Tiger Woods will be putting it all on the line with his memoir, BACK

Right now, most golf aficionados would say that Tiger Woods is the second-best golfer of all time, right behind Jack Nicklaus, who has won a record 18 major championships, three more than Tiger Woods. But, Woods, being right behind Nicklaus in the championship hunt, has more fans and is more famous than Nicklaus and Woods would probably be number one on more lists of golf fans and casual observers lists for the Mount Rushmore of Golf.

Additionally, most golf fans would probably say there is not much they don’t know about Tiger. But, apparently, not, as publisher HarperCollins has acquired world rights to a new book, BACK, the first-ever memoir authored by Tiger Woods.

According to Tiger Woods’ camp, BACK is a candid and intimate narrative of an outsize American life: from growing up a celebrated golfing prodigy to shattering centuries-old racial barriers as a young pro; from rising to unprecedented fame and global icon status to battling devastating injuries and personal issues; from enduring years of physical anguish to mounting an astonishing comeback at 43 years old, culminating with the 2019 Masters, where his thrillingly impossible victory captured the imagination and hearts of people around the world.

Woods said, “I’ve been in the spotlight for a long time, and because of that, there have been books and articles and TV shows about me, most filled with errors, speculative and wrong. This book is my definitive story. It’s in my words and expresses my thoughts. It describes how I feel and what’s happened in my life. I’ve been working at it steadily, and I’m looking forward to continuing the process and creating a book that people will want to read.”

This memoir is the first and only account directly from Woods, with the full cooperation of his friends, family, and inner circle.

The deal was negotiated by Executive Editor Shannon Welch at HarperOne and Judith Curr, President and Publisher, HarperOne Group. The book will be published across all HarperCollins locations worldwide.

“We are thrilled and proud to work with Tiger on what I believe will be the publishing event of the decade,” said Curr. “Tiger will reclaim his own story and legacy and it’s a story for the world over.”

Welch, who will edit the book, said, “Meeting with Tiger, speaking with him at length about the process of writing a memoir, I was delighted to discover how much he has to say, and how ready, how eager, he is to say it. He’s at a place in his career and his life where he’s thinking deeply about his story, the highs and the lows, and how it all relates and connects. I think the result will be extraordinary.”

At press time, there was no confirmed release date for BACK.

VIDEO: Public relations guru, Angelo Ellerbee, takes us on a path of getting in touch with our abilities to live a fuller life through The Sense of Success

Angelo Ellerbee, a PR powerhouse with nearly 50 years of experience working with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Dionne Warwick, DMX, Mary J. Blige just to name a few, is our in-studio guest to talk with us about his new book, The Sense of Success; and the accompanying candle, The Scent of Success.

In this interview, Ellerbee takes us on a path of getting in touch with our abilities to live a fuller life through The Sense of Success.

BOOK PARTY LAUNCH at City College Center for the Arts for Seeing into Tomorrow: Haiku by Richard Wright, by Nina Crews

Celebrated author, Richard Wright, wrote 4,000+ haiku? Yes. And, what's more: He wrote them in the final 18 months of his life! Turns out, the man who is among the world's most celebrated 20th-century writers, the man we know for BLACK BOY and NATIVE SON, was also a poet. And, it took a children's book illustrator and writer -- Nina Crews -- to introduce me to Wright, the poet, in her latest book SEEING INTO TOMORROW: HAIKU BY RICHARD WRIGHT. 

As you know, I've always believed that children's books are books for adults, as well. Last month, I witnessed the joy of many people, exploring SEEING INTO TOMORROW and Richard Wright's haiku at the book party launch, held at City College Center for the Arts, in Aaron Davis Hall. Gregory Shanck, who heads CCCA and hosted the book launch, agrees. He has stated that, “It's not just a children's book. It can be enjoyed by the entire family.”

