Meet Ashea Goldson, author of The Lovechild

Ashea Goldson, originally born in Brooklyn, New York is a wife of twenty three years, a mother of two daughters, a grandmother of one, a graduate of Fordham University, a writer, a poet, a publisher, a reviewer, an internet radio host, an educator, and a co-founder of a Christian preparatory school. Active in the ministry, she is a dedicated member of World Changers Church International for many years. She has a lifetime of experience with writing which ranges from being published in local newspapers, magazines, and online publications to full length books.

Her first Christian fiction novel is The Lovechild, published by Urban Christian Publishers in 2008. Ashea’s short story entitled “The Kit Cat Trial” will be released in an anthology named Pets Across America in September 2009. Her second Christian fiction novel, Joy Comes In The Morning, will be released in July 2010, also by Urban Christian Publishers. She has recently released a non-fiction title, Resurrecting Vision: 45 steps To Digging Up Your Destiny And Seeing It Through God’s Eyes through her own publishing company.

Calling herself a kingdom writer, and passionate about this calling, she is currently working on her third novel, random poems, several short stories, a children’s book, and is organizing a literacy group for youth in her community. During her relaxation time she can be found hanging out with her family, snuggled up to a good book, or listening to gospel music.

Would you say you are an extrovert or introvert?
I am definitely an introvert. I am usually very quiet and reserved unless I know you well.

Do you like to cook? If so, what are your favorite dishes to cook?
No, I don’t particularly like to cook, but I do like to eat so I do what I must do.

What movie(s) have you watched recently that you would recommend?
That’s difficult because I haven’t watched a good movie in a while. I’m not really sure about that one.

Do you like books being turned into a movie? If so, what is your favorite book-to-movie?
The Color Purple

If The Lovechild was turned into a movie who would you cast to play your characters?
Makaeli would be played by Halle Berry and her sister Lisa would be played by Angela Bassett.

Which social networks do you enjoy the most?
Facebook. You can find me at http://www.facebook.com/ashea.goldson.

What's next for you?
I have a story, “The Kit Cat Trial” in an anthology called Pets Across America which will be released in October. My next novel, Joy Comes In The Morning, releases in July of 2010. And I am currently working on the sequel, Count It All Joy.


ABOUT THE BOOK

In The Lovechild, Makaeli Hunt, a successful fashion designer, has been driven far away from home by her family’s dysfunction. While living in Italy, trying to heal the wounds of yesterday, ambition becomes her comforter. When a family emergency forces her to return to her home, in seven life altering days, amidst memories of a tumultuous past, will one revealed secret drive her away from her family and God forever? Or will she discover what it means to be God’s lovechild?

Dealing with issues of racism, depression, self-esteem, drug addiction, mental illness, verbal and physical abuse,The Lovechild is a story of redemption and re-dedication, confirming our victory in Jesus Christ.

Follow the blog tour at http://bit.ly/TheLovechild

For more information about Ashea, visit her at http://www.asheagoldson.com

Meet Jacquelin Thomas, author of The Ideal Wife

From Tia's Pen...

Let me start this post off by saying that I'm about three-fourths of the way through the book, The Ideal Wife. There were quite a few times when I had to pick my mouth up off the floor. Jacquelin addresses a taboo topic as it relates to the "marriage bed," and I can't wait to see what happens as I pull back the sheets on the rest of the story (gotta read the book to get that pun!). Now, on to business...

Jacquelin Thomas is an award winning, bestselling author with twenty-nine titles in print. Her books have garnered several awards, including two EMMA awards, the Romance In Color Reviewers Award, Readers Choice Award and the Atlanta Choice Award in the Religious & Spiritual category. Jacquelin was a 2005 honoree at the Houston Black Film Festival for the movie adaptation of her novel, Hidden Blessings. She was the first recipient to receive the Writers Achievement Award at the North Carolina Book Festival in Winston-Salem.

Although Jacquelin initially published in the romance genre, she decided to follow the call on her heart to write Christian fiction because she seeks to write books that will touch your heart and uplift your spirits with tales of characters who yearn to have an intimate relationship with God. Committed to writing books that glorify God and her growing teen audience, Jacquelin published the first of her Young Adult Inspirational Fiction series titled Simply Divine in October 2006. Her second book in the series, Divine Confidential was nominated for a 2008 NAACP Image Award. She has since gone on to publish two more books in the series. When asked why she is so passionate about writing teen novels, Thomas shares that teens are confronted with so much—sex, drugs, violence and abuse, physically and mentally. They need to not only listen to what the world says about these things but also to what the Bible says.

Jacquelin is a member of the National Writers Union, Romance Writers of America and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She is happily married to her best friend and is the proud mother of three children. Jacquelin and her family live in North Carolina.


ABOUT THE BOOK
Jana Collins loves her husband with all her heart. But what if love isn’t enough?
Marrying a handsome, wealthy lawyer and living in a Hollywood Hills mansion . . . it’s a dream come true for twenty-four-year-old Jana, from the moment Lawrence Collins swept her off her feet and into his luxurious world. True, she put her studies at a local Bible college on hold in order to wed after a six-month whirlwind romance. Beautiful and vivacious, with a stunning body, Jana knows men like Lawrence don’t come along every day, and she vows to be a perfect companion—the ideal wife—to this sexy, powerful man. But at what price?

From her wardrobe and hairstyle to her friends and her choice of church, Lawrence seems to want to change Jana into someone she’s not . . . and soon, the man Jana thought she knew will test her values and her faith with a shocking revelation that goes against everything she believes—how far will Jana be willing to go to keep the man she loves? With her “ideal” marriage falling apart, Jana—the real, modest, smart, and strong girl who knows what she stands for—must put her trust in God, and follow His guiding light out of the darkness of a broken relationship.

Drawing from a moving scripture tale with an insightful message for women today, Jacquelin Thomas delivers a provocative and enlightening new novel.


Click here to: READ EXCERPT


Follow the blog tour at http://bit.ly/TheIdealWife.
For more information about Jacquelin, visit her at http://www.jacquelinthomas.com/

Write Away Workshop - November 7 - Atlanta, GA

"Write Away Workshop"
Saturday, November 7, 2009
8:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Location: 2191 Northlake Pkwy, Ste 160. Tucker, GA 30084
(Northlake Business Park, Bldg. #11 - Joy of Faith Ministries)

* * * * * * * * * *

Don't wait to add "work on my book" to your list of New Year's resolutions. It's time for you to get focused and work on it "write away"!

Join best-selling, inspirational author Tia McCollors and God's Elect Ladies, Inc.

for a Christian-based writing workshop.

You will learn about:
Getting Started
Overcoming obstacles & struggles
Success strategies and tips to stay on task
Setting goals
Determining whether to write fiction or non-fiction and choosing the appropriate genre
Building a plot or organizing your ideas
Researching publishing houses and submission guides
Finding and working with an agent
Crafting a book proposal
Book marketing ideas
...and more

REGISTER TODAY for $40.00

Please note:
The $40.00 investment includes continental breakfast, boxed lunch and workshop materials.

STEPS TO REGISTER:

* Go to Paypal.com to pay your registration fee on-line (Just click on the link above).

* Once payment is received, you will be emailed the registration form to complete and return via email to Write_Away_Workshop@yahoo.com.

* Print your receipt/confirmation page from paypal.com and bring with you to the workshop.

** Late registration fee is $50.00 after November 1. CASH ONLY payments are accepted at door for registrations after November. Absolutely no refunds after November 1.

QUESTIONS?

Email: Write_Away_Workshop@yahoo.com or contact Toni Parker with God's Elect Ladies, Inc. at (770) 335-6277

Meet Vanessa Miller, author of Forsaken

Vanessa Miller of Dayton , Ohio is an Essence best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying and Abundant Rain.

To date, Vanessa has written the Rain Series and the Storm Series. The books in the Rain Series are: Former Rain, Abundant Rain, and Latter Rain. The books in the Storm Series are: Rain Storm and Through the Storm. These books have received rave reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous Bestseller’s lists.

