Book Giveaway

Unfinished Business Book Giveaway!!!

We are just a few months away from the publication of Reconciliation to Hell and we're willing to spread some love if you're willing to spread the word...

We've started a contest; the first 50 new followers will be eligible to receive a free autographed copy of Unfinished Business and automatically be entered to win a copy of the upcoming sequel, Reconciliation to Hell.

If you would like a chance to win an autographed copy of Unfinished Business then visit both Unfinished Business and Chrystal's Corner and become a follower/member. Also leave the following message: "Reconciliation to Hell is coming." Include your email address so we can contact you.

Wait! Everybody is a winner because even if you're not one of the 4 selected winners you will still receive a special code to get an ebook edition of Unfinished Business for only $1.99. Hurry! This contest ends March 26, 2012.

LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson
Author, Writer, Blogger
Website: http://www.lajefferson.com/
Blogs by me:
L.A.'s Literary Love Life@ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com/
Naturally L.A. @ http://naturallyla.wordpress.com/

Follow me on Twitter @lajeffeson

Unfinished Business Reader Review

Check out this reader review then get your copy of Unfinished Business (e-book or paperback) today!

L.A. Jefferson

From: "HARRIS, NIKKI N" <nh1565@att.com>
Date: February 9, 2012 2:27:58 PM EST
To: "lajefferson1@yahoo.com" <lajefferson1@yahoo.com>
Subject: Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business provided an excellent storyline that kept me hooked until the end (Gotta love a surprise ending!!). The writer did a great job of feeding readers tidbits of information without spoiling the ending. Ladies, you will find the main character very easy to recognize if not in yourself then in someone you know! A Great Read that I highly recommend!

Take Care and Many Blessings Lacharmine!

Nikki Harris

Author L.A. Jefferson's Discussion with 4 Kicks Book Club Meeting--May 2011

Earlier this month my novel, Unfinished Business, was the featured selection for the 4 KICKS book club. Consequently, I was invited to join the discussion. Since debuting my novel in 2009, this is the second time that I've received such an invitation so I was just as excited AND nervous as I was the very first time! Let me tell you, this was a VERY lively and fun group of women to discuss my novel with. To get the party--oops--meeting--started the ladies and I toasted with shots of Petrone! I did say lively, didn't I? LOL! Anyway, the meeting was ALOT of fun--reminded me of my own book club days! At the end of the day, the ladies and I had so much fun, they invited me to come back for other book discussions. I gladly accepted the invitation!

Below are some questions and comments that stemmed from the discussion.

Q.  What was your inspiration behind the story?
A. Honestly, it began with my personal to recapture the essence of my first love. The story evolved into what often happens when two people reconnect after years of separation only to realize that--after the ups & downs of life's experiences--they are no longer who they were when that love was born between them.

Q. What was the deal with Lena? Was she bi-sexual, lesbian, or just extra kinky?
A. Surprisingly, the word "lesbian" never came to mind when Lena's character was created. I simply envisioned her as a woman willing to go to great lengths to give her man whatever he wanted in the bedroom. Now, the real question is whether her motivation was to satisfy her man or control him?

Q.  On the night of the bridal shower, did Roy really sleep with Christian, the woman he met that night or did he just want Lydia to think that he did so she could realize what she was on the brink of losing?
A. I left that one open for the reader to decide...

"I'm glad that there was a couple in the book on the right track. It was refreshing to have that balance of Black love."

"As fine as Officer Chris Boyle was, I wanted to see him hook up with somebody in the story! He was too fine to end up by himself."

My question to the group: "What was your opinion of the end of the story? Was it a realistic or unrealistic end?"

"Personally, I couldn't see it happening like that, at least not so soon."

"I wouldn't say unrealistic, but it'd definitely make me want to know what happened later on down the line with the characters' relationship."

In the Meantime

In The Meantime...

As ready as I am to get deep into my next novel, Reconciliation to Hell, I and the inspiration to write just can't seem to get on the same page! I can't really call it writer's block at this point in the game because I haven't really gotten started writing. Not really, at least. During the composition of Unfinished Business I started the first draft for it, but that was it. Now that I'm FINALLY ready to move forward with my next major writing project, I can't seem to get focused. One possible explanation for it is that while I'm finished writing Unfinished Business, I'm just getting started with promoting it. And there's so much to do!

But you know what, I can't harp on it. Instead, I'm spending my free time doing the next best thing to writing--reading. In addition to reading some of my backlog of novels on my bookcase, I'm taking the time to read through my numerous writing resources. I have books on grammar, style, character description, plot building, and then some. When the time is right my writing will begin.

First Big Break

I caught quite a BIG break this past Friday. A friend of mine at work purchased a copy of my book and it turns out that her sister is a member of a national book club association that features local authors once a quarter. Soooo, as the three of us are alums of the best high school in the city, Cass Technical High School, AND we support our own, her group will be featuring my book for the next quarter. Isn't that awesome??? That tidbit of information made my day, in fact, my weekend. God is surely moving in my world of writing!

Random Book Review

Wow, just finished reading your book Unfinished Business, and what a page turner, I enjoyed so much. What an easy read. Book cover was pretty, drew you to the the book.The print was very good. Drama and supense all in one book. Great job, will be looking to read your next project.


Carolyn Roberts

A Recent Review of My Book

Check it out guys...This is an email I recently received from someone who purchased my book!

Hi: LA Jefferson

I just finish reading your first novel and it was truly enjoyable from beginning to the end.

It was a page turner. I cannot wait for your next novel. Please write a murder mystery

romance I know it will be off the hook.

Keep up the good writing.

Sincerely


Marlene

New Excerpt from Unfinished Business

An eerie feeling suddenly came over Lydia as soon as Stanley was out of sight. One of those creepy feelings you get when you’re at home by yourself in the wee hours of the morning and you hear a scary sound that you know better than to get up and investigate. As she and Stanley had walked across the street, Lydia thought she had caught the eye of someone watching them from a light brown Ford Taurus parked at one of the meters towards the end of the block. But when she turned toward the driver, they pulled off. Now as she was securing herself in her seatbelt, from the rearview mirror, it looked like the same brown Taurus, which was parked three cars over from her. Now, she wanted to believe that the car belonged to an employee or to someone picking up an employee. But her gut was just telling her otherwise. Lydia was a smart woman. She knew not to ignore that gut, so she didn’t waste anymore time getting the hell out of that lot! Maybe it was paranoia from the long hours she’d been working. Then, maybe not. Either way, she felt a helluva lot better once she was on I-96 heading toward home. The good feeling of relief didn’t last very long, though. A few exits before the one she took to get to her house, she saw that the same Taurus was two cars behind her in the next lane. Lydia panicked and immediately reached for her cell phone, which for some God-awful reason was dead. She’d been so tired the last few nights, that she hadn’t thought to re-charge her phone. Damn!
Finally, the safety tips that often came through her email from friends paid off. Lydia knew not to go home. Instead, she took the next exit that came up and looked for the nearest gas station. Her mind was racing far too fast to remember where the nearest police station was. She saw a Mobile gas station two traffic lights after she exited the freeway. She pulled into the entrance. And that damn Taurus pulled right in behind her. These crazy people have no shame. All in one motion, Lydia was unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her door to hurry inside when a man’s all to familiar voice called out her name.
“Lydia.” It was as if time itself had stopped. She felt suspended in her steps, hardly able to turn around But she did. He called out to her again.
“Lydia. I’m sorry if I scared you.” She couldn’t believe she was looking at Thomas Cunningham, the finest, sexiest, most sexually satisfying man so far, who had captured and broke her heart. She still found him irresistible. But, still, he scared the shit out of her! Finally, her voice surfaced to her throat, and then out of her mouth. “Thomas, what the hell are you doing here?” Before he opened his mouth, they both already knew the answer to that. It was the same unspoken reason he always had for abruptly reappearing in her life whenever he felt inclined to do so. To reclaim what he had always believed to be his—Lydia.
That last time Thomas deserted her was three years ago, leaving her to look like a fool in the eyes of her loved ones, and she vowed that would be the last time. Oh, she knew he’d be back again. Like her mother always said, “A leopard never changes his spots.” After she had picked up the pieces of her shattered heart, Lydia vowed to do things differently when he came back the next time. But now that that time seemed to have arrived, as he stood before her eyes, in his flawless, beautiful dark chocolate flesh, the strength she was so confident that she’d have disappeared. Lydia felt weak, like a melting piece of hot wax, and she prayed it wasn’t written all over her face. As he stepped all-knowingly toward her, he spoke in that delicious baritone voice that made her knees buckle.
“I’m back, baby,” he began reaching his hand out to hers. “This time I’m back for good.”
“For good,” Lydia repeated, barely audible, she was so taken aback by the strength of his presence it sickened her. “And what does that have to do with me?” she asked with a mock courageousness they both knew had been rehearsed.
“How about I tell you over a drink?” Thomas asked, seductively gazing at her with those deep brown eyes she remembered getting lost in.

