Fortune and Fame by Victoria Christopher Murray and Reshonda Tate Billingsley

Are you on TEAM Jasmine or TEAM Rachel? Surely you've chosen by now. If not, you have another chance to see what these ladies are up to as authors Victoria Christopher Murray and Reshonda Tate Billingsley are back with another novel about the characters who put them on the map...

About the Book

Jasmine Cox Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams have been through a lot together—from fighting for their husbands to become the head of the American Baptist Coalition to getting mixed up in a terrible murder. Now the frenemies have found themselves the stars of First Ladies, a muchanticipated new reality television show.

Jasmine balks at the idea of airing her dirty laundry on national TV, but Rachel sees it as the perfect opportunity to take her brand to the next level. And if Rachel is in, so is Jasmine. All the cast members are women of God—how much drama can there be?

Rachel and Jasmine know their own pasts are murky, but they’ll seem like choir girls when the secrets and sins of the others come to light. The two will once again have to form an unholy alliance to go up against these so-called Godly women who see the show as their chance to take them down—at any cost.

Reviews

"Double the fun, with a message of faith, Sinners & Saints will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors. It’s a match made in heaven!" (Grace Magazine)

“Celebrated authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley combine forces in this unconventional tale about two ambitious women at odds.…This faith-based novel should keep devout fans on their toes." (Upscale magazine)

"Writing in an engaging and comfortable style, Murray creates believable women to whom readers will easily relate." (Library Journal)

“Faith-based fiction doesn’t get better than Billingsley’s entertaining soaps, notable for their humor, wonderful characters and challenging life situations that many readers, Christian or not, can identify with.” (Publishers Weekly)

About the Authors

Victoria Christopher Murray is the Essence bestselling author of more than twenty novels including: The Ex Files, Lady Jasmine, and The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil. Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction and Author of the Year (Female), Murray is also a two-time NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Fiction. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Visit her website at VictoriaChristopherMurray.com.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is the #1 national bestselling author of numerous novels for adults, as well as the Good Girlz teen series. She recently won the NAACP Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Say Amen Again. She is also the author of the nonfiction book The Motherhood Diaries. Visit her website at ReShondaTateBillingsley.com.

The book is available for purchase wherever books are sold online and at your local retailer. Click here for Amazon and Barnes and Noble and Burning Bush 

What's new...

The bookstore has been bursting with awesome selections in African-American Christian Fiction. Here's what's been sizzling hot for 2013:

Victoria Christopher Murray's latest sizzler...

In this emotionally charged and inspiring novel about a love triangle, secrets between best friends threaten to blow up friendships and a marriage and change lives forever.

When Miriam’s fireman husband, Chauncey, dies while rescuing students from a school fire, Miriam feels like her life is over. How is she going to raise her three children all by herself? How will she survive without the love of her life? Luckily, Miriam’s sister-friend Emily and Emily’s husband, Jamal, are there to comfort her. Jamal and Chauncey grew up together and were best friends; Jamal and Emily know they will do all they can to support Miriam through her grief. Jamal steps in and helps Miriam with the funeral arrangements and with her children, plus he gives her hope that she has a future. But all the time that they spend together—grieving, sharing, and reminiscing—brings the two closer in ways they never planned. . . .


Visit www.victoriachristophermurray.com to learn more about the author. 


Reshonda Tate Billingsley brings more drama with...

Award-winning author ReShonda Tate Billingsley, whose bestselling fiction “tackles some of life’s toughest situations” (The Florida Times-Union), unravels the secrets in a mother’s past that turn her daughter’s life upside down—by revealing the family she never knew existed.

Her dream of studying dance at Juilliard is within reach, but Olivia Dawson turns down the opportunity, choosing instead to stay with her ailing mother in the Houston projects where they barely make ends meet. Lorraine Dawson is Olivia’s whole world, and now Olivia insists on being there for her. But when Lorraine learns Olivia is sacrificing college for her sake, her heartache triggers a series of shattering events that results in Olivia discovering her father, a man she was told had died years ago. But he is alive and well—and he’s the powerful CEO of one of the country’s richest corporations.

With her best friend urging her to claim a much-deserved chunk of Bernard Wells’s fortune, Olivia seeks out his Los Angeles mansion. But it’s not money she wants—it’s answers: Why did he abandon Lorraine when Olivia was three years old? Why did they suffer in poverty while he gave his “real” wife and son a life of luxury? Opening up the past, however, is more complicated than Olivia—or Bernard—expected, and the pain of yesterday’s sins must be confronted before true healing and a bright tomorrow can begin.

Visit Reshonda at www.reshondatatebillingsley.com 

Michelle Lindo-Rice is a new author, but not a novice..

