For the first issue of Pride Month, 2020, the United States was (and continues to be) in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and the country was thrown into further turmoil over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Because Black Lives Matter, Anne and Erin decided it was time to highlight the books of some of their favorite women of color in the issue. There are links to a single book and also links to their full Amazon profiles. Please consider purchasing the works of these and other black authors this month, and every month.
That Part of My Face by Penny Mickelbury
They are young, and not so young. They live in big cities and in small towns. They work hard at hard jobs, and are retired from working hard jobs. They have lived lives from which they derived strength and joy, and they have lived lives completely devoid of joy or humor. Ugly government secrets, Freedom Riders and the Civil Rights Movement, 9/11, Black Lives Matter--different stories of different lives that have share one important common denominator: They are some stories of the lives of some Black women.
Category: Short Stories
Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Her sister’s bachelorette party is the highlight of a miserable year for Alexis Chambers, but once her bridesmaid’s dress is packed away, she’s back to coping with her life as a once popular athlete and violinist turned loner and the focus of her parents’ disappointment. She isn’t expecting much from her freshman year of college until she finds herself sharing a class with Treasure, the gorgeous stripper from her sister’s party.
Trisha Hamilton has finally gotten the credits and the money together to transfer to a four-year university. Between classes, studying, and her job as a stripper, she has little time for a social life, until she runs into the adorably shy baby butch from the club. Trisha can’t seem to hide her feelings for Alexis, even when Trisha discovers what she has been through, but will Alexis have the strength to be just as fearless about their new love?
Category: Romance
Pink by KD Williamson
Fresh out of a relationship, Shawnna Green is heartbroken, lost, and almost penniless. She decides to start over in New Orleans to find a new sense of self, despite her ex hampering her progress. With the help of her best friend, Veda, she finds employment at Stumpy’s Sex Emporium where she deals with customers that range from the strange to the hilarious.
At the same time, Shawnna discovers that women, sex, and dating, are not what they used to be, but neither is she. In finding herself, she uncovers a part she didn’t know existed, and that’s not always a good thing.
Can Shawnna pick herself up, reach out, and connect with the people around her?
A smoldering look at the things we hide from ourselves.
Category: Romance
Bliss by Fiona Zedde
A WOMAN WHO HAS NEVER BEEN TRULY SATISFIED…
Bliss Sinclair's life of dull routine and unhappiness makes her imagination the only place she can find fulfillment. Until she meets Regina, a provocative writer who pulls her out of her head and into a sensuously real world alive with flavors and sensations beyond any she’d ever imagined. This real world is exciting and rich with irresistible pleasures, but Sinclair quickly learns these pleasures are not what they seem.
She discovers that lust can simply be another illusion, and passion without love can poison just as easily as it redeems. To cleanse herself of Regina’s poison, she escapes to Jamaica, the place where she was born, in hopes that the sun and ocean breezes will heal both old and new wounds. But among the brilliant flowers and crystal waters of the island, Sinclair finds ghosts from her past as well as strangers who challenge her very understanding of life and love.
From hidden grottos bubbling with desire to dangerous streets where violence is just a breath away, Sinclair must fight for the love she deserves, fight for herself, and for the life of satisfaction that was meant to be hers all along.
**This is a novel of erotic lesbian romance containing adult sexual situations not suitable for minors or the faint of heart.**
Category: Erotic Romance
Bury Me when I'm Dead by Cheryl Head
Charlene "Charlie" Mack is a PI in Detroit. Born and raised in the city that America forgot, Charlie has built a highly respected private investigations firm through hard work, smart choices, and relentless ambition. Her team of investigators are highly skilled and trustworthy, but she secretly struggles with her sexual orientation and a mother with early-onset Alzheimer's. When Charlie and her crack team head to Birmingham, Alabama following the trail of a missing person, what should be a routine case turns into a complex chase for answers. Shady locals and a southern patriarch with dark secrets dating back forty years obscure their path. It seems like everyone has something to hide, including Charlie. When the case turns deadly with a double murder, and Charlie is attacked on a quiet neighborhood street, everything suddenly becomes personal. Who can Charlie trust, and will she ever solve the riddles of the Magic City?
Category: Mystery