Simply Cheris. . .

Writers love book clubs and here's why: the members are amazing. It's always a good time when you visit a book club. And finally, book clubs are so supportive! Are you looking for something fun to do? Join or start a book club.

We arrived at what looked like a hole in the wall restaurant on the east side of town. Judging by the full parking lot, the food must have been good. I’d already made up my mind that I wasn’t ordering a damned thing until I saw the sanitation grade. Richard opened the door and held it as I crossed the threshold. The polite thing would’ve been to say thank you, but when the scent of his cologne filled my nostrils, my ability to speak left me. Why did he have to look and smell good? Offering a small smile, I walked ahead of him and waited for the cashier to spot us. The restaurant was full of people from every walk of life – students, professionals, construction workers and nurses from the nearby hospital. I couldn’t help but laugh because no one and I mean no one was eating anything healthy.                 “Two?” the cashier asked.             ...

Jasmine Cox Larson Bush is a character you love to hate or hate to love. Either way, author Victoria Christopher Murray created an iconic character that just can't get enough reading about.  We first met Lady Jasmine in Temptation , released in 1997. Then her story continued in A Sin and A Shame, Too Little Too Late,  Lady Jasmine, Sins of the Mother, Sinners and Saints (co-written with ReShonda Tate Billingsley) and the soon to be released Friends and Foes (also written with Tate Billingsley). Victoria Christopher Murray Now, readers get a look at who Jasmine was before Temptation and salvation --sort of. . . 1.  Jasmine is back for the first time. Why did you decide to tell her back story? I wrote this story a while ago.  It was just a short story and I was able to increase it to novella size (60,000 words.) I wrote it because I always wondered, 'Who in the heck is Jasmine?  Where did she come from?'  And it was so much fun t...

When you pick up the newspaper and read the sports section or log on to your favorite sports web site, most of y'all don't notice the byline. You're reading the story about your favorite team or player. You want to celebrate the win, bemoan the loss or just get mad because you don't like what was written. Then you look at the byline. That's when you leave your comments -- as you have the right to do --and if the author is a woman, some how her sex is always in the mix. Of course, sports is rocket science and how in the world can a woman grasp it? It's one thing for readers to "diss" a woman who covers sports. Most readers will hate what anyone who doesn't fawn over their favorite team says. On the other hand, having a "professional" athlete call you sweetheart in a press conference because you asked a football question -- that's just sexist, immature and offensive. Let me tell you something about the "sweetheart" Ca...

Walking out of the bathroom, I put my game face on and returned to my desk where Richard was waiting.                 “Are you ready?” he asked.                 “Sure.   Let me grab my purse.” I shot him a look telling him that he was in my way.   He stepped aside with a smile on his face and I grabbed my purse.                 “Where would you like to go?” he asked as we headed for the exit.                 “You invited me, should you have an idea?” OK, I was being a little extra, but if I made him not like me, then I could deal with working with him, right? Slipping my hand into my purse, I retrieved my sunglasses and put them on.      ...

Update: Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler wrote about Cam calling a "female reporter" a sweetheart in a public forum.  Newton sounded as frustrated afterward as he ever has following a loss, and that’s saying a good bit. The final question of his press conference was posed by a female reporter, asking him what the Panthers could do to score more points. “I’m going to leave this room and I’m going to bring in a suggestion box and I want your suggestions to be in that suggestion box because I sure don’t know,” Newton said. “I really don’t. I wish I could tell you. But the only thing I control, sweetheart, is myself. Offensively, I am the leader of this bunch and we haven’t been getting the job done.” Calling a female reporter “sweetheart” isn’t a good idea in a public forum, even in jest. Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/10/21/3613191/when-winning-time-comes-something.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy Sunday afternoon...

Debut romance author Synithia Williams is building a huge buzz around her novel, You Can't Plan Love. She was featured in USA Today and deservedly so. Williams crafted a sexy and page turning read. 1.               How did you come up with the story of You Can’t Plan Love ? Nothing specific lead me to this story. It came from one of the typical “what if” moments we writer’s have. What if a woman hurt in the past tried to plan her love life. I don’t think love is something that can be planned, and if more people stopped planning and just went with things I think happiness will follow. 2.               Have you always wanted to write romance? Yes! I’ve read romance since I was a teen. I hand wrote my first two romance novels in high school. After that real life kicked in and writing was a hobby that I occasionally returned to. In 2010 ...