Travis Hunter is an author, mentor and father.  His first novel, The Hearts of Men, was originally published in 2000 by Hunter’s own company, Jimrose Publishing House. During the 2000 Book Expo America in Chicago, Hunter handed out copies of his self-published debut and one week later received an offer from Random House’s imprint, Striver’s Row/Villard, for the re-release of The Hearts of Men. And so began a successful evolution of published novels: Married but Still Looking, Trouble Man, A One Woman Man, Something to Die For, A Family Sin, Dark Child. Inspired by his work with teens, Hunter created a young adult series: Two the Hard Way, At the Cross Roads and On the Come Up. http://www.travishunter.com/

Marc Lacy is a nationally renowned poet, author and lecturer.  He has performed all over the country at many national literary events and spoken word venues.  Along with writing and performing, Marc utilizes his wordsmith talent and poetic flare as he facilitates lectures and conducts workshops concerning writing, communication, love and relationships.  http://www.marclacy.com/ 

While attending the University of Michigan, Monique put her dreams of becoming an author on hold as she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. After graduation, she landed a job in the mortgage industry. Although the job provided steady income and a comfortable lifestyle for both her and her young daughter, she still felt unfulfilled as she realized that she always wanted something more. After being prompted by her best friend to , "just write a book", she started her first novel. Finding time during lunch breaks at work and late night evenings, Monique completed her first manuscript, Who Is He To You. Shortly after, she launched Kisa Publishing and published her debut novel. 

We are pleased to announce that Monique will be leading our book discussion next year where we will discuss her book Smoke Screen. If you haven't read her books Who Is He to You and Inside Rain, please  be sure to pick them up!  http://www.moniquedmensah.com

By day, Pat Tucker Wilson works as a radio news director in Houston, TX. By night, she is a talented writer with a knack for telling page-turning stories. A former television news reporter, she draws on her background to craft stories readers will love. With more than 15 years of media experience, the award-winning broadcast journalist has worked as a reporter for ABC, NBC and Fox affiliate TV stations and Radio stations in California and Texas. She also co-hosts the literary talk show, From Cover to Cover. Pat has wowed editors with her ability to turn out five to ten thousand words a day. But it's not just quantity that has Pat at the top of her game. The quality of her stories is what keeps the readers coming back. A much sought-after ghost writer, Pat gets her greatest joy in creating her own stories. She is the author of six novels and has participated in three anthologies, including Zane’s New York Times Bestseller, Caramel Flava.  Pat is currently promoting her newest  book, Daddy by Default. http://www.authorpattucker.com/

Pat Simmons is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth. She is passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels.  She has been a genealogy enthusiast since her great-grandmother died at the young age of ninety-seven years old. 

She describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as an amazing, unforgettable, life-alternating experience. She believes God is the author who advances the stories she writes. 

Pat has a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, MA. She has worked in various media positions in radio, television, and print for more than twenty years. Currently, she oversees the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions. 

She is the award-winning author of Talk to Me, ranked #14 of Top Books in 2008 that Changed Lives by Black Pearls Magazine; she also received the Katherine D. Jones Award for Grace and Humility from the Romance Slam Jam committee in 2008. Two books in her Guilty series has been nominated for the Emma awards. Pat is best known for her Guilty series: Guilty of Love, Not Guilty of Love, and Still Guilty. Her next work, Crowning Glory, will be released in April 2011. 

Pat has converted her sofa-strapped, sports-fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, and GPS-guided chauffeur. They have a son and daughter.  

Pat Simmons’s media appearances include: KMOV-TV, St. Louis; The Best of STL, St. Louis; St. Louis American Newspaper; WFUN 95.5 FM, St. Louis; Ferguson Times Newspaper, Ferguson, MO; Heaven 1580 AM, Lanham, MD; WCLM, Richmond, VA; ArtistFirst Radio Network, Alliance, OH; Blog Radio Network; WKKV 100.7 FM, Racine, WI; and WHPR-FM, Detroit, MI.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland currently residing in Covington Georgia, Tina wears many hats, as she balances her time between that of wife, mother, talk show hostess/interviewer and creative force behind the drama trilogy -- All That Drama, Lawd, Mo’ Drama and  Fool, Stop Trippin’, Deep Deceptions, Snapped, Around The World Girls 8/Got Me Twisted & Deep Deception 2. Tina is currently working on the sequel to Snapped.  

Tina loves to interact with her readers and is always interested in meeting more of them. You can contact Tina at tybrooks2@gmail.com. She is also available for book club meetings, chats and conferences. Check her tour page to see if she is coming to a city near you! www.tinamckinney.com.

As an avid reader, taking in everything she could get her hands on, Tina decided to share her love of books with the world by hosting a on internet radio called Real Talk With Tina Brooks McKinney. Tina’s show focuses on both traditional and self published authors whose voices are seldom heard. In addition, Tina has started conducting free seminars to give back the gifts that were freely given to her.

