tribute to her father.
Book Description
Kevin left behind a chance at the NBA to coach delinquents, but his toughest assignment is finding a girl who won't make his mama's church group fall into praying mode. A teacher and a poet, Antoine can make a sister feel beautiful - or want to beat him with a blow dryer. Tyrone has talent, a bad attitude, and a crush on his boss's wife. And Maurice is all that, if "that" means rude, arrogant, and dishonest.
Kevin's got the looks. Antoine's got heart and soul. Tyrone's got the skills. And Maurice has got player moves. They got it all, except for the one thing that matters most - the love of a good woman. What they find when they call 1-900-BLACK LUV is a riotous trip through religious freaks, hoochie mamas, chicken heads, gold diggers, and some serious Brides of Funkenstein. One thing's for certain - when you play the game of love, you've got to be ready for anything.
As funny as it gets, Lookin' for Luv tells it like it is about modern romance, where every call is a chance to lose your mind - or find your soul mate.
Review:
Lookin' for Luv (a Blackboard bestseller) is a story that chronicles the adventures of four men looking for love. For different reasons and motives each ends up dialing the 1-900-BLACK-LUV dating line and come across a throng of women who are either outright wrong for them or who seem to be promising. Lookin' for Luv is a fast-paced story that's sprinkled with hilarious lines and includes quite a few unpredictable events. A lot of these characters seem to be 'cra-hazy' as they do and say some outrageous things. On the other hand, your heart may also be touched as you read about some of the struggles men may go through in their quest for the right woman. Lookin' for Luv is a commendable debut and should be enjoyed by readers of African-American romance.
Book Description
Got to Be Real is an anthology that consists of four original love stories which offer the male perspective about finding and keeping love. This paperback book will be available in December 2000 and may be ordered in advance.
Click here to read an excerpt from "Got to Be Real" ("Cafe Piel" written by Eric Jerome Dickey).
Book Description
Til' Death Do Us Part. An eye-awakening collection of fifteen, juicy irresistible stories all relating to the daily struggles of keeping words of honor and commitment in relationships.
The highly anticipated return of characters from the authors Bestselling novel Fed Up with the Fanny appear in the story entitled Change of Heart. Told with pounds of energy and filled with suspense. Change of Heart follows Kelly and Deric in their move to New York City to find happiness in their attempt to forget about their bad times and endless drama they endured in Detroit.
In an astonishing display of black love in the story Love So Deep. Franklin explores the relentless love of Ashanti, a highly thoughtful character who begins to question his manhood and promises made to his beloved wife Cuffee after twenty-three years of marriage while spitting the four-one-one on life, as he sees it.
The extremely identifiable stories Switchin' Ain't Easy along with Lockdown and Please Listen are sure to leave readers feeling as though they've been eavesdropping on the most intimate conversations of best friends. While Miles Away is sure to give anyone who's ever experienced a long distance relationship something to think about.
Til' Death Do Us Part is a breath of fresh air from-one dimensional novels that all will enjoy.
Book Description
With Only Twice I've Wished for Heaven, Dawn Turner Trice established herself as a powerful and unique new fiction writer with a first novel called "touching and memorable" by the New York Times. Now, with An Eighth of August, she delivers on the promise of her stunning debut with an eloquent, evocative novel about the strong ties and haunting memories that bind family and friends in a small town.
Since the late 1800's, Halley's Landing has commemorated the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation with one of the grandest festivals in the Midwest. Year after year, celebrants come from near and far to show off their best clothes, cook up special dishes, and pay tribute to the rich heritage of the former slaves who settled the Illinois town, hoping to piece together a life. But along with stories of the good times come unbearably painful memories and long-buried resentments.
Narrated by a chorus of voices, An Eighth of August begins with the Sunday church services of the 1986 celebration, a year after a terrible tragedy rocked the people of this close-knit community. The festival provides the backdrop for a vividly moving story that weaves together the lives and voices of the residents of Halley's Landing. We hear from strong-willed Flossie Jo Penticott and her estranged daughter, Sweet Alma, whose relationship has been torn apart by an unimaginable sorrow; Flossie's scatterbrained sister-in-law Thelma and her salt-of-the-earth husband, Herbert, who remain steadfastly devoted despite life's ups and downs; Aunt Cora, whose humor, generous spirit, and large home provides refuge for the weary; and May Ruth, an eccentric older white woman who fits in like any other family member.
