Saturday, June 30, 2012

A Little Summer Delight

Hot weather, holiday week, and time to enjoy it -- what could be better? 

How about four FREE ebook downloads?

From now until July 5th, enjoy relaxing, sensual, intimate beach and patio-perfect novellas and short stories, all ripe for the reading.  To download your copies, simply click the link for each story.  On the Smashwords site, take your pick of any one -- or even all four -- ebook freebies, then enter the discount code at check out.  Choose from:
    
A MATTER OF MARRIAGE
(code TW74V)
WHAT ONE WON'T DO
(code CZ63H)
ONCE (OR TWICE) IN A LIFETIME
(code QQ99R)
THIS SIDE OF FOREVER
(code KD72M)
   
Read your new ebook on any reader, including your Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPhone, Sony Reader, or PC.  Just click the link, download, and enjoy!
Oh, and tell a friend!
   

Monday, June 25, 2012

Save the Dates - GA Peach Authors' Upcoming Events

PLEASE SAVE THE DATES: (more details and events will be added)

Saturday, July 28, 2012,
6:00 - 9:00 p.m. (GA Peach organizer/Jean Holloway)
GA Peach Authors' Vignettes Buffet and Benefit
Scenes from the GA Peach Authors' titles brought to life on stage
Terri Vaughn's Green Room Actor's Lounge
25-D Bennett Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
Tickets: $40 indiv./$70 couple
http://vignettebuffet.eventbrite.com/

Wednesday, August 8, 2012
 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. EST
The GA Peach Authors meet BAN Radio
Host: Ella Curry
Call-in - 646.200.0402
www.blogtalkradio.com/black-author-network

Saturday, September 1, 2012
5:30 - 6:15 p.m. (GA Peach organizer/Marissa Monteilh)
Guest author - Miranda Parker
7th Annual AJC Decatur Book Festival
Location: Decatur Conference Center Auditorium - Marriott Hotel
130 Clairemont Avenue
Phone: 404-371-0204
Decatur, GA 30030
Panel: The Housewives of Literature: Atlanta 
Topic: Drama
Panel discussion - Q&A - all 5 GA Peach Authors' books will be available for purchase
(Jean Holloway, Gail McFarland, Marissa Monteilh, Miranda Parker, Electa Rome Parks)
http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/

Sunday, September 16, 2012
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.  (GA Peach organizer/Electa Rome Parks)
V-103 - For Sister's Only: Sip and Sign
GA Peach Authors Q&A, signing, mix and mingle
Location: The Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, GA

Saturday, October 6, 2012
Time: TBA (GA Peach organizer/Gail McFarland)
Atlanta Black Theatre Festival
Author's Alley
GA Peach Authors' Writing Workshop
Location: Loews Atlanta Hotel (Midtown)
Atlanta, GA

Saturday, March 16, 2013
Time: TBA (GA Peach organizer/Marissa Monteilh)
5th Annual Unity Festival
GA Peach Authors Q&A and signing
Gulfport, MS
http://www.gulfcoast.org/visitors/events/index.cfm?EventID=2202






Sunday, June 24, 2012

Notes From My Writing Life: Book Coaching


Believing that literacy is an amazing gift, knowing that people have shed blood and tears for it, I take reading seriously.   I also take writing very seriously.  So you have to know that when a friend approached me about acting as his book coach, I was enthused and took the request seriously.    What I should have done was to take a paraphrased cue from Forest Gump:  “Mama says, ‘reading is what writers do.’”  Suffice it to say, my friend is not a reader.

Hindsight being what it is, I suppose that I should have gone into the project realizing that someone who does not read fiction simply won’t have an automatic “feel” for it.  I probably should have asked to see an outline or proposal, but I love my friends , so I jumped in with both feet, from word one. 

On the surface, the job of a book coach is pretty straightforward:

·         Walk the author through the step-by-step process of writing, publishing, and promoting their book

·         Explain the structure of a book and how the parts fit together

·         Help organize ideas, research, main points, and written material

·         Help create a writing plan, set realistic deadlines, and create a schedule for meeting them

·         Work with the author to find their own unique voice

·         Help develop the book from the original idea through the outline, rough drafts, and revisions to polished manuscript

·         Provide feedback and advice on flow, grammar, substance, and writing style

·         Point out inconsistencies, word repetition, weak vocabulary, and lack of clarity

Knowing what the job entailed, I knew that I could handle it.  To his credit, my friend is not lazy and didn’t expect me to write the book for him.  What I didn’t plan on was that I would have to begin by tutoring him in grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling.  What I wasn’t prepared for was that he would grow more than a little angry with me for doing EXACTLY what he asked me to do.  That left me with some questions like:

·         How do you become annoyed with someone who mentors you on the use of YOUR native language?

·         How can you stay irritated by someone who insists that you use quotation marks in a novel?

