Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide To Transforming Your Life by Michael Strahan

From America’s favorite football player turned morning talk show host—a man who makes just about everything look easy—a mélange of stories and motivational advice to inspire the reader to turn up the heat and go from good to great in pursuit of their personal ambitions.

Michael Strahan spent his childhood on a military base in Europe, where community meant everything, and life, though idyllic, was different. For one, when people referenced football they meant soccer. So when Michael’s father suggested he work toward a college scholarship by playing football in Texas, where tens of thousands of people show up for a weekend game, the odds were long. Yet he did, indeed, land a scholarship and from there a draft into the NFL where he scaled the league’s heights, broke records, and helped his team win the Super Bowl as a result of which he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. How? By developing “Strahan’s Rules”—a mix of mental discipline, positive thinking, and a sense of play. He also used the Rules to forge a successful post pro-ball career as cohost with Kelly Ripa on Live!—a position for which he was considered the longshot—and much more.

In Wake Up Happy, Michael shares personal stories about how he gets and stays motivated and how readers can do the same in their quest to attain their life goals.

Here are a few of “Strahan’s Rules”:

1) Listen to other people, but don’t take their opinions for fact. Have your own experiences. Draw your own conclusions.

2) You can’t change other people but you can change how you act around them. Usually, that’s more than enough.

3) Don’t pre-judge. Help can—and will—come from the most unexpected places. Be open to everything around you.

Inspiring and chock full of advice that will help the reader make significant strides toward pursuing his or her dream, Wake Up Happy is a book no one, young or old, male or female will want to miss.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not Pt 5: Remi's World by Mychea

Remi is back! Ready to have her story told. 

Travel with Remi through time as she transitions from a child to an adult. After losing her sisters to senseless acts of violence, Remi doesn’t quite know what to do without her genetic DNA squad to hold her down. Assuming a role she never coveted as mother of her orphaned niece and nephews, she holds a well-deserved grudge against Avionne. 

Avionne has no idea what Remi’s life has been like. All she knows is her side of the unfortunate tale that is their lives. But she will soon learn, karma thrives by the boomerang effect and will always find its way home. 

Remi has a score to settle and she refuses to rest until she can level the playing field and get justice for her sisters murders. No matter what it takes there will be hell to pay. Avionne owed a debt and Remi was the kind of woman that never allowed a debt to go unpaid. Avionne would pay what she owes, Remi was going to see to it.

Money Power Respect: A Chicago Street Novel by Phoenix Williams

Sex was the ruler of all things evil; at a young age, Danni learned how to get what she wanted by using what she had. Forced to turn tricks to survive when her drug-addicted mother was killed she vowed to not stay at the bottom for too long. Working her way up through the sex industry, soon earned her status as a top notch Madame. She finally has the three things she's always wanted: money, power and respect, but it involved taking a life to get there. 

With a dangerous past still haunting her, she has built a sexual playground worthy of the world's elite. Red Door is the place where no one, including the Madame, is who they seem to be, obsession is encouraged, and violence is part of the game. The line between fantasy and reality begins to blur dangerously; deadly betrayals and heartbreaking actions start to take place. 

Danni's forced to make a decision; walk away from everything she's worked for or once again, kill for her freedom. What will she choose to do? If sex is the ruler of all things evil, what does that make murder?

Empire State of Mind: How Jay Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office by Zack O'Malley Greenburg

"I’m not a businessman - I’m a business, man."  - Jay Z

As much as Martha Stewart or Oprah—and perhaps more than any musician—Jay Z has turned himself into a lifestyle. You can wake up to the local radio station playing his newest hit, spritz yourself with his latest cologne, slip on a pair of his Rocawear jeans, lace up your Reebok S. Carter sneakers, watch baseball star Robinson Cano smack a couple of hits in an afternoon game, and grab dinner at The Spotted Pig. On the way to Jay Z’s 40/40 Club for a D’Ussé cognac nightcap, sign up for streaming service Tidal and hear his latest collaboration with Beyoncé. He’ll profit at every turn of your day.

Empire State of Mind reveals the story behind Jay Z’s rise as told by the people who lived it with him, from classmates at Brooklyn’s George Westinghouse High School and the childhood friend who got him into the drug trade, to the DJ who persuaded him to stop dealing and focus on the music. Now with new interviews with industry insiders like Russell Simmons, Alicia Keys, and J. Cole—more than one hundred in total—this book explains just how Jay Z propelled himself from the bleak streets of Brooklyn to the heights of the business world.

A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety by Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter, thirty-ninth President, Nobel Peace Prize winner, international humanitarian, fisherman, reflects on his full and happy life with pride, humor, and a few second thoughts.

At ninety, Jimmy Carter reflects on his public and private life with a frankness that is disarming. He adds detail and emotion about his youth in rural Georgia that he described in his magnificent An Hour Before Daylight. He writes about racism and the isolation of the Carters. He describes the brutality of the hazing regimen at Annapolis, and how he nearly lost his life twice serving on submarines and his amazing interview with Admiral Rickover. He describes the profound influence his mother had on him, and how he admired his father even though he didn’t emulate him. He admits that he decided to quit the Navy and later enter politics without consulting his wife, Rosalynn, and how appalled he is in retrospect.

In A Full Life, Carter tells what he is proud of and what he might do differently. He discusses his regret at losing his re-election, but how he and Rosalynn pushed on and made a new life and second and third rewarding careers. He is frank about the presidents who have succeeded him, world leaders, and his passions for the causes he cares most about, particularly the condition of women and the deprived people of the developing world.

This is a wise and moving look back from this remarkable man. Jimmy Carter has lived one of our great American lives—from rural obscurity to world fame, universal respect, and contentment. A Full Life is an extraordinary read.

