Tag Archives: Pat Simmons

 

Write Now Literary is pleased to be coordinating a blog tour for fiction authors Angelia Vernon Menchan, Michelle D. Rayford, Naleighna Kai and Pat Simmons. This book blast tour will run March 22, 2018.  Follow the tour here.   Book your own tour here.

 

About The Author

Angelia Vernon Menchan is wife, mother, nana and mentor. Since January 2006, she has published 34 printed books and an additional 124 ebooks through her small publishing company, MAMM Productions. She is also the Co-founder of Honorable MENCHAN Media, through which she has published books for 15 authors to date.  Her personal motto is, ‘There is abundance through God for all of us; we simply have to be open for our blessings.’

In 2017 she decided to add her hallmark phrase “Just LOVE” to coffee mugs and tee-shirts. This phrase has taken on a life of its own! In addition, Angelia is a prolific public speaker and mentor to women of all ages. She resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and cover designer, Maurice Menchan.

Website:  http://www.angeliavernonmenchan.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

About The Book

Kent and Cina Markham are returning home to start their own business with the thirteen year old son, Kente. Kent has decided that though Kente is a good kid with great grades he is too soft. To correct that he tells Cina ‘hands off’ he’s taking over from there. Cina is miffed but concedes. The thing is who is really schooling whom? Not only that who assists Cina when Kent is mostly focused on his son? Schooling His Son deals with complex father and son and husband and wife issues, realistically.

Genre:  Fiction

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2oJWlZp

 

 

 

About The Author

Michelle D. Rayford knew she wanted to write books the moment she won a literacy contest in the fifth grade. The writing seed was planted. It only took a couple of decades for that seed to bear fruit. Michelle was never good at gardening.

Even while pursuing a degree in Business Administration, working a government job, getting married and having two daughters, the stories didn’t stop churning in her head. Some even made their way into print in the form of poems, short stories and blog posts.

Michelle lives in a Southern city where she spends any free time reading, writing, listening to 80’s music and playing NBA2K. She can be contacted at mdrayford@gmail.com or through her website www.michelledrayford.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About The Book

Adrienne always wanted a child. Too bad her husband, Logan, doesn’t.

When Adrienne decides to have the baby, her marriage is tested in new ways. Her husband’s reluctant acceptance of their son comes at a price Adrienne doesn’t know she is paying. She has the life she always wanted. So, why isn’t she happy?

Logan’s focus has always been on taking over the family law firm. Having a beautiful woman as his wife completes the picture. When a wealthy client comes to town, Logan seizes the opportunity to surpass his father and put the law firm on the map. If only he can keep his wife in line and his own secrets from coming out.

 

Genre: Fiction

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2GRYWYT

 

 

About The Author

Naleighna Kai is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several controversial novels, contributor to a New York Times bestseller, and the E. Lynn Harris Author of Distinction. She has penned Every Woman Needs a Wife, Loving Me for Me, Was it Good For You Too?, Open Door Marriage, She Touched My Soul, Rich Woman’s Fetish and other contemporary fiction novels that plumb the depth of unique love triangles and women’s issues.

In addition to successfully cracking the code of getting published and landing a deal with a major publishing house, she continues to “pay it forward” by organizing the annual Cavalcade of Authors which gives readers intimate access to the most accomplished writing talent today. She also serves as CEO of Macro Marketing & Promotions Group which offers aspiring authors help with editing, publishing, marketing, and other services to jump-start their writing ambition. Additionally, she is Editor-in-Chief for Naleighna Kai’s Literary Café Magazine and Acquisitions editor for NK Recommends—a mail order book service that caters to a select audience. She was born and raised on the Southeast side of Chicago, the setting for most of her novels and where she is currently working on her next books: Slaves of Heaven and Mercury Sunrise.

Website: http://www.naleighnakai.com

 

 

About The Book

 

Michael “Magic” Arrington’s sudden fame and startling climb up the music charts skyrocketed him into the world of Hollywood glitz and glamour. While all was exciting and wonderful at the beginning, the shady undertakings of the music business caused his life to take a downward spiral, ultimately separating him from his family and his hold on reality. Then he met Maya.

Maya Gervais has completely distanced herself from her past, even going as far as changing her identity to protect her from the one man who wants her dead. She is a civic-minded lawyer who champions for clients who are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. So trusting someone enough to fall in love was never a consideration, especially since it could cost her much more than she was willing to give.

