Tag: RiverHouse Publishing

New Book in The Lonely Heart Series: Finding Opa!

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Stacey Lane Bryant has three rules.  She doesn’t drive; she doesn’t travel; and she most definitely will not date.  From the outside, this odd-ball, thirties-something, single black woman is simply a creature of habit who has been beaten down by the tragedies of life.  However those on the inside know that she’s the widow of esteemed astrophysicist Drew Bryant, a highly sought after best-selling romance author and a devoted cat lover.  The rules are simply designed to keep her safe and keep her sane. 

However, someone didn’t tell the Greek bombshell, Dr. Hunter Fourakis, that rules weren’t meant to be broken.  While at his favorite pub, he eyes Stacey and instantly falls under her spell.  Only, his rusty moves don’t get him far with the brilliant introvert, who quickly leaves just to get out of his grasp.

What is meant to be will be, and the two run into each other in another chance encounter.  This time Hunter is able to convince Stacey not only to go out on a spur-of-the-moment date with him but also to consider an unorthodox proposal that would benefit them both.    

Hunter’s late wife was killed while serving in Iraq, and he mourns every year for two months and three days.  The mourning period is usually miserable for Hunter, but this time, he wants to celebrate life.  Stacey’s second romance novel is due to her agent in two months but is totally lacking motivation or passion, because she hasn’t gotten over her late husband.  Considering that they both need someone for a short period of time to fulfill very specific needs, they agree to be each other’s help mate temporarily.  Only as deprived widows, pressured professionals and lonely hearts, they find that while deadlines pass and mourning time ends, love lasts forever.

Read this romantic tale about two people who fight through tragic personal loss, family prejudices and age-old traditions to find good old fashion love in the second book of the Lonely Hearts Series, Finding Opa!

Latrivia S. Nelson – We’ve Opened Our New Office!

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So everyone has been wondering where I have been.  Thanks to everyone who has sent emails to check and make sure that I’m still alive.  I am.  It’s just that this has been the busiest last six weeks of my professional existence.  Many of you know that I am the President and CEO of RiverHouse Publishing.  This is my baby.  In an effort to try to open the doors for more authors like myself who have something to say and not really sure who will listen, I started RiverHouse to provide an opportunity.  As of now, we have five authors and counting, but we’re only just over a year old. 

This year, we plan to go after even more authors.  Bold Authors with Bold Statements to be exact.

This last month, we opened our new office in the swank Clark Tower in Memphis, TN.  It’s the tallest building in the city and from my 27th floor executive suite, I can see half of Memphis.  When I first looked down from my windows, I thought to myself that the world is so small and that we as people are so tiny, but we are also capable of amazing things.  Pyramids, the Parthenon, cures for diseases, going to the moon…who knows maybe even world peace one day.  And while, I have created nor done any of the above mentioned, I still felt accomplished that day. 

It was only after I got home that and settled into my bed for the evening that I thought about all the work I’d just signed up for.  So, I’ve been working on authors, traveling, attending speaking engagements, participating in book club meetings, writing books, meeting with like twenty people a day at the office, still trying to be a good mom and wife and occasionally cracking open the books to work on my dissertation.  It may sound like I’m complaining, but I’m totally not.  I think this is great, but I know that I have to get back to the things that I enjoy like this blog and my radio show.

Many of you also want to know what is going on with the writing.  Well, I’m happy to report that The Chronicles of Young Dmitry Medlov: Volume 3 will be out this month finally.  This was a hard project this time around, because the fun part about this series is that the stories are short.  However, every time that I worked on Volume 3, it kept getting longer and longer.  So, I had to cut some stuff and leave others while still trying to keep you entertained.  I’m also working on an awesome video with the RiverHouse team to put on youtube for your visual stimulation. 

There are also two additional awesome projects that I’m working on for the Lonely Hearts Series.  Filling His Seat will be out in April and Gracie’s Dirty Little Secret will be out in April or May. 

You guys know how I hate giving real drop dates, because they always seem to change.  So, I’ll just leave it at that.

Also, in 2011, I have received more fan mail than in the last year combined.  2,000 emails, letters, phone calls and texts.  You guys are amazing.  Your feedback literally is like fuel for this entire thing. 

