______ING WHILE BLACK: WEDDINGS WHILE BLACK

Hello All!!!
So, I was at a wedding with the hubby on Saturday, when we had one of those funny experiences that only happens when you're one of a few minorities at a big event. It got me thinking on the crazy experiences I encounter as a black girl that grew up in the suburbs, so I thought I'd lay those out for all to see...and thus "____ing While Black" was born. 

I plan on doing a slew of these entries. Such as:

Weddings While Black
Driving While Black
Cheerleading While Black
And so on, and so on.

Most of these will be experiences I've had growing up, and I may take a few from friends I know. But they all promise to be fun. With that being said...

**********

The hubby and I were so excited to celebrate the union of some good friends. It was a small and swanky affair, with only about 60 people in attendance. The ceremony was lovely, the drinks devine, and we'd just settled down for dinner. In looking around, we were two of three Black folks in attendance, not something all together uncommon for us as we tend to hang out with lots of different people. But it was when the DJ perked up with a few catchy tunes that we ran into our awkward terrain of the night.

To dance, or not to dance.

See, it's commonly thought that black folks can, and enjoy to, boogie. It's like folks feel it's in our blood. Like there was something about the way we were bred that infused us with the "you can dance" gene or something. And while that's meant to be a compliment to us, it's also a huge stereotype. And one thing that young, educated Black folks don't want is to be stereotyped. 

My husband and I spent - I kid you not - a good 15 minutes discussing whether or not we were going to hit the dance floor because:

1) We did not want to be the first ones out there
2) We didn't want to be known as the Black folks that brought the party
3) As stated above, we didn't want to feed into the stereotype

In the end, we did take a turn or two around the dance floor.

Even though it was a funny and awkward moment, I will say this...if they'd played the Wobble, nothing would have stopped me from hitting the floor. It's my favorite wedding line dance song!

Happy reading and writing, y'all!

BOOK BLITZ: THE GHOST OF YOU BY AMANDA BURCKHARD

Hey All!!!

Coming to the stage this morning is a new novel by Amanda Burckhard, The Ghost of You. From the looks of it, this is a heart wrenching tale of loss and love. Book deets below:

The Ghost of You

by Amanda Burckhard 

Release Date: 02/24/15

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Emmy has everything she’s ever wanted: a hot boyfriend she adores, great friends, a promising future, and even a well-connected family. But one night rips it all away.

A car accident shatters her world, claiming the lives of her twin brother and her best friend. In the wake of the accident, her friends drift away, her family falls apart, and her boyfriend cheats.

The grief is more than she can handle, so she finds escape at the bottom of a bottle of painkillers. Taking the pills makes her brother alive again, if only in her head. Seeing and talking to her brother as if he were still alive is the only thing that keeps her going. Until Logan King moves to town.

Logan sees past the mask of pristine popularity she wears in public and he’s the only one who can tell she hasn’t moved on. His uncanny ability to read her forces her to open up and she starts to fall for him, no matter how unwilling she is to admit it. But Emmy isn’t the only one keeping secrets and when a close brush with death sparks events that bring everything to light, Emmy will have to decide what’s more important: learning how to forgive and move on, or holding onto the pills and the ghost of her past.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Wow and wow! This story definitely will cut you to the core. Author intel is below:

About the Author

Amanda Burckhard grew up exploring bat caves and hunting for dinosaur bones in the Black Hills of South Dakota. When she wasn’t crossing paths with mountain lions, she was making up stories and devouring books at the library. Although, she still does that.

Amanda loves to travel and cross out things on her adrenaline packed bucket list. Some of the things she's been able to cross out include see an active volcano erupt, ride a gondola in Venice, and pet a tiger.

She currently lives in North Sioux City, South Dakota and works as a microbiologist by day. Some of her obsessions include comic book movies, hot chocolate, sushi, sunshine, and Doctor Who.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

BOOK BLITZ: GATHERING FROST BY KAITLYN DAVIS

Hey All!!!

