Strings of Color received the 2012 USA
Best Book General Fiction/Ebook Finalist Award
Life can grab a hold of you like captivating strings of color. It is a lesson that four women will learn as they each travel down a journey filled with lies, betrayal, and shocking secrets.
Simone. Is immensely talented, yet everything she has ever known will be ripped apart. Her love will be tested. Her heart will call out for a strength that could only exist in moments like this, and her tears will carry her through the storm. Will she be able to give her heart to the love of her life while fighting to open her heart to a mother she has never known?
Naya. While facing her greatest loss, will she be able to find the key to strength, the will to continue on, and the endurance to make it through one of the darkest moments in her life?
Monà. Within her heart is a secret so deep that it could shake the very foundations of two lives. Will she be able to finally look into the eyes of a daughter she has only known from a distance?
Misty. Two paths are set before her; one could lead her back to the life of fame and prominence, which she so desperately wants; and the other could give her the love she so desperately needs. Will she choose the path that is best for her future, or for her heart?
"Strings of Color is a book that reveals family secrets. From the first page until the last readers will be struck with overwhelming emotions. This book has well-developed characters that complement the storyline. It is consistent with the previous books in the series giving readers different views of this family's life. I was thrilled with this book as well as the previous two books in this series. This author has a unique writing style that makes her a wonderful storyteller. I cannot wait until the next book is available. I recommend this book to others." This book was provided by the author for review purposes. --Teresa Beasley, Authors & Readers Book Corner
Author Marian L. Thomas
"Ink runs through me. It flows out to the tips of my fingers. It lingers in my heart. It urges me to place it upon a page. To write a single word. To express a single thought. To share what is a part of me." Marian L. Thomas
Ms. Thomas’s “Strings of Color” probes the ever-intriguing themes of race, family strife, love, teen pregnancy, friendship and abuse. And yet, her tales which seem to pre-sage current tabloid headlines are spelled out in ways that suit delicate moral tastes. While Ms. Thomas is a dynamic story-teller with three romantic and dramatic novels to her credit, she distinguishes herself by refusing to lace her work with profanity and sexually-explicit themes.
Her third installment in the ‘Jazzmyne’ series— “Strings of Color” is quickly filling up book club calendars and she is a prominent personality on nationwide motivational speaking circuits. Published in paperback and hardcover by L.B. Publishing, “Strings of Color” will be sold at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Books-a-Million.com and will be available for the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook, electronic books. Avid readers can order this dramatic novel at bookstores, nationwide or through their local library.
Author Marian L. Thomas Delivers Real Life Lessons In Her Next Best-Selling Drama
“Dear life, he knew that I wouldn’t have thirty more years of him. But tonight even as I lay here with tears soaking the floor, I would give thirty seconds just to feel his touch again.” Thirty Seconds. Tonight I almost died…Naya thought to herself.
As she walked into her foyer, she dropped her purse, removed her shoes, and slowly allowed her eyes to follow the curve of the stairway until they met up with the oil painting which hung in the center. Wrapped in a thick walnut wood frame, painted in the soft hues of crisp blues, creams, and specks of red, were herself and Chris. His chest stuck proudly out. His smile was as wide as the sunshine. His blue eyes sparkled with the color of the ocean. Arms wrapped around her waist. Chris. She could feel her fingers reaching out to toward him.
She remembered that day. How good it felt to be his wife. The tears began to run down her cheeks as the weight of the day caused her legs to surrender to the pull of the rich mahogany wood floor. Trembling. Heart pounding. I’ve got to catch my breath, she whispered to herself.
Ten seconds later, she began to scream. The walls responded. The chandelier shook as the realization of what had happened began to sink deep into the pit of her stomach. Less than two hours ago…I was sitting in a worn out chair watching a spider crawl up the wall. I had listened to the splatter of raindrops beat against the dirty windows. I had been staring at the moon for hours. Staring at the walls and then counting the tiny cracks in the floor. There were three hundred and forty-two. Crying for what seemed like days. My tired body was heavy, ragged and empty. The whiff of dirty mop water had consumed my lungs and I had often found myself dabbing frantically at the corners of my red and swollen eyes. The lights had been dimed and the curtains slightly drawn shut but I could still see him. Every touch we shared had flashed in my mind, every smile and every kiss.
