Scattered Lies
by Madison
(Influential Writers Publishing)
3.5 out of 5 Stars

Scattered Lies, the debut novel from Madison, gives the reader everything that makes Urban Fiction delicious. On the surface, this novel is full of high-priced cars, upscale backdrops and inner-city squalor. The entertainment factor is high, but the psychology of and interaction between the characters of Scattered Lies is what will make this a great read. Madison created characters with deep, dark layers giving the reader plenty to digest.

Scattered Lies starts in the middle and works its way to the beginning and the end simultaneously. This is one of the things that makes the novel such an interesting read. Most of the characters are related to each other in multiple ways. As the characters reveal bits and pieces through strong dialogue, the plot twists unravel and will make the gears turn inside of the critical readers’ minds. If you have to go back and re-read parts of Scattered Lies, rest assured that it is not due to poor editing. The complex plot twists keeps the reader engaged.

Although Greg is not the central character in terms of the amount of pages dedicated to him, he can be directly or indirectly attributed to the tangled web of events the author Madison has put together. Greg is a locked up master-mind of a criminal enterprise. More than just a common street thug, Greg’s vision for what was possible for his Melrose Projects crew is infinite. Greg attempts to set his people up for legal success gained mixed results. The intricate mix of personalities, abilities and sense of loyalty is what will separate Scattered Lies from the average Urban Fiction book.

Gabrielle is Greg’s loyal wife and a successful lawyer. Her parents are ashamed of her decision to marry a convicted criminal. Her love for Greg is as genuine as his love for her. The bond gives her the strength to be married at a distance. The monthly conjugal visits are great sexually but not enough to convince her to have children. Gabrielle met Greg while hanging out with her cousin, Denise. The bond with Greg was instant but is later strained when Gabrielle starts to figure out exactly how Greg landed in prison.

Denise, Greg’s protege, shows the most promise out of Greg’s associates. Instead of becoming a statistic, Denise became the exception to the rule. From teenage “good girl gone bad” to ruthless killer to a mature business executive, Denise is a testament to the fact that bad people can come from good families and good things can come from bad people. In the hood, she is known for making people who cross her disappear. At her day job, she is known for keeping everything under control and getting things done no matter what. However, she can’t stay away from street thugs with nothing to offer besides mind-blowing sex. She’s seen it all from being pimped to contract killings to multi-million dollar real-estate deals, and Denise still manages to keep a job strictly for the health benefits.

Tony is a nobody in the hood who is at the helm of a platinum-selling music career with the help of Greg’s direction and connections. With average looks and an overboard ego, Tony lives a life that most wanna-be rappers would die for. He is able to obtain a beautiful girlfriend who is equally successful in her R&B career. His sexual addiction makes it hard to enjoy his girlfriend. Unlike Denise, he has a rep for being a pushover in the streets.

In her debut novel, Madison shows her mastery of melding together name brand items with high level psychology. The characters in Scattered Lies know enough about each other to know that there is more to know. It is that surface tension that keeps the reader afloat amid infinitely deep plot twists. The realistic dialogue is matched with issues that will hit home with many readers: family favoritism, being in love with old flames, skeletons in the closet coming back to destroy stability, among others.

The additional characters and scenarios perfectly accommodate the flavor and complexity of Scattered Lies. Denise’s niece Morgan deals with issues that most teenagers struggle with such as teenage sex, being a critical thinker at a young age and being treated differently because of beauty. Gabrielle’s clientele also engages issues like money laundering practices by wealthy people and rich women who are sexually addicted to boy toys from the hood.

There were two things that did not sit comfortably with me: the book’s cover and the book’s ending. Past the fact that “shattered” rhymes with “scattered”, the only connection I could see between the book cover and its story was that two shards of the broken glass had an image of a microphone (Tony, the rapper) and a woman wearing an unbuttoned shirt with a pearl necklace (presumably Denise, but possibly Gabrielle). However, this cover is much more welcomed and classier than just posting up a pin up model. Scattered Lies’ ending was shocking, but not satisfying. Given the lives of the characters up to that point, I struggle to see how ending the story that way brings closure to the various plot twists or opens the opportunity for sequels.

