Happy Release Day: The Dating Game: Short Stories About the Search for Mr. Right

Brown Girls Publishing has released an anthology about dating.
The Dating Game: Short Stories About the Search for Mr. Right. Sixteen authors took part in this heartwarming anthology.

From fairytale romances to dating disasters and everything in between, The Dating Game chronicles the stories of hopefuls on their journey toward happily ever after.

In this compilation of dating stories, sixteen writers share tales of adventures and experiences while on the quest toward finding Mr. Right. From Tania Renee Zayid 's story of what happens when one woman becomes determined to keep the perfect man that she met online . . . to Natalie Leffall's hilarious look into the dating world of a plus-size girl . . . to Keleigh and Gina's rib-tickling and surprisingly dangerous, speed dating fiasco. . . and Gina Torres' tale of love, heartache, and the power of letting go . . . these diverse stories will make you laugh, cry, and root for the characters to land Mr. Right.

One of the authors, Victoria Kennedy joins me today to talk about her contribution to the anthology. 

1. Tell the readers about your story.

1.)   “Open” is about Karim and Deanna.  He is her customer at the bank and they bond over months of small talk.  She’s a Baltimore home girl from a dysfunctional blue collar family and he is an African professor she wouldn’t normally be attracted to. They progress to personal phone calls and an old-fashioned courtship he initiates through postcards.  Compared to Deanna’s past love interest, Karim is slow and formal but his intelligence and world travels intrigue her.  She is far from the “proper” woman he was raised to pursue. In each other, they find the opportunity to open their hearts and minds to someone who challenges everything they know about love. 

2. Why do you think dating is so hard these days?

1.)   Social media gives people an opportunity to reinvent themselves, which makes it hard on dating. What you see is no longer necessarily what you get because they can choose to be more selective about what they share.  So, I guess I’m saying, dating is hard because authenticity is difficult to confirm without making a real investment. 

3. Describe your perfect date? 

1.)   In dating, I like to connect to the person through conversation first.  We pretty much know, from there, whether we want to know each other more.  As a singer, I spend a lot of time around musicians.  They can be a little nutty but very passionate.   A perfect date is when I meet a musician (let’s say a sax player) with whom I’ve already clicked, then we go to a jazz club and he joins in the jam.  Witnessing him unleash that passion then sit back down to enjoy our drinks and conversation.  That’s a wow, for me.

4. Craziest date you've ever been on? 

1.)   My craziest date was date number two with a nice-enough guy until we realized we shared a cousin! After that, he couldn’t even concentrate, even though he and I were not related. I mean, he felt like he was committing incest and we had never even kissed.  Funny right?

5. What can readers expect from you next? 

1.)   I love writing about relationships.  I just finished the first installment in a series of love stories about an over-forty couple.  I don’t think there are enough romantic stories about people in that demographic.  Hey, I’m in my 50s! I want to show that we can still pile on the heat. The series continues with another couple in that age range then goes on to include the offspring.  I’m excited to see where it goes.

Brown Girl's Publishing is the brain child of bestselling authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley.

Our Company: Brown Girls Publishing is a boutique publishing company, focusing primarily on digital content, while still providing printed books through Amazon. Our goal is to provide a voice for literary fan favorites, while introducing the next generation of authors.

Our Founders: Between them, National Bestselling authors, ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray have more than two million books in print. The dynamic duo decided to combine their respective talents in a highly popular series, in addition to their successful solo careers. So naturally, their next endeavor would be something near and dear to their hearts – helping build the next generation of authors, while at the same time, spotlighting some fan favorites. Victoria, a former successful entrepreneur, also holds an MBA from New York University. ReShonda is a former TV journalist and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience.

Our Books: Focusing on quality, not quantity, BGP is committed to publishing only the best. Presented under the Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley banner, each title is hand-selected by a manuscript selection committee, including industry professionals like Carol Mackey, then edited by Victoria or ReShonda. Readers of a BGP title will know they’re getting a quality story.