UPDATE: The winner is…Amy Fendley!
*~*~*

Born in 1815, Harriet Ann Jacobs started life as a slave in Edenton, North Carolina but died an author, school founder, “contraband” advocate, and women’s rights champion in Washington D.C. Her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, chronicles the brutality she endured as an enslaved woman, but also demonstrates her resiliency, thanks to her family connections.

Harriet belonged to a tavern owner’s daughter who disregarded societal rules and taught six-year-old Harriet to read and write. Unfortunately, when the woman died, Harriet’s ownership transferred to John/James Norcom’s family, where Norcom sexually abused her. She began a relationship with a white lawyer named Samuel Sawyer who fathered her son Joseph and her daughter Louisa Matilda. Despite this relationship, Norcom kept sexually harassing Harriet. She ran away in 1835 and hid in her grandmother’s crawl space until she could escape to Philadelphia in 1842.

From there, she moved to New York and worked as a nanny for writer Nathaniel Parker Willis’ family. To thwart Norcom’s attempts to recapture her, the Willises sent Harriet to Massachusetts multiple times where her brother John lived and was an abolitionist.

After traveling to England with Willis and his child, Harriet lived in Rochester NY with abolitionist activist Amy Post, thanks to her brother’s connections with Frederick Douglass. She visited the Willis family back in New York City and agreed to work for them again. Since she was still a fugitive, they purchased her freedom in 1852.

Her brother and Post encouraged her to write down her life story, but Harriet refused.  However, a defense of slavery written by the wife of President John Tyler, finally broke down Harriet’s resistance. She responded to Julia Tyler’s lies that slaves were happy and well-treated with “Letter From A Fugitive Slave.” She sent the testimonial to the New York Daily Tribune, which published it on June 21, 1853. You can read the text here: https://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/jacobs/support16.html.

This letter served as the springboard for Harriet writing her autobiography.

She tried three times to find a publisher for her work here in the US and in England. After the third attempt failed, she was able to buy the plates and had the book printed herself under the pen name Linda Brent in 1861.

During the Civil War in occupied Alexandria, Harriet did relief work with contrabands—slaves who had escaped and found shelter with Union troops. She traveled north and to England several times to promote and raise financial support for this work. In January 1864, Harriet opened the Jacobs School with her daughter to teach the formerly enslaved to read and write. After Sherman’s marches, they took the Jacobs School to Georgia as well. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln and post-reconstruction violence by the Ku Klux Klan forced them to relocate North. They opened boarding houses, first in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then in Washington D.C.

She died on March 7, 1897, and is buried in Cambridge’s Mount Auburn Cemetery.

In 2004, Jean Fagan Yellin published a biography entitled Harriet Jacobs: A Life. Yellin also started the Harriet Jacobs Papers Project. which collected nearly one thousand documents written by, to and about Harriet, her brother John, and her daughter Louisa. Through her research which began in the 1980s, Yellin has used documents from various historical societies and archives to successfully defend Harriet’s work as an autobiography, not a work of fiction as some academics had claimed.

Today in the US people are still trying to whitewash the history of slavery, but slave narratives written by men and women like Harriet keep setting the record straight.

For a chance at a $10 Amazon Gift card share in the comments any thoughts this post may have raised for you.

One Breath Away
by Michal Scott

Sentenced to hang for a crime she didn’t commit, former slave Mary Hamilton was exonerated at literally the last gasp. She returns to Safe Haven, broken and resigned to live alone. She’s never been courted, cuddled or spooned, and now no man could want her, not when sexual satisfaction comes only with the thought of asphyxiation. But then the handsome stranger who saved her shows up, stealing her breath from across the room and promising so much more.

Excerpt:

Tonight, all she cared about was the pleasure she hoped to enjoy again.

Spectral fingers of steam wafted from the water, inviting her own fingers to play between her thighs. The hope of completed self-pleasure shivered agreeably along every nerve.