You know my goal is to always entertain you.  We all work every day and need something to pull us away from our lovely lives.  When I’m writing, I’m always thinking of you.  I try to include the things that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you wonder.  That is the great part of being an author.  You get to evoke feelings in people.  For me, the joy of it is evoking happiness.  Everytime one of you guys sends me a note saying how happy you were with the book, my days brightens up.  And I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true.

Okay, so we have three books on the horizon.  We have a new office to push out more work and on better timelines. 

On another note, equally as awesome may I add, Joyfully reviewed did a great review on Dmitry’s Closet.   Joyfully Reviewed is one of the top romance review sites.  Everyone goes there to see what’s new and what’s hot.  So it was a real honor for Nakita Steele to do a review on our favorite Dmitry Medlov.  Also, for those who love Beautiful Trouble Publishing as much as I do, they did a great article on them too.  So congrats, Jayha!

Interracial romance writer gains fans

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Nelson makes race a ‘secondary concern’

Suburban mom Latrivia S. Nelson spends time in a fictional place where the Russian Mafia has a Memphis branch.

Nelson’s world has given her a growing fan base as a romance novel writer. She says she has sold more than 7,000 copies of her latest book, “Dmitry’s Closet,” released in early 2010.

Nelson’s novels are books of interracial suspense and romance, involving black women and white men. They’re books she wrote when she couldn’t find interracial romance novels that made race a secondary concern.

“All the interracial romance novels were so based on race,” she said. “Once they got past that one (character) was black and the other was white, it was over.”

While a student at LeMoyne-Owen College, Nelson wrote stories for her friends.

After a short, unsuccessful marriage to her college sweetheart, Nelson met her husband, Adam Nelson, a retired U.S. Marine. The Cordova couple have two children, Jordan, 7, from her first marriage, and Tierra, 4.

The Nelsons married in 2005, and he encouraged her to write. Her first novel, the self-published “Ivy’s Twisted Vine,” came out in 2008.

Other books followed and while he was in Iraq, Adam Nelson’s fellow Marines were curious.

“They said, ‘Is this really about you and her?’ I said, ‘No, it’s not. We don’t have any Russian Mafia friends,'” he said laughing.

Nelson said she tried and failed to find an agent for her first novel. “It just wasn’t happening for me,” she said.

So she started RiverHouse Publishing, defined on its website as a place for “male and female, Caucasian and African-American, affluent and starving writers.”

“Our diversity allows us to explore new frontiers in writing and focus on cutting-edge situational relationships that speak to the inner desires of many fiction readers,” the RiverHouse description says.

“I wanted to be able to give people a voice to be able to get what they feel is important to them out there,” she said.

La-Tessa Montgomery, vice president of the River City Romance Writers Association, knows Nelson’s frustrations.

A publisher Montgomery met with liked the storyline in her interracial romance novel, but passed on the book because she didn’t know how to sell it.

“Meaning she didn’t know how to sell a book by an African-American or with African-American characters,” Montgomery said. “And to further segment that, she didn’t know how to sell a book with an African-American heroine and a Caucasian (male) lead.”

Interracial contemporary romance is a sub-genre in the romance novel world, and big publishers shy away from sub-genres, said Debra Dixon, head of publisher Belle Books, dedicated to “Southern Fried Fiction,” and a co-founder of River City Romance Writers.

Publishers look for broad markets, limiting the opportunities for the “cowboy interracial Christmas time-travel romance,” she joked. But those books still will have fans.

“We have companies that publish black romance, Latino romance, Asian romance,” said Dixon. “So there’s something out there for everybody. You need to find a publisher who can sell that.”

— Linda A. Moore: 529-2702

© 2010 Memphis Commercial Appeal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

The Ugly Girlfriend by Latrivia S. Nelson is the first book in the Lonely Heart Series:

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December has been a busy month.  We released The Ugly Girlfriend, we’re working on releasing The Chronicles of Young Dmitry Medlov: Volume 2, and we are in preparation for dropping Anatoly Medlov: Complete Reign in January.

Many readers have asked, so I wanted to take a minute and share with you exactly what The Ugly Girlfriend is:

LaToya Jenkins is the quintessential woman: smart, successful, grounded and determined.  She only has one problem socially – she’s overweight.  As the “big one” of her girlfriends, she often faces rejection from the men of their social circle because of her size and/or her dark skin.  And due to a painful past relationship, she gives up on love completely  until, she takes on Mitchell “Mitch” O’Keefe as a new client. 

The Irish born architect needs a professional cleaning service to help him literrally clean up his life after a nasty divorce, but he  winds up finding a true friend in LaToya, the owner of It’s An Honor Cleaning Service.   

While LaToya is handicapped emotionally by her baggage, Mitch thinks she’s the strongest woman he’s ever seen and breath of fresh air in his hectic life.  His only goal is to prove to her that his interest in her is more than lust sparked by curiosity.  

Read the story of two beautiful people in totally opposite ways who help each other see that beauty is not skin deep but soul deep in the first book of Latrivia S. Nelson’s Lonely Heart Series, The Ugly Girlfriend. 

Why Did I Write The Ugly Girlfriend?

So many people write to me and ask me to write something that is very realistic.  They love the Medlov Series because it is fantasy, but they wanted something that speaks to the relationships that happen for two normal people in day-to-day life. 

The Lonely Heart Series is a collection of books that will be released this year from me to you with the purpose of doing just that.  As you read the stories, you’ll be able to see yourself, see someone you know and definitely identify with their romance. 

Also, I look at all the beautiful women that I know and many of them share with me that they consider themselves the ugly one.  I can’t even understand how they can say this about themselves.  They are all talented, beautiful, funny and caring.  Yet, people look on the outside and make these horrid judgments about them.  I wanted each of my friends to know and women out there who read my books that beauty truly comes from within and the right man can see that in you and respect you.  As a matter of fact, I believe he’ll want to love you, because you love yourself. 

You can purchase the PDF for $3 on www.latrivianelson.info.  I hope that you’ll check it out.  And I hope that you enjoy it.

New Medlov Crime Family Story Available Now on www.latrivianelson.info!!!

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I’ve been promising this book for a few weeks now, but it’s finally live. Ladies and gentlemen, you may now purchase the 65-page short story that begins Dmitry Medlov’s journey to the top on my new website (www.latrivianelson.info). I hope that you enjoy the new site. It has been designed to keep you more in touch with all the wonderful things that we have been working on for your pleasure. Plus, I think it’s sort of sexy. Here’s my thought on all of this. I enjoy writing for you guys because you enjoy reading my work. So, as long as I can figure out a way to send you an amazing story, I will do my best to do just that!

What is the Volume 1 about?

Readers, who have already made themselves familiar with The Medlov Crime Family Series, will experience young Dmitry Medlov before his rise to the top. Released from prison at the age of 18, Dmitry Medlov has 24 hours to assassinate a Ukrainian drug lord and get both he and his brother on a plane to London. After being imprisoned for three years, however, many things have changed. Ivan isn’t a little boy anymore and he’s showing signs of being a sociopath. His ex-girlfriend is engaged and he’s a foot taller. Purchase this 65-page short story designed to begin to answer many questions about American’s favorite Russian crime boss. Only $3. PDF format. Emailed within 5-minutes right to your email.

Log on today!  www.latrivianelson.info

Republic Coffee’s Reading, Writing and Republic Writer’s Forum to Feature Latrivia S. Nelson

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Presented by Republic Coffee

 

June 17-August 19, 2010

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Reading, Writing and Republic Republic Coffee kicks off series of writers forums June 17 Republic Coffee will kick off “Reading, Writing and Republic,” a series of forums beginning this Thursday evening. First up is Memphian Cal Bray, author of If Those Shoes Could Talk, Thursday, June 17 from 7:30 pm until 8:30 pm. Other writers in the series include Rebecca Skloot, New York Times best-selling author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and Memphis music legend George Klein, writer of Elvis: My Best Man.

The forums are open to the public and attendees are encouraged to come with questions for the authors. The full slate of authors is below. Each forum will be held at Republic Coffee and will begin at 7:30 pm.

Thursday, July 15—Latrivia Nelson, Dmitry’s Closet. Urban Fiction and Interracial Romance readers nationwide immediately flocked to the bestselling multicultural phenomenon released in January of 2010, Dmitry’s Closet, a racy action-adventure about a Russian mobster and an African-American virginal heroine battling for their love in the Southern city of Memphis, Tennessee. Author Latrivia S. Nelson sat on internet bestseller lists across the country for over 4 weeks as people talked about the fusion of two popular but distinct genres. Now Nelson is dropping the second book in the Medlov Crime Family Series, Dmitry’s Royal Flush: Rise of the Queen on July 5, 2010 and fans nationwide are excited.

Thursday, June 17—Cal Bray, If Those Shoes Could Talk. If Those Shoes Could Talk is a toe-twitching story of a man who discovers a smelly truth; his shoes are talking to him. Slip on your favorite slippers and jump feet-first into this hilarious tale of wacky shoes and a man’s quest to discover why on earth he can communicate with footwear. You will laugh, cry, scream, and gasp in fear as you discover what your shoes might be saying about you. One thing is for certain; you will never look at your shoes the same way again.

Author Cal Bray has been a teacher, songwriter, and worship leader and is the writer of Growing with God Together as well as the inspirational song, ‘Follow Me, I heard Jesus Say.’ Cal presently lives in Tennessee with his wife and continues to travel and share more experiences for all to enjoy.

Thursday, June 24—Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot is a science writer whose articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, Discover, Prevention, Glamour, and others. Ten years in the making, her first book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (forthcoming Feb. 2, 2010), is a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. A starred Publishers Weekly review called it, “A remarkable debut … recalls Adrian Nicole LeBlanc’s Random Family … A rich, resonant tale of modern science, the wonders it can perform and how easily it can exploit society’s most vulnerable people.” Thursday, July 1—Off for holiday weekend.

Thursday, July 8—Dennis McDougal, Five Easy Decades. With the publication of the Jack Nicholson biography Five Easy Decades, Dennis McDougal has authored a total of nine books and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles in a career that has spanned over 40 years. Currently, he is working on The Acid Chronicles, a documentary film about the history and renaissance of LSD as a powerful tool in the treatment of mental illness. Before he began covering movies and media for the Los Angeles Times in 1983 and, more recently, the New York Times, McDougal was a staff writer at the Riverside Press-Enterprise (1973-1977) and the Long Beach Press-Telegram (1977-1981). A UCLA graduate, McDougal holds a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s in Journalism.

