Color of Love Blog Hop 2015 - #coloroflovehop #CoLHop @empibaryeh @kirutaye @nanaprah
It's here! The Color of Love Blog Hop 2015. Every year, we celebrate interracial and multicultural romance. This hop is being organised by my friends Kiru Taye, Nana Prah and me.December is a busy time all round so we thought we'd extend the time for our hop so you can get to each participating blog while attending to all the holiday stuff on your plates! So from 27 November - 6 December, 2015 (10 Days!), you get to juggle your life with your love of romance in color and earn the chance to win some wonderful books and our grand prizes!
It's all about celebrating multicultural and interracial love, so if you enjoy romance novels featuring people of color, then keep reading.
Here's what's up for grabs:
MY BLOG PRIZE
As my 1st prize, I'm giving away a $10 gift card (Amazon or PayPal) to one lucky person
My second prize is a copy of my debut novel, MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR (Men of Distinction, #1)
Here's the blurb
Magazine columnist Chantelle Sah doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day—not since her fiancé’s betrayal three years ago—and after botching her first assignment as a feature writer, she’s more than willing to put in a hard day’s work this Valentine’s Day; even if it means going on a date with gorgeous construction Tycoon, Lord McKenzie, and opening herself to an onslaught of all things love.
When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, it isn’t just work he has on his mind. But even he couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction between them when they meet, nor the evening ending with more than an interview. Now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake. Can he win her love without revealing a secret from their night of passion, which could prove fatal for both their hearts?
To win my blog prizes, leave me a comment telling me something (if any) that you don't particularly like about IR and MC romance. (yes, I'm playing a risky game, but how else is an author to improve her craft?)BLOG HOP GRAND PRIZES
And here's what's up for grabs for the hop! Remember to sign up through the rafflecopter for a chance to win one of these awesome prizes.
Prizes
|
Gift Cards
|
E-books
|
| 1st Prize | $75 | 6 |
| 2nd Prize | $50 | 5 |
| 3rd Prize | $30 | 5 |
| 4th Prize | $15 | 5 |
| 5th Prize | $10 | 5 |
| 6th Prize | $5 | 5 |
RAFFLECOPTER LINK
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here are the books in our prize basket:
Box preview
Don't forget to check out the other participating authors for other opportunities to win awesome prizes:
The only thing really thing I dislike in I/R is the vast amount of bi-racial light skinned, light eyed heroines compared to darker skinned, dark eyed ones. Sometimes I hate that every I/R or multicultural book I pick up features just AA women, I'd love to see more Caribbean, Afro-Latina and African MC. Annnnnd I dislike how some books fetishized I/R relationships. When a book is called The White Ceo, chances are I'll skip it.
ReplyDeleteGL I totally agree about fetishised IR. In my book Chancing Faith, I was determined to write an IR that was not about colour.
DeleteI do get excited when I see covers with darker skinned models cos they look more like me... and yes to more Caribbean, Afro-Latina and African MC
Interesting question, Empi. I don't think there's anything I don't like about MC or IR Romance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Nana. I was wondering if I'd get this answer. LOL
DeleteI don't like that there r sooo few native American Indian heroes paired with black beautiful women..There should be more native American Indian heroes..plzzzz..! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI like stories with American Indians cos there's so much culture there to tap in and I'm all about cultural issues when it comes to IR and MC.
DeleteSo far I haven't had any complaints about any story that I have read in this genre. Wish I could help more :( amybowens349at)yahoo(dot) com
ReplyDeleteWell, Amy, it means we're doing something right! Thanks for the comment
DeleteOne thing I don't like is how some authors try to act like race doesn't exist in the novels. They may call it IR but don't bring it up other than to describe the character. I like when culture is brought into the mix and when that doesn't happen sometimes it is disappointing.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comment, Teressa. I am more of the opposite - I think there are too many stories where it seems to be all about colour, because in my experience of IR relationships especially on the African side, sometimes cultural differences make bring more conflict than the fact that one is white and other is black. Hopefully, if you ever decide to read my book Chancing Faith, you'll enjoy the Ghanaian culture woven into it (and not be too disappointed that I didn't dwell a lot on their racial differences)
DeleteEmpi I just put that on my TBR list and am excited to read it.
DeleteThank you! I really hope you enjoy it.
DeleteSometimes it feels like the race/cultural difference is the only plotline in some IR/MC books. While it is a complex dynamic, it's never the only aspect of any couple's relationship! I'm also a little tired of the obligatory super-intolerant villainous family member in books, unless there's something that hasn't been said before.
ReplyDeleteTrix, vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
i can say if they don't like screw then i love that you can and go beyond the border of the southern bell not all good girls and they dont have to read it or bash it
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, desitheblonde
DeleteContent-wise? Not really something I dislike, more like I'm starting to get tired of? This does not apply to all, and not all the time, but sometimes I read books that seem to expend all their energy into trying to be "issue" books. There've been times I found the treatment so forceful, it became taxing. I do admit, though, that I prefer reading something which—oh, look—happens to have diverse characters who have this thing we call individuality and are not considered freaks in their own fictional world. People with underrepresented backgrounds are everyday people, too. They can be treated as such. Their race, culture, and ethnicity can be underscored without making those the central, sometimes only, conflicts. Basically, I just want good books that have diverse characters, full stop. (I know writers have personal stakes involved in their stories, but the same goes for me as a reader.)
ReplyDeleteIf there's something in MC/IR books I particularly, really, really, really dislike, it's the apparent difficulty in getting them out there, getting them exposure so they can be found more easily by not only readers looking for them specifically, but also casual readers. Discoverability seems to be a problem, especially now with the over-saturated [mainly e-book] market. (Initiatives like this blog hop and call for diversity hashtags on socmed go a long way for me, personally.)
(Yikes! Sorry for that Wall of Text.)
I get what you mean by "trying to be "issue" books". I think more readers are looking for IR/MC so perhaps exposure will get easier and easier as we go along. We can only hope.
DeleteThanks for taking time to leave me a comment.
I've not read many books in this particular genre because I have a distinct problem with black women being stereotyped as head bobbing, evil tempered and foul mouthed with big asses and limited life choices. I come from an interracial family where I skin tones run the gamut from very light to extremely dark. Same goes for eye color and hair texture. Not everyone in my family is well educated , but we were all r as is ed to be ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to see more books that focus on the enrichment to be found in the blending of cultures rather than pointing g out all the differences.
ReplyDeleteTo this end, my favorite author has been LA Banks for many years. I hope some of you ladies check out her Vampire Huntress series ~ it's more to do with spiritual aspects of Heaven and He'll and how all peoples are part of one family.
I come from Africa where, like your family, skin tones run the gamut from light to very dark, hair texture from relax to natural and kinky. I like to see books that reflect this. I don't think I've read L A Banks. Will check out her Amazon page
DeleteI come from Africa where, like your family, skin tones run the gamut from light to very dark, hair texture from relax to natural and kinky. I like to see books that reflect this. I don't think I've read L A Banks. Will check out her Amazon page
ReplyDelete