I know like me, you’ve probably seen the commercials asking for your donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. My heart would tug every time I saw the commercial. I didn’t have any idea that in December 2009 and January 2010 that someone close to me would have to utilize their services.

Because of the many prayers and St Jude in Memphis, TN, my 11 yr old cousin has a chance to live a long and ful-filling life.  When you can put a real face to a situation–it brings it home. Now I see why they have the commercials. The above picture was taken last summer of my little cousin (she’s on the left) or as we call each other–my little BFF-best friend forever. She will be in treatment there until February (God willing) and hopefully will be able to come back home.

Please give to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, even if it’s only a few dollars. I know for a fact that the money used is going for a good cause. To donate, go directly to their site by clicking here.

Speaking of giving, if you’ve watched the news, you can’t help but be haunted by the horrific scenes of the earthquake aftermath over in Haiti. Our sisters and brothers are in crisis and need our help.  Unfortunately there are predators out there so beware of donating to unknown companies.  The American Red Cross is a legitimate organization. You can specify which cause you’re donating for. To donate to the American Red Cross, click here.

The Lip Gloss Chronicles made one of the top 25 YA Power Reads of the Decade.

Thank you EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine.

25 Young Reader Power Reads of the Decade: 2000-2009

Ella Curry and EDC Creations is proud to announce the Children and Young Reader Best Books of the Decade 2000-2009. Each book created an impact for readers and the Sankofa Literary Society network. Our literary hallmarks indicate excellence in writing. These are the books we want to showcase to the world.

01. Love, Ocean by Celia Anderson
02. A Song for Harlem by Patricia C. McKissack
03. Divine Confidential by Jacquelin Thomas
04. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
05. Aaliyah by Victoria Christopher Murray
06. The Secret to Teen Power by Paul Harrington
07. Catwalk by Deborah Gregory
08. Cheetah Girls by Deborah Gregory
09. The Lip Gloss Chronicles by Shelia Goss
10. Believing in Hope by Stephanie Perry Moore

Yolanda Adams has ministered to me through her beautiful voice but now she’s using the written word to reach out to us all. Below is information about her new book: Points of Power.

Over five million listeners tune in to hear Yolanda Adams’s Points of Power, a segment in her daily radio show that inspires people by applying biblical truths to present-day realities. In her first book, Yolanda Adams transfers that winning segment into a reader’s delight. In this highly accessible manual for daily living, she shares stories from her and others’s personal experiences, showing readers how to access God’s love and grace in their modern world and troubles. By revealing how Yolanda and other human beings have transcended the world’s difficulties, POINTS OF POWER empowers readers to face trouble with confidence in the God who never fails.

Enter for a chance to win a copy of Points of Power by Yolanda Adams.

If you’re already signed up to my mailing list, I just need you to LEAVE A COMMENT on this blog post. (Last month some people won but didn’t respond to the request for their address so I had to choose alternate winners. So please make sure you use the correct email when leaving comments.)

If you’re NOT on my mailing list, to enter, just sign up AND leave a comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in the Points of Power contest. 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 01/24/10.

Several winners will be chosen at random.

To read an excerpt from the book, click below:

Contest open to US residents only. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. January 24, 2010. Void where prohibited by law. The winners will be notified via email. If the winner hasn’t responded within 48 hours of the initial email with their shipping address, the next name pulled will be the winner.

Here’s what’s on my shelf:

Hostage of Lies by Maxine Thompson

3 Word Review: refreshing, redemption, historical

About Hostage of Lies:

Nefertiti “Titi” Godbolt’s been a captive of her family’s secrets her whole life. Now, as she returns home after fifteen years, she’s ready to confront her family and finally get some answers. It’s her father’s seventy-fifth birthday celebration, but she’s not there to celebrate a man who always seemed to favor her siblings Josh and Cleo, while he, along with Titi’s mother, treated Titi as the black sheep in the family—even before she got pregnant and they forced her to give up her daughter. But when Titi’s father and his brother have it out during the party, some long-buried family secrets pop to the surface, and Titi realizes there may be some truth to the stories her great-grandmother told her when she was a child after all.

Goodness and Mercy by Vanessa Davis Griggs

3 Word Review: moving, forgiveness, modest

About Goodness and Mercy:
Sin has a way of catching up with you…

Gabrielle Mercedes has dreamed of being a dancer since she was a little girl. But when her life takes a very different turn, it’s not the future she’d envisioned for herself. Feeling a void she can’t fill, she finds the salvation she’s been seeking in church and decides to start anew. Learning that her church has a dance ministry, she’s thrilled to have her first love back in her life. Then she meets the handsome and professionally accomplished Zachary Wayne Morgan, and finally everything seems to be falling into place—until a past secret threatens to tear it all apart, and her newfound faith is put to the ultimate test…

Deep Deception by Tina Brooks McKinney

3 Word Review: thriller, intriguing, sequel

About Deep Deception:
Death has a way of exposing secrets better left untold, and no one knows this better than sisters Verónica and Victória Mendoza . They’re about to find out that things aren’t always as they seem. Verónica takes a bite of forbidden fruit when she becomes romantically involved with her boss. The one night fling leaves her pregnant with another man’s child and headed straight to divorce court. Victória can identify with her sister as she, too, harbors a secret love that goes against their strict upbringing. After the sudden death of their mother, Victória enlists the help of her lover to unravel a decade’s worth of deceit. Armed with letters written by their father, the sisters soon find out that deception runs deep, and their time here in America has been based on a lie. The man they once respected has become a symbol of fear with a hidden agenda, and he has no intentions of releasing them from a contract they didn’t sign. Deep Deception demonstrates how greed and the love of money can twist perception. As the mystery unfolds, readers will be shocked by the consequences of these vices.

HIS INVISIBLE WIFE by Shelia Goss is an entertaining and touching read about love, lies, revenge and family. I consumed this book in one sitting and did not want to let go of the warm and fuzzy feeling I got after I finished.  By the book’s end I was reminded of a scripture that says “…because love covers over a multitude of sins.”   Goss demonstrated the power of love over all the bad things we can do.  Her writing was succinct and very uplifting.  I enjoyed meeting all the characters, for many of them seemed to have a story lurking nearby.  This is a good one to add to your collection.

To read the entire review, go to: http://www.therawreviewers.com/artman/publish/HisInvisibleWife.shtml

In 2010, we plan on providing more things in Live, Love, Laugh and Books. Our very own Celeste O Norfleet starts off the first installment of book excerpts that we hope to share throughout the year.

Paper Thin – The Lip Gloss Chronicles Vol. 3

Coming January 26, 2010

APOOO Rating: 5 stars
Amazon Rating: 5 stars

In Paper Thin by Shelia M. Goss, Sierra, Britney and Jasmine are back. They are now sophomores and ready for new experiences. Especially Sierra, the narrator, as she has lost 25 pounds and is convinced that her new size will change things. Of course, she is right but not in the way she thinks. These 15-year olds are going to grow up in ways they never thought.

Ms. Goss does a wonderful job with this book of showing young women as they really are. She allows them to be selfish and loving, impatient and supportive and mostly, realistic. The reader is allowed to see how young people act when their lives change and how they deal with the economic struggles that hit their families. One of the more poignant messages deals with weight and self-esteem issues. We also get to see the young ladies deal with the timely and disturbing problem of violence among girlfriends and boyfriends. Paper Thin is an entertaining and enlightening book geared towards young people, but I recommend it to all readers. It made this reader, who has lived a long time, think, feel and relate.

Angelia Vernon Menchan
APOOO BookClub