Children enjoying making collages at the book launch event at City College for Seeing Into Tomorrow by Nina Crews. Photo Credit: Luvon Roberson

Indeed, at a fun-filled event, children, adults, and families created haiku and collages – working at tables stocked with tools to experiment with and to create. Young children, their parents, and other caregivers danced together, learning the rhythms and history of African drumming. And, Nina Crews read her book, whose memorable photo-collage illustrations were projected on a large screen. Each page seems to break out from the book, as if leaping into reality featuring the images of 12 young black and brown boys in nature and in-conversation, or so it seemed, with 12 haiku written by Richard Wright. My favorite:

“A spring sky so clear
That you feel you are seeing
Into tomorrow”

With SEEING INTO TOMORROW, her 14th book, Nina Crews has created a gorgeous, powerful, affirming book for all of us. My only regret? That my son is no longer a little boy who can see his image in a book that celebrates Richard Wright and haiku. Or, in reality, a book that celebrates creation, the act of creation in ordinary realities of life, which we can see every day in nature, in our world, all around us. Helping us, perhaps, to see little brown and black boys in our world, too.

CLOSING LINES

 When my son was a child, he loved books about transportation. FREIGHT TRAIN, by Donald Crews, was a favorite. I was able to meet award-winning children's book author and illustrator Donald Crews at the book party launch. He is Nina Crews's father. Her mother, Ann Jonas, also was a children’s book illustrator and writer. For more on FREIGHT TRAIN, visit Amazon for more details.
 Check out Amazon for more details about SEEING INTO TOMORROW, 
 Of the 4,000+ haiku Wright wrote, 817 are published in HAIKU: THIS OTHER WORLD (1998).

A book signing in Brooklyn with Hartford J. Hough for his book, The Fur Beneath My Wings: Our Relationship With Animals & The Valuable Lessons They Teach Us

Hartford J. Hough, an award-winning chef, baker, and cake designer based in California, makes it clear in his inspirational debut book, titled The Fur Beneath My Wings, that the community of his faith tradition, family, and friends are the foundation of his life journey. Indeed, he chose to come home to Brooklyn to host the New York City launch of his book at an event held last month at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in the Fort Greene section of the borough.

Hough’s family members and many friends from elementary school, Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, and Howard University packed the room, in a large show of support. Indeed, it was more like a family reunion than any book signing event I’ve attended. Several individuals, who also contributed their stories about their pets, eagerly pointed me to one of the 23 chapters of the 156-page book that show how animals can teach us humans valuable lessons about how to live. Each chapter concludes with a “Reflective Thought,” written by Hough.

Gloria Green, a book lover and supporter of author Hartford J. Hough, purchased 10 books of “Fur Beneath My Wings” for her pet lover friends.

Hough dedicates the book to Guffington and Mr. Belvedere, two cats he cared for, the latter a tabby and rescue animal with health problems. Both cats died in 2011.

From the first chapter on “Why Worry?” to other chapters on “Patience,” “Learning to Say Goodbye,” “The Power of Knowing,” “The Pathway That Finds Love,” and to the final chapter on “We Have to Get Along,” Hough and the seven contributors to his book guide us to see the unique and powerful bond that humans and animals can create. Each chapter begins with an inspirational quote and then shares a first-person story about how the individual developed a relationship with his or her pet. As each story unfolds we come to see how the relationship with a pet helps that person learn to navigate life’s joys and its many challenges.

At the book launch event, Hough shared his own story and relationship with Ginger, his Maltese Terrier. First, he lets us know that Ginger is 6-years-old and although tiny in size “is bodacious, something out of South Central, ‘Boyz N the Hood.’ Ginger can step to a pit bull with her ‘try me’ attitude.” Then, Hough tells us a memorable story about his frightening, potentially life-threatening experience and Ginger’s role:

“I had just finished walking Ginger, who I’d tried to hurry along, but who’d kept resisting my rushing. That was when I felt a pain on the right side, along my arm. Then, I just fell. I fell on my neighbor’s porch. Ginger was in-tune with her owner; that’s how I ultimately got the lesson I needed. I know that my stroke was caused by stress. The constant stress of my job. So, we have to learn how to read animals and their body language. Ginger was saying to me, ‘Slow down, my human friend.’ She wasn’t being obstinate. She was teaching me a lesson: Slow down and smell the roses.”

