• Adult Novella,  Contemporary Romance,  E books

    Imani and Hui are coming!!

    Now on sale (on Amazon.com):

     

    Torii and Ethan from At Last. Harlow and Kyle from The Player

     

     

    Click the promo to be redirected to The Player on Amazon or click here to be redirected:  http://amzn.com/B00VEEJ00W

     

    The link for At Last can be found here: http://amzn.com/B00TVTOXM2

     

     

    Imani and Hui are up  next:

    Imani and Hui as partners copy warmth added copy
    Ballerina Imani Fairchild and her partner in dance and life, Le Jong Hui. The ebook HUI is an erotic romance set in the world of ballet

     

     

    Imani hugging Hui small copy

     

     

    Nu Hui promo1 copy
    Same promo pic, except I added a bit more color to their skin tones.
  • Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Women's fiction

    March Madness!!

    March Madness is back, and its not just on the basketball court.

    Stay tuned to this spot, where I’ll announce which books will be on sale this month.

    First though, let me thank all the readers who took the time to purchase and read AT LAST, the interracial love story of a paraplegic male and an older black female. In keeping with the theme of diversity, HUI, the interracial romance set in the world of ballet will be released shortly, as well as The Player.

     

    Hui GIF for March
    HUI (pronounced Hway) the interracial romance set in the world of ballet, between a black ballerina and a North Korean ballet dancer

     

     

     

    Trinidad beauty queen falls for NFL quarterback
    Trinidad beauty queen falls for NFL quarterback in the ebook The Player

     

     

    Already released:

     

    At Last Promo4a
    Ethan and Torii, from the ebook At Last

     

     

    “I could go down on you forever” –  Ethan, from the erotic romance At Last

     

    At Last Promo watermarked
    At Last – May/Dec erotic romance between a paraplegic male and a businesswoman

     

    ** Proceeds from my novels are used to purchase FILM Equipment. Now is the time for minority writers to become screenwriters, and to be the change we want to see. **

  • Adult Novella,  Contemporary Romance,  E books

    Dance Trailblazers

    Imani Fairchild is a fictitious character, however in light of this being black history month I wanted to list a few of the real life minority trailblazers in the field of ballet. Most people know the name Alvin Ailey and Arthur Mitchell, but how many know the names of the ballerinas of black and Native American and also hispanic heritage that graced stages of the world during the 30s,40s,50s and 60s?

     

    Imani lands the role of Kitri from Don Quixote
    Imani lands the role of Kitri from the ballet Don Quixote

     

     

    Le Jong Hui and Imani Fairchild from the interracial romance HUI
    Le Jong Hui and Imani Fairchild from the interracial romance HUI, set in the world of ballet

     

     

     

     

     

    Katherine Dunham, Janet Collins, Maria Tallchief, Lauren Anderson, Raven Wilkinson . . . and many more.

     

     

    Katherine Dunham – dancer, choreographer and anthropologist. Dunham started her own ballet company in the 1930s.

    Katherine Dunham also appeared in several films: Carnaval of Rythms (1939), including Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), Stormy Weather (1943), Casbah (1948), Botta e Risposta 1950 Italy – Musica en la Noche 1955 Mexico – Liebes Sender (1954) Germany – Mambo, (1954), Italy – Karaibishe Rythmen (1960) Vienna. She also choreographed, without appearing: Pardon my Sarong, 1942, USA- Green Mansion, 1958, USA – The Bible, 1964 (by John Houston, shot in Rome). In 1962 Katherine Dunham and her company appeared in Bamboche, the three-act revue that first introduced to America the dancers of Morocco, who appeared with the consent of King Hassan II.

    Dunham choreographed Aida in 1963 at the Met, and continued to secure her place in artistic history by becoming the first African American to choreograph for the Metropolitan Opera.

     

    Link: http://kdcah.org/katherine-dunham-biography/

     

     

    Katherine Dunham_ballerina and contemporary dancer
    Katherine Dunham, ballerina, choreographer, trailblazer. Photo from http://vintageblackglamour.tumblr.com/page/29

     

    Link to photo: http://vintageblackglamour.tumblr.com/page/29

     

     

    Janet Collins, the first African American dancer to join the Metropolitan Opera Company (1950):

     

    Janet Collins in Jet Magazine
    Janet Collins, lead dancer at the Metropolitan Opera house production of Aida, 1950-1951 season.

     

     

     

    Raven Wilkinson:

     

    Raven Wilkinson
    Raven Wilkinson

     

     

     

    Wilkinson,  born in 1935, became the first African American woman ever hired as a permanent member of a major ballet company, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo of New York City.  She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe, and remained with the company for six years.   – See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/aah/wilkinson-anne-raven-1935#sthash.PDpTI543.dpuf

     

    Wilkinson’s acceptance came with one condition; she had to pretend she was white in order to perform in the segregated South. Two years into her career, at an Atlanta hotel, Wilkinson decided she wouldn’t outright deny her race when asked if she was colored by the hotel owner. Following that incident her dancing was limited within the company and after several years of enduring the cruelty she left the company. Wilkinson eventually went to Holland, where she danced as a soloist with the Dutch National Ballet.

     

    Link: http://rollingout.com/culture/black-swan-the-5-most-influential-black-ballerinas/

     

     

     

     

    Maria Tallchief was considered America’s first major prima ballerina, and was the first Native American to hold the rank.

    For more on Maria Tallchief, click this link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Tallchief

    Maria Tallchief
    Native American ballerina Maria Tallchief

     

  • Adult Novella,  Contemporary Romance,  E books

    Ballerina Girl

    She’s worked all her young life for this moment.

     

     

    Practice makes Perfect. Little Imani Fairchild works hard to become Imani Fairchild, the ballerina
    Practice makes Perfect. Little Imani Fairchild works hard to become Imani Fairchild, the ballerina

     

     

     

     

     

    Imani as a ballerina5 less glow added
    Imani as a guest artist for the Paris Opera Ballet. Performance of JEWELS by George Balanchine. Edited photo

     

     

    Photo credits TBA

     

     

     

    Imani as Odette, the black swan from the ballet Swan Lake
    Imani as Odile, the black swan from the ballet Swan Lake. Edited photo
    Edited photo of Ty King-Wall and Lana Jones in Swan Lake, Black Swan Pas de Deux. Photo Jessica Bialek

     

     

  • Adult Novella,  Contemporary Romance,  E books,  Excerpts

    A Star is Born

     

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

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Excerpt:

     

    “I-I didn’t get the part.” Gemma sounded as if being passed over just didn’t happen to her.

    Welcome to my world, Imani wanted to say. Instead she tossed an arm over Gemma’s shoulder, squeezing her in solidarity as they walked down the hall. “Don’t hate on Ming-ju, though. She’s cool. And she’s a really good dancer.”

    “Imani, Ming-ju didn’t get the part either-”

    “She didn’t?” The despair on Gemma’s face made Imani wonder if she’d ever looked that down and out. “I’ll tell you what, we’ll take turns listing all the reasons they made the wrong choice-”

    Her words were cut short by the pounding of heavy foot falls that were loud enough to startle them both. A thundering herd of something was coming fast and frantic. Imani glanced over her shoulder only to be quickly engulfed in a crowd of well-wishers. They were screaming at her, saying her name. Her. Name. She was in the center of a whirling carousel of faces, many from the corps and a few soloists who were shouting, some of them with tears streaming down their faces and others with smiles wider than the Grand Canyon.

    “I’m so happy for you-”

    “This is freakin’ historic . . .”