Adams, Stacy Hawkins 1971-

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Adams, Stacy Hawkins 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born 1971, in AR; married; husband's name Donald (a minister); children: one daughter, one son. Education: Graduate of Jackson State University.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Richmond, VA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA, social issues reporter and inspirational columnist. Reading advocate through Reach Out and Read, Richmond, VA; Richmond Christian Leadership Institute, founding board member.

AWARDS, HONORS:

University of Maryland fellowship; Speak to My Heart was named Best New Multicultural Christian Fiction and Adams was named Best New Multicultural Christian Fiction Author by Shades of Romance magazine, 2004.

WRITINGS:

Speak to My Heart (novel), Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2004.

Nothing but the Right Thing (novel), Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals and Web sites, including, AARP, Heart & Soul, Crisis, USA Today, Crosswalk. com, and Florida Today; author of the column "Inspirations" for the Richmond Times-Dispatch and a blog at Crosswalk.com.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stacy Hawkins Adams, who has written an inspirational column in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia, made her fiction debut with Speak to My Heart, the first black inspirational novel offered by the publisher Fleming H. Revell. It is the story of Serena Jasper, a young woman working at a Richmond advertising agency, who questions her faith after learning a secret. Robin Caldwell reviewed the debut for GospelCity.com, describing Adams as "a writer's writer who takes calculated risks with words and dialogue. And, she is obviously an observant writer who hasn't wasted one ounce of all she's heard and seen in her years as a journalist."

Adams followed her debut with Nothing but the Right Thing, which begins with protagonist Erika Tyler Wilson taking a beating from her husband. Adams explores domestic abuse through her characters, who include Elliot, Erika's husband, and the older and wiser Charlotte. Characters from her first novel, including the gentle Micah and fatherly Melvin, also make appearances. Caldwell felt the novel would be a useful tool for women's groups and teen ministries and wrote that Adams "is definitely leading the pack as a storyteller but is also setting the standard for those who will follow in her generation." Booklist reviewer John Mort felt that "Adams' mix of chick lit and moral instruction may be just right."