Obviously me and my soror and best-selling author Patricia Haley...

My apologies for not sticking to my usual blogging schedule, but you know how busy the summer months can get…Anywho, I’m back y’all and ready to blog it out…(corny, right? ) 

Sooo I’m back from Ponte Verda Beach (near Jacksonville), Florida where I attended the 2011 Faith & Fiction Retreat which was held at the luxe Sawgrass Marriott Spa and Resort!  I had a wonderful time hobnobbing with authors, reconnecting with friends, making new friends and – plugging my book!

Yes, you read that right! My new book “After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God” will be published next year!!! I am being published by Nevaeh Publishing! And if you have read my blog for a while, you know I’ve been hoping, wishing, praying and working for this dream to come true for a looooooong time!

Apparently, the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa is home to one of the top the PGA golf courses...

Below is my summary of my book…

After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God is a fresh, real and relevant how-to manual for African- American Christian women who desire to move past the “church speak” and into an intimate relationship with their Creator. What makes this book unique from other “relationship with God” books is that this book is written from an African-American perspective and spans a variety of issues typically not included in one book – from being thrice-married to leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

As a seasoned journalist, Jacqueline has interviewed black women from diverse backgrounds to discover what having a personal relationship with God is truly about – beyond the initial “come to Jesus” moment typically associated with the altar call experience. She has given you a rare, personal look into the lives of these women, identified the precepts these women used to develop a personal relationship with God given their life experiences, and created a plan for you to craft your own relationship with the Father.

Y’all, I have interviewed some great women for this book! I interviewed Sherri Shepherd from “The View,” Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the first woman elected to Episcopal office in A.M.E. history; Bishop Linda Lee, the first black woman to be elected as a bishop at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church;  and Valorie Burton, a certified personal and executive coach and author.

I also have interviewed many notable Christian fiction authors including Dwan  Abrams,  who also founded Nevaeh Publishing LLC; Tiffany Warren, who also started the Faith & Fiction Retreat; and LaTonya Mason Summers, who is also a licensed, professional counselor and the founding executive director of LifeSkills Counseling & Consulting.

Faith & Fiction Retreat founder Tiffany Warren & her husband Brent on the beach...

I have also interviewed some people who are well-known to us in the A including the Rev. Stephanie Bronner, who along with her husband, the Rev. James Bronner, wrote the book, Bedroom Talk: How to Turn Your Marriage Into a Lifelong Love Affair. Her husband is the youngest son in the legendary Bronner Bros. hair care dynasty. I also interviewed Melissa Summers, who was known as “Atlanta’s Girlfriend” as the former midday personality for V-103 and former host for KISS 104.1.

And y’all, I also interviewed 15 other phenomenal women for the book. I don’t want to give it all away in one blog post, but y’all will not be disappointed…

It was very special for me to tell everyone about my book at this year’s Faith & Fiction Retreat because I actually pitched my book to several publishing companies at last year’s Faith & Fiction Retreat, which was held in the A. Thankfully, Nevaeh Publishing wanted to publish my book. I feel sooo blessed! I signed my book contract in the fall of last year, and since then, I’ve been working on my book and trying to keep it a secret…

But now, I’m ready to tell y’all, and I intend to tell you what’s going on each step of the way right through to publication day. Right now, I’m choosing a book cover, and once that’s done, I will post it on the blog…Also, I’m fine-tuning my marketing and promotion plan…If you want to help me or have some great marketing & promotion ideas, don’t be a stranger. Comment and let me know…

Me & my Faith & Fiction roomie and author Leslie J. Sherrod on the way to the All-White Party...

Give Him Praise!!! Because the Lord Did It!!!

Any thoughts?

P.S. Friend me on Facebook (Jackie Holness) where I will be posting more pics from the retreat soon…

The post 2011 Faith & Fiction Retreat aka Debuting My NEW BOOK!!! appeared first on After the Altar Call.

I don’t have to tell you it’s NYE! For all of the obvious reasons, I am reflecting on the journey that was 2010 and optimistic about the path that awaits me and you in 2011. With that in mind, indulge me as I refresh your memory about the topics that found their way to After the Altar Call in 2010!

As of January, 2010 was christened the year of the Single Black Woman with the circulation of this video….While this story originally aired on ABC in December 2009, it really started to be the topic of conversation the following month and created a year of events, books, shows, etc. all dedicated to finding husbands for single black women at all costs…Lord help us!

With a black president in the white house, Black History Month, which is celebrated in February, has taken on a new meaning for all of America’s people…In the A, we were a little shaken when the Epsilon Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpa, a white sorority, beat out members of the Divine Nine Black fraternities and sororities in the Sprite Step Off …But hey, if a black men is finally president, then white steppers can show out too…

In March, I blogged about the messages  in our dreams in Dream a little dream…(R.I.P. Corey Haim) Sadly, one of the teen idols of my youth, Corey Haim, passed away in March and so I dedicated the post to him as he starred in the movie “Dream a Little Dream” in 1989…

In April, I met Sherri Shepherd from “The View” at ABC News’  “Nightline” debate “Why Can’t a Successful Black Woman Find a Man?” This debate, which took place in the Dec (Decatur), happened due to the popularity of the aforementioned video dedicated to the plight of single black women…Did I forget to mention that Atlanta seems to be the capital of single black women?

