NEW IMAGE BOOK TOUR!!!
Please join
Urban Classic Books'
New Image Book Tour
Friday-Sunday October 12th -14th
Eight award-winning, African American Authors
will be available to read and sign books
on the "tour to beat all tours"
Friday, October 12th:.
8 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
1) Four Points Sheraton Hotel (Culver City) 8 a.m.–10 a.m. (launch)
2) Spa 313 – Total Body Retreat (Inglewood) 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
3) Inglewood library (Inglewood) 1 p.m.–2 p.m.
4) Crenshaw Mall-Crown Books (Los Angeles) 3 p.m.–5 p.m.
5) Smiley's Bookstore (Carson) 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 13th:
9 a.m.-7 p.m. 10th Annual Cameron Literacy Book Fair, Howard Hughes Center Courtyard, Los Angeles
1 p.m.-5 p.m., Fox Hills Mall – Borders Express
Sunday, October 14th :
11a.m.-7 p.m. 10th Annual Cameron Literacy Book Fair, Howard Hughes Center Courtyard - Los Angeles
1 p.m.-5 p.m. Fox Hill Mall - Borders Express
For additional tour information: writelink3@yahoo.com or 310-337-7008.
Music
classical, show tunes, pop, rhythm & bluess
Movies
The Age of Innocence, The Color Purple, Gladiator, Godfather, The English Patient, Glory,
Television
PBS, world news,
Books
The Fountainhead, The Thornbirds, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Invisible Man,
Heroes
Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Adam Clayton Powell, Obama Baraca, Malcolm X, rrrrr
Marti's Details
Status:
In a Relationship
Here for:
Networking, Friends
Orientation:
Straight
Hometown:
Gary, Indiana
Body type:
Average
Ethnicity:
Black / African descent
Religion:
Protestant
Zodiac Sign:
Taurus
Children:
Proud parent
Education:
Grad / professional school
Occupation:
author
Marti at work Posted at 11:42 PM Sep 15, 2007 view more
Hi Everyone,
I received the Mayor's Proclamation to name September 7, 2007 as Martha Hinton-Tucker day for my novel The Mayor's Wife Wore Sapphires, an example of African American characters written in a positive light. I was pinned with "Gary's Best" for being the founding member of the literary movement to nurture authors who write positive African American characters rather than the negative ones shown in the media.
The Gary, Indiana trip was more than a superb success. All of Gary, it seemed, was waiting to aid the cause of New Image writing as an important part of embracing literacy--lifting Black literature out of obscurity and putting it on the list and in the minds of our future generations.
My novel, The Mayor's Wife Wore Sapphires, had been chosen as the shining example of New Image writing. The novel is a fast-paced mystery sprinkled with social commentary--issues that make inner cities places of respect, where our children are protected, there are Black female heroines, Black men in power, out of the box thinking and plans that bring dignity and prosperity to the community.
I can see the reason that Mayor Rudy Clay was the first mayor in the US to take the lead in embracing and pushing one of the major tools of changing a nation-- literature. The face of France was changed with A Tale of Two Cities--a story that showed the errors of giving undue favor and influence to the have's and hunger and pain to the have not's. Uncle Tom's Cabin certainly showed the evils of slavery and influenced it's demise. Gone With the Wind showed the world of slavery and showed why national injustice was wiped away. The writings of Richard Wright showed American Americans in despair and why the males going to jail, both justly and unjustly.
Now, ten New Image Writers have joined together to take a positive message about African Americans to the world. Our bus tour starts from Los Angeles and will cover key cities in the state of California in six weekends.
African Americans have made great strides, but one of the great problems today is that people seldom seen in the media or in books. Even when Denzel Washington, of all the wonderful roles he had played, and his superb acting ability he had displayed, he received the Oscar for a crooked copy, drug dealer. Halle Berry has played some good roles, but hers was a woman who sacrificed dignity for companionship.
A statistical article just came out saying that this generation of Black males is already lost; we have to try and save the next one. As in all things, we have to start with the cause. Number one is reading. What do you read? Do you know what your children are reading?
I commend, Gary, Indiana MAYOR RUDY CLAY, for having the insight to honor a New Image Writer because that is part of the solution. While also working diligently for positive changes in his city, he spared nothing in time and his staff's professionalism and creativity to make the literary occasion as official as a White House press event. Seats were arranged in a semi-circle around the white Gary, Indiana emblem that formed a circle in black carpet. The entire city press was in place. The Mayor conducted the author's interview himself. One of his first questions he asked was this:
"What part does a wife play in the mayor's life?"
I said, "Some wives participate, some do not. But all of them should help in some way, because whether they want to or not, they influence the lives of the citizens. Mayor's wives all over this country can help save children. We have to be unselfish and become a part of something bigger than ourselves. There is a real need for nurturing Black males toward success, and it will be for the next 50 years. Some of us dropped the ball, and the jails, black-on-black crime, and school drop outs prove that we did, and will not allow us to deny it."
"So how do you believe we should fix this tragedy?"
"In my novel there is a unique program that offers a formula. It's an incubator that uses all of the inner city's human resources to give back dignity, educate, and create an economy."
When the interview was finished, I signed books and sold out while an elegant reception was taking place. It was well attended by my Roosevelt High School classmates who came from miles to be part of this historic occasion. Roosevelt High School principal, Charlotta Wright, the first woman principal in the school 70-year history, who had sat on the front row said,"Don't you all leave without visiting Roosevelt."
The Gary Literacy Coalition made a presentation--"Presented to Martha Tucker, Gary Native and Novelist--in recognition of Exemplary Contributions to Literacy, September 7, 2007." President of the Coalition broke away from her national meeting to join us and make the presentation to me, the author who had written the model for New Image writers.
After the reception, we trekked over to Roosevelt High School. Wow! It's the only place I've ever returned after a long time and it appeared just as great as I remembered. I saw the auditorium where I had been nurtured and where I had acted upon the mega high school stage--a kind of Off Broadway experience, I always thought. I could still see my teachers and me moving to the rhythm of our future, singing, "...Sand dunes and purple hued skies."
We were walked from classroom to classroom, hallway to hallway. imagine a high school with three floors, wide hallways lined with lockers and terrazzo floors that shine like the West Coast sun? The indoor and outdoor red brick was well preserved. I can't leave this part without telling about a Black French teacher who held 18 student at full attention and participation with a French saturation class. It was so outstanding.
Further, students walked down the hallways, where they all knew their Principal's name, and often stopped to chat with her. She was busy shaping their character. "Look me in the eyes. No uh huh to me." That particular student promptly said, "Yes, Mrs. Wright."
The trip is one I'll never forget. It was the beginning of the rest of my life.
Martha Tucker
"THE MAYOR'S WIFE WORE SAPPHIRES"
by Martha "Marti" Tucker
More than a fast-paced romantic thriller; it's a movement!
Read three chapters FREE-- www.urbanclassicbooks.com
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Book Description
The Mayor's Wife Wore Sapphires (Paperback)
by Martha Tucker
The Mayor's Wife Wore Sapphires reveals the secret life of 36-year-old Indigo Tate. From all outward appearances, she is educated, ambitious, and drop-dead gorgeous, but she is also stuck in the ghetto. This half-equipped little African American princess has one ambition to get out. She longs to hang out with the Beverly Hills "who's who", but the charter requires her husband to live in the city he serves, Compton, California. Every day, crack cocaine, violence and drive-bys grow more threatening. When her husband finds nearly a million dollars missing from his celebrated training program for the poor, he is assassinated. Indigo's world comes crashing down. She becomes obsessed with bringing his assassin to justice. That move thrusts her into a bitter political war that makes Viet Nam pale by comparison. Yet, she defends her life and her city against the powerful enemy with the only weapon she owns her woman's intuition.
