Meet the Women Who Stole Those Hightower Hearts...

So, I decided to do a little more dream casting. If I had my wish and someone made a movie out of the Hightower Honors Series then these are the women I'd like to see bring the characters to life. And also, here's a little sneak look at the women who are bold enough to take on those Hightower men...

Protect and Serve meet Penny Keys...

The last thing Penny Keys wants to do is go back home to Paterson, New Jersey where she grew up. The thirty-three-year old former video “model/dancer” is currently a successful businesswoman living in California where she owns her own image-consulting company. The hard work she’s done to build a new life for herself is threatened by the trip home. But there is no way she can stay away once Big Mama dies. When she comes back to bury her grandmother, she has no idea that she has to finally face and bury her past once and for all. And Penny can’t seem to escape telling Jason Hightower the real truth about why she left him fifteen years ago. Protect and Serve is an emotional, gritty and gripping story of rediscovered love and trust.



Kerry Washington as Penny Keys in Protect and Serve

Make It Hot meet Samantha Dash...

Twenty-six-year old Samantha Dash is a by-the-book physical therapist and prides herself in being able to keep a strict wall of professionalism between herself and her clients. After working her way through school and graduate school to get where she is, she can’t imagine anything or anyone worth risking it all for, until she meets her new client. Nothing could have prepared Samantha for the feelings she gets whenever she has to deal with “Mr. Surly,” the nickname that she has given the crankiest patient she’s ever known, Joel Hightower. One would think that since he is such a difficult and moody guy, she would find it easy to keep her fence of professionalism safely erected. But no, three times a week helping this firefighter is the three times a week she knows for sure she will be both angered beyond belief and turned on beyond any attraction she’s ever felt. Make it Hot is a steamy romance about trust and openness to change.



Rachel True as Samantha Dash in Make It Hot

Upholding the Law meet Minerva Jones...

Minerva Jones is in danger. The twenty-four year old is on the run from the same people that murdered her brother. When she turns to her brother’s best friend, Stanley Sims for help, he gives her the money to go and hideout with two friends of his and her brother in New Jersey. Once there, she tries to lay low. But there is this pesky detective that won’t stay out of her face. Suddenly, she needs to decide if she can really trust someone she has been told her entire life never to trust, a cop. Not just a cop, a mean, older, extremely handsome cop who seems like he lives to give her a hard time. How can she keep her secrets and continue to resist the persistent Lawrence Hightower? Upholding the Law is a gritty, emotional, urban love story with passion, intrigue and suspense.



Lauren London as Minerva Jones in Upholding the Law

Sizzling Seduction meet Aisha Miller

Thirty-year-old Aisha Miller is a kindergarten teacher and a former battered woman who has finally managed to finish school, secure a teaching job and a more stable life for herself and her son, seven-year-old Cameron. She isn’t really looking for a man. Too bad the handsome and sexy fireman, Patrick Hightower, she gets to visit her kindergarten class begins to insert himself into her life. Sizzling Seduction is a slow burning love story that steadily rises to an uncontrollable passionate heat. It is a story about trust and learning to love again.



Lark Voorhees as Aisha Miller in Sizzling Seduction

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Meet the Hightowers

So in my dream life these guys would make up my harem of boy toys. But since those kinds of dreams seldom come true, I just envision them as the heros for my new series: HIGHTOWER HONORS Four Brothers on a Mission to Protect, Serve and Love .



In Protect and Serve , Jason Hightower is a police detective for the Paterson police department who needs to conquer his past by finally confronting the first love he thinks betrayed him. He needs to do so before a threat from her past takes her away for good. I think that the sexy soap star Tobias Truvillion would make a mighty fine Jason Hightower. This book is scheduled for July 2008.



In Make It Hot , Joel Hightower is a fireman injured on the job and forced to think about a career outside of his dream job. Too bad he can’t think around the spunky physical therapist helping him recover. I think Eve's former on-screen boyfriend would bring the heat just fine as Joel Hightower. He looks like he can make it hot... This book is scheduled for September 2008.



