I knew this was going to be a hard week. One year ago today (August 14th), my son, JUSTICE MOUKALLA YAYE, was born, but died four days later.  I’ve been sad and on-edge for weeks because I’ve relived that heart-breaking time over and over again in my head. We have all been touched by grief and though the pain seems overwhelming at times, God IS and always will be THERE.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10)

May this scripture give you hope and strength, no matter what the circumstance.

You don’t have to be American to appreciate the red, the white and the blue! I always tell people after all the money I’ve spent in the states that they should just make me an honorary citizen. And now that my sister likes in Atlanta, my entire family is supporting the U.S. economy! Ha,ha Enjoy your day, say a prayer for all the troops, here and abroad, fighting for our freedom and have a hotdog for me!

Have a blessed day!

Pamela

YAY, it’s Canada Day! My beloved country is 141-years-old and though I should be somewhere waving that good, ole’ maple leaf, I’m inside, listening to XSCAPE (yes, I went way back!)and working on the next chapter of my present work in process, Love On the Rocks. When you have a 2-year-old, who doesn’t like taking naps, you work when you can-including Canada Day! If it doesn’t rain, we might venture out in the evening, if it does, we’ll be watching the Williams sisters slay the competition at Wimbledon.

 Have a blessed day, my Canadian brothers and sisters!

 Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve been slightly obsessed with Romance In Color. But can you blame me. This is my first review from one of my favorite websites, so I’ve been checking it everyday…okay, a few times a day. The lovely Keren Childers, who I was fortunate enough to meet at the Romance Slam Jam, gave me four stars and a kick-ass review!

REVIEW:  Imagine being called an ugly duckling or fat throughout high school; Makayla Stevens knows just how that feels.  Years later, blossoming into a gorgeous diva, she runs into the man she’s always had a crush on at the school she teaches. Ms. Yaye introduces two extraordinary characters in this story.  Makayla, an elementary school teacher, writes erotic columns under an assumed name. She never in a million years would of thought that Terrance, the little tyrant in her classroom, would be connected to a man she’s adored for years; Kenyon Blake.  Kenyon is a photographer who travels a lot, and after the death of his brother has stepped in to help his nephew Terrance.  Kenyon has no idea who she is and Makayla is still dealing with issues about her looks and weight, so there is no way she would reveal her true identity to him. 

The characters in this story are hilarious, stubborn, and passionate.  Makayla is smart and dreams of becoming a travelling writer and she is determined to stick by that dream.  I admire that about her, having weight issues in the past and determined not to go that route again takes willpower.  Kenyon is handsome, talented, and a little cocky at times.  Makayla was a little too defensive at times.  This caused unnecessary problems among the two. Kenyon knew what he wanted, didn’t feel he had to beg for it, and wasn’t going to.  He said what he had to say and that was it.  These two were a match made in heaven.  I definitely enjoyed their love scenes, they are hot, passionate, and unpredictable.

I found the HER KIND OF MAN’s plot humorous and controversial.  Ms. Yaye touched on some good issues.  Women often have problems dealing with age, looks, and weight.  Teachers have been in the news lately about personal things done outside of class that have caused them to lose their jobs.

The secondary characters had me laughing throughout the book.  Especially Terrance the tyrant; Veronika, the ghetto mother; and Makayla’s friends Brandi, and Desiree.  Veronika no doubt is a hot mess.  Ms. Yaye does a good job with the storyline and characters.  I would definitely recommend reading this book.

The good news just keeps on coming! I’m the Author of the Week at Shades of Romance. The article has only been up for a few days, but I have received very nice emails in response to what I wrote and positive feedback. It was fun to do and I liked that the publisher, LaShaunda Hoffman, didn’t ask me general, run-of-the mill questions. She was unique in her approach and I loved doing the interview! Click on the link below and read it for yourself.

http://sormag.blogspot.com/2008/05/featured-author-pamela-yaye.html

I’m off to bed now. I have a book signing tomorrow afternoon from 3:30-6:00 at Spectrum Chapters (#500 - 2555 32nd St NE ) and I have to look bright-eyed and friendly if I want to sell more copies of Her Kind of Man. Hope to see you there!

Pamela

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to post this message. But in my defense, it took me almost a week to recover from meeting Beverly Jenkins, Rochelle Alers and Donna Hill.And guess what? Rochelle Alers actually knew who I was! I still have goose bumps…

I was absolutely, positively blown away by how gracious and sweet and funny these three Romance Heavyweights were! I met Evander Holyfield a few months ago when I was in Atlanta, but that brother has NOTHING on these three women…

I had an awesome time at my first Reader Session (AlTonya Washington and I did it together) and I think everyone else enjoyed themselves too. I attended workshops presented by Donna Hill, Kayla Perrin, Deatri King-Bey and New York Times Bestselling author, Mary B Morrison. She’s even prettier in person, yall!