Marc Lacy is best known for his award winning poetry and his conversation inspiring Man-Ologist blog. Now this writer who used his Facebook fan fiction posts to create a cast of zany characters for his debut thriller, Curse of the Whiskey House adds novelist to his resume. 

Praise for Writer Marc Lacy
"Winner of the 2012 National Poetry Award"
"2011, 2010 Poet of the Year for African Americans On The Moves Book Club Literary Awards"
 "Marc Lacy, strikes with the boldness of a cobra, and is both fierce and calculated...."-- Elissa Gabrielle, Publisher of
Peace and the Storm Publishing 
"Buckle up, and enjoy the ride!" -- Pamela D. Rice, Author of  "The Sunday Morning Wife" 

This historic Bible Belt homestead located in Hawthorne County, Alabama has a population of 45,000 and is nationally renowned for its fine whiskey. There is an old saying around Lazarus, once you enter the whiskey house, if you should ever come out, your life goes south. Lazarus, a lively city that was once a resting spot for the Buffalo Soldiers, has a lot of heritage, history, and religion. Maybe too much of each. The Hawthorne County Whiskey Stop, the city s most profitable tourist attraction, gets thousands of customers per year from in and out of town. But the Hawthorne County Whiskey House, its counterpart, is anything but good and sacred. Just ask the beloved Mayor of Lazarus, Samuel Justice, who has enough skeletons in the closet to fill the local cemetery. The level of treachery and mayhem spawned within the whiskey house is uncharted despite the fact that Reverend Jackson Jones, the pastor of the Central Baptist Church, owns it. Many believe that a lot of spirits are uneasy and that a curse lingers around Lazarus and Hawthorne County because of the crass circumstances that surround the whiskey house.  

Across the country, atrocities are committed daily, and sadly many go unreported. Victims are afraid to speak up and witnesses are hesitant to step in. People sound off on social media when incidents are portrayed as a national or international tragedy. However, it is easy to judge, rate, or provide commentary on an incident when there are no forces acting upon you. Sometimes fate tips the scale to the negative side and you are forced to choose between what is right and what you are afraid of losing. Poet/Author Marc Lacy takes a serious societal issue and cleverly implants it within a motley slate of characters, and laces it with a heavy backstory. Curse of the Whiskey House is the first book of an action packed trilogy called, The Whiskey House Trilogy.

To learn more, please visit www.MarcLacy.com.

Secret Indiscretions by Trice Hickman

Two couples, two unhappy spouses—one shocking solution. . .

Five years into her happy marriage, Geneva Mayfield is devastated to find that things have taken a turn for the worse. Her husband, Johnny, is suddenly hard to reach, distant, and works late too often for Geneva not to be suspicious. Is it because she's been pressuring him about having a baby? Feeling lonely and neglected, Geneva bonds with Robert Owens, a colleague who is having marital trouble of his own. Soon, their relationship blossoms into an uncontrollable affair.

Bored with her husband, Robert, and dead set against having a child with him, Vivana Owens is biding her time until she's ready to leave—and she's spending it with Johnny Mayfield. It's just a fling—until Vivana becomes obsessed with Johnny, especially once he tries to win back his wife. But affairs don't end easy—and soon one of the unfaithfuls will end up dead, one will end up in jail, and one just might get away with murder. . .

Testimony by Felicia Mason

"A touching portrait of human desires and frailties." - - Booklist

Award-winning author Felicia Mason is at her riveting best with this powerful tale of discord and drama among the members of a gospel choir.  .  .

After eighteen years, Roger McKenzie is questioning his calling as leader of the gospel choir, The Triumphant Voices of Praise. Not only have they failed to achieve the success he craves, their relationships are unraveling, turning them into disillusioned and bitter strangers.  .  .

Tyrone Thomas has always considered his cousin Roger his best friend. So he can't understand why his own wife, Georgie, seems intent on driving a wedge between them. For Georgie's part, there's something about Roger she doesn't trust. Yet she has secrets of her own—the kind that could destroy her cherished marriage.  .  ..Pampered, privileged Margaret Hall-Stuart may have the voice of an angel, but she's determined to make a play for Roger- -until someone else in the group opens her eyes to a world she's never imagined. And when Roger begins to receive hateful, anonymous messages, the whole choir is plunged into an ordeal. Now they'll have to confront their pasts, their demons, and their greatest obstacles: themselves.  .  .

I Am Charlie Wilson by Charlie Wilson 

The long-awaited memoir of seven-time Grammy-nominated artist Charlie Wilson, the iconic R&B and Funk singer-songwriter-producer—interwoven with his recollections of collaborating with fellow artists such as Stevie Wonder, the Rolling Stones, and Snoop Dogg.

Recognized the world over for his distinct voice and timeless hits spanning a career of nearly half a century, Charlie Wilson is one of the most celebrated musicians of his generation. So it took friends and family by surprise when he checked into rehab and revealed that he had been not only homeless, but also helpless.

Here, in the memoir fans have been demanding, is the story of how love and faith carried him through not only his addiction, but also prostate cancer. Here, too, is the story of his work in the music business, including a career resurgence that saw collaborations with some of the most sought-after artists of today, including Pharrell and Justin Timberlake.

Now over twenty years sober, Wilson recounts a life filled with vertiginous highs and heartbreaking lows. His is a story of triumph over adversity, courage in the face of extreme hardship, and love when all else is lost. It is a tale of the last sixty years in social and pop culture history, and one that will stay with you for years to come.

Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian by E L James

See the world of Fifty Shades of Grey anew through the eyes of Christian Grey.

In Christian's own words, and through his thoughts, reflections, and dreams, E L James offers a fresh perspective on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the world.

Christian Grey exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined, and utterly empty—until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into his office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him—past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian's cold, wounded heart.

Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark sexual desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him?