My Summer & Fall Book List!

 Hello All,

I am so excited to bring to you a great selection of books that I have been working on and are ready for your reading pleasure.  Take your pick.  I know that there is something that will spark your reading fire.   And if you do enjoy them, please post a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I appreciate ya!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/SPOTLIGHT---BOOKS-By-Donna-Hill--Get-Your-Copies-Today-.html?soid=1101726524994&aid=cHkbH9CBK2k

Hello All. It's getting too quiet in here. And in celebration of my birthday today I think its time for another contest. So here we go: You must answer all five questions correctly based on my e-book DANGEROUS INTENTIONS. 1. What is the name of the man accused of murdering Michelene's best friend. 2. What did he do for a living? 3. What is the name of the law firm that Chase works for? 4. How did Chase and Michelene meet? 5. Where did Chase and Michelene make love the first time? THE CONTEST BEGINS TODAY MONDAY AUGUST 6 AND WILL END MONDAY AUGUST 20. THREE WINNERS WILL BE RANDOMLY SELECTED. HERE ARE THE PRIZES: 1st prize DH Tote bag in hot pink filled with 10 autographed books 2nd prize the Uncorrected manuscript of my upcoming novel TOUCH ME NOW (not available anywhere until Oct!) 3. A $25 Gift Certificate so you can get your sexy on. Do you have your copy of DANGEROUS INTENTIONS Get ready, get set, go!!! Good luck!! PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER HERE. SEND YOUR ANSWER TO:dhassistant@gmail.com please put CONTEST in the subject line

So, I am tickled to release my first e-book this year under my publishing hat Hiltop Publications. DANGEROUS INTENTIONS

is available for Kindle and will be available for Nook by the end of this week. So please be on the lookout. It features a sexy, savvy heroine Michelene Tyner--personal shopper for the elite of New Orleans, and the dashing, thoroughly male hero Chase Alexander, criminal defense attorney. When Michelene's best friend is found murdered, Chase is coerced by his boss to defend the accused. To make bad matters worst, the lovers are pitted against each other when Michelene holds the key to the murder and it could unravel Chase's legal career. And . . . . well, you'll have to read the book!! GET YOUR COPY RIGHT HERE

My Interview on WFKX. 95.7FM

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the fabulous Kimberly Kaye of WFKX. 95.7 FM on Wednesday, June 2. Here's the interview. Enjoy

Never Tell People What Your Book is About | Sell Your Book Like Wildfire: The Writer's Guide to Marketing and Publicity | Gotham Writers' Workshop

 I ran across this really interesting article. (see link below) For any authors reading this post, it presents us with some challenging questions. 
However, I would love to hear from the readers.  When you ask an author "what is your book about?" what do you really mean? What do you really want? What drives you to pick up a book from one other vs. another (even if they are sitting right next to each other at an event)


Never Tell People What Your Book is About | Sell Your Book Like Wildfire: The Writer's Guide to Marketing and Publicity | Gotham Writers' Workshop

Book discussion: 'Temptation Rising' by A.C. Arthur - USATODAY.com

Great interview by Michelle Monkou with A.C. Arthur about her new book. Check out the interview and be sure to get your copy.
Book discussion: 'Temptation Rising' by A.C. Arthur - USATODAY.com

You all know that I mostly promo books, but this time I am jumping up and down about my daughter's upcoming CD. She has worked crazy hard and the girl can SANG... LOL. Here is a short trailer to her song LOVE. Please share with your friends and if you like what you hear, please leave a comment on You Tube! Thanks and Enjoy

Turn Up The Heat

After Midnight by Donna Hill

Take a sexy, steamy journey to the dark side with this sizzling trio of erotic short stories by Donna Hill. In MOJO LOVER slip into the mind and body of Chantel who is consumed by a lover she can't see but can only feel, when the moon is low, and steam rises from the wet grass of the Savannah bayou at the height of a sweltering summer. Her Mojo Lover works magic that Chantel can't nor wants to resist . . .and neither will you. Selena's life changed forever one unforgettable night in the garden in 1804. Fast forward a century and Selena can only keep her unnatural desires at bay through the age-old art of massage. But when desire overwhelms reason and her lover unwittingly discovers who she is, Selena must make the most difficult decision of her lifetime in THE TOUCH. Margaret is a woman anyone could easily forget. Ordinary, unexciting, unattractive . . .by day. But by night, Margaret is Jade and Jade has a thirst for danger and hot sex any and everywhere she can get it. Margaret shares her erotic fantasies of Jade with her devilishly handsome therapist, who is more than turned on by Margaret/Jades escapades. But everything is not what it seems IN BETWEEN THE NIGHT. PURCHASE YOUR COPY HERE

