In the latest feature at ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING, I talk to author Katrina Spencer who in her latest work–Unbeweaveable–takes the subject of hair weaves to present us with a woman that many can relate to.

About Unbeweaveable

Mariah “Weavy Wonder” Stevens doesn’t take no for an answer. Her take charge, tough-as-nails exterior has helped her become Book Review Editor at Spirit Magazine—no small feat considering she’s only 29. She lives in a stunning apartment in Manhattan, her clothes are ripped straight from the runways, and her manicured nails are never chipped. Life is good.

Her secret weapon? Her long, glorious weave, which she’s been wearing since she was 16. It’s her power, her strength, and she’s completely addicted to it. She can’t even remember what her real hair looks like.

In a sudden move, Spirit Magazine folds, and for the first time in her life, Mariah’s left asking, “What’s next?” With her savings dwindling, she’s forced to remove her weave and make the call that she hasn’t made in years—the call home.

Now Mariah is back home in Houston, living with her well-to-do biracial sister and light skinned mother, both who are blessed with hair long enough to sleep in. Mariah has always stuck out like a sore thumb, and is constantly reminded of such with her dark skin and kinky short hair.

Living in Houston has Mariah facing her old demons and without the support of her weave she’s losing her most important asset: her confidence. When she discovers a family secret, it opens the doors to her past and threatens to break her already fragile world apart. With her sister by her side, Mariah is determined to learn the truth.

Unbeweaveable is about Mariah’s quest to confront questions of love, loyalty, and family to find her way back home.

Stop by ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING to read Spencer’s thoughts on writing the book and why readers should pick it up!

ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING

Chocolate-caramel lattes + Women writers = ONE GREAT TIME!
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ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING welcomes its latest author, Ashley Lounds-Brooks, who offers a great message to women in her book, Single, Satisfied, and Saved. It doesn’t hurt that the book received a 4 out of 5 lattes from me either. It’s good, guys!

About Single, Satisfied, and Saved

Single, Satisfied, and Saved was specifically written to help women grow as virtuous women in the body of Christ by looking at, first and foremost, one’s self. The book

features practical Christian principles to discover one’s innermost strength, talent, skill and strategies. What makes this book stands out from other self-help books is that

Ashley provides the reality of the Christian walk- “some days you don’t feel like being saved!” She doesn’t just give you a list of do’s and don’ts but helps the reader to

realize and understand the reasoning behind it all.

Stop by ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING to read my 4-latte review of Single, Satisfied, and Saved and to check out what Ashley hopes readers will get from the book.

ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING
Chocolate-caramel lattes + Women writers = ONE GREAT TIME!
[chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com]

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Check out my latest Writing in 140 blog post at the Blood-Red Pencil today where I give writers advice…from other writers I’ve interviewed over the years. Share YOUR OWN words of wisdom with the readers, too!

The Blood-Red Pencil

Sharp and pointed observations about good writing
[http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com]

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In podcast #5 of The DDIW Chronicles, I talk about how I went from parting ways with my agent to finally finding a publishing house for Death at the Double Inkwell. Check it out below!

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Purchase your copy of DDIW today at Amazon.com!

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This evening, I was honored to be one of the first guest on author/host Samara King’s premiere show on BlogTalkRadio, inCharacterN10. Samara is already well known for her writing and for her hit BTR show SoundNOff with co-host Chamsil, and with inCharacterN10, Samara wants to go behind the scenes on the books authors write to delve into the characters they create.

Tonight, I talked about Jovan Parham-Anderson, the main character of Death at the Double Inkwell. I’m last in the lineup, but the entire show is top-notch and worth the listen.

Check it out below.

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Like most of my stories, a title usually presents itself before I start writing the book. Characters will be invading my mind, their lives playing on my mind’s screen, and while reveling in their lives, an “essence” of their stories will develop. That essence ultimately becomes the title of the story. And if I’m lucky–as I have been thus far with publishers, the title I come up with initially gets to STAY.

In my first DDIW Chronicles podcast [link], I talk about how DDIW came to be. At the very beginning, I knew a few things about the story: there would be twins mystery novelists and there would be a death–and I had an idea of who would be the one to die.

So, the title, Death at the Double Inkwell isn’t a metaphor or some deep thought of the book; it literally arose before of the death and because the two main characters were twins (double) and writers (inkwell).

Sorry to disappoint those who thought I might be deeper than this. LOL Sometimes, I’m so not.

When LLP accepted my book for publication, there was a chance that the book wouldn’t be called DDIW. I can’t even remember the other suggestions, but I stuck with championing for Death at the Double Inkwell as the title even when my pubber said, “But there is more than one death in the book.”

And there was. LOL In a revision, I had added a few more corpses, this is true. But as I argued, there was one big death that moved the main characters’ through their storylines (though I have to shake my head now because what death is “little” – such the thoughts of a writer).

Learn more about Jovan and Cheyenne and the trouble that follows them by picking up Death at the Double Inkwell.

It’s available NOW at Amazon.

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All the Blog’s a Page is all about MYSTERIES and THRILLERS for the month of July! This week at AtBaP, our featured author is award-winning journalist, editor, novelist, and occasional standup comic, L.J. Sellers, who stops by to talk about her upcoming release, Thrilled to Death, the third in her Detective Wade Jackson series.

When asked, The first book of your series—what came first: the main character of the series or the main situation that arises in the first book, L.J. replied, When I wrote The Sex Club, it was simply a story I was compelled to tell. I felt very passionate about the subject of abstinence-only sex education and the damage it could do to teenagers. But I’m a practical person, so I figured I might as well create a character, a detective, that I could base a series on—if I was fortunate enough to sell the book and readers wanted more.”

Come by AtBaP to read more about L.J.’s novel Thrilled to Death, to get her advice to aspiring mystery novelists, and to have a taste of Thrilled to Death!

ALL THE BLOG’S A PAGE (AtBaP) – Where everything relates to writing

[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

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“Writing is not in my blood…it’s my DNA.”

These words come from our latest featured author at ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING, a woman who has always made me laugh and always made me feel in her desire to be an inspiration to others, Tracy Spence-Banks. She comes to CLG this month to talk to us about her book, Super Woman: A Guide to Tapping Into Your Divine Super Powers.

About Super Woman

As women, we wear many different hats within the family structure. Wife, mother, sister, businessperson, cook, maid, chauffeur…the list never ends. So how can we tackle so many different aspects of our lives and not get beaten down by them?

Super Woman will take you through the seven divine super powers needed to live a fulfilling and peaceful life through heart-warming anecdotes, off-beat humor, and of course, the proven Word of God.

It finishes up with a small bible study, which is easy to follow, yet thought-provoking. It asks questions that allow you to dig deeper in order to tap into your own divine super powers.

When asked, Now, we know the super woman is constantly on the move. And we know that the only way a super woman can be such a mover and shaker and give to everyone is to first give to herself. A super woman is only as good as her ability to take care of self. What advice do you give to the super woman who needs to nurture her own spirit and interests, Tracy replied:

“Spend time in the presence of God. There is no other way to become a super woman and maintain your God-given powers. We have to understand that these “powers” are not by our own hand or by being born on the planet Krypton or being bitten by a radioactive spider. They are given to us by the Father in order to keep us focused, grounded, and prepared for whatever comes our way. They were instilled in ever woman at birth and began when Eve was cast out of the Garden of Eden. God put enmity between us and the devil, so he has a special hatred for women. We ratted him out and now he’s out to destroy us. God made certain that we are well-equipped to defeat any attack he has waiting for us, but if we don’t tap into those divine super powers, the enemy will ultimately defeat us.”

Definitely stop by ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING, where Tracy talks more about the Super Woman Syndrome, our need to connect to the divine, and more.

ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING

Chocolate-caramel lattes + Women writers = ONE GREAT TIME!
[chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com]

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Last night, I had the pleasure of talking with Ananda Leeke on her show, Sisterhood, the blog radio. She’s doing a women in social media series, and I was honored to be considered cool enough to be a guest. We talked about a slew of things in 30 minutes — from the social media tools that I use to why women should take on social media tools. Have to say the end is pretty funny as I got Ananda to try to multitask while conducting the interview. Check it out!

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All the Blog’s a Page is all about MYSTERIES and THRILLERS for the month of July, and our second feature this month introduces you to a new mystery novelist on the scene–one with an engaging character who plans to be around for a while (the author and the character!): Ronald S. Barrios.

When asked, Who are some of your favorite mystery/suspense novelists, and why, Ronald replied, “My absolute favorite was Robert B. Parker, the ‘Dean of Crime Fiction’. He was and remains the best to ever do it, period. I was introduced to his Spenser series in the ‘80’s and quickly realized we had similar styles in writing even though I had never read him before then. He then became my role model for writing much in the way Raymond Chandler influenced him. I used to say that if Robert B. Parker read one of my manuscripts and threw it on the floor and spit in my eye and told me to never write again, I would have stopped writing at that moment. That’s how much I admire him. Now since his passing, there isn’t another writer alive whose opinion means that much to me.”

Come by AtBaP to read more about Ronald’s novel Blood Drops, his advice to aspiring mystery novelists, and more!

ALL THE BLOG’S A PAGE (AtBaP) – Where everything relates to writing
[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

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