Sunday, June 21, 2009

Pull Your Pants Up and be a man!

Pull Your Pants Up and be a man!
Stefanie Newell

I am extremely proud to announce Pull Your Pants Up and be a man! as the second release from Write One Publications, Inc. The author Bernice Harris wrote a poignant and timely work that every young man between the ages of 13 and 18 should read. It's empowering to every boy who reads it - whether he's a young boy who may have gotten off track or  a young man who is doing well and needs a respectful nudge of support!

As a publisher my preferred genre is fiction, but Pull Your Pants Up! was a contribution that I as a writer and publisher wanted to make. Both the author and myself wanted to encourage the youth to dream again, and to remain intent on their goals and focused on their strengths. 

Pull Your Pants Up! is a simply written, easy-to-understand book. It is interactive and encourages young men to reflect on their thoughts and accomplishments in three separate areas at the end of the book. 

The self-help book geared towards minority boys includes a riveting foreword by actor Malik Yoba. Bernice Harris had this to say of Yoba's contribution, "A grateful thank you to Mr. Yoba, who took time out of his busy schedule to write a meaningful and compatible foreword, that captured the exact sentiment of the books purpose. The motivation of young men!" 

I also want to extend my sincerest gratitude to Malik Yoba who not only wrote the foreword for Pull Your Pants Up! but his words were a seamless compliment to that of the author's. I was moved by his passion and desire to touch young men with words filled with wisdom and kindness. 

Yoba, best known for his role on New York Undercover and Brock on Girlfriends, is currently filming in Vancouver. He will soon be heading to Atlanta to start filming Why Did I Get Married Too, the follow-up to Tyler Perry's $55 million dollar box-office success!

Purchase a copy of Pull Your Pants Up and be a man! 

Only $9.95!! PLUS FREE SHIPPING until JUNE 28th! 


Please view the book trailer for Pull Your Pants Up and be a man!  

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

What's all the buzz about?

Hi guys! As you can imagine I have been extremely busy promoting my novel The Buzz: When celebrity gossip goes wrong... As a result the blog won't be updated as often as it used to be but I do want to stop by from time to update you on the book and of course on entertainment news as I have time. This week I want to share with you how I came up with the idea for The Buzz.

About four years ago, I began freelance writing for Unrated Magazine and it was while writing for them I decided to start this very blog you are reading now - The Music Hot Spot. If you're reading this and know me personally, you know that I love music and am drawn to music on many levels. You would also know that my creativity usually comes out in writing or through music. As a small child, I was classically trained in Suzuki (classical piano instruction). In grammar school, I wrote my first two books, The Two-Inch Boy and The Idea (lol). As a teenager I started writing rap and r&b songs. As an adult, I penned my first song for an artist.

My life transitioned. But one thing remained constant.

I was a writer.

I wanted to marry both my loves. Writing and music. And freelance writing allowed me to do that. 

Soon after completing my first writing assignment for the magazine, I was going to listening parties, interviewing celebrities, attending exclusive events and awards show. And at every turn I learned something new and interesting about the world of celebrity. I learned that celebrities are people just like you and I. That some can have inflated egos, while others are so down to earth you wonder if they really know how popular and adored they are? I learned that artists are extremely passionate about their craft and would probably do it for free, even if the celebrity weren't attached to it. I learned that there is an immense amount of scrutiny that goes with fame and its something you must accept if being a star is what you seek. But most importantly I learned that at the end of the day every artist is searching for the same thing - buzz!

Clearly, this celebrity life was a novel waiting to happen! But how could I tell the story in a unique way that had never been told before?

Unbeknownst to me, the answer would soon come.

While the magazine was a great outlet for me, I was looking for additional ways to share my writing. I frequented a few websites and blogs and loved their content but I wanted to occupy my own corner of the Internet, to talk about and showcase the artists I loved. Afterall music was and is a central part of my life, it only made sense.

I would visit one messageboard in particular, Blackvoices.com to gather content for my blog. If you're a fan of entertainment, Blackvoices.com has one of the most visited and commented on entertainment messageboards I've encountered on the Internet. 

It's a hub for all things gossip.

And since its inception, I've been a frequent visitor to the site.

As far as messageboards are concerned, I'm what you'd call a lurker. I read but don't comment. As writers we are usually observers, so there I was reading threads on Beyonce, Karrine Steffans, Ashanti and any other celebrity that was creating a buzz at that moment. I would read the exchanges of the fans and "stans" and was intrigued by how intense the debates conversations would get. It was upon frequenting Black Voices that I realized how much interest there is in celebrity gossip and that because of the Internet, the music industry was going through a seismic shift. The popularity of an artist could literally change overnight - based on one Internet rumor, one blog posting, one Youtube video. 

Gossip blogs were becoming the norm and regular people were posting and sharing celebrity gossip at ever turn. Being the person I am...I wondered, how do we know these rumors are true? Where's the proof?

Besides...unsubstantiated rumors were being reported by reputable news sources. 

Then I began to wonder, who starts celebrity gossip? What about a person's character would make them create a rumor about someone, even if that someone were a celebrity? And really, how harmful is celebrity gossip? Afterall...it does create a buzz!

And there came the idea for my debut novel! 

The Buzz is told from the perspective of a person who would start celebrity gossip. But also from the perspective of a person trying to break into the music industry and a person who's recently acquired fame and fortune. What would their lives be like? What would their struggles be? And what would happen if all of their lives collided?

Well that's exactly what happens within the pages of The Buzz. Celebrity gossip. Scandal. Internet addiction. Revenge. But most of all - Buzz! 

To purchase a copy of The Buzz: When celebrity gossip goes wrong...please visit writeonepublications.com or Amazon.com!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Buzz book signings!!!


Hey guys!! I just wanted to drop in and update you guys on my book signing schedule. Please come out and support or if you're unable to make it, tell a friend!

May 16th - 17th
National Black Book Festival
Georgia R. Brown Convention Center Hall D
Houston, TX

May 30th
Borders
2210 W. 95th St.
Chicago, IL
2 pm - 4pm

June 3rd
Barnes & Noble
1 E. Jackson
Chicago, IL
6 pm - 8 pm

June 20th
Azizi Books
134 Lincoln Mall Dr.
Matteson, IL
2pm - 5pm

If you are unable to make it to any of these locations, you can purchase a copy of The Buzz: When celebrity gossip goes wrong...at writeonepublications.com (autograph and free book mark included). Also, The Buzz can be purchased online at amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com! Thank you for your support and tell a friend!

Smooches!

Friday, April 3, 2009

The Music Hot Spot's on hiatus

Hi guys, I'm sure you have noticed that its a ghost town around these parts lately, lol...

Posting will resume once I'm over the promotional hump for my novel The Buzz: When celebrity gossip goes wrong. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me at tips@themusichotspot.com.

Thanks for your support!

Stefanie

Sunday, March 22, 2009

President Obama on Jay Leno