On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . Angel Guerrero III. Angel is a professional speaker, entrepreneur and the president and CEO of AS Web Pros, an Internet Marketing, SEO, E-Commerce and Content Management Website Design firm located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
A New York native, Mr. Guerrero holds a Masters in Chemistry and is a certified health and fitness coach. He serves on the advisory board of the Salvation Army and the Boys and Girls Club of Greensboro.
Angel’s many other hats include Leadership Team of Men of Vision and Excellence, Children’s Leader for Bible Study Fellowship International, Sunday School teacher at Lawndale Baptist Church, Change Agent graduate of IMPACT GREENSBORO’s Leadership Program, Career Toastmaster and a host of other titles.
Angel resides in Greensboro, North Carolina with his beautiful wife and their three children.
Please click here to listen to this podcast on iTunes, or click here to listen to the podcast in your Internet browser.
Friday, December 14, 2012
1st Day of Christmas - Angel Guerrero III
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . Angel Guerrero III. Angel is a professional speaker, entrepreneur and the president and CEO of AS Web Pros, an Internet Marketing, SEO, E-Commerce and Content Management Website Design firm located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
A New York native, Mr. Guerrero holds a Masters in Chemistry and is a certified health and fitness coach. He serves on the advisory board of the Salvation Army and the Boys and Girls Club of Greensboro.
Angel’s many other hats include Leadership Team of Men of Vision and Excellence, Children’s Leader for Bible Study Fellowship International, Sunday School teacher at Lawndale Baptist Church, Change Agent graduate of IMPACT GREENSBORO’s Leadership Program, Career Toastmaster and a host of other titles.
Angel resides in Greensboro, North Carolina with his beautiful wife and their three children.
Please click here to listen to this podcast on iTunes, or click here to listen to the podcast in your Internet browser.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Cyber Monday Deals!
Cyber Monday Deals from Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant, That Literary Lady, Literary Wonders! Media and Bryant Consulting - Visit http://lwmediagroup.com/
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
BLOG TOUR: Escape From a Nightmare w/Stephanie Acon
About
the Book
Have you ever experienced a premonition that you
just couldn't shake? A foreboding dream or sign that you deeply wanted to
ignore but...your spirit just wouldn't release it? Well meet Gabriana
Hilson...
Gabriana is a dreamer in more than one way. She has daydreams of living the good life on her terms, and without compromise. But then, there are the “other” dreams. The very strange and disturbing omens that come while sleeping. They whisper the conflict of everything, and arrange messages that Gabriana doesn't want to hear...or see. Especially the ones about her boyfriend. She wants them to just go away. But they won't. The visions only multiply, and are rapidly distorting her reality, threatening and interrupting the life that she wants so badly to exist. That's a problem.
To Gabriana, Scholar is the king of kings. She is willing to sacrifice it all for him, including family, friends, God, and her sanity. She believes that Scholar is a beautiful dream come-true...but is he really? After signing a record deal as a rapper, Scholar brings Gabriana along for the roller coaster ride of her life. He knows how much she loves him so when the drama begins, he uses his manipulative tactics to hold her in place. He is the ruler of their world, and everything is running the way he has always planned until things go horribly wrong. Suddenly, a well-planned dream quickly turns into the nightmare of all nightmares. Both Scholar and Gabriana learn the hard way to expect the unexpected - for he comes out of the blue. Or does he? He is extremely calculating...and his name is Khali Simone. After meeting him... Gabriana has no idea of the door she opens. Will she discover the truth behind her peculiar premonitions, and make a meditative escape?...Or will Gabriana continue to run until she falls?
About the Author
Stephanie Acon has been writing edgy fiction tales
and poetry since the age of ten years old. However, it wasn't until the age of
21, when she found Hip-Hop, (or Hip-Hop found her) that subsequently she became
known to the underground Hip-Hop world as NinaRaw. For ten years consistent,
she rocked with force, and played a vital part on the side of Systematic Muzick
Inc. ('The OESC' and 'The Murc Unit'). In the mist of performing, writing,
rhyming, recording, selling and shopping mixtapes...amongst the community,
somewhere, NinaRaw became hailed and dubbed as the "queen". And not
by way of cliché props, but strictly because those saying the title
"queen" meant it when they said it, and said it when they felt it
necessary. 'ESCAPE FROM A NIGHTMARE' is her first urban fiction novel. Her
inspirations have been drawn from the many experiences she has endured,
observed, and inhabited in the streets of St. Louis.