Book Description
On a Mississippi lake, best friends made a vow to take dark secrets to their graves. Twenty years later, those same secrets come back to haunt them and teach them a very important lesson about honoring secrets.
Set in the City of Memphis, this 90's drama mystery explores the boundaries of friendship, love, and the dilemma of honoring painful childhood secrets. Between the pages of the book, readers will find a heart-warming tale about life and new beginnings.
Click here to read an excerpt from Tainted Waters.
Book Description
Malcolm Tremell lives the life that most men can only fantasize about: exotic cars, designer clothes, and a steady stream of sexually available women. For the past twelve years, for a very generous fee, Malcolm has willingly played the role of temporary companion and lover. But the endless nights of meaningless sex and secret rendezvous with married women have begun to weigh on his conscience. Malcolm is suffering from job burnout. He soon discovers, however, that a life-style change won't come so easily, not with the allure of so many beautiful women and thousands of tax-free dollars.
Click here to access Michael Baisden's Official Website.
Book Description
From Connie Briscoe, the New York Times bestselling author of Sisters & Lovers and Big Girls Don't Cry, comes a lyrical and moving tour de force that is her most daringly ambitious novel to date; a multigenerational story of slavery freedom, and the indestructible bonds of love and family witnessed through the lives of three unforgettable African-American women.
Shimmering with heartache and hope, A Long Way from Home recounts the joys, pain, and ultimate triumph of three generations: Susie; her daughter, Clara; and her granddaughter, Susan. Born and reared as house slaves on Montpelier, the Virginia plantation of President James Madison and his wife, Dolley Madison, they are united by love, by a fierce devotion to each other and their fellow slaves, and by a growing desire for freedoma dream that will finally come to fruition for Susan at the end of the Civil War.
This hauntingly beautiful novel opens in the peaceful Piedmont area of Virginia. Trained as a house slave since childhood, Susie enjoys the privileges that her position as maid to Miss Dolley provides her and Clara. For Susie life holds no mystery, no promise beyond the boundaries of the plantation itself
Life will change for both mother and daughter, though, with the death of James Madison and the departure of his wife for her town house, events that leave the estate in the hands of Dolley's profligate son, Todd. As a result of his neglectful stewardship, the plantation soon falls to a series of owners, each posing a new threat to Susie and Clara, and the other longtime Madison slaves with whom the two women have shared their entire lives.
a lesson she tries to impart to the dreamy Clara, who longs to control her own destiny despite her mother's frightening admonition: "You don't know a thing about freedom, 'cause I don't know anything about it. It takes money and know-how to live free. You don't just up and do it."
Book Description
It's a Sunday morning, and while most people are thinking about getting the paper and breakfast, Gregory Alston has something other than eggs on his mind. Today he's going to propose to Adrian Jenkins, his girlfriend of three years. But when he actually does, all hell breaks loose and he gets a lot more than he bargained for. His mother returns from France, where she's been living as a jazz singer since leaving her family in Texas nearly twenty years ago. His Holy Roller sister, Shereese, complains that Adrian is too "worldly" for him, even though she herself is falling for the shady, charismatic pastor of her church. And his boys--who run the gamut from player to buffoon--react to the news of his engagement with grief and disbelief. And if that's not enough, he's got Adrian, who has more skeletons in her closet than a haunted house. What's a brother to do?
Book Description
Where I'm Bound, a stunning and engaging Civil War novel, is the first work of fiction to focus solely on the soldiers of an African-American regiment. Throughout the war, more than 180,000 African-American men fought for the Union Army. Many were escaped slaves, others were freed men; yet all voluntarily enlisted for one cause: freedom. For the first time in fiction, their experiences are successfully portrayed in a manner befitting the grandeur and scope of their contributions. Inspired by the true story of a black cavalry unit in Mississippi, renowned African-American historian Allen Ballard weaves factual events with the fictional account of an escaped slave, Joe Duckett, who flees to join the Northern Army.
When Duckett escapes his life of bondage to become a cavalry scout, he grows to be more than a free man -- he becomes a hero. Duckett and his hard-riding regiment roam the Mississippi Delta, freeing slaves and keeping vital waterways open for the Union. As the war approaches its final, tragic days, Duckett embarks on his most dangerous mission yet: to return to the plantation from which he escaped in order to reunite with his wife and daughter.
More than just an account of the Civil War, Where I'm Bound is an affecting portrayal of the psychological effects of war. Through the character Duckett, some of war's greatest tragedies are painfully evoked -- the agonizing separation from family, the horrendous mission of having to kill another man, and the cruelty and moral corruption that occur when men's passions are their greatest weapons against one another. This story of one man's ability to meet such overwhelming challenges brings to life the noble fight for freedom as displayed by African-American soldiers as well as the effects of that fight on an entire country and culture.
Book Description
Like a fire truck's blaring siren on a 9-1-1 call, Madison Avenue screams sexy only comes in a size six. Today, over 50 percent of American women wear a size 14 or larger; yet it often seems that the entire world is oriented around the size two model. Sexy Doesn't Have a Dress Size: Lessons in Love has refuted this myth and empowers women of all sizes to look inside themselves, instead of on the dress tag, to find their self worth.
Parry "Ebony Satin" Brown, an author and African American woman of size, gives an account of her battles with size acceptance and eventually self acceptance and how she now travels the country giving her Sistah girlfriends insight and hope. Parry opens her seminars with such one-liners as: "If my worth is measured by the digits displayed on the scale, then I must be worth my weight in gold."
Book Description
It's election night and Henry Louis Davis II waits for the results that could make him the first African-American president of the United States...the impossible goal he had held since the day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot...back when he shared the dreams with the love of his teenage life as they promised each other it would be for "always."
The years have taken Henry along a path filled with highs and lows. His wife, Leslie, is his lover and best friend, a woman to whom he has pledged himself for always. His long ago love, Cheryl, is the mother of a grown daughter...with a yearning for the one man whom she has loved for always. Now three people face an historic night alone-each recalling the dreams of yesterday and the promise of tomorrow that will bring them to a love meant to last for...Always.
Review:
Always gives readers a break from the ordinary relationship novel. Instead of a simple 'boy meets girl' storyline, the writer takes you on a journey that ventures into the past and unveils the foundation of presidential hopeful Henry Davis's two love interests: his wife, Leslie, and and Cheryl, his previous love. A sheer delight, Always is written with thoughtful prose, humor, romance, emotion, wisdom and intelligence.
Book Description
Love in the city is a different kind of crazy.
Unattached and independent, a free spirit flying high uptown, Leslie is black, beautiful, twenty-one. . .and still a virgin. Not that there's any lack of interested males in this level-headed young sista's world. But she's got too much self -respect--and too much going on--to take a wrong step that just might trip her up but good. So why is her one weakness a hardworking chocolate dream named Benjamin--who's much older than she is (thirty-four!). . .and just happens to be living with another woman and their teenage son?
Of course, Leslie could have her cousin Rachelle's problems, A divorced mother of three, Rachelle could easily bask in the steady, loving--if penniless--devotion of Anthony, who is fine. . .and twelve years her junior. But of course, it's Eustace--married Eustace--who makes her knees buckle.
It's a city full of hard choices--some good, some bad. . .some crazy--and each one has its consequences. So what else can a girlfriend do except try to keep her head while she follows her heart. . .all in the name of love?
Book Description
Jonathan C. Evans is mocked as a computer nerd who lives by logic. Jasmine Banks is the only one who sees Jon differently. She grows determined to make this man realize that logic has nothing to do with a relationship between a man and a woman. But she gets more than she bargains for as the real JC Evans is revealed.
Book Description
"These are the stories that came to me to be told after the close of a magical marriage to an extraordinary man that ended in a less-than-magical divorce. I found myself unmoored, unmated, ungrounded in a way that challenged everything I'd ever thought about human relationships. Situated squarely in that terrifying paradise called freedom, precipitously out on so many emotional limbs, it was as if I had been born; and in fact I was being reborn as the woman I was to become."
So says Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker about her beautiful new book, in which "one of the best American writers today" (The Washington Post) gives us superb stories based on rich truths from her own experience. Imbued with Walker's wise philosophy and understanding of people, the spirit, sex and love, The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart begins with a lyrical, autobiographical story of a marriage set in the violent and violatile Deep South during the early years of the civil rights movement. Walker goes on to imagine stories that grew out of the life following that marriage - a life, she writes, that was "marked by deep sea-changes and transitions." These provocative stories showcase Walker's hard-won knowledge of love of many kinds and of the relationships that shape our lives, as well as her infectious sense of humor and joy.
Book Description
Almost Out of Love is a mystery novel set against the backdrop of romance. It takes place during contemporary times in Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and contains a rich blend of African-American characters facing real life dilemmas that anyone can relate to. There are two main characters; one a psychologist, and the other, her patient. Both women are in search of the same things: passion and commitment. But the choices they make bring turmoil until they discover their own road to peace.
