African American Literary Awards Nominee
AUTHOR
U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, Brazil, India, Africa, South Africa, Poland, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Mexico, South America, Australia, Ireland, Indonesia, New Zealand
INSIDE A THUG'S HEART
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Rikers Island is the centerpiece of the New York City Department of Corrections, a sprawling prison city of concrete and steel with housing for more than 16,000 inmates. Early in 1995, it was also the temporary home of legendary rapper and actor Tupac Shakur, incarcerated for a crime he swore he did not commit. And it was there that Angela Ardis, acting on a late-night wager among her friends and coworkers, sent a letter, along with a photo and her phone number. To her utter delight and amazement, Angela's phone rang a short while later. Tupac Shakur was on the line.
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Over the next several months, Angela and Tupac shared a near-daily exchange of letters, poems and phone calls, and their the relationship quickly grew into something neither of them could quite define, a kinship of souls that touched each in unexpected ways.
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Those original poems and letters, many of them written after Tupac’s transfer from Rikers to
Dannemora State Prison, are presented here, along with the increasingly passionate and personal phone calls that touched on every subject imaginable. Far from the media spotlight, Tupac was by turns playful, sensual and serious, offering sharp observations on prison, music and the uncertainties of life. His letters to Angela reflect how he felt about being shot five times and left for dead one terrible night in New York in 1994, and his heartfelt verse encapsulates his dreams for the future—a future that would be so tragically cut short just over eighteen months after their correspondence began.
Tupac Shakur was shot on September 7th, 1996 and died a week later from his injuries. His murder remains unsolved, an ending as enigmatic as his life. But while Tupac may be gone, his words live on here, giving every fan a rare glimpse inside the mind and unbroken spirit of a passionate and unpredictable musical icon.
D'LAI: The Journey Behind The Smile
A tremendously resilient journey took D’LAI from an impoverished, difficult and humble upbringing, to the bright lights and opportunities of Hollywood. This book dives deep inside the life and mind of one of America’s most sought after comedians. Having lost his mother at the age of nine months, and being raised by his grandmother and auntie, he succumbed to a life of mystery, questions, confusion and lack of understanding. Watching day in and day out an enormous level of dysfunction, at eight years old, ‘Davetrick’ knew he was different. He wanted something else for his life and knew that that ‘something else’ was out there. Everything happens for a reason and his journey is a testament that if you continue to move forward towards your goals, the world will open up and bring the right people into your life, at the right time.
D’LAI’s tenacity, perseverance, and belief in himself pushed him in directions even he didn’t know he was capable of going. The seeds his grandmother planted manifested themselves at some of his lowest points. The reader will follow him through his journey of figuring out life, love and the pursuit of a dream that no one believed he could truly accomplish.
An extremely sentimental audio to his mother and grandmother close out D’LAI’s inspiring journey. You’ll laugh, cry and be motivated by his trials, tribulations and triumphs and at last be able to understand “The Journey Behind the Smile.”
THE BLOCK
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Five children, Robert, Troy, Reigna, Tina and Kora are trapped inside a labyrinth known as ‘The Block’. The inner workings of these children’s minds are released as we follow them from age ten to eighteen. Experiencing their journey through their struggle to cope, comprehend, and develop while dealing with extreme neglect, physical, mental, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse. They’re looking for love, all wanting something more, and all trying to figure a way out of their unfortunate circumstances. Born into a “no chance of a childhood” reality, they form an alliance against the ills that plague them all. They struggle. They cry out. They fight to survive.
A compelling and horrendous story of courage, faith, life, love and true friendship of five children, who through circumstances met, are enduring unimaginable hardships. The lives of these children are unthinkable. Their fates were cast early in their childhood. You’ll find yourself laughing with them, rooting for them, crying for them and praying that they, all, make it off THE BLOCK..
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THE BLOCK: TRUTH REVEALED (sequel)
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Fifteen years later, Troy, Robert, Tina, Reigna and Kora are grown and living the lives they'd always dreamed. However, a forced trip to an exotic island rocks each and every one of them to the core. Everything they ever thought about themselves and their lives have been grossly manipulated. Their pasts are revealed and their futures remain dangerously uncertain. But when it's all said and done, they will understand that ‘The block’, they spent so much time trying to get off of, is calling them back and resisting isn't an option.
THE BLOCK: THE LABYRINTH
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Finding themselves back on The Block, was never a place any of them thought they'd ever return to. Now, looking for their missing links, the bosses, and confronting the horrors that continue to plague their minds, the dangers lurk around every corner. Peace of mind and heart is all they ever wanted, but attempting to find peace in a place of chaos will be the challenge for all of them.
What will happen if they can't find what they're looking for? What will happen when the dangers they're trying to avoid find them? How will they get off THE BLOCK again? Or will their plight lead to a reality none of them are prepared for?
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COMING SOON
CADENCE
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Veeka, Yana and Tria, daughters of one of the largest drug traffickers on the east coast, finds themselves trying to maintain their parents legacy and business upon their deaths. Each one, possessing extremely different temperaments, personalities and goals realizes that doing business with family is more challenging than any of them imagined. As they fight against the ills of the business, they begin battling against one another.Unable to trust anyone, they each, desperately seek a way to break free from the game and find 'normal' lives either together or apart.
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COMING SOON