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Product Details
Price: 16.99
Paperback: 316 pages
Publisher: Urban Classic Books (February 22, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0977485218
ISBN-13: 978-0977485215
Available for purchase at Amazon.com
What People are Saying
“I believe your book is the kind of story that comes along once in a generation. Though you may have started it as a book for blacks, its themes and optimism transcend race and ethnicity. Indigo Tate is the classic redeemed hero, but with a twist so modern that it can only be a product of our times. The story has something for everyone, from the most jaded street rat in the inner city to the most jaded rich man in his gated community. I work, and have worked, with several authors, none of whom has taken it upon him or herself to write a story of this magnitude. The Mayor’s Wife Wore Sapphires is an American treasure….” --Jeff Mullen, writer, instructor, editor.
“I tell you, I have never read anything with such a sense of urgency to get to the finish. I sincerely couldn’t put it down. The Mayor’s Wife Wore Sapphires is truly a page-turner, and if it is going to be a serial, I’d read each one. I can’t wait to read the rest. It has everything: mystery, intrigue, scandal, corruption and sex. I loved the shower scene. I couldn’t stop laughing when I read that the entire Community Redevelopment Department was at a retreat while the city went to hell in a hand basket. This is excellent work. It has the kind of novelistic approach that has kept writers like Jackie Collins and Danielle Steele on the bestseller list for decades. Look for this author to be counted among them. I’m looking forward to the rest of the story and book tour.” -- Kristine Bailey, Pr2000@yahoo.com, editor, author, pubic relations.
“I like the story because I am interested in reading fiction in which I can learn more about a subject and/or culture. I don’t recall ever reading about a well-educated woman, who happens to be black and living in a depressed area while trying to improve the lives of the residents. It is a unique character in a unique setting that I have read about somewhat, but never have experienced what life in that type of area would be. Two excellent “hooks” that makes this story different from the others. This almost strikes me as a “literary” work because most of the emphasis is on the characters as they react to obstacles in their lives.” --Jerry Bratten, novelist, editor, research and writing consultant.
“In The Mayor’s Wife Wore Sapphires, Marti Tucker builds a radiant protagonist of such inner strength and bearing the reader cannot help but become enchanted. Indigo Tate, committed to a neighborhood reformation, faces political turmoil in this riveting account of suspicion, betrayal, and even murder. Never before has there been a portrait of such class, power and intelligence upon a female in a political novel….” --Rockin' Raven, April Scheiner, Juris Doctor, Editor.
“The Mayor’s Wife Wore Sapphires is a brilliant portrayal of what happens when art looks in the mirror to see her image…I have laughed and cried watching Indigo. Compton was too small for her and Washington was not quite in reach. It’s a wonderful read.” --Marcus Mason, Executive, writer, consultant.
“The Mayor’s Wife Wore Sapphires is a well thought out and well written mystery wrought with political and social intrigue. A rare insight into the backroom politics both in local government as well as ---of the African American community. This novel breaks away from the stereotypical view of the American Society in the urban setting. A must read for those who agree that this look at a segment of American society has come of age, and for those who love a good mystery.”--Walt Lang, author, “Trawlaine’s Land” a western novel,” and Hollywood Vampire.
“…Incredible piece of writing. I am intrigued with the characters and the story itself. You have something great here and well done! I could see this story as a movie. It’s that good.” June Rodriquez, fiction writer, poet.
Who I'd like to meet:
..
I would love to meet like-minded authors,
screenwriters, essayist, both fiction and nonfiction, poets and playwrites who have a vision--to improve the literary world we know today.
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Exclusive Interview w/multi-talented performing artist Gina Rene!
Join us on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10th as Gina Rene and other fabulous artists rock the mic at the Dakota Music Lounge, 1026 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401 Concert starts @ 6pm. $7 cover/ 21+
Hey Marti, thanks for the friend request. I pray that book sales are going great! Let me know when you are going to be in the area. Take care and be blessed!
Good Morning Marti, I know I’m early but I have so many friends to visit this holiday season and I don’t want to miss any of them. So, I am dropping by now to say to you:
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