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MAY AUTHOR FEATURE: Queashar L. Halliburton | 10 Steps to SkyRocket Your Success via @qdpublishing #michiganreaders #michlit #motownbookclub #motownwriters

Queashar L. Halliburton

www.sharhalliburton.com

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Bio of the speaker:

While many neglect to follow their dreams due to setbacks like procrastination, fear and a lack of resources, she uses those very things as stepping stones to her success. For Queashar L. Halliburton, CEO and founder of Queashar Detroit Publishing, LLC, her greatest success to date has come from living outside the box and operating in her God-given gifts and purpose—and she encourages others to do the same. In addition to producing her fair share of personal literary works, she works diligently to provide tools, resources, and motivation for new authors nationwide—positioning them to tell their stories in excellence and excel in the marketplace.

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About book:

Skyrocket Your Success will help professional women identify and acknowledge self-sabotaging behaviors standing in the way of achieving optimal success. This book provides 10 tips to increase your success factor and start living your best life today!
You will learn:
How to unapologetically create your own personal definition of success

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Buy Author’s Book

Watch Now, The MichiganLiteraryNetwork.com Show with @PamPerryPR #michlit #michiganwriters #motownwriters

Michigan Literary Network is proud to have on our second show presenting Tips Tricks and a wonderful literary talk with Pam Perry.

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About Guest

Pam Perry
www.PamPerryPR.com

Pam Perry is an award-winning communications professional. She teaches and mentors authors, speakers and entrepreneurs on how to build a platform and attract major media and publishing contracts. She is also the publisher of SPEAKERS MAGAZINE. 

After working with Pam, her clients have been featured on CNN, TBN, The Word Network, Radio One, Oprah Magazine, Tom Joyner Morning Show, Essence, Ebony, Black Enterprise, PBS – and many other major media outlets. Her clients have been offered major publishing contracts, and have created successful full-time careers as “authorpreneurs” earning six-figures.

Go to MichLit for full post | Watch the show now | Purchase This author’s Book | Author’s Website

Go to MichLit for full post | Watch the show now | Purchase This author’s Book | Author’s Website

 

#YouShouldBeReading: A Sister’s Survival by Cydney Rax @NeeCee48204 #3ChicksAndSomeBooks

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About the book A Sister’s Survival (Book #2 – The Reeves Sisters Series) To keep their family ties strong, the five Reeves sisters meet regularly to give each other a reality check. But explosive family secrets begin to pour out like molten lava, and forever change all they treasure most . . . After a shattering revelation, youngest sister Elyse struggles to overcome the sexual abuse that nearly destroyed her. Between her tough eldest sister, Alita, and a promising fresh start with a new man, she’s finding the strength to make the most of her fierce intelligence. But Elyse still has a score to settle with the perfect sister she feels betrayed by—and she’s going after everything Burgundy can’t afford to lose . . . Coco thinks her useless baby daddy is finally about to commit—until she catches him with a woman who’s everything she’s not. As she tries to move on with her life, she can’t resist carrying out the ultimate revenge. But when she inadvertently gets caught up in Elyse’s plan, she must confront an unforgivable truth that could crush any chance these sisters have to make things right.

 

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About Author: Cydney Rax became obsessed with becoming a writer after reading Terry McMillan’s Disappearing Acts. Her author dreams were realized through her eyebrow-raising debut novel, My Daughter’s Boyfriend. Her five novels include My Husband’s Girlfriend, Brothers and Wives, My Best Friend and My Man, and My Sister’s Ex (cited by ® as one of 2009’s best reads). She has also contributed to the anthologies Crush and Reckless.
Born and raised in Detroit, she graduated from Cass Technical High School and earned an undergraduate degree from Eastern Michigan University. She resides in Houston. Visit her online via Facebook, www.cydneyrax.com, or email her at booksbycyd@aol.com

 

 

 

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Pamela Hilliard Owens newest book, “It Takes Ten Years to Become an Overnight Success” is now available in print and Kindle versions on Amazon! cc @YB2C_System

Here is the Amazon link.

The book tells the story of my ten-year journey in entrepreneurship from Year 1, 2008-2009, through our 10th anniversary in July of 2018.

I started with one business and grew to three businesses PLUS the podcast over that ten-year span!

I didn’t start out thinking I would have all that I have now, but just like we discuss on the podcast, everyone has a story to tell about their entrepreneurial journey.

If you’d like to read my story, including the ups and downs and successes and challenges, just like we do on the podcast. I would be honored if you would invest in the book AND leave a review on Amazon.

Here is the Amazon link.

