Popaganda

Why do romance novels get such a bad rap? The genre is often maligned as being inferior to more “literary” writing, but there’s so much more to it than shirtless cowboys and inaccurate portrayals of BDSM etiquette. Romance writers like today’s two guests live in a complicated world. They navigate arcane sorting algorithms, racism, and more intracommunity drama than you can shake a stick at. But despite all of the hardships, they keep on working hard to make sure their readers get the happy endings they’re looking for. First, we have Tracey Livesay, a former criminal defense attorney and current author of interracial romance novels. She talks about how she became a fan of the genre and why she loves its community. Second, CK Gold, writer of LGBTQ fantasy romance ebooks, shares some fascinating things she’s learned about race, marketability, and metadata. SHOUT-OUTS https://www.buzzfeed.com/bimadewunmi/meet-the-black-women-upending-the-romance-novel-industry https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/books/review/jai