authorgraph

Thursday, April 16, 2020

The History Quill opens its curated book club. Guess who made the cut?

https://bookclub.thehistoryquill.com/book/dissent/

The History Quill is a resource website for writers of historical fiction. It covers 5 key areas of the genre: Action/Adventure; Mystery/Thriller; Drama; Historical Romance, and Historical Fantasy. The site is currently testing, and building, a book club covering curated novels in the 5 categories. After being on the site's email list for a spell, when offerred, I jumped at the chance to be included in the testing phase for the project. After meeting the guidelines, following instructions, filling out an author submission form and submitting it, I made the cut. DISSENT, my current historical romance, is featured in The History Quill's book club selections under the Romance category. 

The book club is growing (present subscriber base is 800), and I look forward to adding my other historical romance to the site after other authors have had their turns, and the submissions' round opens up once more to all. 

Until then, check out the book that made the cut!

Monday, April 13, 2020

The legacy of the Black, female cook/food stylist in the Southern hospitality narrative

Black Southern Belle.

I love this online magazine. It touches on all things African-American and genteel. Yeah, that's a word seen as snobby, but I like to use it. It doesn't have to be perceived as a  snobby word though. It's just descriptive of a way of living that does not involve eating out of a Styrofoam container every night in your hole-ridden sweats. I mean eat your Styrofoam-encased goodies but Good Lord! Put 'em on a real plate.  Doesn't have to be bone china. K-Mart sells some real nice melamine ones.

https://blacksouthernbelle.com/black-women-and-our-legacy-of-making-others-feel-comfortable-in-our-homes/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=black_women_in_art_african_american_hostesses_from_the_past_to_present_more_click_to_explore&utm_term=2020-04-12

Hospitality has always been a hallmark in the African-American community. Easy, elegant entertaining. The mistresses of those grand, Southern  houses could not have had successful soirees  if they had not had Black women in their kitchens making magic

Take a look at the article that traces the roots of this tradition from the Southern plantation houses, of course, to its modern manifestations with hospitality mavens like pioneer Freda DeKnight of  Ebony's "Date with a Dish" fame, leading up to the late B. Smith, food writer Toni Tipton Martin, chef Carla Hall, food stylist Phyllis Bowie, and more Black women too numerous to mention here. Ladies who grace various style and cooking networks shinig a light on how to throw a soiree with flair.

Burn on, Sistahs!

A Date With A Dish - (African American) By Freda Deknight ...

Freda DeKnight
Freda DeKnight Was a Pioneer for African-American Cooking


Toni Tipton Martin writer of  "Jubilee:Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking"
Toni Tipton Martin Archives – Garden & Gun


Carla Hall
Carla Hall Fondly Recalls Her Grandma's Cornbread (And Shares the ...


Phyllis Bowie
Phyllis Bowie - IMDb


the late B. Smith
B. Smith, celebrated restaurateur and model, dies at age 70