#NewReleases Dating Experiment & Estranged H.S. Sweethearts Come Crashing Together

This month, we feature two hot new releases from both J.A. Fraser and Shana James and you don't want to miss either!

Educated Black Women = Single

Are you a brave, educated black woman who cringes at every report that states, “Half of all black women will never marry?” Do you still whole-heartedly believe in the power of the black family? Have you been single for a year or more without any real prospects? Are you lonely but completely jaded by over saturated online dating applications and random blind dates? Well, get ready to find and keep the love you seek.

In this highly-regarded, ground-breaking experiment J.A. Fraser makes love possible for the most undervalued person in America, the black woman. Touted as one of the hottest new love formulas on the market, this experiment is designed to land you multiple quality dates, and then, ultimately the "right one". So, don’t be lonely another minute, get started today, and find the one you were destined for.

No Gimmicks. No Frills. And, no online profiles! *For serious black women only!*

My First #NaNoWriMo Baby is Here!

Trying to build a fruitful business, while also indulging in your love for reading and writing, is tough!  But, where there's a will, there's a way, right?! Right! Last November, I entered my first ever #NaNoWriMo.  To say I was shell shocked by the end is the understatement of the my minuscule writing career.  But, it was one of the most exhilarating experiences, ever!!!!

The book that I had envisioned completing, about a guy who abruptly ends things with his longtime high school and college sweetheart after he's chosen first in the NFL draft, felt special to me.  It meant that I was truly giving my personal writing career, not anything connected to marketing or public relations for clients, a serious go.  It meant that if I could get through the grueling ordeal of writing 50,000+ words in 30 days, I could absolutely do as much in a much more reasonable amount of time.

Deferred Consumption: Free Via #KindleUnlimited

For a limited time, all Kindle Unlimited users can get my debut novel, Deferred Consumption, free! If you can't get around to it right now, add it to your library so you can enjoy it, later!  The suspense and the steam will leave you BREATHLESS! --Shana James

Yes, You SHOULD Take Part in #NanoWriMo!

I planned to update this more often through this process, but I have so many irons in the fire on so many different projects that have absolutely nothing to do with writing, I don't know how I've managed to write 20,000+ words in two weeks! But, I have!!!  Hurray!  That's the cover for it here in the post.  I can't wait to see how well it's received.

If you're reading this, there's a big chance you've been trying to figure out whether you should take part, next year (or maybe you're feeling ambitious and trying to decide if you can do it in the next two weeks!).  The answer is a resounding, YES! I've barely taken advantage of the wonderful motivational tools available, but I've found that other participants are very supportive via social media, tremendously so, and it's really helped me stay motivated.

Not to mention, I'm competitive as hell and the last thing I want to do is leave this thing undone.  So, I've actually set a goal of finishing just over a week early.  It's ambitious, yes, but it's not impossible.  One thing that this whole process has reminded me of is the absolute necessity to MAKE time for writing.  If you're going to do it, DO IT!  The only way you're going to make any progress on finishing a book is to actually spend time writing it. I can't tell you how many people have told me, "Gosh, I would like to write a book, but I just don't know where to begin."  My answer is always, "At the beginning!"  Most of what you write in that first draft will need some pretty heavy editing anyway, so you just have to get something on the page.

Self-Publishing: My Experience as an African-American Writer

Today marks six months since I self-published my very first novel, Deferred Consumption. So, I thought I'd mark the occasion with a quick blog post about what it's been like as an African-American author.  To put it mildly, it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. But, it’s also been one of the most rewarding and most exciting.  When I first set out to write Deferred Consumption, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I just assumed that everyone loved me and they would buy my book in record numbers.  Boy was I wrong.  Not that everyone doesn’t love me J, but that they cared enough to buy my book the moment I said it was available for purchase.

There I was around 11:00pm on a Sunday night, hands all shaking, as a hit "publish" at Amazon dot com, then proceeded to publish elsewhere around the internet (Barnes and Noble, Google Books, Smashwords, etc.).  Hell, I had such a high opinion of myself, I thought I’d wake up the next morning to find that hundreds, if not thousands, of random strangers who had never even heard of me had purchased my book.  I mean, why not?  I had already made a great living writing just about everything else, so why wouldn’t my books sell?  Oh, foolish, foolish girl.  I guess I figured some magical fairy was going to sprinkle some dust into the eyes and ears of every potential buyer out there and convince them that my book was the one they should get as they tinkered around on some website looking for a book to buy.