Redemption Lake by Monique Miller

During a weeklong exclusive marriage retreat, three couples seek spiritual intervention and guidance. Secrets have been exposed, and all has hit the fan. Journey with these couples as they travel on the road to mending and rebuilding their torn relationships. Lives will forever be changed, and some souls will be redeemed. But can these couples really forgive and forget?

Available wherever books are sold and at Amazon.com by clicking here and Barnes and Nobles by clicking here.

Visit the author at www.authormoniquemiller.com

Book Clubs and Skype - A good idea I think...

Ah, technology. Don't you just love it? Most of the time. Sometimes I hunger for the good old days when we didn't have as much, but alas those days are gone.

How do you balance what technology is good for you and what's not? I say by not trying it all at once. Try new things a little at a time and really analyze whether or not it's right for you. For example, I signed up for Twitter and I added the text message notification component. Those text messages were coming in every minute or so and I didn't even have many followers. Let's not even talk about the ones that happened at 2 a.m. when people were still awake tweeting. So I learned quickly that I could change my settings and chose who I wanted messages from. I scaled back to about 10 tweeters, still too invasive. Guess what? I changed my settings for no text messages. I enjoy Twitter much more.

As a new author, I recently found out about a technology that I'm pretty excited about. It's called SKYPE. SKYPE is a video call service and it's free. Both users have to have a webcam, but you chat face to face in real time. Kind of like the old Jetson's cartoon. (For those of you who are old enough to remember The Jetsons).

This technology makes it easy for bookclubs to meet with their favorite authors. With the economy being what it is, travel budgets have been cut for authors, but readers still need that personal touch. Readers still want those thoughtful discussions about books that include the author. So it looks like SKYPE is a winner. I'm hearing great things about. I look forward to giving it a try when Secrets and Lies debuts - November 24th!

Here's how you get it set up. Reposted from Christian Fiction Blog.

Skype for Bookclubs

Black Book Clubs Rock Awards

Today, I welcome Tifany Jones, the founder of the first Black Book Clubs Rock Awards. Tifany, tell us a little about yourself. Well, I could start off with the usual answers to this type of questions, but since I am a bit different (hence the spelling of my first name), I will answer differently. All jokes aside, I am a stickler for knowing more about a person than what is perfectly written in a bio, so to know that log onto my website http://www.tifanyinternational.com/. However, as the founder of Sistah Confessions Book Club and Radio Show I will confess something with your blog.

I used to be in love with a particular R&B singer (very well known in and out of court) and before I get stoned, please notice the word ‘used’. Before and after I got saved I had every song he’d ever written, including those he’s written for others and some never released. When I got to the point in my life where I felt the need to throw out my CD collection his were the only ones I could not do without.

Then in 2005 my church and I went to the Holy Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. The experience was amazing. Besides the rap group from our church, I had no idea there were so many great Christian artists. But when Canton Jones came out on stage and sang the words, “There’s no other name that’s higher than yours Lord…,” I bout fell out. He is my fave! Needless to say I got rid of the rest of my CD collection when I returned home.

So nice to hear/read your testimony. Thank you for sharing that. I know I had to throw out quite a few CDs as I endeavored to grow spiritually.

Tell us about the Black Book Clubs Rock Award Event. The Black Book Clubs Rock Awards is the only show of its kind that honors excellence in the literary community for book clubs and other literary supporters. I wanted to host an event where book clubs felt appreciated because they do much within our communities. Without them many authors would not be where they are today.

What inspired you to host this event? How would you like to see this impact the literary community? The concept actually came from God. As a book club founder, I personally know the dedication that is required to run a successful book club. Many don’t make it past a year. So those that have been established and thriving need to be recognized.

I surf the web a lot and came across so many book club sites that were doing great things within their communities and for authors. I wanted to give back, but didn’t really know how. I started thinking about how most awards are for authors, and while that is cool, I wanted a way to say “Thank You” to the back bone of African American literature, book clubs! God was like, “Black Book Clubs Rock,” and the rest is history in the making.

Though this event is about book clubs, I want the impact to be a change in the way we view relationships. Think about it. Book clubs come together at least once a month to fellowship, share, cry, and love. They discuss everything and they work as a unit to achieve a common goal. Imagine if we did that in our personal family life! The bond that is created in book clubs is one I would like to see not only throughout the literary community, but in our society. That is what I hope this event will inspire.

Urban Christian Fiction Today was very pleased to be on the ballot. How was the ballot determined? Well initially I had planned to compile a list of nominees for each category and then have my book club decide who would be the winner based on some criteria I had come up with, but frankly that was too much work. For every book club I found there were 10 more I missed, so I decided to make it a public vote.

I sent out a request for nominations and after the cut-off date we reviewed each one to determine the top 5 best nominees per category. It was rather successful considering this is only our first event.

