BOOK SPOTLIGHT - When The Vows Break by Janie De Coster

Yasmin Lewis finds herself in love with a married man but not your ordinary married man. He is Pastor Sidney Teal, a fine and prominent leader of the megachurch, Holy Word Holiness, with a membership of thousands. Pastor Teal treats her well in and out of bed. However, Yasmin knows he will never be hers, and she longs for more.

More comes in the form of sexy, successful, and single Ambrose Hunter, a man who's willing and able to give her the kind of life she knows she deserves. Yasmin's sins catch up with her when Ambrose finds out she is not only seeing another man behind his back but a man of the cloth at that.

Now Yasmin's world spins out of control. Will she be able to redeem herself and find forgiveness in When The Vows Break

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Janie De Coster 

My love of writing began in my high school years with poetry. It wasn't until many years later I heard a spiritual voice instructing me to write a book. Having no idea as to what genre it would be, I just put pen to paper. 

 

Over the years, I have penned several genres, romantic suspense, women's fiction and contemporary. My recent releases from Major Key Publications are When The Vows Break, Love in the Midnight Hour and the Something New Interracial Romance Series Part 1 and 2.

 

I write not only to entertain but educate as my topics shine a light on issues of today's society such as mental illness, domestic violence, infidelity and low self-esteem.

 

In my spare time, I like to travel, shop and spend quality time with my husband, children, and grandchildren.

 

You can contact me through my website.

sweetsmells2003.wix.com/janie-decoster

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BOOK SPOTLIGHT - Make Your Writing Bloom by Shonell Bacon

You stare at the blinking cursor on the page, the blank page you’ve stared at for the last hour. You rifle through your story ideas folder for inspiration, and none appears. You open your current WIP and read, hoping to get the urge to continue writing: nothing.

Writer’s block. Writer’s drought. Writing slump.

Whatever you want to call it, the inability to write when writing is your passion is painful.

It’s even more so when that inability turns into a way of being. You go through your busy life, taking care of every single thing on your massive to-do list but your writing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Not when you have Make Your Writing Bloom.

Make Your Writing Bloom is a tool to help writers who are stuck get unstuck. Through a seven-day process, you will examine and write about your love of writing, your favorite writing experiences, the fears and daily goings-on that usurp your writing, and the work needed to blend writing into your busy life. Once you complete those “therapy” sessions, you’ll be ready for the last leg of this journey: picking a story idea, doing some timed writing, and planning your writing for the next 30 days.

If you’ve lost your zest for writing, Make Your Writing Bloom is the book to help you reclaim the zest and put pen to paper.

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About the Author

Writing evangelist Shonell Bacon is the owner of ChickLitGurrl, a company that publishes her books and offers editing and manuscript evaluation services. In a span of 18 years, Shonell has worked with indie authors and small presses to edit thousands of projects—from loglines, synopses, and short stories to novels, self-help books, and theses and dissertations. For over 17 years, Shonell taught courses in English, mass communication, and fiction at the university level, and now she combines those experiences into ChickLitGurrl to help writers become better writers with each project they write.

When not reveling in words, Shonell is crafting, collecting pens and journals, drinking sexy java and demure teas, spending time with her family, and singing her life like a musical.

Learn more about Shonell at the following outlets:

Website: http://chicklitgurrl.com || Facebook: http://facebook.com/shonbacon

Twitter: @chicklitgurrl || Instagram: @chicklitgurrl

Let's start with a topic most writers cringe at: writer's block. Do you believe in writer's block?

I find this a funny question because Make Your Writing Bloom is for those writers who are stuck in their writing--for whatever reason. I do believe in writer's block--to an extent. I think the writing is always there, but something causes it not to flow. Maybe we have too much going on in our daily lives to give writing the breathing space it needs to flow. Perhaps, you're letting your own doubts and fears that keep you from writing. Writing is always there, tapping a foot, waiting for your return. It's US that have to come back, settle in, and get the work done.

Speaking of your latest project, why should someone buy Make Your Writing Bloom?

First, let me say to all readers: do not let the sweet-looking cover fool you. MYWB can be for every writer who feels stuck, who needs to remember their love of writing, what writing does for them, and fall back in love and into the swing of writing enthusiastically. If you're stuck, MYWB can get you unstuck. Also, don't let the "7-Day" in the subtitle make you feel that the book requires you to apply a quick fix to your writing journey. The book can be used in 7 days or in how many days you need to work through the activities and get to the point that you can start work on a new (or yet-to-be-finished) project.

What experience do you have to write this book and to have others buy it?

Well, I taught university courses in English, mass communication, and fiction writing for 18 years; most of those classes were in writing: English Composition, Writing for the Media, Fiction Writing, etc., so I have experience in helping others develop content for various media outlets. In addition, I have been an editor for the same amount of years, working with indie authors and small presses to edit loglines, synopses, short stories, novels, non-fiction projects, and academic work, such as theses and dissertations. Couple my experiences with my sheer love of writing, words, and helping writers hone their craft, and you have me.

What was your favorite part to write in Make Your Writing Bloom?

I'm not sure I would call it my FAVORITE, but the section on fears was an important one to me. We ALL, at some point, have fear, and fear is so freaking crippling. It kills. It kills our spirit, our minds, our bodies, our hearts--and even our writing. It's something that I fight nearly every day of my life, so I felt compelled to write about it and to help writers fight fear, kill fear in their writing, and get back to the safe spaces that provide maximum productivity.

 

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

BOTH. When I am writing, the energy thrums through me. However, there are those scenes that completely drain me because of the emotions built within them.

Did writing Make Your Writing Bloom energize or exhaust you?

Ha. Again, both. I love writing, and I love helping other writers to write better, so writing MYWB totally energized me. However, this book is also a personal one in some respects because I ask writers to reflect on things like why they love writing, what was one of their favorite writing moments, what does writing mean to their lives, and as I'm writing, I can't help but to recall my own answers, some of which conjured up emotions that exhausted me.

Aside from self-help or how-to writing, what other types of writing do you do?

I write fiction. I have some projects published in mystery (Death at the Double Inkwell and Into the Web) and rom-com (Saying No to the Big O). I have other projects completed or in the process of being completed—mostly mysteries. As I move through this journey called life, I see my writing consolidating into a few arenas: mysteries, books on writing, and faith-based self-help works. I have also written screenplays and currently have an adapted screenplay making the rounds with some production companies—fingers crossed!

Does your family support your career as a writer?

Yes, they have always supported me, which at times, I felt odd about because I had the mentality that I expected them to have--"Oh, you want to write? So, you think you can have a career doing THAT?"

Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?

 

Yes, yes, I do. SO very much. They both need faith and a walk in that faith to stay deep in your practice. Three books I'm reading (and highlighting and notetaking like crazy) deal with this very thing are Pray Write Grow: Cultivating Prayer and Writing Together by Ed Cyzewski (http://bit.ly/PrayWriteGrow), The Art of Spiritual Writing: How to Craft Prose That Engages and Inspires Your Readers (http://bit.ly/ArtSpiritualWriting) and The Soul Tells a Story: Engaging Creativity with Spirituality in the Writing Life (http://bit.ly/SoulTellsStory) by Vinita Hampton Wright.

You talked about writing and spiritual practice in the last question; here’s something that ties to that: inspiration. What inspires you to write?

One word: LIFE. I once had a short story-turned-novel come to me on a bus ride when I saw an empty swing set and sadness gripped me. I took that sadness and that swing set home and ruminated over them for days until a story began to unfold itself. I sit at cafes and watch and listen to those around me, and pieces of conversation will turn in dialogue; the bright pink strip of hair in the mane of someone who looks like a schoolmarm will have me conjuring up a new character to write about. Being smack dab in the middle of life will inspire most to write.

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Book Picks Of The Week - August 27 - Sept 2

Broken Promises: A Domestic Violence Story

by Tywanda Brown-Johnson (Author), Kale Johnson (Illustrator)

 

I promise to love, honor, respect and protect you and only you until the end of time; that was the promise that Cari, Wendy and Angela’s husbands made on their wedding day. Smiling from ear to ear those ladies thought they were off to live their fairy tale ending, but little did they know that it was only the beginning of their nightmare once that promise was broken by their husbands, Romeo, Marcus and Justice.

What do you do when the one that promised to love and protect, is the one causing you the most pain?

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Promises-Domestic-Violence-Story-ebook/dp/B06XF8RFCG

Practice What You Praise

by Candice Y. Johnson 

Pregnant and unwed, Jojo was quickly dismissed from the church's praise team, though the baby's father (a choir musician) remained in his position thanks to his familial ties at church. Two years later, Jojo believes she's paid the price for her choices and wants her spot back--after all, anyone who has ever seen her dance knows that she's anointed to praise Him in the dance. But how long must one "sit down" before being reinstated? Isn't a repentant heart and a humbled spirit enough?

Pastor Trigg wants to lead the church in the right direction, but the congregation seems quite divided about how to move forward with letting Jojo--who is still in high school--dance in the sanctuary. Will allowing her to dance set a bad precedent? Can the members forgive and forget? While trying to sort through what's best for the church, his personal life seems to be a total bust. Will he ever find true love?

This debut work deals with a sensitive topic while maintaining a uniquely humorous point of view. Jojo will have you laughing out loud and make you while the story line begs the question: Who gives whom the right to praise?

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/Practice-What-Praise-Candice-Johnson-ebook/dp/B011AXSIJA

Anything She Says (Instant Prayer) (Volume 1)

by Tyra E. Rowell 

Vivian Woods, newly married and in love, thought she had all three things that she believed were vital in a marriage. Money, Sex, and Love. And in that order. Those beliefs changed when she gave her life to Christ and met Jerry. During their courtship, she decided to wait to test the water, as people say, until she married him. Now, after three months of marriage, she realizes the love of her life can’t please her in bed. What does Vivian do to keep her bed undefiled and honorable? She seeks help in an unorthodox way that could either restore or corrupt her marriage.

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/Anything-She-Says-Instant-Prayer/dp/1732107017

Hannah's Hope ("My True Identity" Teen Series Book 1)

by Denise M. Walker

Since she could remember, young Hannah Monroe has endured pain and struggles. Now she is moving in with her Aunt Loretta and her husband. She is a middle school student that attends school daily, hangs out with her friend, Monet and heads home to complete mounds of homework for her classes. As this is her daily routine so is the secret she carries. Will Hannah find hope during the darkest moments of her young life? Will any one ever believe her?

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/Hannahs-Hope-True-Identity-Teen-ebook/dp/B0798HLYQ4

Straight From A Diva's Heart: Volume One 

by Michelle Stephens 

A trio of poetry to comfort the brokenhearted.

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6RF6L7

Awaken The Dream: 90 Day Devotional

by Indiana Tuggle

What’s holding you back from making your dreams a reality? Is it your past, limited education, family obligations, lack of confidence, low self-esteem, fear, time, money, or lack of support from others? Or perhaps you started but then the storm came, accusation aroused, friends and loved ones turned their backs and your life slowly spiraled out of control! Regardless of your current state, it’s difficult to remember that you were created for greatness, that there is a miraculous calling on your life, that all things will work together for your good or that the storm won’t last always. Indiana knows what you are going through, and has provided just the dose of inspiration to get you moving.

Awaken the Dream, filled with 90-days of encouragement, serves as a reminder of God’s everlasting love for you and His plan for greatness for your life. With daily prayers and ‘Reflections and Reaction’ exercises, each devotional is intended to motivate you to continue to stand on the promises of God while helping you to examine yourself and live a life holy and presentable unto Him representing Christ in all your endeavors.

The beauty of Awaken the Dream is that it is numbered rather than dated, therefore you can mark your favorite devotional and pick it up whenever you need a dose of encouragement or kick in the butt to stay the course.

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Dream-90-Day-Devotional-ebook/dp/B06WGLPWJZ/

Taffy

by Suzette D. Harrison 

Welcome to the sleepy, all-Black southern town of Bledsoe, where Colored residents proudly declare “ain’t nothing white here ‘cept milk and teeth.” It’s 1935. A press-and-curl costs a quarter. Records play on phonographs. And a telephone is a luxury. Meet twenty-three-year-old Taffy Bledsoe Freeman. She doesn’t need her gift of second sight to know her “mockery of a marriage” to a man twice her age is far from good. After a seven-year exile Up North, Taffy travels down-home to the small town bearing her family’s name, plotting her escape from a marriage not worth the price of a press-and-curl. She only needs to retrieve the son her husband banished to her parents’ care, before boarding a train headed for the Windy City filled with liberty and opportunity. Instead, Taffy stumbles into Roam Ellis: the man Taffy meant to marry. Twenty-six-year-old Roam Ellis is a “broad-shouldered, hard-bodied” Pullman porter riding the rails coast-to-coast, outrunning the bitter heartbreak Taffy left behind. Now, after a seven-year absence, Roam is face-to-face with his first love. Anger ignites. Old wounds are exposed. But when pain subsides, passion rises, thrusting Taffy and Roam into a hurricane of buried secrets and lies. Reminiscent of the works of Bernice McFadden, Bertice Berry, and Andrea Smith (The Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner) this Historical Romance is bathed in southern lore and sweeping imagery. Lyrical and powerful, Taffy is a story of restoration and redemption that you won’t soon forget.

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/Taffy-Suzette-D-Harrison/dp/1523298251

Love and Loopholes 

by Railyn Stone 

Business brought them together. Love could tear them to pieces.

A knight in shining armor can’t come fast enough for Kirby Allen. Broke and on her own, she longs for the chance to live a better life. Without a stable place to live and no money to her name, she has to do something and fast.

Familial pride and a sense of tradition fuel Channing Lucas’ desire to run his father’s company. There is just one thing standing in his way.