Thanks so much,

Pam

Pamela Hilliard Owens

Writer, Editor, Publisher, Podcaster

Business Coach
Evernote Certified Consultant

 

Mobile: 313.341.2398

Office: 313.452.0945

Skype: pamela.hilliard.owens

Instagram: pamela_hilliard_owens

WhatsApp: Pamela Hilliard Owens

Your Business, Your Brand, Creatively (YB2C)

Detroit Ink Publishing (DIP)

Writing It Right For You (WIRFY)

Find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter

Subscribe to our weekly YB2C Live! Podcast for Entrepreneurs on iTunes!

Listen to past episodes at our dedicated YB2C Live! podcast page!

Pamela Hilliard Owens newest book, “It Takes Ten Years to Become an Overnight Success” is now available in print and Kindle versions on Amazon! cc @YB2C_System

I received this message from an author and honored by being the inspiration for authors, writers and even podcasters to keep it going!… Please support Pamela in her new publishing endeavor!

 

Hi Sylvia,

As a former or future guest on the YB2C Live! Podcast for Entrepreneurs, I wanted to let you know that my newest book, “It Takes Ten Years to Become an Overnight Success” is now available in print and Kindle versions on Amazon!

Here is the Amazon link.

The book tells the story of my ten-year journey in entrepreneurship from Year 1, 2008-2009, through our 10th anniversary in July of 2018.

I started with one business and grew to three businesses PLUS the podcast over that ten-year span!

I didn’t start out thinking I would have all that I have now, but just like we discuss on the podcast, everyone has a story to tell about their entrepreneurial journey.

If you’d like to read my story, including the ups and downs and successes and challenges, just like we do on the podcast. I would be honored if you would invest in the book AND leave a review on Amazon.

I LOVE doing the weekly podcast, and YOU are the reason. Please enjoy the book.

Here is the Amazon link.

Thanks so much,

Pam

Pamela Hilliard Owens

Writer, Editor, Publisher, Podcaster

Business Coach
Evernote Certified Consultant

 

Mobile: 313.341.2398

Office: 313.452.0945

Skype: pamela.hilliard.owens

Instagram: pamela_hilliard_owens

WhatsApp: Pamela Hilliard Owens

Your Business, Your Brand, Creatively (YB2C)

Detroit Ink Publishing (DIP)

Writing It Right For You (WIRFY)

Find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter

Subscribe to our weekly YB2C Live! Podcast for Entrepreneurs on iTunes!

Listen to past episodes at our dedicated YB2C Live! podcast page!

#MotownWriters Weekly Featured Author, Keith Julius #michiganwriters #mittenlit #writerslife

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Name of Author – Keith Julius

Name of Book – “The Robber Of Youth”

Author Website – www.keithjulius.com

Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2NXE6uU

Facebook Link – https://www.facebook.com/keith.julius.3

Buy Book | Author’s Website | Excerpt of book URL 

Where are you from? – I was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, but I have lived in Temperance MI for over 30 years now.

Tell us your latest news? – I am a self-published author with 4 books currently available.  I am just starting book #5

When and why did you begin writing? – I can remember in 1972, at the age of 16, I wrote a detective novel that I asked my English teacher to review, so I have been writing for at least 46 years now.  I have always enjoyed reading and I love the idea of manipulating characters and events to make a cohesive story.

When did you first consider yourself a writer? – I have always considered myself a writer for as long as I can remember.  Though I didn’t consider myself an “author” until I self-published my first book – “Remorse By Degree” – in December 2015.

What inspired you to write your first book? – I suppose the urge to tell a convincing story is what inspired my first book.

Do you have a specific writing style? – I try to be realistic and accurate in my portrayal of people and situations.  At one time I was heavy into mystery and suspense, but lately I have been more interested in examining people and the things they go through in life.

How did you come up with the title? – I love descriptive, evocative titles of books, and I try to follow through with that for my own writing.  I try to make the title accurate, as in indication of what the story is about, yet hopefully I can grab people to make them want to learn more.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? – There’s a lot of hurt out there, especially with children in our society.  Kids shouldn’t have to grow up suffering for their parents’ mistakes and shortcomings.  Children are a precious commodity and they should be one of society’s most important considerations.

How much of the book is realistic? – I believe all of “The Robber Of Youth” is realistic, when you consider similar things are happening all the time and everything in the book has been experienced somewhere by somebody.  The situations involved are all too real, but it is entirely a work of fiction.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your life? – Four years ago I became a CASA volunteer.  CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate, and we represent and look out for children involved in cases of abuse and neglect.  I have seen families torn apart through hard times and things like addiction and alcoholism, and I have gone through training that has exposed me to a lot of harsh realities of what children sometimes have to go through.  Though there are no particular incidents that led me to this book, it can be considered an amalgam of many of the things I have seen and experienced in my work through CASA.

What books have most influenced your life most? – As a writer I have drawn inspiration from John Steinbeck for his characterizations and realism, Michael Crichton for his pacing, and the Doc Savage series because it got me interested in reading in the first place.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? – I met Michigan author Monica Sholar at a library function almost 4 years ago.  Hearing her talk about self-publishing inspired me to take the plunge myself.  Thank you, Monica.

What book are you reading now? – Lately I have been re-reading the collected short stories of Sherlock Holmes.  I still enjoy a good mystery.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? – I don’t read nearly as much as I would like to, and I hate to admit I am not familiar enough with any new authors to have read any of their works.

What are your current projects? – I am just starting book number five now.  I am working on some things to promote myself online, but I have a long way to go – and a lot yet to learn – concerning selling myself and my books.

Do you see writing as a career? – I would love writing to become a career for me one of these days, but at the rate, I am going that looks doubtful.  I hope to retire from my day job in a couple of years.  Maybe then I can devote more time and effort to my writing and see it become a career for me.

 If you had it to do over again, would you change anything in your latest book? – You can change and rearrange and revise forever.  At some point, you have to say this is the story I want to tell and I have told it to the best of my ability.  I see no reason to change anything that I have already published.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? – My interest in writing has always been there for as long as I can remember.

Can you share a little of your current work with us? – I have just started Book 4 of “The CASA Chronicles”.  Like the others in the series, it begins with an incident in a child’s life that causes concern about their well-being.  The CASA volunteer then follows the case, attempting to discover what happened and why it happened.  They also monitor the progress of the children and families to verify if there is an improvement in the situation.  Like my second book in the series – “Born For Adversity” – this one will be a bit more of a mystery.  An 8-year-old girl receives a gunshot wound at home under mysterious circumstances.  An investigation follows and slowly the secrets behind the incident come to light.  I don’t work from an outline, but rather from an idea of where I am starting and where the story needs to end up.  All I need to do then is fill in the pieces in-between.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? – I find marketing – selling and promoting – to be the most difficult part of writing.  These are things I don’t have a handle on and wish I knew more about.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? – John Steinbeck has long been my favorite author.  His people seem believable to me, with a gritty realism.  When the characters talk they sound like actual people, not someone made up.  You can’t rely on them to be good – or bad – all the time. Human nature doesn’t work like that.  I feel Steinbeck captured the way people truly are.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? – My CASA work occurs in Toledo Ohio, and it has taken me to parts of the city and allowed me to see things I never knew existed before.  This has certainly influenced the way I portray people and places in my writing.

Who designed the covers? – I designed the first additions of my books, then quickly realized I needed something better.  An author I met pointed me to Fivver.com for cover design work.  I was able to get new covers designed, but I was extremely dissatisfied with the response and service I received through the site.  I ended up re-vamping a lot of what the designer came up with.  I guess you get what you pay for.

What was the hardest part of writing your book? – The hardest part of writing a book, as far as I am concerned, is finding the time to do it.

Did you learn anything about writing your book and what was it? – “The Robber Of Youth” revolves around a young girl who gets involved in a human trafficking ring.  This was a difficult subject to approach, and I struggled over how descriptive I should be.  While researching the topic I was amazed at how prevalent this problem is and – even more startling – how young some of the children are who are forced into this lifestyle.  I’m hoping my book will raise awareness of this horrendous issue.

Do you have any advice for other writers? – Don’t expect to become a best seller and become rich.  Chances are it will never happen.  Write because you enjoy the process, not because you think it’s your ticket to riches.

Do you have anything specific you want to say to your readers? – My books are not light reading.  Don’t expect a happy ending all the time.  That doesn’t mean you want find glimmers of hope along the way.  I am dealing with subjects I feel are important for people to be aware of.  Though fiction, they are based firmly on reality.  It’s a tough world out there for a lot of people.  Ignoring bad things won’t make them go away.

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#MotownWriters Weekly Feature, Author, Mark Love

Name of Author: Mark Love
 Name of Book: The Jamie Richmond Mystery Series: Devious, Vanishing Act, Fleeing
Beauty. The Jefferson Chene Mystery Series: Why 319? Your Turn to Die (coming soon)

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 Author Website https://motownmysteries.blogspot.com/
 Amazon Link https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009P7HVZQ
 Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/MarkLoveAuthor

Author’s Interview

Where are you from? I’m originally from the Detroit area, where I lived for many years before
moving to Kalamazoo in 2011.

Tell us your latest news? My next book, “Your Turn to Die” is the second Jefferson Chene
mystery, is at the publishers right now. Hopefully it will be released yet this year.

