Works by
Black Artemis
(Screenwriter, Writer)

Explicit Content (2004)
Cassandra Rivers and Leila Aponte are so different, it took a catfight in their junior high school locker room to cross their paths. Since then they have been two sides of the same coin, bonded by their passion for hip hop and their shared dream of becoming recording artists. Although Leila craves fame and Cassandra prizes her artistic freedom, the duo of Fatal Beauty and Sabrina Steelo remain true to their dream and their friendship. That is, until gangsta rap mogul Gregory ''G Double D'' Downs comes along and splits the duo by signing Leila to his label Explicit Content. Stung by the betrayal, Cassandra struggles to push forward as a solo artist.

But when Leila's career seems to fizzle as quickly as it exploded, G Double D courts Cassandra. Despite rumors about Explicit Content's financial woes, shady dealings and self-destructive artists, Cassandra finds herself seduced by his promises. Just when it seems that Cassandra will have her cake and eat it, too, she learns the truth about Explicit Content and the threat it poses to Leila and every other pretty yet lonely young woman seeking the fleeting validation of a gilded industry. Cassandra must decide just how much she is willing to compromise her ideals to realize her dreams, and the wrong decision can cost her much more than her career.

Picture Me Rollin' (2005)
There have been many stories about a convicted felon who returns home after a stint in prison yet continues to struggles to free his mind. Such stories have been overwhelmingly male. With Picture Me Rollin', Black Artemis puts a new spin on this familiar tale about the twisted road to redemption by telling it through the eyes of a young Latina from the South Bronx.

After a year in lockup, Tupac fanatic Esperanza Cepeda comes home determined to follow her sister Dulce’s example. That means going back to school, finding a legitimate job, and most of all, staying away from her ex-boyfriend Jesus and his crew. Easier said than done, Espe finds, because despite all the pressure she’s under to do the right thing, no one has any love for a convicted felon. Jesus says he does, and Esperanza desperately wants to believe him. But he’s not trying to leave the game so she has to keep it movin’.

So Esperanza tries to stay on the righteous path. She tries, stumbles and then tries again. She resists the faithlessness of her parole officer yet blossoms under the guidance of teacher and mentor Maite Rodriguez, a former member of the Young Lords Party and political prisoner. As Esperanza yearns to find the same passion and purpose in her new life that fueled her thug days, she begins to see in herself the contradictions that tormented her idol ‘Pac. Esperanza realizes that her jailhouse mom Isoke was right: she cannot be a soldier and a gangsta. She must choose.

Burn (2006 release)
In her third hip hop novel, Black Artemis explores a critical yet underappreciated element of hip hop subculture – graffiti. Burn is also a novel about the risks and consequences of pursuing alternatives when ordinary means fail. Through the eyes of a compelling anti-heroine and her most diverse cast of characters yet, she continues to tackle relevant social issues including immigration and public health.

Life has been one hustle after another for Jasmine Reyes. After her parents abandoned her and her twin brother Jason, they often took to the streets in their quest to survive. When a violent episode results in her brother’s arrest and suicide, Jasmine vows to find another way. She literally hustles to quit the game and eventually opens her own bail bond agency, leaving behind street life but holding onto her street smarts.

Despite her hardcore background – and even because of it – Jasmine occasionally gives a client the break that no one ever gave her. One such client is talented graffiti artist Malcolm “Macho” Booker who reminds her of another writer still close to her heart – her brother Jason. Against the advice of sometimes lover and police officer Calvin, Jasmine bails Macho out of jail. For eight months, he proves worth the gamble until he mysteriously disappears.

After finding an unusual database on Macho’s computer, Jasmine’s search leads her into the path – and eventually the arms – of Dr. Adriano Suárez, the handsome founder of the community health clinic where Macho worked. Jasmine and the doctor turned crusader have many things in common – deep passions, grand ideas, unhealed scars, and even dangerous secrets.

As Jasmine’s investigation conjures the ghosts of her ugly past, finding Macho before Suárez uncovers her true identity becomes a matter of life and death in ways she never imagined.