In the book’s final chapter, Hough tells us another story about how Ginger helps him control his feelings of frustration and increasing ire in the face of repeated security checks he was forced to withstand at the hands of TSA agents at JFK Airport. Readers will find the story a beautiful window into how Hough’s relationship with Ginger, whom he calls “the smallest of creatures,” plays a major role in his life.

Only after reading the book did I learn that Ginger is Hough’s registered Emotional Support Animal (ESA). And, only in hearing Hough’s stories that he shared at the book event and that he and his contributing storytellers share in The Fur Beneath My Wings did it occur to me that maybe every one of us humans needs an ESA. I, for one, am now a believer.

About Hartford J. Hough

A proud member of the Humane Society and the ASPCA, Hartford Hough is also a member of International Association of Culinary Professionals. He has been baking over thirty years -- for clients that include Sotheby's International Realty, Morgan Stanley, Universal Studios, and RealD Entertainment. He is as passionate about the care of animals as he is about baking and the culinary arts. Hough supports organizations and other resources responsible for finding "forever" homes for lost, abandoned and displaced animals. He is an advocate who is determined to raise awareness for animal welfare, to end animal cruelty, and to help ensure animal foster care.

For more about Hartford J. Hough and The Fur Beneath My Wings, visit: https://www.thefurbeneathmywings.com

SEA CREATURES FROM THE SKY, by Ricardo Cortes, New York Times #1 best-selling illustrator, isn't just another children's book. The story begins with a shark posing an existential question and it challenges readers of all ages to honor the voices of others and their lived experiences.

Yet, despite its cerebral themes, SCFTS is distinctly a children's book. The cadence of its rhyming and its luminous illustrations of ocean depths, as well as an expansive sky-to-universe stretching palette, will render a child's wonderment for learning about a world that is brand-new.

For parents and other adults, Cortes, the author, and illustrator of SCFTS, has created a book that is likely to spark new ways of knowing and seeing such wonder.

And, while the shark storyteller's "I " may not always be reliable, the shark "eye" helps us to see beyond, perhaps to a far greater truth. Cortes merely wants us to suspend logic and simply delight in the playfulness of words.

Published by Akashic Books
Publication date: 4.3.2018
Children's picture book/fiction (pre-school - Grade 2)
SEA CREATURES FROM THE SKY is available for purchase on Amazon

“BOOKish blog” – a blog about authors and books: When a Tree Stands Tall for Freedom

“The Tulip Poplar tree dates back to before 1800 and was present during the documented operation of the Underground Railroad in Guilford County between 1819-1852. The tree serves as a silent witness to the lives and actions of African Americans (enslaved and free) and their white allies which included many Quakers from New Garden,” North Carolina. The tree is in Guilford College Woods, NC. -- Guilford College Underground Railroad website.

Luvon Roberson: Why did you write THE TREE: A Journey to Freedom?

Minnette Coleman: It all started with the Tree and my desire to create a myth or legend surrounding it. The Tree -- the real tree in Guilford College Woods -- is on land that was never part of a plantation. Therefore, my story couldn't be based or focused on the enslaved blacks imprisoned on a farm. Instead, the story is based on a hero – in this case, a female character named Epsie—who escapes that prison and on what Epsie must endure and then encounter to escape and to be free. Most stories that touch on slavery do not focus on the fear that enslaved Africans faced when it came to leaving their prison. The stories focus on their trials and tribulations and leave it at “this was wrong.” They don't focus enough on the real history that went behind the movement to free those suffering. Therefore, I had to step outside the comfort zone of just talking about slavery and let my character show the other side.

By that, I mean the other side of the story about our country’s history that contained communities of free blacks and abolitionists, especially Quakers, who are also called Friends.

Guilford College freshmen students visiting Tulip Poplar trees that inspired Minnette Coleman's book, The Tree: A Journey to Freedom

Typically, the abolitionists are usually the heroes of these stories, but that is far from the truth. The heroes were those who shared the story of the Tree, who tried to get to Freedom, and who got to the Tree. It is a story of people across racial, religious, or other lines, who came together against injustice, and for freedom. Epsie is that kind of hero. Epsie shares the story of the Tree from one generation to the next.

