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Cydney

National Black Book Festival Appearance 2011

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Bringing Out the Book In You
Workshop Presenter:
Cydney Rax
Author, Brothers and Wives and My Daughter’s Boyfriend

Saturday, June 11 @ 2:00 p.m.

Learn how to transform your experiences, ideas and creativity into a novel or non-fiction book. Designed for the beginning writer who wants to know how to get started.

Cydney Rax is the author of My Daughter’s Boyfriend, My Sister’s Ex, and My Husband’s Girlfriend and Brothers and Wives. Her anthology, Crush, will be released on April 5, 2011. She is also founder of the www.book-remarks.com web site.

Get driving directions to the Doubletree Hotel

For more information, please contact us via e-mail at:
info@nationalblackbookfestival.com

Or visit National Black Book Festival.

An Evening With Cydney Rax

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An Evening with Cydney Rax
Thursday, February 17 | 5:30PM
Mancuso Neighborhood Library

Join us for a special visit from author Cydney Rax, who will discuss and sign copies of her latest book, Brothers and Wives.

Danielle Frazier walked into her ex’s family reunion expecting some drama. But she never could have anticipated what happened next. At the reunion, Dani meets Scottie Meadows, a smooth bad boy with a killer smile who smells like just like the kind of danger Dani could get down with. And he isn’t shy about how he’s feeling her either. Too bad his brother is Neil, Dani’s ex and baby daddy, who wants the two to have nothing to do with each other, especially while Scottie is living in his house.

Cydney Rax is the author of My Daughter’s Boyfriend and My Husband’s Girlfriend. Born and raised in Detroit, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University. Cydney is also an author promoter and her reviews have appeared on numerous books.

Brothers and Wives: A novel

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Danielle Frazier walked into her ex’s family reunion expecting some drama. But she never could have anticipated what happened next. At the reunion, Dani meets Scottie Meadows, a smooth bad boy with a killer smile who smells like just like the kind of danger Dani could get down with. And he isn’t shy about how he’s feeling her either. Too bad his brother is Neil, Dani’s ex and baby daddy, who wants the two to have nothing to do with each other, especially while Scottie is living in his house.

But nobody cock blocks Dani Frazier, not even her baby daddy. Dani and Scottie start dating and suddenly, Dani is not only driving a wedge between Neil and his wife again, but she’s also dividing two brothers who seem to have nothing in common except their love for Danielle Frazier. Dani’s always dreamed of being “Mrs. Meadows,” though not by the way of her ex’s brother. But as she sees it, a little baggage never hurt anyone, and she’s determined to prevent hers from messing with the future she desperately desires.

Inspired by readers’ reactions to My Husband’s Girlfriend, this is a juicy follow-up about the complicated entanglement of family, love, desire, and duty. It’s the kind of sexy, compelling story that everyone would be dying to read that only Cydney Rax could tell.

ISBN-10: 0307460097

ISBN-13: 978-0-307-46009-7

KINDLE EDITION: 5 KB

KINDLE ISBN: B0036S49U0

Publisher: Three Rivers Press (July 13, 2010)

If anyone thinks that black readers shouldn’t read ghetto fiction, they are naïve.

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I was researching genres today and came across the famous author Nick Chiles’ article, “Their Eyes Were Reading Smut.” I read his arguments and complaints from 2006 about the plight of black literature which, at the time, had been overtaken by the explosive sales of urban lit. While I understand his concerns, my thoughts are this: Nobody, and I mean nobody, can dictate to an entire race or group of readers about what they should or should not read. I mean you can try to tell others what not to read, but it probably won’t do a lot of good.

C’mon. This is America. I was thinking that if ghetto lit never existed, but let’s say, black romance outsold literary fiction, would anyone be screaming about it? Is it the urban lit topic or the writing style that he didn’t like? Or, more importantly is it all about the money? If ghetto lit sold in small numbers, would he have a problem with it then?

First of all, I personally don’t think we have the right to tell others what not to buy. And (no disrespect), but why oh why did Nick list specific urban lit titles in his article? Telling people what not to read only made those individuals want to go out and buy those books even more. People want what they’re not supposed to have. Maybe if he said, “Hey, do NOT read Their Eyes Were Watching God. It’s so filthy and nasty, and smutty,” that would have sent droves of people to the bookstores to buy Zora Neale Hurston’s book.

Obviously, publishing urban fiction was a business decision. No would-be author placed a gun against an editor’s head and said, “Either publish my book or I’m gonna pretend like I’m a character in my book and shoot you.” The stuff sold, sells, or whatever it’s doing these days.

I just think it’s naïve to believe that street flavored stories which resonate with certain groups of the African American culture will be ignored. It won’t be ignored. It’s new, evolving, and young folks like to read these stories. It represents their lives, communities, and neighborhoods. Some (like me) read a few street lit books out of curiosity, because it is so different from what we personally know.

Rather than bash ghetto lit, why not invite people to also read the literature of Richard Wright, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison? Allow us to experience both sides of the fence. Let me listen to my jazz, my pop, my gospel, and my R&B. Because to think I’ll only want to listen to Louis Armstrong or Stevie Wonder just isn’t reality.

My Sister’s Ex – Cited by ESSENCE Magazine

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I was very excited when I learned that Essence magazine selected MY SISTER’S EX as one of the best reads of 2009 (check out the Dec. ’09 issue). Editor Patrik Henry Bass gave his thumbs up, and for me, for me, this is thrilling and amazing.

If you haven’t picked up your copy, it’s not too late. I still see the book on the shelves at Border’s and Barnes and Noble. Black Expressions magazine carries it too, as well as other online and brick and mortar stores across the nation. What I especially love is the support from so many libary systems. You can check out the print copy or listen to the audiobook.

Thanks so much for your suppoert. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Which of my books is my favorite?

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When an author writes multiple books, in general, he will love all his books for various reasons. But if I had to pick my favorite out of all novels that have been published so far, it would be MY HUSBAND’S GIRLFRIEND. I still can rememeber how that book came into existence. I could clearly hear the main characters’ voices inside my head. Anya is kind of no nonsense. Neil is a little bit of a tight a#% in that outwardly he appears mature and sensible, but when he hooks up with the other woman, Dani, his love for her makes him lose his mind. And Dani, she’s by far the character I’ve enjoyed writing the most. She is sooo naughty, sexy, child-like, bold, yet vulnerable and tragic. I love the story, the setting, the scenes, the characters, and the ending of MY HUSBAND’S GIRLFRIEND. If any of my books could be made into a film, this is the one I’d want to see up there. This is the novel that people ask about more than the others. It seemed so real I guess. At least in real life, in somebody’s world out here, there is a true My Husband’s Girlfriend.

FaceBook

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Not too long ago I joined FaceBook. Initially, I set up the page because I needed to establish one for my day job. I wanted to get a feel for it. And I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Trust me, it’s going to take a while to get used to FaceBook. I enjoy seeing people I haven’t spoken to in a while. On the other, I pray I won’t become addicted. I’m already consumed with so many other life-happenings. We’ll see how things pan out.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Cydney-Rax/100000365044630