Urban Reviews - Your Source for the Best in AA Fiction!

Washington, DC author, Candy Jackson is a cosmetology teacher who loves to create poetry and short stories. Her reading rose to a brand new height with the discovery of many black writers whose work exploded in the ‘80’s. An avid reader, she began to tap into her own creative side and decided to write stories of her own. Candy is the mother of three young adult children and one grandson. Urban Reviews: Start by telling us about Pink & Patent Leather.  Candy Jackson: Pink and Patent Leather is a book I started on years ago but never finished. My mentor says that I have a fear of success thus, I have several stories I have written but never finished. But, thank God I finished this one and was able to publish it. Urban Reviews: What was your inspiration to pen this story? Candy Jackson: I happen to be a church one Sunday and when my Pastor was closing out he said that women come up to him all the time and say, “God said you’re suppose to be my p...

Yasmin Shiraz is a best selling and award winning author of several books, including Exclusive: An Amazon #1 Best Seller and Retaliation: A Novel which was named a Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers by the American Library Association. She is the award winning Writer/Director of Can She Be Saved? which won Best Documentary at the NC Black Film Festival and the Best First Film at the Youth International Film Festival. She also wrote and produced the award winning suicide prevention web series, SOURCES. As an empowerment speaker and youth activist, she has spoken at over 100 colleges and universities as well as organizations such as Planned Parenthood, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Girls Inc and the YMCA to name a few. She is a trained sociologist having received her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from Hampton University and her Masters of Arts in Sociology from Morehead State University. Urban Reviews: Tell us about Devious . Yasmin Shiraz: Devious is th...

Inside Out With Charmaine R. Parker Author of 'The Next Phase of Life' Charmaine R. Parker  is a former journalist who worked as a reporter, copy editor and managing editor. The sister of bestselling author, Zane, Parker grew up in Washington, DC, and is married with a daughter and lives in Maryland. Visit the author at www.facebook.com/charmainerobertsparker . Urban Reviews:  Can you tell us about The Next Phase of Life?  Charmaine R. Parker:   Tai Wilson, owner of a successful employment agency based in Washington, D.C., has just turned forty. She believes that she has found Mr. Right but when the relationship falls flat, she discovers that her ideal mate is at her back door and an unlikely prospect. She and her two sidekicks, Candace, a fashionista; and Nevada, a journalist turned detective, enjoy their adventurous lifestyle. Tai’s longlost sister, Trista, whom she was separated from as a child, finds her on Facebook and the two reconnect when Trista m...

Inside Out with Oasis -  Author of "Push Comes To Shove" Oasis is the award-winning author of Push Comes to Shove.  He is the CEO of Docuversion, a full-service editing firm, and an expert creative writing instructor.  He is a native of Cleveland , Ohio , and a proud father. Urban Reviews:  Tell our readers about Push Comes To Shove. Oasis:  Push Comes To Shove is about the pitfalls and struggles that an honest family faces while dealing with the perils of financial woes.  GP, the protagonist, and his wife demonstrate the dynamics of a family who is up against it. Urban Reviews:  Where did the inspiration for this novel come from? Oasis:  Push Comes To Shove is a result of my desire to break the mold and stereotype that black authors won’t transcend and/or are forced into.  I just wanted to tell a different story. Urban Reviews:  Have you always wanted to become a writer? Oasis:  I’ve always been a writer in some for...

INSIDE OUT  With Meesha Mink (Niobia Bryant) Author of 'Real Wifeys: On The Grind' Meesha Mink is the national bestselling and award-winning author of 20 previous novels. She lives in New Jersey and South Carolina.  Urban Reviews: Tell our readers about Real Wifeys: On The Grind. Meesha Mink:   Real Wifeys: On The Grind is the first book in a short series centered three different wifeys from three different "hoods" who each struggle with a major issue or conflict in their life.  In this one, the lead character Goldie's struggle is with her love of money, her desire for power and her need for respect (more importantly self-respect).  The book is divided into those three sections as Goldie comes of age and faces first love, heartbreak, tragedy, loss and danger. Urban Reviews:  How did the concept for this book come about? Meesha Mink:    It’s very, VERY, loosely based on the Real Housewives franchise. I wanted to do a interconnected series ab...

INSIDE OUT with Karyn Grice Author of 'No Strings Attached' Karyn Grice released her debut novel, What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas in November 2009. She originally self-published through her own publishing company, Grice Publishing, which taught her the “business” side of publishing. While What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas is her first release, it is not her only novel. She has written 10 additional novels which are awaiting publication. Early in her writing career, she entered a writing contest sponsored by J.L. King and much to her surprise, What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas placed as a finalist. This accomplishment lead to an introduction to Karen Hunter and a publishing contract with Karen Hunter Publishing. Karyn's second novel, No Strings Attached, is currently available and is published by Karen Hunter Publishing/Simon & Schuster. With no formal writing background, Karyn was quite pleased to discover that writing came naturally. She enjoys ...

INSIDE OUT with Lucky Luck 2  - Author of Pitfalls Before The Altar and Beyond - In the summer of 1998 with a desire to change careers, Lucky Luck 2 began writing a paper on in-law relationships hoping to become a journalist at a local newspaper. This one to two-page project swiftly turned into four to five pages. He continued to add thoughts to his original idea and the page count continued to increase. Finally, Lucky could not ignore the writer’s voice that always lived in his heart. Two months later, he embarked on writing his first novel entitled Pitfalls Before The Altar And Beyond. With careers in the fast food and retail industry, Lucky completed his novel in the summer of 2002. Urban Reviews:  Tell our readers about Pitfalls Before The Altar And Beyond. Lucky Luck 2:   The book begins with Derrick Lewis and Angela Robinson, a young and high-spirited couple, getting ready for their wedding. Before getting married, they experience some unpleas...

INSIDE OUT with Jennifer Coissiere - Author of Crossing Over - Jennifer Coissiere is creatively driven in everything she does. She began writing poetry many years ago as a pre-teen, in an attempt to get away from her unhappy home life. Currently, she is a full-time student, mother of three, wife to one, sister to two, and daughter. The stories she write are not necessarily a reflection of her life, but you can find a piece of her in each character she develops. Urban Reviews:  Tell our readers about Crossing Over. Jennifer Coissiere:   Well, Crossing Over is about Rachelle Martin, who lost her mother when she was 15 years old. Over the years she never really gets over the lost and becomes very protective of her twin brother, Raheem, and her father, Dwight. Rachelle dislikes change. However, when her father asks her for the ultimate Christmas present, she finds herself transforming while overcoming grief. Urban Reviews:  Where did the inspiration for th...

INSIDE OUT with Dolen Perkins-Valdez Dolen Perkins-Valdez was born and raised in Memphis, TN. She is a graduate of Harvard and George Washington University. She has published fiction in The Kenyon Review and elsewhere. Wench is her first novel. Urban Reviews:  Tell our readers about Wench. Dolen Perkins-Valdez:   WENCH tells the story of four women who are the enslaved mistresses of their masters. They meet at a summer resort in 1850s Ohio and begin to contemplate escape when the spirited Mawu arrives. She pushes them to think about running and leaving behind their plantations. Yet the decision is a difficult one, especially for my protagonist Lizzie who believes she loves her master and that he loves her. The novel examines the complicated dynamic between a female slave and her white male master. Urban Reviews:  How did you come up with the idea for this book? Dolen Perkins-Valdez:   I was reading a biography of W.E.B. Du Bois and, during a section abo...

INSIDE OUT WITH CHRISTOPHER HERZ - Author of The Last Block In Harlem - Available July 13, 2010 on Amazon Encore

INSIDE OUT WITH SHAY NOLON - Author of 'Everything You Owe Me' - Shay Nolon is the author of Everything You Owe Me (December 2009), and Greedy (August 2010). She is also the author of self-published title Tell Me No Lies (October 2006). Shay Nolon currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri. You can find out more info about this author at http://www.hollygrovepublishing.com/ , Author's Den, or Facebook. 1. Tell our readers about Everything You Owe Me. A. Well, Everything You Owe Me is about two cousins, Tosha and Dannay, whose lives and marriages couldn't be more different - at least that's how things appear on the surface. Tosha struggles to hold on to her crumbling marriage despite signs that her husband is cheating. Dannay's marriage is the picture of perfection, and she is the only person Tosha can turn to. Who will Dannay have to turn to when the perfect image of her marriage shatters? 2. How did the idea for this book come about? A. The idea ...