Pleasure Principles by Lesley E. Hal

Pleasure Principles by Lesley E. Hal

Listen to the sexy preview here: http://www.audioacrobat.com/sa/W8HJTZ94



Can Bianca keep a married couple from finding out that the person they’re cheating on each other with is her?  Or will living the love-them-and-leave-them lifestyle that Rick James and Teena Marie sang about in the eighties be more fire than desire? That’s the mantra that has become Bianca Brooks’ claim to fame after being stood up at the altar by her longtime fiancĂ©, Michael Jones, five years ago.

Since then, Bianca’s life has consisted of a steady string of bedmates and running her burgeoning event planning company, Pleasure Principles, with best friends Cody and Reggie. With love having nothing to do with her newfound lease on life, Pleasure Principles is her one and only commitment, until she meets Taylor, wife of Dallas Mavericks golden boy, Eric “All Air” Sims. A torrid affair ensues with Eric being none the wiser until he pays Bianca an eye-opening visit. During his stay, Bianca’s world is turned upside down when she finds herself in the middle of a forbidden love triangle, adding even more drama to her already flawed sex life.

Even though Eric’s being unfaithful, his insecurities run rampant, prompting him to hire a detective to see where Taylor’s infidelities lie. When given the proof he needs, all hell breaks loose and everything about Bianca’s promiscuity brings forth malicious consequences of revenge.


Purchase Pleasure Principles http://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Principles-Lesley-E-Hal/dp/0977865525

Purchase Pleasure Principles from the Author
Lesley E. Hal website is:   http://www.pleasureprinciplepublishing.com/


Connect with Lesley Online
http://www.lesleyhal.com/
http://www.twitter.com/lesleyhal
http://www.facebook.com/lesleyhal




Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine.
Visit the magazine here: http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

FROM GHETTO TO GREATNESS by Kevin Brown

FROM GHETTO TO GREATNESS
A Journey In and Out of The Ghetto - Based on a True Story
A Novel by Kevin Brown


Set in the late 1970's, Author Kevin “Coach” Brown’s novel From Ghetto to Greatness is a masterpiece of storytelling that grabs the reader's attention from the very beginning. Once you are pulled into the protagonist’s Jerome Green’s world, you will be whisked away with him through the perils of teenage drug addiction and living life with no parental guidance. You will be pulling for Jerome all the way.

The plot is fresh and intriguing; as opposed to the trite storyline of “I sold drugs, I was in a gang, I went to jail, and now I want to save the world.” The result of this brand new approach to urban literature is a book that is absolutly a must read for all. It's just a wonderful story that will inspire you. It will make you laugh and sometimes want to cry. Brown paints his characters brilliantly as they all come to life and have a cumulative effect on Jerome Green’s unsure future.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author Kevin "Coach" Brown enjoys writing and publishing inspirational thoughts that are enjoyed by thousands of his online followers. He is also a Success Coach and Motivational Speaker. He is a respected member of the International Coach Federation, The Georgia Coach Association, and Toast Masters International. He regularly conducts seminars and gives speeches on discovering your God-given purpose, creating your life plan, and setting and achieving goals based on your life plan.

Coach Kevin is a decorated, 12-year veteran of the United States Air Force. Following exemplary military service to his country, Kevin continues to enjoy a highly successful corporate career as an engineer, trainer, and consultant.The outstanding gifts he uses to enable government and corporate clients to maximize the use of complex technologies are now available to you to make the most of your complex life.

Coach Kevin takes the wisdom and caring of a grandfather, the discipline of a military training instructor, the intelligence of an engineer, and the vision of a senior corporate consultant and combines that experience with specialized Co-active Coaching techniques to enable you to transform your life and reach your glorious potential. Coach Kevin will work with you to unlock your full potential and enable you to attain all of your worthy desires. With Coach Kevin's passionate approach to life coaching, you can be assured of attaining meaningful results from your life coaching investment.

