I’m so excited about this! I say that all the time regarding new book announcements, but honestly? This year, I’ve worked on projects I sincerely loved working on and that made me want to sit in front of my computer to complete We started 2023 with book five in the Love is Cure, Vol. 1 – Vices & Virtues series, Gluttony, returned with an enemies-to-lovers story When Luke Met Juliette in the spring and then recently a vacation novel When Life Gives You Sunsets near the tail end of Summer, and in October, I’m scheduled to release my fourth and final book release of 2023. And it’s a collaboration with ShanicexLola!
Maybe This Time Will Be Different is a No Fraternizing seriesside story that follows Kuts Kings barber Omar Harris and his on-again, off-again intimate relationship with his son’s mother Katrina Turner.
My next book release When Luke Met Juliette will go live next week, April 7th! I’m so excited for you all to read this book. I was standing in my kitchen waiting for my coffee to finish brewing when I thought to myself, “I wonder what number book When Luke Met Juliette will be?”
I’ve stopped counting after Last Comes Love, it feels. Ever since then, I’ve I’d checked in on the number, but I rarely remember what number I was up to.
#35.
We’re officially at story number #35, making it a milestone for me. And if there was a story that should serve as a milestone on my self-publishing journey is HAS to be When Luke Met Juliette.
When Luke Met Juliette is a culmination of everything I’ve learned about storytelling and what I discovered on my own just doing it. I am sincerely in love with this story and the breadth of these characters and their character arcs.
There’s so much I want to say about this story but I want for some of you to read it first so I can talk with you and not atyou lol.
With that said, there are some quick facts I can share about When Luke Met Juliette that I think you’d find interesting. Some of these will be facts you’ve heard me mention before, other facts you expect from my stories, but here they are anyway.
An enemies-to-lovers story I really enjoyed writing. I’m also thinking that writing about university life and the business of college sports is my jam! I sincerely had a lot of fun creating the characters for my next book release and I’m confident you will too.
The title is When Luke Met Juliette, and this one is pure magic. Not in the literal sense. But in how these two come together and how electric their connection is on the page. You will literally ⚡️feel ⚡️the words in this one.
Because When Luke Met Juliette is an experience.
Check out the cover and see the synopsis below. When Luke Met Juliette will be released Friday, April 7th…
I have one more book to release before the year ends. And appropriately, it’s a New Year’s Eve story!
Home Before Midnight is a follow up to Home Before Christmas – a short holiday story that follows a separated Jaleel and Eva Gordon as they fulfill their son’s one and only Christmas wish… for his separated parents to spend the holiday under the same roof.
Home Before Midnight brings us three years after that story, and things are better than ever, with a new challenge sprinkled in.
Home Before Midnight is due out later this month. Check out the cover and synopsis below…
Book 5 in the Love is Cure, Vol. 1 – Vices & Virtues series, Gluttony, is available now for pre-order.
Gluttony is fittingly the longest book in the series and is chock full of layers. I really love how dynamic and thematic this story is and I’m looking forward to sharing teasers and at least one sneak peek. Below is the synopsis and link to pre-order.
Gluttony will be available on January 27, 2023.
I’ll have a “what to expect” post live in the coming weeks.
When I make trailers for my upcoming releases, that’s when I know it’s really happening. As well as when I create the synopsis, since I take extra time and pay special attention when creating the synopses for this series.
I published the character trailer for Gluttony on YT, so of course I had to share it here too. I have a couple of other trailers on the way since I love making them so much.
The characters and their story are really appealing to me.
Gluttony’s “What to Expect” post might be my favorite thing to write for Gluttony’s promo season. I’ve spent so much time with these characters and their story, and I can’t wait to share all there is to know about them.
Let me just drop this trailer here and be back with that write up, because I have a lot to say.
It’s the final Sunday before release day, so I just had to post a sample from So This is Love. This is one of my favorite scenes from the book. The restraint! I love these two. This clipped scene is from a flashback. There are a few flashback moments in the story, most of which are set in the present day, so they blend with the story. So This is Love drops this week!
