Steady Schemin' Harlem honeys Apple and Kola are back and cutthroat as ever,
and serving The City That Never Sleeps with a wakeup call. Now
permanently disfigured, the once beautiful Apple's future isn't
looking bright as the empire she worked so hard to build begins
to crumble, brick by brick.
The tables are turned, and Apple finds out that the ultimate
betrayal cuts that much deeper when it's perpetrated by blood.
Meanwhile, Kola is lying in wait for Queen Apple to be
dethroned. She stacks her paper and assembles her plan to take
her twin out once and for all. But Apple isn't bowing out
gracefully.
The Waverly Girls Group Home is supposed to be a place where troubled
teens come for reform. But Jazzy, Cha Cha, and Maya have different
plans. Though the three girls hail from three different cities, they've
had amazingly similar hard knock lives, and the thread that holds them
together is their love of money.
Soon, these sheisty chicks are backsliding into a life of fraud,
boosting, and hustling within the walls of Waverly. Their money is on
point, and they're enjoying the good life until a new girl stands in
their way by going against the grain. That is, until she turns up dead.
BIO
Sheisty Chicks is authoress Kim K's debut novel, which was released
December 2011 by Melodrama Publishing. The author states that the book
was inspired by real-life events, snapshots taken from her years as a
child in and out of the New York City foster system. At sixteen, Kim was
tossed into a group home by a judge for allegedly pulling out a weapon
on a neighborhood bully. Now, at twenty years old, she's reformed, in
college and working on an Associate Degree in Journalism. Kim feels her
missteps in her past have positively shaped her future.
EXCERPT FROM SHEISTY CHICKS
“So, Maya, what you gonna do? The state is on my back. They just
sent me your sixty-day notice. They ain’t playing. Whoever turns
eighteen, they want them up outta here sixty days after their
eighteenth birthday.” Big Momma stuffed her face with cookies.
“I know, I know,” Maya replied. “I’m working on something.”
“Working on something?” Big Momma asked, her mouth full. “Listen
to me. This ain’t a game. You only got one option―You either get
pregnant, or they bouncing that ass up outta here in sixty days.
They ain’t playing, I’m telling you, the state ain’t tryna
support you forever. But if you get pregnant, then you can stay
here until six weeks after the baby is born. So that would give
you almost a whole year. You feel me?”
“Well, what you want her to do? Just go out in the street and
fuck any Tom, Dick, and Harry just to get pregnant?” Jazzy asked
as she put away the Duane Reade merchandise she’d kept for
herself.
“Well, I guess I’m outta here because I’m not trying to have no
baby. Don’t nobody want stretch marks and swollen ankles and all
of that.”
Big Momma continued to eat the chocolate chip cookies, and then
she spoke up after a brief silence. “Listen, you get me two
stacks and I can get you a pregnant girl who can go to the
clinic and pose as you and get a letter from the doctor saying
how many weeks pregnant she is. Then I can get that to the
state, and all of your problems can go away. See, Big Momma
takes care of my babies. And all of y’all are like my babies.”
“Two stacks? Big Momma, come on? Why you can’t just look out for
her on GP?” Jazzy asked.
“GP? GP don’t pay the bills! I’m not putting my job on the line
for no got-damn GP. And, besides, it ain’t like the money is all
going in my pocket. I gotta give one stack to the pregnant chick
for her to do this, and I’ll keep the other stack for myself.
Shit ain’t free. You gots to pay like you weigh!”
Maya looked at Jazzy.
“What the fuck you looking to her for? She’s gonna be alright.
You the one who’ll be tossed up outta here. And, believe me,
that one thousand dollars that you’ll pay me is the minimum
amount you’re going to have to pay to rent a one-bedroom
apartment anywhere in this expensive ass city. So I don’t see
what there is to even think about.”
Maya looked at Big Momma and nodded her head.
“Just let me know what you wanna do. But don’t be waiting to the
last minute,” Big Momma gathered up her bag of goodies and made
her way out of the girls’ room.
“Yo, I am so tired of that fat fuck using us!” Jazzy said.
“Me too, but at the same time, it’s not like I really have any
options.”
“Fuck that. You got options. We all got options. We’ll get the
two grand for that fat bitch, but after that, the three of us is
getting the fuck up out of here and we getting our own
apartment,” Jazzy said. “Big Momma will get this pregnancy
exception from the state for you, but then what we gotta do is
think past that and think about what happens in a year from now.
Because, Maya, you eighteen now, but in a year from now, me and
Cha Cha will be aging out of the system too, and then what? Big
Momma is gonna want two grand apiece from us to get us an
extension. Fuck all that. We gotta get focused now. Start
stashing our paper and let it stack and let’s get the fuck up
outta here.”
“I’m with whatever,” Maya said.
“You know I wanna get the fuck up outta here like yesterday―fuck
tomorrow!” Cha Cha said.
Jasmine suits up to play the role of a lifetime; a hustler's wife....
Jasmine was always overlooked for her brains and praised for her beauty
until she met Nico, the educated hoodlum with a sexier, smarter, and
even prettier wifey on his arm. His main chick, Mia, is a force to be
reckoned with; a quiet storm who will ride or die for the love of her
life.
Frustrated and caught between a fledgling video-vixen career and
dysfunctional friends, Jasmine wants to be upgraded from Nico's mistress
to his wifey. But Jasmine soon finds out that the glitz and glamour of
huge diamonds and fancy cars come with an even heavier ransom; drug
deals and murder.
Meanwhile, Mia's not willing to let go of her man so easily. She digs up
dirt on Jasmine that can destroy her, but Mia can't even imagine what
lengths Jasmine will go to, to keep her secret under wraps.
Join acclaimed street fiction novelist Erica Hilton on a mind-blowing
ride of trickery, mayhem, and serious thug love as she shows just what
it takes to go From Mistress to Wifey.
AUTHOR BIO:
Erica Hilton’s ability to switch up her writing style is undeniably her
greatest feat. From the hardcore storyline of 10 Crack Commandments,
where the lyrics of the incomparable Christopher Wallace, AKA, the
Notorious BIG are broken down and deciphered into a thick fictional plot
filled with drug deals and backstabbers. To the more female driven
narrative of Wifey: From Mistress to Wifey, slated for a November
2011 release. Also in Ms. Hilton’s catalog are: Dirty Little Angel,
The Diamond Syndicate and Dirty Money Honey, that will be
released on Melodrama Publishing November 2011. Dirty Money Honey is a
collaborative effort with her label mates, Nisa Santiago and Kim K.
Erica currently lives in West Hollywood, California with her fiancée and
two dogs, Jay and Bee.
Young and beautiful, seventeen-year-old Apple believes there's one thing
she can do better than anyone -- herself. Her selfish actions turn fatal
in a New York minute when she gets tangled up with a ruthless hustler.
He wants his payment in blood with interest. Apple goes undercover to
try to clean up her mess, but the lines between vengeance and reality
begin to blur.
Meanwhile, Apple's twin sister Kola is leading a fast life of her own
with an escort ring. Though she's making long money, she's not satisfied
with second best, and she sets out to knock Apple off. Her wicked
scheming explodes into the ultimate betrayal.
Nisa Santiago's tale of beautiful sisters from Harlem proves that when
sibling rivalry spins out of control, loyalty is just a word on the
streets.
AUTHOR BIO Nisa Santiago came bursting onto the literary scene in 2009 with her
debut title, Cartier Cartel. The book garnered rave reviews and left her
readers wanting more. She followed up with the sequel, Return of the
Cartier Cartel – which turned into a national bestseller. The Library
Journal declared that Santiago’s sequel, [Return of the Cartier Cartel]
“Will keep readers hooked to the last chapter.”
Born and raised in Brooklyn, and now living in Harlem, the author is
moving at full speed with her writing endeavors. Coined the Duchess of
Hop-Hip lit, Santiago humbly admits, “I’m just grateful to be doing what
I love as a career and not just a hobby.”
Her latest novel, Bad Apple – The Baddest Chick is slated for an October
2011 release date. The author emphatically states that her decision to
start a new series instead of penning part 3 to Cartier Cartel was a
brave one. “My readers love Cartier and they wanted more.”
Santiago wants her readers to know that she has so many stories to tell
and shows no signs of slowing down. Dirty Money Honey is an anthology
with her peers, Erica Hilton and Kim K., Melodrama Publishing’s new
trinity of authors.
Kola burst into the home and marched up to Apple. Before she could throw
the first swing, Apple smashed the gun over her head, and Kola stumbled
back a little dazed.
“Apple, is you fuckin’ crazy?” Denise shouted.
While Apple was distracted, Kola charged and knocked the gun out of her
hand. She pushed Apple into a wall, and followed that up with a series
of blows to her face and midsection.
Apple and Kola tore into each other like two ferocious lions, knocking
over furniture and breaking precious items in the home.
Apple soon got the upper hand, grabbing Kola by her long hair and
knocking the wind out of her with a hard right uppercut. Kola, her mouth
full of blood, lost her footing and fell over a chair. She hit the
ground like she had received a blow from Mike Tyson.
Apple pounced on her like she was a stranger in her home. “I told you,
bitch, don’t fuck wit’ me! Look at you! I’m that fuckin’ bitch now!” she
screamed out, landing a series of vicious blows on Kola.
The Mastermind. The Patsy. The Heist Vegas never saw coming....
At only twenty-five, Honey has a long list of exes in her life; an
ex-con father, an ex-husband, and an ex-career as an ATF agent.
Playing the cards life has dealt her, she's now working as a
blackjack dealer in one of the most profitable casinos in alluring
Las Vegas. Soon, her life's training is put to good use as Honey
develops a master plan to get that dirty money!
The city is taken by surprise when an armored truck is high-jacked
in broad daylight on a sweltering hot Wednesday. Normally prepared
for anything and everything, the Las Vegas police are baffled by
this blatant crime, and pressure from the public and casino owners
drive them to desperation.
Honey and her crew of loyal followers pull off one of the most
rewarding and masterful heists in Las Vegas history, but not
everyone will get to enjoy the loot. Someone has to take the fall.
AUTHOR BIOS NISA SANTIAGO
Nisa Santiago came bursting onto the literary scene in 2009 with her
debut title, Cartier Cartel. The book garnered rave reviews and left
her readers wanting more. She followed up with the sequel, Return of
the Cartier Cartel – which turned into a national bestseller. The
Library Journal declared that Santiago’s sequel, [Return of the
Cartier Cartel] “Will keep readers hooked to the last chapter.”
Born and raised in Brooklyn, and now living in Harlem, the author is
moving at full speed with her writing endeavors. Coined the Duchess
of Hop-Hip lit, Santiago humbly admits, “I’m just grateful to be
doing what I love as a career and not just a hobby.”
Her latest novel, Bad Apple – The Baddest Chick is slated for an
October 2011 release date. The author emphatically states that her
decision to start a new series instead of penning part 3 to Cartier
Cartel was a brave one. “My readers love Cartier and they wanted
more.”
Santiago wants her readers to know that she has so many stories to
tell and shows no signs of slowing down. Dirty Money Honey is an
anthology with her peers, Erica Hilton and Kim K., Melodrama
Publishing’s new trinity of authors.
ERICA HILTON
Erica Hilton’s ability to switch up her writing style is undeniably
her greatest feat. From the hardcore storyline of 10 Crack
Commandments, where the lyrics of the incomparable Christopher
Wallace, AKA, the Notorious BIG are broken down and deciphered into
a thick fictional plot filled with drug deals and backstabbers. To
the more female driven narrative of Wifey: From Mistress to Wifey,
slated for a November 2011 release. Also in Ms. Hilton’s catalog
are: Dirty Little Angel, The Diamond Syndicate and Dirty Money
Honey, that will be released on Melodrama Publishing November 2011.
Dirty Money Honey is a collaborative effort with her labelmates,
Nisa Santiagoand Kim K.
Erica currently lives in West Hollywood, California with her fiancée
and two dogs, Jay and Bee.
KIM K.
Sheisty Chicks is authoress Kim K’s debut novel, which will be
released December 2011 by Melodrama Publishing. The author states
that the book was inspired by real-life events, snapshots taken from
her years as a child in and out of the New York City foster system.
At sixteen, Kim was tossed into a group home by a judge for
allegedly pulling out a weapon on a neighborhood bully. Now, at
twenty years old, she’s reformed, in college and working on an
Associate Degree in Journalism. Kim feels her missteps in her past
have shaped her future positively. She’s looking ahead and not
behind and cannot wait until her first title, Dirty Money Honey, a
collaboration with two of her favorite authors, Nisa Santiago and
Erica Hilton. That title [Dirty Money Honey] has a September 2011
publication date.
Brooklyn empress Cartier knows the streets of Brooklyn like nobody’s
business. In fact, she successfully built her Cartier Cartel drug
ring on the code of the streets, relentless hustling, and stacking
paper. However, the life of crime is wearing her down, and she’s
ready to quit the game when two of her Cartel soldiers are gunned
down in the same streets that fattened her bankroll.
Now she’s hell bent on seeking revenge for her friends, and she and
her most loyal set out to solve the hood’s whodunit. Along
the way, tempers flare and love is tested as her prince steps out of
line and sleeps with the enemy. Devastation reigns supreme in the
streets of Brooklyn, while Cartier is constantly looking over her
shoulder, wondering who will be the next to stab her in the back.
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. If you were Cartier and the head of the Cartel, would you have
risked your freedom, marriage, and children’s future to seek revenge
for your two slain friends?
2. Cartier was continually going through drama with her husband
Jason but she stayed until she reached the point of no return. Would
you have left at the first sign of infidelity? Why or Why not?
3. Was Jason worth all of Cartier’s tears?
4. Have you even been in a relationship with a womanizer? Also,
whose decision was it to end the relationship?
5. Jason forbid Cartier to allow her friends Lil Momma and Bam to
know where she lived for their safety. If you were in Cartier’s
shoes, would you have kept that information from your close friends?
6. If you were in Bam shoes, what would you have done when Jason
pulled the gun out on you? Would you have setup your man? Yes or no?
7. If Bam didn’t start using drugs, do you think she would have
ultimately betrayed Cartier?
8. Did Cartier deserve what she got being setup by Bam?
9. Head came into Cartier’s life when she needed a shoulder to lean
on and ultimately got jammed up behind her beef. Do you think that
their relationship will last?
10.The Cartel basically murdered an innocent man. Do you just charge
that to the game?
Cartier
Timmons and Monya White were born to teenage mothers who were
also best friends. At 15, Cartier formed her own crew aptly
named the Cartier Cartel. The main and only vision of the crew;
Cartier, Monya, Bam, Lil Momma, and Shanine was to do petty
crimes in order to wear the flyest gear. While Monya loves boys,
clothes, and money (in that order), Cartier is tired of the
petty boosting to keep a few dollars in her pockets.
Always wise beyond her years,
Cartier observes how the corner boys hustle drugs and figures
her crew could do the same. Cartier realizes too late that her
and her crew are in more trouble than they can handle. Once a
rival drug-hustler gets murdered, Cartier's Cartel will need to
make a life-altering decision.
1. At a very young age Cartier decided to take
matters into her own hands and form her own crew and live a life
of crime when other kids her age stay in school and get
part-time jobs. Do you think that her decision was warranted
having Trina as her mother?
2. The Cartel escalated from shoplifting to selling drugs and
were quickly over their heads. Should Cartier be held
responsible or should each crew member own their responsibility
with the decisions they made.
3. Cartier made the decision to do the time and let Monya walk.
Were her actions that of a good friend? Or was there an ulterior
motive?
4. Why do you think Monya turned on Cartier?
5. Could you have taken Jason back after he betrayed you and
slept with your best friend?
6. Do you think Monya and Shanine would have gotten setup in
they were men?
7. Should Monya have trusted Ryan after he left Cartier stranded
in jail?
8. If you were Cartier would you have forgiven Monya or her
betrayal?
9. Trina had her flaws. Do you think she was a good mother?
10. Do you think Cartier will get avenge her best friends
murder?
er… Tanisha Butler needs to redeem her one mistake—and reclaim
her man… And sports reporter Cherise Long has a “no athletes”
romance rule. But as different as these women are, they can’t
resist the same temptation: to win the ultimate gold ring…
Lonnie, a strong, independent, career-minded sista isn’t one for
drama or unnecessary bull. In fact, she’s not even sure if having a
man in her life is worth the trouble it can cause. However, when she
meets John, everything changes, and her comfortable life as a single
career woman goes flying out the window. She’s in love, and things
couldn’t be better.
Then all hell breaks loose.
The man who seemed like her dream come true soon becomes the
nightmare she can’t wake up from. John’s sexcapades with the hood
rat of the month soon turn from casual to serious, and Lonnie kicks
him to the curb to refocus on herself and her career.
But drama rears its ugly head yet again when it shows up at her job.
Lonnie goes from the put-together woman in charge to a petty,
dramatic diva, and soon, she doesn’t recognize herself. Will she be
able to pull it together before she loses everything, or has she
been marked with the curse of Drama With a Capital D?
BIO:
Denise was born and raised in Camden, New Jersey where she still
resides. Denise attended Woodrow Wilson High School, The Kane
Business Institute and Camden County College where she consistently
remained on the Dean’s list.
In a city stricken with strife and poverty, Denise has raised four
children who continue to make strides in their own lives because of
their mother’s positive influence.
As a young girl Denise discovered her love of the written word. This
passion grew as she grew. It was during an African American
Literature class at CCC that she decided that being an avid reader
was no longer enough to satisfy her. She began writing short stories
for her own pleasure, which led to her branching out to full length
novels.
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Considering the troubles that followed her decision, should
Lonnie have taken John back after initially discovering his affair
with Cherie?
2. Although Cherie was full of drama, did Lonnie do enough to make
the situation work? What could she have done differently?
3. Once John began to show signs of not being willing to do the work
necessary to keep the relationship in tact, do you think Lonnie’s
choice to get out was the correct one or was the relationship worth
fighting for?
4. Lonnie’s siblings were always willing to use violence to deal
with problems. Did their influence dictate her behavior? Without
them would she have been mature enough on her own to deal with
Cherie in a peaceful manner?
5. After finding herself open to being with another man, were
Lonnie’s fears and reservations about Malik a direct result of her
experiences with John or do you think there may have been some other
underlying issues? If so, what might those issues have been?
6. Lonnie was depicted as a strong and fiercely independent woman.
However, she had a complete meltdown during Malik’s first
disappearance. Why? Was her outward toughness simply a façade? Or
could there it been her lack of experience with serious
relationships? Does true love tear you up like that?
7. Malik proposed six months into the relationship. Had Lonnie taken
the proper time after John to recover and mature enough to take such
a major step in her life?
8. Lonnie learned early on that there was a possibility that her
brother Tank had fathered Deja’s child. Was it wise for her to keep
that from Lena and allow Tank to remain in denial? Would things have
turned out any differently between the Devlins and the Johnsons had
she encouraged Tank to take a paternity test sooner?
9. Lonnie and Tracey developed a strong bond rather quickly.
However, Lonnie blamed her for Malik shutting down and running away.
Was Malik’s reaction to finding out about the baby Tracey’s fault in
any way? How should he have handled the news?
10. When Malik finally returned, Lonnie for the most part, dismissed
the anger and resentment she felt while he was gone. Did she give in
too easily? Would you have made him sweat and why? Is punishment the
answer when we lack understanding? Or do we continue to fight for
the end result?
Dating a hustler was never on Naheema’s to-do list. But after
the charming yet deceptive Mike sweeps her off her feet, dating a
hustler is the least of her worries. Mike’s charming sweetness
toward Naheema turns sour when the abuse, cheating, and his street
mentality kicks in. The life of a hustler’s woman takes its toll on
Naheema physically, mentally, and emotionally, taking her from a
fairy tale to a horror flick. But Naheema is learning from the best,
and soon the tables turn and she holds Mike’s future in her hands.
Filled with action, grief, friendship, family ties, and the ultimate
betrayal, You Showed Me exhibits what it means to be tried, be
tested, and triumph.
BIO Nahisha McCoy is married with
three beautiful sons residing in Brooklyn, New York, and is
attending college to finish her Bachelor’s degree in Business
Administration. She volunteers with many community-based programs as
well as runs a Double Dutch program for the youth within her
community. She’s also a Peace officer for the State of New York.
1. Should Naheema have told her sister about Mike? Why or Why not?
2. Is there really love at first sight or was Naheema so desperate
to find a man that she allowed lust to guide her relationship?
3. Did Mike really lie to Naheema about what he did for a living or
did Naheema allow herself to think otherwise?
4. After catching Mike and the woman in the act, should Naheema had
went back to find out who the woman was? What would you do in that
situation?
5. The first time that Mike beat Naheema should she have ended the
relationship? Why or Why not?
6. If you were in Shaquanna's shoes would you have slept with your
sister's man? Why or why not?
7. The minute Shadina knew that Naheema was with Mike, should she
have informed Naheema about her old relationship with him? Should
she have warned Naheema about Mike as a person?
8. After finding out that her sister was sleeping with her man, did
Naheema react the right way or did she take the punk way out? What
would you have done if you found out that your sister was sleeping
with your man and may be pregnant with his child?
9. Mike did a lot of horrible things in their relationship but was
he to blame for his actions or was Naheema to blame because she
continued to forgive and allow him to do it? Why?
10. A lot of women out there have been in this same situation and
stayed only to be destroyed in the end. Have you been in this
situation and how did you get out of it? What should the characters
in this book have done differently? Why? Would you have done
anything differently? How? Why?
Coca
Kola: The Baddest Chick
Sheisty
Chicks
Wifey: From
Mistress to Wifey 
Bad Apple - The
Baddest Chick
Dirty
Money Honey
Return
of the Cartier Cartel
Cartier
Cartel
Drama
With a Capital D
You
Showed Me
