Connie Briscoe

A Novel of Domestic Suspense

You Never Know

Naomi Jefferson, who experiences loss, betrayal, and addiction, believes that the weight of the world lies on her shoulders, until Joseph, her deceased brother's illegitimate teenage son, enters her life and teaches her a lesson in courage and self-love. 150,000 first printing. $150,000 ad/promo. Tour.

Novel, A

Big Girls Don't Cry

"A FRANK AND FUNNY TALE about the everyday lives of three Black women." --Essence Beverly, Charmaine, and Evelyn are three sisters living in the same Maryland town outside Washington, D.C., each wishing her life were just a little different. Beverly is twenty-nine and single. She's a successful magazine editor who would love to be in love. The problem is, no man can meet her high standards. Charmaine longs to finish her degree, but meanwhile, she has to juggle a thankless job, a beautiful child, and an irresponsible husband she doesn't quite have the nerve to leave. Evelyn seems to have it made. She has a successful psychology practice and her husband is a partner in a prestigious law firm. But there's trouble in paradise, and Evelyn refuses to face the facts. Warm and bittersweet, believable and real, SISTERS & LOVERS is a novel of family and love, heartache and hope, and above all, the triumph of sisterhood. "RIVETING . . . LIVELY . . . HILARIOUS . . . Three sisters who are remarkably different except in one respect: Their men are driving them crazy." --Mademoiselle "HUMOROUS, POIGNANT, REALISTIC, AND ROMANTIC . . . Finely crafted . . . [Sisters & Lovers] skillfully uses witty but realistic dialogue to keep the story moving along. . . . Recommended." --Library Journal "ENTIRELY READABLE . . . Briscoe's message is a warm one." --The Washington Post Book World

Sisters & Lovers

“The thing I love about Connie Briscoe now is the same thing I’ve always loved about Connie Briscoe—she writes highly commercial, pacey, character-driven stories. She was made for domestic suspense.” —Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author The revered New York Times bestselling writer makes her triumphant return with this electrifying novel of domestic suspense that marks an exciting turn in her career, a twisting, tension-filled thriller in which a hearing-impaired woman must battle her rising terror as she fights for her life. Alexis Roberts is asleep one night when someone breaks into her home and tries to assault her. Though she manages to escape serious harm, the invasion has left her scared and shaken. The police are investigating, but Alexis has few details to share with the detective on the scene. She’s hearing impaired and could not find her cochlear implants in the darkness, which left her unable to both see and hear the intruder. Was her attacker a stranger or someone whom she knows—a person who may have once been close to her? Flashback to a year earlier when Alexis meets the man of her dreams. Marcus is handsome, successful, polished and everything she’s ever wanted. Attentive, charming, and fluent in American sign language, he’s unlike any man she’s ever known. Believing he is the Mr. Right who was meant to be her forever partner, Alexis says yes when he asks her to marry him. Why wouldn’t she? But once they’re married, Marcus grows distant and resembles little of the charming man who swept her off her feet. Who is this stranger she’s married? Determined to uncover the truth, Alexis begins to carefully unearth the secrets in her husband’s life. When she makes a horrifying discovery—his first wife is missing and suspected dead—Marcus suddenly disappears without a trace. Now, in this gigantic house in an isolated neighborhood with no family and friends nearby to help, a terrified Alexis waits for her intruder to return. She’s trapped in the dream home that has become a nightmare, unsure who Marcus really is . . . and what he’s capable of doing.

When Lena wins the jackpot in the Maryland lottery, she quits her job, becomes engaged, and revels in her newfound popularity, but ultimately suspects that fortune comes with a price.

Money can't buy love

A sweeping historical novel details three generations of slaves, from Susan and her daughter Clara to Clara's daughter whose father is never revealed, all of whom work on the plantation of President James Madison and his wife Dolley, in an intricately woven tapestry of love, courage, and determination. Reprint.

A Long Way from Home

Roman

Wo bleibt Mr. Right?

An unapologetically bold, stimulating, and inspired collection of photographs and profiles celebrating the style of African Americans age 50+ Long inspired by mature adults daring to express their creativity and individuality through their style choices, New York Times bestselling novelist Connie Briscoe shines a light on these often overlooked and underappreciated sharply attired individuals. Accompanied by the marvelously talented Milton Washington’s dazzling photographs, Briscoe’s vision comes alive in these pages. From intrepid to chic, and sophisticated to free-spirited—Stepping Out captures the very essences of a vibrant cross section of Black elders, showcasing their stories, their styles, and how their love of fashion was born and bred. This book contextualizes the cultural, spiritual, and historical influences on decades of Black style and testifies to this dynamic legacy for generations to come.

50 Plus Years of Unapologetic African American Style

Stepping Out

Relates the story of three generations of slaves, from Susan and her daughter Clara to Clara's daughter, whose father is never revealed, all of whom work on the plantation of President James Madison and his wife Dolley.

Long Way from Home

From Connie Briscoe, the New York Times bestselling author of Sisters & Lovers and Big Girls Don't Cry, comes a lyrical and moving tour de force that is her most daringly ambitious novel to date--a multigenerational story of slavery freedom, and the indestructible bonds of love and family witnessed through the lives of three unforgettable African-American women. Shimmering with heartache and hope, A Long Way from Home recounts the joys, pain, and ultimate triumph of three generations: Susie; her daughter, Clara; and her granddaughter, Susan. Born and reared as house slaves on Montpelier, the Virginia plantation of President James Madison and his wife, Dolley Madison, they are united by love, by a fierce devotion to each other and their fellow slaves, and by a growing desire for freedom--a dream that will finally come to fruition for Susan at the end of the Civil War. This hauntingly beautiful novel opens in the peaceful Piedmont area of Virginia. Trained as a house slave since childhood, Susie enjoys the privileges that her position as maid to Miss Dolley provides her and Clara. For Susie life holds no mystery, no promise beyond the boundaries of the plantation itself--a lesson she tries to impart to the dreamy Clara, who longs to control her own destiny despite her mother's frightening admonition: "You don't know a thing about freedom, 'cause I don't know anything about it. It takes money and know-how to live free. You don't just up and do it." Life will change for both mother and daughter, though, with the death of James Madison and the departure of his wife for her town house, events that leave the estate in the hands of Dolley's profligate son, Todd. As a result of his neglectful stewardship, the plantation soon falls to a series of owners, each posing a new threat to Susie and Clara, and the other longtime Madison slaves with whom the two women have shared their entire lives. Amidst these devastating changes, Clara grows into womanhood and becomes a mother herself, giving birth to two light-skinned daughters, Ellen and Susan. Yet the threat of separation that has shaped her life is soon a reality when her younger daughter, Susan, is sold to a wealthy businessman in Richmond. Susan must create a new life for herself in this bustling city, a life that will be filled with both terror and hope . And it is in Civil War-torn Richmond that she will find love and realize the long-held dream of her ancestors: freedom. In A Long Way from Home, Connie Briscoe vividly recreates Southern life and the ambivalent, shifting relationships on both sides of the color divide, from the cruelty and insidious benevolence of white owners to the deep yearnings and complex emotions of the slaves themselves. This poignant, powerful story pays homage to the African-American experience and to the ancestors, both black and white, whose lives and histories are indelibly entwined with our own.

A Long Way Home

Lolita Files

Anita Bunkley

In this anthology, bestselling and acclaimed authors Briscoe, Lolita Files, and Anita R. Bunkley tell stories of three fortysomething women who discover that life, men, and everything else get better with age.

The Perfect Life\Three For The Road\This Time Around

You Only Get Better

"In this sequel to Sisters and lovers, we follow Beverly through her struggle for love, happiness, and the ability to truly commit"--Provided by publisher.

Sisters and Husbands

In the sprawling homes and upscale townhouses of the exclusive, largely African American Prince George’s County, the lives of five women intersect–and the secrets, scandals, loves, and losses that ensue are par for the course where power, beauty, and wealth reside. Barbara is the most influential woman in this swanky neighborhood, but she’s got her hands full–one hand is busy dealing with her husband’s wandering eye, while the other always needs a cocktail glass. Jolene is half of P.G. County’s number-two couple–and she desperately wants what she doesn’t have: namely Barbara’s husband. Pearl owns a hair salon and lives on the outskirts of the posh community with her son, Kenyatta. She’s not only juggling a growing business and a bad divorce, but now she’s has to cope with Kenyatta’s less-than-ideal girlfriend. Candice is white and liberal, but her daughter’s new beau tests her beliefs–and opens a can of worms she never knew existed. Lee is a runaway teen, a girl whose only connection to her father is an old photo and the belief that he’s well-off and waiting for her in . . . P.G. COUNTY

P.G. County

Michael Cunningham

A photographer and a New York Times bestsellingnovelist profile 50 women over the age of 50 who have been remarkably successful -- whether in reaching the top of thecorporate ladder, finding fame in politics or the arts, orraising a son to be proud of a single mother -- and revealthe ways that they have prevailed despite daunting obstacles. Jewels includes well-known and little-known womenalike, from teachers and executives to artists, authors, andentertainers. Among the celebrities profiled in the book areRuby Dee, Eleanor Holmes Norton, S. Epatha Merkerson,and Marion Wright Edelman. Coauthor Connie Briscoe alsoappears here as one of the featured Jewels, telling herinspiring personal story. World-renowned poet, writer,commentator, activist, and educator Nikki Giovannicontributes an original poem to the book.

50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50

Jewels

The lives of the privileged but dissatisfied inhabitants of an elite suburb outside Washington, D.C., intertwine in meddlesome and contrary ways as Barbara finds new meaning in sobriety, a new job, and the attentions of a new man.

A Novel

Can't Get Enough

New York Times bestselling author of Sisters and Lovers returns with the next installment as Beverly faces marriage -- yet again -- and has to decide once and for all if he is the one and she's ready to commit. Ten years have passed since Sisters and Lovers, and Beverly, now 39, is engaged to Julian, a man her family and friends agree is the epitome of a great catch: he's gorgeous, loyal, trustworthy, successful, and very much in love with her. Since this is Beverly's third engagement in the past five years, after breaking off the previous two at the last moment, everyone's happy that she's finally settling down. For Beverly and Julian, nothing could be better than being in love and planning their wedding. That is until Beverly's oldest sister's marriage falls apart and dampens the mood of what should have been the happiest time in Beverly's life. Now, second-guessing her impending nuptials, Beverly is forced to wonder if marriage really works. Will she stick it out? Or will her fears cloud her judgment once again?

Lust, greed and revenge continue to drive the well-to-do African-American residents of suburban Silver Lake, Maryland, in Briscoe's entertaining sequel to "P.G. County."

A novel set in Prince George's County, Maryland, explores the heart of an affluent African American enclave to reveal the lives, fortunes, passions, trials, secrets, and scandals of its citizens.

Connie Briscoe

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