Author & Me

Me and author Sapphire for "Push" at Borders, Dearborn, Michigan.

African American Fiction
Coming in 2009 - 2010

Perfect Peace by Daniel Black - March 16, 2010

Till You Hear from Me: A Novel by Pearl Cleage - April 20, 2010

Uptown: A Novel by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant - March 2, 2010

Mama Dearest by E. Lynn Harris - September 22, 2009

In My Father’s House: The Chronicle of Bentley L. Dean by E. Lynn Harris - July 2010

Captured by Beverly Jenkins - September 29, 2009

Getting to Happy by Terry McMillan - Spring 2010

Known to Evil by Walter Mosley - March 23, 2010

A Deep Dark Secret by Kimberla Lawson Roby - Sept 29 , 2009

Be Careful What You Pray For by Kimberla Lawson Roby - Jan 19, 2010

The Double Comfort Safari Club: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel by Alexander McCall Smith - April 20, 2010

From Cape Town with Love: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due, and Steven Barnes - May 18, 2010

Size Does Matter - The Longest Novels

Some books are a sprint, most involve a few laps of your imagination but others require marathon-like endurance. Leo Tolstoy’s "War and Peace" is legendary for its length but there are many other novels that require patience and stamina from the reader.

In the African American genre there is such heavyweights as "Mosquito" by Gayl Jones, "Roots" by Alex Haley or "Palace Council" by Stephen Carter and much more.

But there are heavyweight readers for heavyweight novels. Some people take long novels in their stride. They enjoy characters that are extremely well developed, relish the enduring plots that twist and turn, and savor those massive novels or non-fiction books that offer so much background.

I belong to a Book club and have been a member for 2 years now. Each person is recruited to select the book for the month and host the discussion on the book of their chosen. For the month of September, 2009 the biggest book I may ever read was selected....there goes my summer reading. "Ida: a sword among Lions" was the chosen book. A massive (800 pages) this book is a heavyweight contender for the title of longest novel. Although it's not a novel but an autobiography of Ida B. Wells, also known as Ida B. Wells-Barnett, who was an African American civil rights advocate and an early women's rights advocate active in the Woman Suffrage Movement. Fearless in her opposition to lynchings, Wells documented hundreds of these atrocities.

Make your next read a big one.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is 1,028 pages in paperback - if you give a damn

E. Lynn Harris Dead at 54

E. Lynn Harris, the best-selling Arkansas author known for contemporary stories about African-Americans, died today during a West Coast book tour.

His personal assistant confirmed an unspecified health event for us this morning. He was stricken while staying at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. His death has been confirmed by the local coroner, but an autopsy will be necessary to determine the case of death.

Arkansas Sports 360 provided the first formal report that Harris had died. The item did not cite a source, but Harris was close to the UA Athletic Department and had worked as coach and sponsor of the cheerleaders. Black Voices later confirmed the report, citing a spokesman for his publisher.

Word of the health event began making the rounds on Twitter earlier in the morning.
Born in Michigan, Harris grew up in Little Rock. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he was the school's first black cheerleader. He continued to be a diehard Razorback fan. He has taught adjunct courses in the English department, most recently last fall.

His latest book, "Basketball Jones," is about the gay lover of an NBA star. Says the publicity blurb: "In Basketball Jones, E. Lynn Harris explores the consequences of loving someone who is forced to conform to the rules society demands its public heroes follow. Filled with nonstop twists and turns, it will keep readers riveted from the first page to the last." According

to his website biography, Harris, 54, divided his time between Fayetteville and Atlanta.
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Posted by Max Brantley on July 24, 2009 09:31 AM

I met E. Lynn Harris several times during the course of his writing career. I own every book he has published and attended book signings/readings. I love his writing style and watched him become more popular by men and women alike. He will definately be missed in the literary world and fans alike. May you rest in PEACE E. Lynn Harris.

Michael Jackson "The King of Pop"

August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009

An Icon

Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 were a big part of my childhood. The album "Ben" was a gift from my parents in 1972 when I was 10 years old. I played this album on my personal pink turntable in my room until the grooves wore out.

May You Rest In Peace

Author, Daniel O. Black

Members of the African American Authors Book Group attended the discussion of "The Sacred Place" on April 28, 2009 at the Ypsilanti Distric Library. It was a wonderful night of discussions, good food, and picture taking with the invited author, Daniel Black from Atlanta.

Mr. Black graciously accepted by request to attend our discussion on his second novel "The Sacred Place" We communicated by e-mail, text and as the days narrowed in, by phone. Upon Mr. Blacks' request to surprise the group, we were well into our discussion when he surprised the group and made his entrance into the room, where we all sat in a circle. What a wonderful surprise and a wonderfully written book.

My husband made an Italian soup and served old fashion Faygo sodas' with fruit and vegetable trays and cheesecakes for dessert. Yuuummmy.

The Motown Review Book Club was the invited guests to the discussion. All members had already read the book and stated in an interview with http://www.apooobooks.com/ that their favorite read author for 2008 was Daniel Black. Also, the author they would like to have dinner with was Daniel Black.

It was a wonderful time had by all. We are awaiting his third novel due to be released in November of 2009 titles "Perfect Peace".

If you have not read any of his books, you must pick it up, either from a bookstore, library or borrow from a friend, you must read it.

Phenominal People of Color

Michelle Obama

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is the wife of the forty-fourth President of the United States, Barack Obama, and the first African-American First Lady of the United States.

Michelle Robinson was born and grew up on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. After completing her formal education, she returned to Chicago and accepted a position with the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband. Subsequently, she worked as part of the staff of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and for the University of Chicago Medical Center. Throughout 2007 and 2008, she helped campaign for her husband's presidential bid and delivered a keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She is the mother of two daughters, Sasha and Malia, and is the sister of Craig Robinson, men's basketball coach at Oregon State University.

Michelle Obama - Photo Timeline from Bid Announcement to Election Night
Michelle Obama on the Day Barack Obama Announced his Bid for President
Michelle Obama and Oprah Share a Moment in New Hampshire
Michelle Obama Introduces Barack Obama
Michelle Obama, Maria Shriver and Oprah
Michelle Obama in St. Paul, MN
Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO
Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden in Denver, CO
Michelle Obama in Detroit, MI
The Obamas on Election Night

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama