There's an interesting discussion going on over at Dear Author about cultural appropriation in the romance genre. On the heels of
Racefail 09 which happened over in the SF genre, it's quite refreshing to read another call to action for more diverse characters.
The comments didn't take long to be derailed but some of it got back on track to talk about the issue at hand. Most particularly depressing was author Jade Lee's experience at Harlequin which ended up in having to use the pen name of Kathy Lyons because Jade Lee was "tainted as too Asian".
I've heard of many authors who have had a hard time selling diverse stories and characters to New York. Many mainstream agents and authors say they "can't connect to" or "sell" stories that feature characters of color and it's a shame because that's shutting down not only a demographic but also a new voice.
Science fiction had their own situation earlier this year. For a rundown check out Fan History's thread on the subject with a compilation of many links.
http://www.fanhistory.com/wiki/Race_Fail_2009After reading the sad display of ignorance from many of the authors who seem perfectly clueless, I had to yank a lot of titles and authors from my list. It was sad to read such disparaging remarks to people aimed at me as if I was subhuman and just plain stupid. Not only have I removed authors, I've also removed a major sci-fi publishing company from my submission list due to the crazy postings of the editors in charge there.
Science fiction has always been my greatest love along with fantasy because of how open to discussions of diversity and humanity can be acknowledged there. I've been on an X-Men kick for the past few days, even watching the old 90s show, and it was awesome to see again because these discussions need to be out in the open. The speculative genre is ripe for this because SF has always had a history of being able to discuss matters in a context that mirrored our own via an allegory. I'm glad RaceFail 09 happened because the after effects are still being talked about in the open and many authors and readers are forced to look at the situation.
Now it's romance's turn.
I haven't been reading romance as long as some of my romance fan friends but I have enjoyed the genre recently because I've found some great stories there. A romance blog named Dear Author recently had a guest blogger by pen name of "Handy Hunter" wrote an awesome post ab0ut the lack of diversity in romance today. Naturally in these discussions I expect tons of derailment and posters being on the defense to prove that the poster is wrong wrong wrong! but there are a good amount of posts that stay on topic and actually have a discussion about the problematic things brought up. Check out the full post here:
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/10/27/a-special-guest-post-on-cultural-appropriation-by-handyhunterMany of the authors in the posts who have tried to sell diverse stories to NY are not surprising but still disheartening. Mainstream publishing is a big giant lead by corporations and the media who have a certain point of view and believe they are right in that point of view no matter what.
That's why I love the smaller press and e presses. I've had much fortune being able to place my books and stories with some great editors who are open to stories with voices and characters of color that aren't shown in the typical fashion. For instance, I love interracial romance and stories that feature IR couples in suspense, futuristic and other settings and genres. I write about that and I've been fortunate enough to have a diverse readership who enjoy my stories. I try to buy the same to support the authors who are also writing such stories. It does get disheartening when I can't find such stories or authors but the more I dig, the more I find some great recs.
Eirelander Publishing, the new publisher I just signed with recently, is blowing me out of the water. Some of my fellow author friends have books coming out within the sci-fi romance genre with interracial couples, characters of color and such diversity that it makes me want to sing. Plus these are amazing stories! Our editor, Lee, is all about story and world building with strong, complex characters so I know there are going to be some strong stuff coming out.
Already on the list are
Annie Nicholas' Red Dawn and
Sandra Sookoo's Blink, both sci-fi romances with diverse characters/main characters of color and/or IR couples at the forefront; A Feast of Shadows, my dystopia sci-fi with romantic elements featuring a Native American/Egyptian heroine and a Chinese hero; there's also a paranormal erotic romance by
Charisma Knight called Soul Seduction featuring an IR couple. Author Aasiyah Qamar's recent release
Light My World takes place on the western coast of Mauritius, a multicultural island with a really rich history. Check out the making of the story:
http://aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com/makingoflightmyworld.htmThe good news is that the publishing industry is changing in so many ways that we can't imagine. With the advent and rise of digital publishing, self-publishing and publishing in the new media, many more authors are having their stories told. Just this week two more small presses geared toward speculative fiction popped up. I was so excited because many of the small presses are geared toward romance, erotica or horror. It's great to see more publishers focusing on science fiction and fantasy. The obstacles and walls that keep just a few voices and authors past its gates are shutting down as we speak. It may be a scary time for readers who want some kind of screening system for their work but if Philip Roth is correct about the novel being only for a core niche group (which is a bit scary in itself), there won't be much to worry about.
In my blog hopping I'm finding a lot of wonderful reads based on recommendations alone. Even though romance and science fiction haven't been quite diverse as it could be, the Young Adult genre has been much more open thanks to blogs like Color Online, Reading in Color and YA author Justine Larbalestier's blog where they all chat about books that feature characters of color at the forefront.
Things may seem quite hopeless at times and I can see how young authors who want to write diverse characters or characters of color that reflect themselves may want to give up. But don't. Even if you can't get into NY, there's a ton of smaller presses who are open to taking a risk in releases the stories. The only other obstacles are getting readers who aren't used to or seek out such books because they are comfortable reading about their experiences and culture. Discussions like this help ease those folks on in and open their eyes to other stories in the world. We may have to work extra hard at getting books in those people's hands but at least a dialogue is going on to show that more diversity and representation for people of color are necessary, especially in this day and age with more multicultural families and couples rising.
If you're new to my blog, feel free to hang around a bit. I interview a host of authors with some great books and I currently have a bunch of great books in my reading pile that feature tons of characters from different cultures and backgrounds that I'm happy to post about. I'm also at work on an essay for a current academic romance journal on IR and its reflections on contemporary society.
Here's the spiffy cover art and blurb for Within the Shadows of Mortals (Book 2 in the Ashen Twilight Series) coming 2010.
This month we have another wonder trailblazing author at A Writer's Dream. I'm so excited every time I spotlight an author here because I discover such a great variety of books with wonderful fresh voices. Author Elissa Gabrielle is no exception. A prolific author and poet, Elissa's current release is A Whisper to A Scream which is a blend of contemporary romance and suspense with a hint of IR, both of my favorite romance subgenres.
