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#WritingCommunity I am actively seeking YA and Adult Romance—especially Romcom. And while I’m open to all voices, I am ESPECIALLY looking for you, BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA.
And now for most of you, you won’t question why I’m looking for one voice more, but for those that cringe by this post or wonder why I’m prioritizing, let me break it down a bit further.
Romance has been my guilty pleasure since I found my aunt’s stash way back in the day. And ever since then, the majority of characters are people who look nothing like me. And honestly, that’s damaging. It’s a quiet scarring—one of the worst kinds.
It plants a seed of insecurity; most of the time, none of us even realize it’s there.
But there are intimate scenes in books, when, you know, a skin, hair, or eye color is described, and you take notice that these characters don’t look like you.
But there are intimate scenes in books, when, you know, a skin, hair, or eye color is described, and you take notice that these characters don’t look like you.
You might wonder if that means you’re not sexy enough or deserving of that type of love—ones with complete and utter surrender.
So, if you’re a writer with this type of manuscript, I’m here for you. Even if it’s MG, and your plot or subplot has a first crush, those first butterfly feelings, the first hand-holding moment, the first kiss, I’m about you.
If you’ve got BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA MCs falling in love in your YA or Adult MS, I need to hear from you.
But let me reiterate because I feel that’s important. When people don’t feel included, they tend to check out of the narrative. Ironic, right? But true. So here it goes: if you are cis-non-BIPOC, I am open to your voices as well; I just have priorities.
This thread is not about exclusion for the sake of diversity and inclusion. All I’m saying is the publishing industry needs to make space for ALL narratives. And for me, I’ve got my eyes wide open for these narratives, so throw your words at me. My query box is open!