Donna Hill News

 Here is my May monthly newsletter.



http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Donna-Hill-Newsletter---Correction.html?soid=1102973768806&aid=qaELplOyZwA

Teaser Tuesday: Dare to Dream by Donna Hill “Kiss me, Linc... on Twitpic

Teaser Tuesday: Dare to Dream by Donna Hill “Kiss me, Linc... on Twitpic

Closing Gaps, Youth Job & Scholarship Fairs, For Our Daughters and More ...

 Please click on the link for a wealth of information and resources.  Please share with others who have teeens


Closing Gaps, Youth Job & Scholarship Fairs, For Our Daughters and More ...

For Your Reading Pleasure

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My Interview with Enterpreneur Sylvia Hubbard

I had an opportunity to chat with Sylvia Hubbard and this very busy techno dynamo let me steal a few minutes of her time to pick her brain. She has some great things to share.

Sylvia, you are a one-woman marketing machine who has really found her niche in using technology. Please tell us what started you on that path?

Being broke.

In 2000, I was frustrated after I independently published my first book because I couldn't afford to pay for marketing & promotions, much less even buy my own books to sell. Back then (which seems strange to say just eleven years ago) e-books weren't popular, but I learned how to sell them because that was all I could sell.

You are involved in several literary promotion endeavors as well as running your own publishing line--Hub Books. It can't be easy to keep everything under control. How did you get Hub Books up and active?

I registered HubBooks initially for Motown Writers Network. I wanted a Literary Organization as a subsidy of my "Company." Plus once I heard someone say a long time ago it would get me better speaking engagements if I had a company instead of them writing checks to me. (That didn't work). In 2004, when no speaking engagements jumped off, I decided to take the step and publish my own book under HubBooks.

What programs do you use to upload your e-books?

Currently, I use Word to upload my books. I learned InDesign a long time ago, but I'm so comfortable with anything Microsoft (because I'm a PC girl) that I've always started my work there. I’m certified in Microsoft Word as well and I used to teach it at several community centers and a college. As the digital age progress and books become more artistically digitally, I'll start transferring books from Word to PDF to change them into mobi and epub files through Calibre Software which is FREE. (My favorite word)

You are a constant blogger. Do you plan your blogging in advance and how do you come up with interesting content?

I own over five blogs (six come 2012). The planned blogs are usually series of blogs (live stories, series or ongoing topics), but most times when I get the urge to write, I write and then post up for later. By the way, I'm always looking for guest blogs on the various blogs I have.

You tweet as well. When you began tweeting, what was your focus? What did you hope to achieve and do you think you have?

At almost 30K tweets in less than three years, I would say I'm a pretty avid tweeter. In any endeavor I do, my focus is to take what a service or network does and make myself noticed, so I can sell a book. Twitter is a fast moving, lots of taking large room of people networking, sharing and doing. If you're standing still on Twitter, you could miss the best FREE marketing tool ever invented. So in my three years have I accomplished what I wanted to on Twitter? I believe I have come close as possible to my goal. At over 3700 true followers (no autoboting spammers), I can say I have people who like what I do on Twitter.

Since you published your first book how has the marketing books changed?

Back in the day (just ten years ago), it was all about pushing people to buy the book. Now, as Scott Straten calls it, marketing is about "unmarketing." Now you have to sell yourself in order to sell the book, plus also continually engage those customers who have bought from you to get them to draw other readers to you. It sounds like a complicated style of word of mouth marketing.

What are some tips that you can offer authors and business folks on how to maximize technology?