*So This is Love is still in the unpublished phase, so the text below is still subject to change.
So This is Love will be my 32nd self-published story and I literally cannot believe I just typed that! I have grown so much as a writer on my self-publishing journey. The thinking I had at the start of my author experience is not the same today… in a good way! This book and all the other books I’ve written this year have challenged and altered my perspective on what it means to be a writer. Once upon a time, I used to think to write, to be a writer, I needed a desk, and a laptop, and to set the scene before writing the scene. All of that is still nice to have, but I’m learning more than ever that technique is queen and the most important thing in all of this.
Because like ENVY and Ready or Not – two books I released earlier this year – I wrote So This is Love on my phone.
Have I ever admitted that I really, really love making these? Creating a visual representation of a story that only existed in my head, then in words, and finally with visuals, is magical to me. It’s the actuality of thoughts becoming things and I sincerely love that. The release of So This is Love is only a week away and I still have so much to share about this story.
Dallas was a favorite of mine from Forbidden: An Anthology – the first book where he appears. The story wasn’t told from his perspective, so we didn’t really have time to dive into his thinking or how he felt about Ayanna’s decision to seduce him into paying back his brother for his brother’s trifling ways. So This is Love (STIL) will finally give him a voice, and it’s a voice to love.
When we met Ayanna Dale in Forbidden: An Anthology, she was a woman on a mission with a focus on dishing payback. Ayanna grew fed up with her relationship. In fact, Ayanna was tired of being tired. She’d been in a relationship with her boyfriend, Dominick, for a year, and the year had not been pretty. Despite that, Ayanna stuck through the rough times believing that things would eventually get better, despite being hurt and lied to since day one.
Another day, another cover reveal. Not really! This one is the cover reveal for the final story in my Forbidden series, So This is Love. I’m so excited for you to read this story. It’s a page turner!
It feels like forever ago I promised to write a follow up to my novel Last Comes Love. My love for the characters, Rylee and Lennox, was love-at-first outline 😍 and after I typed “the end” I knew it wasn’t over. I promised a continuation of Rylee Daniels’s story and I’ll finally deliver it to you soon enough. I plan to release this story once it is ready and fully packaged for release, which is soon.
And here we are again. Another What To Expect post for another book of mine, and I love it here! This is one of my favorite blog posts to create before the release of my books because I am forced to organize my thoughts and revisit my process pre-release.
Honestly, my author notes usually borrow from what I print here, but this time, I had so much to share that the author note in this next book release will be like a continuation of what I discuss here. And we’re talking about none other than ENVY.
The fourth book in my Love is Cure, Vol. 1 – Vices & Virtues series will be released January 21st and is available now for pre-order! This story is one of my favorites and follows the relative of one of my previously published characters – Amir Jones – but this Jones is not like the other.
I’ll have more in my “What to Expect” post. For now, here’s the synopsis:
Book four in the Love is Cure, Vol. 1 – Vices & Virtues series is almost here! I have a tentative release date set for later this month and like I told my Insiders, I’m trying my best to get ENVY out to y’all on time. It’s still in editing. We’re still combing through it like a fine tooth comb because is there really any other way to edit? 😑. The scheduling has been tight but I have been staying on target. Fingers crossed everything stays on course.
For now though, the book trailer for ENVY is LIVE and available for your viewing pleasure.
After ENVY, three books remain to be published in the series. The next few books will take the battle within the character. Things need to be sorted, wrongs righted, and they’ll discover love heals all at the top of the mountains they move.
I’m excited for where this series is going and I can’t wait for you to see it all.
We are getting closer to the release date for my next book, My First, My Last! My First, My Last is a story I started last year, in May 2020. I started writing the book during quarantine. I’d gotten the idea for the premise of the story in a dream and explored it by adding in the elements that make a story one I’d love to read. I took on the weight of writing a new project while preparing the release of other’s last year to distract myself from all that was happening.
That didn’t really work out because I’d started and stopped this project several times while dealing with life and the surrounding scenes of life known as the pandemic.
