The post ‘DEAR ALPHA FEMALE: IT’S NOT HIM, IT’S YOU’ IS A LOVE LETTER TO TODAY’S CAREER WOMAN appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.
]]>Now available at dearalphafemale.com
’Valentine’s Day is a little over a week away, but many women have started celebrating their sister friendships with Galentine’s Day. Best-selling author Christal Jordan says the holiday dedicated to sisterly affection was the perfect release date for her highly anticipated new book Dear Alpha Female: It’s Not Him, It’s You!
The book is an interactive guide that takes 21st century single women on a journey to self-appreciation by coaching them through the roles they play in their love lives. Jordan describes the book as a “love letter wrapped in accountability” and shares much of her personal testimony as a career woman who identifies with the “alpha female” and struggled with finding and maintaining a romantic relationship despite achieving success in other areas of her life.
“Love can’t exist without accountability, and at some points in my life I needed to be held accountable in areas where I was struggling,” she shares. A celebrity publicist by trade, Jordan says at the times her business was being touted as one of the premiere PR agencies in the southeast, she was secretly dealing with anxiety and high functioning depression. While her areas of weakness did not show up in her ability to serve clients and lead a staff of five, it did affect her dating life. After going through a painful divorce, Jordan was single for a little over a decade before a girlfriend told her she needed to get help.
That help included being a guest on “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” where she was held accountable for her contribution to her singleness. “Ms. Vanzant immediately cut through my exterior and spoke to that little girl inside me that believed she needed to ‘over-achieve’ to prove her worth. I’d never loved myself unconditionally; I told myself I had to perform at a certain level or else.”
After her encounter with Iyanla Vanzant, Jordan went back to therapy and ended up getting married a year and a half later.
Today, Jordan says she cringes hearing women boast and brag about their accomplishments, suggesting their financial and or career success make them a “perfect catch.”
“So many of us have bought into the idea that money, accolades or materialistic things make us worthy of love and then are disappointed and ultimately bitter when those achievements don’t reward us with a loving relationship. The truth is, we have to love ourselves differently, finding value in just being our authentic selves. When we are unbalanced, we don’t leave an open space for real love.”
Jordan hopes Dear Alpha Female will serve as a cautionary epiphany to ambitious women everywhere. In this thought-provoking devotional, readers will be confronted with questions (Will your life end if you never get married? Are you considered a failure if you don’t have children?) that encourage them to take inventory of their values and do away with toxic beliefs that may be holding them back from attracting the love they desire.
“I wrote this book because I truly believe I am not my sister’s keeper, I am my sister,” says Jordan, who remarried last year after spending over a decade as a divorced, single working mom. “It’s time to allow those over-achieving little girls inside of us to relax. We have to let her know she’s carried us this far, but it’s time for her to exhale. It’s time for her to let go of her fear. It’s time for her to be loved unconditionally. It’s time for her to grow.”
TLC’s Chilli, a close friend and client of Jordan’s provides the foreword for the book.
Dear Alpha Female: It’s Not, Him It’s You! is now available on Amazon.com, at Walmart, Barnes & Noble booksellers and dearalphafemale.com.
For more information on Dear Alpha Female: It’s Not Him It’s You! or for interview opportunities with Christal Jordan email: Jamal James via [email protected].
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christal D. Jordan is a journalist and professional entertainment publicist with several years of experience in celebrity marketing and branding. Jordan worked in the corporate PR sector before relocating to Atlanta, GA and founding Enchanted Branding and Public Relations in 2008.
The company specializes in public relations strategy, mediatraining/consultation, and crisis communication in service of notable celebrity talent such as TLC’s Chilli, Roy Jones Jr.Kenan Thompson, and more. Further, Jordan serves as a journalist and editor with Rolling Out Magazine where she specializes in stories that emphasize the importance of empowering women.
Jordan earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communications and her Master of Arts in Mass Communications from the University of Oklahoma. Most recently, Jordan started a YouTube channel pulling from her own experiences with celebrity endorsement and strategic relationships. The channel, entitled From Christal with Love XO, boasts over 23L subscribers and works to celebrate love and relationships from a progressive lens. She is also the host of Fox 5 Atlanta’s bi-weekly segment on celebrity relationships.