First tip: USE IT! Don't just jump on a technolgy bandwagon by signing up to things you see your "friends" sign up to. See how it's utilized by them or other authors before signing up. I hate going to accounts of people who signed up for something and it looks like a tumbleweed rolled across my screen. You want to be where you say you are going to be by having each account you have open updated.

Second: Don't stretch yourself too thin. Utilize services such as Ping.fm, Hootsuite, SocialOomph, and even Bufferapp to give yourself great mobile apps, reminder campaigns and space out information so you aren't overwhelming your followers & friends.

Third: While having a website or blog (CMS), visit other blogs, social network pages and retweet others to show you support your genre and platform. Article market and guest blog so let others know about you but also present great content for people to read other than your books.

Fourth: Content is King, but Quality is Queen. Bring your best to others. Make sure you are blogging at least once a week and sharing information about your literary world with your readers and other followers.

Fifth: Help someone else. Do something for them online that they couldn't do for themselves. Send out a tweet of theirs, host them on your blog, and invite others to "like" their page. Be an asset to the World Wide Web, otherwise you're just a liability.

Please tell us about the Michigan Literary Network, of which you are the founder.

I realized in 2009, Motown Writers Network was getting a lot of writers, but I wanted more readers. Mainly my market has always been Michigan, but I needed someway to get readers to see the asset Motown Writers Network was. So I created The Michigan Literary Network. Under this subsidy, we join readers, bookclubs, libraries and even literacy groups together to connect readers to Michigan Authors and to also raise literacy rates in Metro Detroit.

What are you currently working on?

EVERYTHING. Lol. I'm doing a live book on my site. It's where I come up with a book from the top of my head and just write. Readers can come and read the book live and make comments, criticisms and so forth. It's called The Revenge of Three.

I'm also working on producing a paperback to be release the first of 2012 called Hope Is Love. It's an ebook exclusively available on my website in pdf, mobi & epub & the exclusive paperback version will be available everywhere in January of 2012. The paperback cover will actually debut the Christmas week for my readers and I’m too excited about! I'm always looking for reviewers and book clubs to host me, so please contact me at sylviahubbard@gmail.com to arrange this.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

Of course at my website, http://sylviahubbard.com. Related websites are:

• www.MotownWriters.com
• www.MichiganLiteraryNetwork.com
• www.LoveABlackWoman.com
• www.MotownMomMusings.com
• www.WritersGuide2InternetMarketing.com
• www.MotownLiteraryJam.com
• www.MotownBookClub.com

They can also connect with me on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter & Goodreads.

The Danger of A Single Story

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HOLIDAY CONTEST!

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How to Make a Vision Board with Affirmations for Attraction! Abiola's Bo...

Who Moved My Budweiser

My take on the changing neighborhood



Fort Green aka The Fort, was the first to fall about a decade and a half ago. The once notoriously deadly enclave—at least to those who didn’t live there—is now the hip, swanky hub of buppie Brooklyn. The streets are lined with cafes, boutiques, bistros, wine bars and yogurt establishments. The former don’t-you-go-in-there Fort Green park, where many-a-body and shootout have gone down is now a pristine locale for joggers, picnicers, and doggie walkers.

With The Fort converted into Brooklyn’s version of The Village in Manhattan, black folk had a non-verbal understanding that Bedford-Stuyvesant was our last stronghold in the hood, the last stand. Our history of drugs and violence was so pervasive that not even the bravest of “them” would dare cross the battle lines into Do-or-Die Bed-Stuy. Most folks remained firm in their “I shall not be moved,” conviction, whether it be the families that have owned their homes for generations or the real keeper of the flame, Brotherman on the Corner.

So when I married and moved to the faux Brooklyn suburb of Canarsie, I was confident that the joys of hood life would be alive and well whenever I returned.
You see, there is a certain annoying comfort in the familiar, like drunk “Joe” who greets the customers at the 24-hour corner store, beer can draped in the requisite brown paper bag; the summer block parties notorious for excessively loud music, wild-ass kids running amok, and closed off streets that tie-up traffic every Saturday from July to August; and the cookouts on the sidewalk. Only black folk can do up a cookout on the sidewalk, complete with a grill and folding tables for the potato salad and greens. Just give us a slice of concrete and we can have us a barbecue. Ahh, yes, the joys of the hood.

