Cheris Hodges's Blog, page 30

Will Scandal change the way you read romance novels?

I love Scandal. Every Thursday, I'm sitting in front of my TV watching
Shonda Rhimes work her magic. This show is so well written, the story lines are
layered and it's never what you expect. But at the heart of this show, we're
rooting for one of the most flawed couples on TV since JR and Sue Ellen Ewing.



Olivia Pope is cheating with the President --uh, of The United States. No,
this isn't one of those judgmental posts about the show. Because we all know
cheaters: either you are one, have been on the other side of cheating or had to
stop yourself from going all Carrie Underwood on his ass. But are we are
readers and writers ready to look at the complexity of all kinds of love?







Yes, a married man can fall out of love with his wife and love another. Why
did we love E. Lynn Harris’s books so much? If you didn’t cry at the end of
Invisible Life , I don’t know if we can be friends.



But guess what, women can cheat and have sex for fun. But when those
characters are on TV and between the pages of novels somehow they become a case
study on women or the subject of Facebook memes. Sure, side chicks down the
street don't get the Olivia Pope treatment, and there isn’t a Batman waiting
around the corner to save me from a masked gun man either -- but I
digress.



As a romance reader, could you support a couple who had shades of Fitz and
Olivia? And here's my favorite: Where is the love for the cheating heroine?  Or even the cheating secondary character.





In
my novel, Second Chances at Love , Calvin’s ex-wife was supposed to cheat on him
and have a mental disorder. My former editor wasn’t having it. It was better to
make my –ironically Olivia—rude and bitchy than to add another layer of drama. In
fiction -- books and TV-- women who cheat take it on the chin. HARD.



I've always wondered why.



I hope the popularity of Scandal will allow other creative minds to
push the envelope when it comes to telling love stories. Love is hurtful and
messy, it's time to read and write more of those stories.







PS: I promise that I won't touch Kenya and Maurice if  when, while I write about a
cheating wife. :)

Scenes from the Taliah Waajid Natural Hair Show

The Taliah Waajid Natural Hair Show in Atlanta brings out some of the
biggest and
most beautiful natural hair people. There are demonstrations on how to
care for you kinks and coils. Products for your hair and of course,
books.Saturday was an amazing day for me. I met a lady who said she'd
been following me for three years and she so loved my books. She cried and I did too. It was so humbling and surprising. I'm always amazed when people recognize my work and enjoy it. 



I enjoyed my time in Atlanta and meeting authors like:

Melanee Banks, author of Bryana's Biggest Wish

Erika Parker, author of Miya's Hair Day, and her amazing artist husband.

Shawneda Marks, author of I Am Not My Hair

Boss lady Tamika Newhouse, who is the author of so many books I've lost count. My favorite, though, is Kisses Don't Lie.

Also, Mrs. P.A. Wilson, author of The Peace Within.

This was a wonderful event and I had an amazing time.

PS: Pray that I bought the winning lottery ticket in South Carolina.





























She matches my tattoo. :)

Only Two weeks left. . .

Click here

I have Forces of Nature in my hand

It never gets old. The delivery man knocks on the door and drops off a box of books with my name on them. I spent a year--in this case years--with these characters. Wrote, rewrote, rewrote their lives over and over again. Finally, the book is here. This is book number 15 for me. Fifteen!! And this is my 10th anniversary as a romance novelist.

Humbled that people want to read my books.

Honored that people like my books.

Amazed that something I started doing because I wanted to run away from home, but knew that my mama would beat the breaks off me has given me a real career.

I'm so happy Forces of Nature is here.

May 7th, you can get your copy too!

Scenes from For Sisters Only

This weekend I had the opportunity to speak at the annual For Sisters Only expo in Charlotte, sponsored by CBS Radio. What a wonderful event!



Take a look:

Waiting For The Other Shoe to Drop: Part 29- B

I went
home and took a shower, changed into a pair of leggings and a form fitting
tunic. Just in case there was going to be a round two; I left the underwear in
the drawer. Slipping into a pair of black pumps, and spraying on my favorite
body spray, I headed out the door. Already late for a dinner I didn’t want to
eat, I stopped and grabbed a sandwich from Wendy’s so that I could pick at the
fish that I wasn’t going to eat and not offended the cook.

Actually,
I didn’t care about offending him, how do you invite someone to dinner and not
even ask them if they like fish? I just can’t get past the smell of fish. And
fried fish. You need to hand me a gas mask. Funny, because I grew up on the
coast, I’m supposed to love this stuff. I’m just not your typical southerner, I
guess. That’s what makes me – me – and so hard for people to understand.

And now I’m
starting to worry. What if this whole thing with David turned out to be another
mistake with a man? I was getting pretty tired of the bullshit. Maybe I needed
to change? But how?  And was he someone I
should change for – orgasms withstanding—what the hell did I know about him.
Oh, Lord, here I go again confusing my clitoris with my heart. I needed to get
to know this man beyond the bedroom to see if he was worth it. And I was going
to tell him that I didn’t want his damned fish.

I arrived
at David’s place around seven thirty. He opened the door in a white tank that
highlighted his dark skin and nearly made me forget that little pep talk that I’d
had with myself on the drive over.  “And
I thought I’d been stood up,” he said as he ushered me in. “But you were definitely
worth the wait.”

“Thanks,”
I said. “Sorry I’m late.”

“That’s
all right,” he said then gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Come in and let me get
you a plate.”

I could
feel his eyes on my ass as I walked toward the dining room table. Score one for
the black leggings. “Umm,” he expelled.

I stopped
and he was pressed against me, hard as a brick and it felt so good. I had to
take two steps forward before I pushed back and dinner became like lunch,
imaginary.

“So,” I
said, voice husky and V.I Warshawski, circa Kathleen Turner, like. “What’s
for dinner again?”

The look
in his eyes said he wanted to put me on the table and have me along with that
grilled corn.

“Come in
the kitchen with me, you can fix your plate,” he said then brushed against me
and kissed my cheek. “I realized something after I cooked.”

“What was
that?”

“I didn’t
even ask if you liked the menu.”

Smiling,
I put a check in the right column for giving him a chance. “I’m not a seafood
person, particularly fish.”

He
hitched his right eyebrow. “And you’re from the south?”

“Don’t
let that fool you. I actually enjoy tofu and vegetables that aren’t pork
flavored.”

“Ha! Are you
a vegan?”

“Not at
all. Cheese is my best friend.”

He
stroked my hip. “So, how do I replace cheese?”

“Depends
on how good this corn is.”

“Then let’s
eat.”

Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop: Part 29-A

It’s safe
to say that after my extended lunch with no food, I was starving by the time my
shift ended. As I made up my mind to head to Crisp in Plaza Midwood, my phone
rang and it was David. For whatever reason, I was sure that I wouldn’t hear
from him again today. I thought we’d do that dance that people did after a day
of sex. Color me surprised and happy. But when I answered the phone, I played
it cool. “Hello?”

“What’s
up, Mimi?”

God, his
voice made me wet or was it the fact that I knew what he could do with those lips
and that tongue. “Hi,” I said, glad he couldn’t see the dorky ass smile on my
face.

“I still
owe you a meal. Do you have dinner plans?”

“I was
just about to go grab a salad at Crisp.”

“A salad?
For dinner?”

“Yes.
What’s wrong with that?”

“Are you
a vegan?”

“Just a
bootleg vegetarian,” I said honestly. Since I’ve been in Charlotte, I had gone
to get chicken from the famed Chicken Coop in South End. Honestly, I wasn’t
that impressed. People love it and swear by it though. God, don’t let him
suggest that place, I thought as he said he knew the perfect spot for dinner
that would consist of more than a salad.

“I
promise, it will be worth your while.”

“And we’re
actually going to eat this time, right?”

“Funny.
We’re going to eat first, what comes next –might just be you all over again.”

I didn’t
care where he wanted to eat as long as the evening ended with me doing exactly
what he said – coming all over again.

“Well, I’m
still at work, do you want to meet at the spot?”

“You know
the way,” he said. “I cooked.”

“You said
that at lunch and I’m still starving. Satisfied, but starving.”

“I really
did cook, steamed Tilapia, spinach and grilled corn on the cob.”

Fish is certainly
not my favorite dish (all apologies to Rakim), but I agreed anyway. I guess it
was time for round two.

Oh Mark . . .

Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford must have fallen and bumped his head -- again.

Let's not forget that when he mounted his political comeback that he asked his ex wife, Jenny, to be his campaign manager. That's the first sign that something fell on that wide forehead of his.



Now, Sanford is all up in the news because he trespassed at his ex's house on Feb. 3 to watch the Super Bowl with his sons. The same sons he left on Father's Day of 2009 to hike the Appalachian Trail --we all know now that means he went to go bang his girlfriend in Argentina. I mean, his now fiancee. (Girl, you better remember how you get 'em is how you lose 'em.)

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's ex-wife has accused him of trespassing at her home in violation of their divorce settlement,
and a judge set a hearing two days after the Republican will stand for
election in his effort to mount a political comeback by winning a vacant
congressional seat.



Jenny Sanford
confirmed Tuesday that court documents from family court acquired by
The Associated Press outlining the complaint were authentic.

They show a judge has ordered Republican Mark Sanford to appear for a hearing next month, two days after he faces Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a special election for the state's 1st District congressional seat.
The complaint says Jenny Sanford confronted the former governor
leaving her Sullivans Island home on Feb. 3 by a rear door, using his
cell phone for a flashlight. Her attorney filed the complaint the next
day.


The couple's 2010 divorce settlement says neither may enter the
other's home without permission. Mark Sanford lives about a 20-minute
drive away from Sullivans Island in downtown Charleston.


Jenny Sanford said the complaint, and the timing of the hearing, has
nothing to do with her husband's attempt to rebuild his political career
by winning the congressional seat he held for three terms in the 1990s.


The complaint was filed in February and a family court judge last
month set the May 9 hearing date where Sanford will have to show cause
why he should not be held in contempt for violating the couple's divorce
settlement.


"I am doing my best not to get in the way of his race," Jenny
Sanford, who for a time considered running herself, told the AP. "I want
him to sink or swim on his own. For the sake of my children I'm trying
my best not to get in the way, but he makes things difficult for me when
he does things like trespassing."

I like your style, Jenny. Keep on taking the high road and holding this guy accountable. It's interesting that he wanted to watch the Super Bowl at his ex's house -- what you don't have that new HD TV? It's even more astounding that he has the gall to think this crap is OK. Was it OK to leave your kids alone on Father's Day while you hung out with your "soul mate" on the taxpayer's dime? I know in my heart of hearts that this fool didn't spend penny of Jenny's money to go see Maria.

Jenny Sanford didn't play the Good Wife and stand with Mark when he admitted to being a lying bastard. And she gets props for making him take care of his kids.

In December of 2011, she brought another complaint against her former
husband saying Sanford not made the $5,000 yearly contribution for one
of their sons' college education. Jenny Sanford said that issue has now
been resolved and declined to comment further.

If anyone in South Carolina puts this fool back in office -- even the office of the dog catcher -- they get what they deserve. Hell, the national GOP is jumping off this sinking ship.

Waiting For The Other Shoe to Drop: Part 28

I’ve read
books where women describe seeing colors while having sex. Rainbows exploding
in the background and stars flashing before their eyes. Ask me what I thought
about that five minutes ago and I would’ve told you bullshit. Ask me now, while
I’m seeing blue diamonds explode while David pounds me with relentless passion.
Yeah, that’s real. I can’t count the number of times I’ve screamed or the
number of orgasms.

My body
had never felt such pleasure and ached with such a wonderful pain. The pain of
satisfaction and sated need to stop. Was this man popping Viagra or Cialis? We’d
been going hard for an hour. It was getting hard to breathe, hard to keep my
legs wrapped around him. Obviously there is a limit on the number of orgasms I’m
supposed to have in an hour. He looked down at me with those eyes and kissed me
on my neck. That was it.  My body went
limp as he shook with his release.

David
held me against his sweaty chest. He still smelled amazing, OK, pheromones were
real and his were freaking amazing. My body twitched, wanting him more. But I
was unable to move and when he kissed me, I felt another explosion between my
thighs.

“Amazing,”
he whispered as our lips parted. “Simply amazing.”

“Yes, you
were,” I intoned.

“I hate
to let you go back to work, I want more.”

“I can’t
feel my legs.”

“That’s a
good thing—or do I need to call 9-1-1?”

Laughing,
I tried sit up, but David held me against his massive chest.  I didn’t move, just stared into those whisky
brown eyes. Hypnotic. “You know,” I said. “You still owe me lunch.”

“Let’s
make it dinner and breakfast, tonight.”

How could
I saw no?

I was a
half hour late returning to work and I prayed no one saw what was really going
on with me. I strained to hear the whispers, just in case someone put two and
two together. Then Sonia called me into her office. Busted.

“How was
lunch?” she asked with a sly smile on her face.

Tuning
away from her, I smiled and said, “Sorry I’m late.”

“That’s
not a problem. I guess you stopped seeing David as my cousin and what not.”

“You
could say that.”

“I don’t
want to know and I don’t want whatever you two are doing to influence your work
or our relationship. I’m going to have this same conversation with him.”

“I
understand and I .  .  .”

Sonia
raised her hand to quiet me. “Like I said, I don’t want to know. I don’t want
either of you to put me in a position where I have to take sides or know
personal things that I shouldn’t know.”

“Understood,”
I said then stood up and nodded at my boss and mentor.

“Glad you
got a life though. And you might want to stop by the restroom and put your
shirt on outside in.”

Damn!

Party time, oh it's party time!

ROMANCE AUTHOR CHERIS HODGES RETURNS THIS MAY WITH

FORCES OF NATURE, BEING PUBLISHED BY DAFINA BOOKS

Opposites attract in this contemporary romance about a straight-laced
idealistic woman who meets her match.

Author Cheris Hodges has the unique ability of being able to appeal to
readers of women’s fiction as well as urban fiction with her edgy and
sassy characters. Her stories are fresh, modern and
sexy. RT Book Reviews praised her most recent release Too Hot For Tv
calling it a winning romance that readers will love” while author Farrah
Rochon simply says “count on Cheris Hodges to deliver a sassy, sexy
romantic read.” Now, Hodges returns with FORCES OF NATURE, a
contemporary romance about a straight-laced idealistic woman who meets
her match.
When Crystal Hughes handcuffs herself to the
receptionist's desk at the lobby of Welco Industries, she just wanted to
prove a point--no one was going to tear down the more than 100 acres of
farmland that had been in her family since the turn of the century. But
she never expected that the person at the head of the project would be
as handsome as Douglas Wellington, III. Likewise, Douglas Wellington,
III wasn't going to let some grassroots protester stop his plan. Tearing
down the farmland and turning it into a multimillion dollar business
park was going to do wonders for the city--invigorate the community and
add thousands of new jobs, but when he spots Crystal, who's spunky
and full of fire, the project seems to be the last thing on his mind.
Now these two opposites will have to figure out what's real and what's
really worth fighting for.




Iris Bolling brings politics, sexy adventures and steamy romance to the party.



In April, 2010 Iris was named Debut Author the Year, at the Romance
Slam Jam Conference. Her novel, Once
You’ve Touched the Heart was voted the Readers Choice Award with Shades of
Romance Magazine for, Romance Book of the Year. Iris was voted Romance Author
of the Year and Author of the Year. Her novel, A Lost Heart, was nominated Romantic Suspense Novel of the Year, at the 2011 Romance
Slam Jam. In 2012, her novel, The Heart
won Hero of The Year for her character Al “Turk” Day.  Showing the ability to continuously introduce
award winning novels, Iris’s introduction of her new series, Gems & Gents,  Teach Me
has been nominated for six 2013 Emma Awards. 



Her latest book, The Pendleton Rule, is scorching!

A year ago, Tyrone “Ty” Pendleton connected with Kendra
“Kiki” Simmons due to their friends’ dilemma. They shared months of hot
passion that neither will ever forget. An emotional difference of
opinion created a rift the couple could not overcome.

Proud and stubborn, literary agent Kiki moved to New York
to work with her father’s publishing company and to put distance
between her and the man who controls her heart. 

Successful entertainment agent,Ty, accepted Kiki’s
decision to walk away and moved on with his life–until danger surfaced,
threatening her life and the lives of others connected to him. 

Bound together by uncontrollable forces, Ty and Kiki
search for their enemy while trying to resist the passion that burns
within–without dying or breaking…The Pendleton Rule.










KiannaAlexander brings sweet historical romance to the show! Always a lover of the written word,  Alexander combines history and romance into novels that are page turners. It was a Beverly Jenkins novel, Night Song, that sparked her desire to write romance, that and sneaking a look at her mother's Harlequin romance novels after being told not to. :) 





Her latest book is The Preacher's Paramour.



Prudence Emerson doesn't have time for romantic entanglements. She's
taken a job at the mercantile, and is saving money to attend school at
Oberlin. That is, until the Reverend Derrick Chase rides into town to
start a new church. She can't deny her attraction to him, and the
handsome mulatto preacher obviously returns the feelings. Should she
change her plans to explore a relationship with him? Or will being the
preacher's paramour lead to nothing but pain?



This book will be available in print on April 19th.













Loretta R. Walls brings a jet set lifestyle to the party.  Writing since she was 13, Walls has set the literary world on fire. In 2006, she was a top ten finalist in the Cushcity.com's new author's contest.

In December 2007,  Walls established Nu Cherte
Publishing.  A Fantasy of Love  made its debut under Nu Cherte,
receiving rave reviews.





Her latest novel, The Majestic Dynasty ,  was released on April 1 to wide acclaim.



After graduating high school, the Maxwell Posse are ready to take on
college –except for Tiffany Me’ Lisa Rivera-English, that is. Prior to
graduating, the popular teen was presented with an opportunity of a
lifetime, thanks to a close family friend. One of her dreams – to become
a supermodel – was about to unfold.



Engaged to Trenton English, a
new modeling career and living in another country couldn’t stop the
Rivera Princess from achieving her goals – or could they? A secret from
Trent’s past has the potential to put Tiffany in harm’s way.



In
the midst of learning the modeling industry, the legacy of Tiffany’s
idol is placed within her grasp. The real question is does she have the
heart to embrace all that Melody Montanez has left behind?



Open
your passports and prepare to jet set across the globe. Rocking runways
to rickshaws, nothing is off limits when one desires…The Majestic
Dynasty