Eighteen months ago a wonderful opportunity crossed my path. I was able to meet and chat with some of my favorite writers of women’s fiction. Writers and readers had a fun, and lively discussion about characters, books, love, and relationships. The event was called Wine With Writers and it was held in Washington D.C.
I’m thrilled to say Wine With Writers is back & its travelled north to Pennsylvania.
On
Saturday, March 25th, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.,
join Tia Kelly, Nia Forrester, Jacinta Howard, and me, Lily Java
at Towne Book Center Wine Bar and Cafe in Collegeville, PA.
where we’ll discuss
Romance, Realism, and the Portrayal of African American Women in Popular Fiction
with our moderator,
Ashley M. Coleman.
Admission to discussion and signing is free. Light refreshments will be served. Wine available for purchase. Don’t wait till the last minute to RSVP because space is limited.
**Copies of featured authors’ books will be available for sale.
You’re also invited to join us before the event at a special wine tasting and meet & greet. Between 4:00 – 5:00 PM, sample wine and mingle with our featured authors.
Wine tasting tickets are $15.00 per person (must be 21 years or older), which includes the sampling of five preselected wines, hors d’oeuvres and gift bag.
Only a limited quantity of tickets for the Wine Tasting and Meet & Greet are available.
Event RSVP & Wine Tasting Tickets link: https://winewithwriters0317.eventbrite.com
More about the authors
Tia Kelly
Featured Book: Love Is
About the Book: It took a once-in-a-lifetime bond to teach her what love is, and a once-in-a-lifetime betrayal to show her what love is not… Love Is. A different kind of love story.
Diane Collins had big plans for her life, and hoops star Warren Scott was not among them. He doesn’t want to be the face of the NBA, and she doesn’t care that he is. His reluctance to be part of the limelight disarms her and the two embark on an unlikely friendship that becomes an even unlikelier romance.
Soon, his life is her life – filled with VIP treatment, parties and luxuries beyond Diane’s wildest imagination. But Warren is harboring a secret, and once it’s revealed Diane’s decision to stay or go could change the very fabric of who she thought she was.
Author Bio: Tia Kelly is the author of contemporary and women’s fiction. She is known for her candid way of capturing life’s moments, one character at a time.
Social media:
Facebook: @authortiakelly
Instagram: @tiawithapen
Twitter: @tiawithapen
Website: www.tiawithapen.com
Nia Forrester
Featured Book: The Fall
About the Book: In the summer of her fifteenth year as a professor at Gilchrist College, Lorna Terry is at a crossroads and, she fears, also on the downswing of her career as the “sole remaining radical feminist in academia.” Having built her life on a theory of non-attachment, she is disturbed to find herself becoming very much attached to the somewhat younger, Malcolm T. Mitchell. A writer-on-the rise, and her college’s newest wunderkind, Malcolm is about to challenge everything she thought she ever knew about her life, her loves, and her work.
But her growing feelings for Malcolm may well be the least of Lorna’s worries. For some in her academic community, she has risen too far, and too fast. And for others, she is much too smug in her accomplishments, enjoys adulation she doesn’t deserve, and is much too proud. And you know what they say about pride…
It cometh before the fall.
Author Bio: Nia Forrester lives and writes in Philadelphia where, by day, she is an attorney working on public policy and by night, she crafts woman-centered fiction that examines the complexities of life, love and the human condition.
Social Media:
Facebook: @NiaForresterBooks
Twitter: @NiaForrester
Website: www.niaforrester.com
Jacinta Howard
Featured Book: Blind Expectations
About the Book: Aristotle once said the only thing constant in life is change. Or was that Confucius? Whatever. People are fluid—they come into your life for a while, and when it’s time for them to float on, Leah has no qualms waving goodbye. The only exception is her neighbor and best friend, Trevor. When all else fails in her crazy world, Trevor is always there, reliable, steady… real. But what happens when friendship blossoms into something more? Can Leah and Trevor’s relationship survive the change? Or will the weight of blind expectations cause them to lose the one thing they love—each other?
Author Bio: A longtime journalist and lifelong music lover, Jacinta Howard resides in the Atlanta area with her daughter and husband. She finds happiness in the pages of a great novel, on the beach, listening to good music and hanging with her family. Since 2014, she’s released six novels, including the well-received Love Always Series, the USA TODAY Must-Read Romance, Happiness in Jersey, and its follow up, the emotional new adult romance, Finding Kennedy. Her most recent release is the contemporary romance, Blind Expectations.
Social Media:
Twitter: @jacintahoward
Instagram: jacinta.howard
Facebook: @jacintahoward
Website: jacintahoward.net
Lily Java
Featured Book: Blackbirds
About the Book: Once upon a time Sydney Tarr and Elliott Vance were friends: fast friends, ride or die, pledge of allegiance, take it to the mat, “friends”. And the fact that Sydney loved her friend more than she should didn’t matter until finally… one unusual and spectacular night, it did. It mattered very much. Still, not every story is a fairy tale is it? Friends do part — sometimes forever — but, not always. When Sydney bumps into Elliott again on a crowded subway car, after so many years apart, she’s a different person from the woman he once knew. Elliott’s changed too. For one thing, he no longer takes no for an answer.
Author Bio: Lily Java is a freelance writer, blogger, and novelist who writes literary women’s fiction in numerous genres. Lily’s debut novel, a highly suspenseful and romantic read called STICKY MOON was released in 2014 and is the first volume in the Harper/Sparrow Trilogy. When she isn’t reading or writing, Lily spends her time raising money for culturally rich arts organizations and planning special events in iconic landmarks throughout her beloved hometown: New York City. Lily lives in Brownstone Brooklyn with her daughter and a coterie of very tolerant pets.
Social media:
Facebook: @AuthorLilyJava
Twitter: @lilyjavawrites
Instagram: @lily.java
Website: lilyjava.com
Moderator – Ashley M. Coleman
Author of Love on Purpose
About Love on Purpose: LOVE ON PURPOSE visits the most common relationship issues and how to work through them in love; from managing unrealistic expectations to improving communication. Coleman shares honest reflections on growth, past mistakes and important lessons in love through her journey of becoming a Christian. Her accounts of learning about God’s love caused a transformation in her relationships with friends, family and her significant other. In the book she also challenges readers to do their own self-assessment through “Heart Checks” at the end of each chapter. Starting with a conversation she had with her now husband, the book begins with her realization that love is indeed a choice.
Author Bio: Ashley Coleman is a writer and entrepreneur based in Philadelphia. The cultivator of the online space WriteLaughDream.com, she writes about life, love, and pursuing goals as a writer. She splits her work between helping other writers develop their voice and writing habits through one-on-one sessions, courses, and workshops and her own work in books like “Dear Love” and “Love on Purpose.” Ashley has been a guest lecturer at Temple University and a guest speaker at Blogalicious 8 in Atlanta. Her work has been published in GRAMMY.com, Essence.com, JUMP Magazine and more.
Social media:
Facebook: @writelaughdream
Twitter: @writelaughdream
Instagram: @writelaughdream
Website: www.writelaughdream.com, www.loveonpurposebook.com
Lily Java 