Book Description
Nineteen-year old, 320-pound Winston "Tuffy" Foshay - player king of a motley crew that includes his scheming, disabled best friend, Fariq, otherwise known as Smush; his Beat-poet, Black Panther father, Clifford; Inez, the unreconstructed Marxist revoluntionary who raised him; and his bewildered mentor from the Big Brother program, the hapless African-American rabbi Spencer Throck morton - is ready to make a change. So when Inex offers him $20,000 to run for city council, Tuffy gamely embarks on one of the most outlandish campaigns in political history, one that topples both his vision of the world and his place in it.
Book Description
When Anthony "Ant" Poole, a young auto mechanic with a creative approach to the mating game, tries out his latest line on Sharron Francis, he has no idea of the impact it will have. For Sharron, an ordinary girl in search of companionship and happiness, Ant's words are filled with mystery and allure. Would she really be getting an actual piece of him, or just a piece period? The more Sharron contemplates Ant's line, the more it confounds her. When she decides the only way for her to discover its meaning is to discover Ant for herself, both her life and his are turned upside down.
Click here to read an excerpt from Sweet. St. Louis.
Book Description
Celeste English and Ronnie Frazier are sisters, but they couldn't be more different. Celeste is a doctor's wife, living a perfect and elegant life. But secretly, she is terrified: her marriage is falling apart and her need to control the people around her threatens to alienate her entire family. And Celeste allows no one to see how vulnerable she really is. Ronnie is an actress, living in New York. Her life, however, is a lie: she has no money, no home, and her life is held together by "chewing gum, paper clips, and spit" though she wants everyone to think that her life is one of high glamour and budding fame.
When their father dies, the sisters inherit a house in Prosper, North Carolina. Their mother, Dellas, is adamant that they forget about going there and dredging up the past. Because Della has secrets she'd rather not see come to light - secrets and heartbreak she's been keeping from everyone for years. Neither Ronnie, Celeste, nor Della realize just what their trip to Prosper will uncover and they must discover for themselves who they really are, who they really love, and what the future holds for them.
FAR FROM THE TREE is a novel that asks the questions: can the past ever truly remain hidden? Can mothers and daughters put aside their usual roles long enough to really get to know each other? Long enough to see they each have felt the love, loss, heartache and joy that each share as a woman? And can two strangers realize that they are, and always will be, sisters?
Book Description
Vincent Tyler expresses his appreciation for black women by structuring his words in the form of short stories that dive headfirst into tasteful adult themes and steamy subject matters.
Sample pieces include "I Hate to Love You", where he explains the feelings of a man who has fallen deeply in love with a woman he also deeply dislikes, and "Chocolate Cookies", a story of a man whose life changes drastically after encountering the woman whom he believes to be the angel of his dreams.
"I Thought About You Today" gives the reader an alternative to the negative image that so many black men are linked to.
It's official. Liar's Game is a Top 10 New York Times Bestseller. The book is also a Blackboard bestseller.
BookRemarks Review:
The fifth novel from bestselling writer Eric Jerome Dickey treads familiar yet not-so-familiar territory in this LA-based story about a man and woman who are trying to build a romantic relationship. Due to some equal opportunity fibbing, at first things between Vince and Dana start out a little shaky. However, once they overcome their initial reservations, their love connection looks more promising.
What I loved most about Liar's Game is the eloquent and emotional prose; especially when it came to Vince's concern for Kwanzaa, his five-year old daughter; a daughter whom he hasn't laid eyes on in years due to an overprotective ex-wife. Midway through the story, Vince goes through quite a few changes which makes one think he doesn't have the most upright character. Yet I admire how Dickey showed Vince's frustration regarding how much control his ex-wife wanted to exert over his participation in Kwanzaa's life.
I was somewhat surprised at the amount of narrative Dickey used in certain beginning passages. In my opinion, generous amounts of spicy dialogue is one of his greatest strengths and I enjoy the ebb and flow of the interaction between his characters via dialogue. In addition, there are quite a few characters in Liar's Game, and it was difficult to keep a grasp on who was who and what role they played in the story. Usually Dickey is very adept at including multiple characters in his books, but this time some of them seemed misplaced.
Overall, Liar's Game is a sensitive, involved and worthwhile read.
Click here to read an excerpt from Liar's Game.
Click here to access Eric Jerome Dickey's Official Website.