FORSAKEN is Vanessa’s newest book, due out in October 2009. Forsaken is the story of a fallen pastor’s journey back to God. Vanessa believes that each of her books will touch readers across the country in a special way. It is, after all her God-given destiny to write novels that bring deliverance to God’s people.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Pastor Jerome Tyler “JT” Thomas is charismatic behind the pulpit, charming to all he comes in contact with, and lethal to those who linger too long. Since the age of twenty-two, when he prayed for God to keep him out of prison, JT knew he would preach the gospel. Bishop Turner makes it possible; but there are strings attached, and now JT isn’t sure he can stay tied down.

Cutting loose causes more problems than JT anticipated. When an old friend from his days on the streets resurfaces and his extracurricular activity comes knocking on his front door, JT’s life and the lives of those close to him spiral out of control. Now he will need divine intervention to make things right. But how much help can a man hope to receive when he feels he’s been forsaken by God?

Follow the blog tour at

http://bit.ly/Forsaken.
For more information about Vanessa, visit her at http://www.vanessamiller.com/.

Meet LaCricia A'ngelle, author of Girl, Naw

LaCricia A'ngelle is a licensed Evangelist, writer, and the President and CEO of His Pen Publishing, LLC. A native of Chicago, LaCricia currently resides in Tennessee wit her four children. Girl, Naw! is her first novel.

Her writing career began when she was a child writing songs and short stories. LaCricia has always had a God given gift of putting words together.

As a Christian Fiction author, LaCricia not only writes for entertainment, but she also writes for ministry. Her goal in every piece of written work is to draw someone closer to Christ. The characters face real situations. LaCricia writes so that anyone can read her work and get something out of it, whether they are young or old. When you read a LaCricia A'ngelle original prepare to laugh, cry, pray, and stop to say "hmmm."

ABOUT THE BOOK
Antoinette Walker has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Those that know and respect her think she has it all, a wonderful husband, children that thrive in school, and a counseling practice that is growing by leaps and bounds. When hidden things from her past begin to surface, they threatened to destroy everything Antoinette loves. Only God can give her the strength to continue to counsel other women as she struggles with her own issues of forgiveness. Will her faith be strong enough to help her stand in the midst of opposition?

READ EXCERPT
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/9655517/Girl-Naw!-by-LaCricia-Angelle-(excerpt)

WATCH BOOK TRAILER





Follow the blog tour at http://bit.ly/GirlNaw

For more information about LaCricia, visit her at http://lacriciaangelle.com/

Book Club Shout Outs!

I absolutely love going to book club discussions. Even when I can't be there in person, I cherish the times of our chats via phone or Skype. Then there are those who I don't know have even read my books until they drop me an email letting me know what a blast they had!

Sometimes my discussion with book clubs are like those heart-to-heart salon chats, minus the relaxer, deep conditioners, hair dryers and ceramic iron presses!

So here's my shout out to the book clubs that I've recently connected with in some way over the last month or so...

Do Something Different Book Club

Phenomenal Women of God

Black P.E.A.R.L.S.

Righteous Readers

Contest Winners - The Last Woman Standing Blog Tour

Okay, so this picture has absolutely nothing to do with the blog tour contests, but it's a pic of the pair of shoes I wore to the book release party for The Last Woman Standing! I think they might give the shoes on the front of the book a run for its money. What do you think? Now on to the real business.

Drum Roll Please....

The winners of The Last Woman Standing Blog Tour contest are listed below. Included are names, the blog where the correct answers/comments to the trivia questions were posted, and the prize won. The winners were drawn randomly out of all correct answers during the blog tour week.

1. Tangie, Urban Christian Fiction Today - Winner's choice of $5 gift card to Smoothie King or Panera Bread

2. Renee Williams, Urban Christian Fiction Today - $5 Chick-Fil-A gift card

3. Linda Chavis, APOOO --$10 Borders Gift Card

4. Val, SORMag -- Autographed copy of The Last Woman Standing

5. DM, APOOO -- Autographed copy of The Last Woman Standing

Oh yeah, I bet you want to know the answers to those trivia questions.

