The Things Your Eyes Have Seen A Must Read

“The Things Your Eyes Have Seen” is a collection of short stories that is a must read. Author Lisa Michele Smith has a pure sense of story telling with an Urban influenced flair that is addicting and entertaining.

Synopsis: The short story collection The Things Your Eyes Have Seen is not about women finding salvation or asking for redemption. These women accept and in some cases embrace their inadequacies; and find strength within to love and to let go, to speak and demand they be heard. In the story The Reunion, a married woman ends a twenty-year relationship with her suddenly-widowed lover. In the three-story Mary Magdalene series, a terminally-ill woman travels to the south to seek answers from her estranged grandmother on her true identity. An insignificant article of clothing reinforces a woman's pride in serving her country in The Brown Coat. These stories speak to all women as they try to find love, self-respect and fulfillment in a world that grows more complicated and demanding. It is not always easy to find the straight path, and few may never find it.

SayWhatNews had the pleasure of speaking with Lisa about her life’s journey as an aspiring author who self published her own work:

SayWhatNews: Good morning Lisa.  Thanks for taking the time and speaking with SayWhatNews.  First tell us who is Lisa Michele Smith?

Lisa: Thank you for finding me interesting! Who is Lisa? Well, Lisa is a person who is extremely fluid and ever-changing. I think at my core I’m a protective mother, a driven artist, and a person who is flawed but is under no illusion I will achieve perfection by the time my life ends. I’m still learning about this thing called life. My curiosity to discover the new is what keeps me ever-changing. However, I will admit that bad memories hold me back at times, but my persistence keeps me pushing forward.

SayWhatNews: You are a self-published author, why did you have such an extreme interest in writing/journalism from child-hood to college and college to the navy?

Lisa: My mother says I inherited my gift for writing from my father and I'm inclined to agree. He was always writing essays and plays, but since he was an absent father I never paid much attention to what he wrote or the talent I inherited. Writing was and has been the one thing I can do with ease, it comes so natural especially when I'm driven by emotion, by passion. As a child I didn't really appreciate the gift, but by the time I hit high school I became more confident. My teachers during that time and subsequent have played a huge part in getting me to believe in my writing ability. They still do; one of my professors as an undergrad is my biggest cheerleader.

SayWhatNews: After being discharged from the Navy you took a 3 year freelance writing assignment for a line of romance magazines.  How did that come to be?

Lisa: That assignment came out of a need to find part-time work I could do at home so I wouldn't have to leave my kids with a babysitter. I tried submitting essays to big name magazines and couldn’t get published.  As a teenager I used to read the Black Romance line of magazines so I thought I’d try that.  My first story got rejected so I tried again.  The second try was the clincher; the editor at the time, Marcia Mahan, liked it and wanted revisions.  To see my story in print for the first time was such an elixir for me and I continued to submit, pounding out at least two short stories a month and never got rejected.  Once I caught on to the formula of romance writing it was easy. Pretty soon I was included in a stable of reliable writers.  Mahan would send out storylines with due dates and I met each deadline.  I think that’s why I’m so addicted to the short story format.

SayWhatNews: Those who are in the Army or Navy always say that the training and discipline helped them in life.  How did your experience in the Navy help you with your writing and meeting deadlines?

Lisa: Yes, I would say my military experience definitely contributed to my writing and my almost obsessive need to meet deadlines.  If you could only see how anxious I get when a deadline is approaching and I’m getting nowhere with the story; it’s agony!  I feel if I don’t meet that deadline I’m letting a “shipmate” down because I’m inconveniencing them when I don’t hit my mark (deadline) when they need me to.  If I’m hired to do a job, even something as volatile as writing, I’m work on their time, not mine, cut and dry.  So no hissy fits, no “I can’t find the character so give me more time” nonsense.  If I need to stay up late, if I need to shift priorities, I do it and I won’t give you lesser quality either.

SayWhatNews: Tell us what you learned from romance writing and how it helped enhance or even changed your writing style?

