Black Fiction Addiction wanted to take a minute to honor celebrated author Tracy Brown whose birthday is June 8. She passed away on May 20, 2023. Here’s a little about the prolific author and a glimpse at her catalog.
Born and raised in Staten Island, New York, Tracy Brown was an author, poet, playwright, and screenwriter with a passion for the art of storytelling. She authored 11 novels, which have graced the bestsellers’ lists of publications such as Essence magazine and USA Today. She was a celebrity biographer, ghostwriter, and a visionary. Tracy also worked full time for the past 20 years in the field of finance. With extensive experience in legal billing, Tracy had worked with some of the top corporate and litigation attorneys in New York City.
Her writing career began in 2003 with the publication of her first novel Black via indie publisher Triple Crown Publications. She joined St. Martin’s Press (Macmillan) in 2005. With St. Martin’s Press, she released nine novels. She contributed to two anthologies and was nominated for the Newbery Medal for young readers. Tracy wrote and directed two stage plays entitled “Brand New” (2016) and “Redeemed” (2017). She ghostwrote novels and memoirs for a number of celebrity collaborators. She adapted a film script into an accompanying novel for one such celebrity collaborator in conjunction with St. Martin’s Press.
Tracy was the 2017 recipient of a proclamation from the New York City Council in honor of her outstanding service and enduring contributions to the community. She was the recipient of a citation for exemplary service from the New York State Senate’s 20th District; the 2017 awardee of a certificate of honor from the New York City Public Advocate’s office; and the 2013 recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the National Council of Negro Women.
Tracy volunteered as the instructor of a creative writing course for young ladies in a correctional environment of the New York State foster care system. She also taught scholars at Staten Island’s charter school Eagle Academy. She was the director of the nonprofit organization We Are Ladies First LTD (dba Ladies First), an organization on a mission to inform, inspire, and empower young women in urban communities. Ladies First provides an undergraduate scholarship, mentorship, sponsors young women to attend tours to historically black colleges and universities, and hosts financial planning and career readiness workshops.
Tracy’s motto was DREAM BIG! And she continued to do just that until her final day. Tracy is survived by her three children, Ashley, Quaviel, Justin, her three grandchildren and her mother.
About Her Books
Brooklyn Melody James has finally gotten the punishment she deserves after leaving a web of lies, heartache, and betrayal behind her. As her life slips away, Brooklyn remembers the events that shaped her into the cold, calculating creature she became.
Brooklyn learned the art of hustling from her parents who used the church to get money. Idolizing her father and despising her mother, Brooklyn’s determined to be the type of woman who makes her own rules. When her back’s up against the wall, she sacrifices her family, takes the burnt offering that remains, and runs away. In NYC, young Brooklyn charms her way into the inner circle of hustlers and stick-up kids, learning tricks along the way. She catches the eye of a major player in the drug game, Hassan, and they have a breathless love affair. Brooklyn becomes integrated into his operation, earning the trust of Hassan and his associates. But when she gets the keys to the kingdom, driven by unfettered ambition and a ruthless desire to survive, Brooklyn snatches the pot of gold, leaving bitter retribution promises behind her.
From DC to Maryland, Brooklyn burns bridges and breaks hearts. What she doesn’t realize is that someone is prepared to end her reign of terror. As she faces her killer and her fate, Brooklyn’s stunned that justice comes from the least likely place.
New York City. Late 1980s to early 1990s.
Mercy and Lenox Howard have always only had each other. Growing up on the mean streets of Harlem with an absentee mother meant that they had to have each other’s backs. Now young, smart mothers they are determined to survive in New York City while raising their two sons, who have bright futures ahead of them.
Mercy is the quiet, straight laced hospital administrator, struggling to make ends meet. At night and on weekends, she pours her heart into her cooking and her dream of owning her own restaurant. Lenox is the diva, the wild child, looking for excitement and her big come up in life and love. Their boys, Deon and Judah, have been raised more like brothers than cousins, forging a bond that is unbreakable.
When Lenox heads down a path that she believes will bring success and power, it changes the entire course of her life and her family’s life forever. As a result of their mother’s choices, cousins Deon and Judah soon find themselves in uncharted territory.
Ivy Donovan is a successful stylist, entrepreneur, and single mom who has been loyal to her sons’ father, Michael, who’s serving a lengthy prison sentence. But life has gotten lonely over the years, and Ivy wants more for herself. Michael, however, isn’t about to lose his family.
Coco Norris is well-off, single, childless, and struggling with her allegiance to emotionally unavailable men. When she finds a man who seems like he can give her everything she has ever wanted, Coco soon discovers that she has taken on more than she can possibly handle.
Deja Maddox is a real estate agent who is married to Bobby, a police sergeant with the NYPD. They have assimilated, looking down on anything that doesn’t fit their buttoned-up, polished life. But Deja isn’t as satisfied as she would like everyone to believe. When Deja’s past returns with a vengeance, she’s forced to face herself as her “perfect” life begins to crumble.
Nikki Diamond is a savvy, self-made businesswoman and social media darling who lives large and with no regrets. She’s also Deja’s little sister and thinks her sister can have so much more than her ho-hum marriage. And Nikki is all too happy to lend a “helping” hand to make that happen.
