February 1, 2016

When Black Women Fall- Romances in Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Erotica Genres

Free Giveaway!





This is a general post introducing readers to the tour. It briefly discusses the increasing popularity of the emergence of diverse characters in romance novels and then highlights each book on the tour.

Author Kim Golden details her trek across the globe, into another culture, and into love with a man of another ethnicity. She talks of the pressures to change her main character, an African American woman, to a white woman and why she stuck to her truth.

Historically Speaking by Lena Hart
Takes a look at black woman and romance from a historical perspective. This post touches on author collaborations to write historical romance that celebrates that despite the pain and suffering black women have a history rich with love, light, and hope.

Author Piper Huguley takes history and critics to task and details her efforts to bring to light the real-life exploits of two educated Black women whom she based her heroine Amanda Stewart on in "The Preacher's Promise."

In this how to blog post, you will learn the 6 steps to creating your own blog tour for a new book release.


Author L Penelope discusses her efforts to keep her book covers culturally accurate in a publishing industry that has white-washed bestselling author covers.

Meet the heroine of Laverne Thompsons' Angel Rising paranormal novel.

Author Twyla Turner bemoans the plight of today's educated, curvy black woman on her quest for love in the real world.


About the Giveaway

What Is It?
The When Black Women Fall promo features romances in the contemporary, historical, paranormal, science fiction and fantasy, and erotica genres. The two requirements for inclusion are that the heroine must be of African/African-American descent, and she must fall in love: same race, interracial, LGBT, aliens, cyborg—doesn’t matter to us, as long as it’s a black woman falling in love!

For the week leading up to Valentine’s Day during Black History month, Heartspell Media is spreading the word about “When Black Women Fall” — a week-long promo featuring romances with African-American heroines.

When is it?
February 8-14, 2016. The week leading up to Valentine’s Day during Black History month.

Blog Posts


When Black Women Fall in Love by Ines Johnson

Heartspell Media would like to welcome you to When Black Women Fall, a week long promotional tour of romance novels featuring African American heroines in the contemporary, historical, paranormal, new adult, and erotica genres.

Romance novels are increasingly featuring heroes and heroines of color, from Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series to Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series. As society and its citizens increase in diversity so does the market. With more and more authors bypassing publishers and uploading these colorful romances on their own, starved readers now have a buffet of books to choose from.

On this tour, you will find that when black women fall in love it’s a sign of the times in these contemporary offerings.

In Farrah Rochon's "All You Can Handle" love was the last thing professional pastry chef Sonny White was looking for, but she finds it in a sleepy town with a motorcycle riding hottie.

In Lena Hart's "Because You Love Me" when an old desire is reawakened Sabrina will discover that even an imperfect love can triumph over all.

In Xio Axelrod's "Falling Stars" Hollywood actress' Val Saunders finds her career skyrocketing which makes her real-life attraction to her on-screen love interest come at the worst possible time.

In Ines Johnson's "Pumpkin: a Cindermama Story" having given up on fairytales after falling for her toad of an ex, Pumpkin is afraid to take a chance on a prince charming who comes to her rescue.

In Kim Golden's "Maybe Baby" Laney must choose between the man who offers her financial security and the one who makes her mind and body sing.

In Victoria H. Smith's "The Space Between" Lacey has dreams of the opera, but life has its obstacles, namely a man who lights a fire inside of her that challenges everything she thought she wanted.

In Christina C. Jones’ “Inevitable Conclusions” Friends? Lovers? Both? For Kora and Tariq, those lines have been blurred for a long time.

When black women fall in love it’s a magical affair as you’ll find in these paranormal stories of love.

In L Penelope's "Angelborn" he gave up eternity for love… and lost. Will Maia be his second chance?

In Laverne Thompson's "Angel Rising" Thalya, a soulless creature, meets her match when she hungers for the love of the man assigned to hunt her.

When black women fall in love it’s a defining moment as you’ll find in this historical romance.

In Piper Huguley's "The Preacher's Promise" Amanda Stewart aims to teach newly freed slaves, but meets with the resistance from the town preacher. Can these two put aside their differences and come together?

When black women fall in love it’s full of growing pains as you’ll see in this new adult romance.

In Twyla Turner's "Chasing Day" Daylen is the shy cellist who falls in love with her best friend who also happens to be the popular quarterback.

When black women fall in love it can get a little spicy as you’ll find in this erotica novellete.

In Harper Miller's "Entwined" trouble finds Gabby when she meets an ex-marine looking to release a little tension.

From February 8-14, the intersection of Valentine’s Day and Black History month, check out one of these romances at a discounted price and enter for your chance to win a giveaway basket that includes a Kindle, along with a few quintessential romance novels featuring black heroines, and a gift certificate for the beauty and cosmetics company Carol’s Daughter!

To find the books, get a free excerpt book, and enter the giveaway, visit http://whenblackwomenfall.com



Maybe...Love: Love in Translation by Kim Golden


When I first wrote about Laney in Maybe Baby, I had no idea that she would demand more stories. I never intended for Maybe Baby to become a series. I only knew I wanted to tell the story of a black woman from the States who--like me--happened to live in Scandinavia and who happened to fall in love. But, unlike me, Laney wasn't in love with the man she was with. Laney wanted something more. She thought she wanted a baby. What she really wanted was to find the person who was meant to complete her. And this journey is the story I tell in Maybe Baby. How she meets and falls in love with Mads, who is also searching and feeling just as lost as Laney.

Over the course of three books (Maybe Baby, Maybe Tonight and Maybe Forever), I've charted their love story. Not everyone appreciates it. Some people are put off by the infidelity angle and it prevents them from seeing what is the heart of the story: two people searching for and finding love, just maybe not in the best of ways. Infidelity ends up figuring into a lot of my writing. Not because I condone it. It's more that I am interested in what makes people cheat. And how they deal with the consequences of it.

