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Holy Rollers Blog Tour with ReShonda Tate Billingsley

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a national bestselling author of 19 books, all published by Simon and Schuster/Pocket Books. In 2000, after numerous rejections from publishers, ReShonda stepped out on faith, established her own publishing company, and self published her debut novel, My Brother’s Keeper. The book caught the attention of one of the country’s top literary agents, who secured a deal for ReShonda with megahouse publisher, Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books. 

The rest, as they say, is history.

 

ReShonda went on to sign one deal after another with Simon & Schuster and to date, is considered one of the country’s top inspirational authors. Her sophomore novel, Let the Church Say Amen, is being made into a movie of which she is Executive Producer and actress Regina King is the director. ReShonda’s literary career is such a success that in 2007, she was able to leave her job as a reporter with Fox 26 News in Houston to write full time. 

ReShonda has appeared on the Essence Bestseller’s list more than 20 times, as well as The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News and Ebony Magazine Bestseller’s lists. Her books include The Devil is a Lie, Can I Get a Witness, The Pastor’s WifeLet the Church Say Amen, Everybody Say Amen, I Know I’ve Been Changed and My Brother’s Keeper. Her inspirational teen novels include Nothing But Drama, Blessings in Disguise,With Friends Like TheseGetting Even, Fairweather Friends, Friends ‘Til the End, and Caught up in the Drama. She has one non-fiction title, Help! I’ve Turned into my Mother. ReShonda has won numerous awards for her journalism, fiction and poetry writing skills. She is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Spirit in the Words competition, one of Rolling Out Magazine’s Top 25 Women in Houston and H-Texas Magazine’s Top Professional.

 ReShonda’s upcoming projects include Holy Rollers (July 2010), Say Amen, Again (July, 2011), the teen novel Drama Queens (Fall 2010), and two travel suspense novels. The Houston native also serves as a freelance editorial and marketing consultant. She has ghostwritten four fiction projects and five non-fiction projects. She is married with three small children and does not hide her addiction to Reality TV and Facebook. 

She welcomes readers to her websites at www.reshondatatebillingsley.com. 

About the Book

Looking for Love . . . 

Lifelong friends Coco, Nita, and Audra have spent years looking for love in the arms of flashy pro athletes, hoping to land a baller but ending up with a stream of failed relationships. The beautiful and demure Coco has endured years of physical abuse from her boyfriend, Sonny, while Audra, a single mother, has dated her fair share of cheaters and yearns for a stable companion who will be a father figure to her son. And feisty, seductive Nita is tired of being the million-dollar mistress and wants to settle down—if she can find someone worth coming home to. 

Changing the Game . . . 

Now that the women are approaching thirty, they’re finding it harder than ever to compete with the pro groupies. Determined to change the game and find some worthwhile men, Audra hatches an outrageous plan. Soon the trio is “holy rolling,” masquerading as God-fearing churchgoers at a local conference for young ministers in the hopes of snagging a prominent pastor. But will their big gamble pay off? Men of the cloth are still just men, after all. As the three friends meet their potential life partners, they will have to decide how far they want to take their holy rollers scheme—each risking heartbreak while taking a chance on finding a reliable, responsible man to love and cherish, flaws and all. 

Book Review by Linda Fegins

We all know too well about groupies pursuing professional athletes. Now we are introduced to a real and growing trend, groupies trying to catch prominent pastors and ministers. In Reshonda Tate Billingsley’s Holy Rollers ,three lifelong friends are facing thirty, without a committed or wholesome relationship with a pro- athlete. Tired of failed relationships, they decide to attend a ministers’ conference masquerading as “holy and devout” churchgoers with the intention of capturing the heart or desire of a prominent pastor.

This fresh and fast paced story about the encounters of Coca, Nita and Audra with men of the cloth will keep you turning pages to determine whether they will make the right decisions to accomplish their quest.  Sweet and humble Coca, short- sighted and needy Audra, and smart, sophisticated bad girl Nita were realistic and represent women you and I know or may have known.  

Clothed in humor and wit, that makes you laugh, this original story strategically addresses several real issues for women.  Without being preachy, but leaving that to my favorite character the outspoken babysitter, Ms Bea,  Holly Rollers  addresses such issues as looking for “love” for the wrong reasons and in the wrong places and smart good- looking sisters making poor choices in men and in life, due to a lack of self-esteem or due to the “issues” of their past.  The prevalent issue of domestic violence is carefully woven in the story.

This is a great story and would be a good book club selection. I would dare to suggest it as teaching tool for a women’s ministry as an interesting way to teach about pre-marital sex, selecting mates, faith, friendships, self-esteem and righteous conduct.

 In the past I have over-looked Billingsley’s books. Today, I am going to start reading Can I Get a Witness?

 

View the blog tour schedule at http://bit.ly/HolyRollersBlogTour.

http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Rollers-ReShonda-Tate-Billingsley/dp/1416578056/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278202233&sr=8-2

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