If you asked Zenzi Hodge what she wanted to be when she grew up, you would not have heard the word author; however, that is what she has been for most of her life, whether she wants to admit it or not. Zenzi, the daughter of teachers, has been writing most of her life, something she's done since she wrote her first poem about living on St. Thomas, published in a children's anthology when she was in elementary school. Her love for creative expression continued but she purely wrote poems for fun not, as she would say, for public consumption. In 2007, Zenzi began writing short stories for her son to share his family history with him. But her passion for writing for young children came in 2011 after she lost her grandfather & she took the words her son used to express his sadness to write a story titled, I Can't See the Morning.

While the character in The Never Snowy Christmas is inspired by her son, much of the antics are of her own imagining as she STILL wishes for snow on St. Thomas.  Zenzi is an alumna of Florida A&M and Clark Atlanta Universities and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.  She resides on St. Thomas with her husband and son.

Will it snow in St. Thomas?  That is the hope of a young boy living in the US Virgin Islands.  Each year at Christmas, he wishes for snow in the island paradise he calls home and this Christmas he intends to get it.  Join him on his quest and find out if this will be the year that he gets snow in St. Thomas or will he continue to ask, "Where's My Snow" for another holiday season. 

Visit Zenzi's website at www.neversnowystory.com/

Tonight's show's reschduled for next week; in the meanwhile, enjoy the steelpan music.

Ms Teshanne Phillip's book, Elevate, challenges readers to self-reflect. According to Ms Phillip, "In order for you to transform into winners, you must defeat your internal struggles. This book is an instructional guide on how to overcome and conquer some of the adversities that have kept you hostage. I invite you to take this excursion with me as I share some of my personal struggles and triumphs and how God has elevated me from being a victim to a victor."

A motivational speaker, Ms Phillip adds, "This is your time! Your time to break free of the bondage. Your time to position yourself so you could reach your full potential. Your time to win!"

Ms Phillip served in the Education Industry for over 10 years before expanding her enterprise as a mentor, author, & entrepreneur. God has qualified her to change the lives of women & teens via mentorship & by sharing her journey of struggle, triumph, & victory. Ms Phillip came to recognize her purpose: to celebrate & motivate everyday women to reach their full potential.

A single mother from St. John, US Virgin Islands, Ms Phillip earned her Bachelor in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University & her Master in Business Admin. from Kaplan University. She learned to juggle the responsibilities of being a mother & role model, with that of being a career woman & fulltime student. 

Additionally, Ms Phillip leads a mentorship program at a Foster Home in South Florida & strives to impact the lives of these children & young adults by being an inspiration, & living what she preaches: faithfulness, self-respect & self-love.

Ms Charlita Schuster, Founder/Artistic Director of Music In Motion School of Higher Dance Education, works wonders with young people who desire to pursue a career in dance or related occupations. She is also proud that 5 young students were invited to dance at the Dance the Magic at Disney World. The students and the mothers who accompanied her were Yalena Anderson, 11, and Luz Anderson-Santiago; Markeymar Carbile, 11, and Ralna Jackson; Aniyah Baptiste, 11, and Debra Mason; Brianna Bruce, 12, and Terrie Brow-Rawlins; and Trinity Cupid, 13, and Glenda Cupid.

Ms Schuster has always been closely associated with local youth. As Founder/Artistic, Ms Schuster is the guiding force behind this institution providing professional dance training to the children of the Virgin Islands.

Returning home after the birth of her first child, Ms. Schuster began her dance career on St. Croix as a dance instructor with St. Croix Street Theater. She moved on from there to share her love of ballet with her beloved island through her own school, and Music in Motion was born.  For 30 years, Music in Motion School of Higher Dance Education has not only produced fine dancers, but has saved children’s lives by keeping them off the streets. Her institution not only instills focus and self-discipline, but it also brings forth positive attitudes and values. The students of Music in Motion School of Higher Dance Education have thrilled audiences in performances at many different venues across the British and US Virgin Islands; Puerto Rico; the Eastern Caribbean; and Denmark.

Visit Music In Motion School of Higher Dance Education.

The alarming underachievement of African Caribbean boys in British schools and abroad in comparison to other groups is highlighted in Dr. Janet Graham's book. The author adopts an historical perspective to compare West Indian children who arrived in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s (many labelled as ESN) (Coard 1971) to problems faced by black boys in today's classrooms.

Dr. Graham also explores the impact of globalisation, population movement, government policies and diversity on black boys’ education provision in inner city schools in Britain. She investigates masculinity, subcultures, peer group pressures and exclusion from school and their impact on black boys education. The Institutional Focus Study sets the context for the empirical study and provides a perspective from voices of black boys in one inner London school to find out what they think about school, learning, subcultures, peer group pressures and teachers.

As a contrast teachers’ views of the boys are also provided. This book will be of interest to educationalists, teachers, students; parents, school management and government bodies interested in race, diversity, achievement and want to bring about change to improve life chances.

Visit Dr. Graham's Blog at: https://EducatingAfricanCaribbeanChildren.WordPress.com/

I:00 pm EST / 2:00 pm AST 

If you asked Zenzi Hodge what she wanted to be when she grew up, you would not have heard the word author; however, that is what she has been for most of her life, whether she wants to admit it or not. Zenzi, the daughter of teachers, has been writing most of her life, something she's done since she wrote her first poem about living on St. Thomas, published in a children's anthology when she was in elementary school. Her love for creative expression continued but she purely wrote poems for fun not, as she would say, for public consumption. In 2007, Zenzi began writing short stories for her son to share his family history with him. But her passion for writing for young children came in 2011 after she lost her grandfather & she took the words her son used to express his sadness to write a story titled, I Can't See the Morning.

