Monday, February 24, 2014

Review for Walk A Straight Line

I'd like to share a review of Walk A Straight Line, by Tiffany Talks Books.

"I absolutely L-O-V-E-D Walk A Straight Line! Colleen and Gina are lifelong friends whose friendship comes into question when one of them decides to have a closer relationship with the Lord. Many questions arise such as can one still love their friend if they choose not to walk the same spiritual path as you and can a friendship remain intact if a person decides to live life on her own terms instead of following God's Word?

"Colleen stopped her cold. "You'd better get out of my face, or you'll be picking your teeth up off the floor." She knew she was saved, but she meant every word. It was eye for an eye time, and she wasn't going to turn the other cheek - except to slap it."
I applaud Michelle Lindo-Rice for showing that even in Christian fiction it is ok to portray your characters as having real-life emotions and reactions. She doesn't gloss over anything and make it seem like Christians live a life void of drama. Walk A Straight Line was a dream to me. The words flowed effortlessly off of every single page. Every time I flipped a page it built upon the last one and moved the story forward. Walks A Straight Line is so far one of my favorites of 2014!"

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of Walk A Straight Line in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, February 7, 2014

No Conditions Book Blast & Book Giveaway


No Conditions Book Blast & Book Giveaway

Feb 7, 2014 by Dr. Vivi Monroe Congress
Genre: Inspirational Fiction,


Hosted by: Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tour
Autograph Copy~~ Raffle code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Book

O.C. Byrd is hard-working, handsome and newly married to the woman of his prayers. With his sights firmly set on becoming a Gospel recording artist, his determination is beginning to pay off, earning him a windstorm of recognition at the local level. 
But will both his widespread notoriety and his marriage be jeopardized through the accidental discovery of his wife’s former lifestyle?


Sneak Peak
Chapter Ten  
“Okay, let’s hit that once more from the top,” directed one very perfection-driven recording engineer. Enoch “Z-man” Zimmerman is, by far, the most on-point dude I know; nothing gets by him—musically speaking—and if his name is attached to it, so is excellence. If I hadn’t known this about him beforehand, I would’ve ended this session an hour ago. Old dude is dipping into my pockets—deep. But, it’s all good. There’s no price tag on quality or knowing that your creative vision is being birthed and we did cover a lot of ground in these last two days. However, I was trying to come in under a budget since I still have to get updated headshots and that, alone, can cost a mint. Needless to say, the budget needs a budget.
From within the encapsulated sound booth, I quickly prepare myself for a retake by clearing my throat and rolling my head to work out neck and shoulder tension. This is the last track we’re recording, also my favorite, and I can’t risk anything getting in the way of my sound. I’ve reworked the lyrics and rearranged the music to Will Downing’s All About You and in a play on words, I decided to use the working title, All About Him, for my CD. Z-man, who was previously in a zone setting the levels on the control panel, gives me his ‘look,’ the one that says, any minute nowwaiting on you.
Closing my eyes, I ease into the moment by thinking of the unending blessings God has poured into my life, most recently the love and devotion of a woman who loves Him as much as I do. I give Z-man a thumbs up, our non-verbal cue that I’m ready to record. Through my headphones, I hear the music intro and seconds later, Z-man‘s voice comes through in a word, “Rolling.”
Swaying side to side, I’m feeling it and without forethought, I take ownership of the musical moment and sing, “I’m not a perfect man, I do the best I can…”
Inside of four minutes, Z-man shouts, “Perfect!” and just like that we’re done. Demo complete, mission accomplished. Talk about feeling good … man!
Collecting my sheet music from the copy stand, I give the booth the once-over and scan the small space for other belongings I might have overlooked. As if handling a Ming vase, I carefully place the headphones on the overhead hang. Lord knows the last thing I need now is to have Z-man add something else to my currently swollen studio tab.
“You know, O.C., I believe your voice has gotten much stronger. Not at all like when I first recorded you a few years back. You’ve got a more mature sound.”
Beaming with pride, “Man, a lot has gotten stronger and better with me.” I strike an impressive bodybuilder crab pose, careful not to flash the shiny new article of jewelry that now resides on the ring finger of my left land. We both laugh and post up a high-five on it.
“Oh, I know that look. Had it once upon a time myself,” Z-man reflects. “That’s the look of a man who’s found his better half. Congrats again, man. I wish you the best.” His voice fades as though he’s been a casualty of love. And while his wound may still be fresh, he is no love reject; he’s recovering from the death of his wife earlier this year.
“Thanks, Z,” I respond. Placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder which serves as a point of contact as well, I whisper a brief prayer for his healing. “That means a lot, man.”
“I miss her, O.C.” his voice slightly cracking, “I miss her a lot.” Z-man’s body slowly slumps in his chair, his eyes misting despite his best efforts to blink back the tears.
Identifying with his pain in the presence of my own joy is a real challenge, but I do my best to console him anyway.
“You and Maggie…watching the two of you was…was…well, inspiring. Y’all were so in sync. I’ve never seen anything like it except for my Mom and Pops, of course.” Although I did my best to encourage Z-man, Goddess is the pro at this kind of thing since she deals with death and sorrow every day for a living.
I watch as a nostalgic smile sweeps across Z-man’s face. I must’ve said something right. Unfolding his grief-tormented body, he sits straight up and releases a fraction of his pain through a loud exhale, “Remember this…if this were your last day on earth, what would you look at more closely, more intensely? What would you appreciate? What would you want to savor? What would really be important to you?” He pauses and appears to be thinking about his next words.

