In the vein of The Paris Wife and The Personal Librarian comes this debut novel, a magnificent work of “biographical fiction” that reimagines the turbulent and triumphant early years of Ella Fitzgerald, arguably the greatest singer of the twentieth century. When fifteen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s mother dies at the height of the Depression in 1932, the teenager goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the “ungovernable” adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York—a wicked prison infamous for its harsh treatment of inmates, especially Black ones. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back to Harlem, where she is forced to dance for pennies on the street. Looking for a break into show business, Ella draws straws to appear at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night on November 21, 1934. Rather than perform a dance routine directly after “The World Famous Edwards Sisters” number, the homeless Ella, wearing men’s galoshes a size too big, risks everything when she decides to sing Judy instead. Four years later, at barely twenty-one, Ella Fitzgerald has become the bestselling female vocalist in America. Diane Richards’ Ella Fitzgerald is inspiring and intriguing—an emotionally rich, psychologically complex character, a flawed mother and wife who struggles with deep emotional scars and trauma and battles racism, sexism, and colorism as she learns to find her voice on the stage. Ella takes us from the brothels, speakeasys, and streets of Depression-era New York City to the grand hotel suites where Ella, now older and wiser, looks back on her life and finally confronts the demons from childhood that torment her. Compelling and rich in historical detail, Ella is a remarkable debut novel about an extraordinary woman.
Sowa's Red Gravy Stories is filled with passion, humor, wit and grit. Writer Diane Richards has the same affection, reverence and mystical empathy for African American folklore and storytelling that can be found in the works of Zora Neale Hurston. Best of all, her work keeps alive the all but forgotten craft of creating authentic American fables. William H. Banks, Jr. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE HARLEM WRITERS GUILD, INC. Diane Richards is the "voice" of the New Harlem Renaissance. Sowa reaches back into southern tradition and folklore to give us stories reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes and Jean Toomer. She is an author to watch. Ruby Dee ACTOR Sowa is a mythmaker revitalizing the tradition of southern folklore. Richards is a supreme poet ahead of her time. These stories will be told over and over again for generations to come. Angela Kinamore, Poetry Editor ESSENCE MAGAZINE
God Unplugged is a collection of inspirational writings that approach God and the Christian life from a practical perspective as well as theologically. It merges the truths of the Bible with everyday experiences allowing the reader to relate to and grasp the message being conveyed in a matter of fact way. God Unplugged is not one dimensional, it is well rounded, hence the unplugged concept. God Unplugged deals with life behind the scenes, what goes on when the camera is not rolling, what happens when you are "off stage." God Unplugged gives you the nitty gritty reality. Far too often an unrealistic picture is painted of God and the Christian experience. God Unplugged gives you a balanced view of both.
Aurore Gerritsen watched her lover kill her father. It was just one act of violence in a dramatic chain of events. Behind the iron lace gates of wealthy New Orleans, beneath the veneer of her society name linger truths that Aurore Gerritsen has hidden for a lifetime - truths that threaten to change forever the lives of her unsuspecting family. Now, as Aurore faces her own mortality, she needs to reveal the secrets that have haunted her for so many years. Aurore seeks out Phillip Benedict to disclose her story. He's intrigued, but wonders why the matriarch of a prominent white family would choose to confess her sins to an outspoken black journalist prominent in the civil rights movement. Finally Phillip agrees. But nothing prepares him for the far-reaching impact of Aurore's shocking revelations.
Cold Justice - Everyone needs a vacation, even hardworking, crime-fighting Federal Judges. Looking forward to a quiet week of stunning winter scenery, roaring fires, and warm companionship, Judge Willa Carson and her husband George head north to Pleasant Harbor, Michigan - and slam into murder. Local authorities want this case put away fast because it's bad for their tourism business. Willa sees what the cops don't, and she is not about to play along to get along. False Justice - Judge Willa Carson's friend Ursula Westfield is living the good life. Her career as a broadcast journalist is on fire, she finally found a good man, and her Manhattan apartment is the stuff of dreams. When a stranger sends her a cryptic email about a newly nominated Judge in her hometown, she knows she should ignore it. Still, she has a feeling there's something amiss about Judge Aaron Michaels. Driven by an insatiable quest for truth and a desire to do the right thing, she comes face-to-face with a killer. Fair Justice - When a young reporter assigned to cover Judge Willa Carson's courtroom for the local television station is sent on a fact-finding mission, he never expects to find a body. Residents of a small Florida town are suffering from a strange, debilitating illness. A whistleblower claims the local carpet mill is engaged in dumping toxic chemicals into the water supply. Uncovering the truth may cost the reporter his life, unless Willa Carson can save him. True Justice - Ginny Richards has a great new job working for Federal Judge Willa Carson, and she couldn't be happier. After a rough patch and an ugly breakup, she's finally making new friends and her career in on the upswing. But when she invites her new workmates to see her moonlighting as a jazz singer at a local club, she never expects that a night of music and merriment will end in murder.
Lizzie Richards isn't excited to be starting over at a new school for her senior year, but she's trying to take her mother's advice and make the most of it-the only way she can: By disobeying her strict parents' rules.
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