10 Commandments of Love A book of short stories ISBN 10: 0-9765879-4-7 ISBN 13: 978-0-9765879-4-1 Special Discounted Price: $10.00 Website: evealexander10.blogspot.comRelease Date: April 2010
10 Commandments of love is a Mother’s wit/Dry comedy book of short stories. Have you ever wished you could recapture all the wise words your mother and grandmother told you? Words that meant nothing to you until later years in life, but ones that you always kept note of. Comical character MaRed Walker takes you back down memory lane. She could be anybody’s grandmother, the lady next door or the woman down the street. Either way, you’ll laugh and you’ll cry as her wise words execute judgment on wrongdoers while soothing the spirit of the weary. She gives wisdom that teaches morals and truth, as well as, touch the very core of your soul.
Excerpt from story #10
What Goes Around Comes Back Around
Some people are just plain down prejudiced. They say it’s ok for a older man to date a younger woman, but let a younger man want a older woman, and it’s a sin, especially if it’s more than a fifteen year age difference. When his friends and family say, “Where’s your old lady at man?” they mean oooold. Some of them jibe, “Where you find her at? In the nursing home, or is a senior citizen missing?” But nobody says nothing about a older man. They don’t say “Where’s that baby at? Is she sleeping? or watch you mouth, a child’s in the house.” Oh no, he ain’t no cradle snatcher—just mature and settled. Oooh, they make me so mad with that stuff.
My boyfriend, Mark wasn’t nothing like those young bucks my friends dated—broke and walking. He had money, a brand new Cadillac, and he gave me everything I asked for. Said I didn’t have to work when we got married, if I didn’t want to.
To be honest, Mark, had a wife when we met, but I didn’t care. Child, he was flashing them hundred dollars bills so hard, all I could see was dollar signs flashing while those bills were flipping. When my friends were eating at burger joints, I was being wined and dined at Libby’s restaurant. Oooh, I was living my dream.
“That man is to old for you. Don’t nothing in this life come without a price tag!” Mama snorted. “Being lazy and looking for something for nothing is gonna cost you.”
“I love him.” I wailed.
“No you don’t! You love his money, Sarah, and that’s gonna run out. Watch and see what I tell you.” Mama turned a page and sighed before sticking her head back in the Bible.
Mama was starting to sound just like her oldest sister, MaRed. I told Mark what she said.
Mark just laughed and rubbed my cheek. “She’s just jealous cause she don’t have no man to do nothing for her.”
Well, whatever the reason was, Mama didn’t stop nagging me.
“Don’t be crazy girl; sugar daddies rob young girls of their youth.”
“What you talking about, Mama?” All those riddles was driving me crazy.
Mama looked at me like I was a fool. “You want his money and security, and he wants your young body. You gonna be looking older than me before long.”
I married Mark because I was sick of hearing Mama fuss everyday. I wasn’t gonna work all my life like her and never have nothing to show for it. Can you believe my own mama is jealous cause I got a man to take care of me?
I sit here in my living room twenty years later and think of how it all started just a couple of months into my marriage. I was so naïve to the point of being silly. Whenever someone said what a cute couple we made, I burst out into giggles. Now, as the time went on, that compliment got to be less and less funny. Well, a lot of things changed as time went on. Mark’s promise that, “You don’t have to work if you don’t want to” disappeared a couple of months after we got married. Child, I think I slaved harder than my mama ever thought about. I’m so sick of Mark, I would kill him with my bare hands and not feel sorry about it, if I thought I could get away with it.
One day, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw somebody’s grandma looking back at me. Forty year olds didn’t look like this unless they were drugs addicts or alcoholics, and I didn’t do none of that stuff. Mark’s hair and sideburns were salt and pepper, but he was sixty-two years old, and that was alright. At forty, I saw quite a few gray hairs in my head and it scared me so bad. And the worse part about it, I didn’t have no children to lay it on. All my friends looked younger than me, but they had husbands their age.
Mark was a caring man. But his caring soon became a burden for me. That old man told me what time to go to bed, when to get up, when to eat, how much to eat, and he even picked out my clothes. Now my daddy died when I was ten years old, and my mama never remarried. So that meant, I didn’t have a daddy.
About a week later, after taking a good look at myself in the mirror, I saw one of my classmates, Nora Jensen, at the post office.
“Hey, aren’t you Sarah Miles?”
I was standing at the clerk’s window buying stamps. When I turned around, I came face to face with her. She looked good. Her make up was perfect. Nora’s hair, nails, clothing, and shoes were all singing in harmony.
“Girl, you look different.” Nora said.
“Different how?” I blinked my eyes and rubbed the side of my face.
“More mature I guess.” Nora kept staring at me. “Are you still married to what’s his name?”
What could I say? Everybody knew I married an old man. But I be doggone if I would let her have the last say today. “Yes, I’m still married, and his name is Mark Woods.”
Nora’s nose went up. “Well anyway, it was good to see you.” She smiled and left.
“I went home and took a good look at myself this time. My skin was dried out, my teeth could stand a good cleaning, my hair needed cutting and fixing. All women should have make up, whether they wear it or not. I didn’t even own a tube of lipstick. No wonder Nora kept saying I looked different—she meant I looked old.
Revenge Of The Cheating Mistress is centered around the life of an authoress/professional mistress named Larissa Calhoun. She is cute in the face and thin in the waist. One bad relationship after another causes her to explore her life's purpose that is to make all men pay. In the midst of her drama, her rise to fame comes unexpectedly as her novels top the New York times and Essence magazine best seller's list. Things are going great until she discovers her ex-lover has become a pastor at one of the biggest mega churches in the south. Larissa becomes angry and uses this as an excuse to convert back into her vengeful ways in hopes of finding out if the old saying is true once a cheater always a cheater. Price: 14.95 Available: amazon.com, The Literary Joint, barnesandnobles.com Website: www.mahogneyinkpublication.com
Excerpt from Revenge of the Cheating Mistress:
All of a sudden Victor stopped texting, and his phone calls slacked off. Then, he demanded that Larissa start to call before she came over to his home. Whenever she arrived, Victor would turn his phone off, put it on vibrate, or go into the other room for privacy. Then, his attitude changed. Everything she said and did annoyed him. He went from annoyed to violent in under 60 seconds. One day he slapped Larissa into a wall because she accidentally left the top off the tooth paste. This was just the beginning, it gradually got worse over time because Larissa would not fight back.
Anytime she said or did something he didn’t approve of he would give her the look and say, “You like getting your ass whooped youngin’. Rissa, I’m going to beat the shit out of you in just a moment! ”
Victor always meant business. One day they went out to eat at McDonald’s. Victor immediately became angry because one of Larissa’s male classmates said hello. She tried her hardest to ignore him; but he didn‘t recognize the sign. She had to completely turn her back to him before he got the message and walked off. She tried not to make eye contact with Victor, but couldn’t ignore the red that formed around his large gray pupils. He was so mad that he grabbed Larissa by the wrist and left the restaurant before she could finish her Happy meal.
When they arrived home and entered the front door, Victor grabbed Larissa by her ponytail. She screamed for help knowing no one could save her. He responded, “Shut up, Rissa! What I tell you about acting a damn fool in public? You gone learn that a hard head makes a soft ass.”
He used all his strength and dragged her from the living room to the down stairs guest bedroom. Victor picked her up by her neck using all his power and punched her in the face. It felt like her jaw cracked on impact. She can remember being hit two more times before she blacked out.
Hours later, she woke up to what looked like a scene from a horror movie. When Victor finished beating her, he must have pulled her to the half bathroom and stripped her of her clothes. She could see the smeared blood trial that told the story of what happened after she blacked out. Two pictures were broken, and the tall circular glass vase that used to stand in the far right corner was now shattered in a million pieces all over the marble tiled floor.
She continued to examine the room and realized she was having a hard time seeing because her left eye was swollen shut and her top lip was busted. She couldn’t sit up, and her whole body was in pain. Her nude body was trembling.
Victor must have beaten her until he got tired. He was always quick on his feet so he had one of his doctor friends write a stack of doctor’s note so Larissa would be excused from school whenever she had an accident.
It was her senior year. She questioned, “Why is this foolishness happening to me?”
Larissa searched the ceiling for answers, “God, haven’t I had enough pain in my life: My mother, my father and now this. If you are ready for me to come home, take me now.”
Victor must have heard her praying. He eased back in the room with her favorite chocolates, a brown Teddy bear, a glass of orange juice, and two extra strength Tylenol.
He kissed her on the forehead, “I’m sorry Rissa. You made me do it. I can’t stand the thought of seeing you with another man. I love you.”
Victor kissed her on the forehead and left the room, “Sweetie, get some rest.”
She popped the two pills and chased them with the orange juice. A few minutes later, the pills kicked in and she was in a deep sleep. This beating was not enough for Larissa to leave. She loved Victor from the bottom of her heart. He gave her the male love that she craved from her estranged father.
A week later she was able to sit up and walk around but her body was still a little sore. Her face was still bruised but she was able to cover must of the marks with make-up. The swelling was going down so she decided to attend school. When she arrived on the campus, she could feel the students starring at her. But no one dared to ask her what happened. The stares and whispers continued for three days. Then, everything went back to normal.
After months and months of beat downs, she finally had a wakeup call when she caught Victor’s yellow ass in the act. She popped up over his house unannounced and used the spare key he had hidden under his welcome mat to let herself into his home.
Lord behold, when she entered the house she could hear nothing but the sweet tones of love making. She knew that her Victor would never cheat. Larissa had to see this for herself. Something came over her and she ran up the stairs and kicked in Victor’s master bedroom door. It fell off the hinges.
The son of a bitch looked up at her without missing a beat and yelled, “Close the damn door!”
So she pretended to close the door and went back down stairs. An hour later, Victor came down wearing a white cotton bath robe. The girl he was sexing was sound asleep.
Larissa questioned, “What the hell are you doing?”
The ignorant bastard had the audacity to blame it on the alcohol. She impatiently set on his couch and entertained his lies.
She looked him in his eyes and made a vow, “You have hurt me for the last time. I dealt with you beating me, but cheating in my face is another story. I love you. But I promise that this will be your last day on earth.”
He thought Larissa was playing until she reached in her purse, pulled out a stainless steel knife, and cut him across his throat. Victor put his hands up to his neck and gasped for air. The look in his lifeless eyes did something to Larissa. It made her feel empowered. For once in her young life, she was in control.
Chante Chambers is a self-proclaimed princess. She has it all: looks, a body women would pay for, a great career, all the material items a girl could want plus some…all of this maintained by her ex, Jason. Whatever mama wants, Jason makes sure mama gets. The one task he failed at was being faithful. With a toss of a Gucci pump Jason was history. Or so she thought.
