Vivienne Diane Neal's Blog, page 50

Writing With Purpose Book Tour - Introducing Leonard Pitts, Jr., Author of Grant Park

About The Book
Grant Park  is a page-turning and provocative look at black and white relations in contemporary America, blending the absurd and the poignant in a powerfully well-crafted narrative that showcases Pitts's gift for telling emotionally wrenching stories.

Grant Park  begins in 1968, with Martin Luther King's final days in Memphis. The story then moves to the eve of the 2008 election, and cuts between the two eras as it unfolds. Disillusioned columnist Malcolm Toussaint, fueled by yet another report of unarmed black men killed by police, hacks into his newspaper's server to post an incendiary column that had been rejected by his editors. Toussaint then disappears, and his longtime editor, Bob Carson, is summarily fired within hours of the column's publication.

While a furious Carson tries to find Toussaint—at the same time dealing with the reappearance of a lost love from his days as a 60s activist—Toussaint is abducted by two improbable but still-dangerous white supremacists plotting to explode a bomb at Obama's planned rally in Grant Park. Toussaint and Carson are forced to remember the choices they made as idealistic, impatient young men, when both their lives were changed profoundly by their work in the civil rights movement.

SNEAK PEEK AT GRANT PARK - CHAPTER ONE

Martin Luther King stood at the railing, facing west. The moon was a pale crescent just rising in early twilight to share the sky with a waning sun. He leaned over, joking with the men in the parking lot below. A couple of them were wrestling playfully with James Orange, a good-natured man with a build like a brick wall.

“Now, you be careful with preachers half your size,” King teased him.

“Dr. King,” calledOrange in a plaintive voice, “it’s two of them and one of me. You should be asking them not to hurt me.”

“Doc,” someone called out from below, “this is Ben Branch. You remember Ben.”

“Oh yes,” said King. “He’s my man. How are ya, Ben?”

Another voice yelled up from below. “Glad to see you, Doc.”

As Malcolm Toussaint moved toward King, it struck him that the preacher seemed somehow lighter than he had the last time Malcolm had seen him. It had been late one night a week before, by the Dumpsters out back of the Holiday Inn. The man Malcolm met that night had seemed… weighted, so much so that even Malcolm had found himself concerned and moved—Malcolm, who had long scorned the great reverend doctor, who had, in the fashion of other young men hip, impatient, and cruel, mocked him as “De Lawd.”  But that was before Malcolm had met the man. That was before they had talked. Now he moved toward King, his mind roiling with the decision that had sprung from that moment, the news he had come to share. King, he knew, would be pleased. There would be a smile, perhaps a heavy hand clamping on Malcolm’s shoulder. “Good for you, Brother Malcolm,” he would say. “Good for you.”

Malcolm was vaguely amused to find himself here on this balcony, anticipating this man’s approval. If you had told him just a few days ago that he would be here, ready to go back to school, ready to embrace nonviolent protest, he would have laughed. But that, too, was before. Malcolm meant to raise his hand just then, to catch King’s attention, but a movement caught his eye. Just a reflected ray of the dying sun, really, glinting off something in a window across the street. Something that—he knew this instinctively—should not have been there. He wondered distractedly what it was.

King’s voice drew him back. “I want you to sing it like you’ve never sung it before,” he was calling to someone in the parking lot below. “Sing it real pretty.” And Malcolm realized he had missed something, because he had no idea what they were talking about. His attention had been distracted by… what was that?

“It’s getting chilly.” Yet another voice calling to King from below. “I think you’ll need a topcoat.”

“Okay, Jonesy,” King was saying. “You really know how to take good care of me.”

And here, the moment breaks, time fracturing as time sometimes will into its component parts, until an event is no longer composed of things happening in a sequence, but somehow all happens at once. And you can see and touch and live all the smaller moments inside the right now. This is how it is for Malcolm Toussaint now.  King is laughing. Malcolm is taking a step toward him. King is straightening. Laughter is echoing from below. King is reaching into a pocket for his cigarettes. He is becoming aware of Malcolm on his left. His head is coming around. There are the bare beginnings of a welcoming smile. And Malcolm knows. Suddenly knows. And Malcolm is leaping, leaping across space, across time itself, becoming airborne—he was sure of it, that detail felt right, even though by this time King is barely six feet away. Malcolm grabbing two hands full of expensive silk, yanking Martin Luther King off balance, yanking him down hard in the same instant they all hear the popping sound like a firecracker, in the same instant he feels the soft-nosed 30.06 bullet whistle past his cheek like a phantom breath, in the same instant he falls awkwardly across King’s chest.