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Art Noble, author of The Sacred Female
(Trafford Publishing)

(One of the first ten people to comment on Art Noble’s author interview will win a FREE copy of The Sacred Female from JoeyPinkney.com)

In his radical and sensitive book, The Sacred Female, Art Noble both enlightens and enthralls his readers with a novel that explores the intimate connection between a man and a woman. Noble brilliantly shows how sexual love manifests into a shared magical experience.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The Sacred Female?

Art Noble: From experience, then research to validate the experience.

JP: From the outside looking in, female ejaculation seems to be more sensational than sensual. What could the uninitiated reader stand to learn about this phenomenon?

AN: First, it increases female sexual pleasure by a reported factor of 10! This increase in pleasure was first noted by Dr. Reginald de Gaff in 1660. Also, I see pleasure as an indicator of the quantity of electrochemical energy generated that may be transmitted to the man to increase his sexual pleasure.

Ejaculation may not be a necessary element of transcendent sex or spiritual bonding. Also, the physical definition of the female prostate varies so all women may not be able to ejaculate.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to The Sacred Female getting out to the public?

AN: The teleseminar on Wed Dec 2, at 4PM, simulcast on www.hotmix106.com, of course a fantastic review by Joey Pinkney, and persistence.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish The Sacred Female?

AN: It was 5 years in gestation: 1 year in writing and 3 months of editing with a great editor. We read the manuscript aloud three times (over the phone) to smooth out all the rough spots. It is an easy read now.

JP: What’s next for Art Noble?

AN: More seminars and workshops on sexuality, and perhaps another novel with more information about anatomy and physiology so men and women may feel more comfortable about their fantastic bodies.

http://www.facebook.com/art.noble1

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The Sacred Female
by Art Noble
(Trafford Publishing)
4 out of 5 Stars

What does a marine engineer and a high-end women’s boutique owner have in common? A swift bump on the head! Art Noble’s The Sacred Female is an erotic tale of sexual awakening for both the man and the woman. A chance meeting in the mall leads to a lifetime of love, laughter and melodrama.

Both Ricard and Jeanne experienced life, sex, marriage and children on their own accord. When they met, they were both secure in their respective careers and companionless households. After the usual courting ritual, complete with dates and the informational telephone conversations, the sexual aspect naturally creeps into the picture.

What Jeanne and Richard experience during their first coital encounter, neither are fully prepared. Completely trusting Richard and his commands, Jeanne experiences the phenomenon of female ejaculation. This liberation caused them to separately and collectively view their world in a totally new perspective.

Richard immediately experienced a paradigm shift. Having the analytical mind of an engineer and the abstract understanding of a poetry lover, he transformed spiritually in ways he never imagined possible. His curiosity lead to deep introspection, extensive research, wonderfully exhaustive sex and spiritual enlightening. He shared all four fully and faithfully with Jeanne.

Jeanne’s willingness to let herself go completely to Richard opens up an untapped aspect of her womanhood. On that fateful night, Jeanne wanted to stop for fear of urinating in Richard’s bed. Her ejaculation opens a floodgate, not just of sexual juices but also of emotions and new realizations of her role in a relationship with a man and with God.

Prior to Richard, Jeanne was a hard-nose business woman, complete with her own boutique and luxury car. These things, which she worked tremendously hard to achieve, give way to a more fulfilling relationship with Richard. She had experienced what she thought was love with her ex-husband, but her new found relationship with Richard makes her life unstable all over again.

The Sacred Female is more than a story sharing love and great sex. This novel also deals with the ups and downs of being in a relationship, the spiritual connections of love and the hardships of trying to digest it all. Together, Jeanne and Richard mature exponentially each day. They begin to think alike and even pick up the phone when the other person is calling. Such rapid growth is not without its growing pains. The hardships of change and the unknown only bring them closer. Richard slowly allows himself to be identified as the more casual “Rich Andrews”, something which shocks all who know him.

Richard’s occupation provides an interesting side-plot in The Sacred Female. As a marine engineer with ten years of experience at the established Greenbrier Corporation, his career in both stable and fulfilling. This comes to an head when he realizes his signature is being forged on company letterhead for projects he didn’t approve.

This is a very interesting side-story in The Sacred Female. Prior to meeting Jeanne, Richard would have went to war. Instead, Richard navigates a course unseen by doing what feels right instead of letting his logic fuel his emotions.The way Richard sorts out his thoughts and actions in light of his new found connection with his intuition is almost as interesting as how that aspect of The Sacred Female comes to a close.

