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A year ago this summer Hollywood witnessed the emergence of the "Original Kings of Comedy. "In the publishing world around the same time Carl Weber emerged with his first book, "Lookin for Luv," which had readers dubbing him the original king of drama, drama and more drama. "Lookin for Luv," the first title released by Dafina Books, a new imprint of Kensington is what Weber believes many book buyers are looking for. And he should know, as we sat down to chat in the African American Bookstore, Weber simultaneously answered interview questions while talking to his regular customers. That weekend Eric Jerome Dickey was scheduled to visit the bookstore's Gertz Mall location. The Gertz mall store is one in a chain of bookstores Weber owns in the metropolitan area. One woman said she wouldn't make the reading, but wanted very much to meet Dickey and have her book signed. "Drop it off on Friday," Weber told her and offered to make sure the book was signed and returned. Even while he's got what many writers dream of including a contract with a major publisher and a following of readers who are eagerly looking for his next book to hit the shelves, anyone can see just by spending time in his store that Weber truly loves selling books.
Weber got his start as a book retailer over seven years ago while he was a business teacher on Riker's Island. At the time his background was mainly in accounting and finance. One assignment he gave to his students was to create a business model for a bookstore. After giving the plan a whirl, he found it actually worked and the African American Bookstore was born first as a mail order business. The Queens store where we met that day in June has been around for about four years. So in looking at the breadth of Weber's experience, one can definitely see a connection between his background in finance and his current business but when and how did the creative side come into play? Weber, who reads on average three books a week, says he decided to try his hand at writing after many of his customers told him that there weren't many books out there that they liked to read. And what kinds of books are those? Books filled with page after page of pure, unadulterated drama.
And "Lookin for Luv" appears to be just that. It's the story of three men who resort to finding the women of their dreams by calling a 1-900 number. The critics are calling Weber's first novel "obnoxiously funny." One reader described "Lookin for Luv" as a "wonderful break from the daily struggles," mirroring what Weber says the reading audience is looking for, a chance to deal with other people's problems. Weber, who said English class wasn't his strength when he was in school, learned how to write by studying the work of other authors. To create dialogue Weber said he writes conversations the way he hears people speak. And one element that he feels is essential in telling his stories is to have what he calls a good villain or "someone you can hate." And the drama continues. In addition to running the African American Bookstore, Weber plans to write a book a year. Weber's next book "Married Men" is scheduled to be released in September. The book's cover promises the audience "a rowdy romp through sleazy hotels, divorce court, jail...strippers, trippers, psycho ex-football players and stuff too freaky to mention." " But what about other literary critics who feel that Weber's work is Jerry Springerish? "Yeah it is," Weber said unapologetically. "We have to realize that not everything is going to be Toni or Cornell West." The best selling author is quoted widely regarding his knowledge of the publishing industry which he first honed as a book retailer. In a recent article appearing in the New York Times Weber touted the book "Addicted by Zane" as the "hottest paperback in the country." Weber was also named as the Blackboard Bookseller of the year in 2000 and he says even as he continues to write, he'll also continue to sell books. "I can't forget where I came from," he said. "I'll never give up the store."
Hardcover: 320 pages Carl Weber--the New York Times bestselling author of The First Lady
and So You Call Yourself a Man--represents with a straight-up novel
about friendship and love, sex and betrayal, and how getting some on the
side is never as simple as it seems...