When and why did you begin writing? I was always writing stories as a kid. It was fun to create
characters and put them in difficult situations.

When did you first consider yourself a writer? About ten years ago I started getting serious
about working on a novel.
What inspired you to write your first book? A friend recommended a mystery and said it was
great. I figured it out within the first 30 pages. When I gave it back to her, she said ‘if you’re so
smart, you should write your own mystery. I took up the challenge.

Do you have a specific writing style? Not really.

How did you come up with the title? My first two books (Devious and Vanishing Act) fit the
story well but turns out there are a number of other works with the same titles. Since then I’ve
tried to find something unique in the story that sets them apart (Fleeing Beauty and Why 319?)

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Get caught up in the characters
How much of the book is realistic? It’s all fiction, but set in current times. I use a lot of local
landmarks, particularly in the Detroit area, that readers will recognize.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? I do use some events
from my personal life to make the characters and actions realistic.

What books have most influenced your life most? The works of John D. MacDonald and Elmore
Leonard.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? Elmore Leonard.

What book are you reading now? No Middle Name by Lee Child

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? James Rollins, Greg Iles, John
Sandford.

What are your current projects? Finishing the final edits for “Your Turn to Die” and starting on
the third book in the Jefferson Chene series.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members. Writers workshops. It’s
a great way to gain honest feedback from others who are serious about creating great stories.

Do you see writing as a career? It’s one of my passions. If I can entertain the readers with my
stories and make some money along the way, that’s a bonus.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? No. After
numerous revisions and edits, it’s as close to perfect as I can get.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? I’ve always been an avid reader. There
were several teachers along the way who encouraged me to write.

Can you share a little of your current work with us? The blurb for the cover is at the bottom of
this message.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Taking the time away from
writing to promote is always a challenge.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? It’s difficult to

choose just one. Old favorites were MacDonald and Leonard. New ones are Lee Child, John
Sandford and James Rollins. They all draw you into a story quickly and make you want to keep
reading.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? I’ve done a number of author events
around Michigan but rely on my own experiences in Motown to enhance my writing.

Who designed the covers? Artists assigned by the publishers, but I do have input in the artwork.

What was the hardest part of writing your book? Editing. It’s always a challenge to trim the
story, to keep it flowing, eliminate redundancies and keeping the details straight.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? Patience.

Do you have any advice for other writers? Keep writing. Don’t be afraid to share your work
with others. Develop a thick skin. Welcome their feedback. When it’s ready, submit. Don’t be
discouraged if you get a rejection. Even the greatest authors do.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? I’ve got a story you’re going
to love. See it begins when…

 

Buy Author’s Book | Author’s Website

Book Excerpt 

Title: Your Turn to Die
Author: Mark Love

Blurb: It was supposed to be a friendly round of paintball. But blood, not paint, covers Kyle
Morrissey’s body. Though admired by the public for his charity, the businessman was no
choirboy. Could it be that more than one person want him dead? Sergeant Jefferson Chene and
his detective squad catch the case. With two new faces on the team, he finds himself in the
unfamiliar role as mentor. He is also cautiously beginning a relationship with Simone
Bettencourt, the beautiful woman he met while pursuing a serial murderer. Complicating the case
are two retired gangsters, a fortune in jewels, and Detroit’s history of organized crime. But the
squad must utilize every resource available to catch a killer.

Check out this author’s website for more excerpts

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Please support this author buy purchasing his work, doing a review and then share this post with others.

If you’d like to be a featured author, please go to www.motownwriters.com/sla

Weekly #MotownWriters Feature, Cathie Higgins Weir, Author of I’ll See You Later

 

 

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Where are you from?
Kalamazoo, MI

Tell us your latest news?
Sold six books at a lung transplant patient/donor picnic.

When and why did you begin writing?
Two years ago. First and only book (so far) self-published December 2017.
In 2008 I underwent double lung transplant surgery at the University of Michigan Hospital. It was a
difficult and painful procedure, but I used humor to survive. It’s now 10 ½ years later, and I’m doing
great.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think in the 6th grade. Our teacher would put a Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post picture in front of
us and we would have to create a story from the picture. I always received A’s for my work.
I worked in the theatre and I wrote the bios for the actors for the programs. I also owned a murder
mystery company and I wrote all of the scripts.

What inspired you to write your first book?
Friends would ask me about my surgery, and I really didn’t like to talk about it. It was one of the most
difficult times of my life. And I really couldn’t tell everything in one sitting, so I put it all down in a book
so people would know the whole story. AND . . . many are very surprised at what I went through.

Do you have a specific writing style?
Many people have said how raw and honest my writing is. “I could hear your voice.” “It was though you
were sitting next to me telling me the story.”

