New release

Memphis is Calling

Dr. Cyrus Mitchell was a big shot in Memphis, a prominent ob-gyn with a comfortable life. To his chagrin, Memphis suffered from the vestiges of Jim Crow laws. The ambitious doctor wants to be free of its racist tentacles, so he makes the leap to New York City.

Cyrus settles into a comfortable life on the Upper West Side with his lover, Cozette, who came with him from Memphis. She helps him build a thriving medical practice, but the allure of New York’s Black society has him scheming to find women who can get his name on the A-list.

He meets two attractive socialites who fit the bill. The flamboyant Darcy introduces him to the club scene and her gay friends. The more reserved Elise is a widow who might be a safer choice but not nearly as exciting. Even though they are lifelong friends who travel in the same social circle, he hits on both of them.

Memphis is Calling is the story of how Cyrus tries to solve the crises back home — a frat brother facing a banking scandal that could ruin his political future, an ex-wife asking him to rein in their rebellious college-age daughter, and the cunning Black activist who has seduced her for nefarious reasons — while trying to climb the tricky social ladder in New York.

Will either of the women he has set his sights on help him get the social status he seeks? And what happens when the street-smart Cozette discovers his womanizing and plots her own freedom from his clutches?

Memphis is Calling is the sequel to the author’s first book, Memphis Blues.