SOCIAL
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @enchantedpr LinkedIn: Christal Jordan
Website: https://dearalphafemale.com/
The post ‘DEAR ALPHA FEMALE: IT’S NOT HIM, IT’S YOU’ IS A LOVE LETTER TO TODAY’S CAREER WOMAN appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.
]]>The post MALIK BOOKS & PAFF JOIN FORCES FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.
]]>LOS ANGELES, CA (February 1, 2023) – For Black History Month, Malik Books is excited to bring the love of reading to the 31st Annual Pan African Festival & Arts Festival. During the film festival’s run, the black-owned, independent bookstore will host a book-signing and Q&A featuring attorney and television personality Eboni K. Williams, author of BET ON BLACK: THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BEING BLACK IN AMERICA TODAY. The book calls for Black people worldwide to adopt a fresh, highly-informed mindset that will change lives. Devyn Bakewell, who serves as assistant managing editor of the Los Angeles Sentinel and the Los Angeles Watts, and a romance novelist – the author of GREATER LOVE and GREATER LIFE — will serve as a moderator.Audiences may be familiar with Williams thanks to her appearances on ABC’s “The View” and Season 13 of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York.” In her new book, BET ON BLACK, Williams delves into some of the cornerstones of leading a first-class Black life, ranging from knowing one’s history to understanding the power of representation to investing in the sometimes challenging processes of success. As Williams writes in her introduction, “Black excellence is as much an individual journey as a collective one. I will admit that my belief in what I consider to be a fundamental truth about the place of Blackness in our society didn’t come effortlessly. My own road to embracing who I am and what I can do has been met with many obstacles in my career and personal life, a couple of which I’ll share with you. At one point in my education and career, I thought it would be easier to make myself smaller. But over time, I’ve learned how to stay true to my ideals, and Black foundation, so becoming small was no longer a viable option.” “We are excited to collaborate with the Pan African Film Festival in celebrating Black culture,” said Malik Muhammad, who founded Malik Books in 1990 at the corner of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards before moving to the mall four years later. “Our bookstore provides a vehicle where people can embrace their Blackness and educate and empower themselves to connect with their African American heritage. Without censorship, a person can explore his or her own Blackness and be enlightened through the pages of hundreds of books at Malik Books.”
About Devyn Bakewell
Devyn is an activist for the Black community, advocates for women and children, and is a Romance novelist who believes Greater Love can lead to a Greater Life. In her debut novel, “Greater Love,” Devyn connects with people by bringing them closer through shared experiences. Devyn hopes that through her literary work, she can improve the plight of black youth, women, and anyone who faces systemic oppression. With Greater Life, she continues the conversation.
About PAFF
PAFF is one of the largest and most prestigious Black film festivals in the United States, taking place February 9-20, 2023, in Los Angeles. It attracts local, national, and international audiences as the nation’s largest Black History Month cultural event. PAFF presents and showcases a broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes of Africans and African Americans. Since 1992, PAFF has remained dedicated to promoting Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expressions. Most importantly, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live-action and animation short films. Visit PAFF.org.
About Malik Books
Malik Books is a black-owned, independent bookstore specializing in books, calendars, cards, and gifts full of cultural diversity. This bookstore is a rare gem and offers a unique experience to its customers. Book loves can find all the hottest and best sellers of today, as well as hard-to-find books, or upon request, special order more than 12 million book titles. Malik Books served as the official bookseller of the 2022 Leimert Park Village Book Fair. Malik Books offer two locations – the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza and Westfield Culver City. Visit MalikBooks.com.
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]]>The post <strong>Acclaimed Award-Winning Screenwriter and Novelist Rodney Barnes Celebrates the Legacy of Blacula with Anticipated Graphic Novel “Blacula: Return of The King”</strong> appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.
]]>Set in Los Angeles, two souls, one looking for vengeance and the other seeking the truth, share one thing in common; they are both searching for the legendary vampire Blacula. Tina Thomas is a reporter for the blog Dark Knights, which chronicles all things unnatural, uneasy, and undead. She meets a young man named Kross, who asked her to help him kill Blacula, after his family was forever changed by the vampire.