Coming to the stage today is a very nice new read by Kaitlyn Davis, Gathering Frost! All book deets are below:

Gathering Frost 
(Once Upon A Curse #1)

by Kaitlyn Davis 

Release Date: 02/17/15

Summary from Goodreads:

Will his kiss be enough to revive her frozen heart?

Once Upon A Time meets La Femme Nikita in GATHERING FROST, a dystopian romance from bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis that reimagines the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty.

Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages. Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.

Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care...even to love. Working as a member of the queen's guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen's runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Jade is tasked with an unusual mission--to let the Prince capture her, to make him trust her, and then to betray his secrets to the crown. In return, she'll earn her freedom. But life outside the queen's realm is more than Jade bargained for. Under Asher's relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter. And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she's ever known--and, more importantly, whose side she's really on. 

Buy Links:

Amazon

**This is a KDP select novel. $2.99 to buy or free on Kindle Unlimited!**

Very nice! Now I've seen more than my share of re-imagined fairy tales, and this one seems like a great gem! Author intel is below:

About the Author

I've always been a writer. I grew up duct taping my novels together, started writing complete manuscripts in high school and studied creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. Upon graduating, I decided it was finally time to actually give my dream career a chance. So, of course, I started writing a young adult paranormal romance series -- and no, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. I've been a true paranormal supporter for my entire life! I blame my obsession almost completely on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my all-time favorite television show. And, before you ask: Yes, I own every season... even the post WB ones! I especially challenge anyone to watch the first three seasons and not fall in love with Angel, securing a lifelong love of vampires! Other culprits of my paranormal obsession are some of my favorite authors: JK Rowling, Raymond Feist, Meg Cabot, Richelle Mead, Lynne Ewing and Tamora Pierce.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Pinterest│Wattpad│Youtube│Amazon

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

BOOK BLITZ: LOVE BITES BY RACHEL K. BURKE

Hey All!!!

In this weeks book nugget of awesome, we have Love Bites by Rachel K. Burke. See all the book deets below:

Love Bites

by Rachel K. Burke 

Release Date: 12/29/15

Harper Impulse

New Adult

225 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

What do you do when you fall in love with your best friend’s boyfriend?

That is the question that twenty-six year-old Justine Sterling has been asking herself ever since the day she met David Whitman, her best friend Renee’s boyfriend. Justine is determined to ignore her growing feelings for the irresistibly charming David, until one night, when she finds herself in the bed of the one person she should stay away from.

When Justine and David’s affair ends in heartbreak, Justine is forced to repair the damaged friendship with her best friend. In doing so, she learns that right and wrong decisions aren’t always black and white, and sometimes you have to follow your heart to see where it leads.

Buy Links:

Wow. Wow. Wow! Now, I'm a big follower of the "girl code" mantra, but this sort of topic has been handled very well in the past (think Something Borrowed). I think this is a very real issue that many can or have dealt with, so bravo on the author for tackling it. More author intel is below:

About the Author

Rachel discovered she wanted to be a writer at the age of ten, when her love of R.L. Stine murder mystery novels inspired her to start writing her own.

In 2008, Rachel combined her love of writing and music and began freelancing for a music column in Worcester Magazine. She also worked as a music journalist for Starpulse News Entertainment and Jamsbio Magazine, as well as a fitness journalist for Prevention Magazine.

Rachel graduated from Bridgewater University in 2011 with a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies.

She currently resides in Santa Monica, CA.

Author Links:

    

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

BOOK BLITZ: EYES UNVEILED BY CRYSTAL WALTON

Hey All!!!

Coming to the stage today we have a sweet and contemporary new adult romance! All deets are below:

Eyes Unveiled (Unveiled Series, Book 1)

by Crystal Walton 

Release Date: 02/01/15

259 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Twenty-one-year-old Emma Matthews lost the song in her heart the same night she lost her dad. With an unfulfilled promise and an ultimatum shadowing her junior year of college, maybe it’s better that way. You can’t hurt if you can’t feel.

But when the reflection she sees in musician Riley Preston’s eyes borders dangerously close to the one she’s spent the last five years searching for, Emma discovers her walls can’t guard her heart from its fiercest desire. Terrified of what she’s experiencing, and even more afraid of what she might lose, Emma grapples for the courage to hold on to one dream without abandoning the promise of another.