His eccentric mother and her ultimatum. Get married or lose his family’s business forever.

After a predetermined ‘chance meeting’ in a Las Vegas casino, Channing and Kirby decide they can both get what they want and enter into a business deal. What starts as a marriage of convenience, evolves into complications neither expected. And the strangers find themselves fighting not only to maintain their deal, but struggling to hold on to their hearts.

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F1KP4HR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_1.8yBb809BRSP

Birthday Behavior 

by Katorry Tyler 

I didn’t think I would ever get over the hurt that Eugene caused, I wish I could change the day I ever met him. That situation totally broke me down didn’t really think I would make it through that tough time. Not responding to his text or phone calls seemed to be the hardest thing to stop. Here we are five years later they aren’t together anymore, suddenly he feels he made the wrong choice, picked the wrong girl. Really, I’m not in that shit anymore! Don’t include me in your bullshit, you didn’t choose me then I’m not for the picking now! My girls can think all they want that I’m turning into the man. Pick a mate already, they say! Men have been doing it for centuries now it’s my time. It’s my birthday and I can act anyway I want to! So let the games begin…..

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZ8BGPH

Maybe Baby: special edition (Maybe...) 

by Kim Golden 

GET THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE MAYBE... SERIES IN ONE VOLUME.

MAYBE BABY

Imagine finding out you could never have a baby with the man you love...

Expat American Laney Halliwell finds out the hard way when Niklas tells her he had a vasectomy before they met and isn't interested in reversing it. Why should he? They've got his kids from his first marriage and an enviable life in Stockholm.

What if you fell in love in the most unexpected way...?

But Laney wants more. So when a friend suggests she look into an alternative sperm bank in Copenhagen to find a potential father for her baby, things don't go exactly as planned. Especially when Laney meets Mads and finds herself falling in love.

MAYBE TONIGHT

Mads Rasmussen has had enough: of being a sperm donor, of feeling disconnected, of being alone.

Then someone walks into his life in a most unexpected way...

Maybe Tonight gives us a glimpse of Mads's life just before and after he meets Laney and lets us see what happens when love takes you by surprise.

**NOTE: This special edition contains Maybe Baby and its companion novella, Maybe Tonight. Both titles have been previously published as separate books **

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Baby-special-Kim-Golden-ebook/dp/B01KD7EDES/

A Planner Is a Girl's Best Friend: 12 Month Perpetual Calendar with Timetable

By Eartha Watts Hicks

"A woman with a plan is the heroine of her own story."

--Award-winning author, Eartha Watts Hicks

We have goals, dreams, commitments, and responsibilities. Our time is a resource, but keeping up with everything is difficult. A Planner is A Girl's Best Friend is an awesome tool to help us manage time better.

Try this everyday planner, created for today's busy woman.

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991489276

Yuki's Luck (Smith Pact Duo Book 1)

By Ja Nese Dixon

He’s stolen her heart, it’ll take luck to get it back.

Just her luck, one evening after too many shots, Yuki wakes naked tangled in Dylan’s expensive sheets. Yuki Smith doubts her mother’s judgment on men, life, and definitely on naming her “lucky.”

Dylan Jameson is her twin’s best friend and all the things she’s not. Filthy rich, focused, and drop-dead gorgeous. And beneath it all he is a really great guy. Then he messed it all up by asking for what she could not give, commitment.

Dylan heads to Ireland, somehow he took her luck with him. Now Yuki must board a plane to god-knows-where, to encounter god-knows-what, hoping for a chance to tell Dylan the truth. Because he’s captured her heart and something tells Yuki she’ll need luck to get him back.

Friends become lovers in Yuki’s Luck with strong family ties, alpha men, and professional women in beautiful Dublin Ireland.  This BWWM romance will have you happily reading non-stop until the last word.

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CV1Y12G

The Grief Helpline: Restoring Your Joy After Experiencing a Personal Loss

by Vernessa Blackwell

The road to recovery after the loss of a loved one can seem hopeless and endless. As no stranger to tragedy, author Vernessa Blackwell understands the paralyzing effects that can be caused by the deaths of loved ones, especially when you feel there is nowhere or no one to turn to. In The Grief Helpline, Blackwell opens up about the many devastating losses she's experienced and how she was able to heal and eventually find joy where she didn't think possible. With this devotional, Blackwell inspires your journey to grief recovery and joy restoration with daily thoughts, verses, prayers, and challenges, as she walks you through the five stages of grief: shock and denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

A place of healing may seem unreachable at times, but if you speak to God and learn to face your grief, you will restore your happiness, piece by piece.

Download your copy - https://www.amazon.com/Grief-Helpline-Restoring-Experiencing-Personal/dp/1945558075

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