The Chocolate Pages Show  

Show Notes

• Featured Episode

  Pam Perry goes off! Tired of folks Struggling: Time to Cash in - in 2010

  Chocolate Pages

  Date / Time: 11/13/2009 9:00 PM UTC

  Category: Books

  
  

  Those that show up, go up! If you want more than you have right now - you gotta do something different.
  
  Child of God, What are you going to change next year to make it your best year? How are you going "brand your best life?"
  
  Listen to this SOLO God-inspired show on how to get paid to speak, write and pursue your passion. This show is not for the "soft." We're in it to win it! Faith without works is dead!
  
  As my PR Coaching clients tell me, "Pam aint playing."
  
  www.prbootcamponline.eventbrite.com
  

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• On Demand Episodes           6898          

  Original Air Date: 7/31/2008 10:30 PM UTC

  Fiction, Fantasy and Faith

  Authors Venus Mason Theus and Rebecca Dunbar discuss the process of writing their first book and how the story resembles their own lives - consequently changing others lives as they read their work!
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  • Tags:
  • Fiction
  • C S Lewis
  • Intraracial
  • Venus Mason Theus
  • Rebecca Dunbar
  Comments (1)

• Date / Time: 7/31/2008 3:38 AM UTC

  Meet novelists Venus Mason Theus and Rebecca Dunbar

  Venus Mason Theus

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  Venus uses life experiences, humor, and the Word of God to edify the Church, evangelize to the unchurched, and to entertain the masses.

  Background Information

  That [the older women] may teach the young women to be responsible, to love their husbands to love their children, to be wise, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.  Titus 2:4-5 Venus is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy.  She relinquished her corporate job as a paralegal for the largest health care system in southeast Michigan to assume the role of caregiver for her mother and maternal grandparents in 1997.   In addition to her full time position as Family Manager for her four-generation household, this busy wife, mother, grandmother and caregiver is also a Christian Marriage and Family Consultant; and relationship workshop facilitator.  She also recently launched Wisdom4Wives, a consultative blog for married women and women who are considering marriage.  Last year Venus added author to her list of titles when she released her self-published debut novel entitled Brown Paper Bag.  In her workshops, blogs, novels and Christian Education classes, Venus uses life experiences, humor, and the Word of God to edify the body of Christ, evangelize to the unchurched and to entertain the masses.  Her workshop titles include Living Well – the Sweetest Revenge, Effective Communication in Marriage and Your Slip Is Showing – An Empowerment Workshop for Women. Venus has been married to Jerome Dr. Rick Theus since 1985.  Together they head their blended family of 5 adult offspring and have a current total of 13 grandchildren.  Venus and Rick are the Co-Directors of the Uplift Family Ministry at their home church, Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, Michigan.

  Visit Venus at MySpace:

  http://www.myspace.com/venusmasontheus

  
  
  
  Rebecca Dunbar and her over-active imagination grew up Baptist in the small farming community of Jonesville, Louisiana, with her parents and seven siblings. She received her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA and her MBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin @ Madison. Rebecca has worked in financial management in corporate America for more than twenty-five years.
  

  In 1997, she moved to Colorado, having lived in Michigan and Virginia. Though not totally shucking her Baptist roots, she began attending a non-denominational church, “which initially scared the living daylights out of me,” she readily adds. She currently describes herself as Bapti-costal and faithfully attends her church.
  

  
  
  When asked how she came about writing her novel MARIAH JENNINGS – The Battle: Too holy for the corporation; not holy enough for the church, Rebecca says:
  

  “One day in corporate America, I sassed my boss (not a recommendation, folks!) and got suspended from work—without pay for ten days. The “what if’s” kicked in. I decided to write a novel, where I could safely share my “what if’s.”
  
  

  I had read that writers should write what they know. My life consisted of my job in corporate America and my church. “What if I combined the sacred and the secular,” I thought. “Sacri-secular fiction, I’ll call it. I’ll write something for church folks who don’t get out much, and for secular people who get out too much.”
  
  

  So, I chose a theme for which I was passionate, took experiences from my own life, from the lives of friends and acquaintances, from things I had heard on the news,…and I made up a few more, of course. With the unplanned time on my hand, I wrote down the basic scenarios and launched into my “what if’s.” Great, great fun!! I gave the scenarios a timeline and went to the library to fill in the blanks with factual data. And voila! - MARIAH JENNINGS – The Battle…And I dedicated it to God.”

