Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Minority Leader
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S): Selena Montgomery
BIRTHDATE: 12/9/1973
WEBSITE: https://staceyabrams.com
CITY:
STATE: GA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born December 9, 1973, in Madison, WI; daughter of Robert and Carolyn Abrams.
EDUCATION:Spelman College, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1995; University of Texas, Austin, M.P.A., 1998; Yale University, J.D., 1999.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, romance novelist, politician, and lawyer. Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta, GA, beginning 2002; Georgia House of Representatives, member from the 84th district, 2007-13, member from the 89th district, 2013-17, minority leader, 2011-17; Democratic candidate in 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election. CEO of Sage Works. Previously worked in the youth services department in the office of Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson; as a tax attorney at the Sutherland Asbill & Brennan law firm, Atlanta, GA; and NOW Corp., cofounder and former senior vice president. Member of boards of directors for Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Atlanta Metropolitan State College Foundation, Gateway Center for the Homeless, and the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education; member of advisory boards for Literacy Action and Health Students Taking Action Together (HSTAT); also served as member of board of visitors for Agnes Scott College and the University of Georgia, and as a member of the board of advisors for Let America Vote.
MEMBER:Council on Foreign Relations.
AWARDS:Harry S. Truman Scholar, 1994; John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, Kennedy Library and Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, 2012, as an elected official under 40 whose work demonstrates the impact of elective public service as a way to address public challenges; Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award, 2014; Stevens Award for Outstanding Legal Contributions, and Elmer Staats Award for Public Service, both from Harry S. Truman Foundation; Aspen Rodel fellow; Hunt-Kean fellow; Reviewer’s Choice Award, and Reader’s Favorite Award for Best New Author, both Romance in Color.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Stacey Abrams, who grew up in Mississippi, is a lawyer and politician who served for a decade in the Georgia House of Representatives, including as the Democratic minority leader. She was also the Democratic Party’s nominee for the governor of Georgia in 2018. As such, she was the first black female to be a major U.S. political party’s gubernatorial nominee. Abrams is also an author who writes nonfiction under her own name, from articles on issues of public policy and nonprofit organizations to a book about leadership, and romance novels under the pseudonym Selena Montgomery. Her romantic suspense novels have won several awards.
Romance Novels
According to Abrams, her father’s bedtime ghost stories inspired her to become a writer. She has noted that she chose to write her romance novels under a pen name as part of a branding effort. Abrams feared that readers looking up her novels under her real name might be put off when they started to come across articles by her on topics such as income tax. Ayanna Winters, writing for the Jaro website, noted that Abrams once said: “It would be like reading a romance novel by Alan Greenspan. You probably wouldn’t.”
Her debut romance novel, Rules of Engagement, was written while Abrams was in law school. In her novel Secrets and Lies, Abrams, writing as Montgomery, tells the story of Dr. Katelyn Lyda, who is on the run after seeing her uncle murdered. Meanwhile, Sebastian Caine has gone to Katelyn’s uncle house to steal an old and valuable manuscript, only to find Felix Estrada dying in a pool of blood. Felix asks Sebastian to take care of his “cat,” which turns out to be Kat—Katelyn. Initially, Sebastian thinks Katelyn has murdered her uncle for the manuscript, which is gone. When he finally gets to Katelyn in the foothills of the Andes, the two overcome their mutual distrust to form a partnership to solve her uncle’s murder and find the manuscript. Finding a “winning pair in morally flexible Sebastian and principled Kat,” a Publishers Weekly contributor remarked: “The tropical gauntlet she runs them through is twisty and satisfying.”
Nonfiction
Abrams, writing under her own name, is also the author of Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change. As the title suggests, Abrams, writing from her own experience as a minority leader and a black woman in the Georgia government, discusses how to lead and bring about change. The focus, however, is on those outside the traditional white male power structure, from women and people of color to the LGBTQ community and the millennial generation. Abrams reflects on her own life and career, from working as a tax attorney to starting her own nonprofits to serving in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Abrams also provides insights into the power structure of the United States and the barriers that exist their for minorities of all kinds. In the process, she addresses how people hold themselves back due to fear of the unknown but powerful workings of system, which is primarily controlled by the privileged. As a result, Abrams believes the marginalized are often times too cautious in seeking to lead. Abrams offers wide ranging advice on how to become a successful leader, stressing that knowing what constitutes your real passion is one of the basic foundations for success. The book addresses how leadership functions and the role that ambition, fear, failure, and money play in leadership. Throughout, Abrams relates personal stories that highlight these factors and the strategies needed to deal with them. Abrams includes various exercise.
