Urban African American

The coauthor of Desperate Hoodwives, Meesha Mink set out on her own with the street-fiction hit Real Wifeys: On the Grind. The series’ second installment, Get Money, finds Harriet “Luscious” Jordan in serious need of scratch after her hubby Make$ is put behind bars. A natural-born hustler, Luscious jumps into the party-promotion biz and begins pulling in big-time cash. But she can’t let go of a grudge against her old rival Goldie, and it may be her undoing.

Best-selling street lit author Meesha Mink closes out the Real Wifeys series with Hustle Hard. "Suga" Alvarez cares about two things: making money and loving Dane. But when the Feds bust Dane for loan sharking, Suga must decide if she’s going to stand by her man and take over his business or kick him to the curb. On top of all that, she finally learns the truth about her father’s past and discovers a secret that will bring things to a head with her former best friend, Luscious.

In 1948, the Orioles, a Baltimore-based vocal group, recorded "It's Too Soon to Know". Combining the sound of Tin Pan Alley with gospel and blues sensibilities, the Orioles saw their first hit reach #13 on the pop charts, thus introducing the nation to vocal rhythm & blues and paving the way for the most successful groups of the 1950s. In the first scholarly treatment of this influential musical genre, Stuart Goosman chronicles the Orioles' story and that of myriad other black vocal groups in the postwar period.

Serenity has started a new life in Detroit after the death of her lover-turned-enemy, Sadie. She’s even begun a hot-and-heavy hetero relationship with a hood-smart restaurateur named Cass. But Serenity can’t deny the sexual satisfaction she can get only with a woman — so she sleeps with Cass’s sister, Heaven! And it’s good, so good.... But she can only get so much Heaven before Cass finds out…or before someone from her past finds out.

Pastor Cordell Bryson will stop at nothing to save his best friend's soul when he gets involved with a dangerous woman, who, using her sultry smile and perfect body, is determined to destroy his life.

After a complicated love triangle found Ne'Vaeh involved with her best friend's man, she thought she had found happiness. Unfortunately, heartbreak continues for her, and now she is struggling to deal with feelings of love lost. Charlene says she is pregnant by Aaron, the man they both loved, and Ne'Vaeh is devastated. Charlene refuses to set the record straight. She doesn't want Aaron, but she's determined to keep him away from her backstabbing former friend. Old feelings resurface, and Ne'Vaeh finds herself falling in love again; however, Charlene's jealousy is about to consume her.

Angela grew up in an all-black upper-class neighborhood in Virginia Beach. Being raised by conservative parents, street life was almost nonexistent. Her college years at Hampton University would truly educate her; not only in school, but also in life. She never imagined the attention her body and beauty would bring her. Angela finds herself torn between Mac, a successful real estate broker, and Damien, a young Jamaican hustler from Brooklyn. Both show Angela love in their own way, and her choice will be her destiny.

Nia Hudson, fashion powerhouse and philanthropist, swore love wasn't for her because she was too busy chasing after her dreams. But when a blast from the past resurfaces and refuses to take "no" for an answer, Nia decides to give him one hour of her time. Before she knows it, the two have become a couple. East and Nia have nothing in common; he's the complete opposite of everything for which she stands. East is definitely living life in the fast lane, selling everything he can get his hands on and not knowing when the Feds - or friends disguised as enemies - might come after him.

Boon, a lawyer from Chicago, is a hopeless romantic; however, life keeps dealing him a shady hand when it comes to the opposite sex. It seems as though every woman in whom Boon finds interest tears him down. Gorgeous and intelligent, Amerie is also a lawyer from Chitown; Boon meets her, and soon, the sparks fly. Boon falls head over heels, and he soon begins to wonder if she is the one. However, the ultimate betrayal soon sends one of the lovebirds into a downward spiral.

