• #BlackGirlMagic,  Adult Fantasy,  E books,  Excerpts,  Graphic Novel,  IR erotic romance,  Paranormal romance,  Urban Fantasy

    Sweet Fantasy

    The Project: Create a short graphic novel that combines several of my upcoming ebook characters and crosses literary genres.

     

    Pagan’s Fantasy, low resolution. Photo editing and line art combined. Separate images are from Pixabay.com

     

    Here’s how the above scene will be on Page 2 of the graphic novel:

    Low Resolution mock up of Paranormal Graphic novel

     

    Graphic Novel beginning scene featuring Pagan

     

     

    Lovers Karnage and Pagan

     

     

     

     

    Karnage Xian taking off his shirt. Also pictured: His love interest, Pagan

     

  • #BlackGirlMagic,  Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts,  IR erotic romance,  New Adult

    B-Ballers

    One on One excerpt:

    Rhea had already decided that a quick hug would be appropriate for his chivalry. Lean in, squeeze and separate. Only she hadn’t figured on Yohan catching hold of her hand. He held it a beat too long while stepping backwards, as he if wanted to pull her to him. That moment in time, a sort of shy indecision made her words pour out. “You-you . . . I mean, I’ve got some strawberry wine coolers upstairs and-and video games. We could play Fortnite if you want.”

    His brows rose and quickly lowered at her offer. Fuck playing Fortnite©

     

     

    Pictured: Yohan Sukari and Rhea Chappelle, from the erotic New Adult ebook One on One

     

     

    Tenifah “Teenie” Ibekwe is on defense while point guard Mercedes Abreu dribbles in One on One

     

     

    Teenie Ibekwe makes a shot in the ebook One on One

     

    Rhea goes bonkers over Yohan – low resolution promo pic

     

    One on One excerpt:

    Yohan Sukari was in her dorm room. Spooning her. Spooning. Her.

  • #BlackGirlMagic,  Adult Fantasy,  Adult Novella,  Adult Novellas,  E books,  IR erotic romance,  Paranormal romance,  Urban Fantasy

    The Lion, the Witch and her Wardrobe

    The lion is Karnage, as the gif below pays respect to the Chinese Lion Gargoyles (shí shī) that were created as silent guardians during the Han dynasty in China. They’re magnificent pieces of art, and I’ve incorporated their history into Pagan and Karnage’s love story.

     

    Karnage as a guardian stone lion

     

    I’d introduced the Xian gargoyles (Havoc and his dad Pathos) in my 2012 YA ebook titled RAZHER. Karnage is a major player in the sequel to that novel, which has a sneak peek up on Amazon from 2014. But since the story kept getting kinkier and darker, I realized the deleted scenes I’d created were more for an erotic romance featuring older characters.

     

    The Imperial House of Xian

     

    I’m narrowing Karnage’s final look down, so here are two more finalists:

     

     

     

    This version of a gargoyle by Dmitry Parkin is a masterful piece of 3d artwork, and is a fave of mine: 

     

    Gargoyle model by Dmitry Parkin

     

     

    Gargoyle by Dmitry Parkin

     

    As far as his lady love, the witch Pagan, this gargoyle enjoys seeing her wearing little to nothing:

     

     

    But when royal duties call, Pagan’s right by his side, dressed to impress:

     

     

     

    Pagan and Karnage
  • #BlackGirlMagic,  Adult Novella,  E books,  Paranormal romance

    24K Magic in the air

    I am a HUGE Bruno Mars fan. So I’m posting a link to his music video as part of a soundtrack for my trio of black witches:

     

    Just a few more promos:

     

    Pictured: Pagan takes on a warlock.
    Pictured: Pagan takes on a warlock. Street background by TheDigitalArtist. Used by permission.

     

     

    Pictured: Ondine, Lilith and Pagan
    Pictured: Ondine, Lilith and Pagan

     

    The vampire Yuri holding Lilith
    The vampire Yuri holding Lilith

     

    Medieval Lilith
    Medieval Lilith

     

     

    Lilith in gown
    Lilith in an evening gown

     

    A new promo for The Prince of BOYStown, featuring young lovers Justin and Su Su:

    Su Su kissing Justin, in a scene from The Prince of BOYStown
    Su Su kissing Justin, in a scene from The Prince of BOYStown.  Justin must adapt to a new life after a tragic accident.

     

  • #BlackGirlMagic,  Adult Novellas,  Contemporary Romance,  E books,  IR erotic romance,  Women's fiction

    We Three Kings

    In between working my regular nine to five and fitting in some writing, I’ve created a few promos for some books that have already been released, and others that will soon be on sale:

    Biker boys Maddox, Aiden and Ke, members of The Suicide Kings.

