Long Week, But Good Book

It's been a very long week.  Once I had the idea to focus the Octoberr 15th ATBF on the marketing of "African American Romance," I then had to go out and get people to write segments.  Pulling together lots of different views all without too much nagging isn't always easy, but in this case it was all worth it.  I'm very pleased at how the column turned out.

I'm fairly certain many of those who surf Romance blogs will be shocked at the inclusion of a certain AA writer as a collaborator in the column, but from my end I can only say that it was an incredibly positive experience.  And not only that, I had the opportunity to read an advance copy by this author of her very good December release! 

I spoke with Arabesque's long-time publisher, Linda Gill, reader/blogger Karen Scott (her It's My Blog, and I'll Say What I Want To is one I read often), long-time AAR visitor Senetra Herndon, reader Sandy W, and authors Wayne Jordan (whose first Arabesque will be released next month) and...Monica Jackson.  That's right, folks, the two of us exchanged a great many emails this past week, and while I can't speak for both of us, I enjoyed myself. 

Later in the week Monica sent me a PDF ARC of her December release, Mr. Right Now. I talk about it briefly in the column, but wanted to mention it here as well because it was such a fun, and might I add, quick (as in it reads quickly and never dragged), read.  It's a paranormal with sexual references as explicit as Romantica, but I'm not exactly sure if it would be classified as Romantica by publisher Dafina (an imprint of Kensington).  I think it easily could have been published by Kensington's Brava imprint, but Dafina is Kensington's AA imprint, part and parcel of the entire "Black/White" divide I talk about in the column.

What made this book work for me when an earlier book by Jackson didn't is that the author's voice is so genuine in Mr. Right Now. And while it's impossible to call a paranormal romance "believable," there was no air of soap opera, which, to be honest, was my major complaint with that earlier release.  If Jackson's other books are as fresh and fun as her December release is, I'll be searching out her backlist.  And though I know it goes against my "if an author tries to hurt AAR, I won't buy them"  stance, I'm choosing to believe that the Jackson v LLB era is over.  If I'm wrong about that, well...I'll cross that bridge if and only if it comes to that. But it's hard to believe that two people could be so honest and open with one another over a fairly lengthy exchange of emails and come out the other end unchanged in our beliefs.  I know mine changed.

I never know how single topic ATBF's will go over with our readership, and when they are on "important issues," even less so.  And given the possibility for devisiveness of this particular ATBF, it's hard to know what may happen.   I tried to be very clear that everybody commenting on the topic needed to stay focused and be as respectful as possible to other's opinions, but it wouldn't be the first time a MB discussion went where I didn't want it to go.  If that happens, I will have a huge argument within myself between simply shutting it down and adhering to the free speech principles upon which I built AAR.  I hope it won't come to that because, between you and me, I'm not sure which part of my brain would win out.  If all hell does break loose and lines are crossed that shouldn't be, though, it may just simply be a function of my job as monitor of our boards in that our policies clearly state that no poster "restrict or inhibit any other user from using or enjoying these boards," and further, that no poster "post or transmit any...abusive...defamatory...information." Again, let's hope that doesn't happen.

Be sure to read the column, and then comment on it on the ATBF MB!  See you there.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit