Niobia Bryant

Last updated

Niobia Simone Bryant
BornNovember 24
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Pen nameNiobia Bryant,
Meesha Mink,
Simone Bryant
OccupationWriter
Alma mater Seton Hall University
Period2000–present
Genre Romance
Fiction
Urban Fiction
Crime Fiction
YA Fiction
Website
niobiabryant.com

Niobia Bryant (born November 24 in Newark, New Jersey) is an African-American novelist of both romance and mainstream fiction. She also writes urban fiction and crime fiction as Meesha Mink and young adult fiction as Simone Bryant.

Contents

Biography

Niobia Bryant was born and raised in the Central Ward of Newark, New Jersey [1] to Letha and Ernest. She has one brother, Caleb. Bryant was raised in a single-parent home and credits her mother for introducing her to books at an early age. [2]

Bryant was educated in the Newark Public Schools system and graduated from University High School, eventually earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Behavioral Science with an accompanying Psychology minor from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. [3]

Bryant finished her first book, an African-American romance she entitled Down Home Girl in 1999 and submitted it to several publishers. After offers from two publishing houses, she accepted the deal with BET Book/Arabesque. The title was changed to Admission of Love and her debut was released August 2000 to rave reviews. Her second book from BET Books, Three Times a Lady (2001), became her first national bestseller. In 2003 Three Times a Lady was selected by the Books for the Blind (Talking Books) program to be transcribed into an audio recording supplied free of charge to people who are blind or visually impaired. [4] Her romances, "Make You Mine" and "Red Hot" won for the 2009 and 2013 Romantic Times Best African-American Romance Awards, respectively.

In 2007, her first mainstream Live and Learn was published by Kensington Publishing. In her mainstream books the subject matter steered away from the happily ever after of romance and took on more complex and darker themes like adultery, drug addiction, and domestic violence. Since Live and Learn Bryant has written several mainstream novels that have showcased her diverse writing ability, including her bestselling Mistress series (Message from a Mistress, Mistress No More, Mistress, INC., The Pleasure Trap, and the upcoming Mistress for Hire). The Pleasure Trap was nominated for a 2014 RT Award for Best Multicultural Fiction. [5] In 2017 Message from a Mistress was made into a TV movie broadcast on Centric. [6]

In 2008, Bryant teamed up with a fellow romance author to write the urban fiction Hoodwives series for Simon & Schuster/Touchstone. Writing as Meesha Mink and De'Nesha Diamond, their first collaboration, Desperate Hoodwives, was released in January 2008, followed by Shameless Hoodwives in August 2008, and the highly anticipated The Hood Life in January 2009. The books have been featured in many national publications and have received critical praise for the writers' skill at storytelling and character development. The New York Post listed Desperate Hoodwives as Required Reading and Essence magazine listed Shameless Hoodwives as one of their "Top Ten Summer Sizzlers" in 2008. [7] In 2011 she released her first solo project as Meesha Mink for Simon & Schuster/Touchstone, the "Real Wifeys" trilogy (Real Wifeys: On the Grind, Real Wifeys: Get Money, and Real Wifeys: Hustle Hard). Mink's Kiss the Ring, the first book in the author's on-going urban fiction/ mystery "Queen" series centered on a modern-day Foxy Brown-like character, [8] received rave reviews from Ebony Magazine, [9] The Library Journal, [10] and Publishers Weekly. [11] The second book, All Hail the Queen, was released February 2015. After a six-year hiatus, the third book, Street Queens, was released independently.

The Meesha Mink website credits the author with saying:

The stories about inner cities need to be as diverse as the people who live in these environments. Growing up on 16th Ave in Newark all my life, I knew in a one-block radius you could either have: a single mother or a married couple raising their family; dope dealers or people working forty hours a week; a homeowner or someone renting a low income apartment. For me, urban fiction isn't about glorifying the negatives in the 'hood, but simply telling the real stories that do exist. As a writer and a reader, I can always respect the gift of storytelling of ALL stories.

Since her 2000 debut, Bryant's books have consistently received top reviews; hit bestseller lists; been released as audiobook, book club and large print editions; and garnered award nominations/wins. Two of her books, "Real Wifeys: On The Grind" and "Mistress No More", simultaneously made the list of Black Expressions’ Best Books of 2011. Her books have appeared in many national publications including Ebony Magazine, Essence Magazine, The New York Post, Star Ledger, The Huffington Post, USA Today, Dallas Morning News, Upscale, Smooth Magazine, Juicy Magazine, The Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Black Hair Magazine UK, and Parle Magazine . [12] [13]

Currently Bryant writes full-time and lives in South Carolina. [14]

Bibliography

Writing as Niobia Bryant (romance mass-market paperbacks)

Writing as Niobia Bryant (mainstream trade-sized paperback)

Writing as Niobia Simone (erotica)

Writing as Meesha Mink (urban fiction)

Writing as Simone Bryant (young adult fiction)

Film Adaptation

Awards and accolades

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References

  1. ↑ "Meesha Mink".
  2. ↑ "Protected Blog › Log in". hoodwives.wordpress.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Bestselling Author Niobia Bryant".
  4. ↑ "NLS/BPH: Talking Book Topics, September-October, 2003". www.loc.gov. Archived from the original on October 18, 2003.
  5. ↑ "The Pleasure Trap".
  6. ↑ "Message from a Mistress". IMDb .
  7. ↑ "Private Site".
  8. ↑ "Author makes voice heard with 'street lit' | Dallas Morning News". Archived from the original on December 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Run-DMC, Dr. Dre Branch off 'Hip-Hop Family Tree' [NEW BOOKS]". August 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Library Journal". www.libraryjournal.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: Kiss the Ring: An Urban Tale by Meesha Mink. S&S/Touchstone, $14.99 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-4767-5530-4". August 5, 2014.
  12. ↑ Robinson, George (March 5, 2013). "Meesha Mink Continues Her Unique Brand of Urban Fiction". Parlemag.com. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Publicity | Media". August 11, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Meesha Mink".
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