News Roundup in African American Romance

Hi, y'all,

I want to make sure you can find useful info here in Hot MAMA Land- so I've gathered some for you and placed it in this post. Several times a month I'll update you with news that matters to you as a reader of African American romance. Be sure to follow the blog so you can stay in the know- and so you can keep up with all our Hot MAMA shenanigans ;)

 Recent Hot MAMA Releases:




New/ Upcoming Releases:

Kimani

Dafina

Events:

Popular Romance Project Event

February 10-11 @ the Library of Congress, Washington, DC
This event will feature a screening of Laurie Kahn's documentary on romance, "Love Between the Covers," as well as a full day of discussions on romance related topics- "What is Love." Among the speakers will be Beverly Jenkins and Brenda Jackson. Registration is required but the event is free. Click HERE for more info.

The Red Hot Romance Reception

February 21 @ Montgomery County Public Library, Troy, NC
A great group of romance writers descent on MCPL, including Kianna Alexander, Yvette Hines, Di Topaz, Bridget Midway and more! FREE and open to the public. Click HERE for more info.

Good Stuff  From Around the Web

AUDIO: Lasheera Lee Interviews Sheryl Lister and Rebekah Pierce

Latest Issue of SORMAG 

Current Reviews @ Romance in Color

Did I miss anything? If there are other events, releases, reviews, or links you'd like to share, just drop them in the comments below.

Until Next Time,
Kianna

Grinding It Out

At the end of year I took some much needed time off. It was wonderful to relax, spend time with my family, walk the neighborhood and enjoy quiet moments of solitude. 

Now the holidays are past, school has begun again and I have client obligations, in addition to the aggressive publication schedule I've set for myself. Getting back into the groove hasn't been easy. The past few days it's been a struggle to plant my butt in my chair and write.

Today's attempt was particularly pathetic. It reminded me of an especially ugly professional basketball game I saw recently. Both teams committed turnovers, took ill-advised shots, allowed the opposing team second and third shot opportunities and went scoreless for long stretches. Eventually one team got it together, tightened up their defense and found the offense needed to win the game.

Sometimes writing is like that.

Our cast of characters misbehave, refusing to follow the script. Our minds refuse to cooperate. We're not motivated to write. We'd rather be checking email or reading a book. Our bodies rebel. The chair is uncomfortable. Our lower backs ache. We're suddenly hungry. Again.

But we push through. Make adjustments. Refocus. Call on the support of friends. We do whatever it takes to make it through and eventually get the win.

Writing isn't always pretty. It's hard work, and sometimes it feels like all that hard work may never pay off. But if we put our heads down and grind it out, we can make it through. Even when it's not pretty.

We finish a page, then a chapter and eventually make it to the end of the book.

For me, there are few things more beautiful than that. So I'm putting my head down and working through the ugly moments and grinding it out.

Is there a project that you are working on (or should be working on) where you need to grind it out?

My favorite Christmas love story: My mom and dad

Her + Him = ME! 

Imagine your fiancé going off to war and then getting a call from the Red Cross about him having a violent wound. 

This was the second time that he'd been injured in this war zone. Fear. Wondering if your future together will happen. 

He comes home in December and you get married in a small house in the country on Christmas Eve. 

Nearly 50 years later, you two are still together. This is the story of my parents. 

My mother met the man of her dreams when his cousin asked him to give him a ride to her house. The cousin was sweet on my mother, but when she and my dad locked eyes, that was all she wrote. 

My grandmother warned his cousin about bringing a handsome man along when he came courting, as they called it back in the day. 

See, my dad's cousin didn't have a car and in my dad's cousin's mind he thought my aunt would've been a better match for my daddy. The problem was, his heart was taken by my mother's smile. 

So the next time my daddy's car pulled into my grandmother's drive way, he was alone and there to see his future wife. 

Christmas has always been about love to me. Been about watching my parents celebrate years of togetherness. And as my sister, my brother and I got older, it became about celebrating their love and the love of their grandchildren. 

And a Charlie Brown looking Christmas tree that my dad used to complain about being in the way of TV. A man has to watch football after all. 

It takes a hell of a woman to have her wedding day on the eve of one of the most celebrated holidays ever. Well, what can I say, my mama is one of a kind! 

Happy Holidays! 

Ho, Ho, Ho! What did you call me?

Hi all!

Did you get all of your holiday shopping done? I'm taking it easy this year. I have a real aversion to big crowds. To be honest, and you all might as well clutch your pearls now, I'm not a big shopper to begin with. If I'm in a store shopping for anything it's because I really need that item. I'm not a browser. Not a big window shopper, which is funny because I love looking at things to buy online. The day after Thanksgiving, I did what I always do, which is sit in my office, watch Christmas movies, preferably a cheesy ABC Family holiday romance, and I fill out my Christmas cards. There is nothing like handwriting sentiments to people who mean a lot to you. My mother used to do it when I was a kid. I still do it. It's a nice, personal touch to let someone know that you're thinking about them this holiday season.

