Spotlight on Black Indie Romance Authors

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In June, I put together a feature of Black indie Science Fiction and Fantasy authors, because indie SFF is my jam.  But romance is my jam, too, and I wanted to do another feature to promote Black indie authors in that genre as well. As I said in my last post, "The growth of the indie book industry has been due in large part to BIPOC authors who have historically struggled to find fair and equal representation in the traditional publishing industry. In response, they created new means by which to tell and distribute their stories to the masses. Without BIPOC authors, the small publishing and self-publishing world wouldn't have the success, massive selection, diversity, and growing respect it's earning today." This holds true for the Romance genre as well, and I'm excited to share some great authors with you today.

G.L. Tomas is a USA Today bestselling Afro-Cubana twin writing duo and lover of all things blerdy, fearless and fun. When they're not spending their time crafting swoon-worthy heroes, they're battling alien forces in other worlds but occasionally take days off in search mom and pop spots that make amazing pasteles and tostones fried to perfection.

They host salsa lessons and book boyfriend auditions in their secret headquarters located in Connecticut.

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebelliouscupid/

Follow them on  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dos_Twinjas

I asked G.L. if it was possible to summarize their goals or compose a sort of "mission statement" about their writing and books, and here's what they said: 

When my sister and I started writing romance, we didn't know what we were doing. Should we use this trope? Should we write in that genre? After a few years away from the pen, the only thing clear to us was that we wanted the romances we crafted to feature Black female heroines throughout the diaspora and the partners who celebrate and uplift them.As darker-skinned Black Latinx women, sometimes there’s this feeling we can’t shake that often we’re the last chosen, and we just wanted to write romances that challenged that. We wanted to write kissing books that made our readership feel not just tolerated, but cherished and loved.The thing we love about being indie is that we can write cultures, skin tones, and body types that aren’t always celebrated in mainstream romances. We can put cultures together that aren’t common (Did someone say Rwandan and British-Pakistani???) and through our researching character’s heritage, we can also teach people willing to take a chance on our books something new and exciting.There are also going to be other talented authors doing the same work, but we hope with our unique experience of being Black Latinxs, our efforts shine through in a way that is unifying!

About their latest book:

Luz De Los Santos thought her job was easy.

Being the Sex and Relationship Director of Modern Magazine, no one knew the art of dating and hookups like she did.

When the commitment-phobe Afro-Dominicana gets singled out by her editor to write a challenging column for the coveted, annual Valentine’s issue, Luz is forced to confront her issues about relationships with her newly pitched project.

The Love Bet.

Is it possible to fall in love by the third screw? Maybe.

But she’s not holding her breath once she recruits her blast from the past, Evan Cattaneo to help test her theory.

Evan regrets the way things ended between him and Luz. The girl who charmed him all those years ago was now grown and sexy and has him more than ready to aid Luz in her little experiment.

Only his plans won’t stop at just f*cking her. Nope, he plans to make her fall in love again. It’s only a matter of time before loving between the sheets turns into stealing kisses in the streets.

When emotions get wild and feelings grow deep, will the insecurities of Luz’s past come back to haunt them?

Purchase link:

https://books2read.com/u/bPKyBR

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Rashida T. Williams has been crafting stories for as long as she can remember. Over the years she developed a passion for writing, in part, because it allowed her to combine her two favorite genres: romance and fantasy.

When she's not writing she can be found playing video games, binge watching romantic movies, and looking for any excuse to cosplay. She lives in Florida with her loving husband who encourages all of her shenanigans

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rtwllms
Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rtwllms

About her book:

Emory hates his job—almost as much as he hates being called “Cupid.” Tasked with spreading love throughout the Earth realm, Emory wields his arrows with reckless abandon and matches couples based solely on their entertainment value. On the same day his impulsive behavior triggers an audit, he accidentally breaks the heart of his most dependable client, Blair.

Blair completely loses her ability to feel love and desire, and as her matchmaker, Emory expects her to be furious. Instead, she agrees to help him salvage his floundering career on one condition. He must find her the perfect man. Emory sets out on a frantic search for her soulmate, and Blair seems to find amusement in the diversion. But as the barrier surrounding Blair’s broken heart grows stronger, she is unable to connect with suitor after suitor, leaving Emory to console her after each failed match.

Emory and Blair’s unexpected bond turns into friendship, and soon Emory finds himself falling in love with the one woman who can’t love him back. In a race against time, Emory must mend Blair’s broken heart before her condition becomes irreversible…and before the audit committee banishes him for this grave error.

Purchase Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Rashida-T.-Williams/e/B07ZRWY96B

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beaus-and-arrows-rashida-t-williams/1134470797

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/beaus-and-arrows

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Dahlia Rose is the USA Today best-selling multi genre author from Urban fantasy to Romance

with a hint of Caribbean spice. She was born and raised on the Caribbean island of Barbados and now currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her life revolves around her five kids, who she affectionately nicknamed “The Children of the Corn” and her husband and longtime love who is also a honorable retired Army veteran.

She has a love of dark fantasy, sci-fi, and the things that go bump in the night. With over seven dozen books published Dahlia has become a reader favorite. Not only because of her writing but her vivacious attitude in talking to her fans online and at various events. Her books feature strong heroines with a Caribbean or African American culture, that is showcased in the vibrancy of her words. Books and writing are her biggest passions, and she hopes to open your imagination to the unknown between the pages of her books.

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dahliarose1029

Dahlia's website: https://dahliaroseunscripted.com/

About Her Latest Book:

Summer cookoff time! Dae Shaw was going to enter this year and she would be bringing the fire with her Granny Fran's super-secret cookbook recipes. Grannie Fran didn’t mention that the cookbook passed down through the family was charmed. At the cook off, everyone wanted a taste, and the consequences, started with flowers, then cards and unwanted advances rolling in. The drop-dead sexy Councilman, Shawn Kingsley was one of the judges at the cookout and he's one of her suitors. Dae isn’t to upset about that at all.

 But when her nemesis Jane Moore whose food reflected her personality… nasty accuses her of cheating for one and stealing the man of her dream in the councilman. Dae was over it all and was ready to give everyone that damn antidote. But what if all of Shawn’s sweet kisses and caresses were all because of a spell and not because of her? Dae needed to see the truth even if it meant the heart between them would fizzle. She only hoped the cookbook had a recipe for curing a broken heart.

Purchase Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D3XHQNG/