Urban Christian Fiction Today appreciates the nomination, especially since we're so young. You also have a radio show. Tell us about it? Sistah Confessions Radio Show just celebrated its one year anniversary in February 2009. We host authors whose work inspire change and are centered on Christian and Inspirational fiction. We like to have fun and every guest is asked to confess something their readers and our listeners would be surprised to know. We’ve gotten some really good confessions!

Currently, the show airs every Tuesday at 9pm/EST. We also host a Sistah Chat the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month at 9pm/EST as a way to discuss broader topics affecting women. If anyone is interested in learning more or want to be a guest they can visit the show’s page at www.blogtalkradio.com/sistahconfessions.

Any parting words?
I just want to personally thank you for the tireless work you do to support and promote Christian fiction. Your blog is wonderful and a valued resource. No matter what, don’t quit because your labor is not in vain and is very much appreciated. Thank you for allowing me to be featured on your site. This was a great opportunity!

How can readers contact you to learn more about the awards and Tifany Jones?
I am virtually everywhere! Myspace, Twitter, Blogger, Facebook… It might be best to Google me! But to keep it simple the best way to contact me is through my personal website http://www.tifanyinternational.com/ and don’t forget to sign the guestbook.
Those interested in attending the Black Book Clubs Rock Awards or wish to donate to the event please log on to http://www.blackbookclubsrock.blogspot.com/ or email bbcrawards@gmail.com.

Welcome - APOOO

As you know, we live in a time when you can just about anything virtually. Email, chat rooms, wireless technology...all make it possible for you to connect with people with mere tap on a keyboard or keypad. In recognition of that, this month's book club feature introduces a "virtual" book club: APOOO Books. I interviewed the clubs' founder and president, Yasmin Coleman, and she shared how they get things done virtually.

Welcome to Urban Christian Fiction Today, Yasmin. Tell us about APOOO. APOOO (A Place of Our Own) is an online book club and author and reader community dedicated to advancing African American literature. Our mission is to expose readers of all ages to a good book in any genre; to support African American authors, books, literary events and book clubs; to provide marketing resources, tools and tips to authors; and, to promote literacy within the African American community.

With the encouragement of fellow amazon.com review friends, APOOO Books was founded in 2000 by Yasmin Coleman as a book club for friends and fellow reviewers who wanted ‘A Place of Our Own’ to release, relate, relax and fellowship in a comfortable environment while discussing a good book. Because we enjoy discussing books openly and honestly with like-minded individuals, the book club is by invitation only and limited to 30 members.

Since inception, APOOO Books has grown from a book club to include a review team, bookstore and promotional/publicity arm. APOOO is an authority on book recommendations for all African American genres and is known for our ability to read, discuss, and critically dissect a book. Need the 411 regarding a good book? Look no further than APOOO. We can offer recommendations for a good book in any genre.

I have always loved the name of your book club. Tell me why you selected the name and what it means to you. APOOO stands for A Place of Our Own. Over 10 years ago, I had the vision to open a book store and I needed a name. I went to my sorority sisters and asked them to help me come up with one. I told them that I wanted something that would represent us—African Americans and that the book store I had in mind would be an old, Victorian styled home with various rooms (i.e. kids place, meeting room, reading room overlooking the river). Hence, APOOO/A Place of Our Own was born.

Are you exclusively online or are there local chapters? We are exclusively online…and this is a lot of work. Not sure I could handle overseeing local chapters. LOL.

How does your club have its “virtual” book club discussions?
The Book-of-the-Month (BOM) discussion begins the fourth Sunday of the month. The facilitator for that month starts the discussion with a question or list of questions and for a week or so members chime in with feedback/comments via the e-mails. Occasionally, we’ve discussed books via online chats as well as with authors via phone and online conversations.

How do you make your book selections, and how can an author get your club’s attention? Each member has a chance to nominate one book that they would like to read for a given month. Books nominated are entered into a poll. Book with the highest number of votes becomes the BOM. If an author is interested in having us consider their book as a BOM, we ask them to follow the link below to have their book reviewed by the review team. Books that we’re partial to reading as a group include literary fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, fantasy/sci-fi, mysteries and a few non-fiction books.

Tell me a Christian Fiction book your club enjoyed last year? What made it standout? One of my favorites that I read and reviewed at the end of last year, but it’s actually a 2009 release, is The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams. It stood out because it was well-written, creativity crafted, possessed strong character development, steady pacing, realistic without being preaching and the ending didn’t wrap everything up in a pretty, little neat package. And, it make me think about what I would include on my own ‘Someday List.’