Alexander’s attention to detail and undeniable artistry depicts each scene of the graphic novel in a mesmerizing way, capturing readers into the alluring story through his imagery. Rodney’s rendition is both chilling and fascinating, and not only pays homage to the Blacula we know and love, but breathes new life into his character. The graphic novel, which is both available on Amazon or through your favorite bookstore or comic book shop, is the first of the Blacula series set to release this year for avid readers and fans of the genre.
Rodney has maintained his illustrious career in Hollywood for decades as a sought-after screenwriter for top television shows including his work with Fox’s “Everybody Hates Chris”, Adult Swim’s “The Boondocks”, Hulu’s “Wu Tang: An American Saga” and currently Executive Producer for HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”. His emphatic voice has set him apart as one of the great writers of our time, whether on screen or on the page. Rodney is also the co-creator of the Eisner nominated series, “Killadelphia,” with four collections published and currently scoring perfect reviews in its fifth story arc.
“I’m excited for the world to finally see this labor of love. Jason Shawn Alexander and I, along with team Zombie Love Studios have poured our hearts into resurrecting Prince Mamuwalde aka “Blacula” for a new generation. I hope they enjoy it as much as we did putting it together“, Barnes stated.
With first looks with genre media and through Rodney’s own social media feeds, this graphic novel is already primed to be one of the year’s most talked about releases. Rodney will appear at The Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles on Saturday February 11 at 2PM, for exclusive insight into the ideation of the graphic novel, as well as the writer’s personal history with the character, and what he has planned next for Blacula.
Order Here
https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/5277?id=698016.2350.1.567d270fe5e255c75b5a9700f69cb84d
The post <strong>Acclaimed Award-Winning Screenwriter and Novelist Rodney Barnes Celebrates the Legacy of Blacula with Anticipated Graphic Novel “Blacula: Return of The King”</strong> appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.
]]>The post Lupita Nyong’o, Black Thought, Storm Reid and Baratunde Thurston Among Performers at “MLK Now 2018 appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.
]]>Blackout for Human Rights will host its 3rd Annual “MLK Now”, a free event celebrating the words and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hosted in partnership with the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA), Color of Change, PICO National Network, and The Root, MLK Now 2018 will feature Oscar-Winner and BLACK PANTHER star Lupita Nyong’o, Grammy-Winning Hip Hop MC/Lyricist Black Thought of The Roots, and A WRINKLE IN TIME star Storm Reid, with Comedian and Author Baratunde Thurston returning this year as event M.C. Additional performers for MLK Now 2018 will be announced later this week.
Since 2016, MLK Now has brought together a cross-section of artists, performers and thought-leaders to pay homage to Dr. King and other revolutionary figures throughout history. Influential artists and entertainers that have performed at MLK Now include Chris Rock, Olivia Wilde, Q-Tip, Harry Belafonte, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Octavia Spencer, Michael B. Jordan, Omari Hardwick, Olivia Wilde, Uzo Aduba, Andre Holland, Anika Noni Rose, J. Cole, Adepero Oduye, India.Arie, and more. Admission to MLK Now is FREE and open to the public.
The talent line-up for MLK Now will be announced in the coming days! For real-time updates, check back here or follow the hashtag #MLKNow2018.
*PLEASE BE ADVISED:
For more info, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mlk-now-2018-tickets-41849036595?aff=erelexpmlt
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]]>The post I Ain’t Me No More by E. N. Joy appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.
]]>Whatever the cause, once the demons within her break free, those around her better beware.
Helen feels no shame about the fact that she hasn’t been saved all her life. Will the divas of New Day Temple of Faith think Helen is worth saving? More importantly, can God save Helen from not only her evil past, but from herself?
Excerpt:
Man, I hate the cleaning guy! Why does he have to do his job so well? Can’t he ever leave just one spot, smear, or smudge on this dang stripper pole? Something so that I don’t have to see myself so painfully visible like this? What makes him think I want to be able to see myself twirling around this pole like some skilled monkey—caught up in the powerful grip of the almighty dollar; a grip known to have choked the life out of many while leaving others gasping for their last breath?
“That’s for you,” Damon spoke out over R. Kelly’s “Your Body’s Calling.” With his chestnut brown, bald head and facial hair that was edged up nice and clean, Damon licked his thumb and used it to flick a twenty-dollar bill off the stack of money he was palming.
