Unika Spotlights Author Jean Holloway

Jean Holloway's debut novel Ace of Hearts started 29 years ago in answer to a bet. Her sister Lori said, "You read so much, I bet you could write a book" and Jean answered, "I bet I could."


Jean Holloway's oldest memories are of reading. She let the words carry her away to places only her imagination could take her. Stephen King and Dean Koontz are her ultimate tour guides and honorable mentions go to Jean Auel and Agatha Christie. Jean sometimes felt more at home in their cleverly crafted worlds than in her own.


Life's Detours
Jean's biological mother died when she was thirteen, the age where puberty reared its ugly head. Needless to say, she was a wife and mother at seventeen and divorced at twenty. She later met her second, current, and final husband, Fred.


Pen to Paper
Accepting her sister's bet would prove more challenging than easily merging her love for reading great horror and mystery classics. In 1980, she wrote the first draft of Ace of Hearts longhand. Over the next two decades the manuscript matured with technology, to typewriter to word processor and finally to computer in 2003.
Bet Accepted...Again
In 2004, Lori once again challenged Jean to introduce Ace of Hearts to the world. She pushed Jean to print several copies of her manuscript and she even paid for Jean to attend the National Book Club Conference Convention in Atlanta, GA.


Not willing to say no to such a tempting challenge, Jean went and handed her manuscripts out in a room full of Zane fans and book clubs began talking! She met her soon-to-be publisher that weekend. Three months later, Jean signed a contract, went through the editing process and "Ace of Hearts" was born!


Dream Deferred
Jean Holloway has published her sophomore novel, Black Jack, and she's currently writing the third installment to the Deck of Cardz series.


But most importantly, Jean's story is one of hope. And to never give up your dream.

Shevaughn Robinson is investigating an especially gruesome case which emerges into serial murders. The story evolves as she follows murder after murder trying to solve the case, not realizing the murderer is a man who not only becomes obsessed with death, but obsessed with her.

Lead Homicide Detective Shevaughn Robinson has gone from the cop everyone, including herself, doubted to the “golden child” of the Portsborough Police Department with a record of sensational arrests and closed cases.

But when a lonely widow is found dead from an apparent suicide, her family insists it was murder and pressures the Portsborough Police Department to take on the investigation. Detective Robinson is assigned to the case at a time when she is struggling to strike a balance between her personal and professional life following the death of her soul mate. This case awakens a complicated relationship with someone who harbors resentment towards Shevaughn for the actions of the serial killer dubbed Ace of Hearts.



Was it suicide or the work of a cold-blooded predator? Will life throw Shevaughn another unexpected blow? And will Shevaughn's attempts to move forward inadvertently lead death to her front door yet again?


Black Jack is the sequel to Jean Holloway's acclaimed debut novel, Ace of Hearts. Buckle up and follow Shevaughn as she moves closer to solving a new, yet old case, unknowingly rekindling old grudges and awakening a sinister spirit. Get ready, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

You can catch Jean at one of these 2010 Events

Thu, July 29, 2010 7pm - 11pm
Black Pearls Magazine ATL Chocolate Social,
Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Embassy Hall - Exhibit Level
265 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30303


Sat., July 31, from 11:00 am - 1 p.m. Coffee Confessions Authors' Brunch
The American Roadhouse
842 N. Highland Avenue Northeast - Atlanta, GA 30306


Fri, September 17, 2010 - Sun, September 19, 2010 Fall into Book Literary Conference
The American Roadhouse
http://www.fallintobooks.com


Fri, October 1, 2010 - Sun, October 3, 2010 The RAWSISTAZ Affair 2010
DoubleTree Hotel
Atlanta-Buckhead, 3342 Peachtree Road Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30326

October 10, 2010, Deuces Wild Book ReleaseFri, October 29, 2010 7pm - 10pm Holloway's Halloween
The Social
3730 Washington @ Yale, Houston, TX 77007-5820

STAY TUNED AS WE SHARE A WONDERFUL MONTH FINDING OUT NEW THINGS ABOUT AUTHOR JEAN HOLLOWAY AND WHAT SHE HAS IN STORE!!

Unika welcomes The Ultimate Series Book Tour with Award Winning Author Tamika Newhouse

Bio:


Tamika Newhouse is the Award Winning-Best Selling author of The Ultimate No No. She is also known as the creator and President of African Americans on the Move Book Club, which is an online book club catering to avid readers across the nation. She is currently the CEO of Delphine Publications and literary consultant. In March 2009 Tamika was announced the Women of the Year by Alive Magazine and nominated as Best Radio Personality by the Black Book Clubs Rock Awards. She recently won Author of the Year with African American Literary Awards.


Tamika can be heard on the syndicated AAMBC Radio, where she interviews new and seasoned authors. The show showcases many of the author’s talents and their current projects.


Tamika created the national tour group called Literary Sistah's, where she and authors tour all over the nation. She is currently living in San Antonio with her husband son, and daughter and attends University of Texas. She is currently working on her third novel Cookie: A Fort Worth Story and plans to release her fourth novel He was a Bad Idea following Cookie.
 
