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Ashley & JaQuavis
BornAshley Antoinette Snell
JaQuavis Coleman
Flint, Michigan, U.S.
GenreStreet lit
Years active2006-present
Notable awardsNew York Times Best Seller
Website
www.ashleyjaquavis.com

Ashley & JaQuavis is the pseudonym of American writing street lit duo and New York Times best selling authors Ashley Antoinette and JaQuavis Coleman.[1][2] They are considered the youngest African-American co-authors to place on the New York Times Best Seller list twice.[3][4][5] Their best-known work is the Cartel series, which appeared on the list in 2009 and 2010.[6]

Biography

[edit]

Ashley Antoinette Snell (b. 1985) and JaQuavis Coleman (c. 1984) were both born in Flint, Michigan.[2][7][8] Coleman was raised in foster homes after being removed from his mother's home at age eight and eventually graduated from Flint Central High School; Antoinette graduated from Hamady High School.[2][7][9] Coleman began selling cocaine at age 12.[2][9] The couple met following an attempted drug bust, during which Coleman, then 16, realized he was selling to an undercover cop.[2][9] He fled, eventually throwing the drugs into a bush off an alleyway.[2] When the cops caught up with him, they were unable to locate the drugs in the bushes or on his person and were forced to let him go.[2] Within days, Antoinette got in contact with Coleman to tell him she had seen him running from her window and dug the drugs out of the bushes to hide in her basement before the cops caught up.[2][10] They were both avid readers and became close very quickly.[9] Antoinette was pregnant within a year and the two moved in together while still attending high school.[10] In the second month of pregnancy, Antoinette was forced to end what had become an ectopic pregnancy, which sent Antoinette into a deep depression.[10] One day, Coleman told her: "I bet I could write a better book than you."[10] Antoinette, who was very competitive, agreed; within days, they combined their works into Dirty Money, their first novel.[9][11] The pair attended Ferris State University for two semesters, during which Coleman continued to sell cocaine in Flint.[2][7]

Career

[edit]

At 18, they landed their first publishing deal by selling the Dirty Money manuscript to Carl Weber's Kensington Publishing imprint, which focused on street lit.[9][7][12] In her excitement, Antoinette flushed the rest of Coleman's cocaine stash, which he claims was worth $40,000, despite their advance being for only $4,000.[7][2][9] They dropped out of Ferris State and moved to New York to pursue writing.[7] Antoinette and Coleman's books are based primarily by their lives in impoverished Flint, Michigan.[2][11] They initially sold free advance copies they received from their publisher from the trunk of their car but quickly became prolific authors in the street lit genre, publishing four or five books annually.[13][9] By 2009, their book Tale of the Murda Mamas, the second installment of their Cartel series, appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.[6]

In 2012, Diamonds Are Forever, Cartel book four, was also featured on the New York Times Best Seller list, and Coleman and Antonette were recognized as #27 of Ebony's Power 100, a list that also featured the Obamas, Oprah, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and Trayvon Martin.[1][14] They were nominated separately for Street Lit Writer of the Year by the African Americans on the Move Book Club (AAMBC); JaQuavis was also nominated for Male Author of the Year.[15] In 2013, they started their own company, the Official Writers League, which publishes authors such as Keishar Tyree, C.N. Phillips, and Amaleka McCall.[16] Antoinette signed a contract with Viacom to write several novelas about the main characters from the show Single Ladies on VH1.[16] She was also nominated as the Female Author of the Year by the AAMBC.[17] Antoinette received two more nominations by the AAMBC in 2014 (Reader's Choice Awards) and 2016 (Street Lit Writer of the Year).[18][19]

The pair was awarded with the Urban Classic Honor at the 2018 AAMBC Awards; the following year, Antoinette's Ethic series was named the Best Black Book Series and she was named Author Queen of the Year by Black Girls Who Write (BGWW), while Coleman was named Author King of the Year.[20][21] In 2020, Antoinette won her first AAMBC awards: Urban Book of the Year for the sixth installment of her Ethics series and Street Lit Writer of the Year.[22] She and Coleman were awarded the Best Black Collaborative Series by BGWW.[23] Antoinette and the couple's 10-year old son Quaye co-wrote The Girl Behind the Wall, published in 2020 by Ashley Antoinette Inc.[24]

Many of their books, including Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Diamonds Are Forever, and The Demise, are banned in American prisons for being sexually explicit or for having criminal activity.[25][9]

Film

[edit]