Once I'd finished tweaking Maybe Baby, I received advice that it would be easier to sell if Laney were white or if I changed the setting from Scandinavia to somewhere more palatable for American tastes like Paris or London or even New York. But that wasn't what I wanted. And really, when I began writing Maybe Baby, I wrote it more for me than anyone else. I didn't want to read another story set in New York or London or Paris. I wanted to write about looking for love in Scandinavia--especially since I live here and know Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark much better than I do Paris or New York. Someone even suggested I change Laney to a white woman because--"you'll sell more books that way." But I didn't want to tell a random white woman's story. And Laney came to me as a black woman, not a white woman. I wanted to tell her story—the story of a black woman living in Europe and trying to find that someone who would make her feel like she'd come home.

So...I won't change the sort of characters I write about just to please people who don't want to read about black women falling in love. And I won't change the settings just because some people have no clue where Scandinavia is or think that the only thing capable of being set there is a murder mystery. I found love in Scandinavia...I found my guy who made me feel like I'd come home. And I think there are more love stories to come that have a connection with my Nordic home...a few more stories about Laney, her feisty cousin Eddy...maybe even Laney's daughters once they're old enough. And I think I'll keep writing about black women in love.

At the end of the day...it's what we all want—love.

If you’d like to read love stories outside of your comfort zones, check out the selection of books, including Maybe Baby, on the When Black Women Fall promo tour at http://whenblackwomenfall.com!


Black Women Finding & Falling in Love -Historically Speaking by Lena Hart


It’s not a great marvel that black women have always managed to find and fall in love, despite a moment in history that would prove otherwise—or the statistics today that would have us believe only a handful of us ever will.

I started my career writing contemporary romance. In fact, my first completed romance story was BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME, a modern romance set in Chicago about broken promises and second chances. But as a romance reader, I first fell in love with the genre through historical romances—though it wasn’t until late into my reader-life that I discovered the best-selling, award-winning pioneer of African American historical romance, Ms. Beverly Jenkins.

Growing up, I knew it was no secret that black men and women fell in love all the time. I had seen it in enough contemporary romances and movies to know this. But there was something unique about seeing that kind of love written in a historical setting. For black women, our history was usually whittled down to pain, violence, and heartache. But finally, I was exposed to a history where we were so much more than the pains of our past.

So, full of inspiration and an innate love for history, I set out to write my first historical romance. In June 2014, I released A SWEET SURRENDER, in the anthology For Love & Liberty, about an Afro-Native American healer who falls in love with a wounded British soldier during the Revolutionary War. The anthology also featured BE NOT AFRAID by Alyssa Cole about an African woman who joins the British army in order to gain her freedom from slavery, yet finds both love and freedom along the way.

In June 2015, I again collaborated with Alyssa and two other very talented authors to celebrate 150 years of emancipation and freedom. In The Brightest Day, we commemorate Juneteenth—a time that celebrates the emancipation of all slaves in America—and the wonderful Ms. Beverly Jenkins provides a foreword explaining the inception and importance of the 150-year-old holiday.

For the anthology, we each wrote a story over four different eras of American history (post-slavery) that featured a strong black woman. In my novella, Amazing Grace, my heroine Gracie is torn between fulfilling her promise or following her heart; in Drifting to You by Kianna Alexander, Rosie finds love and healing in the arms of her sexy suitor; in A Sweet Way to Freedom by Piper Huguley, Missy teaches her former lover—and the father of her unborn child—just what it means to love and be loved; and in Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole, Sofie sets out to make a difference and find love and redemption along the way.

In each story, we wanted to celebrate the fact that despite the pain and suffering of our past, black women have a history rich with love, light, and hope. Long before slavery—and even after it—black women were finding and falling in love wherever and whenever it came. That is something that should be shared, experienced, and celebrated always. As a writer, I’m so honored I get to do that alongside so many talented authors.♥

To see more of Lena’s work along with other diverse romances check out the When Black Women Fall promo tour at http://whenblackwomenfall.com.


Lena Hart is a multi-published author of sensual to steamy contemporary and historical romances. Her stories are known to include incredible love and unforgettable passion with a flare of suspense and mystery. When Lena is not busy writing, she’s reading, researching, or conferring with her muse. To learn more about her work, visit LenaHartSite.com.



The Education of a Black Heroine by Piper Huguley

When The Preacher’s Promise was first put forward to the public in the quarterfinal phase of the final Amazon Breakthrough Contest, some people began to question the history of my story in their reviews. They had never known of the possibility of an educated Black woman who traveled on her own to the southern states to teach. But I knew that this ignorance developed out of the lies that history tells us. We hear a lot about the brave white Christians who went to the southern states right after the Civil War, but we hear nothing of the Black people who went to help. This is one of the reasons why I wrote The Preacher’s Promise, so that the historical lie of omission could be exposed. My heroine, Amanda Stewart, was based on the real-life exploits of two Black women, Mary Patterson and Mary Peake.
Mary Jane Patterson is the first black woman who is credited with having earned a B.A. degree from Oberlin College, one of a handful of schools before the Civil War who were willing to give Black people a chance at higher education. She graduated from Oberlin in 1862. A historian of Oberlin College, Robert Fletcher, says that she taught school in Philadelphia, and later became a principal of a preparatory high school for Black students in Washington.
My heroine, Amanda, arrives in Milford, Georgia after the Civil War, just after her graduation in 1866 from Oberlin. Some real-life African American teachers were willing to take their lives and liberty into their own hands to teach the still enslaved populations how to read and write before the war ended. One of these brave people was Mary Peake.
Born of a free mother and an Englishman, Peake started a school in her own home state of Virginia on the grounds of what is now Hampton University. She started the school in 1861 after her own home had been burned by Confederate forces. Finding herself displaced, she taught the enslaved people who had gathered at Fort Monroe. She had taught out of her home for years and now brought those skills to this new endeavor with purpose. The population of the school went from six to fifty within a matter of days. Remarkably, Peake was also working as a married woman, having married Thomas Peake, one of the formerly enslaved.
Unfortunately, the next year, Peake caught tuberculosis and died. Her endeavor may not have lasted long, but Peake’s school planted the seed of an idea that spread and motivated many others to leave the comfort of their lives and homes to help the enslaved. So the provenance for an Amanda Stewart is certainly there. And the American Missionary Society, who built up several schools for the enslaved in the South, documented many more men and women of color who came south to each the recently enslaved. Novels are written about the uncommon and the exceptional. We may not know these Marys by name, but they were certainly exceptional. Their accomplishments should be remembered, and my Amanda Stewart is my way of commemorating these women who paved the way for many.
To experience Amanda's story yourself, pick your copy of "The Preacher's Promise" today! You can find this and other romance novels featuring black heroines on the When Black Women Fall promo tour at http://whenblackwomenfall.com.


DIY Blog Tour by Ines Johnson


If You Publish It, They Will Come
That may have been true ten, five years ago in indie publishing. It is no longer the case today. Readers have a lot of authors and books to choose from. They don’t know you, so you have to do something to get their attention.

Okay, but what something? After visiting Google, I decided to do my own blog tour. I went to listservs and chat rooms for authors and asked questions. Established authors said a blog tour was a waste of time. But new and indie authors said to go for it. I had nothing to lose, and no money to spend, so I did it myself. Here’s how I did it.

1. Build a MEDIA KIT
Honestly, this wasn’t the first thing I did. I realized I needed it as responses started rolling in with bloggers requesting the same materials over and again. But I recommend it be the first thing you do.

A media kit is everything a blogger could possibly want or need in order to host you on their webpage. Include in your Media Kit the following:

Your book blurb. I included different lengths of my blurb, including the full blurb that’s up on Amazon. A shorter three sentence blurb. And a one sentence blurb. My debut book was erotic romance, so I also had to be sure and include a PG version of my blurb for bloggers who also showcased YA books.

Book excerpts. Choose one to two scenes that you feel would get readers engaged in your story. I recommend the excerpt should start somewhere in the middle of the scene and end before the scene is over at a high point of tension. If you choose well, this tactic would naturally lead a reader to push the ‘buy now’ link so they can find out what happens next. Again, make sure you have a PG excerpt for bloggers who showcase YA books.

Guest Posts. I wrote three guests posts for my tour. I found that bloggers liked craft pieces, writing tips, and social commentary. So, I wrote one of each. I also found that some bloggers wanted you to answer their list of questions instead of using your posts. I complied, and then saved each question and answer. I included these Q&A’s in my media kit and made them available to all subsequent bloggers.

Author biography. Be sure to include the bio you’ve written for yourself and posted on your website. I found that some bloggers preferred a one sentence bio, called a tagline. So, I paired my long bio down and included two options in my kit.

Links. Be sure to include your store purchase links, your website url, and all social media links and handles. In my ebook, I have fancy graphic links. I assumed the bloggers would do something graphical with my link, but few did. Instead they just left the entire URL up under my name. I didn’t like that, but I had to realize that many of these bloggers weren’t graphic artists or any more tech savvy than your average person. Moving forward, I’ll need to think of a better way to list these links.

Images. Attach images separately, as well as in the body of the kit. If you have a lot of images, make them available upon request.

That was a lot of information, but I suggest you get started on that before contacting bloggers. Many get back to you straight away and begin making requests.

2. Find BLOGGERS
Once your media kit is assembled, you need to start finding blogs to host your amazing information.

I began my search at the Book Blogger Directory: https://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com/
I made certain to check for bloggers who were in my genre.

I also checked their sites to see when their last activity happened. You don’t want to spend time querying a blogger whose last post was in 2013.

3. Make CONTACT
Once I had my list of vetted bloggers in my genre, I began to contact them. Be aware that some of these bloggers have handy Google Docs. They’d prefer you use these instead of emailing them directly.

For those I emailed directly, I made a form email, but I sent each blogger an individual email with their name in the salutation. I also tailored the form email to each blogger where possible. For example, if I saw that a blogger was only interested in author interviews, I didn’t mention that I had blog posts and excerpts because I knew they wouldn’t be interested in those items.

Here’s an example of the basic form email that I sent out:

Dear [Book Blogger],
I write erotic romance, paranormal romance, and fairytale retellings under the pen name, Ines Johnson. My newest release, Pumpkin: a Cindermama story, which is a fairytale retelling of the Cinderella story will hit the print and virtual shelves on March 17th.

I’ve planned a book tour throughout the month of March to create some buzz and garner a bigger audience for my book. I’d love to make a stop at your site. I’m happy to do a Q&A, a blog posting, submit my book for your review, or any combination of the three. I’ve prepared three posts for the occasion. If you feel that one of the topics might interest your readers, I would be happy to make it available to you any day during the month of March and April. Attached you’ll find my Media Kit for your convenience.

4. Keep RECORDS
It looks bad to contact the same person over and again. Or to forget that you agreed to give this blogger that post on this day. I kept a spreadsheet in Google Docs so that I had access to it at all times.

On the list I listed the blog title, the blog URL, the contact person’s name and email address. In other columns, I placed what each blog looked for from guest bloggers, when I contacted them, if they responded, if they said yes and what they wanted, when the post would be live, and when they needed the information by. You should also note if they want exclusive content, and if they want you to provide them a giveaway.


BLOG NAME
BLOG ADDRESS
CONTACT

Review
Interview
Blog
Post
Promo
NOTES
CONTACT EMAIL
RESPONSE
DATE Requested


* a note about giveaways: try where possible to offer your book as a giveaway. I got my highest sales on the days I offered my book as a free giveaway. I didn’t want to offer a gift card, remember I was broke by this time.