She closed her eyes and massaged her nether lips, tentatively then confidently. The slow coil of arousal spread from her gut to her core. Her body swooned as desire ebbed and flowed in each vaginal contraction. First her chest tightened, then her belly and finally her groin. She gasped, caught in the grip of longing.

Now. I’ll do it now.

She thumbed her clitoris. Already throbbing with eagerness, the nubbin responded immediately.

Her back arched. Her throat tensed as bliss hardened into a clawing climax. She reached for the release beckoning to her from the edges of consciousness…then fell suddenly, frighteningly onto a piercing stake of pain straight out of hell.

Buylink: https://amzn.to/2u5XQYY

Summer is here, which means people are heading out on holiday, having barbeques, going to concerts, and generally having fun. At some point, you’ll need a break. Pull up a lawn chair, get something cool to drink, and cozy up with the smokin’ hot wolves of the Lone Wolf Legacy series.

Who are the lone wolves?

Since the rise of the werewolf, there has always existed a single lone wolf—with pure white, gray, or black fur and eyes that match—who answers to no alpha, belongs to no pack. Merciless and deadly, he wanders the world, both judge and executioner of rogue wolves who senselessly kill, endangering all their kind.

When one dies, another takes its place, awakening to his purpose the first time he shifts to his wolf form. Known by the sign of the lone wolf—a sickle over the heart—the short-handled, circular blade remains as a tattoo on the man and as a mark on the wolf. A lethal combination of intelligence, brutal strength, and keen instinct, he walks a lonely path, shunned by pack, always alone.

For the first time, there are three in the world—white, gray, and black—who all bear the mark on their chests. No one knows why, least of all them…

Taming the White Wolf
Lone Wolf Legacy, Book 1

There’s only supposed to be one lone wolf. When other shifters see me coming, see my white fur and pale eyes, they know things are about to get real. Because my job—my fate—is to take out the wolves who go rogue.

Only now something has changed.

For the first time ever, there are three of us: one white, one gray, one black. And if that’s not ominous enough, my senses have pulled me to New York City…for a human.

There’s something almost supernatural about the connection between me and Zoe Galvani. It’s not just the crackle of heat, the blood pounding through my veins—or even that her eyes are the strange, pale hue of my own.

It’s that she makes my wolf come alive. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt. Almost like magic.

Which is when I learn that someone’s out to hunt me. That I’m their prey.

…and Zoe is the bait.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7NTXG92/
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/books/taming-the-white-wolf

Protecting the Gray Wolf
Lone Wolf Legacy, Book 2

I’m used to other wolves coming for me. They want their chance to try and take out the infamous Gray Wolf. And every single one of them fails—because lone wolves aren’t like the others…we’re stronger. Harder. Meaner. Immortal.

But it also means I’m alone. No pack. No alpha. Just the three of us—white, gray, and black. Two too many, if you ask me.

But with power-hungry mages gunning for us, I don’t have the luxury of reflection. They’re in New York City, and I Will. Hunt. Them. Down.

Which is when I see her, and every cell in my body is on alert, filled with the kind of primal longing I never knew I was capable of. Luna West may be human, but there’s some kind of thread connecting us. Call it destiny, fate…or voracious animal hunger.

I know she’s bait. She’s meant to tempt me, to make me weak. But even if I could resist her, I’m not sure I want to.

Because I’ve never denied my wolf anything…especially the chance to raise some serious hell.

And I’m not about to start now.

(Author Note: This book is told in third person point of view, even though the blurb is in first person.)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSXC8HTG/
Entangled Publishing: https://www.entangledpublishing.com/books/protecting-the-gray-wolf

WATCH FOR TEMPTING THE BLACK WOLF COMING SOON.