1. What's the name of Belinda's daughter (from Zora's Cry & The Truth About Love)? -- Hannah

2. What's Zora Bridgeforth Field's profession? -- High school guidance counselor

3. In A Heart of Devotion, Sherri Dawson started her own line of clothing for petite women. What was the name of it? -- Short Ragz

4. In The Last Woman Standing, where did Sheila meet her boyfriend, Ace? -- A restaurant in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

5. Tia participates in an annual tour with six other Christian authors. What's the name of the tour? -- The Anointed Authors On Tour

6. Tia is blessed with the gift of writing, but if she could choose another gift to add to that what would it be? -- Singing!

7. What's Tia's favorite cuisine? -- Italian! (Mamma Mia!)

8. Name at least one of Tia's speaking topics. (Okay, you'll have to go to my website for that!)

9. Tia uses an acronym (D.E.V.O.T.I.O.N) to encourage aspiring writers. What does the "I" represent? -- Invest in your dream. Inspire yourself.

10. What is the name of Monet Sullivan's long-time (but unequally yoked) love interest in Zora's Cry? -- Bryce Coleman

Presenting Angela Benson & Sins of the Father Blog Tour

Angela Benson's numerous novels include the Christy-Award-nominated Awakening Mercy, the Essence-bestselling The Amen Sisters, and Up Pops the Devil. Currently an associate professor at The University of Alabama, she lives in Northport, AL.

Angela stops by Tia's Pen during her Sins of the Father Blog Tour to share a bit of encouragement.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. -- Romans 8:28, New Living Translation

This verse from Paul's letter eto the church at Rome has always been one of my favorites. It's an all-purpose verse that I can bring to remembrance when I'm in need of comfort and encouragement. It's also a verse that I oten share with others when they need encouragement.

I see this verse at work in the life of Abraham Martin, one of the main characters in Sins of the Father. Abraham made wrong choices in his life that negatviely affected him and those he loved. And though he tried to make things right, he was unable to set them back the way they were supposed to be.

The essence of Romans 8:28 is that even though we can't always make our wrongs right, if we trust God, He can use our wrongs to bring about good things in us. In Abraham's case, God taught him that the money he valued so much meant very little compared to the love and life of his family.

Abraham is not alone in making a mess of his life and the lives of those he loves. Many of us are in that situation now. Like Abraham, we have to try and make amends. And like Abraham, we have to accept that our efforts might not yield the results we want. Our comfort is in the knowledge that God will use our mess to teach us a lesson that will make our lives richer and our futures brighter.

Prayer: Father God, I've strayed from the path you planned for me and I want to get back on track. Give me the courage to make amends and the strength to accept the consequences of my actions. I thank you that even though I went wrong, the legacy of my wrongs will be a renewed experience of you, your love, and your forgiveness.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Successful media mogul Abraham Martin has great wealth, an elegant wife, Saralyn, and a rebellious son, Isaac. He also has a secret: a second family that no one knows about. Now, after thirty years -- driven by the urging of his long dormant conscience -- Abraham is determined to do the righth thing by finally bringing his illegitimate children into light...and into the family fold.

But beautiful, manipulative Saralyn will never accept the proof of her husband's indiscretions. Isaac the heir, shaken by his father's revelations, will fight mercilessly when his world is threatened, and may lose everything that matters as a result. And while Abraham's forgotten daughter, Deborah, is open to the undreamed-of possibilities suddenly awaiting her son Michael, cannot forgive the man who cruelly abandoned them to near poverty. And he's driven by one desire: revenge!

Angela Benson's Sins of the Father is a powerful story of a house bitterly divided -- a rich, multilayered family saga of betrayal and redemption, rage and compassion, faith, forgiveness, and ultimately, love.

Follow the blog tour at: http://bitly.com/SinsoftheFather.

For more information abot Angela, visit her at http://www.angelabenson.com/.