HE’S WHITE; SHE’S BLACK – SO WHAT?

When I was a girl, my mother told that her mother had had a White suitor. My great-grandparents refused to let their daughter marry the White guy. I don’t know for sure why they refused, but my guess is that it wasn’t necessarily because of his race. I think it was more likely because he’d intended to take his new wife back to his country, and in the 1940s, such a move, to my great-grandparents, would have meant never seeing their daughter again, and never meeting their future great-grandchildren. That, to an African parent, is a big deal.

Interracial romance isn’t a new concept. How could it be when interracial relationships have existed for decades upon decades? And as global mobility increases, so will IR relationships.

I grew up seeing IR relationships from a whole different angle than what I saw in movies and read in books. While growing up, my fascination with IR relationships had more to do with things like the wide mix of features that children of such relationships bear, the interaction of different cultures, choice of language to communicate in etc.

While I’m sympathetic to the fact that racial disparities continue to plague IR couples in many places in the world, I found myself growing increasingly impatient with literary portrayals of IR relationships that were heavily centred on colour. Because, as far as I’m concerned racial tension isn’t the main issue facing interracial relationships involving an African.

So when I set out to write an interracial romance novel, I knew I wanted to write a story in which the fact that my hero is White and my heroine is Black wasn’t the point of the story. I was more interested in exploring issues of culture, business and above all love. It was also important for me to stay away from the stereotypes of the typical American in a foreign country and typical African as portrayed in movies, and tap into what made my hero and heroine tick, which I think (I hope) achieved in Chancing Faith.

It is my utmost pleasure to introduce you to my hero and heroine, Thane Aleksander and Naaki Tabika.

Here’s a little taste of Chancing Faith:

BLURB 

HE DIDN’T DO SHORT-TERM RELATIONSHIPS…

American ad exec, Thane Aleksander, doesn’t date co-workers either—until business takes him to Ghana, West Africa, and he meets Naaki. Now he’s at risk of breaking all the rules. Can he stop this headlong fall before it’s too late?

UNTIL HE MET HER!

Naaki Tabika has a burning need to prove, to herself and others, that she’s more than wife and mother material. To do so, she’s prepared to give up everything for her job. Meeting Thane, however, makes her want to get personal. But falling for her boss could destroy her career. Will she be willing to risk it all for the one thing that can make her truly happy?

Two divergent cultures, two different races, two career-driven professionals, only one chance at true love—will they find the faith to take it, or will their hearts be sacrificed on the altar of financial success?

 TEASER EXCERPT

Thane knew he was in for it now. He could hardly believe he’d really done it…

He’d kissed Naaki. Kissed her! What the hell was he thinking? Thane tossed his jacket aside and yanked off his tie. Of all the stupid—

Raking his fingers through his hair, he muttered a curse. The urge to hit something assaulted him with a force that should have surprised him. The perfect punching bag would have been his own body, since it was apparent that he needed to pound some sense into his skull. Right now, the only thing pounding was his heart as it threatened to burst out of his chest, throbbing partly out of anger but mostly from his pulsing desire.

Damned if he didn’t still want her in his arms. She made him feel like a teenager—and not in a good way. Vulnerable wasn’t a desired state of mind as far as he was concerned. He sat down with the adjoining door in full view, still unable to comprehend how he’d dropped his guard. How he seemed so willing to let down his defenses around her.

He’d panicked in the elevator, allowed himself to be captivated. He’d worried about her, touched her as if he cared. She’d kissed him back, moaned against his lips and his knees had gone weak. He could have made love to her right there in the lobby. He could care about her, and caring was the last thing he could afford to do.

Dammit. Naaki wasn’t a woman you got involved with on a whim. He needed, at all cost, to avoid her—the woman who’d so easily brought him to his knees, who’d caused his body to come alive and made him want—

Just want.

***

I hope you enjoyed that excerpt enough to put Chancing Faith on your TBR list. If so, I invite you to pre-order Chancing Faith.

Black Opal Books – “Chancing Faith”
Barnes & Nobles – “Chancing Faith”

AUTHOR BIO

Empi Baryeh writes heart-warming, sweet and sensual African and Interracial romance. She lives in the city of Accra in Ghana, where most of her stories are set. She speaks French and a teensy bit of Spanish.

Her debut novel, Most Eligible Bachelor, came out in February and is available from Evernight Publishing and other online book retailers. Chancing Faith is her second novel, which comes out in Print and eBook on 31st March, 2012.

Visit Empi Online:
Blog: http://empibaryeh.wordpress.com
Website: http://www.empibaryeh.webs.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/empibaryeh
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/empibaryeh
Twitter: @empibaryeh