Thieves’ Paradise
Dickey’s book Thieves’ Paradise is an interesting novel about con artists looking for love and making ends meet—on the wrong side of the law.
The thing about jail, you go in and you’re housed with criminals and you come out a criminal. You don’t get a B.A., you come out knowing more about crime. You see in movies and in real life, when you’re leaving jail, they say “we’ll see you again, son.” Once a criminal always a criminal.
Naughty or Nice
Dickey’s book Naughty or Nice explores the lives of three sisters, each with their own problems with men. During the holiday season, Frankie, Livvy and Tommie McBroom are not only getting together, but finally understands how it is to have things work together for their good. They are able to discover what family, sisterhood, and love is all about.
Skyscraper
Zane’s book Skyscraper follows Chico a 19-year-old who works as a mail clerk. While working one day, the CEO wife, Zetta Wolfe, tries to seduce him and he falls for her hook, line and sinker. Meanwhile, Chico’s coworker Anatasia is infatuated with the CEO, Tomalis Wolfe. She plans on becoming his wife by any means necessary. During their annual Christmas party, secrets are revealed that will change everyone around them.
On remaining anonymous:
I never set out to do erotic fiction. I started out with a short story and then decided to publish a book within 3 years. Zane just kinda took off.
Leslie
Tyree’s book Leslie follows Leslie a New Orleans native who struggles with a dark secret. Her friends and family see her in many ways but no one really knows her strengths. When murders start to happen in New Orleans all signs point in Leslie’s direction. Slowly, this complicated young woman emerges. Her power was hidden until now and it might be too late to stop her.
Just Say No
Tyree’s novel follows Darin Harmon and John Williams young men on the brink of achieving their dreams. For John, it music; for Darin, football. When Darin suffers an injury he becomes worried that his career is over. So he spends his time on the music scene to promote John loverboy image. But the celebrity lifestyle of easy money, fast women, and drugs quickly takes it toll, and the friends find themselves at a crossroads that will forever shape each of their futures.
Foley is Good: And the Real World is Faker than Wrestling
Foley publishes his second memoir, picking up where the last left off. This book follows Foley as an aging wrestler and his most recent WWE run.
It’s difficult to differentiate between a story that’s humorous and clever and one that actually makes people laugh out loud. I do have stories in the book that make people laugh out loud, but there are others that make people smile or chuckle and you have to learn that you can’t tell too many of those types of stories on stage.
Everything’s Eventual
King publishes a collection of 14 short stories with Scribner publishing called Everything’s Eventual. One of the tales is The Little Sisters of Eluria, an adventure of Roland pre-The Dark Tower series.
Black House
King and Straub team up again to release numerous novels that tie into the Dark Tower series. As a sequel to the Talisman, King publishes Black House about a series of murders that plague the town of French Landing, Wisconsin and Jack Sawyer has to reschedule an early retirement to stop the killer.
For The Love Of Money
Tyree’s book For The Love Of Money follows Tracy a hard-knocks Philly to glamorous Hollywood girl. She has now become a very successful movie star at the age of twenty-eight. As Tracy reconnects with friends, she seems like she is on the verge of a happily-ever-after existence. But as she begins to address the decisions of her youth, Tracy stirs up a string of difficult questions about past loves, family ties and her ambitions.
Flyy Girl
Tyree’s book Flyy Girl follows Tracy Ellison, a young knockout with big hair and a bigger attitude. She is living life as fast as she can. Attracted to material things, she and her friends love and leave guys who will do anything to get next to them. It’s only when the world of sex threatens heartbreak that Tracy begins to examine her life, her goals, and her sexuality.
I have never written an untruthful book, never. And I think for the most part, African American writers don’t write the untruth. We write what we want to write about from our societies. We may change the names and dates, the color of the dress, or whatever, but fiction for us is not creating something totally untrue, it’s about telling the story the way we want to tell it. It’s still true in a sense that it happened to somebody.
Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks
Foley publishes his first memoir, Have a Nice Day: a Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. Foley becomes the first professional wrestler to pen his own autobiography without the use of a ghost writer. The book covers Foley’s childhood, teenage years and early career.
A big book is like a serious relationship; it requires a commitment. Not only that, but there’s no guarantee that you will enjoy it, or that it will have a happy ending. Kind of like going out with a girl, having to spend time every day with her – with absolutely no guarantee of nailing her in the end. No thanks.
Sweet St. Louis
Tyree’s Sweet St. Louis follows Anthony, a young mechanic. When Anthony tries to date a girl named Sharron Francis, he has no idea how its going to turn out. Sharron is just an ordinary girl in search of companionship and happiness and she thinks she has found that in Anthony. Her world is turned upside down when the mystery behind Anthony’s intentions unfolds.
Liar’s Game
Dickey’s book Liar’s Game tells the tale of Dana who leaves New York to escape a roller-coaster relationship. Vincent lives in Los Angeles and is trying to forget his own shattered marriage. They want to plan a future together, but first they have to stop running from their pasts. On how reading Judy Blume helped write this book:
Some of her (Judy Blume) scenes are pretty explicit and I decided that was the way I wanted to write this book. I wanted to be able to write objectively about Vince and Dana getting into a fight. It’s not about me or any relationship I’ve been in. It’s not a broad statement about relationships. It’s just about where Vince and Dana are at this moment in their lives. They really love each other, but the straws of discontent on both sides of the room are just so heavy that things just snowball.
Friends and Lovers
Dickey’s book Friends and Lovers follows four young African Americans, two men and two women, through heartache, love, and laughter.
On what is next after this book:
The book tour has started, so I will be in planes, trains and automobiles for a while. Then back to Barbados to continue working on the next novel.
Single Mom
Tyree follows Denise in the book Single Mom. After more than ten years of successfully raising her sons alone, Denise finds herself entertaining three men at once. Two of the men happen to be the father or her sons. The other man, Brock, is a truck driver who falls in love with Denise but isn’t sure if he can handle a ready made family.
Cheaters
Dickey’s book Cheaters describes how even good people can have bad luck when dating. Character Stephan loves them and leaves them, just like his father. Character Chanté thinks she’s found her dream man, until his wife and kids come banging on her door. Character Jake on the other hand is a player and he just can’t shake the bad dreams he’s been having. Darnell is faithful to his wife, but the temptation to step outside his marriage is getting tougher every day. Tammy is caught between the man she loves, and the woman he’s promised to. And Karen is constantly lecturing her friends about fooling around, but she is not living up to her own high standards.
In Cheaters, I had a character, Darnell, who wanted to be a writer, and now I wanted to write about somebody who had been in the business for a while. So I thought about making the narrator Darnell, but that would mean that the woman who’d left him would have to be Tammy, and getting those two characters to this place just wasn’t going to work.
Don’t Count the Candles
Rivers publishes a self-help book on staying young, Don’t Count the Candles: Just Keep the Fire Lit! She offers advice on how to stay youthful at middle age, her experiences with plastic surgery, and her own spin on what it means to get older as a woman — and how to cope.
At fifty, confine your piercing to sardine cans and keep your hair short.
A Do Right Man
Tyree’s novel follows Bobby Dallas, a radio talk-show host who doesn’t have any children or skeletons in the closet. All he is missing is a good woman by his side. After a difficult breakup with his first love, Bobby wanders for years if marriage and a family is in the cards for him. He learns that being a do right man isn’t as easy as he thought it would be.
Milk In My Coffee
Dickey follows Jordan Greene who moves from the deep south to New York City and finds more than he ever thought he would in Milk In My Coffee. When he shares a ride with a young white girl, a romance grow between the two–much to the surprise of Jordan’s friends and family. Love forces him to examine his own values and makes him stand up against what everyone expects him to do.
Bouncing Back
Rivers publishes a self-help book, Bouncing Back: I’ve Survived Everything… and I Mean Everything…and You Can Too!.
Dr. Kevorkian will get no call from me, unless I think he’d look good in a brooch.