Contemporary African American Fiction

When the men in their lives prove less than reliable, Savannah, Bernadine, Gloria, and Robin find new strength through a rare and enlightening friendship as they struggle to regain stability and an identity they don’t have to share with anyone. Because for the first time in a long time, their dreams are finally OFF hold....

It’s the summer of 2019, and Professor Pi Suleman is a Black man from Memphis with a lot to endure - not only as a Black man in Trump’s America but in his hard-earned career as an adjunct professor. Pi is constantly forced to bite his tongue in the face of one of his tenured colleague’s prejudices and microaggressions. At the same time, he’s being blackmailed by a powerful professor who threatens to claim he has assaulted her, when in fact the truth is just the opposite, trapping him in a he-said-she-said with a white woman that, in this society, Pi knows he will never win.

Being more than a Daddy’s girl has always been the goal. Finding herself outside of being the baby proved itself to be the hardest thing. He seemed familiar. Something safe, someone she knew she could let her guard down around. A man that wasn’t just around because of what her last name could offer. The car she drove wasn’t the only thing that moved fast.

A menace, I was, the duration of my life. Unsure of what was next, who was next, or where I was headed next. The only for-sure shit in my world was my paper and my people. The ice around my heart was still intact, never being penetrated or as much as tapped.

Nia Simone Bijou is a woman who has it all - and is driven by the desire for more. Born in Trinidad, reared in Los Angeles, living in Atlanta, Nia is a writer, a thinker, and a woman in conflict. She's dealing with two sides of her Gemini self, feeling as if there are two women living inside her, both struggling for domination.

Two years ago, Zara Miller found herself heartbroken and stranded in a New Orleans hotel bar with a sexy stranger named “Saint.” One thing led to another and to a night of unforgettable pleasure. Though contact info wasn’t exchanged—no strings attached—Zara hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him or that one scorching night ever since. Now she’s returned to her hometown of Catalina Cove only to discover that her brother’s new hire is Evans “Saint” Toussaint, the one-night man she can’t forget.

Publicist. NBA player. Career ending Injury. Family Secrets. Undeniable attraction.

As the owner of WTZB broadcast station, Avery Michele was determined to make her grandfather's legacy thrive, even if her duties included being in front of the camera for Chicago's hottest events. However, Avery didn't foresee catching the eye of one determined bachelor. And after accepting his invitation to lunch, an unexpected craving for more than nutrition storms her with heat that takes her breath away. But with life outside of her profession shifting in the wrong direction, the thought of disappearing is the impetus that makes Avery run away from love.

They call themselves the Blackbirds. Kwanzaa Browne, Indigo Abdulrahaman, Destiny Jones, and Ericka Stockwell are four best friends who are closer than sisters, and will go to the ends of the earth for one another. Yet even their deep bond can’t heal all wounds from their individual pasts, as the collegiate and post-collegiate women struggle with their own demons, drama, and desires.

All she wants is to stay wrapped up in her lemon-scented love bubble with reformed playboy Caleb. But then her new boss turns up, the high-flying, high-maintenance Melissa, who has a mysterious history with Caleb. Suddenly Ariella finds herself working miles from home, fighting with Caleb, and wondering where it all went wrong? And just as they’re about to sort it out, real trouble comes knocking…

With Yves carrying not one but two blessings, she wants to be the mother that she couldn’t be for her late daughter. Coming home from rehab, there are a lot of feelings that Yves can’t shake. Roddy is the love of her life, but why does everything in their relationship seem so hard? With their past, she wonders if they’ll be able to restore what they used to have. Or is it best to call it quits and focus on their kids?

The "construction laborer" is really a wealthy felon with too many inexplicable circumstances to fathom for her narrow worldview. Will Jas share more of his complexities? Will Ashira be able to absorb them with understanding, leaving the judgment behind? Two souls, still galaxies apart, bound by love. The unanticipated UFO has collided with her world like a ferocious asteroid.

When scandal erupts, playboy and heir Darius discovers that his current girlfriend Fancy is a true friend until she reveals a secret that renews his distrust of women, plunging him back into a world of fast money and fast women until he discovers what he truly wants in life - Fancy.

When Desa Rae Jenkins ended her tumultuous relationship with Roc, it seemed like the appropriate thing to do; but now she's second-guessing her decision. Roc moved away to Kansas City, leaving street life back in St. Louis up to the brothas who can handle it. He continues to live his life on the edge, though, and when he returns to St. Louis, Desa Rae shows up at his doorstep to reconcile. Roc is reluctant to go there with the one woman who ripped his heart from his chest.

Just when Carlie decides she’s done with dangerous men, she’s thrown right back into the fire by Kirk, her manipulative and deceitful new lover. Not even the diamonds and extravagant gifts can keep the tension from rising when Carlie realizes that Kirk’s sleazy sidekick will do any and everything to steal her man - even if it means extortion.

True friends are hard to come by, and even when you find them, it can be an all-or-nothing situation. Jada battles with being the glue that holds her group together, and she finds herself continuously stuck in the middle of her four girlfriends’ family and relationship drama. Together, the girls witness life and death, sticky situations, and the pros and cons of relationships. Their true dedication to their friendship is tried again and again, but there’s only so much a chick can take. Once each girl has reached her boiling point, there’s no telling who will get burned.

Some secrets will kill you. No one knows that better than Jada, Alex, Miranda, and Candace, who’ve previously lost one of their friends, Stephanie, following a heartbreaking betrayal. Now Stephanie’s boyfriend, Corey, is hitting the streets of Atlanta with a vengeance in an effort to get the haters that took his girlfriend’s life, all while trying to take back his title as the king of the hood. Stephanie may be dead now, but the secrets lingering between the rest of the crew seem to just keep piling up and coming to the forefront.

In his new position as head of the Baptiste family business, Saint faces many challenges. Nothing could have prepared him for the challenges that came with dealing with the alluring Naoki Childs. She was the insoluble problem his big brother, Jahad, talked about. A problem that couldn't be handled with a phone call, a meeting, or by simply emptying his clip. Saint thought he'd never be faced with a problem he couldn't handle, especially where a woman was concerned. But he quickly learned that Naoki wasn't just some woman. She was much, much more than that.

Tori’s afraid, but putting forth her toughest exterior to forge ahead with the mess she’s made. And Ashton? Well, he’s confused and angry. It’s his last semester, one that had been planned meticulously by himself and others well before she even knew what a Panther was. Will Tori can fight her way out of the quandary she’s created at BSU? Will Ashton’s well-planned future be derailed by the new underdog-turned-"banger" on campus?

For Simone, the only thing she cares about is looking out for the people she loves, maintaining a great reputation as a massage therapist, and building a family with the only man she's ever been with. When she overhears her longtime boyfriend talking about wanting a hall pass, she's furious, and what starts as a one-sided request soon becomes the opportunity she never knew she needed.