Things come to a head when Ivy’s youngest son, Kingston, is caught up in a polarizing encounter with the NYPD. Everyone must figure out where they stand, including Bobby, who suddenly has to decide if his “blue life” matters more to him than his Black life and the Black lives of those he loves.
Jada left home at the age of sixteen, running from her own demons and the horrors of physical abuse inflicted by her mother’s boyfriend. She partied hard, and life seemed good when she was with Born, the neighborhood kingpin whose name was synonymous with money, power, and respect. But all his love couldn’t save her from a crack addiction. Jada goes from crack addict and prostitute to survivor and back again before she finds the strength to live for herself and come out on top. And her stormy romance with one of the fiercest hustlers on the streets makes White Lines one of the most unforgettable urban loves stories of the year.
Jada left home at the age of sixteen, running from her own demons and the horrors of physical abuse inflicted by her mother’s boyfriend. Partying hard to forget her troubled past, she winds up on the arm of Born—the neighborhood kingpin whose name was synonymous with money, power, and respect. And danger…
The drama continues in WHITE LINES 2: BORN by Essence bestselling author Tracy Brown.
Life with Born seems good, but all his love can’t save Jada from a crack addiction. Completely strung out, Jada will stop at nothing to get the white lines she endlessly craves—even if it means selling her body for drugs and cash. But how far can Jada fall before she truly hits bottom?
WHITE LINES 3: LOVE/FATE is the stunning conclusion to the popular e-serial by Essence bestselling author Tracy Brown! Jada has to fall hard before she can rebound. Kept down by ruthless addiction and immersed in her stormy romance with one of the fiercest hustlers on the streets, Jada’s brutal downfall and stunning comeback makes this three-part serial one of the most unforgettable urban love stories of all time.
On the surface, it appears that Sunny has got it all–looks, money, a beautiful home, a healthy daughter, and friends who love her. But Sunny has a secret—something she hasn’t even told her best friend. The truth is Sunny is unhappy. She still misses her beloved Dorian, and worries that no other man will ever captivate her the way he did. She dated some very powerful and successful men since Dorian’s death. But will she ever find love again?
It’s not long before Sunny is chasing those white lines again. And, when the truth finally explodes, will Sunny able to put her life back together again?
White Lines III: All Falls Down
The ultimate love story began in White Lines, and now, in this stunning conclusion, Jada and Born come full circle, but not without paying a hefty price in White Lines III: All Falls Down by Tracy Brown.
On the surface, Jada’s life is back on track. She’s battled her demons, her son is a permanent part
of her life-and yet, it still feels like she’s on shaky ground. What she really needs to settle her soul is to have Born back in her life-and in her arms-again.
But reuniting with the man she loves is proving to be the hardest thing she’s ever fought for. And when a brutal and shocking event tests the foundation of Jada and Born’s resolve, it will take every drop of willpower they possess to stay on top.
Celeste Styles is starting over. After losing her cherished salon in a suspicious fire, she has finally left her adulterous relationship and her drama-filled life in Brooklyn for the peace and tranquility of Atlanta, Georgia. But when Rah-Lo heads down south after deciding to leave his wife Asia, Celeste is floored and isn’t quite sure if she wants to rekindle their affair. Meanwhile, Asia is hell bent on revenge. Vowing not to let Celeste get away with her man that easily, she, too, heads to Atlanta. But just on her heels is Ishmael Wright, ready to save the day and to warn his best friend Rah-Lo about his vengeful wife. Though Ishmael also has something else up his sleeve.
When Misa Atkinson confesses to the murder of Steven Bingham, her sister’s brother-in-law, for doing the unthinkable to her son, everything is turned upside down. Misa now faces jail time and the loss of her son forever, and his drug lord brother, Frankie Bingham is out for revenge. Camille drops another bomb on Frankie, telling her estranged husband (and his mistress) that she is pregnant with his child. Their friends, Dominique and Toya gather around Camille and Misa in their time of need, but the storm clouds have gathered over their own lives as well. Dominique’s daughter has gone missing and a dark figure from Toya’s past has come back with a vengeance. Against the backdrop of a high profile murder case these four friends will band together like they never have before as they confront the demons of their pasts and an uncertain future—together. And in the end, they are forever changed.
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 Chloe’s flirtation with Trey intensifies, secrets are revealed and she finds that she’s playing with fire, in Tracy Brown’s Flirting with Disaster.
Crystal Scott has the world at her fingertips. At the height of her career at a wildly popular magazine and on the rise in an enviable social circle, she’s beginning to think that maybe she can have it all. But her entire life, body, and soul is threatened when Troy Mitchell steps on the scene. Crystal has never felt the insatiable passion she feels for Troy…and it was certainly not part of her plan.
Troy pursues her full throttle, making it impossible for her to resist. Crystal can’t help but fall for the handsome, powerful, enigmatic man. But the families of both lovers will not stand for their love, and a raging inferno of bitterness and revenge threatens to consume them both as tensions ignite. With deadly twists and turns, Crystal and Troy must choose each other and give in to love, or they will not escape the ties that bind them…