ISBN: 0758215754 The national bestselling author of The Preacher’s Son and So You Call
Yourself A Man returns with a scandalously spirited new novel about a woman who
knows she’s her husband’s First Lady—but doesn’t want to be his last…
with Mary B. Morrison ISBN: 0758207212 National bestselling authors Carl Weber and Mary B. Morrison team up to bring a hot, hilarious, page-turner featuring two of their favorite characters. The path of true love never runs smoothly—and neither does the path of raw desire—as the ultimate player discovers when his next Ms. Right Now turns out to be so very wrong… After a rocky marriage, irresistibly seductive Jay Crawford is ready for a new woman—and a new challenge. It doesn’t take him long to find both in one fine package: Ashlee Anderson. With a face and body that scream sex, she’s just what he’s looking for: hard-to-get, feisty, and freaky. But he’d never suspect just how freaky… When Jay approaches Ashlee at a club, she almost thinks he’s too nice to have to pay the price for the last man who mistreated her. Almost. But Jay’s not so nice—and Ashlee’s every bit as sexy as he suspected. It’s a discovery he’ll soon regret, as what should’ve been a one-night stand extends into months of lovemaking that’s too hot to give up—and designed to burn him like never before. Because Ashlee has no intention of letting their relationship end. Ever. Now Jay is in over his head with a woman who will go to any lengths to possess him. Trouble is, Ashlee’s psycho behavior turns him on like nothing else. Maybe they’re both crazy. But after another passionate sex session that Jay vows will be their last, Ashlee confesses to a past so shocking that Jay knows for sure he’s got to get out—and that she definitely ain’t the one. The question is, can he escape in one piece?
ISBN: 0758207182 The acclaimed national bestselling author of such smart, sexy novels as The Preacher’s Son and Player Haters returns with a tale of three best friends who’ve grown from boys to men together. But now that they’re each either married or about to be, they’re coming up against some of the real tests of manhood… James Robinson and his wife, Cathy, have had their rough patches. But seven years into their marriage, things are better, and hotter, than ever—until the not-so-distant past catches up with James. During a particularly rocky period, James hooked up with a woman on his UPS route, and he wasn’t just delivering packages. Now, three years later, the fling has come back to haunt him—with a baby in tow. James has to decide whether to tell his wife, or keep the affair a secret and give in to his ex-mistress’s outrageous child support demands. The choice might not be so tough if he wasn’t falling in love—with his newfound son. Meanwhile, James’s best friend, Brent Williams, has got his own romantic complications. He’s a fine brother who’s had women throwing themselves at him all his life, but it’s taken Brent a while to find someone who wants him for the man he is on the inside. He thinks he’s found her in his fiancée, Alison Jones. The plus-size beauty isn’t his usual type, but more important to Brent, she’s a born-again Christian, like him. They seem like a match made in heaven until a sexy third party threatens to come between them—someone Brent has been praying to resist. Ever since he got married and moved to Seattle, Sonny Harrison has missed his friends in New York. But that’s going to change now that James has pulled some strings and gotten him a job at UPS. There’s just one problem—Sonny’s wife. When Sonny tells her the good news, she promptly sends him packing. Sonny’s heartbroken—until he reunites with his high school sweetheart, Tiffany. But his quick devotion soon turns suffocating—and scary. Tiffany wants out, but the harder she tries to end things, the harder Sonny hangs on. As his behavior becomes more and more obsessive, Brent and James may be the only ones who can intervene. But will helping Tiffany mean losing their friend forever?
ISBN: 0758207166 Bishop T.K. Wilson, popular pastor of the largest African American church in Queens, New York, has decided to run for borough president. But his family values platform is on shaky ground. In public, his wife and two children are a shining example of respectability. Yet privately, the Wilson kids are giving in to the same temptations as any other young adults. And their parents have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors—including the closed doors of the church offices. As the bishop’s son, Dante Wilson is treated like royalty, and his good looks cause the congregation’s young women to think—and act on—some very impure thoughts. Personable and smart, he’s expected to assume his father’s position one day. The problem is, Dante wants to be a lawyer, and that’s not the only secret he’s keeping. He’s also met the woman of his dreams—who happens to be his parents’ worst nightmare. But Dante isn’t the only one who’s about to test his parents’ faith… Dante’s younger sister, Donna, is as sweet as they come, yet she isn’t exactly the virginal princess her beloved daddy thinks she is. And thanks to her suspicious, ambitious, not to mention meddling, mother, he’s about to find that out—and more. To add insult to injury, Donna’s transgressions involve another man of God. And that’s only the beginning. Just as the Pandora’s box of unwelcome surprises seems empty, it turns out that even Bishop Wilson has some skeletons in his closet—the kind that could cost him everything. Now all the Wilsons will have to face their demons…and discover what family values are really about.