•ISBN-13: 978-0578040868
•Genre: Urban Fiction
•Target Audience: Teens/Adults
•Primary Subject Matter: Coming of Age Story

Paperback Available Worldwide:

http://www.successcoach4u.com/ for personally autographed copies
Lulu.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, BooksaMillion.com
 
 
Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine. Visit the magazine here:  http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

Author Pavilion Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 2010

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Author Pavilion 2010
Washington, DC Convention Center, Exhibit Hall E – Booth 107


Thursday, September 16th
(Pavilion Hours 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.)


Presented by The Renaissance Group, The Hurston Wright Foundation, Howard University and hosted by Patrick Oliver Founder of, Say It Loud! Readers and Writers Series. Online PR provided by EDC Creations Media Group.


8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. WRITE NOW!

1. Kea Taylor – I Still Do A Celebration of African American Weddings

2. Frederick Nnoma-Addison - The United States and Ghana Celebrating 50 Years of Friendship & Progress

3. Olympian Devon Harris – Yes I Can Children’s Book

4. Daniel R. Biddle & Murray Dubin – Tasting Freedom Octavius Catto and the Battle of Equality in Civil War America

5. R. Michelle – Her Game Plan

6. Afya Ibomu – Vegan Soul Food Guide to the Galaxy

7. Moneek Reid & Zubari Duniani – Nigus: Images of Ourselves

8. Pierre – My 100 Homies & Phonies of Hollywood



10:00a.m. – 11:30a.m. Author Meet and Greet

1. Jessica Tilles – Loving Simone

2. Tinisha Nicole Johnson - Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself as a Black Woman

3. Harold Turley II – My Darkest Hour The Day I Realized I was Abusive

4. Jam Donaldson - Conversate is Not a Word Getting Away from Ghetto

5. Ytasha L. Womack - Post Black How a New Generation is Redefining African American Identity

6. Curtis Bunn - That Was Then This is Now

7. Towan Isom – Chasing Greatness The Young Professional’s Guide to a Dynamic Life

8. Harold Fisher - Two Weeks Until the Rest of My Life

9. Willie Jolley – Turn Setbacks into Greenbacks

10. Indigo Johnson – Playing by the Unwritten Rules: Moving from the Middle to the Top and Playing by the Unwritten Rules II: From a Job Defense to a Career Offense



12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Community Panel Discussion
TECHNOLOGY AND THE BLACK COMMUNITY!


The Importance of Technology in the Black Community: Using Technology to Communicate in the Digital Age. Moderator: Dr. Sammye Miller, Chairman of the Department of History & Government at Bowie State College.

Panelists: Narcius Ridley; Cynthia Hopkins Brown; Charles Acree; and Kevin Bailey Information Technologists
Ella Curry - Black Pearls Magazine Publisher and President of EDC Creations Media Group
Martin Pratt – CEO Infinite MMS
Curtis Bunn, National Book Club Conference Founder and author of That Was Then This is Now



2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.  Author Meet and Greet
1. Robin D. Stone - My Times in Black and White Race and Power at the New York Times Gerald M. Boyd

2. Marva L. Goldsmith – Branding Yourself After Age 50

3. Gwynne Forster – Love Me Tonight

4. Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, Rhonda Joy McLean - The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women

5. Gloria J. Browne-Marshall – Race, Law, and American Society

6. Jihad – Preacher Man Blues II

7. Thomas Chatterton Williams - LOSING MY COOL: How a Father's Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture

8. Scott Simpson – Unbought and Unbossed by Shirley Chisholm: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition



4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Community Panel Discussion
CULTURAL PRESERVATION & WRITERS

Preserving Our Cultural Memory Through Literature presented by The Hurston Wright Foundation. Moderator: Marita Golden author of Don’t Play In The Sun: The Color Complex.

Panelists: Elizabeth Nunez – Anna In-Between
Dolen Perkins-Valdez – Wench A Novel
Tom Burrell – Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority;
Julianne Malveaux – Surviving and Thriving 365 Facts in Black Economic History
Cheryl Wills – Die Free a Heroic Family History


View the 2010 Author Pavilion at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation schedule for  Friday  and  Saturday by clicking on the links.   Authors signing and speaking on panels  Friday morning,    Friday evening   and Saturday, KIDS day at the CBC.  



Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine. Visit the magazine here: http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

CBC: Friday, September 17th - Morning Session

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Author Pavilion 2010

Friday, September 17th (Pavilion Hours 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.)
Washington, DC Convention Center, Exhibit Hall E – Booth 107

Presented by The Renaissance Group, The Hurston Wright Foundation, Howard University and hosted by Patrick Oliver Founder of, Say It Loud! Readers and Writers Series. Online PR provided by EDC Creations Media Group.



Friday, September 17th - Morning Session

8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. START THE MORNING WITH KNOWLEDGE!


1. Joyce Burnett – Adam’s Belle A memoir of Love Without Bounds

2. Valencia Campbell - Advice From the Top: What Minority Women Say About Their Career Success

3. Kevin Wayne Johnson - Give God the Glory Series The Power in the Local Church

4. R. Michelle – Her Game Plan

5. Mozella Perry Ademiluyi – Love is a Mountain

6. Afya Ibomu – Get Your Crochet On!

7. Moneek Reid & Zubari Duniani – Nigus: Images of Ourselves

8. David G. Evans – Dare to be a Man



10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

1. Leonard Pitts, Jr. - Before I Forget A Novel

2. Harold Fisher - Two Weeks Until the Rest of My Life

3. Rochelle Alers - Butterfly

4. Tracye McQuirter – By Any Greens Necessary A Guide for Black Women
Who Want to Eat Great, Get Healthy and Lose Weight

5. J.J. Michael - Secrets Unraveled

6. Dawn McCoy - Leadership Building Blocks An Insider’s Guide to Success

7. Tinesha Davis – Holler at the Moon

8. James Guitard – Delilah's Revenge

9. Solomon Jones – The Payback

10. Charles Ogletree - The Presumption of Guilt The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
and Race, Class and Crime in America *



12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

1. damali ayo - Obamistan! Land Without Racism Your Guide to the New America

2. Sheri L. Parks - Fierce Angels: The Strong Black Woman in American Live and Culture

3. Rosalyn Story - Wading Home

4. Stacy Hawkins Adams – Dreams That Won’t Let Go

5. Pamela Samuels Young – Buying Time

6. Michele Tapp Roseman – Business Briefts Connecting the dots between God and your Work

7. Kasey L. Summerville - Bridges & Footstools 365 Days of Wisdom to Help You Live, Learn & Grow

8. Susan Fales-Hill –One Flight Up A Novel

9. Karen Langhorne Folan - Don’t Bring Home a White Boy and Other Notions that Keep Black Women from Date Out

10. Sanford Rubenstein, ESQ - The Outrageous Rubenstein: How a Media-savvy Trial Lawyer Fights for Justice and Change

11. Harold Fisher - Two Weeks Until the Rest of My Life



Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine. Visit the magazine here: http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

CBC: Friday, September 17th - Evening Showcase

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Author Pavilion 2010

Washington, DC Convention Center, Exhibit Hall E – Booth 107


Friday, September 17th (Pavilion Hours 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.)


Presented by The Renaissance Group, The Hurston Wright Foundation, Howard University and hosted by Patrick Oliver Founder of, Say It Loud! Readers and Writers Series. Online PR provided by EDC Creations Media Group.


Friday, September 17th Evening Session

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING


Emerging Leaders Series Present: A Brave New World: Social Networking Chronicles

Social networking sites (such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) have evolved into the paramount forms of media for personal communication and professional growth. However, emerging leaders must be vigilant about the downside associated with using these outlets for self expression. Young authors who have expanded their brand via social networking and who have written on business etiquette will share strategies for effectively utilizing social networking sites for benefit while avoiding the potential liabilities to personal and professional aspirations.