5. Be SOCIAL
As the blog tour began, I made a fancy banner announcing the tour for my webpage. I linked to each blog that hosted me.

On the day of each tour stop, I tweeted and posted each blog. And I visited each site to try and interact with any commenters and responded where appropriate.

6. Send THANK YOU NOTES
But the most important thing I did, was mind my manners. After each post I wrote a personalized thank you note to each blogger. I told them how they affected my sales rank that day. Each one invited me back!

The VERDICT
I had phenomenal success with my tour! I was on thirty blogs over the course of my launch week. As soon as those posts went live, my debut novel was launched into the Top 100 where it’s stayed for a week after my launch. I could see the effects in real time. When a tour stop went live, an hour or so later, I’d see sales. I didn’t see much of a blip on social media (ie, my newsletter or Facebook Likes). My twitter followers did see some of an uptick, but mostly from the bloggers themselves as they tweeted about the post.

UPDATE
I repeated these steps fro the When Black Women Fall promo tour. This time I had over 50 bloggers sign up for the tour, many were repeat bloggers who I built a relationship with over the year I’ve been published. To see the other authors on the tour, please visit our site at http://whenblackwomenfall.com!



The Unwashed Cover by L Penelope

I recently read this story about how bestselling middle-grade author Rick Riordan (of Percy Jackson fame) had no recourse when several of his international publishers whitewashed the covers of his books and portrayed a black character as white. He complained but even for an author of his stature and sales, the correction took far too long.

A day or two later an author in a Facebook group lamented that her cover was whitewashed by her small press. This is in no ways new and it never stops being infuriating.

I turned on the TV yesterday and caught a clip of some movie where Blaire Underwood was being beaten by the police for literally no reason. The movie was set in the 1950s. My husband and I just looked at one another — no words needed to be said. It seems we’re still fighting the same battles over and over.

I’ve been told that I was very “courageous” for putting black faces on the covers of my books. This made me indescribably sad. Will white readers feel like my books aren’t “for them” because they don’t feature people who look like them on the covers? Have I ever felt like a book wasn’t for me because of the lack of diversity on the cover? That I wouldn’t be able to relate or enjoy it? Of course not. And my philosophy is to start as you mean to go forward. As an artist (and a control freak) I want to create and through my work begin reshaping the world in the way I want it to be.

I made decisions regarding my covers that many believe will impact sales for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I just like seeing black people on my covers. And having my covers represent the characters in my books. To quote a Twitter poster “the melanin is winning.” And since I self publish, I can do whatever I want. I don’t have to shout into the void and not be heard like Riordan or Ursula LeGuin or the many other authors whose books have been whitewashed over the years and continue to be so.

One day representing my reality the way I live and perceive it will stop being “courageous” and just be normal. Until then, I’ll put whoever I want on my covers and be grateful I have the freedom to do so.

To turn the cover and read a great love story, check out L. Penelope’s “Angelborn” on the When Black Women Fall promo tour at http://whenblackwomenfall.com.




Meet Thalya by Laverne Thompson

Meet Thalya the heroine.

My name is Thalya.
I was born at the birthplace of time. I have no clear memory of my beginning only that I was and I am. I am a soulless one. My kind have no soul thus feel no emotion. Not hate not love nor even heat or cold. But we do have a driving need to feel.

I seek above all else this compulsion to fill that void deep inside where a soul should reside with emotion. For when I do, for a brief moment, I can feel what another does. I travel the earth searching for depression, my emotion of choice. With but a kiss I drain depression from unsuspecting humans. But I do not kill them or harm them in any way. There is no need.

However, some soulless choose to feed off other types of energies, such as fear, even death and in other less benign ways. They kill those they feed from. I am not one such. But there are humans who are aware of our existence and they hunt us…all of my kind. Not differentiating from those who kill and those who don’t. And they know how to destroy us.

So while I sate my blinding hunger it is never quite satisfied…until Samuel. The leader of those who hunt my kind. For the first time in my consciousness I feel when I am with him, my own emotions not just stolen from him. So I cannot stay away. Even when it means his death or my own.

To read Thalya’s and the other stories visit the When Black Women Fall site at http://whenblackwomenfall.com.


The Unluckiest Demographic in Love by Twyla Turner

The educated/nerdy/classy/fashionable/chic/Chubby Black chick has to be one of the most overlooked demographics of women in the country, in regards to L-O-V-E. Speaking from personal experience and seeing the world with my own eyes, we get the short end of the stick more often than not.

Most of us aren’t interested in someone that is quote unquote “hood”, but every time I look up, I got some dude with a full gold grill on his ten-speed shouting out, “Hey Girl?! Hey! Can I get yo number?” More than likely, they see a woman that can take care of them, domestically and financially. A "mothering" type woman that can probably throw down in the kitchen.

Or we get the hick or wannabe “hood” white guys that like thick black girls. Unfortunately, we’re still too classy for that life. I want to be taken to the museum, not the Monster Truck show. I’ve dated one, trust me I know. Nothing like going to a NASCAR event and watch a pickup truck filled with white dudes, flying a Confederate flag. But hey, I was there for the free Goo Goo Dolls concert.

And let’s not forget the old perverted men of ALL races. Yep, we get the horny old lechers that still want someone young but no longer care what people think of the candy on their arm like their young counterparts do. Too bad I’m not into old balls, either.

We’re not necessarily picky people. But can we at least get someone with all of their teeth, not showing their drawers, and isn’t carrying their AARP card? Many of the black men that are similar to us, are only looking outside their race to date. And we all know that the majority of white guys out there are looking for someone slender. And even if they say they like a woman with meat on their bones, they’re talking big boobs and booty with skinny everything else. And that doesn’t even include their fear of dating someone black. Heaven forbid!

