JoeyPinkney.com Book Revew
The Pride
by Faydra D. Fields
5 of 5 Stars

 The Pride, Faydra D. Fields’ debut novel, is unconventional in concept, yet impeccable in its approach to an interesting conundrum: a single Black man with ten children by four different women. Sounds like it’s going to be high in low-brow drama, right? Wrong!

Taking a scenario that could quite well be a train wreck befitting a full episode of the Jerry Springer Show, Fields takes The Pride in a decidedly literary direction. Instead of making a mockery of the situation, as is popular in today’s society, the author orchestrates a blended family which slowly becomes singular in purpose and remains varied in personalities and perspectives – like a real family.

pride – (noun) pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself; (noun) a group, especially of lions

Emanuel Portman loves all of his children and has a positive, respectable relationship with their mothers. He works hard, has flexible hours and spends as much time as possible doing what it takes to be in each of their lives. Emanuel has a very high social intelligence and compassion for the human condition, which powers his desire and ability to navigate the complexity of the attitudes and behaviors, especially with his children.

The story is lively for two distinct reasons: Fields’ writing style moves at a steady pace and there are plenty of characters at Fields’ disposal to flesh out the inner-workings of such an intriguing tale.  The chapters can stand alone, but most are blended together. The end of one chapter usually dovetails right into the beginning of the next. And where it doesn’t, Fields’ jumps in continuity are well-played to keep you on your toes.

If the women in Emanuel’s life aren’t at his throat, or each other’s for that matter, what’s going on in The Pride? Simple answer: survival. With Emanuel’s help, Denise, Angela, Romina and Xavari are all trying to make ends meet and keep their kids on the right track.

Denise has been shunned by her father for not having an abortion the first time Emanuel got her pregnant, and having two more babies by him did not make her situation any better. Determined to make the best life she can provide for her three children, she works hard and takes no hand outs.

Angela is an Army vet that’s a little rough around the edges. Her main source of income is her military disability, but that can only stretch so far when dealing with three children. Romina struggles with dyslexia. It’s become an embarrassment as her children have grown beyond her intellectual capacity in terms of their school work. She has her own desires to make a better way for her children by getting a better job.

Xavari is the youngest mother. At 19, she has a two-year-old and one on the way. This college student is far from dumb, and has the intelligence and determination to make something of herself in life. The youngest is in charge, so to speak, and she manages to rally the mothers to form a model of cooperative economics.

Since each mother could use a little financial relief, Xavari’s proposition of a communal living arrangement makes more sense to the other three mothers than the current alternative. Also, the children are more than familiar with each other, since Emanuel makes a point of raising them and spending time with them individually and collectively regardless of children’s mother.

Fields gives you more than enough to ponder as you learn about what makes each character tick. I got a kick out of seeing how in tune Emanuel was with his different children. I also enjoyed the cohesive friendships the children formed regardless of whether or not their mothers were familiar with each other.

The world created by Fields is an enjoyable one. Emanuel is important but not omnipotent nor overbearing. Denise, Angela, Romina and Xavari are strong yet uniquely flawed. The children are lovable and through provoking. You won’t be disappointed with The Pride.

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I had the opportunity to chop is up with the TBA Lounge’s Edwina Davis. We talked about books reviews and author interviews. During the 30 minute show, I answered the following questions:

• Where did I get the “Your Favorite Book Reviewer’s Favorite Book Reviewer… Period!”?
• How did I become a book reviewer?
• How did the JoeyPinkney.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Author Interview series come about?
• How do people become book reviewers?
• What do I read for pleasure?
• What am I willing to read professionally?
• What can I NOT read?
• What are the rules to writing book reviews?
• Does the JoeyPinkney.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Author Interview series bring out aspects of an author that other interviews do not?
• Am I willing to take part of reviews out or delete reviews altogether at an author’s request?
• Have I read a book that was so terrible that I didn’t want to publish the review?
• How do I handle authors after giving them a bad review?
• What are the biggest mistakes I’ve seen authors making while reviewing their books?
• What are the good things I’ve seen in books that I’ve reviewed?
• HUGE QUESTION —-> Should you pay for a review?

This is an action-packed interview full of candid information is  relaxed setting. Listen to it in the Blog Talk Radio player below, comment and let me know what you think.

