BIOGRAPHY
I
was born September 1966 in the Chocolate City, also
known as Washington, DC. When I was 12 years old, my parents moved
our family to Upper Marlboro, Maryland where we called home.
I
loved reading books. I read three to four books per week. My
favorite spot in the house was the cozy corner of the living room
sofa, curled up with a good book. One Christmas, Mr. Tilles (my
ex-hubby and dear friend), gave me the best gift ever—Homecourt
Advantage by Rita Ewing and Crystal McCray Anthony. I cracked
that book open on December 25, 2000 and by December 26, 2000, I was
reading the last page. However, between the 25th and the
26th, something happened to me. I heard a voice that I’d
never heard before. I recognized that voice, too! How can I
recognize a voice I’d never heard before, right? I know. I thought
the same thing, but I did. The voice said, “You can do that, too.” I
smiled and made a beeline to the basement, propped myself at my
computer and within four weeks, I’d written my first novel, Anything Goes. That was one exciting and exhilarating ride. That
voice? It was my grandmother—Esther McGee. I’d never met my
grandmother nor spoken to her. She died years before I was born.
However, something inside me knew that voice belonged to her, and no
one can tell me differently. Thank you, grandmother. You were right.
I could do it, and I did!
It has been ten
glorious years as a writer. In that time frame, I released:
Anything Goes,
In My Sisters' Corner,
Apple Tree,
Sweet Revenge,
Fatal Desire, Unfinished
Business,
Erogenous Zone: A Sexual Voyage,
Loving Simone and No One Has To Know (an erotic
quickie eBook). My short story, “Julian’s Grace” was published in The Triumph of My Soul (Peace In The Storm Publishing).
Did I mention I self-published my first book, and now I head an
independent publishing house, Xpress Yourself Publishing? In 2006, I
published fellow authors Bill Holmes, Kenda Bell and Michael J.
Burt. Bill Holmes' debut novel,
One Love,
peaked at #4 on the Essence Best Seller's List in July 2007,
followed by Kenda Bell's
For Every
Love There Is A Reason
at #8 in August 2007. As the publisher of Xpress Yourself Publishing
(now affectionately known as XYP), I am helping to mold the literary
careers of talented authors, and I publish around 5 to 10 titles per
annum. In 2008, I was honored to receive the African American
Literary Award for Independent Publisher of the Year. I was also
nominated for that same award in 2009. Visit my publishing company
at
www.xpressyourselfpublishing.com.
I am listed in Heather
Covington’s
Top 100 Literary Divas
(Amber
Communications). I am the Creative Designer and Owner of TWA
Solutions (formerly The Writer’s Assistant), a small, minority- and
woman-owned business providing services to independent publishers
and authors and small businesses in the areas of book cover design,
interior book design, editing, web design, consulting and
self-publishing services.
In addition to my many accomplishments, I am a staff writer for
Black Men In America.com, have contributed the article “Third Shift
Blues” to Black Romance Magazine, and is the recipient of the
Memphis Black Writer’s Guild’s Rising Star award, and the
Jackson Mississippi Reader’s Clubs’ Outstanding Contributor to
Literature award.
I
am currently working on several literary projects. I have to keep
busy! I still reside in Upper Marlboro, Maryland with my two dogs:
Abby and Teddy.
