Excerpts

  • Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts

    Dancing like no one’s watching

    What I’m watching: HBO’s The Latin Explosion: a New America

    I hope they include Celia Cruz. I was so happy to see José Feliciano’s segment. Many people know Feliciano’s hit Feliz Navidad, but his rendition of the star spangled banner was groundbreaking, and years before Marvin Gaye’s souful version. 

    Yes! they just showed vintage Celia!! Cuban born Celia Cruz is a Salsa legend. I hope someone does a big screen bio on her. 

    Celia Cruz immortalized on a US stamp
    Celia Cruz, immortalized on a US stamp

     

     

    This is an excellent documentary. It was good to see footage of artists I still enjoy listening to.

     

    I’ve got a few ebooks that I’ve kept under the radar, since I love creating unique story lines. So if you enjoy reading books featuring diverse characters who navigate through challenging life stories, then you may want to check them out.

    The next romantic release from Wikkid.Sexy.Cool books highlights that age old debate. Can love co-exist with a burning drive to succeed?

     

    Le Jong Hui is a charismatic ballet superstar. Imani Fairchild is his love interest, in the interracial romance HUI

     

    This is why I enjoy digital editing, because I can manipulate stock photos to create covers and promos that feature minorities.

     

    Low resolution color version of HUI promo, featuring Le Jong Hui and Imani Fairchild

     

    Le Jong Hui is ripped. Oh hell yeah. And he’s good in bed

     

     

    Excerpt:

    “Oh, Imani, you’ve got company,” Julio sang, just before knocking on her bedroom door and getting the okay to enter.

    Imani was on the verge of asking “Who is it?” when a familiar face peeked over Julio’s shoulder. Hui thanked Julio, who was bold enough to turn around and tell him, “Hey now, I told you to wait in the front room-”

    “Thank you, thank you,” Hui kept saying, but Julio wouldn’t budge. Whenever Hui tried stepping around him, Julio blocked his way.

    “Julio, it’s okay,” she finally said.

    “Well alright then. Y’all have a good time.” He backed out of the room, closing the door slowly while giving Imani a comical face. “Adios.”

    Once they were alone Imani acted as if it was totally normal that she was covered from forehead to chin with a frothy green beauty mask. “It’s an avocado peel. S’posed to clear my pores,” she told him. “It’s not really dry yet.”

  • Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts

    The Dinner Date

     

     

    HUI
    A beautiful partnership – Imani and HUI

     

     

    “In Korea and China we have baby mice wine. It’s a cure for everything. You got asthma? Drink some baby mice wine. Bones ache? Nothing like baby mice wine.” The horrified WTF look on Imani’s face only egged him on. “We drown newborn mice in rice wine and it takes 12 to 14 months to ferment. Then it’s safe to drink.”

    “How are dead mice ever safe to drink?”

    He countered with, “Ah, but you Americans drink Tequila and swallow a worm.”

    “Uh, sure. But I still think you’re punking me. I don’t think there’s any such thing as baby mice wine.”

    “It’s true. Look it up on your phone, look it up on the Google.”

    “I’m gonna do just that. You better not be messing with me.”

    “Or what?” he challenged.

    She pinched a crouton from her salad in order to throw it at him, but changed her mind after he kept laughing at her. No, she needed something else. Maybe a chickpea or a baby tomato bonking him right on the forehead would work.

  • Adult Fantasy,  Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts,  Paranormal romance,  Scifi

    The Anti-heroine

     

    I’ve got two versions of the same bad ass anti-heroine. In the first pic, she’s got lion teeth. The second pic was actually the one I’d edited first, but she looked too much like a vampire (or werewolf with the bottom teeth), so I changed it to better represent her species, which is Panthera Leo.  The lion teeth may be a bit too big for my taste, so I may just go with my first edit (plus the teeth are whiter).

     

     

    Lioness edited copy resized
    Lioness, an anti-heroine from the paranormal ebook FERAL

     

     

    Lioness resized copy
    Meet Lioness, the royal head of House Panthera Leo from the ebook FERAL

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Carnivore-Feral-GIF

     

     

    Just a few of my anti-heroines:

     

  • Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts

    XTC and TGIF

    I wanted to put up an extended excerpt from a paranormal romance that’s ready for release, but I’ll have to come back and finish this post.

    A few more edited photos for my growing romance picture gallery. Three out of the four stock photos had couples of the same race, so I changed the couples to interracial lovers. These  photos will be used for my novellas:

     

    Getting Intimate

     

     

     

    Getting intimate pic2

     

     

     

    Getting intimate3

     

     

    Getting intimate4
  • Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts

    XTC and TGIF

    I wanted to put up an extended excerpt from a paranormal romance that’s ready for release, but I’ll have to come back and finish this post.