If you found out you were dying, would you suddenly confess all your past sins?

When former chart-topper, Tiffany Knightly learns that she's dying from cancer, she leaves behind her plush California lifestyle to return to Hempstead, New York, with Karlie, here reluctant teenaged daughter. Her fans think she has simply gone home to die, but Tiffany has another mission. She desperately wishes she could leave her past in the past, but in order to secure her daughter's future, she must tear open past wounds.

Life wasn't always easy for Tiffany. With a stepfather who abused her and a mother who didn't believe her, she acted out by becoming promiscuous. Fifteen years later, she's back to reveal to her ex-husband that he might not be Karlie's biological father. In fact, there are four men who could have fathered Karlie--four that she's willing to acknowledge anyway.

As Tiffany reveals her truth and searches for Karlie's father, she reconnects with old friends and old lovers. Some reunions are happy, but some innocent lives are torn apart, leaving Tiffany to wonder if she's doing the right thing. Through it all, she will have to learn to rely on the healing power of God's unfathomable love.

Visit Michelle at www.michellelindorice.com

Holy Rollers Blog Tour - Day One

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a national bestselling author of 19 books, all published by Simon and Schuster/Pocket Books. In 2000, after numerous rejections from publishers, ReShonda stepped out on faith, established her own publishing company, and self published her debut novel, My Brother’s Keeper. The book caught the attention of one of the country’s top literary agents, who secured a deal for ReShonda with megahouse publisher, Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books.


The rest, as they say, is history.

ReShonda went on to sign one deal after another with Simon & Schuster and to date, is considered one of the country’s top inspirational authors. Her sophomore novel, Let the Church Say Amen, is being made into a movie of which she is Executive Producer and actress Regina King is the director. ReShonda’s literary career is such a success that in 2007, she was able to leave her job as a reporter with Fox 26 News in Houston to write full time.

ReShonda has appeared on the Essence Bestseller’s list more than 20 times, as well as The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News and Ebony Magazine Bestseller’s lists. Her books include The Devil is a Lie, Can I Get a Witness, The Pastor’s Wife, Let the Church Say Amen, Everybody Say Amen, I Know I’ve Been Changed and My Brother’s Keeper. Her inspirational teen novels include Nothing But Drama, Blessings in Disguise,With Friends Like These, Getting Even, Fairweather Friends, Friends ‘Til the End, and Caught up in the Drama. She has one non-fiction title, Help! I’ve Turned into my Mother. ReShonda has won numerous awards for her journalism, fiction and poetry writing skills. She is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Spirit in the Words competition, one of Rolling Out Magazine’s Top 25 Women in Houston and H-Texas Magazine’s Top Professional.

ReShonda’s upcoming projects include Holy Rollers (July 2010), Say Amen, Again (July, 2011), the teen novel Drama Queens (Fall 2010), and two travel suspense novels. The Houston native also serves as a freelance editorial and marketing consultant. She has ghostwritten four fiction projects and five non-fiction projects. She is married with three small children and does not hide her addiction to Reality TV and Facebook.

She welcomes readers to her websites at http://www.reshondatatebillingsley.com/.

List your published books.

Adult Fiction:

 Holy Rollers

 Let the Church Say Amen

 The Devil is a Lie

 Can I Get a Witness

 The Pastor’s Wife

 Everybody Say Amen

 I Know I’ve Been Changed

 My Brother’s Keeper

Teen Fiction

 Caught Up in the Drama

 Friends ‘til the End

 Fair-Weather Friends

 Getting Even

 With Friends Like These

 Blessings in Disguise

 Nothing But Drama

Non-Fiction

 Help! I’ve Turned Into My Mother

Anthologies

 Have a Little Faith

 Four Degrees of Heat

Which book did you find the hardest to birth?
The first one, My Brother’s Keeper. I worked in television news so I was trained to leave out all of the details and just write the story in the simplest terms. So the first draft of my book was like 100 pages. I had to go back in and retrain my thought process when it came to writing stories.

Which book is your current favorite?
That’s hard to say, it’s like saying which child do you like the best. Although I do have a personal connection to I Know I’ve Been Changed, which is about a television news anchor from Arkansas who moves to Houston, hits the big time and tries to forget her country, trouble-filled family. (By the way, that’s not my story, even though I was a news anchor from Arkansas!)

How would you describe your writing style?
I love storytelling. But I need a fast-paced story that keeps my attention, so that’s how I write. You’ll almost always find a dose of humor in my writing.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind?
No. For some reason I can’t write with music playing. While I’m editing, I love listening to soft R&B.

