About this item
Award-winning author ReShonda Tate Billingsley, whose bestselling fiction “tackles some of life’s toughest situations” (The Florida Times-Union), unravels the secrets in a mother’s past that turn her daughter’s life upside down—by revealing the family she never knew existed. Her dream of studying dance at Juilliard is within reach, but Olivia Dawson turns down the opportunity, choosing instead to stay with her ailing mother in the Houston projects where they barely make ends meet. Lorraine Dawson is Olivia’s whole world, and now Olivia insists on being there for her. But when Lorraine learns Olivia is sacrificing college for her sake, her heartache triggers a series of shattering events that results in Olivia discovering her father, a man she was told had died years ago.
About the Author
ReShonda Tate Billingsley always did have an active imagination. From making up stories to crafting award-winning poems, the national bestselling author has always maintained a love for telling stories. After numerous rejections from publishers, ReShonda stepped out on faith, established her own publishing company, and released her debut novel, My Brother's Keeper. It's a move that paid off as megahouse publisher, Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books, picked up the book and, to date, has published all of ReShonda's books. A former television and radio news reporter, ReShonda is an editor for the Houston Defender Newspaper, as well as a professional editor, ghost writer and literary consultant. She has worked as a reporter for The National Enquirer and as an anchor and reporter for NBC, ABC and FOX television stations in Beaumont, TX, Oklahoma City, OK and Houston, TX. She left her job at FOX 26 News in Houston in 2007 to write full-time. And write she does ... ReShonda is the national bestselling author of 35 books. Her sophomore novel, Let the Church Say Amen, has been made into a movie, directed by actress Regina King and produced by Queen Latifah's Flava Unit Productions. The movie is slated to be released in 2015. ReShonda, who served as a consultant, also makes an appearance in the movie. Her entire Amen series, as well as the novel I Know I've Been Changed, has been optioned by BET. Several of her faith-based books have become a sought-after property in Hollywood.A much sought-after public speaker, in 2012, ReShonda won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature for her book Say Amen, Again and was nominated again in 2013 for her book The Secret She Kept. She has won numerous awards for her journalism, fiction and poetry writing skills. She is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Spirit in the Words competition. Considered one of the top Inspirational Fiction authors in the country, her books remain a staple on the Bestseller's list and have been featured in USA Today and Ebony Magazine as Summer Sizzlers. In 2010, ReShonda was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. ReShonda, along with National Best Selling author, Victoria Christopher Murray, is the co-founder of Brown Girls Books, a boutique publishing company aimed at producing quality books from fresh voices and fan favorites. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Jack & Jill of America, ReShonda is a former professor of Broadcast Journalism at Langston University. She is married to Dr. Miron Billingsley, a Vice Chancellor at North Carolina Central University. The Billingsleys have three children ages 15, 12 and 7.