Moderator: Tina Wells, CEO of Buzz Marketing Group; author of Mackenzie Blue, Young Adult Series

Panelists:
Troy Johnson - President, AALBC.com, LLC

Shama Kabani - The Zen of Social Media Marketing

Thembisa Mshaka - Put Your Dreams First Handle Your Entertainment Business Industry Secrets for Your Success

Cedric Muhammad - The Entrepreneurial Secret to Starting a Business

Nnamdi G. Osuagwu - Facebook Addiction

Fenorris Pearson - How to Play the Game at the Top


Author Meet, Greet & Book Signings:

Artist Arthur – Manifest

Andra Gillespie - Whose Black Politics? Cases in Post-Racial Black Leadership

Dr. Anita Davis-DeFoe - A Woman's Guide to Soulful Living: Seven Keys to Life and Work Success

Lt. Col. Joseph W. Hoffler, USAF-Ret. - Promotion: Denied The Harrowing True Story of Racism, Cover-up, Betrayal and Vigilante Justice at the United States Air Force Academy



4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

1. Monda Webb - Life is Like a Soul Train Line

2. Maurine McFarlane - Release the Prophetic Destiny in Philadelphia A city Under Reconstruction

3. Sonia Hayes - The ATL Girlz Series

4. Delano M. White – Taking My Soul to the Laundromat: From Prison Walls to Executive

5. Richard Jeanty - Neglected Souls

6. Joyce Ellis-McNeal - Understanding Purpose Thru Dreams-Visions-Prophesy

7. Ella L. J. Edmondson Bell - Career GPS Strategies for Women Navigating the New Corporate Landscape

8. Candance Sandy & Dawn Marie Daniels – Souls of My Young Sisters: Young Women Break Their Silence with personal Stories That Will Change Your Life

9. Stephanie R. Bush-Baskette – Misguided Justice The War on Drugs and the Incarceration of Black Women

10. Malaak Compton Rock – It Takes a Village



Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine. Visit the magazine here: http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

CBC: Day for Educators and Parents-Saturday, September 18th

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Author Pavilion 2010
Washington, DC Convention Center, Exhibit Hall E – Booth 107

Presented by The Renaissance Group, The Hurston Wright Foundation, Howard University and hosted by Patrick Oliver Founder of, Say It Loud! Readers and Writers Series. Online PR provided by EDC Creations Media Group.


Saturday, September 18th
(Pavilion Hours 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.)



“A Day for Area Educators and Parents”


Literacy NOW! Developing the Next Generation of Readers, Writers and Leader

Meet & Greet Children & Young Adult Authors
Panel Discussion ~ Storytelling
Special Discounts on Selected Titles

NEA Read Across America
Encouraging Our Son’s to Read: A Community Call to Action
National Association of Black Storytellers
Special Tribute & Conversation with Literary Icon Eloise Greenfield

Parent Call to Action: Literacy NOW!
2KNation Collective


10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. LITERACY NOW!

1. Jamal Bryant – World War Me

2. L. Trenton Marsh – From 1.0 to 4.0 Ten Strategies for Academic And Collegiate Success

3. James A. Merritt – Spencer’s First

4. Deborah Gregory – Catwalk & Catwalk: Strike a Pose

5. Yaba Baker – Princess Briana & Dollar

6. David Miller – Mama Used to Say “PARENT CALL TO ACTION”

7. Randall Horton – The Lingua Franca of Ninth Street

8. Honoring and Celebrating a Literary Icon: Eloise Greenfield - Childtimes: A Three Generation Memoir

9. Bobbie Edmonds - The Legal Navigator “PARENT CALL TO ACTION”



11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. LITERACY NOW!

1. Deborah Gregory – Catwalk & Catwalk: Strike a Pose

2. Yaba Baker – Princess Briana & Dollar

3. David Miller – Mama Used to Say

4. Eloise Greenfield - Childtimes: A Three Generation Memoir

5. Bobbie Edmonds - The Legal Navigator

6. Lyah Beth Leflore – The Come Up: Can't Hold Me Down & The World is Mine

7. Lori Nelson & Valerie Nelson - Hillary’s Big Adventure & I Can Do It by My-Self!

8. Ron Kavanaugh – Literary Freedom Project

9. Charisse Carney-Nunes – I am Barack Obama



11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. LITERACY NOW!

