Author Sightings: Sweet Auburn Festival

In conjunction with the Sweet Auburn Festival, several National Bestselling Authors will be signing their books at The Author Pavilion in front of The Book Cafe, 314 Auburn Ave.: Bern Nadette Stanis, Tina Brooks McKinney, Mary B. Morrison, Wahida Clark, Kendra Norman-Bellamy,  Dwan Abrams, Roishina C. Henderson, and Shawneda Marks.

The Sweet Auburn Festival is a 3-day event, the times are:
Friday, May 7        5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday, May 8    11 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 9      2 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Books will be available for purchase and autographing. ..
The Book Cafe.......314 Auburn Ave.......Atlanta, GA 30312.......

Learn more visit http://www.sweetauburn.com/

May Top Ten Christian Fiction Books Announced

1. Samson.Jacquelin Thomas (Paperback - May 25, 2010)

2. This Fine Life: A Novel Eva Marie Everson (Paperback - May 1, 2010)

3. Sistergirl Devotions: Keeping Jesus in the Mix on the Job
Carol M. Mackey (Paperback - May 1, 2010)

4. Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther (Lost Loves of the Bible) Ginger Garrett (Paperback - Mar 1, 2010)

5. Faith Michelle Larks (Paperback - May 1, 2010)

6. The Clouds Roll Away (Raleigh Harmon) Sibella Giorello (Paperback - Mar 16, 2010)

7. Red Hats: A Novel Damon Wayans (Hardcover - May 4, 2010)

8. Never Let You Go Erin Healy (Paperback - May 4, 2010)

9. Still Guilty (Urban Christian) Pat Simmons (Paperback - Apr 1, 2010)

10. The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
David Remnick (Hardcover - Apr 6, 2010)

Faith & Fiction Writing Contest Announced

First 1,000 Words

Faith and Fiction Retreat Writing Contest

The first 1,000 words of your manuscript can make your career! Some acquisition editors and agents know after reading the first 1,000 words of your work if theyÂ’d want to represent you or sign you to a book deal. The first 1,000 words can either draw the reader in, or make them put the book down, never to be retrieved again.

Can you get an editor's attention with YOUR first 1,000 words? Enter the Faith and Fiction Retreat Writing Contest and find out.

Entry Fee: $35

Deadline for Submission: May 28^th

It's easy to enter! Just submit to info@faithandfictionretreat.com your:

· First 1,000 words (Fiction/Non-Fiction genres)

· Full Synopsis

Your entry will be judged on:

· Originality

· Page Turn Appeal

· Editorial Content (punctuation, typos, etc)

· Marketability

Prizes

· Grand Prize: Fifteen minute pitch with the pitch session panel (Latoya Smith, Grand Central Publishing; Mercedes Fernandez, Kensington Books/Dafina; Joylynn Jossel, Urban Christian; Dwan Abrams, Nevaeh Publishing)

· First Prize(2): Ten minute pitch with the pitch session panel

· Second Prize (5): Five minute pitch with the pitch session panel

Pitches may be in person or virtual (phone or Skype). Deadline for submission is May 28^th, winners will be announced June 5^th .

First 1000 words entry fee $35

#BookEnz: Top 10 Books That Have Inspired Me

The May/June issue of Books & Culture inspired me for today’s post: The Top 10 Books which have influenced my view of the world outside of The Holy Bible.

Mine are below. Invite you to add your 10 Books to your own blog or Facebook Note. Leave the link here or @ me on Facebook or reply to me here use the Twitter hashtag : #bookenz

