Seressia June 19th, 2008
While I was away at Book Expo, Monica Jackson posted a wonderful post over at Blogging in Black (where I’m posting something less controversial on Friday) in which she asks:
My question why finding books by black authors in one place is more important than the principle a generation once struggled to achieve?
She asks a great many more questions that I think are definitely worth a read. So please click through.
Seressia May 16th, 2008
First of all, a big congratulations to romance author Brenda Jackson for being the first black romance author to hit the New York Times extended list at #34 with her black romance novel, Irresistible Forces. It’s the highest opening rank for a series book I believe, so double congrats to her. And she does this while working a day job!
ANother big congratulations goes to Joshua Packwood, 22, for being the first white valedictorian at Morehouse College, a Historically Black College in my town, Atlanta.
Life hasn’t always been easy for Packwood. He grew up in a poor area of Kansas City, Missouri, where he says he found himself gravitating to the black community at a young age.
Adolescence was rough. His mother’s second marriage to a black man ended in divorce and family tension forced him to seek refuge with his best friend’s family - who were black and middle-class.
The experience of living with his best friend’s family had a profound effect on Packwood, who says he saw a “different side of black America.”
He got interested in African American studies and decided that the best way to understand it and learn about it was to experience it honestly, choosing Morehouse over a full scholarship to Columbia University.
“What Morehouse stands for at the end of the day, and what Dr. King epitomized, it’s not about black or white, it’s about the content of [a person’s] character,” says Packwood. “It’s about me, representing Morehouse in that light — not as a white man or a black man.”
Seressia May 13th, 2008
So yeah–I did not update the other days of Romance Slam Jam. Suffice it to to say that a good time was indeed had by all, some more than others. Karaoke was fun but my goodness!–Proud Mary is a freakin’ long song! The signing was amazing and validating and seeing Beverly Jenkins win all her awards did me proud and made me want that run someday (soon). I left Chicago energized and rarin’ to go on my work.
There have been several “race in romance” discussions around the blogosphere, and there’s an article in the May Romance Writer’s Report. I think that’s a record–and it ain’t even Black History Month. I will not even offer my opinion on the photo used to illustrate the “color” or romance article, cause you know, it’s in black and white–I can’t tell what race the four women with long dark hair are.
I got my Rita scores back yesterday for Dream of Shadows. Two 9’s, two 7’s, and an 8.8 put me in the top 25%. Felt really good about that–until I opened my royalty statement from Genesis Press. Four books, no checks. Color me unsurprised. I think I may have to change my name, pretend to be white and write black secondary characters so they’ll give me a decent sized print run and shelve me in the Romance section. This reminds me of the job I had where I had been employed with the company for more than five years and had some college education. They hired a white lady to do the same job–she had a GED, no college and off the street she made $2 more an hour than I did.
And people wonder why there’s such a thing as an Angry Black Woman.
Seressia May 5th, 2008
The Smart Bitches posted a blog today about “Race and Loving in Romance” which is generating civil discussion, though I admit to some puzzlement about the people who say they can’t find IR books but would read them if they did.
I’m going to tell you a secret: Sometimes you have to look to find them. And how do you know if they’ll be good? Well, how do you know that Regency historical will be good? Or a futuristic? Or a Indian romance? Take those answers and apply them to IR romances. Of course, if the answer changes, that should make you ask even more questions.
Seressia April 29th, 2008
If you’re a member of RWA, check out your May Romance Writer’s Report. Matter of fact, just start on page 15. Then come back and discuss. I’ll probably be doing posts from Slam Jam, for those of you who’ve never been and are curious.
Look on Monday or so for my comments on the article.
Seressia February 11th, 2008
This weekend I’ve been over at Teach Me Tonight adding comments to a post called “Voyage of Discovery” in which Sarah Frantz shares some romance books that she’s introducing her class to. Jane Austen, Jenny Cruisie, Loretta Chase, Suzanne Brockmann are the main books, then alternates could be Emma Holly (erotic romance) or Francine Rivers (inspirational.) She opened the semester with Monica Jackson’s free online read, The Choice.
Did I mention that the class consists of all black women? Kimberly Kay Terry pointed out the need for these women to be exposed to black romances, and rightfully so. Sarah has substituted Loretta Chase with Beverly Jenkins, which I think is a great choice. (I’m not a fangirl–if I didn’t squee over meeting Coretta Scott King back in the day, I’m not going to squee over meeting a writer–but Beverly Jenkins writes a great historical romance with realistic black people doing something besides being slaves.)
Talk progressed well, but there were some assumptions (it’s been a couple of weeks for assumptions–see my whole Super Tuesday post for my thoughts on people assuming things about me because I’m black.) There was an assumption that black people only read books by black authors. This isn’t true, especially in romance. The survey I spoke about earlier this weekend proved that black people do buy books by non-black people. I have to wonder, however, how many white people buy books, romances or otherwise, by black authors.
I admit, I got irritated. This assumption irritates me to no end. The conversation went to people wanting to read about people who are like them (a specious argument, given the glut of paranormals and historicals out there) to well obviously readers are more accepting of other ethnicities in their books because look at all the white authors putting black people in their stories.
Excuse me while I roll my eyes.
Why is it that when people talk about the invisibles of romance, they mention all the white people who are breaking ground and being daring by including black characters? At least they admit that they were supporting roles–hey, we’ve been the all-wise, joke-cracking, sexless sidekick for years. Let me break it down for you:
1. Black romances have been around for more than a decade.
2. The black experience is rich and varied–and so are the characters in black romances.
3. You can’t say that “mainstream” readers are accepting of black characters in lead roles when black romances by black authors aren’t on any bestsellers list. Kayla Perrin and Brenda Jackson have both made the USA Today extended, but I think we can (assumption warning) count on one hand the black romance authors who’ve cracked the top 100.
4. Black romances are not “fringe”.
Sometimes I despair of ever getting my point across. I think I understand why Monica got tired of doing this.
Seressia February 9th, 2008
Then you should check out some of the results of this survey that Blackromancereader posted on her blog.
Actually, if you really want to know more, you can download the full PDF yourself from here.
Some interesting points:
When asked the question Why haven’t more African-American authored books gained large mainstream
readership? 62% of the respondents said that most African-American authored books are only marketed and distributed to an African-American audience.
When asked “Was the last book you read written by an African-American author?” 52% of respondents said no.
Hhm, so black people don’t just buy black books. Who’d a thunk it?
When asked what was most important to their social standing, respondents listed a stable family first, a good education second.
Seressia January 23rd, 2008
Today the Smart Bitches posted a blog about the Reference and User Services Quarterly’s Romance 101 Core Collection. The article gives an excellent definition of romance and divides them into five categories: historical, Regency, contemporary, paranormal, and suspense. Each librarian writes an intro to her chosen category before listing 5 titles that should be in every romance collection.
African-American romance gets a mention:
Loosely defined as a romance set after World War II, contemporary romances often incorporate many of the aspects of other romance subgenres, such as African-American, paranormal, and suspense, and other genres, such as chick-lit, women’s fiction, and urban fiction.
And
African-American writers and characters also have an adaptive home in contemporary romance today, as do inspirational romance writers and their fans.
Unfortunately, no African-American romances made the list. I’m not really surprised by that. No category romances are listed in contemporary, and there aren’t any inspirationals either. However, they do mention author’s names in these other unrepresented categories. So why aren’t African-American romance authors named?
It’s entirely possible that these ladies haven’t read enough AA romance to make a determination on who’s the best and brightest of the genre. If not, I’d like to suggest a list of them to share. Maybe they can do a follow up article next month. There’s an email address on the article that I linked to (I’m not cool on publishing folk’s email addys without permission) if you’d like to email her directly.
But let’s blog about this and get the conversation started. Who do you think should go on an African-American Romance 101 list?
(I’m on vacation until Tuesday, but I’ll be sure to respond when I return!)
Seressia January 6th, 2008
CBC.ca Arts - Romance cuts across racial lines, publishers find
Between the cat food and the diapers in most North American supermarkets lurks a haven of verdant passion.
It’s the aisle for romance novels and its customer in 2007 is nearly always female, but just as likely to be a woman of colour as a Caucasian soccer mom.
Publishing houses across North American are creating new lines of romances aimed at people of Asian and African descent, according to Brian Miller, a Seattle journalist who follows the market for romance novels.
The article doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know, but hey–we’re getting coverage. And we should get even more as Black History Month approaches!
(Okay, I’ll admit–I’m shocked that there’s a journalist in Seattle who follows the market for romance novels.)
Seressia December 15th, 2007
The Romance Slam Jam is roughly five months from now. I’m really looking forward to it, not the least because I get to return to Chicago for their hot dogs and pizza, but because I get to see the largest gathering of black romance readers and writers on the planet. If you want to join in the party, meet a bunch of romance writers, and take a bunch of workshops, register a group of 5 or more get a discount and pay just $175 per person, or individual for $200 until December 31st.
Isn’t that a bargain for a conference?
Anyway, author Dyanne Davis had an interview with Louise Snead, the owner of Affaire de Coeur. You can check it out on Dyanne’s website or the Romance Slam Jam’s newsletter.
In the I-told-you-I’m-not-crazy-department, Ms. Snead makes this observation:
If you poll the average romance reader, they don’t read African American romance. Why? Romance readers indulge passionately in this genre because they want escape and fantasy. They want to believe there is a partner out there for everyone. They want to fantasize about who this person is. If you can have a heroine with all her foibles be loved by the end of the book, then there is hope for the reader. Many readers accept and love romance with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches, faeries, elves, and the like, yet cannot accept a hero and heroine of color.
I know this is true. I’ve actually had a reader tell me so. Black people in any other genre, she can read about them and enjoy the story. A black heroine? Not so much. I think that’s sad, but then I also know some readers who only read black woman/other ethnicity male romances and won’t pick up one with a black hero.
Sigh. There are days when I think I’m only writing for myself. Then again, if I were writing for the market, all my heroines would be blonde.
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