Nevertheless, I did type the end and created a story about two friends whose destinies run into more obstacles than hurdles on a track. It stars characters who are relatable, who are – what I like to describe them as – frustrating, and characters who embody the saying that the people who hold us back the most are ourselves.
I can’t believe my next book drops in one week! The number of times I’ve started and stopped this project during quarantine I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I stopped soooo many times. Between being pregnant, living on lockdown (which wasn’t a huge change for a homebody like me), and the war against black consciousness, I was too through in 2020, and writing was the last thing I wanted to do.
But you know what?
I know more than anything that out of all the chapters, chapter one in My First, My Last is one of the most solid because I must have read that chapter over fifty times when restarting this manuscript for the hundredth time lol.
I’m borrowing this sample from the very first chapter in My First, My Last. This chapter is long because it is an introductory one. It is one of my favorite chapters in the book because this is the exact moment when Ayla and Hassani meet *swoon*. Now, it’s not the entire first chapter. You’ll have to subscribe to my newsletter to get that. Insiders receive a sneak peek at the first chapter days before release day. As always, since this work is not yet published, the text below has not gone through final edits and is subject to change. Enjoy and stay tuned for more 😉.
I had to triple check to make sure my blog title was accurate 😂🙈. I can’t believe I’ve yet to release a book in 2021, but honestly, I’ve been spending a lot of time creating in other areas (e.g. mugs… have you seen them yet?). My first love will always be writing though. Penning friends-to-lovers stories to be exact, and I have a new one on the way!
My next book release has a release date! On June 25th, you’ll meet Ayla and Hassani – two characters that frustrated me and worked my nerve but who I fell absolutely in love with. Their story is so amazing, ya’ll! The connection you will form with these two might last a lifetime. The last time I had this feeling about characters, I wrote Girl Code, Mr. & Mrs. Jones, and Last Comes Love. That, to me, is an excellent sign. I can’t wait to share samples and teasers with you! But for now, here is the cover and the synopsis…
All of my books bring with them some kind of excitement, but I don’t think I’ve ever been THIS excited to share the news about a project the way I am with this one. Okay, maybe I have been this excited, but Linda listen 😆
My First, My Last is a story I started working on in 2020 during quarantine. I started and stopped this project so many times, but the one thing I said I would do with this story was take my time because it deserved that much patience and more. The concept for the story came to me in a dream, and I built upon the idea to give you what you’ll read this summer.
I’ve been quiet around these parts, but I promise I’ve been productive. My first release of the year is being edited as we speak and is due for release soon-ish. I’m currently at work on the 4th book in the Love Is Cure series. And now, I’m preparing to launch a new series of mugs inspired by my story, Ebb & Flow!
I feel like my books follow a similar theme in the years they are published. Last year was a time for my characters to redeem themselves from past decisions. This year, I really think these characters are here to frustrate me and you know what? I’m here for it! 😊
I’m so excited to bring to you the third story in the Love Is Cure, Vol. 1 – Vices & Virtues Series. To watch this series grow when it was only an idea not long ago has been nothing short of magical for me.
Anyway, I gave you the teaser last week and now I’m posting the cover. Keep scrolling for the synopsis.
You’ve been hearing about Bryant Greene since Last Comes Love and now you get to meet him. If you read the second book in the Love Is Cure Series, LUST, you got a sneak peek at chapter one from GREED.
(Please note:GREED is the final book in the series to get a sneak peek in a previously published book.)
Anyway, things continue to get interesting, especially with the addition of a familiar character from Loveless, Zoe Stewart.
GREED is scheduled to drop next month! Here’s a teaser…
Loveless will be my 26th self-published story and the third official continued story from Forbidden: An Anthology and I’m excited for you to see what Joi Friday has been up to a year after her short story ended.
Loveless is a novella consisting of mild urban fiction elements and heavy on the black romance. It’s a love story, but not your typical love story, which I honestly favor writing. But with Loveless, even I can admit the story and plot are different for me. It’s not a typical love story because of how the heroine meets and falls for the hero. She does so while being tied up in a twisted situation. In Loveless, she’s exposed to two different worlds regarding relationships with men.