Tell us anything about you as a writer that you think might be interesting or unusual.
I’m not too interesting. People often tell me they think I’m very funny. The crazy thing is I don’t think so at all. Maybe because my mother is hilarious and I just grew up with her witty ways so it seems second nature to me. One of the things I do know is I’m a note-taker on life. So if we’re sitting and holding a conversation and I break out my pen and paper and start jotting down some stuff you’re saying/doing, don’t be surprised!

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Stop talking about why you don’t have time to write and write. And please don’t approach writers for help/advice and start the conversation off by saying, “I never read anything you’ve written but could you explain the publishing process to me from A to Z,” which believe it or not, I get all the time. And most importantly, don’t stand in judgment of others because you think you “have a better story.” What God has for you is for you.

Writers are often encouraged to write what they know. Have you found that to be the case with your writing? Absolutely. You can tell your best stories writing about what you know. But at the same time, I don’t think writers should limit themselves to writing only what they know. They’re so much to discover in this world and through the Internet and research, so much to be learned. A good writer can do their homework on a subject they don’t know too much about and still tell a compelling story.

About the Book

Looking for Love . . .

Lifelong friends Coco, Nita, and Audra have spent years looking for love in the arms of flashy pro athletes, hoping to land a baller but ending up with a stream of failed relationships. The beautiful and demure Coco has endured years of physical abuse from her boyfriend, Sonny, while Audra, a single mother, has dated her fair share of cheaters and yearns for a stable companion who will be a father figure to her son. And feisty, seductive Nita is tired of being the million-dollar mistress and wants to settle down—if she can find someone worth coming home to.

Changing the Game . . .

Now that the women are approaching thirty, they’re finding it harder than ever to compete with the pro groupies. Determined to change the game and find some worthwhile men, Audra hatches an outrageous plan. Soon the trio is "holy rolling," masquerading as God-fearing churchgoers at a local conference for young ministers in the hopes of snagging a prominent pastor. But will their big gamble pay off? Men of the cloth are still just men, after all. As the three friends meet their potential life partners, they will have to decide how far they want to take their holy rollers scheme—each risking heartbreak while taking a chance on finding a reliable, responsible man to love and cherish, flaws and all.

View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/HolyRollersBlogTour.

Click Here to Order the book on Amazon.

Holy Rollers by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

About the Book

LOOKING FOR LOVE...

Lifelong friends Coco, Nita, and Audra have spent years looking for love in the arms of flashy pro athletes, hoping to land a baller but ending up with a stream of failed relationships. The beautiful and demure Coco has endured years of physical abuse from her boyfriend, Sonny, while Audra, a single mother, has dated her fair share of cheaters and yearns for a stable companion who will be a father figure to her son. And feisty, seductive Nita is tired of being the million dollar mistress and wants to settle down—if she can find someone worth coming home to.

CHANGING THE GAME...

Now that the women are approaching thirty, they're finding it harder than ever to compete with the pro groupies. Determined to change the game and find some worthwhile men, Audra hatches an outrageous plan. Soon the trio is “holy rolling,” masquerading as God-fearing churchgoers at a local conference for young ministers in the hopes of snagging a prominent pastor. But will their big gamble pay off? Men of the cloth are still just men, after all. As the three friends meet their potential life partners, they will have to decide how far they want to take their holy rollers scheme—each risking heartbreak while taking a chance on finding a reliable, responsible man to love and cherish, flaws and all.

My Review

Get ready for a ride! That’s what I felt I was on as I read this novel and took the journey with these characters.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s books just keep getting better and better. I loved her last three novels. The Pastor’s Wife, Can I Get a Witness and The Devil is a Lie were all extremely entertaining, but this book was just the best. For this reviewer, I think it was because the novel addressed issues that are near and dear to me – women wasting themselves on no good men and women who have a good man and “can’t” and “won’t” keep him! Jeez, enough of it already.  I picked up a subtle message about pre-marital sex in the story as well.  Those who were giving the milk away just got milked.

Holy Rollers is a fresh, original story. Seriously, pro-athlete groupies who restructure their game plan – reminds me of change management class I took in grad school.  The story was great. I loved the character CoCo, felt sorry for that poor pitiful Audra and patiently waited for Nita to ______ , well, I won’t give it away. The women were realistic, each one representing some woman I know or have know, or dare I admit, have been. LOL.  (In a past life of course.) It was a fun read. ReShonda was on her game, using her talent for making her readers laugh out loud. Don’t pass this by, it’s at the top of my list of great summer reads and a book I recommend for women of all ages.

Reviewed by Rhonda McKnight

Click here to read an Excerpt and here to find out about ReShonda's cool contest for Book Clubs!

