Shawna Hunter's Blog - Posts Tagged "poc"
Diversity
I was just commenting on a blog about getting more diverse winners for some romance award (see my twitter) and the suggestion was to create a "diversity romance" category. That irked me because it focuses on the author over the work but also because I wouldn't want my books in such a category. Yes I write diverse characters but that does not and should not define my work. For example:
The book I'm trying to get published, A Girl Named Flower, is about Jane Chen (from Submission Backstory) and her girlfriend Abeba (a tongueless black lesbian from Ethiopia who escaped a sex trafficking ring that caught her shorty after she came to America) trying to build a new life in Brooke's Hollow while hiding from a hitman (sent by the traffickers) and making a royal mess of it. Neither woman is defined by any of the above information. Abeba is strong, funny, caring and a great listener. Jane is manipulative and scheming but she's also a protector who is willing to put herself in danger for her love.
It's an erotic BDSM/Romance/Crime thriller. The identities of the main characters don't change that. If it were ever put up for an award I'd want it to be for one of these categories not for having an interracial couple. It's the same reason Master May I? Was nominated in Advanced BDSM for the Golden Floggers and not LGBT BDSM. despite Alyssa being torn between her attractions to a man and a woman (she is bisexual). Hell that's not even the main POINT of the plot.
Perhaps I am old fashioned in this regard. The world today does seem to be all about identity but for me the story matters, not the author. I don't choose to read a book based on who wrote it but on what its about and I wouldn't want someone to read one of my books for any other reason than that they want to read the story. Yes I have black characters, asian characters, gay and bisexual characters, disabled characters, etc, etc, etc but these are CHARACTERS. They have names, personalities, quirks. They are no more defined by what they are than I am.
And I would never want to change that.
The book I'm trying to get published, A Girl Named Flower, is about Jane Chen (from Submission Backstory) and her girlfriend Abeba (a tongueless black lesbian from Ethiopia who escaped a sex trafficking ring that caught her shorty after she came to America) trying to build a new life in Brooke's Hollow while hiding from a hitman (sent by the traffickers) and making a royal mess of it. Neither woman is defined by any of the above information. Abeba is strong, funny, caring and a great listener. Jane is manipulative and scheming but she's also a protector who is willing to put herself in danger for her love.
It's an erotic BDSM/Romance/Crime thriller. The identities of the main characters don't change that. If it were ever put up for an award I'd want it to be for one of these categories not for having an interracial couple. It's the same reason Master May I? Was nominated in Advanced BDSM for the Golden Floggers and not LGBT BDSM. despite Alyssa being torn between her attractions to a man and a woman (she is bisexual). Hell that's not even the main POINT of the plot.
Perhaps I am old fashioned in this regard. The world today does seem to be all about identity but for me the story matters, not the author. I don't choose to read a book based on who wrote it but on what its about and I wouldn't want someone to read one of my books for any other reason than that they want to read the story. Yes I have black characters, asian characters, gay and bisexual characters, disabled characters, etc, etc, etc but these are CHARACTERS. They have names, personalities, quirks. They are no more defined by what they are than I am.
And I would never want to change that.
