Delaney Diamond's Blog, page 21
November 3, 2014
Writing Update, Giveaway, and a Free Short Story!
I’ve got a lot to cover today. First of all, did you survive Halloween? I hope so. My neighborhood was very quiet. The kids don’t trick o’ treat around here, and hardly anyone puts up decorations. But that’s fine, because my favorite holiday is coming soon, which is Thanksgiving. I get to spend time with my family, we play games, and eat way too much! It’s perfect.
PERFECT
Speaking of perfect (great segue, right?)…Perfect (book 2 of the Johnson Family series) has done extremely well, and I owe it all to you. In fact, both books of the series, which includes Unforgettable, have done well. Thank you for the reviews, the messages, and for telling others about the books. I can’t thank you enough!
When it came to Cyrus, I knew he would be a tough sell after his behavior in Unforgettable. One Amazon reviewer said, and I quote, “Didn’t think I wanted to know about old grumpy, grouchy, ill-tempered Cyrus. But I relented and boy I’m glad I did.” Which lets me know that I did my job, allowing readers to see the other side of Cyrus–his story, and the part of his personality that others aren’t privy to.
And is it me, or is there something hot and satisfying about seeing a man act all alpha a-hole possessive because he loves his woman so much? Cyrus did not want to let Daniella go, did he? Ahhh…I love it!
SPAIN
I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn’t read it, but in Perfect, there are several chapters dedicated to showing Daniella and Cyrus happy together. They occurred when they revisited the area where they spent their honeymoon, in Costa del Sol, Spain. I visited Costa del Sol this summer. Originally, Daniella and Cyrus were supposed to go to Paris, but after my trip, I knew it had to be this region, especially Mijas. The area was beautiful, and I thought it was a superb escape for a couple who needed to relax from their careers and recharge their relationship.
Below are some of the photos I took that related to the story.
Click to view slideshow.
WHAT’S NEW
Right now I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month, or as everyone calls it: NaNoWriMo. The goal is to complete a first draft of a 50,000 word novel by the end of November. For those of us slower writers, it’s quite a challenge. Last year I failed, so I’m trying to redeem myself. Wish me luck!
After NaNoWriMo I’ll be tackling Just Friends, book 3 of the Johnson Family series. It’s Trenton and Alannah’s story, and I fully expect to have it completed for release in spring 2015.
AWARDS
I have some good news! I was a nominee for BRAB (Building Relationships Around Books) Bookclub’s Best Interracial Author Award for my novel, The Blind Date (book 1 of the Love Unexpected series). I didn’t win, but of course it was an honor to be nominated, and I appreciate every single vote in my favor.
I recently found out I’m a nominee of the AMB Ovation Award for Outstanding Author in Multicultural Romance for my novel, Unforgettable (book 1 of the Johnson Family series). I’m ecstatic about that, and again, just having someone nominate me for the award is such a huge compliment. The competition is fierce, so keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. :)
This one is huge. I am the recipient of the AMB Ovation Visionary Award! The award “recognizes an AA/IR/Multicultural romance author who, through foresight and unlimited effort, has helped add value to the profession by encouraging development, promotion, and networking of authors in their genre.” Of course I was squealing when I found out, and since I found out on Twitter thanks to friend and fellow writer, Piper Huguley, my surprise and excitement was captured in 140 characters. LOL. When I first starting writing, I was fortunate to network with many authors who were generous with their time and knowledge, and I’m honored to have my efforts recognized in such a public way.
For a list of all the categories and finalists – get your pen and paper ready because you’re going to want to take notes – visit the nominations website for the AMB Ovation Awards.
SHORT STORY
As the title of this blog post promised, I have a short story for you! It’s called Happy New Year. Full disclosure: it was shared with the readers over at the Romance Novels in Color review site I run with other romance authors and a host of volunteers. If you’re a subscriber there, then you’ve already read it. If not, click on the link below to download the PDF and send it to your ereader or just read it online. Happy New Year is about two twenty-something-year-old friends who take the leap into a more-than-friends relationship.
I’ll be adding this one to the Free Reads page. If you haven’t yet read the shorts there, definitely check them out.
GOODREADS
Are you on Goodreads? Send me a friend request. I’d love to see what you’re reading, and you’ll see what I’m reading when I’m not writing. You can also see my reviews at the lower right of this blog.
Click here to read Happy New Year
GIVEAWAY
My GoodReads giveaway just ended last week, and there are two winners of Perfect. One of them is in Bulgaria! As far as I know, I don’t have any readers there, but hopefully that will change soon. Now I’m ready to do a giveaway for those of you who support and follow me. Details are below.
