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Mogul

A Novel

By Terrance Dean

About The Book
From the Essence bestselling author of Hiding in Hip Hop and an entertainment insider—a fascinating novel about the “down-low” life of one of New York’s most beloved Hip Hop producers.

After the sudden death of his father, a renowned jazz musician, Aaron “Big A.T.” Tremble clings to music as an escape. Making hip hop beats becomes his life. His love for music lands him at the estate of Larry “Pop” Singleton, a retired and respected Hip Hop music mogul who sees something special in Big A.T.—he also knows the truth about his sexuality. With Pop’s blessings and nurturing, Big A.T. is on the path to becoming the next great Hip Hop producer in New York.

With the help of Pop and “the family,” a network of secretly gay men in the Hip Hop world, Big A.T. finds success and starts his own music label. He’s signed and worked with some of the biggest Hip Hop artists in the country. One of them is Brooklyn native lyricist, “Tickman.” Together they are making sweet music together. Tickman and Big A.T.’s relationship goes beyond producer and rapper—they become secret lovers.

Nothing can stop Big A.T. All of the radio stations play his music. He has money, fame, and Jasmine, his girlfriend who doesn’t know about his secret love for men. However, at the pinnacle of his career, compromising photos of Big A.T. land on the desk of a national news program—and in the hands of his girlfriend. Big A.T., for the first time is at a crossroad in his career: come out publicly with his secret or watch his music empire crumble.

About The Author
Photo Credit: Michael Scott Jones
Terrance Dean

Speaker, educator, author, and hip hop head Terrance Dean is the author of the explosive and provocative memoir, Hiding In Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry from Music to Hollywood. Dean is also the author of Mogul: A Novel, Straight from Your Gay Best Friend, and coauthor of Visible Lives. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over ten years with heavy hitters such as Spike Lee, Rob Reiner, Keenan Ivory Wayans, and Anjelica Houston, and with notable television and film production companies such as MTV Networks, B.E.T., Savoy Television, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Sony Pictures. He now teaches Black Studies and Religion at Denison University.

Product Details
  • Publisher: Atria Books (June 14, 2011)
  • Length: 336 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781451611946

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Raves and Reviews

“Terrance has creatively crafted the perfect storm of a novel: a fiery, fast-paced plot, intriguing and dynamic characters and a deliciously edible scandal. Strap yourselves in and hold on tightly—it’s one hell of a ride!”
--Lee Hayes, bestselling author

Dean has penned a page turning scandal, a plot explosive classic, and given life to taboo characters that leap off the page! A fast paced novel that seduces you into the underworld of Hip-Hop and never ever let's you go! --Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker, Essence bestselling author of Millionaire Wives Club

"With his latest novel Mogul, Terrance Dean continues to make words simmer on the page, with insightful character development, dramatic plot twists and explosive dialogue. Terrance uses his rebellious keyboard to add to his sizzling body of accessible, page turning, jaw-dropping fiction. Sure to be another best-seller! Read It!" -- Sabrina Lamb, bestselling humorist of the satirical novel, A Kettle Of Vultures...Left Beak Marks On My Forehead (Simon & Schuster/Strebor)

“With the sensuality of E. Lynn Harris, flare of James Earl Hardy, and classiness of Ricc Rollins, Dean has cooked up a well crafted master piece that is sure to have readers glued to the pages. Get ready. You're about to be taken on the ride of your life.” --Anna J, Bestselling Author of Snow White: A Survival Story

With Mogul, you get an inside look -- though fictional -- at the entertainment industry, the making of a hip hop star, and the secrets those stars must keep in order to keep their fame and fortune. I couldn't put it down. -- Frederick Smith, author of Down for Whatever and Right Side of the Wrong Bed

"Terrance Dean's debut novel MOGUL is a cautionary tale in the tradition of E. Lynn Harris. It enters the secret world of Hip Hop and gives new meaning to the word "family." Fast, suspenseful and eye-opening, MOGUL will make you take a second look at everyone you thought you knew." --Donna Hill, author of What Mother Never Told Me

"MOGUL is where fame, secrets and sexuality meet. If you loved E. Lynn Harris, check out newcomer Terrance Dean." --Tananarive Due, Essence bestselling author of JOPLIN'S GHOST and BLOOD COLONY

"When I heard this book was underway, I awaited it with baited breath. Terrance Dean did not disappoint either. Mogul is unputdownable--just what the doctor ordered. The literary webs he has woven, with this titillating tale about the down-low and low-down deeds within the music industry, kept me at the edge of my seat. I didn't want this book to end. It is many, many things and a must read. With this debut novel, I can only pay Terrance Dean the highest of compliments and christen him as 'The E. Lynn Harris of the Hip Hop Generation.’” -- Karu F. Daniels, digital media producer/journalist/author

“Nobody else could have written this book. Terrance Dean broke new ground with Hiding in Hip Hop and now he does it again with Mogul. For the first time ever we are given an exclusive red carpet and backstage pass into the mind of a rap mogul living on the down low. Whether the industry is ready or not for an openly gay exec in hip hop, Terrance Dean brings his journey straight to us along with a secret world and sizzling tale of sex, sensuality and self esteem."
--Abiola Abrams is a TV personality, author and lifestyle maven as seen on networks such as MTV and BET. Her debut novel Dare was a hip hop love story.

I enjoyed reading this book. It kept my attention from the first page to the last. I know it will provide readers that missing link since E. Lynn Harris's death...Bravo Terrance. You are da man. –JL King, New York Times bestselling author

"Terrance Dean shines a spotlight on the mysteries of male sexuality and identity in the music industry in this riveting and romantic novel. It's filled with twists and turns, love and double lives. A great compliment to Dean's other writing." -- Emil Wilbekin, Managing Editor at Essence.com, former Editor-in-Chief of Giant and Vibe

"In his latest novel, Terrance Dean gives us a true to life account of the tight knit “family” among males in hip-hop. A must-read for those who enjoy figuring out “blind items” and the top players in the industry." -- Deborah Bennett, Senior Editor, HelloBeautiful.com

I found Mogul to be good reading and great fun. The characters are lively and the storyline is so provocative that it will leave readers wanting for more. --Gil Robertson IV, Robertson Treatment Syndicated Column (RTSC)

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Mogul

A Novel

By Terrance Dean