In order to write about African Americans in the 1800s (especially witches) I’m doing a lot of research. And as always, I need visual representations in order to mold the characters:
In order to write about African Americans in the 1800s (especially witches) I’m doing a lot of research. And as always, I need visual representations in order to mold the characters:
Listening to: Sade’s Kiss of Life and Mariah Carey’s Sweet Fantasy. I loved the movie BELLE
So I used the film as inspiration for a Gothic erotic romance that spans several time periods. Excerpts from Ivy League and the dark fantasy Long Ago and Far Away will be up shortly.
I really enjoy creating ebook covers by pairing interracial couples together. I’ve got a number of new excerpts to put up, but here are a few new things I’m working on. I’m still deciding whether to make certain books serials (release a few chapters at a time on Amazon) or complete novels.
A sweet, dark fantasy featuring African American witches, a reincarnation gone wrong and an enduring, timeless love
Like Imani, a ballet dancer who waited for her chance to shine in the novel HUI, I’ve got a number of other novels in both the adult genre and new adult genre that I’m currently editing in order to release.
One of my earliest novels dealt with females – specifically a fictional group of gritty women on a navy vessel with interconnecting story lines. I’m going to put up an excerpt shortly. Right now I’m focused on getting HUI ready for release.
Sisters of Mercy ebook cover
My Wednesdays will never be the same now that EMPIRE is on hiatus until the fall. I’m so happy for Taraji P. Henson, as well as the other stars of the show.
Only Cookie can tame the supernaturals of NIGHTSTALKERS
As I mentioned in a previous post, I need to get back to a few of my older novels in order to take them forward with their sequels. JUKEBOX II is also on that list:
I’m going to include JUKEBOX One in the MARCH MADNESS deals that kick off this week:
I’m busy working to get HUI and The Player released this weekend, as I try to figure out which novels will be part of MARCH MADNESS
I’ve decided that after HUI is released, I’ll complete the next round of edits on books that need to go on sale.
I haven’t forgotten about my book sequels. The excerpt for RUSH 2 will be up this weekend:
Aiden and Aaliyah’s story continues in RUSH: The Book of Aaliyah
Ebooks related to this series :
Click the image for an excerpt
Make Me Yours. African American divorcee falls for her Somali Bantu college professor, Daniel Semboga, who was first introduced in RUSH
Unforgettable, a spin off novella from The RUSH: Suicide Kings Motorcycle Gang series
She owns three beauty supply stores around the city. He works from home, as a graphic artist. When forty something Torii Theas moves upstairs from thirty year old Ethan Forché, sparks fly. But that’s just the half of it . . .
Even though my upcoming ebook is called HUI, it’s as much Imani’s tale as the man she loves, Le Jong Hui.
And HUI is more than a love story between two people. It’s also about their shared love of an artform called ballet.
~~~~~
Did the man ever raise his eyes to look directly at anyone during rehearsal? Imani wondered.
As she inwardly grumbled about Hui’s aloofness, he glanced up. Imani’s breath caught in her throat. Make the connection. Come on. She willed herself to smile, hoping against hope that it was actually a grin she’d formed and not something that made her look much too desperate, or God forbid, just plain frightening. Her trembling smile gained an ever widening grin from him. It was glorious and bright and so infectious that Imani’s lips divided invitingly.
As she moved forward her shoulder bumped against the girl next to her.
“Oh, sorry,” Imani stammered.
Dedicated. Deliberate. Humble. These are just some of the qualities Le Jong Hui exemplifies. But underneath his carefully crafted exterior is a man who fights to stay in control of his emotions . . . until he meets a woman who gets under his skin and takes his breath away.
Women space pilots – boldly going where no man has gone before
To be continued . . .
Sometimes I get so caught up in the real world that I don’t get back to my fictional worlds as often as I’d like.
So as I ready the ebook HUI for release, I’m mindful of the books I’ve been editing at a slow and steady pace.
Some of these books are in the genre of science fiction:
A reanimated man – OFFWORLD, which was recently included in a Speculative fiction post on a site titled blackgirlnerds.
A reluctant female hero in an empire ruled by women:
“A Woman is a Weapon”
A child given the power of creation:
Iron Mike and Trinny promo
I’ve got two spellings of the name Hui (pronounced Hway) One is Korean 후이 and the other is Chinese 惠
There’s a reason for this in the novel.
As I researched harrowing tales of men, women and children who’ve escaped from North Korea, I was moved not only by their courage, but with each real life story, their hopeful resilience reminded me of those who lived to tell about reaching freedom during the Holocaust and the slaves who were aided by the Underground Railroad. In each case, a network of individuals did what they could to help others escape.*
*While there are religious organizations helping some N. Koreans with their escape and resettlement, there are also individuals who take advantage of the new refugees.
For me, the story and also character development are of utmost importance in my novels. So I’ve been working hard to become not only a better writer, but a better editor. For readers who’ve been wondering when another full length novel will be released, I can tell you that it will be very soon.
The Player
“So,” Harlow said, tracing a gentle fingertip along Kyle’s lower jaw. “How many of your brothers have a dimple right here” ─ she pressed the deep groove that was smack in the middle of his chin ─ “like yours?”
With his eyes closed, Kyle gave her a sleepy chuckle before answering. “I’m the only one.”
Feeling wonderfully sated but still frisky enough to make love again, Harlow molded her body to his. “Ooh . . . so who do look like, your mother or your father?”
“Neither.”
“You’re a combination of both, huh?”
“No. I look like the guy my mother had an affair with while my dad was overseas.” When her finger caress stilled, he opened one eye to gauge her expression.
