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Hope accepted a ride from two neighborhood thugs. She
was stunned when they were pulled over and all were
arrested for a deadly convenience store robbery. Her
case was quickly catapulted to an international platform
and became a symbol in the heated debate over capital
punishment. Everyone weighed in, but when mistakes from
her past were dug up, the world was suddenly riveted and
confused by two conflicting images of the young mother.
How long would you wait? Brendon Donovan stood by his
wife after her arrest. He took out a second mortgage on
their house and wiped out the family’s savings. But as
Hope’s case dragged on, he was forced to consider other
options. How far would you go? Chastity and Hope have
shared a tumultuous past. But their rivalry took a
backseat when it came time to care for Hope’s children.
Years later, as Hope’s chances of survival began to look
grim, Chastity was torn. The feelings she developed for
Hope’s husband, Brendon, threw her loyalty and motives
into question.
Click here to purchase.
The Next Phase Of Life by
Charmaine R. Parker
A story of companionship,
compassion, and family reunion—a forty-something woman
meets the challenges of finding romance, while reuniting
with a long-lost sister, and monitoring the escapades of
her friends.
Tai Wilson has hit forty and finally is ready to settle
down with the man of her dreams—now she just has to find
him. An executive who has success, her dream home, and a
flourishing employment agency, she wants a partner to
make her world complete.
Her attempts to focus on the right guy get pushed aside
as her long-lost sister returns, and she balances the
time between the two. Tai and her only sibling, Trista,
were separated as children when their parents passed
away. Trista's past is completely unlike Tai's upscale
world. Tai introduces her to fine restaurants and treats
her to spas, but Trista has trouble trying to fit into
her sister's world.
Tai treasures female networking as she celebrates
friendship with her sidekicks, Candace, a fashionista;
and Nevada, a journalist turned private detective. Each
has their own lifestyle but when they unite for ongoing
adventures, they are as one.
Will Tai and Trista finally create the sisterly bond
they both crave, or will their attempt to establish a
strong union crumble before their very eyes? Will Tai
find the man of her dreams? Add in some friends with
issues of their own, and Tai is definitely ready for The Next Phase of Life.
About The Author
Charmaine R. Parker is a former journalist who has
worked as a reporter, copy editor, and managing editor.
The publishing director for Strebor Books, she is the
sister of national bestselling author Zane. She has a
bachelor's of fine arts from Howard University and a
master's in print journalism from the University of
Southern California. Charmaine lives in Maryland with
her husband and daughter. Visit the author at
www.facebook.com/CharmaineRobertsParker or email her
at
charmainerparker@gmail.com.
Excerpt
from The Hot Box by Zane
Two women plus four men
equals nothing but drama. “Hotbox” is a baseball drill
that can be played with three or more players and two to
four bases. The players take turns between being
fielders and runners, ultimately trying to tag the rest
of the players out. In “The Hot Box” by Zane, best
friends Milena and Lydia are playing the game along with
Jacour, Yosef, Glenn, and Phil. The only problem: the
men do not realize that they are playing.
Milena is a veterinarian who has lived a sheltered and
dismal existence ever since leaving Jacour Bryant at the
altar. Jacour had recently signed an eighty-five million
dollar contract with the New York Yankees but Milena
could not have cared less once she discovered his
doggish ways. Jump ahead eight years and Jacour has
returned to rural North Carolina to win Milena’s heart
back… but there’s a serious problem. Milena has a new
man; one that no one ever knew existed who has seemingly
appeared out of nowhere. What ensues is a competition
between Jacour and the mysterious and handsome stranger,
Yosef, to win Milena’s heart, soul, and body that hasn’t
been touched by a man in nearly a decade.
Lydia is the complete opposite of Milena; she does not
believe in recycling her virginity. In fact, she
utilizes her sex daily to get what she wants. Working
part-time as a grocery cashier is simply not the life
that she desires. Residing with Glenn, her lover of
three years, she is also sexually active with his best
friend, Phil. Glenn is her Mr. Right but Phil is her Mr.
Good Sex. Lydia dreams of getting away from small town
America but, until she can make that happen, she is
prepared to do whatever it takes to continue to have her
bills paid… on time. Everything is all-good until Phil
decides that he wants to change the parameters of their
relationship, forcing Lydia to make a choice that she is
clearly not prepared to make.
Two women. Four men. Two love triangles. Three sections:
Curveballs, Bases Loaded, and The Sweet Spot. Reading
has never been this hot because once again, Zane is
taking you outside of the box.
EXCERPT-PAGE 115 of The Hot Box by Zane
About The Author
Zane is the New York Times Bestselling Author of
numerous titles, the Publisher of Strebor Books, an
imprint of ATRIA Books/Simon and Schuster, and the
Co-Executive Producer, Creator, Scriptwriter and Subject
of "Zane's Sex Chronicles," a CINEMAX Original Series.