“Abrams’s own grit, coupled with her descriptions of much stumbling and self-doubt, will … touch you in a way few books by politicians can,” wrote New York Times online contributor Judith Newman. Valerie Hawkins, writing in Booklist, remarked that Minority Leader “is an excellent guide that addresses setbacks and pitfalls and identifies strategies to overcome them.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April 15, 2018, Valerie Hawkins, review of Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change, p. 5.
Publishers Weekly, November 6, 2006, review of Secrets and Lies, p. 41.
ONLINE
Jaro, https://magazine.watchjaro.com/ (May 29, 2018), Ayanna Winters, “Meet Selena Montgomery: Stacey Abrams’ Alter Ego as a Steamy Romance Novelist.”
New York Times Online, https://www.nytimes.com/ (March 28, 2018), Judith Newman, “Kill a Dead-End Job and Make the Leap to Career Happiness,” includes review of Minority Leader.
Selena Montgomery website, http://www.selenamontgomery.com (October 10, 2018).
Stacey Abrams website, https://staceyabrams.com (October 10, 2018).
Meet Stacey
Stacey knows our beginnings do not have to dictate who we will become. She has a boundless belief in Georgians’ capacity to prosper; and she has the courage, commitment to service, and experience to make this vision a reality.
General election: November 6, 2018
GEORGIA VOTERS: Make your voice heard in this election. Request your vote by mail ballot TODAY »
Stacey Abrams for Governor
Meet Stacey
Stacey knows our beginnings do not have to dictate who we will become. She has a boundless belief in Georgians’ capacity to prosper; and she has the courage, commitment to service, and experience to make this vision a reality.
General election: November 6, 2018
Stacey’s Foundation
Stacey Abrams and her five siblings grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi with three tenets: go to school, go to church, and take care of each other. Despite struggling to make ends meet for their family, her parents made service a way of life for their children – if someone was less fortunate, it was their job to serve that person. This ethic – and her parents’ unwavering commitment to providing educational opportunity for their children – led the family to Georgia.
Stacey’s Childhood
Stacey’s parents attended Emory University to pursue graduate studies in Divinity and become United Methodist ministers. Stacey and her younger siblings attended DeKalb County Schools, and she graduated from Avondale High School. Stacey received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and Yale Law School.
Stacey's Work
She put her education to work to better the lives of Georgians through the government, nonprofit, and business sectors. Dedicated to civic engagement, she founded the New Georgia Project, which submitted more than 200,000 registrations for voters of color between 2014 and 2016. Under the pen name Selena Montgomery, Stacey is the award-winning author of eight romantic suspense novels, which have sold more than 100,000 copies. As co-founder of NOW Account – a financial services firm that helps small businesses grow – Stacey has helped create and retain jobs in Georgia. And through her various business ventures, Stacey has helped employ even more Georgians, including hundreds of young people starting out.
From President Barack Obama
"In a time when too many folks are focused simply on how to win an election, Stacey’s somebody who cares about something more important: why we should. That’s the kind of politics we should practice. That’s why I’m proud to give Stacey Abrams my support."
Stacey’s Leadership
In 2010, Stacey became the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly and the first African American to lead in the House of Representatives. As House Minority Leader, she has worked strategically to recruit, train, elect, and defend Democrats to prevent a Republican supermajority in the House, and has worked across the aisle on behalf of all Georgians. During her tenure, she has stopped legislation to raise taxes on the poor and middle class and to roll back reproductive healthcare. She has brokered compromises that led to progress on transportation, infrastructure, and education. Most recently, she passed legislation to improve the welfare of grandparents and other kin raising children and secured increased funding to support these families.
Stacey’s Achievements
Stacey has worked hard to harness the extraordinary opportunities available to our state. She understands that if we have the vision to strive – and the courage to confront our challenges – our potential is boundless. She has met with families and small businesses in more than 150 counties, and she has proven her ability to find solutions across divides. Stacey has received the Friend of Labor award for her staunch support of working families and an A-rating from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in the same year. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and she is the proud 2012 Grand Champion of the Georgia National Fair Legislative Livestock Roundup. Stacey has received recognition from the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Georgia), the National Urban League, EMILY’s List, and Planned Parenthood.
