From Me to You ... Video, Photography and Book Reviews

Friday, February 12, 2016

Blog Tour - Meet Thalya by Laverne Thompson | Guest Post, Spreading the Word, & Kindle Fire HD/Gift Card 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.
Click Here to download the FREE sampler booklet with excerpts of all the books. (5MB)

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 whenblackwomenfall.com.

About the Author :

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.

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. Her website: http://www.lavernethompson.com/

Click Here to find out about / MEET the Books in the When Black Women Fall Promo

Giveaways!! :

Celebrate this special promotional event! One lucky winner will receive the entire prize pack including:

A $50 Carol’s Daughter gift certificate … to get your beauty on
A Kindle Fire HD … to get your read on
Ebooks of groundbreaking romance novels featuring Black women by: Beverly Jenkins, Sandra Kitt, L.A. Banks and Zane
A $30 Amazon gift card … so you can keep getting your read on

And EVERYBODY Who Enters Will Get a FREE digital copy of our exclusive When Black Women Fall excerpt book, featuring story samples from our participating authors.

Click Here to ENTER the Giveaway

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Blog Tour - Entangled is turning 5 and we are celebrating! | Spreading the Word & Gift Card Giveaway

Entangled Publishing is turning 5 and love is in the air!
Entangled Publishing is turning 5 and we are so excited that we are offering all the books on our latest bestselling imprint, Lovestruck, at a celebratory price of just $.99 each! If you love romantic comedies you won't want to miss any of these laugh out loud and smexy reads. Check out some of the sales HERE!

AND that's not all. From 2/1 to 2/21 we are giving away 5 Lovestruck prize packs including 5 different Sephora Minimergency kits, an Amazon gift card and other surprise gift cards. So be sure to visit the Lovestruck Facebook page to find out about the fun events and giveaways we will be having in the coming weeks. You will also get sneak peeks inside our different releases so you can pick out your must reads.

We will also be having a Facebook party on TONIGHT (Thursday, February 11th) from 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm ET where several of our Lovestruck authors will be chatting with readers and offering prizes as well. So join us on the Entangled Publishing Facebook page.

Haven't read a Lovestruck yet? Take a peek inside...

"Unexpectedly His"
[Smart Cupid Series, Book 2] by Maggie Kelley
Author's Book Description :

A match made in Manhattan…

This book is available to order on :

Amazon (US - e-Book)

** Be sure to add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads! **

Book Excerpt :

Oh yeah, they were going on a ride tonight, a long, sexy ride that would make her cry out in desperate pleasure.

She crooked a finger at him, and he had to fight the urge not to run across the room.

Nick walked toward her in an even stride that left no room for objection. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. Slowly. Deeply. Then he fell to his knees at her feet. She stepped out of her dress and he moved to slip off her sexy, open-toed shoes, but her whispered words stopped him midmotion.

“Leave them on.”

Sweet mother of God.

“Marianne,” he said in a husky voice, “I plan to show you how sexy you are, prove how much you turn me on, and when I’m finished, you are going to cry out my name in absolute need. Can you promise me that? Because I want to hear you say my name when you come. Promise me.”

Giveaways!! :

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT :: Lovestruck Prize Pack #1 & Lovestruck Prize Pack #2

Blog Tour - The Unwashed Cover by L. Penelope | Guest Post, Spreading the Word, & Kindle Fire HD/Gift Card Giveaway

What Is It? :

February 8-14, 2016. The week leading up to Valentine’s Day during Black History month.
Click Here to download the FREE sampler booklet with excerpts of all the books. (5MB)

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 whenblackwomenfall.com.

About the Author :

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. Her website: http://www.lpenelope.com

Click Here to find out about / MEET the Books in the When Black Women Fall Promo

Giveaways!! :

Celebrate this special promotional event! One lucky winner will receive the entire prize pack including:

A $50 Carol’s Daughter gift certificate … to get your beauty on
A Kindle Fire HD … to get your read on
Ebooks of groundbreaking romance novels featuring Black women by: Beverly Jenkins, Sandra Kitt, L.A. Banks and Zane
A $30 Amazon gift card … so you can keep getting your read on

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Blog Tour - The Education of a Black Heroine by Piper Huguley | Guest Post, Spreading the Word, & Kindle Fire HD/Gift Card Giveaway

What Is It? :

February 8-14, 2016. The week leading up to Valentine’s Day during Black History month.
Click Here to download the FREE sampler booklet with excerpts of all the books. (5MB)

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 whenblackwomenfall.com.

About the Author :

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.

She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son. Her website: http://www.piperhuguley.com/

Click Here to find out about / MEET the Books in the When Black Women Fall Promo

Giveaways!! :

Celebrate this special promotional event! One lucky winner will receive the entire prize pack including:

A $50 Carol’s Daughter gift certificate … to get your beauty on
A Kindle Fire HD … to get your read on
Ebooks of groundbreaking romance novels featuring Black women by: Beverly Jenkins, Sandra Kitt, L.A. Banks and Zane
A $30 Amazon gift card … so you can keep getting your read on

Blog Tour - Black Women Finding & Falling in Love - Historically Speaking by Lena Hart | Guest Post, Spreading the Word, & Kindle Fire HD/Gift Card Giveaway

What Is It? :

February 8-14, 2016. The week leading up to Valentine’s Day during Black History month.
Click Here to download the FREE sampler booklet with excerpts of all the books. (5MB)

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 whenblackwomenfall.com.

About the Author :

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. Her website: http://www.lenahartsite.com/

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

Click Here to find out about / MEET the Books in the When Black Women Fall Promo

Giveaways!! :

Celebrate this special promotional event! One lucky winner will receive the entire prize pack including:

A $50 Carol’s Daughter gift certificate … to get your beauty on
A Kindle Fire HD … to get your read on
Ebooks of groundbreaking romance novels featuring Black women by: Beverly Jenkins, Sandra Kitt, L.A. Banks and Zane
A $30 Amazon gift card … so you can keep getting your read on

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