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

About the Author

Recently, I watched the third season of Bridgerton on Netflix. For those who haven’t heard—although that’s difficult to imagine considering how much press the series has received—Bridgerton is a Regency romance novel series (eight books) authored by Julia Quinn that has been adapted for television. The first season aired during the pandemic and blew viewers away. It was one of Netflix’s most original series, and viewers couldn’t wait for the next installment. Indeed, it was so popular that a spinoff, Queen Charlotte, was made.

Much has been said about the books-to-film adaptation—both positive and negative. However, this post is not intended to critique the novels or the series. Instead, it is to focus on a single aspect of the series that I found interesting and how that single element translates to the world of fiction writing.

First, for the purpose of this post, it needs to be stated that the series takes great liberty with the source material. In fact, some state that the novels serve more as guidelines than as scripts. Multiple characters and subplots have been added to the series that weren’t included in the book. Also, some characters with minor roles in the novels play a much greater part in the series. Deceased characters in the books are alive in the series, and genders have been swapped.

Second, Regency romances are set during the British Regency era (1811–1820) or early nineteenth century. When it comes to historical movies, one of the first (and easiest) criticisms frequently made is about the historical accuracy or authenticity, especially of the costume and speech. And this—accuracy—is the heart of this post. While much of the discussion can be applied to the novels, this post is mainly focused on the film.

Here is a fact. The Bridgerton novels are all fiction. Therefore, the series is also fiction by default. When a story is fiction, it means it has been created from the author’s imagination. Thus, a fictional story is not real and is not intended to tell a true story. In fiction, authors frequently use creative or artistic license. Creative/artistic license refers to deviation from or the freedom authors may take when handling fact or form for artistic purposes. At the beginning of Queen Charlotte, this is unambiguously stated by the following. “It is not a history lesson. It is fiction inspired by facts.” One would think that would be enough. Yet, the question about the Bridgerton series still comes under fire for its accuracy.

Well, let’s see. I don’t think the musical artists Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Pitbull, Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Ariana Grande, Nirvana, Madonna, or Rhianna were around in 1815. So, obviously, the screenwriters took some liberties with the musical score. Not only that, writers embraced inclusivity to create a non-stereotypic multicultural society. I dare to say that this approach helped set the series apart from other Regency series and make it the success that it was. It seemed to be a magic formula other Regencies have attempted to copy. So, why would anyone assume the writers wouldn’t take other liberties?

In a recent review of the series, the reviewer questioned the accuracy of the costumes. It seemed apparent that the choice of over-the-top costumes for some of the characters was intentional to add a bit of fun and provide a narrative. Yet, the reviewer discussed the choice as if it were a mistake. It would have been something different if the reviewer’s position was that he disliked the choice or that it was poorly done. No, his position was the clothing was not accurate to the period.

So, here’s the question of the day. Why must writers defend a creative choice? When a work is labeled as fiction, why does a disclaimer need to be made that the content may differ from fact? Why are deviations from facts considered and/or treated as errors? It’s fiction.

In the Mission Impossible movies, I lost track of how many countries Tom Cruise traveled to and almost got killed in a week. No one complained about this when it was raking in the millions. And what about all the movies where people get blown sky-high in explosions and walk away with only a few scratches on their faces? However, authors seem to be held accountable more than the movie industry. Yes, I know I was speaking of Bridgerton the Netflix series, but this review is what sparked the questions.

In the past, I’ve read many writers state how they’ve had to explain and defend their decisions to alter facts. One writer reported having been left a negative review because she changed the landscape of a well-known location. Another writer explained how he was informed that the fictional disease he created did not exist.

Anyway, it was food for thought. Now, for some exciting news. I’m happy finally to be able to announce the upcoming release of my contemporary M/M paranormal sports romance, Demon Rodeo, on September 5, 2024, and available now for preorder on Amazon. For video book trailers, visit my TikTok page. The full blurb is on my Instagram and Amazon.