My representation of Hui (pronounced Hway 휘)
Her full name is Imani Sojourner Fairchild, and for the novel Hui 휘, I had to research both past and present info on the world of ballet, and any info I could find on North Korea. To read an excerpt, please click either the GIF or the photo:
Another brief excerpt from the novel:
Hmmm . . . it was faster to file a copyright and upload my Sampler on Scribd than Amazon.com
So, I’ve gotta go with Plan B. Click the cover and you’ll be re-directed to SCRIBD: **Update** Since its now live on Amazon I’ve taken it off Scribd in accordance with Amazon’s terms of service. Click the cover and it re-directs to the Amazon page:
A FREE PDF download is available for a limited time on SCRIBD. Just click the little “Share on social networks icon” to the right of the page:
**UPDATE** So the book is live on Amazon but the wait continues, because the nearest date to list it as free is tomorrow, Sept 30th.
A first look at the cover and a hint about the story line for RUSH 2 The Book of Aaliyah:
I have always been under the control and care of men. In the beginning of my life I followed orders because it was expected and I had no choice. But I am in America now. Here, I have chosen a different path – Aaliyah, from RUSH 2, The Book of Aaliyah
Okay, so I figured since I was already in Washington, DC with this new ebook about the elite on Capitol Hill:
I might as well do a spin off novella about another beautiful, brainy and wealthy woman who’s featured in Ivy League:
Photo of Washington, DC by night courtesy of David ILiff
URL Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Capitol_Building_at_night_Jan_2006.jpg
Before September ends, pick up the **FREE** Wikkid.Sexy.Cool. Book Sampler on Amazon starting Sunday, September 28th Or Monday, Sept 29th, because it takes a bit longer for a book to go “live” on Amazon now.
I’ve been busy writing and honoring my promise to create more works with Asian, African, and First Nation lead characters.
I’m calling this promo Stock up September, where expanded excerpts from many upcoming novels will be featured. Some examples:
I did a couple of mock up promo posters using different effects.
In the land of the rising sun a free woman is enslaved, until a Samurai pledges his sword . . . and his love
I realize historicals may not be for everyone, so I’ve also got a few contemporary novels with diverse leading men that may appeal to readers. But I truly enjoy researching and writing historical novels for women.
The Prince, a character featured prominently in the scifi time travel novel Miss Brighton’s School for Exceptional Young Ladies which also features magicians of the 19th century. The Prince is from India.
Meet Dane Kovak, the anti-hero lead of the novella UNFORGETTABLE
Dane Kovak from the novella UNFORGETTABLE
Andre Santana in Beast mode. Andre’s book is American Werewolf
Dane and Jenelle from UNFORGETTABLE
I worked on another promo for the book HUI (pronounced Hway)
My apologies for the watermark.
I’m readying up The Player for release, and there are characters from other books who make an appearance in the story line. Also, the thing that took so long with that novel, is that its not just the two leads but also Ozzy, the ex husband.
His story needed to be explored, because I didn’t want it to be the typical evil ex tale. Rappers need love too.
I’ll be back to link this GIF to a short excerpt. Unfortunately, recent events have convinced me to make a change on the length of free excerpts.
Here’s a brief teaser of HUI:
First position . . .
Hui stood there, still and imposing, like one of the many large billboards with his likeness promoting the dance company. In a repeat of the countless hours they’d practiced together his arm was outstretched and his hand was elegantly positioned, urging her to grasp it. Instead of his usual attire of a tee shirt and black practice tights, he was completely naked.
This is another edited pic (two different photos merged together for a new ebook cover, but for now I’ll use it as a site promo).
This one doesn’t have the “glow” FX so the lines are a bit more defined:
I finished the cover for one of the books I’m working on featuring a sexy Asian leading male: Continue reading →
Here’s the GIF promo for the ongoing serial FERAL: A House of Tigris novel. I’m going to move the promo GIF to the right sidebar and link the first chapter once that’s done.
Over the next few weeks I’m going to try to make it easier for readers to navigate around this site and to look up books that may be of interest. I’m separating New Adult from Young Adult, and trying to get things into more order, especially since I’ve got a lot more books to release.
That’s the fictional hit song of a Trini rapper named Ozzy AKA The Great OZ from The Player. This ebook is part of my Caribbean Queens Series.
The Great Oz, from T&T
I’m releasing excerpts from all three books (excerpts from The Player and Love and Baseball are already up on this site). Next comes Game.Set.Love. featuring Tristan “Didi” Botha and Sinead Landon, two tennis doubles pros who fall madly in love. Carnival is what connects all three heroines. Sinead is from Jamaica,
I’m very grateful to all the readers who purchase my ebooks, and I have noticed readers buying from other countries.
One of my many goals in writing and self publishing concerns having a lead female character from outside of the United States. For 2014, the Caribbean Islands represented in each of the three books below are:
Love and Baseball – Barbados
The Player – Trinidad
Game. Set. Love. – Jamaica
In addition, I have ebooks that didn’t come out last year, but I hope to have out in early 2014 with female lead characters from other parts of the world:
So, the site is back up, though I didn’t get to do all my updates. Some of the plugins I use don’t play well with the new version of WordPress. Anyway, I’m hard at work continuing with a final (hopefully final) edit on Razher, Rise of the Gargoyles. I wanted to put up an excerpt this past weekend, but I missed my deadline, so I’ll try for Thursday, December 26th.
To pace myself I’ve been creating more covers and GIFS. A novella I’m excited about is “A Mighty Good Man” with a hero named Denzel “Denny” Mercado. He’s paired with a young lady who doesn’t believe guys like Denny exist.
I found a few more models for my 2014 covers. Here’s just one of them :