After the two have a chance meeting at a concert, a daring escape leads to an exploration of pain and pleasure that sets them both on the path to healing and an into an unlikely romance. However, the path to blissful happiness is never an easy one, as they both have their own demons to confront, including Michael’s jealous manager and Maya’s reluctance to deal with things she would rather forget.

She Touched My Soul is a gripping, engaging novel of loss, love, and everything in between.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2oE0IGn

  About The Author

Pat Simmons has penned more than thirty-five titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth who is passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She is a three-time recipient of the Romance Slam Jam Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Pat describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as a life-altering experience. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country. Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

Website: http://www.patsimmons.net

 

 

About The Book

Three sisters living in three different cities (Baltimore, St. Louis, and Nashville) make a pact to share responsibilities for their aging relative after authorities find Aunt Tweet across state lines. Her destination had been a neighborhood grocery store. The siblings soon learn the definition of caregiver includes a cup full of patience, a slight sense of humor, and when to cry out for help. Women juggle between career and family all the time, but Tabitha Knicely (St. Louis) is struggling to find a balance. Romance is the last thing she is trying to add to her list. The Aunt Tweet she knew all her life is not the same one who is residing in her home when she accepts the role as a caregiver for six months. Overwhelmed can’t begin to describe her emotions. Marcus Whittington is an opinionated, successful business owner, but he has a soft side when it comes to the elderly. They remind him of good memories of his grandparents. When Aunt Tweet is the mystery woman who stakes out his porch, he becomes concerned that she is not being taken care of properly. He sheds his misconceptions about what Tabitha isn’t doing right when he discovers that every caregiver needs a caregiver. Marcus knows in order to win Tabitha’s heart; he has to charm Aunt Tweet’s too.

Genre: Christian Romance

Releasing:  April 3, 2018. For information about this book visit the author’s website: http://www.patsimmons.net

Book tour hosted by Write Now Literary Book Tours

www.wnlbooktours.com

 

 

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The Guilt Trip Blog Tour

 

Book Trailer

http://youtu.be/Lz9rhR9qj0o 

 

About the Author

 

Pat Simmons is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth. She is passionate about digging up the dirt on her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She has been a genealogy enthusiast since her great-grandmother died at the young age of ninety-seven years old. Pat has won numerous awards for her novels which include: Talk to Me, Grace and Humility and Still Guilty, which was voted the Best Inspirational Romance for 2010.

 

Pat is best known for her Guilty series: Guilty of Love, Not Guilty of Love, and Still Guilty. She is continuing the series through the Jamieson Family Legacy trilogy: Guilty by Association, The Guilt Trip, and Free From Guilt. Pat has recently been nominated for the best Christian fiction award by the African American Literary Awards for her latest release, Crowning Glory.

 

Pat and her husband live in Missouri and have two children. Find out more about the series at TheJamiesonLegacy.com or visit the author online at patsimmons.net.

About the Book

Aaron Jamieson is living a carefree life. He’s good-looking, respectable when he’s in the mood, but his weakness is women. When a woman tries to ambush him with a pregnancy, he takes off in the other direction. Responsibility as an option is something he learned from his absentee father.

Talise Rogers has a bright future ahead of her. She’s pretty and has no problem catching a man’s eye, which is exactly what she does with Ace. Their chemistry is undeniable and their passion explosive. Trapping Ace is the furthest thing from Talise’s mind, when she learns she is pregnant.  She is determined to be a good parent.

When Ace rejects her she lets him know, ” I want nothing from you Ace, not even your name,” and she means it.  But Ace’s big brother and cousins don’t plan to let the child who represents the twelfth generation descendant of a royal African tribe leave the fold. Whether Ace decides to accept his responsibility or not, his family embraces Talise and baby.  As for Ace, they turn him over to the LORD.  How long will he be able to endure the guilt trip he’s experiencing because of his choices?  What will it take for him to accept responsibility and turn from following in his father’s footsteps?

About the Series

The Jamieson Family Legacy series follows the lives of the two Jamieson brothers in Boston, Kidd and Ace and their cousin Cameron from St. Louis.  Kidd, the older brother, is struggling with anger and resentment issues toward his absentee father who never married his mother, but had the audacity to demand his illegitimate sons carry his last name Jamieson. Ace, on the other hand, is on a collision course with disaster as he shows how much a “chip off the old block” he is when it comes to women. Their highly educated MIT graduate cousin, Cameron Jamieson, is all about saving his family from self-destruction. Through genealogy research, Cameron’s mission is to show his cousins their worth as eleventh generation descendants of a royal African tribe and give them a choice: to be angry black men or accept the challenge to become strong successful black men.

The Jamieson men in this three book series are challenged with accepting that the past and the present are both in God’s hand.  Without Him they can’t move forward toward their future blessings. The bonus storyline is one that progresses the story of the much-loved Grandma B.B. character from the author’s previous Guilt books and her new sidekick, Mrs. Valentine.

Purchase the Book Online at:

Amazon.com

BarnesandNoble.com

 For More Information

Visit the author online at:

 www.patsimmons.net

twitter.com@patsimmons

facebook.com/patsimmonsauthor.

View the blog tour schedule at : 

http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/

 Please enter Pat’s Book giveaway contest!

To enter, leave your name and address in the comment section AND answer the following question

 List the titles of Pat Simmons books you have read.

 

Winners will be chosen June 30, 2012.

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Guilty by Association Virtual Book Tour with Pat Simmons

The Jamieson Family Legacy series follow the lives of two Jamieson brothers in Boston, Kidd and Ace, and their cousin, Cameron, from St. Louis. The older brother, Kidd, is struggling with anger and resentment issues toward his absentee father who never married his mother. Yet, he had the audacity to demand his illegitimate sons carry his Jamieson name. Ace, on the other hand, is on his collision course to be a chip off the old block when it comes to women. Their highly MIT educated cousin, Cameron Jamieson, is all about saving family from self-destruction. Through genealogy research, Cameron’s mission is to show his cousins their worth as the eleventh generation descendants of a royal African tribe and to give them a choice: live with the stereotypical “angry black men” syndrome or to crush any obstacles that try and stop them to become strong successful black men.

Interview Questions by Linda Fegins

 What inspired or lead to you writing a series?

Readers. As a debut author in 2007, I didn’t know if I would make the cut, but the readers were very supportive, so the birth of the Jamieson men began and is still going strong. I think readers welcome the portrayal of strong black positive Christian men who know how to handle any negative situation. Also, Grandma BB’s antics with her Stacy Adams shoes proved to be the comedy relief in the stories. The readers loved her too.

 

Who is your favorite character and why?

Parke Jamieson VI is a fan favorite, but in Guilty by Association, it’s Kidd, who has just as much attitude. He gives Parke a run for his money. I cast my vote for Kidd because he represents the complexity within of all us and how God can heal our spiritual deficit.

 

How do you go about developing your characters?

I observe people—their expressions, mannerisms, dress, features, and then I pull out what I like and dislike about them. That helps me to build a character that is rounded with weaknesses and strengths that readers can identify.  I also interview people who have experienced what my characters are going through.

 

How did you determine the overall theme or 40 elevator pitch for this story?

LOL. In the writing industry, people call it an elevator pitch, but in news, which is my background, we call it the lead sentence. Broadcasters use it to entice the viewers to stay tuned. I learned the importance of the elevator pitch after I started going on book tours. I only had a short window to capture their interest before they moved on. Now, I create a lead sentence or pitch, sometimes, before I write the book. My pitch for Guilty by Association is actually 27 words:  “To Parke Jamieson VI, the tenth generation descendant of a royal African tribe, the name means everything. To his cousin, Kidd Jamieson, his name means absolutely nothing.”  A person would know genealogy or royalty is involved, and ask what happened to cause the conflict between the two.

 

Do you outline your book first or do  you just writing?

Give us an ideal of how you write and develop your  book? I’ll be the first to lift my hand and say, “I hate the outline process.”  BUT if you don’t have a book deal, get used to it. It’s a must when submitting a proposal to prospective publishers. They review every piece of paper in that proposal. However, I don’t always complete them before I start with the story. Usually by the sixth chapter, I’m free styling. The writer has to know the direction she wants to go and there has to be a smooth transition. Sometimes, you can’t tell that from an outline—or let me say I couldn’t get it. In the third book in the Jamieson Legacy, Free from Guilt, I tried to do an outline because of my tight writing deadline. After a few days, I realized I was wasting writing time because I couldn’t get pass five chapters, so I began to write the novel. I completed ten chapters (short chapters, maybe five pages), and from there I was able to complete the outline, but it took me to write fifty or so pages to know how to complete a 300 page book. Yay. Transition is IMPORTANT. It gives your novel a good flow.

 

Any writing suggestion or tips, strategies for writing a book?

1. Read your competition’s work. Know what you like about author A and what you don’t like about author B. Ask yourself where does your writing fit. For example, early in my published career, I was reading a novel and the author kept injecting into her character’s conversation, “I don’t want anything to happen to us…” Sure enough, on the next page, something happened. The story became so predictable. She was giving the reader the heads up too many times. I went back through my manuscript to make sure I wasn’t making the same mistake.

2. Know the general story in your head: how it begins, major scenes, and how it ends. Once you get it on paper, secure the services of an editor (I use Chandra Sparks Taylor), but there are other ones out there. Make sure they have edited for authors and the editor should provide a free sample edit. 3. Attend a writer’s conference (and there are many) that has the editors, agents, and publishing houses that represent your genre. Here are a few: RT Booklovers Convention, Romance Slam Jam, ACFW, RWA.

 

Who is your favorite Christian author and why? What skills,  if any have you learned from the person? My favorite?

That is never an easy answer for me. The very first African-American Christian romance author I discovered was Aisha Ford. I loved how she weaved scriptures into the story line. I do that in my novels. I’m learning how to insert them better, so my novels don’t come across as preachy. Right now, Vanessa Miller has become a good friend and mentor. She has taught me how to master the art of writing faster with confidence. I think she writes in her sleep.

What is your favorite author in any genre and why?

Wow. What a loaded question. I’m always excited about any projects Henry Louis Gates publishes, probably because I touch on genealogy in my books. Key word is “touch”. I don’t come close to the research he does and uncover invaluable information.

 

About the Book

There are three books in the Jamieson Legacy series: Guilty by Association (Kidd’s story), The Guilt Trip (Ace’s story), and Free from Guilt (Cameron’s story). Each of the three Jamieson men have to accept that their past and present are in God’s hand, and without Him they can’t advance to their future blessings. The bonus storyline in Guilty by Association is one that progresses the story of the much-loved character in the previous three book Guilty Series, Grandma BB. This time, she picks up a sidekick Mrs. Valentine.

Guilty by Association is the story of Boston bad boy Kevin “Kidd” Jamieson.  His gripe is with his father who dared to insist that his two illegitimate sons carry his last name.  To add insult to injury, the man never bothered to stick around to provide love and guidance as his boys matured into men.  Kidd’s anger overflows into every area of his life. As his animosity festers, Kidd becomes as a roaring lion, seeking whatever and whomever he can devour.  He’s as gritty as his cousin in St. Louis, Parke Jamieson VI, is polished. The two strong-willed men clash when Kidd relocates to St. Louis where his cousin assures him it’s a land of milk and money in job opportunities. Where is lands a job is far from it. 

Through a series of events that involve Grandma BB, her dog named Silent Killer and her Stacy Adams shoes, Kidd meets two women who recognize his hostile tendencies and immediately begin to administer CPR to his soul. LPN Eva Savoy eventually becomes his “Eve,” a woman God created from the underlying goodness hidden in Kidd’s own heart.

Reluctantly, Kidd allows Parke to divulge information about their royal family heritage. While everyone’s care and compassion begins to smother Kidd, he struggles to keep up the bad boy attitude as his walls start to crumble. Kidd learns it’s not his association with the name that identifies him, but the man he becomes that defines him.

About the Author

Pat Simmons is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth. She is passionate about digging up the dirt on her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She has been a genealogy enthusiast since her great-grandmother died at the young age of ninety-seven years old. Pat has won numerous awards for her novels which include: Talk to Me, Grace and Humility and Still Guilty, which was voted the Best Inspirational Romance for 2010. Pat is best known for her Guilty series: Guilty of Love, Not Guilty of Love, and Still Guilty. She is continuing the series through the Jamieson Family Legacy trilogy: Guilty by Association, The Guilt Trip, Free From Guilt. Pat has recently been nominated for the best Christian fiction award by the African American Literary Awards for her latest release, Crowning Glory.  Pat and her husband live in Missouri and have two children. Visit Patricia at:

www.patsimmons.net

twitter.com@patsimmons

facebook.com/patsimmonsauthor.

Book Review by Linda Fegins

Pat Simmons wonderfully crafted a clever tale about the Jamieson family’s determination to preserve a rich heritage and the desire of one of them to reject any association with that legacy and to distance his association with the Lord. It is a story of faith, love and family reconciliation. Without being preachy, the book subtly addresses the dismal affects of fathers being absent from the lives of their families. Thus, men who have no relationship with their father or responsible mentors struggle with many manhood issues which influence how they relate to women, family, their children and society. The book provides a message of hope and healing as “Kidd” ,after overcomig his emotional struggles and stubbornness, learns to trust God as his Father and to  understand the true meaning of family and love. I am looking forward to the next book as I thoroughly enjoyed Guilty by Association.

View the blog tour schedule at : 

http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/

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