Shannon Holmes – författare

Netta lays in a hospital bed in a coma, fighting for her life. She comes face to face with her own bad karma as she tries to untangle herself from the web she has woven, wanting to free herself from the streets. However, it may be too late to get out of the game alive. The odds are not in her favor—Netta is forced to face the consequences of her actions and pay the wages for the sins she has committed on the streets. She may be done with her past, but her past isn’t done with her. B-More Careful the Prequel will surely continue in the tradition set by it’s predecessor, B-More Careful. It’s a fresh insight to the first book and a bridge to B-more Careful Part 2.

#1 Essence bestselling author Shannon Holmes returns with the explosive sequel to his national bestseller, Bad Girlz. Tonya Morris, a.k.a. "Tender," is back, and this time the ride is wilder than ever.

Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere else.

Coming of age in the Badlands of north Philadelphia—one of the toughest and poorest communities in the country—Tonya Morris has had to make some desperate and, at times, ruthless moves in her bid to survive. When she stepped into the unforgiving business of stripping, she found herself caught up in a world of sex-filled nights, dirty money, backstabbing cohorts, and murder.

She left that world behind to become a hairstylist. However, after she is blacklisted from salons across Philadelphia and evicted by her shady landlord, Tonya finds herself back in the stripping business—except this time, she promises herself things are going to end differently.

Tonya teams up with her best friend, Na''eema, to organize underground sex parties, and it''s not long before they have a team of beautiful girls and are rubbing elbows with athletes, rappers, and celebrities.

Then Tonya''s ex-lover and now music industry superstar, Q, steps onto the scene, and everything takes a dramatic new twist. Because it''s not just Q who is back in her life. His murderous baby mama, Niecey, is fresh out of jail and ready to raise hell, and she''s got Tonya in her sights. In the meantime, Tonya''s past has risen like a beast, threatening to tear away all her newfound success. But Tonya isn''t going down without a fight.

Shannon Holmes, the bestselling author of B-More Careful, delivers a wild adventure on the streets of the Badlands, one of the toughest and poorest communities in Philadelphia.

Bad Girlz takes listeners into the mysterious and often dangerous lives of young women who turn to the streets and strip clubs as a means of survival. These are girls who, along the way, suffer bad breaks and find themselves ripe for exploitation by men and women who pretend to be their saviors.

Tender and Goldie are taken under wing by Kat, a veteran stripper who enjoys the life and the risks she must take to stay in the mix of the sex trade. Both of these young and beautiful girls end up in dire straits and are in need of Kat’s help for the same reasons: they lack the love and support that most of us expect from our home and our community. Where they live, illegal money is often the only money to be made, and the difference between the law and the outlaw is tough to discern.

Holmes tells a page-turning story of sex, money, and murder in the name of survival and reveals the many ways in which good girls—as they try to get by in desperate situations—become Bad Girlz.

Dixyn Greene has it all. She is a hustler''s wife, the mother of a beautiful girl, and owns a town house and a nice car—she''s living the life. But when the feds arrest her man, Dixyn''s whole world begins to crumble. Things quickly go from bad to worse, and as the bills begin to mount, her ability to maintain her lavish lifestyle is put to the test. She becomes strapped for cash, and her good intentions lead to bad decisions.

Enter Brian Winters, B-Dub, her one saving grace—or so she initially believes. In Dixyn''s time of need, B-Dub turns out to be no more than an opportunist with his own agenda. Dixyn becomes indebted to him and is forced to do his bidding in order to survive. With B-Dub on her back, she submerges herself in the murky waters of street life and becomes entangled in a web of lust, betrayal, blackmail, and deceit, ultimately discovering that there are no rules in the game, loyalty is limited, trust will get you hurt, and love will get you killed.

“The experience and quality that I bring to my writing can’t be faked. I know what I know. Through my novels, I invite readers to journey with me into the streets. Come see what I’ve seen. Let me show the gritty and grimy undercarriage of society, the ‘flip side’ of the game.”—Shannon Holmes

Inspired by the events of his own life, the Essence bestselling author of B-More Careful and Bad Girlz presents a vivid, unflinching novel about a young man’s coming of age in the city streets.

Never Go Home Again is the story of Corey Dixon, a young man whose father tries as best he can to steer him away from the lure of the streets. And yet, like so many others in his neighborhood, Corey finds the lucrative drug trade too tempting to resist. While he makes fast money for a while, ultimately Corey must pay the price for his choice of profession: his freedom. By the age of sixteen, Corey is sentenced to prison.

Incarcerated at Riker’s Island, Corey lives through experiences that threaten to destroy his body, his mind, and his spirit. Still, in the midst of his horrific imprisonment, he discovers inner strength and—against unimaginable odds—manages to survive. Corey makes a new kind of family for himself in jail, including a teacher who encourages him to “never go home again.” In the course of his journey of self-discovery, Corey comes to realize the wisdom in his mentor’s words.

Unflinching and riveting, Never Go Home Again is a powerful, true-to-life story of redemption that no reader will soon forget.

Shannon Holmes, king of urban lit and #1 Essence bestselling author, brings you another story from the mean streets of the South Bronx.

Kenny “Ken-Ken” Greene left his days as a hustler behind him when his wife was killed during a scam gone bad, leaving him with a baby daughter. Now he’s a cab driver, doing what he can to put food on the table and give his daughter, Destiny, everything she needs. In spite of his past or because of it, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep Destiny off the streets. But when he is shot and paralyzed during a robbery while on the job, Destiny knows that she has to step up to the plate to take care of the father who has provided for her.

Allowing herself to learn from one of the fiercest of street hustlers, Destiny becomes his lover, and soon her skills rival his. But the longer she stays in the game, the deeper into the game she falls.

Author of the mega–best seller B-More Careful (350,000 sales) is back with an irresistible hard-boiled crime story.

“Holmes . . . is a noted pioneering street lit author. His smooth-flowing narrative mixes crime, sex, and sassy street language, giving his protagonists a true life-in-the-streets feel. This will more than satisfy serious readers of urban fiction.” —Library Journal (Starred Review, Pick of the Month) “I read this book in one sitting. . . . It’s a great way to escape and be entertained for a few hours.”  —Baltimore Times

Dixyn Greene has it all. She is a hustler’s wife, the mother of a beautiful daughter, and she owns a town house and a nice car—she’s living the life. But when the feds arrest her man, Dixyn’s whole world begins to crumble. Quickly things go from bad to worse—as the bills begin to mount, her ability to continue to maintain her lavish lifestyle is put to the test. Strapped for cash, her good intentions lead to bad decisions. Enter Brian Winters, B-Dub, and her one saving grace, or so she initially believes. In Dixyn’s time of need, B-Dub turns out to be no more than an opportunist with his own agenda. Dixyn becomes indebted to him and is forced to do his bidding in order to survive. With B-Dub on her back, she submerges herself into the murky waters of street life and is soon entangled in a web of lust, betrayal, blackmail, and deceit. She ultimately discovers that there are no rules in the game. In the game, loyalty is limited. Trust will get you hurt and love will get you killed. Infamous Books, curated by Albert “Prodigy” Johnson from the legendary hip-hop group Mobb Deep, is a revolutionary partnership that pairs the Infamous Records brand with Brooklyn-based independent publisher Akashic Books. Infamous Books’ mission is to connect readers worldwide to crime fiction and street lit authors both familiar and new. Releases include works by national best sellers JaQuavis Coleman, K’wan, Miasha, Prodigy, and many others forthcoming.

B-More Careful takes sex, lies, and betrayal to the next level in this action-packed, fast-paced, suspense-filled novel. Growing up on the cold, mean, inner-city streets of Baltimore is Netta, leader of an all-girl clique called the Pussy Pound. With no father and a dope fiend for a mother, Netta learns at an early age how to use her beauty and her body to get the things she wants: money, cars, and jewelry.

Chasing the almighty dollar, she meets Black, a local drug dealer with a deep-seated hatred for New Yorkers who falls head over heels in love with her. With a broken heart, Black discovers that Netta is only after his money and seeks the ultimate revenge against her life.