Even though The Sacred Female is a work of fiction, Noble draws upon extensive research and rich personal experience to keep things interesting. The Sacred Female is not a how-to book on humping a woman into oblivion. This novel is about aspects of a woman’s sexuality that goes beyond the limitations of the scientific and the procedural.

Noble allows his reader to learn by looking over Richard’s shoulder as he ties together Western Science with the knowledge and wisdom of ancient cultures from around the world. In his search for the explanation for the physical, he finds an answer that is spiritually beyond  qualifying in human terms. He is constantly pushed closer to God, and Jeanne follows his lead, opening up the “Three Gates” of sexual and spiritual fulfillment.

The Sacred Female is a strong debut from Art Noble. His literary voice is clear and direct, allowing the reader to enjoy the story unfold instead of getting bogged down in learning the meaning of new words. Noble’s penchant to the subtleties of conversation is full of movie references, witty jokes and rich dialogue. Although you will become quickly in tune and comfortable with Richard and Jeanne, you will not become bored.

You will experience the realistic ups and downs of a relationship as they get to know each other spiritually and are forced to grow. What starts out as sexually between Richard and Jeanne progresses to the intellectual. This desire for knowledge about the mechanics of female ejaculation is under-girded by the reality of a spiritual awakening that reconstructs the psyches of two people who were established in their professions and thought they were stable in their personal identities.

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Her Little Secret
by T. Freeman, Jr.
(Sleepy Eye Publishing)
5 out of 5 Stars

T. Freeman, Jr’s Her Little Secret is a masterpiece which encompasses gritty situations, the perfect use of slang and picturesque scenes from the roughest hoods to the absolutely luxurious locales from the East and West Coasts. Freeman invades the mind of his readers with the sometimes harsh but thoroughly adventurous life of Lerrez Crawford. Born in complete squalor to two drug-addicted parents, life deals Lerrez a bad hand from the very beginning. Dark-skinned, thick and undeniably beautiful, her life would be anything but sweet as she struggles to escape the grips of the cold streets of inner-city Camden, NJ.

Lerrez’s attempt at elusiveness is met with the domino effect of tragedy after tragedy. Before she can reach 18-years-old, she gets shuffled off to a foster home, thrust onto the streets, housed in juvenile detention and taken by her long-lost grand mother. During this whole ordeal, she experience sexual and drug abuse, murders and misadventures that are not too uncommon for people surviving in inner-cities across the nation. A chance meeting with a big-time producer from L.A. proves to be the ticket to stability. Just when she finds solace with the love of her life, all of the dirt she did in Camden threatens to snatch away her fairytale ending.

What really makes this novel pop is T. Freeman’s effortless use of slang and location. Being the perfect guide, he puts foreign slang words in context. He also gives you a street-level view wherever his characters are. Her Little Secret takes you from the crowded projects of Camden to the city blocks of New York City to the socio-economic extremes of L.A. Freeman doesn’t just reference a location. He gives you street names and landmarks in a way that perfectly complements the wicked plot twists.

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Dapharoah69, author of The King of Erotica 4: The DeTHRONEment of a King
(TKOE Publications)

The King of Erotica Book 1 introduced a THRONE no one knew existed. The King of Erotica Book 2 introduced the Throne and the CROWN of a King, with gut-wrenching stories other authors were too afraid to touch. The King of Erotica Book 3: VIP showed the world a scorned, battered author with a painful past willing to change the world with his vision. Over 200 separate Five Star Reviews later, Dapharoah69 is back with The King of Erotica 4: The DeTHRONEment of a King. Could this quite possibly be the last The King of Erotica novel…ever?

FATE WILLIAMS was abused by her own flesh and blood mother over the years. After reluctantly poisoning her mother’s drink, she has to plan her mother’s funeral. But someone won’t let her forget…and it could be deadly.

Ex-prostitute, PRINCESS WEBSTER’S stomach sticks out further than her Booty-Do…because she’s in love with a one night stand and pregnant! But her best friend, Georgia, knows Princess slept with her husband, Ed. Does the baby belong to Ed? Or Thomas?

FRANCINE, FRANCINE, FRANCINE strikes! She was betrayed in Book 1. She makes a pivotal choice when she calls a cab in a wedding dress to rush home to marry the man who has her best friend Chandra hooked on drugs and pregnant. Will her heart speak now, or will her pride forever hold her…peace?

