ISBN 0976608693 $10.00 plus $2.00 shipping. To purchase go to nvisionpublishing

EXCERPT FROM OPEN THE D.O.O.R. - You are not powerless. Your life can be changed. You can define for yourself a new way of living, a new reality. If you are prepared to not only open the d.o.o.r., but towalk through it and begin the journey to change.

Some believe that their present state and conditions are unchangeable. Mental state of oppression goes hand in hand with failure and guarantees that we all remain in our present
condition. African American women have been brainwashed into the philosophy that we are victims of our inheritance, life experiences and surrounding and that these sole forces somehow create our current life.

This brainwashing has caused us to continue to be viewed as victims instead of fighting for our
freedom, knowledge, clarity of thought and perspective. We must rework this philosophy by first
changing our thinking. Inherent in you are ALL the solutions to your current situation(s).

Responsibility for self is a fundamental truth of life. You control the decisions that shape your destiny. It may be a painful revelation to realize that where you are today, right now, is a result of your choices. Each choice and each decision you made had consequences. Most people live moment to moment without thinking of the long-term ramifications of their actions. We react quickly without even thinking. Without taking the time to process events.

Oftentimes it is wiser to do or say nothing until you have truly taken an introspective moment. Sometimes we just forget how to find these answers because we are too busy distracted in denial or have formed a substitution to help us feel better. Whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger! You will only come out stronger, if you use your present situation as an opportunity to discover yourself. Remember, inherent within all of us are the solutions to our current situations, although it may not always be the solution we desire.

Be responsible for yourself and hold yourself accountable for your actions. Take a look at the behaviors you’ve been clinging to that keep you unhappy, unsuccessful and not enjoying life. Learn to live beyond fears and excuses by evaluating your life. Keep a journal; write down your thoughts and responses to situations as well as your feeling as they arise in you.

Develop your own daily meditations and words of reflections. Find out who you are because you have the power to release yourself from your present situation, to define your own reality and live life to your full potential. Remember, you are not powerless.   ISBN 0976608693, $12.00, non-fiction

What Doesn’t Kill Us, Only Makes Us Stronger, is an evocative collection of stories about the strength, empowerment, and survival of seven African American women.

                                            “Breaking Free”
Rachelle is on the verge of saying ‘I do’, as she finds her relationship has morphed into one of violence, and fear, culminating in a life-threatening confrontation with her lover. 

                                        “Matriarchal Musings”
Tonya enlists her girlfriend’s support to tell her family she’s pregnant.  Tonya’s news starts the matriarchal clan on a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about pregnancy, sex, and their own encounters with the opposite sex.

                                                                    “Grandmothers”
Tisha has suffered neglect and abuse from her grandmother since her childhood, solely because she is a girl.  Now an adult Tisha must decide will she forgive her grandmother? 

                                                          “Honoring The Difficult”
Renee, a forty-nine year old mother of three has returned to college.  Suddenly her world is turned upside down when she is diagnosed with breast cancer.  Join Renee as she takes us on a journey through the turbulent, unpredictable, and oftentimes viciousness that is breast cancer.  

                                                                     “Choices”
Alesha is a single, twenty-three year old mother of three children.  After the condom breaks Alesha finds herself pregnant for the fourth time.  Now she is faced with a choice, and must decide what to do.

                                                                  “Metamorphosis”
Simone’s mother used to be a high-class call girl.  Now she works the corners.  Her dad’s a pimp, who’s been struggling for years to overcome addiction.  Despite Simone’s parent’s professions, and flaws they instill the value of education and desire for a better life in their daughter.  But Simone’s summer job could unravel all their hard work, and land Simone right smack in the middle of the ‘game’.

                                                                     “Passing Lives”
Kendra tracks down her biological father after twenty-five years.  Just as Kendra is beginning to get to know him, he suddenly dies.  Leaving Kendra to question just what makes is a daddy?   

 ISBN #0-9766086-0-2, paperback, 88 pages, $10.00.  To purchase go to paypal.com