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makadonia
(Book: The Freeman Brothers)
by Makadonia Studios
Two brothers. One cabin. Four plantations. A bear.
In the slave-holding South, two free-born brothers—one dark, one pale—run a secret sanctuary called the Midnight Hotel. By day they fix broken things. By night they shelter the broken. And a bear guards the caves.
They call them Dem Niggaz. They call themselves survivors.
In 1850s America, Ezekiel and Nathaniel Freeman are a living contradiction: free-born brothers in a world that wants them enslaved. One is dark as river stone, a mechanic whose hands can mend anything from a plow to a broken spirit. The other is pale as winter sky, a man whose white-passing face allows him to walk through doors that would be barred to his brother. Together, they play the roles of master and slave, fixing broken equipment on four plantations while secretly undermining the very system that holds their people in chains.
But their true work begins at nightfall. Their ramshackle cabin becomes the Midnight Hotel—a secret sanctuary where enslaved women can escape the brutality of their lives, if only for a few hours. The women who come are scarred and brilliant: Celeste, whose body runs hot enough to melt a man's will; Purlie, whose hips move to a rhythm that defies all reason; Georgia, whose grip could crack steel; and Delilah, who runs the hotel like a military operation. They are joined by Mede, a giant of a man who has been bred like livestock his entire life and now serves as the hotel's conductor through the caves.
But the Midnight Hotel is more than a refuge. It's the heart of a growing resistance, connected to the Underground Railroad and guarded by an unlikely protector: a massive black bear who has taken up residence in the caves beneath the county. As the masters search frantically for the mysterious hotel, placing a bounty on Dem Niggaz, and a legendary slave catcher arrives to hunt them down, the brothers must use every trick, disguise, and ally to keep their sanctuary safe.
The Midnight Hotel is a dark comedy of resistance, a story about the power of laughter in the face of oppression, and a testament to the radical audacity of hope. It's Django Unchained meets Black Dynamite, with a bear.
“"The Midnight Hotel is a masterclass in tonal balance. It's funny when it needs to be, devastating when it must be, and profoundly hopeful when it matters most. The characters—from Celeste's sugar-melt to Mede's quiet dignity to the bear's unshakeable loyalty—will stay with you long after you turn the last page."”
“"A dark comedy of resistance that absolutely refuses to be subdued. The Midnight Hotel takes the brutal history of American slavery and transforms it into a celebration of survival, community, and the radical power of laughter. The Freeman brothers are the most unlikely heroes of the Underground Railroad, and their story is an absolute triumph."”
“"This is the most audacious, hilarious, and deeply human novel I've read in years. The Midnight Hotel manages to find joy in the darkest corners of American history without ever diminishing the weight of that history. The bear alone is worth the price of admission."”
“"A rollicking, irreverent, and unexpectedly tender triumph. The Midnight Hotel is Django Unchained meets Black Dynamite, with a bear. I haven't laughed this hard at a book about slavery since... well, ever. The Freeman brothers are the heroes we didn't know we needed, and the women of the Midnight Hotel are absolutely unforgettable."”
One of Atlanta's Greatest Artist.
Inspired by Stan Lee to create a character and story that will come to real life.
(The Life Story of Luther Colombus Powell Sr.)
They said he would never amount to anything. They said the land wasn't for his kind. But L.C. Powell had a fire in his heart that refused to be extinguished.
Born in 1896 to a former slave, L.C. learns early that freedom is a heavy burden—one that requires strength, determination, and an unbreakable will. When his mother dies, seven-year-old L.C. becomes the man of the house, raising his sisters alone while dreaming of something greater: land of his own. Something that fire couldn't burn down.
Through poverty, racism, and relentless hardship, L.C. builds a kingdom from the red clay of Temple, Georgia. He finds love in Annie Mae Mitchell, a woman whose faith matches his fire. Together, they raise eleven children and build a farm that becomes the heart of their community.
But the greatest legacy isn't always the one you build—sometimes it's the one you leave behind.
When L.C.'s grandson James promises his dying grandmother he'll return to settle the farm, he has no idea what awaits him. Betrayal, family secrets, and a battle for inheritance threaten to tear apart everything L.C. built.
In the soil's memory, the promise lives on.
An epic family saga for readers who loved "The Color Purple" and "Roots."
"One king can live in the castle. But the soil remembers the one who healed it."
(THE JAMES SUMLIN STORY)
ONE KING CAN LIVE IN THE CASTLE. BUT THE SOIL REMEMBERS THE ONE WHO HEALS IT.
In 1948, three-year-old James Sumlin arrived at his grandparents' Georgia farm with nothing but the clothes on his back and a father's gift for reason. Raised on the red clay of Temple, he learned two things: how to survive, and how to keep a promise.
At sixteen, James walked away from the farm and into the dangerous streets of Atlanta, where he became Foots—a legend in the underground world of gambling and hustle. He built an empire. He lost it all. He loved, lost, and loved again. But the promise his grandmother made him swear—to return, to stay, to build something that would last—never left him.
After losing his wife, his city empire, and nearly his soul, James returns to Temple to rebuild from the soil. He becomes the Soil King—a man who understands that the only legacy worth leaving is the one rooted in family, community, and the covenant between the land and its people.
As his son Terrance comes of age and ventures into the world—only to return broken by loss—James must teach him the game he spent a lifetime learning. The unwritten book of survival. The mathematics of chance. The art of the long game.
When James passes, Terrance inherits more than the deed to the Center, the Quilt his great-grandmother stitched, and a letter his father never had the words to write. He inherits the promise: to remember where he came from, to honor those who came before, and to ensure that the legacy endures for generations.
"One king can live in the castle. But the soil remembers the one who healed it. And the one who remembers is the one who survives."
(The Education of the Mack)
In 1970s Chicago, a hungry young man named Terone is taken under the wing of the legendary pimp Sweet James Jones, who teaches him the brutal philosophy of the game—but when a rival threatens everything he's built, Terone must choose between becoming a monster or finding his way out of the golden cage.
The Bellkeeper's Daughter (A Ghost Story of Oscarville)/The Apprentice Witness (A Black Wall Street Story.)
Two stories. Two communities. One unbreakable truth.
In The Bell Keeper's Daughter, Maya discovers a drowned town beneath Lake Lanier and must confront the vengeful ghost of a girl whose family was erased. In The Apprentice's Witness, Michael bears witness to the rise and fall of Black Wall Street—and buries the truth so it can never be forgotten. Based on true history, this collection is a powerful exploration of racial injustice, resilience, and the enduring power of memory.
(A Black Wall Street Story)
In The Apprentice's Witness:
In 1905, O.W. Gurley—a man born into slavery—purchased forty acres of Tulsa land and built Greenwood, the community known as Black Wall Street. Through the eyes of Michael, Gurley's young apprentice, we watch the dream rise: over a hundred Black-owned businesses, churches, schools, and a thriving population of 9,000. Then comes May 31, 1921. A white mob descends. The police deputize the mob. The National Guard disarms Black residents. Over thirty-five square blocks are burned—homes, churches, everything. Michael hides beneath a desk, witnesses the destruction, and in his final hours, writes it all down, burying the proof in a safe, hoping that one day, someone will find it.
Decades later, a young boy digging in his Tulsa backyard uncovers that safe.