How did you come up with the title?
My father was 59 years old when he died from complications due to emphysema. When I was diagnosed
with the disease at age 56 I was terrified I only had three more years to live. Three months before the
double lung transplant he came to me in a dream. In the dream, I was in the hospital. He came over to the
bed, gently took my hand and said, “I’ll See You Later.” With the emphasis on “later.” It was so real that
I saw him, felt him and heard him, but he had died 37 years before. I interpreted the dream to mean not
to worry and that I was going to be just fine.

Is there a message in your novel memoir that you want readers to grasp?
I express how important it is for organ donation, and that it doesn’t matter what age you are. At this time
in this country, 114,000 people are waiting for some type of organ transplant. If my donor hadn’t been
available, I would probably be dead by now. Many candidates do pass before organs are made available
to them.

I also express how important it is to become your own advocate in the face of medical situations. I belie
the fact that doctors and nurses know everything. I encourage readers to know when to say no to medical
situations or procedures, and to trust what their body is telling them. If they feel something isn’t right or
isn’t going to benefit them, then, by all means, they need to speak up. And if they can’t do it on their own,
hospitals have patient advocates to do it for them.

How much of the book is realistic?
It’s ALL realistic. My true experiences.

Are experiences based on someone you know or events in your own life?
Yes.

What books have most influenced your life most?
Who Moved My Cheese, Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow, The Artist’s Way, When Bad
Things Happen to Good People, Diary of Anne Frank.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Anne Frank.

What book are you reading now?
In between books.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Katherine Stone. Young Adult Fiction. The Reappearance of Tom Ferris and The Arsonist. (Michigan
author).

What are your current projects?
None for writing.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
The theatre where I worked.

Do you see writing as a career?
I’m 68 years old and retired, so I’m not looking for a career.

Buy Book | Author’s Facebook 

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I forgot a couple of things that I would insert. Like the fact that my mother was a girl scout leader and to
this day girls who were in the troop tell me how much they loved her.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Sixth Grade.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?
None.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I wanted everything to be perfect the first time so I would dwell on a sentence or paragraph. I finally
learned to let it go and just write and come back to that sentence/paragraph later.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Agatha Christie. I love her mysteries. And when you think about the time she was writing, she was pretty
dicey. Way ahead of her time.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
No. Not yet.

Who designed the covers?
I did.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Same as above. I wanted everything to be perfect the first time so I would dwell on a sentence or
paragraph. I finally learned to let it go and just write and come back to that sentence/paragraph later.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Patience.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
Don’t feel like you have to write the book all in one day. Write down whatever thoughts come to your
mind. Have paper and pen/pencil handy at all times. Let the characters, in fiction, speak to you.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope that after you read my book you’ll sign up to be an organ donor. 10% of the proceeds for the sale
of my book go to The Gift of Life.

Buy Book | Author’s Facebook 

About book

https://amzn.to/2CmEBNQ

As an accomplished actress, Cathie Higgins Weir has seen many strange things in her thirty years on stage, but ten years ago she encountered an amazing sight while waiting for a double lung transplant. Her father appeared to her in a dream.

This ghost simply told his daughter, “I’ll see you later.”

The phrase would both haunt and comfort her during the demanding times ahead. As Weir recounts in this new memoir, she had been diagnosed with emphysema at fifty-six. Her father died at fifty-nine. She was terrified she only had three years to live.

Was her father’s appearance a warning? In the hilarious, harrowing adventure ahead, Weir would learn the truth.

Weir’s memoir isn’t merely about her personal fight with emphysema but expands its scope to look at the realities of organ donation, the importance of being your own medical advocate, and the bonds that connect donors, recipients, and their entire support networks.

Buy Book | Author’s Facebook 

Book Excerpt

Excerpt of Book URL (optional) – set this as a pdf or blog post.

 Okay, that didn’t just happen. It was a dream. Wasn’t it? No, that was real. It felt real. The machines churned laboriously. The faint light became dimmer, the dreary walls seemed duller. 

 

He entered the room dressed in his off-the-rack suit from Sears. But wait a minute, something wasn’t right. He never dressed up. What was happening? 

 

He walked over to the bed, gently took my hand. “I’ll see you later,” my father said. But it wasn’t with words . . . telepathically? Even though I saw him, I heard him, I felt him, I knew it couldn’t be real. My father had been dead for 37 years. 

 

He passed away at the age of 59 due to complications from emphysema. When I was diagnosed with the same disease at 56, I was terrified I only had three more years to live.

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MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR

Writers’ Block: Local Authors and Writers Speak Out – Kalamazoo Public Library

Thank you for enjoying Cathie’s interview. Please support her by purchasing her book, leaving a review AND sharing this post

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If you’d like to be a featured author of the week, please go to:

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Expand Your Personal Library with These 6 Titles via @Hour_Detroit #motownbookclub

New and notable reads to satisfy your inner bookworm

BY STEVE WILKE

 

1

 

Published: August 14, 2018

 

The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery

Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley edited this collection of essays about post-slavery life for African-Americans. It’s an indictment of the continued racial injustice and bigotry that has left African-Americans disadvantaged in every category from wealth and health to graduation to incarceration rates. Authors include actor and director Tim Reid, former Detroit News columnist Betty DeRamus, and actress Aisha Hinds. (Wayne State University Press, $27)

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Number One Chinese Restaurant

This first novel from Lillian Li, who graduated from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program, is set in a Maryland restaurant called The Beijing Duck House. The story is a deep dive into how lives are impacted when disaster strikes a family-run restaurant. The cast of characters includes Jimmy Han, the owner who wants to escape to a fancier restaurant, his older brother Johnny, whose daughter Annie is involved with Pat, the son of long-time employee Nan. It’s a dark comedy that explores themes of youth and aging and the pluses and minuses of family ties. (Henry Holt, $22)

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Red State Blues: Stories from the Midwestern Life on the Left

A collection of stories from “true blue” voters — the progressives and activists — who are lodged in “red” states, Red State Blues is a pushback against the view that the Midwest is monolithically “Trump Country.” Authors include journalist and scholar Sarah Kendzior, Kenyon College President Sean Decatur, Pittsburgh City Councilman Dan Gilman, and more. (Belt Publishing, $20)

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Rosie, A Detroit Herstory

We’ve all heard the story about how women workers took over the assembly lines when the men were off fighting World War II. In this book, writer Bailey Sisoy Isgro and artist Nicole Lapointe team up to educate children on this time in history when Detroit became the Arsenal of Democracy. To help younger readers, it includes a glossary of difficult concepts and a timeline of events. (Wayne State University Press, $17)

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What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City

This account of the Flint water crisis is told by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who was instrumental in helping prove that Flint’s kids had been exposed to lead. She takes on the “misguided austerity policies and callous bureaucratic indifference” that led to the Flint crisis. (One World, $28)

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The Booster: How Ed Martin, The Fab Five and the Ballers from the ’hood Exposed the Hypocrisy of a Billion-dollar Industry

Carl Martin gives his take on the University of Michigan’s Fab Five basketball scandal and the money machine college hoops has become. Co-written by longtime Hour Detroitcontributor Jim McFarlin, it tells the story of what drove Martin’s father, Ed, to “open his heart and his wallet” to young basketball players — a practice that launched multiple investigations into the practice of making payments to college athletes. (Men for Others LLC, $30)

 

This article appears in the August 2018 issue of Hour Detroit

#MotownWriters August Author of the Month PART 2 INTERVIEW: Author Spotlight-T.J.London Historical Fiction writer | @TJLondonauthor #michiganwriters #writerslife

This month of August, Motown Writers Network features, T.J. London, author of The Tory Book #1 The Rebels and Redcoats Saga. Check out the second part of her awesome interview with us, get to know her and then support her by reading and reviewing her book and then sharing this interview with others. If you missed the first interview, click here.

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Getting what I see in my head on the page. I almost have to method act out the scene before I write it. Its very emotional, but I think those who read and love my books find the experience very emotional and viceral.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? Kerrigan Byrne. While I am not a huge romance reader, her writing just makes me bleed, and hurt and fall in love. Again, I am all about the experience. I also love the great, the amazing and the legendary Judith McNaught.  Last but not least John Jakes, he gave me my love of the Revolutionary War.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? yes, all the time. London, Upstate New-York, Boston. I am a research purist. If I havenet seen it, I dont write it!

Who designed the covers? Myself and my amazing friend Steve Miller. www.lookatmydesigns.com. I call him my Picasso. He’s inspired and he gets my vision.

What was the hardest part of writing your book? Reliving my own pain and making peace with it.  And the obvious things, writing style, creating your own voice.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? That I can do anything, if I put my mind to it-the Tory is proof of that. Just because you fail and things don’t work out, doesn’t mean life wont throw you another option.

Do you have any advice for other writers? Dont give up no matter what. Just because someone tells you something isnt good, doesnt mean that it isn’t. Everyone has an opinion and they will give you it whether you want it or not. Find people you trust and let them guide and help you.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? I hope you love The Tory, and know there are two more books to come about these two characters. So it dose not end at The Tory! For me this book was a labor of love. Its deep, emotional story about

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

His King or His Conscience…which will he chose?

It is the winter of 1776, and Captain John Carlisle, one of His Majesty’s not-so-finest, has gone back to the scene of the crime to right a wrong so dark it left a permanent stain on what was once an illustrious career and left a man broken, defeated, in search of justice…

In an effort to win back his commission, he must discover the true nature of the relationship between the Six Nations of the Iroquois and the Colonial Army. Undercover as a war profiteer, John travels to the treacherous Mohawk River Valley and infiltrates local society, making friends with those he’s come to betray.

But a chance meeting with a beautiful half Oneida innkeeper, whose tragic history is integrally linked to his own, will provide him with the intelligence he needs to complete his mission—and devastate her people.

Now, as the flames of war threaten to consume the Mohawk Valley, John has the chance to not only serve King and country, but to clear his name. When the truth he uncovers ties his own secrets to those in the highest positions of the British military and threatens the very life of the woman he’s come to love, he will be forced to make a choice…

two lovers who have lost everything and together they find a way to make it in a war torn world. I hope you have laugh, cry, fall in love and learn a little about the Revolutionary War.

• Author Website  www.revolutionaryauthor.com
• Amazon Link https://amzn.to/2LFlyP9

• Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/tjlondonauthor/
• Twitter Link (optional) @TJLondonauthor

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

Don’t forget if you haven’t read the first part of this wonderful interview with the awesome author, click here

Subscribe to The Motown Writers Network to get more interview . Please don’t forget to support her literary endeavors by purchasing her book, reviewing and sharing your review or this interview with other readers.

To be a spotlight author, click here

In Praise of the Black Men and Women Who Built #Detroit… NY Times Book Review of Black Detroit by Herb Boyd #Motownwriters #michiganwriters #michlit #mittenlit

In Praise of the Black Men and Women Who Built Detroit https://nyti.ms/2xNZTxF

BUY BOOK NOW

BLACK DETROIT
A People’s History of Self-Determination
By Herb Boyd
Illustrated. 416 pp. Amistad/HarperCollins Publishers. $27.99.

Detroit has found its griot in Herb Boyd. Traditional West African storytellers, griots carry their people’s traditions from generation to generation, and are renowned for their encyclopedic knowledge, their wit and their ability to bridge the past and present. In the tradition of the griot, Boyd has written a song of praise to what he calls “the city’s glorious history.” BUY BOOK NOW

read more https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/books/review/black-detroit-herb-boyd.html

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Herb Boyd, second from right, at Wayne State University in 1977, as his daughter reads to Alex Haley. Also in the group is Rosa Parks, second from left.Creditvia Harper Collins

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Check out 7 Whole Days Trailer by #Detroit Indie Author & Filmmaker @PhetteOgburn

About Detroit Indie Author & Filmmaker:

Phette Hollins is a self-proclaimed Human Vault, and Head of the Storytelling Ministry. She empowers people to be brave and courageous in the pursuit of their authentic selves through her books and films, where she shares stories of healing and getting unstuck by removing the layers and getting to the core of our “issues.” Learn more at: bit.ly/phettewritesbooks.

(Project) Seven Whole Days Movie Trailer –

https://youtu.be/vkIeAOfGbIA

www.facebook.com/phettehollins
www.instagram.com/phettehollins
www.twitter.com/phettehollins

 

 

#MotownWriters Author Spotlight-T.J.London Historical Fiction writer | @TJLondonauthor #michiganwriters #writerslife

This month of August, Motown Writers Network features, T.J. London, author of The Tory Book #1 The Rebels and Redcoats Saga. Check out her great interview, get to know her and then support her by reading and reviewing her book and then sharing this interview with others.

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

Where are you from?I am from Northville, MI

When and why did you begin writing? I wrote my first book when I was 15, but I restarted writing recently as part of counceling, to help me cope with anxiety of loosing a job and a my father becoming ill all at the same time.  I wrote The Tory as part of a therapy technigue instead of journaling. When I finished, my councelor read the book and loved it. So here I am, a published author.

When did you first consider yourself a writer? The day The Tory was released. LOL. I have a bit of an inferiority complex, because I know some AMAZING authors.

Book Cover Design

What inspired you to write your first book? I mentioned this above, but also, I love the American Revolution and I feel like it is under represented in fiction. So it was a combination of therapy and my love of the time period

Do you have a specific writing style? YEESSS!! Deep third person perspective. I love gritty, graphic, sexy, raw novels. Like a good cable mini-series. I want to bleed, cry, fall and love and get a little hot under the collar when I read.

