I'm baaack and on LitChat!

Today and Friday at 4 pm ET if you're on Twitter join the LitChat discussion about African American books. I'm guest-moderating and on Friday my guest author will be Rosalyn McMillan, who's new novel is WE AIN'T THE BRONTES--about two sisters who are writers. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?

Go here for instructions on how to follow the #LitChat hashtag on Twitter and Tweet Chat.

In other book news, while I was on blog hiatus the Black Caucus of the American Library Association announced 2011 literary award winners and the NAACP announced nominees for literary categories for the 2011 Image Awards. Congratulations to all!

The movie version of my novel Orange Mint and Honey--Sins of the Mother--received two NAACP Image Award nominations. One for outstanding TV movie and one for outstanding actress in a TV movie for Jill Scott.

If you're a member of the NAACP, you can vote for winners. Supposedly, there will be a place online for members to cast their votes soon.

Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award Winners

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. (BCALA) announced the winners of the 2009 BCALA Literary Awards. The awards recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African American authors published in 2008.

The winner in the Fiction category is Trading Dreams at Midnight by Diane McKinney-Whetstone (HarperCollins). The two Fiction Honor Book winners are Seen it All and Done the Rest by Pearl Cleage (One World/Ballantine) and Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward (Agate).

The winner in the Nonfiction category is Ida: A Sword Among Lions by Paula J. Giddings (Amistad/Harper Collins). The Nonfiction Honor Book winner is Letter To My Daughter by Maya Angelou (Random House, Inc.).

The recipient of the First Novelist Award is Carleen Brice for Orange Mint and Honey (One World/Ballantine). (Wowza!!!)

For excellence in scholarship, the BCALA Literary Awards Committee presents the Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation to Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs (Amistad/HarperCollins) by Deborah Willis and Kevin Merida.

Thanks to Librarian for all this info.