I could hear the machines. As I sat there, I remember feeling like my heart had begun to mix with the slow and methodic beeping noises they made. My mind had just about settled and my eyes had finally closed when I heard it. The noise penetrated the entire room. Louder and louder it got, like a banging in my head. I began to scream as I ran to him and wrapped my fingers around his bed rail.
“Chris!” I shouted. My body was calling out for strength. Darn near begging for it. For him, I would give everything, anything. I would reach down into bottomless wells just to find a speck of it.
“Find me strength; find the darkness that I am in,” I kept repeating over and over in my mind. A teardrop fell upon his face. The doors flew open. Three nurses came charging in. One tried to pry my fingers from his bedside but I fought with all that I had to hold on. I was like a mad woman. I kept thinking that if he could just feel my touch, it would give him the strength to fight.
“Please, ma’am,” she said to me. “You’ve got to let go so we can try to save him.”
I had watched her lips moving, but my mind had failed to register the reality of the situation I was in.
“Let go ma’am, we’re losing him!” The tone of her voice had finally broken through and I somehow began to find myself again. I remember staring at her, and then back at him. I remember thinking to myself, “Did I hear her right?” Dizziness hit me like the strike of a lightning bolt. My palms had begun to sweat.
“Ma’am,” she said again.
Finally—I blinked.
“Please save my husband,” I whispered.
“We’re trying ma’am, but you’ve got to let go.” The nurse had been forceful but kind. My fingers let go but my heart was still with him as I was gently moved out of the way.
There was rapid movement, loud voices, and machines being brought in. I stood against the wall clutching my shirt and watching his motionless body. When the doors flew open again, the doctor rushed in. I think she glanced my way for a moment. But now I can’t remember. What I do remember is that there was no slow and methodic beeping noise from the machine penetrating deep into my ear lobes anymore. It had vanished as if it had somehow been carried off into the wind.
“Come back, come back.” I whispered. I wanted to hear it again. I needed to hear it again. His blanket was pulled back; a nurse was cutting open his gown. I watched as the scissors grazed his skin. A chill came over me. Strong and forcefully tears began to streak down the sides of my face.
The doctor was yelling, or was that me? I think I remember the doctor’s voice.
“On my count of three, go!”
“Clear!”
“He’s still not responding.”
“Get the machine ready again!”
“It’s ready Doctor.”
“Clear!”
Still the machine was silent.
“Come back beeping noise. I won’t complain about you anymore. Please come back to me.”
I stared at the window as if it would open and the sound would return.There was nothing. Not one single beep!
Fear and anticipation filled the air as more nurses and doctors came rushing in. The last thirty years of my life was slipping out through the crevices of my fingers.
Meet the Author Marian L. Thomas is a dynamic story-teller with three romantic and dramatic novels to her credit, she distinguishes herself from the genre popular among women by refusing to lace her work with profanity and sexually-explicit themes for the sake of notoriety and book sales.
Nevertheless, her first two novels "Color Me Jazzmyne" (2010) and "My Father's Colors" (2011), both reached the Top 100 on Amazon.com's Rhythm and Blues and Soul best-sellers list. "My Father's Colors" was a finalist pick during the 2011 USA Best Book Awards.
Thomas's books probe the ever-intriguing themes of race, family strife, love, teen pregnancy, friendship and abuse. And yet, her tales which seem to pre-sage current tabloid headlines are spelled out in ways that suit delicate moral tastes.
As a motivational and inspirational speaker, Marian L. Thomas delivers an engaging seminar and workshop titled: Publish Yourself First: Become a “Plan A” Author. In March 2011, she taught this workshop to the Destiny's Daughters of Promise. Here is what they had to say: "We are honored that you took time to do a presentation for Destiny's Daughters of Promise. The information you presented was timely and relevant and it will help us prepare these teens for a successful future. Thank you for helping us in our endeavor to bring about a positive change in the lives of these girls."