WILL THIS BE THE LAST THE KING OF EROTICA EVER…?

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The King of Erotica 4?

Dapharoah69: I got the idea after being betrayed by a former publishing house back in 2003. Entering and winning over a hundred Myspace Erotic Story and Poetry contests, my fans and people who read my blogs christened me “The King of Erotica”.

So like Zane’s Sex Chronicles, I decided to name my first book The King of Erotica and using sex as a weapon but giving the characters background, dilemmas everyday people acknowledge or deny and to give the characters an identity so I wasn’t just writing sex in vain.

JP: What sets The King of Erotica 4 apart from other novels in the series? And why might this be the last one?

Dapharoah69: The King of Erotica 4 is the DeTHRONEment. Book one was the actual Throne, so the message was raw, blunt and took no prisoners. Book 2 was the Crown, not as raunchy, but deeper in the storytelling. Book 3 is the VIP. Book 4 dives deeper into the scandals, digs into the core of the abuse, dives deeper into the emotional state of the characters. It shows what makes them tick. It shows why they are so promiscuous. It shows why they worship two masters.

This might quite possibly be the last because this was the hardest book to write out of the four because I had to dig deep into the abuse I suffered as a child to give the characters flesh and air. The first book took 5 days to write. Book 4 took almost 3 months. I had to stop and start. It was too emotional for me.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to The King of Erotica series being as popular as it has been?

Dapharoah69: The keys to my success was my faith in God, faith in my ability and doing it all to get the message out: shunning paychecks, huge bonuses and turning my back on traditional publishing blueprints. It’s kind of like Akhenaton in Africa back in the 1350 B.C. Era turning his back on the pharaohs that ruled before him to pave his own way with his own formula.

Being humble, showing readers and naysayers alike that you can be successful if you work hard to achieve your goals with good intentions was necessary. Writing to express myself, letting them know that I am not trying to make anyone happy was critical. Giving books out for free to those who can’t afford them was important. All that has made The King of Erotica a bestselling, 5 Star Series.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish The King of Erotica 4?

Dapharoah69: Book 1 took me five days, fourteen hours a day or more I always contribute to my work. Book 2 about a week. Book 3 two and a half days. I always map and blueprint the characters, so that makes it easy for me. I don’t stop or take breaks until it’s done. I lock myself in my room, cut off all phones, no internet access, no outside world when I create. So friends and family don’t hear from me for weeks sometimes.

I research different cultures, areas, environments animals -  everything. I write from the female, male, gay, straight, married, sheltered points of view. Book 4 took me nearly three months to write because of all the pain I had to relive. So I went through a depression phase. Book 4 was almost scrapped, but I stuck with it.

JP: What’s next for Larry Wilson, Jr.?

Dapharoah69: I have a book, Some Men Wear Panties, coming out with bestselling author of On the Down Low, JL King. And I have my first full debut novel, Call Her Queen Hatshepsut, coming in late October. I’m nervous about it because it deals with a deranged plastic surgeon who raises her son as a girl to get back at the father for marrying and fathering a child with her identical twin sister.

http://www.myspace.com/kingoferotica
http://www.facebook.com/thekingoferotica
http://twitter.com/dapharoah69
http://www.tagged.com/kingoferotica

kingoferotica305@aol.com
dapharoah69@yahoo.com

Notables:

• The King of Erotica Books featured in Bestselling Author E Lynn Harris Literary Cafe
• A combined 210 (5) Star Reviews on Barnes and Noble.com and not a star less
• Featured in over 400 book clubs worldwide
• The King of Erotica Books 1, 2 and 3 were Barnes and Noble.com Top 100 Bestsellers at the same time, with book 3 peaking at #71.
• I was the only self-published, African-American author with three different titles in the Top 100 at the same time.

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or myspace.com/joeyreviews

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Alicia McGhee, author of Wet Dreams
(Lulu Publishing)

Take a ride on this very hot, drama-packed erotic novel that will keep you having Wet Dreams. Phil Wilmore is a sexy R&B singer who knows how to sell out shows and keep the ladies screaming his name. Read as Phil takes you on a highly charged ride throughout his sexual encounters with very seductive women. One woman in particular was more than seductive to Phil, and he knew exactly what his hunger craved. That craving was the hottest talent manager to set foot in Industry Records, Christelle Blackwall.

