Well Done
Author of:
Strawberry Mansion: A Philadelphia Story
Xpress Yourself Publishing is the African American Literary Awards Show 2008 Independent Publisher of the Year, and an English-language publisher headquartered in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The house of ESSENCE® best-selling authors, Xpress Yourself Publishing is a minority- and woman-owned company publishing ficton, non-fiction and self-help books. Visit us online at www.XpressYourselfPublishing.com, where dreams are turned into reality!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The reviews are in and Consequences When Love Is Blind is deemed a MUST read book!
I absolutely loved this story!!! Linda, you nailed it. I would recommend "Consequences..." to everyone, especially our young sista's. Aids awareness is much needed in our community, and I think that your novella provides a much needed focal point to the cause. I applaud your efforts and stand in awe of your talent.
Well Done
Author of:
Strawberry Mansion: A Philadelphia Story
Well Done
Author of:
Strawberry Mansion: A Philadelphia Story
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Before you pick up the phone and call his wife~
Talia James is young and quite naive. The daughter of an alcoholic mother, Talia had to grow up fast and mother to her younger siblings and cousin.Needless to say, Talia made some bad choices in life where love and men were concerned. After two broken relationships and two sons, she feels as though she has won the lottery when she meets Andre Peters, a very well-to-do sports agent. The fact that he's married takes a backseat to Talia's happiness.
Imagine her surprise when she calls his wife, Sade, to brag about the on-going affair, and Sade shares some news of her own. Never in her darkest nightmare did Talia imagine that her lover, her knight in shining armor, was HIV positive!
Some things between a husband and wife are best left between that husband and his wife, huh?
Linda R. Herman
Author of Consequences When Love Is Blind
Available NOW! Get autographed copies for only $10, shipping included, at
www.LindaRHerman.webs.com This is a limited time offer!
Please feel free to share this offer with friends and family. Thank you and many
blessings!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Be inspired-Somebody Prayed for Me is NOW available!
Heartwarming stories and poetry that are sure to touch your
hearts and uplift your spirits
Allyson M. Deese opens this spiritual experience with the title piece, "Somebody Prayed For Me," a heartfelt poem that reminds us of the importance of prayer. There are so many things we could have been in life but somebody prayed for you and for me. And now we must pray for others because prayer does change things.
In Silent Cries, Linda R. Herman shares the tale of a teen-aged mother who suffers abuse and rape at the hands of the person she loves. Rape is devastating at any age, but imagine a seventeen year-old girl struggling to get past the pain. With prayer, it is possible.
Tinisha N. Johnson’s short story, Facing Reality, opens our eyes to how much our children are influenced by our actions. A mother tries to drown her sorrows in alcohol but doesn’t realize the affect her behavior has upon her twelve-year-old daughter until she makes a shocking discovery.
Every piece was written with the hope of inspiring and reminding everyone of the importance of prayer.
“Have you ever been in a position where you couldn't or didn't think to pray for yourself? In Somebody Prayed For Me, literary sisters Linda R. Herman, Allyson M. Deese, and Tinisha N. Johnson reminds you of that place. While taking you through the valley, Somebody Prayed For Me, restores faith and an appreciation for that old congregational song.”
-Wanda B. Campbell, author First Sunday in October
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Living Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's DREAM
GOD is so amazing!
BARACK OBAMA is the 44th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! HE SAID YES WE CAN AND YES, WE DID!!!
THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, YES WE DID!
CAN YOU IMAGINE OUR ANCESTORS CELEBRATING IN HEAVEN? THEY DIED FOR THIS DAY, Y'ALL! THEY DIED FOR THIS MOMENT, THIS MOMENT WHERE I AM SO FULL THAT I CAN'T STOP CRYING AND PRAISING GOD.
THANK GOD!
OBAMA '08
LINDA
WWW. LINDARHERMAN. COM
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A Change is Gonna Come...
A CHANGE IS GONNA COME…TOMORROW!!! By William Fredrick Cooper (Inspired By ‘A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke)
We were born by rivers and oceans in the motherland, in tents and huts of harmony, and had our culture stripped from us as shackles and chains brought us here. Running ever since, searching for something, grasping at anything to make dark skies of racism blue with unbiased love, through negro hymns we were brave when begging for better days that almost always never came. Hoping for a glimpse of respect and receiving none, somehow my ancestors knew, despite the pain endured in ways a modern day generation forged on sense of entitlement could not possibly fathom, that the persecution would lead to progress.
