Top-selling Author, M.C. Beamon releases her second novel, Eyewitness. WHAT WOULD CAUSE SOMEONE TO BURN DOWN CHURCHES ALL OVER THE SOUTH? ARE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS CREDIBLE?

Top-selling Author, M.C. Beamon releases her second novel, Eyewitness. WHAT WOULD CAUSE SOMEONE TO BURN DOWN CHURCHES ALL OVER THE SOUTH? ARE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS CREDIBLE? On November 15, 2002, M.C. Beamon, author of the top-selling print on demand title, Dark Recesses, will release her second novel, Eyewitness (ISBN #: 0-9722932-5-6) s, which attempts to answer these questions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Nika C. Beamon/Author   
Fax:       212-456-3006
Phone:      917-751-2974 or 212-456-3104   
E-mail:      Doty17@go.com
Website:    www.MCBeamon.com      
Publisher:   Aventine Press

Crimes have been committed in the small town of Emerson Woods. Beulah Baptist Church has been set ablaze and when Randolph McGee stumbles upon the arsonist during his morning jog, he is shot to death by the merciless culprit in an attempt for the arsonist to protect his identity. Beulah Baptist, a church a predominately Black congregation, has been a source of controversy in the small community every since it was built in a predominately White part of town. When the police begin to question potential witnesses, two starkly different descriptions of the arsonist emerge. All the witnesses describe the same apparel, height and build, but some describe the alleged suspect as being White while one describes him as a Black man. The stakes are raised even higher when the church fire is linked to similar church arsons throughout the South. The ensuing investigation results in unlikely friendships developing, and racial division at its worst. Who really committed the crime and which eyewitness" description is correct?

M.C. Beamon has written a powerful story about how deceiving perceptions can be. Further she adeptly demonstrated how our racial stereotypes can cause us to see" things inaccurately. This story is so much more than a mystery. As the author uncovers the clues that will eventually lead us to the truth about the crime, she weaves in lessons about racial healing, faith and justice. Eyewitness is a novel that reminds us that things are not always as they seem," Stacey Seay of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers. RAW Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)

As a talk show host for WNUA FM Chicago, I receive a dozen titles a week. That said, I can easily say that Nika Beamons is the best novel I've read in a long time. Here's why: Using the historical backdrop of church burnings in the Deep South, Beamon digs deep into the detective genre and reveals hidden truths about people and places. Her careful characterizations coupled with her crisp prose weave a tight literary tapestry that showcases true talent. I highly recommend "Eyewitness," Stan West

In "Eyewitness," M.C. Beamon tells a chilling tale of what happens in a small southern town when a crime is committed, and racial pride and prejudice overshadow the conflicting reports of two eyewitnesses. In this well plotted story, an innocent man is harassed and beaten based on one witness's theory of what she thought she saw. Prejudice against the accused move the police and government authorities to overlook the precise and very contrary description given by a second eyewitness.
Ms. Beamon's story probes many thought provoking questions into how far a police investigation should go, and on what information an arrest should be based. Eyewitness is a story that will leave you wondering just how many have been unjustly accused and convicted based on an eyewitness," Andree Michelle, Author of Caught in a Trap.

"Nika C. Beamon's sophomore novel, Eyewitness, raises the perplexing question: Are we all unreliable witnesses when it comes to matters of race? A riveting tale which will hold you until the last page," Maxine E. Thompson, CEO, Black Butterfly Press and host of On the Same Page."

About the author:
MTamanika (Nika) C. Beamon is a 30 year-old, African-American, residing in Scarsdale, New York. Currently, she is the Newsroom Manager/Producer at WABC-TV Eyewitness News in New York. She serves as the Coordinating Producer for Like It Is with Gil Noble, the longest running African American public affairs program in the country. She is a member of the Prolific Writers Network; NABJ and Black Writers Alliance.

In June 2000, she published her first novel, Dark Recesses, the poignant tale of David Jackson, a promising, young attorney who travels to rural Virginia for a family reunion and is entangled in a web of betrayal that had been hidden in his family tree. Dark Recesses was listed in Inside Magazine (12/00) as a best-selling print on demand title. She is also a regular book review columnist on theblackmarket.com; newbookreviews.com; etc.

For a review copy, please contact M.C. Beamon via e-mail at: doty17@go.com