Happy Halloween: Scary sexy

I'm coming to you as Superblack Girl today. Afro wig, black fist pick, leather boots and all.
It's Halloween — a day when you can be the character and don't have to create them. Although, I will be doing that later.

As I think about all the zombies, ghouls and goblins that will be roaming around when the sun goes down, I was wondering what's sexy about being scared?

I'm over the vampires, but at least they had the Jedi mind trick think they could do and hundreds of years of sexual experience. But don't zombies fall apart?

She touched his limp penis and when he felt the heat from her fingers, his dick fell of. . .

Ok, maybe it doesn't work like that. Can you imagine Jason Voorhees from the Friday The 13th movies actually getting some?
"Oh, Jason," she moaned as she ground against him. "I want to see you. Take off the mask."
He grunted. "Please," she begged, reaching to for the hockey mask. 
Jason grabbed his chain saw and she dropped her hand. Well, actually, he cut it off. 

I'm good with that. I don't like to be scared. I don't think scary things are sexy. And how much candy can we eat in out tight costumes? Yeah, because unless you want to be old scary witch, most women's costumes are borderline hoochie mama gear. But it's just once a year. So, Happy Halloween!
Super Blackgirl out!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

Heat up the winter nights with this trio of sexy, festive stories.

A Promise For The Holiday Donna Hill

Devastated by her divorce, Cara Holiday vowed never to be vulnerable again. Now she's a wildly successful real estate broker, and wildly lonely. Restaurateur Mitch Davis has had his eye on her, but can't break the ice--until he cooks up a scheme to hire her. Soon Cara is enjoying his company--and secretly drawing out the process of selling his house. When their deceptions collide, will their blossoming relationship make it to the holidays?

A Sexy Christmas Carol Zuri Day

After years of travel working for a pop diva, Carol Robbins has moved back to Detroit in time for the holidays. She's bought a home and bonded with her family. As for romance, she's got no prospects--until she attends a VIP party and makes a surprising love connection. Soon she's torn between her old "big life," her hopes for the future--and one man who may give her the greatest gift of all. . .

Christmas Surprise Cheris Hodges

Tired of coming second to her wealthy husband's career, Lola Yvonne Joseph is sending him a very special gift this year: divorce papers. Then she's leaving Miami for the kind of wintery white Christmas she's always wanted. She definitely does not expect Jonathan to track her down, whisk her away, and do everything possible to win her back. If he succeeds, Lola has one more surprise in store for him. . .

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!

Hey, my sexy babies!

For those of you who follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bridget.midway) know that I post whatever book I'm reading. I had made a determination a few years ago that in order to be a good writer -- which as writers, we all strive to be -- I had to be a good reader. "Huh? What? Come again." Yes, that's right, folks. In order to pump out the best fiction for you all, writers have to read, too.

No one crinkles their noses or shakes their heads when a Realtor says that he/she needs to attend a real estate conference to learn about changes in the market and how to adapt. No one bats an eye if a nurse, doctor or dentist attends a medical re-certification session for their job. So why would it seem strange that in order for a writer to improve their craft, he/she will have to read?

So what do I read? Everything. But what I've been trying to do is read a book on writing fiction, then a fiction book of my choice. Reading the how-to book is a no-brainer. I learn about plotting, setting, description, point of view, characterization, conflict, and more. All of it helps me when I'm writing a story. If I don't keep you all engaged, then I haven't done my job. The last book I read was The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante.The book reminded me so much of the creative writing classes I took in high school and grad school. In between each lesson in the book, a short, fictional work appeared. So after a section on writing something with great descriptions, you got a piece by Raymond Carver. Talk about a lesson in fiction!