And then…

And then time seems to reel for a crazy breathless moment, as if decide-ing what to do now. The fulcrum of history teetering, the future hanging, suspended in midair. Until all at once and with a brutal force, time decides itself and slams back into gear.

A woman shrieked.

Someone yelled, “Somebody is shooting!”

Someone yelled, “Doc, are you OK?”

Someone yelled, “Stay down!”

Malcolm’s breath was ragged in his own ears. His heart hammered like drums. Then from beneath him, he heard a familiar baritone voice say calmly, very calmly, but yet, with a touch of breathless wonder. “Oh my God. Was that a gunshot?”

Their eyes met. Malcolm didn’t speak. Couldn’t speak. “Brother Malcolm,” said Martin Luther King, his voice still suffused with wonder and yet, also, an almost unnatural calm, “I think you just saved my life.”

Malcolm was overwhelmed by the thereness of the man. He was not myth and mist and history. He was not a posterboard image on a wall behind a child dutifully reciting in a child’s thin, sweet tenor, “I have a dream today.” No, he was there, beneath 20-year-old Malcolm Toussaint, who had fallen crosswise on top of him. Malcolm could feel the weight and heft of him, the fall and rise of his chest. He could see his very pores, could smell the tobacco on his breath, the Aramis on his collar. Martin Luther King was there, still alive, beneath him. Malcolm opened his mouth to speak.

And then, he awoke.
© 2015 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Leonard Pitts Jr.   Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.

About The Author
Leonard Pitts, AuthorLeonard Pitts, Jr. is a nationally syndicated columnist for the Miami Herald and winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, in addition to many other awards. He is also the author of the novels Freeman (Agate Bolden, 2012) and Before I Forget (Agate Bolden, 2009); the collection Forward From this Moment: Selected Columns, 1994-2009, Daily Triumphs, Tragedies, and Curiosities (Agate Bolden, 2009); and Becoming Dad: Black Men and the Journey to Fatherhood (Agate Bolden, 2006).

Pitts’ work has made him an in-demand lecturer.  He maintains a rigorous speaking schedule that has taken him to colleges, civic groups and professional associations all over the country.  He has also been invited to teach at a number of prestigious institutions of higher learning, including Hampton University, Ohio University, the University of Maryland and Virginia Commonwealth University.  In the fall of 2011, he was a visiting professor at Princeton University, teaching a course in writing about race.

Twice each week, millions of Miami Herald newspaper readers around the country seek out his rich and uncommonly resonant voice. In a word, he connects with them. Nowhere was this demonstrated more forcefully than in the response to his initial column on the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Pitts' column, "We'll Go Forward From This Moment," an angry and defiant open letter to the terrorists, circulated the globe via the Internet. It generated upwards of 30,000 emails, and has since been set to music, reprinted in poster form, read on television by Regis Philbin and quoted by Congressman Richard Gephardt as part of the Democratic Party's weekly radio address.

Born and raised in Southern California, Pitts now lives in suburban Washington, D.C., with his wife and children.


Intimate Conversation with Leonard Pitts, Jr.


BPM:  When did you get your first inkling to write, and how did you advance the call for writing? People ask all the time: "Why did you decide to be a writer?"  It's a question I always struggle with, because I never decided to be a writer.  In other words, there was a never a decision process, per se.  I knew from the time I was five that this was what I was put here to do.  So the goal for the remaining years of my childhood and, indeed, my professional life, was simply about trying to become good at it and then trying to become better.  From the time I was young, I liked telling stories, I enjoyed getting reactions.  I think all of us are given certain gifts, certain aptitudes, certain things that fit us, that seem to come more easily to us than they do to other people.  For me, that was words.  In school, I sweated and worked my tail off for "C" I ever got in math.  But every "A" I got in English was as easy as pie.

BPM: Mr. Pitts, how did you get started as a writer? Well, I began to think of myself as a writer from the time I was five years old, which was a good thing, because it gave me a lot of time to be bad at it.  I started sending poems and stories to magazines when I was 12 years old, first became published when I was 14, and first got paid for being published when I was 18.  I spent the next 18 years working primarily as a music critic for a variety of magazines and radio programs.

I was editor of  SOUL, a black entertainment tabloid, did freelance work for such magazines as Spin, Record Review and Right On!, co-created and edited a radio entertainment news magazine called RadioScope and was a writer for Casey Kasem's radio countdown show, Casey's Top 40.

BPM:  Tell us about your passion for writing. Why do you write? What drives you? I write because it's my profession, I write because it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do.  I write because, if it wasn't my profession and nobody was paying me to do it, I know that I would still be doing it.  I write because this is what I love and it's who I am.  I think we tell stories to figure out who we are and what we are about and I am proud of being part of that continuum.  I am also driven by the need to see if I can better my best.  It's a never-ending game of "Can you top this?"