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JoeyPinkney.com Book Review
Both Sides of the Fence
By Faze
Another Faze Publishing
2 of 5 Stars

Both Sides of the Fence is a story of a man in transition. As the main character Corey goes from young and carefree to wise and introspective, his immersion in the gay-world deepens. He teaches the reader what he learns in terms of slang, differences between categories of homosexuality and the variety of social gatherings.

By going to “The Village”, Corey was introduced to a world initially unknown but very much his own. The Village is a section of New York City where homosexual men and women are free express their individuality. The Village provided him an escape from a world that would shun and ridicule him as he learned more about his innate homosexuality. It is a world and aspect of his life of which he is ashamed, often wearing hoodies to hide his appearance as he enter and leaves The Village.

Corey has a girlfriend that he loses love for as he finds this other world more enchanting. Jackie, for most of the story, is unaware of her boyfriend’s double-life. She chalks it up to Corey’s desire to move on. She is the type that wants him when she wants him and couldn’t be bothered with him any other time. When she figures out that Corey likes men, it adds a new level of stress to an already dysfunctional relationship.

Although the book is told from the Corey’s point-of-view, it is safe to assume that Jackie thinks Corey’s lack of interest is initially due to him being in a funk. This is partially true. He’s in a funk due to the double life he can barely maintain. Corey’s lack of interest in Jackie comes from his desire for men. His relationship with Jackie gets more complicated with the birth of their child – a boy.

Although the author Faze does a superb job in letting Corey be a tour guide into the world of homosexuality as a distinct social group, he does little to develop Corey’s understanding of what makes him tick. This may be by design. However, Both Sides of the Fence falls horribly short in keeping the tone set early in the book.

In the beginning of the book, Faze cautions the reader before unwittingly trusting their kids with family and friends who may molest and intimidate them. The bonus material at the back of the book gives a vocabulary list of gay terms and a check list of what to look out for if you think your man is covertly sleeping with another man.

The introduction would lead some readers to think that this book contains a story about the peril of molestation, yet Corey mentions his sexual preference in terms of being molested as a passing thought. Instead of dealing with what he presumes was the cause of his change in sexuality, Corey grabs the reader by the hand and rushes through the twists and turns of a promiscuous lifestyle – it just happens to be a homosexual one.

If Both Sides of the Fence was meant to b a cautionary tale to women who are in love with men living “on the down low”, it’s close to winning. If Both Sides of the Fence was meant to be a cautionary tale of how molestation could lead to sexual confusion in a young man, the book does not efficiently deal with how the damage was done.

This book would also higher in quality if edited properly. There were plenty of times where I had to read and re-read passages of dialogue because the conversation between two characters were squeezed into the same paragraph. I simply didn’t know how was saying what. There were also multiple grammatical errors that slowed to the ease of reading as I had to figure out what was trying to be conveyed. Also, there was a time or two where things were being attributed to the wrong character, which was a nightmare to sort out.

Where Both Sides of the Fence is full of information about a lifestyle and subculture that few outsiders experience, it falls short of the expectation it sets early in the book and falls short in being an easy read. Faze put a lot into Corey, but I was confused about the primary goal of Both Sides of the Fence.

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JoeyPinkney.com Book Review
Love and The Game
By Saleem Little
3 of 5 Stars

When Saleem Little wrote Love and The Game, he produced a novel that crosses genres in its appeal to raw human emotion. From urban fiction to historical fiction to thriller to romance to action and adventure, Love and The Game is a full literary experience. Little writes with an aptitude that surrounds the reader with the sounds, visions and spiritual connectivity of a New York City hustler’s lifestyle which toggles convincingly between the moral and the amoral.

Love and The Game is much, much more than a Scarface rags-to-riches knock-off in book form. Love and The Game digs deeper. This books puts you inside a drug dealer’s family and forces you to look at their world through their eyes. From that view, it’s not so easy to say “this is bad” or “that is good”.

“Therefore, to cope with the purging of morals from his system, James created a motto that helped him deal with the loss of certain morals… ‘Ain’t no wrong in tryna do right for mine.’” ~ page 22, Love and The Game.

There is a progression that lead Marquise “Mar” Jackson to lead the life that he leads, and Little digs deep into Mar’s family history to give it to you. After reading Love and The Game, you see the how Arthur G. Jackson inadvertently opened the door for his son James to get that life-changing taste of a hustler’s life as a teen. You see how immersion into that lifestyle progressed into the cold-hearted criminality that spanned almost three decades, transforming James into the person that Harlem dubbed “Broadway James”, a legend in his own time. You see how, in turn, James’ son Mar did not blindly insert himself into his dad’s lane but still ended up taking a similar path in life.

Mar is not your typical drug dealer, and he’s definitely not in it for typical reasons. Mar is in the game of drug dealing by blood, not gullible admiration. Like his father James that had a good run in the game before him, Mar was mentally forged for the drug trade and all of the horrors and trials that come with it. He analyzed his friends as they went from boys to junkies and/or dealers. He witnessed the women he desired as a boy become lifeless sex toys for anyone with money, drugs or both. Through it all, his goal was to maintain control and make enough money to get in and get out unscathed.

The rise to fortune is never easy, especially if ill-gotten. As Mar applies his energy to a trade that leads to many deaths, you get a better view of the complexity of his world. From his recollection of a murder dealt by the hands of his father while Mar was still a preteen, past the moment he partially avenged his father’s death and mother’s rape, Mar can hold a reader’s attention with a warm heart and a cold grip.

“Sometimes our internal fire goes out but is blown back into a flame by someone else, and each of us owes our deepest thanks to that person who has rekindled that fire within.” ~ Mar’s mother Josephine, page 167, Love and The Game.

Initially for the survival for his mother and little brother, Mar’s involvement in drugs slowly drowns him in all of the foibles that illicit activities eventually bring to light. Drug dealing eventually endangers the family he tried to protect. As he rises in rank, his best friend’s jealousy become unbearable. His love for his girlfriend is tested by his lust for drug runner. Life is simply complex with no signs of letting up.

Along for the treacherous ride is Lexi, Mar’s first and last love. Little give her a depth that makes her involvement in the Love and The Game easily counterbalance Mar’s adventures. Lexi’s love for Mar is singular, but she is far from a trophy girlfriend. This almost forgotten little girl from Flatbush unfolds an aspect of the game that is chilling, yet equally feminine. The direction that Little took this character caught me off guard, but I was definitely impressed and enlightened by the various stations in life Lexi was able to achieve. From poverty in the ghetto to suburban life and eventually European extravagance, Lexi fitted perfectly in the intricate plot twists that Little brings to this novel.

What did I like? I enjoyed the progression of the characters. I enjoyed the information and points-of-view shared by the main characters as well as the supporting characters. I could tell from the dialogue and plot twists that Saleem Little is well-read. I got hints of The Art of War, The 48 Laws of Power, The Millionaire Next Door readily from the world contained within the pages of Love and The Game.

“Don’t produce doubts that don’t exist.” ~ Fernando moments before being double-crossed by James, page 27, Love and The Game.

I liked how every action, reaction, person, place and things were related to each other. Nothing was wasted in telling a comprehensive story that blurs right and wrong.

What did I not like? At first, I wasn’t impressed by the book’s cover. After reading the book, I liked it a little better. By that, I mean that I understood the components better. I’m still like, “Bleh…”, when it comes to Love and The Games’ color scheme.

I did not like the back-to-back editing errors. I’m not petty, so I can navigate through most errors. But I can see how this can make a person put the book down in frustration. I was, however completely thrown off by the succession of one-to-two page chapters in the third quarter of the book. They made me stop and thumb back through them like, “What in the world?!”

A re-edit and a new and improved book cover would do Love and The Game the literary justice it deserves. Strong characters, interlocked plot twists and realism shine with this novel. Mar’s past, present and future can fuel the imagination if the editing hiccups don’t get in the way. Saleem Little is a great writer, destined to be a well-respected author if Love and The Game is indication of his potential.

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JoeyPinkney.com Book Review
Through the Eyes of My Mulatto Daughter
By Michele L. Waters
4 of 5 Stars

On the surface, Through the Eyes of My Mulatto Daughter by Michele L. Waters seemed like a tale of a husband and wife exhibiting the racial friction that’s the best known secret in America. However, Waters contributed a piece of literature that is simultaneously deeper than the racial divide between whites and blacks, yet fueled by the simplicity of racism. On one side, Through the Eyes of My Mulatto Daughter showed the nuances and complexities wrought by interracial marriages. Throughout the book, the reader will be racing through the pages, mouth agape at the horrid details conjured by Waters with the main character Britney Adams leading the way.

The relationship which brought together Brittney Adams’ parents was of anything but convenience. Richard Adams married Marilyn at a time in America where Black people were lynched for entertainment in a 1960s Alabama. Being a product of an unequivocally racist family with a staunch bigot as head of the household, Richard’s love was, if nothing else, transcendent. Loyal by nature, Marilyn reciprocated Richard’s risk with an unshakable love and devotion. Together, they braved the storm brewed by America’s history with race relations as they moved from Alabama to California and produced a beautiful daughter.

As Brittney matured, she saw the complexities of her family’s situation with a renewed clarity. Her father’s father, Herbert Adams, was filled with an intense hatred for blacks. Reflecting on the evil exuding from every childhood experience with him, Brittney saw Herbert reincarnated in Richard’s actions towards Marilyn in Richard’s later years. From the mental and verbal abuse to the virtual leash, Richard’s terrorism went past white and black.

Brittney founded and operates Ebony Eyes, a home for young, unwed mothers to have their babies in safety. Her clients keep her more than busy with their personality clashes. Brittney’s boyfriend, Matthew, is a parole officer that loves Brittney dearly and shows her the utmost respect. Brittney’s aunt Libby is the only person from her father’s side of the family that genuinely loves Brittney, Marilyn and Richard, despite the rest of Richard’s family completely disowning them.

Reading about a white man abusing his black wife behind the closed doors of their home-made me squirm in my seat. Reading about a woman enduring violence with blind allegiance had me shaking me head as the paragraphs breezed by. Yet, reading about daughter and a sister-in-law  standing up to that tyrant and keeping it real and raw with that abused woman made my heart race with joy. That is the power of Waters’ ability to weave utterly convincing characters with equally petulant dialogue. The depth which Waters gives her characters is amazing. They are more than complex; they are realistic. From the maturation seen in Brittney to the development of Marilyn, the characters grow on you and make you want to see the best from them.

The book’s cover, although artistic, and title, although touching, doesn’t show the full power of Michele L. Waters’s novel. Based on the title, I would have expected a story about how Brittney digested and discussed her perspective of either of parent’s life dealing with the protecting their little girl from the cold world. Brittney was too intertwined in the story’s fast-paced plot twists to really reflect solely on the doings of her parents. Her confusion of her racial identity was mild at best. She simply wasn’t torn between being white or black.

The book cover is very interesting and very well-done. It shows a girl divided by her racial makeup: half-white, half-black. There is a difference between Brittney and the girl depicted on the cover. Described as having brown skin, light-brown and long, straight black hair, Brittney wasn’t confused about what she was. She knew she was biracial and strongly identified with  her mother and being black.

There is a plot twist that runs through Through the Eyes of My Mulatto Daughter that really shows Waters prowess as a writer. Two surprise characters will make you truly recognize the brilliance of water’s literary mind. Once you tune into the way this story takes place, there is no way to finish this novel unaffected by the way Waters portrays the potential of the human condition.

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JoeyPinkney.com Book Review
Pink Moon: A Menagerie of Erotic Prose
By Sarah Murdaugh
(iUniverse)
4 of 5 Stars

Pink Moon: A Menagerie of Erotic Prose by Sarah Murdaugh is a colorful arrangement of poetry focused on the pleasures of intimate sexual relationships. Murdaugh’s mixture of words and imagery fuels a sensual theme that travels throughout this poetry collection.

There is a variety of moods within Pink Moon. I must admit, I was a little put off by the recurrence of certain adjectives and phrases, but Pink Moon is a definite sculpture of words. Most of the poems are sensual, lulling and mesmerizing the reader into bliss. There are streaks of raunchy imagery that shock and move the sensual musings into sexual realms of thoughts.

Murdaugh has found a way to merge the simplicity of emotions and situations with the complexity of the English language. Instead of getting lost in the words, you will clearly see the poet’s intentions.

For example, she taught me why women cry after an intense love-making session in her poem “Lucid Ignis Fatuus”.

We laid in a cherry blossom field
under the covers of a moonlit sky.
We made love so deep I cried,
not in pain, but in intense release
of passion held prisoner by fear.

