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When Lightning Strikes by Keya

How can you have it all – education, personality, and beauty - yet your life is flooded with a sea of troubles?

Imminent, new author Keya answers this question and more in When Lightning Strikes, a novel about Ms. Taylor Devereaux, her three best friends, and her spiraling-out-of-control life. Taylor is on the road to happiness and success. She is a gorgeous and classy woman with a thriving career and a wonderful fiancée. One day, Taylor’s near perfect world is turned upside down when she discovers her future husband is cheating.

To make matters worse, while trying to put the pieces of her life back together, she finds out someone at her job has filed a sexual harassment complaint against her. She realizes someone is out to ruin her life. With Taylor’s personal life, profession, and overall reputation at stake, can she overcome it all? Or, will the stress of it all bring out another side of Taylor? See how Taylor reacts “When Lightning Strikes.”

Website: http://www.keyalit.com

Read the first chapter online:
www.keyalit.com/WhenLightningStrikes-Chapter1.pdf

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 2/13/2008 6:36 AM UTC

  Reign Storm by Deanna Michelle Smith
  

  Reign Storm
  by Deanna Michelle Smith
   
   
  
   
  
   
  REIGN STORM by Deanna Michelle Smith is the story of Storm, a beautiful high school student who thinks the world revolves around her. Not only is she beautiful but she drives a nice car, wears expensive clothes, attends the best school, has the perfect boyfriend and gets everything she wants because her parents spoil her abundantly. Storm believes her beauty is the key to success, and even though her best friend tries to tell her beauty is only skin deep, it falls on deaf ears. She is so caught up in glamour and materialism she ends up in a situation that is not only detrimental to her well-being, but is sure to affect those she loves in a disastrous way.
  
  
  
  Distributor: Ingram
   
  
  
  Author Bio: 
  Deanna Michelle Smith was born and raised on the south side of Chicago , IL .
  She attended Northern Illinois University majoring in Business Administration and maintained a position on the Dean's List. She began writing at an early age in order to vent frustrations without getting in trouble. She hopes her fictional words will encourage our youth to take the straight and narro w route in opposed to the easy one. She has been a featured author on Motown Writer's Network, Real Sista Writers online writing group and the Metro Detroit Literary Collective Group.
   
  Her debut novel, entitled Reign Storm was released in February 2007 and her second novel entitled Out Law City was released in April 2007. Her short story, Plateau of Pleasure has been published by Literary Wonders in the Crimes of Passion: The Anthology. She is currently working on another an thology entitled, The Shattered Glass Effect, which includes her two short stories entitled, Lady Judas and Scarlet's Blood.
  
   
  Book Review
  
  REIGN STORM is a wonderfully written book that touches on innocence, heartbreak and revenge. It teaches young girls a lesson that there is more to life than looks and money. There is also a lesson for parents to not spoil their children with whatever their heart desires, or the person they become in their adult life will be unhappy, selfish and shallow. The characters were very well-developed so much so that you could not only visualize Storm, but also her parents. I could almost contemplate their moves. Smith did an excellent job writing a novel that not only kept my attention, but had a surprise twist at the end. Smith's debut novel is sure to be a winner among both young girls and older women.
  
  Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin
  of The RAWSISTAZ-- Reviewers
   
  
   
  SLS Intimate Conversations Showcase
   
  Recently Ella Curry, CEO of EDC Creations (www.edc-creations.com) and founder of the Sankofa Literary Society (www.sankofaliterarysociety.org)  had the opportunity to talk with the author of the  book REIGN STORM, Deanna Michelle Smith.
   
   
  
  SLS Intimate Conversations Interview Questions
   
   
  Tell us something about the story that we can't read on the cover:   
   
  Ugly comes in all different forms ... it can even come in a form of beauty.  The main character, Storm was fooled by her love interest Mr. R & B and his attractive looks, fame, and mega millions.
   
  As a new author, what would you say was your most difficult challenge in completing your novel? 
   
  The most difficult part would be the editing.  Just when you think you've got a masterpiece ... here comes your professional editor with more corrections.  However, this is a good sign of having a great editor so don't be discouraged.
   
  In your opinion, what is the absolute best thing about being a writer? 
   
  The best thing is being able to release tons of thoughts onto paper and enjoy the reaction of the reader.
   
  Who are your writing influences? 
   
  I can honestly say that Sistah Soulja and Zane had the most impact on my decision to write a novel.  Once Reign Storm was completed and published, I became a bit discouraged due to the difficulty of marketing my work. Then my fellow associate/author, L. J. Wilson gave me back my mojo so to speak.  Her influence helped me to complete my second novel, Outlaw City. She's my writing partner and one of my closest friends.  Her writing technique is my inspiration. Our writing is totally different because I write in the Urban Fiction genre and she's more African American Contemporary Fiction but her critiques and advice continuously thrusts me forward.
   
  What is your definition of success?  Accomplishing a goal that you thought was unrealistic.
   
   
   
  **********************************************************
  
   
  Deanna Michelle Smith
  Author of Reign Storm
  and Outlaw City
  Purchase a copy on Amazon.com today!
  www.deannamichellesmith.com  
   
   
   
   
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