The Top Ten Reasons Why I Love To Read And Write Romance

10. I’m such a girlie-girl.

Seriously, I’m not even going to tell you how old I was when I finally had to give up my Barbie dolls. (Buying new outfits and accessories for that chick was so much fun!) I will say that I soon found a grown-up way to still… err… play with dolls. (Yes, we call it collecting now.) And as long as some of them are porcelain and have an official certificate of authenticity or something, you’re cool. No one will know it’s because you’re a big ole girlie girl who still likes pretty dolls… wink wink…

9. I’m a sucker for love.

Give me any chance to sigh and say awwww and I will do it every time. It’s like a reflex, an impulse. I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to. Classic lines in romantic movies had me at hello. Sappy sweet romantic lyrics in love songs make my heart beat a little faster and my breath catch every time. And if the hero in a novel says the right thing at the right time to the heroine in the right way… Let’s just say I live for those moments and that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been devouring romance novels since the age of twelve.

8. I puffy-heart-love secret babies.

Some people can’t stand this tried and true romance storyline. I can honestly say that ever since I found out there was such a thing it has remained on of my all-time favorite romance storylines. I have no idea why. I don’t think it’s because I’m mean and like to say in the tone of nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah ‘She had your baby. She didn’t tell you.’ I don’t think I’m that mean… being a sucker for love and all... But I do know that when browsing through the books store and reading back cover blurbs, if I see a secret baby book, nine times out of ten it is coming home with me.

7. I blame Disney…

Just like every other little girl in American I was indoctrinated with fairy princesses and handsome princes from an early age. All I’m saying is very few women make it through this type of outright propaganda without having a thing for romance. Sure they don’t all grow up to read and write romance. But I’m just saying…

6. Nikki Giovanni said “black love is black wealth” and I believe her.

I honestly believe that the more stories we can tell and share about black folks falling in love and making it work can’t help but be a good thing. The more people we have believing in love in these times of war, poverty and disease the better.



5. I like a well-written love scene.

Sue me! I’m not going to lie about it. I know there are some women who could care less about the love scenes in romance novels. I’m not one of them. This isn’t to say that I can’t read and enjoy sweet romances or inspirational romances. I do because at the end of the day it’s the love story and the romance that I’m really after. But what made me sneak my mother’s romance novels at the age of twelve had more to do with those love scenes than not. I wanted to read them. I still want to read really good ones. And I like writing them. When you write a really good one, it’s almost like writing a really good poem. And when I have to stop and fan myself in the middle of reading one or writing one that’s better than… cake… wink, wink… I know you didn’t think I was going to say better than sex? They’re good but they aren’t that good. But when they’re really good they can serve as inspiration and that’s all I’m saying about that…

4. Happily ever after…

Yes, I still have a need to believe it exists and need constant confirmation and affirmation. Thus my steady diet of romance novels since around 1982. Maybe it has something to do with being a child of divorce living in the hood where there weren’t a large number of folks sticking together and making it work… I’m not going to psychoanalyze myself… But I will say that romance novels offer models of positive relationships, healthy loving relationships and people making it work. I like that.

3. My name is Gwyn and I’m a bookaholic.

When you’re a book junkie such as myself who enjoys pretty covers and has to constantly purchase new books all the time, romance novels provide a somewhat inexpensive fix. You can buy a lot of them and the mass-market size and prices take a while to really make your problem become noticeable. By the time anyone really realizes that you have a book-buying problem you could have thousands stashed here and there. And now that there are e-books, you could really satisfy your book jones without anyone being the wiser. Add when you add writing your own novels and holding your own book in your hands into the equation, we’re talking about a book high that surpasses all others. Yes, I have a problem. I know my addiction is bad. But they keep calling me… and calling me…

2. I like a good cry.

I really do. In addition to being a girlie-girl, I am so-oo corny. We’re talking crying at Hallmark commercials corny. If a romance novel makes me shed a tear, then that book has earned a place on my keeper shelf. I think that might be half the excitement of picking up a new book, I might get a tear or two out of it and a sigh. I know I love it when readers tell me something I wrote made them cry. I get all smiley-faced and gleeful. And I say, “No-oo... Really? What part?”

1. I love a good story.

And no matter what anyone says, I find them more times than not in the pages of romance novels. And I get to tell them when I write romance novels. And that is the number one reason why I love to read and write romance. What about you?

A Tale of Two Writers: Some Thoughts on My Double Life

Normally, I detest dichotomies. I firmly believe that things are never either/or, black or white, this way and never that way. I'd be the first person to argue that things are "more complicated" and there are always more than two sides to any story. So it seems only fitting in an entirely too ironic way that my life seems to have broken down into weird dualities that seem to be in constant opposition with one another.

There are three questions that I get asked all the time that I never really know how to answer. The first question has to do with the amount of reading I do. People always ask, how do you read so much and still find time to write anything? The second question has to do with writing? People want to know how do you move between fiction and nonfiction? The third question is related, but more focused on the career aspect. People want to know how do I navigate being a college professor and a romance writer? Since my first novel was published this past March and I've only been a published romance writer with books on the shelves a little under a year, I haven't been asked these questions a whole lot. (I mean, let's not get it twisted. A sister realizes that she hasn't had tons of interviews and media coverage. LOL.) But these questions have come up enough and the issues they bring up are starting to represent these seeming points of confliction in my life.

Check out the rest of this post on Blogging in Black:

http://blogginginblack.com/

Writing Erotic Romance

So it's December and it's the release month of my first erotic romance. And I've been seriously thinking about all the hoopla surrounding erotica and erotic romance. And I've been thinking of what I look for in a good erotic romance? As a matter of fact how do we even define erotic romance? Is there a difference between porn, erotica, erotic romance and sexy romance? Well, the special interest chapter of Romance Writers of America, Passionate Ink's president Sylvia Day breaks it down this way:

"Porn: stories written for the express purpose of causing sexual titillation. Plot, character development, and romance are NOT primary to these stories. They are designed to sexually arouse the reader and nothing else."

"Erotica: stories written about the sexual journey of the characters and how this impacts them as individuals. Emotion and character growth are important facets of a true erotic story. However, erotica is NOT designed to show the development of a romantic relationship, although it's not prohibited if the author chooses to explore romance. Happily Ever Afters are NOT an intrinsic part of erotica, though they can be included."

"Erotic Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT to be an erotic romance."

"Sexy Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship that just happen to have more explicit sex. The sex is not an inherent part of the story, character growth, or relationship development, and it could easily be removed or 'toned down' without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT as this is basically a standard romance with hotter sex.”

That sounds about right to me. (And that's saying a lot because usually I'm one to cringe at any attempts to define things.) But for this particular aspect of romance, I think a little definition is useful. First, it helps to have some guidelines for all those folks in the romance community that claim that erotica and erotic romance is ruining romance. The funny thing is these people never quite get that the powers that be see all of it as smut and porn for women any way. And the way to combat that kind of ignorance is not to try and stifle erotic romance or to try and define romance as only this and never that. But that's another post… The reason the Passionate Ink definitions work for me in ways that the failed Romance Writers of America attempts to define romance as a story of a relationship between and man and a woman didn't--besides the inherent homophobia in the RWA attempt--is that the Passionate Ink definitions lend themselves more readily to craft and structure. As a writer these work for me when I’m thinking about the kind of story I want to create. I know that if I can take the sex out of my story or tone down the sex in the story and still have the same story then I have not written an erotic romance. Writing erotic romance does not mean add hot sex in abundance and run with it. The sex has to be crucial to the plot and story. As a reader this is also useful, because it made me realize that I read some novels that claimed to be erotic romance when they were really just sexy romance. And I've read some erotica that is really just porn.

There have been lots of conversations about this in the romance community and I'm not sure where I fall in the debate. I do know that at the end of the day I want to read and write great stories, whether they be sweet romances or erotic romances. What do you think about it? Are romances getting a little too erotic for your taste? Too sexy? Where do you fall on the erotic romance may be the death of romance debate? Do you read spicier romances? If so, what draws you to them? If not, why?

And if you are interested in writing them, check out the special interest chapter of RWA, Passionate Ink.
http://www.passionateink.org/index.php

Happy writing and reading,

Gwyneth

Black on Black Crime (On Blogging in Black)

"You're headed for self destruction. You're headed for self destruction…"
"Stop the Violence," Human Edutainment Against Lies (HEAL)

"Don't you know we have to put our heads together... make the change, 'cause we're all in the same gang."
"We're All in the Same Gang," The West Coast Rap All Stars

In the eighties at the height of drive-by shootings, gang violence, and deadly fights at rap concerts, emcees came together on wax to create the anti-violence songs, "Stop the Violence" and "We're all in the Same Gang." There was a problem in our communities and artists came together using music to combat the problem. Now, I'm not saying that the rip-off of black authors by black presses is the equivalent to young brothers and sisters losing their lives to gun violence. (I would never say that.) And I'm not even saying that the black presses that have recently been accused of not paying their authors are only ripping off black authors. (I know that a few white authors and authors of other races have been victimized too.) I am saying that the majority of the authors being screwed by black presses are black authors. And therefore we can liken this rape and pillage of our labor and talents to a version of black on black crime.