The third continuation from Forbidden: An Anthology will soon be here. Watching these characters grow in their own way in each story and delivering stories that are so different from the last has truly been a treat.
Anyway, here’s a sample from Loveless…
*Loveless is still unpublished so text is subject to change.
Jeremiah Rhames. Does his name sound familiar? If you read my No Fraternizing series, it will. Jeremiah was the detective who interviewed Lila at the precinct when Romello was dragged in on charges in part 2 of the series. Jeremiah also appeared in part 3 of No Fraternizing, with a more significant role as the source to reveal Romello and Lila’s connected past. Just as he changed the course of the stories in part 2 and part 3, Jeremiah’s role in Loveless is just as significant.
Joi Friday. She’s probably one of my most disliked characters I’ve written about to date. She’s an undeniable bad guy with a backstory that helps make sense of the person she becomes when readers first meet her in Forbidden: An Anthology.
She hints at it at the start of her story “Decadent Contradictions.” But because the story was a short story, we really didn’t have the time to get too deep into it. Loveless allows us to peel back Joi’s layers and to sort through the complexities that molds her character.
Joi Friday. If you read Forbidden: An Anthology, then you’re familiar with her name and her short story in the anthology – “Decadent Contradictions.” In her original short story, Joi was the bad guy… well, maybe not at the very beginning. But a lot of readers decided within seconds of reading her short story that she wasn’t the most liked character in the anthology. Her story in Loveless will change your perspective on Joi, someone you probably deemed as being morally corrupt. Loveless will also reintroduce you to a few familiar names from my other series, No Fraternizing.
The storyboard for LUST. This book was fun to work on. I enjoyed developing the characters and their journey back to love. LUST is a second chance love story between high school sweethearts, but this one is with a twist.
To say it’s been a struggle to get in front of my computer these past few months would be an understatement. There’s been a lot going on, but I have been pushing myself to get these books out to you. I have three books currently in editing and the first of the batch is ready to go. One of which is LUST, book two in the Love Is Cure Series. You have been hearing about Pryce Williams since Last Comes Love and he made his first appearance in my previous release, Meant To Be. Now you will meet the man himself and boy does he have some redeeming to do. Check out the cover and the synopsis below.
In just five days, my next release Meant To Be will be available for download! This novella is a friends-to-lovers meets love after loss story that will warm your heart and alter your perspective on a few things. This isn’t one of my stories with twists and turns but it will keep you engaged and rooting for August and Genesis all the same.
Since the story has not been published yet, it is still subject to edits…
We’re getting closer to release day! I’ve gone through so many different phases of anticipation with this book. Falling in love, being frustrated, falling in love a second time, worrying over the little things, then falling in love with the story yet again. The editing process was a trip this time around because I’m dealing with an area in romance that’s a bit foreign to me. Love after loss isn’t a focus in romance I’ve ever done. I’ll be doing it again when I work on Rylee Daniels’s story (Last Comes Love). But this story, THIS story? Is truly one of the stories I really love with my whole heart. Here’s a teaser, clipped from one of my favorite scenes in Meant To Be…
So you’ve met August Hall, right? If you’ve yet to meet him, you should! Now, though, it’s Genesis’s turn. As I mentioned, we didn’t get much of a chance to learn a lot about Genesis and August in “Karma Coated” from Forbidden: An Anthology. It was a quick story, so I designed a story that gave you just enough to move the sequence of events along. With their continued story in Meant To Be, we get to know these two in a more intimate way and fall in love with unique aspects of their characters… I know I did.
Genesis is many things, but at the top of the list…
If you read Forbidden: An Anthology, you’ll remember being introduced to August Hall through the second story in the anthology, “Karma Coated.” This story was the more emotional read out of the five and followed friends Genesis and August who both lost their spouses and their best friends – August was friends with Genesis’s husband and Genesis was friends with August’s wife. As the story unfolded, we learned of the shocking discovery August and Genesis happened upon when they learned of the death of their spouses and… well, if you read it you know and if you haven’t, you must!
