Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Nothing says WINNER like a FREE give-away!


Want to curl up with a good book and register to win a FREE MP3 player?

It's EASY! Purchase your copy of the inspirationally uplifting anthology, Somebody Prayed for Me, and email proof of purchase to somebodyprayed4me@yahoo.com. You will then be registered for our March 15, 2009 drawing!

Many will enter but only ONE can win.

To find out how you can purchase your copy of Somebody Prayed for Me, visit the website at www.SomebodyPrayed4me.webs.com.

Be INSPIRED and register to WIN a FREE MP3 Player today!

Linda R. Herman
www.LindaRHerman.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008

How many more lives will be lost to HIV/AIDS?


It all begins with the look; that initial contact when the eyes speak loud and clear as to what the body craves. Deep, wet, passionate kisses leading to mind blowing orgasms that leaves the body trembling much like a leaf on a tree on the windiest of days. Sex. It's meant to be a beautiful bond, a physically satisfying act between two people, but when not engaged in responsibly, sex can turn ugly, deadly even.

Andre Peters, a man who has it all; the perfect wife and family, and the job of his dreams. From the outside looking in, one would have to ask, What more could he ask for? What he didn't ask for was his secret desires for the same sex; those desires that occasionally lead him astray from his marital vows. But Andre doesn't consider himself gay or bi. He still loves sex with his wife; it’s just every now and again that he craves something different, pleasure he can only find in the arms of another man.

His failure to be honest with his lovers of both genders; his failure to engage in safe sex; his denial of his sexual preference; and his desire to straddle the fence-sleeping with both women and men-leads to a domino effect, destroying lives one HIV infection after another.

In Consequences, readers are taken on a journey into the lives of a down-low husband, his wife, his lovers, and a cast of others who are affected, whether directly or indirectly, by the HIV virus. The story is fiction but the reality of HIV is fact, and the reality is that each year there are thousands of new cases diagnosed-most of those new cases being women of color and minority. It has to end; and it has to end where it begins-with each one of us.

I am honored to make a guest appearance on today's Worth More Than Rubies blog talk show, www.blogtalkradio.com/WorthMoreThanRubies, 3pm CST, and 4pm on the East Coast.

We hold the power to eradicate this deadly, yet prevantable disease.

Linda R. Herman
www.LindaRHerman.com

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Coming soon to Lady Leo Publishing


All things in their own time-even love.

After a four year affair, Tyanna Washington is heart broken when the love of her life and the father of her child, Jay Bryant, gives her the boot. He reunites with his wife, Monica, sending Tyanna and their daughter, Jayla, packing, and back to her mother's home.

Heartbroken, the last thing on Tyanna's mind is love but for Derek Bridges, Tyanna is the woman he's always prayed for. Will Tyanna find the strength to forgive herself and open her heart to true love? Or will she continue to drown in a sea of self-pity as she continues to pine for Jay?


Coming soon to Lady Leo Publishing
www.LadyLeoPublishing.org

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Author Julia Press Simmons reviews Consequences When Love Is Blind

I absolutely loved this story!!! Linda, you nailed it. I would recommend "Consequences..." to everyone, especially our young sista's. Aids awareness is much needed in our community, and I think that your novella provides a much needed focal point to the cause. I applaud your efforts and stand in awe of your talent.

Well Done

Author of:
Strawberry Mansion: A Philadelphia Story

Julia Press Simmons, Linda R. Herman, Xpress

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Before you pick up the phone and call his wife~

Talia James is young and quite naive. The daughter of an alcoholic mother, Talia had to grow up fast and mother to her younger siblings and cousin.

Needless to say, Talia made some bad choices in life where love and men were concerned. After two broken relationships and two sons, she feels as though she has won the lottery when she meets Andre Peters, a very well-to-do sports agent. The fact that he's married takes a backseat to Talia's happiness.

Imagine her surprise when she calls his wife, Sade, to brag about the on-going affair, and Sade shares some news of her own. Never in her darkest nightmare did Talia imagine that her lover, her knight in shining armor, was HIV positive!

Some things between a husband and wife are best left between that husband and his wife, huh?

