Survey says ... Multicultural Romance

Hawaii taught me diversity ...

I discovered Buzzr TV during Winter Storm Jonas. The cable station replays game shows from the 80s - Match Game, Super Password, Card Sharks, and Family Feud with Richard Dawson. During Family Feud's Fast Money, Dawson asked, "Name an occupation that makes people feel good."  

My answer, of course, was romance writer.  Romance creates hope. Romance sparks love. Romance delivers the Happily Ever After.  I intended to write more about this topic ... but a family feud has erupted in Romanceland.  A feud that needs to be addressed. 

Freelance writer Bobbi Dumas posted an article on Kirkus Reviews, New Year, New Reading Resolution, at this link.   Bobbi introduced her month long promotion of Celebrating Diversity in Romance at this link.

Scroll to the second comment to read the questions posted by historical author Courtney Milan. 

Bobbi responded to Courtney in a second post at this link.

Courtney posted a summary of the issues on her own blog, Speaking up against systemic racism in the publishing industry, at this link.  She wrote, If you care about romance and the future of the romance genre, why aren’t you angry with me?

Wendy the Super Librarian adds her thoughts, The One Where Wendy Talks About Diversity, at this link.

I understand Courtney's anger.  I've seen injustice in the military, as an officer and a spouse.  I have witnessed officers and their spouses, who had the means and opportunity to address injustice, simply ignore it.  I have reported unethical behavior to commanders, only to find myself the target of retribution.  I know my actions made a difference, but it was painful to be isolated by my own community.  This happened during my family's last year in Hawaii when my husband was away in Korea.  Two other military spouses kept me sane - NL Gassert, author of Gay Fiction, and D. Renee Bagby, author of Interracial Fantasy/Paranormal Romance. 

Nadja and the Laie Sea Arch

Nadja, Renee, and I met on a weekly basis to tour the island. We would chat about books, TV, and movies. I would share my adventures at conventions. I think they would have enjoyed the 2014 RT Booklovers Convention in New Orleans, especially the Welcome Party (link). RT sponsored the delicious crepe breakfast along with a salute to romance trailblazers, including:

- Lindsay McKenna as the pioneer of Military Romances (she is a Vietnam era Navy veteran)

- Heather Graham for her efforts to revitalize New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

- Brenda Jackson, Sandra Kitt, and Beverly Jenkins for pioneering multicultural romance.

Sadly, the audience talked through Lindsay's comments. Then, most of the audience walked out after they finished their crepes just as Kathryn Falk took to the stage to introduce the multicultural pioneers.  They missed hearing how these women overcame challenges to bring their stories to life in romance novels.  I was embarrassed that many attendees did not take the time to hear these legends. From this experience, I understand why multicultural writers feel dismissed by the romance industry.

(I will ask RT if they recorded the Welcome Party.  If the staff did, I will encourage RT to post it on YouTube ... it is worth watching!)

Barse's Romance in the Library of Congress
Public Domain (link)

In February 2015, I attended a special symposium, What Is Love? Romance in the Digital Age, at the Library of Congress (link, link, link, and link).  The first panel, Romance Canon, featured multicultural pioneer Beverly Jenkins.  As I wrote on my blog,

I borrowed a pen from the lovely lady next to me - a fan of Beverly Jenkins - so I could take notes. I uncapped the pen just in time to hear Beverly discuss that African American romance has been absent from romance canon. She added that it took Terry McMillan's WAITING TO EXHALE to hit the best seller for the publishing industry to realize black women actually read books (Beverly was very funny in her delivery).

I skipped the second panel to watch the documentary Love Between the Covers (link).  The film spotlighted the everyday lives of several authors, including Beverly Jenkins.  She spoke to the camera (paraphrase), "If readers can accept vampires fall in love, why can't they accept African Americans in a relationship?"  Beverly's comments still resonate with me.

One year later, Beverly's question has been answered with her latest release, FORBIDDEN.  It landed on Sarah MacLean's recommend reads for February in the Washington Post (link),

Jenkins does not shy away from the challenges that Eddy and Rhine and all black Americans face in the 1870s, and the truth of their journey makes this romance even more powerful when Rhine must reveal the truth to be worthy of Eddy’s love. This is historical romance at its very best.

Military friends at RT in Dallas
Tamara Argyle, Sharon Hamilton, Jackson Young,
 Siera London, and Kathy Crouch.

Back to Family Feud.  Dawson asked, "Name an occupation that makes people feel good."  The number one answer, "Nurse."  I immediately thought of Siera London.

I met Siera, a retired Navy nurse, during the 2014 RT Booklovers Convention in New Orleans.  She introduced herself to me as a fellow RomVet at the SOS America promo table. The following year, we bumped into each other at the Library of Congress.  She also attended RT in Dallas, where I invited her to be a guest on my blog (link).  

Thank you, Siera, for your service!

In celebration of nurses and authors, who make people feel good, I am giving away Siera's latest release, A DOCTOR FOR CHRISTMAS: A Bachelors of Shell Cove Romance Novella, to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Siera currently lives in the Florida Keys - what do you know about the keys?  I grew up in Miami, so the Keys were a weekend escape where we enjoyed Key Lime Pie!

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, February 6, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, February 7.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

More books from Siera London

Aloha to Sarah MacLean and THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN

 

Lady Sophie’s Society Splash

When Sophie, the least interesting of the Talbot sisters, lands her philandering brother-in-law backside-first in a goldfish pond in front of all society, she becomes the target of very public aristocratic scorn. Her only choice is to flee London, vowing to start a new life far from the aristocracy. Unfortunately, the carriage in which she stows away isn’t saving her from ruin . . . it’s filled with it.

Rogue’s Reign of Ravishment!

Kingscote, “King,” the Marquess of Eversley, has never met a woman he couldn’t charm, resulting in a reputation far worse than the truth, a general sense that he’s more pretty face than proper gentleman, and an irate summons home to the Scottish border. When King discovers stowaway Sophie, however, the journey becomes anything but boring.

War? Or More?

He thinks she’s trying to trick him into marriage. She wouldn’t have him if he were the last man on earth. But carriages bring close quarters, dark secrets, and unbearable temptation, making opposites altogether too attractive . . .

Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo

Sarah MacLean grew up in Rhode Island, obsessed with historical romance and bemoaning the fact that she was born far too late for her own season. Her love of all things historical helped to earn her degrees from Smith College and Harvard University before she finally set pen to paper and wrote her first book.

Sarah now lives in New York City with her husband, baby daughter, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels. She loves to hear from readers. Please visit her at www.macleanspace.com

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Sarah offers an excerpt THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN ...

Being shot on the Great North Road isn't exactly a thing people expect to happen, and Lady Sophie Talbot finds herself in the rooms above The Warbling Wren pub, under the welcome care of a rather mad doctor and the watchful eye of the rather infuriating (and infuriatingly handsome) Kingscote, Marquess of Eversley. There are worse things, she supposes. Or are there? Not for King.)

“If you want a bath, you’ll have to accept my help,” he said.

She pursed her lips at that, her gaze settling longingly on the steaming bath. “You mustn’t look.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” It might have been the most obvious lie he’d ever told.

Somehow, she believed it, nodding and throwing back the coverlet to step out of the bed. She came to her feet, the top of her head at his chin, and he resisted the urge to help her across the room. “How do you feel?” he asked, hearing the gravel in his words. He cleared his throat.

“As though I’ve been shot, I’d imagine.”

He raised a brow. “Clever. There's food when you’ve bathed." The words summoned a low growl from her, and her hands flew to her stomach. Her cheeks turned red, and he smiled. “I take it you are hungry.”

“It seems so,” she said.

“Food after the bath. And then sleep.”

She met his gaze. “You’re very domineering.”

“It’s a particular talent.”

“What with you being called King.”

“Name is destiny.”

She moved past him to the high copper bathtub. He resumed his place against the wall, arms crossed, watching her carefully as she reached down, her long fingers trailing in the hot water as she sighed her anticipation. The sound was like gunfire in the room—pure, unadulterated pleasure. It was delicious.

King stiffened. He was not interested in the lady’s pleasure.

If only someone would tell his body that.

Aloha to Sarah MacLean and THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN - Blog Blitz

Announcing a sublime – and scandalously wonderful – new series from New York Times, USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author Sarah MacLean!

The author aroused immediate interest when she announced this high-concept affair: “I'm thrilled to announce my next project -- the Scandal & Scoundrel series, which I pitched to my editor as ‘Old School TMZ,’" says MacLean. “It’s modern celebrity gossip with a pre-Victorian twist. Basically, this is my way of convincing my husband that all those glossy magazines in our house are ‘work necessities.’

The first novel in the series, THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN (link) is a riff on a certain elevator incident made famous at a Met gala several years ago. But in MacLean’s imagination, the scurrilous turns absolutely sensational, as a ballroom imbroglio sets off a very heated carriage journey along the Great North Road. It’s a long way from London to Scotland…you would be quite amazed at how much drama can ensue between a seemingly ill-matched duo on such a wild ride!

Lady Sophie’s Society Splash
When Sophie, the least interesting of the Talbot sisters, lands her philandering brother-in-law backside-first in a goldfish pond in front of all society, she becomes the target of very public aristocratic scorn. Her only choice is to flee London, vowing to start a new life far from the aristocracy. Unfortunately, the carriage in which she stows away isn’t saving her from ruin . . . it’s filled with it.

