Tag: Books

  • Interview with Jackiem Joyner

    Interview with Jackiem Joyner

    By: Where It Begins

    Quote: “My greatest accomplishment is my daughter Trinity”

    Q. Let’s talk about your single “Dance Again” and the motivation behind the song?

    A. Dance Again’ was inspired by my love for contemporary Latin music. I’ve been touring many places, including Mazatlán, Mexico, and Guadalajara, among other places. I wanted to create a dance feel with a hip Latin beat to get people moving. The result is “Dance Again”.

    Q. If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be?

    A. I would love to perform at Times Square! Some might not know that I spent a lot of time growing up in New York. I think performing there would be fun!

    Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events?

    A. My new single “Say What” is expected to go to radio nationwide. And I’ll be releasing the second episode to my novel “Zarya” this summer!

    To see full article go to https://issuu.com/cecewibnet/docs/wib_june_2022_final

  • Girl Forgotten By Karin Slaughter

    Book: Girl Forgotten

    Author: Karin Slaughter

    By: Cece Hymes

    This is the first book I have read by this author. I saw a lot of people were talking about this book, so I had to read. It was a good book. It took me a while to figure out who had killed the girl. When you think about high schoolers it’s always a clique. Everyone has their own clique in school.

    This book was about a group of so-called friends hanging together until one day something happened to Emily who is in that clique. She doesn’t remember what happened she just know that whatever happened she was raped, and it was by one of her so-called friends. She doesn’t understand how one day her whole world can turn upside down because of her friends and no one seems to want to tell the truth.

    Andrea’s father was part of the clique and is in prison. Andrea knows he is a bad man, but she is a cop well a US Marshal and she has been put on a case to help protect Emily’s mother who is a judge. While protecting her she is also secretly investigating what really happened to Emily 40 years ago. There Are other things going on in the same town that Emily was killed in. Andrea doesn’t live there but she goes there to help with the case. She was sent there because she is needed. New clues pop out each time she tries to solve another case but the old one keeps coming up.

    It’s sad what happened to Emily and on prom night how someone could kill her like that while she is pregnant. The baby survived and is all grown with her own child. She always wanted to know who killed her mother. Even though Emily was killed so long ago it still haunts everyone in that town. Seems like they all are psychopaths that love to be in control of people and everything.

    Reading this book, I really wanted Ricky, Nardo and Wexler to get dealt with. Those 3 made me so angry. How these 3 just had no conscience whatsoever. The way they treat women and young women at that made me angry. That’s why I always think us women need to stay strong and protect one another. We are so vulnerable and so attachable to things that are wrong. Love can make you go crazy and make you look over a lot of things. Jealousy is evil also. Just be aware of your friends and always keep your eyes open. You can see who is against you and who is with you. Time will tell.

    Check out the book and let me know your thoughts. Also join Cece Book Club.

  • Sweeter than honey by Joy Avery

    Book: Sweeter Than Honey

    Author: Joy Avery

    By: Cece Hymes

     

    You know I love a good love book. This book was very interesting to me and seems like a lot of books that I have read always start off with pretending to be in a relationship and then really fall in love with the person. I just love books like this. They all just have a different way and story that each one falls in love with the other person.

    This book was about Rylee and Canten. Rylee owned her own shop and she loved to cook. Canten, he was the sheriff of the town that everyone loved. He really did a lot for his community. Canten’s wife had passed away and so did Rylee; they both just been living life not really trying to date anyone. They have both been friends for a long time and have attraction for one another. They just don’t want to react to it.

    When they faked their relationship, I think they both really wanted to be with each other anyway but didn’t want to let the other one know. I am glad that they were friends first. My motto is always your soulmate is your best friend. They both needed to get things off their chest and out in the open. It was secrets that they never shared with anyone that they found sharing with each other. There were also times when others tried to come and win the other person’s interest, but they didn’t let it happen.

    They both actually know a lot about each other, and they are neighbors, so they watch out for each other already. One thing I love about this book is Rylee’s parents now that love is the kind of love I want. Growing older together and years later and still having that spark for each other is definitely what I want.  I loved their characters in this book.

    Everyone wants love but when you have someone that makes you happy that’s a different kind of love. When you have not just a lover but a best friend that you can communicate with about anything and they don’t judge you but push you to be stronger than those types of people you don’t want to let go.

    Rylee and Canten grew together as a fake couple but were there each step of the way. They included each other in events and couple things. They both felt a love they had never felt before. When you know what you want you go after it. They made each other feel like a queen and king.

     

    Make sure to check out the book and let me know what you think. Also join Cece Book Club

  • I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy

    Book: I’m Glad My Mom Died

    Author: Jennette McCurdy

    By: Cece Hymes

    I had a chance to read this book. When I saw the title, I was like wow who would write a book like this? I didn’t really know who she was, but my daughters did because they watched the show she was in. I do like reading people’s memoirs on how they got to where they are today. A lot of celebrities, well people in general, have gone through a lot in life. Let’s get into this book.

    It was about Jennette McCurdy’s life. If you do not know who she is she plays in the show Sam & Cat by ICarly. She talks about how she struggles with eating disorder; addiction and I would say emotional abuse from her mother. Her mom has been in control of her life since day 1. She practically lived her life through her child. What Mother washes and shaves their child all the way up to when the child is an adult. Her Mother made her do acting at a young age, but Jennette hated acting. She did anything her mom said because she wanted to make her mom happy and not disappoint her.  She talks on how she got different gigs and how she got on nickelodeon.

    It’s a lot of things that go on behind closed doors that actors/actresses deal with. Models also go through it. People love to give hush money for people not to talk about it. I can’t even imagine what was going through her mom’s head besides money for her to treat a child and her own child the way she did. Her mother manipulated her throughout her whole life and now that she is grown, she is learning a lot but still confused at the same time.

    Glad she decided to get help and try to get her life on a ball the way she is living can really hurt her. When reading this book, I like how she didn’t bash her mom which I know that others would but explained it in a way to tell her life. She hated what she did to her but would always love her because she would always be her mom. She looked at life as being a lie, but you can’t go back, you can only go forth. Going forward and making changes. She took a break from life and got some help, had some friends pushing her in the right direction and also went to get a connection with her dad. I know it’s going to take therapy and great people by her side to keep pushing but believing. Starting with change and yourself is always great.

    I hope that everything goes well for her and that she gets the help she needs. I also hope she will be better than everyone who did her wrong in life and that she truly has true love so whenever she starts her own family, she will give them nothing but love, realness and guidance.

    This book was an eye opener and also sad but again, I love reading about people’s journeys and how they got to where they are. Even if you do not know who she is, it’s still a book that you can read about addictions, manipulations and the way she became a celebrity and more.

    Tell me what your thoughts on this book. Also join Cece Book Club.

  • The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

    Book: The Romantic Agenda

    Author: Claire Kann

    By: Cece Hymes

    I always say I love romance stories. This book was good. It was about a lady named Joy who had been best friends with a guy named Malcolm for years and years. Joy loves Malcolm but she never told him that she was in love with him. Malcolm loves Joy also and all the women he ever dated feel like he puts Joy as number one, and they leave.

    Malcolm lets Joy know that he is into this lady named Summer and that they have been chatting for over 2 months. Joy is used to knowing everything about Malcolm and gets jealous. He invites her on this getaway trip with him and Summer. They decide to bring Summer’s best friend Fox. He wants Fox and Joy to hang out so he can get closer to Summer and to see if Summer and Joy can get along.

    I like that Joy is straightforward and speaks her mind. She may not say that one thing about love to Malcolm but everything else she speaks freely and openly. Fox comes on the trip and he kind of observes. Joy and Fox spend time together. They decide to fake like they like each other to see how Malcolm would react. Fox and Joy actually end up liking each other. They brought out something different in one another.

    They thing I love about the characters is that they all are open to trying to get better and they open up to one another. The romantic getaway showed everyone what they really wanted and what they were willing to try out. I always say your best friend is your soulmate. I do think that Joy and Malcolm would have worked out, but I feel like Joy will have more fun with Fox. I also think that Fox will be more gentle with her.

    I would love to read a part 2 of this book to see how it would go with everyone. To see if Joy can handle moving on from Malcolm or if they realize that they are soul mates.