To the well-rounded men, we’re placed solidly in the “friend’s zone”. Most of them love and absolutely adore us. They think we’re hilarious. They ask us to help them dress to get the “hot chick”. They come to us for dating advice. Some of them even have sex with us (which ends up grudgingly being the best they’ve ever had), but still can’t see walking with us on their arm in the light of day.

But what these men aren’t understanding is that our demographic is an untapped goldmine of sweet, intelligent, loving, fun and dare I say…sexy, group of women. Many of us just as satisfying, if not more so, than any other woman. Open those pretty eyes, guys! We’re here and we’re amazing!!!

Which is the main reason why I decided to brand my books as Novels with Curves. In the past, I couldn't find a romance novel with a character that looked anything like me, so I took matters into my own hands. Why can't the curvy, Black girl get the hot guy? So that's what I mainly write... Adorably plump and sexy black heroines that snag the hot hero. My latest series Chasing Day, Daylen Daniels, the shy cellist meets Chase McCoy, the popular quarterback. They become unlikely best friends and soon find they have an undeniable attraction that leads to a tumultuous romance that spans 30 years.

All my novels are for the underdog. To give her a voice. If we can't find ourselves on TV or on the big screen, surely we can at least find characters like us in the most intimate of entertainment...books.

To find more characters like Daylen from Twyla Turner’s “Chasing Day,” visit the When Black Women Fall promo tour at http://whenblackwomenfall.com!



Meet the Books

Contemporary

“All You Can Handle” by Farrah Rochon


Tagline
Love was the last thing they were looking for…

Short Blurb

Love was the last thing they were looking for, but a chance meeting kick-starts a high-octane rush of desire that gives Ian Landry and Madison "Sonny" White all they can handle.


Full Blurb

Ian Landry knows a thing or two about responsibility. He put his dream of owning a motorcycle shop on hold and steers clear of romantic entanglements while he raises his baby sister. But when the building he's coveted for his bike shop suddenly becomes available, he can't allow the opportunity to pass him by. And when he spots a beautiful stranger sitting at the bar of his favorite hangout, Ian decides it can't hurt to have a little fun...if only for one night. Only he doesn't count on his smoking-hot one-night stand showing up on his doorstep the next morning. 

The sleepy town of Maplesville is only supposed to be the first stop on Madison "Sonny" White's new journey to becoming a professional pastry chef. After breaking free from the shackles of her former life, she isn't looking to get tied down anytime soon. But the appeal of this quaint town on a Louisiana bayou draws Sonny in more than she could have ever anticipated, and the attraction between her and the hottie who turns out to be her new landlord cannot be denied. Love was the last thing they were looking for. But their chance meeting kick-starts a high-octane rush of desire that gives Ian and Sonny all they can handle.

Buy Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1J6kUkd
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-you-can-handle-farrah-rochon/1122192585?ean=2940151195713
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/all-you-can-handle?bookId=2721c0b8-933d-476e-93d6-abc3fc1e90ed


“Because You Love Me” by Lena Hart

Short blurb:
Sabrina and Jake are caught in a tug of war between love and trust. A hurt Sabrina wants nothing more than to forget her first love, but a determined Jake wants to bury the past and start anew. When old desires are reawakened, they’ll soon discover that even an imperfect love can triumph over all.


Long blurb:

Sabrina Monroe and Jake Landon are caught in a tug of war between love and trust. A hurt Sabrina wants nothing more than to forget about Jake and the fierce love they once shared. A wary yet determined Jake wants to bury the past and start anew.

When old feelings and desires are reawakened, Sabrina struggles to keep her distance—and protect her heart. But it’s a losing battle she’s not even sure she wants to win. With Jake determined to gain back her love, Sabrina is left longing for his trust. In a fight for “all or nothing”, they’ll soon discover that even an imperfect love can triumph over all.

Buy links:



“Falling Stars” by Xio Axelrod


Short Blurb

Val Saunders and Sam Newman are two Hollywood actors at opposite ends of their careers. Hers is skyrocketing while his, well, never really took off. Fate brings them together when they’re cast as lovers on a steamy new television series. The on-screen chemistry between them is off the charts and when it spills over into a real life attraction, they find themselves in a situation.


Full Blurb

What if you met the right person at the absolute wrong time?

Val Saunders and Sam Newman are two Hollywood actors at opposite ends of their careers. Hers is skyrocketing while his, well, never really took off. Fate brings them together when they’re cast as lovers on a steamy new television series. The on-screen chemistry between them is off the charts and when it spills over into a real life attraction, they find themselves in a situation.
Sam is an honorable man. He has been faithful to a toxic, Hollywood marriage for nearly half his life. He’s never strayed and isn’t about to start now, despite the fact that he is falling head over heels for his co-star.

Val’s worked hard to get her career on the path to the A-list and the last thing she wants, or needs, is a scandal. If only her heart and her brain were working with the same script.

Romance is an ideal. This is a love story. It explores the possibility of second chances and asks hard questions about duty, fidelity, life in the public eye, and the cost of being happy. Falling Stars is the beginning of a sexy, sensual, and emotional roller-coaster ride that reminds us that love, while not often easy, is always worth it.

Links
ISBN: 9780996756822
ASIN: B01834RAK2


“Inevitable Conclusions” by Christina C. Jones

Short Blurb

Friends? Lovers? Both? For Kora and Tariq, those lines have been blurred for a long time.

Full Blurb

Friends? Lovers? Both? For Kora and Tariq, those lines have been blurred for a long time. Every time clarity seems to be within reach, something shifts, and in a single moment, focus is lost. Once again, they’re in limbo. Between them, there is only one secret, with the power to permanently alter their relationship. For good or bad, neither of them knows – nor are they willing to take that risk. Through the pain of past tragedies and the pressure of current dramas, they always find solace in each other’s arms. Inescapably connected by the interminable bond of friendship, Tariq and Kora navigate family, life, and love, searching for separate answers to a problem that has only has one, unavoidable solution.