About The Author
Dr. Congress is a Best-Selling, Award-Winning Wordsmith, Literary Advisor, Publisher and creator of C.H.O.C. Lit™ Flavored Books (Christians Having Ordinary Challenges).
She holds a BA in Human Relations, Masters in Theology, Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian Counseling and is a Certified Christian Life Coach.

Buy Links:

Social Links:
Facebook.com/DocVMC
Twitter.com/DocVMC
Email: littlelightprod@aol.com
Website www.DrViviMonroeCongress.com

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Presenting the newest novel from Shelia M. Goss



BLURB

Keeping up with the Joneses isn’t all it’s made out to be. In this intriguing novel full of drama and plot twists, one family tries to hold on to their “perfect” life before their secrets, lies, and scandals are exposed.

On the outside, the Joneses seem like the ideal family: Royce Jones, a funeral home mogul, and his wife, Lexi, are parents to Charity, Hope, and Lovie—and everybody wants to be them. But it’s true that money can’t buy happiness, and the Joneses are harboring secrets that can’t stay hidden forever…It’s only a matter of time before the Joneses’ perfect life goes spinning out of control. 


EXCERPT

Avoiding Lexi hadn't been easy, and it seemed that it was all for naught. I heard her coming long before she made it to my office. I looked up toward the door awaiting her entrance.

Lexi stormed in my office enraged. "Royce, you can run, but you can't hide. You caused this problem and you're going to fix it. Now tell me how you plan on doing it, so I can deal with other things."

Lexi plopped down in front of my desk.

"Hello to you, too, my beautiful wife."

"Save the pleasantries for your customers." Lexi held her hand in the air and then looked around. "Snap! There are no customers."

"Calm down. If there were some, you would run them off with that mouth of yours."

"Calm? How can I be calm when according to you, we're going broke?"

Order your copy of THE JONESES from Simon & Schuster (http://books.simonandschuster.com/Joneses/Shelia-M-Goss/9781593095222) or purchase from other online retailers such as: 

Available in stores everywhere on February 18, 2014.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelia M. Goss is a national bestselling author and a screenwriter. The Joneses is her seventeenth book in print. She writes in multiple genres. USA Today says, “Goss has an easy, flowing style with her prose…” She's received many accolades in her career, including being a finalist in the mystery category for the 2013 AA Literary Award Show and a 2012 Emma Award Finalist. Her books have been on several best sellers lists, such as: Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News and Black Expressions Book Club. Shelia loves to hear from readers so feel free to contact her via her website: www.sheliagoss.com or follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sheliagoss or Twitter: www.twitter.com/sheliamgoss.




THE JONESES GIVEAWAY

Lexi Jones, one of the main characters, from THE JONESES loves her handbags so it’s just befitting that the grand prize be a handbag.  Contest ends on February 25, 2014.


GRAND PRIZE:
One (1) random entrant will receive a small Coach handbag {Retail value: $188.00, 10 3/4″(L) x 7″(H) x 3 1/4″(W)} and Bath & Body Works minatures (Retail value: $19.75)

RUNNER UP:
One (1) random entrant will receive an autographed copy of Montana’s Way.

10 ENTRANTS:
Ten (10) random entrants will receive the electronic version of the book Hollywood Deception.

Open to U.S. & Canada residents only. Avoid where prohibited by law.

To enter please use the rafflecopter form below.

Copy and paste code below for rafflecopter into your blog:

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