I'm passionate about writing positive and uplifting stories with universal appeal,
that touch humanity, and the black experience,
to inspire hope and make the world a better place.
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Elaine Meryl Brown
As a writer and producer, Elaine has made significant impact in the media and entertainment industry. Her award-winning portfolio showcases a wide array of writing accomplishments, including a prestigious Daytime Emmy Award, two novels published by Penguin Random House, an Amazon Best-Seller on leadership, articles for Essence, a corporate Emmy Award for producing the “Aids: Gest Tested” global campaign, featuring Queen Latifah and Jamie Foxx and over 40 industry awards. Her next book on leadership will be published by Storehouse a PRH imprint in January, 2026.
“Publisher’s Weekly praises LEMON CITY as an …‘inspiring, slyly amusing novel’ with ELAINE ‘…a welcome new voice in African American fiction.’”
Am Ashwood,
Harlem News Group
“In Elaine Meryl Brown’s debut novel, Lemon City, we’re introduced to an eclectic cast of characters, the author’s humor and wit, and a period of time that felt as real as present day.”
Tee C. Royal,
The Black Book Review
“A warm witty novel…Brown’s richly woven characters, with their quirky ways and pierce protectiveness of family traditions, are at once strange and strangely familiar.”
Connie Briscoe,
author of P.G. County
“Playing by the Rules isn’t always easy, but in this quirky self-cloistered community, Lemon City’s peculiarly delightful, eccentric residents do their best to follow the town’s ten mandates – even with outsiders. Elaine Meryl Brown’s storytelling is new and fresh, yet warmly familiar.”
Virginia DeBerry,
co-author of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made
“The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women” is more than just a book. Penned by three accomplished black female executives, this splendid guide isn’t just about reaching the top; it's about owning the game....”
Talkwalker Alerts
Published Works
Lemon City
In this wry fiction debut, Elaine Meryl Brown plunges lucky readers into a gripping narrative of small-town hijinks and big-time hearts.
Rule Number One: Never marry an Outsider. If you do, the boll weevil will bite you back. Rule Number Two: If you can’t be honest, you might as well be dead.
Nestled in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains, Lemon City has ten rules, all designed in the best interests of its tight-knit black community. Granddaddy Dunlap knows all too well what can happen to folks who venture beyond Lemon City’s protective borders. He once had to venture outside town to identify his best friend’s body. So when his firebrand granddaughter Faye, returns from college married to an Outsider, he must act fast to keep her in Lemon City’s safe embrace.
It proves to be a challenge–and not just because the patriarch is distracted by the tensions arising from the heated tomato-growing contest for the annual county fair. Faye’s new husband, Harry, is a slick talker with a roving eye. Faye sees him as her ticket to New York City, where she hopes to fulfill big business dreams, but even the best-laid plans can be thwarted, as Faye discovers that marriage itself isn’t much of a honeymoon. No matter. She packs her bags, fully prepared to head north with or without her husband, when Harry turns up dead. Now the Dunlap family is trying to figure out–before the Thanksgiving turkey gets cold–who did the deed.
Playing by the Rules
When there’s a knock on the Dunlap’s door in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner, Nana knows it can’t be good. The last time an outsider managed to worm his way into Lemon City, mischief followed. But despite her doubts, she can’t turn away the young man who’s kidnapped his baby sister from an unfit foster mother.
Before long, Jeremiah and Ruby Rose are practically part of the family. But that’s not sitting well with everyone—especially Medford, the boyfriend of Nana’s spunky granddaughter, Louise. It seems Louise has taken a shine to Jeremiah, and Medford’s suddenly got some stiff competition. Of course he’s too busy tracking down his birth mother—who left him on a doorstep when he was a baby–to be bothered with Louise’s flirtatious nature.
As Medford moves closer to the truth about his mom, young Ruby Rose finds comfort in her newfound home, Louise wavers between love and lust, and Nana prepares to give her feisty old neighbor a run for her money at the annual fair’s tomato contest. By summer’s end, a mystery will be solved as Lemon City secrets reveal themselves—and bring about more than a few changes of heart.
The Little Black Book of Success
and Workbook
This invaluable “mentor in your pocket” by three dynamic and successful black female executives will help all black women, at any level of their careers, play the power game—and win.
Rich with wisdom, this practical gem focuses on the building blocks of true leadership—self-confidence, effective communication, collaboration, and courage—while dealing specifically with stereotypes (avoid the Mammy Trap, and don’t become the Angry Black Woman) and the perils of self-victimization (don’t assume that every challenge occurs because you are black or female).
Some leaders are born, but most leaders are made—and The Little Black Book of Success will show you how to make it to the top, one step at a time.
Each chapter in the Workbook correlates to a chapter in The Little Black Book of Success and contains a number of questions and quizzes to help you tailor each lesson to your individual needs. Within the chapter, the Group Discussion section addresses the issues to a larger group and the Senior Executive sections add value to your journey—whether you are at the highest rung of leadership or if you are just starting out and want to get a glimpse into your future.