Kirjahaku

One way to facilitate discussions about the contentious subject of race is to use 'The Priscilla Trilogy' as a conversation piece; the series dives head-on into the subject.Set in the early 1980s, "Priscilla Engaging in the Game of Politics," (Book #1 in the series), portrays the coming-of-age of an African American young woman, strongly bound to her father--a Methodist minister and consummate politician about who she has conflicted feelings. Shortly after she begins her career as an assistant professor of political science at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, her father mysteriously asks her to relocate closer to home (Prendergast, New York). She contacts an Ohio state senator for whom she performed an internship during her graduate studies at The Ohio State University and with whom she had an affair. The senator offers her a job as his legislative aide. She accepts. The story is off and running.As it so happens, Priscilla's father has taught her, by example, how to deal effectively with racism, and politics, too. And although she is African/British/Choctaw on her father's side and African/Irish/Cherokee on her mother's side, she is regarded as black in America.Like a primer, "Priscilla" takes a deep look at the forces which made her what she is: her family roots in highly-segregated Mississippi, her upbringing in upstate New York where subtle racism leaves its scars despite her loving father's protection, a campus date rape that leaves her with unhealed wounds and, a scintillating season as a high-powered legislative aide in a life-altering political scandal."Priscilla" provides a wide range of powerful, historically accurate and apt subject matter for conversations about race, politics, and much more."Priscilla" is the debut for political science professor-turned-fiction writer M. J. Simms-Maddox.

It is time for Priscilla to become the woman she was meant to be. After she returns from her time in Africa, she is besieged by prospective PR clients. But Priscilla has long since decided to only take on projects of substance, "earthy." So she waits and waits, until, one day she receives a handwritten note that reads: "Interested in spearheading the marketing campaign for the next president?" Meanwhile, her one-time lover, Carlton Elliott Bernhardt--the swarthy, intrepid special operative--surprises her with an invitation to meet his family at their home in Bow Lake, New Hampshire: his parents--Emerson C. Bernhardt II and Lady Chelsea, his surrogate father and head butler of sorts--Ramses, and his older sister--Arvana, a socialite and cocaine-addict. Shortly after Priscilla arrives, they all attend a polo meet, where Priscilla encounters Arvana's latest fling, Hans Verwoerd--who is also her supplier of the white powdery stuff. But he is more than that: Hans is a vicious villain of the highest order--a South African Nationalist Movement's Patrol Guardsman. As she steps back into the public eye, the South African terrorists close in on her, this time, on the home front. Twice, they almost kill her. So intent were they in exterminating her, the second time, Priscilla's life hangs in the balance. In the climax, Priscilla conducts the PR performance of her lifetime. By the end of her epic adventure, Priscilla discovers that her world and her possibilities in it in love and in work are far larger than the small circumscribed world of Ohio politics and her traditional family, and that she is a darn good PR consultant, too. Set in the late 1980s, "Three Metal Pellets" is Book #3 in The Priscilla Trilogy by political science professor-turned-fiction writer M. J. Simms-Maddox.

