These two characters—Ezra and Kimba—have the same birthday and were friends since they were about a year old. When they were six, Ezra decided he needed to marry Kimba. So he did—at six years old. Using the pull tabs from two soda cans as their rings. I fell in love with him (and them) at that moment.
This book gave me all the feels. It was beautiful and tortured, had depth and resonance. And the themes and discoveries will stay with me for a very long time.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
Our first time together was stolen from us, and I don’t hold against her any who have come since. But the truth was carved into ancient tablets of stone and etched into our hearts.
Bella note: I love her.
And from here on out, I want to be her last.
“I don’t think it will be easy, Kimba. I just know it will be worth it.”
It feels like we were this one thing that was severed in half, and our parts want to be rejoined.”
“I don’t just want you when you’re strong. I want you when you’re vulnerable, when you’re lost, when you’re not sure. I see the armor you have to put on to make it in your world. I just want you to know here, with me, you can take the armor off.”
I reached out to the author and took a chance that she might answer a couple of my questions. She did! Here’s a brief interview:
Q1)Kimba is such an interesting character because of her strength, work ethic, conviction, and leadership. But we also got to see her vulnerable side, which was just as compelling. Howdid all of this combine in a way that you chose the title,Queen Move?
A:First off, thank you for reading, Bella, and for having me today! So when they were kids, Ezra, the hero, taught Kimba, the heroine, to play chess. He told her the queen was the most powerful piece on the board. This is an analogy for her life. She deals in power: her own and that of the leaders she, as a political consultant, tries to get elected. We know she’s powerful. We know she’s a badass. To only show that aspect of her wasn’t as interesting as also showing her vulnerabilities, her flaws and weaknesses; how she continues to be powerful in spite of her inadequacies and fears. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “Sometimes the most powerful move you can make is to be still.” Kimba realizes not only has she been “running” her candidates, but she herself has been running. Running from her past, from her family’s legacy and other things. Homecoming is one of the major themes of the book because Kimba is returning to Atlanta to be with her family for an extended period for the first time in years. This book is as much about her standing still so she can decide and make peace with what she wants as it is about her taking off to pursue it.
Q2)Ezra was an incredible hero—totally swoon-worthy! But he’s also different than a traditional romance hero in that we got to see more of his soft side. It’s amazing that you were able to give us a tenderhearted alpha. Was that something you worked on, or did it happen organically?
A:Awwww, Ezra! It was both a natural progression of him as a character, and also intentional. I love alpha males as much as the next romance reader, but I like to play with the conventional idea of that archetype: to possibly evolve it. Kimba is a strong, powerful woman. Instead of matching her with someone whowas as big on the page (at least at a surface glance) as she was, I gave her a man who was completely comfortable with her success and ambitions, who was completely secure enough to watch her soar and feel no resentment or jealousy or like it somehow diminished him as a man. She needed that. He’s so brilliant and kind and compassionate. He’s a single father, and I wanted that to not just be a trope, but for the care and thought he took raising his son to really say something about his character. That he is a good man who sees his greatest accomplishment as raising a thoughtful, wonderful human in his son, Noah. Don’t get me wrong. Ezra is an accomplished man in his own right, but his priorities are apparent. His son is always first and most important. He’s also aggressive in the bedroom, but wants Kimba to be, too. There is a lot of equity in their relationship. Neither dominates the other. There is not only scorching passion and longstanding affection, love, but also deep respect. Sometimes in romance I’ve seen the “alpha male” cross the line into male toxicity. I wanted there to be no question that, though Ezra is strong, there is nothing toxic about him, the way he conducts his relationship, or how he loves his woman.
Q3)The Jewish faith plays a part in this book, and learning more about it was part of what engaged me and made the book so interesting. How did you go about creating Ezra’s background?
A:I enjoy writing about varied backgrounds, but especially when you write beyond your own lived experience, you have to be vigilant and careful. You don’t want to be appropriative or stereotypical or disrespectful. I’m not perfect. I’ll make mistakes, and when I do, I’ll own them, but I try to do my homework on things I don’t know personally. Ezra is not only Jewish, but is Black and Jewish. Immersing myself in that unique heritage involved lots of interviews with folks whoidentify similarly, reading memoirs and books that discussed the duality of that experience, utilizing sensitivity readers, and of course, just good old-fashioned research. I research a lot longer than I actually write. I want the information to be a part of me by the time I sit down to write so I can seamlessly weave it into character development and plot. Ezra’s Jewish heritage was so formative for him, specifically in how he decides he wants to change the world. That aspect informed a lot of his choices and goals.
