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Monday, November 7, 2016

Book Feature: I Need A Man by O. Jermaine Simmons

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Inside the Book

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Title: I Need A Man 
Author: O. Jermaine Simmons 
Publisher: Certa Publishing 
Pages: 116 
Genre: Religion & Spirituality

In today's world, there is a real need for men to engage in honest dialogue regarding their struggles and triumphs in life. While there are many definitions of manhood, both sacred and secular, many men find it difficult to apply those truths to their daily lives.

"I need a Man" offers a fresh perspective on the issues of godly manhood and mentoring. Using the Holy Scriptures as a foundation, you will discover why every man needs a godly man in his life and how each man can reach back and become a mentor himself. Indeed, God can use the struggles of one man to strengthen another.

Be prepared to be challenged and empowered! Learn how you can thrive in life, not just merely pass through it.

PURCHASE AT:

Amazon

Meet the Author

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A fourth generation preacher and pastor, Rev. O. Jermaine Simmons, Sr. was born in the great state of Georgia to the Rev. Dr. Perry and Elaine Griffin Simmons. He was raised in city of Newark, New Jersey, where his father served and still serves as pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church.

At a very early age, the Lord revealed a musical gift which led to many years of service as a church musician, choir director, and even a jazz band trumpeter. These gifts and talents would prove to be the “glue” that would keep this young man connected and active in the Church. After graduating from high school, Rev. Simmons entered Morris Brown College declaring a major of Early Childhood Education. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in the Spring of 2001. During his years at Morris Brown, he served as the Gospel Choir Director as well as a student-leader in the Campus Ministry department.

In March of 1999, the call to preach the Gospel was extended and accepted. Soon thereafter, Rev. Simmons was licensed by the Abyssinian Church and received further training at the Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta, Georgia. During his time at Antioch, Rev. Simmons was trained under the guidance and discipline of the Rev. Dr. Cameron M. Alexander. He was ordained to further carry out the work of the ministry in April of 2004. Even now, the training he received at Antioch has guided him through the work of the ministry and community outreach.

From 2001-2004, Rev. Simmons served in the Atlanta Public School system as a fourth and fifth grade teacher at the Walter F. White Elementary school. His love for education is rooted in three previous generations of teachers in both his paternal and maternal bloodlines. He has received numerous awards from various educational organizations for his tireless commitment to teachers, parents, and students alike.

In August of 2004, Rev. Simmons relocated to the city of Tallahassee, Florida where he served as the Youth and Collegiate Director for the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. During this time, he received further guidance and training under the leadership of Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes, Jr.

Only the Lord knew what lay in store for his servant, as his next transition was only two miles away from his previous assignment. In December of 2005, it was laid upon the heart of the Jacob Chapel Baptist Church family to call Rev. Simmons as their ninth Pastor. Standing on the broad shoulders of eight great men, the relationship between Pastor and members has proven to be a very fruitful one.

Since his arrival at Jacob Chapel, over 4000 souls have been added to the Body of Christ and the local church. Twenty Seven (27) ministries have been implemented, all of which are rooted in the motto of “Doctrine, Stewardship, Fellowship, and Evangelism”. Pastor Simmons firmly believes that we were all "saved to serve”. Therefore, the message and the ministry encourage all who attend to “get right, get in, and get active”…

Under Pastor Simmons' leadership, Jacob Chapel has literally fed the hungry, clothed the naked, ministered to those in prisons, and built houses for those without shelter. It is the message of the Cross, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ from the grave which continues to fuel the fire that burns within this passionate preacher and teacher.

He has been blessed to carry this message to communities and to people all over this nation. But his greatest joy is in knowing that he has reached "the least of these”, and provided hope for all who encounter his compassionate personality and heart-felt presentation. No matter where he is assigned to preach, Pastor Simmons has not wavered from delivering the Good News about “One Friday…”

Aside from being a Pastor, community leader, and dedicated Kingdom worker, Rev. O. Jermaine Simmons, Sr. is the proud husband of Mrs. Elise A. Simmons, and father of one son, Orinthius Jermaine Simmons, Jr. In lieu of the many accomplishments and awards that Pastor Simmons has received through the years, it will always be undergirded by his love for the Lord and for his family.


Friday, November 4, 2016

Book Feature: Save The Last Dance by Eric Joseph & Eva Ungar Grudin


We're happy to host Eva Ungar Grudin and Eric Joseph's SAVE THE LAST DANCE Virtual Book Tour today!  Please leave a comment or question to let them know you stopped by!


About the Book:

Title: Save The Last Dance
Author: Eric Joseph & Eva Ungar Grudin
Publisher: Hargrove Press
Pages: 360
Genre: Literary Fiction

A tale of the power and peril of first love rediscovered.
           
Adam Wolf and Sarah Ross were teenage sweethearts who grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio in the late 50’s and early 60's. They set a wedding date when they turned fifteen. The day came and went. For most of their lives the two were out of contact.
With their 50th high school reunion approaching, Adam and Sarah reconnect. Email exchanges - after the first tentative "hi", then a deluge- five, ten- by the end of the week twenty emails a day. Soon Sarah admits, "All my life I've been looking for someone who loves me as much as you did".

Written entirely in email and texts, Save the Last Dance allows the reader to eavesdrop on Sarah and Adam's correspondence as their love reignites. It also permits the reader to witness the reactions of significant others, whose hum-drum lives are abruptly jolted by the sudden intrusion of long-dormant passion. Can Sarah and Adam's rekindled love withstand the pummeling they're in for?

For More Information


Book Excerpt:

From: Adam Wolf
To: Paul Bishop
October 12, 2014 4:54 pm
Subject: Finally saw Sarah, virtually
Oh Paul — “L’avventura” continues. No pauses for breath or thought. Since the last email, this thing with Sarah has detonated. We are now writing each other all day, every day, sometimes at night, on the way to work, at work, lunch, at intersections, on the back porch. I spend my days longing for her messages and panic when an hour goes by without. No more tentative phrases and innuendo. No more stuff about vague ambiguous longing. It’s full blown, Paul. Jesus H — it’s sweet passion and sexy -particularly exciting because we never had the chance in our first go-round way back when.
The day came. We decided it was the right time to finally see each other — to Skype. I was in Cleveland, alone. Sarah picked a time when I would call. I brought three changes of clothes and tried each of them on before we Skyped — stood back from the mirror and rejected them all. I finally settled on a button-down light blue shirt with one of those newfangled small-ish collars, and a dark blue crew neck. (I remembered that Sarah doesn’t like V-necks.) The pants, Izod chinos with the pleated front and room to grow. I was now prepared with my best Belmondo charm to woo Sarah into bed.
It wasn’t like that, though. I don’t know what it was, Paul. Maybe it was modesty, perhaps fear about what we must look like now to people who last saw us when we were young. The mask of age. Anyway, whatever it was, when the time came we both sat in the shadows in our respective rooms and just peered at the camera. First there was giggling over nothing. Eventually, I decided to thrust my face forward into the light, regardless of the consequences. Sarah leaned forward herself for a moment, her hand over her face, just briefly let her eyes show and stared at me nervously. Later she said she thought me so handsome still. I told her I would recognize those beautiful baby blues anywhere, if only she would let me see them clearly.
I couldn’t really see her face. The light was arranged so only a silhouette was visible. For a while she resembled someone being interviewed in the witness protection program. I expected her voice to sound shrill and electronic. “I foist met Vinnie da Butcher Bugliosi in 1946 at a pizza parlor in Passaic. He showed me a good time. His last words to me were ‘keep your mouth shut’.”
As for the rest of her, I conjured up the worst — telling myself I will love her no matter what. I had visions of Sarah Ross now — cauliflower ears and 7 teeth, four of which dangled precipitously. I feared her neck would show signs of some old rope burns from 10 years ago, when she tried to hang herself in the mental ward.     
When Sarah finally spoke, her voice was soft. Softer than I remembered, sweet, more confident, deeper. At first she spoke out of the darkness. She said, “It’s you. It’s really you.” The conversation deteriorated from there. And I said, “It’s you, really you,” but I wasn’t sure. Except for the voice it could have been Golda Meier there, for all I knew.When she finally leaned into the light, I must have lost my breath. I saw her — and despite the few wrinkles, the face more set in place, she was immediately my girl, her smile now even sweeter. Her gestures were more refined and confident. She was dressed elegantly for me — a silky salmon top and a paisley shawl. The years dissolved, and the fears about age were gone. My Sarah and she beamed at me.    We talked softly, nothing sexually charged about it, just soft remembrance. We imagined that we were back in her sunroom, with the low red love seat — tamely making out — her hand caressing my belly but- ton, just under the belt — how we slept together at 15, quite literally, in that hot room, napping together in the heat — or about her head on my lap when we watched The Twilight Zone Friday nights — or the path we took through Cain Park when I carried home her books after school — or the people we routinely met along my paper route.    At some point, Paul, we stopped talking and simultaneously touched our fingers to our lips and reached toward the screen. 


About the Authors


Eric Joseph and Eva Ungar (Grudin) were teenage sweethearts in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, who set a wedding date when they turned 15. The last time they saw each other they were 21 years old. Three years ago they reunited, around the time of the 50th high school reunion. Although their book is a work of fiction, it's about a couple like them, who fall in love again, almost instantly, via email.

Eric is in public health, a consultant/educator at hospitals and clinics, concentrating his career on Native American health services across the country. Eva is an art historian who taught at Williams College in Massachusetts for 40+ years. She specialized in African and African-American art; the history of European painting: also Holocaust Studies - memorials and museums; In addition, she has performed in and written Sounding to A, a multi-media work about inheriting the Holocaust. It premiered at the Ko Festival of Performance in 2004.

Learn more about Eva and Eric and their history together by visiting hargrovepress.com - At the website you'll find memories about their time together in the late 50s, early 60s, as well as interviews from today.

Their latest book is the literary fiction, Save The Last Dance.
For More Information

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com


Book Spotlight: Madam President by William Hazelgrove



We're pleased to bring you William Hazelgrove and his new book, MADAM PRESIDENT: THE SECRET PRESIDENCY OF EDITH WILSON!  Please leave a comment to let him know you stopped by!




Title: Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson
Author: William Hazelgrove
Publisher: Regnery
Pages: 352
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction

After President Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke in the fall of 1919, his wife, First Lady Edith Wilson, began to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of the Executive Office. Mrs. Wilson had had little formal education and had only been married to President Wilson for four years; yet, in the tenuous peace following the end of World War I, Mrs. Wilson dedicated herself to managing the office of the President, reading all correspondence intended for her bedridden husband. Though her Oval Office authority was acknowledged in Washington, D.C. circles at the time--one senator called her "the Presidentress who had fulfilled the dream of suffragettes by changing her title from First Lady to Acting First Man"--her legacy as "First Woman President" is now largely forgotten.

William Hazelgrove's Madam President is a vivid, engaging portrait of the woman who became the acting President of the
United States in 1919, months before women officially won the right to vote. Movie Rights Optioned by Storyline Entertainment.

For More Information

  • Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson is available at Amazon.
  • Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:
She was from the South and had two years of formal schooling and wrote like a child.  She married a quiet man from Washington and her baby died after three months. Her husband then died and left her with a failing jewelry company that was severely in debt. She turned the company around while taking almost no salary. She bought an electric car and was issued the first driver’s license given to a woman in the District of Columbia.  She married a President who had been recently widowed. In four years, the President would have a severe stroke, and leave her to run the Unites States Government and negotiate the end of World War I.
 She was our First Woman President.
About the Author

William Elliott Hazelgrove is the best-selling author of thirteen novels, Ripples, Tobacco Sticks, Mica Highways, Rocket Man, The Pitcher, Real Santa, Jackpine and The Pitcher 2. His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly and Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway's birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications. He has been the subject of interviews in NPR's All Things Considered along with features in The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, USA Today, People, Channel 11, NBC, WBEZ, WGN. The Pitcher is a Junior Library Guild Selection and was chosen Book of the Year by Books and Authors. net. His next book Jackpine will be out Spring 2014 with Koehler Books. A follow up novel Real Santa will be out fall of 2014. Madam President The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson will be out Fall 2016. Storyline optioned the movie rights. Forging a President How the West Created Teddy Roosevelt will be out May 2017.

He runs a political cultural blog, The View From Hemingway's Attic.

For More Information

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Book Blast: Dowsing and Ley Lines by Gerald Chatfield

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Inside the Book:

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Title: Dowing and Ley Lines 
Author: Gerald Chatfield 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Reference 
Format: Ebook

This book contains information on dowsing for beginners and advanced alike. It provides information on how to find and follow more than five hundred ley marks across the south of the British Isles. It also contains unique insight on how shadow ley lines are connected to time as we measure it in minutes and hours. Also answers as to why the legendary figure of the Long Man of Wilmington is positioned where he is on the South Downs. There is also information on both Woodhenge and Stonehenge.

Giveaway

Gerald is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins October 24 and ends on November 4.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on November 5.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Feature: Nearest and Dearest by Caroline Jolly



 

Inside the Book:


Title: Nearest and Dearest 
Author: Caroline Jolly 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Humorous 
Format: Ebook

Effie McIver has been living quietly on her own since the break up of her marriage to Jack who left her for her best friend. A visit to the doctor leaves her feeling restless and she experiences further disturbance during a visit to her daughter's house. These events lead her to conclude that something must be done to change her life. With the help of her friend Susie she decides to venture into the uncertain world of dating. Here she encounters a variety of people and situations, hilarious or humiliating, in her search for a new partner. The search takes place against the backdrop of her increasingly complex relationship to her daughter Cathy and her family. Meanwhile, on the dating front, she meets Oliver, a widower and a 'no hoper' who through persistence and a degree of change enters Effie's social life. A cluster of circumstances precipitate her into a shocking crisis within the family which slowly evolves, with the help of friend Susie and the keeping of a diary, towards a resolution. The mood of the story is essentially light, compassionate and humorous, as Effie explores her strengths and obvious weaknesses both as an older woman negotiating the choppy waters of dating and also as a parent managing her relationship to grown up children.

Meet the Author:
Caroline Jolly was brought up in Scotland, studied in London and East Africa, and works as a psychotherapist in private practice in London where she now lives.  

Giveaway

Caroline is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins October 24  and ends on November 4.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on November 5.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

October 24
October 25
October 26
October 27
October 28
October 31
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4

Book Feature: A Vampire's Hunger by Carla Susan Smith

 

Inside the Book:


Title: A Vampire's Hunger
Author: Carla Susan Smith
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Ebook/Paperback

A PROMISE BROKEN  

Rowan Harper sacrificed her blood and her soul to keep her friend, Aleksei, alive—and in the process, broke a bond of sacred trust with her lover, Gabriel.But her act of heroism wasn’t enough to stop the evil bent on tearing the world asunder.

Newly turned vampires are slaughtering innocents, and those lurking in the darkness are threatening the people Rowan loves.She may be Gabriel’s Promise, but it’s looking more and more like Rowan will belong to the demon of the Dark Realm instead. Time is of the essence and with her soul already tainted, will Rowan be forced to break the ties she’s forged with Gabriel? Which of the two rivals will stand beside her as she faces the end of the world?...

Meet the Author:

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Born and raised in England, I now call South Carolina home where I  live with my wonderfully supportive husband, awesome son, and the most discerning canine critique group ever – if tails aren’t wagging then the story isn’t working! 

I owe my love of literature to my mother, who, after catching me  reading by flashlight beneath the bed covers, calmly replaced the romance book I’d ‘borrowed’ with one that was far less risqué, and much more appropriate for a pre-teen! She encouraged me to include a wide variety of genres in my reading tastes, but romance, and  paranormal romance in particular, has remained my first love. 

I never really thought about writing a romance novel until I read one that was so bad I can only assume it got published by mistake! Making such a comment to my BFF, Sharon, she challenged me to do better. The result was a 250-thousand word epic that I affectionately refer to as my ‘bodice-ripper’ romance – and yes, I still have it! 

When I’m not writing I can be found in my kitchen. I love baking, and my husband will actually admit his love of Christmas fruitcake. (Personally I think all that brandy in the fruit has something to do with it!) If not baking then I’m working on my latest tapestry project or  playing catch-up with my reading list where I always seem to be at least three books behind! 

It’s a crazy-good life, and I wouldn’t change it for anything, although I wouldn‘t object if I came up with the winning lottery numbers! Visit her at http://www.carlasmithauthor.com/index.html

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

In the Spotlight: On Top of the World (Until the Bell Chimes) by David Lamb


We're happy to host David Lamb's ON TOP OF THE WORLD (UNTIL THE BELL CHIMES) virtual book tour today!  Please leave a comment or question for David to let him know you stopped by!

