‘No Commitment’

When did you first get published?

2000

What genre do you write in?

Romance: paranormal, multicultural, interracial

What race/colour are the majority of your characters?

Almost all are partially of African-American descent

How is your work marketed?

My current work is marketed through largely AA venues (Booking Matters, Black Issues Book Review), and my own website though it was advertised in Romantic Times Magazine as well.

Where are your books generally shelved?

If one can find them, they are in African-American fiction/literature.

Where would you prefer your books to be shelved?

Both romance and AA ficiton would be nice if such an area exists in the store.

Have you been subjected to direct/indirect racism from editors, publishers etc in your publishing career?

No, other than to say that AA dark paranormal is a tough sell.

How do you feel about Oprah Winfrey’s book club- Do you think she could do more to promote AA authors?

She has chosen several AA mainstream fiction and literature authors. She’s never going to choose a romance though. Her perogative.

Though while she may not like rap and its unflattering portrayals, she continues to ignore a genre that shows women of all backgrounds in a generally posiitve and fulfilling light.

Do you believe that publishers are more ambivalent when it comes to marketing AA books?

I think they push what they think is hot or going to be. For AA fiction, that seems to be the thug-a-licious books, or urban fiction. 50 cent had 3 books on a table in a recent Borders I visited. In fact, for Black History Month, the table was all AA fiction but only two titles were romance, and only four could be considered literature or mainstream fiction.

Which race groups would you say bought the majority of your books?

As for the interracials, a lot of diverse people have purchased those. Some have filtered to my straight AA romances, but the IRs sell more.

What do you think needs to change in order for more white people to read African American books?

Take the people off the covers? I hate people covers no matter what I’m reading. Just give them a try. Thumb through them in the bookstore. Of course, they have to be able to find them first.

Have you ever been snubbed by white readers/white authors during a signing?

It’s been mixed. They’ll pick up the book, look at the cover people, then put it back down. Unless it’s interracial. If they actually flip through, they usually find somehting that catches their eye, and it gets purchased. Paranormals, though, the readers don’t care about race. Imagine that.

Have you ever been overlooked by an editor in favour of a white author?

No.

Have you ever been asked to tone down, or increase the ethnicity within your books?

No, but I write for Multi-cultural publishing houses. I have had readers get mad because my characters weren’t Black enough.

Are you familiar with Millennia Black’s lawsuit against Penguin? If so, what do you think her chances of winning are?

It depends on how much money she is willing to give to the cause. It will drag on for years. It will be difficult unless she’s got documentation.

How do you think her victory will affect the way AA authors are treated within the industry?

I honestly don’t think it will make a large difference in general. It will make a difference for her and I hope she’s successful. I don’t think a sea change will emerge from a victory for her though.

What are your thoughts on niche marketing? What do you think the limitations are if any?

Niche marketing gets us to the majority of our readers, so I really don’t have a problem with it. Hopefully some of those readers are telling their white friends about this great story they read.

Going to Slam Jam and meeting up with bookclubs that have read my books is a lot of fun—and a lot less stressful than being one of 900 authors at RWA’s national convention.

Do you think this will still be a controversial subject in five years time, or do you think major changes would have been made by then?

I don’t think there will be major changes, expect perhaps urban fiction will go through a winnowing period and only the best of the lot will remain, and in smaller numbers.

Because of that, perhaps authors will no longer be asked to urbanize their characters.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

Coming up next, Raine Weaver.

OK, so I read this on Alison Kent’s blog earlier:

“And some of you reviewers don’t even explain why you hate a book. You just rant and rave about how it and the author sucks.”

“And often these ‘reviewers’ don’t even give reasons for why they disliked the book. They instead often start taking digs at the author personally and/or the publisher.”

The post was written by Maria Duncan, aka, Shewholovesromance, aka, Mary Durnan, aka.. ahh shit, I forget now! She was looking at the world through rose-coloured galsses talking about how she hates reviews where people are really mean, without explaining why they hate the book.

Time and time again, I hear this refrain, but I have to say, my memory must be shockingly bad because I don’t recall ever reading reviews where the reviewer sliced it to bits, without giving a full explanation as to why. (Really darlings, Amazon just doesn’t count.)

I’m assuming that these kind of bloggers exist, and God knows I don’t have time to find them, so I’m tasking you guys to go out and find me some truly mean reviews, (by reviews, I mean reviews, not just passing comments) that don’t go into any detail about what it was about said book that the reader hated.

Amazon reviews don’t count cuz some of those guys are just crazy, plus Amazon reviews are… well you know… Amazon reviews. I want examples from Romance Blogland.