Thursday, July 22—Jennifer Chandler, Simply Salads. Author and Chef Jennifer Chandler, delivers over 100 creative recipes you can make in minutes-showing that anyone can create a gourmet salad by simply picking up salad mix and adding your favorite ingredients. Chandler’s salad masterpieces also include dressing recommendations, recipes, menu ideas and nutritional information. All the recipes are accompanied by stunning photos of each salad. From the Classic Caesar Salad with Herb Croutons to the Mandarin Chicken Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette, these recipes are guidelines to getting you started on creating your own satisfying salads with your favorite ingredients. Chandler’s new book, Simply Suppers, will be available September, 2010. A contributing writer to several magazines such as MidSouth Magazine, Nashville Home & Garden, Memphis Magazine, Edible Memphis, Real Food, Pilates Style and Delta Magazine, Jennifer has also been a contributing food columnist for The Commercial Appeal (Memphis’ newspaper). In addition, Jennifer has been featured on the Food Network in two episodes of Dinner Impossible as well as on Martha Stewart’s Every Day Food XM/Sirius Radio Program. Thursday, July 29—Taylor Grey, A Wig for Ally. When Ally is diagnosed with leukemia, her entire world changes. She is forced to deal with mature issues at a young age- being stuck in a hospital, chemotherapy and the psychological effects of hair loss. With the help of her parents, a new friend, and a wig shop owner named Miss Harriet, Ally begins to fight back. She begins visualizing new, creative ways to fight the rogue cells causing her harm. When Ally goes into remission, she knows she is very different from the girl she was before cancer. She has become someone completely different, something even better. By keeping her promises to Harriet, Ally learns to believe in her own strength and the gift of giving back. Memphis’s own Taylor Grey earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. In addition to psychoanalyzing her friends and writing children’s books, Taylor is also an accomplished pilot, avid runner and occasional triathlete. Thursday, August 5—George Klein, Elvis: My Best Man. When George Klein was an eighth grader at Humes High, he couldn’t have known how important the new kid with the guitar—the boy named Elvis—would later become in his life. But from the first time GK (as he was nicknamed by Elvis) heard this kid sing, he knew that Elvis Presley was someone extraordinary. During Elvis’s rise to fame and throughout the wild swirl of his remarkable life, Klein was a steady presence and one of Elvis’s closest and most loyal friends until his untimely death in 1977. In Elvis: My Best Man, a heartfelt, entertaining, and long-awaited contribution to our understanding of Elvis Presley and the early days of rock ’n’ roll, George Klein writes with great affection for the friend he knew—about who the King of Rock ’n’ Roll really was and how he acted when the stage lights were off. This fascinating chronicle of boundary-breaking and music-making through one of the most intriguing and dynamic stretches of American history overflows with insights and anecdotes from someone who was in the middle of it all. From the good times at Graceland to hanging out with Hollywood stars to butting heads with Elvis’s iron-handed manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to making sure that Elvis’s legacy is fittingly honored, GK was a true friend of the King and a trailblazer in the music industry in his own right. Thursday, August 12—G. Wayne Dowdy, Hidden History of Memphis. Step inside the fascinating annals of the Bluff City’s history and discover the Memphis that only few know. G. Wayne Dowdy, longtime archivist for the Memphis Public Library, examines the history and culture of the Mid-South during its most important decades. Well-known faces like Clarence Saunders, Elvis Presley and W.C. Handy are joined by some of the more obscure characters from the past, like the Memphis gangster who inspired one of William Faulkner’s most famous novels, the local Boy Scout who captured German spies during World War I, the Memphis radio station that pioneered wireless broadcasting and so many more. Also included are the previously unpublished private papers and correspondence of former mayor E.H. Crump, giving us new insight and a front-row seat to the machine that shaped Tennessee politics in the twentieth century. Founded in Midtown Memphis in 1993, Republic Coffee is a privately owned and operated café whose main goal is to bring to market world class coffees and exceptional food. We are purveyors of the world coffee markets and roast bean varieties locally. Republic Coffee is dedicated to the community, striving to support charities and organizations through service in our spaces. Among the numerous organizations Republic Coffee has supported are The Memphis/Mid-South Affiliate of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, BRIDGES Inc., Shelby Farms’ Down to Earth Day, The Memphis Farmers Market and The Neighborhood School.

Introducing the cover to my newest book – Dmitry’s Royal Flush: Rise of the Queen

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Let me be the first to say how proud I am of Kandace Tuggle,  our exclusive designer at RiverHouse Publishing, LLC for her fabulous work on the new cover for the much anticipated Dmitry’s Royal Flush: Rise of the Queen book from the Medlov Crime Family Series.  We had a great conference call with the girls a few days back, where I told them that this would be coming.  Now, here it is as promised.

For me, when I see the cover, I know that the entire book is almost complete.  I always save the cover until the end to make sure that it really encompasses what the story is all about – mostly because I tend to deviate.

So, ladies, here it is.  We also have the site (www.dmitrysroyalflush.com)  , Twitter (HisRoyalFlush) and very soon Facebook. I hope  that you all are having a great day.  And don’t forget the drop date of July 5th.  More information will be coming out in the next few days.

Talk to you soon.

Xoxo and all that jazz,

Latrivia S. Nelson

Synopsis:

For Dmitry and Royal Medlov, money doesn’t equal happiness.  Forced to leave Memphis, TN and flee to Prague after a brutal mafia war, the couple nestled into the countryside to raise their daughter, Anya, and lead a safe, quiet life.   But when Dmitry’s son, Anatoly, shows up with an offer he can’t refuse, Dmitry is forced to go back to the life he left as boss of the most feared criminal organization in world.  Consequently, the deal could not only destroy the Medlov Crime Family but also Dmitry and Royal.     

 Royal hasn’t been the same since she was attacked three years ago.  Where she used to be a sweet, innocent girl, she’s now a jaded, bitter woman, who can’t be coddled by riches and luxury.  However, a reality check is in store for the pre-Madonna when Anya’s new teacher shows up with her sights set on stealing Dmitry, and Ivan’s old ally shows up with sights on killing him.  Can Royal save them all?  Will she?

With a family in such turmoil, the only way to survive is to stick together.  Read the gripping tale of a marriage strong enough to stand the test of time as Dmitry realizes that he has the best cards in the house as long as has a Royal Flush.