Prologue
Tall houses surrounded
the large pond. There was a great distance between them, but somehow, they all
appeared together. He watched her through the upstairs window. Her hair was
thick and curly, but the strands were disarrayed. The dress she wore was a
dingy white. She sat before the pond with bare feet curled at her side. She
intrigued him.
Slowly, he approached
her from behind. The cold air caused the pond to release a steamy mist that
blended with the surrounding fog. He wanted to touch her, but he did not want
to frighten her. So he stood. Then, he looked up to the dimly lit sky. The sun
peeked through one great hole amongst the clouds. It appeared a million light
years away.
He then lowered his
head to look at her. She stretched out her legs before the pond and was about
to place her bare feet into the freezing water. “Stop!” he shouted.
He thought she would
turn completely around, but she didn’t. She only slightly turned, exposing the
side of her chocolate-brown face. He noticed the dimple as she smirked. With
her legs still outstretched, she dipped part of her feet into the water.
Stephanie
can be reached at:
Email: scacon007@gmail.com
Order
Your Copy:
Barnes & Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/escape-from-a-nightmare-stephanie-acon/1034986388?ean=9780983486022Review coming Soon!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
BLOG TOUR: Holy Mayhem w/ Pat G'Orge-Walker
About the Author
Pat G’Orge-Walker is
in a league of her own. This accomplished Christian author and comedienne has
an amazing mind and talent for turning her observations of church life into
gems of sidesplitting humor. It is her own special gift from God that enables
her to depict the often ridiculous antics of church folk without subverting the
Good News or watering down the potency of its message.
About the Book
They'd been laid off,
they're broke, and their faith is really being tried. But dedicated Mount Kneel
Down Church members Patience Kash and Joy Karry figure now is the perfect time
to pursue their other true calling--becoming private detectives. And if that
means putting up with their
thug-wannabe cousin Porky's delusions while hilariously interfering with their
famous detective godson Percy's investigations, it's still a heaven-sent
opportunity to hear all the town dirt and find customers...
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/
Pat’s comedic gifts
range from a southern folk humor laden with parables to an intelligent wit that
appeals to a wide-variety of audiences. Her gift as a storyteller has attracted
a diverse and loyal fan base. Moreover, she is a captivating speaker who is as
every bit as poignant as she is funny.
Pat G’Orge-Walker has
paid a high price for the ever-present smile on her face. This Mt. Vernon, New
York PK (preacher’s kid) has survived a raging house fire; a violent assault; a
car crash that mangled her body and a viral infection that left her temporarily
blinded. Through it all, Pat quietly soaked in material from her father’s
Baptist congregation and her mother’s Pentecostal assembly to create the
stories that keep readers and audiences howling with laughter.
The First Lady of Gospel Comedy is a national
and Essence Best Seller, multi-award winner forged a successful career, as
author and comedian; and has paved the way for many in both fields. Pat’s
storytelling has been likened to Zora Neale Hurston’s folklore—a documentation
of American culture and church life in literature.
About the Book
When a thief steals
the prized family Bible right out from under Porky's nose and church funds are
missing on Patience's watch, these sisters-in-God find themselves sleuthing out
the strangest family and church secrets--and up against
someone more than ready to send them to their heavenly reward. Now, they'll
need their most inspired hunches, their not-real-fierce dog Felony, and their
license-to-missionary to uncover the truth and crack this holy case...
They don't have a clue
but they've got plenty of faith!!!
Purchase
the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
Book
Trailer:
Book Review
Coming Soon!
For More
Information
Visit
the author online at:
Email: sisterbetty@sisterbetty.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sisterbetty
Twitter: @pgorgewalker
Holy Mayhem Contest
Two copies of Holy Mayhem by Pat
G'Orge-Walker will be given away at the end of this virtual book tour. To
qualify for the contest, in the comments below answer one of the following
questions:
1) What is your favorite book by Pat
G'Orge-Walker and why?
