Books published by publisher Tinsley Phelps

High school for Reggie Stevens is about to take him out. Bullies, death and a girlfriend threaten to drive him crazy. His passion for music keeps him sane and his dreams for the spotlight alive. Caught in a war he knows nothing about, a school he can’t stand and a situation no young man would want to be in, will Reggie be able to survive his first year in high school or will it break him?

At the age of eleven and a half, Martin Little wanted to be just like his parents. His father was a door-to-door salesman for a prominent African American hair care firm; his mother owns one of the hottest beauty salons in the Denver Metropolitan Area. With their blessing, they encourage Martin and his friends to sell candy to compete with the school store. Martin and his friends establish a highly successful candy distribution network that attracts the attention of Garfield and Freddie, leaders of a local gang set at their school. Garfield and Freddie see the potential to exploit Martin's business for a legitimate cover for their illegal gang activities. To make matters worse, Martin and his friends also have to contend with a growing Hispanic population that seems to be taking over the once all black neighborhood. The increasing tensions between the African Americans and the Hispanics in the community seem to be spilling over to their school, causing drama between the two sets of friends. With the threat of being forced to join one of the notorious gangs in the Denver Metropolitan Area on the horizon and the possibility of a race war of epic proportions, will Martin and his friends prove that their dreams of entrepreneurship and independence will be worth fighting for?

Like any good man, Second Chance misses his mother. After her death, Second must make the decisions about the friends and family in his life to ensure the development of productive relationships that are the best for him and his children. Brenda is his on-again, off-again ride or die chick that is the mother of his eldest child. His half-brothers Hope, Passion & Love all deal with having different fathers and the impact that it has had on their lives. Allen is his best friend and roommate who just can t stay out of trouble. Not too many people get a chance to change or start over while things are good, but when the choices that Second must make affect his family, friends and his own life, he must make those choices carefully.

Franklin Dell lived in Denver, Colorado, where he and his group of friends sold candy in their middle school, fought gang violence and enjoyed a nearly peaceful seventh grade year. Franklin has always bragged about Winston-Salem, North Carolina was his dream home. He enjoyed the predominantly African American city and wants nothing more than to leave the thuggish, ruggish gangster ways of Denver behind. Upon arriving in Winston-Salem, he finds that the city is nothing how he imagined it being from his summer visit. He can’t get a long with anyone at Hanes Middle School except for Mike Lane, a fourteen year old bad ass who happens to be gay. As Franklin and Mike grow up, they find that friendship is important and help each face teenage trials. When something happens to potentially end one of their lives and their friendship, will these young men be able to face their challenges together?

As Josiah "Thing" Seals and Kandi Bigelow graduate high school, they have to face tough obstacles for their love to endure. Josiah has to learn to stand up to his mother and end the mental, physical and sexual abuse he's suffered at her hands. Looking for a way out, he begins to search for a real job, new apartment and a new walk with God. But being an eighteen year old young black man is not easy and for Josiah, he needs to learn not to fall into the temptations that have led many youth astray not just for himself, but so that his little brother, Joshua won't suffer the same fate. Kandi's done stealing...after successfully completing the terms of her probation, she's looking forward to putting her pick pocketing and her sorry ex-boyfriend, Cortez behind. However, once her older sister returns from prison, she may need to do one last job to get them both out of a bind. Can Kandi and Josiah beat the odds and see where their relationship will go, or will they both be stuck in situations that will end their relationship permanently?

Suicide appeared to be the answer for Tyson Lucky’s losing faith in God, ending his abusive relationship with his father and blaming himself for the death of his girlfriend, but it wasn’t. After failing his last attempt, he is sent to live with his family in Denver, Colorado, who seem to have problems of their own. Second is a sixteen year old trying to find his biological father, a task made difficult from his mother’s past promiscuous behavior. Love is fighting for everyone to accept his biological father, the only man who has stepped to the plate to take on the responsibility. The twenty-something Hope does not want to grow up and their mother, Ankh is more interested in the boys learning about their African roots and finding ways to send her other son to college than attending to her sons’ every need. In the balance, Tyson must not only heal from his past hurts, but learn to love and trust God, again. In the story that combines the struggle to maintain one’s faith while growing up, Jarold Imes demonstrates why it’s not easy being a