I hope you all had a good Christmas. Be sure to check your email to see if you were a winner.  I have several books to give away. Please respond back with your address ASAP if you are so I can forward to the publishers to have your book shipped directly to you.

 or

The winners have been chosen for the eSpot CD Prize Pack (check your email to see if you were one of the winners). There were three winners and may end up being more if more CDs come in. One of the CDs the winners will get is Keyshia Cole’s new one:

….each prize pack may contain different CDs…so congrats to the three winners.

Be sure to check your email Friday or Saturday of this week to see if you’re one of 8 winners in the book contest that was announced here on my blog www.sheliagoss.com/blog.

Intimate Conversation with author Shelia M. Goss

Shelia M. Goss’ journey into the literary world began several years ago. She’s received recognition in Writer’s Digest and The New York Times. Her books have been on bestsellers lists such as the Dallas Morning News, Essence Magazine, and Black Expressions Book Club.


My Invisible Husband, Roses are thorns (Violets are true), Paige’s Web, and Double Platinum are published under Kensington Books Urban Soul imprint. Be on the lookout for two new books in 2009 from Shelia – His Invisible Wife (July 2009) and her first teen book, The Ultimate Test (June 2009).

To read the rest of the interview, CLICK HERE.

Nathasha Brooks-Harris is the author of Panache, Can I Get an Amen, Can I Get an Amen Again, etc. I first met her back in 2003 during a writing workshop she hosted. I still utilize the things I learned from her workshop today.

What’s one thing (besides writing) that you enjoy doing?

Actually, there are two things besides writing that I enjoy doing: making cloth dolls and quilting.  I took a dollmaking class in 1993 because I was bored and wanted something to do, and I’ve been making them ever since. My grandmother quilted and I’d been fascinated by them since I was a child. When I found out there was a local quilting guild, I joined and started making quilts. So far, several of my dolls have been exhibited in museums, art shows, galleries, and in Mount Vernon City Hall. A couple of my quilts have been in quilting magazines. Those t hings made  very happy because they began as hobbies and became something else.

To read the rest of my interview with Nathasha Brooks-Harris, click here.

I am excited to announce my new Young Adult Series - The Lip Gloss Chronicles. The first book, The Ultimate Test, will be in stores in June 2009.

Advanced Review:

The Ultimate Test: The Lip Gloss Chronicles by 

Shelia Marie Goss
ISBN: 978-1-60162-186-3

Publisher: Kensington Books/Urban Books

Imprint: Urban Renaissance

Young Adult (4 Stars)

Girls Will Be Girls? 

The Ultimate Test by Shelia Marie Goss is the prolific author’s first novel for and about young adults. From the first page, the reader is caught up in the flavor, authenticity, and language of young adults and how they feel, think, and respond to what goes on around them. Britney Franklin is a young, beautiful, rich fly-girl. She and her friends, Sierra and Jasmine, have been girls since grade school and they share everything. The three of them are very excited about their freshman year at Plano High School . However, they are going to find out that with growing up comes growing pains.  

On the first day of school, the young ladies set their eyes on D.J. and immediately Sierra and Jasmine are smitten. Britney is not impressed with him and is amazed that her friends will potentially allow a boy to come between them. There are also other girls on the scene, such as Tanisha who is also interested in D.J. and will possibly fight for his attention but, surely these classy young women know better than that?  

The trio face other issues that are as important as boy troubles. Britney is horrified to discover her parents are expecting another child when she is a teenager and has been an only child. Sierra is dealing with weight gain and how that affects her self-esteem. And, though she will never admit it, Jasmine is dealing with jealousy of a friend. Will these young ladies be able to grow up and stay together or will the tests they face tear them apart?  Ms. Goss answers these questions and more in her wonderful novel about young girls in today’s world.  

I recommend The Ultimate Test to all readers. Teens will be able to relate and appreciate and older readers will reflect and remember.  

