When Julian Winters reflects on how he has grown as a writer since his award-winning debut, Running With Lions (Interlude Press, 2018), he acknowledges both personal and professional improvements. One of the challenges he initially faced when penning his sophomore novel, How to Be Remy Cameron, released earlier this month by the same parent publisher, were his doubts about telling a story in the first-person.
“Running With … Read the rest
He’s written hits for the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Pointer Sisters, Reba McEntire, and Billy “Crash” Craddock (whose “Rub it In” song inspired the “Plug it In” jingle) to name a few. He wrote an essay about his marriage of 54 years for the New York Times Modern Love column that moved the world. Now, he has written his debut bestseller, Permission to Fly: A Memoir … Read the rest
DIAMOND DORIS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST NOTORIOUS JEWEL THIEF, Doris Payne. Amistad, $25.99 (288p) ISBN-13: 9780062917997
Publication date: September 10, 2019
To say that it is amazing that Doris Payne generated a career as a global jewelry thief for six decades is an understatement. When reading about her life, one can’t help but marvel over the level of dedication and precision that she exerted into her unlawful … Read the rest
Though it is never too late, filmmaker Chris Kenneally originally thought he would be an author. Instead of writing screenplays, he’d be writing short stories. His passion for developing stories for screens began during his days as a bartender when one of his co-workers, a film student, had to write a script. Kenneally took over the task. He wrote and helped make the movie.
“I was like ‘wow, this is … Read the rest
It’s no revelation that many people are unhappy with their jobs. In fact, the whole miserable-on-the-job, making-it-to-Friday, and barely-enjoying-Sunday-because- tomorrow-is-Monday culture has been normalized. This mass dissatisfaction is what Kyle Grappone observed in his ten years of working various roles in corporate America. He was compelled to research this trend and even surveyed college graduates who revealed regrets about how their lives turned out. Well, Grappone is hoping to help … Read the rest
Last week, entertainment news buzzed with reports of actress and rapper Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) starring in the film adaption of the fantasy novel, The Last Adventure of Constance Verity (Simon and Schuster). The man behind the trilogy, A. Lee Martinez, chatted with So Booking Cool on a Monday afternoon about the announcement. “A big part of this business is just waiting and seeing,” he … Read the rest
MORE THAN ENOUGH: CLAIMING SPACE FOR WHO YOU ARE (NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY), Elaine Welteroth. Viking, $26.00 (336p) ISBN-13: 978-0525561583
Publication date: June 11, 2019
More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) is one of those books that reminds you of why you love reading them in the first place. It is the kind of book that prompts you to crack … Read the rest
Chances are you or someone you know is familiar with boy band BTS, who rock award shows and the Billboard charts. New York Times bestselling author and biographer Marc Shapiro recently participated in a Q&A with us about his book, Burn the Stage: The Rise of BTS and Korean Boy Bands (Riverdale Avenue Books, December 2018).
So Booking Cool: When and how did the idea to write a BTS … Read the rest
“Writing and storytelling is such a powerful tool for building confidence in young people,” novelist Mariama J. Lockington tells So Booking Cool in part two of our conversation. This statement arrives when we ask the “For Black Girls Like Me” author about the story behind her passion for leading youth. Lockington, who noted in part one that her work with middle schoolers contributed to the dialogue for … Read the rest
DAPPER DAN MADE IN HARLEM: A MEMOIR, Daniel R. Day. Random House, $28.00 (277p) ISBN-13: 9780525510512
Publication date: July 9, 2019
He might have been born and raised in Harlem, but his impact as a fashion designer has been felt worldwide. Daniel Day, a.k.a. Dapper Dan, is a man of immense complexity. He was born in 1944, one of seven children, and was a Daddy’s boy, not a Momma’s … Read the rest