    A few more edited photos for my growing romance picture gallery. Three out of the four stock photos had couples of the same race, so I changed the couples to interracial lovers. These  photos will be used for my novellas:

     

    Getting Intimate

     

     

     

    Getting intimate pic2

     

     

     

    Getting intimate3

     

     

    Getting intimate4
  • Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts

    A HUI excerpt and Serena is GOAT

    First, Serena Jameka Williams is GOAT.

    Check out JK Rowling’s comeback on twitter to someone who tried to rain on Serena’s parade:

    JK Rowling comback to Serena hater

     

    Serena’s WEARING that dress!! Look at those curves!

    That Wimbledon women’s final had everything. High drama, an  emotional roller coaster for both players. There were thrilling rallies and at times, brilliant shots. Yes, both players had a case of the yips. But it was the Wimbledon final, so I expected that. Garbine Muguruza is a rising star in tennis. I’ve been watching her progress, and her talent is undeniable.

     

    A few more promos I’d worked on for my fictitious ballet sex symbol, Le Jong Hui:

     

    Hui side profile promo copy
    Ballerino Le Jong Hui

     

     

    Hui as the Albrecht from GISELLE
    Hui as Albrecht from the classical ballet GISELLE

     

     

    Hui leaping1
    Le Jong Hui in flight

     

     

     

    One more excerpt before the book comes out:

    If Hui wanted to impress her with this place he’d succeeded.  From the time they stopped in front of a building with a wrought iron entrance and made their way to a top floor condo ─ a place that Hui said someone had graciously offered the use of ─  Imani’s eyes bulged at the décor and design.

  • Adult Novella,  Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts

    Congratulations Miss Copeland!

    Misty Copeland is now a principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater:

     

    Principal Dancer for the ABT Misty Copeland
    Principal Dancer for the ABT Misty Copeland

     

     

    Excerpt:

    “Even as her promotion was celebrated by her many fans, it raised all-too-familiar questions about why African-American dancers, particularly women, remain so underrepresented at top ballet companies in the 21st century, despite the work of pioneering black dancers who broke racial barriers in the past. And it showed how media and communications have changed in dance, with Ms. Copeland deftly using modern tools — an online ad she made for Under Armour has been viewed more than 8 million times — to spread her fame far beyond traditional dance circles, drawing new audiences to ballet.”

     

    Misty Copeland is Promoted to Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theater

    Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/01/arts/dance/misty-copeland-is-promoted-to-principal-dancer-at-american-ballet-theater.html?_r=1

     

     

    It took individuals both within and outside of ballet to publicly support Misty Copeland for this to happen, imho.

     

    And let me also add: IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME.   For more ballet trailblazers of color, please see this post: http://wikkidsexycool.com/2015/02/11/dance-trailblazers/

     

     

    So, as I ready HUI for release, an ebook that features a fictional African American ballerina going for the Holy Grail like Miss Copeland, please take note that  at this moment, Misty is the one and only. That’s right. For whatever reason, Miss Copeland is the only black woman in the role of principal dancer in a major US ballet company.

     

     

    Little-Imani-GIF
    Imani Fairchild, from the ebook HUI, an interracial romance set in the world of ballet

     

     

    Imani in shadow1 copy
    Ballet dancer Imani Sojourner Fairchild, from the interracial romance set in the world of ballet titled HUI

     

     

    Imani in the lead role of Sleeping_Beauty_Royal_Ballet_2008 copy
    Reaching her dream. Imani triumphs in the lead role of Sleeping Beauty Edited photo of Imani in the lead role of Sleeping_Beauty_Royal_Ballet_2008 copy

     

     

    Book Excerpt:
     

    Outside of Meredith’s office a number of dance students lingered in the hallway, waiting for their classes to begin. Some used the walls to support their weight as they stretched. Others utilized the comfort of the crowded floor. Making her way among the maze of human parts, Imani was almost mowed down by a younger group of students bursting out of one of the classrooms. Their excited chatter and giggles reminded her of the tiny dance academy she’d once attended. It was encouraging to see the diversity of the group and their excitement at seeing her.
     

    “That’s Imani,” she heard one little girl whisper to the others as if Imani was on the cusp of greatness.  “She’s so beautiful! I wanted to come here after I saw her perform at my grammar school,” the same little girl said, apparently not realizing how far her voice carried.