     

    New Aiden and Aaliyah_Book of Aaliyah promo1 watermarked
    RUSH 2, The Book of Aaliyah. Click the pix for an excerpt

     

    Yasmin, the newest member of The Suicide Kings
    Yasmin, from RUSH XXX

     

    Top left – HEAVEN ebook. Top right, Yasmin from RUSH XXX. Middle panel left – Bree, from The Gorgeous Nothings. Aaliyah from RUSH. Nyesha from SENSEI, Bottom left panel, Emmanuel from TBA ebook. Imani from HUI, Kenya from IVY LEAGUE.

     

    Pictured: Nathalie Childress and Tanner Joseph, from the New Adult ebook The Saint of BOYStown
    Pictured: Nathalie Childress and Tanner Joseph, from the New Adult ebook The Saint of BOYStown. Click the GIF for an excerpt.

     

    Tanner playing with Nathalies hair from The Saint of BOYStown
    Tanner playing with Nathalie’s hair from The Saint of BOYStown. Click the pix for an excerpt.

     

    Twitter promo for The Queen of Comedy

  • #BlackGirlMagic,  Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts,  Novella,  Of interest,  Serial

    So Thankful

    This is just a post giving thanks and also one of reflection.

    I’m so thankful that I got to spend time with my mom before she passed, and also how our family came together. I realize this is the next page in the chapter of life, where elder care and also helping those I love with disabilities will need more focus. I pray that I’m able to do even half of what my mom did.

    Maddox and Angel, from the upcoming ebook Ride or Die
    Maddox and Angel, from the upcoming ebook RUSH Ride or Die. Click the pic for an excerpt.

     

    Some of the spin-offs from the RUSH series are turning out to be novellas, while others have been moved up for ebook release. It all started with Somali Bantu refugee Aaliyah and the outlaw biker Aiden:

    The RUSH series
    Top frame – RUSH, featuring biker Aiden and refugee Aaliyah. Bottom – RIDE or DIE featuring Maddox and Angel

     

     

    But why should guys have all the fun?

    Introducing Yasmin, a road warrior for the Suicide Kings

     

    Yasmin_RUSH-XXX

     

     

  • #BlackGirlMagic,  Uncategorized

    About that Into the Badlands finale

    My condolences and prayers go out to the families affected by the horrible, senseless tragedy in Manchester, England. As a parent, seeing pictures of those beautiful youngsters and adults whose lives have been cut short brings back my own loss of a child.

    Whether the loved one is in Syria or England, or the US, the pain never goes away. May God give strength.

     

    About that Into the Badlands finale

    This GIF of Veil and Sunny is by Yemme:

    https://www.tumblr.com/yemme/160937897164/into-the-badlands-veil-sunny

     

    The 2nd season finale of Into the Badlands – Total viewers: 1,369 million
    18-49 rating : 0.5
    Link: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/sunday-cable-ratings-may-21-2017/

     

    Season 1 finale -Dec 20, 2015  – Total Viewers: 2159 million
    18-49 rating: 0.8

     

    Considering the almost two year gap between the first and second season, Into The Badlands had decent ratings for its 10 episode second season. Since the show was must-see TV for my family, just about every television in my household was tuned to the Into The Badlands marathon on Sunday. And after the Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 21 point lead over the Boston Celtics, I was really hoping Into The Badlands would give me a finale I could put on repeat viewings.

    Alas, it was not to be. Someone at AMC (the show is owned and bankrolled by AMC) or with the executive production staff of ITB decided to kill off the only person who was able to make the usually morose hero, Sunny, smile. And show some damn emotion. Veil was the woman Sunny loved enough to fight his way back to.

    Veil, portrayed by actress Madeleine Mantock
    Veil, portrayed by actress Madeleine Mantock.

    That’s the kind of hard love that romantics live for. That’s the kind of shit that has a woman saying, “You better bring it like Sunny.”

    Only . . . Sunny is now a single parent, much like the old westerns of yesteryear, Bonanza (Ben Cartwright had sons Adam, Hoss and Little Joe by three different wives who’d died), The Virginian and The Rifleman. And like several classic Disney movies (The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast) the saintly, but dead mama trope card was pulled.

    Not only that, but the show walked a tightrope with another trope, where the black character proves how “good” they are with a selfless act. Literature is rife with this trope, as it usually afflicts characters of color (see Gunga Din, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Imitation of Life -book and the films).

    It’s also important to note that US shows would use the dearly departed mama trope to garner not only sympathy, but a revolving door of attractive female guest stars to pair with their widowed lead actor.

    From fairy tales that added an evil step-mother to the mix, to often told cultural stories highlighting the adventures of a father and child left to navigate the cold cruel world together, killing mama off has a long history in both literature and film.

    In the case of ITB, Veil was still nursing her infant son. Which means Sunny will need to find a total stranger (female of course) who is also nursing. Chances are that task will fall upon either Lydia or Jade to find a willing surrogate, but I suspect the show will probably gloss over this or omit it all together since it brings up a host of other “things that make you go hmm.”

