2009 is winding down. What was your favorite 2009 XYP title?

We are swiftly reaching the end of another year. Can you believe its the middle of November already? Geez! Time sure flies when you're reading great books, huh?

Tell us, what were your favorite Xpress Yourself Publishing titles this year and why.

Remember we have one more release for this year and that's Just Chillin'...releasing December 15th!!! Make sure you get your copy!

Need a recap of 2009's book releases? Here you go!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Journey To Surrender by Hazel Mills

I am so excited about my second book, Journey To Surrender!

First, I want to thank all of you who purchased my award winning first book, Bare Necessities: Sensuous Tales of Passion. It means a lot to me that you would spend your valuable time and hard earned money on something that I wrote. I can't put into words just how much that makes my heart sing. I can't wait to introduce you all to Journey To Surrender, the novel.

ABOUT JOURNEY TO SURRENDER:
Ahmad and Nikki Jacobs are the picture perfect couple. They began their love affair as college sweethearts. Now, they are married, live in the biggest and most beautiful home on their street, and drive the finest cars money can buy. Ahmad is the most successful attorney in the state and Nikki gave up her career as a teacher to become a stay at home mom; raising her daughters and lunching with her girlfriends several times a week.

But what appears to be picture perfect from the outside of this three- story brownstone is very different from the real drama that is happening on the inside.

Nikki's painful past and Ahmad's irresponsible behavior has led them down a road that takes many tragic turns. Shannon, Nikki's younger sister, has her own plans for Ahmad. Lies, deception and murder all take their toll on this already struggling marriage.

Can this couple get to a loving and trusting place in their relationship or has the collateral damage ruined it for life?

MEET THE CHARACTERS:
Nikki is the quintessential girl next door with brains, beauty and a big heart. She leaves Mobile, Alabama for college life far away from home on the campus of Georgetown University. But no matter how hard she tries, she can't get away from her painful past. Nikki wants to love and be loved but is afraid that if she lets anyone in, she'll be hurt again.
Ahmad has it going on at every level and has his pick of women. He is one of the rising basketball stars for the Georgetown Hoyas but his time on the court is cut short by an awful tragedy. Ahmad is a good guy who constantly makes irresponsible choices that at one point, almost cost him everything.

Shannon, Nikki's emotionally damaged younger sister, also moves to the nation's capital to further her education at nearby Howard University. Both sisters share the same twisted family secret but deal with it differently. Shannon is on a mission to get as much as she can, by any means necessary. Her destructive behavior leaves everyone in her path shell-shocked.

FIRST GLIMPSE: Journey to Surrender

Xpress Yourself Publishing's FIRST GLIMPSE at
Journey to Surrender by Hazel Mills


Ahmad and Nikki Jacobs are the picture perfect couple. They began their love affair as college sweethearts. Now, they are married, live in the biggest and most beautiful home on their street, and drive the finest cars money can buy. Ahmad is the most successful attorney in the state and Nikki gave up her career as a teacher to become a stay at home mom; raising her daughters and lunching with her girlfriends several times a week.

But what appears to be picture perfect from the outside of this three- story brownstone is very different from the real drama that is happening on the inside.

Nikki's painful past and Ahmad's irresponsible behavior has led them down a road that has takes many tragic turns. Shannon, Nikki's younger sister, has her own plans for Ahmad. Lies, deception and murder all take their toll on this already struggling marriage.

Can this couple get to a loving and trusting place in their relationship or has the collateral damage ruined it for life?

ISBN-13: 978-0-9779398-9-3 Retail $14.95 Erotica

CLICK HERE TO READ THE EXCERPT (CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)

TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK, VISIT www.xpressyourselfpublishing.org/bookstore.html!

Copyright 2009 Xpress Yourself Publishing, LLC

The Consequences of our actions: Look, listen, and learn!

consequencesconvo.mp3



Find out more by visiting, www.LindaRHerman.org.