Contemporary New Adult Romance novel Eyes Unveiled lets you relive those heartfelt moments when you don’t know how you’d survive a day without your best friend, when you’re trying to figure out who you are and what you’re supposed to do with your life, and when falling in love changes everything.

Music. Friendship. Self-discovery. Hope. Purpose. Identity. Within this inspirational love story, you'll find you have a song of your own to share.

Buy Links:
Amazon

Now say it with me...awwweeeee!!! I love how beautiful and blissful this story sounds, even in the blurb. We have more on the author below:

About the Author

Amidst multiple moves up and down the east coast, Crystal received her bachelor of arts from Messiah College in PA, married her exact opposite in upstate NY, and earned her master of arts from Regent University in VA, where she currently resides with her husband. Crystal writes contemporary new adult fiction fueled by venti green teas from Starbucks. 

When not working her accounting day job, she's delving into the wonder of words, supporting her Starbucks habit, or laughing over movie quotes & singing eighties songs with her husband.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

IS KARMA REALLY A B*#CH?

Hey All!!!
I was discussing the craziness of The Apprentice with my mom (who religiously watches said show), and we got to talking about Kenya Moore and how she's been acting on the show. Supposedly she's up to her normal tricks and mess, which hasn't gotten her any friends (her and Vivica Fox butted heads quite a bit), but she continues to get work. And that got me thinking...does karma really come back on folks?





I think in a lot of books and shows the folks who are awful, horrible people often get what's coming to them, but in the real world that's not often the case. So why do we often like to see the villain meet his (or in this case her) end? Because it personally vindicates us. 

That's why the mean girl in a lot of YA novels gets put in her place - even though that hardily ever happens in real life. It's because we are able to live vicariously through these stories and are able to see these representations of the folks who hurt us get their due. It's not perfect. Hell, it may not even be right. But I'll continue to gain a gleeful sense of satisfaction from seeing these folks bite the dust!



Happy reading and writing!

BOOK BLITZ: MY SOON TO BE SEX LIFE BY JUDITH TEWES

Hey All!!!

Today we have an awesome looking reading nugget from Bloomsbury Spark titled My Soon-To-Be Sex Life by Judith Tewes! Even the title sounds super fun! You'll find more deets below:

My Soon-To-Be Sex Life

by Judith Tewes 

Release Date: 06/24/14

Bloomsbury Spark

Summary from Goodreads:
Charlie is down to her absolute. Total. Last. Resort.

Despite a thoroughly comprehensive list of potential cherry poppers, er…suitors, and careful plotting, Charlie is three weeks into her devirginization campaign, still untouched, and getting desperate. In the movie of her life, this aspiring screenwriter is giving herself a PG, for please, get some.

Her project goes into freeze frame when her mom checks herself into rehab and packs Charlie off to live with her estranged, or just plain strange, grandfather, Monty. How is she supposed to get a date when she has to go pick up his Depends?

Enter Eric, a hot rehab grad on the road to redemption, and the only one who can make Charlie rethink her strategy. The more she gets to know him, the more convinced she becomes that is the one, and not just another to add to the list of people who will abandon her.

In this hilarious and heartbreaking story of one girl’s detoured road to womanhood, Charlie’s list develops a life of its own – right when she realizes there’s so much more to lose.

Buy Links:

Amazon│B&N│Kobo

Nice! This seems like such a fun read! Now, my own devirginization experience was nowhere near this fun (that's putting it lightly people), but I wish it could have been. I can completely see how at that age one could put so much pressure on this pivotal experience. Such a cool idea! Author intel is below:

About the Author

Judith Tewes - author and screenwriter - resides in small town northern Alberta, where she: writes, sings, plays bass guitar in an all-woman band, walks her three crazy labs, and suspects she's living the life of a superhero's alias. Her edgy, contemporary young adult fiction is full of heart with a side of snark. 

She also writes paranormal YA under the pen name, Judith Graves.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by: