KIMBERLA LAWSON ROBY

A man who once thrived on wickedness and counted on forgiveness, Curtis Black has changed his ways. Back in the heart of his congregation and his family, he will no longer stray from the beaten path. Or so he's promised his long-suffering wife, Charlotte.

But the sins of the past have strange ways of coming to light. First, Curtis's former mistress shows up with their newborn baby daughter—named Curtina—and insists that Curtis be a part of their lives. Charlotte has forbidden her husband to have anything to do with them, but the trouble is, Curtis's newfound conscience is leading him to have uncomfortable thoughts of responsibility.

Also, the interim pastor who took over while Curtis was on a book tour is threatening blackmail. He's gotten too used to life at the pulpit and will do everything in his power to stay there.

Meanwhile, Charlotte has her own previous transgressions to deal with. The man who claims to be her son's biological father has turned up and wants to make amends for the past thirteen years. If Charlotte gives in to his increasing requests, she may lose the only child she has left.

However, Curtis and Charlotte have been through too much together to give up now. They must work harder than ever—as a mother and a father, as husband and wife—to save their family, their marriage, and their souls.

New York Times Bestselling Author, Kimberla Lawson Roby, has written ten novels which include:

• SIN NO MORE
• LOVE & LIES
• CHANGING FACES
• THE BEST-KEPT SECRET
• TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
• A TASTE OF REALITY
• IT'S A THIN LINE
• CASTING THE FIRST STONE
• HERE AND NOW

and her debut title, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, which was originally self-published through her own company, Lenox Press.  Her novels have frequented numerous bestseller lists, including The New York Times and those in Publishers Weekly, Essence Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Emerge Magazine, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, The Dallas Morning News, and The Austin Chronicle to name a few and both BEHIND CLOSED DOORS and CASTING THE FIRST STONE were #1 Blackboard bestsellers for four consecutive months in 1997 and 2000 respectively. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS was the #1 Blackboard Best-selling book for paperback fiction in 1997. 

In addition, Ms. Roby's first novel was nominated for Blackboard's 1998 and 1999 Fiction Book of the Year Award, and she received the Blackboard Fiction Book of the Year Award in 2001 for CASTING THE FIRST STONE.  She is also the 2006 and 2007 recipient of the Author of the Year (Female) award presented by the African-American Literary Award Show in New York, the recipient of the 1998 First-Time Author Award from Chicago's Black History Month Book Fair and Conference, and her fifth novel, A TASTE OF REALITY, was a 2004 finalist for the Atlanta Choice Awards sponsored by the Atlanta Daily World.  Additionally, TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING received a 2004 Patron Choice Award from the Central Mississippi Regional Library System.

Each of Ms. Roby’s novels have dealt with very real issues---in BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, social status, gambling addiction, and infidelity; in HERE AND NOW, single motherhood, infertility, and sibling rivalry; in CASTING THE FIRST STONE, the first of the Reverend Curtis Black series, corruption within the church; in IT’S A THIN LINE, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and care-giving of a parent; in A TASTE OF REALITY, racial and gender discrimination in the workplace with subplots exploring sexual harassment; TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING (a sequel to CASTING THE FIRST STONE); in THE BEST-KEPT SECRET, another Curtis Black story, church issues were revisited; in CHANGING FACES, overweight issues, a female illness, damaging secrets and the importance of a devoted friendship between three women; and in LOVE & LIES and SIN NO MORE, the Reverend Curtis Black saga continues.

Ms. Roby resides in Illinois with her husband, Will.  Her tenth novel, SIN NO MORE, will be released in January 2008.

To share your thoughts with Kimberla regarding her work, please e-mail her at:
kim@kimroby.com

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