So after reading something like that, I read something fun. I can't just immerse myself in creative writing books all the time. I have to see how other authors write. Believe it or not, it does help. I also learn from every author I read. Some authors are masters at description or pacing or conflict. I'll read something and think, "Okay, I need to learn how to do that in my work." Even if the work doesn't get 4 and 5 star ratings or gets great reviews, I still learn something from it. I haven't encountered a book where the story didn't keep me engaged. Have I come across books with misspelled words? Sure. Have I come across books with missing or misused punctuation? All the time. If I an author can get me through that for me to get into the story, they've done their jobs.

What am I reading now? At the moment, I'm reading "Four Hard S.W.A.T.S" by Marteeka Karland. Last year, author Yvette Hines and I put on a BDSM conference to announce the release of our Decadent Series titles, Red Hots and Licorice Whips. The attendees were a mix of authors, readers, and people in the Lifestyle. After our event, an author sent me her latest release, saying that she wrote the book because she was inspired by what she heard and saw at our event. That makes me happy. It's great when an author can get inspired by something you do.

With that in mind, I have to go! I've already been inspired so I need to get writing. Hope you all dig it.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

Christmas is Coming Around

Readers have been asking, Angie what can we expect from you this year for Christmas? As most of you know, every year I have my 12 days of Christmas countdown and each day I do a giveaway to my readers. Last year’s big  prize was a Kindle Fire. I haven’t quite decided what I plan to do to top that this year.

You’re also releasing a book, right?

Yes! It’s not Christmas without a holiday story. Book two of the Sexy Simmons series, Claiming What’s Mine, is scheduled for a Christmas Eve release. Yaaay!

I’ve been burning up the midnight oil to release this book on time, however, the problem I’ve been having is the cover. I can’t seem to decide what I want to see on the front. A Christmas scene? A sexy couple? I think my graphic designer is ready to quit because I have looked at over a dozen cover concepts and yet nothing screams Darnell Simmons to me. LOL. I want something that brings in the holidays and creates Christmas anticipation, and nothing is talking to me yet. I’m starting to think that maybe I am overthinking the whole thing and instead, I need to focus on what I enjoy most. Bringing back the families my readers have grown to love.

A Review...Of Book Reviews

October has been a month of spectacular events. This month I attended a wonderful weekend conference hosted by the BRAB Online Book club. BRAB- Building Relationships Around Books organized the Southern Readers Retreat-A Literary Affair in Roswell, GA just outside Atlanta.

     There were lots of exciting sessions put in place over the weekend. One of my favorites was the Author Panel on Saturday morning. I love taking part in Q&A sessions and this one ranked right up there with the best. Panel authors fielded loads of questions from a fun and highly engaged audience. Readers queried the authors on everything from what they read when they aren't writing to how they select names for their unforgettable characters.

     One of the more interesting questions for me focused in on book reviews. Attendees wanted to know what authors think of them. I decided to pass the mic on that particular question. Over the years, I've been rather vocal about my indifference to reviews-as an author. As a reader however, my opinion is quite different and therein lays the purpose of this blog.

     As a reader, I find reviews to be a great help. I don't really rely on them to help me make the decision to purchase a certain book though. Instead, I refer to them when I'm already in the process of reading a story and wondering what's wrong with me because I'm not in agreement that it's a 5-star piece of work. Reading reviews with lower ratings, let's me know I'm not alone in my opinion and therefore not off my rocker- not completely anyway :-)

     The most exciting part of the answers given for this question however, involved the power of the reviews. I learned that the 'power' of a review wasn't so much in the number of stars associated with it, but in the number of reviews a book has overall. More reviews increases a book's discoverability- this term gets tossed around a lot in my line of work. Basically, it means just what is says. A review increases a books potential to be found by a reader. As a librarian I gotta appreciate that! As a writer, I love it all the more. Do you have any idea how many great books there are that no one knows about simply because it hasn't generated a enough reviews? So sad! :-(     

      I can honestly say that I took in as much information as I gave during this year's BRAB Conference. It makes me eager to attend next year's event- Vegas, Baby! 

     Looks like those reviews (good or bad) that I'm so indifferent to, are really a huge help.

     This author still prefers the good ones, though :-)

Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

Hi There, Romance Readers!

