In the Heart of Texas: A Novel

Fiction buyers in every category are predominantly female. Women read more books than men, especially fiction. Book groups consist almost entirely of women, and the recent proliferation of literary blogs are populated mainly by women. The most likely person to read a book in any format is a college-educated Black woman. In the Heart of Texas explores the diverse experiences of educated African Americans and African American family and professional life and appeals to the large demographic of African American female readers and book clubs. In the Heart of Texas is a contemporary novel set primarily in Texas and appeals to readers within this region, particularly given the dearth of contemporary non-genre Western/Texan fiction. The overwhelming majority of fiction buyers are women interested in stories about fulfillment, love, and romance. Though the protagonist of In the Heart of Texas is African American, it features a diverse array of characters and situations appealing to a broad, particularly female, audience. Television programs featuring African-American protagonists in contemporary settings such as Black-ish, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Empire were among the highest rated/viewed TV series in 2015, and In the Heart of Texas appeals to fans of these programs. The author is well-connected within the African American community, and to large African American women's organizations and sororities, where this book will find many readers.

About the Author :
A native of Dallas, Texas, Ginger McKnight-Chavers is a graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and Harvard Law School. She was a Kathryn Gurfein Writing Fellow at Sarah Lawrence College and her debut novel, In the Heart of Texas, will be released in Fall 2016 by She Writes Press. McKnight-Chavers currently blogs for the Huffington Post and The TexPatch, and she lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, daughter, and an overweight West Highland White Terrier.

Review :
“A laugh-out-loud look at growing up at any age told with honesty and warmth.” —Books & Life “Funny, smart and compulsively readable! Ginger McKnight has a hit on her hands. And Terry McMillan fans can rejoice that they can add a new favorite writer to their list!” —Heidi W. Durrow New York Times best-selling author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky “Everything is bigger in Texas—the hair, the real estate, and the drama in the pages of In The Heart of Texas. Forty-one-year-old soap star Jo Randolph manages to lose her Hollywood dream and burn all Tinseltown bridges in the span of 24 hours—literally. Caught in a PR nightmare, her agent ships her off to her Texas hometown and she desperately tries to reconnect to life beyond the limelight.” —PopSugar “Ginger McKnight-Chavers expertly fuses politics, pop culture and hot topics surrounding race to create one of the most rousingly inspiring reads of fall.” —Redbook Magazine "Readers seeking a peek behind the scenes of Hollywood will want to rush out and get this debut novel. First-person narrative can be tricky, but McKnight- Chavers nails it.” —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick "There’s quite a bit to like about McKnight-Chavers’ debut novel…The bold move of writing about the challenges of a interracial relationship offers a fresh take on romantic comedy themes.” —Library Journal