My aspiration is to be an author, journalist and speaker so I felt particularly blessed to be chosen to be the keynote speaker at the 31st Annual Christian Women’s Retreat banquet which was held at the Westin Atlanta Airport hotel in May. My girl Latoicha from Luxe Tips did my makeup!

In June, I blogged about author Sherri Lewis’ book “The List” as I was asked to moderate a discussion on the book at  the Faith & Fiction Retreat which was held in the A this year…I could not help but post my own list…

front page of my list...yes, the back of this page is completely filled up...

I tried to avoid blogging on the plight of single black women in July, but the slant of this article, The Black Church: How Black Churches Keep African American Women Single and Lonely forced me to reckon with this topic again…We took a licking but we kept on ticking…

In August, I was saddened to hear that R&B star Fantasia Barrino, another single black woman, attempted to commit suicide  after being ”overwhelmed by the lawsuit and the media attention”  concerning her alleged relationship with her married boyfriend Antwaun Cook, her rep told TMZ.com. Just a week or so ago, a judge declared that Barrino did not break up the Cook’s marriage as his ex-wife originally claimed in the lawsuit against Barrino…

In September, I was blessed to see “the Black Man-O-logues II” written by Jacquay Waller! R&I had a good time that night…

In October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, my sorors of DST actually donned pink  in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Atlantic Station to honor our line sister Kimberly Hudson Causby, who we lost to this disease and honor those who are survivors!

In November, my girl Tess Gadwa, the designer of this blog, released her book, Southern Cross: True Stories of miracles, visions, voodoo, snake handling, civil disobedience, and my search for existential answers along the back roads of the Bible Belt.  Again, You got to check out this book…and it’s free on her website!

As love and relationships is one of my favorite topics, this month, I blogged about marriage as The National Marriage Project, which provides research and analysis on the health of marriage in its yearly State of Our Unions Report, released its 2010 report. To read the entire report, please go here.

I also want to mention that my sorority lost two influential and beloved sorors this year – Sorors Dorothy Height & Lena Horne…I would be remiss if I did not mention them.

I thank you for taking this journey with me!!!  How was your 2010?

Any thoughts?

The post After the Altar Call: 2010 In Posts… appeared first on After the Altar Call.

Happy Hump Day! Yay!

So this weekend, I will be attending the Faith & Fiction Retreat right here in the A. As the name suggests, some of the top authors in Christian fiction will be there. The featured authors are Tiffany L. Warren, who is actually the organizer of the event; Kimberla Lawson Roby, a New York Times best-selling author; Victoria Christopher Murray and Sherri Lewis, an Essence Magazine best-selling author. While these are the featured authors, many other authors will serve as author panelists at the retreat. It will be fun I’m sure! And I don’t think it’s too late to attend! Check the Web site for more info…

So I have been asked to moderate a discussion on Sherri Lewis’ book “The List.” Below is a description of the book from her Web site.

Single and satisfied? Not Michelle, Angela and Lisa. These saved but sexy, successful black women think they’re getting too old to keep waiting on God to send their soulmates. Under the protective eye of their more spiritual sistergirlfriend, Vanessa, and the scrutiny of newly saved manhater, Nicole, the ladies go on a hilarious adventure to “be found” by their husbands.

Armed with their list of essential must-have’s, would-be-nice’s, icing-on-the-cake’s, and total-deal-breakers, they start their search – but soon encounter issues specific to the saved woman on the dating scene. Is online dating okay for Christians? How long do you wait before you tell the hottie you just met that you’re celibate and plan to stay so until married? He’s too fine to pass up – how saved does he really need to be? And of course, how do you keep things holy when he’s oh-so-sexy?

It’s not long before they realize they still have to trust God to know what’s best for them and that He loves them enough to send them everything on The List.

Perhaps it’s synchronicity at work that I was asked to moderate a discussion on this book…At the advice of a spiritual mentor, I came up with my own list back in 2003 (the actual list I wrote back then is included in this list)…With 51 qualities, it is a list to rival Chilli’s!!! I must say my list kept me on track back then when I wanted to date a man just based on how he looked and the chemistry we had although he lacked other redeeming qualities…yes, I have dated some crazy but fine dudes in my day….but since then, I have learned that it is quite unrealistic to expect a man to have everything you want…

And in my fact, I have pared down my list to “essential must-haves!” And I have allowed God to direct my thinking as well…My father told me that only God truly knows what you need, and you have to allow Him to lead you to that right person list or no list…

So what are the qualities that your ideal man must have? Did you make a list? Are you planning to make one? Did you get what you need and what you want? What are your “essential must-haves?”

Please share…

Any thoughts?

Chilli from TLC discussing her own infamous list on the VH1 reality show, “What Chilli Wants.”

The post The List… appeared first on After the Altar Call.