In addition to writing, JaQuavis is also a film producer and director.[26][5] In 2012, he directed Hard 6ix, based on their novel Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, and starring Tone Trump, Ashley Antoinette, and Tiffany Marshall.[11][6] In 2013, he directed 1000's "Life of a DopeBoy" music video and worked production on a film with Sean Lott.[16][27] He was also working with HBO on the pilot of a television show.[27] In 2015, he wrote and directed White House: The Movie based on his novel The White House.[28] In 2021, Coleman worked as executive producer, writer, and director of the film Everything is Both, co-produced by Ekpe Udoh and starring Barton Fitzpatrick, Stakiah Washington, and Jason Mitchell.[29] The film is based on a short story by Coleman.[30]

Antoinette and Coleman signed Cartel film rights over to Cash Money Content in 2012.[7][11] Coleman also signed deals with Warner Bros and NBC Universal for television development.[26][4]

Personal life

[edit]

Their son Quaye was born in 2010.[7] In 2011, they were living in Manhattan, New York City; by 2015, the family lived in a four-bedroom home north of Detroit.[9][7]

Bibliography

[edit]

Ashley and JaQuavis

[edit]
Year Title Series Publisher Awards Refs
2006 Dirty Money Dirty Money book 1 Urban Books [9]
Diary of a Street Diva Dirty Money book 2 [31]
2007 Supreme Clientele Dirty Money book 3 Urban Books [32]
2008 The Trophy Wife Urban Books [33]
Girls from Da Hood 4 (with Ayana Ellis) Girls from Da Hood book 4 [34]
2009 The Cartel Cartel book 1 Urban Books [35]
Tale of the Murda Mamas Cartel book 2 2009 New York Times Best Seller
2010 Street Literature Book (adult fiction)		 [36][7][6]
2010 Flexin & Sexin Volume 2 Flexin & Sexin anthology book 2 Life Changing Books/Power Play Media [37]
The Last Chapter Cartel book 3 Urban Books 2010 New York Times Best Seller [6][5]
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang [38]
2011 Murderville Murderville book 1 Cash Money Content 2012 Street Literature Book honoree (adult fiction) [36][6]
Crown Urban Books [39]
Soft: Cocaine Love Stories [40]
2012 The Epidemic Murderville book 2 Cash Money Content [6]
Black Friday: Exposed Urban Books [41]
Diamonds are Forever Cartel book 4 2012 New York Times Best Seller
2013 African Americans on the Move Book Club Street Urban Book of the Year nominee		 [17][1]
Carter Diamond Cartel prequel, book 1 Urban Audiobooks [42]
2013 Carter Diamond 2 Cartel prequel, book 2 Urban Audiobooks [43]
Moving Weight [44]
The Black Dahlia Murderville book 3 Cash Money Content 2014 Street Literature Book Award Medal honoree (adult fiction) [36]
Murder Mamas Urban Books [45]
The Beginning Circle book 1 Blackstone Audio [46]
2014 Empire: A Street Novel Blackstone Audio [47]
La Bella Mafia Cartel book 5 Urban Books [48]
2015 Carter Diamond 3 Cartel prequel, book 3 [49]
2016 The Demise Cartel book 6 St. Martin's Griffin [50]
2017 Illuminati: Roundtable of the Bosses Cartel book 7 St. Martin's Griffin [51]
2020 The Confessional (audio short) Brilliance Audio [52]
Money Devils 1 Cartel book 8 St. Martin's Griffin [53]
Long Live the Cartel Cartel book 10 Independently published
2023 Money Devils 2 Cartel book 9 St. Martin's Griffin [54]

JaQuavis Coleman

[edit]
Year Title Series Publisher Awards Refs
2009 The Dopeman's Wife The Dopeman book 1 Urban Books
2010 The Dopefiend The Dopeman book 2 Urban Books
The Dopeman: Memoirs of a Snitch The Dopeman book 3
2012 The Day the Streets Stood Still Urban Books [55]
2014 The White House Akashic Books [56]
2017 The Streets Have No King The Streets Have No King book 1 St. Martin's Griffin 2018 African Americans on the Move Book Club Street Lit Writer of the Year nominee [57][58]
2019 The Streets Have No Queen The Streets Have No King book 2 Urban Books [59]
Cubana [59]
2022 The Stiletto Agreement St. Martin's Griffin [60]