Not only is Christelle Phil’s manager, she also becomes his lover. Phil Wilmore and Christelle Blackwall continue to remain lovers while indulging their appetites with other flavors. Two of those flavors who ironically know one another. Phil meets his caramel dream at one of his shows in a New York nightclub. She makes herself known from the curve of her hips to the way she licks her lips. Jasmine Riley is her name, and snagging up Phil Wilmore for herself is her game. While Phil Wilmore makes a persistent groupie happy, Christelle focuses her interest on a delicious chocolate man with long, clean dreadlocks by the name of Amir Jamal.

Following behind him like a little lost puppy, Christelle stalks her prey and continues till she’s sexually satisfied. As Phil and Christelle’s sexcapades continue, they even experience a threesome in a place called Paradise with a familiar face. Before long, Phil and Christelle’s erotic play takes a turn for the worse as their secret lovers no longer remain a secret. Amir falls in love, Jasmine wants Phil to marry her and somebody’s pregnant! When the love box becomes too complicated for some to handle, Jasmine takes drastic measures in making Christelle disappear while Amir still burns for Christelle’s touch.

The drama unfolds in this urban erotic tale changing the lives of everyone involved in the sin. Find out who’s related, whose baby is murdered, who’s killed and who looses their mind in Alicia McGhee’s Wet Dreams.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Wet Dreams?

Alicia McGhee: Wet Dreams started off as an erotic short story series I started in ’06. Due to the major subscribers making it so popular and requesting more, I was obligated to turn it into a full length novel.

JP: What sets Wet Dreams apart from other novels in its genre?

AM: Wet Dreams has its erotic points, but it also plays out as a thriller. It’s like an edgy movie which keeps you hooked till the very end. What sets my novel apart from others in its genre is that it’s very unpredictable. Wet Dreams is on a whole different level from its competitors in that respect.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Wet Dreams getting out to the public?

AM: Like I said before, this novel was requested by the fans that followed me on MySpace from my very first book Pleasure & Pain which showcases twenty steamy, drama-filled short stories. That got them hooked. After the success of Pleasure & Pain and Hotter the Pleasure, Deeper the Pain II, the fans were ready for a full length novel with just as much intensity and hot erotica as the short stories but with a twist. Wet Dreams is the twist that the people were looking for.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Wet Dreams?

AM: As an author, I’m a visual and creative writer, so the things I dream up or discuss with my reading group all plays out like a film in my mind. I stick to that layout and make you visualize what and how I perceived the material. I start off with jotting down my ideas. Then I draft out an outline to follow along with my list of fictional characters and their characteristics. I give them life. I started Wet Dreams in early ’06 and completed it in 2 years.

JP: What’s next for Alicia McGhee?

AM: What’s next for me? I’ve got a lot more novels in the works with plans of releasing 2 novels by the end of this year. I’m working on the spin off to my latest novel Everybody’s Got A Story which is truly a pleasure to create. I’m also working on a hot steamy novel jammed packed with its fair share of sex while delving into the lives of 4 ladies who share their experiences on what goes on down in the gentlemen’s cabaret. I actually interviewed strippers for this piece, so this one is one fun novel to write.

I’ve also been getting my anthology work on with a story featured in Zane’s latest anthology Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 titled Eve’s Secret. I’ve been showcased in Noire’s online magazine “Noire Magazine” with some hot naughty stories in the October & March issue. Expect more from me because I’m not done yet. I’ve still got a whole lot to say and share.

http://www.myspace.com/precise05
http://www.thetempressoftales.com/

You can find all of my titles on Amazon for the hottest urban erotic dramas ever!!

Pleasure & Pain
Hotter the Pleasure, Deeper the Pain II
Wet Dreams
Everybody’s Got A Story

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or myspace.com/joeyreviews

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Blood Money: The Beginning
Toni Coleman
(Seraphim Publications)
4 out of 5 Stars

Blood Money by Toni Coleman is roller coaster ride through a world where the music industry and criminal activities are mutual bedfellows. Jameelah Cole marries her long-time boyfriend, inherits a multi-million dollar record company and gets a huge house complete with two million dollars in cash in its safe. Not bad for a “little girl from Compton”, right? Wrong… Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jameelah’s female intuition leads her to be suspicious of her boyfriend, Michael Mine. Being the CEO of G-Styles, women throw themselves at Michael left and right since its the hottest West Coast record label out. Jameelah is naturally suspicious when Michael rushes to drop her off and go handle some “record company business”.