    If you read this book let me know your thoughts. Also join Cece Book Club

  • Sister Friends Forever by Kimberla Lawson Roby

    Book: Sister Friends Forever

    Author: Kimberla Lawson Roby

    By: Cece Hymes

    This book was good. I ended up staying up to 5 am reading trying to finish this book. I was like one more chapter, one more chapter came to another until I was done. This book was about 4 female friends telling their story: you have a single friend, an engaged friend, a marriage friend and a divorce friend.

    Serena– is the single friend, she is 40 years of age and looking for her soul mate. She is dating this guy but let him know that she is celibate and waiting for marriage. She and her friend decide to go celibate until marriage. They are trying something new. They have been going to church and now is the time to get right. The guy she had been dating was hoping that he pops the question or hope he will be the one she marries. When she finds out that he is not the one and gets hurt in the process. She knows she has to lower her standards so when she meets another guy, she can be more open-minded. She also holds on to her past with her sister that still hurts her to be close to her sister.

    Michelle- Now Michelle is the engaged friend she is engaged to Dr. Christopher; she loves him and is happy. Let’s go back Michelle loved her high school sweetheart Steve. Now Steve was her soulmate, they always had a connection, they were supposed to be together forever, but her parents broke them up. When she was young her parent’s thought Steve wasn’t good enough for their daughter. They didn’t care about her being happy. They let her know if she marries him, they will cut her out of the will and disown her. So now she has a great guy and is about to get married until she sees Steve. It’s been years since they broke up and she runs into him in the grocery store. The spark was still there, and all her feelings were still there. She still loved this man. Ever since she ran until Steve, that’s all she could think about was him. She been celibate also like Serena until marriage but then she decided to break that, and things just get crazy from then. Michelle wants to be with Steve and now she is older she wants that happiness but does not want to hurt the guy she is about to marry and his family. What happens next you will have to read.

     

    Kenya– She is married and happy with their two kids. The man she is married to was married before and has a child by his first wife. The first wife cheated, and he left her. He didn’t really love her, but he married her when she told him she was pregnant. She was a bitter ex wife; she didn’t want him to be around his son. Told the son bad things about them so he could think he didn’t want him. She was cruel. She wanted his child support money but didn’t want him to spend any time with his son. He took her to court for visitation rights. She still didn’t go by that. So finally, he gets fed up and is ready to take her for full custody. He wants a relationship with his son. He threatens her to let her know he will cut off the child support and go into full custody or she can start letting him talk to him and spend time. He also hires a private investigator. What happens next is a must read. It’s a twist and a turn. All I can say is women in the world can be cruel to people. The things these women do to men is just sad. To be bitter and have the kids involved is just crazy.

    Lynette– The Divorce one. Now Lynette is smart. She went to school and had everything going until she met this man which at first, she thought was great. He got a promotion making great money, so he wanted to marry her and for her to be a stay at home mother and wife. She was a good wife. Her husband wasn’t. He was mean to her and cheated on her a lot. He barely spent time with his kids and did whatever he wanted to do. Things turned and he told his wife he was leaving for another woman and the other woman was pregnant. Lynette was hurt so she told him she wanted half of everything and for him to leave. He left and they got divorced. He ended up marrying the other lady and she had a set of twins. Lynette has a talk one day and meets her ex- husband to tell him he needs to spend more time with his kids. He looked sad and kept saying he loved her. She knew something wasn’t right but it’s never greener on the other side. She knew she was no fool and not going back to him. Well in between things she meets two men get their number, one she dates for a while until something happens that makes her finally decide to call the other one.

    The things these women go through are a lot when they are just trying to be happy. I love that they have been friends forever and they meet up and talk to each other for support, advice and more. You never know what God has instored for you. I love when a group of women can become friends and it turns into sisterhood. I think all friends need that. Someone to vent too and to look for advice.

    Check out this book and let me know what you think. I loved it. Make sure to Join Cece Book Club

  • A Proposal They Can’t Refuse

    Book: A Proposal They Can’t Refuse

    Author: Natalie Cana

    By: Cece Hymes

     

    Had a chance to read this great book. I love a great love story. The book was about Kamilah Vega and Liam Kane. They were best friends when they were young, but they drifted apart as they got older. Kamilah wants to run their family restaurant and enter into the Fall Foodie Tour. Liam, his uncle, wants him to take over the family’s distillery. The uncles want Liam and Kamilah to get together, but they have to come up with a plan to get them together.

