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.