Zora Books Her Happy Ever After
Taj McCoy
Publication date: April 25th 2023
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
“Doesn’t miss a romantic beat . . . McCoy expertly crafts a well-balanced love triangle between empathetic and passionate characters—and delivers plenty of comic relief in the form of Zora’s lovable matchmaking grandmother.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
A heart-pounding, curvy romance about an indie bookstore owner who finds herself in a love triangle when she meets the author she’s had a crush on for years…and his best friend.
Zora has committed every inch of her life to establishing her thriving DC bookstore, making it into a pillar of the community, and she just hasn’t had time for romance. But when a mystery author she’s been crushing on for years agrees to have an event at her store, she starts to rethink her priorities. Lawrence is every bit as charming as she imagined, even if his understanding of his own books seems just a bit shallow. When he asks her out after his reading, she’s almost elated enough to forget about the grumpy guy who sat next to her making snide comments all evening. Apparently the grouch is Lawrence’s best friend, Reid, but she can’t imagine what kind of friendship that must be. They couldn’t be more different.
But as she starts seeing Lawrence, and spending more and more time with Reid, Zora finds first impressions can be deceiving. Reid is smart and thoughtful—he’s also interested. After years of avoiding dating, she suddenly has two handsome men competing for her affection. But even as she struggles to choose between them, she can’t shake the feeling that they’re both hiding something—a mystery she’s determined to solve before she can find her HEA.
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Oakland-born law grad, Taj McCoy, is committed to writing stories championing Black and biracial women of color, plus-sized protagonists, Black love, Black joy, and characters with a strong sense of sisterhood and familial bonds.
Taj started writing as a small child, enjoying the success of her first publications in elementary school. Since then, her dream has always been to become a professional writer. As a law student, she attempted her first novels and joined the Twitter writing community. Though Taj has spent more than ten years working in higher education administration, she continued to pursue her goal and ultimately finished her first novel in 2018, securing her agent in 2019.
When she’s not writing, Taj may be on Twitter boosting other marginalized writers, trying to zen out in yoga, sharing recipes on her website, binge-watching her favorite reality tv, or cooking private supper club meals for close friends. Catch her producing and co-hosting the Fat Like Me Podcast, which celebrates body diversity in publishing and entertainment, or watch her join forces with several writer friends on Sundays for the Better Than Brunch video podcast. When time permits, she serves as the #DVdebut Program Manager for Diverse Voices, Inc. and as a mentor for 2020 Pitch Wars.
Excerpt
Conflicted, Zora pursed her lips, mulling over the possible outcomes of relinquishing her phone to her silly best friend.
“You know we both have work to get to, right? Time is money, my friend.” She
gestured again for the device like a parent or teacher ready to confiscate some contraband.
“Shut up, you’re already at work.” Blowing out a breath, she gave the phone to Emma and immediately regretted it when her bestie cackled with glee.
“This is about to be good,” she crooned, typing feverishly into the phone.
Zora craned her neck to see what Emma wrote, but she couldn’t read the message upside down and Emma turned the phone facedown in her lap when she finished.
“So what happened with Reid? Are we focusing on Lawrence now?”
“How am I supposed to focus on anything when you just sent something freaky in response to a dick pic?” Zora rolled her eyes when Emma’s only response was a pointed stare. “Ok, ok. I haven’t talked to Reid yet, but I think I’m leaning toward Lawrence. Fundamentally, I just don’t see how Reid and I could work if he’s really willing to steal from his own best friend.”
“Are you going to see him again?”
Zora nodded. “We have a dinner already planned this week. I think I might try to bring it up. See what he says.”
“Ballsy to go the confrontation route. I still think there’s some logical explanation for that. When are you supposed to see Lawrence again?”
“This weekend.”
Her phone pinged again, and Emma turned it over, her face lighting up like a display window. “Well, you should anticipate that he’s gonna try to blow your back out this time. You’re welcome, by the way.” She dropped the phone into Emma’s hands and sashayed out.
Zora hurriedly unlocked her phone to see what damage had been done.
Lawrence: I want to touch whatever will handle this. [photo attachment]
Zora: I have a spot you can aim for this time that needs some attention. I promise the more you hit it, the sweeter the sounds I’ll make for you. Think you’re up for the challenge, big boy? *blowing heart kiss emoji*
Lawrence: Damn, Zora, like that? I won’t stop until I do. *devil smiley face emoji*
“Hmm. I guess we’ll see,” Zora said wistfully. Looking out the window, she caught Emma’s eye and winked at her.
“So I’m not fired?” she called from the checkout counter.
“There’s always tomorrow!”
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Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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