Books on the Block

 Emerald Dixon, a successful writer, embodies a princess in this modern day fairy tale of a young woman who is wooed by her princes, a well-established movie star, Richard DeMarco. Recently Richard has become her acquaintance through his leading role in the movie version of Emerald's latest work, "The Topaz Chronicle". But when Emerald's fairy tale comes true can the love of her life be too intoxicating? With her insecurities, can this young woman learn to succumb to true love once she has it? Will once upon a time lead to happily ever after? 

 Once free-spirited and carefree, River Daniels enjoyed and lived for fun. However, a change of events has caused her to do a complete turnaround. She now lives the life as a very structured and very disciplined college professor teaching at two colleges. She is also a best-selling author. These changes have allowed her to be very..., very successful. As a matter of fact, she is so successful she is the sole investor in her uncle Reuben's million dollar night club. But when Dana Wilson, an old acquaintance from the past, coincidentally appears, family obligation forces River to do business with Dana. This blast from the past has shaken her structured and disciplined life causing her to literally be face to face with unresolved issues not from Dana but from the past itself. Will this sudden reunion force River to deal with the unresolved issues or she be caught up in the flames..., 

 When Andrew Gallagher sees the beautiful Lydia Rose singing at Miss Ida House of Soul, he senses that there is something about her-something familiar; from the way she looked; to the lyrics, she sings. Then one particular song strikes Andres to the realization of who Lydia Rose is! Andrew invites Lydia to his favorite diner to discuss the inevitable. Over apple pie, Andrew and Lydia make the decision that will change their lives..., forever 

 August Schofield, a single mother and writer, is living her dream. As a successful author, she takes care of her daughter and lives the luxurious life, but her one desire is to write the greatest American novel; her magnum opus, that book that would cement her as one the world's greatest authors. But August desires overshadow the evidence that she is the epitome of the American Dream. She must realize that it is not about the book or books but the being the individual that has set the standard for greatness. 

 On a remote island, a tropical paradise known as The Island, affluent and bourgeois African-Americans vacations for the summer author Journey Calloway vacations on The Island with her best friend LaKeya Matthews for the christening of LaKeya's twin sons. While on The Island, Journey rents a loft from the reclusive Vision Campbell. The mystery of Vision Campbell causes Journey to make several attempts to find out who Vision really is.Also on The Island, Lakeya and Journey come face to face with the familiar and ugly issues dealing with the light-skinned vs. dark-skinned and the old money, known as The Established vs. the new money, known as The New. During their summer, their friendship is tested based on these issues which will ultimately lead to solving the mystery of Vision Campbell. 

 Dark family secrets forced Hilton and Valerie Jones to raise their niece Storm McCoy. Once they saw that Storm was an art prodigy, Hilton and Valerie saw the opportunity to emerge from the pit that those dark family secrets placed them in. Under their controlling yet loving guidance and tutelage, Hilton and Valerie groomed Storm to be social royalty. Then one day, Storm learns about those family secrets. Feeling betrayed, she vows to live her life, no longer under the thumb of her aunt and uncle. With the instruction and guidence of her mentor and best friend, Storm has a successful career as an art dealer. However Storm finds herself under the control of others. Living in self imposed exile, Storm must deal with the past, and expose those secrets if she will ever be emotionally emancipated. 

 What is destiny? A hidden power that guides one's every path. Or are we free to maneuver and shape life by choice? Destiny is what happens when a choice doesn’t go as planned but all paths instinctively align for the past, present, and future to shape as it was always meant to be. Award-winning author of the 2019 Writers Block Publishing LLC National Writing Competition and writer of the profound poetry book Sing the Verses Out My Head, Deb Smith, gifts this long-awaited coming of age historical novel. Spanning from 1940’s Nigeria to 2003 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this captivating story is filled with love, mystery, suspense and the conflict of choice vs destiny. Who is Yemi Foolah? It’s a mystery. Only her estranged extended family knows the truth of the identity that she has yet to discover. Her mother Ola holds the pieces to the puzzle that extends back to her own origin, beginning with her birth in Kano, Nigeria 1942. The truth lies within the whirlwind love triangle between Ola and two men from her village, Aliko and his uncle Fulbe. Who holds the keys to her heart, her future and her daughter’s paternity? Ola’s journey is filled with love, heartbreak, and suspense. Yemi’s journey begins on her birthday September 11th, 2001. The day that changed the world and the day that in the end, changed her life. 

