Cheris Hodges's Blog, page 41
August 2, 2012
We can be so petty
Sixteen year old Gabby Douglas won a gold medal in the London Olympics.
She's the first African American to ever, EVER, win gold in the all around gymnastics. And you petty people are talking about her hair?
And when I say YOU PEOPLE, I'm looking at the media. The Huffington Post: I really thought you all were more progressive than this. I guess your progression stops at the African American hairline.
The New York Times points out how people weren't happy for Gabby. It kind of only matters that her mother, her beautiful mother, was over the moon proud of her child.
And at the end of the day -- this is all that matters:
Leave that child alone. After all, she's not pointing out your lack of muscle tone!
At least Beyonce has class (AND CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE I JUST TYPED THAT).
She's the first African American to ever, EVER, win gold in the all around gymnastics. And you petty people are talking about her hair?
And when I say YOU PEOPLE, I'm looking at the media. The Huffington Post: I really thought you all were more progressive than this. I guess your progression stops at the African American hairline.
The New York Times points out how people weren't happy for Gabby. It kind of only matters that her mother, her beautiful mother, was over the moon proud of her child.
And at the end of the day -- this is all that matters:
Douglas, a 16-year-old who left her Virginia Beach, Va., home and her
family when she was 14 so she could train and learn better gymnastics in
Iowa, won the Olympic gold medal Thursday at the North Greenwich Arena.
She led from start to finish, scoring 62.232 and leaving a pair of
Russians, Victoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina, as disconsolate silver
and bronze medalists.
Leave that child alone. After all, she's not pointing out your lack of muscle tone!
At least Beyonce has class (AND CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE I JUST TYPED THAT).
The world is very proud of Gabby Douglas.
While
receiving praise from many for winning the gold medal in the All-Around
Women's final, this U.S. gymnast is now in the same circle as Michelle Obama, Frank Ocean and Blue Ivy after being highlighted on Beyoncé's blog.
Learn more about Gabby!
The superstar singer posted, "A huge congratulations to 16
year old Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas - WOW - what a thrill to
watch you take this Gold! - enjoy this moment, its yours. Thank you for
inspiring all of us! Love, B"
How awesome is that?!
Gabby's A-list fanbase also includes Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Pink, Justin Bieber and the man, himself—President Barack Obama.
"WOW such an AMAZING experience! Thank you all for your support, love and prayers love you all!!! #oncloud9," she tweeted.
August 1, 2012
There's something about First Lady Michelle Obama
Not much impresses me. But every time I see First Lady Michelle Obama on TV, I stop and my heart swells with pride.
See, Mrs. Obama is everything that I hope my niece will be when she grows up --classically classy, beautiful, smart and successful. Shoot, I want to be Michelle Obama when I grow up.
Just listening to Mrs. Obama speak reminds me that it's OK to support your man's dreams. But has Mrs. Obama lost herself? Nope. She stands with her man -- The President -- and on her own.
Today, Mrs. Obama fired up a crowd in Greensboro, NC.
According to The Charlotte Observer:
And this is another reason why Mrs.Obama is amazing. When she speaks, it feels real. It feels as if she's talking to you.
They call fans of comic books and super heroes Fanboys. When it comes to Mrs. Obama, I'm a fan girl.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012...
See, Mrs. Obama is everything that I hope my niece will be when she grows up --classically classy, beautiful, smart and successful. Shoot, I want to be Michelle Obama when I grow up.
Just listening to Mrs. Obama speak reminds me that it's OK to support your man's dreams. But has Mrs. Obama lost herself? Nope. She stands with her man -- The President -- and on her own.
Today, Mrs. Obama fired up a crowd in Greensboro, NC.
According to The Charlotte Observer:
Obama peppered her speech with personal references to illustrate
broader political points, including how she and Barack Obama were so in
love after they first met – and, she assured the crowd, “We still are.”
She talked about the debt they both amassed during college.