Rogue’s Reign of Ravishment!
Kingscote, “King,” the Marquess of Eversley, has never met a woman he couldn’t charm, resulting in a reputation far worse than the truth, a general sense that he’s more pretty face than proper gentleman, and an irate summons home to the Scottish border. When King discovers stowaway Sophie, however, the journey becomes anything but boring.

War? Or More?
He thinks she’s trying to trick him into marriage. She wouldn’t have him if he were the last man on earth. But carriages bring close quarters, dark secrets, and unbearable temptation, making opposites altogether too attractive . . .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Artist Amy Solomon created a special map (see below) for the road trip from THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN.  Sarah provides commentary for each stop ...

Stop #1: "Sophie Stows Away" (English Country Estate near London)

Sarah:  There are moments in life when you know that you just can't go on without a change. Lady Sophie Talbot, the youngest of the infamous Talbot Sisters (darlings of the gossip rags and nicknamed the Dangerous Daughters) knows this is the case when she lands her odious, philandering brother in law backside-first in a fish pond at a major event of the London Season. And so, Sophie does what's necessary. “I simply need conveyance home,” she requests of Kingscote, Marquess of Eversley, notorious rake and her only chance of escape. Sophie's desperate, and in possession of the Marquess's boot, so she thinks she has a leg up, so to speak. King has other ideas.

Stop #2: “The Carriage”

Sarah:  Lady Sophie Talbot, youngest and least interesting of the scandalous Talbot sisters (think 19th Century Kardashians) isn't so uninteresting once she's decided to stow away atop a carriage belonging to the Marquess of Eversley -- notorious rogue and her recent nemesis. Indeed, she cannot wait for the horrible man to discover that she's disguised herself as an outrider and stolen conveyance home to central London. There's just one problem...

Stop #3: “The Fox and the Falcon Posting Inn”

Sarah:  By the time Lady Sophie Talbot finds herself outside the Fox & Falcon Posting Inn, miles from her home in London, she's realized she's made a huge mistake. She only ever intended to hitch a ride home to Mayfair--and simultaneously stick it to the arrogant, handsome, horrible Marquess of Eversley, who happens to be minus a boot, thanks to Sophie. Suffice to say, things got out of hand. And now, dressed as a male servant in the drive of a roadside inn, things are about to get much much worse.

Stop #4: “Beware Highwaymen!”

Sarah:  Suffice to say, being on the road with an arrogant aristocrat is no fun at all, so Lady Sophie Talbot does what any self-respecting woman would do, she "borrows" his money, and gets herself on the next mail coach north. All seems fine -- until Highwaymen arrive, and that arrogant aristocrat arrives just in time to see her entire plan go pear-shaped.

Stop #5: “The Warbling Wren”

Sarah:  Being shot on the Great North Road isn't exactly a thing people expect to happen, and Lady Sophie Talbot finds herself in the rooms above The Warbling Wren pub, under the welcome care of a rather mad doctor and the watchful eye of the rather infuriating (and infuriatingly handsome) Kingscote, Marquess of Eversley. There are worse things, she supposes. Or are there? Not for King.

Stop #6: “Mossband”

Sarah:  Lady Sophie Talbot, youngest and least interesting of the infamous Talbot sisters, has decided that her best bet to escape London and the aristocratic life for which she'd never been intended is to take herself home -- to the small village on the Scottish border where she spent the first ten years of her life. And perhaps, after a disastrous journey north, something would go right, and her childhood friend Robbie, now the village baker, would make good on their silly youthful promises and marry her. Of course, Sophie isn't alone. She's saddled with the horrible, handsome Marquess of Eversley. Who has done everything to ruin her plans. Until now.

Stop #7: “Lyne Castle”

Sarah:  The Country seat of the Dukes of Lyne, Lyne Castle is the childhood home of Kingscote, Marquess of Eversley, who left home at eighteen after a terrible tragedy and never returned. Summoned home by his ailing father, King finally returns--with the unexpected addition of Lady Sophie Talbot, irritating and somehow irresistible. The estate boasts one of the most complicated labyrinths in Britain...where King and Sophie find solace, and heartbreak, and each other.

Aloha to RWA in NYC - Made in Manhattan with Avon Authors

One week from today, I will be on the train from Baltimore to NYC for RWA's annual conference.  Above is the (nearly) Naked Signing Cowboy I met the last time I attended RWA in NYC.

Harper Collins/Avon Romance recently sent a press release to the Avon Addicts.  I received permission to reprint the following ...

~MADE IN MANHATTAN~

“New York City is the most romantic city in the world,” Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling suspense author and New York resident, boldly declares. The 2400+ romance writers, industry professionals, and readers descending upon the city for the 35th annual Romance Writers of America conference from July 22 to 25 will soon be able to decide for themselves if they agree!

What is it about New York City that makes for such grand romance? Some of America’s top New York area-based romance authors, all published by Avon Books, offer their insights on the romantic appeal of this beautiful city:

Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author and Washington Post columnist, thinks the energy of the city lends itself perfectly to romance. “There are few places in the world more alive with excitement and adventure,” she says. “With those two qualities, passion can’t be far behind!”

Historical romance author Megan Frampton agrees that the variety of the city is ideal for couples. “The city is so huge, it can accommodate whatever type of activity you and your partner might want. Want to hit the Museum of Sex? We’ve got that. Vegan food at 11 p.m.? Yup. Drum circles in the park? You can do that too.”

Not only does New York offer a stellar setting for real life love, it also offers an abundance of inspiration to the romance writers who call it home.

“New York is an island and islands are necessarily romantic—this one more than most,” Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling historical romance author, says. “Intelligent, beautiful people are as thick on the ground as sand, and skyscrapers are much more interesting to look at than coconut trees.”

“New York is the perfect backdrop to a thoroughly modern romance,” Maya Rodale, a USA Today bestselling romance author who set a series of novels about a romance writer and a tech entrepreneur in New York City. “What makes the city so romantic is how accepting it is of all kinds of people and all kinds of love.”

Even MacLean, whose historical romances are all set in 19th century England, draws inspiration from modern New York. “With 8 million people living here, love is everywhere. And where there’s a love story, there’s inspiration.”

Whether it’s the hustle and bustle, the magnificent sites, fascinating mix of people, and opportunities to stumble upon charming, off-the-beaten-path locations around every corner, could a more perfect place for romance as exist. As Staub puts it, “In no other city is there such a perpetual sense that, at any given moment, something unforgettable might happen.”

Top 10 Romantic Movies Set in New York (from Avon Authors):

1.  Moonstruck.
2.  When Harry Met Sally
3.  You've Got Mail
4.  Breakfast at Tiffany's
5.  Enchanted
6.  An Affair to Remember
7.  Annie Hall
8.  Love Story
9.  Seredipity
10.  Sex in the City

That's a great list of movies!  Do you have a favorite movie from the list ... or can you add to the list? One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 18, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 19.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

A Broadway Dancer in Times Square

RWA in NYC ... Authors About Town

The Lions of NYC's Public Library are ready to welcome the Romance Writers of America (RWA) for its annual conference at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square from July 22 - 26, 2015.  Authors will be out and about at events open to the public.  Mahalo to Pamela Jaffee at Avon Romance for the press release detailing these events ... 

Why Are We Just Now Discovering Romance?

Tuesday, July 21, 2015
7:00pm 8:00pm
Fueled Collective, 568 Broadway, NY, NY 10012

For hundreds of years, romance novels have been derided as fluff, degraded as 'light reading' and ignored as a literary genre. Yet they're among the biggest revenue drivers for publishers from print to Kindle. And they're almost every woman's guilty pleasure, starring women making choices for themselves, their lovers, their children and their future

We explore power of the female protagonist over time, the multi-billion dollar romance novel industry and ever so much more in conversation between moderator (and author) Maya Rodale (Dangerous Books for Girls), Sarah MacLean (The Washington Post), Carla Neggers, and more.

Romance Authors. Hosted by Joyce Lamb, Happy Ever After Curator & Blogger, USA Today
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
12:30pm – 1:45pm

Bryant Park Reading Room

Robyn Carr, Never Too Late
Kristan Higgins, If You Only Knew
Elizabeth Hoyt, Dearest Rogue
Beverly Jenkins, For Your Love, Destiny’s Captive
Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Heroes Are My Weakness
Meredith Wild, Hardwired

Gotta love it! Harlequin, Avon, and Forever authors dish on their best-selling romance novels.

RWA's Readers for Life Literacy Autographing

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

5:30pm - 7:30 pm
Marriott Marquis, Westside Ballroom

At the "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing, hundreds of romance authors meet with and sign books for fans in this two-hour event, with the proceeds from book sales going to literacy organizations. This year's beneficiaries are ProLiteracy Worldwide, Literacy Partners, and Literacy Assistance Center.

In 2014, Romance Writers of America raised more than $53,000 to benefit literacy organizations. Since 1990, RWA has raised more than $878,000 to fight illiteracy.

The stars will be shining bright in the Big Apple!  If you could attend the literacy signing, which author would you visit?   Here's the link to the participating authors.  One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 18, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 19.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City