1. Alice Walker The Color Purple.  I was in the fifth grade when I read this novel. I read it so many times my grandmother took me to the movies to see it. This was the first time I found a character I could identify with…Sophia. She made me feel beautiful and desired. Oprah Winfrey’s portrayal overjoyed me.
2. Terry McMillan Disappearing Acts. I was in college when I became inspired by Terry McMillan’s books. It was the first book that I read that spoke to me in a language I understood about situations specific to professional, contemporary African-American women. It was like the evolution of the girlfriend book club movement because of this books, as well as Waiting To Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
3. Amy Tan Joy Luck Club. The Joy Luck Club was a paradigm shift on storytelling aesthetics for me.  Beautiful prose. The fusion of poetry and masterful storytelling…I ate this book up over and over again. I also realized that regardless of ethnicity, if the story has universal themes and the characters are easy to love a book can become a bestseller.
4. Chuck Palahniuk Fight Club. I read this book before it became a Brad Pitt eye-candy flick and loved it. A romance from a guy’s point of view. Punched plot, minimalist prose, nonlinear story arc, the tricks grabbed my attention and the fast pace kept me turning pages all night. I took his year long writing workshop afterward and wear my hand beaded necklace he gave me when I write. Sweet man.
5. Toni Morrison Beloved. I have been a fan of Morrison’s run on, dripping with Faulkner sentences since highschool. But this book haunted me. It helped me understand what my ancestors went through, in order to survive in this world. It spoke of the Black Psyche, Spiritualism, mental illness that mirrored the real nightmares of my own childhood.
6. Thomas Hardy Tess of the d’Ubervilles. Between 15 and 16 you could find me between the covers of a Thomas Hardy novel. Tess affected me the most.
7. Marilynn Robinson Gilead. Piggybacking on Tess I discovered that I have a penchant for pastoral novels. What sets Gilead apart for me is that it was written a few years ago. Nowadays we’re told that readers like shorter prose, shorter chapters, larger than life characters and sex. Gilead, his Pulitzer Prize winning fictional memoir tugged my heart at the first line and wouldn’t let go. I’m still affected by this book’s powerful simplicity and theological themes.
8. Tosca Lee Demon: A Memoir. Christian Fiction has come a long way from prairie romance novels. However, Tosca raises the bar. My hats are off to her. Cinematic, rich setting, relevant dialogue, pitch perfect. This book is the type of writing I strive for myself.
9. Walter Mosley Devil in a Blue Dress.  My name is Dee Stewart and I am an Easy Rawlin’s Addict. This is the only series i follow because I have a crush on the main character. LOL. Then Carl Franklin had the nerve to cast Denzel Washington as Easy. So not fair. Now I can’t picture the book with out that Denzel swaggered strut and stare. So unfair.
10. Nancy Drew Mysteries. A childhood thing I can’t explain.

ALA Choose Privacy Week

Choose Privacy Week Video from 20K Films on Vimeo.

The first ever Choose Privacy Week, May 2 – 8, is a new initiative sponsored by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) that invites library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. The campaign gives libraries the tools they need to educate and engage users, and gives citizens the resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy.

At the 2006 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, ALA Council adopted the Resolution on National Discussion on Privacy, directing the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) to collaborate with other ALA units to begin a national conversation about privacy as an American value. In 2008, the Open Society Institute (OSI) provided a 3-year, $350,000 seed grant for this initiative.

Privacy has long been the cornerstone of library services in America, a freedom that librarians defend every day. For over 50 years, the ALA has defended the rights of library users to read, learn and be curious, because the freedom to read and receive ideas anonymously is at the heart of individual liberty in a democracy.

The event will also highlight key resources to aid libraries participating in the first-ever Choose Privacy Week, which will take place May 2-8, 2010. This civic engagement campaign invites library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. Those attending the Saturday event at Midwinter will learn about new tools for libraries that will help to educate and engage their users, and encourage citizens to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy. An exclusive discount and limited giveaway items will be provided at the event. Don’t miss it!

Those unable to attend can follow the event at http://twitter.com/privacyala. For more information on this event or on ALA’s privacy initiative, visit www.privacyrevolution.org or contact Angela Maycock, Assistant Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom, at amaycock@ala.org.

Friday Feature: Crossing Oceans

This Friday Feature is my good friend, Gina Holmes’ Crossing Oceans. This is a beautiful story very befitting of Gina’s personality, as you will experience when you watch her interview. I hope you enjoy it and take a chance on some well written and compelling Christian Fiction. This book is available at your local bookstore, library and B & N online.

Dee

WachooReadin?: Holy Rollers & Destined

Reshonda Tate Bllingsley’s Holy Rollers

Patricia Haley’s Destined

I’m reviewing these two titles this weekend for Romantic Times. Wachooreading this weekend?