Keshia Robertson's Blog, page 2

Evan and Kitt’s Favourite Things: Jackson 5 Christmas Album

As I was writing “Just As Good” I found out my love for the Jackson 5 Christmas Album and especially for Little Michael Jackson. The love for Little Michael had to of course had to extend to Evan and Kitt because they are that couple. You know the kind of couple that challenges each other to karaoke matches in the middle of their living room. And the Evan is from that family, the kind that gathers everyone together to sing carols.

NO it doesn’t matter if you are getting OLD and sick of it Mama and Papa Hermes are going to wait in the car until you get inside to sing.

Oh gosh. I’m continuing Evan and Kitt’s favourites this Christmas season and you should be listening to the soundtrack to “Just As Good” aka the Jackson 5 Christmas album while you read the story…except for the spicy parts. Turn on some old school Usher for those parts instead.

Enter to win the “Just As Good” Holiday Contest here!

Buy “Just As Good” at Sugar and Spice Press.

“Just As Good” Holiday Contest!

It’s that time of year again to welcome the Christmas season. Thank you to everyone who has supported “Just As Good” so far and have loved the story of Evan and Kitt.

One of my early gifts from Santa is a review of “Just As Good” on my favorite websites Romance Novels in Color.

Since this is the time for holiday cheer my reader appreciation Christmas gift is a free copy of my next book “Here’s To Hound Dogs” coming early 2014 to 2 lucky readers!

Contest Rules:

You have to be a follower of this blog.
You have to review “Just As Good” and ask two friends to review it as well.
Only reviews on Amazon will count for this contest so please post them there.
Email me the link to your review and your two friends review links to authorkeshiarobertson(AT)hotmail.com.

Because this is a group effort the deadline for this special is going to be January 6th 2014. I will be picking two names at random and then keeping them updated by email until the release day of “Here’s To Hound Dogs” so they can get the first copies!

Buy it here at Sugar and Spice Press or on Amazon.

Review it here on Amazon.

What Shonda Taught Me (Indirectly) About Writing Romance

It’s serious right now in my editing tunnel. I’ve been going from 4pm to 4am straight this weekend but I need to get my stand alone books done for the year before starting on my series work. But after a break tweet on my twitter @startswithakesh where I talk about being dialogue heavy in my writing I had to revisit my inspiration Shonda Rhimes.

I use to be a super fan of Grey’s Anatomy so much so that I would go on the writer’s room blog to see the inspiration behind each episode from the writer in charge of it. What I learned from Grey’s that affects my work so much is how completely comforting it is to find someone that loves you in your entirety especially your “dark and twisty” pieces.

I’m currently in the final stages of editing Deflowering Lily which was one of the hardest books to write for me. I wrote it on and off for about two years. On the surface it is a romantic comedy on the surface with familiar tropes a dating coach and a woman looking for a fun dating time after being burned in love it’s really about accepting the dark pieces of a person you love’s past.

I don’t know how people are going to react to Liana’s past (publishing companies included) since her past makes her the kind of woman other women wouldn’t want to root for but I wrote the story attracted to the underbelly of love especially when it makes you do things that you wouldn’t otherwise.

Relationships are hard and people think that romance novels are supposed to make them look easy and worth it. As a romance author the general public believes that I’m supposed to make romance look easy as well but when I sit down to write I never can write stories I don’t believe it in. For me romance and relationships is centered in loving a person’s darkness, trying even when it’s really hard, and working through the underside of love (not talking here about abuse or any situations that are harmful to anyone in the relationship).

For Ray and Liana it’s not going to be easy to accept both of their pasts and it’s not easy as I edit everything they expose to each other either but being vulnerable and truthful in that moment as an author helps to do my characters justice as well.

summer, summer love

July Updates 

Since July 14 was my writing anniversary and it’s been nine years since I’ve picked up a pen to plot out stories I am celebrating with the release of a free contemporary erotica read “Gamer < Sex God” exclusively for the Romance Novels in Color site.
Deflowering Lily will be submitted for review by the end of the summer. For my fall books I will have a clearer schedule of what is going on for August but check out by twitter @startswithakesh and facebook page for live updates. Enjoy “Gamer < Sex God” in the meantime. Read it here: Gamer > Sex God

Being a gamer was more important than being a Sex God to Cole Kendall until he catches his girlfriend pleasuring herself…after a “hot session” of sex. To save their sex lives, he has some finger work to do for sure but without a game console.

how my natural feels

Joan Smalls and Sam Riley via “Dazed and Confused” magazine photoshoot.

“It feels natural.”