When my marriage came to an end, I packed up my kids and after a few pit stops returned to my roots, mere blocks from where I grew up. But something had happened to me in my years in faux suburbia. I’d been lulled into a mindset of having arrived. Where, I wasn’t sure, but I was there. As a result, the Friday night shoot outs, blaring police sirens and the constant scream of the ambulances shook me rather than soothed me. I looked with suspicion and alarm at my hooded young brothers and loud, brassy, belly-baring young sisters. But I felt assured that once fully entrenched in the life and style of the hood I would regain my muse and submerge myself in all things Negro.

It soon became alarmingly clear, however, that I was no longer back in Kansas. It was subtle at first, hardly noticeable. There was just one or two of “them.” A fluke? Perhaps they were just real light skin with “good hair.” But as winter turned to spring and then summer, their numbers grew. I’d step outside and see them jogging with their teacup pooches in tow. Where a year earlier it was only the few intrepid men who had set out to explore the exotic world of the Negro life and set down their flag, now their women had come, toting many a curly-headed kid.
Other things began to change, too. The once vast wasteland of the avenues began to sprout antique shops, children’s boutiques, coffee shops with internet access, new “affordable” housing filling one-time empty lots. And for the first time in the history of The Stuy, a veterinarian’s office! Obviously to care for the influx of little dogs.

And where the once behemoth Pathmark had stood, complete with their rude, gum chewing, loud-mouthed cashiers, it was replaced with Foodtown, new management and staff that talked to the customer instead of the person on the other end of their cell phone, and smiled at you rather than rolled their eyes when you put your groceries on the counter. An entire aisle was dedicated to healthy and organic food! Imagine that. At least now I didn’t have to travel back to Canarsie to shop every weekend. (Couldn’t stand those heifers in Pathmark).

It wasn’t just Foodtown or the vet. Along with “them” came bike lanes and tree guards, police patrols, sushi restaurants, safer streets and million dollar price tags on homes. Our once black corner of the world grew smaller as they crossed the bridges from overpriced Manhattan and the divides of Crown Heights and Williamsburg to settle and convert as is their way, their history.

So as our new neighbors reside amongst us, strolling, jogging and biking along our streets, joining our churches, rubbing elbows with us at the local laundry, dreadlocking their hair and standing in line on the weekends to get their soul food from Royal Ribs on Halsey Street; we gather in small groups or chat on the phone about “them.”

“They’re everywhere!” “Can’t have nothing,” we complain. “Not even our own ghetto.” We shake our heads in disbelief, as we sip smoothies at the new outdoor cafe and watch their numbers grow wondering how much longer it will be before the block parties are no more, grilling on the sidewalk is a thing of the past, the music isn’t so loud, the 24-hour store closes by nine and the life and vitality that drew “them” here is washed out and sanitized into something unrecognizable.
I ponder these questions even as I enjoy the amenities that have come to the neighborhood because of “them.” I ponder these questions as I sit in my three bedroom duplex condo, looking out on my backyard, listening not to gun shots and sirens but contractors building a new two-family home across the street even as the mom and pop store on the corner has been shuttered for months and I wonder, just briefly, what corner Joe is standing on now.

SYLVIA HUBBARD FREE FRIDAYS

http://sylviahubbard.com/2011/07/11/diary-of-a-free-friday-early-treat-again-syllit-motownlit-smashwords/

When Two or More Gather in His Name ...

My friend and beloved writer to many, mom, daughter, sister Leslie Esdaile Banks aka LA Banks is in the hospital very sick. Her medical bills are quite high so beginning Tuesday, June 21st through July 1, authors and people in the book biz are auctioning items and services to raise money to help cover her expenses. The auction site is filled with everything from huge promotional packages for authors, offers to read manuscripts by major editors for aspiring writers, advanced reading copies of upcoming books, huge gift baskets of autographed books and so much more. Get on over there and check it out. Whatever you can bid on helps. Leslie Esdaile Banks Auction

There is also a fund that you can donate directly to. Even if it's only $5.00. Every single dollar counts. So don't think for a minute that your contribution will not matter. It does.
Leslie Esdaile Fund
Account #81538801
Police and Fire Federal Credit Union
Operations Center
901 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107-2404
(215) 931-0300

If you live in or near Philadelphia, donations may be taken directly to any Police and Fire Federal Credit Union branch. Please be sure to note the account number.