You can sign up for ReShonda's newsletter and learn more about her at www.reshondatatebillingsley.com

Reviewed by Rhonda McKnight

An Advance Review Copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Book Review - The Devil Is A Lie by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Valuable Lessons About Love and Money...

Nina Lawson's dream comes true when she wins the lottery, or so she thinks. What she quickly finds out is that her nightmares are just beginning. Although she no longer has money problems she's got man problems, family drama, an ex-husband who's not an ex problems and a greedy chic named, Pam wants to get her paws on her money. I mean as if it wasn't bad enough Pam already has her ex-husband. (Dare I say had him while Nina and Todd were still living as man and wife.) Oh yes, Ms. Billingsley went there.

This was a great story. Best lottery story I've ever read. There were lots of thoughtful lessons for all, but mostly the main message is "Money can't buy happiness". Great characters, snappy dialogue and description make for a page turner that was a pleasure to read. The story also had a real twist near the end which was a pleasant surprise. Don't let the devil lie to you and you pass this one by!

Review by Rhonda McKnight

To learn move about ReShonda visit her website at www.reshondatatebillingsley.com

The Devil Is A Lie - Blog Tour - Day One

The Devil is a Lie by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a national bestselling author of 17 books, all published by Simon and Schuster/Pocket Books. Her sophomore novel, Let the Church Say Amen, is being made into a movie and national touring stageplay of which she is Executive Producer and actress Regina King is the director. Five of her other books, have also been optioned for film by CodeBlack Entertainment.

ReShonda’s literary career is such a success that in 2007, she was able to leave her job as a reporter with Fox 26 News in Houston to pursue writing full time. ReShonda has appeared on the Essence Bestseller’s list more than 20 times, as well as The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News and Ebony Magazine Bestseller’s lists.
ReShonda has won numerous awards for her journalism, fiction and poetry writing skills. She is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Spirit in the Words competition. ReShonda’s upcoming projects include The Devil is a Lie (July 2009), Holy Rollers (2010) and two more teen novels. The Houston native and University of Texas at Austin graduate also serves as a freelance editorial and marketing consultant. She has ghostwritten four fiction projects and five non-fiction projects. She is married with three small children.

ABOUT THE BOOK

AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT. . . .
When Nina Lawson wins $16 million in the Texas Lottery, the real estate executive and her fiancé, ecstatically begin planning their future — from paying off their credit card debt, to setting their wedding date, to a spontaneous, spare-no-expense island getaway.
But when Nina goes to claim her winnings, she gets an astounding twist of fate: her ex-husband, Todd Lawson, shows up to inform he he isn’t her ex —since the paperwork for their divorce was never officially filed. By Todd’s side, his money-hungry girlfriend, Pam – the woman he left Nina for.

MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS
Between her divorce drama, Nina also has to deal with relatives coming out of the woodwork to seek a payday for themselves. Before all is said and done, Nina must ask herself if scoring a fortune in cash comes with too high a price tag. With a little bit of luck, Nina will discern the real wealth in her heart, not just her bank account—or risk losing everything—to find out what matters the most.

Visit ReShonda online at http://www.reshondatatebillingsley.com/
Follow the blog tour at http://bitly.com/TheDevilIsALie

The Devil Is A Lie

ReShonda Tate Billingsley has been on this blog several times for her young adult fiction, but did you know she write's women's fiction? Really good women's fiction. She's an award winning, bestselling women's fiction author and that's where her published writing career began. Her newest release will be on shelves July 7th, it's "The Devil Is A Lie" from Pocket books. Here's a little about it:

As Luck Would Have It...

4-7-14-17-21-25. Those numbers, printed on a slim paper ticket, are about to change the lives of two couples, lovers past and present, in Houston. When Nina Lawson wins $16 million in the Texas Lotto, the real estate executive and her fiancé, personal trainer Rick Henderson, ecstatically begin planning their future -- from paying off their credit card debt, to setting their wedding date, to a spontaneous, spare-no-expense island getaway.

But while counting her millions, Nina didn't count on one other astounding twist of fate: her ex-husband, Todd Lawson, isn't her ex anything -- since the paperwork for their divorce was never officially filed. Now he's shown up with his money-hungry girlfriend, Pam, to claim half of Nina's winnings. Add to this the relatives coming out of the woodwork to seek a payday for themselves, and Nina must ask herself if scoring a fortune in cash comes with too high a price tag. With a little bit of luck, Nina will discern the real wealth in her heart, not just her bank account -- or risk losing everything -- to find out what matters the most.

I had an advanced review copy. I'll be writing my review soon, but let me go ahead and say - page turner. I loved the story.