Literacy NOW! Developing the Next Generation of Readers, Writers and Leaders
Moderator: Patrick Oliver Founder of, Say It Loud! Readers and Writers Series

Panelists:
Lyah Beth Leflore – The Come Up: Can't Hold Me Down & The World is Mine

Julianne Malveaux – Surviving and Thriving 365 Facts in Black Economic History

Cora Coleman-Dunham – Gathering a Great Understanding

Wade & Cheryl Hudson – Founders/Publisher of Just Us Books

Salome Thomas-El – Immortality of Influence


Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine.
Visit the magazine here:
www.blackpearlsmagazine.com  

Preparing For a Sequel by Sherryle K. Jackson

Preparing For a Sequel by Sherryle K. JacksonAvailable Now: Soon After by Sherryle K. Jackson


Call it ironic or just dumb luck that Soon After which is the sequel to my debut novel, Soon and Very Soon, releases the same month as Terry McMillan’s sequel to her hugely successful book-slash-movie, Waiting to Exhale. To say it’s long awaited is an understatement.


Getting to Happy comes after a fifteen year departure from the four female characters, Savannah, Gloria, Bernadine, and Robin. And, I thought two years was pushing it with my sequel. My Executive Editor, Joylynn Jossel, advised that I not put anymore time or another book between my debut novel, Soon and Very Soon, and its sequel. Because I am a lesser known author and because my characters, Willie and Vanessa Green haven’t graced the big screen, she worried that too much time would make my audience lose connection with the newlywed couple that decides to combine their churches.

In either instance I wonder how an author gets back into that same mind-space where those same characters are speaking, and in some cases, haunting you again. In my own pre-release promotions, I realized the readers have some preparing to do as well. When I tell friends and fans that the sequel is coming out in the early fall they tell me that they have to pick up the first installment that came out in 2007 and read it again to refresh their memory.

I recently found my copy of Waiting to Exhale in the basement of my mother’s house. It’s been that long. I loaned it to her to read and it never quite made it to my Terry McMillan shelf along with Mama, Disappearing Acts, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and most recently, The Interruption of Everything. With thousands of books that came out this year alone, I’m not sure I have time to devote to reading the beloved book again from cover to cover. Many questions crowd my mind as I prepare to pre-order Terry’s book with my own on an online retailer.

Consider these things:

When and where does the second story pick up from the first book?   I’m talking setting here. My title sort of gives that away. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but the cover sort of eludes to a fire that happens at the end of Soon and Very Soon. The story literally picks up, Soon After. In Getting to Happy the same amount of time has passed for the characters as the time it took the author to revisit them, 15 years. The diverse and dedicated friends find themselves in the throws of mid-life. Sometimes it’s fun to go to the first book and read at least the last couple of chapters to predict where the plot may go in a sequel.

Is this a stand alone sequel?   Does the book include sufficient background information from the first book, so that the reader can understand the plot without gaping holes of understanding? Some authors do this better than others. I’ve read some sequels that are 60-75 percent recaps. The preferred practice is to drop background information like breadcrumbs. My back cover summary gives no mention that Soon After is in fact a sequel. The rationale is that the publisher doesn’t want a reader to put back the current title because they haven’t read the first installment in an all or nothing deal at the bookstore.

Does the author plan this to be a part of a series?   This is helpful for a reader to know if all the loose ends will be tied up for their favorite characters or do they have nine lives as in many adventure dramas and mysteries. I don’t know about Terry, but I never wanted to write a sequel, let alone, a mystery of sorts. I am a Christian Fiction writer with heaven, not the hell of crime scenes and jail in my view. But, I went there. Who knows, there may be a third installment. As the old church mothers put it, ‘Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise.’

To make the distinction, Soon and Very Soon is being re-released in mass market paperback August 1, 2010. Soon After is released September 1, 2010 online and in bookstores nationwide. Terry McMillan’s Getting to Happy comes out September 7, 2010. Please go out and purchase both books to support the authors and the dream!



Meet author Sherryle K. Jackson
Multi-published author, teacher, wife and mother, Sherryle continues in her pursuit to be a fresh voice in Christian Fiction. Her triumphant debut novel, Soon and Very Soon (2007) was followed up by her sophomore release, The Manual (2009).

Sherryle is currently working on her fourth novel for Urban Christian (Urban/Kensingon) titled Taylor-Made. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.

Soon After by Sherryle K. Jackson picks up right after Jackson's 2007 release, Soon and Very Soon. Pastors Willie and Vanessa Green are no more than six months into business as usual, in the combined Mt. Pleasant Harvest Baptist church after marrying and combining congregations, when they receive word that Willie's former church has been burned down by an arsonist's match. With more than one person with interest in the deed to the property and still more with an emtional investment in the church itself, it's up to Alexis Montgomery a local reporter and Chief Herbert Rich to solve the the crime.

Soon After by Sherryle K. Jackson
Christan Crime Fiction
ISBN-10: 1601628676
ISBN-13: 978-1601628671
Website: http://www.sherrylejackson.com/
Blog: http://www.thefateofthefire.blogspot.com/

Purchase your copy of Soon After from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/After-Urban-Christian-Sherryle-Jackson/dp/1601628676

Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine.
Visit the magazine here:
http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

Urban, Not Necessarily the Opposite of Rural

Urban, Not Necessarily the Opposite of Rural
by Sherryle K. Jackson

Poor Merriam-Webster, how demoralizing it must be to put out an annual reference that is basically outdated before it’s typeset. Once again, I have to call him on one of his definitions: Urban. Of, or pertaining to a city was one of his listings. Is that the kind of Christian Fiction that I write? New genres are created everyday. Citified Christian Fiction, although I like the premise and overall ring of the title; it is not necessarily what I write.

What are categories anyway, but catch-alls, and that’s the catch 22. I write Urban Christian Fiction. I write for Urban Christian (literally, that is the name of the publishing company I write for). Urban, loosely, subjectively and connotatively means of or pertaining to African Americans. It’s that simple or complicated. Like I said before, it’s a catch all category.


Believing that African Americans even in a niche market like Christian Fiction write all the same is like believing all African Americans are citified. What about the Southern Belles and gents. I just came back from The Faith and Fiction retreat (www.faithandfictionretreat.com) in Atlanta created by fellow Christian Fiction author, Tiffany L. Warren (What a Sista Should Do, Father than I Meant to go, Longer than I Meant to Stay and In the Midst of it All) where I learned that our audience, as well as why we write, is as varied as our skin tones.

Some write primarily to edify the body of Christ, and others dubbed as pioneers of contemporary Christian Fiction like author, Victoria Christopher Murray (Joy, Temptation, Sins of the Mother) feel compelled to write for those who may never grace a church pew. Me? I feel a certain weight to write in order to demystify the black church. I am a certified church girl that was tired of movie portrayals of church with their attempts to paint a caricature or rely on stereotypes of “church folk.” Folks who liken sitting in Sunday service to serving fifteen years to life in a maximum security prison.

I really hated those classic redemption scenes where the prodigal son or daughter literally crashes a Sunday service, joining in with the choir and dramatically giving their heart to the Lord. Sorry Steven Spielberg and his adaptation of Color Purple, but Alice Walker’s book shows what happens with Shug Avery between the time she’s singing Sista in the juke joint and when she comes down the aisle singing, Speak Lord in her daddy’s church.

I try to illustrate Christians exercising their faith. I love to write about burgeoning love and a burgeoning relationship in Christ. Either may or may not take place in a church. African American Christian writers are bound only by their conscious and publisher’s guidelines. We are CPA, self and mainstream published. We write multi-layered novels, often tackling taboo topics with the overall theme of God’s love, forgiveness and redemptive power. Our diversity gives us our edginess.