In Upholding the Law , the woman Lawrence Hightower finds himself falling in love with could very well be a criminal. He needs to figure out who she really is before the criminals looking for her find her. I think Idris Elba is so yummy he could play just about any role he wanted. But I can just see him as Lawrence Hightower... yummy...



In Sizzling Seduction , Patrick Hightower is used to putting out fires, but a sweet and sexy kindergarten teacher breaks through his protective shield and gets him thinking it might be more fun starting one. Lamman Rucker put the f-i-n and e in fine. And he would be perfect as the oldest Hightower brother, Patrick.

Party over there...

Hi All,

Don't forget to drop by Kimber An's blog and check out the Cyber-Launch Party she's having for my latest release, Sweet Sensation. They party has already started and folks are having a blast! There are all kinds of food and drinks. I just barely managed to slip away from the festivities to come and leave a note for you all. There will be an autographed copy of Sweet Sensation for one lucky party guest. But you have to go to the party and leave a comment to be entered.

I'll be hanging over there today.

See you all there!

Star Captains' Daughter, Kimber An

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

RAWSISTAZ Chat Tonight!

Hi all,

If you're looking for something cool to do at 9:00 pm est, come on and chat with Beverly Jenkins, Katherine D. Jones and myself. We'll be doing a book discussion of Cuffed by Candlelight. So stop by and chat awhile. :-)

RAWSISTAZ Chat

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Sweet Sensation: The Mix Tape

For those of you who don't know, my latest novel Sweet Sensation is the second in the Hip-Hop Debutantes Trilogy. I plan to do a blog entry in the near future about what I think it means to "write hip-hop" let alone "write a hip-hop romance." But for now--since I haven't done a mix tape on the blog in a minute--I thought I'd post an entry about the music behind Sweet Sensation. First, the title Sweet Sensation comes from a old Stephanie Mills song. “Sweet Sensation… so sweet… a fantasy… love vibration… And I just want to let you know… That I'll never let you go…" At first I toyed around with the idea of using the title of one of my all time favorite R&B songs, "Sweet Thing" (both the Chaka Khan version and the Mary J. Blige version are good to me). But one of my critique buddies was working on a novel titled Sweet Things. What's up Susan St. Thomas ? Anyway, the novel has a soundtrack of hip-hop love songs that I kept in mind as I wrote it. And, each chapter has a song title for its subtitle. So, without giving away any spoilers, I thought it would be cool to share the titles of the songs and some of the lyrics in order to help folks get a feel for the novel. Also note that when I say hip-hop love song, I mean it in a variety of ways. It can be a rap song, an R&B/Hip-Hop Soul song, or even a Neo-Soul song. It can also be a love song about any form of love, from romantic love to love of family to love of hip-hop culture to love of self. So with out further ado, I'm going to let the hero of the novel, Flex, spin a fly mix tape of music to read Sweet Sensation to.


Introducing deejay turned super producer Fredrick "Flex" Towns III and the Sweet Sensation Mixtape Volume One...

