Does Anyone Else Write Interracial Romance?

I love romance books and IR categories also. I currently reading Emma Rose romance books. Hope you guys try it also.

In one of my books, the heroine is white and he hero is black (actually, half Scottish-American / half Ethiopian), but I don't list it as interracial, as that difference is no obstacle for them. They just happen to be different races. I have found some people who are voracious readers of interracial romance have bought it and been disappointed because race had nothing to do with the conflict and was not a main focus of the storyline. But the paperback shows a black/white couple, and that's why some grab it. I ended up going with a different image for the ebook cover, just the heroine:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FW6J274/?tag=absowrit-20

Ralyks said:

In one of my books, the heroine is white and he hero is black (actually, half Scottish-American / half Ethiopian), but I don't list it as interracial, as that difference is no obstacle for them.

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See, this is what I've been wondering. I'm writing a post-apocalyptic romance novel where one character is mostly black and the other is mostly white. But... it never comes up during the novel. At all. The white guy is the POV character; he grew up during the apocalypse, and he's totally unaware that racism was ever a problem for anyone.

Plus, they're both American and have no cultural differences at all. Sooo... is it interracial romance? It's definitely an interracial relationship.

Silver-Midnight said:

But one complaint I've seen, and even made myself, is how race is always the central, number one issue or conflict. A lot of people I've talked to, including myself, likes/liked seeing a little variety or whatever when it came to conflicts.

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Yeah, me too. Cultural differences and defying racism are big conflicts, but I'd rather not see them be the major conflict in every interracial relationship I read about. I'd rather that it didn't impact the relationship in a big way.

Still, I think when people hear "interracial romance" they expect it to impact the story in some way. Not that it should, but that might be what readers expect.

What we need is more fiction with more POC characters in general.

Silver-Midnight said:

Really? A lot of the people I talk to wouldn't be bothered by that at all. In fact, a lot of people I talked to don't mind if race isn't the central factor to them breaking up or having conflicts If that makes sense.

Now, some I've talked to don't mind if it's a background or side conflict. But one complaint I've seen, and even made myself, is how race is always the central, number one issue or conflict. A lot of people I've talked to, including myself, likes/liked seeing a little variety or whatever when it came to conflicts.

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Well, admittedly I've only had two such complaints...but complaints are the sort of thing I notice more - sensitive me. I do think when something is called an "interracial romance" readers do expect that component to have SOMETHING to do with story line, though, as someone else mentioned. For my book it really doesn't, other than as a mere fact of the characters backgrounds and as a physical descriptive.

I think I would expect it as well. If the interracial aspect is played up in the marketing and placement of the book, I'd expect it to play a role in the conflict.

Now, the mere fact that those characters are of different race will, it seems, make the book an 'interracial romance' because some people need the labeling so they'd avoid the book. And that just makes me go 'ugh'.

Silver-Midnight said:

Does anyone else here write interracial romance?

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Lots and lots writing WMBW interracial romance, but hardly anyone writing it from the BMWW point of view. I would say there are less than 100 BMWW interracial romance books out there that stretch to more than 100 pages. One BMWW interracial romance novels that I was looking forward to reading (With This Heart by Dakota Trace) is 'out of print.' Yes, and eBook that's 'out of print'! Still I keep on searching

I write BWWM because I am a black woman who has always been attracted to white guys. When the genre first started, only black women in these relationships wrote these romances. Now it's taken off and everyone is writing them because it's become so popular. It's always sold way more than WWBM books, which confuses me. I don't understand why white women are not writing these books when there are just as many BMWW couples in real life. I have known a few black men who wrote these books but abandoned them because they weren't selling. But, I know some white women authors who are married to black men yet they don't even write these romances. You'd think they'd wanna at least try to write something that mirrors their relationships, but I think people are scared because it doesn't sell but if you don't write it, then it won't sell. A few BWWM writers tried to write BMWW as well and once again, abandoned it because it didn't sell.

BWWM took off because there were women starving for the content. There are a lot of black women who date and marry white men and want romances to mirror their lives. It was a niche that needed to be filled and that's why it does so well. I believe the same is for WWBM romance but it will take someone dedicated to writing it and not being afraid whether it sells or not. It will also take someone pinpointing that audience and with as many black men and white women couples I see, no one can say these women wouldn't read these books if more were out there.