Essentially, Pink Moon is a form of sexual and emotional intercourse because it precisely communicates the ideas, thoughts and experiences of sensual intimacy to the reader. The word “erotic” may be mistaken for carnal, which pertains strictly to the appetites of the flesh. Murdaugh truly infuses the full involvement of a female lover who sees, smells, hears, feels and tastes the coitus in as it develops and transcends from the physical to the spiritual.

There is definitely a theme of eros love flowing throughout Pink Moon. The love presented by Murdaugh’s poetry is sexual, yet the foundation is rested up romance. As you read poems such as “Love Like The Breeze”, “Passion” and “Poetic Lover”, you get the idea of an intimate love as opposed to lusty beckonings.

From the poem “Passion”:

Spilling my verses without hesitation
Is my expertise and my passion.
I’ll serve it to you on a silver platter,
Seduce your mind when it’s in a clutter,
Twist your soul till you wish I was your lover.
My thoughts will succumb your heart in time,
My impeccable love, you are so damn fine…

As Murdaugh gracefully alternates between the aggressor and the passive, her poetic prowess stays intact. Poems like “Master” and “Perplexed Pleasure” smack you in the face. Instead of reeling back, you rub your face and wonder “What’s next?” To say she has a way with words is an understatement.

From the poem “Master”:

Must I remind you,
I am only here to twist you
Tie,
lick,
sip,
And then bite you,
Pistol whip you
And to man handle you!

If you like sexually-tinged poetry, Sarah Murdaugh’s Pink Moon is a perfect addition to your poetry book collection. It’s strong enough to arouse and smooth enough to sooth.

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JoeyPinkney.com Book Review
Not Quite What It Seems
By Mari Walker
(St. Martin’s Press)
3 of 5 Stars

Not Quite What It Seems, by Essence Best Selling Author Mari Walker, is a knotted tale of the life of Jadyn Collins that slowly unravels one chapter at a time. Jadyn Collins’ world pulls her in many directions. She struggles to resolve the emotional scars caused by childhood experiences. She is relentless in her pursuit to become a professional dancer. She has found love, yet her life goals do neatly align with her boyfriend’s future plans for both him and Jadyn. On top of all of that, she yearns to find and reunite with her biological father separated from her and her two younger brothers by her mother when she was in her early teens.

Jadyn is the daughter of Samai Collins, the main character of Mari Walker’s debut novel Never As Good As The First Time. A little older and on her own, Jadyn’s character is strong enough to be the center of attention. She is driven by an inner-strength, full of sassiness and smart enough to navigate the varied situations she comes into contact with. Hence, Not Quite What It Seems is by no means a sequel to Never As Good As The First Time, and it’s not really a continuation of Walker’s first book. Just like the relationship between Samai and Jadyn, these two books are definitely related with the first being the foundation of the second. But Not Quite What It Seems has its own identity and can be read by itself.

Jadyn works unremittingly to hone her talent and skill as a dancer from her early teens up through her early twenties. Her life goal is to dance professionally for a larger, national productions. Dance is the one thing that Jadyn does that is stable. Moving to the rhythm of music and precisely expressing choreographed routines takes her away from everything that stresses her in life. Dancing shuts out memories of growing up watching her mother slowly sink into a life of addiction to crack. Dancing stops the searing pain of being touched by a step-father that was supposed to protect her. Dancing takes her emotional, spiritual and physical energy and gives it a direction and focus that enchants anyone who watches her grace.

Jadyn’s boyfriend Taji Hietkikko is half-Black and half-Japanese. Not Quite What It Seems picks up at the time in their relationship where Jadyn is ready to move on, unbeknownst to Taji. Although he is entrenched in his family’s business, poised for future success and financially stable, Taji’s love for Jadyn is empty. He loves her, yet he doesn’t know how to love her. This leaves Jadyn struggling trying to justify making their union matrimonial.

Taji’s Japanese heritage brings an interesting wrinkle into the folds of Not Quite What It Seems. The reader gets a glimpse of the subtle yet bold-faced clash of marriage and relationship concepts between American and Japanese cultures. Jadyn is placed in the middle of compromise and self-respect as she navigates the execution of what Taji’s father thinks is right for Taji and the future of their bloodline. Taji’s father, Hiroshi, doesn’t really want Jadyn in Taji’s life even though Hiroshi has a Black wife. However, if Jadyn is indeed Taji’s chosen love interest, then Hiroshi wants nothing more from Jadyn than to bear and raise Taji’s son.