Michael meets up with the other woman and swiftly swooshes her to his mini-mansion. In the throws of passion, Michael becomes the victim of a serious jack move. His late-night rendevous steps to the side and lets two burglars beat Michael to a pulp and demand the location of the money hidden somewhere within the house.

Gun in hand, Jameelah finds Michael hogtied and hanging onto dear life as the two hooligans hold him hostage. A couple blasts from the shotgun sends the floozy flying out of the room like a ghetto roach and the thugs splattered on the floor like extras in a horror flick. The shots also partially paralyzes Michael, but he survives. That would have been highly unlikely if Jameelah wasn’t a woman that shoots first and asks questions later.

While laid up in the hospital, two of Michael’s closest business partners plan and plot like vultures over the remnants of Michael’s anticipated demise. Bruce Kelly shares ownership of G-Style records with Michael. Ruthless by nature, this red-haired Irishman will stop at nothing to make the business moves that keep him financially secure and keep his business partners satisfied.

The sexy R&B crooner Alan Wise is G-Style’s flagship artist. He was Michael’s bestfriend when they were petty thugs on the rise in the drug game. Allan becomes rapped up in Bruce’s evil manipulations just like everyone else who is too afraid to cross Bruce’s path. Allan’s loyalty quickly shifts from Michael to Bruce because he believes he is going to take Michael’s place as a partner in G-Style.

At the hospital, Michael not only asks for Jameelah’s hand in marriage but also give her all of the inside details of his business operations. Michael had been working on transitioning his interest in G-Style records into his own record company. Jameelah pays attention but has no idea how what she learns in that hospital will be crucial to her survival both physically and business-wise.

Michael’s untimely passing brings much more than his past lovers out of the woodwork. Micael’s former partner in crime and business, Bruce, begins to set in motion the steps neccessary to make G-Style records a burgeoning music empire. He also feels he now has the room needed to turn the record label into a perfect money laundering operation for his “silent partners”.

As Jameelah sorts through the things left to her by her forward-thinking husband, she happens upon the stash of money Michael was getting robbed for. Jameelah and her best friend Renee hand-count one million dollars only to realize they only made it halfway through the total stash. The money turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing for reasons you’ll have to read in Blood Money.

Unbeknownst to both Bruce and Allan, Michael’s secret marriage to Jameelah gives her control over Michael’s interest in G-Style and its transition to a new record label. Her private attraction for Allan come to the forefront as they meet for a sensual encounter that is deliciously guilty and too complex for either party to truly understand.

Blood Money is the perfect title for this fast-paced, action-packed thriller that will keep the reader off-balanced and rushing through the pages for the next plot twist. Blood Money: The Beginning is the perfect title not only because of the money’s origin but also the resulting outcomes the money generates for those who are connected to it. As the marriage and its implications come into play, all three parties attempt a deadly game of chess full of death, deception and dishonesty never experienced before in Urban Lit.

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Mikki Starr Martin, author of Zella Dora
(ReignStorm Publishing)

Zella Dora’s progression in life has been on hiatus for the better part of the past six years. Since losing her mother tragically and unexpectedly to a rare disease, she has inherited the duty of caring for her father who has vehemently refused to accept that his wife is forever gone. Added to that is the burden of being there for a suicidal friend who, in a quest for love, is determined to pull everyone around down with her. Not to mention her own dependence on her closest friend Darwin who, unbeknownst to Zella, is suffering from the quiet despair of unrequited love.

An instance of unintentional eavesdropping on her neighbor’s lovemaking oddly becomes the catalyst that creates the desire for Zella to break away and come into her own again. A decision she soon discovers is easier to commit to in theory than reality. When Zella becomes intimately involved with her married neighbor, her world quickly spins out of control begging the question of whether she’ll ever be able to live for herself again.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Zella Dora?

