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Monicersquos debut novel lauded by TavisSmiley Cornel West and Book Clubs

ASSISTANT TURNS AUTHOR

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Product Details

bull Pub Date March 2010

bull Publisher CreateSpace amp Flower Girl Publishing

bull Format Paperback 424pp

bull Sales Rank Climbing

bull ISBN-13 978-1450568098

bull ISBN1450568092

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ldquoMonice Mitchell Simms is a highly gifted writer whose artistic voice and literary style command our attention and praiserdquo - Cornel West

Synopsis Award-winning writer Monice Mitchell Simms engrossing debut novel Address House of Corrections seamlessly shifts through time and locale to follow the empowering entertaining journey of Merry a stubborn 32-year-old ex con and recovering addict who moves to 1947 Detroit as a spunky twelve-year-old with her estranged mother and comes full circle as Merry fights to stay sane stay straight and make peace with her children and her torrid past Gritty yet hopeful Mitchell Simms examines the necessary but often complicated connections between mothers and daughters ingeniously births refreshing characters in this her first book in a trilogy series and elevates what could have easily become a stereotypical hard luck tale into a literary triumph

Author Biography Monice Mitchell Simms is a talented writer filmmaker and veteran journalist who penned Stop the Great War - a play she later rewrote and produced as a tele-drama for public television She also brought to life the Showtime films Carmins Choice and Rainrdquo Producer of the award-winning television public service announcement Power Monice also recently ventured into the world of radiotelevision by producing Prepare for Love an Internet relationship talk show hosted by Relationship Coach Ryeal Simms She also produced and edited the Internet trailer and bonus footage for the feature documentary Stand directed Breaking the Silence a PSA about teen dating violence sponsored by Verizon and the Los Angeles Urbann League and produced and edited a leadership documentary and public service announcement series for youth commissioned by the Tavis Smiley Foundation Currently Monice is penning her second book of poetry Brighter This Time She is also producing and directing the audio digi-book series based on her debut novel Address House of Corrections and writing The Mailmans Daughter the second novel in the trilogy inspired by the lives of her grandmother mother and great-grandmother

httpwwwamazoncomAddress-House-Corrections-novel-inspiredhttpwwwbarnesandnoblecomAddress-House-Corrections-novel-inspired

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Just five minutes talking to Monice and you realize that she was never really an assistant

Unlike most of us slaving 9 to 5s only to keep food on the table and pay the bills Monice was merely masquerading behind a Hollywood desk to make ends meet while she fiercely guarded her lunch breaks and rose at the break of dawn to write screenplays and what was to become her debut novel ldquoAddress House of Correctionsrdquo

Read on to see what shersquos really been up to

LOS ANGELES ndash Coined ldquothe Roots of her familyrdquo Monice Mitchell Simmsndash a 13-year screenwriting veteran and award-winning filmmaker ndash quit her job as a Hollywood executive assistant to pen Address House of Corrections the first novel in a trilogy series inspired by the lives of her mother grandmother and great-grandmother One year later with her finished manuscript in hand Mitchell Simms serendipitously landed a determined literary agent Then the ldquonorsquosrdquo started rolling in ldquoWe always knew it was going to be a hard sell My novel ultimately is a story about the complicated relationships of mothers and daughters Literature not street lit But folks especially African American folks ndash the audience that publishers felt my book would only appeal to ndash supposedly donrsquot read literaturerdquo said Mitchell Simms who runs the film company Flower Girl Productions with her husband relationship coach Ryeal Simms ldquoWe knew that wasnrsquot true but convincing publishers to gamble on an unknown African American female author named Monice not Toni or Maya ndash Good luck with thatrdquo Motivated by rejection and the declining publishing industry Mitchell Simms decided to publish Address House of

Corrections through her imprint flower girl publishing and implement an avant-garde marketing and distribution strategy using Amazoncom Facebook Twitter and other

social networking sites to promote and sell directly to a global audience of readers listeners and viewers Currently shersquos in production of the novel as a dramatic audio book and audio serial for the Internet Dramatized by Joy DeMichelle Moore Toby Smith Quincy Lenear Ryeal Simms Joel Steingold William Johnson Carl Gilliard Bruce Simms Cheryl Francis Harrington Taji Coleman Tangie Ambrose Zachary Barton Scott Peat Davikah Parikh and Sean Hill and scored by Spencer Barefield and songtresses Shanie Evans Jazzy Rita and Penny Wells Flower Girl Productions will broadcast the novel in the vein of radio soap operas On sale on Amazoncom and Barnesandnoblecom since March 2010 Address House of Corrections is scheduled to begin broadcasting as a mini series pilot in September 2010 Readers will also be able to subscribe and purchase

Address House of Corrections in downloadable written andor audio form as individual chapters and a block of chapters For those who canrsquot wait they can purchase the entire novel from the website ldquoWersquore fortunate to live in this time of technology and Irsquom excited about the possibilities of Address House of Corrections ndash the novel audio book Web serial and soon stage play and movierdquo said Mitchell Simms a journalist for 20 years ldquoTruth is this model isnrsquot really new Independent musicians have been successfully using these tools for years Wersquore simply pulling together all of the technological resources and taking everything one step further to hopefully turn the stagnant publishing industry on its head and empower authors to take their careers into their own handsrdquo