Walker uses the coexistence of Japanese tradition and non-traditional ways to great effect with Taji and his family. When alone with Jadyn, his character is just as African-American as Jadyn – from the speech patterns to taste in clothed and other sundry items. In the presence of his father and grandfather, Taji falls in-line with family hierarchy. Even the mood of the book changes. This makes for interesting interactions between matriarchal and patriarchal cultural values that clash within the relationship between Jadyn and Taji.

Jadyn was pretty much raised by her mother and looked to her for guidance and protection. As she grew up and became more independent and separated from her crack-addicted mother, she sought to forge her own path in life. Her ability to dance and perform became a focus and career aspiration. This put rearing children and being domesticated on the back-burner as she pushed forward to create her own history. In stark contrast, Taji’s career choice is tied directly to the company his grandfather built and his father grew.

Taji is born into the ie, which is Japanese for family. In this system, individualism and Women’s rights are almost non-existent. Instead, a premium is placed on the continuance of the family and its inheritances with the oldest son being the successor and his wife being domesticated. Taji’s goal in life is dual: to please his father and grandfather and to be the sole provider for his stay-at-home bride. Following Japanese tradition of honoring and respecting the opinion of his elders, Taji puts Jadyn in an uncomfortable position. She must, at times unwillingly, play the submissive role. This is the fuel for both public and private explosions between the two young lovers.

Jadyn must also deal with the ghosts and demons of her youth. A trio of men mentally strain Jadyn indirectly throughout Not Quite What It Seems. Her step-father Ian’ molesting ways and continual presence keeps her revisiting some of the most painful moments in her life. Quinn, a murderous junkie/dealer marked her psyche with his attempt on her life and innocence. Finally, there is Charles William Ivery, Jadyn’s biological father who was pushed out of Jadyn’s life by her mother. His absence has always been a sore spot for Jadyn, one that has in some senses arrested her development in terms of closure to her childhood.

Jadyn takes her life into her own hands and decides to leave Taji after she links him to her not getting the role of her life with a dance troupe she rose through the call backs to the final cut. Jaded by what she understood to be an underhanded move by Taji to stifle her creative endeavors, Jadyn uses the excursion to find her biological father. The novel totally changes pace, plot and personality when she leaves Ohio for Florida. The book really begins to live up to its namesake – not quite what it seemed.

Things begin to unravel during the last fifth of the novel. I didn’t think that the new drama Jadyn stumbled upon in Florida tied in well with the life she left behind in Ohio. In Florida, Jadyn stays with her great-uncle BruhJay and cousin Flash, BruhJay’s grandson, and they show her Southern Hospitality like only family can in the small town of Palm City, FL.

Because of the ending, Not Quite What It Seems came off feeling more like two books jammed together as one. As a reader, I enjoyed the unfolding mystery of the connection between Julian, the man that she met on the flight into Florida, Jadyn’s cousin Flash and Steele Money – a seemingly nobody, club promoter in the middle of nowhere. Julian slowly becomes a love interest, Flash becomes overly protective and Steele Money by no means hides his anamosity for Jadyn’s presence in Palm City. By the time the dust settles in Florida, Jadyn’s time there was a trip but not to Disney World…

Overall, I have mixed feelings about Not Quite What It Seems. I enjoyed what I considered the tale of two novels in, just not within the confines of the same book cover.

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I am so honored (and more surprised) that I have made Mr. Ron Knight’s Top 50 Facebook Authors! list. Here is an excerpt of the post:

To make this list, these authors had to catch my attention at some point over the year. To be on the top of the list, the author had to keep my attention. As an author, that is your goal for social media. If I noticed you, then someone else in the publishing industry may have noticed you as well.

There were over 7,000 choices. Here are the top 50…

Check out the link, and take note of #27: Yours Truly.

http://www.upauthors.com/%E2%80%9C/ron-knights-top-50-facebook-authors%E2%80%9D

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JoeyPinkney.com Book Review
Scattered Lies II
By Madison
5 of 5 Stars

Madison’s Scattered Lies II picks up right where the first installment ended, yet loses no time in immersing us once again in a world of lies, lusts and games of wits. I have to admit, I knew I was going to give Scattered Lies II a five-star rating before I finished the first chapter because I was hooked by it’s fluidity from the start.

