Raised by the Mistress: My Mother, Her Lover & Me

When Wayne Lampkin, a state correctional officer and former Marine, came into Valli Barnes life in the fall of 1982, he was a 33-year-old man with a step-son, three children from a previous marriage, and a new wife and infant son. By all accounts, it was a messy situation, particularly considering that Valli, with her two children, Jamilah and Kenny, had recently gone through her own divorce. Despite all of the hurt and pain that their relationship would cause their loved ones, and themselves, Valli and Wayne fell deeply in love for 20 long, tumultuous years, all while Wayne lived a double life as a married man.In RAISED BY THE MISTRESS the hot-button topic of infidelity is explored in a way that forces the reader to understand just how multi-layered and extensive the perils of cheating can truly be for the entire family. In what is sure to be one of the most talked about memoirs of the year, RAISED BY THE MISTRESS offers a uniquely personal, deeply intimate look into the complicated past of a family torn apart by two people who fell in love under the wrong circumstances.For perhaps the first time ever, RAISED BY THE MISTRESS features, alongside the viewpoints of Valli and Wayne, the poignant voice of Valli's daughter, Jamilah, whose perspective on her mother's relationship is laced with disapproval, perplexity and pure frustration, particularly as she helplessly watched her mother simultaneously battle with alcoholism.

Jamilah B. Creekmur's career began in 1998, as she went from the University of Delaware, where she studied in a double degree program, and headed to New York City, to follow her love for Business & Fashion while studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.). Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Jamilah graduated from the prestigious engineering high school, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, in 1994. She serves her community as a member of several non-profit organizations including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, WEEN [Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network] and NABFEME [National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment]. Jamilah also manages her own publishing company, Imagine Me Publishing, where she has released her first book, Raised by the Mistress: My Mother, Her Lover & Me (A memoir). And she has begun talks with Hollywood Execs to option her book into a film.Today, Jamilah heads up her own consulting firm, Harbor Digital Group. Her title as Partner & CEO requires much diligence and persistence on her part. Jamilah manages all of Harbor's financial operations, strategic partnerships, capital investments, and business development. And her partner oversees all aspects of technology, web & mobile development, and engineering. Combined, they both have a tremendous amount of Web, Mobile and Business Development expertise.Previously during her tenure as COO at AllHipHop.com, within her first three months at AllHipHop, she doubled the earnings of the business, and a year later, led the company to make its first $1 million dollars in advertising sales revenue. She was instrumental in forging a number of significant partnerships and business deals, including investment & acquisition opportunities and has negotiated several multi-year, multi-million dollar deals on behalf of the company.Above all of her achievements, Jamilah is most proud to be an entrepreneur, a wife and a mother to an amazing little girl.