Here’s the catch 22. (I’ll ask you to hold my base steady while I ascend my soapbox.) You will not see Urban Christian Fiction authors in the Christian Fiction section of the local bookstores. I dare you to look for me or any of my titles. Lord forbid if we are placed in two sections. Where are we then? As if we are children of a lesser God, we are clumped into the two to four shelves set aside for African-American interest. We are in with Urban romance, Urban classics, Urban contemporary, Urban Erotica and Urban Urban or what is known as Urban Street Lit genre.

Don’t get me wrong, I know my audience is primarily ‘urban’.  I know some authors prefer to be the only race categorized by ethnicity. I am sure there are Caucasian Christian authors who would prefer to be shelved in fiction instead of Christian. Like a true evangelist, I wonder who might be missing my message because they failed to realize or fail to wonder into African American interest section because they are not African American.

Just like rural doesn’t mean Caucasian, Urban does not literally mean African American. According to connotation, Urban is not necessarily the opposite of rural. You’ll find Christian fiction is more alike in its root message than different no matter what section you find it in or what race the author happens to be.


Meet author Sherryle K. Jackson
Multi-published author, teacher, wife and mother, Sherryle continues in her pursuit to be a fresh voice in Christian Fiction. Her triumphant debut novel, Soon and Very Soon (2007) was followed up by her sophomore release, The Manual (2009).

Sherryle is currently working on her fourth novel for Urban Christian (Urban/Kensingon) titled Taylor-Made. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.

Soon After by Sherryle K. Jackson picks up right after Jackson's 2007 release, Soon and Very Soon. Pastors Willie and Vanessa Green are no more than six months into business as usual, in the combined Mt. Pleasant Harvest Baptist church after marrying and combining congregations, when they receive word that Willie's former church has been burned down by an arsonist's match. With more than one person with interest in the deed to the property and still more with an emtional investment in the church itself, it's up to Alexis Montgomery a local reporter and Chief Herbert Rich to solve the the crime.

Soon After by Sherryle K. Jackson
Christan Crime Fiction
ISBN-10: 1601628676
ISBN-13: 978-1601628671
Website: http://www.sherrylejackson.com/
Blog: http://www.thefateofthefire.blogspot.com/

Purchase your copy of Soon After from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/After-Urban-Christian-Sherryle-Jackson/dp/1601628676

Brought to you by EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine.
Visit the magazine here:
http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/

Intimate Conversation with Cheryl Robinson

Intimate Conversation with author Cheryl Robinson






Cheryl Robinson is the author of five novels. Most recently, When I Get Where I'm Going, In Love with a Younger Man and Sweet Georgia Brown. She is a native Detroiter and graduate of Wayne State University. Robinson now resides in Central Florida where she is writing her next novel.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer?
As a person I feel power in my faith. It allows me to press on through the rough times and to remain positive. I try not to let the daily stresses of life get to me. And I try not to judge others. The more I stop myself when I feel my mind going in that direction, the easier it becomes. I get tired of seeing people get built up by the media to later get knocked down. The less I judge others the better I not only feel, but also when I write and develop characters it's much easier for me to remove myself from the situation. I realize it's impossible for everyone to love my books, but I always keep that as one of my primary writing goals. And, I try to keep a healthy balance between being my own worst critic and one of my biggest fans.

BPM: Where do you find your inspiration? All of the inspiration I could ever need I can find from everyday life--the joys and the pitfalls. I can open one email from someone telling me how upset they are at the way I ended my last book and then turn around and open another email from someone telling me how much they thoroughly enjoyed it. That's an example of how life is in general. One minute you can be down, but in a second it can all turn around. You have to take the good with the bad and learn from them both. But honestly, sometimes I just want it to all be good.

BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
Some years ago, when I was about nineteen or twenty, I answered the phone at my parents' home and there was a woman on the other end who insisted that we were related. She was trying to tell me that she was my half sister and that we had the same father. I remember my heart sinking. In order for that to be true, based on her timeframe, that would mean my father, who I thought had been happily married to my mother for years, had cheated. But as the conversation continued we both realized that while the two men shared the same name they weren't the same person.