WATER CHANGES EVERYTHING

In Memory of Hurricane Katrina

“I can’t believe that I met a real live Katrina survivor,” stated the mammogram technician in a celebratory voice as she adjusted my properties on the hideous contraption. It was not until then – standing there exposed – that I realized that I was a survivor. I deal with my grief by drowning myself – or sometimes overextending myself – by volunteering in my community. It feels natural because I did it prior to Hurricane Katrina. I constantly try to regain a life comparable to the one that I had in the past. Occasionally, I search for items in my house that are no longer there, or I get into my car to go to a café that I used to frequent, only to realize that, not only is it gone, but I’m living in another city. In addition, I must admit that I have gotten into debt trying to pull myself back up; after all, I took a 62 percent reduction in my salary once I started working again. I am not angry with Katrina; I consider it a part of my journey that I call life. I had to experience it in order to get me where I am today. I do not have an awful life; I have a different life. In other words, the hurricane is over, however, I am still outside in the rain.

Hurricane Katrina was one of those rare moments in life where all New Orleans residents seemed equal in terms of defenselessness. Everyone suffered some sort of loss that day, everyone. I had friends who did not evacuate. They had the wherewithal, but they chose to stay. The National Guard ended up rescuing them from their homes.

I was in Florida on vacation. Still, I live with the guilt that I was not there. I had to watch distressed citizens beg for help, food, and water while I sat comfortably in a condominium with all the necessities. I felt, like most Americans, helpless. When I went shopping the day after, everywhere I went in Destin, people were crying. It seemed as though I was in a twilight zone because I had never seen an entire community weeping.

When I was able to leave the Florida panhandle, I travelled to Donaldsonville, Louisiana by way of Baton Rouge. As my friend and I rode down the Interstate, we travelled over downed power lines. We had no idea if they were alive or dead. When we made it across one safely, I said silently, “Thank you, Jesus.” There were no gas stations open so I prayed that we would make it all the way home. When the automobile’s gasoline needle got to empty, we were within the Baton Rouge city limits. I would soon learn that I had lost my house and my car, among many other items, because of the storm.

When I tell my Katrina story, I get all kinds of responses. My favorite line people say when referencing everything that I lost is, “They were just things.” I agree with them. Nevertheless, I let them know that they were my things and they were more than “just things.” I worked hard for my possessions; no one gave me anything—not even the overstuffed khaki couch where everyone fell asleep when they came to visit. I have memories and emotional connections to those things. It goes deeper than people on the outside can imagine. I had community connections that no longer exist. The restaurants and stores that I use to go to are now gone, and my social network disappeared. I came to love – and sometimes not love – those “things” about New Orleans. After this response, folks follow it up with a question, “You had flood insurance, right?” I usually reply with a “Yes, but….” and they interrupt me with, “You’ll be all right then.” Individuals fail to realize that, not only will things not be the same, but also you never have enough flood insurance to replace everything. Let us face it, how do you replace pictures from a Mardi Gras Ball?

I try to go beyond the ignorance about the disaster to attempt to understand my own plight. I realize that I changed. My outlook on life is different. I no longer wait for that special day to use the good china or to wear a special outfit. I treat each day that I have life as a special day. I become solemn when I hear about a natural disaster in the United States or abroad. I relive my experience and I pray for a quick recovery for all. I no longer live in New Orleans, but I still think about it. I decided not to return, and a Higher Power ordered even that decision. I refuse to say that I will never go back, but not right now. I miss my friends, my extended family. If the city were 100 percent rebuilt, it would never be the same. Fortunately, I can reminisce about the old New Orleans, the way I remember it; whereas, our country should continue talking about Katrina until everyone affected by the storm is made whole again. Friends and family should carry on this conversation until they look at me and remember that I am a real live Katrina survivor. That sometimes I still feel sad and I cry at night before I go to sleep; and even though I smile during the day, I might still struggle to put my life back together, financially, mentally and spiritually.

© 2006 by Rekaya Gibson. All rights reserved