  ….

  Rebecca Dunbar also speaks at churches, events, and seminars for writers.

  
  http://www.RebeccaDunbar.com
  
  
  • Tags:
  • Gospel Today
  • Fiction
  • Venus Mason Theus
  • Chocolate Pages Show
  No Comments

• Original Air Date: 7/24/2008 10:30 PM UTC

  Get YOUR Joy Back! Utmost Living with authors Tim Storey & Sandra Steen!

  So say good-bye to regrets and wishes. It’s time to start living your dreams. Is your life everything you want it to be? Do you feel energized, motivated, and eager for the new opportunities each day brings? If you didn’t answer yes to all of these questions - listen to these two authors, Tim Storey and Sandra Steen. Get your bounce back and have an Utmost life!
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  • Tags:
  • Tim Storey
  • Sandra Steen
  • Random House
  • Bridge Logos
  • Motivation
  Comments (2)

• Date / Time: 7/23/2008 7:25 PM UTC

  Meet Dr. Tim Storey and Sandra Steen - Anointed, awesome authors/speakers!

  Our promise: By the time you’re finished reading this book, you will be well on your way to true freedom–living your utmost life. So say good-bye to regrets and wishes. It’s time to start living your dreams. Is your life everything you want it to be? Are you fulfilling your dreams and accomplishing your goals? Do you feel energized, motivated, and eager for the new opportunities each day brings? If you didn’t answer yes to all of these questions, Tim Storey can help. The man USA Today has called “the pastor to the stars,” Tim Storey has served as a life coach to top athletes, business executives, and entertainers from Lee Iacocca and Quincy Jones to Deion Sanders and Dog the Bounty Hunter. He works with giants of industry and Hollywood heavyweights. Now, he’s bringing his wisdom and inspiration to you. Utmost Living is a complete guide to preparing, planning, and enjoying the most rewarding and successful life you can imagine. It includes all the tools and ideas you’ll need to understand and focus on what you really want, set goals, and accomplish them. It will show you how to: • Envision the life that will truly satisfy and reward you–and make it a reality • Take control of your life and make decisions that will empower you • Overcome the challenges and fears that are holding you back • Expand the limits of your potential so that no dream is ever out of your reach With wit, understanding, and solid guidance developed through years of study and experience, Tim Storey will inspire and uplift you. It’s time to take charge of the life you’re living! About the Author TIM STOREY is an acclaimed speaker, writer, and life coach. He is well known for his radio and television broadcasts and has inspired and motivated people of all walks of life, from entertainment-industry executives, celebrities, and athletes to adults and children in the most deprived neighborhoods in the country. Since receiving his doctorate of divinity from Bethany Theological Seminary, Tim Storey has visited fifty-five countries and spoken to millions of people. He is the author of several books and monographs, notably It’s Time for Your Comeback. Visit the author at TimStoreyOnline. com. The other guest: Sandra Steen... Are you ready for this? Sandra Steen frequently begins her training and motivational messages with this question. Are you ready for breakthrough and change? Inspiration and Personal Growth? How about abundant and joy-filled living? Are you ready for the you that you were created to be? Then you are ready for Sandra Steen – one of the world’s most prolific and well respected inspirational speakers of the day. Sandra is passionate about life and the joy that it holds. She believes that each person has a specific purpose that must be cultivated in order to fulfill their destiny. Sandra's personal wisdom offers a unique and motivating message that is sure to cause the individual to realize their value and significance. As the Founder and CEO of Sandra Steen & Associates, Inc., an internationally acclaimed speaking, training and consulting firm now entering its 12th year, Sandra is established as a powerful expert in the areas of Inspiration and Motivation, Sales and Customer Service, Communication and Leadership and Diversity in the workplace. Visit www. SandraSteen. com For more info or to hear about more great authors visit www. MinistryMarketingSolutions. com Marketing the Message!

  • Tags:
  • Tim Storey
  • Utmost Living
  • Sandra Steen
  • Who Stole My Joy
  • Authors
  No Comments

• Original Air Date: 7/10/2008 10:30 PM UTC

  Fiction that feeds the SOUL. Serious Faith & FUN!

  Meet the world's most exciting Christian fiction authors - Kimberly Cash Tate and Marilynn Griffith. Listen up to how they do what they do and what inpspires them to keep up the success for GOD!
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  • Tags:
  • Marilynn Griffith
  • Kimberly Cash Tate
  • Christian Fiction
  • Rhythms of Grace
  Comments (1)

• Date / Time: 7/10/2008 9:07 PM UTC

  Read about Kimberly Cash Tate and Marilynn Griffith! Serious Faith, Fiction and FUN

  Kimberly Cash Tate is an exciting Christian author whose career began when she penned her spiritual journey in a compelling memoir entitled, More Christian than African-American: One Women's Journey to her True Spiritual Self in 1999. True to her calling - as a published writer - she is back with a heart-warming fictional debut called, Heavenly Places, published by Walk Worthy Press, March 2008.
  

   
  

  
  

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

   

  In her memoir, More Christian Than African American, author Kimberly Cash Tate took readers on an unforgettable journey as she shares how everything she knows and loves in life, and about life, literally changes before her eyes because of the transformative power of Christ. Now available in paperback is Tate's debut novel, Heavenly Places (Walk Worthy Press, March 2008; ISBN: 1577948572; $13.99), a heartwarming and uplifting story that ministers to the hearts, minds, and souls of those who read it.

   

  Meet Treva Langston – a beautiful and intelligent woman who is married to a God-fearing man who loves her, and mother to three wonderful daughters who adore her. So why doesn't her family bring her joy? Well, Treva has been plagued with self-doubt her entire life. Everything she has ever tried to accomplish has always been viewed through the lens of 'color' thanks to her mother. For a while, Treva was able to escape her feelings of inadequacy and find her worth in a very successful career in the Midwest. Now she's jobless and returning to her hometown filled with painful memories and a mother who hasn't changed a bit. It will be her sister's gentle nudging to join a women's home Bible Study group she facilitates that literally changes her life. The transformative power of God's word and the "heavenly places" He promises in her studies, helps her to forgive, value friends and family, and discover once and for all that those promised 'heavenly places' have been right there with her all along.
  

  
  
  In addition to her passion for writing, she is the founder and president of Colored in Christ International, Inc., a nonprofit ministry dedicated to equipping and encouraging believers to walk with a true perspective in Christ.

   

  Prior to writing full-time, Kimberly was a partner with Michael Best & Friedrich, one of the largest law firms in the Midwest, where she specialized in civil litigation.
  

  
   

  She resides in Missouri with her husband and two children and is hard at work on her second novel.
   
  Visit her online at www.kimberlycashtate.com and blog at www.kimberlycashtate.blogspot.com  for more information! 
  "Heavenly Places is fiction that feeds the soul.”
  ------------
  
  Meet Marilynn Griffith!!!
  
  

  Author Interview with Marilynn Griffith

  “Rhythms of Grace” (Sept. 2008, Revell)

  www.MarilynGriffith.com

   

  You are well known for writing novels that have an eclectic array of leading ladies, but they all share a common bond that they are everyday heroes of the Christian faith. Could you please tell us how Rhythms of Grace carries on this tradition and a little bit about the leading lady in this novel?

   

  MG: Grace Okoye is a beautiful woman with broken places. She once dreamed of being a dancer with Alvin Ailey or some other company but a ski-masked boy stole her dreams on her way to her first performance. For the rest of her life, Grace bent herself to the expectations of others, trying to cover up what could not be covered, things only God could heal. After twenty years, her old dance teacher invites to Grace to teach at her charter school. Though she knows it will reveal her broken places, Grace cannot say no to the woman who first made her believe...in herself and in God.

   

  I understand that the title of the book is a play on words. Could you please describe the process in which Grace rediscovers the rhythms of grace?

   

  Actually the title is from a scripture, Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message Bible. It reads, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me... Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace." Going back to Testimony, Ohio, the town where she gained her freedom in dance, but lost her virtue to a rapist is Grace's first step to rediscovering the rhythms of grace.  

   

  Your novel brings up an interesting issue that many couples face today which is that one person has faith in God and the other is absent in their faith. What do you recommend for these couples in order to overcome this obstacle?

   

  For a Christian, there really isn't anyway to overcome the lack of faith in someone they love. All he or she can do is pray that the person's heart would become open to the Lord and be honest with themselves about the Bible says about being unequally yoked with unbelievers. If someone is already married, the answer is the same. Only God's love can draw someone to true repentance. Grace's first husband wasn't a believer and so though she has strong feelings for Brian, she knows how hard this kind of relationship is. She wants more.