~ Prologue "Superwoman," Lil' Mo featuring Fabolous
All I can say is "dadadada dadadada damn…" This song is the perfect intro song for when we meet the heroine, Deidre "Sweet Dee" James. She's been holding it down as a single, working mother and doing a great job at it. Too bad her whole world is about to get rocked…
~ Chapter 1 "Who Can I Run To?" Xscape
The Jones Girls did the first version of this song. Since it is a hip-hop love story I went with the Xscape version. But either version is fine. I love the lyrics and the conflict the lyrics show. The excerpt that I posted on my website comes from this chapter. And I think given the fact that Deidre's life is spinning out of control at this moment, it fits. Here are some of the lyrics: "As I stand here contemplating on the right thing to decide... Will I take the wrong direction all my life? … I have strong determination and I’m not afraid of change…"
~ Chapter 2 "Left Me Lonely," MC Shan
Flex finds out some news about his past love that has some huge implications for his future... And... well... he can't help but wonder…"Girl why'd you have to leave me that way I love you till this day and it hurts to think of the words you used to say. Girl, why did you have to leave for so long? I'd never did you wrong..."
~ Chapter 3 "Just the 2 of Us," Will Smith
"From the first time the doctor placed you in my arms, I knew I'd met death before I let you met harm…" I love this song because it represents hip-hop heads growing up, becoming parents and maturing. And that's a big theme in the novel also. What happens when hip-hoppers grow up and have to raise children of their own?
~ Chapter 4 "A Teenage Love," Slick Rick
Angst, drama, emotions… Why did teenage love always seem so life or death... all or nothing? Flex and Sweet Dee know a little something about Slick Rick's lyrics… "Don't hurt me again… don't… don't… don't hurt me again…"
~ Chapter 5 "Dear Mama," 2Pac
Misunderstandings and conflict have plagued the cross-generational dialogues about hip-hop in black communities. Sweet Sensation examines several generations in a family and it gets pretty interesting once they start talking to one another…
~ Chapter 6 "Always on Time," Ja Rule featuring Ashanti
What would you do if your ex showed up at your door thirteen years later talking about do the right thing and marry me, girl? "Baby, I'm not always there when you call. But I'm always on time. And I gave you my all now baby be mine."
~ Chapter 7 "Ex-Factor," Lauryn Hill
And what would you do if your hard headed ex wouldn't try and see reason and just accept your proposal so that you can protect her? "It could all be so simple. But you'd rather make it hard. Loving you is like a battle and we've both been dealt the scars… No one loves you more than me and no one ever will…" This is one of my all time favorite songs! Come back Lauryn, come back! Please!
~ Chapter 8 "Daddy's Little Girl," Nikki D
"Daddy never had a clue of what his little girl would do…" I miss Nikki D. Where are you Nikki D? Sweet Sensation is for you and all the other great femcees to ever bless the microphone.
~ Chapter 9 "Keep Ya Head Up," 2Pac
Just got to go with some of Pac's lyrics here. "Some so the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. They say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots. I give a holla to my sistas on welfare. 2Pac cares if don't nobody else care… And since we all came from a woman. Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman. I wonder why we hate our women…"
~ Chapter 10 "I'll Do For You," Father MC featuring Mary J. Blige
"If you do for me, I'll do for you…" What ever happened to Father MC? I miss you Father MC... This is the song that first brought the wonderful Mary J Blige to our ears. Thank God for that!
~ Chapter 11 "Destroy and Rebuild," Nas
I love this song because Nas is showing love for his 'hood at the same time that he is calling for overhaul and change. “‘Cause gangsta do gangsta shit. Real recognize real. Still laughing to the bank and shit…” Stillmatic is my favorite Nas album.
~ Chapter 12 "Hush," LL Cool J
This is the perfect song for when Flex is trying to convince Deidre to marry him... “Everything will be okay if you do it my way, my way, my way…” (See video below)
~ Chapter 13 "Old Times Sake," Sweet Sable
"Long time no see. What ya been doing? Is everything all right? I know you know. That I been cooling. Even though, I been out of sight. This time don't leave me, hanging around. I just want to love you down…" This is one of my favorite songs. I like the version of this song with Nikki Nicole rapping. She ends her verse with "A hip-hop love song, a song, a song you can sing along..."
~ Chapter 14 "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By," Method Man featuring Mary J Blige
I love this song because it blends that old school R&B flava with hip-hop in order to create the quintessential hip-hop love song. And in the video, Method Man goes to the store and purchases feminine products for his girlfriend. Now that's how a man shows his love. LOL.
~ Chapter 15 "Lost Ones," Lauryn Hill
"Funny how money changes situations. My emancipation don’t fit your equation…" The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the best hip-hop album ever. Come back Lauryn, come back!
~ Chapter 16 "It's Bigger than Hip-Hop," Dead Prez
"One thing 'bout music when it hits you feel no pain. White folks say it controls your brain. But I know better than that. That's game… All these fake thugs and R&B on the radio…monotonous material… y'all don't hear me though..."
~ Chapter 17 "Bonita Applebum," Tribe Called Quest
This is a classic hip-hop wooing love song and it is the perfect song for the chapter when our hero decides it time to stop playing and really put his mack game down hard. LOL. "Bonita Applebum… You gotta put me on…" One part smooth, one part begging, two parts irresistible..." One of my favorite songs (Okay... really I had a big crush on Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest...)
~ Chapter 18 "My Place," Nelly featuring Jaheim
With Jaheim singing those Teddy Pendergrass lyrics, "Won't you come on and go with me, come on over to my place…" And Nelly getting his sing/rap croon on with these lyrics, "Shorty, where ya been? Feels like a long time, a long long time since I seen ya…. Yes it has girl... And I know I said some messed up things to you before, but girl you know I didn't mean it…. When we laugh and we cry it's together, through the rain and the stormiest weather, we gonna still be as one, it's forever…"
~ Chapter 19 "Kissing You," Total
I don't have to give any hints about what might happen in this chapter... So, I'll just give you some lyrics, "I don't care who knows. It doesn't matter who sees. Me thinking about you makes my life complete. And what I mean by that. Is you're my best-kept secret. You're my pride and joy boy, that's why I'm dreaming of you. I wanna kiss you…"
~ Chapter 20 "Mind Sex," Dead Prez
Perfect for keeping the sexual tension going in a romance novel, I’d say… :-) "We can have mind sex. We ain't gotta take our clothes of yet…"
~ Chapter 21 "Sweetest Thing," Lauryn Hill
I love this song. Love it! It is probably one of my favorites. "The sweetest thing I've ever known was like a kiss on the collarbone. The soft caress of happiness…The way you walk, your style of dress… Intoxicating… Oh… So, intoxicating…"
~ Chapter 22 "I'm So Into You," SWV
"I'm so into you… Don't know what I'm gonna do… Got me so confused…." SWV needs to get back together. I miss them! Hey, SWV, where are you? Come back…
~ Chapter 23 "All I See," A+
A+ was a little kid rapping before Lil' Bow Wow and Romeo. He had a nice flow too. I wonder what ever happened to him… "Girl all I see is you and me and all I do is think of you. Give me the chance to know your name and I'll never leave and walk away…"
~ Chapter 24 "If Headz Only Knew," Heather B
Remember Heather B from the first MTV The Real World? She was a bad femcee! Where is Heather B? Sweet Sensation is for you, girl! "If headz only knew how I felt about the rap game, they’d know I ain’t going out…"
~ Chapter 25 "I Need Love," LL Cool J
This was one of the first hip-hop love songs, one of the first times you had a guy getting on the microphone and rapping about love and vulnerability. [Stops to wipe a tear from her eye] The lyrics weren't all that hot. But the meaning behind the lyrics... priceless…LOL.
~ Chapter 26 "Bag Lady," Erykah Badu
This is neo-soul classic about self-love and letting go of all the things that stop you from experiencing a fuller and happier life. It is also one of my personal favorites. "Bag lady you gonna hurt your back, dragging all those bags like that. I guess nobody ever told you… all you must hold on to is you, is you, is you…"
~ Chapter 27, "Real Love," Mary J. Blige
This is another favorite and my introduction to Mary J. Blige. This song came out my senior year of college and I was err… umm… going through some things at the time… Needless to say, I became a Mary J. Blige fan for life because that What's the 411 album spoke to a sista on so many levels. "Real love…. I'm searching for a real love… Someone to make my heart sing… Real love… I'm searching for a real love… Got to have a real love… Love so true… Oh, baby, I thought that love was you…"
~ Chapter 28 "I Can," Nas
"I know I can… be what I want to be… If I work hard at it… I'll be where I want to be…" A positive rap for the kiddies to give them hope for the bright futures they can have, this song shows a love of community in hip-hop.
~ Chapter 29 "Down 4 U," Ja Rule featuring Ashanti, Charlie Baltimore and Vita
"Every thug need a lady…." Usually I don't condone the 'down-ass chick" mentality. But at this point in the novel, Flex and Deidre really needed to be down for one another...
~ Chapter 30 "Song Cry," Jay Z
"Can't see them coming down my eyes. So I have to make the song cry… You know you love me like cooked food, even though a brother got moves like a crook moves." I love this song!
~ Chapter 31 "Wifey," Next
"Will you be my wifey? … Yes, I'll be your wifey…" And they lived happily ever after…