LR: What do you see is the role of "myth" or "legend" in THE TREE?

MC: I must share that I believe that truth begets legends. "When the legend becomes the fact, print the legend." That is a quote from the movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, starring Jimmy Stewart. So the myth goes a long way to getting someone out of a bad situation into a good one. And even though we know that this Tree physically exists, there is no proof of its saving powers except that some people have gotten there and survived to live in freedom.

But because it is just a Tree, there are probably those who got there and got caught. But myth, which some might say is the basis for religion, is built on faith and belief. So you have to believe that there is such a Tree with saving powers. You have to believe there were white people out there that may help get you to freedom. You have to believe in something you have yet to see. Therefore, you take the legend and run with it and give those in need something to hope for. Epsie never would have gotten to freedom if she hadn't believed.

VIDEO DISCUSSION WITH MINNETTE COLEMAN

Watch my interview with Minnette Coleman, author of THE TREE: A Journey to Freedom. 

LISTEN:

Listen to my interview with Minnette Coleman, author of THE TREE: A Journey to Freedom on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, and Tune-In.

“Following the Trail to a Living Monument: Underground Railroad Tree,” David Ford’s interview with James Shields, Director of Community Learning, Guilford College.

 DISCOVER:

Quakers and The Abolition Project

You can also see the Underground Railroad Tree, when you visit The Underground Railroad’s Network to Freedom, a National Park Service site, in Guilford College Woods, in Greensboro, North Carolina.

About the Author: Minnette Coleman

Minnette Coleman is the author of The Blacksmith’s Daughter and No Death by Unknown Hands, both historical novels. An active member of the Harlem Writers Guild, Coleman also wrote Hand-Me-Downs, a one-woman show that she toured across the United States.

Minnette Coleman, author of the book, THE TREE: A Journey to Freedom. Photo Credit: Luvon Roberson

Coleman’s research for The Tree began after she graduated from Guilford College, on whose campus grows a centuries-old tree that is part of the Underground Railroad tour and history. As historian for the Black Alumni Advisory Board of Guilford College, Coleman researched how this tree served as a focal point for the “running aways” and the Quakers who helped them.

Coleman’s father was the city editor of the Atlanta Daily World, and her grandfather was one of the city’s last blacksmiths. A wife, mother, and grandmother, Coleman lives in New York.

Contact: @MinnetteColeman or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Visit Amazon’s online bookstore to purchase The Tree: A Journey to Freedom

Music industry insider and celebrity PR guru, Angelo Ellerbee, pens a new book, Ask Angelo

Angelo Ellerbee, a music industry and celebrity publicist extraordinaire, sat down with What's The 411TV hosts Kizzy Cox and Onika McLean to talk about his new book, Ask Angelo.

Ellerbee, a 46-year entertainment industry veteran, has worked with a bevy of A-list and well-known entertainers and celebrities from Michael Jackson to Whitney Houston to Alicia Keys to Mary J. Blige to Dionne Warwick to DMX to James Mtume, and more.

In the book, Ask Angelo, Ellerbee weaves humorously crafted advice to both industry climbers and veterans alike. Through Q&A and intimate war stories (with peeks at some of his most colorful clients and adventures), he delivers an honest glimpse inside the entertainment industry... then and now.

A music industry insider, Angelo Ellerbee earned the moniker The Henry Higgins of Hip Hop while navigating the tough rap genre throughout the 80s-90s and beyond. Taking a page out of Berry Gordy's playbook, Ellerbee has helped many artists and non-entertainment industry professionals resurrect their careers and reinvent their images.

We recommend this book, Ask Angelo, to anyone seeking to start a business and for anyone in or thinking about embarking on a career in the entertainment industry.

VIDEO: CARRY-ON BAGGAGE: OUR NON-STOP FLIGHT depicts the life of Real Housewives of Atlanta reality TV stars Cynthia Bailey Thomas and Peter Thomas

What's The 411TV correspondents Bianca Peart and Cristina Twitty both attended the book launch for the Real Housewives of Atlanta reality stars, Cynthia Bailey Thomas and Peter Thomas.