Click here to obtain information about Cappuccino, the movie written by Eric Jerome Dickey.
Click here to read an Eric Jerome Dickey interview with BookPage.
Book Description
Karen Bradley has not seen her sister in years, not since Sharlene ran off to New York to escape the poverty and shame she felt living as a mixed-race child in the slums of Detroit. Karen is horrified to learn her mother is dying of a rare illness, and only Sharlene can save her. While Sharlene has remade her life and is engaged to a rich, powerful Southern aristocrat who adores her, will she give it up to save her mother?
Drop
A new voice in American fiction recalling the work of Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin, Drop is an irreverent and unforgettable coming-of-age story about a 31-year-old black man who struggles to break out of the ghetto.
Chris Jones has a gift for creating desire - no doubt a result of his own passion and desire to be anywhere but where he is, to be anyone but himself. He has a knack for creating effective ad campaigns. His work lands him a gig in London. Far away from his Philly roots, Chris is raking in the dough, has a Nigerian girlfriend, a beautiful apartment, and goes clubbing in the West End. He enjoys the role of the successful black American, living among the bourgeois Africans and West Indians of London. No longer afraid of what he calls the "Pop pop pop" of gunfire so prevalent on the streets of his hometown, Chris is finally free.
But life takes a turn for the worse, and Chris finds himself back where he started, forced back to Philadelphia where his only job prospect is answering phones at the electrical company, helping the poor pay their heating and lighting bills. Surrounded by his brethren, the down and out, indigent, the hopeless, Chris hits bottom. Only a stroke of inspiration and faith will get him back on his feet. Drop is a funny, moving, and ultimately profound tale of a man determined to break the pattern of the ghetto he despises and who, in the process, is forced to come to terms with his hatred for himself.
By Mat Johnson
Book Description
Story of women worlds apart who, through a series of tragic and triumphant events, build a remarkable friendship only to discover that sometimes even the most sincere attempts at love end in death...or murder.
Click here to read an excerpt from Love Has Many Faces.
Book Description
If a picture is worth a thousand words, be warned: this is only the beginning. This story is about relationships. Solomon, his wife, her mother Countess, friends Rosalyn and Pearl. Private journals. And then there's George Landris...smooth, intelligent (among other things). But just where...how does he fit into all of this?
Click here to access the website for Vanessa Davis-Griggs.
Book Description
An African American novel about four generations of women. It follows the mother-daughter relationship and how it was impacted by slavery. The story also deals with family secrets, alcoholism, depression, poverty, and finally, triumph.
Click here to access Maxine E. Thompson's website.
Book Description
Set in Washington, D.C., with strong ties to Philadelphia, In His Ex-Wife's Shadow is a story about two African-American doctors and the trouble they face in their relationship. An unpredictable turn of events uncovers an esoteric, behind-the-scenes lifestyle that causes the breakup of the romance.
Book Description
A Little Piece of Sky is the story of Song Byrd, an African American girl growing up in an impoverished Latino section of North Philadelphia. The story is divided into Morning, Noon, and Evening sections which trace Song's youth, adolescence, and adulthood. Written in vignettes, the story details Song's feelings of isolation, her treatment by an absent single month, her struggles with a drug-addicted sister, and her desire to transcend her circumstances.
Book Description
The Hearts of Men is described as a genuine relationship novel from a male perspective. It's the story of three different generations of men: Prodigy Banks, young, good- looking and charming, lives a life of womanizing and crime until Poppa Doc shows him what being a man is all about. Bernard Charles is a workaholic that refuses to let his child go through any of the perils he had to endure while growing up without his parents. But Bernard's quest for providing has left his wife lonely and vulnerable. And then there is Poppa Doc. At 68-years of age, he has been there and done that. Now all he strives for is to save the new generation from destruction, starting with his own son, Michael, who has been spoiled rotten by his mother.
Book Description
What would be the proper question to ask her husband of nearly twenty years, when he brings home his illegitimate baby as casually as a bag of groceries? Although Walter's frequent infidelities became increasingly obvious to Vivian, she struggled to accept them. After all, she reasoned, they came with the Mercedes, the beautiful house, and the prestige of being Mrs. Carlson, the Texas state representative's better half. Having long since abandoned her attempts at motherhood, Vivian resigned herself to her law studies and a lonely existence as the perfect political wife in suburban Austin.
But Vivian draws the line at her husband's unexpected arrival. And once one line is drawn, she discovers that she can draw others. Left alone with this tiny, helpless bundle that disgusts and fascinates her, Vivian faces some of the hardest choices of her life. On the brink of a long-forgotten freedom, she begins the painful, empowering process of rebuilding her shattered life -- and the reawakening of her soul to the possibilities of love.
An emotionally charged, razor-sharp take on the myriad challenges facing women today, Evelyn Palfrey's witty and suspenseful novel establishes her as a refreshing new voice in contemporary women's fiction.
Click here to access Evelyn Palfrey's Official Website.
Book Description
Step into the world of New York fashion and into the lives of three ambitious women, each of whom has a secret to hide.
Gabrielle Donovan is a stunning and feisty nineteen-year old who comes to New York hoping to realize her dream of becoming a supermodel. Gabrielle quickly takes the fashion industry by storm, but just as her celebrity begins to soar, her past threatens to catch up with her.
Felicia Wilcot is a successful black woman from a privileged background whose hot public relations firm is responsible for Gabrielle's instant success. At home, however, Felicia is struggling to keep her trouble marriage intact, despite the temptation of an intense attraction to a downtown movie director.
Stephanie Bancroft always dreamed of being a rich and famous writer. In New York, while trying to realize her dream, she meets her nemesis - the beautiful Gabrielle Donovan. As a publicist at Felicia's firm, Stephanie helps prop up Gabrielle's image publicly while secretly trying to tear it down, vowing to let nothing stand in the way of the success she's determined to have.
With a good dose of Olivia Goldsmith and a splash of Bebe Moore Campbell, Read Between the Lies is the irresistible story of three captivating women who find themselves forced to risk everything in the name of love, power, greed, and survival.
Read Between the Lies comes out in paperback in October 2000.
Book Description
Hollywood. The town of money, sex, ambition, and betrayal has long been the place people go in search of fulfilling their dreams. But its reality is a cruel one: opportunities are few and the competition ruthless. Innocent hearts can suddenly turn dark, and the most loyal of friends become bitter enemies.
In Blind Ambitions, the characters of Desi, Sharon, and Bettina are struggling to make names for themselves amid the glitz, glamour, and deception of the entertainment industry. They are swept away by its intrigue and intensity but cannot ignore the desperate calls from the ghosts of their pasts. If they do, these shadows of infidelity, abandonment, and murder will destroy everything they've worked for.
Whether they are trying to revive a stagnant career or escape a former reputation, each woman finds herself at a pivotal moment, where the hurt of yesterday must be faced before she can secure success.
Book Description
Kyla and Jefferson Blake count their sixteen years together as a wonderful blessing from God. Their marriage is passionate; their daughter is a joy; Jefferson's medical career is prospering, and they have loyal friends.
Kyla knows her newly divorced and lifelong friend, Jasmine, is desperately unhappy and no amount of prayer or encouragement seems to help. Yet what Kyla doesn't know is that Jasmine has a plan to move her life forward with the type of man she feels she should have married in the first place.
A man like Jefferson.
Alexis Ward, Kyla's best friend, is single and successful and willing to wait for the right man for all the right reasons. But when "Mr. Right", Dr. Brian Lewis, finally appears, she finds herself facing a new challenge. Does she really have to walk away from what she believes in order to have a man in her life?
As people who love God, Kyla, Jefferson, and Alexis discover what happens when they truly allow God to be first in their relationship.
Click here to access Victoria Christopher Murray's official website.
As of September 2000, Temptation is a Blackboard bestselling book.
*****CONGRATS TO OMAR TYREE*****.
Book Description
Tracy Ellison, the sizzling heroine of the bestselling Flyy Girl, returns in this razor-sharp sequel from author Omar Tyree.
From hard knocks Philly all the wy to glamorous Hollywood, Tracy Ellison has truly walked the walk. Now twenty-eight years old and a major movie star, Omar Tyree's uncompromising Flyy Girl is returning to her East Coast roots. As Tracy drops in to reconnect with friends, she seems on the brink of a happily-ever-after existence, armed as she is with over-the-top beauty, unstoppable attitude, and new mountains of cash. But is attaining success and happiness really as simple as Tracy makes it look? As she begans to address the uncertainties of her youth, Tracy's homecoming stirs up a string of difficult questions about past loves, ambivalent family ties, and her artistic ambitions.