I swiveled my body down to the ground, the same way the vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream at the DQ makes its way from the machine to the cone. “Baby, you know it takes gas to keep a Cadillac like myself going,” I said to Damon. “As long as you keep filling up the tank, I’ma go-go all night.” I swiveled my body back up to a standing position while adding, “In any direction you want me to go.”
Damon’s lips parted into that sexy signature smile of his.
“Whatever you want,” Damon said. “It’s your Caddy. I’ll drive, ride, heck, I’ll even be a backseat passenger. Just know that I got you, Ma.” Damon began to flick off bills like he was the dealer in a game of spades.
I was very much content with the hand I was being dealt. So much so that I wanted to drop to my knees and begin scooping like a kid standing under a piñata that had just been busted open. But I didn’t want to appear too desperate. Resolving to strip in the first place was out of desperation. At the time of making the decision I had felt trapped, like Jonah in the belly of the big fish. I was always trying to make ends meet, but neither of my ends were the least bit interested in getting to know one another. Bills were due. I weighed some options on my immoral scale of desperation, and stripping was a less load to travel with in my mental carry-on. I mean, at least I wasn’t selling my whole self—just bartering off a piece of me.
“Go on, Go-Go Girl. You know you wanna bend that thang over and pick up that loot.”
Once again, Damon licked his thumb and lightened his pile of money as he flicked a couple more bills onto the stage at my feet. “Come on, just show me a li’l sumpin’-sumpin’,” Damon urged. His eyes perused my body from head to toe, wetting his thumb in preparation to keep making it rain.
And this was rain, might I add. Ones being flicked off; that’s a chance of rain. Fives being flicked off; that’s a little drizzle. Tens being flicked off; that’s a scattered shower. Twenties; that’s rain. Benjamins; an all-out thunderstorm!
“Come on, Damon, you know the rules. You don’t want me to break the rules and get put on punishment do you?” I asked, making a puppy dog face.
“Forget the rules,” Damon barked like the big dawg he was. “And if all that is worthy of just a peek,” he said, referring to all the money he’d laid at my feet, “I can only imagine what this will get me.”
I froze on the stage, which meant the bill Damon was now displaying must have triggered some type of ice storm. Until that very moment, I had never even known that such a bill existed.
“What’s the matter, Go-Go Girl? You ain’t never seen a five-hundred-dollar bill before?” He chuckled. “So what do you say you make tonight a first for a lot of things?”
All of a sudden, I was starting to think about church, kicking myself for not having paid my respects (or tithes) to the house of the Lord in a couple of months. At the same time, I was trying my hardest to recall one of those messages that had to do with temptation—a scripture or something— because to tell the truth and shame the devil, I was beyond tempted to take Damon up on his offer.
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches . . .” That wasn’t exactly the scripture I was grappling for, but it still seemed fitting.
My name; Helen Lannden. How much is it worth today? Twenty-five year old Helen Lannden. How much will my name be worth tomorrow, especially if I trick for this money today?
BLESSEDselling Author E. N. Joy is the author behind the “New Day Divas,” “Still Divas,” “Always Divas” and “Forever Divas” series, all which have been coined “Soap Operas in Print.” She is an Essence Magazine Bestselling Author who wrote secular books under the names Joylynn M. Jossel and JOY. Her title, If I Ruled the World, earned her a book blurb from Grammy Award Winning Artist, Erykah Badu. An All Night Man, an anthology she penned with New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Jackson, earned the Borders bestselling African American romance award. Her Urban Fiction title, Dollar Bill (Triple Crown Publications), appeared in Newsweek and has been translated to Japanese.
After thirteen years of being a paralegal in the insurance industry, E. N. Joy divorced her career and married her mistress and her passion; writing. In 2000, she formed her own publishing company where she published her books until landing a book deal with St. Martin’s Press. This award-winning author has been sharing her literary expertise on conference panels in her home town of Columbus, Ohio as well as cities across the country. Now residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, she also conducts publishing/writing workshops for aspiring writers.
Her children’s book titled The Secret Olivia Told Me, written under the name N. Joy, received a Coretta Scott King Honor from the American Library Association. The book was also acquired by Scholastic Books and has sold almost 100,000 copies. Elementary and middle school children have fallen in love with reading and creative writing as a result of the readings and workshops E. N. Joy instructs in schools nationwide.