APOOO does book reviews, a valuable resource for authors and the African-American reading community. Tell us about your review service. We have a team of 15 reviewers and review all genres including poetry, non-fiction, street-lit, erotica, Christian fiction as well as all the other genres. And our services are still FREE. If an author is interested having their book reviewed by APOOO, they can click on the link below for more details.
http://www.apooobooks.com/authors-lounge/book-submissions/

We ask author’s to note the disclaimer below:
Please note that at APOOO, we do not believe that reviewers can serve two masters–authors and readers. We honestly have to choose and decide who we want to direct our reviews to as well as whom we want to influence with our reviews. While we respect authors, and it is not our intent to flame any author, APOOO’s first priority is to readers. With that in mind, we aim to continue to write reviews that will help readers decide which book is best for them. We look forward to providing reviews for authors who are looking for open and honest feedback.

Yasmin, you obviously have a passion for reading, please share anything else you’d like us to know about APOOO and its commitment to African-American literacy. Rhonda, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to discuss APOOO. Our motto is ‘promoting our voices, showcasing our stories’ and APOOO is always willing to give authors a platform…many times at no charge other than a couple of books for giveaways. I invite readers and authors to visit us at http://www.apooobooks.com/ to get to know us better, to keep abreast of what’s going on in the African Literature Diaspora and to find out APOOO can better serve you.

Faith and Fiction Retreat 2009

Faith and Fiction Retreat in Orlando on July 16-19. This conference, founded by author, Tiffany Warren was an excellent getaway last year and is sure to be even better this year. The retreat allows readers and bookclubs to come together in a spirit of sisterhood and to get up-close-and- personal with their favorite Christian Fiction Authors.

This year featured authors include Angela Benson, Reshonda Tate Billingsley, Tia McCollors and Tiffany herself. Conference events include everything from late night book discussions to book signings to panel discussions with 14 of your favorite inspirational writers, a special session for teens and a session about building a bookclub.

The hotel is a five star resort with a lots of amenities right in the heart of Orlando's theme parks. For details on registration, select here and join us!

I'll be there. For more details visit http://www.faithandfictionretreat.com/

G.I.R.L.S. Book Club

Today I welcome another exciting book club. This time we've traveled to Memphis to meet the ladies of Girls in Real Life Situations (G.I.R.L.S.) Book Club. I interviewed the club president, Shauntay Hampton-Prewitt, and she answered these questions about her book club.

Welcome Shauntay, tell us about the G.I.R.L.S. The G.I.R.L.S. book club is a part of New Direction Christian Church in Memphis, TN. We have been in existence about 4 years and have on average 15 members.

Great acronym for your name, what are those “real situations”? The real situations are things like baby mama drama, cheating husbands, loss of jobs, unruly children, broken hearts, and stuff like that.

You have a large number of members, you've had up to 30 at one point. How do you keep the sister love amongst so many women? We try to get together out side of our monthly meetings. We go places together and call each other while we are reading to chat about a part that sticks out to us.

Tell me about the types of books your club likes to read. How do you make your reading selections? We love the authors, Victoria Christopher Murray and Kendra Norman Bellamy. Before the book is read by the group, the pre-read team reads a books and votes to see if it is a book the entire group would enjoy.

What format do your meetings take? Our church owns the restaurant where we hold the meetings. We order a couple of group appetizer platters and talk about what parts of the book stuck out the most to us. We love talking about what we call "God Nuggets". That sounds like a great place to meet and I like that, "God's Nuggets".

Tell us about a recent Christian Fiction book you’ve enjoyed and why? We love books that are part of a series, because you get a change to keep following a character throughout there journey.

What types of stories would you like to see more of in Christian Fiction? More books from a man perspective. Something that men would enjoy reading. When we first started the book club it was called G.I.R.L.S. & G.U.Y.S (God Understands Your Struggles) however there was not enough books to keep the men’s attention. Okay so you'll enjoy Secrets and Lies, my novel is written in the point of view of a man.

The number of book clubs in the African American community has grown by leaps and bounds. Tell me why you think that is? Well it is an opportunity for people to get together and have fun.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Shauntay. I hope to be chatting with your book club when my novel comes out.

I've Been Nominated!

So, I found out last week that somebody thinks Urban Christian Fiction Today rocks! Literally, this blog has been nominated for the Black Book Clubs Rock Award for "Best Blogger". How cool is that?

Now let me tell you what's even cooler; my competition: APOOO Book Club (I hang out with Yasmin and her crew everyday), Christian Fiction Blogspot (Dee Stewart's Blog and you know she's my girl), Written Voices Blog (Ty Moody's site. Ty's one of my guest blogger), and there's All The Buzz (Renee does a great job, also). I'm so honored to be on the panel with friends. People I totally respect and actually appreciate being compared with. So who should you vote for? ME of course. Nah, just kidding. I'll celebrate with ladies either way. Vote your heart, but vote, okay.

Thanks so much Tiffany Jones from the Sistahconfessions Book Club for including me on the ballot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Rhonda