BPM:  Do you ever let the book stew – leave it for months and then come back to it? I've never left a book for months.  I've been forced to leave a book for weeks though, because sometimes, life intrudes.  But the best way to write a book is in one long push of consistent, daily effort.  A novel is, at bottom, an elaborate lie.  It's an unspoken bargain between writer and reader: I'm going to tell you this story of things that never happened - maybe never could happen – and in exchange for you suspending your disbelief, I'm obligated to make sure this tale I tell is entertaining, funny, gripping, suspenseful, emotionally involving, whatever.  But to sell the "lie" you're telling as a writer, you have to first believe it yourself.  And I've found that if you stay away from a novel for too long, it can damage your ability to believe in the "lie" - the situations and characters you're chronicling can start to seem cardboard, less real to you.  And if you don't believe in them, the reader definitely won't.

BPM:  Introduce us to your book, Grant Park and the main characters. Forty years ago, two young men had life-altering encounters with Martin Luther King.  Malcolm, a black kid, was a college dropout who scorned nonviolent protest, and embraced street violence as a way of bringing social change.  A chance meeting one night with King turned him around, forced him to see the limitations of street violence and convinced him to return to school.  He was on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, about to share this news with King when James Earl Ray fired his fatal shot.  He has never gotten over what he saw.  Bob, a white kid, was attending a Bible college in Mississippi where he fell powerfully in love with Janeka Lattimore, a young black civil rights activist.  They attended King's last march – the one in Memphis that ended in a riot.  Bob was beaten bloody by an angry young black man in the crowd and right after that, Janeka left him, saying she wanted to go to a black school now, saying she wanted to "be with her people."  "I thought I was your people, too," said Bob.  He has never gotten over losing her.

Forty years later, Malcolm is a celebrated columnist for aChicago newspaper, burned out by one too many cases of police violence against unarmed African-Americans and white people not caring about.  He writes an angry column - "I'm sick and tired of white folks’ bullshit," he says – and when the newspaper refuses to publish it, he hacks his editor's computer and publishes it anyway - one the front page of the paper, on Election Day of 2008.  Then unbeknownst to anyone, he is kidnapped by two would-be white supremacist terrorists who intend to blow him up in Grant Park, where President–elect Barack Obama is scheduled to speak.  Meantime, Bob is now an editor at a Chicago newspaper and before dawn on Election Day, he gets a phone call telling him one of his columnists has hacked his computer to publish an incendiary, offensive column.  Bob gets fired for it.  The former civil rights activist was already sick and tired of black people always complaining, never being satisfied.  Now he's lost his job over black people's whining, and he's furious, ready to strangle Malcolm – if he can only find him.  Then he gets an email.  Janeka is back in town and she wants to see him.

Grant Park is a novel about racial disillusionment, friendship, and what I have taken to calling the “stupidification” of America.

BPM:  Are any scenes from the book borrowed from your world or your experiences? Oh, yes.  Much of the frustration Malcolm experiences in dealing with white readers who will not engage on the subject of racial injustice is something I have experienced firsthand.  And the one reader email that sends him over the edge is cobbled together from hundreds of similar emails I have received over the years.  I identify with Malcolm's angst, though not with his chosen solution.

BPM: What are your goals as a writer? Do you set out to educate? Entertain? Inspire? I think you write to entertain, first and foremost, to tell a story a reader will lose herself or himself in. You try to create characters that will seem real to the reader and then put those characters into situations of physical or emotional danger. Secondarily, you hope that in entertaining people, you can also manage to say something of value, make some observation that will touch them or inspire them or cause them to see old things in new ways.

BPM: What are some of the benefits of being an author that makes it all worthwhile? Writing a novel is a year, two years, or more of lonely work, staring at blank screens and not really knowing if what you're doing works or makes any kind of sense. So the best thing about being published is receiving feedback from readers. When somebody tells me they were hurt by something one of my characters did, or a situation a character found him or herself in made that reader cry, that is the highest validation and best compliment I can ever receive. It means the characters seemed real and the story works. Feedback is what makes that lonely year or two worthwhile.

BPM:  What’s the most important quality a writer should have in your opinion? Probably persistence.  You have to believe in and hone your talent as a writer and cling to it, sometimes against all odds and common sense.  You have to eat rejection for breakfast.

BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from reading your book? I want them to gain enjoyment and entertainment obviously. I'd love for them to think about some of the issues the book raises.  If you or your readers would like to set up a Skype visit to discuss Grant Park or Freeman, go to my website and contact me there:  http://leonardpittsjr.com.  I'm available for blog tours as well.