The couple wrote a relationship memoir, CARRY-ON BAGGAGE: OUR NON-STOP FLIGHT.

Cynthia, who came up with the title, explained that because of their schedules, it took a little longer to write the book than they originally thought it would.

The title, CARRY-ON BAGGAGE: OUR NON-STOP FLIGHT, is symbolic of how the reality TV stars met. Since they met later in life, they each had separate lives and everything that comes with it. They had their own stuff, their own baggage, their own houses, cars, and kids and they had to figure out how they were going to combine everything.

How did they enjoy writing a book together?

"We enjoyed it because we didn't have to sit down and do it at the same time," said Peter. "She did her part, I did my part..."

"The best part of it was actually when we swapped and she read my part and I read her part [and] to see that we came to the same destination, we just took completely different routes to get there" Peter added.

Part 2: Why Did Cynthia Bailey Thomas and Peter Thomas Write CARRY-ON BAGGAGE

What's The 411TV correspondent Cristina Twitty starts this segment of her interview with Cynthia Bailey Thomas and Peter Thomas asking if the book, CARRY-ON BAGGAGE: OUR NON-STOP FLIGHT, was written because people were getting the wrong perception of them because of how they are portrayed on the reality TV show, The Real Housewives of Atlanta?

"I definitely think that our relationship is very misunderstood because of how we are portrayed on the show sometimes," Cynthia said.

"On the show you will always only get snippets of our life, you will never get the full story and the book was just an amazing way to tell our story and give you guys the backstory, how we even met in the first place, how we even ended up on the show," Cynthia continued.

Once viewers and fans read the book, CARRY-ON BAGGAGE: OUR NON-STOP FLIGHT, will they get a better sense of Cynthia and Peter are as individuals and as a couple?

"Yes.., we were in charge of editing and so, therefore they are getting a true sense of who Peter and Cynthia is," Peter stated. "That was the purpose from day one to express what we could and what we weren't in control of expressing on television."

"We kept it really honest, we were 100 percent real. I felt like when I went back and read some of this stuff, I said I think we kept this a little too honest and too real," Cynthia added.

How long Have Cynthia Bailey Thomas and Peter Thomas Known Each Other?

"We've known each other going on six years now and we've been married for a little over three years," Peter replied.

So what's the secret to a successful marriage?

"Oh, this is easy for me," Cynthia asserted. "The secret to a successful marriage is marrying someone that you have a lot of things in common with that actually get along with that you like. If you guys are not compatible, if you don't like the same or even want the same things in a life or marriage, it ain't gonna work, that's the first thing. Sometimes people marry for the wrong reasons. First and foremost, you have to want the same things that your partner wants or, it just really, in my opinion, has no shot of working."

How did Peter Thomas and Cynthia Bailey Thomas meet in the first place?

Peter was taken by Cynthia when he first saw her at a car dealership. Cynthia, who was from New York City, was in Atlanta to execute a lease on a Range Rover. Since Cynthia was in town for only 48 hours, he felt like he had to go into overdrive, as he only had 48 hours to close the deal.

Obviously, Peter closed the deal.

However, how did Cynthia feel about Peter? Watch the video for the answer.

Do Cynthia and Peter have any upcoming projects?

"Oh, we're loaded, fully loaded," said Peter.

"I have a doll that just came out, the Cynthia Bailey Doll, you go on to cynthiabaileydoll.com. She's beautiful. She has an afro, really just representing and empowering young girls. My school, the Bailey Agency School of Fashion is doing amazing, I've got so many things, I'm getting my health together...," Cynthia added in practically one breath.

"Well I'm opening a new bar in Charlotte in around six weeks, Charlotte, North Carolina," Peter continued. "I'm going to spread that brand all over the East coast then I'm going to DC after that and then here New York, my city. I've got Peter's Brewed coffee coming out in four weeks, we're doing our thing; we're working hard to make sure we're never broke again."

Watch the video and pay close attention to the body language, and let us know despite everything they are saying, does this looks like a marriage that will go the distance.