Racism In Romance Novels

Folks within the romance novel community have been talking about the RWA (Romance Writers of America) Rita Awards. A Black person has never won this prestigious romance award. A friend of mine shared this article with me. It’s a very informative article that gives a rundown of the history of African-Americans within the romance genre. I do recall some of the events in this article. Some of these events occurred before I joined the writing community.

One reason why I use silhouettes on the covers of all of my indie-pubbed romance titles is because I want ALL RACES to read my romance stories. I believe that most romance readers can relate to the stories that I’ve created.

I’ve blogged about similar topics here (see links at the end of this post):

Yes, I realize it’s a LONG LIST, but, I’ve been blogging (sporadically) for over thirteen years! The subject of race often comes up in the fiction publishing world, and it’s a subject which needs to be discussed!

http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2013/08/african-american-novels-by-white-authors.html

http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2013/02/posts.html

http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2010/01/bloomsbury-publishing.html

http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2009/12/should-publishers-get-rid-of-african.html

This was a post to which I referred in one of my blog posts – its’ hilarious!

http://crimesistahs.blogspot.com/2008/12/welcome-to-black-book-section-enjoy.html

 

http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2008/11/should-black-books-be-segregated.html

http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2007/02/shelving-black-books.html

http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2007/02/black-authors.html

http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2012/03/love-inspired-novels-with-african.html

Loving Luke – Now Available In Print!

I hope each of you has been having a good week! It’s in the sixties here in Maryland, and I’m glad to see the temps warming up!

Over, the last few years, since I’ve started indie-publishing, I’ve had readers to ask when my indie books would be available in print. Well, Loving Luke is now available in print! I plan on placing my other novels in print as time permits, either later this year or next year! Even if you’ve already read Loving Luke, you can purchase a print copy for a friend, relative, or church sister! Books make great gifts all year around!

Back to School and a Cool Book Sale!

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Spring-News-.html?soid=1102534574151&aid=TciQ_4ljXtc

Philippians 4:13 New King James Version (NKJV)
13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
That scripture comes to mind when I think about my plans for the future. So much has been going through my mind lately, and, as I get older, I find that there are things that I want to do while I’m on this God-given earth.
I’m going back to school in May 2019 – I’ll be earning my Master’s Degree in Accounting and Financial Management at the University of Maryland (my alma mater). I’ll also be taking the CPA exam after I’ve completed my degree (if I still desire to sit for the exam after I get my Master’s). I’d been researching graduate school when I was in my late twenties, but, I started writing instead! The writing took over and I just pushed graduate school into the background.
While I’m in school, I’ll still be releasing new material! I recently got the rights back to all of my contemporary romance novels that were published by traditional publishers. I’ll be re-releasing those titl es while I’m in school.
By the way, Barbour Publishing recently placed The Underground Railroad Brides Collection on sale! Come check out this wonderful collection and if you’ve already read it, I highly encourage you to get a copy for a friend or loved one! The sale is only valid via the link above – the reduced price is NOT on Amazon or other book retailers.

 

I hope all of you enjoy your week! Spring is in the air….will you be planting a garden this year?

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses

 

 

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses Podcast

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like sweet wholesome romance then give our Amazon bestselling titles a try!

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses

Have you ever dated a wealthy man?

I read this book because I kept seeing this author’s name whenever I searched for Christmas romance books. It was a fun, sweet read!

When Abbey is hired to decorate Nick’s home, it’s like a dream come true! Abbey has always wanted to be an interior designer and she’s currently a nurse to Nick’s elderly aunt. Abbey is a single mom, and she wants to provide the best that she can for her six-year-old son, Max. Her grandfather’s health is failing and she wants to provide the best care as possible for him, too.

Nick and Abbey clash at first. Nick is used to throwing money around to make people happy. He’s mesmerized when he finds that Abbey views happiness a different way – he’s curious about his new designer and he’s unsure what to do with these newfound feelings. Abbey is drawn to Nick as well, but, feels that they are mismatched since they are so different. She doesn’t want her son Max to get too close to Nick – Max is fatherless and he is drawn to having a nice, wealthy male figure in his life. She wants to protect Max from getting hurt. What’ll happen if Nick and Abbey are unable to resolve their differences?

I really liked this clean, sweet read. It was festive and had so many Christmas elements entwined within the story. I especially enjoyed seeing Max’s reaction to seeing Santa Claus. Abbey wants her son to have a nice, memorable Christmas, and she’s doing all within her power to be sure her son is happy. She does the best that she can, but, she realizes that her son is missing out on some things since he doesn’t have a father.

I think the author did a really great job in showing how hard it can be to be a struggling single mom.  Abbey obviously places her son’s happiness above her own, and she hopes she can raise him best that she can. I also understood why Nick didn’t always view things the way Abbey did. He’s used to having his money to make things better, and it’s hard for him to imagine what life is like when you can’t always buy the things that you need.

Overall a great sweet story!

So, have you ever dated a rich man? If so, how long did you date? Did you marry?

This blog post was sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like wholesome sweet stories such as Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses then you will LOVE our Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses! Tell your friends by forwarding this blog post!