Author excels with groundbreaking strategy to publish and market debut novel online

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Address House of Corrections Book Byte She had never seen a sky so blue Well aqua really Like in those old National Geographic Magazines in the nuns library where the African savages bathed in the unmolested island lagoon And the sun a glaucoma orangish hue was hiding behind a cloud shaped like a wounded elephant with a splash of pink trailing behind it just to let her know it was there

ldquoMonice Mitchell Simms has a gift And therersquos a need for that gift Her gift has now met the need and ldquoAddress House of Correctionsrdquo is the purpose

Itrsquos a brilliant book Shersquos a brilliant writerrdquo ndash Tavis Smiley

Merry swallowed hard and inhaled the Kentucky dirt filling her wide nostrils It burned The smell of freedom

3

Ugly Southern tradition abuse the Great Migration and Detroits former glory Dynamic and intriguingly captivating tale of personal and family struggles Couldnt put it down Read it in a day and half Cant wait to continue this familys journey -Shawnta Porter

Director Monice Mitchell scores - Hollywood Reporter

ldquoI couldnrsquot put this book down A page turner each burning beneath my fingers I finished in two days Awesome I look forward to the rest of the trilogyrdquo - Quincy LeNear Gossfield FilmakerWriter

I just finished reading your wonderful book (as did friends and family) The overwhelming response is we cant wait to read the next two books and see the movie Everyone at the salon is talking about your book and if our salon is an indicator you have a best seller - Stephanie Rutledge partner Belle Espirit Salon amp Day Spa Lathrup Village Michigan

A Reel Rising Star - Emerge Magazine

I was able to LITERALLY meet Merry Teeny Terry Silas Kat Jr Baby and all the other members of this dynamical literary biography Monice I commend you I honor you

and find myself to be so thankful to have known and met your talented ancestral line Kudos to you Monice Only God given gifts can take these events and turn them into a masterpiece - Richelle Cason

Monice - I am loving the book I didnt get much house work done this weekend - kept finding myself curled in my reading chairGood stuff - Sheila Campbell Savannah

Finished reading Address House of Corrections Thursday morning A triumphant debut of which I so humbly assert your literary foremother Zora Neale Hurston would be proud I cant wait to read the rest of The Mailmans Daughter - Sonya Vann

ldquoMonice Mitchell Simms writes with passion and authenticity in this emotionally gripping story of family struggle and triumphrdquo - Lyah Beth LeFlore New York Times amp Essence Magazine Bestselling Author

What folks are saying about ldquoAddress House of Correctionsrdquo

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0DIVA DIALOGUE

ldquoAddress House of Corrections A talented work of art The author keeps the reader engaged as she skillfully weaves time and the lives of a family lead by African American Women who persevered through family struggles secrets lies and issues Constance Luckett Detroit MI

ldquo the book was an exceptional read The authorrsquos creativeness allowed her readers to visualize the characterrsquos struggles and empathize with Merryrsquos dilemmasrdquo B Carey Detroit

Andrea Walton of Detroit enjoying Address House of Corrections

httpaddresshouseofcorrectionswordpresscomtrailer

httpaddresshouseofcorrectionswordpresscom20100331address-house-hellipe-me-trailer-2

Click links below to view Address House of Corrections trailers

ON SALE

Zahrarsquos Books-N-Things Inglewood Smileyrsquos Books Carson

The Shrine of the Black Madonna Detroit

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Press Multimedia amp Contact InfoM

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httpblogmyheritagecom201004an-author-and-a-family-tree-break-the-rules

Click links below to read article and listen to more interviews

httpwwwamazoncomAddress-House-Corrections-novel-inspiredhttpwwwbarnesandnoblecomAddress-House-Corrections-novel-inspiredhttpaddresshouseofcorrectionswordpresscomaddresshouseofcorrectionsfacebookfanpageaddresshouseofcorrectionsyoutubewwwlinkedincominmonicemitchellsimms httptwittercomflowergirlprod

E-mail flowergirlprodaolcomPhone 3237370081

Contact me for booking and purchasing And connect with me online

httpwwwtavissmileyradiocom

guests10051410MoniceMitchellSimmshtml

Click link to listen to Monicersquos and Tavisrsquo

conversation

httpaddresshouseofcorrectionswordpresscom20100512kareemah-el-amhelliprview-part-one

httpaddresshouseofcorrectionswordpresscom20100513kareemah-el-amhelliprview-part-two

httpaddresshouseofcorrectionswordpresscom20100217find-myself

Click links below to view poetry videos inspired by life of Monicersquos grandmother

httpaddresshouseofcorrectionswordpresscom20100226dollar-by-monihellipmitchell-simms

httpaddresshouseofcorrectionswordpresscom20100305sanctified-i-rhellipmitchell-simms

ldquoI write because not breathing is not an optionrdquo