“We’re doing this because we believe that everyone should have a
fair shot,” she told an estimated 2,400 people at UNC Greensboro. “And
that means that all of our kids should have a good school, right?”
“Right!” the crowd yelled back.
“It means that all of our kids should be able to go to college
without a mountain of debt. We believe everyone in this country should
do their fair share, and that means that teachers and firefighters
should not pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires. … We
believe that if you work hard, you shouldn’t go bankrupt because you get
sick …
“These,” she concluded, “are basic American values.”
And this is another reason why Mrs.Obama is amazing. When she speaks, it feels real. It feels as if she's talking to you.
They call fans of comic books and super heroes Fanboys. When it comes to Mrs. Obama, I'm a fan girl.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012...
July 23, 2012
Chatting with Charlotte's jazz diva, Tammy Greene
Jazz is a dying art to some, but not the Jazz Diva, Tammy Greene. If you've been to a jazzy affair in the Queen City and had a good time, you probably owe Greene a hand clap of thanks. Greene spoke with me about her quest to make Charlotte a jazzier place.
What
made you decide to make Charlotte a jazzier place?
Jazz music is a passion for me. with all
that goes on around me, its the one thing that makes me happy when i hear
it. I have always been a music lover, specifically jazz. In my
hometown of Philadelphia, a person could find live music happening 7 days a
week! when i moved to Charlotte in 1997, there weren't many options for
live jazz. In 1997, my 2 sons moved here with me, so I did not have
time to go out and explore the music scene. In 2005, while working for
The Vanguard Group (which is how I relocated here) two of my co-workers
mentioned that thy were going to open a jazz restaurant offering dinner and
live music. I though, here's my chance! I asked could I book the
entertainment, and the rest is history!
I began booking local, regional and national artists from Pieces Of A Dream to Jean Luc Ponty! When The Jazz Cafe decided to change their concept, i still received calls from artists asking to play in Charlotte and jazz fans who wondered, "where will we go to enjoy
live music? So, I began looking for other venues to host jazz events and also
started the Carolina Jazz Friends, a meetup group to keep jazz lovers informed
about event happenings. The Carolina jazz Friends is the largest
"jazz" meetup group in the world!(according to meetup.com)
Many of the people who follow my shows are smooth/contemporary jazz lovers, so
most people think that I only love smooth jazz. As much as
I enjoy smooth jazz, I am a traditional jazz lover at heart.
Who are some of your favorite jazz artists
–classic and contemporary?
Whoa,
so many favorites! For classic and modern jazz, my favorites are John
Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Ahmad Jamal , Teri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza
Spalding, Christian McBride, Robert Glasper.. whew, too many to name! My
favorite smooth/contemporary artists are, Norman Brown, Alex Bugnon, Gerald
Albright, The Rippingtons, The Yellowjackets, Fourplay, again, too many to name!
Tell the
readers about your radio show.
What’s interesting is that I come from a radio
family as three out of five brothers are in the radio industry in Philadelphia,
but i never thought i would be the fourth member of the family on the
air! Some of the feedback I received from jazz lovers was the concern of
not being able to listen to jazz on the radio 24/7 in the Charlotte area.
Yes, there were jazz stations and shows on the airwaves at one time, but
eventually went away. My brother introduced me to Cathis Hall who is the
General Manager of Gaston College radio. I expressed interest in doing a
jazz radio show, but mentioned that I did not have experience. She told
me that all DJ's were volunteers and that I had to go through a six-week class
to "possibly" fill in for other DJ's, but she could not promise a
jazz show. After a couple of months of begging a pleading, she decided to
give jazz a shot. That was four years ago!!!! Now, Jerry L has a
smooth jazz show on each night from 9-11 p.m. Monday -Thursday, and I come in two
Sundays a month for the Jazz Cafe radio show on Sundays from 9 a.m. -
noon. I play more classic to modern jazz on that show. WSGE
allows us to play more of our local artist like, Jon Thornton, Queens
Collective, Ron Brendle along with some of our local smooth jazz artists like
Innertwyned, Shableek and Buff Dillard.