    The uncles come up with a plan that they will sell the companies unless they get married. So, they decide to be in a fake engagement. As they get in this fake engagement, they get back close and realize they can’t control how they really feel about each other. Kamilah feels like she has to prove a point to her family. She feels like she always messes up and she wants to show them that she can run a business. She is a great friend and motivator to Liam. She tries to be there for him the best way she knows how. Every time she feels like she gets closer he pushes her away.

    Liam has been hurt by death in the family when he was young and just feels like he can’t get over it. He pushes away anyone who gets too close to him. He is scared and really needs some counseling to deal with his past. He loves Kamilah but just doesn’t know how to open up and really tell her. They work together to help push each other in the direction of making them better people.

    Finding true love and true friendship is rare these days. I always say that your best friend is your soulmate and real life. Everything started with a proposal. Liam and Kamilah go through a lot of trails and still happen to go through it together with family support.  This book has humor, love and more. I love how real Kamilah was and her character and glad she found her own wave. She seems to be a nice girl that loves cooking.

    Check out this book and let me know what you think. Also join Cece Book Club.

     

  • Interview with Brittney Holman

    Did you miss this article???

    Check out the article we did on @brittney_l_holman
    As she talks her book and project

    Download on

  • Kinyatta Gray

    Interview with Kinyatta Gray

    By: Where It Begins

    Q. Tell everyone who you are and where you’re from.

    A. It’s my pleasure. I am Kinyatta Gray and I’m from Washington D.C. I am a published author and the C.E.O. and Creator of Flights in Stitettos, LLC.

    Q. What is one fun fact about yourself?

    A. I love shoes (Stilettos) more than I love food! Lol

    Q. What new projects are you working on?

    A. I recently released a new eBook titled “So You Want To Be An Author A Step by. Step for Aspiring Authors” This eBook provides 10 important steps for an aspiring author who wants to publish their first book. I’m also preparing for a virtual press event for the launch of my 2020 Glam Girl Beach Towels’.

  • What Looks like crazy on an Ordinary Day

    Book: What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day

    Author: Pearl Cleage

    By: Cece Hymes

    This is the second book I have read by this author. Both books are really good. This book was about a lady named Ava Johnson who was from Michigan but had moved to Atlanta to start her career and make money. She made good doing hair. Now as we all know Atlanta is full of parties, celebrities and having a great time. Some years later she is doing great and finds out she is H.I.V Positive, she wants to do right and tell all the guys she ever slept with in the last couple of years to get checked. She mailed all of them letters and one of their girlfriends came to her place of work and went off.

    Ava decided to go stay with her sister in Michigan for some months before she goes to San Francisco. She goes back to her hometown and sees it different than what it used to be. It’s a lot of young ladies pregnant, a lot of young people on drugs and seeing that the town went down. Her sister helps out with the youth and tries to educate them in life.

    There was a baby born but the mom was on drugs, the mother’s family was on drugs also, so Ava’s sister decided to take care of the baby. Try to give her love and the best home for the baby. Ava sees an old friend and they get close. They share their past and life experiences. They accept each other for who they are. They all become close and try to help the community. It’s a pastor and his wife in the neighborhood that are not great pastors that try to do bad things to Ava and her sister.

    So much transparent between the community, a lot of robbing, the older folks being scared, The young people on drugs being evil doing things they had no business doing. The pastor’s wife does something bad and gets the baby to go back to the family who really do not want the child but are doing it for the money. They hurt the child and ran. It’s sad what people do when they are on drugs. It’s sad how the mindsets are of people in today’s society. I like that Ava is honest about what she has and doesn’t want to put others in danger.

    As I read this book, I feel sad for everyone in the book even though good things happen. It’s like the real world, you have to be safe, anything can happen. As women we need to learn self-defense, safe sex, and more. I have a women’s group that I will be working on adding these kinds of classes for us to take.

     

    Make sure to check out the book and let me know what you think. Also Join Cece Book Club on Instagram and Facebook.