This is my first release from Harlequin's new African-American line, Kimani Press. I guess Kimani is not 'new' anymore, but it's still new to me. For those who haven't heard, last year Harlequin took over BET Books' Arabesque line. Harlequin then morphed Arabesque into Kimani Press, an emerging line of romance stories written for and by African-Americans. Since Kimani is still relatively new, there are some kinks that need to be worked out. For instance, I've noticed that it's a crap shoot whether you will actually find a Kimani book in your local bookstore. And, if there is a Kimani book in the store, it becomes a search-and-acquire mission to figure out what section the book is shelved in, since bookstores do not shelve Kimani books with the other Harlequin and Silhouette books. I've noticed in my local stores that the Kimani books are primarily shelved in the African-American section. So, if you're looking for my book, please don't give up if it's not in the romance section or with the other Harlequin books.

And even if you can't find the books in your local Borders or Barnes & Noble, there's always good ole' www.amazon.com.

It's been over a year since I last had a book published, and I hope you all will consider At First Sight well worth the wait!

I have even more exciting news! My seventh single-title book – and my first book with publisher Kimani Press/Harlequin Books – will hit shelves at the end of March 2007! The title: At First Sight. The premise: lasso-ing every woman’s dream – a modern-day cowboy.

Charlie Sibley never imagined that she would find herself in the middle of Sibleyville, California (population: too small to count) with her two sisters, Kendra and Quinn. Yet, as a condition of their grandfather’s will, the three must spend one month together in his childhood hometown or forfeit their considerable inheritance. While spending one month in a house with her two sisters might sound simple, Charlie would never describe anything involving her two gorgeous and vain sisters as “simple.” In fact, Charlie is almost on the verge of calling the whole thing off, when Graham Forbes enters the picture.

Gorgeous, charming and sexy – Graham is pure temptation poured into jeans and a cowboy hat. Except Graham is more Donald Trump than Marlboro Man. A top executive at a Fortune 500 company, Graham has returned home to Sibleyville to help his mother run the ranch, while his father recuperates from an injury. Graham itches to return to his real life – expensive restaurants, fast cars and even faster women. Sibleyville is much too slow for a man used to living in the bright lights of Paris, Tokyo and London. Or, at least, that’s what Graham thought . . . until Charlie Sibley arrives in town. With the promise of Charlie in Sibleyville, Graham is contemplating turning in his Armani suits for denim and cowboy boots permanently.

At First Sight was partially inspired by my novella, Fantasy Man. Since I grew up in the city, the idea of life in the country has always fascinated me (i.e., the grass is always greener). I wrote about a small, rural community in Fantasy Man, and I thought it would be fun to be able to explore such a community in even more detail, especially from the eyes of a pure, certified city girl, like Charlie.

At First Sight also will be my first non-suspense full-length single-title book. As much as I loved writing romantic suspense, the African-American romance market has slowly shifted from this sub-genre. Kimani Press is not publishing any A-A romantic suspense at all. While I was tempted at times to throw in a little attempted murder and mayhem in At First Sight out of habit, I resisted . . . or, I should say that my characters resisted. Naturally, there would never be any such unpleasantness in the small, fictional town of Sibleyville!

Until next time,

Being published is a dream come true, but I write because I love to write. Most times, I look forward to slipping into my big, black leather desk chair, putting fingers to computer keys and following my characters wherever they take me. But, then there are days like this -- a hot-but-not-too-hot-for-me 85 degrees outside, not a cloud in sight and a four-day weekend ahead. The last thing I want to do is sit inside my apartment, staring at a computer screen. This is a day for the beach, the pool, the park or an outdoor concert. Anything, but being trapped inside.

But, beautiful weekend or not, I have a book due, and this is the last weekend I can push through with no interruptions to finish it. So, like any job, writing has its demands and rewards. Wish me luck on finishing Book #7!

Happy Fourth of July!

So far, I've seen X-Men: The Last Stand and the Da Vinci Code. X-Men was great -- if only for the chance to drool over Wolverine/Hugh Jackman for a couple of hours. The Da Vinci Code, on the other hand, was surprisingly boring. The book by Dan Brown is a page-turner (and fiction!), but the movie stopped the action too many times to explain what the book spent suspenseful pages building to. And I could not get over Tom Hanks' strange hairstyle, or the fact that he was an easy 20 years older than the female lead. Why does Hollywood constantly cast over-the-hill male actors opposite twenty-year old women? I think we all know the answer to that one: over-the-hill men run Hollywood!

On my must-see list is the second installment of Pirates of the Carribean and the movie version of the hilarious book, The Devil Wears Prada. I would have seen Mission Impossible III if Tom Cruise hadn't been in the starring role. I figure that nut is rich enough, without my $8.50 making him any richer.

Aside from the movie season, some of my favorite authors have new releases this summer. Some in the publishing industry consider summer a slow month, but I think there's nothing better than to kick back on a warm summer evening (or in the welcoming chill of an air-conditioned room) and get lost in a wonderful book.

I'm looking forward to Lisa Kleypas' latest Wallfower book, Scandal in Spring. If you like historical romances then Lisa Kleypas is the author for you. Her books are senusal, passionate and just plain fun. She has a way of making you feel invested in her characters, their relationship and the storyline. She's one of my auto-buy authors.

I also have become wrapped up in L.A. Banks' (a/k/a Leslie Esdaile, an African-American romance writer) vampire huntress series. The seventh book, The Forsaken, comes out in July. If you're a vampire fan and haven't been following this series then start! We, Black people, finally have our very own Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

A few years ago, I met Leslie at Romance Slam Jam. Her obvious enthusiasm for this series was infectious. We talked for, at least, fifteen minutes about the motivations and personalties of these characters, who are like real people to me by now after so many books. Leslie was also one of the featured speakers at that Slam Jam, and she was fantastic. If you have the opportunity to hear her speak, definitely go for it.

As you can tell, my summer is packed. I hope I have time to fit some writing in there somewhere!

And, remember, my new books will be out in 2007! I'm hard at work right now on the story of Charlie (short for Charlotte) and Graham. This is my first foray into straight romance, meaning there's not one gun, karate kick or punch thrown anywhere in the story, but, trust me, Charlie and Graham keep each other plenty busy.

Enjoy Summer and Keep Reading,