Shewanda Pugh's Blog: The Wandering Mind of a Romance Writer - Posts Tagged "urban-lit"

Today I'm pondering the perceived or actual obligation black authors have in their portrayal of black characters in fiction. An equally compelling argument exists for the desire to promote a more positive image of black America while at the same time, the realities of life for so many can't be ignored. Any black author whose creations slant towards "realism" and has queried a number of black publishers has faced the lecture of "positivity." When shopping around Crimson Footprints, my agent and I generally got positive feedback with the caveat that we should change the location--"too gritty"--the family background (um, kind of important), and so on. I wholeheartedly believe that there's a place for positive black fiction, but that said place is not on the toes of all others.

To some degree, I would wager that any novelist choosing to write about interracial romances sours at the thought of stereotypes. For these writers, the idea of each character fitting into a pre-made box easily labeled by any reader is something to abhor. Perhaps I should back up.
I’ve been asked time and again where the inspiration for my characters comes from. In my debut, Crimson Footprints, Deena Hammond is a woman of color and an architect. In reality, less than 25% of all architects are women and less than 2% are African American. Although I’ve heard a great many theories as to why this may be, I’ll leave the experts to surmise a credible answer.
But I digress. How was it that Deena Hammond as architect came to be? Well, in her earliest stages Deena went through several careers. She was a grad student in political science and a mid-level manager in a huge corporation, before “architect” fell into place. You may notice that none of her positions feature stellar representation for her demographic, but then again, which are the ones that do?
Let’s take a look at another character with a less than likely career. Takumi Tanaka, Deena’s beau, is a Japanese American guy with bohemian swag whose never worked a hard day in his life. Yes, he’s managed to chalk out a living as an up-and-coming painter, but a fat trust fund has ensured that he’ll never need work.
So, what’s my point? In an upcoming 7 book series, I explore the relationship of an African American girl and an Asian Indian boy who fall in love after growing up in two close knit families. In another, a down south Carolina boy with a “South will rise” attitude falls for the sister who moves in next door, turning families and town upside down. I say all that, to say this. Love is never just love. And stereotypes are boring.