Demon Rodeo is the first book in the Chasing the Buckle series but can be read as a standalone. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance set in the rodeo world. These are not your typical cowboys. It’s a widely diverse cast of characters and a mashup of genres that aren’t always seen together. If you’re looking for a palate cleanser, this may be a book for you. A cover reveal is coming soon. Also, expect a lot of goodies and giveaways. More information will follow in my monthly newsletter.

Preorder
⇨ Amazon: https://readerlinks.com/l/4174852
⇨ All Stores: https://books2read.com/u/bP8RG7

So, that’s it. What did you think? What is your take on the subject of creative freedom? Do you agree or disagree? Did you find this information helpful or informative? Did you learn anything new, or did it change your opinion? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.  If you like this post, please click the like button and share. Your feedback allows me to know the content that you want to read.

Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.

If you’re not following my blog, Creole Bayou, what are you waiting for? There’s always room at the bayou.

NEWSLETTER! Want to get the latest information and updates about my writing projects, giveaways, contests, and reveals first? Click here and sign up today.

Want to chat about writing, mental health, Cajun cuisine, Creole culture, or just spill some tea? If yes, let’s get connected. Follow me on one of my social links. There’s plenty to choose from.

• Facebook: Genevive Chamblee
• X (formerly Twitter): @dolynesaidso
• Instagram: genevivechambleeauthor
• Goodreads: Genevive Chamblee
• Amazon Authors: Genevive Chamblee
• BookBub: Genevive Chamblee
• TikTok: CreolegurlNola
• Bluesky: Genevive Chamblee
• Threads: Author Genevive Chamblee

Locker Room Love Series

• Out of the Penalty Box (book #1) One minute in the box or a lifetime out.
• Defending the Net (book #2) Crossing the line could cost the game.
• Ice Gladiators (book #3) When the gloves come off, the games begin.
• Penalty Kill (book #4) Let the pucker begin.
• Future Goals (book #5) The future lies between a puck and a net.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Genevive, a blogger and contemporary sports romance author. My home is in South Louisiana. If you like snark and giggles with a touch of steamy Cajun and Creole on the side, I may have your poison in my stash of books. Drop by the bayou and have a look around. The pirogues are always waiting for new visitors.

UPDATE: The winner is…Colleen C!
*~*~*

Hello Delilah!  Thank you for welcoming me here today!  I’m happy to share news about my latest anthology project.  Love on the Range has brought together a group of authors writing cowboy and cowgirl stories.

I admit, when I first heard of the project, I wanted to sign up.  My friend asked me if cowboys were my brand.  Naturally, I admitted, nope! I didn’t sign up for the anthology and I moved on.

A little niggle in the back of my brain kept poking up and saying: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).  I really wanted to be part of this project.  My mind started wandering.  What did I know about people who worked on ranches and farms?  What kind of farms are there in my area? (I have a series based near where I live — I like to keep things simple.)  Then I remembered I had created a therapy ranch in my town, where clients spent time with the horses and the therapy dog and started to open up about their struggles and issues.

Okay.  My lead therapist and her sister, the manager, dressed in jeans and ran a ranch…but this wasn’t the type of ranch I assumed other authors would write stories about.

Then it hit me – what if someone who worked on a range visited my “ranch?”

I had my story.  I had a therapist living a very happy life.  She was good on her own with her (sort-of) therapy dog, Rex.  She had friends.  She considered her coworkers at the ranch like family.  She didn’t need someone in her life…but then she met Will.

Will’s a real cowboy.  He works on a ranch in Alberta.  He’s visiting his sister in Mission City, British Columbia, at Christmas, which also happens to be the anniversary of his beloved wife’s death.  A misunderstanding lands him in therapy at Healing Horses Ranch.  Now, he’s not Avery’s client, but there is a spark nurtured by Avery’s friends.  A party brings the two together, and Christmas magic happens.

This is a cute story where a misunderstanding leads to love.  I sent it to the anthology people.  They had space.  A Touch of Cowboy had a new home.  Will doesn’t give up being a cowboy — just in case you’re worried.  Sometimes, life can take us in a different direction, and it’s amazing.

Anyway, I hope you snag a copy of Love on the Range as it’s available only for a limited time.

Thanks for hosting me, Delilah.  I’d love to give away a $5 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter.  What’s your favorite setting for a book?  Or, what setting would you love to see more of?  Random will select one commenter for a prize!

Love on the Range

From Montana mountains to Southern plains, there’s nothing more romantic than a lonesome figure and the girl who can tame a wild heart…or is it the other way around?

From mountain men to wild child women and snowed in cabins, read these stories of courageous hearts fighting for each other through harsh odds…and always finding each other.

Authors:
Wynter Ryan
Amy Stephens
Angelica Kate
Sophia Vincent
TB Mann
Harper Michaels
S L Hollister
Bonnie Poirier
Cynthia Terelst
Chele MacCabe
Francis Black
Jane Poller
Annee Jones
Heather Scarlett
A.R. Bell
Sonja Flowers
Sofia Aves
Anna Allen
Ellis Worth
Gabbi Powell
T S Simons
Chelle Pimblott

The anthology will only be available for a limited time.

Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/tnrc2024loveontherange
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CP25J549
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202756938-love-on-the-range

Gabbi’s story: A Touch of Cowboy

Avery Stinson’s work at Healing Horse Ranch has been her lifeline against loneliness, whether it’s the counselling she does, or training her rescue dog, Rex. Sure, she sometimes dreams of finding her special person, but if her work’s going to be her whole life, it’s at least valuable and fulfilling. She loves seeing their clients leave with more confidence and hope than they thought possible.

She really hopes Will Dupont, a new arrival seeing one of her colleagues, can have that kind of success because the man’s heartbreak is almost palpable. When they find themselves together at the Christmas party, Will opens up about his personal tragedy, and Avery’s drawn to the brave, quiet, stoic cowboy. He’s not her patient. Getting closer isn’t really against the rules. As day follows night and Will begins to heal, Avery begins to wonder, can they have a happily ever after this Christmas, or will the call of the wide-open range a thousand miles away prove too strong for Will to resist?

About the Gabbi Powell

Gabbi Powell has been a lover of romance since she first put pen to paper in the eighth grade to write her first romance.  She writes her novels while living in Beautiful British Columbia with her trusty ChinPoo dog a as companion.  She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary dark erotic BDSM novels as Gabbi Black.

UPDATE: The winner is…Pansy Petal!
*~*~*

Cue “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men to play in the background.

Besides writing romance, I am an avid reader. I try to read a book every two days.

Now, before you credit me with being a speed reader, I will admit that my husband and our bossy mastiff fall asleep early, so I have about three hours to read. I usually pick out a book and start after dinner with interruptions, and after the males are quiet, I can get my reading groove on.

Eighteen months ago, I decided to clean out my Kindle. I had books from 2012 that I had never read. So, I made a deal with myself:  read one old and then two new (published in 2023 or later) to make a dent in the TBR list.

For years, I finished the book no matter what. After I started publishing, I felt like I had to hang in and finish a book as a sign of commitment to the writing community.

However, life is too short for bad books.

I felt guilty for not finishing. I’d message my friends and defend my decision not to finish as if the “Kindle Police” were going to report me for having DNFs (Do Not Finish).

Then, I started to notice more people talking about not finishing books. What once had been a somewhat taboo topic was discussed openly.

I have reasons for not finishing. The first is if I find five proofreading/editing mistakes within the first three chapters. Authors are taught that the first three should grab the reader’s attention. So, misspellings, incorrect word usage, or poor grammar causes me to stop.

Recently, I’ve come across three published books where I believe the authors forgot to tap “Accept Changes” before uploading the manuscript and pressing “Publish.” These were not intentional cross-outs—no, they were unnecessary extra words. Again—DNF.

This is a hard rule for me—if the pet dies. I won’t finish and most likely won’t read anything else by the author. True story:  I almost dumped a friendship because she sent me a book where at the end, the dog died. I still feel upset about the poisoned pet, and I never read another book by that author.

Excluding Dark Romance, another stopper for me is when a main character is written to be so ugly and hateful that I can’t believe that they are worthy of love. There are times that I think that authors intend to create a strong, outspoken character and instead, they read as a total jerk. I try to keep toxic people out of my life, so I’m not letting them in my reading.

Filler. I accept that some stories are shorter than others. What makes me quit a book is when the author stretches out the tale with multiple-page passages in another language, recounts a prior scene two or three times, and repeats the same reasons for why the couple won’t work. I have a running joke with a friend about a series that we both love. In each book, the couple has officially committed and marching to their HEA. The author adds a final kidnapping, an explosion, or a car chase. Those events don’t add anything else to the story except an action scene and another deep kiss. If I discovered the series today, I might be annoyed by the “one more” to consider DNF-ing.

That brings me to the most difficult to explain—I didn’t connect with it. There are times that I just don’t like the book. It could be that I had figured out who committed the crime too early. A character is too stupid to survive in the real world. I will admit that as my years increase, I find myself getting irritated by characters in their early twenties who run crime syndicates, are running billion-dollar, large corporations, or find the answer to a problem that people have been working on for years.

The great thing about reading is that there is always another book to read. With the explosion of Monster Romance and Alien Romance shorts, I can devour two a night, and that makes me feel accomplished.

Now, I’m curious- What causes you to DNF? A Winner will be chosen at random to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

About the Author

Melanie/M. Jayne is the teller of tales of the Novus Pack and an Amazon Bestselling Author. See Me was a finalist for the Holt Medallion. In 2022, the Duchenne Vampire Series enriched her portfolio. She loves reading, luxury handbags, watching sports, and the Bravo Housewives. Learn more at www.readmelaniejayne.com.

Do you struggle to figure out what to read next? Not sure which spicy book to pick up?

Look no further!

Starting in July I’ll be sending out a “I want sexy excerpts” newsletter once a week.

What’s in each newsletter?

• A theme: Each week the newsletter will follow a theme. For example, shifters, vampires, fake relationships, holiday stories, etc. See below for a comprehensive list, so you know what to expect in each letter.
• Three excerpts: Each week will feature three hot, spicy excerpts from different authors.

If I like the excerpt, where can I buy the book?

The availability of the stories will be a variety. Some will be wide, some in Kobo Plus, some from Kindle Unlimited, some on Ream, and yes, some will be free.

This sounds awesome! Where do I sign up?

Right Here!

Are you an author interested in being featured?

Sign up now, but hurry, the spots are filling up fast!

Author Sign Up

Will this continue in 2025?

If it’s successful and in demand by both authors and readers, then yes. If the sign-up form is full, and you would like to sign up for 2025, watch my social media and blog, or sign up for the newsletter itself. When the 2025 sign up goes live, I’ll add it to the weekly newsletter.

Weekly Themes:

• July 19: Beach Reads/Vacation
• July 26: Fake Relationship
• August 2: Wolf Shifter
• August 9: Vampires
• August 16: RH/Why Choose
• August 23: LGBTQ+
• August 30: POC Authors
• September 6: Teacher/Professor
• September 13: Billionaire
• September 20: Autumn
• September 27: Fantasy
• October 4: Dark Romance
• October 11: Masked Men
• October 18: Autumn
• October 25: Halloween/Dark/Spooky/Horror
• November 1: MC
• November 8: Mafia
• November 15: Forbidden Lovers
• November 22: Friends to Lovers
• November 29: Breeding/Pregnancy
• December 6: Holiday
• December 13: Fantasy/PNR Holiday
• December 20: Holiday
• December 27: Fantasy/PNR Holiday
• January 3: Poly Relationship