2) Which one of Pat G'Orge-Walker's
characters do you like the best and why?
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
REVIEW: The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
Date: 10/25/12
Title: The
Bridge
Author: Karen
Kingsbury
ISBN 13: 978-1-4516-4701-3
Pages: 232
Publisher: Howard
Books/Simon & Schuster
Cover: Hardcover
Rating: 3
I vaguely remember reading a Karen Kingsbury holiday classic
years ago and it seems similar to this title. The Bridge is about Molly Allen
and Ryan Kelly, and Charlie and Donna Barton.
Ryan and Molly meet at a bookstore named the Bridge. Molly
and Ryan are taken back by each other, but two things keep them from letting
their true feelings known—Molly’s family has already pre-arranged her marriage and
Ryan has a girlfriend back home.
Charlie and Donna Barton open the Bridge after Charlie’s
father tells him he will be a failure and after Donna loses their only hope for
a child. The Bridge is destroyed by a freak weather incident and Ryan and Donna
have very little hope to re-open the famous bookstore, and after Charlie is
involved in a near fatal accident. All hope seems to have diminished, until
Ryan and Molly reconnect.
Karen Kingsbury has written dozens of books and has had ten
#1 bestsellers, so she must be doing something right. I believe an author of
her stature is entitled to a failed title every now and then. And even though I
won’t say this book is a complete fail, it just didn’t float my book. If you’re
looking for a short read and something to give you a little hope, this may be
your book. This was a review book, and I am glad that I didn’t pay the $19.99
list price for the hardback, let alone $9.99 list price for the e-book.
FTC Disclosure: I
received a free copy of this book from Howard Books, for my honest review. The
opinions expressed here are my own.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
REVIEW: The Ghost of Christmas Present by Abbott & Swinton
Date: 10/24/12
Title: The
Ghost of Christmas Present
Author: Scott
Abbott and Amy Maude Swinton
ISBN 13: 978-1-4516-6039-5
Pages: 226
Publisher: Howard
Books/Simon & Schuster
Cover: Hardcover
Rating: 3
This book was, in my opinion, a partial ode to Shakespeare,
of whom I’m not the biggest fan. However, what I took away from this book was
that the human spirit cannot be broken.
Patrick Guthrie is left to take care of his ailing son,
Braden, alone. Braden has an enlarged heart and is in need of a delicate
procedure. Bad luck, trials and test are thrown at Patrick from every angle.
Not only is he put in a position to be there for his little boy, and “hope” him
through the procedure, Patrick has been laid off from his job and eventually he
is threatened with losing his son because the courts have concluded that
Patrick is no longer able to take care of his son financially.
Unable to bear much more, Patrick contemplates suicide until
he realizes that he would leave his son alone. Patrick then is hired and fired
from another job that leaves him panhandling on the streets in an effort to
keep and take care of his son.
This story shows that no matter how much is put on a person,
they have the ability to overcome many obstacles with faith, love and
determination.
FTC Disclosure: I
received a free copy of this book from Howard Books, for my honest review. The
opinions expressed here are my own.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
REVIEW: You Have It In You by Sheryl Brady
Date: 10/12/12
Title: You
Have It In You! Empowered to Do the Impossible
Author: Sheryl
Brady
ISBN 13: 978-1-456-7410-1
Pages: 232
Publisher: Howard
Books/Simon & Schuster
Cover: Hardcover
Rating: 4 Stars
In You
Have It In You! Empowered to Do the Impossible, author Sheryl Brady, gives
personal details of her journey around the country only to end up where she
started. Pastor Grady is a pastor of the world renowned Potters House in
Dallas, Texas, founded by Bishop T.D. Jakes.
Guided
merely by faith, Sheryl was no stranger to moving from church to church, and
from city to city. Her journey, which initially took her from the Potter’s
House in Dallas, all the way to North Carolina and back to Dallas.
