African Urban Fiction

Against all odds, Adirah Messa has been accepted to Billet University, a prestigious institution founded in the 1800s for people of color. Determined to excel, she arrives at the university intent on minimizing distraction and focusing on her studies. That goal is soon interrupted when she is noticed by members of the "in" crowd, who invite her to the most popular frat party on campus. Adirah finds herself smitten with someone of another race and is taken on a ride she can never return from. Unbeknownst to her, Adirah's newfound love is not only a master seducer.

The riveting Hell's Diva series continues as Mecca Skyes returns to take her revenge on the only person she ever thought she could trust. Beautiful Mecca was only a kid when her parents were killed, and she was saved from the rough streets of Brooklyn when her aunt Ruby, the "Godmother of Crime", took her in. Ruby rubbed out the goons that murdered Mecca's parents, and everything seemed fine - until Ruby betrayed Mecca by sleeping with her man, setting in motion a series of events that nearly left Mecca dead from a gunshot wound.

When Candice "Candy" Hardaway, the daughter of deceased New York drug kingpin Eric "Easy" Hardaway, set out to get revenge on the people who killed her entire family, she positioned herself knee-deep in the game. While getting close to her father's alleged enemies, Candy uncovered some long-buried secrets that were never meant for her to find out. These secrets also destroyed the only family member she had left - her Uncle Rock.

Trayce is an Internet entrepreneur in Chicago, and she has moved on. Solomon never moved away. Janet, head cheerleader and homecoming queen, fell from grace after graduation. Karim, the handsome and successful New York music video director who is on everyone's lips, wasn't always like that. Ten years ago, he was bullied and ridiculed by the Crew, the most popular clique in school. At their 10-year class reunion, how will these four handle it? And what are their motives?

Mona and Shawn Black seem like they are just getting back to normal. But both are still keeping secrets from each other and their family. James Parks leaves prison older but not wiser - seeking revenge. He knows of the secrets that the Black family holds.

Shawn Black seems to be a mild-mannered family man who loves music recitals, football games, and family outings. What observers don’t realize is that Shawn is living a life on both sides of the fence. He harbors dangerous secrets that could hurt his family. Shawn makes a mistake when he befriends James, a gold-digger with an agenda. Pushing Shawn head first into a life of lust and deception, he will get what he wants.

An ex-con learns the hard way that it’s better to be with God than without. Deon “Rocky” Rockford is released after spending time in jail. He may have been “saved” on the inside, but now his term has been overturned. He is also free from the shackles of the prayers of the men’s ministry of the New Hope Church and wants only to focus on himself. Fearless and strong, this big guy won several fights behind bars and feels ready to forge a new life in Shelton Heights. Soon he will see that the only “rock” he can count on is God.

Celeste Harper is happily married and living life to its fullest...or that’s what she wants everyone to believe, but her failure to conceive a baby and the critical information she's withholding from her husband may demolish her house of cards. Ginger Brown meets a guy online and invites him to stay in her home. It isn’t long before she finds herself having to ask for permission to go to church. Dirty dishes left in the sink, canned goods not neatly stacked, and missing curfew by just one minute earns Ginger a beat down on a regular basis. How long will the makeup hide the bruises?

While searching for her brother’s killer, Deondra “Dee Dee” Davis, out of jail on bail, must deal with a ruthless drug lord, the mob-connected Robinson brothers, a hired assassin, and unexpected love - all while eluding Detectives Gary and Perkins, who want nothing more than to see her behind bars.

In the tradition of cult literary icon Donald Goines, Ice Cream for Freaks is written with a realness that accurately depicts the bleak conditions of the story's urban backdrop. The main character, Nathaniel Wilson, better known in his middle class Queens neighborhood as "Ice", has a reputation of being a brutal and daring stick-up kid. A seemingly well-planned robbery proves deadly to Ice when the victim happens to be "Supreme" - a rising star in a violent New York drug cartel.