While the character in The Never Snowy Christmas is inspired by her son, much of the antics are of her own imagining as she STILL wishes for snow on St. Thomas.  Zenzi is an alumna of Florida A&M and Clark Atlanta Universities and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.  She resides on St. Thomas with her husband and son.

Will it snow in St. Thomas?  That is the hope of a young boy living in the US Virgin Islands.  Each year at Christmas, he wishes for snow in the island paradise he calls home and this Christmas he intends to get it.  Join him on his quest and find out if this will be the year that he gets snow in St. Thomas or will he continue to ask, "Where's My Snow" for another holiday season. 

Visit Zenzi's website at www.neversnowystory.com/

Times: 8:00 pm EST / 9:00 AST. Please check the time in your time zone.

Welcome to our Mondays at 8:00: Authors Supporting Authors series, brought to you as a joint project by authors April Thomas and Etienne A. Gibbs. Each week we shall interview authors about their work and the disciple behind their writing. Call 646-721-9611 during the show with your questions or comments.

This week's author: C.J. Miller, a 2004 graduate of Wilberforce University, has a BA in Mass Media Communication. From 2003 to 2006, he hosted & produced TV’s Community Concern, a talk show for Dayton viewers & business leaders through the Time Warner Public Access Division. CJ is nationally & internationally recognized for his roles on reality TV shows such as Season 1 of the ABC Network & Tyra Banks' True Beauty, TV One's Donald J. Trump Presents: The Ultimate Merger, & as a reoccurring personality on the Tyra Banks' Daytime Talk Show.  

Also the author of Grind: How To Turn Your Coffee Break Into Your Big Break”, a non-fiction book that empowers readers to redefine their realities & not rely on systems to hold back their dreams. His newly released novel, The Bishop’s Mistress, is said to be the most highly anticipated Christian Fiction novel.

Moreover, CJ is the founder & Executive Director of Publishing Hope & Branding A+ Behavior (PHABB 5), an after-school writing-intervention book publishing program operating out of Locke High School in Watts, California.

C.J. Miller is the proud father of 2 beautiful daughters, Princess Jazmin & Princess Arielle.

Born Fernando Teixeira de Camargo, F. T. Camargo, of Italian-Brazilian descent, resides in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America.

An award-winning architect, he also studied Arts and Media and has a post degree in Economics and MBA in e-commerce. A travel enthusiast, he has published a travel book - Rio, Maravilha!

A strong affinity with animals has led him to a deep involvement in causes for their protection and freedom.

For many years he has been practicing yoga and meditation and studying the Kabbalah. His exploration of spiritual teachings motivated a commitment to self-development which in turn created a new path and goal in life. Shanti and the Magic Mandala was born from this inner journey.

Shanti and the Magic Mandala won the Bronze Medal at 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards.

Times: 10:00 am EST / 11:00 am AST  Check your Time Zone for your local time.

Here's what Chauncey Wyatt, Director of ViikL Books, has to say, "Authors, want to sell more books? Then convert to HD Audio Book because they allow your readers to experience the emotion of your writing in High Definition sound."

Why go audio? Because you have Huge Market and Low Competition! In 2013, audio books sold more than $1.2 Billion in retail with less than 1% of all authors having their own audio book. Besides that, you have:

100% of the Profits! The average book can cost $4 to $9 per copy. With audio books, there is no cost per book sold. You keep 100% of the profit.

Lower Production Cost! The average cost to write, publish and market a book is $4,500.00. With our services, you'll spend less than $500 including initial marketing.

No Fees, Keep 100% of Profits. You keep 100% of every sale made. Sell your books for $1 or $20.00. You will keep 100% of the profits.

Easier Marketing! We will create an audio sample of your book and market to thousands of potential buyers on social media websites - easily.

Very easy and simple way to grow your book sales. Viikl will make getting a professional audio book created inexpensive and easy.

Times: 11:00 a.m. (EST) / 12:00 noon (AST) Check your Time Zone

Author Sylvia Stein began her path to writing when she joined the Writer’s Group on LinkedIn 750 in 2012. She continued her journey by creating short stories, which were published, in the Giant Tales Anthology series.

While obtaining her Master’s degree at Southern New Hampshire University online Author Stein built a solid foundation with her colleagues who encouraged her to continue on her writing. That’s when Closure was born. With the help of her editor, Closure grew from a short story to a full novella that Author Stein is excited to share.

Closure is her debut book as a solo writer. To quote author Stein, “This is the first of many to come.”

Book Description:

Garrison James had it all. He had a beautiful family and one loving home. Together, he and his wife, Lila, built a successful ranch and construction company. His world changed the day he lost his wife to cancer. He turned to the bottle and became a monster. Sara, his daughter, tried everything to please him.

After years of abuse, Sara’s aunt visits. She recognizes the abuse and removes Sara. The frail girl begins the delicate journey of finding herself, while struggling to leave her father and the monster behind.

Despite the emotional and mental scars she carried, Sara manages to start a new life. She is finally happy.

A phone call changes everything.

Will Sara continue her new life? Can she face the monster, or will she find closure?

Times: 6:30 pm Central Time / 8:30 pm Atlantic Standard Time Check your time Time Zone.

Have you ever heard of a woman who deals with her man chasing other women for money? Well, meet Erica. Erica had it rough since she was born. Determined to get away from the hell hole she was in, she ran away at age 16 with nowhere to go. 

After an altercation at a restaurant, she met a man who would change her life forever. 

Take a ride with Erica, Carlos, and his crew as they learn that friendships aren’t always what they seem, and what looks good ain’t always what you think. 

There is laughter, lies, betrayal, and life lessons in this page-turning spectacle.