My
overall take away from this book was that if you allow your faith in God to
guide you, He will always take care of you—no matter where he takes you. Sheryl
Brady uses many biblical references to characters who showed tremendous amounts
of faith, from Rahab to Joseph, to Ruth. In addition to blind faith, one must
be obedient to the word of God and the author gives plenty of examples of this.
This is
certainly one of those inspirational titles that I will add to my personal
library and refer to it throughout my journey.
FTC Disclosure: I
received a free copy of this book from Howard Books, for my honest review. The
opinions expressed here are my own.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
BLOG TOUR: Losing Hope Virtual Book Tour
About the
Author
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Leslie
J. Sherrod is a wife, mom, writer, and a therapist in Baltimore, Maryland,
where she lives with her husband and three children. She graduated summa cum
laude from the University of Maryland at College Park with a B.S. in Family
Studies. She also studied writing at Johns Hopkins University before completing
her Masters in Clinical Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore,
where she specialized in Child, Adolescent, and Family Health.
About the Book
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Social
worker Sienna St. James is a woman with a complicated past and a confusing
Tuesday morning.
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
Losing
Hope is the first installment of the Sienna St. James Series. I usually don’t
like coming into a series half way through or the second or third book and I’m so
glad I caught his one first. I look forward to reading other books in this
series
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Leslie
is the author of three novels, Losing Hope (coming September 2012); Secret
Place (Urban Christian, 2011); and Like Sheep Gone Astray (Grand Central
Publishing, 2006), which earned a Starred Review from Booklist and was featured
on AOL’s Black Voices. She is also a contributor to a couple of women’s
devotionals in the bestselling A Cup of Comfort series (Adams Media). A short
story, “The Jericho Band,” is available on Kindle.
Through
suspenseful and thought-provoking stories, Leslie offers readers hope and
encouragement to live out their God-given dreams and purposes. One of her
favorite Bible verses is Ephesians 3:20, which states that “[God] is able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power
that worketh in us.” It is this message she carries to book signings,
bookstores, workshops, and church events both in her neighborhood and across
the nation.
About the Book
From
the acclaimed author of Like Sheep Gone Astray and Secret Place comes a
riveting new series with twists and turns to the end.
.jpg)
In
one single day, every advance Sienna has made in getting over her long lost
globe-trotting husband unravels in unexplainable fashion. From a mysterious
package that hails from another continent to a new teen client who claims to
have a missing sister, Sienna finds herself in the middle of a city-wide
scandal, all while sorting out the painful details of her personal life. At the
center are two suspicious foster parents, a mega-church ministry leader, and
Sienna’s own fragile emotions over a man who changed the direction of her life.
It’s a race against time as Sienna seeks closure from a love she never
understood and answers about whether a little girl named Hope ever existed. And
if she did, where is she now?
In
this first installment of the suspenseful Sienna St. James Series, finding hope
in the midst of questions and chaos becomes essential when life takes an
unexpected turn.
Purchase
the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
Click one of the icons below to listen to Leslie's Interview with That Literary Lady
Book Trailer:
Book Review:
Date:
10/10/12
Title:
Losing Hope
Author: Leslie Sherrod
ISBN 13: 978-1-60162-729-2
Pages: 400
Publisher: Urban
Christian
Cover: Paperback
Rating: 4
Stars
This
is my first Leslie Sherrod novel and I have to say that I enjoyed it. I was
taken aback in the beginning because the book could have easily read as a paranormal
or sci-fi book. Little Dayonna Diamond’s demeanor sure had me on the edge of my
seat. However, as I read on, thing became clearer to me.
Sienna
St. James is a social worker and is struggling with how to feel about the death
of her son’s father. In addition, she’s just been assigned a case that is
closer to her heart than she ever realized. One of the children she is assigned
to is Dayonna Diamond and she is challenged to find the child’s supposed sister,
Hope. The chase takes Sienna on a whirlwind of emotions and intrigue that ends
up in a place where she never thought she’d be.
Visit the author
online at:
http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/
BLOG TOUR: If I Were Your Woman Virtual Tour with LaConnie Taylor-Jones
About the Author
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Award-winning author, LaConnie
Taylor-Jones, a native Memphian,
is a health educator consultant and holds advanced degrees in community public health and
business administration. The mother of four and resides with
her family in Northern California.