·         How does anyone fume over the need for paragraphs?

·         What kind of novel has only one endless chapter?

Okay, so you probably already know how this ends…  My friend is convinced that he has developed a new 400-page art form, and that book coaching and traditional novel forms are over-rated.  He also now thinks that I am an anal-retentive book Nazi and I am not going to tell him any different.  For my part, I am hoping that he will figure out another way to tell his story.

Probably as a video.

A Sneak Preview: When Baldwin Loved Brenden by Electa Rome Parks




There is no greater joy than the birth of a new baby, an addition to the family. Well, my 9th baby, When Baldwin Loved Brenden, drops January 29, 2013. As you must know, I'm super excited and can't wait to introduce my baby to the world, to her aunties and cousins! I recently received the sonogram and I want to share the joy:) So, here's your sneak preview!

Fair-weather friends come and go, but true friendship lasts a lifetime. Same goes for true love.

Ten years is a long time. Much can change in ten years, an entire decade. That’s how many years have passed when a former close-knit group of college friends, Baldwin, Brenden, Bria and Christopher, self-proclaimed The Group, are tragically reunited to attend the funeral of one of their own in a small North Carolina town.

 The Group hasn’t seen or spoken to one another since an unfortunate set of circumstances placed their friendship in jeopardy ten years earlier. After graduation, everyone went their separate ways and never looked back, until now. The past has a way of catching up with you, sooner or later. Baldwin, the romantic, Brenden, the do-gooder, Bria, the wildchild, Christopher, the pretty boy, are all about to discover the truth in that.

Rihanna was once dubbed the peacemaker of the group. Her death reunites them for an unforgettable, poignant and life changing few days. Each friend will confront their own internal demons and leave a changed person. Secrets are revealed, hurts exposed, tears shed and laugher shared, all in the name of friendship and love.

Can anything truly tear real friendship and love apart?



Friday, June 22, 2012

Author D.L. Sparks Interviewed by Just Romantic Suspense


Interview with D.L. Sparks


Giveaway alert!

D.L. Sparks is the best selling author of: All That Glitters, The Lies That Bind and Between Friends. Her novels are repeatedly best sellers on Black Expressions and has been embraced by endless readers as far away as London and France. Ms Sparks has also been voted one of the Top 25 Most Influential Black Fiction Writers on Twitter by The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog.

Given the nature of this website, I have to ask...what draws you to the romantic suspense genre?

[D.L. Sparks]  I enjoy walking that fine line between bliss and tragedy. It's all about the not knowing. And just when the reader thinks they know proving to them they essentially know nothing at all. Happily ever after and warm and fuzzy is easy to write. Suspense takes on a whole new form of writing and the way the writer sees the world. For instance a strictly romance author may see a couple ride off into the sunset and drop their pen satisfied. A romantic suspense author may see that same couple ride off into the sunset all the while knowing there is a psychotic ex waiting around the corner to exact revenge.
Is it dangerous being a romantic suspense author?

[D.L. Sparks]  LOL! It definitely pushes your mental limitations. I mean just some of the things I've Googled alone would probably be enough to either get me locked up or certified. When researching a character or situation, for me it's law enforcement/crime, I have a lot of different avenues. And research for me is very important and I dig deep when I do it to bring my story to life as much as possible. So imagine someone tinkering around in my hard drive and finding a search for: How to make a suicide look like a murder. LOL! As far as physical danger I'd have to say no. Unless you're riding shot gun during an arrest or bust you'll be fine.

Have you ever experienced a Deja Vu moment, where you find yourself in a scene from one of your books?

[D.L. Sparks]  Not while I was awake. But I have definitely had dreams where I found myself in the middle of a scene and it scared me enough to wake me up. One of my DEA agents ended up on a hit list and of course there were people after him to keep him from solving  the crime. Well in my dream MY name popped up on a hit list and I remember being surrounded by people trying to protect me and figure out where to hide me. It was a very tense and scary moment. I have to say I was very proud of myself. LOL!

Do you recall any book bloopers? Edits that slipped past you and made you say, OMG!

[D.L. Sparks]  With this book the biggest blooper would have to be my cover. It doesn't reflect my writing style or the story very well at all. I worked hard to get it changed but guess I didn't work hard enough. LOL! It just doesn't scream "Romantic Suspense" to me. Which presented a huge challenge for me in promotion. My first book The Lies That Bind, there was no doubt but this one….the cover leaves much doubt. Also, I think every writer has read through their books and found something they either wanted to change and forgot or should've changed and didn't. It comes with the territory. We live in a world surrounded by words and sometimes those words run together and it's very easy to get cross-eyed when you're working. It's like when you stare at a word so long it starts to look like you spelled it wrong. LOL!

What is one stereotype about authors that is completely wrong? 

[D.L. Sparks]  That all writers are addicted to coffee. No…wait. That may be true. LOL!  I think the biggest one is that we're all introverted loners who don't like to be around other people. Actually it's the exact opposite. Writers thrive off of the creative energy that comes from being around friends and family and especially other writers. We are creative by nature and gain inspiration from all the things around us. So that could be as simple as a night out with the girls or a quiet evening at the movies with a friend then walking the mall people watching. We're writing even when we're not.

I understand that you have a very admirable dedication for all of your novels. Would you share that with us? 

[D.L. Sparks]  My novels are dedicated to my best friend Monica Bowie who was abducted in July of 2007. She was never found and not much has been done to keep her case alive and in the spotlight. In addition to her I include other missing women whose cases, like Monica's, have been swept aside and forgotten. It's my way of keeping their names circulating in some form and letting their families know that not everyone has forgotten.                             

D.L. will be offering a print copy of BETWEEN FRIENDS to one lucky commenter!

Giveaway ends 10pm EST June 22nd. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@justromanticsuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway. This giveaway is applicable to US and CANADA addresses only.



Thursday, June 21, 2012

All I've Ever Wanted to Do. . .


When something is for you, there’s a feeling that is deep down inside of you that will not allow you to let it go. – Tyler Perry

That’s what writing is, was, and will forever and always be for me. Something that speaks directly to my soul. A vehicle that allows me to have a voice like no other. My love affair. My therapy. My peace.

Recently, I celebrated my 11th year in the literary industry. I started my journey and the realization of a dream, November 2001. Times does fly, does it? Here I am, nine books later. As I’ve said from book one, The Ties That Bind, up until now, all I’ve ever wanted to do was write. Just write. Simply write.

I don’t know what the future holds. . . To quote Oprah Winfrey, “What I know for sure. No matter where I am on my journey, that’s exactly where I need to be. The next road is always ahead.” My destiny remains to be seen.

To my readers, who I affectionately refer to as family, many of you have been on this journey with me from the very beginning. And others joined the journey many miles and mile markers down the road. Others have just recently joined the trip. The road traveled hasn’t always been smooth, but paved with bumps and valleys along the way, but through it all, you’ve been my loyal passengers. For that I will be eternally grateful.

To you, to all of you, I say THANK YOU! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping this black girl to live out her dream. I have so appreciated the show of support, encouragement, kind words of praise, spirit of sisterhood and the sense of bonding experienced through the written word. You’ve been the magic in my life.

Electa Rome Parks
6-21-2012, 10:36 p.m.


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

GA Peach Authors are featured @ Terri Vaughn's The Green Room Actors' Lounge



It's Confirmed! The GA Peach Authors are excited and proud to announce Atlanta's literary event of the summer.

You are cordially invited to
Terri J. Vaughn’s
The Green Room Actors’ Lounge
featuring the Georgia Peach Authors’
Jean Holloway, Gail McFarland, Marissa (Pynk) Monteilh,
Electa Rome Parks and D.L. Sparks
Vignettes Buffet and Benefit

Catered by Chef Sheila of Cookin’ with Flava

Where: 25-D Bennett Street Northwest  
Atlanta, GA 30309
When: Saturday, July 28th, 2012
Time: 6 - 9 p.m.
Tickets: $40.00 each/$70.00 per couple
http://vignettebuffet.eventbrite.com

Watch the drama of the pages of your favorite fiction get brought to life by members of the Green Room Actors' Lounge. And, according to the March, 2012 Ebony magazine article, you never know who might stop by. You can also join us online for streaming video @

Dinner is included and every attendee who purchases their ticket through http://vignettebuffet.eventbrite.com  will be automatically entered to win the Grand Prize gift basket which includes an advance uncorrected proof of the late Gordon Parks’ A Hungry Heart.

The novels of the Georgia Peach Authors will be available for purchase. A portion of our sales will be donated to the Take Wings Foundation whose goal is to build the self-esteem of at-risk girls between the ages of 13-18 and to Color My Mind, founded to aid children with autism.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Marissa Monteilh's FREE Writing Workshop Sat. 6/9/12 - "The ABC's of Getting Your Story Told!"

New and aspiring writers - if you're in Atlanta, please come out to the Washington Park Library this Saturday @ 12:30 p.m. for Marissa Monteilh's FREE writing workshop called, "The ABC's of Getting Your Story Told."

Please join the GA Peach Authors on Conversations Live, 6/10/12 @ 8 EST!



COMING SUN. JUNE 10TH @ 8p.m. et (7p.m. ct/5p.m. pt) on Conversations LIVE: The Atlanta's GA Peach Authors (Marissa Monteilh, Electa Rome Parks, Gail McFarland, Jean Halloway and DL Sparks) will be together on the show talking all things literary, their tour and what's next for them. Listen to the show at www.blogtalkradio.com/conversationslive