Currently (2006) residing in Los Angeles, California; Butler completed her 5th novel Just My Luck.  She is also I am also developing her skills as both actor and director. She has completed her first short film.  You may email her at: asktj@tjbutler.com
 

Just My Luck
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ISBN: 1400060214
Format: Hardcover, 272pp
Pub. Date: March 2005
Publisher: One World

Bestselling author of The Night Before Thirty, Tajuana "TJ" Butler delivers one of her most richly imagined, complex, and beloved characters yetÑand delves into the void that many young women seek their lifetime trying to fill: the one left behind by a father.
Talk about an entrance. Lanita Lightfoot was born in a little corner store during the thick of the Watts Riots in southern California. Her untimely entry into the world saved the place from being sacked by lootersÑand the shop owner showed his gratitude by giving her mother, Aretha, a decade of free rent. But when the reward dries up and her single mother takes to the bottle and a no-good loser boyfriend, LanitaÕs life becomes drastically altered.

Forced to live in a cramped, dingy apartment, she longs for her biological father to rescue them. Lanita, now thirty-eight, shares this and many other dramatic twists and turns to her lifeÕs story, from 1965 to present day, to a hairdresser and a host of colorful characters in an upscale black salon. Lanita embarks upon the journey of becoming a woman while the world evolves and as historical events impact her corner of the world, the black race and the United States. She encounters historical popular culture icons such as Michael Jackson, Todd Bridges and others who transform her perception of her own life. She turns sweet sixteen during a time when the world was engrossed with "Who shot JR?" and attends Howard University when Martin Luther King Jr.Õs birthday had just become a national holiday. Lanita later finds herself in a West Hollywood strip club. It is not until the new millennium that Lanita finally walks across the stage to receive her diploma. Follow along with her salon audience and witness her lifeÕs constant knockdowns and ironic turns-of-luck.
 

The Night Before Thirty
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ISBN: 1400060206
Format: Hardcover, 240pp
Pub. Date: May 2003
Publisher: Random House, Incorporated

A novel about five women on the verge of turning 30 whose lives are changed forever when they meet through a national radio contest.

At first glance you couldn’t find five women more different…. Catara is a personal shopper in New York who dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Embarrassed by her weight, she let’s a lack of self-confidence derail her goals.

In Atlanta, Lashawnda has gone from a string of bad relationships with men into one with a woman that doesn’t seem much better.

Elise is realizing her dream of opening up a gymnastics school in Louisville, Kentucky but after her business and taking care of her grandmother, there isn’t much time left to nurture herself.

Tanya’s relationship with her boyfriend is at the breaking point. She’s ready to leave Chicago and fast city living and settle down and have a family, but her man isn’t on the same page.

Alecia’s been getting by on her looks for a long time, but when her (married) boyfriend makes it clear that his wife comes first, she has to realize that beauty fades and she must prepare for her future.

But these women do have something in common — they all share the same birthday and are about to turn 30. When the #1 black syndicated radio show in the country sponsors a Night Before Thirty Getaway weekend these women come together and while their time together is brief, the impact they have upon each others lives is everlasting.

Hand-me-down Heartache
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ISBN: 0812968336
Format: Paperback, 256pp
Pub. Date: April 2003
Publisher: Random House, Incorporated

A novel about a young woman navigating the sometimes rocky terrain of family, career and relationships.

After graduating from college, Nina Lander moves back in with her parents as she temps and tries to find a "real" job. She isn’t finding it very easy to break into television broadcasting and her parent’s strained marriage has made living at home even more depressing. But when she meets Maurice, a promising basketball rookie, Nina feels like she’s found the one. Nina is determined to make the relationship work despite evidence Maurice hasn’t always been faithful, which hurts Nina but doesn’t surprise her. Her father cheated on her mother, and her brother cheated on his girlfriends – thus she has low expectations for the men in her life.

When a chance encounter with a high school classmate who’s grown into a successful rapper sends Maurice into a jealous rage, it is not long before Nina’ s friends are urging her to let him go. Even though she finds her dream job as a sports reporter for a local television station, Nina still can’t keep Maurice out of her mind. To complicate matters, her high school friend Leo seems to be everything Maurice is not. Nina must decide between a man she loves but treats her wrong and a man who is willing to do everything right.

But all of this takes a back seat when her mother falls ill, and Nina puts her life on hold to take care of her.  As both mother and daughter examine their relationships with the men in their lives, and as Nina’s mother finally finds the courage to take her husband to task for his treatment of her, Nina finds the strength to break the chain of heartache that has been handed down from mother to daughter. In Hand-me-down Heartache author TJ Butler has crafted a heartwarming novel about the strength of relationships among women, be they mothers, mentors, or friends

Sorority Sisters
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ISBN: 0375757589
Format: Paperback, 240pp
Pub. Date: September 2001
Publisher: The Random House Publishing Group

In Sorority Sisters, Butler writes with sensitivity and authenticity about issues revolving around class, friendship, self-discovery, sexuality, and love. She has created characters who remain with you long after the last page has been turned. A gifted young storyteller, Tajuana "TJ" Butler has a voice we'll be hearing from for a long time.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for developing me into a
beautiful and talented woman.
Thank you for being my protector
and my guide.
And as I make my way along my journey,
bless me with the wisdom to make
intelligent choices.

So begins Sorority Sisters by Tajuana "TJ" Butler, a dazzling new voice in African-American fiction. In this wonderful debut novel, five young women from diverse backgrounds pledge an African-American sorority and learn the true meaning of sisterhood.

CAJEN is a naive freshman whose brief affair with Jason, the campus Romeo, has life-changing repercussions. With hardly a chance to cope with her new circumstances, she finds herself dealing with the stress of pledging while battling feelings of depression and guilt.

TIARA grew up as the oldest of five children raised by a single mother in the projects of Gary, Indiana. Motivated by Rhonda, her mentor through the Big Sisters program, she has worked hard for everything she has achieved. Simply being in college is a victory for her.

CHANCEY is brilliant, with a photographic memory that has allowed her to breeze through school. In fact, she skipped her freshman year entirely and entered college as a sophomore. She has always been made to feel like an outsider because of her intelligence, and the sorority represents an opportunity for her finally to fit in.

STEPHANIE is the spoiled only child of a prominent, wealthy family from Savannah. She is used to getting the best and expects no less. But Stephanie is adopted and harbors a secret about her birth mother that she fears win cause others to think less of her.

MALENA is ambitious, talented, and smart. She knows what she wants and is steadfast when it comes to achieving her goals. Her strength and resolve ultimately benefit the group as a whole.

These five very different young women are thrust together and soon must learn to unite and draw upon one another's talents. During the course of their pledge process, they struggle to discover and define their futures, finding strength in the group and within themselves.

The Desires of A Woman: Poems Celebrating Womanhood
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ISBN: 0965925404
Format: Hardcover, 68pp
Pub. Date: June 1997
Publisher: Lavelle Publishing

The constantly debated question of what does a woman really want was answered by Tajuana "TJ" Butler through her poetic commentary in The Desires of A Woman: Poems Celebrating Womanhood.

This inspiring collection of poems illustrates the inner essence of the heart of many women including the author. The desire for romance, spiritual balance, inner peace, understanding, and true love are sophisticatedly intertwined in the emotionally filled words and mood setting stanzas.This compilation of emotion and experience reaches out to men to encourage understanding and compassion while expressing the thoughts of women of all ages. Each verse expresses the female development process in its most simplistic form. The Desires of A Woman delves into a range of experiences in many different settings and situations. This work reflects gradual maturity and personal development. The poem "His Touch" reads, "Don't get me wrong, I am sophisticated and strong, but nothing makes me weak like the touch of a black man!" Another excerpt includes the poem "Me" which reads, "These eyes tell a story of pain and joy, love and hate." Every word throughout the book speaks to the female heart and soul.

Related Links

Butler's Official Website
http://www.tjbutler.com

 

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