Linda R. Herman
Author of Consequences When Love Is Blind

Available NOW! Get autographed copies for only $10, shipping included, at
www.LindaRHerman.webs.com This is a limited time offer!

Please feel free to share this offer with friends and family. Thank you and many
blessings!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Be inspired-Somebody Prayed for Me is NOW available!


Heartwarming stories and poetry that are sure to touch your
hearts and uplift your spirits


Allyson M. Deese opens this spiritual experience with the title piece, "Somebody Prayed For Me," a heartfelt poem that reminds us of the importance of prayer. There are so many things we could have been in life but somebody prayed for you and for me. And now we must pray for others because prayer does change things.

In Silent Cries, Linda R. Herman shares the tale of a teen-aged mother who suffers abuse and rape at the hands of the person she loves. Rape is devastating at any age, but imagine a seventeen year-old girl struggling to get past the pain. With prayer, it is possible.

Tinisha N. Johnson’s short story, Facing Reality, opens our eyes to how much our children are influenced by our actions. A mother tries to drown her sorrows in alcohol but doesn’t realize the affect her behavior has upon her twelve-year-old daughter until she makes a shocking discovery.

Every piece was written with the hope of inspiring and reminding everyone of the importance of prayer.



“Have you ever been in a position where you couldn't or didn't think to pray for yourself? In Somebody Prayed For Me, literary sisters Linda R. Herman, Allyson M. Deese, and Tinisha N. Johnson reminds you of that place. While taking you through the valley, Somebody Prayed For Me, restores faith and an appreciation for that old congregational song.”

-Wanda B. Campbell, author First Sunday in October

Tuesday, November 4, 2008




GOD is so amazing!

BARACK OBAMA is the 44th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! HE SAID YES WE CAN AND YES, WE DID!!!

THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, YES WE DID!

CAN YOU IMAGINE OUR ANCESTORS CELEBRATING IN HEAVEN? THEY DIED FOR THIS DAY, Y'ALL! THEY DIED FOR THIS MOMENT, THIS MOMENT WHERE I AM SO FULL THAT I CAN'T STOP CRYING AND PRAISING GOD.


THANK GOD!

OBAMA '08





LINDA
WWW. LINDARHERMAN. COM

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Books & Brunch in Lawrenceville, GA, 10/25/2008





Xpress Yourself Publishing authors Hazel Mills and myself, Linda R. Herman, were in great company on yesterday at the first annual Books & Brunch event in Lawrenceville, GA. Books & Brunch was hosted by Especially Yours Events, Tamara Angela Grant, author of the upcoming novel, The Cooling Board.

Readers and authors were brought together in a cozy yet classy venue in downtown Lawrenceville. The authors in attendance, Avah LaReaux, Monica Douglas Davis, April Marquette, Daniel J. Chamberlayne, Ira J. Bolden, Sonia Chess, Tina Brooks-McKinney, Hazel Mills, and Linda R. Herman all read excerpts from their books. Also in attendance reading excerpts from their novels were Kendall Publication authors Camille Kleidyse and Tangelika Bolen. Author Shani Greene-Dowdell, who won an African American Literary Award for Best Self-Published Author 2008, also made a special appearance along with SBS Book Club President, Mashawn Mickels.

I was honored to meet publicist Carol King who has had the pleasure of working with Tamara Angela Grant and Tina Brooks McKinney.

The event was truly a success and I look forward to the next Books & Brunch hosted by Especially Yours Events!

Linda
www.LindaRHerman.com

Why should you read Xpress Yourself Publishing titles?

Be sure to check out the visual book trailer that displays the 2008 releases from Xpress Yourself Publishing, winner of the African American Literary Award for Best Independent Publishing House 2008! You also get a sneak peek at a few upcoming 2009 titles!
www.XpressYourselfPublishing.org



Linda R. Herman
www.LindaRHerman.com

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Please reach out to a domestic violence SURVIVOR!


I am Linda R. Herman and at age seventeen, my younger cousin was raped by the father of her then one year old son. The rape occurred in the child's presence where the father held a knife to my cousin's throat and forced himself on her. He also banged her head into the floor leaving her physically, emotionally, and mentally scarred for life. The physical bruising is gone but the emotional and mental live on.

