Simply Cheris. . .

Let’s say you’re at the gas station in the rain and sexy-ish silver fox offers to pump your gas.  It’s cold outside and you accept the assist. He asks your name and you tell him. He comments on how you drive a nice car. And you smile because you agree. Then he asks you out on Saturday night. You don’t have anything going on and you haven’t been on a date in a while.  And did I mention that he’s cute? Stylish and smells good. What could possibly go wrong?  EVERYTHING.   1. Dude is boring.  He asked me what type of work did I do? I said, I’m a writer and a salesperson. He said he doesn’t have time to read. My face turned to stone. The last thing you should ever say to a human — especially one who writes — is I don’t have time to read. I could almost hear my sister telling me to stop being judgmental. But when do I listen to my sister?  2. He’s a Carolina Panthers fan. Dude, you 50. You are not loyal. Then he started defending Cam Newton’...

Want to know why Dr. Nicki Washington is the right woman to write a book titled Unapologetically Dope: Lessons for Black Women and Girls on Surviving and Thriving in the Tech Field ?  1. She is the first black woman to earn a Ph.D in computer science from North Carolina State University. 2. She's been coding since she was a child! 3. She was the first black woman faculty member of the computer science department at Howard University. 4. And she is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University (Just like me, so that makes her doper than your average off the gate!) Today I got a chance to visit with Dr. Washington in her office on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, fitting place for a Rock Star like Nicki!

Some times you may turn the TV on and watch the craziness that has become the world and want to throw your hands up in despair. Some time, you're tired of seeing bad people win while good ones suffer. You might get up in the morning and curse the job that you're heading to; oh wait, that's just me. . . But there is always more to be thankful for. I'm thankful for every breath I take, thankful for my mama's mac and cheese, thankful for my daddy, thankful for God blessing me with a passion for writing. I'm thankful that I had 13 good years with my grandmother, who taught me how to love and how to throw shade. I'm thankful for my brother and my sister who made me an auntie — actually, the coolest auntie in the world. I'm thankful for my friend who introduced me to sushi and shrimp sauce. I'm thankful to my niece who reminds me every day that life isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. I'm thankful to my nephews and the men they have ...

Fireworks, champagne and the stroke of midnight on December 31st. There is something about that moment that's magical. And soon, you're going to be Tempted At Midnight. . . Coming Oct. 2019 from Kensington Books. For hopeless romantic Sylvie Gates, there’s nothing quite as magical as a New Year’s Eve kiss. So as the clock nears midnight at her best friend’s party, Sylvie makes a beeline for the sexiest guy in the room. A happily-ever-after would be nice of course, but Sylvie’s trying to live in the moment. Plus, she’s about to begin the biggest project of her interior design career, so she better just enjoy her last night of freedom . . . Newly appointed CEO of troubled Jordan Industries, Erik Jordan expects New Year’s Eve is the last night off he’ll have all year—and the billionaire plans to make the most of it. Locking lips with gorgeous Sylvie is just the beginning of an unforgettably steamy night together. But the fact that she steals his signa...

There's nothing like a hot flash. Granted, this one wasn't caused by nature. It was caused by the AC deciding to take the day off — on my day off from the day job. 5:45 a.m., sweat was dripping all over my body. I opened my eyes and realized I was in bed alone and hot air was blowing over my body. I walked over to the thermostat and that mother said 90 degrees. 90. . .fucking . . .degrees.  On the inside part. I grabbed my phone and texted my homeboy -- why? Because I figured if I'm up at this ungodly hour, someone else needed to feel my pain. He said, OMG. I hope you're naked. Such a dude. But he was right. I was naked with an ice pack on my ass though. But there was no way I could relax and lounge in bed. Then there was the thought of putting my laptop on my lap and writing. Hell no! More heat. And what if my thighs were wet and I shorted something out? Umm, a cold shower though. People always write about cold showers because someone's horny monster was...

You've heard the old adage, Birds of a feather flock together. That's a fucking lie. Okay, maybe this is a one off situation, but I was stuck so hard by it, I had to write this blog post. Once upon a time, several years ago, one of my best friends was living a romance novel. A second chance romance with a childhood sweetheart that ended up with an island wedding. It was so beautiful, I almost wrote a book about it. Nearly ten years later, their union is stronger than ever. My friend and I were having a conversation a few weeks ago about one of his old booty calls reaching out to him on social media. And he was like, I told her I was married. Then, what happened? I asked. Nothing, that was the end of it like it should've been. I smiled brightly and told him that the world could use more men like him. He matter of factly said, "I couldn't imagine going home and looking in my wife's face lying to her. I wouldn't know how to do that." #Allthef...

For the first time in e-book form, my sweet small town romance about a police officer and high school guidance counselor is about to be ready for your e-reader! --> Brian Jackson is blindsided when his marriage ends and his wife leaves him and his son in their sleepy South Carolina hometown. Now, his life revolves around his five year old and being a school resource officer at Elmore High School. And he was content until she drove into his life. Paige Grayson’s arrival in Elmore, South Carolina is her chance for a fresh start after her smart mouth got her in trouble In Nashville. She never expected to find at tempting cop living across the street.   As Paige and Brian give in to their desire, his ex wife returns wanting her family back. Will Paige and Brian have a chance to love or does his ex still have a place in his heart?   Pre Order your copy here:   http://amzn.to/2pnKZL1

Another day, another publisher shuts down. Crimson Romance, a division of Simon and Schuster, is no more. This is significant because according to the Ripped Bodice 2017 Diversity Study, Crimson had 29.3 percent of their books written by people of color. That's the highest number of the publishers on that list. Also from the report: For every 100 books published by the leading romance publishers in 2017, only 6.2 were written by people of color. Down from 7.8 in 2016.  Authors of color have the odds stacked against them when it comes to traditional publishing and you almost wonder, why do we do it? Obviously, it's because we love telling stories. We think Black Love matters and we want to tell our own stories without stereotypes. See, when you see #ownvoice, #weneeddiverseromance #Diverseromance, those hashtags aren't for marketing purposes, it's a rallying cry. I don't know about you, but as a romance reader, I want to see people who look like me falling i...

He looked me in the eye with a little smirk and asked, "Can you pass the drug test?" "Of course." And with that, I was hired. Hired where? At a Ford dealership that serves Starbucks in the lobby. I might just be in love. The first time I sold a car was in 2013. And I never thought it was something I'd fall in love with. I'm a journalist. I'm a writer. But some where along the way, I turned into a car girl. I blame my former general manager. The guy who must be psychic because he hired me with no experience. I took a break from the car business for a couple of years and hated every job I had. Especially the proofreading job. And I thought that was in my wheel house. So, I got a chance to come back to the business and do what I do best, talk to people and email them. I don't know when I fell in love with selling cars. Y'all remember the Wonderland stories. But there's something about making someone happy and getting them into their dr...

Kathy Douglass Click Here  to get your copy! Kathy Douglass writes sweet romance that makes you laugh and cry. And I want to move to Sweet Briar tomorrow! When did you fall in love with romance? I fell in love with romance when I was in high school. I found my older sister’s books and after reading a few I was hooked. I read every book I could get my hands on. I drifted away for a while and read a lot of horror stories. After being scared silly, I returned to romance where I have stayed. How long have you been writing about minority characters? I’ve always written about minority characters. From my really, really bad first book that has never seen the light of day, to the one I’m working on now, my hero and heroine have always been African-American. There may be minor characters whose race is not defined, but the main characters are always African-American. When you started writing, what was your motivation?   I s...