August in the brief span of the story embodied a lot of loveable characteristics and I bring those characteristics even more to life in the continued story of “Karma Coated,” Meant To Be. So, who is August Hall? Well, for one…
August & Genesis’s story is on the way! Scheduled for release next month, April 24th, Meant To Be will pick up where their short story “Karma Coated” (Forbidden: An Anthology) left off.
These two are doing their best to make sense of their relationship after their night together in Forbidden, and the journey is an emotional yet steamy page turner. Here’s a teaser from one of the scenes in the book. In the coming weeks, you’ll see more posts on this book. There’s so much to cover 😉.
With PRIDE scheduled for release this Friday, March 20th, I’m sharing the final teaser for this book. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m really excited for this release. I can’t wait for you to meet Summer & Jayce.
The final Sample Sunday for PRIDE! This one is snipped from a scene five chapters into the book. As the days fall off the calendar and I prepare to release my first book of the year, I’m grateful to have seen my vision for a play on the seven deadly sins finally come to life. I’m excited for this release! So, without further ado…
Next week! That’s when my next book is set for release, my first book of the year, my first book of the decade! PRIDE is also the first book from my new series, Love Is Cure, Vol. 1 – Vices & Virtues. I’m excited for you to see what I’ve been working on since last year. Here’s a teaser…
Can I drop another pre-order on the blog? In 2018, I spent a lot of time outlining and making plans for my books. In 2019, I spent even more time writing the books I outlined the year before. Now in 2020, I’ve got those books ready for you to read! Meant To Be is book 3 of The Forbidden series – a series of continued stories that first appeared in my Forbidden Anthology. Meant To Be follows Genesis and August after testing the bonds of their friendship and surviving their heartbreaking losses.
My first release for 2020, PRIDE, is available now for pre-order. PRIDE serves as the first book in my new series, Love Is Cure, Vol. 1 – Vices & Virtues. All of the books in this series are standalones and can be read in whatever order you want. But if you’re reading them in the order they are released that’s fine too, even better actually! All of the stories are linked in some way with characters from my Forbidden series making an appearance in this series too.
This volume of Love Is Cure is a play on the seven deadly sins, with a twist. I play matchmaker with the vices and their opposites, virtues, and help them fall in love and other ish. And what results is a dope ass read! Check out the synopsis below and click the link to reserve your copy.
When I first announced my plans to work on a seven book series last summer, the task seemed like something I would first love and then eventually hate. The workload, the research, everything just seemed like work before I actually started. But once I completed the outlines for all of the stories, did more research, and wrote the first chapter of this book, I was ecstatic! With three books completed in the series and a fourth in progress, I can say that I LOVE this series with my whole heart. And to start everything off, is Book One from the Love Is Cure series, PRIDE!
It’s a new year! And with that comes new books from yours truly. 2019 was a very experimental year for your girl and that shit was scary. 2020 won’t be much different lol. But there will be a whole lot of love and even more complex characters. You ready?
Here’s the trailer for one of the series I’ll be releasing books for in 2020.
I’ll also have news on the two books that are dropping this year, God willing, from my Forbidden series. Y’all, I love ALL of the stories I’ve penned for you this year. Can’t wait for you to read them.
The first book from the Love Is Cure series, PRIDE, is due out this spring. Read a little more about it HERE!
Last week (or so), I posted the trailer for Ebb & Flow and forgot to do the same here! Please blame it on the holidays and all the running around I’ve been doing for family and business.
So, one of the things I do to prepare my books for release, is listen to them. I often read the whole book outloud, but I like to hear it. I use Microsoft Word’s read aloud feature to give the book a bit of an audible type feel. I’ve been listening to Ebb & Flow these past few days and each time I press play, I fall more and more in love with this story. Naazir and Nubia’s story isn’t like many others, but that’s the case for a good few of my books. This scene here, the one this teaser was plucked from, is a dope one. It’s from a conversation that sets the tone for the book and gives insight on their relationship from Nubia’s point of view.
My next and final release of the year, Ebb & Flow is due for release in three weeks so I thought it would be a good time to serve a sample. Check out a snippet from the novella below.
*This project is still unpublished so text is subject to change between now and release day…