Still, for those few minutes, I had to ask myself what if that was actually the case. The thought never completely escaped my mind, and in some ways it was that event that prompted me to eventually get around to exploring the scenario. And now, in the age of social networking, it's much easier to find your missing relatives. And in the case of these three sisters, it's also true, and they do share the same father.

BPM: Who do you want to reach with When I Get Where I'm Going and the message within?
I am a Women's Fiction author. That does not mean I only write for women. Nor does the fact that I'm black mean I only write for black people. I don't write to exclude any one, but to enlighten and entertain us all. I write about women and women's issues, and of course, men are in my novels too. As an author I have an opportunity to go beyond stereotypes. I've learned over the eight years that I've been writing professionally that there is a way to entertain without offending.

If I, as a black woman, do not feel good about how we are represented in the media. If I don't feel empowered about what is being written about us on the internet and elsewhere and if I have to continuously hear from the media that black women are "the least desirable of all the races" or not a preference by some men even within our own race, as an artist, I have an opportunity to present a different message that isn't a negative one, but can still be realistic. It's like music. Some songs only have a good beat while others also have wonderful lyrics. I want to write books that make people feel good.

My intended message isn't given to readers, but written in such a way that the reader gets out of it what they came to the story with and how they view the story and the characters will be interpreted by how they view the world. But maybe, if I do my job as I intend to, they will have a different opinion after it's all said and done.

BPM: Introduce us to your latest book, When I Get Where I'm Going.
What would you do if you discovered that you had a sibling you never knew existed? Would you be like Heaven, so excited to connect to that person that you quickly took to Facebook and started searching? Would you be like Hope, too caught up in the trials and tribulations of your own life to even care? Or would you be like Alicia, skeptical at first, but willing to open up to the idea?

Alicia, Hope, and Heaven are three estranged sisters embarking on one special reunion. And it will take an earth-shattering discovery, a lucky lottery ticket, and a near-fatal encounter to finally bring three sisters together and have them realize that nothing can save a person like family.

BPM: Introduce us to your main characters in When I Get Where I'm Going. Heaven Jetter, Hope Teasdale, and Alicia Day are three special sisters! Heaven is twenty-one and the youngest sister. She's on probation, caught up in an abusive relationship, and trying desperately to get her life back on track. Hope is a young widow and single mother searching for the truth behind her husband's death, but once she finds out, can she handle it? Alicia is a struggling actress trying to catch a break in Hollywood after thirteen years of trying, but a devastating one-two punch forces her back to Detroit.

BPM: What are two major events taking place? The novel is written in third person and begins with a prologue that occurs five months prior to the start of the story. And then the rest of the novel is divided into three parts and most of the chapters alternate between the point of view of each sister. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that each sister has a major turning point that makes each of them reevaluate their life.

BPM: What are a couple of the specific issues or problems addressed in this book? One issue in the story is domestic abuse. Heaven is involved in an unhealthy relationship, but like so many other women involved in something like that, she finds it nearly impossible to leave. Her story isn't from the viewpoint of a woman who is both a wife and mother and being abused, but from a young woman who has gotten caught-up with the wrong man and finds herself so confused that she doesn't know what to do and feels that her life in general is spiraling out of control.

Alicia Day's character was written for anyone who has been holding on to a dream for a very long time and wondering if it will ever come true. Aspiring actors, singers, and writers should be able to especially relate to her story. Black actresses, in particular, should also be able to as much has been discussed about the struggles that black women experience while trying to succeed in Hollywood.

Discussion Topics: When I Get Where I'm Going
Domestic violence, sisterhood, estranged family, the entertainment industry, and specifically the lack of roles for black women in Hollywood.

BPM: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.When I Get Where I'm Going is featured in the September issue of Essence Magazine. And I recently completed my next novel, Remember Me, that will be released in September 2011.

BPM: How can our readers reach you online? Readers can connect with me through my website at: www.cherylrobinson.com and also join me on my recently created Facebook page. There is a link on my web site.


Cheryl Robinson--When I Get Where I'm Going
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http://www.amazon.com/When-Get-Where-Im-Going/dp/0451229479


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