"Don't Wait for the Weight" by Monica Marie Jones

The latest in the "Souls of My Sisters" series geared to African-American women features new celebrity contributors and essays on faith, family, career, self-esteem, friendship, and love, which includes "Don't Wait for the Weight" by Monica Marie Jones.

Being a young woman today means belonging to an ever expanding global community, filled with new opportunities--and complicated challenges. With change comes choices, and making the right ones isn't always easy. The journey can seem overwhelming--but you're not alone. Whether you're dealing with issues of self-esteem, dating, domestic violence, cyber stalking, or racial profiling, within these pages a diverse gathering of women, including entrepreneurs, activists, and entertainers, have words of wisdom, inspiration, and practical information for you. So if you're headed to college, in the midst of your quarter-life crisis, or getting your career or family started, look to your sisters and their heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, but always encouraging real-life stories.

Get Your Power and Purpose "Swag" on with Monica Jones

Noelle Dresden stepped out on faith and left her full-time job to pursue her passion: singing. Six months later, her singing career hasn't gone much of anywhere and neither has her relationship with her charismatic, yet sneaky boyfriend, Jonah. Although Jonah loves Noelle, he’s not willing to give her the commitment and ring she so desperately wants. After Jonah uses Noelle’s hopes of an engagement for his benefit, Noelle gets fed up and decides to move forward with her career…with or without Jonah.

Her pursuit leads her to accept an invitation to be a house guest on the popular, hit reality show, House of Swag. On the show, aspiring entertainers with the potential to take it to the next level are trained to become multifaceted mega stars. While in the house, Noelle catches the eye of the show’s creator, Monroe "Paper" Chase. He uses his good looks and smooth talk to charm her, then he uses his money and power to attempt to subtract Jonah from the equation. Drama only escalates when Noelle has to deal with an envious, hating house guest who is not beyond trying to bring Noelle down to get ahead.

As Noelle rises toward super stardom, she has some difficult choices to make. What lies ahead of her looks so much better than what she has left behind. Will she work to keep the love that she and Jonah shares alive, or will she choose fame, fortune and a man who can make all of her dreams come true?