Prize: Two readers will each receive a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card and autographed copies of my three releases this year: Unforgettable, Perfect, and Heartbreak in Rio (part of the Endless Summer Nights anthology).
Eligibility: You must be a subscriber to my newsletter. If you aren’t, sign up here.
How to enter: In the comments below, leave the comment “I subscribe to your newsletter.” There’s no need to list your email address in the comments. I’ll get it on the back end of the site and compare it to my list of newsletter subscribers. So make sure you use the correct email address.
Deadline: Saturday, November 8, 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be randomly chosen using random.org and listed in the comments. They will then have 72 hours to claim their prizes.
That’s all for now. Have a wonderful week!
__________
The Johnson Family Series
Get Perfect and Unforgettable now. Get ready for Just Friends in Spring 2015!
Filed under: Writing Update Tagged: AMB Ovation Awards, Johnson Family series, Just Friends, Perfect, Unforgettable
September 26, 2014
PERFECT is now available!
Are you ready for Cyrus and Daniella in Perfect?
Perfect, the second book in the Johnson Family series, is now available! It’s the story of Cyrus Johnson, the oldest sibling, and his estranged wife, Daniella.
I occasionally offer sale prices to followers on social media and subscribers to my newsletter. It’s just one way for me to show my appreciation for your support. Therefore, Perfect is on sale for 25% off! It’s $2.99 and goes to the regular price of $3.99 next Friday. Get your copy early and save.
BLURB
Does the end justify the means?
Cyrus Johnson is rich, powerful, and used to getting his way. When his estranged wife shows up at his office demanding a divorce once and for all, he not only refuses, he makes a demand of his own.
Daniella Barrett-Johnson has little bargaining power where Cyrus is concerned, and he’s already used his vast financial resources to prolong their divorce and keep her tied to him. Her only hope is to give him what he wants, but if she does, how will she ever be able to leave him for good?
Buy it now
Amazon: http://buff.ly/1ptXmvQ
B&N: http://buff.ly/1ptXmM6
Smashwords: http://buff.ly/1ptXmM7
All Romance Ebooks: http://buff.ly/1ptXmM8 (preorder status)
Kobo: http://buff.ly/1ptXmMd (preorder status)
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1u3fIdl
Filed under: Writing Tagged: African-American romance, Johnson Family series, Perfect
September 1, 2014
Worth the Risk by Stacy-Deanne
Please welcome back interracial romance author Stacy-Deanne, with news about her latest release, Worth the Risk, which features an HIV-positive heroine.
Worth the Risk: Celebrating HIV-Positive Characters in Romance
Hi All,
Stacy-Deanne (Dee-Anne) here and I want to share a bit about my new release, Worth the Risk!
About the Book:
Ho
uston music critic Alvin Zak becomes smitten with violinist Madeline Deever from the first moment she lays her bow to her violin to perform a concerto. Sent to review the orchestra, Alvin becomes so enraptured by Madeline that he asks her if he can do a feature on her. The polite, yet elusive Madeline agrees to think it over while declining Alvin’s invitation for coffee. Alvin does not understand Madeline’s abrupt refusal to his invite and it makes him even more interested in getting close to her.
The last thing Madeline is looking for is love since she is harboring a secret that has the power to ruin any potential relationship. Convinced no man would love her enough to accept her situation, she fights off Alvin’s advances, but begins to fall in love with him.
Can Alvin convince Madeline to trust him and give into her feelings or is Madeline destined to spend her life alone?
Check Worth the Risk out on Goodreads and add it to your shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22596061-worth-the-risk
Why I Wrote the Book:
Worth the Risk will always hold a special place in my heart. So far, it is probably the most important book I’ve written. I wrote it in honor of my cousin who has been living with HIV for over a decade. The type of person she is and the struggles she’s been through made me want to base a character on her. I also wrote the book because I feel that it is important for fiction, especially romance, to focus on people from all lifestyles. One thing my cousin has to deal with is finding friends and lovers who understand her situation. I wanted to write this book for others with HIV so that they have faith that they can find love and romance like everyone else.
Why I Feel the Book is Important:
I believe fiction should sometimes show the harsher side of life. I also think it is important that people have characters in which they can relate. People with HIV fall in love and are in relationships the same as others, yet we don’t see many romances focused on them. I don’t know why that is. Maybe some writers don’t know much about HIV and are intimidated to write about it. Maybe some writers feel like audiences would not want to read a romance with an HIV-positive character. All I can say is that so far, reactions from readers and reviewers have been positive toward my book. In fact, a Facebook Group influenced me to follow my heart and write this. I had someone tell me that no one would want to read about an HIV heroine, but when I asked about this I got so many others who said that wasn’t true. I like to follow my heart in my writing so I couldn’t let it go, so the story was born. This is a lesson to all writers to listen to your heart. If you feel strongly about something, write it no matter what.
The Importance of Romance Books for Everyone:
As a black child, I didn’t have any books that centered on people like me. None of the children’s books I read and enjoyed had little black girls in them. I always thought about that.
When I was a teenager, I never saw romance books or many other books outside of literary fiction with blacks as characters or on covers. Romance especially weren’t being written for blacks. It was very hard for black authors to get their romances published. Until BET Books and Kimani came along, romance books rarely focused on blacks. I always thought about that.
Now, read what I just wrote and you’ll see why I feel it’s important to have books everyone can relate to. I feel this way because it’s something I’ve experienced. I wondered how many people with HIV who love romance novels ever go, “Hmm, wonder why they don’t write more romances for people like me?”
That is the question I had in my head when writing Worth the Risk and it made me more determined and proud for writing this story.
What I Hope Readers Get From This Book:
What I hope people get from this book is simple, entertainment. I also hope that it expands the minds of people who don’t have firsthand experience with HIV or with those who have it. Worth the Risk is an interracial romance before anything else, except the heroine is living with an incurable disease. Madeline is still a woman with feelings and desires like any other woman. What I don’t want is for people to overlook the book because they are afraid of the subject matter. Once again, this is a romance above all else and I hope people see that.
Excerpt:
Madeline ran out the door and hurried down the sidewalk toward her dark-blue Mazda.
Come on!
She dug in her purse for her keys.
The last thing I need is anyone asking questions.
“Madeline?” Alvin busted out the door. “Madeline?” He ran up behind her. “Wait!”
She stopped and sighed.
What do I say if he asks why I’m here? Of course, I can tell him to f*ck off but then what? I wake up and the next thing I know another feature of me will be in the magazine?
She turned around.
Hold on. Why the hell is he here?
“Hey.” He squinted. “You okay?”
“Why?” She held the prescription note behind her back. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” She raised an eyebrow. “You saying I don’t look okay?”
“You look beautiful actually.”
Compliments.
She brushed her hair behind her ear.
I do like the way I feel when he looks at me. But, I can’t trust this man. He did a feature on me without my permission. Who does that?
She tilted her head.
I can’t lie and say I’m not a tiny bit attracted to him. Why does he like me though? Is he really interested in me or just my music?
“What are you doing here?” She avoided meeting his gaze.
“I’m here for my yearly checkup.” He swung his arms. “I gotta get my blood pressure medicine refilled.”
“You have high blood pressure?”
He rolled his eyes. “No, I just take the medicine because I like it.”
She grinned. “I guess your job can get stressful, huh? I’ve seen how some react when you give them bad reviews. I saw what that musician did to you on Twitter last year. I couldn’t deal with stuff like that.”
“No one likes a critic.” He clasped his hands in front of him. “That’s the nature of the job, but I love what I do. I love music, so that’s why I like to judge it and study it.” He gestured to her. “Why are you here?”
“I had to see my doctor.”
“Dr. Fox too?”
“No.” She crumpled up the prescription note. “It’s another doctor.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “Who?”
“Who?” She exhaled. “Is that really your business?”
He shrugged. “No, but I told you the name of my doctor.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t ask did I?”
His smile faded.
I hate being a bitch to him. He seems to be a nice guy but I can’t give him an inkling something can be between us when I know it’s impossible. Better to reject him now than hurt him later.
“Alvin, I told you I didn’t wanna see you again.”
“You don’t wanna see me because of the feature or something else? I’m sorry if doing the story hurt you. It wasn’t my intent.”
“Do you realize how many emails I’ve been getting since you wrote about me?” She touched her hair. “I mean…they’re nice and stuff but I didn’t want this to happen. You should’ve given me the choice.”
“I apologize, but I thought you’d be happy once you saw it.”
“Well, I wasn’t.” She held her arms to her sides. “I wasn’t.”
“I don’t know how to be with you.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Things that I thought would impress women don’t work on you.”
“I don’t like games or tricks. I’d rather know off the bat what you want. No bullshitting.”
“Okay.” He swallowed. “I wanna go out with you, and I wanna know more about your music.”
She sighed.
“How about I give you a chance to tell your own story this time?” He touched her arm. “I really am sorry if the piece offended you.”
“It didn’t offend me. It was a very flattering feature but—”
“You didn’t want it?”
She nodded. “I don’t like people doing things behind my back.”
“You might be glad to know it’s gotten a lot of attention. I got people calling me asking me more about you and how to reach you.”
“I don’t want anyone to reach me.”
“Why, Madeline?” He moved closer. “You’ve got a wonderful gift that you share with the world, but you don’t wanna share yourself?”
“I can’t.” She closed her eyes. “I can’t share myself with anyone else again.”
“Including me?”
She looked into his eyes. “Especially you.”
Upcoming Release:
Since I’m here I’d like to share about my upcoming September 13th release Empty coming from Sugar and Spice Press. It’s about a May/December romance and I hope you check it out and enjoy it!
Blurb:
Empty is an endearing love story about soul mates who didn’t realize how lost they were until they found each other. 
Forty-five year-old Sacramento Social Psychology Professor Bella Terry has developed a feverish attraction for her twenty-four year-old student, Cameron Moore. Despite their differences, Cameron finds the elusive Bella irresistible and stops at nothing to get closer to her.
Their interest for each other turns into a fascinating bond neither expected. They share their deepest secrets and Cameron realizes there is more to Bella than he ever imagined. Bella has not had an easy life and because of this, she’s built a wall to her heart. Bella pushes Cameron away, but Cameron refuses to give up on love.
After a traumatic experience, Bella realizes she loves Cameron and can’t afford to walk away.
Check Empty out on Goodreads and add it to your shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22818338-empty
Website: http://www.stacy-deanne.net
Mailing list: http://www.stacy-deanne.net/newsletter.htm?newsletter=
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacy.deanne.5?ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/search?q=Stacy-Deanne&src=tyah
Thanks for having me!
__________
Kudos for tackling such a tough topic, Stacey-Deanne. Wishing you much success!
Filed under: Special Guests Tagged: Stacy Deanne, Worth the Risk
August 25, 2014
Blurb and Sneak Peek at PERFECT (Book 2 of the Johnson Family series)!
The manuscript for Perfect has been completed and is in the editor’s hands! As you know, this is Cyrus’s story, the oldest sibling of the Johnson Family clan. What you don’t know, is that Cyrus is married, and you’ll meet his estranged wife, Daniella, in the novel.
What kind of man is Cyrus?
He flaunts his wealth. He enjoys the finer things in life, works hard, and sees no reason why he should down play the amount of money he has.
He believes the end justifies the means. Even if he upsets others, he does whatever needs to be done and deals with the fallout later.
He takes his responsibilities toward his family very seriously.
He will do anything to get his estranged wife to come back to him.
What kind of woman is Daniella?
She’s angry at her father. He left when she was young and she’s never forgiven him for it.
She believes trust is the most important aspect of any relationship.
She hates fighting dirty, but has learned that sometimes it’s a necessity.
She loves her husband, even if she doesn’t know it yet.
Below is the blurb and an unedited excerpt from the novel. Enjoy!
BLURB
Cyrus Johnson is rich, powerful, and used to getting his way. When his estranged wife shows up at his office demanding a divorce once and for all, he not only refuses, he makes a demand of his own.
Daniella Barrett-Johnson has very little bargaining power where Cyrus is concerned, and he’s already used his vast financial resources to prolong their divorce and keep her tied to him. Her only hope is to give him what he wants, but if she does, how will she ever be able to leave him for good?
EXCERPT (unedited)
“There’s chemistry between us,” Cyrus said. “Always has been from the beginning. That hasn’t changed.”
“Maybe on your end.”
He captured her gaze, eyeing her with skepticism. “Are you saying you’re no longer attracted to me? That I can no longer make your toes curl?”
Inside her patent leather heels, her toes contracted. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
A slow smile spread across his full lips. The type of smile a fox had right before it raided the hen house. “Prove it.”
Her breathing arrested for a nanosecond, but she quickly recovered. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Kiss me.”
“We kissed at the restaurant.”
“That was a peck on the lips. I want you to give me a real kiss, and if you don’t feel anything, then we do it your way.”
“No.” She backed up a couple of feet. It was a trap, one that would ensnare her for sure. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“Scared?” The softly spoken word was filled with mocking challenge.
“I told you before I’m not afraid of you.” She lifted her chin with a boldness she was far from feeling.
“Then give me a kiss.” He ate the distance between them with one long stride. “One little kiss, and if you prove me wrong, we do this your way.”
She lowered her lids against the seductive quality of his voice and stared down at the rich burgundy carpet. Her breathing had already grown fractured at the mere thought of kissing him.
“You know this is my favorite color on you,” he said. His fingertip swept the seam of her lips and made them tingle. “It’s distracting. Is that why you wore it? So you could distract me?”
She’d forgotten she was wearing ruby red lipstick. In truth he preferred her to be au naturale, but when she wasn’t his favorite color lipstick was ruby red. He said the color gave her lips a fullness and plumpness that turned her mouth into an invitation, begging to be kissed.
“I didn’t wear it for you,” she said.
He took her hand, and a shiver of awareness raced up her arm. He ran the blunt tip of his thumb over the spot where her rings used to be. Her pulse started to dance, faster and faster. “One little kiss, Dani.” He pressed his lips to the back of her fingers.
The inside of her belly trembled, as if a family of moths had taken up residence there. He pulled her closer, and she went to him with little resistance. She was shaking. She wanted him to kiss her. Badly.
One hand went to her back and trailed up and down her spine in a slow caress. Despite his cold, cruel nature in business, Cyrus was a very sensual man and a master of seduction.
He drew her closer until she was pressed against him. He was semi-erect, which was fitting because she was semi-wet.
Against the stimulus of his hard chest, her breasts pebbled and her breathing became shallow. She felt his hard strength and fought the reaction the best she could, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being right.
His labored breathing could be heard in the quiet room. “One little kiss, Dani.”
It wouldn’t be one little kiss. She knew it and was certain he did, too. He would consume her, because that’s what he did. She lost all sense of the present and time when caught up in his arms.
Cyrus lowered his head, and in the next instant their lips fused together. This kiss was different from the one at the restaurant. It was tender, even affectionate, and Daniella leaned in, enjoying the flavor of him way too much. She held onto his biceps, the power and strength of his arms sending little darts of pleasure along her spine.
Engulfed in the thrill of touching him again, she was unable to move away, and she certainly didn’t want to. His lips were warm, and little by little he increased the pressure against hers. The hand at her back dipped to her backside and tightened. She gasped into his mouth, the blossom of heat invading her thighs.
When he lifted his head, she felt bereft, and he must have felt it, too, because his nostrils flared and he groaned—the sound in the back of his throat so low she almost didn’t hear it. Need flashed in his half-closed eyes. He dipped his head again and heaven help her, she lifted her mouth to meet his and parted her lips for his invasion.
—Mark your calendar for Cyrus and Daniella’s story, tentatively scheduled for a September 26th release!
_________
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Filed under: Writing Tagged: African-American romance, Johnson Family series, Perfect, Unforgettable
August 4, 2014
My Website Got a Face Lift!
Check out my new website! Christina C. Jones, an author whose books I enjoy, is also a web designer. She completed the redesign for me and I’m very happy with it.
This weekend I worked on moving around content on the various pages so now, when you land on the home page, you’ll see my latest releases, and instead of having three Books pages (Sweet, Sensual, and Coming Soon), I now have one. All of the books are divided by series, which makes it a lot easier for anyone who’s new to my writing to know which order to read them in.
Newsletter
To coincide with the new website, I started using MailChimp for my newsletter. In addition to blog posts, the newsletter will include deleted scenes from my novels, background on the stories, photos that may have inspired me, and other information just for newsletter subscribers.
What Should You Do?
Email subscribers to my blog have already been subscribed to my newsletter, so you don’t have to do anything. However, if you subscribed to my blog via wordpress.com and want to get all the updates, you’ll have to subscribe to my newsletter on your own. Just click the button in the side bar to subscribe.
What Else Should You Do?
Unsubscribe from my blog. I know that sounds crazy, but here’s why: you’ll get all of my blog posts twice—because you’re currently a blog subscriber and a newsletter subscriber. I use wordpress.com for my website, and they don’t allow me to delete blog subscribers. To avoid getting a duplicate and getting extremely annoyed, unsubscribe now.
Perfect, Book 2 of the Johnson Family series
I still plan to release Perfect this fall. I’ll have a date for you very soon.
Have a great week!
__________
Questions? Leave them in the comments or send me a private email, and I’ll get back to you.
Filed under: Miscellaneous
June 16, 2014
Just My Type by Synithia Williams
Please welcome Synithia Williams to my blog! Her latest release is Just My Type, a friends to lovers romance, and so far it’s getting stellar reviews. Check out the interview below and an excerpt from the book.
Tell us about yourself.
Hi Delaney, thanks for having me on your blog today! For those of your readers who don’t know me, I’m a local government employee by day, romance writer at night, and spend my time taking care of my husband and two boys in between. So basically, like most women, I’m very busy.
What inspired you to write Just My Type?
Just My Type started out as just an idea for a novella. I’ve always liked friends to lovers stories and thought about exploring that with a guy that wasn’t the typical alpha male. But, Freddy and Janiyah’s romance couldn’t be contained to the size of a novella.
Is there a scene in the book you particularly enjoy?
Yes, it’s a shower scene. I love it because it’s the first time Janiyah discovers just how much Freddy likes her. Up until then, he’s ignored or denied there was anything simmering between them, but after she witnesses what he does in the shower, it’s hard to deny. I’d love to give the excerpt, but there is a PG-13 rating for your excerpts. :)
Do you have a single book or character that’s dear to your heart?
All of my characters and books are dear to my heart. Each one seems the most important as I’m writing them.
Which of your books has sold the best so far and why do you think that is?
My second book, Worth the Wait, has done the best. I think it’s the complete opposites attract between the hero and heroine, and a little bit of the fairy tale ending. Inspired completely by the wedding scene from A Different World when Dwayne begs for Whitney.
Do you have a favorite hero/heroine you’ve written? What makes them special?
Again, they’re each my favorite as I’m writing, so I’ll tell you what makes Freddy and Janiyah so special to me. With Janiyah, I like how she decides to prove her family wrong when she realizes they view her as irresponsible. I also like how she doesn’t back down when she discovers Freddy cares for her, but also refuses to put up with his concerns when they threaten their relationship. She’s a fun, flirty, confident character that knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.
Freddy is kind of one of my fantasies. A good guy who can turn on the naughty side at the right time. He’s very principled after watching his parents struggle to pay bills and keep up with appearances. He doesn’t think he and Janiyah will work out as more than friends. But when they do get together, he puts aside the “good boy” attitude and shows Janiyah just how naughty he can be. As one reader told me, she’ll never look at accountants the same again.
Which heroine from your books do you most closely identify with and why?
I identify with all of my heroines. I love Janiyah’s willingness to try new things and not let people pigeon hole her into the type of role they think she should have. She knows herself and loves her life, and so few people have that.
On your road to mega stardom, what types of interesting or odd jobs have you held?
Let’s just hope one day I’ll become a mega star and can say my oddest job was local government employee.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on proposals for the next stories in the Henderson Family series. So if you enjoy Janiyah’s family then hopefully you’ll be excited to see how love plays out for her three brothers. And, like most authors, I’m always thinking of new ideas and working on various projects.
Thanks for the fun interview, Delaney. Readers can find me online in the following locations:
My website: www.synithiawilliam.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/synithiarwilliams
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@SynithiaW
I’ll be doing a virtual book tour with Tasty Book Tours in July for Just My Type with lots of fun posts, reviews, and a prize. So be sure to check that out!
Blurb:
Janiyah Henderson may be an adult, but her dad doesn’t see it that way. Granted, she’s enjoying her post-college life of little-to-no responsibility, but when her dad announces at a family meeting that she can’t handle working a “real job”, there’s only one thing to do: land a desk job and prove him wrong. When her brother’s best friend, Fredrick Jenkins, needs a new assistant, she knows she’s the perfect candidate. So what if she’s had a crush on the conservative accountant since she was nine? She’s the last woman Freddy would fall for.
But Fredrick is far from impervious to Janiyah’s charms. Though he can’t help but be attracted to her, he knows Janiyah is more interested in eating his cereal and teasing him than viewing him as more than the good guy next door. When he offers her the job, he can’t imagine her giving up her late mornings and colorful outfits for 8:00 a.m. meetings and pantyhose for too long. But as Janiyah excels as his employee, he fears he’s in danger of falling hard for a woman he shouldn’t care for.
Pretty soon the attraction they’ve tried to ignore boils to the surface. And after Fredrick shows Janiyah the man behind the numbers, she’s ready to show him that she’s just the type of woman he needs.
Excerpt:
Janiyah turned in the direction Marlena indicated, but her guy was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she made eye contact with a pair of light brown eyes that sent a familiar jolt through her system. It was the jittery feeling she got—and tried to ignore—whenever it came to Fredrick Percival Jenkins, aka Freddy. He was her brother Aaron’s best friend, and he’d spent so much time in her house as a kid he was like a brother.
He’d always been there. Hanging around playing video games with Aaron. Helping her with her math homework whenever she got stumped. Helping her go through college applications before graduation. Handing back her heart, crushed and broken in his hands, when at seventeen, she’d tried to give it—and her virginity—to him.
She would forever be embarrassed for throwing herself at Freddy back then. But thankfully, they’d made an unspoken agreement to never bring it up. Now they shared a close, but strictly platonic, friendship. They lived across the hall from each other. He teased her about the men she dated or her choice of colorful outfits, and she gave him grief about his exciting life of PBS documentaries and button up shirts.
She turned back to Liz. “You all were talking about Freddy?”
Liz sighed. “Don’t you know about his recent success?” Liz must have read the WTF look on her face. “You live right across the hall from him, but know nothing about what he does all day.”
Janiyah shrugged; it didn’t push away the discomfort that she’d somehow done wrong for not taking more of an interest in Freddy’s job. He was an accountant, for goodness’ sake. How interesting can it be looking at numbers all day?
Marlena grinned. “He’s smart, successful, and fine as hell. In other words, Columbia’s most sought after bachelor.”
Janiyah looked at Freddy then back at the woman. “Freddy?”
Then it hit her: Desiree was that woman Freddy broke up with a few months ago.
Freddy strolled over. “Hello, Janiyah, bright as usual.” His toffee colored gaze slowly roamed over her.
There went that damn feeling she tried to ignore when he looked at her like that, a stomach flutter followed by a slight clench. No matter how much her brain understood, her body sometimes forgot that she and Freddy were incompatible with a capital I. Freddy was as straight laced as they come, and even she would snort if someone used those words to describe herself. A complete turn off for a guy like him.
She tried not to care; he wasn’t really her type. Granted, he was good looking. If she were into conservatively dressed, light skinned guys, with sophisticated square framed glasses. He was five foot ten, taller than her, but not exactly towering. He made up for his lack of height with muscles. And, boy, did Freddy have nice muscles. He lifted weights routinely, the most exciting thing she thought he did. He also had a dimple in one cheek going for him. It only made rare appearances if she could coax a full blown smile out of him, and the canine tooth on his left side was crooked in a cute kinda way.
She gave him her brightest smile and bumped his shoulder with hers. “You love my dress, admit it.”
“You look like a stop sign,” he said in his usual voice that was part lecture and part teasing. In other words, the same tone her brothers used.
“And like that sign, I stop traffic.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. Dimple appearance a negative. “That you do.”
Buy it now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Crimson Romance (where it’s always 30% off)
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It was great to have you on my blog, Synithia! And this sounds like an interesting story – not just friends to lovers but opposites attract. And you’ve got me really curious about that shower scene. ;) Wishing you much success!
Filed under: Special Guests Tagged: Just My Type, Synithia Williams
May 30, 2014
Excerpt from Heartbreak in Rio!
Endless Summer Nights, which features my novella Heartbreak in Rio, is now available! I posted Chapter One last week. In case you’re still on the fence about whether or not you should grab your copy, another excerpt is below to tempt and tease you.
Enjoy!
BLURB
Take a trip into the heart of passion as seductive samba rhythms pulse in the warm evening breezes. Escape and savor these three scintillating stories set against the beautiful backdrop of Brazil….
RISKY BUSINESS by Donna Hill. Two weeks in Rio—surely enough time for marketing VP Sydni Lawson to forge a lucrative merger. But instead of sweet-talking real estate mogul Gabriel St. James…she’s being swept away by their sizzling and unexpected attraction.
BEATS OF MY HEART by Grace Octavia. Sunshine Embry has been pushing her own dreams aside as the assistant to a spoiled R & B diva. Then an invitation to record in Rio brings her back in contact with music sensation Marlo Simmons, who is also her boss’s sexy brother! Is this their chance to make sweet, sweet music together?
HEARTBREAK IN RIO by Delaney Diamond. Sidney Altman and Rodrigo Serrano once shared a scorching affair, before he returned to Brazil to take over his family’s fashion empire. Now she’s in Rio on business—and Rodrigo intends to win her back and prove that his biggest regret was ever letting her go….
EXCERPT
Nervous now that she had what she wanted, Sidney marched over to the door, which was opened from the inside. Rodrigo stood looking down at her, an air of tension crackling between them.
“Couldn’t wait to see me again, Sidney?”
“I wanted to talk to you, if it’s not too much to ask.”
“What I want is irrelevant, isn’t it?” He walked back over to the desk and sat, waving for her to take a seat in front of him.
A bank of windows behind him let daylight into the office and gave a visual of the rooftops of Rio buildings. In the distance she could see the Christ the Redeemer statue with its outstretched arms atop the Corcovado Mountain.
Sidney set her briefcase on the floor beside her and lowered herself into a guest chair, crossing her legs and feeling an immediate awareness of Rodrigo but wishing she didn’t. If they were to have a productive business meeting, she had to keep a cool head.
“I thought maybe we could talk a bit—get everything out in the open.”
“What are we getting out in the open, Sidney? As far as I’m concerned, everything was said in the meeting today to the buyers. Was there something else?” His thin-lipped response barely concealed the anger simmering below the surface.
Meeting the problem head-on was the best solution, she decided. “Considering what happened in New York, I understand why you’re upset.”
Steepling his long fingers, Rodrigo sat forward. His watchful eyes made her feel as if he were picking apart her words to find hidden meaning among them.
“What happened in New York?”
“You know what happened,” Sidney said carefully.
“No, you tell me.”
She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Again, you mean?” he asked calmly. “You ended our relationship. Why won’t you just say it?”
“We didn’t have a relationship. We were two people engaged in a fling and enjoying each other’s company. It was fun while it lasted.”
Emotion flashed in his eyes and disappeared. He chuckled softly and the delicious sound warmed her insides. “A fling? Is that all it was to you?”
No, their affair had meant everything to her, but she couldn’t tell him the truth because then he’d demand to know why she’d ended it the way she had. “Let’s not talk about this. Obviously, I started the conversation off on the wrong foot.”
“A fling? I asked you to come back with me. I asked you to be my wife.” The brutal way he said the words made him sound wounded or angry—she couldn’t be sure which. Maybe both.
Sidney’s body became rigid with tension. The conversation was not going well. “I did what I thought was best. I told you why I couldn’t accept your proposal.”
He watched her in silence. “My feelings for you didn’t matter?”
She swallowed the painful lump in her throat and averted her eyes. At that moment she wished she didn’t have to lie and pretend just to protect herself.
“Of course, they mattered,” she said, hating that she had to defend her decision again. It wasn’t any easier now than it had been then. “Don’t my feelings matter, too? I couldn’t marry you, and I wasn’t going to do it because you wanted me to. I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am. I truly never meant to hurt you or to lead you on.”
“I never wanted our relationship to end.”
“Two people have to want it,” she said quietly.
“And you did not. You made that very clear.” Their gazes locked and held, but she refused to look away first. He shifted and took a breath, as if coming to a decision. “You are correct. For a relationship to work, both people have to want it. That is the same for a business relationship.”
Unease filled her. “I’m not giving up. I didn’t come all the way to Brazil to go back empty-handed.” Sidney squared her shoulders, ready for battle. Based on his demeanor, she was in for quite a fight. “The Belo buyers liked the line, and you know those dresses would be a good fit for the stores.”
Hand fisted on the desk, his eyes bored into hers. “Why are you here, Sidney?”
“Belo contacted—”
“Why are you here, right now?”
She took a deep breath. “To talk to you, Rodrigo, and to convince you to not interfere with this transaction. This should be about business. Nothing else.”
“Nothing else? Did you really think there would be ‘nothing else’ but business between us?”
“I never thought you were the kind of man to allow emotion to rule his business decisions. I know that you’re angry about what happened, perhaps even thinking about revenge, but—”
He stood abruptly. Before she realized his intent, he came around the desk and she jumped to her feet. He towered over her, but she refused to be intimidated.
He was standing too close; they’d never been able to be close to each other and not touch. It seemed unnatural, and she felt him in every part of her being. His eyes darkened and his gaze lowered to her mouth before returning to her eyes. She knew that look and recognized at the same time that he didn’t want to feel anything for her. It angered him.
“Revenge?” He pulled her hand and attached it to the front of his pants. “This is not revenge. This is torture.”
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Make Endless Summer Nights your weekend read!
Buy it now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance Ebooks | Kobo | iTunes | Amazon.ca | Amazon.uk
Filed under: Writing Tagged: black woman latin man, Endless Summer Nights, Heartbreak in Rio, interracial romance
May 19, 2014
Chapter One of Heartbreak in Rio and a Giveaway!
May 12, 2014
Contest and Keeping Secrets by Kiru Taye
May 5, 2014
Do You Know Your Family History?
