News hits from Essence Best Sellers List, hardcover fiction

June 13, 8:13 PMAfrican-American Books ExaminerNordette Adams

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The following is a list of news from or about black authors who are on the most recent Essence magazine best seller list (May 2009) for hardcover fiction.

1. Sister Souljah tops the list, #1, with Midnight, A Gangster Love Story (Atria, $26.95) Her website describes the book as a teenage love story focusing on the character Midnight from The Coldest Winter Ever. Midnight, the novel, is the prequel to "Coldest Winter." Sister Souljah's News: She's hiring actors to read for parts in the audio versions of both these books. Deadline to apply is July 31, 2009. Read more at her site.


2. Kimberly Lawson Roby is #2 on the list with The Best of Everything, a romance novel that is the story of Alicia Black Sullivan, the wayward daughter of a pastor. Read an excerpt here. (HarperCollins, $23.99) Kim Roby's News: On July 7, she will be on a telechat with The Spirited Woman Circle.

   In her "live" 1-hour conversation, Kim will talk about her road to success, why each one of her books have dealt with very real issues such as single motherhood, domestic violence, sexual harassment, infidelity and other relevant topics, what inspires her to write, the influence her mother had on her life, and more.

   You can register at SWC to participate.


3. Vickie Stringer is classified as a writer of Hip Hop literature also known as urban lit. She's at #3 on the Essence Best Sellers List with Still Dirty (Atria, $23.95), a sequel to Dirty Red, the story of a hustler. She is also the founder of Triple Crown Publications. Stringer's News: Triple Crown's new website, including author videos.


4. Greg Mathis comes in at #4 with Street Judge (Strebor Books, $24). Yes, it's that Judge Mathis. From his website:

   In this fast-paced, sexually charged thriller, a newly appointed judge is caught up in a gritty case involving a brutally murdered woman as well as a blackmail scheme involving an overzealous femme fatale determined to sleep her way to the top of Detroit’s society page.

   Mathis's News: He's involved with a video game called Mathis "Detroit" Street Judge that is coming under fire for its use of prison rape.


5. Mary Monroe of the God Don't Like Ugly series is #5 with She Had It Coming, the story of a fictional female bigamist, Dolores Reese, (Dafina, $24). Monroe's News: Nothing new to report that's publicized, but you may listen to an interview with the author here.


6. Toni Morrison, Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winning author, is at #6 on the May Essence list with A Mercy, (Knopf, $23.95). The novel is about slavery and a mother who "casts off her daughter in order to save her, and of a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment." Morrison's News: A Michigan school system recently tried to ban Morrison's novel The Song of Solomon from a student reading list. Ironically, Morrison recently edited Burn this Book, which is about censorship and the power of the written word. Listen to her interview with Tom Ashbrook about that book, free speech, and the dangers writers face around the world. Morrison says she didn't even know anyone was trying to ban one of her books recently, but librarians say she's one of the top five writers whose works are most often targeted for banning. In the interview, she also shares an intriguing bit of Catholic church history about banning passages of the Bible.


7. RM Johnson, author of The Million Dollar Deception (Simon & Schuster, $24), lands at #7. His book is a sequel to The Million Dollar Divorce and continues with more sex, suspense, and drama, drama, drama. Johnson's News: In September he makes it a trilogy with the release of The Million Dollar Demise.


8. Zane, mistress of erotica, is #8 with Honey Flava. It's a collection of multicultural erotic short stories. Zane's News: It's not news to Zane fans, but you can watch her stories on Cinemax. Also, the writer has a line of sex toys.


9. E. Lynn Harris is back with more romance at #9 with Just Too Good To Be True (Doubleday, $24.95). The book is being released this month in paperback. Harris's News: His name is listed with African-American literature heavy hitters at The Daily Voice in an opinion piece by by Jeff Winbush, who is taking on Kanye West's dismissal of books and reading.


10. Eric Jerome Dickey is still hot at #10 with Dying for Revenge, (Dutton, $25.95). The novel is about a professional hit man and is the Book 3 in the Gideon Trilogy. Dickey's News: Nothing to report from his website, but it looks good. A Pennysylvania reviewer lists the author as one of many hot reads for July.

The Essence Best Sellers List also has paperback fiction and nonfiction titles.