Black Romance Anthology

Two of my favorite romance authors, Niobia Bryant and Kim Louise, are putting together an anthology on Black romance. If you have a story to send be sure to send it. It looks like a wonderful project! See the call below.

Nationally bestselling and award-winning authors Niobia Bryant and Kim Louise are seeking submissions of short stories for an upcoming African-American romance anthology.

We want to showcase the very best romance authors out there, whether published or unpublished. We are looking for stories that capture the very essence of a loving relationship and will resonate and remain with the reader long after they close the book. This anthology is an attempt to honor the romance writers who blazed the way, uplift the writers of today, and open the doors for those to come. We want an anthology that will properly represent the African-American romance genre in the same tradition that contemporary African-American fiction was represented by Terry Mcmillan's Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction and Clarence Major's Calling the Wind:Twentieth Century African-American Short Stories.
                             
Anthology Concept
* We prefer at  least one love scene--all levels of sensuality accepted.
(UPDATE: love scenes are not required for sweet and tender romance stories and inspirationals.  We're leaving the insertion of the love scene up to the writer for those type of stories.)

* The relationships must be heterosexual.

* Stories should be in one of the following genres: . 

Contemporary Romance - Romantic Suspense or Romantic Comedy
Futuristic Romance (science fiction)
Paranormal Romance
Fantasy Romance
Historical Romance
Chick-Lit
Inspirational
Interracial (One of the characters must be African-American)

Submission Guidelines
* All stories must be written in proper manuscript formatting--12pt. Courier New, double spaced with one-inch margins.

* Stories should be 2500 - 3500 words (10-14 pages with proper formatting)

* E-mail your story to BlackRomanceAnthologies@yahoo.com. No attachments will be accepted. Please paste your submission into the body of the e-mail. Any stories sent as an attachment will be deleted. Please put SUBMISSION in the subject line.

* Be sure to include your name, contact information, and your story's genre WITH THE STORY. The final selection process will take a while, so if your contact information changes, please keep us informed.

* Only original stories that have not been published in any format are allowed.

* Just one story per author and please submit to us exclusively.

* All stories may be edited for content and length.

* Submissions  will be accepted June 1, 2006 until September 1, 2006.


Compensation
* There will be a payment for each story accepted for the final publication. Each contributor will receive copies of the completed project and a payment of $100.00.

* Also every contributor will be able to include a bio in the Contributors Section of both the book and the offical web site.

Hot Summer Reading

There are several hot and exciting releases this summer for the African American romance reader. I have been taking a little "me time" and reading a lot lately. Here are some of the really good books I've read lately:

Heated, Niobia Bryant
Again, Sharon Cullars
Truth or Dare, Delilah Dawson
Solid Soul, Brenda Jackson
Flamingo Place, Marcia King-Gamble
Mr. Right Now, Monica Jackson
Her Secret Life, Gwynne Forster
A Moment on the Lips, Phyllis Williams
The Durango Affair, Brenda Jackson

These are just a few of the romance novels I've read lately and loved. My own If Only You Knew was a part of the Kimani Romance launch with Brenda Jackson, Marcia King Gamble and Gwynne Forster. If you have some time this summer pick up all four books and read them.

I'm heading out to the book store today to see if they have L. A Bank's latest on the shelves yet. And I also hope to pick up a copy of Ann Christopher's Trouble.

Happy reading,

Gwyneth

Some thoughts on African American romance

I have been reading romance novels from the time I was twelve. My mom used to subscribe to Harlequin Presents and then she started getting the first silhouette American when they came out in the 80s. Okay, I'm dating myself. I guess I have always had a soft spot in my heart for a great love story, even before I was really old enough to know what a "great love" was supposed to be. In the 90s when the first African American romances were published I was in my twinkling twenties and knew all about love--yeah right. Anyway, I was so happy to finally be able to read about people who looked liked me falling in love. I subscribed to Arabesque and started my African American Romance collection. Several years and book cases later, my collection is very impressive. I have so many favorite writers that I don't know what to do. And I'm a romance writer now. I have two romance novels published so far and a few more coming out this coming winter. I feel blessed to be a part of such a growing field as a reader and a writer. So, I'm devoting this blog space to something I love African American romance. I'll post my thoughts on great books I've read and keep readers posted on my own novels. I'll more than likely have posts that look at African American romance novels, love songs, cinema--you name it. It's all black love, all the time. So check in from time to time and check me out.

much love and peace,

Gwyneth