So, I'll leave you with a video from Uncle "Ladies Love" "Licking Lips" LL Cool J, one of the first to cut a hip-hop love song with his hit "I Need Love." Still looking good Uncle L. Holla! This is the perfect video representation of Flex and Deidre's love story because the couple in the video has a history from their teenage years to their adult years. And since Flex is trying to get Deidre to do things his way it can almost be their theme song. So check out LL’s video "Hush." And then let me know what you think about the combination of romantic love and hip-hop. Do you see the two going together? Or, do you think it is a bit of an oxymoron? Do you have a favorite hip-hop love song? What is it?

Hero-Logy for Darwu the Warrior Prince

Okay, I know I said I'd be back in the New Year... But, my author friend Anisa Damien just let me know that she posted the Hero-Logy for the hero in my lasted novel on her blog, Strictly Seductive. So, I had to let you all know where to find him and a new excerpt from Divine Destiny. You can find the Hero-Logy here:

http://www.anisadamien.com/seductiveblog/


Happy Holidays!


Gwyneth

My Dream Cast...

Sheila M. Gross's great post last week on Blogging in Black, "Lights, Cameras...Wait a Minute," got me to thinking about who I'd like to see play the leads if I am ever lucky enough to see one of my books made into a movie. (Side note... I think that if this were to ever happen, I'd probably be so happy that they could cast whoever they wanted in it and it wouldn't bother me. I'd be too busy screaming, 'They're making a movie out of my novel! They're making a movie out of my novel!!)

You can find Sheila's post here if you want to find out more on what she has to say about the limited amount of Black novels being made into films: http://blogginginblack.com/2006/12/09/lights-cameraswait-a-minute/

So, anyway, I started thinking about who I'd like to play the leads in my novels and came up with the following:

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

With....

Shemar Moore as Darren Whitman



and...

Tatyana Ali as Alicia Taylor



If Only You Knew

With...

Lamman Rucker as Carlton Harrington III



and...

Beyonce Knowles as Latonya Stevens-Harrington



Divine Destiny

With...

Morris Chestnut as Darwu the Warrior Prince



and...

Sanaa Lathan as Kara Millan



Handcuffs Mean Never Having to Say You're Sorry (Novella in the February 2007 release Cuffed By Candlelight)

With...

LL Cool J as Lance King



and...

Malinda Williams as Tamara Downing



Sweet Sensation (March 2007)

With...

Shawn Wayans as Fredrick "Flex" Towns III



and...

Tyra Banks as Deidre "Sweet Dee" James



So if any of you big-time Hollywood Stars happen to be reading this and want to option one of these novels, holla! :-) Until next time...

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Kara and Darwu

My sister, Michelle Pough, came up with her own interpretation of the hero and the heroine from my forthcoming novel, Divine Destiny. Meet Kara Millan, freedom fighter and Darwu the Warrior Prince. I think my little sister did an awesome job with the images. I can almost hear a Xena-like battle cry in the background. Thanks for doing this, Tweety Bird! I love you!

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Feature Hero-Logy on Strictly Seductive

This week the hero from my latest novel, If Only You Knew, will be the featured hero on Anisa Damien's blog, Strictly Seductive. Stop by and check out Carlton Harrington III.

http://www.strictlyseductive.blogspot.com/

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Books In Black

Monica Jackson has created a new blog devoted to black books and readers. The space promises to be an invigorating one. There are featured authors, featured books, book reviews, and articles about the industry and craft. For readers and writers interested in joining the conversation about black books, Ms. Jackson has created another wonderful spot for us to frequent. So far she has featured Sharon Cullars, Brandon Massey, Dakota Knight and myself. I’m sure she has lots of great things in store. Check it out today!

http://monicajackson.com/bib/

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth