I listened to a woman read a chapter from her romance novel about gay male truck drivers. Within a few minutes, it became glaringly obvious that she knew nothing about gay men or truck drivers. I was incensed—this was my community she was writing about so badly—but I was also chagrined. I was reminded of my own 300-page gay romance novel I had written several years before. Like the author…
Congratulations to Lisa Romeo, winner of our #DebBallGiveaway of COTTONMOUTHS by Kelly J. Ford. If you haven’t already, enter the #DebBallGiveaway of a signed, not-yet-released paperback of SMALL ADMISSIONS or enter to win a copy by sharing our post on Facebook and/or retweeting the following tweet: RT to Enter! Win a shiny new paperback of #SmallAdmissions by @AmyPoeppel! #BeachReads https://t.co/CFPXWCfpXN pic.twitter.com/K8U6L7pEcY — The Debutante Ball (@DebutanteBall) June 24, 2017 Calling all debut authors! Want…
It is with great pleasure that we welcome back former Deb Aya De Leon to The Debutante Ball for our Saturday interview! Aya, author of UPTOWN THIEF, has a brand new book that came out last week – Congratulations, Aya!!! Want to know more about Aya and THE BOSS? Here’s the scoop! Justice Hustlers Book #2 THE BOSS (2017): Tyesha Couvillier seems to have escaped her disastrous past on Chicago’s South Side. She’s…
We send our thanks to Lori Rader-Day for being our guest yesterday on The Debutante Ball. If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of THE DAY I DIED this Tuesday or enter to win a copy by sharing our post on Facebook and/or retweeting the following tweet: RT to Enter! Interview w/ @LoriRaderDay + #DebBallGiveaway of THE DAY I DIED https://t.co/OQSJ7n43rn pic.twitter.com/B7P1crWBGx — The Debutante Ball (@DebutanteBall) April 8, 2017 BIG…
Congratulations to Jeremy Simons for winning a copy of YOUR BOOK, YOUR BRAND by Dana Kaye! Thank you to Suzanne Rindell for being our guest on The Debutante Ball yesterday! If you haven’t already, please pick up a copy of her book, THREE-MARTINI LUNCH, or enter our giveaway to win a copy! Simply RETWEET on Twitter, and/or SHARE on Facebook by noon (EST) October 14th for your chance to win (US only). We’ll select and contact the winner on Friday. Good luck! …
I distinctly remember coming back to college after my freshman year (freshwoman, really). I still felt fresh. Being new to the school was part of my identity. And yet, I came back from my first summer vacation, I saw this new group of people I didn’t recognize. They were walking around with maps in their hands, looking lost. Seeing those dazed and anxious faces, I realized that I was indeed…
Although I’ve dreamed of being a novelist since I was a young adult, I am achieving the dream in my 40s. So instead of being the first dream I fulfilled, it’s actually the last one that I’ve been carrying around since my youth. Here’s the list: finish college get an MFA develop a body of work in spoken word produce my hip hop theater show make a living as a…
Unlike my Deb sisters with the huge TBR stacks (to be read), I have completely accepted defeat. I can’t seem to read print books and still manage to write books, work my job, and raise my kid. I listen instead. And unfortunately for me, 75% of the books I’d like to read are not available in audio format. The other problem is that I often listen at bedtime, so the…
I’m a city girl. I’ve lived only in urban coastal areas–the Bay Area of Northern California and Boston. I write “urban women’s fiction.” Like many city-dwelling people of color, I am deeply dismayed by the relentless gentrification of the urban landscape. But many of us who lament gentrification are also part of the problem–namely, we celebrate the city and look down on rural and small-town living. In our arrogance, we…
Congratulations to Patty Smith, winner of Heather Young’s THE LOST GIRLS! Check back next week, where we will announce the winner of this weeks giveaway, our own Aya de Leon’s UPTOWN THIEF! From the 2016 Debs: Louise Miller is thrilled that The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living was featured in Read Simple Magazine’s The Best New Books to Read This Month article! She is a little teary, all the time, as she approaches her…