How did you come up with the title? My story is about a British Spy undercover as a Tory profiteer, hence the name.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Yes, that there were good people on both sides of war. Any war! That the same values and truths we hold dear are universal to all people and time periods. And if we would look to the history, the true history, not the mocked up happy verison we want to see, all things can be explained.  And love really does conqure all, if we open our heart to it.

How much of the book is realistic? All of it. I did my best to keep the history correct, as it is a Historical Fiction with romantic elements.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? Yes, painfully so. This book was therapy, my personal story is buried within the fiction and history. While some of the events are dramatized and creations of my mind, some of it is very much part of me. I am very much both of my main characters, though one is a man. His personal struggles and emotional ones, while dramatized in some form are my own. That is all I will say, as an author, allow me a little fun and the ability to keep the mystery.

What books have most influenced your life most? North and South, and The Bastard by John Jakes. The Help. 1776. Wow, there are many, but they really influenced me as a writer, not so much my life.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? If I could pick a mentor it would be Kerrigan Byre, I love her as a person (Ive met her once, but she’s lovely) and cuz her prose just makes me feel. She’s amazing.  Also, Donna Thorland, I love her Revolutionary War fiction, its fab!

What book are you reading now? The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christina Blevins. Love me some Revolutionary War fiction

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Yes, Layla Omorose, I know her from Romantic Times and I love her stuff.Jo Michaels, she’s my copy editor, but I’m just now getting into her writing

What are your current projects? Books #2 The Traitor and #3 The Turncoat of The Rebels and Redcoats Saga

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members. My editor Kathe Robin, and the Romatic Time Community which is sadly no more.

Do you see writing as a career? It’s a side career for me, if I did it full time, I think I wouldnt love it as much. Art must be pure and come from inspiration, so I have to wait for it, not be forced into it.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? Not a thing. The Tory and all its characters are  very, very special to me. It was my solace when I could find none.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? When I was a little girl and I had lots of nightmares, my mother told me to re-create a move or a favorite book in my head and then create my own ending to it, the one I would like to see. That’s when I started really being creative. Hence I wrote like 5 version of Mary Poppins in my sleepless childhood nights. LOL. Still love P.L. Travers today.

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

His King or His Conscience…which will he chose?

It is the winter of 1776, and Captain John Carlisle, one of His Majesty’s not-so-finest, has gone back to the scene of the crime to right a wrong so dark it left a permanent stain on what was once an illustrious career and left a man broken, defeated, in search of justice…

In an effort to win back his commission, he must discover the true nature of the relationship between the Six Nations of the Iroquois and the Colonial Army. Undercover as a war profiteer, John travels to the treacherous Mohawk River Valley and infiltrates local society, making friends with those he’s come to betray.

But a chance meeting with a beautiful half Oneida innkeeper, whose tragic history is integrally linked to his own, will provide him with the intelligence he needs to complete his mission—and devastate her people.

Now, as the flames of war threaten to consume the Mohawk Valley, John has the chance to not only serve King and country, but to clear his name. When the truth he uncovers ties his own secrets to those in the highest positions of the British military and threatens the very life of the woman he’s come to love, he will be forced to make a choice…

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

• Author Website  www.revolutionaryauthor.com
• Amazon Link https://amzn.to/2LFlyP9

• Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/tjlondonauthor/
• Twitter Link (optional) @TJLondonauthor

Download the Excerpt | Buy Book | Author Website

Subscribe to The Motown Writers Network to get the second part of this wonderful interview with the awesome author. Please don’t forget to support her literary endeavors by purchasing her book, reviewing and sharing your review or this interview with other readers.

To be a spotlight author, click here

Announcing: A CELEBRATION! New Book #MichiganWriter is here and available. What My Left Hand Was Doing #MotownWriters Author, @JoannCastle | Booksigning Events

 

 

Trade paperback, 324 pages. $22.

PURCHASE BOOK NOW

You are Invited… to attend any and all of my upcoming book signings. I’m getting some great
feedback from those who read pre-release copies. I am also celebrating that my book is featured
on the cover of Publishers Weekly magazine, along with other independent authors. You don’t
want to miss this. Here’s my schedule: Mark your calendars!

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Upcoming events

Sunday, 4-29- 18 Author’s Fair, Preservation Detroit, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Jam Handy, 2900 East Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202

Sunday, 4-29- 18 SOURCE Booksellers, 4:00 PM. Book talk and conversation

with Joann Castle and Greg Hicks.

4240 Cass Avenue, Suite 105, Detroit, MI 48201

Sunday, 5-20- 18 Family & Friends Book Signing, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Pages Bookshop, 19560 Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI 48223

PURCHASE BOOK NOW

Against the Tide Books
Personal Histories in the Struggle for Justice
http://www.againstthetidebooks.com
For more information: 313-701- 8871