I think WWBM will take off one day but as I said, it's gonna take someone who doesn't mind going through the low selling periods until it catches on to make it more popular. But I KNOW the demand is there because of all the BMWW couples. Just like when BWWM started, it was a very tiny niche that started years ago. Then Scandal happened and everyone got interested in black women and white men and you had this influx of new authors and all of a sudden everyone wanted to write it.

It takes only one hit or one thing to make something mainstream and it can soar. But, someone is going to have to buckle down and write WWBM with dedication, build a brand, and capture the audience for those books to do well. Just like any other niche category.

Now, BMWW seems to do well in erotica. If you look at erotica you see tons of black men and white women as a fantasy or fetish. I think the popularity of WWBM erotica might be making it hard for WWBM romance to take off. Maybe the ones reading the erotica are into a fetish-type thing but not into the pairing as a relationship. That's why some author needs to find the right audience and once the audience knows these books exist, it might grow. Also, it's hard for a genre to gain an audience if there are not many books out there. It's a catch-22. There are only a few WWBM romances because they don't sell, yet if you don't write them, they will never sell. So someone has to start writing these books and stick it out for the long haul until it gains steam.

I usually write BWWM romance as I married a white man and it's just fun to be writing something different. My thing is my interracial romance is one where their races don't really effect their relationship & I wondered if it wouldn't topical enough. Does every interracial romance have to have the races dynamic as a sticking point? I'm worried an agent won't be interested because of that idk...

I write and read interracial romances. As a reader, I don't like to read stories where the focus of conflict is on their race or culture. If that's the main conflict, I may as well read nonfiction or something along those lines. For me, I need more to connect me with the character and their love story.

Particularly with race, I try to only write about things I know well... I grew up in heavily hispanic areas, speak Spanish, and my sister married a Mexican and lives in Mexico, so although I am white I am comfortable having hispanic chapters in my book. I'm not sure I would make any major characters anything besides white or hispanic, although smaller characters might be described as various ethnicities. I'd be interested to hear the approach of writing an ethnicity you aren't a part of. I lived in England and wrote a short fictional story based there, and was immediately nailed for writing things that seemed cliche British, so now I try to be more careful writing other cultures, etc!

I don't particularly believe in a strict adherence to 'writing what you know' but I prefer to write sci-fi, fantasy, futuristic stories so it would be hard to believe otherwise lol. As I'm unpublished I don't know if my opinion matters, however, I will say this, as a reader it is more about subtle of the characters ethnicity or culture than being bombarded with every nuisance of the their ethnicity or culture. My focus, when reading a romance, is the romance of the story -everything else is just background. I would recommend you continue to write the characters and stories as you envision them -it's the only way you can improve. You may not be able to necessarily sell those writings and may continue to get feedback something is cliches and/or stereotypical, however, at least you will then have a lovely template of what to avoid when writing.

Jurné Ends said:

I don't particularly believe in a strict adherence to 'writing what you know' but I prefer to write sci-fi, fantasy, futuristic stories so it would be hard to believe otherwise lol. As I'm unpublished I don't know if my opinion matters, however, I will say this, as a reader it is more about subtle of the characters ethnicity or culture than being bombarded with every nuisance of the their ethnicity or culture. My focus, when reading a romance, is the romance of the story -everything else is just background. I would recommend you continue to write the characters and stories as you envision them -it's the only way you can improve. You may not be able to necessarily sell those writings and may continue to get feedback something is cliches and/or stereotypical, however, at least you will then have a lovely template of what to avoid when writing.

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I agree! I can't believe any writer truly writes only what they know or have experienced or else they wouldn't have much to write about. It's not possible to write fiction in a bubble so I never understood the "write what you know" thing. I have no issues writing about circumstances I haven't experienced or different characters. When writing characters, it's about seeing the characters as "people" first. Not someone's race or gender. Contrary to popular belief, minorities are just like everyone else. Yes, we have challenges white people don't face but that's not the entirety of our lives. I honestly think being a black woman has been a blessing for me as a writer. I have more creative freedom to write certain things without being judged. I certainly understand how a white author might feel a little differently but the key is to remember you are creating a PERSON, not just a race or gender.