My cousin, a brave young woman, is now in her second year of college. She is nineteen years old and the mother of one. Even though she does hold down a part-time job she is having financial difficulties.

How can you help? Please purchase an autographed copy (signed by me) of Somebody Prayed for Me (release date December 2, 2008) through my cousin's website, www.ShakestaWest.webs.com. All profits from sales go to her toward her education and her son's well-being.

Please visit her site and be sure to sign the guestbook!

P.S. The short story, "Silent Cries" is loosely based on what my cousin went through as a victim of teen abuse. It is the first story in the anthology Somebody Prayed for Me.

Linda R. Herman

www.LindaRHerman.com

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Please vote for Linda R. Herman

It truly is an honor to be nominated!

Hi all,

I have been nomiated in THREE categories and really need your votes.


Consequences When Love Is Blind is my debut book and to see how well its doing is truly amazing. Please cast your vote.

http://www.expo2009voting.blogspot.com/


And don't forget to cast your vote on AAMBC's polls as well, where I've been nominated for Best New Author and Author of The Year!

http://aambcvoting.blogspot.com/

Thank you and many blessings,

Linda
www. lindarherman. com
www. SunshineRoyal. webs. com

I have two new releases at Lady Leo Publishing
Chemistry 101 & From Hooker to Housewife

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

YES, you can turn a whore into a housewife!

Who says you can’t turn a Hooker into a Housewife?


Kendall Roberts is a down on her luck single mother of one. After taking a few of life’s bumps and bruises, she turns to a life of alcohol and drugs, stripping and prostituting her body to support her habit and make ends meet.

When she’s busted by the good Reverend Lawrence Lavant, he gives her the choice of going back to jail or coming home with him and being counseled. She opts for the latter.

Despite Kendall’s troubled past, Reverend Lavant finds himself romantically drawn to her. Does he have the power to turn a hooker into a housewife and the first lady of Mt.Zion Baptist Church? That’s if they can both move beyond their painful pasts.

Be sure to download your copy at www.LadyLeoPublishing.org for only $1.95

Sunshine Royal
www.SunshineRoyal.webs.com

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Legality v/s Morality


When Olivia Collier is pursued by her eighteen-year-old student, Thaddeus Grant, will the Chemistry teacher give him a never-to-be forgotten lesson in body chemistry, or can a lonely woman refrain from an immoral affair with her student?
The law says that eighteen is legal, but morally, is there anything wrong with a thirty-two-year-old woman teaching an eighteen-year-old student outside of the classroom?
Chemistry 101 is an enticingly sensual confession by Sunshine Royal that is sure to engage readers in heated discussions about sexuality and morality.
Available NOW @ http://www.ladyleopublishing.org/
Want to read more by Sunshine Royal? Vist the author at http://www.sunshineroyal.webs.com/.
The author's work can be found in:
Erogenous Zone: A Sexual Voyage (My Dream Come True)
Succulent: Chocolate Flava II (Almost Identical)
Mocha Chocolate: Taste A Piece of Ecstasy (The Song In my Heart)
and coming soon The Grown & Sexy Anthology (Deja's View)

Monday, September 29, 2008

Tonight, I tuned in with Ella Curry on Black Authors Network and I must say, it was quite a show. I heard my Intimate Conversation interview with Ella and could only think Wow, look what God has brought me from.

I'm a shy Georgia peach and interviews, radio conversations, and cameras are not my thing. However, God's will is being done.

After the show, I had quite an experience chatting about God Almighty in the chatroom. The Lord knew I needed that talk with some of His very own. I've tried to go to sleep since then but I just feel like singing and praising!

I have had a rough weekend and it feels good to know that God's presence still dwells within me. I just had to share and to say this:

No matter what you may be going through, you are not alone. I learn more and more each day, Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus!

Take a moment and just give God the praise and glory.

Linda
www.lindarherman.com
Author of Consequences

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Be sure to get your vote on at AAMBC!

Guess what? I can hardly believe it myself. It happened again!