   

   

  We live in a society where there are still many women who are victims of violence who will relate to this book. Could you please explain some of the inspiring messages in Rhythms of Grace to empower these women to stay strong even during the most difficult of times?

   

  Grace experienced violence at a young age. It changed the course of her family, her gifting and her life, but she didn't allow it to destroy her. Instead, she followed after God even harder. She sees that though tragedy took her away from the rhythm she'd always felt, God continued to play the tune, waiting every day for her to come and dance.

   

   How is Rhythms of Grace different from your other novels about strong women? How is it similar?

   

  All my books deal with friends and families, but I'd say that this book deals with these themes even more strongly, adding in the themes of racism and the complexities of small town life. This novel is larger in scope than some of the others as well.

   

   

   

  What is the most important “take away” that you would like your readers to walk away with when they finish Rhythms of Grace?

   

  I usually have a good answer for that, but with this book I do not. I pray that every reader of this novel will walk away with exactly what she's needed but could not express, exactly what God wants for her to have.

   

  Tell us about your journey as you were writing Rhythms of Grace. Did anyone in your real life inspire the character of Grace?

   

  Oh goodness. The journey of writing this book is a book in itself. This is my true first novel, but it wasn't published until almost ten years after I started it. With my then five boys under age five and my two older girls homeschooling, it was a busy time, but not too busy for Grace, Brian, Ron, Zeely, Jerry and Joyce to get under my skin. I tried to give up on the book more than once, but in the end, I had to know what happened. No one person inspired Grace, though I myself was raped at a young age and am a birth mother. She handled her experiences differently than I did mine. Better really. I can't take credit for her though. She just showed up one day, looked at Brian and started to dance.

   

  When did you consider yourself a writer, especially a Christian writer?

   

  I've always written; journals, poems, starts of novels, short stories. I never considered myself a writer though. A woman, bless her heart, who'd read something of mine invited me to a writing group online. A man said, "So, you're a writer, huh?" My answer? "Well, I don't know. I'm not sure." His reply? "Come back when you are." I never came back to that group, but trust me, I'm sure. As for being a Christian writer, I'm not sure I'll ever really know what that means. I read books written by Christians that never name Christ yet He is there in the pauses and pages. Other authors write distinctly from a Christian point of view and their stories are amazing as well as minister to my soul. Which are Christian writers? Both, I suppose.

   

  What role does your faith play in your writing? How does it inspire you?

   

  My faith plays a huge role in my writing. God really gives me the stories. I get nervous every time because I often don't know the end or it ends up being something other than what I thought. I get my best ideas in church, especially during worship. The hard thing is that sometimes God gives me things that don't seem very Christian at all and yet I know they are from Him too. Walking with Jesus is an adventure. I don't know how people do without Him.

   

  How do you find time to connect with God?

   

  I don't find it. I steal it. With nine people in the house, there's no other way. :)

   

  What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming novels?

   

  I'm working on SONGS OF DELIVERANCE, the follow up to RHYTHMS OF GRACE. It will come out in Summer of Fall 2009. I just finished MOM'S THE WORD, my January 2009 release.

   

  Where can someone find you online?

   

  I'm all over the web, but it's probably easiest to find me at my website, www.MarilynnGriffith.com

   Drop me an email anytime at marilynngriffith@gmail.com. God bless and thanks for your time.

   

  For media interviews or review copies, please contact:

  Pam Perry, publicist, Ministry Marketing Solutions Inc.

   info@ministrymarketingsolutions.com or Office: 248.426-2300

  
  

  • Tags:
  • Marilynn Griffith
  • Kimberly Cash Tate
  • Heavenly Places
  • Walk Worthy
  • Revell
  No Comments

• Original Air Date: 7/3/2008 10:30 PM UTC

  Somewhat Saved - Sister Betty and Dr. Gail Hayes discuss Christian Fiction Today

  Talking about Christian Fiction with Essence best- selling & award winning author, Pat G'Orge-Walker (Somewhat Saved)& Dr. Gail Hayes (Daughters of the King). Listen to their funny observations on black church life & what inspires their writing, speaking & humor! PTL!
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  • Tags:
  • Sisiter Betty
  • Pat Gorge
  • Gail Hayes
  • Christian Fiction
  • Gospel Comedy
  Comments (2)

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