In addition, she is the artistic developer for a young girl group named DJHK Gurls. She pens original songs, drama skits and monologues for the group that deal with messages that affect today’s youth, such as bullying.
After being the first content development editor for Triple Crown Publications and ten years as the acquisitions editor for Carl Weber’s Urban Christian imprint, E. N. Joy now does freelance editing, ghostwriting, write-behinds and literary consulting. Her clients have included New York Times Bestselling authors, entertainers, aspiring authors, as well as first-time authors. Some notable literary consulting clients include actor Christian Keyes, singer Olivia Longott and Reality Television star Shereé M. Whitfield.
Get to know E.N. Joy:
My readers inspire me to challenge myself. I don’t write for myself and I’m absolutely not one of those authors who you will hear say, “If I could just sell one book and reach one person, then I’m happy; I’ve done my job.” No ma’am and no sir. I’m grateful to reach one person, but that is not my goal. I do not put all that I put into my work—sacrifice all that I do—to sell one book or reach one person. Did Jesus set out to reach one person? Did Jesus die, go through all that He did and die on that cross just to save one person? I think you get my point.
My stand-alone books are Me, Myself & Him, She’s No Angel, and A Woman’s Revenge. Ebook only books are Ordained by the Streets, Let’s Do Summer, Behind Every Good Woman, The Miserable Wives Club, and Flower in my Hair.
You can also check out my children’s books written under the name N. Joy: The Secret Olivia Told me, Sabella and the Castle Belonging to the Troll, and Operation Get Rid of Mom’s New Boyfriend.
Former president, Bill Clinton, years back, right after he had his first memoir published, said, “Anybody over fifty owes it to his family to write down everything that’s happened during his life and pass it on.” I’m in total agreement. But tomorrow isn’t promised, so don’t wait until you’re fifty to begin penning your message . . . your story. This is the reason why I became a literary consultant, a course instructor with Path To Publishing, and the host of the YouTube series, “Act Like an Author, Think Like a Business.” Not only do I have a strong desire to help people tell their story and put it in a book, but I also want to teach them how to turn their book into a business. Our stories should be a family legacy . . . in more ways than one. Visit me at www.squareup.com/market/writings-by-joy if you are interested in any of my literary services.
I hear authors say it all the time: “I write my book for everybody, not just one particular audience.” That’s all fine and well, but the book business is just that; a business. In dealing with business you have to have a target audience that you start off promoting and marketing to. Once you have saturated your target audience, then you have the bull’s eye affect, where you begin to expand outward into other areas. There is absolutely no shame in my game; I write my books for women, namely Black women. If anyone outside of my target audience wants to pick up my books, that is an awesome blessing. But I want to make sure that my sisters—my target audience—can walk right into the book store and know exactly where to find me.
A couple years ago I was in a room with some authors who had pretty much achieved what I’d wanted to achieve by that point in my writing career. Their reputations preceded them. All the readers in the room knew who they were. In that moment, I felt so inferior that I felt myself shrinking in my seat. I remember saying a silent prayer: “God, one day I want to walk into the room and everyone knows who I am.” God’s response to me was, “Me too!”
I always say the greatest Ah-Ha moment a person can ever have is when their life begins to make sense. In that moment, my life began to make sense. So, this is how I now answer the question of where do I expect to be in my career as an author five years from now: “I want to be a BLESSEDselling author. I want to have “A Million Souls Saved!” stamped on my book covers. I want readers to be sold out on Christ after reading my books. In short, five years from now I want to still be writing, not to become a famous author, but to make God famous.”
Find the author &Book:
Website http://www.enjoywrites.com
Blog http://www.enjoywrites.com/blog/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1159242.E_N_Joy
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/E.-N.-Joy/e/B001QUZTKO/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Facebook Like Page https://www.facebook.com/New-Day-Divas-Fan-Page-135990139770880/
Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/436208799869380/
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/enjoywrites
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/blessedselling_author_enjoy/
Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/106225352418367600340
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/authorENjoy/
Newsletter/Mailing List http://eepurl.com/cy8gLf
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/enjoywrites
Directions or link to where book can be purchased: https://www.amazon.com/Aint-Me-No-More-Always/dp/160162672X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504969640&sr=1-1&keywords=i+ain%27t+me+no+more
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