AAMBC Winter Tours w/ Sherrell Valdezloqui

Trice’s family always had high expectations for her. Growing up in the church she was always taught to live life righteous and be an example for others. When Trice found herself falling for her boyfriend Chris, she tries to mold him into being the man, she wants him to be. A man that Chris himself finds hard living up to. With friends and family constantly trying to warn her of the man Chris really is she has a hard time seeing it and tries everything in her power to prove them wrong. Not paying attention to the warning signs Trice could possibly lose her health and insanity.

Sharon, Trice friend is a strong women , but life has the tendency to making even the strongest become weak. Sharon, secrete child hood has a lot to do with how she perceives men to be. Always wanting a man with good looks and money has always clouded her judgment with her relationships. Because of it, she meets men that constantly lie and manipulate her. Fed up Sharon realizes she has no choice but to turn to the God. However, before she does nothing would make Sharon feel better than to pay those men back for wasting her time. Revenge is sweet she agrees but how far will Sharon go to get revenge on the men that made her life miserable.

Tracy the youngest friend has always tried to live her life perfect. Her parents are always putting her on a pedestal and bragging about how well she is doing in life. However, Tracy knows better than anyone her life is far from perfect. Afraid for her life, Tracy struggles and hesitates to tell family and what’s going on knowing that they too have problems of their own. However, time is running out for Tracy, and if she doesn’t say anything she could lose her life.

Interview w/ Sherrell


Q: At what age did you begin writing?

A: I started writing at the age of 17.


Q: Is the Hurting Women the first book you have written?

A: The first book I wrote was called Poems of Prayers an Inspirational poetry book . It was a book a lot of people told me they were able to relate to. Real situations such as A Struggling Mother, A Prayer For My Father, Poems for soldiers that were deployed . Just poems and prayers that touch a lot of bases with people lives.


Q: What or who Inspired you to write?

A: I always enjoyed writing and always expressed myself to others better on paper. I would have to say God has blessed me with this gift and had touched my heart to write . And from there I knew one of my purpose would be inspiring others through my writing.



Q: What made you write a book about A Hurting Women?

A: Seeing and knowing how a lot of women have had relationship problems and always thinking there’s situation is worst off than the next. I wanted to inspire and let others know they are not the only one that’s been abused, cheated on, Or left alone to be both mother and fathers and etc. We all have a story to tell some just have more than others.


Q: Are you working on anything else at this point?

A: Yes, I’m working on a play about the Hurting Women as well as writing the sequel to the Hurting Women book which is called The Spiritual Warfare.


Q: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now as an Author?

A: I want to have at least one book come out a year. So in the next 5 years I would like to use my writing as the opportunity to start a youth organization for our future father and mothers. Ensuring that they stay on the right track. Rewarding them by giving out scholarships .


Q: What would you like to say to your readers?

A: Although we may experience difficulties in life, take it as a lesson learned. If we didn’t go through hard times how would we be able to help and relate to others. Reading my work is Inspirational and will always have a purpose behind it. Thank you to all that has and will support my work.

Find More about Sherrell at www.ladyvbooks.com

Winter Tours w/ Marian L. Thomas

Synopsis:

"Child abuse, rape and struggling to live are all things that women go through at least once in their lifetime. In this tale, Naya Mona takes readers on a journey through her crayon box of life. She shows us what her true colors are as she recounts her past to a son she is meeting for the first time. How do you tell your son that your father is his?

The Spiral of events that fill Naya's life provides an intimate look at the drama, romance and struggles that become her voice. On stage, she must become Jazzmyne-the Jazz singer. Naya no doubt commands your attention and takes you on a rollercoaster ride that is filled with the melodious tones that makes Color Me Jazzmyne a true reading pleasure."

Book Excerpt:

"My past however, is something quite different. It still haunts me, slaps me in the face and dares me to face the reality of today. Every day, it seems, I am forced to remember what color is Jazzmyne. Once upon a time the color of snow ran through me. It ran so deep that it blended with my insides, messed with my emotions and played with the deepest corners of my heart.

How can life do that to a woman? As I look into the mirror, I can quickly see the colors that answer that question.

Upon the walls of my office are newspapers encased in gold frames. I
glance at the writings, the ink still trying to hold on to the paper. So many years have passed. They all told a story. Each one represented a version of some reporter's dream. Some wrote that I become everything from simply nothing. Others wrote that my voice awakens them and breathes life into the deepest corner of their being. I wish it did the same for me. I could use an awakening."






Author Data:

Marian L. Thomas is a native of Chicago with a passion for the words that reflect the issues that face women today. However, the concept of putting her thoughts into written form wasn’t realized until her second year in high school when she wrestled with the thought of writing a book she then called What Color is Jazzmyne.