For over twenty-five years, Ms.
Taylor-Jones has been an avid romance
reader. In the summer of 2003 a challenge from her husband made her seize the opportunity to
blend her enthusiasm for
teaching health, social responsibility and social justice with her love for reading the genre. Her experience
as a health educator sparked a multitude of
storylines and her romance, which
she defines as the spirit of adventure, played a pivotal part in her road to publication. In a little over
four years, she’s authored three full-length novels. In
2008, Ms. Taylor-Jones was the
recipient of the 2008 Romance Slam Jam Emma Award for Debut Author of the Year for When I’m With
You.
Ms. Taylor-Jones is an active member
of the Contra Costa Alumnae
Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the African American Community Health Advisory
Committee and the Black Women Organized for Political
Action.
Website – http://www.laconnietaylorjones.com
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Tinsel Town is about to learn a few lessons from a Southern doctor with
the courage to win the heart of a man who swore no woman ever would. If it
doesn’t have a scientific basis, Dr. Laney Olivia Houston doesn’t believe in it
—and that includes love at first sight. But she meets Raphael Baptiste. One
encounter is all it takes; and she realizes her life is changed forever. Jazz
musician, Raphael Baptiste is no stranger to women or their beds. When an
illness strikes, his life is thrown into turmoil. But the quiet Southern belle
sees beyond his past and bitterness. She sees a man who could love. . .
Purchase link - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985576103?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0985576103&linkCode=xm2&tag=httpallthebuz-20
Follow the tour
October 15 – Written
Voices
October 16 – Literary Wonders
October 17 – SORMAG
October 18 – Readin & Writin with Patricia
October 19 – APOOO
October 16 – Literary Wonders
October 17 – SORMAG
October 18 – Readin & Writin with Patricia
October 19 – APOOO
Literary Wonders Review
Date:
10/10/12
Title:
If I Were Your Woman
Author: LaConnie Taylor-Jones
ISBN 13: 978-0985576103
Pages: 172
Publisher: 4
C’s Publishing
Cover: Paperback
Rating: 3
Stars
Ralphael Baptiste, a music mogul, is a ladies’
man, and being so, he knew he could have any woman of his choosing, with the
exception of Laney Houston. There was something about this wealthy doctor that
has caused him to choose a vow of celibacy, and render him speechless every
time she crosses his mind.
Laney Houston is a wealthy scientist
and has a passion for healing. Being of mixed ancestry, not many approve of her
status and are determined to put her in her place. Dr. Houston has a thing for
Raphael, aka, Ray but she is keeping that secret to herself. She knows about
his past and refuses to be another one of his conquests.
Ray and Laney find themselves in the
middle of the action when Ray is diagnosed with a life threatening disease.
There are people who want Ray out of the way and then there are those who want
Laney out of the way. The two join together to fight their enemies and prove
that love is much more than physical pleasure.
This was my first LaConnie
Taylor-Jones read and I did enjoy it. The book is approximately 172 pages and I
feel that there was more space and time to develop some of the scenes and relationships
in the story.
I look forward to reading more from
this author.
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Having Fun with
LaConnie
1.Would you rather find true love or be filthy
rich? Uuh, could I have a little of both
- LOL!! No seriously, love is something
money can never buy. It's priceless.
2.
Would you rather sing in the rain or dance
in the streets? Since I can't carry a tune if my life depended on it, I'd double down
on dancing in the streets.
3.
Complete this sentence - If you were
stranded on an island… I'd consider it a
blessing from the duties of parenting three teenagers who think they know
everything, but don’t know jack!
4.
Out of all your college experiences, what
was the most fun? Staying up all night
paying Bid Whist!
5.
If I came to your home and looked in your
refrigerator, what would I find? Considering
I have three teenagers at home, you'll always find pizza and sodas.
Follow the tour all week, leaving a comment at each stop, and be
entered to win a new Kindle Fire HD courtesy of LaConnie!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
BLOG TOUR: The Madman Theory w/Harvey Simon
About the Author
Harvey Simon is a freelance writer
living in Washington, DC. His articles have appeared in The Los Angeles
Times, The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, the History News Network and elsewhere.