Author to Aspiring Author by Marian L. Thomas Finding a Publisher is Like Finding a New Pair of Jeans
( Photo: Marian L. Thomas meeting with Just Between Friends Bookclub )
So there I was, walking into the clothing store with high hopes as I headed toward the jeans department of a major retail store. As I reached the department, it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn't exactly sure which type of jeans I was looking for. There were so many different types to choose from. Did I want a pair that sat below the waist, bootcut jeans, flare jeans or low-riders that are also bootcut? I almost wanted to turn around and go back home.
So it goes for many aspiring authors. There are so many publishers out there in the big world of all things literary, they simply aren't sure where or how to start the process. How did I resolve my jeans dilemma? I did some research. True story. Right there, in the department store. I read the various tags found on different pairs of jeans, until I found a description for a pair that sounded like me. Then I tried each of them on, until I was able to walk out of the store with a pair of jeans that felt as if they were meant for me — after I've lost a few pounds, of course.
Going back to the journey for aspiring authors and their quest to find the perfect publisher; I would tell you to do one very important thing — RESEARCH. It's a waste of your time to blindly send out query letters to every single publisher out there. Understand what genre your book falls into, and then research publishing companies who publish that genre. Once you've found your list, look to see who the editor is that handles that genre. This is important. You want to be sure that you address your query letter to the right editor.
Now, before you send out that query letter, I need you to do something else quite important. More research — on writing a "winning" query letter. I want you to try out a few that you find, the same way you would try on jeans. How? Find samples of two or three that fit your writing style and your book. Many well-known authors have published their winning query letters. I have always believed that you don't always have to re-invent the wheel. It's okay to use what is out there if it has proven to work. Here is a website I used: http://www.charlottedillon.com/query.html
Now I know it's tempting to want to send your entire manuscript with your query letter. Fight the urge. Please. Keep in mind that most publishing companies only request the first three chapters of your work.
Here is the last thing you want to do before you submit your query letter and the first three chapters of your manuscript to that publishing company that is going to fit your book like a pair of perfectly-fitting jeans: Have everything edited. Not by your cousin, friend or Mother (unless they're professional editors in their current secular lives). Remember, just like you want your jeans to "make a flattering and modest impression," so goes your query letter.
Ms. Thomas is a dynamic story-teller with three romantic and dramatic novels to her credit, she distinguishes herself from the genre popular among women by refusing to lace her work with profanity and sexually-explicit themes for the sake of notoriety and book sales.
Nevertheless, her first two novels "Color Me Jazzmyne" (2010) and "My Father's Colors" (2011), both reached the Top 100 on Amazon.com's Rhythm and Blues and Soul best-sellers list. "My Father's Colors" was a finalist pick during the 2011 USA Best Book Awards.
Ms. Thomas's books probe the ever-intriguing themes of race, family strife, love, teen pregnancy, friendship and abuse. And yet, her tales which seem to pre-sage current tabloid headlines are spelled out in ways that suit delicate moral tastes.
As a motivational and inspirational speaker, Marian delivers an engaging seminar and workshop titled: Publish Yourself First: Become a “Plan A” Author. In March 2011, she taught this workshop to the Destiny's Daughters of Promise. Here is what they had to say: "We are honored that you took time to do a presentation for Destiny's Daughters of Promise. The information you presented was timely and relevant and it will help us prepare these teens for a successful future. Thank you for helping us in our endeavor to bring about a positive change in the lives of these girls."
This audio-postcard presentation was created by Ella Curry of EDC Creations Creations Media Group. We offer the best in book publishing publicity! Visit the main EDC Creations website today to reserve your slot today at: http://www.edc-creations.com/publicity.htm we have several packages that will take authors to the top! Looking for one of the most popular Internet radio shows in the industry? Check out The Black Authors Network Radio Show today!
"Ink runs through me. It flows out to the tips of my fingers. It lingers in my heart. It urges me to place it upon a page. To write a single word. To express a single thought. To share what is a part of me." Marian L. Thomas