Although I am grateful for everything I've gotten this year, and I have grand plans for 2015, I have already experienced a terrible loss. My friend and BDSM mentor, Mistress Dama de Noche, passed away unexpectedly this past Thanksgiving. Her slave into called me before I could enjoy the day with my family to share the news. I was devastated. This is a woman who not only opened up her home and Lifestyle to me, she supported me a great deal in my writing and promotional endeavors. She and her slave attended almost all of my local book signing events. When Yvette Hines and I held our "Wrapped Up" event last year, she happily participated. I am going to miss my friend. Fortunately her legacy will live on. She wrote a book on BDSM called The ABC's of BDSM.

So this holiday season, I'm going to celebrate. I'll celebrate the people I have lost this year. I'll celebrate the accomplishments I've made in my professional career. I'll celebrate the health and well-being of my family and friends. And I'll celebrate you all, the readers. Whether you're complimenting my work or giving me some hard truth, I appreciate all of it.

Hug your family and friends. Be kind to everyone.

Stay sexy,
BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

And the Name That Series Winners are...

Thank you to everyone who took the time to help select a name for my new small town contemporary romance series. There were so many great suggestions!

First, the winner of my giveaway drawing is ShortySmithBigMa! Please contact me at http://www.reeseryan.com/contact/ to claim your prize of Hot Christmas Nights or a $5 gift card, your choice of Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

Now for the title of my new series: Hot Carolina Nights. This choice is based on a mashup of suggestions by two commenters. Alicia suggested Steamy Carolina Nights and Keicia White suggested Cool Carolina Days and Hot Nights. The name feels apropos since I'm a Hot M.A.M.A. Land author, and given the book I chose to give away. ;-)

Thank you, ladies!

Both Alicia and Keicia are invited to be Beta Readers for the first book in the series, which is slated to be ready for beta readers in early February. I will also thank them both in the acknowledgements section of that book.

All winners should contact me here to claim their prizes. And if you want to be among the first to hear about my Hot Carolina Nights series, as it progresses, be sure to join my mailing list here.

Thank you, dear readers! You're absolutely amazing.

Hugs!

Kissing the Captain @ EReader News Today

Hey, Y'all,
Kianna here. Just wanted to ket you all know I'm featured at ENT tiday! Please take a look at the post, which has four other cheap and free books you might enjoy. Click THE LINK BELOW to see the post. I encourage you to like, share, all that good stuff.

http://ereadernewstoday.com/bargain-and-free-books-for-11-19-14/6750739/

Have a great day :)

-Kianna

Name That Series -- Hot Holiday Giveaway Days

Saturday, I woke up as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. Connecting with readers--in person, or online--inspires me to roll up my sleeves and go to work. After last night's Hot M.A.M.A. Land Holiday Giveaway Days Kick-off Party, I'm still riding high off the positive energy from my fellow Hot M.A.M.A.s and all of the wonderful readers who participated. My mind is buzzing with ideas about the new contemporary romance series I'm planning for 2015 and beyond. 

I'm super excited about this series because for more than a year, I knew I wanted to go indie. A friend, who is a successful indie author, suggested that I be prepared to release at least three books in a short period of time, before going indie. Preferably a series.

The task felt monumental, especially since I hadn't completed a project since my last published novel. 

Several months later, I still hadn't settled on a series. When a new idea came to me for a New Year's Day-themed novella, rather than adding to the chaos inside my head, it helped me pull it all together. I'd been wanting to write about a fictional small town in North Carolina. The New Year's Day story fit perfectly. And that's when it hit me...with a few adjustments, several of my works-in-progress would also fit into this small town series.

When I sat down to plot out this series; everything fell into place. In less than two hours, I'd planned out a series of eight books--six novels and two novellas--from current works in progress or ideas from my story ideas notebook. The only completely new story, will be the New Year's novella. 

Voila! I have my series.

The title for each book came to me easily. However, I would love your help naming the series. The fictional town is New Soundhaven, North Carolina. Here are the ideas I've had for series names:

1. New Soundhaven
2. Home to Carolina
3. Love & Other Seaside Adventures
4. Coastal Carolina
5. Gone to Carolina
6. Carolina on My Mind

Post your favorite(s) in the comments below. Don't like any of these? Offer your recommendation instead. 

As a special thank you, and as part of the Hot M.A.M.A. Land Holiday Giveaway Days, I will randomly select one commenter to win a copy of the Hot Christmas Nights anthology featuring stories by Farrah Rochon, Tera Little and Velvet Carter (or a $5 Amazon/Barnes and Noble/iTunes Gift Card). If I choose your series name, you'll get the chance to be a Beta Reader for the first book in the series, which should be ready early next year, and I'll thank you in the acknowledgments. Lastly, all commenters will be entered into our grand prize drawing.

You've got 48 hours to enter. I look forward to hearing your ideas. Good luck!

Couple on beach photo courtesy of Ryan G. Smith.