Born Stacey Yvonne Barlow, December 18, 1968 to Juanita Barlow, she was faced with many obstacles dealing with cerebral palsy. But by the grace of God and her mother saying to her, “You can do anything you set your mind to doing because the sky is the limit for you,” Stacey came to realize her love for writing. She has been writing for 35 years. Her first break came when she wrote the astounding poem, “Not a Broken Dream” (1985) giving homage to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She has been published in two anthologies, ‘Walk through Paradise’ and ‘The Best Poets of 1997.’ Stacey has had the opportunity to see her work in print;“Carry On” was published in her local newspaper Citizen Tribune in 1997. In addition, she has recorded a CD of poetry, produced poetry calendars, written several other poems, and has been heard reciting poetry on Baltimore Maryland’s WPCG 95.5. Stacey is working on her third and fourth projects and was noticed as Poet of the Year in 2012. About her book, “Rejuvenation: Innocent Until Proven Guilty”
Rejuvenation exposes the deeper darker side of love in relationships between man and woman of the same sex, love between family, friends, and the true love of God. Page Count: 158 Purchase a copy: http://www.amazon.com/Rejuvenation-Innocent-Until-Proven-Guilty/dp/0983054886/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329746798&sr=1-1 Author Interview UBAWA: Name 3 things about yourself readers may not know Stacey: Three things about myself that readers may not know is I have cerebral palsy; I don't drive; and I am a vegetarian. UBAWA: What is your biggest inspiration? Stacey: My biggest inspiration is my niece. She's a dancer and watching her work so hard at doing what she loves inspires me. Things are paying off for her which is truly a blessing; and her feet are planted firmly to the ground. UBAWA: What led up to you becoming an author? Stacey: What led up to me becoming an author is my sister telling me many years ago that I needed to do something with my writing because she loved what I was writing. She is my #1 fan. UBAWA: How would you describe your writing style? Stacey: I would describe my writing style as intricate and thought provoking. UBAWA: What would you say is the most important thing an author should do before publishing his/her book? Stacey: The most important thing to do before publishing your book is make sure there aren't any misspelled words in what you are writing or any word left out. . .edit, edit, edit! UBAWA: If you could go back and change one thing about your book, what would it be? Stacey: If I could go back and change one thing about my book it would be the language I used. UBAWA: When you’re not writing, what are you doing? Stacey: When I'm not writing, I'm reading others work. UBAWA: How can readers and others in the literary community reach you? Stacey: Readers and others in the literary community can reach me through Facebook: www.facebook.com/RIUPG or by email raspberrybounce@gmail.com
0 Comments
Book Title: Taste of Insanity Number of Pages: 297 Rating: 3 Fiction/Non-Fiction: Fiction Genre/Category: Drama Who would you recommend this book to?: Friends What did you like most about this book?: The Storyline What did you like least about this book?: There was not enough description. Any suggestions for how this book could have been better? A professional proofreader and editor were badly needed. There were some major grammar, punctuation, syntax errors...etc. There was a problem with consistency as far as font in text body, it changed three times. The books interior layout was not up to par. What was your overall impression of this book? Overall the storyline was good - nothing new or overly exciting, but good. The Rose Program was a genius idea for tying the ladies together. The three (3) women Egypt, Andi, and Blake (Moon) are easily relatable to someone in the real world, which Drama should be. Morenike' did a good job for her first book as far as storyline and character development. I would like to read more from this author and see how she develops over her career. Reviewer: C. Davis Book Title: Cry Through the Pen Number of Pages: 222 Rating: 4 Fiction/Non-Fiction Other Genre/Category Poetry Who would you recommend this book to? Those who enjoy the art of poetry and street verse What did you like most about this book? I liked that the emotion in each piece was raw and real. Some poets have lost that art, but Love was able to personalize his pieces and make the reader feel as if they were written for them. What did you like least about this book? I prefer proper English verses slang English and found that the slang took away from the book. Any suggestions for how this book could have been better? Less usage of slang terminology, proper punctuation and in general, more grammatical editing. What was your overall impression of this book? (Response must be between 75-100 words) I felt that the author put his whole heart into each piece, allowing the reader to experience firsthand, the emotion and pain in each poem. The title is very fitting, because you can feel that tears were flowing with each piece. Love conveys how everyday things impact our lives and words join us all together. Each piece can become personal to readers for a different reason than that of the author, but it is in the art of penmanship that allows us to find a meaning personal to us. For an author to bring the reader to that point is where real talent and creativity lies, and I commend Love on having this ability. I really enjoyed 'One Woman to Raise A Family' and 'Heaven’s Wings'. Reviewer: Candice M. Martin Crystal Smith has loved the art of literature ever since she could remember. Growing up she spent the majority of her time writing short stories, poems, and music. She completed her first novel "Secrets in the A," at age 19 after graduating from Benjamin E Mays High School in Atlanta Georgia (2006). She later went on to attend Bauder College majoring in Criminal Justice while leaving her writing dreams behind for a short time. After years of completing amazing college papers, she decided to send her works to different publishing companies. In 2013 she was recognized by Ruby Love Publications and became one of the new authors of the publishing company. Her book "Secrets in the A" was released on Friday April 5, 2013. Crystal Smith is 25 years old and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She is working on her second novel which will be a trilogy, so expect it soon! About her book, “Secrets in the A” This is a compelling story about the life of two best friends, Lisha and Bre, who were brought together under normal circumstances. Well, that is what they thought, until the deep dark secrets of their past unravels and things fall apart for them. Lisha, a young nurse that works at Grady Hospital, endures her share of heartache and pain growing up without her parents. She finally meets her prince charming, Rah, who makes her forget that her past ever existed, until everything is brought out of the dark. Lisha will be faced with the ultimate sacrifice of choosing her past that she fought so hard to forget, or her future, which she loves dearly. Bre loved her family so much that she put her life on the line countless times to keep food on the table. She ran from her past and right into the arms of Black, her knight and shining armor, that happens to be Rah’s cousin. Their relationship starts out like magic, but will Bre’s trifling ways cause her to lose her knight and shining armor forever? The secrets between these people will come out and danger will strike. Will these friendships be strong enough to last after everything is put to the test? Will the deepest secrets ever revealed in Atlanta, Georgia change everyone’s life forever, or give them a stronger bond than before? Purchase a copy: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-In-The-A-ebook/dp/B00C7HG64I/ref=la_B00C7RX038_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368456468&sr=1-1 Find the author on Facebook: http://facebook.com/WriterCrystalSmith Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/iWriteBooksCJS Shanny is broadly self-educated. After regaining a life that went sideways from mental illness, he now resides on an island in the Pacific Ocean where he writes, studies, and takes care of yards. Find the author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shanny.nadudvary Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/snadudvary
I’ll warn you, you’ll be sucked into this story before you even get to chapter one because Marie A Norfleet is just that good! She gives the reader a juicy and enthralling sneak peak and preview of coming attractions in the Preface of her book that forces you to keep turning the pages in anticipation of what will happen next. I don’t know where Marie pulls her material from to write these bizarre, true-to-life urban thrillers, but I could only imagine! I fell deeper in love with Marie’s writing style after reading this book. There are millions of authors who write great books, but Marie A Norfleet is a force to be reckoned with. I truly believe she is the next Queen of Urban Lit because she wears her crown perfectly well. I absolutely loved this book and so will you. 5 stars. Twisted Sister is an attention-grabbing and thought-provoking tale that will leave you with more questions than answers, when it’s all said and done. I was impressed with the way the author delivered the story. It took a while to get into because the author spends a whole chapter introducing you to the main character – Holly – whose life is far from normal and more on the side of twisted and crazy. Her story is one that will touch and inspire readers. It’s worthwhile reading, if you haven’t picked up a copy yet. The author leaves you hanging in the end, so I’m anxiously waiting to see what will happen next. 4.5 stars. I come across many books that are great stories but hard to get into. Sex Money and Murder was one of them. The plot and dialogue are what kept my interest but the author’s tendency to tell what’s happening overshadowed his ability to show what’s happening. If he could use better imagery to paint a picture for the reader with words, this book would be a perfect 5 stars but there were numerous times I put the book down and walked way from it because it just seemed too watered down and overly narrated. But that wouldn’t stop me from recommending this book to other people, because it has its perks - an interesting plot and ending that is worth any reader checking it. 4 stars It’s very difficult to get drawn into a story when you know exactly what’s going to happen next. This is how I felt when reading “Forgive & Forget.” As I read each chapter, I was entertained here and there by some of the character dialogue, but the thought kept hitting me – this story is missing something. It’s missing the very thing that keeps readers interested in the story – SUSPENSE! The story begins with what seems like the same storyline of most stories of love and betrayal– the woman finds out that her man has been cheating. Then the rest is self-explanatory and predictable from there. I wasn’t impressed at all by this book. I actually was slightly disappointed. It just needs a little more volatility and spontaneity to spice it up a bit. Other than that, it was OK. 3.5 stars. Lots of Intriguing Drama! First of all, Author Shay Gray has one imagination! This story was so complex on so many levels. Once I thought it couldn’t be any more drama, something new would hit me in the face. Terrance Davenport is a ladies’ man to say the least. He has a wife, Tanya, which he loves. Then there is Portia and Amber, baby mamas who still love this man. Fast forward to Terrance having only 6 months to live and proposes “The Arrangement” to the 3 women. “The Arrangement” is for all 3 women to move into one house with their children and live as one big family so that the children can bond after Terrance is gone. Then as the lies and secrets begin to unfold, lives are in jeopardy because of one person’s selfishness. Death, deceit, disaster, and destruction are at every turn. I began to wonder if “The Arrangement” was really for the children’s sake or for Terrance’s. I don’t know how Terrance got Tanya, Portia, and Amber to agree to such an outlandish arrangement, but these three women got way more than what they bargained for. You would definitely want to read this book because it has a sense of suspense and is not predictable. Great job Shay Gray! Book Title: The Arrangement Number of Pages: 418 Rating: 5 Fiction/Non-Fiction: Fiction Who would you recommend this book to? Young and older adults What did you like most about this book? I liked not being able to predict what would happen next. The suspense factor keep me eager to finish the book. What did you like least about this book? I was not fond of Portia's 2-year old daughter dying or Tanya losing her baby. Any suggestions for how this book could have been better? The author could have actually had a sequel. A lot of details and information that came out could have been used as a sequel. Reviewed by: Margaret Bullocks **************************************** My overall impression of the book was great. You could tell that the plot was well developed and the storyline was organized. The characters seemed to come alive on their own. There was never a dull moment. There was a great amount of suspense and things you just didn't see coming at all. I was literally floored when some things about the characters were revealed. Also the twist in this book was very well crafted. Book Title: The Arrangement Number of Pages: 418 Rating: 5 Fiction/Non-Fiction: Fiction Who would you recommend this book to? Mary Green What did you like most about this book? I really liked the storyline and plot of this book. It was truly entertaining and the drama was indeed captivating. What did you like least about this book? The least thing I liked about the book was the main character, Terrance. He just didn't seem worthy of the love he received from his wife and baby mamas. Any suggestions for how this book could have been better? I honestly enjoyed every moment. However, there were a lot of run on sentences. They did not bother me persay but could be a distraction to another reader. Reviewed by: Tramaine Green *************************************** It’s not often that you’ll find a book that literally grabs you from the first page and keeps your interest all the way down to the very last. I’m not always a big fan of books or movies that keep you guessing all the way to the very end, but Shay Gray’s book, The Arrangement, is one that I just could not resist. There are many books that you have to get in the mood for – but not this uniquely woven, insanely twisted gripping tale. Don’t take my word for it. Get your own copy and see for yourself. The Arrangement is one of those, “gotta read it for a second or third time” books because it really is that good. I loved everything about it – the plot, the characters, the beginning, and even the unpredictable ending. In a nutshell, this is a great story well put together. 5 stars |
Become a Member. It's FREE!Become a member by clicking here. Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|