That is the only answer I can give as to why I write romance novels focused on black women in relationships with white men, Asian men, or Latino men. Or if people ask me about why I date them in my personal life. I blogged from 2009 to early 2013 to help reshape the image of the kind of man a typical black woman is attracted to and coined “declare your preference” to empower like-minded black women to love without caring about other people’s opinions.

“It just feels natural.”

My first two childhood crushes were my neighbours. The blonde polish boy who had a bright smile for me when I watched him play basketball from my yard and on the other side the Pakistani boy with the bright smile as he played with his younger siblings. So I liked guys who smile a lot (still do). Race and religion has nothing to do with it.

I always wrote stories that reflected my own preference but I learned through blogging that not all black women lived as I did—as if dating interracial was natural. But from 2009 onward everyone was already travelling to 2013 and where we are now with the openness of talking about interracial dating.

Though it feels natural to me to date interracially I don’t write romances in imaginary worlds without racism. My favourite actress Kerry Washington put it perfectly in an interview,

“I’m not interested in living in a Post-Racial world, I am however interested in living in a Post-Racist World.”

The kinds of stories I am interested in are built around black women who know and feel comfortable in themselves enough to love whoever they want. In a successful couple being a different race or culture isn’t their problem or main day to day issue.

Loving a person who makes you sees all of your truth and harsh edges and yet still makes you feel wonderful is natural.

If differences in race is the world’s main issue when they see a mixed couple together then they can refer to the Loving v. Virginia ruling against anti-miscegenation laws. Marrying interracially is made legally natural so tell them to deal with it.

Share your story to win a prize: “Why do you date interracially or why you enjoy IR books?”

Grand prize: Wins a 30 minute Skype call with me to talk about writing, editing, ebooks, interracial dating tips, natural hair (LOL!) anything you are wondering about (within reason). 

Five runner ups: Win a signed cover of “Just as Good” my latest book release for some sexy Christmas in June.

The contest ends tonight at midnight and I will be choosing the winners on Thursday morning EST time. Check back to this page to see the results.

Happy Loving Day!

Go check out the other Loving Day Blog Hop participants here.

spring into action

[image error]

Luke James, my current celeb muse for “Turnover.”

May-September

Deflowering Lily – BW/WM
Twelve Steps Back – BW/AM
The Root & My Place Strong, True and Free Vol 1 – Canadian Men Series (BW/WM)
Turnover (BM/BW/WM)

Thank you to everyone who brought and enjoyed “Just As Good” who have already been on this journey with me or are just tuning in. We have to push forward since more books need to be published so I am moving on in my schedule to my four priorities.

A surprising pairing to all of you here would have to be BM/BW/WM which would be my black woman character with either a black man or a white man. I’ve been known to write my multicultural fiction focused on black woman heroines and for my heroes it’s been mainly Caucasian and Asian (various cultures) heroes but now I’m dipping my toe in the waters first with black male heroes however I’m not going to be writing about IBMs (Ideal black men), rappers etc because I am not interested in extremities in my writing but instead stories of people I know.

For all of my characters, I have to write about relationships that are grounded, organic, and real (with some slice of life swoon worthy moments). The ride or die truth of my parents and another long-term couple that touched my life with their kindness.

I don’t believe in a perfect relationship which is why my kind of romance writing may not be for all people but I love the complicity of attraction, relationships, and the art of walking in your grace when you’re being loved by someone who truly sees you and loves every piece of you even when it’s hard. I believe in the work of a relationship. Creating stories that people of any culture can relate to.

Stay in touch with me through twitter @startswithakesh to know up to date information on my writing schedule or to drop me a quick line.

Current Inspiration

@whoisLukejames

@SirJoshBennett

love love love

February 2013 update

This year because of my Christmas love novella of Just As Good I decided to skip Valentine’s Day and come to think of it Chinese New Year stories but I will most likely be taking those up for next year.

Right now my WIP is two stories in one collection for the summer about Canadian guys and the women who love them. I didn’t think that they would be super complex love lines but somehow in  my imagined Canada-land you can never escape an ex-lover…or forget them. More news on those stories coming soon.

Just As Good was also entered into The Swirl Awards so I will be updating you all on the journey we will be having there as well. For book clubs who want to send questions, have Skype dates, etc while reading my stories contact me on this website or through my email. I love hearing from fans and will get back to you all. Have wonderful Valentine’s Days and Happy Chinese New Year!

Evan & Kitt’s Favorite Things: The Hermes Men

Maybe Evan’s brothers and dad aren’t his favourite per say but definitely mine and Kitt’s of the Christmas season. All them were instrumental in teasing encouraging Evan as he devised the proposal of a lifetime. Here is a picture of I think Evan and the male side of his family look like to me and who inspired them.

Remember that the Just As Good Read & Review contest is still going on here send in your review links to win!  

Sugar and Spice Press ~ Amazon