ISBN: 1575669099 "Player Haters is quite possibly the best book I've written to date. I think I've taken drama to the next level." —Carl Weber, National best selling author Carl Weber is back with another page turner full of life's ups and downs. In Player Hater Carl takes us on a wild ride through the lives of Trent, Wil and Melanie Duncan, three very different siblings trying to deal with the trials and tribulation of everyday life, while at the same time dealing with the would-be haters of the world.
by Carl Weber, La Jill Hunt, Dwayne S. Joseph ISBN: 0758207557 Which of us hasn’t daydreamed about what we’d do if we won the lottery? A DOLLAR AND A DREAM brings those fantasies to hilarious, heartbreaking life in three stories by #1 national bestselling author Carl Weber and La Jill Hunt, Essence bestselling author Angel Hunter, and Cushcity.com bestselling author Dwayne S. Joseph.
ISBN:
1575669080 Read the AALBC.com Book Review Older sister Jasmine, a postal worker in Richmond, Virginia, is working hard, saving money, and waiting for the right man to walk into her life. And in fine-dressing, smooth-talking attorney Derrick, she thinks she’s found him. Derrick is generous, gorgeous, and oh-so-sexy. But all it takes is some pointed questions from Jasmine’s shrewd granny Big Momma to expose her man as nothing more than a lying, drug-dealing hustler. Refusing to admit she’s been played, Jasmine chooses to remain faithful to Derrick while he’s doing time. That is, until she finds him in a clinch on visiting day with his baby’s momma, Wendy. Derrick’s big mistake with Wendy pushes Jasmine even further toward the arms of good friend—and good man—Dylan. But when yet another baby momma comes into the picture, Jasmine will have to decide whether the right love is worth the complications that come with it… Little sister Stephanie is looking for a good time, not a good man, although she finds both in sweet, loyal Travis. Before she knows it, a one-night fling has turned into a three-year relationship. But then, Malek, Stephanie’s sexy high school sweetheart and the father of her adorable son, swings back into town…and that wild part of her wants another taste of the one that got away. Right in the middle of wedding planning, Stephanie falls into a crazy affair with Malek—one that could destroy the best thing that ever happened to her. Big Momma tries to keep Stephanie’s little family together, but a woman has to take care of her own life…and for Stephanie, part of keeping things real will be learning how to lie in the bed she made for herself. Now that she’s the momma, maybe it’s time to start acting like a grownup… The crazier things get, the more Jasmine and Stephanie realize how much they actually have in common—and how much they have to learn from one another. Because when it comes to sorting out life and love, no sister is perfect, but real sisters are forever…
Paperback, 373pp. Read and AALBC.com Review of Married Men Savvy, smart Kyle rims a booming African American beauty supply business, but his main job is hiding his wife from the sistahs who would skin him alive for marring a woman like her. Easy-going Allen can please his bossy Mama and his gold-digging fiancee—just not at the same time. Big-hearted Wil's got a wife with a mouth so big she should consider a career in broadcasting. And smooth and sexy Jay's "the man"—not only for his wife, but also for all the other lovely ladies he can't resist. Lifelong friends, the four are finding out—perhaps too late—that marriage means more than acting like the Huxtables. They're about to learn what it's like to be single again—when each one is shown the door by his furious woman.
Format: Paperback, 352pp. Read an AALBC.com Review of Lookin' for Luv
Kevin left behind a chance at the NBA to coach delinquents, but his toughest
assignment is find a girl who won't make his mama's church group fall into
praying mode. A teacher and a poet, Antoine can make a sister feel beautiful or
want to beat him with a blow dryer. tyrone has talent, a bad attitude, and a
crush on his boss's wife. And Maurice is all that, if that means rude, arrogant,
and dishonest. photo credits: Troy Johnson, AALBC.com
Related Links National bestselling author Carl Weber presents Urban Books, a new
line of books focusing on the drama and grit of inner-city life, featuring edgy,
and exciting new voices—writers who tell it like it is. Carl Weber Official Website
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Carl Weber Gives
"Best Selling" Author a New Meaning 
Something
On the Side
The First
Lady
She
Ain't the One
So You Call Yourself a Man
The Preacher's Son
Player
Haters
A Dollar And A Dream
Baby Momma Drama
Married
Men
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