Title: ON TOP OF THE WORLD (UNTIL THE BELL CHIMES)
Author: David Lamb
Publisher: Woolly Mammoth Books
Pages: 240
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Contemporary Romance/Multicultural/Humor/Satire

2016 BEST FICTION-Pacific Book Awards. FROM THE FUNNY AND NATURALLY BRILLIANT DAVID LAMB, award-winning playwright of the New York Times celebrated play, Platanos Y Collard Greens, comes a modern spin on Dickens' classic tale that perfectly combines humor and romance in a story re-imagined for our digital, consumerist age.  This version of Scrooge and Belle is familiar, yet unlike any you've come across before. Scrooge, or rather Scrooje, is music's biggest superstar, with one hundred million albums sold, fifteen million devoted YouTube subscribers, two and a half million Facebook likes, and twenty-five million fanatical Twitter followers known as Scroojites. Belle, is a legal shark who gulps down her opposition voraciously and whose beauty and stunning figure causes traffic accidents as she zips through the sidewalks of Manhattan stylishly adorned and taking no prisoners.   They never imagined being music's most powerful couple, but that's exactly what happened when Belle fell head over heels and gave the Coke-bottle glasses wearing, plaid and stripe attired, scrawny, biggest nerd on her college campus the ultimate makeover, turning him into a fashion impresario whose style sets trends from Milan to NY Fashion Week and who can be seen courtside at the NBA Finals sporting a perfectly-fitted cashmere suit.   Then it happens. Belle realizes too late that she's created a chart-topping monster as Scrooje's ego explodes and he starts acting a fool.   Now, it's been three years since they ve spoken. But tonight at Hollywood s biggest red carpet event, with the whole world watching, they'll be given a second chance.   Will Scrooje listen to the ghostly-advice of Marley, his best friend since the fourth grade, who at the time of his untimely drowning at his Brazilian poolside birthday bash was as big a star as Scrooje? Will Scrooje finally do right by his number one artist, Cratchit, a genius comedian, who Scrooje invariably rip offs every chance he gets?   And with twenty-five million viewers tuned in will Scrooje finally shed his ego, jeopardize his image and declare his love for Belle, the one he betrayed and let slip away?   Second chances don't often come around. Will Belle even give him a chance?   Mixing heart, soul, bling and romance in a fresh, original satire about race, class and celebrity worship Lamb establishes himself as one of the most talented and amazing writers today. And leaves no doubt that the Pacific Book Awards chose wisely when they selected On Top Of The World as the year's Best Fiction.

Purchase Information:

Amazon | iTunes | B&N


Book Excerpt:
The devil doesnt wear Prada, he wears Sean John and I was the idiot who taught him how to shop.
That was what I got for reading Frankenstein in college. Id been turned into a mad scientist without even realizing it. Just my luck, I was a math major and the one literature course I took had tricked me into creating a monster.
When I first met Scrooʝe, helike most humans with XY chromosomeswas a fashion emergency. Awkwardly walking around campuslost, desperately in need of a haircut, and for some strange reason wearing glasses so big he looked like an owl hunting for prey. He was just plain pitiful.
But I have to confess, from the moment I saw him my heart sang a happy song and I couldnt look away. Something between us was magnetic.

Hey, what can I say, I was always the kind of girl who liked rescue projects. When I was eight years old, I turned my familys garage into a makeshift animal shelter, and damn near gave my father a heart attack when a hungry pack of strays rushed at him as he pulled into the driveway.
So naturally, one look into Scrooʝes sad puppy dog eyes and I felt right awayhe was the one.
Before I knew it, we were college sweethearts and best friends. Of course, I had to clean him up, but after a few months under my tutelage everyone noticed his transformation. They saw that with his gorgeous toffee skin, deliciously full lips and sexy broad shoulders he was the cutest boy on campus.  Pretty soon I had girls telling me I needed to start a makeover service.
That was how it all started. Who could have known that a simple makeover would unleash the devilish genius of the sweetest, shyest, most socially awkward boy Id ever met, and transform him into musics biggest superstar with an ego the size of Texas yet more fragile than an egg yolk? And a whole lot messier! Not me.
Without a doubt weve traveled a long crazy road together. Scrooʝe was the first boy I gave my heart to. Our relationship went from me rescuing him in college, to him rescuing me in law school, to our emergence as musics power couple. He was the artist/entrepreneur, and I was the best lawyer love could buy.
And now, were strangers.
Its been three years since weve seen or spoken to each other, and sometimes, against my better judgment, I find myself thinking about him and feel a smile creep across my face. 
This morning was one of those times when my thoughts turned to Scrooʝe. Normally Id tell myself off for not letting go, but today I gave myself a break. After all, it isnt every day that you might not just run into your ex, but do it live on television at Hollywoods biggest event.
“Everything’s gonna be fine, girl,” I told myself as I contemplated everything that could go wrong if we ran into each other at The Awards. I was especially dreading an untimely re-emergence of my long-standing klutz curse.
My whole life, Id been jinxed with inopportune clumsiness. As the ring girl at my parentsvow renewal, I stumbled, fell in the grass, and lost the rings. As a tiny ballerina, I was the best in my class, until the day of the recital when I went tumbling down like Humpty Dumpty.
Now with the whole world watching, I simply could not afford such an embarrassing spill.
As I sat in the back of a sleek limousine on my way to the ceremony, gazing up at the L.A. skyline, nervously checking my hair in the mirror for the dozenth time in half a dozen minutes, I tried to push down the queasiness threatening to erupt from the pit of my stomach. The last thing I needed was to step onto the red carpet covered in this afternoons lunch. The paparazzi would surely have a field day with that one.
Well, like I said it was exactly three years to the day that I stomped out of Scrooʝes life, but tonight we were both nominated for Awards. I knew God worked in mysterious ways, but now I was convinced she also had a sense of humor. 
I never thought Id be nominated for anything, but life had other plans. After we broke up, I quickly discovered that the best cure for PTRS—post-traumatic-relationship-stress—was writing. By the time I finished hammering those computer keys, I was author of an award-winning, best-selling, drama-filled, tragically comic novel that Hollywood just had to have. Now here I was nominated for an Award as one of the producers of the years biggest movie.
Once word got out that I was nominated, I was immediately blessed (or cursed depending on your view) with a merry-go-round of opinions. From my hair to my makeup to my shoes to my dress, from my eyebrows to my voice, to making sure I didnt have ashy kneeseveryone had an opinion. Normally I was unflappable, but with so many people giving so many conflicting opinions I was suddenly a nervous wreck. Finally, I stopped answering the phone because I couldnt take any more unsolicited advice. If someone did manage to reach me on the phone, before they could even say a word Id say, No, I dont know what Im going to wear, and no, I dont know how Im doing my hair,before abruptly clicking off. Unbelievable, Russell Simmons can show up without a tie and wearing sneakers, yet still be a style icon. But let a woman have one eyelash out of place and itll be the lead on the evening news.
Two nights before The Awards, I tried to veg out with an episode of Soccer Moms From Hell. But before I could lose myself in the drama, my cell phone buzzed with a text. Oh, come on!I yelled, throwing my hands up unnecessarily dramatically. Then I looked at it. It was from my father. He wrote simplyBe you.
At least there was one man in the world I could still count on.
Two days later, on my way to The Awards I tried to wrap my head around the idea that Id soon be standing on the stage with millions watching. This was not part of the plan. I was a behind-the-scenes kind of gal, not at all attracted to the limelight. So, as I pulled up to The Awards, my nerves fluttered in my stomach like butterflies. But despite my anxiety, when I last checked the mirror I didnt look too shabby. Thank God, Michelle Obama isn’t the only one who looks perfect in a Carolina Herrera gown.
As I climbed out of the limo and walked the red carpet, waving at the crowd gathered to cheer on their favorite artists, I thought about everything that had led up to this moment and even though I was anxious on the inside, on the outside I smiled as if I werent the least bit concerned all while praying for two thingsplease, dont let me fall in front of all these people, and please, please, dont let me run into Scrooʝe.
  About the Author
 
David Lamb is a native New Yorker, born and raised, bitten with the writing bug since he was in elementary school and had handwriting nobody could decipher. Like Charles Dickens, David grew up a poor boy in the big city who found that the pen really is mightier than the sword. In middle school Lamb’s hero was David Lampel whose velvet voice could be heard reporting the news over David’s grandmother’s radio. Whenever he heard him on the radio, David would substitute Lamb for Lampel and pretend he was delivering the news. Sure that he was destined to be a famous reporter David was happy to go to a high school with a journalism program. Like most kids, by the time he finished high school he had a whole new career in mind. After high school he went to Hunter College and majored in Economics because he wanted to be cool like that college kid who came to speak at his last year of high school. He was an Economics major, he was dressed sharp and above-all the girls thought he was the man! So like any unreasonable high school boy fueled by overactive hormones David figured if he majored in Economics they’d think he was cool. After finishing college David went on to law school at NYU, but all the time writing was still his heart. While working as a lawyer by day, at night he transformed into a writer and eventually wrote and produced the award-winning hit off-Broadway romantic comedy Platanos Y Collard Greens. Being a writer and having the chance make people laugh out loud while challenging them to think about the world around them, and inspire each of us to believe in the power of love and our own ability to overcome life’s challenges is a great gift that David truly enjoys and thanks you for allowing him to share with you in On Top Of The World (Until The Bell Chimes).

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