MAKING IT ON MY OWN----SUMMARY AND REVIEWS

[Author Marlene]

Life for Shay Johnson was a party. She was doing her thing- young, black, gifted, working part-time, going to college and making do in a small apartment in Buffalo, NY. She was on top of her game, and there was nothing you could tell her, she was it! Shay had everything under control until she met Chico, a suave, handsome Spanish gentleman that swept her off her feet and took her heart. It wasn't too long before Shay was completely under his spell.

Everything was going great until Chico's past comes to disrupt their paradise. As quick as Shay rose to love, she fell hard and fast leaving her at her lowest. Finding herself in the street with no way to feed her son and a baby on a way, Shay now has some hard decisions to make.

Good friends are hard to come by, and Huey is her prince charming in disguise ready to take her away from life's harsh reality. What happens when Shay finds love in an unexpected place? Will she continue to deny herself a chance to love again because of the drama she went through with Chico, or will she open up to a chance at starting over? The struggle of a young girl finding her way to womanhood, and the sacrifices you take to get there are all on the pages of Making It On My Own...because at the end of the day you can only truly depend on yourself.

REVIEWS
*Winner of the Writer’s Inn Top Ten Books of 2007 for Best Plot/Storyline



Marlene is an author that is going somewhere! She has an exceptional flair for molding together characters that are so realistic in their dialect as well as actions. From the very first page, you are drawn into the plot and won’t be able to stop reading until the last line is read. You will literally get papercuts flipping through the pages of Making It On My Own.

Marlene did an honorary job in depicting the way a fairytale romance with your Prince Charming can go wrong. When Shay Johnson’s boyfriend, Chico, leaves her pregnant and with a small child, she has no choice but to make it on her own. Through many trials and tribulations and even having to set aside pride and move into a shelter…

In this compelling novel, Marlene is sure to take you on an unforgettable journey as you follow the life of Shay, grasping a real feel for what it’s really like when you have no one to depend on but yourself.



***To find out more about Marlene, please visit her personal page @ www.thewriters-inn.com/marlenericketts

MAKING IT ON MY OWN is a realistic story of love, survival and determination. Marlene leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to the daily struggles of a young woman and her quest to survive. The lessons of survival were forceful in this fast paced, action-packed drama. I was drawn into the emotional world of Shay and her problems. This book is an excellent read…

~The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers



You will be able to recognize the emotions of yourself or someone you know in Marlene's strong and intense portrait of a young woman and single mother struggling with the burdens and anxieties of everyday life. Marlene’s creative writing style connects the story line to real-life issues drawing readers in. I enjoyed Shay's "in your face tell it like it is" narrative. Making It On My Own is engrossing and entertaining making for an engaging read.

~OOSA Book Club



MAKING IT ON MY OWN is a story of rebirth and a spiritual-like renewal that makes you ready to take charge of the world. Shay is the girlfriend that you have that makes you slap her for being so naïve. MAKING IT ON MY OWN has an evolving storyline that forces you to ask what possibly can happen next?

~Reviewed By Deltareviewer of Real Page Turners



…Making It on My Own is a very poignant look into a single mother’s choices to make a better life for herself and her children. Any single mother who has ever robbed Peter to pay Paul will be able to relate to all the hardship this young lady goes through. Readers will enjoy the author’s portrayal of Shay, as her recounting of events throughout the novel is clear and her real, “in your face” persona is an added perk.

~Kisha Green of Mahogany Butterfly Book Club & author of And Even if I Did



"Marlene brings a fresh face to the literary world. Her characters pop, and her style is sure to drag you in. This book will quickly be on your top ten list of must have's in your collection."

~Anna J. Author of Essence Best Selling Novels My Woman His Wife & The Aftermath



Marlene delivers a powerful exposé of one woman's struggle while MAKING IT ON HER OWN. I was so caught up in the drama, struggles, love and pain that I was able to read it in the course of one day…

~(Amazon.com)