Lisa: One thing that stayed with me is how to write a successful love scene!  It’s a fine line between romance and erotica so to write a passionate love scene yet keep it “clean” is a challenge.  While I was in graduate school I sat in on a workshop and a lot of the students complained about writing love scenes and I chimed in, “Are you kidding? They’re so easy!”  Everyone looked at me as though I was nuts.  I looked back on the stories I wrote for those magazines and I realized every one of them was based on my love misadventures.  So I’ve learned that I’m at my best when I write on experiences that are close to me, I more connected to the story that way.  

SayWhatNews: Lisa you admit to having your essays and even your manuscript rejected by magazines and literary agents.  What inspired you to keep pushing on and find a way to still channel your love for writing by continuing your studies in college and getting your Masters to teach English?

Lisa: Persistence, a thick skin and a belief that someone out there will get what you’re trying to say...eventually.  I had the pleasure of speaking with Chimamanda Adiche, a fellow alumna, at a book signing at Eastern Connecticut State University.  She had just published Purple Hibiscus and she talked about the rejections she faced and the frustration at being told her book wouldn’t get published unless she changed the setting to the United States. She refused and she got the last laugh.  Most recently she was listed among The New Yorker’s “20 under 40” best writers for 2010.  Her words stayed with me and she was the perfect example of not comprising your principles for profit.  

As for graduate school, the decision to attend came out of a plan B sort of thing. I always have a plan B; in this case it was to teach if writing full-time didn’t happen and to be competitive in the workforce.  A bachelor’s degree is fine but a master’s is better.  After all the struggles I faced as a single parent, it feels good to see “MFA” after my name; it’s a reminder that it was all worth it.

SayWhatNews: Your book “The Things Your Eyes Have Seen” is a collection of short stories.  The book its self has its own interesting back story.  Tell us how you came up with the idea for the book?

Lisa: The book came out of my master’s thesis, “Straight is the Gate.”  My intended thesis was a fiction mystery manuscript based on a character I had developed before graduate school.  After my first year I was at a cross roads; the manuscript had changed so much due to input from my writing mentors I didn’t recognize the story as my own.  So I complained to Edmond Chibeau, a professor at my undergrad school and my biggest cheerleader.  At that time “The Travels of Mary Magdalene” had just been published in the Connecticut Review and awarded a fiction prize, and he suggested I use that story, write seven more, and put it together as a short story collection.  I added poetry to it; the poetry served as an introduction to the stories.  I was nervous about submitting a mixed-genre thesis but it worked out. The natural progression of things is that you seek to publish your thesis so I eliminated the poetry, added two stories, and retitled it The Things Your Eyes Have Seen. Click here to continue reading interview

Poetry Corner Presents: Diva by Sylvia Hartmann

Diva Poem by Silvia Hartmann

The diva strides and flexes lightly

yet her footsteps resonate

and all who sense the ripples

stop

and turn around.

Her power is her freedom

her freedom is her joy

her joy is boundless

like the wind

unstoppable

sometimes soft and gentle,

sometimes like a hurricane

she takes you,

and she sweeps you up

and far away ...

Her laughter owns the sky

and all is at her mercy,

at her touch

of wilderness enchantment,

vibrant lightning

bringing rush of life,

wherever it may strike.

Bow your head in reverence

and pray!

Her smile

as you emerge the chosen one

will raise you,

a breathless moment -

Step beyond,

become immortal

in the mirror of her gaze.

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Tops Fiction Best Selling List

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich lands in the #1 spot on EW Entertainment Fiction Best Selling list.

Synopsis: Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck....

BAD LUCK:

Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobsterBobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.

GOOD LUCK:

Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.

BAD LUCK:

Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie’s messing up local stoner Walter “Moon Man” Dunphy's vibe and making Stephanie question genetics.

GOOD LUCK:

Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, a plan that makes Mooner’s Hobbit-Con look sane, and Uncle Pip’s mysterious bottle, they just might raise enough money to save Vinnie and the business from ruin.

BAD LUCK:

Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a Turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.

GOOD LUCK:

The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky---the only question is . . . with whom?

Sizzling Sixteen . . . so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!

