Today marks the 46th anniversary of the landmark civil rights case, Loving V. Virginia, which legalized interracial marriage in the United States. I usually mark the date with a blog and a shout out to the Lovings, but today I’ve joined several other authors for a Loving Day Blog Hop. If you follow the hop, you’ll learn about stories that will touch your heart, find out something new and maybe win a prize or two!
Due to the historical implications of today’s event, I’ve decided to give you some insight into my most recent book Jezebel. Set in the late 1930s, Jezebel revolves around the complicated relationship of a white prizefighter and a colored dancer with a huge chip on her shoulder. If you’ve read my books, you’ll notice that Jezebel’s story line is a departure from my other books in that I delve into America’s racial history. I know, I know you pick up a romance to escape, not a history lesson or to be pissed off to the nth power. And usually I stay away from the harsh reality of race relations as a rule, but I decided to go there with Jezebel because I think it would’ve been a disservice to my readers if I sugar-coated history by making my hero and heroine’s coming together an idealistic walk in the park even in New York City.
So why is Loving Day so important to celebrate? The day not only helps to commemorate the Lovings’ bravery, but helps fight prejudice and promote awareness of multiracial identity.
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JEZEBEL
Genre: M/F, Multicultural, Sports,Mainstream Romance
Blurb:
Celeste Newsome is a good time girl with plenty of personal demons. The beautiful dancer holds them at bay with late night benders, plenty of hooch and the company of the opposite sex.
Determined to never let anyone change her bad girl ways, and risk discovery of her Achilles heel, Celeste is turned inside out when Shane Brennan walks into her life. The handsome prizefighter slowly chips away at the hard-hearted Hannah’s defenses and becomes the only man capable of taming her wild heart.
EXCERPT: Shane scanned the dining area. It wasn’t too hard to find trouble. It never looked so damn good or had so much spunk.
As if he’d conjured her, Celeste materialized from the crowd. In one hand she held a cocktail glass, in the other a bottle of liquor.
Carefree, she nursed her drink in between bites of conversation with no one in particular. She never stayed for long, but kept moving, avoiding commitment.
A peach of a girl, she was all-ripe and golden, like a piece of Bit-O-Honey one of his favorite penny candies. Unconsciously swiping at his mouth, Shane imagined her skin tasting as sweet.
Her hair, which barely grazed her shoulders, was as black as licorice just like her eyes. Cat eyes, they called them because they tipped upward slightly in the corner and flecks of brown twinkled in them whenever the stage lights shifted.
Just watching her made him feel alive as if jumpstarted by a sudden kick of electricity. The more he looked, the more he wanted. Perplexed by his growing interest, Shane frowned.
Why her?
Celeste Newsome was a good-looking dame, but she wasn’t his type. No way, no how! They were like night and day.
Raised on a dirt farm outside Chattanooga Tennessee, Shane preferred country girls, looking to raise a family, take care of their men. Not a good time girl, who probably ate her man for breakfast.
Still, he couldn’t deny the pump of adrenaline rushing through him at the prospect of their paths crossing again or the emotions she elicited in him. For some reason, she made him feel both carnal and protective. And for the first time in his twenty-nine years, Shane wanted to take care of someone other than himself.
Shane cursed his luck.
Celeste Newsome was a beautiful disaster he would be smart to steer clear of. Unfortunately, he’d never been accused of being Einstein.
TO BUY : (AMAZON, ALL EROMANCE, BARNES & NOBLE, SMASHWORDS, IBOOKSTORE, SONY, KOBO)
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Koko Brown’s Loving Day Blog Hop Giveaway
win An autographed print copy of Charming Freaks AND Player’s Ultimatum
BY ANSWERING THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:
What’s your favorite movie featuring an interracial romance?
CONTINUE HOPPING BY VISITING AUTHOR Dee Carney’s BLOG!
15 comments
Thank you for all the great comments and congratulations to JoannF. Henry! I’ll shoot you an email in a few to get your mailing address!
This is an awesome hop!! 🙂
There are several ones that stick out in my mind; The Bodyguard, Made in America, Dance With Me, Save the Last Dance and Pocohantas.
Great excerpt! Thank you for sharing and for the wonderful giveaway.
My favs are Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Jungle Fever and The Bodyguard.
Karen
kmoaton@Hotmail.com
Mississippi Masala…this movie really captured a romance that had to overcome hurdles. t(dot)mailhes(at)yahoo(dot)com
my new favorite interracial movie is a twist of fate. with Toni Braxton. sorry can not recall the name of the actor. but it was on lifetime. they were two diffrent people to diffrent races and religons and they fell in love
I love the movie Save the Last Dance. The characters are awesome! I love the romance and dance! 🙂 This movie is so good! Ive watched it so much, i can say the words with it! lol Thank you!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
So far my favorite interracial couple immortalized on film is Martin Henderson and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the leads in “Bride and Prejudice” Gurinder Chadha’s clever re-telling of Jane Austen’s immortal Pride and Prejudice, which in my opinion is the template for all romance novels! Next are Sanaa Latham and Simon Baker in Sanaa Hamri’s wonderful film, “Something New.” I love the fact that both of these films were helmed largely by women directors and writers and producers….I think that is key to their over all loveliness! 🙂
I really like the film “Something New.”
This is such a great idea for a giveaway hop! IR couples are beautiful and I honestly think they create the most beautiful babies!!
Thanks for the giveaway! I’m gonna keep hopping along!
mestith at gmail dot com
I have to say “West Side Story” is my all time favorite (I’m partial to musicals) but #2 is the ’67 version of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (because I’m that old, really). Everyone have a great day!
Valencia M.
GUESS WHO’s COMING TO DINNER — that was a good movie
I have to say my favorite movie would have to be Save the Last Dance, It is a great movie and I never get tired of watching it.
j.m.platt83@gmail.com
I always liked TOUCH OF PINK (gay interracial romance with Jimi Mistry and Kris Holden-Ried), and I’ve been wanting to see 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK with Chris Rock and Julie Delpy…
Wow, Shelly managed to list the top three films I thought of, so I will have to go a little tongue in cheek and pick Earth Girls Are Easy because the main couple were not only different ethnicities but different species.
emmasmom AT wi DOT rr DOT com
I actually have two “GUESS WHO’s COMING TO DINNER with Sidney Poitier and Katherine Houghton.
Tbe Loving Story
Louise
Wow, favorite movie featuring an interracial couple? I can probably limit it down to three if that’s not cheating too much? I always loved the pairing of Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas in Save the Last Dance. Just too cute! To be an old girly sap, Tony and Maria in West Side Story will always hold a very special place, and (going way old here) Katharine Houghton and Sidney Poitier in ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ the 1967 version. Why you ask? Because Sidney Poitier was freaking hot in the day! I think I must have had a crush on him since I was about 5. As I got older, as a teen in the (gulp) 80’s and 90,s it was him and Johnny Depp hanging on my wall!
Thank you for the chance to enter the giveaway and I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Shelly H,
booski24@hotmail.com