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub

That’s right Usher and Tameka have a new baby boy–baby makes two for Usher. Here’s my favorite picture of him with his first son:

The Raymond household got an early Christmas present as Usher and Tameka welcomed their new baby, Naviyd Ely Raymond, around 2:33 A.M. on Wednesday. The baby weighs in at 5 pounds and 13 ounces, according to Usher’s rep Simone Smalls of Simone Smalls Public Relations. To read more, go to Essence.com.

 I feel like Santa’s helper because this month I’m able to give away copies of books from some of my favorite authors. You have a chance to win a copy of the novel We Take This Man by Candace Dow and Daaimah S. Poole

To enter, just sign up to my blog list. To sign up, click or paste the following link: http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=498262

All entries must be in between now and 11:59 p.m est 12/24/08.

Several winners will be chosen at random.

ABOUT THE BOOK

We Take This Man by Candace Dow and Daaimah S. Poole—two authors who have come together in this great collaboration—a tale about trust, relationships, and of course, drama: Dwight and Tracey Wilson are living the ideal life with their two children in a brand new home in Florida. They are both excited when Dwight is offered a promotion at work, but the job is located in Maryland. After much discussion, they decided that Dwight will work in Maryland during the week and return home on weekends. In comes Alicia, falling for the new guy in the company… Dwight.  

We Take This Man by Candace Dow and Daaimah S. Poole will be in stores January 7, 2009 or online from Amazon.com.

Contest open to US residents only. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. December 24, 2008. Void where prohibited by law. The winners will be notified via email.  Due to the holiday period, the normal 24 hours to respond has been extended. If the winner hasn’t responded within 7 days with their shipping address, the next name pulled will be the winner.

Check out the other contest: http://sheliagoss.com/2008/12/10/contest-enter-to-win-the-bishops-daughter-by-tiffany-l-warren/ You only have to sign up to mailing list once, so if you did, you’re automatically entered for a chance to win The Bishop’s Daughter.

  I feel like Santa’s helper because this month I’m able to give away copies of books from one of my favorite authors. You have a chance to win a copy of the novel The Bishop’s Daughter by Tiffany L. Warren.

To enter, just sign up to my blog list.  To sign up, click or paste the following link: http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=498262

All entries must be in between now and 11:59 p.m est 12/24/08.

Several winners will be chosen at random.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Darrin Bainbridge is your typical playboy in need of love, but not yet ready. He is a freelance journalist trying to break his big story. He has heard all kinds of stories about “Hollywood“. Darrin is disgusted by it all especially when his mother Priscilla starts shouting praises for Atlanta Bishop Kumal Prentiss. Darrin decides to go to Atlanta, become a member of the bishop’s church, and expose him for the hustling fraud that he believes he is. He just never planned on falling in love with the Bishop’s daughter.

The Bishop’s Daughter by Tiffany L. Warren will be available in stores Jan. 9, 2009 or online from Amazon.com.

Contest open to US residents only. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. December 24, 2008. Void where prohibited by law. The winners will be notified via email.  Due to the holiday period, the normal 24 hours to respond has been extended. If the winner hasn’t responded within 7 days with their shipping address, the next name pulled will be the winner.

Today, I am doing a workshop:  Blogging for Fun & For Your Readers 

If you’re a blogger or ever thought about blogging, check it out. Be sure to leave your link on the site so other people can visit your blog.  Here’s the link to participate in the workshop: http://www.rawsistaz-affair.com/conference/2008/12/workshop-blogging-for-fun/

 If you missed the panel yesterday on Self-Publishing vs Mainstream vs POD, you can still read it and the comments:    http://www.rawsistaz-affair.com/conference/2008/12/panel-self-publishing-vs-mainstream-vs-pod/

Wednesday, I will be doing a workshop:

RAWSISTAZ Literary Group presents

 7th Annual Readers & Writers Conference

The RAW Affair 2008 ONLINE

December 8-13, 2008

http://www.rawsistaz-affair.com