BPM:  How may our readers follow you online? Books can be found at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/leonard-pitts-jr.
Keep up with Leonard Pitts Jr. at his website: http://www.leonardpittsjr.com

Read Miami Herald column at http://www.miamiherald.com/leonard_pitts

Like Leonard Pitts on FB: https://www.facebook.com/LeonardPittsJr

Follow on Twitter: Leonard Pitts Jr. can be found at @LeonardPittsJr1
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Recognize the Signs: When You Are in a Doomed Relationship by Vivienne Diane Neal

The cautionary signs are always there as to whether a romantic relationship is going to work. Often the messages people receive are so obvious that folks, especially women, tend to just ignore them until they recognize that the joke played on them was at their expense.
Following are the in our face signs that will tell you that it is time to move on and not waste your time, energy or power on a relationship that is destined to fail:
1.   You meet someone online. Two weeks later you’re lending him money, then for the second time and then the third time.
2.   It’s Valentine’s Day, but you’re spending that day alone.
3.   The gift giving holiday is approaching. He starts to argue or finds fault with you and leaves, only to come back after the celebration is over, begging for your forgiveness.
4.   One month into the relationship, the man wants to move in with you because he wants to shift from his mother’s house.
5.   He spends more time on his cell phone, checking his emails, sending text messages to God knows whom, or surfing through social media than he does with you.
6.   You discover that the man you met on a singles’ dating site has been legally separated from his wife for several years.
7. You discover he has a hidden child somewhere and is behind in his child support payment.

These are just some of the common signs that one should be aware of. Relationships are a give and take act. If the woman is the one giving and the man is just taking, then she will have to check her reasons for staying in a one-sided relationship.

Pre-Release Book Announcement: Destiny’s Favor (Orlosian Warriors Bk. 2) by Dariel Raye

Destiny’s Favor Synopsis
His world shifted the moment she was born. Now, nothing can stop him from making her his.

Imagine meeting a man who looks like an angel, wings and all? What would you do if this man told you he existed with only one purpose – to claim you and only you?
Destiny Carter is a feisty, take charge, Rubinesque beauty with a tough façade, who finds herself in that age old quandary, “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” A string of lackluster relationships leave her hopeless and ready to settle…Until she meets Japheth, the man her fiancé claims is his best friend! Japheth’s arrival is heralded by an attack on Destiny’s life, and instinctively, she knows this is just the beginning.
Born more than 200 years ago, Japheth looks like an angel but he’s far from it. In his world, the ratio of men to women is 500 to 1, and although he’s a superior being, he’s willing to break the most sacred law of his brothers, even drink human blood, to have one meant for him alone.
When he meets Destiny, he knows she’s the one he’s been searching for. To claim her, he will have to betray a friend, risk his life, and hardest of all, humble himself enough to win her love.
Available for Pre-order
Only $0.99 for a limited time
Get a FREE review copy of “Calm Assurance (Orlosian Warriors Bk. 1) to catch up on the series now! Enter the Rafflecopter below to find out how to get your free copy + win other prizes!
Calm Assurance (Orlosian Warriors Bk. 1)
Calm Assurance Synopsis
Two hearts, two different worlds, uncompromising love.
A straight-laced Nephilim-descendant and a human trouble-magnet?
When Asriel - Orlosian Warrior, descendant of Nephilim, law enforcer – is sent to guard Malina, a human with a penchant for drawing trouble like a tornado, she becomes his obsession.
With no hope of finding love in his dimension, he breaks the cardinal rule, leaving his home to protect her, but she has also drawn the attention of his enemies, and he is forced to face demons from his past. If Asriel chooses to stay with Malina, not only does he risk forfeiting his right to ever return to his dimension, but he will need her blood to survive.
Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Dariel Raye
Dariel is an animal lover who writes IR/MC (interracial/multi-cultural) paranormal and dark urban fantasy romance. She is presently writing a shifter series, “Dark Sentinels,” a reluctant hell-dweller series, “Kushiel’s Keep,” two Nephilim series with vampire-like heroes, “Orlosian Warriors” and “Cain’s Progeny,” “Lifegivers,” a paranormal romance series with a variety of beings, a crossover paranormal thriller shifter trilogy with romantic elements, “Gateway,” and an erotic fantasy newsletter serial. To learn more about Dariel and her books, visit her blog, join her newsletter, and follow her on Amazon.
Dariel on the Web
Dariel’s Blog  Dariel’s Website
Dariel’s Newsletter  Dariel on Twitter
Facebook Page  Dariel’s Amazon Author Page
Dariel on Goodreads  Dariel on Tsu
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Where Hearts Lie" Extended Trailer 2016

Brooklyn-based screenwriter and filmmaker Tony Lindsay will celebrate the upcoming June DVD/Digital release of his drama/thriller feature, “Where Hearts Lie”, with a gala red carpet event at the AMC Empire 25 Theater, 234 W 42nd St, NYC on Tuesday, June 7th.