In fact, twenty years would pass before she finally debuted a more refined version of her original concept, calling it Color Me Jazzmyne. It was just a few years prior to this that she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Communication, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

Marian now resides in Atlanta, GA with her husband and their spoiled but playful dog. She enjoys writing short stories that have full impact and is currently working on her second novel.

Links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MLT.ColorMeJazzmyne?ref=profile
Author Website: http://www.marianlthomas.com
Author Blog: http://findingmycolorwithmlt.blogspot.com
Book Trailer: http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=9575e0bebe84add8fd2af3&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Purchase Links:

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Color-Me-Jazzmyne-Marian-Thomas/dp/0615270670/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238269178&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble.com: http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=Color+Me+Jazzmyne


Sample Links:

Read Chapters 1-3
http://www.freado.com/book/4169/Color-Me-Jazzmyne

Listen to Chapter 1:
http://www.hudsonaudiopublishing/featured.html

Email: info@marianlthomas.com

Get to Know Aisha Gant

Author Biography- A. Life... is a mother, author, poet, and entrepreneur. Among the many hats she wears such as, ‘Author-preneur’, Life has always loved to write and began at a young age; having had work published as early as the eighth grade. Her love for writing goes beyond just putting pen to paper. It is a part of her make-up. To her, it is life. And having gone through life's many struggles, A. Life... chooses to display in her work, characters of triumph. She considers her works not to be ones that push Christianity but words that flow from the mouth of a pen written by an author who is Christian.
Brief Synopsis- Secret Wounds and Hidden Pain by: A. Life... is a novel about four women; Charlene; a church-going woman who is married to an adulterous preacher, Denise; an exotic dancer who eventually finds out her ‘best customer’ holds the title of her rapist, Michelle; the wife of an abusive, jobless, porn addict, and Katrina; a successful businesswoman who secretly has abortions to maintain her status. All of them lead totally different lives while unknowingly wearing the same mask. Each woman believes no one else can see or feel what she is going through, but will individually find out that the painful wounds she is experiencing are deep enough to be seen and felt by the world.


Q: Tell us a little about your main characters. Who was your favorite? Why?

Charlene Brown is a wife of a minister and a mother of 2, who takes care of not only her actual family but her church family as well. She is also a successful businesswoman who ironically, failed to take care of the business of keeping track of her husband’s infidelity. She hides behind the false sense of security that her life’s many jobs give.
Denise McLeod is a single mother of five who is also an exotic dancer. Her life’s downward spiral began at the age of 13 when she was raped. She hides behind the mask of false strength because after all, she has to do so for her children.
Michelle Baker is a newlywed who married an abusive man because she didn’t want to be lonely and because she thought ‘a piece of paper’ would change his ways. Her decision to marry such stems from a painful childhood and she hides behind the pain of abusive love that repeatedly says, “I’m sorry.”
Katrina Dangerfield is a young woman who has it all together. She has taken care of herself financially without the help of a man. Yet, because her childhood too was painful, she didn’t and wouldn’t allow anyone to get close to her; to the point of having one abortion after another, just so she could continue to hide behind her fear of failure.
My favorite character is Denise. Although I can relate, in one sense or another, to all of the women; she has gone through individually what the others have experienced collectively and has triumphed though all odds were stacked against her.

Q: Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?

All of my characters portray real people; not dead on; but I may use characteristics from five different people to create one character in the novel. I believe when and if you can make the character more life-like; it makes not only the character more believable to the point of relating to the reader; but it also makes the book as a whole; a better read.

Q: Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp and share?

Depending on the book, I try or I will always try to indirectly relay a message. In the case of Secret Wounds and Hidden Pain; the message I think I want the readers to grasp is the fact that we all at one point in time, wear and have worn masks of fear to cover our ‘open wounds’ brought on by life. But in order to be healed we must be willing to remove the mask-like band-aid, so the air of life can act as a healer and ‘SWAHP’(swap) the wounds for scars of remembrance, so one maybe able to give God praise for all he’s done.

Q: What was the most powerful chapter or scene in the book for you?

I honestly believe there is more than one powerful scene in the book but one of the most powerful scenes to me is the ‘SWAHP SUMMIT’; when all of the lead characters colorfully describe the different ways that lead them to the putting on of the ‘masks’, why they wore them for so long, and how with the help of God; they were able to remove them.

Q: Do you write full time?

Describe your writing schedule for our readers.
I do not write full time but because my time is so full I write all the time, sporadically! I wear so many hats that I am grateful for spell check because without it, I probably would misspell the word ‘time.’ (LOL)

Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I am a salon owner/operator, a product designer, and a fitness trainer, but more importantly, I have two reasons to get up every morning! Being a mother of daughters is a task in itself but it keeps me doing what I do!

Q: What is the best piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?

Just write but be authentic! Be truthful to who you are as an author and don’t try to mimic others because when it’s all said and done, the truth will come out in the wash!

Contact: A. Life... www.eborya.com ; aisha@eborya.com ; gantaisha@yahoo.com