Ashley Antoinette

[edit]
Year Title Series Publisher Awards Refs
2009 The Prada Plan Prada Plan book 1 Urban Books [61]
2010 Moth to a Flame Urban Books [61]
The Prada Plan 2: Leah's Story Prada Plan book 2 [62]
2011 The Prada Plan 3: Green-Eyed Monster Prada Plan book 3 Urban Books 2014 Street Literature Book honoree (adult fiction) [36][61]
Girls from Da Hood 6 (with Amaleka McCall) Girls from Da Hood book 6 [63]
2012 Guilty Gucci Urban Books 2013 African Americans on the Move Book Club Female Author of the Year nominee [17][64]
2013 April: No Sex in the City Single Ladies book 1 VH1 Books [65]
Raquel: Trois Single Ladies book 2 [65]
Keisha: A Couple of Favors Single Ladies book 3 [65]
2014 The Prada Plan 4: Love and War Prada Plan book 4 Urban Books [61]
Love Burn Love Burn book 1 Ashley Antoinette Inc. [66]
2015 Love Burn 2 Love Burn book 2 Ashley Antoinette Inc. [67]
Love Burn 3 Love Burn book 3 Official Writers League [68]
Luxe Luxe book 1 St. Martin's Griffin [61]
2016 Love Burn 4 Love Burn book 4 Independently published [69]
Luxe Two: A LaLa Land Addiction Luxe book 2 St. Martin's Griffin [70]
2017 The Prada Plan 5 Prada Plan book 5 St. Martin's Griffin [61]
2018 Ethic Ethic book 1 Ashley Antoinette Inc. 2019 African Americans on the Move Book Club eBook of the Year nominee [71][72]
Ethic 2 Ethic book 2 [73]
Ethic 3 Ethic book 3 [74]
2019 Christmas with the Okafors Ethic tie-in Ashley Antoinette Inc. [75]
Ethic 4 Ethic book 4 [76]
Ethic 5 Ethic book 5 [77]
Ethic 6 Ethic book 6 2020 African Americans on the Move Book Club Urban Book of the Year winner [22][78]
2020 Butterfly Butterfly book 1 St. Martin's Griffin 2021 African Americans on the Move Book Club Urban Book of the Year nominee; USA Today bestseller [79][53][80]
Butterfly 2 Butterfly book 2 [61]
Butterfly 3 Butterfly book 3 2020 Black Girls Who Write Best Black Urban Romance [61][23]
The Invitation: An Ethic Holiday Edition Ethic tie-in Ashley Antoinette Inc. [81]
The Girl Behind the Wall (with Quaye Coleman) [24]
2022 Butterfly 4 Butterfly book 4 St. Martin's Griffin [82]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Paperback Trade Fiction". New York Times. November 18, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Robertson, Darryl (November 4, 2016). "V Books: Ashley & JaQuavis Prove That Crime Pays In 'The Cartel 6: The Demise'". Vibe. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  3. ^ Harrison, Jamie (August 28, 2012). "Cool Jobs: Best-Selling Duo Infuses Love in Urban Thrillers". Black Enterprise. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Choi, Mary HK (November 12, 2017). "This Detroit duo is bringing "Street Lit" to television mainstream". Vice. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Crates, Jake (July 18, 2012). "Cash Money's New York Times Bestselling Authors Ashley & JaQuavis To Release Next Book In "Murderville" Trilogy". All HipHop. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Ketchum III, William E. (June 27, 2012). "Bestselling authors Ashley and JaQuavis to shoot Cash Money Content video trailer in Flint". MLive. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Acosta, Roberto (September 1, 2011). "Flint natives find success in street fiction genre; sign book, movie deal with Cash Money label". MLive. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "Dirty Money". Better World Books. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rosen, Jody (May 3, 2015). "Ashley and JaQuavis Coleman: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang/". T. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Atkinson, Scott (August 1, 2015). "Flint author's latest novel tells story of young girl trying to get out of 'the hood'". MLive. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d Ramos, Dorkys (July 25, 2012). "BET.com Exclusive: Authors Ashley and JaQuavis Coleman Talk About New Murderville Book". BET. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  12. ^ Blackwell, Ashley (November 13, 2017). "Ten Black Urban Authors You Should Definitely Check Out". Parle Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  13. ^ Turner, Dawn M. (September 14, 2015). "'Urban fiction' makes readers blush, cringe". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  14. ^ "EBONY Reveals 2012 Power 100!". EBONY. November 1, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "2012 AAMBC Literary Awards Nominees". AAMBC Awards. March 1, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c Ketchum III, William E. (September 5, 2013). "Bestselling authors Ashley and Jaquavis talk VH1 'Single Ladies' and Prodigy partnerships, 'Murderville 3'". MLive. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c "2013 AAMBC Award full list of winners #AAMBCAwards". AAMBC Awards. February 19, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  18. ^ "2014 #AAMBCAwards winners full list". AAMBC Awards. March 11, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  19. ^ "2016 AAMBC Literary Award Nominees #AAMBCAwards". AAMBC Awards. February 6, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  20. ^ "Ed Lover, Roxanne Shante, Angie Stone and More to Attend Black Writer's Weekend and AAMBC Literary Awards in Atlanta, June 7-10th". BlackNews.com. May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  21. ^ "2019 bgww award winners". Black Girls Who Write. 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "2020 AAMBC Awards Winner List". AAMBC Awards. April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "2020 bgww award winners". Black Girls Who Write. 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  24. ^ a b "The Girl Behind The Wall". Bookshop.org. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  25. ^ "Rejected Books Report" (PDF). Prison Legal News. April 11, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  26. ^ a b "JaQuavis Coleman Books In Order – How To Read JaQuavis Coleman's Books?". Honest Readers. April 14, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  27. ^ a b "Flint's '1000' And JaQuavis Coleman Team Up For 'Life Of A Dopeboy' [Video]". Club 93.7. January 14, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  28. ^ "BE KIND... YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU'RE SITTING NEXT TO..." Tynee Talks. November 13, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  29. ^ MaGee, Ny (June 3, 2021). "Jason Mitchell to Star In, Produce 'Everything is Both' Feature Film". EURWeb. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  30. ^ "Jason Mitchell To Star In and Produce the Film 'Everything is Both'". Urban Hollywood 411. June 1, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  31. ^ "Diary of a Street Diva". Penguin Random House Education. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  32. ^ "Supreme Clientele (Dirty Money) (Mass Market)". McLean & Eakin Booksellers. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  33. ^ "The Trophy Wife". MidColumbia Libraries. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  34. ^ "Girls from da Hood 4 (2008)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  35. ^ "The Cartel (2008)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  36. ^ a b c d "Book awards: Street Literature Book Award". LibraryThing. 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  37. ^ "Flexin & Sexin Volume 2". Barnes & Noble. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  38. ^ "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2010)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  39. ^ "Crown — Ashley & JaQuavis". FictionDB. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  40. ^ "Soft: Cocaine Love Stories". Bookshop.org. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  41. ^ "Black Friday: Exposed (2011)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  42. ^ "Carter Diamond (2012)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  43. ^ "Carter Diamond 2 (2013)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  44. ^ "Moving Weight (2012)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  45. ^ "Murder Mamas (2011)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  46. ^ The Circle Series. Audible. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  47. ^ "EMPIRE: A STREET NOVEL". Indigo. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  48. ^ "La Bella Mafia (2013)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  49. ^ "Carter Diamond 3 — Ashley & JaQuavis". FictionDB. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  50. ^ "The Cartel 6: The Demise". MacMillan Publishers. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  51. ^ "Illuminati (2014)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  52. ^ "The Confessional". Bookshop.org. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  53. ^ a b "The 2021 AAMBC Award Nominees are Revealed!". AAMBC Awards. January 1, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  54. ^ "Money Devils 2 : A Cartel Novel". Book Depository. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  55. ^ "The Day the Streets Stood Still (2013)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  56. ^ "The White House". Overdrive. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  57. ^ "10th Annual AAMBC Awards Nominees". AAMBC Awards. February 8, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  58. ^ "The Streets Have No King (2017)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  59. ^ a b "Urban Fiction". The Tiny Bookstore. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  60. ^ "The Stiletto Agreement". MacMillan Publishers. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  61. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ashley Antoinette". Carnegie-Stout Public Library. n.d. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  62. ^ "The Prada Plan 2. Leah's Story". San Francisco Public Library. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  63. ^ "Girls From da Hood 6". Penguin Random House Canada. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  64. ^ Guilty Gucci/Ashley Antoinette. NobleNet. n.d. ISBN 9781599832715. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  65. ^ a b c Ng, Philiana (November 7, 2013). "VH1's 'Single Ladies' to Launch E-Books Ahead of Season 3 (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  66. ^ "Love Burn (2015)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  67. ^ "Love Burn 2 (2015)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  68. ^ "Love Burn 3 (2015)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  69. ^ "Love Burn 4 (2016)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  70. ^ "Holiday Books Gift Guide: Fascinating fiction to give and get this holiday season". Los Angeles Times. December 1, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  71. ^ "2019 AAMBC Awards Winners (Official List)". AAMBC Awards. October 10, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  72. ^ "Ethic (2018)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  73. ^ "Ethic 2". Bookshop.org. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  74. ^ "Ethic 3 (2018)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  75. ^ "Christmas With The Okafors (2019)". Fantastic Fiction. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  76. ^ "Ethic IV". Nashville Public Library. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  77. ^ "Ethic 5". Bookshop.org. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  78. ^ "Ethic VI". Nashville Public Library. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  79. ^ "Ashley Coleman". EURPA. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  80. ^ "Butterfly". MacMillan Publishers. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  81. ^ The Invitation : An Ethic Holiday Edition. LibraryThing. n.d. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  82. ^ "Butterfly 4 (2022)". FantasticFiction. n.d. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
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