SIZZLING SIXTEEN(hardcover)A Stephanie Plum Novelby Janet EvanovichISBN: 0312383304St. Martin's Press

EXCERPT:

SIZZLING SIXTEEN

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER 1 PART 2 – starts on page 8

My Uncle Pip died and left me his lucky bottle. I supposeI’m fortunate because he left my Grandma Mazur his falseteeth. So, I’ve got this bottle now, and I don’t exactly knowwhat to do with it. It’s not like I have a mantel. My name isStephanie Plum, and I live in a bare-bones apartment on theouter edge of Trenton, New Jersey. I share the apartment withmy hamster Rex, and he doesn’t know what to do with thebottle either. The magic bottle is the size and shape of a beerbottle. The glass is red, and it looks hand-blown. It’s notentirely ugly, especially if you like beer, but it’s also notexotically pretty. And so far it hasn’t been very lucky. I havethe bottle sitting on my kitchen counter, between Rex’shamster cage and the brown bear cookie jar that holds my gun.It was Monday morning, halfway through June, and Lulawas in my apartment doing a pity pick-up because my hunk ofjunk car was dead, and I needed a ride to work.“Hunh,” Lula said. “What’s that red bottle on yourcounter.”“It’s my lucky bottle.”“Oh yeah, what’s so lucky about it? It don’t look lucky tome. Looks like one of them designer beer bottles only it’s gota fancy glass stopper in it.”“It’s my inheritance from Uncle Pip.”“I remember Uncle Pip,” Lula said. “He was older thandirt, right? Had a big carbuncle on his forehead. He was theone wandered out of the senior complex a couple weeks agoduring that thunder storm, pissed on a downed electric wire,and electrocuted himself.”“Yep. That was Uncle Pip.”I’m a bond enforcement agent, working for my cousinVinnie, and Lula is the office file clerk, wheelman, and fashionmaven. Lula likes the challenge of fitting her plus size bodyinto a size 8 poison green spandex miniskirt and leopard printtop, and somehow it all comes together for Lula. Lula’s skin ismilk chocolate, her hair this week is fire engine red, and herattitude is pure Jersey.I’m a couple inches taller than Lula and where her body isoverly voluptuous, mine is more 34B. My idea of fashion is agirl cut stretchy t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. My skin is nowherenear chocolate, my shoulder-length, naturally curly hair is plainol’ brown and often pulled back into a ponytail, my eyes areblue, and I’m still trying to find my attitude.I hung my purse on my shoulder and pushed Lula to thedoor. “We need to move. Connie called ten minutes ago, andshe sounded frantic.”“What’s with that?” Lula said. “Last time Connie wasfrantic was never.”Connie Rosolli is the bail bonds office manager. Myheritage is half Italian and half Hungarian. Connie is Italianthrough and through. Connie is a couple years older than I am,has more hair than I do, and a consistently better manicure.Her desk is strategically placed in front of Vinnie’s door, thebetter to slow down stiffed bookies, process servers, hookerswith obviously active herpes, and a stream of perverteddegenerates with quick rich schemes hatched while under theinfluence of who-knows-what.I live ten minutes from the office on a day without traffic.This wasn’t one of those days, and it took Lula twenty minutesto get her red Firebird down Hamilton Avenue. Vinnie’s bailbonds business is located on Hamilton, just up from thehospital, and between a dry cleaner and a used bookstore.There’s a front room with large plate glass windows, an inneroffice where Vinnie hides, a row of file cabinets, and behind thefile cabinets is storage for everything from guns and ammo toGeorge Foreman grills held hostage until some poor burgerloving slob comes up to trial.Lula parked at the curb, and we pushed through the doorinto the front room. Lula plunked herself down on the brownfake leather couch against the wall, and I settled into an orangeplastic chair in front of Connie’s desk. The door to Vinnie’soffice was open, but there was no Vinnie.“What’s up?” I asked Connie.

Poetry Corner Presents: Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my dear Dad!

As you have loved me, so have I loved you,

Pleased to tell you, now that words are due,

Pleased to have this chance to make you glad.

Your years of love and sacrifice have had

For me the force that you would wish them to,

A wind that takes me home to harbors new,

The inner voice in clothes familiar clad.

How might I be myself, except I see

Each gesture in the mirror of your grace,

Remembered as it was when long ago,

'Ere I knew why, I looked to you for love?

So am I of you inextricably,

Defined by trends not difficult to trace

As I grow into someone that I know,

Yet myself in ways that time will prove.