Do you know who you are? Are you comfortable in your skin? Outed by her best friend in front of the whole neighborhood, Niya is trying to come to terms with being a lesbian. When she falls for her straight neighbor, Jamilla, there is no more denying who she really is. Niya will do whatever it takes to prove her love, even if it means taking a life. What will happen when family issues, fame, the struggle for love, and reality set in? How will Niya deal with a hip-hop career as she tries to repair her broken heart and family issues?

Nola wants no part of a relationship with Hot Shot after her family is incarcerated. He has never loved a woman the way he loves Nola, so dealing with that loss on top of the loss of his parents and little brother has Hot Shot on the verge of committing murder. He is determined to get his woman back at all costs, and the streets of Oklahoma City will run red if someone steps to him the wrong way.

It's been a year since the death of Ms. Essie Mae Richardson, the 77-year-old pillar of the Braxton Parks community. Before her untimely demise, Essie's prayers brought redemption to many of her neighborhood's problems, but now the impact of her death and the unfinished business that it left behind is threatening to unravel all that she prayed so hard for God to mend. While Colin Stephens still enjoys a blissful marriage to his wife Angel, unbeknownst to him, she is wrestling with the guilt and regret of never saying goodbye to the woman she loved like a mother.

Sometimes going hard means sacrificing the very thing you love the most in order to be at the top. Gwen knows firsthand about this sacrifice as she struggles to get her son back from a heartless killer bent on revenge. Niya, on the other hand, is sitting at the top of the throne. Still, she will have to determine whether she’s willing to sacrifice her girls’ lives in order to make MHB a dominant force in North Carolina’s drug trade. She’s about to find out that playing with the big boys has its consequences, unless you are really about that life.

If 28-year-old Monique Morrison had only one wish, it would be to fall in love with a man sent from God; a man who will cherish her forever. But Monique makes a huge mistake when she chooses to help herself. Going against her Christian values, she decides to play house and move in with her musician boyfriend, Boris Cortland. Boris is in no hurry to get to the altar now that Monique has already signed on to play the role of a wife. She's in church Sunday after Sunday, praying for God to touch Boris' heart and turn him from his wicked ways....

To some men, Corrections Officer Sean Daniels would be considered the luckiest guy in the world. He has two gorgeous ladies vying for him. Corrections Officer Yadira Cruz is a feisty, hot tamale with a history of failed relationships. After a bad breakup with her daughter’s father, she sets her sights on Sean. The sex is sizzling, but is he ready to give her the commitment she’s looking for? Brandi Wallace is a single mom whose 19-year-old son, Shamari, is serving time at Rikers Island. On the outside, she's poised, polished, and a knock-out! Inside, she’s hiding a violent past.

Love continues to fail Nia and with the arrival of her daughter she doesn’t have the time or energy to pour into her failing relationship with East. Money is no longer the only thing on her mind; her daughter is. Nia realizes that family is above everything else and so she steps back from the demands of being a boss and running her own company. Torn between pride and his past, East uses the poor excuse of “not being enough” for his beloved Nia as the reason why he’s not around.

Some might say that Khalil Patterson is living his best life. Kendrick Nance and Jack Dandridge are both dead, and he is now the boss. But he still has what’s left of Kojo's operation, which is being run by Shanice Hardaway, to worry about. Now that he is running things, it’s time to turn his attention and firepower to shutting her down and taking over her market.

Life in the hood is generally hard on a day-to-day basis, but it’s even harder when there’s a massive bounty on your head–as Mika and Kane have discovered. With a considerable amount of cash now in their possession, the smart money says that the two should leave town as soon as possible (before someone collects on them) and go some place where no one knows them. Some place where their violent past won’t find them. Some place where they can get a fresh start. Kane, however, refuses to leave without confirming that Jaycee–his partner and best friend–is okay.

After surviving another attempt on her life, Keema Newell proves that a true hustler never dies. As a ghetto superstar and queen of the streets, she struggles to put the pieces of her life back together, while trying to tame her now notorious daughter, Treasure. Money, murder, and mayhem comes from every angle as Keema finds herself in a viscous web of deceit, tearing apart the lives of everyone she comes in contact with—ultimately making her fair game for her ruthless enemies. Little does she know, her own daughter has plans to step in and take over the throne.