Welcome to Selena Montgomery
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About Selena Montgomery
Selena Montgomery is the nom de plume of Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams.
As Selena Montgomery, she is an award-winning author of eight romantic suspense novels. “Part of Ms. Montgomery’s strength is her characterization. [Her characters] are solid creations, complex individuals who are breathing flawed individuals. The world that they live in is not the romanticized world of James Bond, but a dangerous, real world.” Her novels have sold more than 100,000 copies.
Like the alter egos in her novels, Stacey maintains a dual identity. She represents the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County in the Georgia General Assembly, where she serves as House Minority Leader. She is currently exploring a run for Governor of Georgia (learn more at www.staceyabrams.com).
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Novels
Rules of Engagement
The Art of Desire
Power of Persuasion
Never Tell
Hidden Sins
Secrets and Lies
Reckless
Deception
Stacey Abrams
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Stacey Abrams
Stacey Abrams 2012.jpg
Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office
January 10, 2011 – July 1, 2017
Preceded by DuBose Porter
Succeeded by Bob Trammell
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 89th district
In office
January 14, 2013 – August 25, 2017
Preceded by Earnest Williams
Succeeded by Bee Nguyen
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 84th district
In office
January 8, 2007 – January 14, 2013
Preceded by JoAnn McClinton
Succeeded by Rahn Mayo
Personal details
Born Stacey Yvonne Abrams
December 9, 1973 (age 44)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Relatives Leslie Abrams (Sister)
Education Spelman College (BA)
University of Texas, Austin (MPA)
Yale University (JD)
Website Official website
Stacey Yvonne Abrams (born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, and romance novelist who served as minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, she is her party's nominee in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, she is the first black female major party gubernatorial nominee in the United States.[2][3]
Contents
1 Early life and education
2 Legal and business career
3 Political career
3.1 Georgia General Assembly, 2007–2017
3.2 Georgia gubernatorial campaign, 2018
4 Writing career
5 Honors and awards
6 Other work
7 Personal life
8 References
9 External links
Early life and education
Abrams, one of six siblings, was born to Robert and Carolyn Abrams in Madison, Wisconsin and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi.[4] The family moved to Atlanta where her parents pursued graduate school and later became Methodist ministers.[5][6] She attended Avondale High School, was selected for a Telluride Association Summer Program.[7] While in high school, she was hired as a typist for a congressional campaign and was later hired as a speechwriter at age 17 based on the edits she made while typing.[7]
In 1995, Abrams earned her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (Political Science, Economics and Sociology) from Spelman College, magna cum laude.[1] While in college, Abrams worked in the youth services department in the office of Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson.[7] She later interned at the Environmental Protection Agency.[7] As a Harry S. Truman Scholar, she studied public policy at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs and earned a Master of Public Affairs degree in 1998. In 1999, she earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.[1]
Legal and business career
After graduating from law school, Abrams worked as a tax attorney at the Sutherland Asbill & Brennan law firm in Atlanta, with a focus on tax-exempt organizations, health care and public finance.[1] In 2010, while a member of the Georgia General Assembly, Abrams co-founded and served as the senior vice president of NOW Corp. (formerly NOWaccount Network Corporation), a financial services firm.[8][9] She co-founded Nourish, Inc., a beverage company with a focus on infants and toddlers,[10] and is CEO of Sage Works, a legal consulting firm, that has represented clients including the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.[11]
Political career
In 2002, at age 29, Abrams was appointed the Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta.[1][12]
Georgia General Assembly, 2007–2017
Abrams with John Lewis in 2017
She represented House District 89, which includes portions of the City of Atlanta and unincorporated DeKalb County,[13] covering the communities of Candler Park, Cedar Grove, Columbia, Druid Hills, Edgewood, Highland Park, Kelley Lake, Kirkwood, Lake Claire, South DeKalb, Toney Valley, and Tilson.[14] Abrams served on the following committees: Appropriations, Ethics, Judiciary Non-Civil, Rules and Ways & Means.[2]
Her first major action as Minority Leader was her cooperation with Republican Governor Nathan Deal's administration to reform the HOPE Scholarship Program. Abrams co-sponsored the 2011 legislation that preserved the HOPE program by decreasing the scholarship amount paid to Georgia students and funded a 1% low-interest loan program for students.[15]
According to TIME magazine, Abrams "can credibly boast of having single-handedly stopped the largest tax increase in Georgia history."[16] In 2011, Abrams argued that a Republican proposal to cut income taxes while increasing a tax on cable service would lead to net increase in taxes paid by most people.[16] Abrams performed an analysis of the bill, showed that 82% of Georgians would see net tax increases, and then left a copy of the analysis on the desk of every house legislator.[16] Subsequently, the bill failed.[16]
As house minority leader, Abrams worked with Deal on criminal-justice reforms that reduced prison costs without increasing crime.[16] She also worked with Republicans on the state's biggest-ever public-transportation funding package.[16]
Georgia gubernatorial campaign, 2018
Wikinews has related news: Stacey Abrams becomes first black woman to gain major U.S. party nomination for governor of Georgia
Abrams is running for Governor of Georgia in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election.[17] In the Democratic primary she ran against Stacey Evans, another member of the Georgia House of Representatives.[17] The media has referred to this as "the battle of the Staceys."[18][19] Abrams, who is running on a progressive platform focused on children's issues and economic fairness, would be the first ever African-American female governor of a U.S. state if elected.[20] On May 22, 2018, Abrams won the Democratic nomination for governor, making her the first black woman to be a major party's nominee for governor.[21] A McClatchy analysis in July showed that roughly 60 percent of her itemized contributions were coming from donors outside the state.[22]
In her campaign for Governor, Abrams campaigned on public spending increases on education and said a top priority was Medicaid expansion.[16] Abrams vowed to protect abortion rights, called for expanded gun regulation, and opposed proposals for stricter voter ID laws, arguing that they disenfranchised minorities and the poor.[23][24] Abrams supported criminal justice reform in the form of ending cash bail for poor defendants, ending the death penalty, and decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana possession.[25][23] Abrams pledged to oppose similar legislation to the religious liberty bill that Republican governor Nathan Deal vetoed in 2016.[26][27]
She was endorsed by former president Barack Obama.[28][29] During the campaign, Kemp portrayed Abrams as a "radical liberal" and President Donald Trump said she was "open border, crime loving".[30] Abrams did not respond in kind to the criticism, emphasizing instead her infrastructure proposals and small business financing program.[30]
Writing career
Abrams has published articles on issues of public policy, taxation, and nonprofit organizations.[31] Under the pen name Selena Montgomery, Abrams is the award-winning author of several romantic suspense novels. According to Abrams, she has sold more than 100,000 copies of her novels.[2] Selena Montgomery was the winner of both the Reviewer's Choice Award and the Reader's Favorite Award from Romance In Color for Best New Author, and was featured as a Rising Star.[32] Abrams is also the author of Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change published by Henry Holt & Co. in April 2018.[33]
Honors and awards
In 2012, Abrams received the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award from the Kennedy Library and Harvard University's Institute of Politics, which honors an elected official under 40 whose work demonstrates the impact of elective public service as a way to address public challenges.[34] In 2014, she was named a Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine, an award which recognizes state and local official for outstanding accomplishments.[35] Abrams was recognized as one of "12 Rising Legislators to Watch" by the same publication in 2012 [36] and one of the "100 Most Influential Georgians" by Georgia Trend for 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.[37]
EMILY's List recognized Abrams as the inaugural recipient of the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award in 2014.[38] She was selected as an Aspen Rodel Fellow [39] and a Hunt-Kean Fellow.[40] She was also named as #11 on The Root 100 by The Root.[41] Abrams was named Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, Public Servant of the Year by the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Outstanding Public Service by the Latin American Association, Champion for Georgia Cities by the Georgia Municipal Association, and as Legislator of the Year by the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce.[42]
She received the Georgia Legislative Service Award from the Association County Commissioners Georgia, the Democratic Legislator of the Year from the Young Democrats of Georgia and Red Clay Democrats, and an Environmental Leader Award from the Georgia Conservation Voters.[42] Abrams won Grand Champion for showing 1000 lb. heifer Bessie at the 2012 Legislative Livestock Showdown at the Georgia National Fair.[43][44]
