When the Smoke Clears: An Urban Novel

Marquis “Cream” Cureton is bringing realism and substance back into the Urban Novel genre. A Rialto, California native, Cream excelled in both scholastics and athletics as a child, and managed to navigate the susceptibility of Southern California’s gang culture without succumbing to the austere statistics of deceased or incarcerated young black men. After moving to Virginia’s “Seven Cities,” Cream continued upon his tumultuous expedition, ultimately graduating high school with honors and earning academic and basketball scholarships to a prestigious Pennsylvania College. However, materialism, poor choices, and moonlighting in the streets eventually caught up with Cream, forcing him to relinquish six years of his life to the state of Virginia’s Department of Corrections for weapons and distribution charges. Acting on the tutelage of his college professors, and an unwavering desire to reclaim his life, Cream tapped into his uncanny ability to viscerally articulate his experiences in life, in love, and in the streets, into eloquent words that stimulate the mind and rouse the emotions. “When the Smoke Clears: An Urban Novel” is the first of Cream’s Collection. Marquis “Cream” Cureton currently resides in Portsmouth, VA where he is completing his Bachelor’s degree in Communications at Old Dominion University.