They knew a change was gonna come.
Oh, I wonder what Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Dubois are thinking right about now. Watching Barack Obama near the end of a grueling 21-month odyssey that started with a ‘Barack who?’ and now rests at the brink of what they lived and died for, I look to the heavens at my brothers and sisters. If it rains Tuesday, their tears of joy will heal so many wounds. Knowing the rest of the world will embrace a less fearful, more open society and that our kids will finally see black and white kids rejoicing because prejudice is a non-factor for the first time ever, somehow they knew what Sam Cooke would sing many years later.
A change was gonna come.
Martin, Medgar and Malcolm, none of them afraid to face the bullets from assassin’s rifles after being told “Don’t Hang Around” merely because of skin pigmentation and knowing that love awaited their return to the sky, want to measure the drapes of victory so bad, but are strongly suggested to wait until the final straightway is run, and the finish line crossed by our bronze-colored First Family. Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks and Betty Shabazz, courageous helpmates of the struggle who maintained the spit and fire of hope decades before rejoining their mates above, will send dozens of red roses from Heaven, with a simple message to Michelle only the strongest bonds of sisterhood could comprehend:
Get Em, Gurl!!!!
Somehow, our queens for the cause knew that a change was gonna come.
My 86 year old friend Norman, in Baltimore, can see the finish line. There were times where I know my brother, while getting drenched from holding the umbrella of “Charlie”, endured many moments where he thought he couldn’t last long enough to see it. Like an African-American Orphan Andy, he could never love tomorrow, for it was never a day away. But Sam Cooke, God rest his soul, told him to carry on and see the day he and so many others thought unforeseeable.
Those with eyes on the prize who couldn’t complete the race are watching CNN every hour right about now. in heaven. Helping us so much with their sacrifices, they hear the heartfelt ‘Thank You’ of millions here on earth, for all they have done. But wisely, they placed a phone call to earthly remnants who witnessed the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Brown vs. The Board of Education, the Movement of Black Panthers and brother Liberation Armies, and unfortunately, the ignorance of recent generations and the refusal to embrace the struggle. During the conversation, an agreement was reach to implore us not to celebrate prematurely, and to pull those curtains closed Tuesday Morning, and give Barack Obama that last wind he needs to blaze down that final straightaway .
The finish line is close, but after all the attacks by Hillary, hate radio voices who treat him as he were Bin Laden, and many who think of him as a half-a-Commie, he still must face a legion of millions who desperately want to thwart the ordained. They will have a desperate, last-gasp kick, all the while saying ‘Yes’ to archaic tradition just because they simply cannot bring themselves to vote for a black candidate. All tribes stay together, thus, helping us to understand White America’s inaccurate sense of racial grievance.
But something tells me, as well as many millions who want this so bad, that Sam Cooke was right. Tears stream from my eyes as I fight the onslaught of my emotions for just one last, agonizing day. Maligned, ostracized, criticized from all angles, for one day, the image of a African-American man might induce a worldwide smile of love from all.
It’s been a, long…long time coming, but I know that a change is gonna come.
Tomorrow.
William Fredrick Cooper
www.myspace.com/wfcooper AWARD-WINNING, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR of THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR of SIX DAYS IN JANUARY
COMING IN 2010: LOVE IS ALL WE NEED
www.blackplanet.com/wfcooper
We were born by rivers and oceans in the motherland, in tents and huts of harmony, and had our culture stripped from us as shackles and chains brought us here. Running ever since, searching for something, grasping at anything to make dark skies of racism blue with unbiased love, through negro hymns we were brave when begging for better days that almost always never came. Hoping for a glimpse of respect and receiving none, somehow my ancestors knew, despite the pain endured in ways a modern day generation forged on sense of entitlement could not possibly fathom, that the persecution would lead to progress.
They knew a change was gonna come.
Oh, I wonder what Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Dubois are thinking right about now. Watching Barack Obama near the end of a grueling 21-month odyssey that started with a ‘Barack who?’ and now rests at the brink of what they lived and died for, I look to the heavens at my brothers and sisters. If it rains Tuesday, their tears of joy will heal so many wounds. Knowing the rest of the world will embrace a less fearful, more open society and that our kids will finally see black and white kids rejoicing because prejudice is a non-factor for the first time ever, somehow they knew what Sam Cooke would sing many years later.
