Adriana Herrera

06/29/21 • 60 min

Adriana Herrera, a USA Today bestselling author, joins me this episode to talk about a converging series of experiences and events that led her to write and publish romance: her experiences as an immigrant from the Dominican Republic; the dissonance she felt between her studies on Black Feminist Thought and the colonial images she read in romance; the demoralizing rhetoric about immigrants in the 2016 elections and her need to affirm the existence of immigrants; and her need to create romance novels that center diverse characters who are Black and LGBTQ. In this conversation, she and I also talk about her Dreamer series as well as her additional publications: Finding Joy, Mangoes and Mistletoe, Here to Stay, “The Duke Makes Me Feel,” and her newest release One Week to Claim it All.

Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist and has been featured on The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The Washington Post. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s Best Romance Debuts of 2019, and one of the Top 10 Romances of 2019 by Entertainment Weekly. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle. She is one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective: https://sites.google.com/view/pocqueerromanceauthorscommunit/home?authuser=0

Thanks to @cbddepaul and @romancewriters for sponsoring this podcast.

Creator and Producer of the Black Romance Podcast: Julie E Moody-Freeman

Sound Editor: Randall Spriggs with rsvideophoto_media. Website is www.rsvideophoto.media

Artwork: Kyle Gabb; Marciano_arts

Adriana Herrera’s website: https://adrianaherreraromance.com/

One Week to Claim it All: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P3M3S7L?tag=ahromance-20

American Dreamer: An LGBTQ Romance: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SVY14Z1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

Finding Joy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085TRV833/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i5

Mangoes and Mistletoe: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081135L42/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i4

Here to Stay: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086R2QY77/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

Thanks to @cbddepaul and @romancewriters for sponsoring this podcast.

Creator and Producer of the Black Romance Podcast: Julie E Moody-Freeman

Sound Editor: Randall Spriggs with rsvideophoto_media. Website is www.rsvideophoto.media

Artwork: Kyle Gabb; Marciano_arts

Adriana Herrera’s website: https://adrianaherreraromance.com/

One Week to Claim it All: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P3M3S7L?tag=ahromance-20

American Dreamer: An LGBTQ Romance: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SVY14Z1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

Finding Joy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085TRV833/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i5

Mangoes and Mistletoe: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081135L42/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i4

Here to Stay: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086R2QY77/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

Previous Episode

Katrina Jackson

Today’s guest is Katrina Jackson, best-selling writer of over twenty novels. She joins me to discuss her prolific career. Katrina discusses some of her early reading practices, writing her first romance, a self-published book titled Encore, and why she publishes affirming images of Black women. She also recounts how her life as a pre and post tenured historian in the Academy informs some of her novels’ themes. She and I also discuss several of her books: From Scratch, Office Hours, The Hitman, Encore, Grand Theft New Year’s Eve, and her current release Back in the Day.

An Associate Professor of history, Katrina is a college professor by day who writes romances by weekend when her cats allow. She writes high heat, diverse and mostly queer erotic romances and erotica. She can be reached at @katrinajax.

Thanks to @cbddepaul and @romancewriters for sponsoring this podcast.

Creator and Producer of the Black Romance Podcast: Julie E Moody-Freeman

Sound Design: Juelle Daley; a_caju_creative

Artwork: Kyle Gabb; Marciano_arts

Katrina Jackson’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Katrina-Jackson/e/B01GAF7X2Q%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Office Hours: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086HXGL86/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Back in the Day: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091G63SW9/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i6

From Scratch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077RCHLQJ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i6

The Hitman: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CGS9YJ8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i8

Grand Theft New Year’s Eve: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z268N51/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p2_i0

Next Episode

Celeste Norfleet

Celeste Norfleet, a best-selling writer of over twenty-five novels, joins me this week. We talk about her 2002 debut novel Priceless Gift and its curious ending, which became the inspiration for the novels in her well-loved Mama Lou Matchmaker Series. She recounts her experiences at the beginning of her career and the supportive environment of Romance Slam Jam among her well-known sister writers and readers. We also discuss her current release One Night in Georgia, which tells the story of three friends on a road trip in 1968 from New York to Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Celeste Norfleet’s books have gained critical acclaim and stellar reviews, including nominations for The Rose Award, the Romantic Times Book Review’s Reviewers Choice Award, the RT Book Review’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and numerous Romance Slam Jam Emma Award nominations.

Thanks to @cbddepaul and @romancewriters for sponsoring this podcast.

Creator and Producer of the Black Romance Podcast: Julie E Moody-Freeman

Sound Editor: Randall Spriggs with rsvideophoto_media. Website is www.rsvideophoto.media

Artwork: Kyle Gabb Marciano_arts

Celeste Norfleet’s website: https://celesteonorfleet.com/e-books/

Priceless Gift: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Y57900/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3

Mama Lou Matchmaker Series: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XXBX6LJ?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks

One Night in Georgia: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G14MH1D/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0