Top Ten Tuesday Freebie: Memorable Stud Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic: Top Ten Memorable Stud Characters (Top Ten Tuesday Freebie)

Studs…that enigma of a woman with masculine sensibilities. They’re handsome, strong, and still vulnerable in their emotions to share with us femmes. Studs are also the topic of today’s Top Ten Tuesday. Since this week was a Freebie topic, I decided focus on Memorable Stud Characters. Join me, will you?

  1. Denise, Cooley, Nic (of the Choices series by Skyy):  The studs in Skyy’s Choices series are women we’ve all dated, desired or dumped. That’s what makes Denise (the sensitive one), Cooley (the playa), and Nic (the supportive one) such great characters. I’ll hate for these studs’ stories to come to an end in Full Circle, out now.
  2. Symone Holmes (of I Am Your Sister series by Ericka K. F. Simpson):  An engaging stud, Symone is intelligent and strong-willed. She can also be hard-headed, as well. But she is, most of all, an honest stud.
  3. Tee (of The Space Our Love Demands by Kionne Nicole): Funny and full of life, Tee is the best friend of main character Hadiyah Matthews, but she steals the scene. She’s both book smart and street smart, and has a great head on her shoulders. She needs to have her own book now.
  4. Cleopatra Giovanni (of She Wants Her by Tasha C. Miller): Cleo’s magnetic personality draws women to her like bees to honey. There’s just something about her personality that engages both gay and straight women, but her vulnerability and power to love in spite of her past are her strongest points.
  5. bull-jean (of the bull-jean stories by Sharon Bridgforth): a rough-talkin’, blue-collar bulldagga in the 1920s, bull-jean is a willing participant in love. bull-jean falls in love faster than greased lightning, and has no problem expressing her feelings to the one she loves. She’s a walking poem.
  6. Teren Ramsey (of Nothing Short of a Rainbow by Kaution): Teren plays hard as a college basketball star. She loves just as hard. The torch she holds for a college sweetheart is endearing. She gets plenty of action in the meantime, though.
  7. London Walters (of London Reign by A. C. Britt): Kicked out of her house for being gay, London does what she gotta do to stay alive on the Boston streets. London is a real stud-thug, but you see she has heart.
  8. Chan Parker (of Dying for a Change by Sean Reynolds): Cool-as-a-fan, Chan Parker is a 33-year-old numbers runner, working her dead-end profession with all the enthusiasm of a broken toaster. When called upon to solve a murder, her boyish good looks and wicked smarts help her get the job done. Amen!
  9. Rémi Bouchard (of Hungry For It by Fiona Zedde): Remi is smooth — she manages pulls an older woman, her best friend’s mother to be exact. And she’s deep. And sexy. And romantic. And did I mention sexy?
  10. Lieutenant Perri Stone (of the Inside Out series by Juin Charnell): Charming but tough as nails, prison investigator, Perri Stone has issues in work and at home. She rises above though, and never let her inmates, colleagues, or girlfriend see her sweat.

Who is your most memorable or favorite stud character? A stud character you wish existed in the flesh?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Covers of Books I’ve Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic: Top Ten Favorite Book Covers Of Books I’ve Read

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, and these covers give a great visual to the words inside the book. Based on this compilation, I enjoy books with colorful, creative and sexy images. Some of the covers are older versions, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. It was so difficult to narrow it down to just 10 covers, but according to the rules I had to. Here, in no specific order, are my Top Ten Favorite Book Covers Of Books I’ve Read

Hush Now by L.A. Green

The artwork is alluring. The subject matter, about a slave and master’s daughter who fall in love, are just as provocative (and sweet).

I Ain’t Yo Bitch by Jabulile Bongiwe Ngwenya

This gritty sets the backdrop for the story of a female rapper in an all-male crew trying to make it in South Africa while battling her sexuality.

If You Love Me, Come by Claudia Moss

I can’t say enough of this 5-star book, other than love and its many forms are beautiful. As is this cover.

Girl in the Mirror by Alix B. Golden

I love the girly and sensual look of Golden’s book, as well as the color scheme. The cover definitely matches the story, one of a woman facing herself and finally loving what she sees.

Consequences by Skyy

Why do I love this cover? Let thee count the six main characters on the front. Skyy’s second novel is the first one where we can finally put faces to the characters we’ve been reading about. The cover has since changed, but I’ll always appreciate this one. Her newest, and last in the Choices series :'(, Full Circle, will be out soon.

Walk Like a Man by Laurinda D. Brown

The cigar, the tie, man’s shirt, and feminine smirk all contribute a good look to Brown’s short-story tome.

Bliss by Fiona Zedde

The very first Fiona Zedde novel. Striking, vibrant and just as hot as Bliss and Hunter. The sea backdrop is inviting. It takes you away, along with Zedde’s prose. Her newest title, Broken in Soft Places, is out now.

Black Girl in Paris by Shay Youngblood

Who can resist butterflies? Eden’s excursion to Paris was as rich and pleasing as this cover. It’s a timeless novel.

