Interview with Author Connie Briscoe & Giveaway

Connie Briscoe is a New York Times bestselling author. Her first novel, Sisters and Lovers, sold more than 100,000 hardcover copies and about 500,000 copies in paperback. She's had seven novels, one novella, and one nonfiction book published. A Long Way From Home, the story of my ancestors, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Her work has appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. Her nonfiction title Jewels, a photo-essay book featuring luminaries such as actress Ruby Dee and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, was coauthored with photographer Michael Cunningham. The collection of novellas was coauthored with Lolita Files and Anita Bunkley. Both of these were welcome changes from what she usually writes. Her current novel is titled Money Can't Buy Love available in stores now. She currently lives in Maryland with her family.

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Interview

One of my favorite Connie Briscoe books is Big Girls Don't Cry. I can still remember reading it while I was having some mircobraids put in for the first time. It took the stylist a significant time to finish, but I remember thinking I hope she doesn't finish my hair before I finish reading this book. It was that good. What traits do you think a book must have to have that kind of page turner appeal for readers?

I think something has to strike a chord with the reader: a character, the setting, the time period. The reader has to be drawn into the story by the author. And that “something” varies from reader to reader. Fortunately, we have many authors telling many wonderful stories. And thank you for the kind words about Big Girls Don’t Cry.

Your very welcome. How can we as readers help authors gain more recognition, especially with the closing of brick and mortar bookstores?

An author whose books sell well is going to get recognition. So the best thing readers can do is to keep buying the books of authors they enjoy, whether print or electronic. Authors have bills just like everyone else, and selling books is how we earn our living. If you don’t buy, we don’t sell and eventually we stop writing because we have to find another way to earn a living. Borrowing books from friends and the library now and then is fine. Those are great ways to discover new authors. But the next time you see a book by that author that looks interesting, please buy it.

Does fortune come with a heavy price? This is the theme in your latest book, Money Can't Buy Love. How did you come up with this concept?

Fortune can definitely come with a heavy price if you’re not wise about how you manage your fortune. This is true even if you don’t have a fortune and spend your money foolishly. Too many people think money is the ticket to happiness. They think that a new handbag or pair of shoes or car will bring long-lasting happiness. So they buy stuff even when they can’t afford it and then realize that they still aren’t any happier. Why not? Because that’s not what money is really meant for. And that’s what Money Can’t Buy Love is all about.

If you could collaborate with any other author who would it be? And why?

I don’t think collaborating on a novel would work for me. I wouldn’t want to give up that much control of the story. I once collaborated with photographer Michael Cunningham on a photo-essay book called Jewels and I really enjoyed that. But I wrote, he photographed. Perfect.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m moving into a new house and that’s pretty much taking up all the time I have outside of spreading the word about Money Can’t Buy Love.

I have to do my WWW's. What have you just recently finished reading? What are you currently reading? And what do you plan to read next?

The last book I read was about social networking. I’m currently reading Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones and loving it. I have no idea what I’ll read next.

What's the best advice you've ever received in your literary career?

If you really want something, go after it. But be smart about it. Educate yourself until you know more about it than does the average person.

Thank you so much for taking the time out to do the interview with me. I truly appreciate it and wish you all the best in your literary endeavors. 

You can keep up with Connie Briscoe literary journey on her website: www.conniebriscoe.com and also talk with her on Facebook Chat with Connie Briscoe. And you can also follow Connie Briscoe on Twitter. 

Blessings.

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Now for the Hill-Briscoe Giveaway...
Talented author, Connie Briscoe, is giving away an autographed copy of her latest novel, Money Can't Buy Love!!! And she will sign it and address it directly to you!

To enter the giveaway of Connie Briscoe's new book, Money Can't Buy Love, you must do two things:


1) Leave a comment below about the interview  
2)Tell us in your opinion can money buy love?

***Don't forget to leave your email address or blog address so I can contact you should you win. You don't have to be a follower, but it would be great if you did so I can do my happy dance  :-)
One winner will be chosen randomly using Random.org. Contest end this Friday, September 23, 2011 at midnight.
Good Luck!


Thanks Ms. Briscoe for the wonderful giveaway!

Bestseller Book Giveaways: Brighten Your Day

I have been so tired  from being at ICU with my granny all last week and this week. So to say I'm tired, that would really be an understatement. Not to say no one else is just as or if not more exhausted than I am, because I'm sure you are all dealing with the twists and turns that life throws at us.

But this week has just begun and I just need a pick me up. So I thought maybe my wonderful followers need a pick me up too. Life is life for everyone right? So this week, I'll be giving away two books. I will list four to choose from. I hope this helps brighten someone's day.

Rules: Just comment and make sure you are following my blog. That's it...nothing fancy. I'm too tired to be creative. :-) And I will choose two winners randomly by random.org. International followers are welcome to join the giveaway as well, if you have a U.S. address to use, that would be greatly appreciated, if not you will still get your book if you win.

Have a wonderful Tuesday and enjoy your week. And please pass this giveaway info along to somone else, maybe we can brighten up their day too. And thank you all for the encouragement. Every time my phone beeped while I was sitting in the ICU waiting area and it said I had a new comment on my blog, it gave me a smile. It took some of the worry away for just a moment and sometimes that's all we need in life are those little moments of happiness.

Blessings,
Lena



The contest will end Sunday, June19th, 2011 at midnight.
All rules are subject to my discretion.
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The Four Books to Choose From Are Below:

Sisterhood Showcase: Bestselling Authors I Met

This weekend was full of adventure and great experiences I will never forget. My journey began Saturday in Memphis, Tennessee at the Sisterhood Showcase. I had my dearest friend with me, which I am so happy she joined me. She really helped me to stay focus and grounded and not get starry eyed. She was a blessing to me the entire trip. I hope everyone has a friend like that in their life.


So you want to know which authors I met? Drumroll please...... Terry McMillan, Victoria Christopher Murray, Reshonda Tate Billingsley, Rosalyn McMillan, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Jae Henderson and R.M. Johnson just to name a few. I also had the priviledge of meeting Alfre Woodard. After meeting the authors and listening to their readings, getting some books signed, taking tons of pictures, we ventured to the panel discussion. At the forum/panel discussion several of the authors answered questions and of course you know I had to ask one. I think I asked a pretty good one if I say so myself. Then we left from there, did some shopping at some of the vendors, there were over 300 of them in attendance. Then we went to Beale Street, ate at B.B. King's and watched some live entertainment. Pooped and tyde...yes, I said tyde, cause that's what my feet kept yelling at me in the 100 degree heat, we retired to our hotel room. That was just Saturday. Sunday was a great experience too. But you will have to come back and read about it because it's Monday and I'm still tyde. :-)


I will go into details about what happened with each author and what tidbits I learned from the showcase starting tomorrow. So check out the post everyday this week where I will discuss each author and show off the pictures I took with them.

Which author do you think I should discuss first tomorrow? Hmmmm.

"The Room, The Help, Midnight and the Meaning of Love, Books Giveaway

"The Room" by Emma Donoghue

Product Details:

Publishers Weekly

Five-year-old Jack and his Ma live and eat and play and sleep in one room--an 11×11-foot space that is their prison--captives of the terrifying man Jack calls Old Nick. But as Jack grows older and more curious, it becomes clear that the room will not be able to hold him and Ma forever. Michal Friedman shines as Jack; her narration is haunting and compelling in its every inflection and tone. The voice she creates for Jack is so convincing, listeners may even mistake her for an actual child. Her powerful performance is complemented by Robert Petcoff's sinister Old Nick, and Ellen Archer's portrayal of resourceful Ma, whose gentle voice is infused with patience, terror, and hope. The chemistry between the players creates a gem of a book that will haunt readers long after the story's end.

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"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Product Details:

Provided by Booklist:

Jackson, Mississippi, in the early 1960s is a city of tradition. Silver is used at bridge-club luncheons, pieces polished to perfection by black maids who “yes, ma’am,” and “no, ma’am,” to the young white ladies who order the days. This is the world Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan enters when she graduates from Ole Miss and returns to the family plantation, but it is a world that, to her, seems ripe for change. As she observes her friend Elizabeth rudely interact with Aibileen, the gentle black woman who is practically raising Elizabeth’s two-year-old daughter, Mae Mobley, Skeeter latches ontothe idea of writing the story of such fraught domestic relations from the help’s point of view. With the reluctant assistance of Aibileen’s feisty friend, Minny, Skeeter manages to interview a dozen of the city’s maids, and the book, when it is finally published, rocks Jackson’s world in unimaginable ways. With pitch-perfect tone and an unerring facility for character and setting, Stockett’s richly accomplished debut novel inventively explores the unspoken ways in which the nascent civil rights and feminist movements threatened the southern status quo. Look for the forthcoming movie to generate keen interest in Stockett’s luminous portrait of friendship, loyalty, courage, and redemption. A film adaption will be release August 12th, so read it before the movie comes out.


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"Midnight and the Meaning of Love" by Sister Souljah

 Product Details:

Sister Souljah, the New York Times bestselling author of The Coldest Winter Ever and Midnight, delivers her most compelling and enlightening story yet. With Midnight and The Meaning of Love, Souljah brings to her millions of fans an adventure about young, deep love, the ways in which people across the world express their love, and the lengths that they will go to have it.
 
Powerful and sensual, Midnight is an intelligent, fierce fighter and Ninjutsu-trained ninja warrior. He attracts attention wherever he goes but remains unmoved by it and focuses on protecting his mother and sister and regaining his family’s fortunes. When Midnight, a devout Muslim, takes sixteen-year-old Akemi from Japan as his wife, they look forward to building a life together, but their tumultuous teenage marriage is interrupted when Akemi is kidnapped and taken back to Japan by her own father, even though the marriage was consummated and well underway.

“There’s not one drop of inferiority in my blood,” Midnight says as he first secures his mother, Umma, and sister, Naja, before setting off on a global journey to reclaim his wife. Midnight must travel across three countries and numerous cultures in his attempt to defeat his opponent. Along this magnificent journey he meets people who change him forever, even as he changes them. He encounters temptations he never would have imagined and takes risks that many a lesser man would say no to, all for the women he loves and is sworn to protect.
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These New York Times Best Sellers are up for grabs this week in our books giveaway. There are many ways to enter for this giveaway and that is by:

1. Leaving a comment (worth 2 entries)
2. Digg this post using the button below on the toolbar. (worth 3 entries) use toolbar
3 Tweet this post. (worth 2 entries per tweet, 10 max tweets per day) use button at bottom of post
4. Like it on facebook (worth 2 entries) use the toolbar below or at the bottom of post
5. Join my Facebook Page by liking it and posting a comment. (worth 4 entries)
6. Follow Me Using Google (4 entries) box located on upper right sidebar
7. Add me to your feed using RSS. (4 entries) box located on upper right sidebar
8. Follow by Email (2 entries) box located on upper right sidebar
9. Share to Stumbleupon (3 entries) use toolbar below
10. Bookmark on Delicious (3 entries) use toolbar below
11. Share this giveway on another blog (4 points) Must provide link to blog where you posted it.

12. If you have a blog, clip the photo link below and post it with details. (4 entries)

All these share buttons mentioned above, can be easily located on the toolbar below. Click the share button with the grey cross (fourth button from the left) on the toolbar at bottom of page and all of the buttons will appear, choose one and share the post.


Once you have done any combination or all. Post a comment telling me which numbers you did.

Example: I did, 1, 4, 6, 7. I did #3 seven times. If you do it more than once a day, leave another comment saying you did so and which day. This will garner you more points, plus additional 2 points for commenting.

Then I will add up the points at the end of the contest and post the winner. There will be a runner up winner for the second book and the third book. The winner with the most points gets to choose which book they'd prefer first and so on.

You Do NOT have to do all the things listed above. It's just a list to give more options for winning.

Good luck and thank you for joining.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me using the contact us button (looks like a white envelope) on the toolbar below.
Contest ends May 29, 2011 at midnight.
All previous winners of any book giveaways are eligible to enter and win again.
All contest rules/regulations subject to the discretion of the owner of this blog.

What's Your Favorite Genre of Novels to Read

I can admit that I am not fond of certain genres of books, although I do try and add them to my repertoire of reading as often as possible. Novels that I am currently adding to this category are science fiction, suspense and thrillers. I recently read science novel, Kindred by Octavia Butler and wrote a book review. I must admit, I loved it. So next up on the agenda is to read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This book was recommend to me by a friend Mr. Hank Henley, so I am going to hold him accountable if I don't like it (just kidding Hank). But seriously, I will. But I also heard great things about the book from other readers as well. So tonight will be the beginning of another adventure. I hope you stay tuned to see what kind of review I give it and if I give Hank the side-eye, for recommending it. :-)


In the meantime, tell me what is your favorite genre? Mainstream, science fiction, thrillers, suspense, YA, chick-lit, romance, historical, christian, urban, etc?