A Cold Piece of Work
By Curtis Bunn
As an EssenceMagazine#1
bestselling author, national award-winning journalist,
and founder of the acclaimed National Book Club
Conference in Atlanta, Ga. Curtis Bunn has
effortlessly developed the ability to build genuine
stories that expose real-life thinking and desires of
men – as shown in his 2001 bestselling debut novel Baggage Claim. Now, with A COLD PIECE OF
WORK (Atria
Books/Strebor Books;
978-1-59309-349-5;
July 2011;
$12.00),
Curtis offers the most complex insight of a man
revealing the depths f his soul, offering readers an
unfettered, organic journey that lends honest, raw
perspective and provides the how and why men act as they
do in relationships.
In A COLD PIECE OF WORK,
Soloman Singeltary is the ideal catch. However he has
always been known for avoiding relationships with women
due to painful
experiences he encountered in his past. Having had
his heart broken when he was young and impressionable,
he guards his heart at all costs as an adult, leaving
women before they could leave him,
turning him cold, ruthless and non-committal.
However, one day he meets Michelle Williams and his life
is changed forever.
Though, in the beginning of their courtship Soloman
persistently distanced himself emotionally from
Michelle, deep down he always had strong feelings for
her, more than any woman he’d ever been in a
relationship with. However, once the opportunity
presented itself, just as he had done countless times
before, Soloman makes an abrupt exit out of the
relationship in the early hours of the morning as she
slept, leaving Michelle confused and bitter for years to
come.
Eight years later, a
chance encounter with Michelle and her young son,
Gerald, sparks something in Soloman he never
anticipated: to seek forgiveness, from her and himself.
The quest for that forgiveness opens up character traits
he never knew existed. And a surprise discovery
regarding Gerald further leaves him full of questions
and regret. Additionally, he later discovers
disheartening information about his best friend, Ray,
again exposing raw nerves and emotions.
A COLD PIECE OF WORK
offers the most unique insight: a contemporary man
revealing the depths of his emotions, vulnerabilities
and flaws.
It is a
story of a strong man admitting his vulnerabilities and
overcoming them with the help of a woman who eschewed
the pain he caused to take a chance at love.
BIOGRAPHY
Curtis Bunn is a former national award-winning
sports journalist from Washington, D.C. who became a
literary phenomenon with the release of his debut novel,
“Baggage Check,” which became a word-of-mouth sensation,
ascending to No. 1 on the Essence best-sellers list.
Curtis went on to create the National Book Club
Conference I Atlanta, GA, now known as the premier
annual literary event featuring African American readers
and authors. When not writing, Curtis teaches in the
Journalism and Sports Department at prestigious
Morehouse College.
In
this groundbreaking memoir, My Darkest Hour: The Day I
Realized I Was Abusive, Harold L. Turley II goes beyond
identifying emotional, economical, and domestic
abuse/domestic violence to prescribing a course of action
for both the victim and abuser.
Coupling stories of how Turley was abused and inflicted
abuse upon others, My Darkest Hour offers readers the
tools needed to recognize a problem in a relationship and
how to transform it. His testimony assures one that such a
transformation is possible—given the desire to want to
change.
Turley also gives advice on how to avoid abusive situations
and different ways to channel one’s anger. Combining
practical applications and Biblical scriptures with his
trademark support and assurance, Turley demonstrates how to
empower oneself, release abusive behavior, and change life
for the better.
Cougars
An intoxicating cat is stalking the city…
Jasmine Sallie is beautiful, confident and has a sweet tooth
for sex and younger men. At forty-three, Jasmine is a
successful chemist, and director of a pharmaceutical
research team that has been given the task of creating a
female sexual enhancement drug.
When Travis Adams, a brilliant and handsome chemist, joins
the research team, Jasmine’s penchant for younger men
ignites a sizzling affair that is a hair trigger away from
dangerous consequences. The two manufacture an addictive and
unstable designer drug which gets shelved because of its
fatal side effects.
Impatient and ambitious, Travis secretly keeps experimenting
until he creates a new and improved formula that hits the
black market with a lethal impact. A senator dies, a
criminal investigation is launched, and when Travis
disappears suddenly, Jasmine’s world is tossed into a
chaotic spin. With incriminating evidence pointing toward
her, Jasmine finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the
ultimate double-cross, unforgivable betrayal and the wicked
world of sex and drugs.
The Nature of A Man
The Nature of a Man
is a reflective perspective of Alicia Forrester, a woman who
is desperately seeking the love she lost as a child. Despite
her magnificent beauty, despite her success, her view of the
woman in the mirror is one of disappointment, darkness and
despair. Her lack of self-love and her efforts to find it
through the heart of a man lead her down the dark path of
promiscuity, betrayal and murder. She spends a lifetime
battling the temptation of suicide. One day, the temptation
becomes too great and she decides it is better to die in
shame than to live in pain.
She
is found by her friends, characters from The Office Girls
and The Nature of a Woman, and is rescued from
herself. She makes several other suicidal attempts until she
unwillingly confronts the source of pain that has haunted
her throughout her life: her father. On his deathbed, he
gives her the love she has sought, and at that moment the
nature of a man is revealed. It is not from the reception
from her father’s love, nor her husband’s love; it is
through the acceptance of love for herself.
Duplicity
We
must recognize all people for whom they truly are and not
for the characters they pretend to be. A motion
picture mogul learns that everyone in his life, including
his Emmy-nominated wife, are out to gain more than his
multimillionaire estate can buy.
Motion-picture mogul Parrish Clovis learns that everyone is
in his life by design—including Hana Kafka, his wife. In
just a few short hours, Parrish’s affluent life takes a
downward plunge into a seedy world that lands him on the
front page of every newspaper in America. He’s been accused
of the unthinkable.
One problem, though—he can’t remember brutally assaulting
and raping his wife. In order for Hana and a crew of
out-of-work actors to drain Parrish’s multimillion-dollar
estate, they must first set the stage for Parrish to murder
his sister by tricking him into thinking he’s really going
to kill the woman he was forced to hate: Hana.
Parrish, however, discovers the con. He throws an ingenious
twist in the script that will either win him an Oscar…or get
him a closed-casket funeral.
Harold L. Turley II reveals
the not-so-glamorous lifestyle of crime in this story of a
Washington D.C. kingpin and a drug-addicted ex-detective who cross
paths and change each other's lives forever.
There are two fates that come
from indulging in a life of crime: death or incarceration. Nate
Rodgers and Lionel Taylor are opposites in every way. While Nate has
achieved dubious power and fame by pushing drugs on the streets,
Lionel has fallen from honor as a police detective by giving in to
the lure of drug abuse and losing his family in the process.
When these two men meet, they
inspire each other to rise above their circumstances and grasp at
redemption. Nate gains a new purpose in life - to try and escape his
drug-selling lifestyle while saving those he has pushed down the
path to addiction. At the same time, Lionel works to conquer his
habit and regain the loved ones he's lost. Alone, they have no
chance, but together they might muster the strength to overcome the
consequences of their bad decisions.
Unvarnished and hard-hitting,
Born Dying exposes the reality of drug addiction, telling the
story from both sides - both user and pusher. Through the struggles,
defeats, and victories, Born Dying is a story of hope, even
in the darkest corner of life.
Chemah Rivers is back in an
all-new erotic roller coaster of a story -- the final book in a
captivating trilogy filled with mystery and heart-stopping drama.
There are stories within the
Bible that have hidden, erotic depths that have never been revealed.
Now, Playing in the Dark follows a unique and creative
storyline that begins with a Biblical myth and develops into the
revelation of a modern-day murder mystery, starring Chemah Rivers.
When a serial killer is
suspected for a string of deaths, the murders are assigned to
investigator Chemah Rivers, who quickly catches the person everyone
assumes to be the culprit. At the same time, Chemah is dealing with
his own home and love-life drama. His love interest, a blind
comedienne, might very well get her sight back. Chemah's ex-wife is
fighting for custody of their daughter, and his son is getting a
little too familiar with the street life, and all the traps that
scene holds.
When the real killer starts to
stalk Chemah, and the continued deaths start to be tainted by sexual
overtones in the very area they live, Chemah is caught up from all
sides as he struggles to be the hero, not only for the victims, but
for his family and loved ones as well. With the warm flavor of a
romance, mixed with the intense action of an adventurous mystery, Playing in the Dark will entice and capture the mind of every
reader.
Come Get Some is a
vivid tale of street life and the struggle to conquer poverty and
discover one's self through the indomitable will of the human
spirit.
Four friends -- Mugwump,
Whiteboy Paul, Truitt, and Willmon Angel -- are tragic outcasts
plunged into a world of shifting morality, sexual exploration and
the stinging reality of racism. An illicit relationship with a high
school English teacher, a tragic altercation with the police and a
youthful indiscretion force them each to confront their personal
demons, revealing hard truths that alter their lives forever. When
one of the friends is murdered, their friendship is shattered and
his violent death tears their clique apart as they go their separate
ways. Years later, they are reunited and when forced to face the
consequences of their actions they hatch a plan to exact revenge on
the man responsible for the murder.
Thrust into a world of
shifting morality, sexual exploration, and encountering the
stinging reality of racism, Come Get Some bridges the gap
between a literary, yet fully entertaining style of
storytelling. Nane Quartay's bold, literary style captures
thoughtful, social commentary through a fast-paced narrative. Come Get Some is a story of survival, friendship, tragedy,
and ultimate redemption -- revealing how the bonds of friendship
can give people the power they need to overcome all obstacles
that life sets in their path.
Seed Newsvine
Charmaine R. Parker is a former journalist who has
worked as a reporter, copy editor, and managing editor.
The publishing director for Strebor Books, she is the
sister of national bestselling author Zane. She has a
bachelor's of fine arts from Howard University and a
master's in print journalism from the University of
Southern California. Charmaine lives in Maryland with
her husband and daughter. Visit the author at
Zane is the New York Times Bestselling Author of
numerous titles, the Publisher of Strebor Books, an
imprint of ATRIA Books/Simon and Schuster, and the
Co-Executive Producer, Creator, Scriptwriter and Subject
of "Zane's Sex Chronicles," a CINEMAX Original Series.
