DC Sista Author - Request to Read 1st Novel

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Greetings Raw Soul Veggie Family, My name is Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke, author of Love's Troubadours - Karma: Book One, A Novel. See novel description and author bio below. Love's Troubadours is my first self-published novel. It will be published by iUniverse and available for purchase on Amazon.com for $20.95 in late August. Because I believe people of color need to take responsibility for telling our stories, I decided to create a diverse cast of characters representing a wide spectrum of the African Diaspora. Because yoga, meditation, and Buddhism have improved my quality of life, I decided to make the novel's main character a yoga teacher. She grew up learning about yoga, meditation, and

Buddhist teachings from her father. She comes back to these teachings as she wrestles with her own suffering. References are made to Swami Satchidananda, Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda, and other great teachers. Yogaville and Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC are also featured. Black Greek organizations have played a major role in my life. I am a legacy member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority (mother, great grandmother and great aunt). My grandfather was a Kappa. My great aunt was an AKA. I decided to create characters who are members of SGRho, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. References are also made about several HBCUs including Howard University, Morgan State University, Spelman College, Morehouse

College, Southern University, and Bennett College. Many events in the novel take place in New York City, Washington, DC, Oakland, CA, San Francisco, CA, Annapolis, MD, and Chicago, IL. Shout outs are given to Wilmington, DE, Boston, MA, Los Angeles, CA, Atlanta, GA, Lake Charles, LA, St. Louis,

MO. Music also plays a huge role in the lives of the novel's characters. The music of Alice Coltrane, Stevie Wonder, John Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, Wynton Marsalis, Marvin Gaye, Willie Bobo, Donny Hathaway, Maxwell, Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Jill Scott, Eric Roberson, Amel Larrieux, Meshell Ndegeocello, Les Nubians, Rickie Byars-Beckwith, Duke Ellington, Fertile Ground, Omar from the U.K., Vinx, HKB FiNN, Sting, Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Mahalia Jackson, Miles Davis, Susana Baca,

Charles Mingus, Omar Sosa, Omar from the U.K., India.Arie, and so many other brilliant musical artists decorates the pages of the novel. Their musical gifts inspired and strengthened me during my novel writing journey. Click on this link to see the entire list: http://kiamshacom.blogspot.com/2007/05/music-mentioned-in-loves-troubadours.html . Now here's where you can a play a role ... If you and your family & r

friends are in book clubs, I would like to encourage you all to read my book and add it to your 2007-2008 reading list. Please share my book information with your network. See below. NOVEL DESCRIPTION Love's Troubadours – Karma: Book One tells the story of Karma Francois, a thirty-something Oakland-born BoHo B.A.P. (Bohemian Black American Princess) with Louisiana roots and urban debutante flair. She is a daddy’s girl from her head to her toes; HBCU graduate (Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Morgan State University); and sorority sister (Sigma Gamma

Rho Sorority, Inc.) who is accustomed to living extremely well. Karma is a natural woman with a unique style. She could easily pass as the twin sister of Celia Faussart, one of the Afropean sultry hip-hop songbirds commonly known as Les Nubians. Passing would probably be her first choice since her relationship with her twin sister is emotionally distant. Reddish brown locs crown her head. She sees the world through cocoa eyes. Her skin is the color of burnt sugar. The French call it caramel, a contrasting force of salt and sugar. And like caramel, Karma’s personality is a contrasting force of salt and sugar. She epitomizes the Sanskrit meaning of her name: the total effect of a person’s choices, actions, and conduct during her lifetime. The book begins with Karma’s life in an uproar. Her life, relationships, and museum curator career that she struggled to build in New York City no longer exist. They have crumbled before her, leaving no viable options to rebuild. Relocation to the Nation’s capital, Chocolate City D.C., has offered Karma a new home in a condominium owned by her relatives. Denial, depression, and debt have become her roommates. Lack of full-time employment opportunities has forced Karma to craft a gypsy existence as a Jill of Many Trades: yoga teacher, art consultant, and freelance curator. Unable and unwilling to appreciate these trades as gifts, she chooses to wallow in a pool of lost identity. One can hardly blame her given the family drama, secrets, and pain she is forced to endure, understand, and accept. All of it deepens her pool wallowing into a near drowning affair. For the first time in Karma’s life, she

must see herself for who she really is. When she looks in the mirror, she sees a woman who has made choices in her relationships that dishonor her personhood. They make her question whether she loves and accepts herself. With the prodding and support of a therapist, Karma reluctantly begins the long arduous journey of seeking to transform the total effect of her choices, actions, and conduct during her lifetime. She discovers who she is, one of Love’s Troubadours. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/lovestroubadours. Author Bio Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke is a registered yoga teacher, certified reiki practitioner, artist, and writer. She owns and operates Kiamsha.com, a company that allows her to share her healing arts gifts. Currently, she works as an artist-in-residence for Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts at Howard University Hospital. As an artist-in-residence, Ananda engages patients and medical staff in creative expression, guiding them to tap inherent creative and cultural roots through breathing, relaxation, and reiki healing touch exercises; and a variety of mediums including visual arts, music,

storytelling, and creative writing. Since 1995, her mixed media collages, wire sculptures, and paintings have been exhibited in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, North Carolina, and Kentucky. The Women’s Collective and Howard University

Hospital own Ananda’s wire sculpture collections dedicated to communities of color living with HIV/AIDS. In 2001, her artwork was featured in Heart and Soul Magazine. Ananda's poetry is featured in Beyond the Frontier: African American Poetry for the 21st Century edited Ethelbert Miller. She has also self-published several books of poetry and women's creativity workbooks. In addition, Ananda has facilitated expressive arts and self-care workshops for women of color living with HIV/AIDS; cancer patients, their caregivers, and health care providers; interfaith communities attending the Washington National Cathedral's women's spirituality conference; children with unique learning styles; and lay ministers. She is a graduate of Morgan State University (B.A. in French, 1986), Howard University School of Law (J.D., 1989), and Georgetown University Law Center (LL.M. in Securities and Financial Regulation, 1991). Ananda’s memberships include the Yoga Alliance, Mid Atlantic Yoga Association, Washington Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Society for the Arts in Healthcare, Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington’s Business Volunteer Program, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., All Souls Unitarian Church, Insight

Meditation Community of Washington’s All Souls Sangha, and Results Gym. She lives and plays in Washington, D.C.’s historic U Street neighborhood. Stay tuned for more information about Love's Troubadours, pre-order book date, and Autumn/Winter book readings. Enjoy your

summer. Happy Reading! Thank you for your assistance. Peace, Love, and Blessings,Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke CEO and President of Kiamsha.com, LLC kiamshaleeke or 202.332.5767 www.myspace.com/lovestroubadours

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