In my debut novel Standing Against the Wind, I present a girl with grit she never knew she had, and a boy so inspired by her that he begins to take pride in his own abilities. I have included below a brief summary of the major characters of the book.

"Patrice Williams was happy living in Georgia with her grandmother, who called her "cocoa grandbaby."  Then her mother lured her to Chicago and ended up in jail.  Now Patrice lives with her Auntie Mae, and her new nickname is "Puffy" - thanks to her giant poof of hair.  But Patrice's hair isn't the only reason she sticks out: she cares about her grades and strives for the best.  That's why Monty Freeman, another eighth grader who lives in the building, asks Patrice to tutor his little brother. Even though Monty's friends make Patrice uneasy, Monty himself is friendly, confident, and surprisingly smart.  When he become her guardian angel, Patrice begins to think something stronger than friendship might be growing between them.  Still, nothing will stop her from applying for a scholarship at prestigious Dogwood Academy - her ticket out of the project and a school populated by gangs and drug runners."

Standing Against the Wind has received several awards: the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award - Author, the Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, the NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, the Nevada YR Award Master List, the New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award Master List, the New York Charlotte Award Master List, the Oklahoma Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award Master List, the Tennessee Intermediate Volunteer State Book Award Master List.