BOOK INTRO: The Soul of a Man

The Soul of a Man: A Triumph of My Soul Anthology, features short stories, essays and poems by Joe Thomas, Jihad, William Fredrick Cooper, Alvin C. Romer, Marc Lacy, Maurice M. Gray, Jr., Brian Ganges, Jarold Imes, K.L. Belvin, Joey Pinkney, Thomas Ashburn, Jr., Clarence "Baba Simba" Mollock, Tyrell Floyd and Eddrick Dejuan.

Long Term (a short story)
After a season of sowing his wild oats, Nate Carter is a changed man. He’s turned his life over to God, but that doesn’t exempt him from the consequences of his past. Nate, a supervisor of temporary employees at a local credit card bank, is challenged when a former conquest comes to work for him and wants to pick up where they left off a few years prior. The man he is now struggles with the man he was. Who will win? God knows.

BOOK INTRO: TURNING JAPANESE

TURNING JAPANESE

Meet Lisa Falloya, an aspiring half-Japanese, half-Italian American manga artist who follows her bliss by moving to Tokyo to draw the Japanese-style comics she's been reading for years. Leaving behind the comforts of a humdrum desk job and her workaholic fiancée, Lisa has everything planned-- right down to a room with a nice Japanese family-- but hasn't taken into account that being half-Asian and enthusiastic isn't going to cut it. Faced with an exacting boss and a conniving "big fish" manga author, Lisa risks her wedding, her friends, and her fears for a shot at making it big.

Worth a Thousand Words Blog Tour

MEET STACY HAWKINS ADAMS

Stacy Hawkins Adams is a nationally-published, award-winning author and speaker. Her contemporary women’s fiction novels are filled with social themes and spiritual quests that take readers on journeys into their own souls.



Tell us about Worth a Thousand Words.

Worth A Thousand Words explores the tough decisions a young woman named Indigo Burns must make in her relationships and her career. Indigo is a recent college graduate, eager to forge her path in the world and pursue her dreams. Then she’s faced with some challenging realities that force her to grapple with who she wants to be. Indigo realizes that you have to find the courage to accept difficult truths about yourself, and about others, before you can embrace life and love others unconditionally.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?

I started with the idea of writing about a character who had everything going for her and trusted that as long as she continued to believe in God and give her best, life would be perfect. I wanted to show how such a character would persevere and mature in wisdom and in faith when life threw her a few curveballs. Ultimately, the story boils down to helping readers see that just as the pictures this character takes as a professional photographer are worth a thousand words, so are the truths she has to embrace in her life.

Who are your main character(s)?

Indigo Burns, a recent college graduate who has lived in Jubilant, Texas since childhood, is the main character. The secondary character is her fiance, Brian Harper, who is pressuring her to alter her goals so they can be together. Other important characters are Rachelle Covington (Indigo's favorite cousin and the main character in The Someday List), and Aunt Melba, who plays a pivotal role in helping Rachelle grow up and find the courage to follow her heart.

Did you have a favorite character(s)? Who and why?

Aunt Melba was one of my favorite characters in The Someday List, and she holds the title in this book,too. Because of circumstances that unfold during the novel, Melba is not as visible a character in this book, but I love her personality and her ability to "tell it like it is" without hurting people.

Did you have to do quite a bit of research for this novel?

Yes, I did. Even though I'm writing fiction, in order for the story to resonate with readers, it's important for them to enter the characters' world. To do that well, I commit a lot of time adding as many true-to-life elements to my books as I can.
Near the beginning of the book, Indigo's boyfriend, Brian, and her best friend, Shelby, leave Texas to attend Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island. Most of Brian's scenes take place in Rhode Island, and his life is consumed by the training program. To make this storyline authentic, I did extensive research on what occurs during Officer Candidate School, what the experience is like for recruits, how the commanders talk to the recruits, etc. I also extensively researched details for a personal issue that Indigo confronts.

What do you hope readers will learn/discover from reading Worth a Thousand Words?

I hope readers will journey through Worth A Thousand Words and feel empathy for these characters, because Indigo and Brian find themselves grappling with decisions most of us have struggled with in some form or fashion. I also hope that when readers put down this book, they'll reflect on their own journeys and consider how to respond when they face uncomfortable truths in their own lives.

Okay, a not-so-fun question. How important are reviews to you as a writer?

