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Dr. Maya Angelou and E. Lynn Harris Endorse Emerging New Orleans
Writer
"Nero is one of our most promising young authors." --Maya Angelou
Baton Rouge, LA (BlackNews.com) - Around a year ago this time,
Clarence Nero and his family were running scared and evacuating
to Baton Rouge to avoid Hurricane Katrina, one of the fiercest
storms to ever land on American soil. Nero was born and raised in
New Orleans's lower Ninth Ward Community that was completely
demolished in the aftermath of Katrina. His family lost everything.
"I'm a third-generation Ninth Ward resident," he writes in the
preface of his new novel, Three Sides To Every Story,
that tackles many timely issues in our communities today from black
men in prison, HIV and AIDS, to a taboo topic of homosexuality. "It
was in the Ninth Ward that I lost two brothers to violence and a
close female cousin to AIDS."
After much tragedy and lost, Nero is now looking towards his bright
future and getting geared up for his national book tour that will be
sponsored in part by Best selling author, E. Lynn Harris who offered
the following quote on the book's front jacket, "Nero has written a
sizzling, scintillating love triangle set in the Ninth Ward of our
beloved New Orleans."
"When E. Lynn heard that my publisher wasn't sending me on a book
tour, he offered to send me on one," said Nero with exuberance. "No
questions asked. It's truly a blessing to have his support."
Nero's novel, that hits bookstores on October 10, 2006, is already
creating quite a buzz in the literary world. "Three Sides" will be a
featured novel for Black Expressions Book Club, an African-American
women's club that boast a membership of over 400,000 and he received
a stellar review in Publishers Weekly, a respectable publishing
journal. But that's not even the biggest accomplishment of all. Nero
recently received a letter in the mail from Dr. Maya Angelou (he
sent her an advance copy of the novel to read). The letter not only
offered her full support of Three Sides To Every Story, but Dr.
Angelou agreed to host a book signing for the budding author at
Special Occasions Bookstore in her hometown of Winston Salem, North
Carolina on November 25.
"You see, there can be many blessings to come out of the worst of
tragedies," Nero said, reflecting over his endorsements from
prominent writers, E. Lynn Harris and Dr. Angelou. "Just like they
supported me, an immeasurable number of people embraced my family
and other Hurricane Katrina Survivors. And for that, I'm truly
grateful."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CLARENCE NERO grew up in New Orleans and earned a B.S. degree at
Howard University. His first novel, Cheekie, A Child Out of the
Desire, won wide critical acclaim. Nero, who once studied under
the leadership of southern writer, Dr. Ernest Gaines, has been
interviewed on major radio stations, including CBS and NBC
affiliates in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Atlanta, Washington, Tulsa,
and National Public Radio.
www.clarencenero.com
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