Xpress Yourself Publishing is nominated by the 2009 AAMBC Committee for Publisher of the Year! I am overwhelmed and overjoyed. This is the second nomination this year. I am so proud. With the help of a group of talented, creative authors, Xpress Yourself Publishing is doing awesome! I am extremely blessed.

Also nominated are Linda R. Herman, author of Consequences, and John R. Williams, author of The Reunion, for Best Author of the Year

I am asking everyone to, once again, vote for Xpress Yourself Publishing for the 2009 AAMBC Publisher of the Year, and Linda R. Herman and John R. Williams, by clicking on this link ---> http://aambcvoting.blogspot.com/. It's the first category!

Wow, this news has really lifted my spirits. I received news this morning that my Aunt Selma, after almost 10 years on a ventilator, went home to be with her Lord, and my mama!

Warm regards,
Jessica Tilles
Publisher, Xpress Yourself Publishing

Friday, September 5, 2008

What's All In A Day's Work for you?

"Call me Emiko," she interjected, noticing his dark eyes admiring her shapely cocoa smooth thighs. "It means beautiful, smiling child."

"Emiko," he repeated, staring into her soft, beautiful, brown eyes. They were full and round but slightly slanted in the corners. She had long, black, silky hair that hung past her shoulders. It was obvious that she was of Asian decent. But, the wide nose and the full lips, along with the smooth skin that was only shades lighter than his own, told him that she was also of African American decent. According to her resume, her maiden name was Brown.

"Emiko." Her name slowly rolled off his tongue as he watched her undo the top button of her sheer, silk blouse. It was July in Southwest Georgia and his air conditioner was on full blast. Emiko's nipples were erect and even Stevie Wonder would have noticed that she was not wearing a bra.

"Are you married?" His question wasn't relevant. It wouldn't determine her chances of being hired. It also wouldn't be a deciding factor as to whether or not he slept with the beautiful creature, given the opportunity.

Emiko continued to undo the buttons on her blouse while Eric watched intently anticipating the moment she revealed her large, perky breasts. When she had undone the last button, she allowed the thin fabric to slowly roll off her shoulders. She then used her fingers to trace imaginary circles around her hard nipples.

"Yes." Licking her lips, she answered the question he had almost forgotten asking. "I've been married for seven years. I hope it won't interfere with you hiring me. I'm willing to do anything to get this job."

Eric looked down at his own left hand. He, too, was married. The platinum band was a reminder of the love he pledged to his wife. It reminded him of his promise to be faithful.

"Emiko, I have a wife and a daughter. I can't…"

Before he could finish his sentence she was fully undressed, her fingers dancing in and out of the spot he wanted to taste. Eric couldn't take his eyes off her perfectly fit body. Her waistline was small but her ass was round. As she came closer, he could smell strawberry kiwi. He reached out and touched her thighs as she straddled him. She felt like silk.

"Nobody has to know," she whispered as she undid his necktie.



WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? I SURE AS HELL DO! VISIT, http://www.eroticexpressions.net/allinaday.htm

Nia Promotions Virtual Launch ~ Dee-Coding Your Book Marketing Plan and Our Upcoming Events

Our upcoming teleseminar is Dee-Coding – Your Book Marketing Plan. Dee Stewart, publicist, bookseller and Secretary of the American Christian Fiction Writer’s VIP Chapter will Dee-Code the book marketing plan with you on September 13, 2008 and much more…



Dee Stewart, publicist, bookseller and Secretary of the American Christian Fiction Writer’s VIP Chapter will Dee-Code the book marketing plan with you on September 13, 2008 and much more…

During this session you’ll learn about:

Defining a book marketing analysis
Components to a book marketing plan
Using your marketing plan to edit your final book draft
How to write a tag line
Ensuring your book marketing plan and budget are align
And more…
Register Today!





Book clubs and books go hand in hand. Join me today when I’m a guest on the KC Girlfriends Book Club’s radio show where Tanisha Webb and I will discuss the popularity of book clubs.


Date: September 6, 2008

Time: 4:00 pm CST

Location: KC Girlfriends Book Club





www.niapromotions.com/blog









Monday, September 1, 2008

Check out the AUTHORS ON TOUR with EDC in September!

You're Invited to Nia Promotions' Virtual Launch


Nia Promotions' is hosting its company
launch party online! Join us as we introduce you to some of our virtual
friends in this fun video, with a little "Flashing
Lights".


Click here to
learn more about the upcoming events.







Linda
www.lindarherman.com

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Is the MISTRESS blamed more in an affair?

Here is where we may agree to disagree.

I'm not condoning women getting involved with married men and I'm not condemning the wife who chooses to forgive her husband after an affair. It happens and it's a wife's choice if she wants to try and regain that trust in her marriage. As Christians, we're taught to forgive no matter the choice to stay in the marriage or leave.

I do feel society is harder on the mistress than they are the philandering husband. I don't care if he's a 1-time cheat or a 20-time cheat. He knows better than anyone that he is married and he should respect his marital vows. So, why even get another party involved in the first place? And when the you-know-what hits the fan, here we are (SOCIETY) making all kind of snide remarks about the other woman. What about the man who allowed her into his life knowing he had a wife? Yeh, some women are aggressive and will go after a man, even if he is married, but PLEASE, a grown man knows how to say NO. And let's not fool ourselves like they're NOT chasing women down either.

Mistresses, STOP nodding your heads in agreement and smiling. I got something for you, too. Why are you making it easy for men to disrespect women? You think you're really doing something if a married man is breaking you off. You're so naive thinking it must be something his wife ISN'T doing at home. Child, please! He's being a man, trying to get it from whoever, whenever, and all you're doing is disrespecting your bodies as well as your sistahs. How often do they leave their wives? And when they do, how soon is it before you're the wife or live in girlfriend, and he has another mistress?

If we're going to place blame-let it be on all responsible parties!

Enjoy reading books by Linda R. Herman? The Mistress Cries, Too will NOT disappoint! Look for this title in 2009 from Xpress Yourself Publishing!


Society sees the wife of a cheating husband as the victim, but the mistress cries, too. She's been lied to and misled by the same man, so why are we quicker to forgive the man and condemn the mistress?
For him, life goes on and he continues in his roll as the church deacon if not the esteemed minister himself. The wife forgives him because after all, he's the father of her kids and they've been together since their teens. He's all she knows; all she wants to know.
But oh behold, the other woman is branded with the letter A. She's deemed as nothing but a harlot or a modern day Scarlett O'Hara if you will. Nobody wants to hear her side of the story-until now.
Linda R. Herman is going to bring it in this contemporary tale about a woman scorned and how far she'll go to get her point across-I, too, am a victim!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

What do you want to learn about writing & publishing?

On Saturday, Septemer 13, 2008, 8 PM EST, readers, aspiring authors, new and established authors are encouraged to tune in to ASA's Blog Talk Radio show, ASK THE AUTHOR. Jessica Tilles, Marie Antionette, and Shani Greene-Dowdell will be our guests on hand to answer your questions about the publishing and writing industry. They will also share a bit about their own literary journeys. Are you ready to learn? Bring your pad and pen to this one!

Now, you may ask, "Who are they and what do they know?" Well, let me break it down to you.

Jessica Tilles is not only a bestselling author, she is the founder and CEO of the esteemed publishing house, Xpress Yourself Publishing, which has been nominated for an African American Literary Award for Independent Publishing House of the Year. Oh yeh, and one of her recently signed authors, Hazel Mills, has also been nominated for Best Erotica fiction. Impressive, huh? Yes, Jessica knows the industry and I'm sure she can answer your questions and recommend some positive avenues to venture.

Marie Antionette, who is she? Marie is the author of "A Girl Named Job", her autobiography. Not only was she bold enough to bare all, sharing her personal trials, tribulations, and her rise to triumph, but Marie also withstood the criticism she received regarding the needed editing of her book. How did she respond? Marie is now making revisions to "A Girl Named Job" and will release it as well as her family's poetry collection, "The Cook Chronicles" soon! She's learned more than a little about writing and publishing.

Shani Greene-Dowdell, her name sounds familiar, who might she be? Have you read Keepin' It Tight? It's been nominated for literary awards. What about Mocha Chocolate: Taste A Piece of Ecstasy? Well, Shani is another name you'll see on the African American Literary Award ballot, as she has been nominated for Self-Published author of the year (Mocha Chocolate). She's a phenomenal author and has launched her own publishing company, Nayberry Publications. I think she is more than qualified to answer your literary questions.

Your co-hosts for the evening will be Nanette Buchanan, author of Family..Secrets, Lies, & Alibis, and John R. Williams, author of "What Could Have Been" and the upcoming XYP title, "The Reunion."

Join us by visiting www.blogtalkradio.com/asa-blog-talk, on Saturday, September 13, 2008, 8 pm EST. The call in number will display on the screen and you are encouraged to call in and speak LIVE to our co-hosts and guest panel. Remember to turn your computer volume down once you call in.

Want to learn more about ASA? Visit our website at www.asanetwork.webs.com

Many blessings!

Linda
www.lindarherman.com

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Is it any worse if your husband cheats with a man as opposed to a woman?

As a woman I just have to put it out there. To discover a man is cheating on you is devastating. It hurts when you're a teen in love but it rips your heart out your chest when you're a 'happily' married woman.

So, tell me this, does it hurt more when you discover your husband's mistress is actually a MISTER?

In this day and age our major concern with husbands on the down low is HIV. Not that it can't be contracted from him cheating with women but the risk is higher when he is cheating with a man. But is he any more or any less disloyal for cheating with a man as opposed to a woman?

And while we're talking about it, let me put this out there as well. Would it make a difference if he was the topper (the man who penetrates his male lover) or the bottom (the man who is penetrated by his male lover)?

I wanna hear from you!

Make sure you tune in to Blog Talk Radio tonight, www.blogtalkradio.com/kenda-bell. The topic for tonight is TRUST~

Linda R. Herman
www.lindarherman.com

Sunday, August 17, 2008

What's going on with our youth?

Normally when we think of domestic violence, we think of adult women being battered by their male lovers. How many of us think of our teens being in abusive relationships? My hand was down until two years ago. But a shocking up close and personal reality opened my eyes to this growing problem.

Puppy love is supposed to be a sweet emotion for teens. For the first time they 'love' someone other than mommy, daddy, family, and friends. They experience a different emotion and feelings for someone they envision being the greatest person to ever walk the Earth.

So, what happens when that person hits them? Degrades them? What about raping them?

You think it can't happen? You want to believe it doesn't happen? I'm here to tell you it does. I loosely based my short story, "Silent Cries" on a true event that happened to someone near and dear to my heart. She was fifteen when the verbal abuse began; maybe 16 the first time he hit her; and seventeen when she finally broke up with him only to have him rape her a few months later. I KNOW it happens. My question is this: What do we as adults do to stop/prevent it from happening?

"Silent Cries" is featured in the upcoming anthology Somebody Prayed for Me, written by authors Allyson M. Deese, Tinisha Nicole Johnson, and Linda R. Herman. The book releases December 2, 2008, from Xpress Yourself Publishing, www.xpressyourselfpublishing.org.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

What inspired me to write Consequences

I've always been passionate about both reading and writing; there's so much to learn and for me reading is the relaxing way to learn. Writing relaxes me as well but it matters a great deal to me what I write. I've written many stories but none so far that are more dear to my heart than Consequences.

The reason this story touches my heart so much is because daily we hear, read, and some of us actually see how HIV is impacting our lives. Parents are burying their kids; children are burying parents; and overall, we're losing the people we love simply because we're not educating ourselves and each other about HIV.

What can you do, what can I do to help eradicate this disease? UNITE. Responsibility starts with each individual but it doesn't end there. Knowledge is power. Let's educate ourselves about HIV/AIDS and share that knowledge, not only with our loved ones, but any and everyone who will listen!

We're not invincible; can we not see that? So many people have already lost their battle with HIV/AIDS. Let's unite and save lives. With unity and faith in God, it is possible to eradicate the spread of HIV/AIDS.

What did you do today to save a life? What will you do tomorrow?

Linda R. Herman, http://www.xpressyourselfpublishing.org/
Author of Consequences When Love Is Blind
Consequences When Love Is Blind