JESSICA TILLES is an award-winning, national best-selling author, publisher of the 2008 African American Literary Award Winner for Independent Publishing House of Year, Xpress Yourself Publishing, LLC, and founder of The Writer's Assistant. As a native of Washington, DC, Jessica is a creative writer in all genres of fiction, with several titles in print: Anything Goes, In My Sisters' Corner, Apple Tree, Sweet Revenge, Fatal Desire, Unfinished Business, editor of the best-selling anthology, Erogenous Zone: A Sexual Voyage, and is a contributing author to the best-selling anthology, The Triumph of My Soul edited by Elissa Gabrielle, with her short story “Julian’s Grace.” Listed in Heather Covington’s Top 100 Literary Divas (Amber Communications), Jessica remains humble in her literary endeavors and continues to assist authors with the business of self-publishing through The Writer’s Assistant, a virtual assistant providing consultation, typesetting, book cover design, editing and desktop publishing services for authors, independent publishers and small businesses. In 2001, Jessica launched Xpress Yourself Publishing as a self-published author, publishing her national best-selling titles. In 2006, she published fellow authors Bill Holmes, Kenda Bell and Michael J. Burt. Bill Holmes' debut novel, One Love, peeked at #4 on the Essence Best Seller's List in July 2007, followed by Kenda Bell's, For Every Love There Is A Reason at #8 in August 2007. As publisher of Xpress Yourself Publishing (now affectionately known as XYP), she is helping to mold the literary careers of 35 talented authors, which includes two ESSENCE Best Sellers, award-winning authors, several award nominees, and a finalist for the 2008 NAACP Image Award nomination in the Best Debut Novel category. Annually, XYP publishes 10 to 20 titles. In 2008, Jessica launched Erotic Expressions.net, an online community geared toward relationships, romance, and other related life lessons. Currently, Erotic Expressions.net receives an average of 100,000 hits per month. In addition to her many accomplishments, Jessica is a staff writer for Black Men In America.com, has contributed the article “Third Shift Blues” to Black Romance Magazine, and is the recipient of the Memphis Black Writer’s Guild’s Rising Star award, and the Jackson Mississippi Reader’s Clubs’ Outstanding Contributor to Literature award. Jessica is currently working on several literary projects. She resides in Upper Marlboro, Maryland with her father and two dogs: Abby and Teddy. Visit Jessica favorite Web sites: www.jessicatilles.com www.xpressyourselfpublishing.org www.thewritersassistant.com www.eroticexpressions.net www.myspace.com/jessicatilles

2008 AALAS Independent Publisher of the Year