All writers want their books to be well-received and appreciated. I respect reviews and value them. Great ones make me feel good about the work I'm doing. Not so great ones challenge me to take a harder look at my work and consider ways to strengthen my writing. At the same time, I know that everyone has different preferences and tastes, even when it comes to reading, and every book isn't for everyone.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Worth a Thousand Words
Jubilant Soul Series Book Two
by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Life has always gone Indigo Burns’s way. She’s smart, pretty, and talented, and she knows exactly what she wants. A photography internship at her hometown’s local newspaper is the next step in her well-laid plans for her future. But her long-term goals are put to the test when her boyfriend Brian proposes–two years before he’s supposed to and in front of all the guests at her college graduation party.

Too concerned about his feelings to say no, she heartily agrees, but inside she’s cringing. Indigo knows in her heart that she’s not prepared to sacrifice her dreams to become Brian’s wife–not before she has achieved any of them. Will she find the answers among family and friends in Jubilant, Texas? Or will the picture-perfect life she dreams of be left behind?

For more information about Stacy, visit her at http://stacyhawkinsadams.com/.

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

DAY 1 Monday, June 22

Rhonda McKnight
http://www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com/

Victorious Cafe
http://www.victoriouscafe.com/

LaTara Ham-Ying
http://www.momunplugged.com/

DAY 2 Tuesday, June 23

RAWSistaz Literary Group
http://www.rawsistaz.com/

Joey Pinkney
http://www.joeypinkney.com/

Linda Beed, D.R.Ed
http://lindabeed.blogspot.com/

DAY 3 Wednesday, June 24

SORMAG
http://sormag.blogspot.com/

Patricia Woodside
http://readinnwritin.blogspot.com/

Ella Curry - Black Pearl Magazine
http://edcmagazine.blogspot.com/

Ruth Curcuru
http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/


DAY 4 Thursday, June 25

All the Buzz Reviews
http://www.allthebuzzreviews.com/

Vanessa Richardson
http://thecertainones.blogspot.com/

Britni Vigil
http://booknookclub.blogspot.com/


DAY 5 Friday, June 26

APOOO Books
http://www.apooobooks.com/

Word4Women
http://wordforwomen.wordpress.com/

Faygo's Report
http://instanter.wordpress.com/

Edgy Inspirational Author
http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com/


ONLINE RADIO SCHEDULE

JUNE 23 - WordThirst Literary Journal Online Radio Show (8:00 pm EST)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ashea-goldson

JULY 9 - Chocolate Pages Show (6:00 pm EST)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chocolatepages

JULY 16 - Inspiration Station (6:30 pm EST)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/InspirationStation

FIRST BORN

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Firstborn
Realms (May 5, 2009)
by
Conlan Brown


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in 1984, Conlan Brown was functionally illiterate until the fifth grade, when he learned how to read and write, as well as a love of story, from his grandmother. Conlan went on to start college at the age of sixteen, and now holds a Master's degree in Communication, which taught him the academic principles needed to write Firstborn.

Conlan lives on Colorado's Front Range where he is working on his next book. He enjoys video editing, film scores, and developing high octane, thought provoking fiction that turns pages and excites the senses.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Three supernatural gifts. Two thousand years of division. One moment of truth.

Hannah's head hung, long brown hair in her eyes. Her face felt pasty with cold and fatigue and pain. Arms behind her back, she sat in a chair, wrists and ankles tied to the wooden frame, chair legs bolted to the floor. A cold car. A gun. Horror. Pain. Grief. Screaming. A windshield blistering with holes. Darkness.

It all came over her like a flood. A pouring out of pictures in her mind. But then there was one more thing. Not an image, but a feeling--that half a continent away someone else had felt it all happening too.

The Firstborn, those gifted with Foresight, Hindsight, and Insight at the time of Christ's death are divided between themselves. And when an Islamic holy man is murdered outside of his mosque it becomes apparent that one of the Firstborn was to blame. Now, with the threat of a terrorist attack on an unspeakable target the Firstborn are spiraling out of control. Leaders are dying, members are being kidnapped, and unity is being forced. Three heroes, differently gifted and divided must work together to thwart those who would go too far.

Their breakneck race against time plunges them into a world of danger and through a gauntlet across the United States. From the Riverwalk of San Antonio, where Devin Bathurst, John Temple, and Hannah Rice must protect one another from assassination, to the gritty streets of Washington DC, a paramilitary compound in Pennsylvania, and ultimately back to our nation's capital, the Firstborn must unite to prevent an impending atrocity from becoming reality.

Watch The Trailer



If you would like to read the first chapter excerpt of The Firstborn, go HERE