In a pursuit for love, happiness, and monogamy sometimes mistaken for sex, Chante encounters an array of men, whom if you took the best traits from them all and combined them, it still didn’t create the perfect man. Just as Chante was ready to admit defeat in her quest for love, settle for a battery-operated appliance, and give in to the bottle of brown juice in walks a caramel Adonis.
Chante's new found love has the potential of being a lifelong love affair. Yet a lunch hour spent in between the sheets with a certain ex complicates things, as thoughts of starting their love anew begin running through her mind. What's a girl to do when she's torn between two lovers? Does she grab her panties off the floor and vow to never drop them again? Or does she go back for seconds?
The sounds of Chante Moore’s single “Chante’s Got A Man” filled the bathroom. Vanilla-scented candles lined the tub, while their aroma filtered the air. The bathroom was usually bright by day with all the sunlight that beamed through the floor to ceiling windows, but tonight the space was a reflection of the deep midnight-blue sky. I was truly feeling this song. My champagne glass swayed side to side to the melody of the music, while the back scrubber served as a microphone.
“Chante’s got a man at home.” Those words kept ringing in my ears. You’d have thought I was in concert by the way I sang those lyrics.
The moonlight served as my spotlight. I rose as my audience clapped, winked my eye at the reflection of this beautiful sister in the mirror and then began to really blow. The words of Chante Moore floated out of my mouth like I was the songbird herself. Lord knows someone should give me a record deal. I laughed. I couldn’t sing worth a lick, then again half of the singers out today couldn’t sing either.
As the music faded, I retreated back to the sanctuary of my sunken tub. I added more hot water to maintain the same level of suds and the atmosphere. I pretended the bubbles surrounding me were the arms of Morris Chestnut. His sole purpose for being there was to please me of course. His body was the water and I was submerged in it. His chocolate covered fingertips stroked the back of my neck, sending chills down my spine while he planted kisses all over my breasts. He massaged my thighs and didn’t stop until the tingling sensation reached my toes. I felt my thighs part. I gasped as he entered me.
Who in the hell was I fooling? I opened my eyes and reminded myself to cut this masturbation shit out.
Chante Moore and I did not have jack shit in common. Yeah, both of our names were Chante. And yeah, we were both beautiful, successful, black women. Might I add that I am more beautiful than she. However, she was Chante Moore and I was Chante Chambers. She had a man, and I didn’t. I believe that since “Chante’s Got A Man” came out she’s had two men. I haven’t had a half of one.
Let us evaluate my list of lovers. It began with Jason McGee. If you could see Jason, you would drop your panties, or slide those babies over to the side. He was gorgeous with a long tongue and large sex tool. Imagine the perfect shade of brown, nowhere near light, and not too far from being burned. He was that middle setting on the toaster oven when you want your bread just right. I could lick him from his goatee, up to his sideburns, across his wavy haired head, and then back down again. Just thinking about his fine ass made me moist. Picture this: 255 pounds of solid chocolate in the form of a football player, or a heavyweight boxer with the height of a basketball player. Sorry, but I cannot resist a handsome man with a muscular body, a lovable smile, a freaky inner self, and an exploring tongue. I forgot to mention dimples. Jason had two dimples that loved to call me. Jason was sexy as hell! If he knocked on my door right now and smiled that I-want-to-lick-you-all-night smile, I would gladly spread ‘em.
Jason and I met in college and dated briefly. Back then our dates consisted of dinner, studying, and screwing, and not always in that order. Occasionally, we made it out to concerts and things of that nature. That was fine with me. After graduation he went his way, and I went mine. Three years later, guess who I bumped into at an industry event? No one other than Mr. Sexy himself. We quickly became reacquainted. Let’s just say some things never change. Somehow between talking business in a conference room at The W Hotel and reminiscing about old times, I ended up upstairs butt naked getting my freak on. Next thing I knew, I was leaving my job as head writer for Sunset, a soap opera, to go work for him at Jason World Productions. That was many years ago.
The four years that our relationship lasted were hell. I loved Jason with all my heart. I still did. The sex was magnificent. He was good at wining and dining a sistah. The only thing he couldn’t master was keeping his dick to himself. How long could a woman play blind to her man’s unfaithfulness? I must admit the shopping sprees and trips here and there kept me blinded for a minute. I was wifey. I had a diamond bigger than that rock Koby gave Vanessa to cover up his little indiscretion, on my ring finger to prove it.
Jason had me sprung. While I was planning our wedding, writing screenplays, and producing damn near everything that crossed my desk, that dog was humping every female that opened her legs. The reason for his infidelities I never knew. Jason could have had me for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even an afternoon snack. And he did. Wherever and however he wanted it, I was down. I guess that wasn’t good enough. When it came down to Jason, all I saw was stupid! A dumb ass was what I was. I could have continued to sit back, play dumb to Jason’s unfaithfulness, spend his money and twirl my rock around my finger. However, when I walk into my man’s office, and see him laid back in his chair with some wanna-be-me bitch on her knees sucking his dick, it was time for me to open my eyes. That was it. I tried to do the mature thing. And I did.
“Fuck you Jason!” I screamed, walking out of his office.
Right after I walked out, I walked back in and threw my Gucci pump at the both of them. I felt relieved when it hit its intended target, the nasty-ass assistant I’d just hired. I looked like a damn fool as I limped down the hallway in one three-inch high heel. And so that’s how Jason and Chante’s Love song ended.
Purchase online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. $14.95. www.avahlareaux.com One life truly affects another. How much more accurate would that statement be if the lives were linked by blood? Meet the young Marcus Clayton and the residents of the Bradhurst community as they live, learn, and love according to their own rules. Will morals win out over physical desires or will lust overpower better judgment and foundational teaching? Join the journey, meet the players, and discover how what’s done in the dark leads to a siren’s song. Excerpt from Bastards: (Discretion Advisded)
It was ten o’clock when Poppa C looked up from his work to see Chad Richardson running into the shop.
“Hey, boy, stop yo’ li’l ass right there. If you want a haircut, bring yo’ mama. If not, go back outside.”
Chad was famous for running through the Clayton house. Poppa C was in no mood to babysit.
“Poppa C, c’mon! It’s Marcus! Poppa C, c’mere!”
“What the…?”
That statement brought Poppa C, Mr. Marvin, Mr. Tom, and Jake Jr., who was in the middle of getting his cut, out the door and up the hill to Paradigm Apartments. Before they even got close to where Marcus was, the crew from the barber shop could hear children shouting and cheering. Once the men reached the scene, they saw Marcus straddling another boy, punching him wildly. Poppa C had to drag Marcus off the boy.
“What hell is wrong with you, boy?” Poppa C asked as he smacked Marcus in the back of the head and walked him back down the hill. He left Mr. Marvin to disperse the rest of the crowd and take the punch-drunk youth, whose name was found to be Ronnie Ford, back to his aunt’s apartment.
“He deserved it!” Marcus yelled once he reached his grandparents’ house.
“You got a nasty temper, li’l boy.” Taking a quick whiff, Robert Clayton snapped, “What the hell is that smell, Dino?”
“Dog shit!”
“You playing in dog shit now?”
“No, sir. We rubbed that nigga’s face in it.” Marcus was breathing hard and obviously angry.
Looking up, Poppa C saw his clients walking back to the shop. He walked Marcus inside the house and kissed his forehead. “Alright, chief, go take a shower and change your clothes. Tell me what happened when you get back…” Before he could finish his sentence, Poppa C saw Chad coming through the door. “Boy, do you ever knock?”
Laughing lightly, Chad answered, “Nah, Poppa C. This is just like my house.”
“Well, in that case, I’m just like your grandpa. Get yo’ ass home and get cleaned up. Now! I want an explanation from you and Dino in fifteen minutes. If you late, I’m beating you like I beat Dino. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Chad shouted as he ran out the door and to his house.
In a little more than fifteen minutes, the boys had returned to the barber shop to entertain Poppa C and his clientele. More men had arrived since the time Chad had come for help and now the shop was filled with customers. Marcus and Chad took turns telling the story from the beginning.
“I was minding my own business, Granddad, and him and his cousins came down here talking sh—” Marcus caught himself before he completed the word. He could talk freely with his grandfather, but not in front of the customers. “I mean, talking crazy and playing the dozens. I wasn’t in the mood today, Pop.”
“No lie, Poppa C,” Chad chimed in. “They came down here being punks, talking bad about everybody. He started picking on Shelly and her sisters. He started it.”
“You say he was picking on Shelly?” Mr. Marvin spoke up. Marvin was actually Marvin Brenner, Shelly’s father.
“Yes, sir,” Marcus answered quickly. He wanted to get on with the story. “It was Ronnie, though, not his cousins, Mike and Darren. They weren’t saying anything.”
Chad joined back in. “Dino just told Ronnie to shut up. That’s when Ronnie started calling him a pretty boy and a half-breed.”
“That’s what he was calling Shelly and Angie and Melly. That wasn’t cool, Granddad. You said don’t let no nigga fuck with yo’ bitches.” That comment garnered plenty of hushed laughter from the customers, not including Marvin Brenner. “I told him to go on with that shit, but he kept talking.” Some of the men were now standing and walking toward the door. Marcus’ fervor and language was causing near mass hysteria. “So I told him to kiss my ass and leave.” Mr. Tom could hold his laughter no longer. He burst into a loud roar as he doubled over in the chair. The other men laughed, too, and slapped their knees. “He swung on me and I dropped him. The end,”
Danica is back! Haunted by her treacherous past Danica Sherman decides to change the scenery in her life and searches for a path to redemption. The only problem is the more she runs from her past, the faster it accelerates towards her future. As Danica desperately tries to figure out what she is going to do about the mess she has made of her life, skeletons start tumbling out of her closet. Patrice's luck goes from bad to worse when she is forced to move back home with her parents following the aftermath of her encounter with Danica the year prior. Everyday she becomes more bitter as revelations wreck havoc and turn her life upside down. With only one person in her mind to blame, she takes revenge to an all time high. Danica and Patrice's paths cross once again and the tables get turned upside down! In a new city, with new insecurities and new threats...what will happen when they have to lean on the person they least expect to help them survive? In this jaw dropping sequel to On The Flip Side, questions will be answered as the drama continues! $15.00 Available wherever books are sold. http://nikkeasmithers.com
An Exlusive Excerpt Just for you! Prologue:
I sat there. Looking into the desolate night, hands covered in blood. I had been there before, in a position where my hands were covered in blood. I could easily tell that the sirens were screaming in acceleration, coming in my direction. They weren’t close. But still, I felt them and that feeling for certain turned to hearing. Like when your heart is pounding so fast that you can hear the beats because you feel them almost coming through your chest. That was exactly how I was hearing the sirens. I could feel them. I knew right then and there that I was in deep shit and I had to think fast to get out of it.