Buy Links


“Pumpkin: a Cindermama Story” by Ines Johnson


Short Blurb

Having given up on fairytales after falling for her toad of an ex, Pumpkin is afraid to take a chance on town royalty Manny who believes she may be his soulmate.


Full Blurb

Single mother Malika “Pumpkin” Tavares lost faith in fairytales after she fell for a toad. Now she believes she’s not cut from the storybook, heroine cloth and searches for Mr. Good Enough amongst the sidekicks and supporting men of the town.

Love at first sight isn’t a cliche for town royalty Armand “Manny” Charmayne. For generations the Charmaynes have spotted their soulmates by seeing a golden aura the first time they laid eyes on The One.

When Manny meets Pumpkin he sees…nothing, but sparks fly off the richter scale. The more he gets to know her the more he considers defying fate, if only he can convince her to take a chance on love again.

Links

Amazon Purchase Link

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Google Play

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ines_Johnson_Pumpkin?id=n0iDCgAAQBAJ

All Romance Reads


“Maybe Baby” by Kim Golden


Short Blurb
Who would you choose?
The man who offers you financial security...or the one who makes your mind and body sing?

Full Blurb

Imagine finding out you could never have a baby with the man you love…
Expat American Laney Halliwell finds out the hard way when Niklas tells her he had a vasectomy before they met and isn’t interested in reversing it. Why should he? They’ve got his kids from his first marriage and an enviable life in Stockholm.
What if you fell in love in the most unexpected way…?
But Laney wants more. So when a friend suggests she look into an alternative sperm bank in Copenhagen to find a potential father for her baby, things don’t go exactly as planned. Especially when Laney meets Mads and finds herself falling in love.

Buy Links
Ebook Buy Lnks:

Paperback Buy Links:


“The Space Between” by Victoria H. Smith

Full Blurb

When Drake started the night at his father’s campaign fundraiser, he never imagined he’d end it being conned into buying drugs on the West Side. Losing high-stakes poker has its consequences, but he’d repeatedly face them just to hear Lacey Douglas sing. Drake sees Lacey light up the stage, and he has to have her. But his intentions for being on her side of town turn out to be the reason he can’t.

Chicago native Lacey has dreams of the opera, but life has its obstacles. Lacey has come to know her hardships as part of living in the real world and accepts them fully. When Lacey meets the intense and invigorating Drake, a fire is lit inside her, unleashing those dreams again.

Two paths that should have never crossed prove to create the exact pairing the other needs. But when their worlds take time to catch up, everything they have is tested. Finding the space between the two sides that challenge them will be hard, but it’s the only place that will keep them together.

Buy Links


Paranormal

“Angelborn” by L Penelope


Full Blurb

Maia

It's hard to be normal when you see the dead everywhere. So I gave up. I just focus on staying out of their way. But the guy haunting my roommate is different. He’s impossible to ignore, and now other people can see him too.

He says my roommate is the only one who can save him from an eternity of torment. But one night he follows me into my nightmare and rescues me from my demons. Now he’s all I think about. This must be what it's like to fall... for someone who can never be mine.

Caleb

A lifetime ago, I found my soul mate in the human world. But being angelborn means I don't have a soul. When I lost my one true love, I lost my future and my freedom. Now, I have a second chance — she's been reborn and I must gain her love again or serve out the rest of my eternal sentence alone.

But this time I am a fugitive with powerful angels hunting me, and I'm running out of time. You only get one soul mate, and mine isn't the broken, scarred girl, who sees what no one else can. She's a distraction I can scarcely afford — but I'm unable to stay away from her.

Buy Links
Amazon

Barnes and Noble (D2D)

Apple iBooks (D2D)

Kobo

All Romance Ebooks


“Angel Rising” by LaVerne Thompson


Short Blurb

Some of the most beautiful people in the world are not human, have no soul and are pure evil. Yet, Samuel loves a soulless one.

Thalya is a soulless creature, she hungers only for emotion and above all, she hungers for Samuel’s love. And she’s willing to kill for it.


Full Blurb

To walk the earth she must feed her hollow soul.

Some of the most beautiful people in the world are not human. They have no soul, feel no emotion and are pure evil. You can tell by the color of their dark, dead eyes. Samuel Glaus knows this. He is the son of a human mother and soulless father. He is after all half human and a hunter of the soulless. He is also in love with one who cannot love him back.

Thalya is a soulless creature, but unlike others of her kind, she does not kill to feed her hollow soul. She hungers only for emotion and above all, she hungers for Samuel’s love. Her enemy. Her redemption. And she’s willing to kill for it.

Buy Links
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/angel-rising-redemption-1

New Adult

“Chasing Day” by Twyla Turner


Short Blurb

He's the popular quarterback of the football team. She's the shy cellist. Unlikely best friends...an undeniable attraction that spans decades.


Full Blurb

The Wonder Years
Daylen Daniels and Chase McCoy are as different as night and day. Chase is the beautiful golden boy. Gorgeous, popular, and the quarterback of the football team. Daylen is the quiet introvert. Lovely curves, shy, and sees herself as an orchestra geek. After Day moves next door to Chase, a run-in with a bully, a domestic dispute, and one treehouse hideout; an impenetrable bond is made.

As they grow up, their attraction for each other grows with them, but is it strong enough to risk their friendship? A party, a little game of spin the bottle, and a devious enemy could shake the very foundation of their friendship. Or it could start a tumultuous romance that spans decades.

Take a journey with these two best friends through heartbreak, tragedy, and from childhood to adulthood as the two find that young love isn't as strong as they'd hoped. A story of true growing pains in…Chasing Day.