Copyright by

Nicholas Gordon

Sex and the City Author Signs 2 Book Deal

Author Candace Bushnell signs 2 book deal with Grand Central Publishing. The announcement was just recently made by Grand Central Publishing that the creator of Carrie Bradshaw has signed on to write two new books.

The first, titled The Two Mrs. Stones, will be about that sturdiest shape in romantic geometry: The love triangle. Details on the second novel aren’t yet available.

Back in 1996 Grand Central originally published the paperback version of Sex and the City. Look for The Two Mrs. Stones to be released sometime in 2012.

Stephenie Meyer's The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Tops Best Seller Lists in U.S & U.K.

Twlight fans just can't get enough. Stephenie Meyer's new book 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner has landed on the best sellers lists in the U.S. and U.K. EW reports, the new novella currently tops USA Today’s best-seller list and Little, Brown estimates they have already sold 700,000 copies in the United States. Deadline reports that that the British bookstore chain Waterstones expects to sell more copies of Bree Tanner than of any other book this year.

If you still have not purchased your own copy you can go online for free and read the entire 192 pages at breetanner.com until July 5th. Click here and start reading

HOW PEOPLE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY CAN DEAL WITH STRESS AND ANXIETY

By Stanley Popovich

Stress and anxiety are very common for any entertainer. As a result, here is a list of techniques that an entertainer can use to help manage their daily stresses and anxieties at their job and in the industry.

Sometimes, entertainers get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, divide the task into a series of smaller steps and then complete each of the smaller tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make you fearful or depressed at your job, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that makes you feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you get stressed, open up your small notebook and read those statements.

Remember that no one can predict the future with one hundred percent certainty. Even if the thing that you feared does happen there are circumstances and factors that you can't predict which can be used to your advantage. For instance, you are at your place of work and you miss the deadline for a project you have been working on for the last few months. Everything you feared is coming true. Suddenly, your boss comes to your office and tells you that the deadline is extended and that he forgot to tell you the day before. This unknown factor changes everything. Remember: We may be ninety-nine percent correct in predicting the future, but all it takes is for that one percent to make a world of difference.

In dealing with your anxieties as an entertainer, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that cannot be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods" - an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/ (click on picture above for link)

Poetry Corner Presents: A Child To Love - Author Unknown

A Child to Love

Author Unknown

You can have your wealth and riches

All the things so many seek,

Position, power, and success,

The fame you long to keep.

You can earn as much as you wish,

Reach a status high above,

But none of these can equal

Having one sweet child to love.

'Tis the greatest gift from heaven,

Little arms that hold you tight,

And a kiss so soft and gentle

When you tuck them in at night.

A million precious questions

And each story often read,

Two eyes so bright and smiling,

And a darling tousled head.

God has never matched the goodness

Of a trusting little face,

Or a heart so full of laughter

Spreading sunshine every place.

A child to hold and cuddle,

'Tis a gift from God above,

And the world is so much brighter

When you have a child to love.

Tyra Banks Entering the World of Literary with 4 Book Deals

Former Supermodel/Talk Show Host/Producer is entering the world of Literary with 4 book deals. Banks has taken the entertainment world by storm by launching her production company which produced the hit reality shows like America's Next Time, will soon be entertaining us via a book. With her Talk Show hosting duties ending at the end of 2010, Tyra is ready to conquer the Literary world.

Banks announced that she is writing a novel, the first of three in a deal with Random House. Tyra is no stranger to having author by her name. The former model published a beauty guide in 1998, Tyra’s Beauty, Inside and Out.

The first book will be called Modelland. Banks did not disclose any plot points, she has promised that the tome will be filled with “fierceness and magic.”

Vampire Academy: Spirit Bound Trailer Revealed

Richelle Mead's book the Vampire Diaries: Spirit Bound trailer has been revealed as the book hits the stores. The fifth and latest installment of Vampire Academy, Spirit Bound hit the stores on May 18th. Vampire Academy has been a hit since its release back in 2007 and fans have been anticipating the release of Spirit Bound.

Mead did an interview with EW.com and here is a snippet:

What can you tell us about Spirit Bound?Spirit Bound takes place almost entirely outside of the school that gives the series its name, so that’s kind of ironic and funny. The characters are sort of on their own now, so we get to see what they do when they’re not within the confines of teachers and school rules. It’s less of a tearjerker; the other ones had these big sudden shockers that tended to leave people crying, so I would get email for weeks after the books came out that with people telling me how I left them sobbing. I don’t think there will be quite as much as that, but I can’t always tell that. This is going to be more twists in the story of the ‘Oh my God’ variety. People will still be surprised, and there’s still a cliffhanger, buy I think it will be less emotionally traumatic.

How did you create the series?

I’d been writing adult books sort of in the same genre, the paranormal urban fantasy realm, before that. I had two series, one about demons and one about fairies, and at the time I had extra time on my hands and I wanted to try something for young adults. I was kind of running out of paranormal creatures, so I thought, ‘Well, let’s do vampires,’ little knowing what I was getting into at the time with teen vampires. I had no idea it was about to become a phenomenon unto itself.

Is it hard to deal with the fact that there are so many other vampire books out there and people are going to compare your books to those? Does that get annoying?

No, not at all. There’s always a sort of idea that authors are terrible rivals and hate each other. The Twilight phenomenon if anything has helped me. Teens are so voracious; these books come out that they’ve been waiting nine months for and they read them in four hours. Then they’re looking for the next vampire book. To have so many out there, we just feed each other. Someone finishes one series and jumps to the other. It’s great to have so much interest and so many other series. I know a lot of these authors, and they’re a lot of fun to hang out with. The biggest thing is probably just when people mix up the series; they come up to me and say, ‘I love The Vampire Diaries.’ I’m like, ‘Me too, but I didn’t write that!’ [laughs]

What’s the process like while writing the Vampire Academy books? Do you know what’s going to go into each book?

I plan out all of my series. I have to know how many books it’s going to take to tell the story and what the big plots are going to be in each book and the series as a whole. I know a lot of authors who are so brilliant they can make it up as they go; not me, I need to know my direction, I need to know what my end point is, so most of them are very planned out. I outline everything. There are always things that pop up along the way, subplots you hadn’t thought of that kind of organically rise up, but all the big things haven’t changed; they’ve been there from the beginning.

I read on your website that this series is supposed to end with the sixth book. Is this still the plan?

It is and it isn’t. This arc with this character and this storyline will end at book six, and that comes out in December. Then I’m going to start — I keep calling it a spin-off for lack of a better word — a new series with a new arc, but it’s going to be the same world. We’ll have new characters in the forefront that are taking the place as protagonists of the characters we’ve already met. It’ll be a new story. It’s a way for me to keep myself fresh and start something new. I certainly don’t want to beat a story into the ground when it should end. At the same time, it’s going to give readers who are in love with this world a chance to stay with it.

Why do you think this has been such a popular series? Did the success surprise you?

It was very much a surprise to me. I was working on adult stuff, and if anything this was the side project. Because I didn’t fully realize what Twilight was becoming, and because it hadn’t quite become that anyway, I didn’t expect it. It was kind of a surprise. A few months after the first Vampire Academy came out it won some honors from the American Library Association. It was a very gradual climb. Our sales numbers were creeping up each week, I was getting more and more email from it, people anticipating the next book. The second book came out and it made the New York Times list, and it was like, ‘Where did these readers come from?’ I didn’t expect it; it’s still sort of a surreal thing for me. Click here to see Trailer

Pam Grier's New Memoir Foxy: My Life In Three Acts

Pam Grier's new memoir Foxy: My Life In Three Acts is finally in stores. 70's sexy action starlet Pam Grier has a new book, new movie (Just Wright in theaters now) and shockingly has no website. The actress who has made a come back in such movies like "Jackie Brown" and HBO's hit series "The L Word" takes a look back at her life and lessons learned at age 60. Grier, in the 1970s became cinema’s first black female action hero.

Her memoir reveals a darker personal life, including the details of her sexual assault at 6. It also recounts the diagnosis of cervical cancer she discovered in her late 30s and the untimely deaths and suicides of family members and friends. Grier even tells of her romances with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who wanted her to convert to Islam), Freddie Prinze (who battled drugs and wanted her to have his baby) and Richard Pryor (who thought she could help save him from drugs). Listen to Pam Grier discussing her memoir

Demi Moore Shopping Around Book Idea

Actress Demi Moore is shopping around for a book deal. People magazine reports the star has been meeting with different publishers about the prospects of her writing a book.

Moore, 47, has met with publishers in New York, her agent, Luke Janklow, tells the Associated Press.

"Demi has met with some publishers for a book idea but it is not a memoir, and there is no deal in place nor has Demi committed fully," says the star's rep.

No prospective title or other details have been reported.

Oprah Refusing DNA Test After Unauthorized Tell-All Book Brings Drama

Oprah refuses DNA test after Kitty Kelly's unauthorized tell-all book is released and man comes forward claiming to be her biological dad. Yesterday she got spitting mad when asked if she would undergo DNA testing to learn the identity of her biological father.

"I will not be taking a paternity test, ever!" Winfrey said to The Post with an attitude outside the Four Seasons hotel in Manhattan.

Norh Robinson, an 84-year-old Navy vet who lives in a VA hospital, had told The Post over the weekend that he is the billionaire superstar's real father.

Kitty Kelly's biography, 'Oprah' has been receiving a lot of media coverage revealing really nothing new except for the breaking news that Oprah dated John Tesh back in the 70's and Oprah's dad Vernon Winfrey may not be her dad after all. Kelly claims to have interviewed over 800 people including Oprah's mother to get all her back ground info on the Queen of Daytime.

On Monday, Oprah spoke about the book and how it has affected her and her BFF Gayle King. Oprah spoke at The New York Women in Communications Matrix Awards, where she presented an award to Gayle King, Winfrey told the audience that last week “was a rough one” for Gayle when a “so-called biography came out.”

“Gayle got herself worked up with all my new daddies coming out,” said Winfrey of Kelly’s claims in the book that Vernon Winfrey is not her biological father.

While the audience responded with loud applause, Oprah smiled and concluded, “This, too, shall pass,” according to People.com.

The book also suggests the daytime diva abused drugs and has lied about being sexually abused as a child.

Oprah ended her speech with some very touching words before presenting Gayle with the award, Oprah thanked her longtime confidante for teaching her “what true love really is.” She went on to described Gayle King as “her best friend who always wants the best for me” adding, “She’s never been jealous or envious of me a single moment of my life except when I was on stage singing with Tina Turner.”

Truthfully I had no plans on evening mentioning this book because Kelly is known for trying to bash celebrities to make a buck. But since Oprah has finally said something I felt I should to support Oprah. Kelly should be ashamed for trying to air some dirty laundry. Who cares if Vernon Winfrey is not Oprah's bio dad. There are a lot of people who raised by their step-fathers or some other male role model who they considered to be their Dad (no news there).

Amazing Grace Blog Tour

Amazing Grace Blog Tour for Donna Watford April 26-30.

Book description (twiwebbyn.com/blogtour):

Amazing Grace: A Tribute to You, The Story of Us is the author’s memoir. It’s a spiritual journey of a mother and daughter; the conclusion is peace, be still. A journey anointed with the potential to revolutionize the thoughts of mankind. This inspirational book focuses on social challenges including senseless killings and substance abuse. It has a subtle political twist that considers the sacrifices of Martin Luther King; unforgettable change. Their time together echoes the sentiments of President Barack Obama by depicting the effects from helping; circumstances change. A story offering the only love capable to change lives: John 3:16.

About the author:

Donna Michele Watford, RN was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has degrees in Sociology and Health Studies; and currently attends Drexel University Graduate School. She’s married and resides in the Metro Atlanta area.

Donna realized a void in her life after the loss of her mother; it was then she asked God’s permission to share her experiences to offer others encouragement. Embarking on a new journey involving a closer walk with Jesus the Christ, she now shares her journey with Him through writing poems, songs and books. Donna’s goal is to first and foremost give God glory, provide hope in the face of despair, and be encouraging.