Brave Williams is a young entrepreneur from Brooklyn, who unwittingly gambles his success and freedom, and the safety of his young son when he falls for the wrong woman.

The CurvyCon Plus Size Convention Is Coming to New York City!

theCURVYcon is a two-day conference taking place on Friday, June 17, 2016, 9:00 AMto Saturday, June 18, 2016, 9:00 PMat Metropolitan Pavilion West, 639 West 49th Street, New York, NY 10019(map)
Join them for the 2nd annual theCURVYcon and see your favorite plus size celebs, influencers, bloggers, YouTubers, and more! 
Last year, their event had millions of impressions online, was covered by Instyle, StyleWatch, Buzzfeed, ABC news, etc.
The event was attended by bloggers like Gabi Fresh, Nadia Aboulsohn and celebrities like Amber Riley, Ashley Graham, Kierra Sheard and more.
You can get your tickets at http://www.thecurvycon.com
To get $15 off your ticket, enter this code: CURVYGIRLCITY (for $15 off)

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Virtual Book Tour - Featuring Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku, Author of Wild Whispers, A Tender Novella

From the Author of Red Velvet Rose
Genre: Romance/Contemporary/InterracialNo of Pages: 106ISBN: 978-1530511259
* * * *
GIVEAWAY
Wild Whispers  Blog Tour Ends Thursday, May 26th, 2016
Star Prize: One Wild Whispers Bracelet
Other Prizes: Flirty & Feisty Romance eBooks of your choice (excluding Wild Whispers)

HOW TO WIN
To Win the Star Prize
Wild Whispers on its exciting Blog Tour and leave comments on this Blog. One lucky winner will be drawn from a hat.
To win your choice of Flirty & Feisty Romance eBook (Excluding Wild Whispers)
Leave a comment on this Blog and one commenter wins an eBook.
& & &
Synopsis

Scarred but not broken, beautiful Adaora Dike made a tough choice early in life and she had no regret until she lost everyone and everything without warning. She finds comfort in a quiet home in the woods, deep in Dagor Village. Out there, Adaora discovers nature and animals do not condemn, only people do. One rainy night, a male shadow dashes across her yard, her heart flips over and she faces emotional chaos.
While on a field trip in Africa, handsome photographer, Gary Mason gets stranded in the woods. He finds an abandoned shelter occupied by a lonely but lovely woman he cannot get out of his head. This is one photography shoot he wants to forget, but Adaora has a firm grip on his heart and might change his life forever.
Through many Wild Whispers, will Adaora and Gary change each other or will fate intervene to keep them apart?  Wild Whispers

When Adaora recovered from the shock of watching Gary mend her leaking roof, she burst into a string of laughter.
For as long as she had lived here, no man had offered to help out with any work that needed to be done. She fixed many things herself. But her skills did not include climbing the roof.
She folded her arms and looked up at him in awe. “Thank you, Gary. You mean the carpenter sealed the leaks instead of replacing the leaking sheets?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said in his most refined British accent.
She giggled. “Thank you. What a kind gesture. Look at me worrying about the noise waking you up from your precious sleep. I’ll go and cook us something to eat. It is my favourite dish. Do you eat spicy food?”
He laughed at her with his eyes. “Try me.”

Author Bio
Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku, AuthorStella Eromonsere-Ajanaku is a fun loving mother of two teenagers, married to her gorgeous husband and best friend who indulges her romantic habits. Writing contemporary and historical romance novels is an exciting adventure for her. Out of curiosity and belief that love conquers all, she has written several Interracial & Multicultural Romance Novels.
In 2010, Stella created Flirty & Feisty Romance Novels, a collection of toe-curling, intriguing, and skin-tingling romance with compelling characters who have heart and soul and jump off the pages of the book. All her stories are dotted with twists and turns and are set in fascinatingAfrica, enticing Europe & enchanting America.