ReShonda says she came up with the idea for the book this way:

I was talking with a friend who thought she was divorced and years later found out she wasn't. I'm a 'what if' person, so I immediately started, "what if someone was in that position, after they won the lottery?"

To learn more about Reshonda visit her website http://www.reshondatatebillingsley.com/

Can I Get A Witness?

I've been meaning to recommend this book. I read it last fall and as always was thoroughly entertained by Ms. Billingsley's inspiring, yet humorous romp through her characters' lives. Can I Get a Witness? (awesome title that fits the story to a tee) is filled with interesting plot twist, great description, zany dialogue and lots of laugh out loud moments. Ms. Billingsley keeps the reader guessing how these peoples stories will play out in the end and it did not disappoint. Hurry and get it. She has a new title being release in early July, The Devil is a Lie. Can't wait for that one either.

Synopsis

The irony of a divorce-court judge getting divorced herself is not lost on Vanessa Colton-Kirk. After all, she's seen everything in her notorious Houston courtroom, where she's presided over the breakup of countless unhappy and disillusioned couples. Even her own sister, Dionne, is dealing with a relationship drama of her own, a betrayal that's left Dionne hungry for revenge on the man she hoped to marry. But when career-driven Vanessa chooses to work late on the night of her fifth wedding anniversary, her husband, Thomas, decides he's had enough of her putting work before starting the family he so desperately wants -- and he tells her he wants out.

In a last-ditch effort to save the marriage, their own judge orders Vanessa and Thomas to attend a spiritual retreat. She goes -- but not without a fight. And just when she thinks she's won, fate steps in and helps her see things in a whole new light. Now Vanessa and her sister face the toughest choices of their lives. Can Dionne untangle herself from a payback plan gone horribly wrong? Can Vanessa rebuild a bond that she had a big part in destroying? Will she learn from her own mistakes and her years of experience on the bench? Or will she need something else to keep a tide of bitterness from taking over her life?

About the Author

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a former general assignment reporter for KRIV-TV, the Fox affiliate in Houston, Texas. She is the author of the nonfiction book Help! I've Turned Into My Mother and five previous adult novels: My Brother's Keeper, for which she received the prestigious Gold Pen Award for Best New Author from the Black Writer's Alliance and the Nova Lee Nation Award from the Greater Dallas Writing Association; the national bestseller Let the Church Say Amen, chosen for Library Journal's Best of 2004 list for Christian fiction; its powerful sequel, Everybody Say Amen; I Know I've Been Changed, a Main Selection of the Black Expressions Book Club; and an uplifting and warm-hearted novel of love and faith, The Pastor's Wife. Visit her website at http://www.reshondatatebillingsley.com/.

Reshonda Tate Billingsley on why she writes "The Good Girlz"

As a teen, I had an active imagination. From making up stories about life in the hood, to convincing my little sister I knew how to fly, to writing off-the-chain poems, I could always be found with a pen in one hand and book in the other. I loved to read and loved making up stories just as much.

Because I'm such a reader, I was looking for something for my teenaged nieces to read. The stuff I found they said was too young or too boring. The stuff they found was too adult for my tastes. So I decided to write something teens could enjoy and their parents wouldn't mind them reading. And because I'm all about keeping it interesting, I wanted to make sure it was something that would keep them turning pages! I'm blessed to say I've found that in the drama-filled lives of The GoodGirlz.

Writing these books is so fulfilling. I get emails daily from people all over the country who say they hated reading until they picked up a Good Girlz novel. Parents write in to say thanks for sparking a love of reading in their child. But to see a young person passionate about a book, well it just makes everything I do worthwhile.

Synopsis

The sixth book in The Good Girlz series from national bestselling author
ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Joy in her heart...
It's for real -- Jasmine's in love! She never thought she'd be boy-crazy like her girlfriends Camille, Alexis, and Angel, but now Jasmine and football star C.J. Taylor are inseparable -- they've even been voted the school's cutest couple. And with love in the air, everything seems to be going right: Jasmine's mom has allowed her and C.J. to go out on dates, and even her relationship with her brother Jaquan has improved. Maybe love is contagious!
Gone in a heartbeat?
But Jasmine's happiness is shattered when a neighborhood gang begins harassing Jaquan -- and trouble quickly escalates to tragedy. With C.J. and his family caught in the crossfire of lies and violence, Jasmine will have to hold on tighter than ever to her faith, to the friends who have never let her down...and to the belief that love truly does conquer all.

Click here to read an excerpt...

Connect with Reshonda at her website http://www.reshondatatebillingsley.com/ and the Good Girlz at http://www.goodgirlz.org/