40 Years After Entwined Destinies: More Black Voices

Lesson in Love by Tracy West (1982)

Love Signals by Margie Walker (1991)

Tonight and Forever by Brenda Jackson

Night Song by Beverly Jenkins (1994)

Whispers of Love by Shirley Hailstock (1994)

Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole (2015)

The Preacher's Paramour by Kianna Alexander (2013)

The Mayor's Mission by Piper Huguley (2015)

Elsie Washington passed away in 2009. Vivian Stephens lives in Houston and remains a part of the romance community. She has served as an editor, publisher, agent, and mentor to countless writers.

Black authors continue to struggle to gain a foothold in mainstream romance publishing. Over the past four years the annual Ripped Bodice State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Report has shown little improvement in the number of authors of color published by major companies. Nevertheless, Black authors have kept writing and finding their audiences.

Our collection reflects multiple generations of Black writers, as the writers of the 80s influenced those of the mid-1990s, and then the current rise of amazing and talented voices.