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McFadden was born, raised and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the eldest of four children and the mother of one daughter, R'yane Azsa. Ms. McFadden attended grade school at P.S. 161 in Brooklyn and Middle School at Holy Spirit, also in Brooklyn. She attended high school at St. Cyril Academy an all-girls boarding school in Danville, Pa. In the Fall of 1983 she enrolled in the noted NYC fashion college: Laboratory Institute of Merchandising, with dreams of becoming an international clothing buyer. She attended LIM for two semesters and then took a position at Bloomingdale's and later with Itokin, a Japanese owned retail company. Disillusioned and frustrated with her job, she signed up for a Travel & Tourism course at Marymount College where she received a certificate of completion. After the birth of her daughter in 1988, Bernice McFadden obtained a job with Rockresorts a company then owned by the Rockefeller family.
The company was later sold and Ms. McFadden was laid off and unemployed for one year. She sights that year as the turning point in her life because during those twelve months Ms. McFadden began to dedicate herself to the art of writing. During the next nine years she held three jobs, always looking for something exciting and satisfying. Forever frustrated with corporate America and the requirements they put on their employees, Ms. McFadden enrolled at Fordham University. Her intention was to obtain a degree that would enable her to move up another rung on the corporate ladder. She signed up for courses that concentrated on Afro-American history and literature, as well as creative writing, poetry and journalism. She credits the two years spent under the guidance of her professors as well as the years spent lost in the words of her favorite author's, to the caliber of writer she has become. During those years, Ms. McFadden made a conscious effort to write as much as possible and began to send out hundreds of query letters to agents and publisher's attempting to sell one of her short stories or the novel she was working on. In 1997, Ms. McFadden quit her job and dedicated seven months to re-writing the novel that would become, "SUGAR." In May of 1998, after depleting her savings, she took her last and final position within corporate America. On Feb 9th, 1999, her daughter's eleventh birthday (and Alice Walker's birthday - one of Ms. McFadden's favorite author's) she sent a query letter to an agent who signed her two weeks later and the rest is literary history!
by Geneva Holliday Paperback: 320 pages In Geneva Holliday’s latest novel of lust and revenge, Seduction
works both ways. Heartbroken, Mildred takes a trip to Barbados where her “vacation” turns out to be a boot-camp style weight loss clinic! Soon she discovers a goddess that had been hiding beneath her homely exterior. And when she runs into Tony on the island, he doesn’t even recognize the sexy fox standing before him. Little does he know that this fox has a plan for revenge that will leave him whimpering with his tail between his legs for a good, long time.
by Geneva Holliday Paperback: 336 pages Mildred Johnson is the last woman on earth that gorgeous Tony Landry
would dare to be seen with. That is, until Tony wants to pull a scam on
the company where she works. In order to keep Mildred signing phony
documents, Tony gives Mildred a taste of romance and keeps raising the
stakes until he's eventually forced to propose. But when the big day
arrives he skips town with the money he’s stolen.
by Geneva Holliday Paperback: 352 pages It’s almost summer in New York City, and the heat is breaking records
on the street and between the sheets in Geneva Holliday’s beyond-sexy
follow-up to Groove. When Geneva, Crystal, Chevy, and Noah get
hot and bothered, they get way more than they ever bargained for…
by Geneva Holliday ISBN: 0767921143 Groove is the story of Geneva Holliday and her closest friends. Geneva is struggling to raise her fifteen-year-old son, Eric, in the projects in Harlem with a low-paying job and no romantic prospects other than booty calls with her ex-husband, even though he's remarried. She's even being stalked by the head of her weight-loss program. She feels like she's down and out, but if she only knew what her friends were up to. ..Girl, she'd be patting herself on the back! Noah is gay and out and has a wonderful man waiting for him in London, but he's recently gone on the down low—secretly dating women since Beyoncé Knowles videos started getting him hot. Chevy spends her limited funds on weaves, colored contacts, and silk-wrapped nails, hoping to snag a rich man. She just borrowed $5,000 from their friend Crystal for "emergency surgery." Crystal doesn't know it was for breast augmentation—and she's got no idea that her wealthy, together-seeming boyfriend, Kendrick, agreed to move in with her only because his drug habit left him unable to pay his own rent. And is she the only one who thinks Chevy looks pregnant? By the end of the summer the truth comes out and each of these friends has to face the music. ..and the DEA officers surrounding them in a hospital emergency room in Brooklyn.