Thanks for the love and support.

Donna

Interview with Dolen Perkins Valdez

Dolen thank you for sharing a little bit about yourself and your books with my readers.



Your novel WENCH is based on factual events--slave women vacationing with their masters. How did you come upon this information and when did you know that it had the makings of a novel?

I came upon this information while reading a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of W.E.B. DuBois called Biography of a Race. In the section where the biographer discussed DuBois tenure as a professor at Wilberforce University in Ohio, he said that the university was a resort hotel that may have been the most unusual resort in America because it was popular among slaveholders and their enslaved mistresses. I was stunned, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

WENCH has received a host of accolades including a nomination for an NAACP Image Award. What was it like getting the news about the nomination and attending the award show?

It was such an honor. I am from Memphis, Tennessee where the NAACP chapter has always been a legendary organization led by extraordinary individuals. The renowned Benjamin Hooks, who was the executive director of the national organization from 1977 to 1992, was from Memphis. So this was the best news I could have received. The award show was full of all the love I thought it would be: lots of hugs, kisses, warm wishes. I took my parents, and even though I didn't win, it is a memory I will always cherish.

How has the support of your publisher helped to propel the novel?

The support of my publisher has been immense. Having said that, I feel that I earned a lot of my publisher's respect and support. When my hardcover came out, it had a modest first printing of 10,000 copies. I was not given a national tour or much of a marketing budget. Once I understood this was very typical for an untested debut novelist, I began to work very hard on my hardcover sales. WENCH went into seven printings in hardcover. As a result, the publisher got behind my paperback in a much more committed way. I have been very pleased with my experience with Amistad/HarperCollins. They have some talented people working there.

How much do you think word of mouth has played into the success of WENCH? And what were some of the strategies that you employed to get the word out?

Word of mouth has been tremendous. They say that word of mouth is the best marketing an author can get, and I can attest to that. I have been very active on Facebook and Twitter. I think that social media has really given debut authors an advantage.

This is your first novel. But of course, novel writing is not all that you do. What other hats do you wear? Who is Dolen when she turns off the computer or puts down the notebook?

I have a family, so I am constantly juggling my family and career needs. Like any working professional mom, I hope that I am doing an adequate job at each. It's definitely not easy.

The original cover for WENCH was a beautiful picture of a woman, somewhat obscured by a large hat. The paperback version of the novel is a bird freed from its cage. What role if any did you play in the new cover and why the change? What has been the overall reaction to the new cover?

My paperback imprint HarperPerennial chose the paperback cover. Contractually, debut authors usually do not have the authority to choose their covers. I was fortunate, however, to have a publisher that valued my input. They asked me about each, and I responded that I really loved them both! My readers have mixed reviews, though. My hardcover still sells because some prefer that cover. Others like the paperback cover.

Shifting gears just a bit. How do you feel the new digital age will change the face of publishing--if at all-- and will it have any impact on writers of color?

I think the new digital age will definitely change the face of publishing. Think about it: there have been four authors of color on the paperback New York Times Bestseller list in 2011. That's a promising number which I hope will rise. There is, of course, no way to measure the impact of the internet on book sales, but I'm willing to venture that it is significant.

What is one book (other than yours) that you would highly recommend readers to get and why?

I highly recommend a book I read recently called A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar. It is a beautiful debut novel about a young girl growing up in Kuwait and Egypt around the time of the Persian Gulf war. Jarrar has a wicked sense of humor--I laughed the whole way through! This is not a tourist journey through Arab culture.

Dolen, what can readers look for next from you and when? I'm working on a new novel set during the time of the Civil War.

I really hope I can finish it soon, but as you know writing a novel is long, difficult work. Wish me luck.

And of course, where can readers find you on the web?
Find me on Twitter at twitter.com/dolen or Facebook at facebook.com/writerdolen or www.DolenPerkinsValdez.com