Buy Links

Historical

“The Preacher’s Promise” by Piper Huguley

Short Blurb

1866: Amanda Stewart promised her dying father to use her education to uplift their race and teach newly-freed slaves. When she arrives in Georgia, blacksmith Virgil Smithson tells her female teachers aren’t welcome. But he has just met a woman whose will is as strong as the iron he fashions. These combatants must put aside their personal feelings to learn God has his own plan that comes from the promises they made to their loved ones.

Full Blurb

1866 – Oberlin, Ohio

Devastated by her father’s death days after her triumphant graduation from Oberlin College, Amanda Stewart is all alone in the world. Her father’s unscrupulous business partner offers her an indecent proposal to earn a living. Instead, to fulfill a promise she made to her father, she resolves to start a school to educate and uplift their race. Sorting through her father’s papers, she discovers he had carried on a mysterious correspondence with a plantation in Milford, Georgia. She determines to start her teaching work with the formerly enslaved. However, when she arrives, the mayor tells her to leave. There’s nowhere for her to go.

Virgil Smithson, Milford’s mayor, blacksmith and sometimes preacher man with a gift for fiery oratory, doesn’t want anything to do with a snobby schoolteacher from up North. On top of everything else, the schoolteacher lady has a will hard enough to match the iron he forges. He must organize his fellow formerly enslaved citizens into a new town and raise his young daughter alone. Still, his troubled past haunts him. He cannot forget the promise he made to his daughter’s mother as she died—that their child would learn to read and write. If only he didn’t have secrets that the new schoolteacher seems determined to uncover.

To keep THE PREACHER’S PROMISE, Amanda and Virgil must put aside their enmity, unite for the sake of a newly-created community in a troubling age, and do things they never imagined. In the aftermath of the flood that was the Civil War, God set his bow upon the earth to show love and understanding for humankind. To reflect God’s promise, these combatants must put aside their differences and come together--somehow.

Links

Amazon ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Preachers-Promise-Home-Milford-College-ebook/dp/B00M77K09U/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

Createspace: http://www.amazon.com/The-Preachers-Promise-Milford-College/dp/1500851914/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y


Erotica

“Entwined” by Harper Miller


Short Blurb

In between books? Need a scorching pick me up? Check out Entwined. It’s got everything you’d want in a quick read. One hot Alpha male, two sexy ladies, and a plot twist you certainly won’t expect.


Full Blurb

After twenty years of devotion to Uncle Sam, I called it quits. I was wired and looking to get into some trouble. Trouble found me all right, in the form of a hot-bodied fox. Little did I know how much she’d rock my world. The names are all fake, details have been fudged, but you’ll get the gist of what went down. You’re getting one hell of a tale. This is my story. *Disclaimer* This is a novelette. Not a short story, novella, or novel. This story features an F/F/M ménage à trois scenario. If ménage stories are not your cup of tea, and you are easily offended by threesomes and lesbian sex, you should bypass this story. Content is intended for a mature audience, 18+. Entwined is the third installment in The Kinky Connect Chronicles. The Kinky Connect Chronicles are short erotic stories/novelettes all wrapped up in neat little bows. These stories are standalones. No cliffhangers in the lot!

Buy Links


Meet the Authors

Xio Axelrod

Author Bio ~

Xio Axelrod, is an award-winning author of love stories, contemporary romance and (what she likes to call) strange, twisted tales. She also writes erotica and women’s fiction. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, super-secret name of course). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and one part-time cat.


Author Links



Kim Golden

Bio

Kim Golden was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1995, she left the US and moved to Sweden for love with a capital L. When she isn't writing fiction, she writes copy about perfume for a Swedish cosmetics firm.

She writes stories for people who know that love comes in every color.


Author links:
Twitter https://twitter.com/kimigm


Lena Hart

Bio

Lena Hart is the author of sensual romances with alpha heroes and smart, sexy heroines. She published her first book in 2012 and have been publishing happily ever afters since. A Florida-native, Lena currently lives in New York City with her spoiled calico cat, Duchess. When Lena's not writing, she's reading, researching, or conferring with her muse.

Learn more about Lena (www.LenaHartSite.com) and her books (http://bit.ly/BooksByLena) or get more of her randomness at http://bit.ly/LenaBlogging. You can also find her spending too much time on Facebook (http://on.fb.me/1sxdwJx) and not enough time on Twitter (http://bit.ly/LenaTweeting).

**Don't forget to sign-up for her mailing list: http://eepurl.com/F1x7L

Five fun, random facts about Lena:
1. Floridian who can't swim
2. Speaks Haitian-Creole (adequately)
3. Spent the first 8 years of her life afraid of toasters
4. Nickname in college was "Moments" for having too many "blonde" moments
5. Blushes and giggles over every love scene she writes

Author Links



Piper Huguley

Bio

Piper G Huguley is the author of the "Home to Milford College" series. The series traces the love stories at a small "Teachers and Preachers" college in Georgia over time, beginning with the love story of the founders. Book one in the series, The Preacher's Promise, was a semi-finalist in Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write contest,and a quarter-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. The Representative's Revolt will be published in the Spring of 2015.

Huguley is also the author of "Migrations of the Heart," a five-book series of inspirational historical romances set in the early 20th century featuring African American characters. Book one in the series, A Virtuous Ruby won the Golden Rose contest in Historical Romance in 2013 and is a Golden Heart finalist in 2014. Book four in the series, A Champion's Heart, was a Golden Heart finalist in 2013. A Virtuous Ruby will be published by Samhain in July 2015.

Piper Huguley blogs about the history behind her novels at http://piperhuguley.com. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son.


Author Links
Website and blog: http://piperhuguley.com

Twitter: @piperhuguley




Christina C. Jones

Bio

Christina C. Jones is a modern romance novelist who has penned more than 15 books. She has earned a reputation as a storyteller who seamlessly weaves the complexities of modern life into captivating tales of black romance.

Prior to her work as a full time writer, Christina successfully ran Visual Luxe, a digital creative design studio. Coupling a burning passion to write and the drive to hone her craft, Christina made the transition to writing full-time in 2014.

With more than 17,000 books sold or borrowed, Christina has attracted a community of enthusiastic readers across the globe who continue to read and share her sweet, sexy, and sometimes scandalous stories.

Most recently, two of Christina's book series have been optioned for film and television projects and are currently in development.

Links
Read her blog: www.BeingMrsJones.com

Follow her on Twitter: @BeingMrsJones


Ines Johnson

Bio

Ines writes books for strong women who suck at love. If you rocked out to the twisted triangle of Jem, Jericha, and Rio as a girl; if you were slayed by vampires with souls alongside Buffy; if you need your scandalous fix from Olivia Pope each week, then you’ll love her books!

Aside from being a writer, professional reader, and teacher, Ines is a very bad Buddhist. She sits in sangha each week, and while others are meditating and getting their zen on, she’s contemplating how to use the teachings to strengthen her plots and character motivations.

Ines lives outside Washington, DC with her two little sidekicks who are growing up way too fast.


Links

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Publisher




Harper Miller

Harper Miller is a thirty-something native New Yorker. She’s traveled the world and lived in a variety of places but always finds her way back to the Big Apple.

A lackluster love life leaves time to explore new interests, for Harper it is writing. The Sweetest Taboo: An Unconventional Romance is her debut novel. In her mind, the perfect Alpha male possesses intellect, humor, and a kinky streak that rivals the size of California.

When she isn’t writing, Harper utilizes her graduate degree in the field of medical research. She enjoys fitness-related activities, drinking copious amounts of wine and going on bad dates.


Links
Email: authorharpermiller@gmail.com
Twitter: @authorharpmill
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorharpermiller




L Penelope

Bio

Leslye Penelope believes love is magic and likes her romance with a healthy dose of imagination. She writes new adult, fantasy and paranormal romance with multicultural characters.

Equally left and right-brained, she thinks puzzling out a programming problem is fun and has a quote from The Matrix tattooed on her arm. She lives in Maryland with her husband, one eighty-pound lap dog, and a semi-feral cat.

Visit her online at http://lpenelope.com
Join her savvy readers list for exclusive content: http://lpenelope.com/updates


Links
http://lpenelope.com/
http://www.twitter.com/leslyepenelope
https://www.goodreads.com/lpenelope




Farrah Rochon

Bio

USA Today Bestselling author Farrah Rochon hails from a small town just west of New Orleans. She has garnered much acclaim for her Holmes Brothers, New York Sabers, Bayou Dreams and Moments in Maplesville series. I'll Catch You, the second book in her New York Sabers series for Harlequin Kimani, was a 2012 RITA ® Award finalist. Yours Forever, the third book in the Bayou Dreams series, was a 2015 RITA® Award finalist. Farrah has been nominated for an RT BOOKReviews Reviewers Choice Award, and in 2015 received the Emma Award for Author of the Year.

When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading, cooking, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and catching her favorite Broadway shows. An admitted sports fanatic, Farrah feeds her addiction to football by watching New Orleans Saints games on Sunday afternoons.


Links
www.farrahrochon.com


Victoria Smith

Bio

Victoria H. Smith has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. She puts it to good use writing romance all day. She resides in the Midwest with her Macbook on her lap and a cornfield to her right. She often draws inspiration for her stories from her own life experiences, and the characters she writes give her an earful about it.

In her free time, she enjoys extreme couponing, reading, watching Scandal, and general geekery in the form of Sherlock and DC Comics. She's a bestselling author and the 2014 Swirl Award winner for Best New Adult Romance, as well as the recipient of the 2015 AMB Ovation Award for her new adult romance FOUND BY YOU. She writes both new adult and adult fiction in many genres, but mainly focuses in contemporary interracial and multicultural romances.

To be notified about my latest releases, sign up for my newsletter! - http://eepurl.com/MxQMj

http://www.authorvictoriahsmith.com/


Links
Goodreads Book Link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16281159-the-space-between

Trailer
url: http://youtu.be/B-j9G1yiDvU

embed code: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/B-j9G1yiDvU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


LaVerne Thompson

Bio

LaVerne Thompson is an award winning, bestselling, multi-published author, an avid reader and a writer of contemporary, fantasy, and sci/fi romances. She also writes romantic suspense and new adult under the pen name Ursula Sinclair, her alter ego, who likes her relationships a little more complicated. http://www.amazon.com/Ursula-Sinclair/e/B00415YAVK/

Her stories are highly sensual with erotic elements but she has a few that are considered erotic. Most of her books also have a touch of violence and a few more than that. She enjoys good action scenes in movies and has incorporated some of those elements in quite a few of her books. She is also a certified chocoholic.

Sign up for her newsletter to receive a chance at special freebies and sneak peeks at her work in progress. And no worries. The newsletter only comes out about once every other month. http://bit.ly/1hA7C9W


Links

Join her on http://facebook.com/groups/lavernesnews or http://twitter.com/lavernethompson.



Twyla Turner

Bio

Twyla Turner (1978- ) was born in Joliet, Illinois and was almost immediately enamored with all things entertainment and yearned for something "more". She wrote her first story in the 3rd grade and fell in love with creating a whole world from her mind. But it was a long winding road to self-publishing her first novel Star-Struck. An interest in science and animals, to wanting to be the next Oprah, majoring in radio/television with a minor in creative writing, to a year in Japan, four years in California and then to Arizona where the need to write finally hit her like a brick wall. And once she started, the ideas flooded her brain like she never dreamed possible. Her love of romance and travel, as well as her struggle with body image and the male species combined into wanting to write romance for 'real' women.


Links



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