 In Sing the Verses Out My Head up and coming author Deb Smith delivers a smooth, melodically woven navigation through love and life. Each poem reveals with transparency her inner most feelings, thoughts, and expressions. A refreshing unique new voice that is raw but relatable. She sings the ballads of her cathartic release. Caressing the sweet and the sore spots equally. This woman’s words chronicle a journey of experience through the torrid waters of pleasure, pain, struggle, love, and tranquility. Hum the verses that connect a truth that resides within us all. 

 Caught up in the Lifestyle is a story about making the right decisions. Basil Smith is a notorious drug dealer, hustler, and ladies' man. With his crew known as the Rubies, they take advantage of what the fast life can bring. They live the glamorous life or what they think is the glamorous life forcing them to make life-changing decisions. Will Basil and the Rubies learn that the fast life will not fill the hole in their heart, or will they get caught up in the lifestyle, succumbing to their own demise? 

 This story can’t be explained without understanding the meaning of the word“ Conglomerate.” According to “Google,” the definition of the word“Conglomerate” is; a number of different things or parts that are put together or grouped to form a whole but remain distinct entities. In regards to this story, a better way to put that would be, “A conglomerate is a multi-industry company- i.e., a combination of multiple business entities operating in entirely different industries under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries. Conglomerates are often large and multinational. Ice and Snake, the Bankston twins, are assisted by the other six Bankston brothers, a powerful prostitution ring, the Bloods, Crips, and Disciples, to create a street conglomerate that becomes as strong as the Mafia had ever been. The street conglomerate engulfs the streets, goes corporate, creates a corporate conglomerate, and rules the world on both sides of the track. 

 As a young adolescent girl trying to navigate between two worlds, I always felt like life dealt me an unfair hand. I was rejected, lost and depressed. Battling alone I found myself in an extremely abusive relationship then drugs and alcohol became my go-to. This made me an even uglier person. Somehow in all that mess, God saw it fit to save me. My prayer is that others would better understand domestic violence and that you're never too far gone for God. There is not a wound that God cannot heal nor a broken vessel that God cannot fix. 

 When you looked at her, you saw a refined and regal woman, but the truth is, she was a woman that went to hell and back. From the death of three pillars in her life within a matter of six months, marrying a pentecostal preacher that used the Bible to manipulate and control her thoughts. Phoenix Black thought only suicide would be a relief from the emotional and mental pain that she endured. Then, when she decided to stand up and leave him and get a taste of liberty she found herself in love with another man that mentally and emotionally abused her more than any man in her life. For years she lived a life of emotional and mental torture from both men, sentencing her to what seemed like a life in hell.

The Resurrection of Phoenix Black is about a woman who took her life back. By using the fires of hell, she stood up and found her mental and emotional freedom.

Redefining and restructuring her life, Phoenix Black survived the hellish ordeal to live the life she was ordained to live. 

 Hercules Butler, or "Chico" as he is affectionately called, lived an extraordinary life-one full of challenges and insurmountable turmoil. However, his story is not unique; it has a common thread that still weaves through the lives of most black men. After being discharged from the army-after seeing combat and serving his country and serving his country-Chico's life went from war to worse when he was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he did not commit. Instead of creating a life of honor, joining the army and fighting for his country shattered all his dreams when, upon return to the United States, he became ensnarled in the legal system. It has taken a lifetime to restore his life to normalcy and overcome what became a nightmare. Today, he is a free man and his autobiography is an illustration of a physical and emotional enslavement as both soldier and convict. Justice Denied peels back the skin of truth, exposing the raw painful flesh of reality. It serves as a salute to all veterans past, present, and fallen-especially those who suffered from PTSD. 

 God Turned Pain Into Purpose is my personal story of how God turned decades of pain into purpose. My pastor, mentor, and godfather, Apostle Lance B. Whitlock, often says that he's never seen someone come to Jesus without being in pain. My pain is what brought me to accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, and with God the Father and his Holy Spirit, I came to believe in the purpose he has in my life. To love and serve Him and to love and serve others. I know God predestined me to write this book to love and serve others to come to Him through the pain and let Him love and guide you like He's done with me! Allow Him to use you to be the light in someone's darkness! God bless you! 

 Written by a current Temple University Graduate student of Religion, political scientist, and ordained Elder with nearly a decade of experience as a religious leader, Capitalist Theology is not a book based on conjectures but scholarly research and observation. Capitalist Theology explores how the Church lost its relevance and, more importantly, how it can regain it. In this book, you will discover how Capitalist ideology corrupted the Church and caused its members, both leaders, and laity, to become self-interested by abandoning Christ's example of selfless service in favor of a gospel-driven by consumerism. This theology is not limited to “prosperity” and “positivity” preaching, but it influences every aspect of Church culture from governance to the worship experience itself.Capitalist Theology is a critical examination of contemporary Church culture that is not afraid to challenge the status quo. It examines how American Christianity has been and continues to be, used as a means to oppress the very people whom Christ said he came to liberate. It challenges the reader to rethink what it means to be a Christian in a consumer-driven society. Capitalist Theology makes the social gospel, as taught by Jesus, a point of emphasis and the key to regaining relevance. This book is not merely a critique of modern church culture but also a call to action for Christians to regain the self-sacrificing spirit lost once Capitalism became its doctrine. 

 Mindset is about how our environment helps develop our characteristics that lead to our tendencies as a human being. How do you free yourself from a life that is designed to keep you stuck? You have to add the right ingredients to your mentality. Eliminate the areas and the habits of your life that wants you to stay complacent. Commit yourself to personal growth, and you will manifest into the person you have dreamed of being.Mindset is about freeing your spirit and releasing yourself from a poverty mindset. You are called to do great things. The purpose is the reason why things had to happen in our life. So, no more complaining, no more negative friends, energy, vibes, or thoughts. It's time for you to embrace purpose and reach your dreams. It starts with a decision to change in your heart. If God is with you, who can be against you? Mindset! 

 Have you ever lost someone? Not as in death, more like their availability in your life is no longer valid? Now, you are in a season of isolation with no comfort by human beings. It’s making you vulnerable. The truth is most of us give people in our lives a discount. We give people the benefit of the doubt before they reveal their true selves. God has a way of showing us that certain people don’t belong in our lives, which put us in this isolated season where we cannot find one person to relate too. It’s time to open our eyes to something special. Instead of complaining about this lonely season, we need to embrace it!“Isolation is the transformation to elevation”. You are about to enter into a new season which means you have to leave the old you behind! With this book, you will gain the power of challenging the discipline you need so that you can collaborate with God to reach your extraordinary destiny. It’s a mindset that will ultimately lead to your BREAKTHROUGH. 

 Gee Gee's gang to the rescue, is a series of children's books that are aimed at helping children through a crisis. Each book can be used as a teaching tool. A team-building tool and a way to explain difficult topics to children facing a crisis. In the end, children are able to gain strength and confidence when facing their fears, gain new peer support, and ultimately their superhero uniform to help the next child through their crisis. 

 What is prayer? It's a conversation with God; just like talking to your best friend!1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "pray without ceasing". This statement should encourage us to pray. Sounds easy right? How do we pray? Simply by acknowledging & thanking God for who He is and what He has done for you. Next, ask Him to forgive us of our sins, the ones knowingly and unknowingly. Also, in your prayer time guided by the Holy Spirit, pray for others, then allow the Holy Spirt to move within you to grow in God! 

 I wrote Breakfast with Jesus to encourage more people that prayer works and God’s word never comes back void. I allowed the world to take an introspection on the trial experiences God had to take me through to become the woman I am today!
It is one thing to know God's word and it's completely different to experience God's word. Praying is more than talking to God it also allows him full permission to take action concerning you and your circumstances.
Many can relate to my experiences in different way because we all are living in dark times, God’s word will shed light in those dark places. His word says thy word is a lamp upon my feet, and light unto my path
No matter how dark your circumstances may be, invite God through prayer. He is the way the truth and the life. We must be the representation of our Heavenly Father.
Follow God’s example in our everyday life through prayer, fasting, and seeking his face. Through this devotion, God has shown me that he'll never leave nor forsake me, his grace is sufficient enough for us.
I pray that you find healing, peace, and solace as you have Breakfast With Jesus.