Like most, I’ve seen the discussions, debates and anger fly back and forth on the issue of racism in the publishing industry. Some I agree with, some I don’t. All in all. Eh. Face it, you’re not going to get anyone to like your stories by holding a gun to their heads and the most racist person in the world don’t think they are and that’s on both sides of the fence. But there are some slow changes in the industry. There ARE African American writers that are making the NYT and USA Today list-whether you agree with the subject matter or not.

What tickles me in some of these interviews on predominately white book review sites are the questions posed to African American writers. “What race/color are majority of your characters?”

Why don’t you ask the white writers this question?

And not just any white writer, but female white writers? (that’s a little hard to say.)

I say this because I’ve become keenly aware that when I read, King, Koontz, Patterson, Lehane, Flynn, Harlan and Farris-that there are black people in their books. And they are written and described in ways that don’t offend me. Whether the characters are main secondary characters or the just the chick that gives you change in a grocery store-there are other races in these men’s books.

The women? Are apparently writing with blinders on.

As of 2004-it was reported that Hispanics are the largest minority in America, but where are they in the pages from our contemporary romance writers? And before you ask: Yes, I tend to place not only white characters in my books-but Hispanics, Asians and Middle Eastern characters. Why? Because these are the characters I see when I step outside my door.

I was reading one popular female writer whose series revolve around a major league football team. C’mon. There are NO black men on a major league FOOTBALL team? Who in the hell is she fooling? But then I remembered a review of an Arabesques author some years back where her characters were quite wealthy and the reviewer unabashedly stated that it was unrealistic. It’s like if the characters don’t have a ball or a microphone in their hands there is no way they are wealthy. I don’t about you, but I know plenty of wealthy black people. We aren’t all drug dealers and street walkers. We are doctors, lawyers, politicians, reporters, real estate investors, stock traders, restaurant owners-the list is endless-and if they stop a minute, they know that’s true.
And yet, we seem to be invisible in their pages.
Now, in the 80s, there was a crazy amount of books involving Sheiks. Trust when I say this had everything to do with the insane amount of money such men were fantasized to possess-money made these men exotic. Now that it’s known how women are truly treated in that vast part of the world-those fantasies have dried up. But all of that falls into historical fantasies and that’s not what I’m talking about. Historical writers have a small pass with me-because Indian and Sheiks stories were plentiful. And if you can’t do anything other than regurgitate Mammy from Gone with the Wind or Aunt Jemima then I just prefer that you go right on ignoring us in staple historical romances.
My February release: When Valentine’s Collide-was about two well known relationship gurus. Someone mentioned it was unrealistic. My hero-had a talk show-sort of like MONTEL WILLIAMS. And the Heroine has a night time radio show much like the one on V-103 hosted by Joyce Littel here in Atlanta-where they talk and give relationship advice.
But in this chick’s mind, this was un-realistic.
Whatever.
Tell you what.
The minorities don’t even have to be black people. I’ll give them credit if there’s a Hispanic, India, Asian, Korean-something. But for the most part, white contemporary female writers tend to write only white characters and then have the nerve to smack them in the middle of major metropolitan city. As much as I read, I’m also aware that I can’t know for certain that NO contemporary female writer has stop skipping merrily through a lily white field. I’m sure that’s not true. But majority….?
So maybe we ought to do a Minority Roll Call shout out for when you read a Chick lit/Women Fiction or White Female Contemporary book and she has included a minority in her cast of characters?

Continue next week when interviewers ask: why haven’t the Great Book Messiah Oprah saved y’all?…