Renee Daniel Flagler (www.reneedanielflagler.com) is an award winning writer and the author of Miss-Guided, Mountain High, Valley Low, and In Her Mind. As a freelance writer and marketing professional, her writing has been featured in business and consumer newsletters and magazines, nationwide. Flagler’s company, Aspicomm Media (www.aspicomm.com), founded The Self-Publishing Symposium (www.aspicomm.com/selfpublishingsymposium), an annual business conference for self and independent publishers along with the S’Indie Awards, which honors the works and accomplishments of self and independent publishers. 

In 2007 Flagler launched the Divas of Literature Tour (www.divasofliterature.com), a multi-city promotional book tour featuring several authors. Flagler and her books have been featured in such media as Ebony Magazine, Black Issues Book Review, Black Star News, Mahogany Baby, The Columbus Post, and The Amsterdam News.

Flagler is one of the resident “Literary Leaders” for WBAI Radio’s talk show, ‘Off the Page.’ She received an award for Excellence in Journalism by the New York Association of Black Journalists, was honored by Black Star News for her accomplishments in business for starting the Self-Publishing Symposium and honored at the Unlock Your Dreams conference.

Flagler resides in New York and is currently at work on her next novels, Raging Blue and The Houseguest.

Renee Daniel Flagler is the author of Miss-Guided and Mountain High, Valley Low and In Her Mind. As an award winning freelance writer and marketing professional, her writing has been featured in business and consumer newsletters and magazines and Web sites nationwide. Her books have appeared in Ebony Magazine, Black Star News, Mahogany Baby, The Columbus Post, and The Amsterdam News. Flagler is also the founder of the Self-Publishing Symposium and the Divas of Literature Author Tour. Flagler’s next novel, Raging Blue is set to be released in 2010 along with her first non-fiction work on maintaining healthy relationships.  

Renee Daniel Flagler is a marketing professional, an award-winning freelance writer and author of Miss-Guided, Mountain High Valley Low and In Her Mind. Flagler’s business articles have been featured in The Network Journal and Black Enterprise magazines. She also blogs for SheBiz.net, a lifestyle blog for women pursuing their passions. Flagler resides in New York and is currently at work on her next novels, Raging Blue and The Houseguest. She may be contacted via email at rflagler@aspicomm.com.

Sylvia Hubbard has independently published over fourteen books, is the founder of Motown Writers Network and The AA Electronic Literary Network, CEO of HubBooks Literary Services, runs over five blogs on a variety of subjects, host and produces The Michigan Literary Network Radio Show and is a happily divorced mother of three children in Detroit, Michigan. 

Sylvia is considered an addicted blogger by HoneyTechblog.com, nominated and recognized for her literary work in the Metro Detroit area, referred to as “A Literary Diva” by Detroit City Council and donned “Cliffhanger Queen” by her readers, she finds solace in speaking and educating on a variety of topics.

In 2008, Terra Little's previously self-published novel, Running from Mercy, made its debut onto the literary scene as part of a traditional publishing deal that allowed readers all over the world to discover her voice. Since then, Terra has gone on to create characters that readers can hear, touch, and feel, garnering herself an ever-growing following of discerning fans and ensuring that hers is a literary voice that will be around for years to come. To date, Terra's novels include: "Where There's Smoke", which was named by Library Journal as a Best Book of 2009; "Where There's Smoke 2: When the Smoke Clears"; and her upcoming and fourth nationally distributed title, "Jump", which is set to be released in March 2011. Terra currently works in the educational field, with the goal of increasing and strengthening literacy skills and awareness in youth. She is also the editor-in-chief of Brown Recluse Books, a boutique publishing company specializing in educational and healthy lifestyle books and other products (http://www.brownreclusebooks.info). Visit Terra online at http://www.terralittle.com.

Currently, Ms. Johnson is a writer, public speaker and diversity consultant/trainer who has a column in the business section of the Kansas City (Mo.) Star called "Diversity Diva" and has been appointed by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to be a member of its Kansas Advisory Committee.

Ms. Johnson is a former employment attorney for two Kansas City, Missouri law firms, including one of the largest in the city (Husch Blackwell Sanders LLC), representing companies and organizations in employment litigation, including Hallmark Cards, the Kansas City, MissouriSchool District, Deffenbaugh Industries, DST, Kansas City Power and Light and Interstate Brands Corporation (IBC).

A certified mediator who has practiced law in the states of Missouri and Kansas, Ms. Johnson has performed mediations for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Kansas City, Missouri Human Relations Department and private mediations.

Ms. Johnson is also a former journalist who worked as a newspaper reporter at the Philadelphia Daily News, the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Austin American-Statesman. www.michelletjohnson.com