Category Archives: african american books

Rose Jackson-Beaver, author of Caught in the Net of Deception: I have always been a great talker. As a child, I loved to tell stories and repeat daily news that happened to anyone who would listen. The difference was the way that I reported these stories. I used great imagination, exaggeration and action verbs to draw my audiences in. My mother used to tell us stories and read books to all of her children. Sometimes we would sit in a circle and listen. She was quite imaginative. Growing up in a large family, I loved to read. We would fight over the cereal boxes as we ate breakfast in the morning. My siblings and I had to read the back of the box. It seemed to make the cereal taste that much better. I had to read. Reading made my day that much brighter.

I am finding that I am more passionate about writing for teens. I don’t mind writing to take people visually to places they have not visited. I can write love scenes that may stimulate, but as I grow as a writer, I want my words to inspire someone to take action. With teens I want to make a difference and give them hope when many of them are feeling so hopeless. I want my words to teach without preaching. I love encouraging teens to become all they can through stories that interest them. I will release Caught in the Net of Deception in early March 2009. It’s a teen book that focuses on teens and the dangers they can find surfing on the Internet. I wrote this book because several teens I know were almost found in danger because they are susceptible to communicating with strangers who pretended to be people they were not.

My mother laid the foundation for my love for reading when I was young. I think it is important to instill reading in children early because reading really strengthens comprehension skills. Take a child to the library weekly and watch how his desire to read grows. I don’t know what I would have done without reading. It broadens my horizon about life.

For more information about Rose Jackson-Beaver and Caught in the Net of Deception, please visit http://www.prioritybooks.com.

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Tawana Jackson, author of Stretched But Not Broken

March 14, 2009 Joey Pinkney 1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Tawana Jackson, author of Stretched But Not Broken
(Xulon Press)

All Mia wanted out of life was a peaceful existence and unconditional love. Brutally raped at the age of five by a deranged homeless man, Mia had experienced everything but her dream. Her mother, Helen, a quiet and dignified woman, marries a concerned but drug addicted Vietnam Veteran whose controlling and abusive parenting skills turn Mia’s family on its ear.

Karen, Mia’s older sister, is nothing like her compliant mother and sister. She is brash, loud and not afraid to cry out when in pain. Karen is later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her overbearing and controlling personality knuckles Mia under her spell, causing Mia to begrudgingly acquiesce to Karen’s every command.

Helen also caters to Karen’s manipulative ways making Mia believe that Helen cares more for Karen than she does for Mia and her younger sister, (fathered by Bruce) Sasha. Through a life of kept secrets, silence in the face of abusive oppression, and a broken romance, Mia is driven to attempt suicide. But Mia has a friend, Julie, who has been telling Mia about the love of God and how much he has in store for Mia’s life and future.

Mia must then make a decision to let go of her past, and stretch toward a bright and loving future with a Savior who proves to be the only answer to Mia’s shredded life of fear, anguish, and hopelessness.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Stretched But Not Broken?

Tawana Jackson: My motivation in writing the book is that I was Mia, that little girl growing up trying to face grownup sexual feelings at the age of five. The outcome of rape, depression and physical abuse is so overwhelming in the lives of those that have been a victim. I just could not sit on the testimonies and gifts that God has given me.

Every year over one million souls leave this earth because of suicide. One in every four women are raped. One in every ten men also suffer from rape. The end results sometimes lead to self-destruction, self-hate, or spiritual death if God isn’t allowed to heal the hurt and brokenness

JP: What sets Stretched But Not Broken apart from other novels in its genre?

TJ: This book speaks to those who have suffered mental and physical abuse, as well as, those who have been imprisoned by drug addiction and mental illness. Though this is a fictional story, I have personally lived every aspect of this novel, from being an abused child to possessing the sexual immorality that corrupts a person’s body.

Everything I write about comes from experience as well as God-given creativity. I have a heady appetite for Christian fiction novels, but one thing I discovered was that few of them bring out raw emotion and self-conviction such as mine.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Stretched But Not Broken getting out to the public?

TJ: My keys to success are the following: As a survivor, I know what my characters are feeling throughout the novel. As a Life Coach, I’m able to answer some of the questions rape victims may have. Lastly, but most importantly, ninety-nine percent of the families in the United States or maybe the world can relate to the problems the family in my book suffers.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Stretched But Not Broken?

TJ: The book writing process took about a year. It took three months to do the actual writing, then another nine to rewrite and edit.

JP: What’s next for Tawana Jackson?

TJ: I’ve done several book signings, TV interviews, and radio interviews this year to promote Stretched But Not Broken. I will continue to do this next year. I’m currently working on the book’s sequel that should be completed around June of 2009. I’ll also take time out to visit local prisons to speak with women and men about the importance of family.

http://www.tjacksonbooks.com/
http://www.myspace.com/twrites.com

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National Reading Month With… Adrienna Turner, author of The Day Begins with Christ

March 12, 2009 Joey Pinkney

Adrienna Dionna Turner, author of Day Begins with Christ: As the first-born child, my mother read books to me since birth up to a tender age of five. She excitedly tells everyone, including me, that I was able to read words on the page of a book at seven months old. She realized I had a photographic memory at an early age. She would read the book to me at night. I would be able to view the book, reading the words aloud. Around five years old, I was able to read the books on my own. In my childhood years, my father would challenge me to read book several grades above my normal level and even adult books of all genres. He wanted to stimulate my mind with vivid pictures. He asked complex questions to see if I understood the concept of the book and morale or author’s perspective.

Today, it inspired not only my writing and reading, but my completion degrees in Information Resources (computers) and Library Information Science. Additionally, I love to research and expand my horizons beyond reading fiction. It gave me the ability to learn a trade or how a business operates. It also gave me the ability to mature spiritually by opening up a book and letting my mind absorb it all like a sponge-soak it in, and then apply it to my life. My latest book is Day Begins with Christ, is an inspirational non-fiction book. It focuses on Christian men and women who want to walk with Jesus Christ. What makes my book more unique than the typical inspirational book is the journey that it takes you on to become one with Christ. It is a 50 day to day journey that helps strengthen the Christian faith. Additionally, the main purpose of writing my book is to build godly character by taking a journey on their godly path with the true intentions to dedicate their lives to God, while it also encourages them to become a better man or woman.

For information about Adrienna Dionna Turner and Day Begins with Christ, please visit http://www.adriennaturner.webs.com.

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Category Archives: african american books

National Reading Month With… Rose Jackson-Beaver, author of Caught in the Net of Deception

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Tawana Jackson, author of Stretched But Not Broken

National Reading Month With… Adrienna Turner, author of The Day Begins with Christ

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