Madison captured my imagination with her way of presenting the traditional characters, violence and settings that makes Urban Lit exciting by injecting intelligence and realism. Madison exudes intelligence in her word choice. Her plot twists will undoubtedly keep any thinking reader’s attention. If this book was a person, I’d say Scattered Lies II possessed equal parts book sense and street knowledge.

Each chapter digs deeper into the lives of a splintered crime family as they make sense of twisted world of order and chaos. Madison is a deceptive author. The amount of time she put into researching and polishing this book would make the average reader think that this book was easy to pull off. It had to be anything but.

The diversity of lifestyles and social strata contained in this book is not standard fare. Madison makes the disparate cohesive. Where else can you get legal jargon, real estate concepts, high fashion, guns with the serial numbers scratched off, unique alcoholic beverages, methods of killing without getting caught, nasty sex, media training and high school angst? In the same book? Three words: Scattered Lies II.

Gabrielle, a successful lawyer, has her own law firm. However, her husband Greg has been locked up and fighting for his freedom nearly as long as they have been married. Not an angel by a long-shot, Greg’s drug lord days caught up to him, and he’s been framed for a murder he didn’t commit. As Gabrielle digs deeper and deeper for the legal key to bring the love of her life back home from prison, she happens upon a world of deceit and unexpected love that she could have never been predicted.

Denise, a budding real estate mogul, lives a quadruple life. Although she’s strived to keep her lifestyle legal and legit, loose ends from her Pyrrhic past won’t let her put her guns to rest. If that wasn’t enough, her struggles with love and lust will melt your heart and make you sweat within the same breath. While Derrick is slowly cracking the safe that contains Denise’s tender heart, Morris has the key to unlock her loose chastity belt.

Tony, a rapper with lots of money and power in the music industry, struggles with control issues. The trapping of success seemed to cover up his low self-esteem. Having the most beautiful counterpart, R&B diva Christina, as a girlfriend proves to not be enough for this womanizer. As they strut in front of the media’s lime light, they struggle to maintain under the strain of Tony’s ego and misguided affections. Tony’s tortured soul does what is knows best, nonchalantly inflict pain on just about everyone in his path.

Christina, part model/part singer, has everything a girl could hope for: a powerful man, a beautiful body and tens of thousands of fans. Her glamorous life was actually fool’s gold: the one person she loves refuses to properly love her back. Finding  a new love in an unlikely friend proves to be more than her fragile world can handle.

Morgan, a smart and beautiful teenager, hides the mental and physical scars of rape and molestation by a close friend of the family. Slowly losing hope, Morgan’s outward happiness slowly spirals into depression as she keeps her secret to keep her family alive. This terrorized teen’s anguish is just as confusing as the false pleasure she gets from her predator.

I absolutely love the way that Madison allowed her characters’ personalities to breathe. For example, there is a part in the beginning of the book where Denise is in jail schooling a young woman who came from a similar background. The exchange between the two is so realistic, from Denise’s approach to getting the girl to listen to the youthful ignorance that Lexis sets aside to briefly listen and learn from a person been there and done that. What Denise tells Lexis were some jewels that any female that’s young and dumb needs to hear, from gaining an education to carrying herself like a lady to being the woman a man wants and respects.

In terms of Scattered Lies II in relation to the original Scattered Lies, it was a powerful followup. The plot twists with this book can stand alone, but the real effectiveness of Scattered Lies II is how is continues the saga of the family that Greg Brightman built. If you happen upon this book before the first one, you should read the first one before embarking on the journey in which this book will surely ensnare you.

I felt like Madison wrote with a higher level of proficiency this time around, letting her characters lead us instead of Madison trying to lead the characters. Page after page, I struggled against the urge to skip ahead. This was not because the book was boring. Quite the opposite, Scattered Lies II was so intense, I could barely handle not knowing what was in the next paragraph, on the next page or in the next chapter. After you read part one and part two, you will definitely be a fiend for Madison’s part three to the Scattered Lies franchise and her next projects. I know I am.

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On 10-20-10, I had the absolute honor of being on the Michigan Literary Network Show. It was a double treat because I really look up to the show’s founder Sylvia Hubbard, plus you have to be doing something major to be on that show and not be from Michigan.

During the show, I talked about my humble beginnings, what keeps me going and the importance of book reviews. You can listen to the podcast below. I hope you enjoy it.

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