Crackling with honesty and passion, For the Love of Money is a triumphant continuation of the adventures of one of contemporary fiction's most outrageous young heroines.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
In a story readers say merges the humor and romance of Waiting To Exhale with the suspense of The Firm, Not All Dogs traces four college housemates with distinctive nicknames as they grow into manhood while attempting to save a struggling community center in urban Washington D.C. Before the story is over, Brandon ends his "Black female shortage", Larry separates love from lust, Terence takes on a local cocaine dealer, and O.J. embraces unplanned parenthood. "Along the way," Robinson says, "they smash one stereotype after another, proving that there are men who can do the right thing. I wrote this book more for women than for men - a reminder that there is hope for the men they know and love."
Click here to access C. Kelly Robinson's Official Website.
Book Description
Delores Thornton is proud to offer her combined edition of Ida Mae, first published separately as Ida Mae, and Ida Mae: The Saga Continues.
How would you react to being a young girl of color who is: orphaned at an early age, ridiculed by peers, adopted by a white family, forced to move, raped at 17 then transplanted from her native Georgia to Montpelier, Vermont. Set in Cedarstown, Georgia, in the 1950's, this is a tale about rape, racism, transracial adoption and the love of country music.
Click here to access Delores Thornton's Official Website.
Book Description
The well-to do Whitaker family has lived an idyllic life; a life of privilege secured by Elliot Whitaker, a successful African-American business tycoon. But a long time secrete between Elliot and his ex-wife, Michella, threatens to bring the past to the present, causing an avalanche of shock waves to their family, especially to Jordan Whitaker, the center of their secret. Jordan's existence is constantly cushioned by the love of her parents and three brothers. With unlimited options in her world, she goes through life unfocused and undirected, looking for her one true love, and at the same time, trying to find herself. The simplicity in her life changes with scandulous news that threatens to touch all their lives.
Kendall Michaels is the energy behind the reality of the past. Fueled with anger and pain, she is determined to find the truth, unaware that her innocence will destroy what Elliot and Michella have worked so hard to protect.
Forwards & Backwards is full of unexpected encounters as lives are changed by a single choice that evokes risks.
Book Description
Zoe Reynard has it all. A successful career, a loving husband, three beautiful children, a devoted mother, and the house of her dreams. Most women would kill to be in her shoes. There's just one thing she has that no one else in their right mind would want: A sexual addiction that could very well ruin her fairy tale life.
Addicted does for women what Fatal Attraction did for men. It will make a woman think twice before risking it all.
Click here to read an excerpt from Addicted.
Description:
From bestselling African-American writer Rosalyn McMillan comes this extraordinary novel of how love can bring redemption and the ultimate salvation to any circumstance. The Flip Side of Sin takes readers on a journey through the lives of a group of unforgettable characters who must overcome life's toughest challenges to find true happiness.
It is a book in which worlds collide and people are forever transformed by the tumultuous changes that occur in one man's life. The story begins with Isaac Coleman, a man whose tragic mistakes cost him years away from everyone and everything that mattered to him -- especially his wife and son. Alone, confused, and bitter, Isaac can only become whole by learning to love again. But when he re-enters the world he left and attempts to get reacqainted with his now teenage son, Peyton, he finds heartbreaking rejection.
Click here to read an excerpt from The Flip Side of Sin.
Book Description
Amber once thought she would have been satisfied with job security as a psychologist, a not-so-saucy marriage, and a life far away from the hicks and sticks she grew up in. But the reality she lived in was far different from the world she dreamed about. Counseling began to feel like a mere management of "other people's problems." Her once hunk-of-a-husband is resolved to a life of beer and basking in the glow of the TV from the sofa.
When Amber meets David, all of a sudden, her life is turned topsy-turvy. With new love on the horizon, Amber jilts her inattentive husband and embarks on a physical and mental journey, with David, destined for happiness. Everything seems perfect until Amber meets Malik. He seems able to see straight through to what is truly in Amber's heart and helps her questions the intentions of those around her. With her bowl half-full again, Amber is back on top. That is, until she discovers a horrible truth under the shining armor of her knights.
What follows is a quagmire of sex and violence that will leave you guessing until the very end. FOXX's brilliant debut places her alongside Kimberla Lawson Roby, Omar Tyree, Evelyn Palfrey, and other writers in the Commercial Fiction and Romance Thriller genres.
Click here to access Nina Foxx's website.
Book Description
What are black women to do when the divorce rate for African Americans is 66 percent? Finding and keeping Mr. Right just became easier with this book of simple wisdom that mothers should have passed on to their daughters. Women will find insights into which men to avoid, personal safety, having a life outside a mate, maintaining stability, and mutual values on child-rearing. Included are 14 steps for keeping the man once she has found him, from worshiping together and valuing his mother to preserving respect and maintaining friendship.
This book will be released in September 2000, but may be pre-ordered now.
REVIEW
Butterscotch Blues, Margaret Johnson Hodge's, Blackboard bestselling novel, details how a male/female relationship is impacted when the woman, Sandy, discovers her man Adrian is HIV positive. The story is emotional, honest, and gives you something to think about when it comes to relationships. Sandy's female crew has a lot going on in their lives as well and I really enjoyed Janice's storyline. Margaret Johnson-Hodge's writing style makes you feel like you're there in the room with the various characters. The details are fine tuned and you can hear, see, and smell the atmosphere with each scene. All of her books are recommended; all of them speak to our lives today.
Click here to read an excerpt from Butterscotch Blues.
Warm Hands by Margaret Johnson-Hodge offers a realistic contemporary relationship story about a woman named Mya who's force to evolve after making some tough choices. A relationship with Vincent has ended incompletely but she's open to begin a new love with Jeff, a runner who she meets on the track. Jeff adores and Mya feels the same towards Jeff, that is, until they are engaged to be married and she runs into her former flame Vincent, a man who's still on her brain. One poor decision later she's found herself in a psychological place where it doesn't seem as if she'll survive. We've all been there and done that. What is wonderful about this story is the writer puts you there. You can see Mya and feel her every emotion, every step of the way whether painful or joyous. I love the writing, the subplots that involves suspenseful family issues (separations, babies born out of wedlock, and torturous violence). This story covers the gamut and the writer did a superb job.
BookRemarks Review:
The premise of One Woman Short is fairly simple: Rodney's best friend gets married. This event causes Rodney to think about which one of his past 133 lovers could possibly become his wife. Rodney creates a short list of three women and goes on a search to reacquaint himself with them.
Even though this is the synopsis that's included on the back of the book, you'll find that a significant part of the story delves into other areas, such as Rodney's career and his encounters with some of his colleagues. It would have been great to read more about the three women that Rodney short-listed: who they were, how compatible each one was with Rodney. It would have been even greater for the story to explore his relationship with each of the women on a deeper level.
On another note, Nelson George's writing style is top notch and his sense of humor intact as he has many laugh-out-loud lines in the story.
Overall, One Woman Short is a pretty good read, but would have been a tighter story if it had concentrated on its main theme.
Book Description
A quick-witted, take-no-stuff hilariously sassy sistah from the 'hood, Sandrella Coffee is nobody's Private Benjamin. An "around the way" girl who has taken a few wrong turns down the back alleys of life, Sandie finds herself employed by her favorite uncle as the ultimate bullet-stopper: An enlisted solider in the U.S. Army. Finer than an Iron Mike statue dipped in deep dark chocolate, Drill Sergeant Romulus Caesar is an honest to goodness do-right man. The keeper of his castle and a self-proclaimed king, Rom provides an irresistible passion and tenderness that pacifies Sandie's cravings for true love. But there is one problem: Rom is married. Married with children.
Click here to read an excerpt from Black Coffee.
Dazed and Confused by Houstonian Troy Martin is chock full of the realities of what a black man may experience concerning the workplace, his love life and more as depicted through the character Tony Harris. The story takes you all over Houston, the state of Texas, Louisiana, Los Angeles and even Cancun, Mexico. Tony basically gives you account of his encounters with girlfriends, wanna be girlfriends, girls who want to go from "temp to perm", etc. Troy Martin has a real grasp on what men really think about women whether we want to hear it or not. Some of the language is -- strong to say the least -- but Troy does a great job telling it like it is. His writing reminds me of Michael Baisden and Omar Tyree. He's very funny, VERY funny, and will have you laughing out loud with some of his descriptions. I felt he did an overall great job with his first novel. The only minor distractions were the editing mishaps in the book, and I was hoping to read a little more action or dialogue between the characters instead of all the 'telling' that the author does. Nevertheless, "Dazed and Confused" comes highly recommended. It's an interesting, fast-paced story that will give you something to think, cringe, and laugh about.
Click here to access Troy Martin's Official Website.
Cheaters, which was designated Blackboard's 1999 Book of the Year for fiction, is a delightful, humorous and compelling story that firmly planted Eric Jerome Dickey as a novelist to watch. Filled with witty lines, dramatic scenes, and splashes of wisdom, this novel is as good as it gets.
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