Hybrid Author Talk: The Dating Prohibition, Taj McCoy

Date and Time

• Tuesday, Sep 2, 2025  7pm - 8pm

Location

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Details

East City Bookshop welcomes back Taj McCoy to discuss her next novel, The Dating Prohibition, in conversation with Tracey Livesay.

Note on Format: This hybrid event will have both an in-person component with limited seating as well as a virtual broadcast via Zoom Webinar. Both in-person and virtual attendees will be able to pose questions to the author during audience Q&A.

ABOUT THE DATING PROHIBITION

“Taj McCoy’s writing positively crackles with energy, wit and humor.” —Jayci Lee, author of Booked on a Feeling.

In this spicy new rom-com, an ambitious entrepreneur working to get her speakeasy supper club off the ground is pushed off balance when her childhood crush turns up, hotter than ever––then tells her she's off-limits.

Now that Kendra’s returned home, she can’t help feeling like a kid again—back in her big brother’s shadow, trying to get her restaurant off the ground while his new venture is flying high right out the gate. It doesn’t help that everyone refuses to stop calling her Keke, the childhood nickname she loathes.

The only bright spot is her longtime crush BJ. He’s been her big brother’s best friend for most of her life, and he’s always been that cool, chill guy who was easy to talk to and made her laugh. Now he’s looking at her like she’s all grown up, and there’s nothing childish about the chemistry brewing between them. Even better, he takes her dreams seriously, and he’s ready to help her make her supper club a reality.But then BJ extinguishes the sparks flying between them, insisting nothing romantic can ever happen because she’s “off limits.” As her investors fall through and her best chance at fulfilling her professional dreams points toward leaving home again for a fresh start, will BJ be ready for love before Kendra moves on? Or will he sweep her off her feet when she least expects it?

Law grad Taj McCoy is committed to championing plus-size Black love stories and characters with a strong sense of sisterhood and familial bonds. Born in Oakland, Taj started writing as a child and celebrated her first publications in grade school. When she’s not writing, Taj represents other marginalized writers, serves as a consultant in higher education, practices yoga, and cooks supper-club meals for friends.

Tracey Livesay writes swoon-worthy contemporary romances where Black women are desired, adored, and deeply loved. A former criminal defense attorney turned award-winning author, Tracey’s work celebrates ambitious heroines, luxury settings, and real-world love stories—often inspired by her own interracial marriage. She’s the 2021 Emma Award winner for Best Interracial Romance for Like Lovers Do, which was also named one of Kirkus Reviews’ 100 Best Fiction Books of 2020. Featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Entertainment Weekly, Tracey was also named to USA Today’s list of “100 Black Novelists You Should Read.” Her acclaimed American Royalty series evokes the real-life love story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—if Meghan were Megan Thee Stallion. She lives in Virginia with her husband—her law school meet-cute—and their three children.