You definitely don't have to experience everything you write. I've experienced probably less than 90% of the stuff in my stories. I write about all types of things and my favorite genre is romantic suspense and mysteries. I've never killed, raped or stalked anyone but I can write about the bad men and women as if I have. Just like I've never investigated a murder, but I can write about it.

Writers draw ideas from all types of things and this should be how it is for characters. If someone is not comfortable writing about different types of characters, I'd say maybe they don't know enough people? That could be the issue. To understand diversity you need to experience it. A good way to learn about diverse people is to be around them and then you will see, "Hey, they are just like me." Because as I said, minorities are people too. Can't stress this enough. We're people, not a race or color. We have our own likes, dislikes, quirks, weaknesses, strengths, etc just like anyone else. Someone's race, age, gender, or sexual orientation is a PART of who someone is but it doesn't make someone who they are.

I always go back to this, I hate it when authors say they can't write about a minority because they can't relate but then that person writes about shapeshifters, angels, space aliens and demons. You can relate to something that isn't even real but not to another person just because he or she is a different race or culture? I hear this SO much and it's extremely sad.

I have no idea where I read this, but it stuck in my mind: "the inability to write something you don't know is a failure of empathy." I thought this was profound because it's ultimately about putting yourself in someone else's shoes.

When writing characters, it's about seeing the characters as "people" first.

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This x1000!

An an author, I do think if someone is writing about a specific culture, especially if it's something the author has no personal experience with, there is a certain amount of due diligence necessary in terms of research. IMHO, this is what makes writing so much fun. The story will benefit immensely. But that same decency of doing research also applies universally to everything in writing (technology, etc.). I love the detail in Nalini Singh's writing.

If someone is not comfortable writing about different types of characters, I'd say maybe they don't know enough people? That could be the issue. To understand diversity you need to experience it. A good way to learn about diverse people is to be around them and then you will see, "Hey, they are just like me." Because as I said, minorities are people too.

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Yes. (I think about my backwater place of birth and want to bang my head against the wall.) Yes!

blackcat777 said:

An an author, I do think if someone is writing about a specific culture, especially if it's something the author has no personal experience with, there is a certain amount of due diligence necessary in terms of research. IMHO, this is what makes writing so much fun. The story will benefit immensely. But that same decency of doing research also applies universally to everything in writing (technology, etc.).

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For me, as a former history student and educator, it's very hard for me to know WHEN to stop researching. I'm always so aware of what I don't know.

My current WIP has a latina heroine, and I'm trying to read more romance novels written by hispanic authors. It's been enlightening, as well as intimidating. There are many nuances about it that I'm sure I'm going to screw up...

cool pop said:

I always go back to this, I hate it when authors say they can't write about a minority because they can't relate but then that person writes about shapeshifters, angels, space aliens and demons. You can relate to something that isn't even real but not to another person just because he or she is a different race or culture? I hear this SO much and it's extremely sad.

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To be honest though, I think it's a fear of backlash (coming from a white author), but it's possible that Seattle has just made me way over cautious/PC. And like I said, I was extrapolating about my British example, where I was called out for using British cliches (speech etc) while being an American. Of course you can do these things, but a lot of people don't feel you have the right to. It's great hearing other perspectives on this though!

I feel like any writer has any right to write about what they want. That's how I am and I dare anyone to tell me what I should or shouldn't be writing about. So I wouldn't even listen to that kind of negative nonsense. Also, as for fear, if you don't go out there to intentionally offend people than there is nothing to worry about. People should only be afraid if they know they are writing diverse characters based off stereotypes and didn't even bother to research and learn about those different than them.

Honestly, people will be offended by anything but if we let that stop us then we will never write anything. Being a writer means we gotta have thick skin all around. I just make sure that whenever I write about characters who are different from me, I see them as people first. I always remember not to let their race, attitude, culture, gender, etc. define who they are. That's the key.

That quote Blackcat777 shared hit the nail on the head EXACTLY!!!! Not relating to others or at least trying to shows a lack of empathy. That means an author is NOT seeing anyone different from them as human or as worthy enough to at least TRY to understand people different from them. That's a huge problem and anyone who really believes that it's okay to say they can relate to some mystical creature that isn't even real compared to real human beings, they need to look within themselves seriously. Because saying stuff like that or thinking that proves they only see those LIKE THEM as people and the others are obviously not important enough for them to understand. So when I hear the "can't relate" thing as an excuse, especially when the author is writing about made up creatures all the time, it really, really peeves me off.

There isn't any type of person on this earth I can't relate to. Why? Because if we don't share anything else it's that beyond everything we are all HUMANS. I write about all types of PEOPLE. I write about disabled people, people with mental illness, people of different races and cultures, etc. I can do this and do it well because it IS about empathy and stepping out of your own little world to understand others. We should all be able to do that! We should all be seeing others as human like we are but unfortunately some don't seem to.

No one is saying everyone has to know everything. Definitely not. The key is researching and at least wanting to. But whoever feels like it's okay to say, "I can't relate to this person because they are not exactly like me or I haven't lived their experiences" needs to realize that way of thinking is more offensive than anything they would ever write in a book. I see authors saying this all the time when the "diversity" thing comes up and when they say they don't have diverse people in their books and I will never understand it.

Another thing is, if someone can't even take the time to learn about people who are different, why even write about them then? Please don't. You won't do them justice if you don't even want to take the time to learn about them. It's best to not even do it if you don't care enough about diverse people to do them justice. I'd rather the author not write them if they won't put the same effort into creating a well-rounded diverse character as they would others.

(Also, I'm not speaking about anyone on the thread, just stating my thoughts so not trying to offend anyone or level this at anyone specific.)
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Also, I would advise anyone struggling with understanding diversity and who really cares about learning should go back and read Steven Spielberg’s old interviews about his experience directing The Color Purple. It was enlightening and passionate. That movie was so great because Spielberg CARED about the characters and showed they were people and not just poor, black struggling Southerners. He didn’t just read Alice Walker’s work, he STUDIED it and researched because he cared. He got out there and met with people similar to her characters, went to similar places and immersed himself. These days, we can learn as much as we need to straight from the computer so it's easier for us. Steven said he got tons of push back from industry folks and others but it didn’t stop him because he knew he was directing from his heart and that he’d done all he could to do Ms. Walker’s book justice.

That movie is the perfect example of someone who stepped out of himself to understand others and did it brilliantly in my opinion. Spielberg is a Jewish man who could put himself in the shoes of these Southern, poor black women who dealt with abuse from all angles. That’s why it touched people, because of how he captured Ms. Walker’s work. No matter whether people didn't feel he should've directed it or not, The Color Purple is a classic because of how he approached it. He had respect for Ms. Walker's work and the characters.

Had he half-assed it and only relied on some “bubble” of how he thought these characters would act that film would’ve been a disaster.

To me, being an author means stepping out of my circle and out of what I know. That’s the funniest thing to me about writing! I get to learn from others’ and their experiences to create interesting, vibrant characters.

Boy, would I be BORED out of my mind if I had to only write people just like me. I would’ve stopped writing years ago. LOL!

I technically have interracial romance in my novel. But as there's no obstacles in the relationship to do with race, it's not marketed as that, just not seen as an issue.

So, I found this article and it's actually convinced me to go with my gut and give up writing a POC character as the protagonist--minor characters, sure. It's from Justine Larbalestier (hope the link works). Thought I'd get this group's opinion on it because it's an interesting read.

Like I said earlier in the thread, I don't feel like I'll ever know enough about the nuances of another culture to pull it off well, even with sensitivity readers. I think if you are very close to the culture, or have constant direct input from someone who is a part of it, it can maybe work. It's not for me. I just don't have access to do it right. I've even lived in another country for two months and didn't feel qualified to write a book about it, haha.

Instead, I am going to support diversity in romance by buying more books written by POC. I've just discovered A Princess in Theory, and it was a sweet, great read. I probably wouldn't have read it if I hadn't gone looking to diversify my bookshelf.

Anyway, this is just what I've decided works best for me as a writer. I'm not saying this is for everyone.

It's interesting, but where does it end? If a white author can't write with a POC character, does that mean female authors can't write male MC's and vice versa?

I guess it all depends on what genre and plot you're writing about.