by Bernice L. McFadden ISBN: 0525947965 The poignant tale of a woman who discovers the fragility of life and the strength of a family's love, from an author praised by Toni Morrison for “searing, expertly imagined scenes” Known for bringing to life a host of endearing characters who reveal tender truths about humanity, Bernice L. McFadden now turns her storytelling talents to an unforgettable and deeply troubled woman named Camilla. Unfolding in a progression of stirring and powerful chapters, Camilla's Roses presents a life haunted by the past. Camilla's childhood was immersed in chaos and love, and steeped in the myth of perfection. As an adult, she never looked back, refusing to acknowledge the people and places that had scarred her so many years ago. But a legacy of cancer proves inescapable, forcing Camilla to embrace the past—no matter how painful it may be—and to salvage what is left of her love in order to save her daughter. As Camilla discovers the bittersweet limitations of motherhood and reconciliation, she also awakens an inspiring message about the mortality issues we all must face.
by Bernice L. McFadden ISBN: 052594706X The first section of this unconventional love story belongs to Campbell.
Despite being born to a broken-hearted mother and a faithless father, Campbell
still believes in the power of love...if she can ever find it. Living in the
same neighborhood, but unknown to Campbell until a chance meeting brings them
together, is Donovan, the "little man" of a shattered home-a family torn apart
by anger and bitterness. In the face of these daunting obstacles, Donovan dreams
of someday marrying, raising a family, and playing for the NBA. But, deep
inside, Campbell and Donovan live with the histories that have shaped their
lives. What they discover-together and apart-forms the basis of this compelling,
sensual, and surprising novel.
by Bernice L. McFadden Format: Hardcover, 288pp. Filled with the lyrical language, haunting imagery, and compelling voice that imbued Sugar with its power and grace, This Bitter Earth is a novel about the inexorable power that the past exerts over us and about our ability to triumph over adversity and sorrow. Earthy and richly evocative, it is a testament to the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.
by Bernice L. McFadden
Publisher: NAL/Dutton "McFadden's debut novel is an earthy slice of life in a small Southern town. When Sugar, a prostitute who never had a chance for love or a normal life, moves into the house next door to Pearl, a matron who lost her spirit after the murder of her daughter 15 years before, the two women form a bond strong enough to withstand even the most vicious gossip. But secrets from both of their pasts may prove too much even for these two compelling women, and Sugar must choose between her dreams for something better and the people she has learned to love. McFadden captures the full character of small-town life and the strengths and weaknesses of its people. This novel of friendship and loss is an excellent addition to the growing body of work by young African American writers". - Ellen Flexman, Indianapolis-Marion Cty. P.L. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information. "Driven mightily by engaging characters, Sugar is written with a wonderful combination of wit and heart." - Yolanda Joe, author of He Say, She Say and Bebe's By Golly Wow! From The PublisherAn exceptional debut novel that explores a most unlikely friendship between a churchgoing Southern woman and the bewitching young prostitute who moves in next door. Set in the fictionalized town of Bigelow, Arkansas, circa 1950, Sugar is a rich and moving story that traces the lives of two unforgettable women and the small community they change. After the horrible death of her young daughter, Jude, Pearl Taylor turns to the church for support, suppressing her own desires. But when Sugar, a beautiful, uninhibited spirit (who resembles Jude with eerie similarity) moves into the neighboring home at 10 Grove Street, Pearl's life is irrevocably and dramatically changed. Over sweet potato pie the two woman learn to trust and confide in each other, but when the local gossips discover that Sugar is a prostitute, Pearl shocks the once quiet town-and herself-by remaining loyal to her new friend. Filled with lyrical prose, McFadden reveals her talent for using language with an almost spiritual grace to describe the vivid and mysterious details found in everyday life. Sugar is a timeless story of what it means to accept and to forgive.
by Bernice L. McFadden Format: Hardcover, 239pp. In her second novel, THE WARMEST DECEMBER, published by Dutton in January 2001, Bernice L. McFadden establishes herself as a writer whose lyrical prose and ability to tackle difficult topics will move even the most stoic of readers.
Related Links Bernice Mcfadden.com
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Seduction
Heat
Fever
Groove
Camilla's Roses
Loving Donovan
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