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.
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.
Hard
White: On the Streets of New York Only One Color Matters
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Adapted by Anthony Whyte, based on a screemplay by
Shannon Holmes
Paperback: 265 pages
Publisher: Augustus Publishing (August 24, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0982541538
ISBN-13: 978-0982541531
Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 0.6 x 8.6 inches
Check out the inside of this book including photos of Edenwald
Houses in the Bronx, NY.
The streets are pitch black, but a different shade of darkness
has engulfed the north Bronx neighborhood known as Edenwald.
Sleepless nights, suspicion, and violence are plaguing the hood,
all a result of rampant use of cocaine, known as "hard white"
among residents. Two Edenwald residents, Melquan and Precious,
have big dreams but must sever their ties to street life in
order to realize them. A story of triumph and tribulations,
beating the odds, and nail-biting drama, this novel deftly
unravels the story of two lives hang precariously over the
crucible of hard white.
Flirt
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by Tracy Brown, K'wan, Angel Mitchell, Shannon Holmes
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (November
24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312537018
ISBN-13: 978-0312537012
From the biggest names in urban fiction comes a
collection of unforgettably hot tales of urban love.
Flirting with Disaster by Tracy Brown
Chloe Webster is an around-the-way girl pursuing her
journalism degree at Hunter College. Then she meets
Trey, a handsome and well dressed cat with hood
swagger. When Trey tells Chloe that he is pursuing a
degree in psychology, Chloe thinks she has finally
met someone who has his head screwed on right. But
as Chole’s flirtation with Trey intensifies, secrets
are revealed and she finds that she’s playing with
fire.
Wild Cherry by K’wan
Gina is married to a man who more than takes good
care of her, but her life of luxury comes with a
price that she’s not sure she can pay anymore.
Princess’ man doesn’t see her as any more than
dollar signs—as long as she keeps using her body to
bring in the stacks. When Gina and Princess meet and
realize that they share a common problem, they sent
into motion an unforgettable plot that will solve
all their problems…
Twice in a Lifetime by Angel Mitchell
Beautiful Marley Lucas, has had her heart broken
before. Vowing to never experience that kind of pain
again, until...love hits her when and where she
least expects it. And this love turns out to be the
most devastating of all.
Streets
of New York Volume 1
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with
Mark Anthony, Eric Gray,
Anthony Whyte, Shannon Holmes (Foreword)
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Augustus Publishing; Original edition (June 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0979281679
ISBN-13: 978-0979281679
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
Streets Of New York Volume 1 takes readers into the turbulent
lives of Promise, Squeeze, Show, and Pooh, four young men from
the rough-and-tumble streets of Brook-nam. Big, brash, and bold,
the four are modern-day gangstas who take the law into their own
hands, helping to rid the ‘hood of derelicts by jacking drug
dealers, pimps, and prostitutes. Getting rid of the trash has
honed their skills in the urban sports of robbery, jooksing, and
jacking, and the gang is good at what they do. But is cleaning
up the neighborhood what it’s really all about, or have they
begun to enjoy the thrill of the hunt just a little too much?
When is enough, enough? A true coming-of-age urbanthology, these
funny and exciting stories land the reader deep in Gotham’s
gritty underbelly.
Dirty Game
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Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (May 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312359012
Kenny 'Ken-Ken' Greene left his days as a hustler behind him when his wife was killed during a scam gone bad, leaving him with a baby daughter. Now he's a cab driver, doing what he can to put food on the table and give his daughter, Destiny, everything she needs. In spite of his past or because of it, he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep Destiny off the streets. But when he is shot and paralyzed during a robbery while on the job, Destiny knows that she has to step up to the plate to take care of the father who has provided for her. Allowing herself to learn from one of the fiercest street hustlers, Destiny becomes his lover and soon her skills rival his. But the longer she stays in the game, the deeper into the game she falls.
Hood2Hood
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by Shannon Holmes and Others, Kia Dupree (Editor)
Paperback: 269 pages
Publisher: Shannon Holmes Communication Media; 1st edition
(April 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0981497802
ISBN-13: 978-0981497808
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
A classic collection of short stories from different authors from different backgrounds, from different parts of the country. In between these pages lie stories filled with twisted tales of deception, betrayal, infidelity, envy, tragedy and triumph. Journey into the back blocks, the alleys and corner, the undercarriage of society where murder, sex , money and mayhem reign supreme. Where those that know, don't tell and that tell, don't know.
Bad Girlz 4 Life
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Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (May
27, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312359020
#1 bestselling author Shannon Holmes returns with the explosive sequel to his national bestseller, Bad Girlz. Tender is back and this time the ride is wilder than ever.
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.
The Game: Short Stories About The
Life
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Paperback: 225 pages
Publisher: Triple Crown Publications (May 5, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0970247230
Enclosed is a walk through the city projects, ghettos and streets. It's a mind journey that puts life's realities into words. This anthology is the first of its kind to take such an array of authors, and their true to the life gritty tales, and allow their words to explode in one setting.
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.
B-More Careful
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Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Teri Woods Publishing (December 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0967224918
Shannon Holmes wrote his first novel, B-More Careful, while in prison. When it was published, B-More Careful immediately became a #1 bestseller, making him a major name in a new generation of hip hop fiction.
Related Links
MySpace (source of bio and headshot used
above)
http://www.myspace.com/shannon_holmes