This should be a good opportunity for the authors out there to give me great examples of these kind of reviews. Name and shame those buggers!

Is your mission clear? Good, now hop to it.

For those who are too polite to be mean in public, you can send me an e-mail. My address is hairylemony @ gmail . com (without the spaces)

Incidentally, this isn’t about me being mean, I genuinely want to know where these dastardly bloggers are. (And no, I certainly don’t count myself as one of them. I hate books for specific reasons, and I’m not shy about airing those reasons.)

I’ll be waiting expectantly.

Please note: The Racism In Publishing Posts will continue tomorrow.

Can anybody tell me who the flipping hell the Romance Divas are, and not only that but what is their problem? Talk about fanning the flames over, erm, let’s see… NOTHING.

Lucinda Campbell whoever you are, you’re a f*cktard.

“Hmmm? Sounds to me like someone can dish out the criticism, but she can’t take it. And don’t worry. You’ll never get another one of my books. I only sent it to you because everyone else in my writer’s group was doing it. I guess if they all jumped off of a bridge, I’d go too…Oh, and BTW, how did you know that “Lucinda” was “L.K. Campbell”? Very interesting!!!”

This was to Mrs Giggles, who replies with:

“Lucinda, please stop. You’re embarrassing yourself. Your email address shows up as “lkcampbell@lkcampbell.com” so I don’t think it’s rocket science to make that connection.”

Talk about fuckwittery of the highest order.

This comment here by Jax (yet another member of The Romance Divas) was the one that nearly made me piss myself laughing:

“It’s one thing to attack me, but another thing to attack my site. I think you’re just intimidated that our reviews are better and more accurate. In fact, we have a rather huge staff and we have editors to make sure there are inconsistencies in data.

If we make an error, we’re quick to adjust it. We’re also quoted in many NY published romances, but I don’t see your reviews in any books. We don’t need to bash to get our point across. I’m a reviewer and I can guarantee that I check my facts. I’m not here to complain, but since you took it that way, that’s your problem.”

Lord, God, save me from narcissistic arseholes who think their shit don’t smell.

Of course authors will quote them, they are Harriet Klausner-type reviewers who think that every book written is the best thing since sliced bread. They’re that particularly funky breed of reviewer, who have never read a bad book. Evah.

Mrs G didn’t actually attack them, or anybody else. They kinda came out of the woodwork, in that scary Rabid Fangirly way that creeps me out.

That Lucinda chick kept harping on about how cowardly Mrs G was and that she should out herself. WTF? Where the fuck has she been? Outer effing Mongolia?

I tell you, their fuckwittery was awe-inspiring.

Mrs G had this to say in response to Jax’s comment:

“Where did all that “you’re just jealous!” thing come from? Give me a break. If I care about being quoted by authors, I’d be doing reviews from Romantic Times.”

Nice one-liner dude.

Kristen, also another member of the Divas weighs in with her particular brand of fucktardiness:

“Oh honey, that’s the best decision you’ve ever made. You wouldn’t fit in at Romance Divas. See, RD is one of the most supportive sites online. We don’t tear each other down or pick each other to pieces just for a good bit of snark. You’d be bored silly. Or shunned completely. You know, something like that. Ciao, darling!”

Jesus, I tell ya, if it was raining brains, some of these amoebas wouldn’t even get wet.

(Sorry Mrs G, but the devil on my shoulder made me do it. *g*)

Right, I’m off to bed, it’s been a loooong day.

Bettye’s latest book, Nothing But Trouble

When did you first get published?

1998

What genre do you write in?

Two: Romance and mainstream women’s fiction.

What race/colour are the majority of your characters?

Black.

How is your work marketed?

As African-American fiction or romance. Sometimes, to my great annoyance, as “street lit.”

Where are your books generally shelved?

Unfortunately, many stores put all black books together. Even within romance sections, the books by black authors are often placed separately from the other books.

I have also seen some of my mainstream fiction shelved with romance, which is incorrect. In this case I reshelve my books in the general fiction section.

Where would you prefer your books to be shelved?

Alphabetically by author. If romances are kept separate from general fiction, still alphabetically by author. And I do appreciate special placement on end displays, front tables, etc., when a book is new!

Have you been subjected to direct/indirect racism from editors, publishers etc in your publishing career.

An agent once turned me down, saying my project was too reminiscent of Waiting To Exhale. I asked her if I’d written a legal thriller if she would have turned me down because it was too reminiscent of The Firm, or if that pigeonholing is strictly for black authors. Needless to say, she didn’t respond. I signed with someone else.

How do you feel about Oprah Winfrey’s book club- Do you think she could do more to promote AA authors?

It’s not up to me to criticize someone’s personal taste. I don’t write the kind of gloomy book Oprah seems to like. However, when in the movie The Best Man a characters mentions his first book, a commercial novel, “was chosen by Oprah for her book club,” this struck me as highly implausible . . . even for Hollywood.

Do you believe that publishers are more ambivalent when it comes to marketing AA books?

I don’t believe there’s any ambivalence involved; I think the decision has already been made not to do any marketing unless it’s a Big, Big Name.

Which race groups would you say bought the majority of your books?

I do believe the majority are black, although people with European-sounding names have written to me, and white women and men also have bought my books at signings.

What do you think needs to change in order for more white people to read African American books?

They need to be the minority. The majority usually is at an advantage in multiple facets of life.

Have you ever been snubbed by white readers/white authors during a signing?

No, I can’t say I have.

Have you ever been overlooked by an editor in favour of a white author?

Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever been asked to tone down, or increase the ethnicity within your books?

No. And I hope I never am. It won’t be pretty.

sorry, I had to chuckle at that

Are you familiar with Millennia Black’s lawsuit against Penguin?

Yes.

If so, what do you think her chances of winning are?

I’m no fortune teller, but I hope she wins.

How do you think her victory will affect the way AA authors are treated within the industry?

To white publishers and editors, there’s writers and there’s black writers. I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon, no matter what happens.

What are your thoughts on niche marketing? What do you think the limitations are if any?

I have no problem with being marketed in, say, Essence magazine. I do like it better when I see an ad for a book by Francis Ray and by (insert name of white author who writes for same publisher here) in RT Bookclub magazine. Word of mouth is, of course, priceless.

Have you been personally involved in trying to bring about changes within the publishing industry, with regards to how African American authors are treated? If so can you tell me about your efforts?

No, I haven’t.

Do you think this will still be a controversial subject in five years time, or do you think major changes would have been made by then?

I wouldn’t expect any changes in five years, no.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

You’re welcome!

If you want to learn more about Bettye, and her books, you can access her website here.

Coming up next, Seressia Glass.

I realise that I haven’t done a book review for a while, so I thought I’d address that by posting this review today. The rest of the Racism in Romance responses will continue tomorrow.

Without further ado, here’s my blurb for Midnight Temptation:

Raven Remington has had the hots for his secretary for over two years.

Vanessa Kaye has had the hots for her boss for the past two years also.

Raven and Vanessa are both aware of the other’s feelings, but secrets, familial issues, and a reluctance to open her heart to possible hurt, has always stopped Vanessa from giving in, and getting horizontal with Raven, even though she desperately wants to.

Raven has no intention of getting involved in anything other than a straight forward affair. Marriage, babies, and picket fences are the last things on his mind. That is until Vanessa finally says yes, after saying no for so long.

He thought it would take just one night to rid himself of his disturbing need for her, but Raven learns that one night spent with Vanessa is nowhere near enough, and now he has to persuade this beautiful woman to take a huge leap of faith with him.

Will Raven be able to persuade Vanessa, that her heart is safe in his hands? And will Vanessa be able to confess to the secrets that keep her awake in the night?

Find out in the next episode of The Bold And The Beautiful – Erm sorry, I couldn’t resist. (g)

My Verdict

Dee, I simply love the way you write.

I’m always impressed with a book that hooks me in within the first few pages. I love the anticipatory feelings that rush through me, when I get through an amazing first chapter, happy in the knowledge that I’m in for a treat.

I’m sure every author knows that first chapters are very important to a reader, but as we all know, they don’t always deliver within that brief time-frame.

Well, Tenorio delivered, and how.

From the first scene, I knew that I was going to like Raven and Vanessa.

I loved the chemistry between these two characters, and every time they were together in a scene, the pages fairly sizzled.

I couldn’t get enough of them together.

Raven was a loner who was at odds with his family, after taking over the family business.

His relationship with his brother is stilted at best, and although it’s obvious the love is there, the gulf between the two of them seems insurmountable.

Raven’s relationship with his mother can be best described as prickly. Distrust and suspicion mar their mother-son relationship.

Raven’s past actions have been the cause of the current disconnect between him and his family, and now he’s struggling to make things right with them.

What I liked about Raven was his tenacity. He wanted Vanessa, and he wasn’t going to let her self-doubts and secrets come between him and his desire. He didn’t always play fair, but I think this was one of the characteristics that made me take to him straight away.

I love imperfect heroes, and Raven was as imperfect as they come.

What I liked about Vanessa, was her strength when it came to dealing with Raven. She didn’t let him ride roughshod over her, as he was used to doing with other people. I liked that she was able to stand up to him as an equal. Although it has to be said, if a man offered to buy me a Mercedes so that I could get to work safely, my principles would go straight outta the window, and my legs would have been open without a second thought.

Unfortunately, Vanessa was far too honourable for such skanky behaviour. Damn her anyway.

What struck me about Midnight Temptation was that it wasn’t just a romance. It was essentially, a story about family values. You know, the ties that bind and all that.

Half-way through the book, the mood seemed to shift, and Tenorio started to further explore the different relationships, and the dynamics between Raven’s and Vanessa’s loved ones, to a greater degree, than she had previously.

Unfortunately, at times the familial element took over the book somewhat, and made me yearn for further interaction between Vanessa and Raven. I got a little annoyed at the number of times I had to wade through scenes with secondary characters, when all I was basically interested in was the hero and the heroine.

Having said that though, there were several scenes with Vanessa and her sister that were fairly humorous, as well as heart-breaking. The same could be said about Raven and his brother, or should I say Raven, and his brother’s children. This is where I see shades of the Tenorio humour that was so prevalent in Betting Hearts come to the fore.

I totally loved the class and body in Tenorio’s prose. She really was able to draw me into the story by the time I’d read the second paragraph. I love it when an author is able to display such talent. Talent that leaves the reader wanting more.

Midnight Temptation was a beautiful story, and whilst it didn’t blow me away in the same way that Betting Hearts did, it still had the soul and the emotions that made BH such a fun read.

Had I had more Vanessa and Raven time, I think this book would have been flipping amazing, however I still loved it, and this is a testament to Tenorio’s ability as a writer.

If I had to sum up this book, I’d probably use one word to describe it. Poignant.

If you want to pick up a copy of Midnight Temptation, it’s currently available at Samhain Publishing, in both print, and e-book format.

Dee Tenorio’s website can be found, here.

Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful new babies Dee!

“They were once normal but now they´re mutants
Splinter´s the teacher so they are the students
Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello
Make up the team with one other fellow
Raphael
He´s the leader of the group transformed from the norm
By the nuclear goop
Pizza´s the food that´s sure to please
These ninjas are into pepperoni and cheese…”

God this takes me back. I can’t believe I was only fifteen, when this came out. I truly do love Youtube.

For the full report, with photographs, pop over to Rosie’s blog.

Wonders never cease…

That Lee Goldberg sure gets some stick. I do love his responses though:

I believe it’s theoretically possible that women will still discover that they are lesbians without writing and publishing/posting stories about Buffy and Xena exploring the joys of sapphic love together…

Sorry, but this comment tickled my funny bone, no end, hehe.

Due out in August, Bam’s Skin To Skin

This the cover for Bam’s book, due out in August. I believe it’s going to be part of the Midsummer Night’s Steam stories that will be featuring at Samhain this summer.

I think the cover model looks like Brad Pitt, Bam thinks he looks like that blokey off Prison Break. Either way, out of two, I’d sure give him one. *g*

Nice one biatch!

Incidentally, I’ve just watched Idol, and what the fuck was going on with that crying girl?

I read this sage advice over at Monica’s this morning, and I thought I’d post it here, because it was the best damn piece of commentary I’ve read in a week.

If you discount or negate what others to say, then the same, will be done to you. And, if you hurl insults at others, then don’t be surprised, or upset, when some insults come boomerranging back at you. Turnabout is fairplay.

If you’ve decided, that you’re the only one who is right, or those that agree with you, in a discussion, and won’t listen to others, and what they have to say, especially those who disagree with you, then you really should only talk to yourself, or preach to the choir.

You have to listen, if you want to be heard.

Now this shit applies to a whole bunch of people, not just the Monica Jackson’s of Blogland. If you read a comment that made you feel uncomfortable for one reason or another, take that discomfort and examine it, think about it, and question it.

Don’t stop participating because you feel slighted, because let’s face it, this is Romanceland, and over here, we can start a fight over something as petty as a photograph of an author on the back of her book. Feeling slighted is part and parcel of our particular corner of the world.

Also think about the people who are constantly made to feel uncomfortable in their everyday lives. This is one blog, it’s not your life, and to a certain extent, what goes on on the net, stays on the net. (unfortunately)

There are people who aren’t just able to ‘switch’ off, because their reality is just one big old bowl of racial tension, and exclusionary manouvres.

Having said the above, the only person I’m going to allow to be uncivil on here is me, ok?

This kind of debate is healthy, and sometimes you have to look beyond the initial hurt feelings to appreciate the fact that at least we’re all growling at each other talking to each other.

Now y’all say it with me “In with anger, out with love… In with anger out with love…, In with anger, out with l…”

Coming up next, Bettye Griffin.