    In this feudal future, women are either sex slaves (called Dolls) Cogs, Clippers, or Barons. There may be male dolls, however I don’t recall seeing them. Veil was the rare exception. She was a healer/doctor and could read. Her backstory was that Quinn, having found her as an infant, had given her to a couple who were  indebted to him to raise.

    Veil had her own shop in town where she’d been working on an assortment of artificial limbs and mobility devices for cogs. As a healer, Veil had taken an oath to save lives. However, she wasn’t above giving Tilda, one of the Widow’s clippers, the means to poison the woman. Veil also possibly prolonged her own life by pretending Quinn’s brain tumor was in remission (he murdered Veil’s parents once her father initially diagnosed Quinn’s ailment. In typical Quinn fashion, he couldn’t have anyone know that he was dying, so he got rid of the only two people who could reveal his secret).

    Veil’s demise had been foreshadowed ever since she told Sunny she was pregnant (Sunny warned her that the penalty was death, probably because he was a Clipper, and Clippers weren’t free men). Sunny also had a nightmare while he was at death’s door about Veil’s death. In addition, another Clipper (Moon) warned him of his own family’s murder, and that in their line of work, having loved ones was a liability.

    Okay, I get that. However what’s puzzling is why the show decided to dumb down the ultimate fighter, Sunny, and turned Quinn into someone harder to kill than the Terminator in order to make Veil’s death happen. Listen, I even have reservations on the show killing Quinn. I’ve been a fan of actor Martin Csokas for a long time. He chewed the scenery with his chilling, over the top delivery, so a new villain will have a hard time besting Martin’s characterization.

    Martin Csorkas as Quinn
    Martin Csokas as Quinn

    Both Sunny and Quinn took so much physical abuse that I wondered if they were robots instead of people. Sunny survived two explosions (one at The Widow’s compound, then when he entered Quinn’s underground lair, fighting off flaming arrows that pierced his shoulder blade and a leg). He’s also stabbed in the lower abdomen by a sai wielding Quinn, after he slices and dices his way deeper into Quinn’s underground hideout with Bajie’s help. To set up Veil’s demise, Sunny’s somehow unable to deliver a death blow throughout the battle with Quinn, even after missing the mark during the season one finale. This mars an otherwise terrific fight to the death sequence, where Martin Csokas (or his stunt double) more than holds his own against the Badland’s best clipper.

    Sunny delivers a blow that would’ve killed any other mortal. But Quinn takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The lighting and cinematography on this scene is gorgeous.

     

     

    I’m happy that Into the Badlands was renewed for a third season, but the heart of the show has just been ripped out and stomped on, imho.

  • #BlackGirlMagic,  Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts,  IR erotic romance,  New Adult

    Release Week

    This is release week for two of my novels. In the meantime here are a couple of excerpts from The Saint of BOYStown and SENSEI

     

    The SAINT of BOYStown small copy1Aa

     

    The Saint of BOYStown

    That’s not Cody lying in bed, looking for all the world like a male version of Sleeping Beauty. His muscles are nowhere to be found, because his body has shrunk, almost like he’s deflated. His breathing is so shallow that its hard to tell if he’s really taking in air on his own. Mom is already here, doing what a nurse usually would.

    As I watch her washing Cody I’m ashamed at how bratty I’ve been to her. She takes his arm, wiping a wet cloth over his skin ever so tenderly. The soap suds are close to the same color he is, but even with the sterile whiteness of the bed sheets, the peach tinted lava of the soap and Cody’s fading tan, I hope he can feel the love in her touch. I pray he can hear her voice, how she sings so sweetly to him, peppering a made-up melody with lyrics like “my beautiful boy.” She encourages him and herself by bragging about how everything’s gonna be just fine. Mom gives him a run-down on all the well-wishers and prayers from the community. I wish I had her kind of quiet strength. When she notices me standing in the doorway, she smiles and motions for me to come in. I hang back, feeling like I’m intruding on this private moment between a mother and her comatose child.

    “Talk to him, Nat,” she says. “I’m sure he’d like to know how you’re doing.”

    I don’t want to. All I want to do is transport the three of us back to Aunt Gina’s living room, when we were laughing and hollering at LeBron James and the Cavalier’s game seven win over Golden State. See, I want to have that kind of mind-over-matter type will, a “I refuse to go down” philosophy, the same power that LeBron and his teammates had. I want to will Cody to wake up.

    ~~~~~End of Excerpt~~~~~

    COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

     

     

     

    promo2-for-sensei-with-japanese-saying-edited

     

    SENSEI

     

    “I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Takeshi said. “I thought you might be thirsty.”

    With a half-smile and a deep throated “thank you,” she took the bottle, giving him a quick appraisal in the process. He was decent looking. Large hands, broad shoulders, big feet . . . Oh bloody hell, he was attractive in a ruggedly handsome sort of way. But that bowl haircut was totally wrong for his face. Nyesha guessed his age to be somewhere in his mid to late thirties, and just like she was checking him out, his attention was on her face, in addition to getting an up-close view of her bare breasts.