Mikki Starr Martin: Zella Dora came about approximately a year and a half before I really got into writing the story. I had some insane idea to write some twisted tale in the genre of erotica…got as far as a prelude and put it down, never thinking about it again. When I moved out to Cali and was unpacking some things, I happened across the legal pad that I’d written that prelude on. When I read it, I thought it was rather dope and very well written… I impressed myself. Immediately, I decided that something should be done with and I began outlining.

JP: You have a knack to making your novels simply complex. What was your writing process for Zella Dora?

MSM: With Zella Dora, I didn’t want to lead the story too much. I wanted to see what would happen if I gave myself minimal direction in writing. So I’d vaguely outline a few chapters at a time and fill in the blanks as I’d write. I was amazed at the things that poured out that way but scared at the same time because I didn’t know where this story was going and I wasn’t used to that lack of control.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Zella Dora getting out to the public?

MSM: I actually have yet to really push Zella Dora to the public. I’ve dropped a few breadcrumbs so her existence is known by a few but I wanted to wait until 2009 to really make her presence known.

JP: I am totally mesmerized by the book cover. Who is the model? Where did you find her? Who designed your cover?

MSM: Wow… I’m happy that you’re digging the cover. The model, I don’t know. I design all my own cover art. The image of the woman on the cover of Zella Dora is a stock photography image that I was thrilled to find. She fit my mental image of what Zella would look like and I was just so happy that the photographer granted me permission to use the image.

JP: What’s next for Miki Starr Martin?

MSM: I’ve started a couple of projects, but I’ve yet to put my heart into any of them. For now, I intend to focus on making my presence known…something that I’ve neglected doing for fear of being rejected by the masses, and finishing editing my first novel Well Runs Dry, so that I may re-release it later this month.

The biggest writing project that I am taking on right now is a 12-week short story series titled Psycho about psychotherapist Dr. Nicollet Madison Fairway who runs a lucrative business counseling fictional characters. It’s part marketing being that the fictitious characters she’s offering therapy to are my own and part writing challenge for myself as I’m allowing myself no guidance with this. I’ve got to find a way to keep it interesting, without giving away too much info about my books. I’ve gotten some love for the teaser, and even I am excited and curious to see where it goes.

www.mikistarr.com
www.myspace.com/mikstarr

Author Miki Starr Martin can be reached at starr_martin@mikistarr.com

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or myspace.com/joeyreviews

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Donneil D. Jackson, author of Chante’s Song
(Pure Bliss Publishing)

Chante Chambers is a self-proclaimed princess. What mama wants her ex fiancé, Jason, makes sure she gets. The one task he failed at was being faithful, so Chante moved on. In a pursuit for love, happiness, and monogamy sometimes mistaken for sex, she encounters an array of men. If you took the best traits from them all and combined them, they still didn’t create the perfect man.

Just as Chante was ready to admit defeat in her quest for love in walks Keith, a caramel Adonis. Chante has plans of living happily ever after with Keith. That is, until Jason re-enters the picture. A lunch hour spent in between the sheets with Jason can complicate things, or can’t it?

What’s a girl to do when she’s torn between two lovers? Does she grab her panties off the floor and vow to never drop them again? Or does she go back for seconds?

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Chante’s Song?

Donneil D. Jackson: Back in 2000, Chante Moore had a hit single got called Chante’s Got a Man. I was on the phone with a good friend of mine Shauntae, and she was singing the song. I liked how it sound. I took the concept and began writing. As time progressed, I took all of my feelings and poured it into my writing.

JP: What sets Chante’s Song apart from other novels in its genre?

DDJ: The way the story is told. I tried my best to be as descriptive, candid and realistic as possible. I think we all have read a “Chante’s Song” before, yet we have never read the story being told in the manner in which I tell it. That’s what sets my novel apart from other novels in genre and same subject matter.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Chante’s Song getting out to the public?

DDJ: The keys needed for me being a successful writer are determination, the ability to tell a great story and a strong support system. Determination is the Number 1 key to my success. I am determined to make this happen for me.

I believe you have to keep your readers entertained and coming back from more. This is achieved by being able to tell a great story. I pride my self in reeling the reader in as if they were a fly on the wall.

The next key is a great support system. My family is very supportive in getting the word out about Chante’s Song. My father stands outside of the bookstore and passes out bookmarks. My family is my street team. They are very good! Even, my daughter goes up to her friends’ parents like, “Do you enjoy reading?”, with a bookmark in her hand. She has watched me enough to know how to spread the word about “Chante’s Song.