I'm Blogging in Black today.

So, check out the rest of this post here:

http://blogginginblack.com/

Publishing While Black

"Yet do I marvel at this curious thing:
To make a poet black, and bid him sing!"
– “--Yet Do I Marvel,” Countee Cullen

As I think about what it means to be a black writer in the 21st century, I’'m reminded that many black writers before me have pondered the same question for their own times. So, I want to devote my first post to an examination of what shall here after be called, Publishing While Black (PWB). I believe it is important to have this conversation in a historicized and contextualized manner. I also think I should attempt this exploration divorced from my normal pessimistic viewpoint. (Yes. I’'m going to try and be objective y’'all.) Because, I truly believe that, while we have lots of things that still need to be changed, we also have so much that we can look at as real progress.

Now, I realize that PWB doesn’t have the same drawbacks and possibilities for being pulled over and harassed that Driving While Black has. However, I think we can see some similarities between the two in that both have their own sets of limits, expectations and frustrations. When you’re driving while black you know that you need to be very careful to stay within all limits because most times cops don’t even need a reason to pull you over. The color of your skin is reason enough. When you'’re publishing while black your very career may have limits based on the fact that somebody has already decided where your book should be shelved based on your skin color and in some cases what and who you should be writing about based on your skin color. When you'’re driving while black, you expect to be pulled over, might even be surprised when you’'re not. When you’'re publishing while black if you didn'’t expect things coming into the publishing game, you get acquainted quick fast and in a hurry once you get in. And both come with their own levels of frustration. These vary for writers depending on what they want out of their careers and the expectations they have. Black folk aren'’t monolithic and this is of course true for black writers. But I do think there is something to be gained from thinking about PWB in a historical context. What can we learn by looking at what black writers have had to face throughout time? How does that history help us to better contextualize the contemporary moment?

Read the rest of this post over at the exciting new blog : http://blogginginblack.com/

Possible Black Writers Group

If you are interested in forming a group that deals with the issues we face as black writers, go here and sign up. The more people we have providing input and insight at this moment the better.

Sign up here:

http://monicajackson.com/blackwriters.html

Or sign up here:

http://blogginginblack.com.blackwriters.html

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

What I really want to do is…

So, I have been thinking a lot lately about writing and what I want to write and how I want to promote myself as a writer. And I am struck by how very different the tones of my first three novels are and the fact that I don't see any of them as the one and only kind of writing I want to do. My first novel, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, is a light-hearted, almost sweet romance. (I say almost sweet because although the characters are younger and the novel has some sweet elements, they do have sex a couple of times.) My second novel, If Only You Knew, was more emotional and was nowhere near sweet.

I have had some readers who liked both of these novels even though they have different tones. And I have had some readers who preferred one and not the other for various reasons. A few readers didn't like If Only You Knew. But I’m not sure if they liked I'm Gonna Make You Love Me. In any case, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because my third novel will be out in December and it is a dark paranormal erotic romance. So I've been wondering what readers who loved my first novel or my second novel might think about Divine Destiny. Personally, I feel that although the tones are very different in each book, my voice is the same. —Whatever that means...

I think that my writing three very different books when I’m just starting as a writer could prove to be an interesting experiment. I'm too new to really have an audience or a fan base. So, it’s not like readers are going to be used to me writing X and get upset when I come along with Y. But I just might make a few readers upset who come to Divine Destiny expecting the same lighthearted read they got in I’m Gonna Make You Love Me. I don't know. And I’m trying not to stress out about it. Because, what I really want to do is write whatever stories come to my mind and write them well. I hope that readers will take the ride with me or take the ride they feel comfortable with and allow me the chance to try new things even if all they really want is for me to write another sweet romantic comedy, or another gritty paranormal erotic romance. The truth is, I like to write both of these and I also love to write emotional and passionate traditional Harlequin-presents type romances like If Only You Knew. Who knows what else is in this head of mine. I can't wait to see…

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

My First Author Chat!

Well, I had my very first author chat on Sexy Ebony BBW African American Book Club’s website tonight. It went really well if I do say so myself. I was a little nervous because in a chat room you can’t see faces or read expressions and you don’t really know who is who. But I’d had some interactions with the women who showed up to chat on other occasions. So, that was good. And everyone was so nice! We talked about everything and even went over the alloted hour. We just had a nice conversation.

I have to say that the e-mails I get from readers, my experience with Sista Chat Book Club in Buffalo and now my chat with Sexy Ebony BBW are the kinds of moments that I enjoy most about being a writer. The deadlines are for the birds. And the nervous jitters I get as I wait to see what folk will say about the work suck too. But writing the stories in my head and connecting with the people who read them and liked what I wrote is priceless. I’m feeling so happy right now I don’t know what to do. Sexy Ebony BBW also has reviews and featured books and authors. It is a nice resource for readers. Check them out here:

http://www.sexyebonybbwaabookclub.com/

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Chilling with Sista Chat Book Club

Last night I had the most wonderful time discussing my two novels, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me and If Only You Knew, with the Sista Chat Book Club of Buffalo. These women showed me so much sisterhood. And I felt so at home that I almost forgot we were talking about my books! I got so caught up in the discussion that all my nervous feelings about having my "babies" discussed by others went away. You know sisters will tell it like it is. So, I had been nervous all day thinking that they may hate the books and wonder why they invited me in the first place. But we all had a good time talking about the books. Some of the members loved Alicia and she got on some of their nerves. Most of the members loved them some Darren. Some members liked Carlton and others threatened to "cut him" if they had been Latonya. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I can't wait to get the pictures developed so I can post them on my website. I think that Black women's book clubs are the corner stone of the new black literature renaissance we are currently experiencing. And I'm so glad that Sista Chat was my first book club experience. So Sista Chat, thanks so much for showing a sista some love! You women are awesome!

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Not everyone will love you. . .

Writing romance novels has helped me fulfill both my biggest dream and my biggest nightmare. The dream part is wonderful. I love writing stories. I love sharing them with readers. The nightmare part is a bit much. Being ass-out for the world to see and putting my work out there for everyone is hard. I have never felt so vulnerable. Having no control over how your work is perceived is nerve wracking. And then there is the fact that the people who love you work are never the ones who go on Amazon and write reviews. It’s always the person who hated your novel who goes on-line and writes a term paper all about how much they hated it.

My latest novel is truly one of those novels that people will either love or hate. There won’t be any neutral feelings about this one. And I’m glad about that. Part of the reasons why people will either love it or hate it have to do with the fact that it is a character driven novel and the characters don’t always follow the actions that we would like them to. The hero, Carlton Harrington III has some issues. So does the heroine. Their ride to love is a little bumpy. One thing I wanted to explore in the novel is the whole whirlwind courtship. You know, when people meet and fall in love in the space of a month. I wanted to look at what happens after the wedding and happily ever after.

When I read a review that says that If Only You Knew was not a romance novel, I don’t know what to do with that. My first response is who died and made you the queen of romance. The genre itself is wide open and has a variety of subfields in it. So it may not be the romance that you like, but it is a romance. The last time I checked the only hard and fast rule for romance was the happily ever after. Everything else is up for grabs. So we can have sweet romances, romantic suspense, and paranormal romances. We can even have romance novels where the hero or heroine may not be the most likable person in the world, as long as he or she is redeemed at the end. I think my hero does redeem himself, but I will leave it up to readers to decide. It’s just hard for me to take reviews seriously when they say things like ‘this is not romance.’

It’s also hard to take a review seriously is the reader has written all glowing reviews for one author and no other reviews until they write the one negative review for another up and coming author. That’s all I’ll say about that.

All in all, I really knew going in that not everyone is going to love everything I write. But I know that I stayed true to the story that the characters told through me. I know that the characters come off the page and they are vibrant. That’s why they get such strong reactions. I know that I still love to write even though this being vulnerable stuff is for the birds. And I want to thank all the readers who have taken the time to write me and let me know how much they loved If Only You Knew and the readers who went on Amazon.com and wrote both good and bad reviews. Because you see, every time a reader takes the time and energy to write something about my work it lets me know that I sparked something in them. So far they aren’t saying she can’t write. They are saying they hate the hero. And that’s cool. Hate it or love it, I’m published! And that has always been my dream. I guess I’ll have to take the good with the bad.

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