To experience and enjoy an intense emotional ride, pick up a copy of any of her novels: Loitering Shadows, Beyond the Lady, The Gardener's Ice Maiden, Sparkling Dawn, Husband to Rent, Stolen Valentine Kiss (Holiday Series #1), Kiss My Lips (Holiday Series #2), Forbidden Dance, Stolen Valentine Kiss & Kiss My Lips (Holiday Series 2~ Books ~ in ~ 1), Tempting Desire, Seduced Hearts, Red Velvet Rose and Wild Whispers.
A luxury home by the seaside is on Stella's wish list. In her spare time, she loves to swim on her back like a starfish, watch TV, go to the movies with her family and read romance novels.
Author Sites

Website
Author Page on Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Flirty & Feisty Romance Blog
Smashwords
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Be My Friend on Goodreads
My Pins on Pinterest

SALES LINKS
Amazon.com (eBook) 99 cents
Amazon.co.uk (eBook)
Smashwords (eBook) 
Amazon.com (Paperback)
Createspace (Paperback)

New Movie-Love Therapy Official Trailer - Romantic Drama 2016

Release Date: April 16, 2016

THE RETURN - Episode 1 - Sex and ‘An African City’: A Steamy Ghanaian Show You Don’t Want to Miss

Watch and SUBSCRIBE Now http://bit.ly/SubscribeAnAfricanCity

Writing With Purpose Blog Tour - Black Bird Detective Series by Sage

The Black Bird Detective Series - Soulful Novellas Contemporary Fiction, Murder, Mayhem, and Mystery Meet the Characters from the Black Bird Detective Series
Detective Raven Carter – Raven is the daughter of Detective Kelsey from Assumptions Abound. She is a tall, long sultry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she is mixed with African-American and Caucasian and a sight to behold.

Carlotta – Carlotta is back and with each book series you find out just how deep the abyss of her mind can go.

Dr. Arial Frederickson – A drug addicted, Xanax and Percocet popping Psychiatrist. She is there to help her patients, if only she can save herself first.

Richard Worthington – Monét Worthington father is out of prison after serving nearly 30 years. Tall, dark and handsome with aged wisdom and salt & pepper gray seasonings, he is a tantalizing sight. He has his heart set on two things, finding his children and revenge. With all the danger going on around Cold Creek County, Richard may be the most dangerous. About the Black Bird Detective Series  When you begin to read Assumptions Abound you step inside of the book and journey along with the characters. Assumptions Abound will keep you on the edge of your seat as you ride every twist and turn.
Assumptions Abound is a murder mystery, thriller and thought-provoking novel combined into one. This novel is told through the words of Monét Worthington. Monét is a naïve girl with a tumultuous past and a troublesome childhood. Subjected to rape, mental and physical abuse, Monét is terrified to think about her future. Her terror continues as she finds herself running for her life! Lucky for Monét she has Victoria to protect her. Victoria loves Monét and she is willing to do anything for her, including commit murder. Only Monét has no idea that Victoria exists.
Monét tells her life story as her loved ones and those around her are brutally murdered. The plot twists and turns as the murder investigations ensue. This psychological thriller has all of the key ingredients to create an explosive literary masterpiece.
Detective Nina Kelsey is also introduced in this series. Detective Kelsey is not who she appears to be. A complex person with her own dark past, Detective Kelsey is always searching for more. She is determined to solve the Cold Creek murders before another life is lost.
Fireworks will ignite when Detective Kelsey and Monét Worthington meet and someone ends up dead.
Through this story, the Black Bird Detective Series is born. Assumptions Abound is the first book in the Black Bird Detective Series. This collection features characters from Assumptions Abound, including Raven Carter. Raven is a young African-American detective determined to solve murders in the small town of Cold Creek. As she solves mysteries, she also works to uncover the truth about her past. The trilogy continues with Seeking Truth, Sweet Revenge and The Butterfly.
Assumptions Abound (Black Bird Detective Series)
Prologue
The darkness enveloped my room as I lay in bed with my eyes shut tightly and my arms wrapped across my chest. My heart beat steadily and rapidly against my chest. I said a silent prayer that tonight would be different, but I knew in my heart that tonight would be like so many other nights before it.
When I heard his footsteps in the distance I closed my eyes tightly and prayed that he would walk by my room. He quietly opened the door and pried the covers away from me. He lay in the bed next to me and I cried as another night passed by without an answer to my prayer. I decided that if I wanted to get away from him, I would have to take matters into my own hands.
He kissed my cheek and whispered “good night” in my ear. I didn’t respond. I was hoping that he would die right there. He didn’t care about me. My thoughts were swirling around in my head. I realized that nobody could save me from this monster. Then suddenly I heard a voice.
The voice whispered in the darkness, “You must do it. Who else will protect you, but you?” I listened to the voice. “Have you ever killed anyone?” said the voice. “No!” I responded. I was only seven years old. I knew nothing about death. I thought to myself. The voice heard my thoughts. “True you are only seven, but we can show them that it doesn’t matter how old you are. You can still make a difference.” The voice calmly replied.
And so it began… 
Have you ever killed anyone? I have and I must say it is the most exhilarating experience in the world. If I had to quantify it I would say that committing a murder is more exhilarating than sky diving, surfing or skiing down a hill at top speed. There is something powerful about watching the life leave a person’s body and hearing them take their last breath.
The first person I killed was my mother’s boyfriend Luciano. He was a handsome Italian man with dark hair and dark brown eyes. I remember everything about him. He would touch me in my special place, even after I told him that he shouldn’t. He took advantage of me and I promised myself that I would never let another person take advantage of me again.
I took a knife out of the drawer in the kitchen and hid it under my pillow. I knew that once my mother fell asleep, he would creep into my room and that particular night I was ready for him. I pretended like I was sleeping when he slowly opened the door and walked into my room. I felt him climb into the bed behind me and snuggle close to my back. I felt his breath on my neck. When he reached around to take my nightgown off of me, I grabbed the knife. Before he could react, I shoved the kitchen knife into his throat.
I still remember the look on his face. His eyes bulged out of his head and he grasped at his throat trying to stop the blood. My heart was beating so fast and I felt a rush of pure adrenaline. I watched him closely as he struggled to breathe. I put my ear close to his face; smelling the metallic scent of his blood and listening to him mumble inaudible words.
I watched intently as his chest rose and fell for the last time. As I watched the life leave his body, I knew that this could not be the end.
Luciano died that cold rainy night, he was the first person to meet the real me. Luciano metVictoria as his life slowly crept away from his body. 
(Continued...)
© 2015 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Sage. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.
DOWNLOAD TODAY! Order Book 1: Assumptions Abound (Black Bird Detective Series) Link: http://amzn.com/B00642W77M

