Thank you Chel for this entertaining and concise overview/history of romance. You did your homework <g>! There have been full books devoted to the subject, over the years, but l enjoyed your being inclusive in so many insider elements of the industry, especially as it related to the very brief era of Vivian Stephen’s attempts to introduce writers of color. She was strong and stubborn in her beliefs that the time had come for stories by Americans who weren’t white. And you are right that the acquisitions door slammed shut for Black writers for ten years…except for me.
After ADAM AND EVA Harlequin did not accept another book from me if the main characters were not white. But l got around that by introducing important secondary characters who were Black.
One of my editors at Harlequin once shared with me that at one point early in my Harlequin career l was among their top 25 authors. But Harlequin was not going to tell me that or advertise to their readers that l was Black. This was confirmed in a chance encounter l had at an RWA conference in New York with a white reader!
I had a wonderful time early on with my career, and had amazing support from Kathryn Falk, some editors and publishers. But there were many opportunities that were not given me, because l was Black.
Fantastic! Cannot wait for the Janet Dailey scandal piece! I’ve wanted to know more since Sarah and Jen (Fated Mates) interviewed Nora for their Trailblazers series! ❤️
Thank you Chel for this entertaining and concise overview/history of romance. You did your homework <g>! There have been full books devoted to the subject, over the years, but l enjoyed your being inclusive in so many insider elements of the industry, especially as it related to the very brief era of Vivian Stephen’s attempts to introduce writers of color. She was strong and stubborn in her beliefs that the time had come for stories by Americans who weren’t white. And you are right that the acquisitions door slammed shut for Black writers for ten years…except for me.
After ADAM AND EVA Harlequin did not accept another book from me if the main characters were not white. But l got around that by introducing important secondary characters who were Black.
One of my editors at Harlequin once shared with me that at one point early in my Harlequin career l was among their top 25 authors. But Harlequin was not going to tell me that or advertise to their readers that l was Black. This was confirmed in a chance encounter l had at an RWA conference in New York with a white reader!
I had a wonderful time early on with my career, and had amazing support from Kathryn Falk, some editors and publishers. But there were many opportunities that were not given me, because l was Black.
Thanks for the memories.
Sandra Kitt
This is a terrific read. Thank you!
Fantastic! Cannot wait for the Janet Dailey scandal piece! I’ve wanted to know more since Sarah and Jen (Fated Mates) interviewed Nora for their Trailblazers series! ❤️