Though it took nine years for Jerald L. Hoover to get his book, My Friend, My Hero published, it would later celebrate 25 years of release; win multiple awards and garner accolades; become a semi-finalist in the Gotham Screenplay Contest; and make Hoover a staple in his hometown of Mount Vernon. He was awarded with the WritersCorp Award by president Bill Clinton and was among the top selling black authors … Read the rest
With recent biopics such as The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story and documentaries like Unsung, many have come to understand the unfairness that can come with being a music artist, and M.O.U.N. Records founder and CEO, Chas Bronxson is no exception. In fact, it was the infamous shady contracts that he was offered as a teen that would eventually motivate him to take the independent route. … Read the rest
For something that was initially a hobby, young actor and musician Zachary S. Williams has serious goals for his career in entertainment. In addition to his aspiration to become a director, the Nickelodeon star also hopes to launch an organization that will connect children to the arts.
“Art, in general, is an important field that I think most people need to experience, and the younger, the better,” the 18-year-old told, … Read the rest
There are two things Tom Wascoe wants readers to take away from his book Child of the Dust: love conquers all and the importance of the Vietnam War. The story is inspired by Wascoe’s service in the army as well as his Corporate Officer career at a Fortune 100 company. He once told someone that he would write a book about the war, and accomplished his goal forty years later.… Read the rest
The love for writing and business is what Mollie Glick cherishes about being an agent. “You know if you’re gonna be an agent if you love the stories, you love the words, and then you also love the entrepreneurial business-building side,” the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) agent told So Booking Cool. Glick, who has adored books since childhood, started out as a literary scout fresh out of college. While the job … Read the rest
Emmy award-winning television journalist and entrepreneur Markette Sheppard was inspired to write her first book, What is Light? after becoming a stay-at-home mother for a year to her then newborn son. The book, in which Sheppard describes as a “love letter” to children, soared to number one on Amazon‘s Children’s Sense & Sensation list. Parents of all backgrounds have expressed appreciation for Sheppard’s children’s book. “I think people are … Read the rest
RENAISSANCE MAN: THE LIN MANUEL STORY, AN UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY, Marc Shapiro. Riverdale Avenue Books, $18.01 (200p) ISBN-13: 978-1626014480
Publication date: May 10, 2018
From the New York Times bestselling author and veteran entertainment journalist, Marc Shapiro, comes his newest biography of a high-profile talent: the self-made Lin Manuel Miranda’s story. Unlike some unauthorized biographies, Renaissance Man is anything but salacious and scandalous. Shapiro doesn’t go for the … Read the rest
Curtis Bunn founded the National Book Club Conference (NBCC) so readers could have the opportunity to interact with their favorite authors and/or writers. The idea was conceived after he attended country-wide book club meetings for his debut novel, Baggage Check, which became the first Essence magazine bestseller by a black author, with a black editor and agent, a black cover designer, a black distributor, and a black publisher. The … Read the rest
For D.B. Moffatt, the author of The Misbirth, the heart of his novel is to transform a negative experience into a positive. “In the case of fate, you’re dealt with a situation that is bad. You can go one of two ways. The first way, in which I ultimately chose, was rationalizing to myself ‘okay, bad circumstance, however, ain’t my fault, but I have to deal with it … Read the rest
How does one successfully write a book that deals with grief? For psychotherapist and author Megan Devine, the answer is understanding the distinction between early grief and later grief. “There are a lot of great grief books out there that talk about rebuilding your life; that’s a fantastic conversation to have, but not three weeks after your person died…know to which part of life you are speaking, if you … Read the rest