The Ladies of MHB are all together again and ready to take their newfound success to the next level, but with success comes more haters and rivals who are shooting at the team on top. After living through the largest shootout in downtown Charlotte's history, the women have decided to take the group all the way legit. MHB owns enough real estate to secure the future of all the original members and new recruits alike. There's only one problem: nobody believes these country girls can leave the streets alone and maybe, just maybe, they really can't.

Growing up in New York, Tasha always knew she could do anything with her childhood friends, Jai and Ursula, by her side. Now she’s finding out that with more money comes more problems. Her friendship is tested when the drama of lies, deceit, and murder unfolds, and her relationship with the love of her life, Rellz, is also threatened when they find themselves keeping secrets from each other. When the bond that the three friends always shared is damaged, Tasha is forced to play her hand. She is faced with betrayal among friends, family, and the man who claims to love her.

Zaria Taylor weathers the storms, accepting the bad times as temporary whenever Renard cheats. Deep down inside, Zaria prays the years invested into their relationship will be enough to keep their foundation sturdy. "Do or die" and "till death do us part" are her mottos, though her wedding ring finger is still bare. She makes the mistake of believing him every time he says he will do better, he is sorry, and his heart only belongs to her.

The first rule when trying to survive prison is to find people who are going to watch your back. Sometimes alliances like this are made in the weirdest situations. For Mo, Royal, Emil, and Ascada, the last place they wanted to be was in prison together, but as fate would have it, they all became inmates of the Walsh Facility for Women. As different as they all are, they do have one thing in common - Spencer. Known on the streets as a hustler with nothing to lose, he doesn’t care about anyone but himself, including the children that he’s fathered with three of the locked up women.

You have to use what you got to get what you want. For Journey Clayton, this statement rings more than true as she struggles under the weight of her mother’s cocaine addiction. She learns from a very young age that family doesn’t offer as much help as she hoped they would. It’s not until she befriends Khalid, the son of a neighborhood drug dealer, who is trying to stay above the struggle himself, that she starts to believe there might just be hope...even for little girls in the ghetto.

This fast-paced, no-holds-barred story of life on the streets follows ex-convict and junkie Terri Parish, a former Las Vegas headliner, as she hooks up with ex-lover Mo-Red, the ruthless leader of a large street gang, in an attempt to get out of Chicago and follow her dreams.

Paris Italy Hall has had enough of street life and wants no part of it or the men in her complex that dwell in it, living off of the pain and suffering of everyday people. Paris works hard and goes to school so that she can say bye to her surroundings and move on to something better. But Demetrius “Meek” Lewis has other plans. He sees her and pursues her relentlessly until she gives in and gives him a chance. Paris soon realizes that she is trapped and unable to escape his clutches.

Flexin' & Sexin' is an urban and erotic anthology penned by some of street lit's and erotica's hottest writers. Join best selling authors K'wan, Anna J and Erick S. Gray as they take listeners on a wild ride from the sheets to the streets.

Lisette, the flawless beauty with the take-no-prisoners attitude, is back! Along with her partners, Marlene and Aida, Lisette continues to ruin marriages at the request of desperate, wealthy wives willing to pay large sums to stick it to their husbands. Control is what it’s all about, and that’s just what Lisette gives back to the wives.

Fresh out of the Marines with only five grand in his pocket, Menage is looking to make his presence and his flamboyant taste in cars and clothes felt on the extravagant, flossed-out streets of Miami. When Menage discovers that he has a flair for flipping stolen cars into more cash than he can handle, he befriends Dwight, who helps him with his operation. Menage soon learns that when doing shady business, shady characters lurk where you least expect them. Follow Menage as he balls outta control, outrunning the law and bullets that may bear his name.

Chris Davis. Elvis Spielberg. Jamaican accent. British accent. Accountant. Author. High-stakes gambler. None of the above? What is the truth? Who is the Truth? His whole existence has been a mystery to many, an enigma few people know to exist. He is a master of disguise, a dweller in secrecy, and a teller of many tales. And for the right price … a destroyer of lives. But when the bodies start turning up after a job gone south, Truth realizes that someone is out to unmask his real identity and kill him.