A change was gonna come.
Martin, Medgar and Malcolm, none of them afraid to face the bullets from assassin’s rifles after being told “Don’t Hang Around” merely because of skin pigmentation and knowing that love awaited their return to the sky, want to measure the drapes of victory so bad, but are strongly suggested to wait until the final straightway is run, and the finish line crossed by our bronze-colored First Family. Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks and Betty Shabazz, courageous helpmates of the struggle who maintained the spit and fire of hope decades before rejoining their mates above, will send dozens of red roses from Heaven, with a simple message to Michelle only the strongest bonds of sisterhood could comprehend:
Get Em, Gurl!!!!
Somehow, our queens for the cause knew that a change was gonna come.
My 86 year old friend Norman, in Baltimore, can see the finish line. There were times where I know my brother, while getting drenched from holding the umbrella of “Charlie”, endured many moments where he thought he couldn’t last long enough to see it. Like an African-American Orphan Andy, he could never love tomorrow, for it was never a day away. But Sam Cooke, God rest his soul, told him to carry on and see the day he and so many others thought unforeseeable.
Those with eyes on the prize who couldn’t complete the race are watching CNN every hour right about now. in heaven. Helping us so much with their sacrifices, they hear the heartfelt ‘Thank You’ of millions here on earth, for all they have done. But wisely, they placed a phone call to earthly remnants who witnessed the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Brown vs. The Board of Education, the Movement of Black Panthers and brother Liberation Armies, and unfortunately, the ignorance of recent generations and the refusal to embrace the struggle. During the conversation, an agreement was reach to implore us not to celebrate prematurely, and to pull those curtains closed Tuesday Morning, and give Barack Obama that last wind he needs to blaze down that final straightaway .
The finish line is close, but after all the attacks by Hillary, hate radio voices who treat him as he were Bin Laden, and many who think of him as a half-a-Commie, he still must face a legion of millions who desperately want to thwart the ordained. They will have a desperate, last-gasp kick, all the while saying ‘Yes’ to archaic tradition just because they simply cannot bring themselves to vote for a black candidate. All tribes stay together, thus, helping us to understand White America’s inaccurate sense of racial grievance.
But something tells me, as well as many millions who want this so bad, that Sam Cooke was right. Tears stream from my eyes as I fight the onslaught of my emotions for just one last, agonizing day. Maligned, ostracized, criticized from all angles, for one day, the image of a African-American man might induce a worldwide smile of love from all.
It’s been a, long…long time coming, but I know that a change is gonna come.
Tomorrow.
William Fredrick Cooper
www.myspace.com/wfcooper AWARD-WINNING, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR of THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR of SIX DAYS IN JANUARY
COMING IN 2010: LOVE IS ALL WE NEED
www.blackplanet.com/wfcooper
Monday, November 3, 2008
Erotica vs Pornography: What is the difference?
As an erotica author, I am often asked about the differences between pornography and erotica. The following article touches on some key differences.
EROTICA IS MORE THAN PORN
by Roxanne Rhoads published October 21, 2007
Erotica is so much more than just porn though it is an ongoing debate. Some people see anything sexual as dirty. That it is all pornographic. There is a difference though sometimes there is a fine line between the two and like anything else it's all in the eyes of the beholder.
I found the wonderful world of erotica when I returned to the writing world after a long absence. I was struggling to find a place in the industry and a niche that I enjoyed when I came across erotica. Previously I did not know there was a whole world of erotica both in print and online that caters mainly to women.
Once I found it, I was hooked. I have discovered that I love both reading and writing erotica. I have to thank Gracie and all the others at Tit-elation.com for accepting and publishing the first erotic story I ever wrote (which were followed by many more and later I became an editor at Tit-elation too). They gave me the confidence I needed when I first started out. I kept writing more and more and soon I had erotic poems and stories all over the web, in a couple anthologies and in Playgirl Magazine.
I am often asked by family and friends why I write "porn". For one I'm a very sexual person and it seemed a natural course for my writing to take a turn into the area of sex and sexuality but I have to explain to everyone that I believe there is a difference between porn and erotica. I know some view anything sexual as smut or porn while others can relish the differences between them and all the areas in between.