I’m the newest Hot M.A.M.A., Reese Ryan. I write steamy, romantic fiction filled with secrets and family drama. I have a thing for writing about unconventional heroines and beta heroes. I’m the babe of the group–literarily speaking. I was first published in the summer of 2013 and have two published novels, both are part of my Bad Boys Gone Good series.

And I’m thrilled to be here.

Two years ago, Kianna Alexander mentioned the Hot Multicultural Authors of the Mid Atlantic during a meeting of our local RWA chapter. First chance I got, I checked out the blog. I knew I wanted to be part of this fierce group of writers who were telling their stories about people of color, without apology. Many of them doing so independent of a traditional publisher.

The Hot M.A.M.A.s were candid and open with their readers. They talked about their writing and their experiences in the publishing industry. They gave readers a peek behind the scenes of their smart, sexy tales and connected with them at live events.

I couldn’t message Kianna on Facebook fast enough to find out how I could be a part of this fantastic group of authors.

The timing wasn’t quite right, but she promised to keep me in mind when the group was ready to welcome a new writer.

 As an author with my first publishing contract under my belt, I was eager to be part of a group of experienced writers. I started a group blog with several fellow contemporary romance authors who also write for my publisher. (My post there, also happens to be today.) Time and life moved on.  I released two books with Carina Press, joined the board for my local RWA chapter, went back to school and took on more and more freelance writing work.

Suddenly, I was drowning in responsibilities and forced to realize it was time to start saying no to some projects. Around this time, Kianna delivered unexpected news: there was room for a new writer here at Hot M.A.M.A.s, and the spot was being offered to me.

Whether or not to say yes wasn’t even a question. Of course I was going to take the spot. How could I not accept the honor? Despite being overwhelmed by my crazy schedule, I knew that I wanted to put the focus back on my writing career, finish those countless, half-finished works in progress and–most importantly–connect with readers of multicultural romance.

So here I am. Grateful for the chance to get to know you, dear reader, and to chat with you about a genre we both love–multicultural romance. I’m also grateful to be among a group of multicultural authors who understand the challenges of this business for writers of color, yet they remain focused and are making their voices heard in ways big and small. Their commitment to their craft, to the business of writing and to their readers is truly inspiring.

Feel free to connect with me on Facebook or on Twitter @ReeseRyanWrites. I’d love to meet you.

Best,

Reese Ryan

Colorful Characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

She's the newest HOT M.A.M.A . . .she is . . .

So, you've heard the rumors, there's a new M.A.M.A. in the land. But who is she? (In my Isley Brothers voice)

Well, she is the outstanding, amazing and delightful Reese Ryan.

Reese is one of those people who is a great writer and good person. No matter when you see this natural beauty, she has a smile on her face and unlike me, she doesn't have a resting bitch face!

Novelist, freelance journalist, and hopeless romantic, Reese Ryan, writes sexy, contemporary fiction filled with colorful characters and sinfully-sweet romance. She secretly enjoys torturing her heroines with family and career drama, reformed bad boys, revealed secrets, and the occasional identity crisis, but always rewards them with a happily ever after.
Born and raised in the Midwest, she now resides in Central North Carolina. A self-proclaimed Bohemian Southern Belle, she treads the line carefully between being a Northerner and a damned Yankee, despite her insistence on calling soda pop. She gauges her progress by the number of “bless your lil’ hearts” she receives each week. She is currently down to two.
Reese is an avid reader with a to-be-read stack that resembles a small skyscraper, a serious thing for brilliant singer/songwriters, and an incurable addiction to musical soundtracks and film scores.
Visit her online at ReeseRyan.com. Follow her on Twitter @ReeseRyanWrites. Connect with her on Facebook or Goodreads. Get a peek behind the scenes into her character inspiration boards and story soundtracks on Pinterest.

Let's welcome Reese to the Hot M.A.M.A. sisterhood and be sure to check out her Bad Boys Gone Good series.