Abrams is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations,[45] a Next Generation Fellow of the American Assembly,[46] an American Marshall Memorial Fellow,[46] a Salzburg Seminar – Freeman Fellow on U.S.-East Asian Relations,[47] and a Yukos Fellow for U.S. – Russian Relations.[47]
Abrams received the Stevens Award for Outstanding Legal Contributions and the Elmer Staats Award for Public Service, both national honors presented by the Harry S. Truman Foundation.[48][49] She was also a 1994 Harry S. Truman Scholar.[50]
In 2001, Abrams was named one of "30 Leaders of the Future" by Ebony Magazine.[51] In 2004, she was named to Georgia Trend's "40 Under 40" list,[52] and the Atlanta Business Chronicle named Abrams to its Top 50 Under 40 list. In 2006, she was named a Georgia Rising Star by Atlanta Magazine and Law & Politics Magazine.[53]
Other work
Abrams currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Atlanta Metropolitan State College Foundation, Gateway Center for the Homeless and the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, and the Advisory Boards for Literacy Action and Health Students Taking Action Together (HSTAT). She also serves on the Board of Visitors for Agnes Scott College and the University of Georgia,[54] as well as on the Board of Advisors for Let America Vote (a voting rights organization founded by former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander).[55]
Personal life
Abrams is one of six children born to Reverend Carolyn and the Reverend Robert Abrams originally of Mississippi.[5] Her sister, Leslie Abrams, is a federal judge in the Middle District of Georgia .[56][57]
Meet Selena Montgomery: Stacey Abrams’ Alter Ego As A Steamy Romance Novelist
Ayanna Winters May 29, 2018 0 2 minutes read
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Stacey Abrams
Stacey Abrams
Georgia’s Stacey Abrams’ recent historic win as the first black woman to be a major party’s nominee for governor restored hope for countless Americans. Now, she’s on the run to make history once again by becoming the nation’s first black female governor.
Nearly two decades before Abrams’ groundbreaking win, the trailblazing politician entered the world of contemporary romance, writing under her pen name Selena Montgomery. Since her first novel “Rules of Engagement” was released in 2001, Abrams has published a total of eight romantic thrillers and sold over 100,000 copies, with steamy titles such as “Deception,” “Secrets and Lies,” and “The Art Of Desire.”
Abrams’ debut romance novel “Rules of Engagement” was written during her third year at Yale Law School, setting the foundation for her self-made career as an author in her spare time. In her first novel, an operative for a top-secret intelligence organization is tasked with infiltrating a terrorist group, but unexpectedly falls in love with her seductive male partner. In “Secrets and Lies,” Abrams writes about a woman on the run after witnessing her uncle’s murder, only to meet a breathtaking man who seems to have the answers she needs about the murder, until she discovers a malicious side to him that she never anticipated. Back in 2009, Abrams released her latest novel “Deception,” which centers on a woman who must return back to her toxic hometown after an innocent woman has been accused of murder. While there, she falls in love with an FBI Special Agent who is deep undercover, concealing his true identity and his own desperate history.
In an interview with Super Lawyers back in 2006, Abrams discussed how her father’s bedtime ghost stories during childhood sparked her interest in becoming a writer. However, writing romance wasn’t initially her passion. “I wanted to write a spy novel with a protagonist,” Abrams said. “But publishers told me men don’t read spy novels by or about women, and women don’t read spy novels at all. To me, that was absurd. I did a little research and discovered that women actually do read them; they’re just called romance novels. So I made my spies fall in love.”
Furthermore, the politician and author explained why she chose to write under a pen name. She considered the high probability that if readers were aware of her true identity, it could spoil the magic, and even deter potential customers. “In fiction, it’s very important to brand yourself,” she told Super Lawyers. “If I wrote under Stacey Abrams and people searched for my novels under that name, they’d also pull up articles on the charity income tax. It would be like reading a romance novel by Alan Greenspan. You probably wouldn’t.”
Still, Abrams is transparent, and doesn’t hide her alter ego from the public eye. Thus, what’s perhaps the most admirable is not the fact that Abrams writes romance novels, but how she embraces her dual identity as both a strong-willed politician and a steamy romance author, which is made evident on her website dedicated to Selena Montgomery. As a human, Abram’s ability to remain genuine to herself is nothing short of commendable. As a politician, she’s taking this same authentic approach in order to win the heart of Georgia and ultimately break barriers for other minority women politicians who defy the odds.
Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change
Valerie Hawkins
Booklist. 114.16 (Apr. 15, 2018): p5.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change.
By Stacey Abrams.
Apr. 2018. 256p. Holt, $27 (9781250191298). 320.
