Uncatergorized

Oh Shyt!!(Update: I WON!!!!)

Niobia Bryant

2009 Nominee for Best African-American Romance 

Romantic Times Magazine Awards!!!

 

 

“Oh shyt” is exactly what I said when I found out about the nomination. LOL.

This is the book my Mom pushed me to write.  Several editors wouldn’t mess with it because the heroine was unemployed, $200.00 from being broke, and about to be evicted from her apartment. Real ish that happens to good people all the time. (Love is not just for the wealthy. Hello.) But I digress…

I was steady pumping out books and my Mom would say “what happened to the one about the pregnant lady that moves into the man’s house while he’s away”.  My answers:

  • I’ll get to it, Ma.
  • This editor wants something less realistic.
  • That editor wants me to change the story. I wouldn’t, so it didn’t sell.
  • As soon as I finish this book or that I’ll get to it.

Well, I finally did submit it to Dafina.  They brought it, published it, its selling well, and it just was nominated for an award by a publication well-respected in the romance writing industry. (UPDATE: Since this original post, Make You Mine has also been nominated for another award and I just got a deal for it to be published as an audiobook with a well-known record company branching into audiobooks. POW!) (NEW UPDATE: I won!!!!)

I know my Mama is in heaven telling all the nay-sayers “Humph. That’s my baby girl”.

But this is also a huge milestone for me for one other reason.  Peep the other nominees in the Best African-American Romance category:

  • Francis Ray (Nobody But You)
  • Beverly Jenkins (Bring On The Blessings)
  • Brenda Jackson (Taste of Passion)
  • Rochelle Alers (Man of Fate)

Say what. Say who? These four icons of African-American romance…and me? Say what you want, but when discussing African-American romance and its trailblazers every last name on the list  has been mentioned. (DISCLAIMER: I’m not throwing shade on anyone but I like a good dose of reality and there is not one up and coming romance author who wouldn’t give a big toe to have these women’s career.)

I have read them all (especially Francis. Heart of a Falcon. Classic. All time favorite romance book.)  I respect them all for all they’ve done to make it a bit easier for me to get my job done.  I am so pleased and proud of myself to be ranked among them. I’m proud to be the up and comer with just 8 romance books under my belt compared to their substantial release amounts.  I’m still building my brand and honing my craft.  I still have a way to go and I’m excited to know that with each book I will only get better.  When it comes to my writing career, I feel like God is preparing me for  my breakthrough and this nod is a testament to that.

WOOO-HOOOOOOO!!!