This wasn’t like before. This wasn’t self-defense. I intentionally caused this man’s demise. I got off before. I had killed a man before. I had injured even more. This time things might not wrap themselves up into a pretty little bow and just go away. This time, things would be different. I had to get my story together.
Why had my skeletons come tumbling out of the closet when I least expected them to? I was hearing my mother’s voice ringing loud in my ears, “What’s done in the dark will come to the light.” She loved to talk in proverbs. Fuck proverbs. Where were those damn proverbs when my father’s foot was knee deep in her ass? I was there. I was there when she didn’t even know I was. I was the reason that he had stopped acting like a crazed man and started to love her like he had once before. She didn’t know the half.
At that moment, I didn’t have time to blame my mother for her choices. Why she chose to stay with my father was her decision to make. My issues were much deeper than hers would ever be. Her only indiscretion was in loving a man that didn’t love her. I had too many indiscretions to mention.
I had tried to run from my demons. I packed my shit and left the only state I had ever known as home and moved just to get away from them. I left my family, just to get away from them. But the damn light just had to find me. Why couldn’t what I had done in the dark just stay there? I tried to change my life. I tried to change my ways. I did everything in my power to honestly make a change for the better. I tried to live a normal life. Normal apparently wasn’t for me.
I could still feel them coming. Someone had heard. Someone had called 911. This was another indiscretion of mine. I just had to move to the city. I should have stayed in the country. Right then I was missing my log cabin. The place that was hidden in the woods where nosy ass neighbors couldn’t hear a damn thing would have been ideal in my current situation. That was a place where I couldn’t be found in the damn yellow pages. I missed being able to do what ever I wanted to do and not have to worry about people finding out.
It was too late for those thoughts. The deed was now done. I couldn’t run away from everything and now my past had caught up with me. This time it wasn’t self-defense. This time it was murder. I wanted to kill this man for what he had done to me.
I was sweating profusely. Sweat mixed with blood. This was not my blood. My thoughts seemed to swirl in my head on repeat.
Sirens were screaming. First, I felt them. Now I heard them loud and clear. This time they were much louder than my subconscious had first acknowledged. I calculated how long it would take them to make it up to the fourth floor. I calculated how much time I had left as a free woman. I calculated what a mess I had made of my life. It could have all been so simple. But I fucked that up. Excuse my vulgarity. It doesn’t matter.
I heard them coming up the stairs. I didn’t bother to run. I didn’t bother to wash off the blood. I didn’t bother to hide the murder weapon. I just sat there. I waited for them to bust my door open. If I didn’t get my story together, they would take me away.
Caught between her husband and her lover When the man that Dr. Teresa McCall promised to forsake all others for, cheated on her, she is devastated. The crippling blow of finding out about her husband's affair starts Teresa on a downward spiral that threatens not only her marriage, but also the career she has worked so hard for. Cloaked in a haze of frustration and hurt it does not take long for Teri to fall under the spell of fellow doctor Sean Morris, a cardiologist with one of Atlanta's top hospitals. However, Dr. Morris is harboring a dark secret that not even the seasoned psychiatrist can sniff out.
It doesn't take long before the heat from their explosive affair sets off a chain of events revealing a world where nothing is what it seems. Driven by emotion, Teri finds herself entangled in her own web of lies, distracted by her failing marriage not realizing that a danger is circling; ready to destroy life as she knows it. When Teri is faced with a harsh reality she decides it's time to right her wrongs and see if she still has a marriage to fight for. Unfortunately, for her, Sean has other plans and is not so quick to let Teri walk away and she soon finds herself standing between her husband and her lover, letting her heart chose for her; but a stray bullet threatens to take away her right to choose. visit www.dlsparks.com Available wherever books are sold.
Title: Key To My Heart
Release Date: February 12, 2010
ISBN 10: 0-9825871-0-4
ISBN 13: 978-0-9825871-0-2
Price: $14.95
Available: Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bookstore everywhere
Sassy talking, no-nonsense Ava Peretti has a mysterious past that has finally caught up with her. Agonizing nightmares terrorize her by night as painful memories of a love lost haunt her by day. Ava has vowed never to love again, but she will soon find out that sometimes vows are made to be broken.
Attorney Langston Warrington III is the one man that can make Ava love again. The only problem is . . . he’s her archenemy! And to make matters worse, Langston has a secret of his own—a secret that will change Ava’s life forever.
Excerpt Prologue
Somewhere deep in the recesses of her mind, Ava struggled to wake from the endlessly taunting nightmare. Her restless body stirred and twisted, wrestling to keep the painful memories at bay.
The wailing cry of the healthy newborn pierced her trembling heart. What had she done? The question ricocheted throughout the corners of her mind as weary eyes followed the nurse who quickly wrapped the squirming babe and left the delivery room.
Noooo! Please, come back!I changed my mind! I want my baby! I want my baby!
Ava bolted from the nightmare. Her nightgown was drenched in sweat, making the thin cotton fabric stick to her skin. Taking in deep gulps of air, she covered her face with her hands. Tears fell from her eyes, cascading down her cheeks despite her tightly shut lids.
The nightmare always ended this way. It always ended with her screaming for her baby. Unfortunately for Ava, this nightmare was all too real.
On the day Ava gave her baby up for adoption, she pleaded with the doctor and nurses to see her baby. They refused. Without an ounce of compassion, she was told it would be for the best that she didn’t bond with her baby. When she tearfully begged to at least be told the sex of her child, each of the healthcare workers remained silent as if she hadn’t said anything at all.
So what if she’d foolishly made the decision to put her child up for adoption. Did that mean she didn’t have the right to know if she gave birth to a girl or boy? What gave them the right to withhold this information?
Finally one of the nurses, who couldn’t ignore Ava’s anguish, gently whispered to her, “You had a little girl. She weighed six pounds, five ounces.”
After Ava was settled in a room on the maternity unit, desperate to get a glimpse of her daughter, she shuffled down the hall to the nursery. She didn’t know which pain was more devastating—the aches in her freshly post partum body, or the shredding of her heart into a million tiny pieces.
Tears followed the thick lump that formed in her throat as she realized none of the babies behind the glass sleeping so peacefully belonged to her. Three of them were baby boys, snuggly wrapped in blue blankets. The last one—baby girl Wu—contentedly suckled a pacifier in her sleep.
Reliving that gut wrenching afternoon exhausted Ava. She felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. Wiping tears from her face with the palm of her hand, she placed unsteady feet on the floor.
After stripping off the damp nightgown, she padded over to the bureau on the other side of the room. Opening the third drawer, she pulled out a yellow nightshirt and covered her nude body. Before closing the drawer, her hand blindly searched in the dark for her most precious possessions.
Taking slow, measured steps, her hand trembled as she hit the light switch on the wall. Holding on to her possessions with one hand, Ava used the other to shield her eyes for the few seconds it took them to adjust to the blinding light.
Moving back over to the bed, Ava slowly sat on the edge. Ever so carefully, she opened the first Ziploc bag, removing its content. Ava brought the tiny undershirt to her nose. If she inhaled deeply, real deeply, she could still smell the scent of her precious baby. Holding the soft fabric to her face, she said a prayer for the woman who had showed her some mercy.
“Please, Ms. Peretti, I’m begging you not to tell anyone I’ve done this. You understand I could lose my job?”
Ava numbly nodded her head. The hurt she was feeling was so deep her tongue had become paralyzed. This was all too much for her to take in. How could he do this to me?
The middle-aged nurse hesitated, looking over her shoulder and double checking that the door was firmly closed. Bringing her hand from behind her back, Ava noticed the two small, clear, plastic Ziploc bags she held. Coming closer, the nurse kept her voice soft and gentle. “I just felt so bad for you. After your baby was cleaned up and dressed, I went back to the nursery and took off her undershirt.”
Gingerly sitting next to Ava on the hospital bed, she continued. “And I clipped a lock of her hair for you.” Sadly smiling at Ava, the kind, older woman placed the baggies in Ava’s trembling hands. “Your baby has a beautiful head of thick, dark hair.”
The kind woman didn’t mean any harm, but hearing her refer to the infant as “your baby” further crushed Ava’s heart and spirit. She just wanted to die. The sob she released sounded like that of a wounded animal caught in a steel trap. Nothing could compare to this hurt, not even Langston’s betrayal.
Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Ava tenderly folded the tiny undershirt before laying it on her lap. Ever so carefully, she opened the other clear bag and removed the lock of hair, gently twirling the delicate strands between her fingers.
As she made the only connection she had with her daughter, Ava’s chest tightened to the point where breathing was almost difficult. She wanted her baby back. She had an innate feeling that her baby needed her.
Dream is a highschool student from Bridgeport, Connecticut who is traumatized when she is informed of the tragic suicide of her best friend. Feeling like she is alone in the world with an abusive mother and absent father, Dream almost comes to the resolution that her life is also not worth living... Antonio is also in highschool but from Richmond, Virginia working two jobs to help his mother support his man brothers and sisters. Growing up in the projects, he is faced with a number of obstacles that will test his manhood. When Dream and Antonio s worlds collide both of their lives change forever...but is it for the better or for the worse?
Beautiful Ugly is the story of three close friends. Each one of them has life challenges, and each of them love, encourage and support each other through the good and the bad. Sometimes we look in the mirror, like Layla does in Beautiful Ugly, and we see an ugly image of ourselves. We fail to see the beauty that God has created. Or we may be like Envy, whose life is based on her name. She struggles with who she really is and why the person she sees in the mirror is not the beautiful, intelligent, smart woman that God made her to be. Instead she sees a young woman who has deep, dark secrets that only she and God know about.
As for Kacie, she equates beauty to having a man. She looks in the mirror and she sees a physically handicapped woman with a bad limp, and six children with six different baby daddies. Her vision of herself is one of low self-esteem and self-worth. How do they face the problems of life?
How do they look at themselves and see that they are all wonderful creatures designed by God. When will they learn that beauty comes in so many different ways that even the human eye cannot conceive? Three friends struggle to learn their true identity that only God can define for them.