RADIO SCHEDULE

April 26, 2010

Black Authors Network

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Black-Author-Network

8:00 pm EST

(646) 200-0402

April 29, 2010

Real Talk With Tanya White Radio Show (7:10-7:20 PM EST)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/realtalkwithtanyawhite

(347) 215-6446

April 29, 2010

WordThirst Literary Online Radio Show (8 pm EST)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ashea-goldson

(347) 324-3749

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

April 26

All the Buzz Reviews

http://www.allthebuzzreviews.com

Written Voices Blog

http://www.writtenvoicesblog.com

April 27

Simpy Said Reading Accessories

Simplysaidreadingaccessories.blogspot.com

The POV Lounge

http://thepovlounge.wordpress.com

Mom Unplugged

http://www.momunplugged.com

April 28

SORMAG

http://sormag.blogspot.com/

Loving Heart Mommy

http://www.lovingheartmommy.com

April 29

Joey Reviews

http://www.joeypinkney.com/

Faygo’s Report

http://instanter.wordpress.com

April 30

Victorious Cafe

http://victoriouscafe.com

Amazing Grace by Donna M.Watford (Excerpt) Sign up for tour click here

The Vance Legacy's Mother's Day Sale

Never Before Scene/Heard Jacqueline Kennedy Interviews to be Released

Never before seen or heard Jacqueline Kennedy interviews to be released. Interviews that Jackie Kennedy never wanted to be released will now come to light thanks to her daughter Caroline Kennedy,giving her permission. Sealed since 1964, a series of interviews with Jackie Kennedy are soon to be released.The former first lady discussed the White House, her marriage and life on the campaign trail.

The release coincides with the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of President John K. Kennedy.

During the first half of 1964, just months after her husband was assassinated, Jacqueline Kennedy sat for seven interviews with historian and family friend Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

Speaking at her home in Washington, D.C., the former first lady discussed her marriage, her White House years, election-year campaigning and her husband's thoughts about a second term.

The interview is part of what became the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library's Oral History and, at her request, was kept sealed for an indefinite time. She died in 1994.

Release date September 2011 via Hyperion

An Evening with Dr. Cornel West

Kate Gosselin's Letters to Her Kids: Love, Faith and Family or Just A Complaint

Kate Gosselin has been labeled as a strict, no-nonsense taking "B" but her new book and even recent interviews have peeled away that hard shell to reveal the much softer, loving and even human side to her OR has it?

The reviews are in and majority of them say this is not a "Christian" book.

Here are some snippets of what people thought:

Robin: AS a mom of 11 year old twin boys and 5 year old twin boys, (plus a two year old daughter) I anxiously awaited the release of this book by this famous mom of multiples. I found it upsetting, to say the least that Mrs. Gosselin complains to her children about their being naughty and about how hard it is for her to be their mom. Is it justified to write such letters, and to publish them publicly? I thought this was supposed to be a "christian book"I Just Want You to Know: Letters to My Kids on Love, Faith, and FamilyI thought this would be a loving book, but I thought wrong. I plan on returning it. This is not the mother's day gift I had in mind!

Lainey: This book is a terrible exploitation of the Gosselin children, I would give it zero stars if that was possible. If Kate Gosselin wants to impart her thoughts to her kids instead of putting such personal things in a book for strangers to read maybe she could consider being at home with them and telling them in person. Her words say one thing but her deeds say the opposite,don't waste your money on this book.

Jenn: had the chance to review a copy of this book thanks to a friend who works in the media/publishing world. My goodness, as a mother, this is simply disturbing. I was anxious to see how bad it really was after reading some online excerpts and let's just say the excerpts are tame by comparison to some of the other things "revealed" in this book. Why a mother would dredge the most private and personal details of her children's lives and publish them for the world to see is beyond me. It's really sad to read when you stop to think of what these kids will have had written about them in print forever. If she wanted her children to "know" things, I would presume living in the same home as them and seeing them occasionally would suffice. There's a great thing called a LETTER that would have been much more respectful of her children's dignity.

I wouldn't spend one penny on this book. I'd feel dirty if I did. I already feel dirty for even reviewing it.

Phoenix: I am sitting here in complete disbelief at what I am reading. I was looking forward to reading your new book titled "I Just Want You To Know: Letters To My Children on Faith, Love and Family", yet what I am reading is "How Hard Kate Gosselin Has Had It Raising 8 Children, Part 3". Of course the main theme of the book ( which would be you,Kate, not the kids .

Reviews from Amazon