To me porn is usually visual and geared towards men. Its sole purpose is to physically arouse and stimulate. I have nothing against porn, it serves its purpose, but erotica goes much deeper. Erotica appeals more to women and is often written by and for women even though there are both male and female writers and readers.
To me erotica can be much more real, while porn is often very unrealistic. Erotica can also tell a more complete story. If you read a regular novel about a married couple or a couple in love, it does not tell the whole story of their relationship because the sex scenes are often omitted or glossed over. In erotica you can get the whole story including the steamy sex scenes. Erotica stimulates the mind and the body, arousing emotions and the imagination.
I love to picture the characters and see them in my mind, watch the stories take shape and unfold. With porn it is all laid out, no imagination involved unless you take the time to imagine yourself in the scene. Erotica often has more depth with characters that are more realistic. It is more than just sex; it can be emotional, complicated, frivolous, fantasy filled, funny, sexy or serious. Erotica can be very diverse, as diverse as the authors who write it.
You can find stories that fit into many categories and many themes. You'll find stories of love and passion, stories of submission, role playing, historical erotica, supernatural erotica and much more. Erotica comes in every color, size and flavor from mild to wild from vanilla sex to BDSM and much more. You can find paranormal erotica, sci-fi erotica, fantasy erotica and every day real world erotica. There's something for everyone and it is so much more than just porn.
Article by Roxanne Rhoads for Associated Content
Do you agree with the writer of this article? What do you believe the differences are between porn and erotica? Or, is there any difference at all?
Hazel Mills
www.hazelmillsstories.com
EROTICA IS MORE THAN PORN
by Roxanne Rhoads published October 21, 2007
Erotica is so much more than just porn though it is an ongoing debate. Some people see anything sexual as dirty. That it is all pornographic. There is a difference though sometimes there is a fine line between the two and like anything else it's all in the eyes of the beholder.
I found the wonderful world of erotica when I returned to the writing world after a long absence. I was struggling to find a place in the industry and a niche that I enjoyed when I came across erotica. Previously I did not know there was a whole world of erotica both in print and online that caters mainly to women.
Once I found it, I was hooked. I have discovered that I love both reading and writing erotica. I have to thank Gracie and all the others at Tit-elation.com for accepting and publishing the first erotic story I ever wrote (which were followed by many more and later I became an editor at Tit-elation too). They gave me the confidence I needed when I first started out. I kept writing more and more and soon I had erotic poems and stories all over the web, in a couple anthologies and in Playgirl Magazine.
I am often asked by family and friends why I write "porn". For one I'm a very sexual person and it seemed a natural course for my writing to take a turn into the area of sex and sexuality but I have to explain to everyone that I believe there is a difference between porn and erotica. I know some view anything sexual as smut or porn while others can relish the differences between them and all the areas in between.
To me porn is usually visual and geared towards men. Its sole purpose is to physically arouse and stimulate. I have nothing against porn, it serves its purpose, but erotica goes much deeper. Erotica appeals more to women and is often written by and for women even though there are both male and female writers and readers.
To me erotica can be much more real, while porn is often very unrealistic. Erotica can also tell a more complete story. If you read a regular novel about a married couple or a couple in love, it does not tell the whole story of their relationship because the sex scenes are often omitted or glossed over. In erotica you can get the whole story including the steamy sex scenes. Erotica stimulates the mind and the body, arousing emotions and the imagination.
I love to picture the characters and see them in my mind, watch the stories take shape and unfold. With porn it is all laid out, no imagination involved unless you take the time to imagine yourself in the scene. Erotica often has more depth with characters that are more realistic. It is more than just sex; it can be emotional, complicated, frivolous, fantasy filled, funny, sexy or serious. Erotica can be very diverse, as diverse as the authors who write it.
You can find stories that fit into many categories and many themes. You'll find stories of love and passion, stories of submission, role playing, historical erotica, supernatural erotica and much more. Erotica comes in every color, size and flavor from mild to wild from vanilla sex to BDSM and much more. You can find paranormal erotica, sci-fi erotica, fantasy erotica and every day real world erotica. There's something for everyone and it is so much more than just porn.
Article by Roxanne Rhoads for Associated Content
Do you agree with the writer of this article? What do you believe the differences are between porn and erotica? Or, is there any difference at all?
Hazel Mills
www.hazelmillsstories.com
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