African American authors

Get to Know Tia Kelly, author of Baby Love

October 6, 2015 by ReeseRyan

This week we get to know Tia Kelly, author of Baby Love.

Welcome, Tia! Thank you for chatting with us today. Please tell readers three things we should know about Tia Kelly.

Wow, that’s a tough one. I have three loves (in addition to writing and reading): faith, family and food! I think everything I do, write or read somehow ties into those three things.

The cover of your latest release, Baby Love, is gorgeous. Tell us about the premise of your story.

Thank you! Baby Love is about a guy that truly enjoys his bachelor status until a woman shows up on his doorstep claiming he is the father of her child. She disappears and in the process of tracking the mother down so he can return the baby, he meets Brandi.

Here’s the blurb:

The son of an NBA legend, Trent Scott was born a catch and groomed since birth to know it. Little fazes him, including the mystery woman that appears on his doorstep with a baby in tow… even when she claims Trent is the father before disappearing. Until he can prove otherwise and find the delusional woman, he’s stuck caring for a kid he knows can’t be his… or is it?

Brandi Avery is ready to start the next chapter of her life. After coming to the rescue of a frazzled (and extremely attractive) stranger with an adorable (yet obviously upset) baby, she can’t help but fall for Trent Scott… which wouldn’t be so bad if she could convince him to feel the same way about her.

How would you describe Trent Scott, the hero of Baby Love?

Trent first appeared (very briefly) in my novel, Playing for Love and later in Taste for Love. He is the Paige Scott’s half-brother and the two of them didn’t have the best relationship thanks to their father. Their father was an NBA legend that probably made more history creating children through extra marital affairs than during his career playing basketball. The story opens up with Trent dealing with the fallout of his father’s infidelities and he goes through a process where he realizes he doesn’t want to continue down the same path.

Tell us about Brandi Avery, the heroine of Baby Love. What makes her right for Trent and willing to take a chance on him, despite his complicated situation?

I think the cool thing about Brandi and Trent’s relationship is that it just feels right. There’s nothing other than good old-fashioned friendship and chemistry building up between them. Her patience and immediate bond with London also helped them along. Brandi’s also successful and she’s learning from her professional role. In order to reach that place, she doesn’t have time or energy for drama – something she has come to realize when she meets Trent – therefore she wouldn’t entertain that even if it comes in the form of a tall handsome stranger with an adorable baby. Knowing Trent is also trying to eliminate stress from his life as well, they complement each other that way. Also, if she sensed that from him, Brandi wouldn’t have given him a second glance. These are simply two people that want better and encourage each other to be better.

What can we expect from Tia Kelly in the near future?

I have a few projects in the works. One upcoming project is called Chasing Moments and I’m very excited about it. That one is about a young woman named Chase Ryan. She is a confirmed party girl that has it all… and she wants the world to know it. After making her way through all the hotspots and parties across town, Chase is used to waking up the morning after with no recollection of the night before. Until she wakes up one day with a thin memory about her entire life and all she can do is chase the moments she left behind hoping to figure out her own story.

Thank you for having me!

Connect with Tia online or on social media and grab your own copy of Baby Love by using the links below:

Website: www.tiawithapen.com

Social Media:

FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/authortiakelly

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/tiawithapen

INSTAGRAM – https://instagram.com/tiawithapen/

GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/tiakelly

PINTEREST – https://www.pinterest.com/tiawithapen/

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1eBcAB6

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1H71f3x

Get to Know Shelly Ellis, author of Best Kept Secrets

September 22, 2015 by ReeseRyan

Today I’m excited to play host to the blog tour for Best Kept Secrets, the lastest release by author Shelly Ellis. Shelly is an author I admire and have gotten to know a little via Twitter over the past couple of years. So it was fun to get to know her better and talk more about her latest release.

Shelly, thanks for visiting with us today. Tell us three things we should know about you.

Revelation 1: I’m a socially awkward introvert. It has its downside, speaking in front of audiences makes me freak out but the upside is that I’m a natural born observer. I like to watch people and walk around places and just get a feel for them. I don’t feel the need to interact and am perfectly comfortable with sitting on the sidelines. You learn a lot about people and places being that way and you can use it in your writing.

Revelation 2: I have eclectic taste from books to music. One week I can be deep in a horror novel and the next week I’ll pick up funny women’s fiction. I love 90s HipHop like Pharcyde but have been a fan of Bjork since college. I refuse to limit my tastes.

Revelation 3: Before I decided to become a writer, I flirted with the idea of becoming an artist. I paint on occasion as a stress reliever. My paintings are around my house. I’ve done them for friends and family too at their request.

Tell us a little about what genre(s) you write and what we should expect from a Shelly Ellis story.

I write primarily romance and women’s fiction FOR NOW. But I might expand in the future. If you’re reading a Shelly Ellis book expect lots of drama, some snark, some humor, and a multicultural cast of characters.

Your new release, Best Kept Secrets, is the first installment in your Chesterton Scandal series. Tell us a little about the series.

The series is set in the fictional town of Chesterton, Virginia, and it’s about the wealthy Murdoch family—Evan, Terrence, and Paulette—which is both admired and envied in their small town.

There is lots of drama in Best Kept Secrets. Shady business deals. Scandalous affairs. Tell us more about the Murdoch family and the entanglements they find themselves in.

At the beginning of the novel the former patriarch, George Murdoch, is deceased and now his eldest son, Evan, is taking over the family business and is now considered the leader in the family. We follow his tribulations in his marriage to his alcoholic wife, Charisse, and his feelings for his best friend, Leila. We also see the secrets and drama that his little sister Paulette is going through. It’s basically a night-time soap. My editor was like, shoot for something like Scandal, and that’s what I did.

What’s next in the Chesterton Scandal series and are you working on any other projects that we should expect in the near future?

The next book in the series is called Bed of Lies and it comes out in April 2016. It continues many of the storylines from the previous book but also introduces some new ones and new characters. I had a lot of fun with it. I also get to explore Terrence Murdoch as a character a lot more in this novel than I did in Best Kept Secrets. He goes through a lot and evolves. It was rewarding to take him on his journey.

I have other projects in the pipeline but nothing I can really talk about now. I hope I can share more about them in the future.

Get to know Shelly Ellis better, grab your own copy of Shelly’s latest release, and enter the $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card raffle contest using the info below:

Shelly Ellis $25 Barnes & Noble Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Summary

Between the fall-out from his father’s latest shady business dealings and his wife Charisse’s alcoholism, Evan Murdoch has his hands full. But he should be most concerned about the scandalous affair Charisse is having right under his nose–with his half-brother. Evan’s being pushed to the edge, and no one knows that better than Leila Hawkins…

Leila is back in Chesterton, divorced, penniless, and desperate enough to do anything to save her mother’s home from foreclosure–including turning to Evan, her former best friend. But Evan isn’t interested in friendship. Instead he makes Leila a shocking indecent proposal…

Meanwhile, Evan’s newlywed sister, Paulette, wants to be the perfect wife. But a blackmailing bad boy ex has reappeared in her life–and he’s threatening to reveal her most painful secret…

The scandals just won’t quit–and for everyone involved, desire, betrayal, and lies are all in a day’s work…

Buy the Book

Amazon: http://amzn.com/1617733997

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/best-kept-secrets-shelly-ellis/1120843660?ean=9781617733994

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25739781-best-kept-secrets

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/best-kept-secrets-11

Indie Bound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781617733994

Get Social with Shelly

Website: ShellyEllisBooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shelly-Ellis-554332437931239/timeline/

Twitter: @EllisRomance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6464591.Shelly_Ellis

Hot M.A.M.A. Fly Hat Society Meet & Greet Reader Event

June 26, 2015 by ReeseRyan

If you follow me on Facebook, you know I’ve committed to a yoga challenge called 30 Days of Yoga. Seven days in, I’m so stoked about staying on track that I want to add a new commitment to the mix: posting here every Friday.

Life has been a bit crazy, and I’ve been M.I.A. here. I’ve missed connecting with you, so I’ll do my best to pop in here and touch base. Let you know what’s going on in my world and find out what’s going on in yours.

First, if you haven’t joined my mailing list, you’ll want to do that here. Giveaways connected with my upcoming contemporary romance series will be coming soon.

We’re on the countdown to the Hot MAMA Land Fly Hat Society Meet & Greet. The event will take place on July 11, 2015 from 2-6PM at the Greensboro Central Library in Greensboro, North Carolina. We’d love to have you there with us. Wear your flyest hat and join the Fly Hat Contest. I’m going to be a judge, so this will be fun.

Still haven’t reserved your space? Maybe you’ve been waiting for a personal invitation. In that case, I’ve got you covered. See mine below the event graphic. Then I hope to see you there. 🙂