L.A. Jefferson @ 2009

Can somebody please tell me what happend to the summer??? It's already the 2nd of September. Next week the kids will be back in school! It's funny how excited the kids are about that, too. When I was their ages, summer time was too much fun to be ready to get back to school.

Anyway, I made the most of the summer, considering I had to work all day, then entertain the children afterwards. The only downside, besides there not being enough consistent hot days this summer, was that I didn't get as much writing done as I'd hoped. But, hey, no use in crying over spilled milk.

Rather than focusing on what I didn't get done over the summer, I'm going to try something different--acknowledging the things that I accomplished. Here are the ones I'm most proud of:

1) Stepped out on faith and finally released Unfinished Business.

2) Allowed eyes other than family to read my book and provide honest critique (whew! That was hard.)

3) Set in motion planning the official release party for the book.

4) Started hosting a blogtalk radio show--Michigan Literary Network show.

Stay tuned. In my next post, I'll be letting you know of my upcoming events, as well as what I'm working on next.

Til later,

L.A. Jefferson

Good Summer Reading

This past weekend I had to take a sudden trip to Cleveland, Ohio. I was traveling by bus, so it was the perfect opportunity to get some reading done. And I couldn't have been happier. Since I'm a chronic book buyer, I had several to choose from. The winner was "Innocent as Sin", by Elizabeth Lowell. After I the necessary business wasn taken care of, I began the book on Saturday evening, and was immediatley hooked!

You see, those are the kind of stories I like. The ones that grab me from the very beginning. As such, that's my goal in my own writing. So, if you like an intriquing story, fast-paced story--one that'll make you want to keep reading 'til you're done--you'll LOVE my debut novel, Unfinished Business!

L.A. Jefferson

The Heat is On!

Not literally speaking, but definitely figuratively. On this 30th day of June in Michigan, when the temps have not quite reached 65 degrees, I'm definitely feeling the heat of the match that's been lit beneath me. It's the match of marketing and promoting Unfinished Business.

It was said to me a few years ago that in due time I would find the process of writing my book to be a breeze once I moved on to promotion and marketing. Well, they weren't lying.

Right now, I'm actively putting together the official release party for the book, hopefully to commence in August. I've incorporated the help of a professional public relations person.

In the meantime, as the word has been getting out to those closest to me, I've sold a few copies. Received some positive feedback from a couple who read it :)

I'm figuring, my family and friends shouldn't hear about the publication of my book at the same time as the general public, so I've decided to do "Friends & Family" book release before the official one. That'll be pretty east to put together. Ohmigod, there's just so much to do, it's overwhelming, BUT exciting!

I'm also working on filling my calendar with as many networking opportunties as possible. The first will be at an event called "Martini's & Manuscripts" taking place on July 22 at the Renaissance in downtown Detroit. This event will feature self-published authors such as myself. The purpose of the event is for aspiring writers (where I used to be), to network and get advice from the pros from writing to publishing, to marketing. Since I just found out about the event a couple of days ago, I could only get on the waitlist, at this point, but I'll be there, nonetheless, getting my "network" on!

If interested in attending this event, you purchase tickets at the following site-- http://www.eventbrite.com/search?loc=&q=martini%27s+and+manuscripts.

I'll update this page accordingly if I become one of the featured authors.

Much love & Happy Reading!

L.A. Jefferson

It's finally here! Unfinished Business is available for purchase :) Visit my e-store at www.createspace.com/3370359 and at www.Amazon.com.

Words can't express how excited I am about the long-awaited publication of my debut novel, Unfinished Business. If you've enjoyed the excerpts, you're sure to enjoy entire story. The official book release party is scheduled for July 2009. Stay tuned for details on the event.

As always, thank you for your continued support!

Author,

L.A. Jefferson