When’s the Queen City’s next jazz event?
I have so many great things coming in the
fall. The 4th annual Carolina jazz concert series starts August 12th with
Peter White, Keiko Matsui will be here in September 29th, and Richard Elliott
on December 8th. An event that I’m really excited about is an upcoming
"big band" jazz series. I’m REALLY excited about that. I’m
partnering with my good friend, Bassist John Brown who is the Director of Jazz
studies at Duke University, and The Jazz Arts Initiative. We have some
GREAT guest artists coming in for the series!
How can jazz fans keep up with you?
Most people keep up with me via my website which
is www.jazzdivaevents.com
or on Facebook at“The Jazz diva.”
What
made you decide to make Charlotte a jazzier place?
Jazz music is a passion for me. with all
that goes on around me, its the one thing that makes me happy when i hear
it. I have always been a music lover, specifically jazz. In my
hometown of Philadelphia, a person could find live music happening 7 days a
week! when i moved to Charlotte in 1997, there weren't many options for
live jazz. In 1997, my 2 sons moved here with me, so I did not have
time to go out and explore the music scene. In 2005, while working for
The Vanguard Group (which is how I relocated here) two of my co-workers
mentioned that thy were going to open a jazz restaurant offering dinner and
live music. I though, here's my chance! I asked could I book the
entertainment, and the rest is history!
I began booking local, regional and national artists from Pieces Of A Dream to Jean Luc Ponty! When The Jazz Cafe decided to change their concept, i still received calls from artists asking to play in Charlotte and jazz fans who wondered, "where will we go to enjoy
live music? So, I began looking for other venues to host jazz events and also
started the Carolina Jazz Friends, a meetup group to keep jazz lovers informed
about event happenings. The Carolina jazz Friends is the largest
"jazz" meetup group in the world!(according to meetup.com)
Many of the people who follow my shows are smooth/contemporary jazz lovers, so
most people think that I only love smooth jazz. As much as
I enjoy smooth jazz, I am a traditional jazz lover at heart.
Who are some of your favorite jazz artists
–classic and contemporary?
Whoa,
so many favorites! For classic and modern jazz, my favorites are John
Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Ahmad Jamal , Teri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza
Spalding, Christian McBride, Robert Glasper.. whew, too many to name! My
favorite smooth/contemporary artists are, Norman Brown, Alex Bugnon, Gerald
Albright, The Rippingtons, The Yellowjackets, Fourplay, again, too many to name!
Tell the
readers about your radio show.
What’s interesting is that I come from a radio
family as three out of five brothers are in the radio industry in Philadelphia,
but i never thought i would be the fourth member of the family on the
air! Some of the feedback I received from jazz lovers was the concern of
not being able to listen to jazz on the radio 24/7 in the Charlotte area.
Yes, there were jazz stations and shows on the airwaves at one time, but
eventually went away. My brother introduced me to Cathis Hall who is the
General Manager of Gaston College radio. I expressed interest in doing a
jazz radio show, but mentioned that I did not have experience. She told
me that all DJ's were volunteers and that I had to go through a six-week class
to "possibly" fill in for other DJ's, but she could not promise a
jazz show. After a couple of months of begging a pleading, she decided to
give jazz a shot. That was four years ago!!!! Now, Jerry L has a
smooth jazz show on each night from 9-11 p.m. Monday -Thursday, and I come in two
Sundays a month for the Jazz Cafe radio show on Sundays from 9 a.m. -
noon. I play more classic to modern jazz on that show. WSGE
allows us to play more of our local artist like, Jon Thornton, Queens
Collective, Ron Brendle along with some of our local smooth jazz artists like
Innertwyned, Shableek and Buff Dillard.
When’s the Queen City’s next jazz event?
I have so many great things coming in the
fall. The 4th annual Carolina jazz concert series starts August 12th with
Peter White, Keiko Matsui will be here in September 29th, and Richard Elliott
on December 8th. An event that I’m really excited about is an upcoming
"big band" jazz series. I’m REALLY excited about that. I’m
partnering with my good friend, Bassist John Brown who is the Director of Jazz
studies at Duke University, and The Jazz Arts Initiative. We have some
GREAT guest artists coming in for the series!
How can jazz fans keep up with you?
Most people keep up with me via my website which
is www.jazzdivaevents.com
or on Facebook at“The Jazz diva.”
July 20, 2012
My May, 2013 release
I know next May seems like a long time from now. But that's the release date of my next book. I'm excited. Now comes the task of naming this book.
I've always had a slight problem coming up with titles. Unlike playwrights, I think authors go story first, title last. I learned this tidbit about playwrights from listening to Victoria Christopher Murray's Destiny's Divas book chat on Thursday. :)
Want to know what my May release is going to be about? Check it out:
BACK
COVER:
Crystal
Hughes is mad as hell…
No one is going to tear down the farmland that’s been in her
family since the turn of the century—certainly not multimillion dollar Welco
Industries. And until Welco's president meets with her, Crystal will wage a
fiery one woman protest to prove it! But when he finally appears, Douglas
Wellington III is far from the elderly curmudgeon she expected...
Tall, lean, and fabulous, Douglas is in for a surprise of his own.
Crystal's cafe au lait beauty takes his breath away. Still, if she had any
sense, she'd realize his project will save the impoverished community. With
battle lines drawn, Crystal issues Douglas a challenge: spend one week on the
land he wants to destroy. He agrees, if only to be alone with her. But when
nature takes over amid North Carolina’s lush countryside, these two warriors
just may discover what happens to even the best laid plans...
July 17, 2012
Hot M.A.M.A. Land: Summer Lovin'
Hot M.A.M.A. Land: Summer Lovin': Hello Romance Reader. I'm Cheris Hodges . As I sit here watching the temperatures rise; I can't help but think about summertime and why...
Visit me in Hot M.A.M.A Land today!
I'm bringing the heat today on the web's hottest blog featuring Multicultural Authors of The Mid-Atlantic.
Or, Hot M.A.M.A Land .
And when I say I'm bringing the heat, I mean it. My blog is about this heat wave and why we're more apt to give it up in the summer.
I know you're interested! Tune in at noon.
Meet and greet video
Want to see part of the inspiration for Recipe For Desire? Click here and read "The Homeless Diaries."
July 15, 2012
Midlands/Low Country Weekend
I've been complaining about not getting my summer glow. I've been spending hours and hours in the house working on two books--who has time for sunbathing?
Well in the last 48 hours, I got some good old South Carolina sun and that sun kissed look I crave. Yay!
But that's not even the best part of my weekend.
Let's start with Saturday in Columbia, S.C. -- The Midlands.
Latoya Morris Guider. Photo by Sheryl Montgomery
Photo by Sheryl Montgomery
Photo by Sheryl Montgomery
LaToya Morris Guider hosted a meet and greet for me. And let me tell you, Miss Lady did her thing! Toya is a member of the SistaFriends Book Club, an avid reader, and an all around cool person. You can tell that from one conversation with her. And you know cool people have cool friends. I can't thank Toya and everyone who came out to the Columbia meet and greet on Saturday.
Photo by Sheryl Montgomery
And because Devon -- my hero from Recipe For Desire -- was so into chocolate, Toya created a chocolate buffet. YUM!
We all just sat down and had a good time talking and eating some
delectable sweets that Devon would've approved of wholeheartedly. I have
to admit, I'm still surprised that people actually want to hear what I
have to say. I'm humbled and happy that folks enjoy reading my books and
having a meet and greet is one of the highlights of my writing career!
So, thanks again to Toya for rolling out the chocolate carpet and
hosting me.
Then it was off the South Carolina low country. I'm sure my mom and dad
are getting a kick out of this. I remember a vacation we took when I was
a teenager. I didn't enjoy my stay in Charleston then. I kinda felt as
if I was invading on a romantic weekend with my parents. Charleston is a
romantic city (So, yes, you can expect a book set in Charleston soon).
It was a fun research trip that gave me my sun kiss! Awesome!!
Night time on Folly Beach
Pretty Pink Beach House
STINGRAY!!
Downtown Charleston
This face, I'm about to get some Starbucks! In Columbia on my way back to Charlotte.
Well in the last 48 hours, I got some good old South Carolina sun and that sun kissed look I crave. Yay!
But that's not even the best part of my weekend.
Let's start with Saturday in Columbia, S.C. -- The Midlands.
Latoya Morris Guider. Photo by Sheryl Montgomery
Photo by Sheryl Montgomery
Photo by Sheryl Montgomery
LaToya Morris Guider hosted a meet and greet for me. And let me tell you, Miss Lady did her thing! Toya is a member of the SistaFriends Book Club, an avid reader, and an all around cool person. You can tell that from one conversation with her. And you know cool people have cool friends. I can't thank Toya and everyone who came out to the Columbia meet and greet on Saturday.
Photo by Sheryl Montgomery
And because Devon -- my hero from Recipe For Desire -- was so into chocolate, Toya created a chocolate buffet. YUM!
We all just sat down and had a good time talking and eating some
delectable sweets that Devon would've approved of wholeheartedly. I have
to admit, I'm still surprised that people actually want to hear what I
have to say. I'm humbled and happy that folks enjoy reading my books and
having a meet and greet is one of the highlights of my writing career!
So, thanks again to Toya for rolling out the chocolate carpet and
hosting me.
Then it was off the South Carolina low country. I'm sure my mom and dad
are getting a kick out of this. I remember a vacation we took when I was
a teenager. I didn't enjoy my stay in Charleston then. I kinda felt as
if I was invading on a romantic weekend with my parents. Charleston is a
romantic city (So, yes, you can expect a book set in Charleston soon).
It was a fun research trip that gave me my sun kiss! Awesome!!
Night time on Folly Beach
Pretty Pink Beach House
STINGRAY!!
Downtown Charleston
This face, I'm about to get some Starbucks! In Columbia on my way back to Charlotte.
July 13, 2012
Happy Friday the 13th from Chick-Fil-A
I'm not a huge fan of Chick-Fil-A. I don't like the way they butcher the English language with their "eat mor chikin" ads and the fact that they donate thousands of dollars to anti-gay groups.
But today, the restaurant chain had a pretty fun promotion going on. If you dressed like a cow, you got a free meal.
This sign really bothers me, though!
Cute. Zany. And kind of crazy. I couldn't help but wonder how many people I'd find at Chick-Fil-A dressed as cows. There were quite a few.
But today, the restaurant chain had a pretty fun promotion going on. If you dressed like a cow, you got a free meal.
This sign really bothers me, though!
Cute. Zany. And kind of crazy. I couldn't help but wonder how many people I'd find at Chick-Fil-A dressed as cows. There were quite a few.
Michele Grant asks: Do Black People Have Trust Issues?
Author and blogger, Michele Grant isn't just one of my favorite writers (have you read Sweet Little Lies and Heard It All Before ), but she's an Investigation Discovery addict just like me. So on Wednesday she watched the newly launched "Love Gone Wrong Wednesdays."
The new show, titled Dates From Hell, prompted Grant to ask--on her BougieLand blog -- "Do Black Folks have trust issues?"
These are her words:
I was watching Dates from Hell on @DiscoveryID the other night. Wednesday nights are their "Love Gone Wrong" episodes with Who the Bleep Did I Marry followed by this new Dates from Hell.
These are stories where a woman goes out on a date and ends up
fighting/running for her life. Grim. Puts my BougieTales of Dating Woe
in proper perspective. But anywho...
The premiere episode Wednesday night was about (in a nutshell) a woman
who was vacationing in Rome. On her last night there, she and her friend
were at a cafe. The cafe owner introduces them to Marco. Marco was an
artist and they visited his studio. Marco invited them out to drinks and
they declined. The woman changed her mind and went to meet him without
her friend. She and Marco chatted about art, sipped wine, he was
charming. He bought her flowers and complimented her. Shortly thereafter
he told her about the wonderful view of Rome from the balcony in his
apartment. She agreed to go take a look.
At this point in the story I tweeted that I did not understand a single
woman in a foreign country going to a strange man's apartment alone. I'm
sorry. I can't fathom the circumstance under which I would ever, ever
do that. As you might suspect, the story turned batshit crazy. Marco
went uberPsycho literally trying to rape and kill the woman. She had to
fling herself off the sixth story balcony and jump across rooftops to
escape. She did escape, badly hurt and badly shaken up but a survivor.
She is now a victims' advocate.
She also tweeted me to tell me that I shouldn't "victim blame- a woman
has a right to trust that she won't be attacked by an animal."
True but um... Okay - first, I don't victim blame. For instance, do I
blame Trayvon for wearing a hoodie? No. I agree that sometimes people
are just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong evil people
crossing their paths. HOWEVER - I do think there are precautions that
one should take to avoid the potential for these situations at all
costs. She did not appreciate my point of view and directed me to her
website for some educational reading.
From here a firestorm of a debate raged on Twitter - many of the
chocolate sisterhood said we just don't get down like that. Marco would
have had to drag me to his apartment kicking and screaming to see the
view unless I had someone with me, a cell phone in hand and an idea
where the closest Polizia station was located. And event hen I may not
have gone. Then again, my father was the type to say: "Ain't nothing
open after midnight but liquor stores and legs. Act like a lady and be
home on time." I was 30 years old and he was still telling me to "act
like a lady." Le sigh. I've been brought up to believe that preventative
precaution is the way to go in most social situations. [Translated: Men
are frequently grab-assy, don't get caught out there]
Many of the non-black women said
it wouldn't be that big of a deal to them. Since the cafe owner
introduced Marco, they would assume he was a nice guy and feel
comfortable with him. Hmm. I'm not saying black women don't get
attacked. I'm saying most of the black folks I know run from danger even
if there's only a slight whiff of it. We tend to assume someone is up
to no damn good until they've proven otherwise. Is it just me?
There's stuff I just don't do. I
don't walk to my car alone at night. I don't jog alone at night. I don't
get drunk without a designated driver/watcher/exit strategy. I never go
on a date with someone new without letting folks know where I'm going
to be and who I'm going to be with. If I'm alone in an elevator with
someone I get a hinky vibe from, I get off and wait for the next one. I
don't ride in strange people's cars. If I'm at a house I've never been
to, I check for the exits. Lookie here, I don't play. I don't know if
that's a female thing, a lessons learned thing or a black thing.
Read more here.
Grant's right. She's SO right that I can't think of anything else to add, but keep your third eye open!
Don't forget to get Grant's new novel Pretty Boy Problems .
Publication Date: July 31, 2012
Responsible, mature, employed...everything Avery Beauregard Montgomery is not. Instead, Beau is a
natural
born charmer. He has breezed through life on his dazzling looks,
six-pack abs and sparkling personality. But this pretty boy's luck has
run out. Fed up with his freeloading and philandering ways, his brother
and sister-in-law are turning on the tough love and turning him out of
their house. For Beau, that just means moving on to the next...
Beau
shows up at his sister's Dallas condo with nowhere else to go and no
idea what to do with his life. Suitcase in hand, he stumbles in to find
not his sister but a bathing beauty. Someone super-model gorgeous with
attitude, skepticism and no time for trifling pretty boys. Belle, his
sister's new business partner, has already claimed the guest room and
Beau's imagination. All it takes is one look for Beau to want to do some
claiming of his own. Belle rebuffs his advances but offers him not only
a job but an opportunity to do something with his life.
Finally, Beau knows who and what he wants. What will it take to get Belle on the same page?