After Georgia state legislator Abrams writes about graduating magna cum laude from at Spelman College; attending Yale Law School and becoming a tax attorney at a private firm; serving as consultant to nonprofits while starting a handful of her own, including one that registered hundreds of thousands of new voters in the state; and writing romance-suspense novels, she had the nerve to say that what she really wanted to be was a singer. And who knows, she may still find a way to fit that in, after her current run for governor of Georgia, which would make her the first African American woman to hold that office. Although there are many books on networking and achieving political and entrepreneurial success, Abrams' is geared toward helping those who are on the fringes, especially African American women, find pathways to success and power. With chapters such as "Fear and Otherness," "Prepare to Win and Embrace the Fail," and "Making What You Have Work," this is an excellent guide that addresses setbacks and pitfalls and identifies strategies to overcome them.--Valerie Hawkins
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Hawkins, Valerie. "Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change." Booklist, 15 Apr. 2018, p. 5. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A537267979/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=2631197b. Accessed 30 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A537267979
Search Results
Secrets and Lies
Publishers Weekly. 253.44 (Nov. 6, 2006): p41.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2006 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Secrets and Lies SELENA MONTGOMERY. Avon, $6.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-079851-2
Montgomery readers will be pleased to find shadowy supporting character Sebastian Caine, last seen in Hidden Sins, starring in her latest sexy thriller. A self-described "recovery specialist" (read: thief), Sebastian thinks breaking into the South American home of wealthy antiquities collector Felix Estrada is a simple assignment. But things get complicated quickly when he finds Estrada at home, lying in a pool of blood. Estrada's last breath is a plea for Caine to take care of his "cat"--but a search of the home reveals neither the manuscript Sebastian was hired to recover nor Estrada's wayward feline. Caine soon discovers that "cat" is really sexy ethnobotanist Dr. Katelyn Lyda, the old man's niece. Deducing she has the sought-after manuscript, and suspecting that she killed her uncle to get it, Caine tracks down the feisty, frightened Kat in the foothills of the Andes. Despite mutual mistrust, the two become allies after thugs threaten both their lives. As they endeavor to solve Estrada's murder and learn the secrets (and cash value) of a 500-year-old text, the sparks--both romantic and ballistic--don't disappoint. Montgomery has a winning pair in morally flexible Sebastian and principled Kat, and the tropical gauntlet she runs them through is twisty and satisfying. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Secrets and Lies." Publishers Weekly, 6 Nov. 2006, p. 41. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A154514076/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e46d8ffe. Accessed 30 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A154514076
HELP DESK
Kill a Dead-End Job and Make the Leap to Career Happiness
Image
CreditCreditNishant Choksi
By Judith Newman
March 28, 2018
[...]
And finally there’s Stacey Abrams’s MINORITY LEADER: How to Lead From the Outside and Make Real Change (Holt, $28, available later this month). If we don’t have a slavery apologist and accused child molester in the Senate, we can thank black women voters and those who spearheaded registration drives for people of color in the South. Abrams has been a successful tax attorney, entrepreneur and, not least of all, award-winning romance novelist. But she arrived on the national stage when she became House minority leader of the Georgia General Assembly. This year, if she wins the Democratic primary, she could become the first black female governor in American history.
Abrams calls “Minority Leader” a “handbook” for outsiders, which means it includes a primer on our country’s power structure for people more likely to have worked on the manor than to be of the manner born. She also tackles the internal barriers, the “fear and otherness” that hold so many back, that keep marginalized people toe-dipping in the system while the privileged cannonball straight in. The second of six children of a “genteel poor” Mississippi family, she abided by her parents’ “trinity of education, faith and service.” Abrams had one early success after another, yet one question haunted her: “I was really good at being a black woman, compared to other black women. But could I be more than that?”
For someone who sneaked into the computer lab at Spelman College to plan the next 40 years of her life on a spreadsheet, the answer was obviously “Yes.” But that she could even frame the question in this way speaks volumes. Abrams’s own grit, coupled with her descriptions of much stumbling and self-doubt, will make “Minority Leader” touch you in a way few books by politicians can. In fact, the last one to manage it — biracial, the child of divorce, raised with little money by a single mother — became our 44th president. That’s some pretty serious jumping there.
Judith Newman is the author, most recently, of “To Siri With Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son and the Kindness ofMachines.”