ISBN-10: 1601629974 ISBN-13: 978-1601629975
Excerpt:
Prologue
Search Continues For Mother of Still Born Infant Left in School Lavatory
Memphis, TN (Memphis Appeal) The body of an infant, said to have been only hours old, has been found under shocking circumstances. The baby’s lifeless body was discovered by a maintenance worker at GermantownHigh School. Police state the body appears to have been in the second floor bathroom toilet for as long as five to ten hours. Homicide Detective Monica Bell said the newborn girl was well developed and was more than likely full term. A post mortem examination of the newborn will be done to determine the cause of death and whether she was alive when she was left in the toilet.
“One of the major concerns now is to locate the mother of the infant,” states Bell. “We are concerned about her health physically and psychologically.” Detective Bell further states, “Everything is being done to locate the mother. We urge anyone who has information that will lead us to the mother to contact 555-TIPS. We are also pleading with the mother to contact police right away.
The Safe Haven Advocacy Group for Children has been contacted to work with police to help the mother once she has been located. The Safe Haven Advocacy group offers expectant mothers pre-natal care, parenting classes, and various other programs about pregnancy and child care. Louis Strong, a representative of Safe Haven says, “If any mother decides for any reason that she does not want her baby, there is always the option of dropping the child off at a local hospital, fire station, or police department without any questions being asked. There is an alternative other than what this mother chose. Investigators are awaiting results from the state crime lab to determine whether the baby was alive at the time of birth.
Author and Poet Rachel Berry http://www.RachelBerry.webs.com Unexpected Discoveries: For a single mother life sometimes seems unfair, making hopes and dreams look unreachable. However, through resilience and unexpected discoveries full-figured Regal Sommers learns that life is as big or as small as you allow it to be. Lifelong Fears: Childhood nightmares, a dysfunctional family and living with family secrets has made Emma Jean LoVerde turn to alcohol and view life as unhappiness. But eventually confessions and unconditional love allows her to put a better face on her future. Family Pictures” $25 paperback, or $14 ea. For parts 1, 2 & 3. Available in e-book and download.
Picture this: It’s a blustery night and you’re home alone. I’ve caught you curled up in an oversized chair in front of a crackling fire. You’ve got a steaming cup of your favorite drink and you want more stimulation than a TV show or movie; you’d rather have a peek behind the closed doors of that perfect-looking, squeaky-clean family across the street. You know there’s some good gossip and a few juicy stories that they’re hiding. While you respect their privacy you still want to know the dirt. Well, you’re holding the tell-all diary of a similar family that I know. Let’s push open a few of their doors….
So, can you keep a secret? Or should the question be, can a secret keep you? After all, who walks among us whose life or past isn’t draped with at least one cloak-and-dagger just waiting to rip its cut? I say, after a while all kept things come to light. Just ask full-figured and sexy Miss Regal Sommers. This is her story; a saga of two women, Regal, her aunt Emma Jean and those folks they call family; two women from different generations, backgrounds, and education, but commonly bonded by blood. Regal is young and vibrant; a single mother of two, looking for love and trying to get her career-life together… But who knew that secrets and one woman’s past would affect the other’s future and cause pain and the unknown in their present and completely turn both their lives upside down?.... What people do behind closed doors some people call privacy. I call it secrets. Who am I? Well, that will be a secret for now, but time reveals all… So, here we go. It’s the summer of 1999 in a small town called Stone Mountain located in Georgia
My Son's Wife (Urban Christian) by Shelia E. Lipsey At bookstores &,Amazon.com & http://blackexpressions.com/ www.shelialipsey.com Synopsis: First Lady Audrey Graham believes she's found the perfect woman to become her eldest son, Minister Stiles Graham's wife. Sweet, sensitive, kind, and of course a fine Christian girl, Audrey couldn't ask more of the lovely Rena Jackson. But skeletons fall from the closet when Audrey and Stiles discover that Rena is in love and committed to the troubled, rebellious, ex-con, Frankie. My Son's Wife is more than a love triangle, it's a time bomb set to explode with twists, turns, entanglements and sinful revelations that only a loving God can make right. Excerpt: My Son's Wife"It's not the tragedies that kill us. It's the messes." - D. Parker
Excerpt: “Frankie, listen. Let’s not argue about-”
“What do you mean? Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that? This argument has already started.”
Frankie’s voice rose a higher octave. Rena took a step backward. She had been privy to Frankie’s volatile temper one too many times. And with less than a week left before she walked down the aisle with Stiles, she didn’t want to chance having a bruised face.
“You know that the wedding is already planned and set. The invitations have gone out so even if I wanted to, there’s no way I can back out now. Face it, Frankie; I’m going to marry him.” Rena chose her words carefully as she cautiously moved another step backward from Frankie’s reach.
“No, I won’t face it. What you meant to say is you don’t want to call this wedding off. I don’t believe this.”
“Look, Frankie, listen to me. Please.” Rena inched in toward Frankie again like an earthworm trying to find its way back into the dirt from whence it came. “Frankie, believe me when I say this. I love you. You think I don’t remember what we’ve shared since we were fifteen years old? If only things were different. But they aren’t. So please try to understand.” Rena reached over and gently rubbed the tips of Frankie’s quivering fingers. Tears crested in Rena’s eyes as she witnessed the hurt etched across Frankie’s face.
“But how can you do this? How can you do this to us, Rena? You don’t love Stiles. He’s just convenient. You want him because of who he is and what he can provide for you. But love should mean more to you than a nice bank account or being the wife of the adopted son of the Senior Pastor of some hypocritical church.”
Shelia E Lipsey is a multi-award winning author, along with the 2009 SORMAG Readers’ Choice Awards for her novel My Son’s Wife. Black Pearls Magazine Top Book Shelf Award for her newest release Beautiful Ugly. Lipsey is also an inspirational speaker, professional proofreader, copyeditor and a literary expert. She attended Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, graduating magna cum laude with a BBA degree. She has been actively writing and speaking most of her life. Lipsey has penned the following novels Into Each Life, Sinsatiable, My Son’s Wife, Beautiful Ugly, and her upcoming release is titled My Son’s Ex-Wife-The Aftermath. You can contact her at shelialipsey@yahoo.com or visit her online at www.perfectstoriesaboutimperfectpeople.com.
Meet Rick Jenkins, who has everything that most would love to have in life. Great job, great looks, well educated, money, he has it all, except for one thing – a woman to share it with. A single and eligible bachelor, Rick can’t seem to even find a good woman to go on a date with, much less to think about take it to the next level. Rick is content to take life as it is until one night at a sorority fund raising function, he runs into Aphrodite Morrison and his fate changes forever.
Really what you need?
Aphrodite is a mysterious, yet angelic woman who Rick is lost for from the first minute he talks to her. A partner in one of the top advertising companies in the Greater Atlanta area, she does not have a want for anything. There is another side to Aphrodite that looms under the surface. When she thinks she has met the perfect man, her past threatens everything that she thinks may be meant for her and happening with Rick.
Fate collides with destiny and creates doubt; does anyone really know:
What Is This Love Thing All About?
Excerpt from What Is This Love Thing All About:
Standing and waiting at the bar was well worth the wait, and then it happened!
Before I knew it, I got that look you get in your eyes the first time you got that present that you really had been wanting for Christmas.
The first time that you realized that sex was all that you had heard about and read about.
You know that glazed, faraway look that leaves you in a daze. That is how I must have been looking before I realized I was staring, probably drooling, at this angelic perfect vision of beauty standing in front of me.
“Good evening, are you okay?” the lovely creature asked.
Quickly trying to compose myself from how I must have looked; I said, “I’m good. Thanks for asking.”
Any other time when I meet a woman I go straight to the breast and then to the ass. But in this case, I could not get away from her hazel colored eyes. There was something about the hazel eyes that I could not get past. There was a story there that I so wanted to read.
She was wearing a white silk blouse that went perfectly with the white silk slacks and white designer pumps she had on. Make up was perfectly layered, not too much to look like a tramp, but not too little to look too natural. She had on one gold necklace with a matching gold bracelet and watch, but the most important piece of jewelry was the one she was not wearing, a wedding ring!
She was classy and sassy all at the same time.
“You seem like you have a lot on your mind, like something has you preoccupied.” She said with a hint of flirtation and sarcasm.
Slowly regaining my cool, I looked at her intently in the eye and said, “Something just caught my eye. I was trying to figure out what to do about it.”
I couldn’t tell if she was feeling me or not. I was definitely feeling her though, although I was trying to hide it. I had to stay cool though.
With a seductive smile, she said, “When all else fails, it is best to do what comes to mind first. In some cases, that means to be direct and to the point, at least then you will know where you stand.”
On The Flip Side by Nikkea Smithers Available at www.preciousmemoriesreading.comwww.nikkeasmithers.comAmazon.com and where ever books are sold. A Different Kind of Baby Momma Drama... Tavares has one thing on his mind and that is being a good father to his kids. This proves to become a difficult act when he faces obstacles from the mother of his children who abandoned their twins at the hospital after birth. Her only concern is making a profit off of the children she birthed by making Tavares pay child support in two different states, even though he has custody of the kids. When her child support payments are reduced, she threatens to take back the kids causing all hell to break loose. Danica is leading a double life. She owns a successful psychiatric practice and has her patients lives all figured out. She suffers from a God complex that has her believing that she is better than everyone else. Danica enjoys her double life of making people pay for their indiscretions in the worst way. When Danica and Tavares's worlds clash, things get shaken up. Danica feels it is her duty to intervene in Tavares's personal problems without his willful consent. Will Tavares be freed from the financial and emotional burden that his children's mother inflicts on him? Will Danica have her way regardless of the consequences? On The Flip Side is a wild ride that you do not want to miss out on as roles get reversed and lives are forever changed.
An exclusive excerpt just for you! Prolouge After finally being cleared for visiting, I waited in the lobby of the Richmond City Jail. The seats were as hard as they could be in the waiting area while the air was stale with a contrite odor. Sunday was the busiest visiting day of the week as many people were off work and reserved that day to visit their loved ones. I had taken a seat next to a young mother who was trying to calm her wailing child. The child was colicky and the young girl had no idea what to do. The young girl couldn't have been older than sixteen. Her huge gold earrings made her earlobes hang so low that I was concerned that her earlobe would split. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail. I imagined that she was there to visit the father of her child. He had to have been older as we were not in a juvenile facility. I turned my attention to the clock that hung on the wall. The circular item loudly ticked away at every second that passed. Tick, tick, tick, was the noise that filled in the only silent moments between the screaming child's wails. I couldn't wait to be out of there but there was something that I had to do. "Taylor!" My name was called after about an hour of waiting. I got up and made my way to the small oblong room. Thick glass made a partition between the visitors and parties that they were visiting. I almost didn't notice her sitting there. She had on standard issued clothes, her hair was scattered over her head wildly and then matted in some places. Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles that drooped into her cheeks. I could tell that she had not slept in the short time that she had been there. Her empty eyes stared back at me. Her face was badly bruised and while the marks were at least a day old, they still boasted dark black and blue marks. I picked up the orange phone extension that clung to the wall so that I could speak with her. My heart cried out to her. "I never thought I would see you like this, how are you holding up?" I didn't really know what to say. I hadn't been in that type of situation before. I felt bad for her. This was not the woman who had wowed me when we first met. She seemed so strong then but looking at her now, well, she appeared weak. As if her soul was broken she looked back at me with hurt eyes. I wanted more than anything to break her out of the place that she was being confined in but the sheriffs that stood behind both her and me made sure that would not be the case. How the hell did we get here? I pondered that question as I waited for her to respond to my previous question.
