Audio Book Release – February 2021

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Tech executive Carly can’t wait to marry the man of her dreams. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers her fiancé is already wed to Ryn — her company’s top investor! Can the two women overcome heartbreak together?

Silicon Valley investor Ryn Brennan is on the verge of achieving everything she dreamed. She’s succeeded in the sexist venture capital world, has a supportive husband, and is about to close the deal of her career. Everything is going exactly as planned, until she meets her husband’s mistress, across the negotiating table.

Carly clawed her way back from being a teenage runaway to become an accomplished scientist, caring single mom, and co-founder of her startup. Once she marries her loving fiancé, she’ll secure the complete family she craves. But she’s blindsided to discover her not so perfect fiancé is already married.

In an industry full of not-so-subtle sexism, can the two women rise above, and work together to overcome heartbreak, and ensure their success?

“Strong women faced with timely struggles. Friendship, forgiveness, and moments of heartfelt laughter. You won’t forget these courageous characters.” Rochelle Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author

“SO MUCH FUN. Incredibly fast paced and satisfying, with two believable protagonists and one guy so bad you’ll be dying to see if he get what he deserves.” (K J Dell’Antonia, New York Times bestselling author)

“5 Stars! Secrets, betrayals and vulture like venture capitalists will keep you on the edge of your seat.” (Miss W Book Reviews)

Audiobook Excerpt Available at

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About The Author

A digital nomad–meaning she picks locations around the world to live (and write) for months at a time–Lainey is an avid instagrammer, and loves to share her insights. She loves to connect with readers and audio listeners at www.laineycameron.com

She’s a proud member and volunteer with Women’s Fiction Writers Association, hosts an Instagram TV show called The Best of Women’s Fiction, and believes community makes the author’s life worthwhile. Originally from Scotland, Lainey has a soft spot for kilts, good malt whisky, and anything equine.

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Publisher: Outskirts Press

Transformation: 30 Years is an autobiographical yet fictionalized account of a young woman’s journey through many facets, or serious issues, of life such as racism, domestic violence, bullying, eating disorders, lost love, alcoholism, low self esteem, poor self image, overcoming poverty, stereotypes…These are just some of the issues that are addressed in this book. The protagonist resents her “overprotective” mother keeping her from the “fun and mystery” of the darkness. When she finally “escapes” to college and has the power to “live life her own way” she experiences some of the lowest points of her life. Had it not been for the Grace of a Risen Savior, she would have perished. She was, “Saved by Grace.” The book is an easy, quick read that speaks to varying age groups. There is something in the book for anyone who reads it. The book is a ray of hope for those going through various struggles in life to be “tenacious,” and have hope because your Transformation is on the way!!!

The rampant partying continued even after classes had started. Even after a couple of years had passed. Even after it all became unfun. Partying and drinking had become a lifestyle that got in the way of the intended purpose of being there to learn and pursue a degree leading to a career. Jenny had frequent bouts of home sickness and was sinking deeper and deeper into depression. The late nights had become unfun; the hot wings, steamed oysters, and the pitchers of beer had become unfun. The frat parties with their free kegs and anything-goes antics had become unfun. The stories of drunken stupors, hellacious hangovers and promiscuous hook ups had become unfun. Depression was beginning to overtake her to the point of having suicidal thoughts. If life was going to be like this, why live?…

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It’s finally here. Love, Lies, and Grace, my fourth novel is now on preorder in the Amazon Kindle store. Love, Lies, and Grace is a standalone novel written in the women’s fiction genre and tells the story of three friends, Grace, Pat, and Milli who share Grace’s home in Stockbridge, Georgia.

Grace is married to Brian, a wealthy banker, who lives in New York. Despite their living arrangement, Grace feels secure in her marriage. Brian is loving and passionate when they are together and lavishes her with expensive gifts, but he has not been home in four years.

Grace is black, Pat is bi-racial, and Milli is white. Grace and Pat are Christians, while Milli “dabbles in other things.” Despite these differences and the thorny start to their relationship, the three women find themselves drawn together in ways they never could have imagined. Their late night girl talk over hot chocolate, visits to the mall or the park provide fun and laughter. But on one of these visits, Pat reveals a painful secret she had been carrying for a long time. Grace and Milli rally around her with love and support. Shortly after, Milli too discloses a secret she could no longer keep hidden. Once more, the three friends band together to help Milli through her very difficult time.

Once the crises are over, Grace goes to New York to visit her husband. She is devastated when she discovers that he too has a secret so explosive she can never share it with her friends. She draws strongly on her faith, friends and the courage that helped her through past difficulties.

Reminiscent of the Golden Girls TV series, Love, Lies, and Grace will make you laugh, cry and will reinforce these words from the Bible: “a threefold cord is never easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4: 12).

If women’s fiction is one of your favorite genres, let me encourage you to order your copy of Love, Lies, and Grace today. And after you read it, could you please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads so other readers can be guided in their buying choices?

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I had to begin Women’s History month by writing about our history- making first female vice president, Kamala Harris. Ms. Harris shot into the political spotlight when she became California’s attorney general and later when she was the second black woman to be elected to the US senate.

As an attorney general, Harris was known to be tough on crime, prosecuting transnational gangs and fighting for criminal justice reform among other things. But her toughness was most clearly seen when she appeared on stage as one of the candidates in the 2020 US
presidential race.

As I watched her during the debates and later in some of her campaign rallies, I could tell that Kamala Harris was destined to move to higher heights. And although her campaign ended prematurely, I knew we had not seen the end of her political journey. Today, Kamala Harris is the first female, first black, first South Asian vice-president of the United States.

I am justifiably proud to have a vice-president who comes from that part of the world where I come from. Her father is Jamaican, I come from Trinidad & Tobago, home to many descendants of India, where Ms. Harris’s mother comes from.

But ethnicity aside, I feel another connection to our new vice-president: she is the author of three books—The Truths We Hold, Superheroes Are Everywhere, and Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer— and is the subject of others, like Rooted In Justice by Nikki Grimes and Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea written by her niece Meena Harris.

Kamala Harris has done black and brown women the world over proud. She has shown that with integrity, passion and compassion we can break the glass ceiling and fulfill God’s calling on our lives. I end this post with one of her inspiring quotes: “Anyone who claims to be a leader must speak like a leader. That means speaking with integrity and truth.” We can trust Ms. Harris to live out the truth of her own words.

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As a writer, I always thought I was the only one that feels anxious about my work—you know, like whether it makes sense, how would it be received and sometimes I even feel anxious, or guilty, that I’m not writing enough. But recently I received an email from an author I subscribe to that helped me feel a little better about myself. She also felt anxious—not about the quality of her writing—but about hearing her writing read back to her. She had just completed her first audiobook, so I guess it was natural for her to feel a bit anxious.

Out of curiosity, I decided to google what makes writers anxious or what kinds of tigers are lurking near the keyboard. I found a lot— from writing quality, genre, sales and even algorithms. While it helped to know that other writers have their tigers, it didn’t get rid of mine.

Oh, I haven’t yet told you yet what I worry about. Can you guess? My book’s cover. As an indie author, I’m pretty much on my own. I come up with the story ideas, flesh them out, publish them and market them. While doing all of that does bring some tigers, coming up with the cover brings the biggest one of all. Bigger than a tiger; more like an elephant.

Every time I’ve written a book, I tremble when the time comes to choose a cover. And now the fifth time is no different. In fact, the elephant loomed even larger this time. I had to get it right. Perfect. Flawless. Grabworthy (another way of saying Irresistible). So I researched book designers and book covers ad infinitum, signed up with some Facebook groups and finally found a designer who designed books in my genre and who suited my budget.

I think part of the difficulty in finding the right cover is that most of the novels that are coming out are in every genre but women’s fiction, the genre I write in. Anyway, once I’d settled on a designer, I drew her into my habitat. Fortunately, she is a very patient soul and she stuck with me through the five revisions I requested.

Of course, my writer’s group deserves a great deal of the praise for the way my cover turned out. The first mock-up did not meet my expectations. I didn’t even share it with my group. Again I felt anxious. I immediately felt my description had failed to convey what I wanted. I tried again and again, until I finally got something I thought I could live with. Once my group had approved it, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that I’ve decided on my cover and I’ve read those posts about writers’ anxiety, I’ve come away with one truth—my cover will never be perfect. There will always be covers more appealing more than mine. I will suffer some angst when I come across a cover I think should be mine, but that’s life. I can only give myself and my readers the best I’m capable of.

So, drop me a line and tell me what you think of the cover of my latest book Love, Lies, and Grace shown above. Is it grabworthy? Will you buy the book because of its cover? I (anxiously) await your comment.

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To me, one of the most crippling experiences of African American slavery was the fact that slaves were denied the privilege of learning to read and write.

Of course, if you were a slave, being worked almost to death, beaten for no good reason, and deprived of what we would consider basic necessities, learning to read and write would be the furthest thing on your mind.

But such was the law at that time. If you were a slave in the United States, literacy was beyond your reach. In Slavery and The Making of America: The Slave Experience, the article description states, “Fearing that black literacy would prove a threat to the slave system — which relied on slaves’ dependence on masters — whites in many colonies instituted laws forbidding slaves to learn to read or write and making it a crime for others to teach them.”

This doesn’t mean that slaves were never taught to read. Some slave owners allowed or taught their slaves to learn to read for the purpose of religious instruction. However, learning to write was considered off limits. It would “threaten the social order,” according to another article.

Slavery and The Making of America: The Slave Experience cites an excerpt from the South Carolina Act of 1740, which states in part, “Whereas, the having slaves taught to write, or suffering them to be employed in writing, may be attended with great inconveniences; Be it enacted, that all and every person and persons whatsoever, who shall hereafter teach or cause any slave or slaves to be taught to write, or shall use or employ any slave as a scribe, in any manner of writing whatsoever, hereafter taught to write, every such person or persons shall, for every such offense, forfeit the sum of one hundred pounds, current money. “

If only the framers of those laws could have seen into the future, they would have scrapped them before the ink dried on the page. Because today, descendants of slaves are among the most prolific and sought-after writers in libraries and bookstores across America.

One slave who did receive reading and writing instruction from her masters was Phillis Wheatley, who, it was revealed, published her first poem “On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin,” at the age of 13. By the time she was 18, she had gathered a collection of 28 poems, for which she, with the help of her mistress Mrs. Wheatley, sought subscriptions in Boston newspapers.

However, this effort proved futile, and on May 8, 1771, Wheatley and Nathaniel, the Wheatley’s son, sailed for London, where Phillis was welcomed by several dignitaries, including Benjamin Franklin. Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773), became the first volume of poetry by an African American published in modern times.

Today, other names have followed the trail blazed by Phillis Wheatley: Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Gwendolyn Brooks, and many others.

This post will not be complete without mentioning the latest poet to join the ranks of illustrious African American poets. Many of us had not heard of Amanda Gorman until she recited her captivating poem, The Hill We Climb at Joe Biden’s inauguration, making her the youngest inaugural poet in US history. She will no doubt go on to cross many rivers and climb many hills, forever keeping her name etched in the annals of African American literature.

Reading poetry can be inspiring, stimulating, and soothing at the same time. It can speak to your heart in ways that prose may not always do. For Black History month, will you take the time to delve into some of these treasures that can enrich your life? If you look at the related posts below, you would find a couple that, I hope, will whet your appetite for more. When you do, please drop me a line and tell me what you read and what you think about them.

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Related posts:

• https://angelasfreelancewriting.com/on-my-birthday/
• https://angelasfreelancewriting.com/ann-petry-first-african-american-woman-to-sell-over-one-million-copies/
• https://angelasfreelancewriting.com/farewell-to-maya-angelou/

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Romantic Suspense

Release Date: January 26, 2021

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Sultry romantic suspense set in Florida’s untamed wilderness…

When your heart’s involved…

If you dare venture beyond Disney’s magic and Miami’s high-rises, you’ll find yourself in Florida’s untamed wilderness.

A bush pilot and officer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Josh Tanner is one of the tough cops needed to manage these rugged areas. And the minute he finds Delilah Atwood deep in the woods without a good explanation, he knows something is very wrong…

All the stakes are raised…

Delilah barely escaped her ultra-fundamental militia family years ago. Now she’s back to save her sixteen-year-old sister, and no government man is going to stop her. Josh isn’t going to stand by and watch Delilah risk her life, but unless he can get her to trust him, she may end up being the next victim.

Other Books in the Florida Wildlife Warriors Series:

Florida Wildlife Warriors, Book 1

Release Date: January 2019

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Author Connie Mann delivers clean romance with a side of intrigue and suspense the likes of which you’ve never seen. Florida’s untamed wilderness beckons with its beauty and mystery, but this paradise has a dark side that’s waiting for you to step off the path…

Former Florida Fish & Wildlife Officer Charlotte “Charlee” Tanner still carries the guilt of a tragic drowning accident that occurred on her watch. She hoped moving back home to central Florida would provide a safe haven―until she learns that her beloved wilderness is full of twisted lies and deadly secrets, including the fact that the death that’s haunted her was no accident…and she was the intended target.

Tough and decisive, Lieutenant Hunter Boudreau has just been promoted as a law enforcement officer with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, though not everyone on the force is happy about the change. Despite the friction at work, Charlee is his best friend, so when she comes under fire, he’s not letting her out of his sight until the killer is caught. But Hunter has secrets of his own, and Charlee is determined not to let anyone else die for her.

As danger closes in and Charlee and Hunter’s attraction threatens to consume them, Charlee has to decide whether she can trust Hunter. And to save Charlee, Hunter will have to trust her, too.

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Delilah raced after Mary, ignoring the gunshots spitting sand up at her. She’d pulled her weapon from her waistband, but she didn’t fire, wouldn’t risk hitting Mary by mistake. She just had to find her, fast.

If Mary disappeared now, Delilah might never see her again. Her family would disappear, and their like-minded friends would make sure no one could find them. She couldn’t bear the idea of her sister going through what she had.

She ran despite the bullets that just kept coming. Some part of her brain was surprised she wasn’t down on the ground, bleeding, but whoever it was knew exactly where they were placing those shots. They were trying to keep her away, not kill her.

The moon slid behind some clouds, and Delilah momentarily lost sight of her sister. One minute, Mary was ahead of her, and the next, she’d disappeared.

Delilah ran farther, heart pounding, until the gunshots stopped and the silence told her Mary was gone. Panting, defeated, she collapsed against a live oak tree and slid down to the ground. Bark scraped her back, but she didn’t notice. “Oh God. Mary.”

She’d hoped once her sister knew she’d come to rescue her, she’d meekly follow and they’d get the heck out of Dodge. Easy-peasy. She snorted at her own naïveté. What had made perfect sense in her Tallahassee apartment she now saw for the same childlike thinking that had gotten her trapped eight years ago.

Frustrated, she climbed to her feet. She wasn’t that scared girl anymore, but she understood Mary’s thinking. Her sister had no doubt been rigorously indoctrinated into the importance of family and sticking together against the outside world. Her reaction tonight said she’d also seen enough to want to protect Mama.

But given the gunshots, Mary’s cooperation was only part of the equation. Either Aaron or John Henry obviously didn’t want her to leave. They didn’t go to that much trouble for a “mere woman” without good reason.

Which meant she not only had to find them, she had to find out exactly what they were planning so she could use that as leverage, too.

Q

When Delilah stopped behind a tree, Josh deliberately made noise as he approached so as not to startle her. He was shocked to his toes when she stepped into view, Glock held in front of her, hands rock steady on the grip, eyes hard. “Hands up and move closer so I can see you,” she ordered.

He froze, stunned. Her confidence hit him square in the gut and made the attraction he felt for her burn even hotter. Damn, she looked good like that.

“It’s Josh Tanner, Fish and Wildlife. Please put down the gun, Delilah, for my safety and yours.”

Through his night-vision goggles, he saw her eyes narrow in surprise and suspicion, but she immediately holstered the gun.

He stepped into the small clearing, hands on his utility belt, in reach of his own weapon.

She gave his uniform a quick once-over, then fisted both hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same question,” he responded, her attitude fueling his own. He pulled off his goggles. “Why are you sneaking around out here in the middle of the night?”

She huffed out a breath. “Seriously? Since when can’t people go outside at night without being interrogated by Fish and Wildlife?”

He almost laughed at her belligerent tone. Almost. But then he noticed the pain shadowing her features. He softened his voice. “Who were you meeting with?”

Her chin came up, lips pursed. “I’m not sure that’s any of your concern.”

She was dressed in black from head to toe, the fabric of her T-shirt clinging to her curves, her hands propped on a utility belt that looked a lot like his own. He’d thought her beautiful when she was sipping coffee. But whoever the girl was, she’d sent Delilah into full-on protective mode, reminding him of Xena, the warrior princess. He felt the jolt all the way to his toes.

He took a step closer, and she stilled. When he reached out and plucked a leaf from her hair, she captured his wrist, questions swirling in her huge blue eyes. Seconds ticked by as they watched each other, her mix of strength and vulnerability drawing him closer. He ran his thumb along her jaw, and her grip on his arm tightened. He studied her lips, lush and full, and the urge to taste had him inclining his head. Inches before their mouths touched, their eyes met, held. She blinked, effectively breaking the spell as she eased out of reach.

He shook his head to clear his muddled thoughts. Focus, Tanner. “Who was the girl?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and regarded him steadily. “And if I said, again, that it was none of your business?”

“I would say I was making it my business, since you are considered a person of interest in a recent death here in the forest.”

Her eyes narrowed right before she huffed out a laugh and called his bluff. “Seriously? You and your FWC buddies have declared me a person of interest because some poor hunter got killed by a bear?”

Josh had to tread lightly. He couldn’t discuss an active investigation, but that death scene wasn’t right, which was why he was out here in the middle of the night to begin with.

“Who is she?”

“I don’t like being backed into a corner, Officer Tanner.”

Josh propped his fists on his hips. “Are you going to make me drag this information out of you one word at a time?”

“Never answer a question you haven’t been asked. And never offer more information than what is required.” She tossed the words out in a way that made Josh think they had been drilled into her from childhood.

He pulled back his irritation. There was something else at play here, something that clearly worried her. “I am not your enemy, Delilah. Talk to me. Let me help.”

By the light of the moon, he saw myriad emotions cross her face. “I appreciate that, but you can’t. This is a family matter, something I have to deal with myself.” She squared her shoulders and set off again.

He easily caught up to her and matched his steps to hers. “You don’t have to say a word to me if you don’t want to, but if you’re heading back toward your camper”—he hitched a thumb over his shoulder—“you’re heading in the wrong direction.”

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It’s so good to say those words after the most difficult year we have experienced in our lifetime. But 2021 is here, and we are thankful we made it. For those of you who have suffered losses in 2020 my heart and my prayers go out to you. I sincerely hope that this year will be a better one for us all.

My family and I experienced some losses and struggles with illness and other things that kept me from my keyboard more than I liked, but I’m not looking back. I hope to write more and post more regularly so you can be up to date on my writing progress. I will be publishing my latest book Love, Lies, and Grace in a few months, and you will be hearing more about that soon.

I encourage you to continue reading, or writing, if you are a writer, so you can enjoy the benefits that only books can bring. I will also continue to bring you news and updates on special offers so you can add to your reading library.

Speaking of which, here’s your invitation to join this General Fiction promotion running from now through Jan. 25, 2021. In the Wilderness, book 2 of my Egypt trilogy is part of this promotion. These books are all FREE during this promotion so this is a good chance for you to stock up. You may also like to check out the other books in the series, Coming Out of Egypt and In the Promised Land not currently part of this promotion.

As I look ahead, I want to thank those of you who have been following me for whatever length of time. I hope you will continue and invite your friends to do so. You can also follow me on Facebook   Twitter   and Instagram

No Longer A Slumdog is a book written by KP Yohannan, a ministry leader who leads Gospel For Asia, an organization
committed to seeing communities transformed through the love of Christ. This amazing ministry shows how our loving God intervened to redeem them with His love.

As you prepare to enjoy the Christmas season, spare a thought for the thousands of children living in slum conditions in Asia. In this book you will read the stories of some of these children who were rescued from poverty and a life of servitude through the ministry of K.P. Yohannan.

Right now you can get a FREE copy of this life-changing book when you go to this link: www.gfa.org/bringinghope

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If you are still planning your Christmas shopping, here’s a good gift idea for the women on your list– Say Yes To What’s Next, written by Lori Allen, is a book that helps women, young and old, gain the confidence to make decisions and deal with the unexpected.

In case you don’t know who Lori Allen is, she is the owner of one of the biggest and busiest bridal mega-salons in the country, Atlanta’s Bridals by Lori. But she’s also a wife, mother, grandmother, and breast cancer survivor.

Say Yes to What’s Next is a life makeover and therapy session from a relatable you-can-and-you-should-do-this straight-shooter as Lori helps women shape their own futures with confidence, style, and sass.

You can purchase your copy here: https://www.thomasnelson.com/p/say-yes-to-whats-next/