The King of Hip-Hop Literature

Shannon Holmes was born and raised in New York City’s most northern borough; the Bronx.  Holmes’ entrance into the literary world was anything but ordinary. Armed only with a G.E.D. and the desire to change his life, Mr. Holmes crafted his first novel and signed his first literary contract from prison, while serving a five year sentence for various drug convictions. This was truly an amazing feat when you consider Mr. Holmes had never even written a short story in his life. He truly made the best of a bad situation.

He first achieved success with his first novel ‘B-more Careful’, which has gone on to sell a half a million copies to date. This may not sound like a lot of to the general public, but in the literary world Mr. Holmes is platinum. By producing such lofty sales numbers, Shannon was able to parlay the success of his first novel into a two book, six figure deal, with publishing giant Simon & Schuster.

Avoiding the sophomore jinx, Shannon Holmes crafted the critically acclaimed ‘Bad Girlz’, which sold fifty thousand copies in its first week. His next novel ‘Never Go Home Again’ was hailed as best work... With this he achieved yet another milestone, he became the first author of the street genre to have his novel printed in hardcover. Since then Mr. Holmes has signed an even bigger deal publishing deal with St. Martin’s Press, it’s rumored to be in the high six figures, for two novels.

Never Go Home Again
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Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Atria (September 27, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743496167

"The experience and quality that I bring to my writing can't be faked. I know what I know. Through my novels, I invite readers to journey with me into the streets. Come see what I've seen. Let me show the gritty and grimy undercarriage of society, the "flip side" of the game...."
—Shannon Holmes

Inspired by the events of his own life, the Essence bestselling author of B-More Careful and Bad Girlz presents a vivid, unflinching novel about a young man's coming of age in the city streets.

Never Go Home Again is the story of Corey Dixon, a young man whose father tries as best he can to steer him away from the lure of the streets. And yet, like so many others in his neighborhood, Corey finds the lucrative drug trade too tempting to resist. While he makes fast money for a while, ultimately Corey must pay the price for his choice of his profession: his freedom. By the age of sixteen, Corey is sentenced to prison.

Incarcerated at Riker's Island, Corey lives through experiences that threaten to destroy his body, his mind, and his spirit. Still, in the midst of his horrific imprisonment, he discovers inner strength and -- against unimaginable odds -- manages to survive. Corey makes a new kind of family for himself in jail, including a teacher who encourages him to "never go home again." In the course of his journey of self-discovery, Corey comes to realize the wisdom in his mentor's words.

Unflinching and riveting, Never Go Home Again is a powerful, true-to-life story of redemption that no reader will soon forget.

Bad Girlz
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Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Atria; 1 edition (October 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 074348620X

The bestselling author of B-More Careful, Shannon Holmes, delivers Bad Girlz, another wild adventure into the streets. The setting this time is the Badlands, one of the toughest and poorest communities in Philadelphia.
Bad Girlz takes you into the mysterious and often dangerous lives of young women who turn to the streets and strip clubs as a means of survival. These are girls who, along the way, suffer bad breaks and find themselves ripe for exploitation by men and women who pretend to be their saviors.

Tender and Goldie were taken under wing by Kat, a veteran stripper, who enjoyed the life and the risks she had to take to stay in the mix of the sex trade. Both of these young and beautiful girls had ended up in dire straits and in need of Kat's help in different ways, but ultimately for the same reasons: They lacked the love and support that most of us expect to get at home and in our communities. Where they live, illegal money is often the only money to be made, and the difference between the law and the outlaw is tough to discern.

Holmes tells a page-turning story of sex, money, and murder in the name of survival and reveals the many ways that good girls, trying to get by in desperate situations, become Bad Girlz.

Related Links

MySpace (source of bio and headshot used above)
http://www.myspace.com/shannon_holmes