I didn’t win Debut Author of the Year, but I met women I’ll be friends with for the rest of my life and walked away from that weekend filled with purpose and a note book crammed with new plots and ideas…Beverly Jenkins cleaned up at the Emma Awards banquet, ya’ll. Check out the winners names below:

 * Favorite Anthology: Cuffed by Candlelight by Beverly Jenkins, Gwyneth Bolton, Katherine D. Jones, and Simone Harlow (Parker Publishing)
* Favorite Hero: Reese Anthony from Deadly Sexy by Beverly Jenkins (Avon)
* Favorite Heroine: Teresa July from Wild Sweet Love by Beverly Jenkins (Avon)
* Favorite Novel: Wild Sweet Love by Beverly Jenkins (Avon)
* Favorite Novella: “Prisoner” in Cuffed by Candlelight by Beverly Jenkins (Parker Publishing)
* Favorite Sequel: Only Youby Francis Ray (St. Martin’s Press)
* Favorite Steamy: Whisper Something Sweetby Deatri King-Bey (Parker Publishing)
* Favorite Suspense: Deadly Sexy by Beverly Jenkins (Avon)
* Cover of the Year: Deadly Sexy by Beverly Jenkins (Avon)
* Debut Author of the Year: LaConnie Taylor-Jones
* Author of the Year: Beverly Jenkins

Mark my words, ya’ll. I’ll be getting one of those pretty EMMA awards in the very near future! Be blessed and enjoy the upcoming holiday. With love,

Pamela

Yup, it’s my birthday! I know I haven’t posted in a couple weeks, but I promise to get to it as soon as I can (Romance Slam Jam was off the hook! More details to follow.) My dad just called me to tell me Her Kind of Man has jumped to number 16 on Amazon’s Bestseller List for Multicultural Romance! WOW! Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday to Me!

The good news just keeps on coming! Her Kind of Man is number 56 on the Amazon.com Bestseller List for Multi-cultural Romance. How cool is that? Very if you ask me. We live in a day and age where there are so many talented authors, fresh, unique stories and voices and it feels good being in the company of some of my favorite writers. It makes me want to be a better writer and motivates me to write an even better book than the last. Who knows? Maybe in the coming weeks I’ll round off the top ten. That would be nice. Anyways, off to write I go!

With Love,

 Pamela

I just found out that my May release, Her Kind of Man, got 41/2 stars from Romantic Times Book Review! I knew it would happen one day, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Debbie R. Sims gave me a glowing review, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Read it for yourself:

Her Kind of Man (4.5) is well written, perfectly paced and contains characters that are real and likable. With just the right dose of humor and drama, Pamela Yaye’s story compels from beginning to end. First-grade teacher Makayla Stevens is having a hard time dealing with 5-year-old terror Terrance Blake, and his high-strung mother is too much for her. Enter the boy’s sexy uncle, Kenyon Blake, who Makayla has had a crush on since she was an overweight teenager. Kenyon is strongly attracted to Makayla, and concerned about his nephew. He works overtime to get them both past their fears and reticence about relationships.

—Debbie R. Sims

Great, huh? I am in Atlanta visiting my sister this week and tonight I’m going out to celebrate! I think I deserve it, don’t you? Stay blessed and have a terrific day. I know I will.

With love,

Pamela

Oprah’s not the only one who has an opinion to share! We’re only three months into the year, but I have already amassed a collection of the best music, books,movies and a bunch of miscellaneous things that make me feel warm inside.

1. BOOKS ON TAPE: Convenient, practical, and fun! I’ve listened to The Divinci Code(Dan Brown), You On A Diet(Dr. Oz) and The Husband( Dean Kootz) Just pop the discs in and enjoy!

2. MUST HAVE CDS: Alicia Keys (As I Am), Keisha Cole (Just Like You), Jaheim (The Makings of A Man) The Fight of My Life (Kirk Franklin). And if you don’t have Robin Thicke’s Evolution of A Man, you’re missing out. That brother can sing!There will be more to come. Like I said, the year is still young.

3. FAVORITE TREATS: Apple Tea is one of my new guilty pleasures. For a while there I was having a cup or two every night (what? It was -45 here!)

4. MOVIES: American Gangster is well, GANGSTER! Mr. Denzel Washington at his finest. The movie really got to me. I found myself routing for Frank Lucas (he took his mom to church every Sunday, gotta love a man who does that) although he was the epitome of everything wrong with our community. Correction, our society. It was a great movie. Check it out for yourself though!

4. BOOKS: I’ve already mentioned some excellent novels, but I just finished Pearl Cleage’s BABYLON SISTERS. Can you say exquisite? Her writing is beautiful, poetic, and oh-so-righteous. The book made me laugh, wonder, think and I damn near cried at the end. I owe it to myself to buy and read everything she has ever written and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

Look for the next installment of My Favorite Things in June. That’s all for now, Folks!

With Love,

 Pamela