Audio Preview: Assumptions Abound by Sage  Listen to the reading: http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CRSH3Htk Seeking Truth by Sage (Author)

The characters from Assumptions Abound are all grown up and searching for answers. Detective Raven Carter is on a quest. For years her mother lied to her about her past and now that her mother is dead, Raven wants to know the truth. Joel knows that his past is riddled with secrets, whispers and lies, but wait until he finds out that it also involves murder. Joel and Raven are engaged and planning their future together. Little do they know...their past will be the ultimate deciding factor for their future. Meet Raymond Thomas, the Superintendent of Cold Creek Public Schools. As the Superintendent of a large school district, Raymond has a lot to prove. When his employees are systemically murdered, Raymond may have more to prove than he could ever imagine.
Download Seeking Truth by SageLink: http://amzn.com/1469908379 
Sweet Revenge by Sage (Author)

A high profile murder sets Raven on a wild goose chase to find the killer. Her boss is pressuring her to handle the case and he is personally involving himself. Raven must be careful; as she chases the next criminal, someone is chasing her. She hasn’t forgotten about her estranged husband. He is the love of her life, only problem…he wants her dead, or does he? The wealthy son of a local socialite and businessman are adding to Raven’s headache. He is demanding answers that Raven does not have. When the case heats up, Raven may end up burned. Raymond is back with an ax to grind. He has enacted a plan to take down those who damaged his reputation, stole his money and ruined his life. Will he succeed? Everyone is out for revenge….but as the saying goes, Revenge is a dish best served fast and cold!
Download Sweet Revenge by SageLink: http://amzn.com/1475228082
The Butterfly by Sage

Meet the Butterfly, sexy, intelligent and lethal but severely lacking in self-esteem. With nothing to lose and everything to gain she is on a journey. A journey to make everyone who hurt her, pay. As confident as she is about her journey, there is one thing that she never considered. Will that thing be her ultimate destruction? 
Order The Butterfly by Sage, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Book 4 in the Black Bird Detective SeriesLink: http://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Sage/dp/1522738673 

Intimate Conversation with Sage
SageSage was born and raised in Huntingtown, MD. She has been married to her best friend, for over ten years and they have two amazing sons. She is also an Autism advocate and a parent of an autistic child, which inspired her to write a non-fiction book on raising a child on the Autism spectrum, The Optimistic Autistic: Our Testimony.
Sage also writes mysteries centered on characters that are close to the heart. She has vowed to produce books that encourage the reader to deliberately read; not just for entertainment but to read with the intention of solving the mystery along with the Detective.
Her belief that, “if you don’t see the books you’re searching for write them” has inspired her to write with a purpose and a passion. 
BPM: When did you get your first inkling to write, and how did you advance the call for writing? Reading and writing are life-long passions of mine. I have been indulging in my passion of writing since I was 13. I want to share my passion of writing psychological thrillers with the world. My mother was the first person to place a book in my hands. My father taught me how to work hard at the things that I wanted in life. I worked at achieving my Master’s Degree in Computer Science in 2009. I am now funneling that same determination and tenacity in marketing my book series.
BPM: Tell us about your passion for writing. Why do you write? What drives you? I love to read different types of books, but I have a preference for mystery and thrillers. I enjoy a heart pumping adrenaline rush type of book. It was my love of mysteries and thrillers that stoked my interests in writing. The under-representation of African American characters in the books I read resonated within me. I am inspired to fill the void with my murder mystery series. 
BPM: What hurdles, if any, did you have to overcome as a new author and business owner? It’s difficult to get noticed in this industry as a mystery author. It seems like the publishers want to pigeonhole authors into one genre. It is my goal to abolish the myth that we only write urban themed books. My goal is to show through my books that black authors write thought provoking, suspense-driven novels as well.
BPM: What’s the most important quality a writer should have in your opinion? Passion is the most important quality a writer can possess. Passion invokes determination, which in turn creates a hunger so intense that the writer can’t sleep, eat or function without transferring their story from their mind to paper. That is what I consider pure magic. If passion doesn’t drive you then you can’t make magic happen.
BPM: Our life experiences, challenges and success help define who we are on many levels. At what point in your career did you discover your real worth and own it? I started writing when I was a teenager. The turning point in my life was when my oldest sister suddenly died of a heart attack, then less than four years later my other sister was diagnosed with heart failure. I became determined to see all of my dreams come true. No matter what, I want to see my book in the hands of every reader. I’m driven by the spirit of my sister and the support of my family; with determination such as that I will be successful. 
BPM: What genre is this book? Do you write all of your books in this category? Why? The Black Bird Detective Series is a mystery book and a psychological thriller, combined. I love to write mystery books because they keep the heart pumping with the turn of each page. 
I also wrote a non-fiction book on Autism. Autism has touched our family in such a tremendous way. Both my 10-year-old son and 10-year-old nephew are Autistic. Through the years we have experienced many different emotions while raisingJordan. As I write to you today, the strongest emotion that I feel is pride. I am proud of our children for their ability to be independent of the label that society has placed on them. Many times parents hear the word Autism and have no idea what it really means. The moment we received Jordan’s diagnosis our lives changed. Initially, we thought the world was closing in around us. Then, we found our strength. We realized that through telling our stories we gain strength. So we wrote, The Optimistic Autistic – Our Testimony, which is also available on Amazon.com.
BPM: Do you set out to educate or inspire, entertain or illuminate a particular subject? I set out to entertain my readers. I want readers to be entertained and while they’re being entertained, they’re learning something. I conduct a great amount of research for the developing of each book to ensure that readers learn something they never knew. I love to inspire readers to continue reading. 
BPM: Do you have any advice for people seeking to publish a book? Believe in what you are writing. As long as you believe in your writing and the purpose for what you do, there is nothing that can stop you. You must take the first step though. If you want to write a book, start writing. Don’t put it off any longer. If you need assistance with writing or publishing your book please contact me at rcscomputerpros@gmail.com.
BPM: What should readers DO after reading this book? Once readers have put down Assumptions Abound, make your next purchase of Seeking Truth and Sweet Revenge. I tell you to purchase them both, because you will not want to wait for the book to ship to find out what happens next. The book series is so enthralling that you will not want to miss a beat.
BPM: What are your career goals as a writer? Have you accomplished most of them? My career goals as a writer are to assist others with living out their dreams of writing a book. I have written and published over 10 books and I don’t plan on stopping. I want to show others that there is a way to get their thoughts, words or message out there and I am willing to help them.
I have accomplished many of the goals that I have set regarding my writing, but there is so much more work left to be done. I plan to turn my mystery trilogy series into a mini-series. I would love to see Raven on the big screen. 
Website: http://www.blackbirddetectiveseries.comInstagram: sageauthorsitall; Facebook: Sage
Check out other Books by Sage

The Optimistic Autistic: Our Testimony by Sage (Non-fiction)
Lost and Turned Upside Down by SageKindle Short Reads > Novella > Fiction  Eliza and Lena Cummings are two sisters bound by love and responsibility. Eliza is the youngest sister with a naive mind and a broken spirit; she is willing to fall for anyone who gives her attention. Sadly, Raphael is right there to give her all she needs.
When a random vacation turns into something more dangerous,Lena is forced to make a decision. Does she listen to her sister, who has had her back since childhood or the man of her dreams?
Only time will tell who is out ofLena’s best interests.
Will it be too late forLena?

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