They went from food stamps to fast money overnight... but success has a dark side. Jewel, Daphne, Serena, and Jocelyn aren't your average struggling moms. When a wild idea turns their lives upside down-starting an exotic maid service-they go from broke to booked and busy. But with their new lifestyle comes a wave of personal chaos no one saw coming. They thought getting money was the hard part-but healing, motherhood, and facing their truth? That's the real work. Each woman must confront her own demons: Jewel's hiding an addiction while judging her son for smoking weed. Daphne's daughter might be gay-while Daphne avoids her own identity. Serena can barely connect with her three kids, and now her teenage son may have gotten a girl pregnant. Jocelyn's wild past may be influencing her 12-year-old daughter in dangerous ways. Read now and follow four bold women on their journey from survival to self-discovery. Because being broke is temporary-but sisterhood and self-worth are everything. Get Food Stamp Divas at a discount on my website: https://teresadpatterson.wixsite.com/teresadpatterson

He saw her from the high window of the new apartment he just transferred into. She wasn't like the rest of the girls living in the Bronx. She was different. She never wore pants without a jacket around her waist to complete her whole outfit.I don't think he'd ever seen her without holes in her pants either . She was so mysterious until he saw her outside of the abandoned playground on 3rd and Parks. He followed her. She then pulled two cans of paint from the jacket around her waist's pockets and she sprayed on the wall. He almost couldn't believe it. She was drawing graffiti ! The mysterious girl from 1st Street in the Parksplace apartment complex was doing something illegal. His jaw had to be put back in place by his hands as he waited for her to finish expecting something of a stick figure that was deformed . It was about 26 minutes before she stepped away and took a look no longer than 10 seconds, after she ran like she was about to loose her life. She didn't look back. He emerged from my hiding place and stood before the painted brick. What he saw was a work of art better than anything he'd ever seen done by spray paint, let alone a girl with spray paint. That's the day she became The Graffiti Artist. (c)2014

Ricardo Brown, son of a convicted murderer is lost in the footsteps of his late father. At age nineteen, Ricardo is a mid-ranking member in the infamous Insane Murda Mafia street gang. With a rotten attitude and a mind that lacks a conscious, Ricardo's violent, abusive, and manipulative. His only concern is himself, and he'll do what ever it takes to get what he wants. As he continues to slither through life, he's unaware that his immoral ways are shortening his days on the earth, making it a matter of time before he's called to the grave.

Trevor Hamilton is a mentally disturbed teenager who suffers from pyromania. At eighteen years old Trevor finds himself at a stand still in life. With no actually dreams or visions for his future, he doesn't know or care what his next step will be. Meanwhile, his fellow peer India Jackson couldn't be more opposite. She has every step planned out for her future goals and dreams. On two different paths, the two appear to be a match made cold. But when an odd twist of fate brings their paths together, India and Trevor find out they aren't so different after all. Now, with a standing chance with India and a new outlook on life, Trevor decides to make a change. But that's easier said than done. Trevor's family and friends are still on the fast track to destruction, and appear to be bringing him with them. The soul ties Trevor has with his relatives and best friend runs deep, and their problems are often his. Not to mention the strife of his own with an enemy who poses a threat to not just him, but everyone he cares for. Creating a future for one self comes with a price, and for Trevor, that price is his old lifestyle. Lost in an emotional and spiritual battle, Trevor doesn't know what to do. If he should pick love over loyalty, right over wrong, and life over death.

:Cover created by Cyberalias: Sexy ass boyfriend? Um check. Down ass bestie? Um check check. Druggie brother/Alcoholic father/Post preggo sister? Definite check. A seventeen year old black girl living in the hood? Yeah that's definitely Roshni. At the surface her life is bearable but when one drama-filled day creates a domino effect it leaves Roshni questioning just how horrible her life really is. And is there a way to make it better?

Two years after the murder of his mother Denise and older sister Tiara, Damion "DJ" Williams is still dealing with the emotional struggles afterward. The life of responsibility seems much harder for him as he is the one providing for his 5 younger siblings under the roof of his mistrustful father while ranking in the local gang Los Angles Piru Blood set. Each day becomes harder to survive while maintaining his personal relationships on and off the streets of Los Angeles. UPDATE 1/1/13: Footnotes added to each chapter to understand certain slang terms.