Before moving to Washington, he was a
national security analyst at Harvard University, where he also wrote about
other public policy issues.
The Madman Theory (Sept. 18, 2012, Rosemoor Press) is Simon’s
debut novel. Its release coincides with the 50th anniversary of the
most dangerous event in U.S. history – the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Simon received his undergraduate
degree from Cornell University and has an M.A. in philosophy from the University
of Massachusetts at Amherst.
About the Book
THE
MADMAN THEORY is an alternate history novel about the Cuban Missile Crisis. On
September 17, Rosemoor Press will publish this fresh take on the crisis by
Harvey Simon to coincide with the 50th anniversary the following
month of the most dangerous week the world has ever known.
In this retelling, Sen. John F. Kennedy loses the 1960 presidential
election to his young opponent, Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Two
years later the Soviets are caught building a secret nuclear missile base in Cuba
and President Nixon faces the same decision Kennedy confronted – whether to
bomb the launching sites and invade the island.
As the confrontation between the US and its nuclear foe spirals out
of control, Pat Nixon struggles to reconcile her strong sense of a wife’s
proper role with her marriage to a man who abuses her and has thrust her into a
public life she despises and the two confront their longstanding
grievances.
Q & A w/Harvey
What
exactly is the madman theory that gives the book its title, and what inspired
you to make it into a full-length novel?
I
wrote The Madman Theory because I was
interested in exploring what would have happened during the Cuban Missile
Crisis, had Kennedy lost the ’60 election.
Richard Nixon would have been president and would have had the chance to
employ his actual philosophy about foreign policy, which he really did call his
madman theory. He believed that if he
could convince Soviet leaders he was a madman – that he was unstable enough to
unleash nuclear war–that there’d be no war.
The other side would be so traumatized they’d back down from any
aggressive action that could threaten the U.S.
I wrote the novel to explore how that might have played out.
How
much of your book is based on fact?
The Madman Theory
is based in fact, as much as any novel can be.
Everything in the novel after the 1960 election is, of course, straight
out of my imagination. But in imagining
what would have happened had Kennedy been defeated, I relied completely on the
historical record. I tried to imagine
this period as it really would have been, had Nixon been elected. The details are accurate right down to the
look of Air Force One – a plain silver fuselage–and the color of the
presidential limousine–black, not Kennedy’s dark blue.
What
about the characters? Are they real or imagined?
I
did not invent any major characters for The
Madman Theory. The people around
Nixon could very plausibly have made up a 1960 Nixon administration.
Is
there really a place like Mount Weather?
Mount
Weather is quite real. It is believed to
be the “secure, undisclosed location” Vice President Dick Cheney was taken to
after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was
built during the Eisenhower administration as an alternative White House in
case of nuclear war. The Madman Theory's descriptions of the
shelter rely on the limited reporting done about the facility and a visit to
the underground alternative Congress, built about the same time under a resort
in West Virginia. But there is much that
is still unknown about Mount Weather and I had to extrapolate from what I knew
to describe some of the shelter’s further recesses.
Does
your novel have any relevance to the presidential election?
One
inherent message in The Madman Theory
is that presidential elections have huge consequences for our lives in ways we
can’t fully imagine. With the November elections approaching, the book
underscores the importance of everyone’s vote and the critical need to
carefully evaluate each candidate’s views on foreign policy.
Are
you suggesting who people should vote for this year through the book?
The
1960 presidential contest was between a candidate with no foreign policy
experience–Sen. Kennedy–and Vice President Nixon, who had met more foreign
leaders and had traveled the world more than any other vice president. Yet Kennedy saw us safely through the Cuban
Missile Crisis. Does that mean you
should vote for the least experienced candidate? Of course not. So The
Madman Theory won’t help you decide how to vote in November. But it will impress upon you the importance
of your choice.
Do
you see any parallels between the Cuban Missile Crisis and current events? What
about Iran?
The
decision about whether the U.S. or Israel should bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities
has parallels in the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is at the heart of The Madman Theory. We are all trying to imagine the possible
consequences of a strike against Iran, just as President Nixon, in my novel,
tries to think through the ramifications of possibly destroying Soviet missiles
in Cuba.
Is
it really plausible to base your novel on Kennedy losing the 1960 election?
The
1960 presidential election was the closest in American history, up to that
point. A number of states tipped to
Kennedy by razor-thin margins. It
wouldn’t have taken much at all to tip that balance the other way. In The
Madman Theory the balance shifts when President Eisenhower disregards Vice
President Nixon’s seemingly inexplicable recommendation that the president
refrain from campaigning vigorously on his behalf.
If
Nixon had been elected instead of Kennedy, isn't it possible the Cuban Missile
Crisis might never have happened?
This
is a real thicket. In reality, Kennedy
botched the Bay of Pigs invasion, a 1961 attempt to overthrow Castro. If Nixon had been elected, instead of
Kennedy, maybe the invasion would have succeeded. Then the Cuban Missile Crisis would not have
happened. But in The Madman Theory, the ’61 invasion is not the disaster it was for
Kennedy, but doesn’t succeed in overthrowing Castro either. To add another wrinkle, some argue the
Missile Crisis came about because the Soviet Union perceived Kennedy as
weak. With Nixon in the Oval Office,
things would have been different, they claim.
But I believe this argument ignores Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s
primary motivations for building a secret nuclear missile base in Cuba.
We
never hear about the Bay of Pigs in your novel. But you refer to something
similar at a place called Trinidad. What's that all about?
President
Kennedy changed the landing site that the CIA proposed for the 1961 Cuba
invasion from Trinidad to the Bay of Pigs.
This was one of many changes he approved to make it less likely the
invasion by CIA-trained Cuban exiles would be traced back to the U.S. In The
Madman Theory, President Nixon approves the original Trinidad landing
site. So instead of the Bay of Pigs
invasion, the novel refers to the Trinidad invasion.
Do
you plan to write more books? If so, can we get a sneak peek into your next
novel?
I
have a few ideas for another alternate history novel, which I’m not yet ready
to disclose. I’m also toying with the
idea of writing short stories based on current events. But that’s all I can say for now.
To learn more about Harvey Simon, visit:
BLOG TOUR: Flawless w/ Shana Burton
About the Book
The
ladies of Mount Zion Ministries are back, and “Flaw Less” picks up where all of
the drama of “Flaws and All” left off! While the bonds of their friendship
couldn’t be tighter, life around the ladies is slowly unraveling.
Purchase the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
Shana Johnson Burton is a two-time Georgia of
the Author of the Year nominee and is the author of Suddenly Single, First
Comes Love, Flaws and All, Catt Chasin’, and Flaw Less.
She lives in Georgia with her two sons. When she is not writing, she enjoys
reading, dancing, and traveling. She is currently working on the third book in
the “Flaws” series, Flawfully Wedded Wives.
Newlywed
Lawson Kerry Banks has the man she loves, Garrett, and the man she has a love-child
with, Mark. When a new woman enters Mark’s life, Lawson’s jealousy not only
threatens her walk with God but may cost her marriage as well. First Lady
Sullivan Webb has struggled to get her life and her marriage back on track
after her affair is exposed on the Internet. Doing the right thing proves to be
harder than Sullivan expected when she finds herself led into temptation once
again. Kina Battle thought her troubles were over once her abusive husband was
dead and buried, but her troubles take on a new face when she finds herself
drawn to the last person she ever thought she’d be attracted to. After years of
heartbreak and disappointment, Angel King has finally met the man of her
dreams. Unfortunately, she is engaged to someone else. When an injured soldier
enters her life, Angel can’t help giving him all her attention and medical
expertise, but will h e capture her heart too?
The ladies have all overcome their share of
obstacles, but nothing like the challenges facing them now. Friendship, love,
and laughs won’t be enough this time. Only God can save them now.
Purchase the Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
About the Author
Contact the Author:
Book Trailer:
Book Review
Coming Soon!
For More Information
Visit the
author online at:
http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/
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