Book Review: Scattered Lies by Madison

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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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Sherrell Straker-Valdezloqui, author of The Hurting Women

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Sherrell Straker-Valdezloqui, author of The Hurting Women
(Asta Publications)

Trice, Sharon and Tracy friends, since high school, imagined their future with a great career, money, a car, a home and a Prince Charming to share it with. It was a dreamlife they couldn’t wait to have. That is until they graduated and entered in the real world, not knowing looks, money and career is not always enough to base love on.

They find themselves on a journey with nothing except heartaches and pain. With dishonesty, infideltity, abuse and other secrets coming out of the closet, these ladies get more than they could bargain for. Game after games and twisted thoughts and actions, someone is bound to get hurt.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The Hurting Women?

Sherrell Straker-Valdezloqui: I got the inspiration and idea to write The Hurting Women through the lives of others around me that have been hurt due to relationships both male and females.

The Hurting Women touch bases on several potential real-life situations to motivate, inspire and share knowledge to those that have experienced hurt and pain from both past and present relationships.

JP: Many of the relationship scenarios found in The Hurting Women are true to life. What’s the most important aspect in maintaining a healthy relationship with a man, especially when trying to balance a relationship with your writing duties?

SSV: Honesty is the most important aspect in maintaining a healthy relationship with a man. From honesty, trust and communication branches off along with other important factors in a healthy relationship. Especially with my writing duties, this is important.

I sometimes isolate myself in a room from others to write. At times, my mood may change as if I am that character. I believe a good writer has to be in tune with their work and share a personal connection with there work.

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

SSV: Having faith and knowing The Hurting Women can make a difference in the lives of its readers. You have to have knowledge and inspiration. You have to be determined to let the public to know or hear some of the things a person could possibly go through.

I want my readers to know they are not going through anything alone. Hurt is a universal feeling that everyone goes through.

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

SSV: When writing, I just write whatever comes to mind, no matter how scribble it may seem. I have a vivid imagination. I write down different scenerios. I believe there are three parts of a story that will keep readers interested: inspiration, motivation and juiciness.

JP: What’s next for Sherrell Straker-Valdezloqui?

SSV: I am currently working on the sequel to The Hurting Women. The name of the novel is called  The Spiritual Warfare. I plan to make writing a career. I’m also considering turning both books into a play in the future.

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Rose Jackson-Beavers and Edward Booker, authors of A Hole in My Heart and Caught in the Net of Deception

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Rose Jackson-Beavers and Edward Booker, authors of A Hole in My Heart and Caught in the Net of Deception
(Prioritybooks Publications)

(One of the first ten people to comment on Rose Jackson-Beavers’ and Edward Booker’s author interview will win a FREE copy of A Hole in the Heart and Caught in the Net of Deception from JoeyPinkney.com)

I co-wrote A Hole in My Heart with Edward Booker to help kids seek God in prayer when they find themselves hurting. This 109-page novel chronicles the trials of a 13-year-old youth whose drug-addicted mother pursued a path of self-destruction. Booker created the character Darrius, a teenager who found his strength in the love of his grandmother. Granny is an endearing woman who taught Darrius that prayer changes things.

The book, Caught in the Net of Deception, is a collection of short stories about teenagers facing danger while meeting strangers on the Internet. As these teens look for love, fun, and opportunities to make money, they will face many problems. Most teens are familiar with Facebook, MySpace and spend time surfing the Internet. If they are not careful, they could be sucked into a world of horror.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write A Hole in My Heart?

Rose Jackson-Beavers: It came from trying to help my nephew deal with emotions he was experiencing as a result of having a mother who was addicted to drugs. My nephew was really going through some stuff.

A straight-A student, we noticed that his grades were dropping and that he spent time being angry. He was so young, so to reach him I asked him to journal his feelings since he was not ready to discuss them.

Once I read his journal, I saw how it could not only help him but so many other children and teens that were going through something similar.

He wanted to share his writings with others, but he wanted his mom to agree. Once she read the manuscript that I presented to her, she was in total agreement. The title came from Edward.

Edward Booker: I was going through a lot, so my aunt told me to write down my feelings. Like she said, my writing started off from journal entries. Everyday, I wrote down how I felt about my mom and my life.

My aunt read it, and she told me how good it was. She thought I should turn it into a book, and I never looked back.

JP: What sets Caught in the Net of Deception and A Hole in My Heart apart from other novels in its genre?

EB: Basically, all I really wanted these books to represent is the fact that you can overcome any obstacles in life no matter how hard or how big the stones are that life throws at you. The real truth and living it would set these books apart from others in the genre.

RJB: The bulk of the book was written by my pre-teen nephew who was going through the emotional turmoil similar to what it found in these books. He lived this book. It is based on real life experiences.

My contributions were adding the counselor, strengthening the grandmother’s and the best friends’ roles. I also made sure the book flowed and that the intended message was clear.

Caught in the Net of Deception deals with both of our experiences with the Internet. These books are not born out of our imaginations; we lived it.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to A Hole in My Heart getting out to the public? What is your writing process?

RJB: We went through five printings with this book. Still, when we attend book signings, it is a high seller. Connecting this book to schools, churches and organizations in our community helped give this book great local exposure.

Because of Edward’s age at the time the book was written, he was not willing to leave the comforts of his hometown to market and speak about the book. He was, and still is, a very shy young man.

Because of his shyness we hit the Internet. But still, if you want your book to really reach a lot of readers, you have to go where they are.

First, I write from experiences because that is what I am most comfortable doing. I write what I know and what I lived. I also work with teens and have more than eight nieces and nephews under the age of 21, so it is easy to come up with topics that affect teens.

Once I come up with a topic, I generally query other teens to find out if the subjects affect them. It is not uncommon for me to host rap sessions to make sure my topic will have universal appeal.

I do not write with outlines, etc. I write as it comes to me. It flows out of me and then I edit for flow, consistency, etc.

EB: First you have to always feel good about your manuscript and be comfortable at what you’re doing. I also think you should put out a strong message that is positive that allows people to understand that you can get through the problems. Having similar experiences that others share is one way to get the book out.

When I am going through things, I tend to write about my feelings. Writing about what is bothering me or what I am experiencing helps me to deal with issues. If what I was going through could help someone else, I turn it into a story.

JP: How long did it take for you to start and finish A Hole in My Heart?

EB: I’ll say around four months for me to write it and about a year and a half to make it a book.

RJB: It’s really hard to say. The book started out as therapy to save my nephew. I actually counseled him through this dark period in his life. I would say with the counseling, analyzing the journal, spending time with him, writing the manuscript and going to print, maybe a year and a half.

JP: What’s next for you?

RJB: I plan to release two books in 2010. One is about domestic violence, Attacked by Love, which is for teens and A Sinner’s Cry, a Christian novel.

I have also completed a book to be released for Father’s Day, tentatively called Daddy’s Little Instruction Book for Finding and Keeping a Man. This book is based on principles and tidbits my daddy told his daughters to help us get a man and keep him.

Daddy’s tidbits worked. My sisters and I have been married it seems forever. That’s a good thing.

EB: I have two books coming out early next year 2010. Now that I am 19, I am writing about falling in love and the obstacles that someone young and in love may endure.

My book is tentatively called Love in the Hood. I am finalizing my first street novel and have also produced a couple of songs for an artist you will hear more about in the near future.

http://www.myspace.com/edwardbooker
http://www.myspace.com/rosebeavers
http://www.prioritybooks.com/
http://www.prioritybooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/rose.jacksonbeavers

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