Simply Cheris. . .

\ \ \ \ Goodreads Book Giveaway\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ Love After War \ \ \ by Cheris Hodges \ \ \ \ \ Giveaway ends November 27, 2013.\ \ \ See the giveaway details \ at Goodreads.\ \ \ \ \ \ Enter to win \ \ \ }

Aww, HBCU homecomings, there is nothing like going back and seeing your old friends. This past weekend, Johnson C. Smith University celebrated homecoming. As a proud Golden Bull alum, I hung out a little. Friday night was happy hour and I was about to order a drink when this guy approached me and asked did we graduate together. I had never seen this chocolate tenderoni before, so I asked, "What year did you graduate?" "2004." In my head I did a backflip, a split and a handstand. Outwardly, I had to play it cool. "No. I graduated in 1999." "Really? But you look so young." In my head, I was moonwalking. That almost makes up for me not getting carded when I ordered my wine. I used to have this love/hate relationship with growing up and growing old. I lied about my age for years. When I was 30, I told my niece and nephews I was 24. They thought  I was 24 for five years. Then I realized something, I getting older means you're still liv

The story behind Love After War. . . . Most of my brilliant ideas start at a corner table in Starbucks. While sipping on a grande Italian Roast, I thought what would happen if the lights went out and I was stuck in here with the last person I wanted to see. Suppose it was an old rival from high school. Would I toss my coffee in her face? Heck no! Cheris Hodges does not waste coffee! High school rivalries are old hat, I told myself as I took a sip. What if I was trapped in Starbucks with an ex? I took to my iPad and started sketching ideas. The first thing I thought was, let's move this story to Los Angeles. California is known for rolling brown outs and Starbucks. I had to remove myself from this story because I write romance, not revenge killing tomes. A character from Too Hot For TV popped into my mind, Dana, Imani's photographer best friend. Fitting because one of my best friends is a photographer. And when I found out that Dana didn't have a last name -- I ga

Love After War preview : The last thing Dana Singleton ever wanted was to find herself alone with the man who’d broken her heart two years ago. She’d put three thousand miles between them twenty-four months ago only to find that the moment she returned to Los Angeles, she was trapped with him in the middle of a brownout. Adrian Bryant.   God , she thought, why do you hate me?             “This is insane,” Adrian said, then looked over at Dana. And a slow smile spread across his face when he recognized her. “Long time no see.” When he reached out to embrace her, Dana pushed back.             “Don’t you dare touch me,” she said. “How dare you even look at me or expect me to be thrilled to see you?”             “Don’t act like that,” he said, offering her a sizzling smile. In the near darkness of the coffee shop, his smile damn near lit up the place.             “Act like what? Like I can’t stand to be in the same room with you? Trust and believe, it is not an act,

Tressia Cocoa Classy Gibbs has an event and message for you! Your Readers Want to Meet You!!!! I’d like to invite you to attend the Cocoa Classy Local Authors Event . The event will be held October 26 th from 2 pm-5 pm at the Diamond Kollection Ballroom (located next to the Parklane Road entrance of Columbia Mall) and is designed to give you the opportunity to meet and greet your current readers, as well as build your fan base by selling and autographing copies of your work. The cost is to reserve your table is $40 (which has been extended to Wednesday, October 16). In addition to your table, you will receive the following:        Your information included in the souvenir booklet for the event   which will be provided to attendees;        10 minute on-stage session that may be used to read a section from your work, talk about your work or anything else you’d like to discuss;        An ad on the Cocoa Classy website ( www.cocoaclassy.com ) and link to your site. Thi

Every year, I have to do this post.  I love football and I applaud the NFL for going pink for Breast Cancer in October. I love the new NFL commercial with the Jets's fan who found a lump in her breast after watching a Monday Night Football game where she saw her J-E-T-S in pink. That being said, the NFL continues to ignore domestic violence. Hell, I live in a state where animal abuse is a felony, but hitting your partner is a misdemeanor. Sucks to be a Tar Heel with an abusive partner. And it also sucks to be the partner of an NFL player and get abused. Why? The media and the fans will blame You. Case in point, the tragic death of Kasandra Perkins, killed at the hands of her NFL boyfriend, Jovan Belcher. Just last season, the NFL was rocked by the murder/suicide, but the day after the tragedy, games went on. The NFL continues to ignore the fact that there is a problem with domestic violence. According to The Slate , in 2012: 21 of 32 NFL teams, at one point this year, ha

Ah, October. Halloween. My chance to live my superhero dreams. But most importantly, one month til the release of Love After War!!  Have you preordered your copy yet? If you'd be so kind and click here . From Publishers Weekly This neatly plotted and well-written urban romance is packed with Hodges's trademarks: sensuality, standout characters, and sophisticated drama. While on assignment in Los Angeles, photographer Dana Singleton runs into her charming ex-boyfriend Adrian Bryant, who owns a club there. An unexpected kiss arouses old longings, but Dana wonders whether Adrian will break her heart again. He wants to come clean with her about his side of their breakup and his plans to exact revenge upon the wealthy father who abandoned him and his mother, but Adrian always stops short of the full truth. Despite their passionate lovemaking, old conflicts rear up again, and an exciting project in New York may provide Dana with the escape hatch she needs. Meanwhile Adri