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Calendar
& Events
Feb 8
African-American Legislative Days Youth Forum, Arizona
Capitol
Feb 18
Willowridge High School Library Event, 10:00am - 2:00pm, Houston,
TX
Feb 20 Stimley-Blue
Ridge Library Special Event, 4:30pm - 6:00pm, Houston, TX
Mar 6-12
London,
England
April 13
Sistas of AZ "Sunday Morning
Sopranos" Gospel Fest, ASU
West
May 29 - June 1
BookExpo America,
Los
Angeles, CA
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The
Mission of Unshackled Publishing (UP) is to
entertain, educate and motivate youth across the nation. UP's
debut novel,"Premature
Pleasures" by Alexus Rhone, is the current key product. Set in Southeast
 Houston,
this coming-of-age story takes place one summer in an apartment
complex and follows the experiences of Trekela Baden, an 11-year
old girl who is quickly succumbing to the influences of her wild
and sexually loose teen and pre-teen friends. While racy at
certain points, the story offers a redemptive ending by
demonstrating the power of influence and the ability of one
positive, committed person to make a difference.
 In the sophomore novel “Secret
Shame,” Trek’s journey continues.
Her family has moved from the inner-city to the suburbs,
where Trek’s first observation is, “…the rich and poor are
both raggedy like roaches; but the rich play in newer
buildings.” “Secret
Shame” is the story about the most powerful influence in a
young girl’s life – her best friend.
Trek is in a new environment trying to adjust to the new
school and new neighborhood.
Her transition is made easier by her friend Rhodee,
“…a lycra-clad, Chinese-shop outfit wearing hoodrat.”
But Rhodee is living with a secret.
Trek suspects Rhodee’s uncle Marcus is behind the
secret since he, “...held my hand one second longer than was
decent.” In addition to worrying about Rhodee, Trek is dealt another
blow – her abusive dad resurfaces.
Together, Trek and Rhodee attempt to navigate their lives
out of seemingly hopeless situations.
They love each other dearly.
They never part. “Secret
Shame” begs the question, “Are their circumstances too much
for two young girls to handle on their own?
Alexus
recently completed the third novel, “Backseats and Bleachers:
A High School Love Story” (BB was recently released), where
Trek falls in love with a roughneck/thug who forces her
to decide between building up his low self-esteem and allowing
him to destroy her guiding principles, deep-rooted faith and her
relationship with her mother.
The fourth and final novel in the Trek Baden
series, “Cover the Coo” follows Trek’s first year away
from home in college. The
most important piece of advice given to Trek is “cover the
coo.” However,
she ignores that advice and winds up in a life-changing
situation, facing a decision that many college-aged females
face.
The
two remaining facets of UP include the "I
am a Writer" Creative Writing Seminar, and
the motivational speaking engagements addressed to youth
audiences. "I am a Writer" is designed to teach
creative writing techniques to youth
where they demonstrate an understanding of the techniques
by writing their own stories. The motivational speeches range from the
importance of self-worth to encouraging kids to explore the
priceless treasures found in reading good books.
Read
what people are saying about
Premature Pleasures!
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