I have recently enlisted the services of Dana Pittman of Nia Promotions to help take Change’s Song to the next level.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Chante’s Song?

DDJ: In a perfect world, I set the atmosphere, slow music, the computer and me. Prior to my seven year old going to bed, it’s me, the computer and my munchkinneck asking me fifty million questions. It works. For the most part, I have something on paper. I can always go back and tweak it. I also get a lot of writing done at work (don’t tell my employer-LOL).

Chante’s Song was started in 2000. I finished it in 2004. I transitioned a lot since I first began writing Chante’s Song. I went from living with my mom, to living on my own, to becoming a mom and just being a full-fledge adult. During that transition, Chante’s Song sat on the shelf for a while. But once I picked her back up, there was no stopping me from seeing it to a finish product. And although it took 4 additional years to get it out, it’s out!

JP: What’s next for Donneil D. Jackson?

DDJ: Only greatness! I want my name to be a name that will be around for a while, if not forever. I want to be up there with the Terry McMillians and Lolita Files. I know I am not on their level yet, however, my goal is to one day be where they are.

Currently, I am working on my second novel, Happily Ever After. It’s a sequel to Chante’s Song. I am also getting my thoughts together for my third novel. I haven’t decided on a title yet. I have, but I don’t think I am going to go with Fairytale Bullsh*t. It’s a book about a scorned woman’s broken heart and her need for revenge.

www.pureblisspublishing.com
www.myspace.com/donneildjacksonthewriter
http://www.urban-reviews.com/insideout-donneildjackson.html
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AAMBC/2008/10/11/Author-Exposure-w-Donniel-D-Jackson

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or myspace.com/joeyreviews

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My girlfriend of seven months recently told me that she cheated on her last boyfriend twice with the female I thought was just her friend. She’s assured me that that’s a thing of the past, but she talks to and texts her best friend all the time. How do I cope with the feeling that there’s more than meets the eye?

Big Boom: There are 3 things you could do: 1. Have a three-some. 2. Be a fool. 3. End the relationship because you will never trust her.

Tanya White: I respect the fact that she confided her inappropriate behavior. You must trust your mate. She has done something specifically in the relationship which has made you doubt her trust then you two need to discuss it.  If you can not trust her then you are not going to have a healthy or fulfilling relationship.

Dedan Tolbert: With any relationship, there needs to be a certain level of trust. You can’t be with someone when you can’t be 100% sure what they’re telling you is the truth. In this situation, I would ask her one final time if her cheating ways are behind her. When she tells you that they are…leave it at that.

If down the line certain behavior raises red flags, you need confront her about it and come to a mutually beneficial resolution. If that’s not possible, then you have to ask yourself if that’s a situation you want to remain a part of.

Cassandra Washington: Trust is a big component of a lasting relationship. If there is no trust, there is no relationship, simple and plain. Before you allow your paranoia to get the best of you, simply have a discussion with your mate and express how you are feeling a bit unsure about the current situation.

Telling her to remove her best friend from her life is not an option . If this “best friend” is a lover as well, former or current, then it might not be that unreasonable. If she has anything to say about it, ask her to put the shoe on the other foot and see how she would feel then.

In any case, intuition is a gift given to you to protect your heart. When it starts knocking at your door, you better answer.

Sun 02-15-09 Do you have to be a freak to enjoy great sex?

Mon 02-16-09 Is sex overrated?

Tue 02-17-09 When should men draw the line in role playing?

Wed 02-18-09 Why do men really cheat?

Thu 02-19-09 Why do I date the same people over and over?

Fri 02-20-09 Why are men challenged by their perineal G-spot?

Sat 02-21-09 Do I tell my friend she’s dating a married man?

Sun 02-22-09 How do I tell my husband I’m sexually frustrated without hurting his feelings?

Mon 02-23-09 Would more racial boundaries break if more people dated interacially?

Tue 02-24-09 How do I cope with not trusting my girfriend after catching her with another woman?

Wed 02-25-09 How do I get my boyfriend of 8 yrs to understand my desire to marry him with losing him?

Thu 02-26-09 How do I cope with my boyfriend sending me mixed messages?

Fri 02-27-09 I fell in love with my best friend’s wife. What should I do?

Sat 02-28-09 Each author gets a special question just for him or her.

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