My Got a Girlfriend by James Tanner

This cover is pure eye candy. Voluptuous femme. Handsome stud. You would think the novel was just as sexy cover. Not so much. The book was horrible. I would rather stare at this couple for days on end than read this book again.

Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology edited by Zane

Purple is one of my favorite colors. The fact that both ladies are clad skimpy undergarments in the same shade, clearly doesn’t hurt. The sex between the covers is just as hot.

Tell what you think of these book covers? What’s your own favorite cover art?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic: Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects (abuse, suicide, grief, etc. or something personal hard for you):

  1. Accept the Unexpected by L. Cherelle: This was a book I read after a breakup with my long-time girlfriend. It helped to see Keleya’s breakup and new relationship, and to know I could pick up the pieces.
  2. Am I My Sister’s Keeper? by S. Stephens (Dec. 2005 Pick of the Month): I read this book a long time ago, but the struggle Elise deals with in coming to terms with her sexuality and trying to tell her family resonated with me when I was dealing with my own coming out issues.
  3. Be the Sun Again by Teryn: Self-love and self-esteem issues were tragically brought to life with Teryn’s novel that shows one should rely on God to show you the way to loving yourself.
  4. Diary of a Sex Addict by Shalona L. Amos: MC Tiffany’s sexual addiction stemmed from low self-esteem and abandonment, and you really get into her head as she spirals out of control. For Tiffany, sex was a way to feel powerful, and then alone once the high wore off, just like any other addiction. But she does learn to love herself — eventually.
  5. Grace After Midnight by Felicia “Snoop” Pearson: Snoop’s story of her life, her upbringing in the streets of Baltimore, the place that both raised and almost killed her. The night of she killed a girl in self-defense is talked about, as well as her stint in prison and her rise to fame on HBO’s The Wire. Gritty, but reflective.
  6. HIGH – On Love & Addiction by April Joy Bowden and Jeanie RAINBOW Bell: The relationship between two women who deal with one’s drug addictionis a hard read at times, to witness what the addiction does to Joy and Jeanie’s relationship.
  7. I Am Your Sister by Ericka K. F. Simpson: This is one of my favorite books. Symone’s sexuality was a hindrance to her basketball career, but she always managed to bring it back to God and trust in Him. I was moved by her tale.
  8. M+O 4EVR by Tonya Hegamin (Aug. 2010 Pick of the Month): Sad, sad, sad story about unrequited love and how that love could have saved a life. My heart broke for Opal, but her story does have a somewhat happy ending.
  9. Mental Silhouette by Renair Amin: Amin’s poetry is beautiful, colorful and full of ache. She touches on so many personal issues that any woman can relate to on some level.
  10. The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin: Such a heartbreaking story about Chin’s growing up in Jamaica after her mother’s abandonment and discovering her sexuality. The writing, though sad, is luscious.
  11. BONUS PICK:  Girl in the Mirror by Alix B. Golden (Aug. 2012 Pick of the Month): This tale of trying to find love through others instead of loving yourself is deeply moving. Considering I’m a daddy’s girl, Christen’s relationship with her father truly touched me.

Just This Sistahs Opinion: Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day

A story about my mom…

Last week, my mother and I were watching the local 6 o’clock news. One report that grabbed our attention was a story about domestic partnership registry becoming available in our city. Now both gay and straight couples can register to be granted rights as unmarried couples or couples whose marriages or aren’t recognized under state law. Under the registry, domestic partners can make health-care and end-of-life decisions for one another, visit one another in the hospital or jail and take part in educational decisions of their children. It’s a big step for our sleepy college town.

Watching two men sign the papers to have their relationship recognized, my mother made her trademark sound of, “Mmmmmm.” It’s the noise she makes when something doesn’t agree with her (think of the “ooooh” cat from Puss in Boots, and you get the picture).

Then the next thing she said is, “You better not go up there!”

She meant City Hall to register a domestic partnership with my girlfriend.

My back was facing her, so I couldn’t see her face. But I knew my mother, in her usual fashion, was half-joking, half-serious. While my relationship is no secret to her, it doesn’t exactly motivate her to run though the streets, announcing her baby daughter has a female partner.

So I laughed and returned the joke, “I’m grown. And what are you gonna do if I do?”

To which my mom replied with a smile, “You just better not be up there.”

Despite my mother’s warning that I stay away from City Hall with a black pen in hand, I know she wants the best for me in all aspects of my life. My sexuality is still a tender spot for her (it will get better), but she loves and accepts me. As long as I’m happy, I believe that’s all she cares about.

She knows I’m happy.

No matter whom I’ve dated, her love remains unchanging. She always calls me when I don’t call her after a couple of days, threatens to stay a week with me when I’m sick, and detects even the slightest distress notes in my voice.

Most importantly, my mother prays for me. Every morning, she sits for a spell with her Bible, and her talks with God ensure her child is safe, healthy and in His hands.

My mother’s prayers, I’m sure, have kept me.

And for Mother’s Day, and all the days between, I’m thanking God for her.

Just This Sistahs Opinion is column about lesbian literature and life.