#BlackWomenWriters in Romance: A Portrait of Who We Are

Hey, y'all!

In my travels to book related events all over the country, I've had the privilege of meeting so many of my author colleagues. Every time I meet another Black woman writing romance, I want to learn more about her. And in my informal polling and research, I've found that African American women writing romance are among the most educated, successful, and accomplished people I know.

There are folks out there who'd love to categorize us.We can't be packaged into a neat, stereotypical box, and I think that's what bothers some folks about what we do and who we are. They'll just have to get over it, because I for one fully intend to go on doing what I love. If it upsets you that you can't lump all #BlackWomenWriters of romance into some tired old stereotype...

Think of Gwyneth Bolton, who in her "real life" is a doctorate and professor. Or Piper Huguley, who teaches at Spelman and is insightful enough to include Beverly Jenkins' classic novel Indigo in her curriculum. There are many more Black women who are steeped in academia by day and turn out great romance novels by night.

Consider also our own Hot MAMAs. Altonya is a university librarian. Bridget holds a vital position at an electric company. And Iris, before retiring just a few months ago, was an indispensable asset to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

As for me, I do some freelance writing of the non-fiction variety; very dry stuff, usually. I'm also a busy wife and mother. The point I'm making here is that we, as #BlackWomenWriters of romance, are a diverse group. We lead lives filled with responsibility, hard work, and full calendars, yet we still manage to write. We multitask like masters. How do we do all of this, you ask?

Our stories are vital and important to the cultural fabric of this country. It's true, we are not writing "serious non-fiction" or "self-help" books. Some may want to to dismiss what we're doing as pointless fluff. That simply isn't true- there is something transformative and meaningful about creating stories that celebrate the love of people of color (and yes, people of color DO fall in love and live happily ever after.)


I'm proud of my books, and every time a reader tells me they enjoy my work, I cherish it. Not only that, but I celebrate the accomplishments of my esteemed colleagues. The writing game is rough, especially for Black women, whose stories are constantly misjudged, marginalized, or outright ignored in favor of other books deemed to be more "mainstream." That's why I fully support my friend K.M. Jackson in her quest to reshape the industry with her #WeNeedDiverseRomance hashtag. (Follow that hashtag and getchu some fine readables, y'all!) I also encourage you to follow the @WOCinRomance account on Twitter, run by Rebekah Weatherspoon, for another dose of diversity.

We are here, we are not going anywhere, and we are going to keep telling our stories as we see fit. And as for all those who who would dismiss black women are worthless, "Welfare queens," illiterate, or otherwise unworthy of all we've accomplished...

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Hello my sexy babies!

Before I get into the post, I have to update you all on what's happened since last month when I posted. I FINALLY finished the first shitty draft of my full-length contemporary interracial BDSM novel Licorice Whips, which will be out through Phaze Books in November 2013. I had to separate myself from it for a little bit before I go back in to do my first round of self-editing. Then I'll send it off to my Phaze Books editor, Kathryn Lively. Let's hope she digs it and it won't require a lot of edits...unless she asks for more sex. I can do that.

So as I was thinking about today's post, I thought about my post from last month and how I mentioned what songs inspire me when I write. I don't know about any other author, but as I write, I can see the movie rolling in my head. I cast all of the characters. So who would be my dream cast? Well, you know I picture Bradley Cooper as my Sweet Hawkes, the hero, and Paula Patton as Nikla Dearwood. I haven't asked my fellow author, Yvette Hines, about her hero in her book, Red Hots, who is the brother of my hero. I picture Masaun Hawkes looking like Jon Hamm. He's hot, has that glint in his eye like he could snap at any moment and be Dom sexy (yeah, I said that), but he still looks like a businessman. I know. Too much "Mad Men." For her heroine, Kindle Langston, I see Kerry Washington. Yvette probably has other actors in mind for her folks. That's just what I envision.

So that's my question for authors. Do you picture actors, actresses, models, athletes, etc. when you write your stories? I know a lot of authors who have pegboards with pictures, houses and other inspirations. I guess the modern version of that would be Pinterest.

My question to readers is while you're reading a story, do you automatically cast it in your head? When I read Gwyneth Bolton's Sweet Sensation, I pictured the leads looking like LL Cool J (mmm, those abs) and Jada Pinkett-Smith. It surprised me when I attended a reader event that Gwyneth hosted that she admitted that she pictured Will Smith as the hero. Totally different than who I thought. That's the beauty of the mind. You can create your own vision.

I have to get going on revising my manuscript. Here's something to chew on. If you would like to cast characters for your favorite books, there's a great website for that called StoryCasting.com. If you would like to see my fantasy cast for several of my books and stories, check out my page here. You can also make suggestions for your own characters for the same books. Who knows. You might inspire us authors for a future story.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com