Priscilla J. Austin has been in training as a CIA agent since returning from her first time in Africa in the summer of 1986. Apart from continuing her public relations consultancy, "an excellent cover," her supervisor notes, she still has no notion of what the agency wants her to do. Meanwhile, her public profile as "an ordinary woman makes good" has been enhanced by her work as spokesperson for the Bernhardts of Bow Lake and her work with the Hollingsworth Presidential Election Campaign. But Priscilla does have her foibles-her tendency to be unpredictable and her phobias-which could threaten the success of any mission. Regardless, agency officials know that only someone of Priscilla's particular personality and individual characteristics can complete the impending mission successfully. Even so, they give her a dry run. The opening scene is of Priscilla starting her regularly scheduled meeting with the Bernhardt Foundation for Boarding Schools for Zimbabwean and South African Girls. She is at a conference center in Harare, where, before long, the ceiling caves in, and some mysterious-looking men drop down into the room, clinging onto ropes. The men are not there to rescue her, either. While Priscilla takes cover under the conference table, she reminisces about how she got there in the first place. On the heels of her wedding, she'd been contacted for her first assignment "in service to her country." Her trial run was to deliver an official sealed envelope to the emirs in the United Arab Emirates. Apart from proving herself to the CIA, she'd also wanted to shake off pressure from her forthcoming wedding, which was less than a week away. Despite a bout with one of her phobia, her courier mission had been a success. She then led the top-of-the-line to be the special envoy. It was then that she'd headed off to Harare to conduct the board meeting, when onboard her flight she learned, for the first time, what the CIA had wanted of her as a special envoy. She hadn't even minded dumping her husband for the trip, which proved how hardcore she was. And although her first experience in the region had made her a heroine, she was wholly unaware that remnants of the South African Nationalists Movement's Patrol Guard-the enforcement arm of the gazillion-dollar diamond, gold, and platinum conglomerate-still existed. But, unexpectedly, her trip to Harare had been put off. It was time to initiate her special envoy mission, and it was clear that she had been surprised by it, too, and so soon. Nevertheless, as Priscilla prepared to meet with the first delegation, no one could have prepared her for what so easily could have aborted the mission. One can feel her disbelief when Abdul-Hakim approaches her in an "uncharacteristic manner." Yet, she pushes past her pain and moves forward with the meeting as if nothing had ever even happened. It was then that she'd resumed her trip to Harare. So it had been after starting her board meeting at the conference center in Harare that things had begun to fall apart, literally. When the ceiling in the conference room caved in, this time, unlike her experience with Abdul-Hakim, Priscilla declares, "I'll be damned if I'm the damsel in distress." Henceforth, there is no letting up; so, too, does Priscilla's ability to fend for herself. Along the way, from Harare to Amman-her final destination, Priscilla tackles gruesome circumstances. At the same time, a special ops' unit of the CIA engages the very terrorists that are trying to obstruct her mission. Although Special Envoy 1 can be read as a standalone, it might be useful first to read the trilogy that precedes it: Priscilla Engaging in the Game of Politics, Mystery in Harare, and Three Metal Pellets.

This step-by-step approach is for authors who desire to publish their own work. Creative writing tips, a regimen for writing, and seven steps and detailed procedures essential to becoming a published author are provided. Emerging and seasoned authors are encouraged to establish a budget and obtain the proper writing tools. Retaining a professional editor is also crucial, no matter how well one writes. But the most critical step is publishing, for which there are many substeps, such as obtaining ISBNs, price barcodes, permission rights, and much more. But there is more. The most technical aspect of the approach is converting manuscripts into digital and electronic files, and this handbook also addresses audiobook conversion. Then, to bring attention to books, authors must actively promote them. Finally, authors are encouraged to modify these steps to suit their situations.

An all-in-one, 184-page color comprehensive guide to creative writing and self-publishing in varied formats. Part I, Creative Writing - the Basics, first encourages aspiring authors to develop a writing regimen. The crux covers creative writing standards, such as voice, plot, and setting, with the corresponding writing styles of noted authors and exercises.Bonuses: Establishing a budget for your writing career. Equipping with the proper tools. Commissioning an editor, among other tasks, such as writing query letters, landing a literary agent, and retaining a contract lawyer or intellectual property rights attorneyPart II, Self-Publishing Your Way, covers the publishing essentials, such as obtaining a professional headshot, professional name, employer ID, incorporation, permission rights, copyright, ISBN, pricing, and distributor(s) to uploading metadata and opening a business bank account, and creating a website.Unlike cookie-cutter versions offered in "free" download articles, videos, and expensive webinars, this step-by-step approach shows authors how to convert an MS Word manuscript into a book format, digital, e-book, and audiobook their way and then successfully upload the files onto the print-on-demand and distributors' websites of their choice. Then presto Authors are published Bonus: Promote to bring attention to your books.