Virginia DeBerry

ENTER THE WORLD OF UPTOWNUptown . . . where money rulesUptown . . . where ambition trumps traditionUptown . . . where politics come before everythingUptown . . . where a family’s secrets will bring them together—or downAfter twenty years away, Avery Lyons returns to New York when her mother and uncle suffer a serious car accident. The tragedy brings the family together, but Avery is not happy about the impromptu reunion. She no longer recognizes the Harlem of her childhood, but the same old family dynamics and secrets are all too familiar . . . Heir to a real estate empire, Dwight is willing to do anything to realize his aging and demanding father’s dream: Dixon Plaza, a luxury high-rise development on Central Park North that will change the face of Harlem forever. There’s only one thing in his way: his cousin Avery has inherited a share of the property. She’s more than willing to sell until a reporter uncovers the truth behind the rumored shady dealings . . . In Uptown a prominent Harlem family is strained to the breaking point by the high-stakes world of the Manhattan real estate industry, and one woman searches for her identity and the will to forgive. Steamy, provocative, and sexy, Uptown is a turbulent and triumphant read.

As a glamorous, successful fashion photographer, adored by New York and Paris trend makers, Brett Larsen has dedicated her life to capturing beauty. Yet the corruption and betrayals that lie just beneath the glittering surface of that world prevent her from recognizing her own beauty and its glorious possibilities. The first collaboration by Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant, award winning, bestselling authors of "Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made," among other works, shows the depth of character and plot twists that would become their trademark. "It was an experiment to see if we could write together," says Donna. "It worked," adds Virginia.

From the bestselling author duo Donna Grant and Virginia DeBerry comes Far from the Tree, a poignant story of two very different sisters who grapple with sisterhood, family secrets, and the ties that bind them. Celeste English and Ronnie Frazier are sisters, but they couldn't be more different. Celeste is a doctor's wife, living a perfect and elegant life. But secretly, she is terrified: her marriage is falling apart and her need to control the people around her threatens to alienate her entire family. And Celeste allows no one to see how vulnerable she really is. Ronnie is an actress, living in New York. Her life, however, is a lie: she has no money, has no home, and her life is held together by "chewing gum, paper clips, and spit," though she wants everyone to think that her life is one of high glamour and budding fame. When their father dies, the sisters inherit a house in Prosper, North Carolina. Their mother, Della, is adamant that they forget about going there and dredging up the past. Because Della has secrets she'd rather not see come to light--secrets and heartbreak she's kept from everyone for years. Neither Ronnie, Celeste, nor Della realize just what their trip to Prosper will uncover and they must discover for themselves who they really are, who they really love, and what the future holds for them. Far From The Tree is a novel that asks the questions: can the past ever truly remain hidden? Can mothers and daughters put aside their usual roles long enough to get to really know each other? Long enough to see they each have felt the love, loss, heartache, and joy that they share as women? And can two strangers realize that they are, and always will be, sisters?

Best friends face down a tragedy in this beloved novel from #1 Essence bestselling authors Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant, Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made. Gayle Saunders and Patricia Reid were total opposites who chose each other as best friends when they were children. Through the years they were raised together, as close as sisters. Gayle, the beauty pampered by her working-class parents, believes a man will make her world complete. Pat, the brainy one, is the hand-me-down child whose mystery parentage haunts her. She's determined to finally make a home for herself: in the executive suite at the top of her career. And then there is Marcus Carter, linked to both women from the moment a childhood tragedy bonds them in secrecy. Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made is more than a novel--It's the reading experience that swept the country. You will be drawn into the lives of these honest and believable characters from the first page--and they won't let you go until the last.

Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant, the #1 Essence bestselling authors of Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made now deliver Better Than I Know Myself, a novel in which you'll meet their most unforgettable characters yet. Carmen, Jewel, and Regina could not be more different. When they meet as freshmen at Columbia University, they're pretty confident that a friendship among them isn't in the cards. Jewel is Hollywood royalty: as the teenage star of the TV show "Daddy's Girl," her face is instantly recognizable all across America. Now, though, she wants two things--to get a serious education, and to leave her controlling stage mother behind. Regina is the definitive upper-middle-class African-American girl. Her picture-perfect parents are what she calls "black Ward and June Cleavers" and their goals for her are like a stranglehold. No one can see, though, how far Regina's rebellious side will take her (or how treacherous it will become). Carmen is just trying to get by. A child of the projects whose father is dead and whose mother has vanished, Carmen has been raised by her abusive brother. Columbia is the way for her to get a better life--if she can hold down two jobs and keep her GPA up. When the three of them meet, their lives are at a crossroad. And as the years progress, from the 1980s to the present day, they are challenged by drug addiction, fame, secrets from the past, sickness, betrayal, and the darkest things women can face. One of them won't survive. But what will be the lasting legacy of their friendship? Better Than I Know Myself is a novel of heartache, triumph, tears, and the unshakeable bonds among women.

"I really thought I had a handle on life--then it broke off."Divorced since her daughter, Amber, was young, forty-something Tee has been "handling her business"--supporting herself after her would-be songwriter husband took off for L.A.--and she's done all right. But then everything changes. First, she's outplaced from her longtime job and doesn't tell anyone. Then she throws her daughter a dream wedding and, after overindulging in champagne, Tee wakes up in bed with the younger best man. For the first time in twenty- five years, she doesn't know who she is or what she's going to do every day. Deep in denial, Tee continues to live her life as if nothing has changed. After a series of financial missteps compound her already shaky situation, she teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. That's when she decides that it's time to wake up and face reality. Beyond "making money," Tee never really decided what she wanted to do with her life. Then she just stopped thinking about it and invested her hopes in someone else's dream. Now it's her chance to invest in herself. Can she step out on faith to follow her own dream?