Interview with Tamika


1. How did you get your start in this business/industry?

In February 2008 I was sitting on the bed watching my husband pack for his second tour to Iraq. Already staying in a new city of San Antonio, I felt alone and bored. I simply stated to him I wish I was in a book club. Just out of nowhere in that instance an idea of starting a MySpace page and to post up books I read came across my mind. I thought it would be a great idea to just talk with people over the internet. In that same month I started to get emails from authors I had never heard of who wanted me to read their books. I said to myself, wait I should read their books and post my thoughts on them. Not knowing that it was going to grow into something so large. This is how African Americans on the Move Book Club were birthed. I later birthed AAMBC Radio and Delphine Publications.


2. Did you have any formal business training?

I had absolutely no business training. I didn’t know anything about blogs, book reviews, how to publish, how to market, or any of that. I started with posting up my views on the author’s book and I asked people to read them. I believe this totally came from God’s doing. I was blessed to have met so many authors through MySpace and learn from all of them all at once.
 3. What separates you and your firm from the competition?

I honestly didn’t know of any other format when I started my company. So the fact that I launched something clueless to the industry excites me. The ideas and concepts I started in which I continue to do all began when I knew nothing or no one. So the fact that I based a lot of my early works just from brainstorming separates me from the rest. Not to say I am original but I am not duplicated.



4. How would you describe your experience as a Entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is tuff, time consuming, and adventurous. You take complete control and meet so many people. To think that I am here in this position is a blessing because I didn’t start to read novels until 2006. But I was always a writer since the day I could write a sentence. Being your own boss has its blessings and sometimes I find myself so obsessed over my work that I can’t stop. Ideas come one after the other. So I enjoy being an entrepreneur because I control my destiny. Well me and God that is.



5. What do you like most about your profession?

I design my concepts, I promote my concepts, I develop my concepts, and I can stop when I want to. I enjoy having control over what I do, when I do it, and how.



6. What is your biggest challenge in business? How did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge is that with success come trials and tribulations. I am a fan of myself but somewhere down the road you meet others who are not. It can be because of what you do, what you’ve accomplished and so forth. I use that as my motivation. So how I overcome the negativity is to use it as my gas to keep it moving. A business such as any other industry requires tuff skin so I put mines on and my game face and I enjoy my works.



7. What advice would you give someone just starting out in your industry?

To never enter an industry you don’t know anything about. I know that’s funny seeing as though I was an ammeter when I started. Thing is I took a crash course and learned the industry through others and research. Google is a great engine. Use it. Go to seminars and conferences and speak to veteran authors. Always research and as long as you’re living there is always something to learn.



8. What do you hope to offer your clients or customers to shape their lives?

I hope to give people I work with skills and knowledge. Anyone can show you how to do it but learning it for yourself empowers you. Within AAMBC I give authors exposure and I explain how to self promote. On my radio show I offer authors the opportunity to speak on the things they love while exposing themselves to potential readers. With my publishing house, Delphine Publications, I teach my authors how to hustle and grind. If you love who you are you would work as hard as you can to make sure you reach your highest potential and, even then, shoot for more.



9. What are 3 things all leaders possess?

A Strong foundation, common sense, and a creative mind.



10. How does your mission or vision keep your business growing?

I simply want to help others. My mission is to expose the independent writer so that they too can have a national fan base. Although I do converse and speak to national best sellers my main focus is the new authors. Because of this I have grown in more ways than I could ever imagine. I expect my reach for my company to reach more than triple the current reach within the next year with keeping the same mission and goals. When we started I could count the amount of members AAMBC had and with our new website I am able to keep track of over 1200 members worldwide.



11. Tell us about the people you help. How is your organization or company impacting the public? What social issues or causes do you want to address?



The authors I connect with on a daily bases are usually new authors on their first book or have recently self published and want more exposure. I offer them that. The purpose of getting your book exposed is very important. You want your name and novel to become a familiar product. My goal is to help them become more familiar. Some issues that occur are when an author knows to little about the industry and marketing. It can delay the process of promoting their novel. All authors must know that they have to self promote whether they are with a publisher or not. I always state that the author must self promote and do a lot of research. This is always important to any writer who wants a long term career in writing.



12. What's new in your company?

AAMBC has become more active in virtual tours since last spring; our radio show has a consistent concept with on average two shows a week. We started annual events such as Holiday Book Bash, Valentine Showcases, Virtual Book Release Parties, Holiday Book Drive, College Scholarship Fund, April is our Poetry Month, and we have our annual conference which will make its home in Dallas starting in 2011. AAMBC Radio has a new co-host Anna Black who is also signed to my label Delphine Publications. I am constantly thinking and developing new concepts and online events for our members. I will never rest I know that for sure.

Tour Schedule:


June 19th The George W. Carver Festival, San Antonio, 11-5

June 18-19th The Juneteenth Music Fest, San Antonio, TX

July 9th, The Literary Joint, Forestville, MD 5pm

July 9, Cartel Books and Cafe, Oxon Hill, MD 1pm

July 10th Michele's Book Place, Annanoplois, MD 11am

July 10th Borders Lorgo, MD 5pm

July 11, Patapsco Flea Market , Baltimore, MD

July 12th, Michele's Book Place, Annanoplois, MD 11am

July 13th DC Book Diva, Washington D.C.

July 16, Horizon Book Store, Philadelphia, PA 1pm

July 16th Phenomenol Women Speaking Engagement & Signing, Chester, PA 530pm

July 17th Harlem Book Fair, Harlem, NY