Bailey Jenkins thinks she knows everything there is to know about men. She has no time for love, the lies they tell and drama that comes with them, unless...they are willing to finance her hearts desires. Lisa is a single mother who gives her all to the only man in her life, her son. While she doesn’t enjoy her job she reluctantly goes to work, even if late, so that she can provide for him. When her boss puts her in between a rock and a hard place she has to choose before her son and the job that makes it possible for her to take care of him. Tonya loves her husband and is wholesome as pie. However when she finds out that he’s been stepping out on her she is forced to take steps that she normally wouldn’t take. Jackson is the glue that holds all the ladies together but what happens when he starts to unravel?
Watch Your Back is a 97,000 word multi-cultural romantic suspense packed with tense moments, deceptions, danger, and an obstinate cow named, Abigail. Watch Your Back will leave the reader as breathless as Jayde is suspicious.
Devon Mitchell’s past is tormenting him and his future is uncertain. Believing he’s responsible for the accidental death of his estranged girlfriend, Candace Monroe, and her unborn child, Devon sequesters himself on his uncle’s farm in Illinois . When a missive from the family business arrives, Devon is shocked to learn the art gallery his grandmother bequeathed him in Washington , D.C. , is losing profits and plagued by questionable incidents. To find out who’s affecting his bottom line, Devon poses as the new director. A task easily achieved since nobody at the gallery knows the elusive owner. Once there, Devon concludes someone is out for revenge and he’s the primary target. The more formidable obstacle is the tall, sexy and bullheaded Jayde Seaton, a woman not above suspicion yet driving him to distraction.
The current director, Paolo Gambrini, resigns telling Jayde the job is hers. When one of the board members schedules a meeting, she’s convinced it’s to make her job as acting director permanent. She’s shopping for the perfect suit when she’s bowled over by a stranger, who spills his coffee on her. Contrite, he offers to pay for her suit, but Jayde snaps, “You probably can’t afford it.” When Jayde finds out the new director is Devon , the coffee toting stranger, she’s livid. Aside from the job, it’s all about the suit.
Off to a rocky start, the pair struggles to make a tense situation work. Jayde can’t help but wonder why a man so unsuitable for the job, just got the corner office.
In this story things aren’t always what they seem. Devon’s best friend, Xavier Taggert has a hidden agenda of his own and he’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal. Unfortunately for Devon and Jayde, Xavier may stop at nothing to get what he wants—including murder. Excerpt The door opened slowly. A white napkin appeared waving rapidly through the crack, followed by her adversary’s head.
“What are you doing?”
“I uh, didn’t have a flag, or a handkerchief. This was the best I could do on short notice. May I come in?”
Not responding, Jayde waved her arm in invitation.
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
Jayde glared at him.
He walked in closing the door behind him. When he wasn’t offered a seat, he leaned against the door. Silence dripped heavily through the room like warmed candle wax. A full, uncomfortable minute passed before Jayde broke the sound barrier. “You owe me a new suit.”
His eyebrow rose. “I owe you a new suit? If you recall, I offered to buy you a new one. You refused my offer—rudely I might add.”
Unable to stand still, Jayde crossed the room. “That was before I knew you could afford it. That doesn’t seem to be an issue now considering you just stole my job.”
Her heady perfume invaded Devon’s nose and his peace of mind. He stepped back. “I stole your job?” He laughed, loudly. “Wouldn’t I have to know you in order to steal your job?”
Jayde’s hands were fists at her sides. It didn’t soothe her frazzled nerves one bit to see him looking oblivious of any wrongdoing. She tried to calm down and deal rationally with the interloper, refusing to be swayed by his innocent smile. That “innocent” just got the corner office. When she spoke, her voice was brittle. “You…don’t play mind games with me, Mr. Mitchell. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. Who cares? I was promised that job,” she said, tapping her thumb on her chest. “And I intend to have it.”
Too Good To Be True Price: 15.00
Available on www.amazon.com & www.preciousmemoriesreading.com Jasmine Simmons has finally made it. Through all of her misfortunate’s, she has a full scholarship to University of Duke School of Law. However, will Jas- mine’s dark secret jeopardize every- thing she has worked so hard for? As Jasmine’s final semester winds down she decides to celebrate. Her best friend Ally decides to take her to the NCO club to have a good time...the last place Jasmine wants to be. Emmanuel McBride career had finally taken off being a professor at Duke University. However, only love can make him truly happy. Malcolm, Emmanuel’s best friend was tired of Emmanuel be- ing down in the dumps and knew just the thing to get him going. While hanging at the NCO club, Em- manuel was wishing he was any place else but…until he sees the most breathe taking image ever, Jasmine. After hearing the commotion from the ladies in the club, Jasmine turns and locks eyes with the most sinful sexy Ndea B dark chocolate brother she’s ever seen. So turned on, Jasmine felt parts of her body betraying her in the worst way. She has never felt anything like this before considering she hated the sight of men. Emmanuel had to meet this beauty but upon introducing himself Jasmine turned him down cold she had no time or patience for men. A month after being shot down by Jas- mine, Emmanuel couldn’t get the beau- tiful goddess off his mind. Jasmine, turning Emmanuel down cold, starts to think about the ‘what if’s’ with Emman- uel and couldn’t think of nothing else. A chance meeting a month later causes the two to realize that they have more in common than they realize. So much in common that they become instantly attracted to each other. Lost in his passion for Jasmine, Em- manuel didn’t realize that someone from his past was coming to turn his world upside down. Will Emmanuel convince Jasmine to let her guard down and give love a try or will lies, past lovers and a misguided friend cause them to lose it all or could this be a love…. TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
The Manual Author Sherryle iser Jackson
www.sherrylejackson.com Available October 2009 Price: 15.00 “I swear all men must read from the same manual. Like momma use to say the pages are long and the book is thick ‘cause a man has got a lot of tricks.”Deidre Collins can’t help but compare her fourteen year old son, DeAndre, to his father and her estranged ex-boyfriend who walked out of their lives eight years previous. Even after rededicating herself to the Lord, she’s having a hard time forgiving and forgetting. Lately she can’t understand where the child she has raised has gone, and who is this disobedient and disrespectful person that has replaced him. After the sudden lost of his own absentee father, Andre Hicks resurfaces in Deidre and DeAndre’s life with a determination to compensate for the time lost with his son. A follower of revolutionary gym owner and former Olympian, Bo Donovan, Andre has changed more than his physique. Reluctant to see him as the answer to her prayers, Deidre finally must yield her reservations about their troubled relationship to let DeAndre stay with his father during his suspension from school.DeAndre Hicks keeps one foot in church and the other foot in trouble. In his last year of middle school he finds himself divided between following the lead of his two best friends, the Dempsey twins, experiencing the novelty of first love with girlfriend, Kenya and toting the line at home with his mother. With pressure from every side, DeAndre finds a satisfying escape between the pages of his sketchbook where he harbors a talent yet discovered
Reflections of a Woman is the debut poetry compilation from Essence Magazine Best Selling Author Nikkea Smithers. Popular for her freestyle technique, she has taken the time to perfect this compilation by restoring the poems from the original 1st edition and adding many more poems to create this stellar 2nd edition. Readers will travel with the author to see her poetic growth as she paints portraits of many issues that women reflect on. Everyone can relate to the subject matter between these pages. This compilation has something for everyone. Price: 12.00
This love is like emotion Built up, bursting and flowing over Until it spills on the street and Our feet become wet from the moisture as We become baptized in this blessing from each other My heart is heavy from wanting to make love with you Not just the love that washes away But the love that’s stitched together with The fabric of life We continue to embed it with Ingredients of desire, faith, lust, passion, knowledge and sweat Yes we make love with the same condensation That’s been recycled in the air Our love story is written in red ink We shine like strobe lights So that everyone within miles around can see our love We make haters want to love out of jealousy of wanting Our love to be their own Let’s really give them something to bump their gums about Let’s cherish the day we walked down that rose filled aisle Let’s recall our vows and prove them to be more than words Let’s make memories of each year we spend together I’m talking about making trips to gardens in paradise each June Let’s make a mockery of divorce laws Make our promise to God remain sacred which Now a days is a scarcity Let’s make our friends want this Let’s make our friends believe this Let’s make players want to be monogamous And stop playing games Let’s make cheaters grow a conscious when they look at us I’m talking about our love making angels stay tuned Into our channel and watch us like we are The hottest reality show out Using us as an example Of what love is supposed to be I’m talking about our elders giving us compliments On our old school mentality saying baby Keep doing what your doing because the world needs To see that love is alive Let’s make our love so appealing That other countries want to know how we do it They’ll bring us Kush and jewels straight from the earth As an offering just to thank us for our love As they realize they can’t pay to get what we have But all the same they will bask in the sunshine of our sincerity Let’s make our love the topic of all conversation Let’s make our love the demise of all inequities to the point Where this love aint nothing to play with Violators beware, this is real love right here This is loves poetry This is earth quaking, heart binding, raw, sweat dripping Funky love I’m talking about that 1st Corinthians chapter 13 kind of love This is that love that songs are made of This is that love that wars are ended with Opponents put down their guns, stop their attacks And shake hands so that they can get back to their kin All just to get this love Because love never ceases There can be absence of love but love itself is always there Waiting for you to get it together And come back to love
A novel based on a true life story.” www.patriciabridewell.com Xpress Yourself Publishing Price: 14.95
Can be purchased at amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, publisher’s website, Zahra’s Books and Things, Malik’s Books
As CEO and owner of a new nursing registry, Pauline Bridges is striving to reach the height of success when an unexpected tragedy strikes. After a near fatal automobile accident, she climbs from the wreckage unscathed, but shortly thereafter, God begins to reveal her past. Chronicled in a series of stories, her life unfolds through a long journey; a pathway that unveils many secrets she had not even told her children. Memories of her mother’s abuse at the hands of her stepfather, a rape during adolescence, her brother’s stormy lifestyle, and the agony of a marriage that was destroyed by her ex-husband, Naman’s infidelity and substance abuse, all drift through her mind. Then there is the shattering memory of the unsolved murder of her former boss, vice president over a department at a major recording company. All were memories that Pauline had chosen to forget, but now they were back. More problems evolve when she discovers her friend Vangie, is having an affair with her best friend, Bethany’s husband, Darryl. She is torn between telling Bethany about the affair or remaining silent to keep peace. Pauline’s prayers are answered when Keith Maris steps into her life and opens her heart to emotions she had never imagined. Will her faith and Keith’s encouragement be able to sustain her through the trials ahead?
"Moving On The Road To A Man-Song Sanctuary" is one man's poetic journey through the emotionally chaotic trials linked inextricably to a "so-called" paradise--paradoxically filled with tempestuous social worlds. Embedded upon the path of a central visionary theme, while navigating beyond volatile issues and their damaging potential, is a major, daunting task: To salvage, maintain and still fully realize the joys that fuel the richness found within struggling life and a challenged love. A gifted writer and artist with an impassioned background as an educator, Fundi utilizes multifaceted dynamics to illuminate key aspects of often neglected, misunderstood human experiences. Fundi's fine illustrations also give magical accentuation to a compelling text. The vibrant stage of African-American culture, a freshly embraced Buddhist philosophy and overdue painful acknowledgement of an "inherent" homoerotic nature fuels a topical crossroads that has the means to be truly explosive. Yet, it is here that the perspective of this author's visual eye demonstrates an ability to make its "word magic" dance across the page. Fundi does have the uncanny ability to harness what could be considered discomforting truths within the currents of palpable streams that yield a compelling and lyrical flow. And at times the reader may just kick-back and enjoy a soulful serenade of various people, places and things. When exploring this book's contents readers will undoubtedly discern the revelation given by one man's alternative perspective on the healthy uncelebrated possibilities residing in the potentials of "caring men." Sounded is a resounding call for men themselves to further the task of pushing expanded improvement across the spectrum of a stagnant but definitive "men's" community. Whatever the background, gender or social persuasion, one thing is for sure: A hardy stash containing unexpected jewels awaits a lofty traveler after captured unequivocally
Passion Perkins is hot to trot. After being celibate for five long years, she’s ready, willing, and able to end her drought. But she’s also determined to hold out for Mr. Right...a man her friends say doesn’t exist. Passion is beginning to think her friends might be right. And then Lavon Chapman walks into her life: a powerful man who has come to the community to film an inspirational DVD about Passion’s minister, Reverend Stanley Lee, and his fiery wife, Carla Lee. But Lavon is only in town for eight weeks...
Passion is now on a mission to make Lavon her husband and to end her celibacy...and not necessarily in that order. But she’s not the only one. It seems Reverend Lee, though a master inthe pulpit is a dud between the sheets, so Carla Lee has Lavon in her sights—and is determined to end up on top. Before long, other members of the church community are entangled in scandals of their own, and while some are getting busy in service to the Lord, others are just simply getting busy...
Excerpt
“Excuse me,” a deep, slightly gruff voice said as a hand lightly grasped her forearm. “May I sit beside you?”
Any word except “yes” fled from Passion’s mind as soon as she turned towards the voice. It came from a solid-looking chest that pushed against a light gray silk shirt and tailored black suit. She looked at the hand that lightly grasped her arm and noted square, thick fingers with manicured nails. Looking up, she found a face full of character, confidence and pure animal magnetism. The man wasn’t typically handsome. He had a flat face, big nose, thick lips and black, beady eyes. But when the man unconsciously licked those lips, nodded and smiled, Passion noted the beady eyes were surrounded by long, curly lashes, and the lips looked soft and inviting, probably capable of doing things best not pondered in church. All of these thoughts were processed in the seconds it took for Passion to nod, smile back, and move over so the manly stranger could sit at the end of the pew.
The choir finished their selection and Pastor Carla changed places with her husband, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as he gave her the microphone and walked to his seat. Pastor Carla continued to the podium.
“My goodness, that is a man of God,” she said, pointing to her husband and shaking her head in appreciation. The congregation laughed, used to Pastor Carla’s romantic overtures to her husband from the pulpit. It was part of what the members loved about them, that they fanned the flames of their decade old marriage openly and often. Innocent touches, light kisses, a hug here or there, theirs was a marriage many members held as the standard bearer for unions.
Passion was one of those members. Unlike her imaginings of Pastor Montgomery, she’d never entertained an untoward thought about Doctor Lee. If I could have a marriage like theirs, she thought. The commanding stranger fidgeted beside her. As was typical, it was a crowded Sunday morning. There had barely been enough room to fit him in on the second row. Maybe God is answering my prayer right now…maybe His answer is this manly mass of muscle sitting beside me…
“Hi, I’m Passion,” she said, once the man whose name she’d heard was Lavon turned to her. “Welcome to Logos Word.”
“Lavon Chapman,” he said, taking her hand in his large, strong one and looking intently into her eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you…Passion.” Lavon paused before he said her name, caressing each syllable before it oozed from his juicy lips.
“Yes,” Passion said feeling slightly discombobulated. “Passion Perkins. It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” She didn’t know what it was about Lavon that was so sexy to her but after five years of celibacy, it could have been that he was male and breathing.
“Interesting name,” he continued in a low voice, as the ushers prepared to lift an offering.
“It fits me,” she replied, then immediately could have kicked herself for what sounded like a flirtatious answer. “I mean, my grandfather called me that because of how feisty I… She felt the hole she was digging get deeper. “What I’m trying to say is—”
“It’s a great name,” Lavon countered smoothly, saving Passion from further explanation.
Passion breathed a sigh of relief as Doctor Lee began to preach. She enjoyed the sermon, not because she’d remember either chapter or verse later, but because it gave her more than an hour of ongoing interaction with Lavon. Doctor Lee was one of those preachers who liked to interact with his congregants. He constantly encouraged the crowd to “turn to your neighbor and say” whatever phrase he wanted repeated for emphasis. He also referenced scriptures throughout his sermon. Passion shared her Bible with Lavon and when he placed his hand under hers to help her hold it, she thought she might have to excuse herself from the sanctuary. Was it her, or was he gently massaging her hand? It may have been her imagination but either way Passion was now acutely aware of how long it had been since she’d enjoyed a man’s touch…
D'Andra Smalls has had enough. She's tired of being overweight, she's had it with her overbearing family, and she's fed up with settling for any guy who'll have her—especially since she caught her boyfriend cheating with her best friend.
But working out and avoiding delicious food is easy compared to resisting the charms of Los Angeles' hottest personal trainer, JaJuan "Night" Simmons. Six feet of chiseled muscle and fine chocolate, he's challenging her body in all the right ways--and proving there's a sensitive, caring guy under the good looks. Their shared career goals of promoting health and fitness bring them even closer together. But D'Andra feels it may be too much of a good thing. After succeeding in taking control of her life, can she risk losing control of her heart?
Excerpt
“What? Right here, right now?”
“Yes.”
“But what if people see us?”
“The gym is closed; nobody’s here.”
D’Andra looked around. How long had they been in the sauna?
“Nobody’s here,” Night repeated, just before his lips pressed against hers.
The kiss seared her body like a branding iron. She craned her neck to give him all of her, even as she opened her mouth to his probing tongue and let him inside. Their tongues twirled in the age-old dance, their hands moving, exploring, touching new territory. D’Andra gasped as she felt Night’s hand slip below her athletic bra. She was surprised at his gentleness, even as he massaged each nipple into a hardened peak within seconds.
“Night,” she moaned against his lips. “Night, Night…”
“Aunt DeeDee! Wake up, Aunt DeeDee!”
D’Andra fought sheets and little hands for air as she came out of what felt like a deep fog. She opened her eyes to three sets of wide-eyed browns ones with expressions that ranged from quizzical to comical.
“You were dreaming, Aunt DeeDee,” Kayla said matter-of-factly.
“Yeah,” Tonia said. “And talking, too!”
Available at www.preciousmemoriesreading.com & where ever books are sold. When Dahlia decides to get even with a man, named Troy, who broke her heart she thinks of a master plan. To her dismay after asking Nitrah, her best friend to help her get even, she falls in love with Troy. Not only does this cause a huge rift, the ladies must soon face the fact that they both have lied and their secrets will unveil. Troy thinks he has finally found true love with Nitrah but what will happen when he finds out their relationship is based on a lie. This novel includes, love, sex, deceit, and betrayal. Five characters tell the story as they see it. Learn what The Ultimate NO NO is when it comes to love.
Diary of a Sex Addict Synopsis: Tiffany Love is a sex addict that lives a secret life. Her friends and family all think of her as a normal, laid back girl who goes to school and attends church regularly. After being introduced to sexual acts and pornography at a young age, Tiffany starts masturbating to get that “good feeling.” Losing her virginity to a man she doesn’t even know, begins a downward spiral for Tiffany. Receiving the love that she needed from her mother as a child, Tiffany assumed things would be even better when her mother marries Vincent because she had never had a father figure in her life. She soon found that wasn’t the case. Vincent began to make Tiffany’s life a living hell and in the process takes the little love that she had already been receiving from her mother away. Her mother always believed that a woman should be submissive to her husband therefore she usually took Vincent’s side. Determined to find love, even if it means taking risks, living on the edge, and sleeping with whatever man or woman who would pay her any small amount of attention. Tiffany becomes so addicted to sex that she feels as though she needs it in order to survive. Will she be able to control her addiction? Will she ever be able to fill that void? Or will she destroy herself in the process?
Internal struggles with selfishness, love, pain, addiction and faith are just a few moments in the life of an Ordinary Woman. The1Essence takes you through those moments with the short stories; My Brother, Myself & Sex and Satan (Contains explict content); along with a small collection of poetry.
Thirty-five year old First Lady Denise Tate is a woman who has it all. She is living the life most people dream of; a beautiful house in the suburbs, luxury cars, shopping sprees, and a husband, Randy, who is ready and willing to keep her laced in nothing but the best. Even though she has everything a woman could ever want, she's still not satisfied and firmly believes she can have her cake and eat it too.
Randy Tate has his work cut out for him as the Senior Pastor of Oakdale Baptist Church, the largest in Youngstown Ohio, yet, he humbly embraces the challenge. Denise has more time on her hands than a clock and she uses this and her endless cash flow to her full advantage. In addition to playing the good, little, church wife, First lady also juggles three other men on the side. She executes the game with such expertise - effortlessly, until one of her lovers decides to flip the script on her.
Relentlessly determined not to be found out, Denise decides not to admit a dark secret that has the power to destroy her cozy life as she knows it. Eventually, all good things come to an end and the wrath of God is delivered that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Holy Seduction's premise is this; you may play the game well, but, remember there is always someone who plays the game better than you. Lies, Drama, and deceit are front and center in this novel with a plot so sneaky and so seductive you'll swear it's a sin.
Jessica A. Robinson pens an infectious and addictive tale of a woman who is living a double life. Full of twists, turns, and surprises, Holy Seduction is a groundbreaking tale of infidelity and drama in the church.
Excerpt:
"Baby it's nine o clock" Lamar said as he got up from the bed and put his jeans on. In a frenzy, Denise Tate jumped out of bed and started gathering her things. "I told my husband I would meet him for dinner at nine. I'll never make it in time" she said as she began to panic. "Just hurry up you'll be alright" Lamar reassured her. As Denise got the rest of her things her mind began to wonder. Would her husband question her whereabouts? Would he smell the scent of another man on her skin?
These kinds of questions drove her crazy, so instead of dwelling on them she just dismissed them. Her husband must never find out. And I mean NEVER. Lamar walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down. "Denise how long are you going to keep this up?" he asked. She looked over at him as if she didn't know what he was talking about, but she knew exactly what he said.
"Keep what up?" she asked with a confused look on her face.
"You know what I'm talking about. You promised me that you were going to leave your husband so that we can be together".
"I am going to leave him. I told you that".
"Well why am I still a secret?" Lamar looked Denise straight in her eyes.
Denise had her own problems the last thing she needed was to be questioned by Lamar. Just when things were good between them, Lamar had to mess it up with asking questions. She felt like she was in jail being interrogated.
When she first hooked up with him, it was upon agreement that there would be "no strings attached". That was definitely what they had agreed upon in the beginning but like all the other men that Denise had encountered they all wanted something more. All her former lovers wanted more than what Denise was willing to give. She wanted sex and they wanted a relationship.
So like all the others, Denise knew she was going to have to cut Lamar off. But somehow Lamar was different than the others. He was everything she looked for in a man: tall, dark complexion, beautiful muscle tone, and the moves to make a true sista moan. She was really starting to like Lamar but she wouldn't dare risk to be with him and mess up what she's got going on at home.
"Now Lamar, you know I care about you a lot and I want to be with you but right now it's not a good time to break the news to my husband. I mean he is at the height of his career as the pastor of our church and leaving right now will mess him up." Denise put on her jacket. "I love you so much Denise, I just want us to be together. I'm tired of sneaking around and keeping everything a secret."
Carmelo Miller is a retired NBA player who has game on and off the court. He has a large appetite for women, and the means to satisfy his hunger. He is often envied by the average man because unlike them he is able to juggle three ladies.
Cynthia
His high school sweet heart. She was with him before he had a pot to piss in. On their first date, he knew she was the one. She was the finest girl in school. She had it all; 34-26-60 just the way he likes it.
Monique
A young vixen with the dreams of one day making it big and becoming a video girl. She lap danced her way right into his heart. This is how he fell in love with a stripper. She is currently the reigning 2008 Miss New Booty of club MO Booty aka the hottest strip club in the south.
Augustine
An old school cutey. She is a flight attendant who believes a woman should always cater to her man. Her favorite saying is, “Whatever you like.”
If this sounds border line impossible, Carmelo can teach you the game inside Cheating On My Mistress because nothing is out-of-bounds for this baller.
Excerpt:
A letter from a woman scorned
I’m writing this letter as a form of therapy. My psychologist believes it is a positive way for me to express myself. It will also allow me to help other women who have been emotionally destroyed by a cheating loved one. Therefore, I have compiled a list of the top reasons why a man cheats. He’s not ready for a commitment. There is a lack of communication. He can’t take care of himself financially. Therefore, he cheats instead of taking the risk of losing the extra income. He enjoys having numerous sex partners. It’s an ego boost. He wants to experience the excitement of having a secret affair. He needs to feel desired. He needs more attention.He doesn’t think about the consequences of his actions. He thinks with his penis. Just for the hell of it.He cheats because he doesn’t take his relationship seriously. To see if he still “has it”.He assumes his partner is bored with him or is no longer interested in sex. He enjoys having friends with “bonuses”.He doesn’t think you are willing to participate in the kinky stuff.
I hope women take my list to heart. I’ve been around the block a few times, if you know what I mean. While I’m a victim, I’m also an expert when it comes to manipulating men.
Sincerely,
Larissa Calhoun
aka
Augustine
Chapter 1
Men Like Variety
B.J. blows his car horn and yells out the window.
“Carmelo, drag your old butt out here so we can get this game of shirts and skins poppin’. I don’t have all day to wait on you. It’s been a couple of weeks since I spanked that ass on the court.”
Carmelo jogs to his friend’s car pretending he’s dribbling a basketball. He is wearing a black jogging suit, a baseball cap, and an NBA jersey. He gets in the car and closes the door. He snaps.
“Quit all the whining.”
“Whatever, you were almost driving yourself to the park.”
The car falls silent.
After several seconds of silence, B.J. remarks “So I heard you’ve been big pimping since I left for vacation. Word on the street is you’ve earned the player of the year award. I heard you’ve got three bad women on your arm. When did this come about? I’ve only been out of town for two months.”
“B.J., you been my boy since the third grade. You know we never keep any secrets from each other. I was just waitin’ until you got back so I could tell you face to face. I didn’t want to take the risk of Cynthia overhearin’ me hook up with you over the phone. Pimpin’ ain’t as easy as it looks. It is what it is. The ladies can’t resist my sexiness or this baby face. I sweet talk em’ and make em’ think they’re the only one. I pounce on them like prey in the night. That’s how I got the nickname “Silent but Deadly”. Before they can pull the sheet from over their eyes, I got their nose wide open like a 7-Eleven on MLK Street.”
“Man, I still don’t see how you make time for three women.”
“Let me tell you, it’s ain’t easy. You got to have coordination. That is why I picked three totally different women. First, I got my lovin’ wife Cynthia. We were high school sweethearts. She’s an old-fashioned Christian woman. She was with me before I had a pot to piss in. On our first date, I knew she was the one. Her smile could light up a room. She was the finest girl in school. She was stacked. She had it all: 34-26-60, just the way I like it. That’s how she ended up with my last name and two of my babies.”
“So if Cynthia is the bomb, why are you cheating?”
“The sex is boring. We’ve been doin’ the same thang for the last ten years. I needed some spice in my life. I didn’t have the nerve to tell her that the sex is bad. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. That’s how I ended up with Monique. Like a famous rapper once said, I’m in love with a stripper. I met her at Club MO Booty. Me and some of my boys went to the club for Bubba’s bachelor’s party. You know Club MO Booty got the finest women in the South! Anyway, I was on my third glass of Hennessy and Coke when Dream’s I Luv Your Girl came pumpin’ out the speakers. I swear the chick came out looking like a light-skinned version of Buffy the Body. She was dressed in a fishnet suit. All her goodies were exposed to the world. It was sexy as hell. She took one hand and jumped on the stripper pole. B.J., I swear it disappeared between her cheeks.”
“Quit lying.”
“I ain’t lyin’. Man, she got ass for days. She got one of them butts where you can stand a coffee cup on top, slap her cheeks, and the cup will still have room to move around. My mouth is watering from just thinkin’ about it.”
Carmelo pretends to wipe drool dripping down the side of his mouth and smirks. B.J. is anxiously waiting for his friend to finish the story.
“Quit clowning and finish the story.”
“Alright. So she started doin’ the ass clap where the booty touches the back of the leg and makes the flipper sound. You know, the sound a dolphin makes when it claps its hands together. Lookin’ at her bag that thang up put me, in a daze. I was delusional for a second. When I snapped out of it, she was crawlin’ in my direction. I was prayin’ that she landed in my lap. And my prayers were answered. She gave me the best lap dance I ever had in my life. She had my muscle stiff as a rock. I ended up giving her every dime I had in my pocket. I went home broker than two left shoes. Now, I’ve seen a million strippers in my lifetime, but this one was different. When we left the club, I couldn’t get the Dream’s song out of my head. I looked over my shoulder and there she was with her man. She looked even better in the moonlight. Dude, it had to be déjà vu. She had her heels on high. It was her birthday. I was a little drunk so I was confident. Fuck that dude I thought to myself. I got to have her. I boldly walked over to her, and to my surprise the dude was her brother. That was cool because I probably would’ve gotten beat up if it was her man. She smiled at me. I said happy birthday. She asked how did I know? I told her that I overheard the ladies say it to her as they were leaving the club. She said thank you. It was on from there. We met up a few minutes later at the Waffle House across the street. Later that morning as I left her apartment, we exchanged numbers.
Monique is a straight freak in the sheets. She does things to me that I didn’t know were possible. The girl turns me out. She keeps it real. She knows that I’m married and doesn’t give a damn about being a mistress. She thinks it’s cute. What she don’t know is that I’m cheatin’ on her as well. She thinks one day I will leave my wife and marry her. You best believe I ain’t tryin’ to turn a hoe into a housewife. If she’s turnin’ tricks like this for me, I know there are some other brothers out there gettin’ served as well.”
“You got Cynthia the wifey and Monique the stripper. How do you have time for a third one?”
“B.J., you ain’t payin’ attention. It’s all about coordination. Now wifey is always home, and goes to bed early. She works a regular nine-to-five job. That gives me all day to screw around with Monique. She goes to work at sundown and don’t come home until sunup so we have all day to play hide and go get it. Then, there’s Augustine. I met her on a business trip to Atlanta. She’s a flight attendant. I don’t have to worry about her much because she’s only in town one weekend a month. Augustine is a black blonde. She believes whatever I tell her. She doesn’t have a clue that I’m married and have a girlfriend.”
“You’re a BBAADDDD man!”
“And you know this!”
Carmelo and B.J. dap each other up, and pull up to the basketball court. B.J. takes his shirt off and tosses it into his back seat. He’s excited to hook up with their homeboys. He and Carmelo jog to the court. When they arrive, their boys give them a hard time about being late.
One of the guys remarks, “I know you two were probably at home primping, but this is basketball not a damn fashion show.”
Carmelo responds, “Negro, quit hating. You just mad because you don’t look as good as me. But don’t let these looks fool you because I’m gonna put somethin’ on you as soon as this game starts. I’m warnin’ you to quit talkin’ shit before I dunk on you like I used to do ya daddy back in the day.”
His friend challenges him.
“Show me whatcha got?”
“Keep campaignin’. I’m gonna elect you for this ass whoopin.” After fifthteen minutes of talking junk to each other, the game finally begins. ###
The sermon is over. The choir has marched out of the church and everyone is sitting around mingling. Today is the first Sunday of the month which means communion time. The mothers of the church have prepared a large soul food dinner for the congregation.
As Cynthia digs through her purse for a peppermint, Mrs. Viola, the head mother of the church, slides in the pew next to her. She looks at Cynthia.
“Hey suga, your twins have gotten so big and beautiful. It seems like yesterday when you were dragging that two-seater stroller in here with them babies by yourself. It’s like they grew up overnight. I know you’re a saved woman, but inquiring minds want to know what’s up with your husband. I was just wondering why he never comes to church with you. I see you here every Sunday. You and your spouse might not be equally yoked.” Cynthia closes her eyes for a quick second to pray. Lord, give me strength not to go off on this old woman in this church house. When she opens her eyes, Mrs. Viola says, “I can tell by your demeanor you’re a sanctified woman.”
“I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but you’ve overstepped your boundaries. What goes on in my house is my personal business. I’m not required to share with you or any other nosy members of this church. Remember, Christians are not supposed to judge each other. ”
“I’m not nosy. I prefer the term God’s warrior. I have four decades of age over you so respect your elders. Let me give you a piece of wisdom. If your husband can’t come in here and praise the Lord at least once a month, Honey, it’s something wrong.”
Cynthia says with an attitude. “I can handle my household.”
Mrs. Viola tilts her bright orange rhinestone hat to the side, turns her nose up, and departs the area. She is visibly offended. Cynthia thinks she has a lot of nerves, and takes a moment to reflect on her marriage.
Cynthia agrees that her husband should be at church worshipping with them. Her mother always says a family that prays together is a family that stays together. She can’t get mad because Carmelo doesn’t attend church. She knew from the jump that he was not a faithful church goer. On the plus side, Cynthia knows that he is a good man. He treats her and the girls like queens. He is a nurturer and a provider. She loves him with all her heart and is confident he will never do anything to hurt her.
Price: 15.00 www.amazon.comwww.preciousmemoriesreading.com Revel in the knowledge that you are secure in God's hands. The Blessedness of Believing is expressly written with a heart that seeks after the righteousness of God with uptlifting personal sentiments and prayers, referencing Holy Scripture, encouraging lyrics and deep expressions of faith. These reflections are written for your daily devotional time and to compliment your bible study.
Once You've Touched The Heart $12.95 Available through www.amazon.com www.irisbolling.com www.sirient.com Can sex, lies and politics stop true love? Jeffrey Harrison is anointed with the looks, charisma and political connections to go far. He doesn't realize how far until he meets the one woman who touches his heart like no other. Tracy Washington's innocence and purity overwhelms him and even though she's his sister's best friend, he can't stop thining about her. The forces of nature bring the two together and the sky is the limit for this couple. The trials and tribulations that Jeffrey and Tracy endure on their journey together bring them closer, to a place where neither of them imagined. But will their dreams be derailed by jealous people, family skeletons and his dangerous career?
The Heart of Him www.sirient.com www.irisbolling.com Available through www.amazon.com $12.95 Can the past change forever? James Brooks, the campaign manager for Attorney General hopeful JD Harrison finds himself reluctantly falling for Ashley Harrison, sister to the candidate. As the two become more attracted to each other, their past love interests emerge and threaten to destroy what appears to be a sex-driven relationship. James has hidden his family ties from Ashley and his friends for reasons of his own. Making her a permanent part of his life means, he will have to face the family he was exiled from and certain demons that hardened his heart. Ashley finds herself in love with a man that she believes is out of her league. She is constantly trying to peel away the shield he has erected around his heart. Unfortunately, an ex-lover takes her attention away occasionally with his obsession with her. James and Ashleys life becomes a rolling snowball picking up speed when it finally crashes. The impact not only affects their loved ones, but the political campaign that may produce the first African-American President of the United States.
$14.95 On Sale for $10.95 plus free shipping at 
10 Commandments of Love A book of short stories
Revenge Of The Cheating Mistress is centered around the life of an authoress/professional mistress named Larissa Calhoun. She is cute in the face and thin in the waist. One bad relationship after another causes her to explore her life's purpose that is to make all men pay. In the midst of her drama, her rise to fame comes unexpectedly as her novels top the New York times and Essence magazine best seller's list. Things are going great until she discovers her ex-lover has become a pastor at one of the biggest mega churches in the south. Larissa becomes angry and uses this as an excuse to convert back into her vengeful ways in hopes of finding out if the old saying is true once a cheater always a cheater. Price: 14.95 Available: 
Chante Chambers is a self-proclaimed princess. She has it all: looks, a body women would pay for, a great career, all the material items a girl could want plus some…all of this maintained by her ex, Jason. Whatever mama wants, Jason makes sure mama gets. The one task he failed at was being faithful. With a toss of a Gucci pump Jason was history. Or so she thought. 
Purchase online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. $14.95. 
Danica is back! Haunted by her treacherous past Danica Sherman decides to change the scenery in her life and searches for a path to redemption. The only problem is the more she runs from her past, the faster it accelerates towards her future. As Danica desperately tries to figure out what she is going to do about the mess she has made of her life, skeletons start tumbling out of her closet. Patrice's luck goes from bad to worse when she is forced to move back home with her parents following the aftermath of her encounter with Danica the year prior. Everyday she becomes more bitter as revelations wreck havoc and turn her life upside down. With only one person in her mind to blame, she takes revenge to an all time high. Danica and Patrice's paths cross once again and the tables get turned upside down! In a new city, with new insecurities and new threats...what will happen when they have to lean on the person they least expect to help them survive? In this jaw dropping sequel to On The Flip Side, questions will be answered as the drama continues! $15.00 Available wherever books are sold. 
Caught between her husband and her lover When the man that Dr. Teresa McCall promised to forsake all others for, cheated on her, she is devastated. The crippling blow of finding out about her husband's affair starts Teresa on a downward spiral that threatens not only her marriage, but also the career she has worked so hard for. Cloaked in a haze of frustration and hurt it does not take long for Teri to fall under the spell of fellow doctor Sean Morris, a cardiologist with one of Atlanta's top hospitals. However, Dr. Morris is harboring a dark secret that not even the seasoned psychiatrist can sniff out.
Title: Key To My Heart
Dream is a highschool student from Bridgeport, Connecticut who is traumatized when she is informed of the tragic suicide of her best friend. Feeling like she is alone in the world with an abusive mother and absent father, Dream almost comes to the resolution that her life is also not worth living... Antonio is also in highschool but from Richmond, Virginia working two jobs to help his mother support his man brothers and sisters. Growing up in the projects, he is faced with a number of obstacles that will test his manhood. When Dream and Antonio s worlds collide both of their lives change forever...but is it for the better or for the worse? 
Beautiful Ugly (Urban Christian) by Shelia E. Lipsey 
Author and Poet Rachel Berry 
My Son's Wife (Urban Christian) by Shelia E. Lipsey 
Pamela D. Rice Author of The Sunday Morning Wife 
Corey J. Barnes 
Postal Blues by Nikki Coe
Watch Your Back 
Too Good To Be True 
The Manual Author Sherryle iser Jackson
Reflections of a Woman is the debut poetry compilation from Essence Magazine Best Selling Author Nikkea Smithers. Popular for her freestyle technique, she has taken the time to perfect this compilation by restoring the poems from the original 1st edition and adding many more poems to create this stellar 2nd edition. Readers will travel with the author to see her poetic growth as she paints portraits of many issues that women reflect on. Everyone can relate to the subject matter between these pages. This compilation has something for everyone. 
A novel based on a true life story.” 
"Moving On The Road To A Man-Song Sanctuary" is one man's poetic journey through the emotionally chaotic trials linked inextricably to a "so-called" paradise--paradoxically filled with tempestuous social worlds. Embedded upon the path of a central visionary theme, while navigating beyond volatile issues and their damaging potential, is a major, daunting task: To salvage, maintain and still fully realize the joys that fuel the richness found within struggling life and a challenged love. A gifted writer and artist with an impassioned background as an educator, Fundi utilizes multifaceted dynamics to illuminate key aspects of often neglected, misunderstood human experiences. Fundi's fine illustrations also give magical accentuation to a compelling text. The vibrant stage of African-American culture, a freshly embraced Buddhist philosophy and overdue painful acknowledgement of an "inherent" homoerotic nature fuels a topical crossroads that has the means to be truly explosive. Yet, it is here that the perspective of this author's visual eye demonstrates an ability to make its "word magic" dance across the page. Fundi does have the uncanny ability to harness what could be considered discomforting truths within the currents of palpable streams that yield a compelling and lyrical flow. And at times the reader may just kick-back and enjoy a soulful serenade of various people, places and things. When exploring this book's contents readers will undoubtedly discern the revelation given by one man's alternative perspective on the healthy uncelebrated possibilities residing in the potentials of "caring men." Sounded is a resounding call for men themselves to further the task of pushing expanded improvement across the spectrum of a stagnant but definitive "men's" community. Whatever the background, gender or social persuasion, one thing is for sure: A hardy stash containing unexpected jewels awaits a lofty traveler after captured unequivocally 
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Diary of a Sex Addict Synopsis: Tiffany Love is a sex addict that lives a secret life. Her friends and family all think of her as a normal, laid back girl who goes to school and attends church regularly. After being introduced to sexual acts and pornography at a young age, Tiffany starts masturbating to get that “good feeling.” Losing her virginity to a man she doesn’t even know, begins a downward spiral for Tiffany. Receiving the love that she needed from her mother as a child, Tiffany assumed things would be even better when her mother marries Vincent because she had never had a father figure in her life. She soon found that wasn’t the case. Vincent began to make Tiffany’s life a living hell and in the process takes the little love that she had already been receiving from her mother away. Her mother always believed that a woman should be submissive to her husband therefore she usually took Vincent’s side. Determined to find love, even if it means taking risks, living on the edge, and sleeping with whatever man or woman who would pay her any small amount of attention. Tiffany becomes so addicted to sex that she feels as though she needs it in order to survive. Will she be able to control her addiction? Will she ever be able to fill that void? Or will she destroy herself in the process?
Internal struggles with selfishness, love, pain, addiction and faith are just a few moments in the life of an Ordinary Woman. The1Essence takes you through those moments with the short stories; My Brother, Myself & Sex and Satan (Contains explict content); along with a small collection of poetry.
S. Dodson
Once You've Touched The Heart $12.95
The Heart of Him