Q4)This is a story of soul mates. And your portrayal of the characters was beautiful. One of my favorite parts was seeing them as children and also their relationships with their parents and how it informed their future. Where most romance novels start in the present, you took us to the past. Was that a hard decision to make as an author and why did you decide to do it?
A:I always knew we would see them as kids. I felt strongly that it wouldn’t be enough for readers to hear how it had been; to be told how close they were from the time they were babies, but to see it. It bisects the story into two distinct time periods, and gives the first part of the book a clear sense of time and place. We start in the 80s and progress through the 90s. The music, the technology, the trends, the clothes all flavor that part of the story and, I hope, paint their childhood in more vivid tones than if I’d just told the reader about it. I thought about movies likeLove & Basketball,Sweet Home Alabama, andBrown Sugaras I was writing. All stories where the protagonists find each other as children and have a lifetime to fall in love. Kimba and Ezra are separated just as they are about to enter high school and don’t see each other again for more than 20 years. When we reach the second part of the book, we can contrast it with the past for ourselves as readers. Without me telling you they’ve grown and changed and matured, you know that yourself by seeing themas adults. You saw the promise of who they could be when they were children. And then I show you who they’ve become. Really that time period, childhood, becomes the foundation for their love story, and I didn’t want to cheat it.
Q5)You’re known for featuring marginalized characters in your books—something that I admire. Why have you made that your mission in your writing?
A:It may sound goofy, but I don’t see writing as strictly vocational. I see it as a calling. I believe on some level that I’m supposed to be telling stories. That I was made to do it. That, for me, lends each story a certain weight, and I approach it thoughtfully and intentionally. I often feel like I’m writing on a mission. One of my creative convictions is to center marginalized characters as much as I possibly can. It’s really personal for me because, as a Black woman, I know how it stings to feel erased from the stories you love most. I grew up in a very white, heterosexual romance world. Over the years, I’ve loved seeing it diversify; to see it embracing and depicting as many ethnicities, identities and experiences as possible, and I want to be as much a part of that as I can be. My characters are Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Indian, gay, disabled—you name it. And they have found their way into my stories. I want people who haven’t seen themselves on the page as much before, to have that when they read my books.
Again, I really lovedQueen Moveand highly recommend it! If you’re looking for something to get sucked into, it’s going to fit that bill perfectly. Grab it from your favorite retailer. You can find it here: Queen Move
Steal the Light
Hi everyone! Okay, so for this month, I have a hot one! Picture this: A human thief, a faery prince, and a vampire king…what could go wrong? That was how the Thieves series from Lexi Blake was introduced to me by one of my friends. Now, as you might understand, paranormal is a little hard for me to get into (you can guess why!). But I was so intrigued I had to dive in…and I’m so happy that I did!
This series is filled with twists and turns I never expected, world building that sucks you right in, and an unconventional love story that had me swooning, crying, hoping, cursing, and ultimately so very happy and fulfilled.
I can’t wait for you all to meet Zoey, the heroine! She’s human, and she has the heart of a warrior, and I just love her. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I can tell you that if you start the series withSteal the Light, you’ll be hooked!
Here’s the blurb (book one in the series)!
When dealing with demons, the devil’s in the details…
Stealing mystical and arcane artifacts is a dangerous business, especially for a human, but Zoey Wharton is an exceptional thief. The trick to staying alive is having friends in all the wrong places. While having a witch and a werewolf on the payroll helps, being partners with a vampire really opens doors.
Zoey and Daniel were childhood sweethearts until a violent car crash took his life and left her shattered. When Daniel returned from the grave as a vampire, his only interest in Zoey was in keeping her safely apart from the secrets of his dark world. He has vowed to protect her, but his heart seems as cold as the night he calls home.
Five years later, a mysterious new client named Lucas Halfer offers Zoey a fortune to steal the Light of Alhorra. The search for the Light leads Zoey into the arms of an earthbound faery prince. Devinshea Quinn sweeps her off her feet, showing her everything the supernatural world has to offer, but Daniel still calls to her heart.
