Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Black Romance Podcast
Dr. Julie E Moody-Freeman and co-host Dr. Carole Bell interview Rufaro Faith Mazarura, award-winning writer of Let the Games Begin. Rufaro Faith Mazarura is a British Zimbabwean writer who grew up in Birmingham and studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. She works as a podcast producer, bringing stories to life through audio, and has written and produced podcasts for the BBC, iHeartRadio and Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books. Let The Games Begin is her debut novel. Dr. Julie E. Moody-Freeman is the Director of the Center for...
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Vivian Stephens-Part two
Black Romance Podcast
In part 2 of the Vivian Stephens birthday special, she discusses the following: her work at Dell; her transition as editor from Dell to Harlequin; Harlequin’s release of her; her subsequent work with Black romance writers; marketing an all-Black line of Vivian Stephens romance; and her own publication Second Act. This episode originally aired on September 15, 2020. Thanks to the Center for Black Diaspora at DePaul University for sponsoring this episode.
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Vivian Stephens-Part one
Black Romance Podcast
In honor of Vivian Stephen’s birthday, we are sharing her podcast episode, which first aired on September 8, 2020. In this podcast, Vivian Stephens discusses her experiences as an editor at Dell Publishing, and she talks about her role in the founding of The Romance Writers of America. Thanks to the Center for Black Diaspora at for sponsoring this episode.
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Vanessa Riley
Black Romance Podcast
Dr. Julie E Moody-Freeman and co-host Dr. Carole Bell interview Vanessa Riley, award-winning writer of A Duke The Lady and A Baby. Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author of over twenty-five novels like Island Queen (a GMA buzz pick), A Duke The Lady and A Baby, and the Lady Worthing mystery series (2024 Georgia Author of the Year for Mystery). Her works spotlight hidden narratives of Black women and women of color, emphasizing power, sisterhoods, and family sagas across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres. With a doctorate from Stanford University and other engineering...
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Aminat Sanni-Kamal
Black Romance Podcast
Dr. Julie E Moody-Freeman and co-host Dr. Carole Bell interview Aminat Sanni-Kamal, best-selling Nigerian writer of Amber Fire. Aminat Sanni-Kamal, our first writer who sets her novel in Lagos, Nigeria, writes contemporary and fantasy romance stories, ranging from clean to sweet to spicy. As an introvert, she finds joy in the quieter moments. When she's not writing, she can be found reading, crocheting, watching dramas, occasionally baking, or taking a nap. Aminat also enjoys savoring delicious meals. Her publications include Amber Fire, her three book series, The Kingdom of Idia, her...
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Chencia C. Higgins
Black Romance Podcast
Dr. Julie E Moody-Freeman and co-host Dr. Carole Bell interview Chencia C. Higgins, best-selling writer of D’Vaughn and Chris Plan a Wedding. Chencia C. Higgins is just a girl from Texas writing about sassy, southern women finding love. In 2019 she won an Emma award for her debut paranormal romance Janine: His True Alpha, and in 2022 her traditionally published debut D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding was named one of the best romances of the year by the New York Times. When she isn't daydreaming about imaginary people, Chencia can be found with her nose in a book (or two, or three),...
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N.G. Peltier
Black Romance Podcast
Dr. Julie E Moody-Freeman and co-host Dr. Carole Bell interview N.G. Peltier, best-selling writer of Sweethand. N.G. Peltier is an anime watching, book reading, video-game playing, story writing kinda girl. A devourer of words and books from a young age, she enjoys writing romance and creeping people out with the Caribbean folklore stories she grew up hearing. A Trinidadian born and raised, she currently lives in Trinidad with her mountain of ideas and characters battling each other for whose story get told next. She is the author of Sweethand, Don’t Go Baking My Heart, and The Dating...
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Rebekah Weatherspoon
Black Romance Podcast
Dr. Julie E Moody-Freeman and co-host Dr. Carole Bell interview Rebekah Weatherspoon, best-selling writer of Harbor. After years of meddling in her friends’ love lives, multi award winning author Rebekah Weatherspoon turned to writing romance to get her fix. Raised in Southern New Hampshire, Rebekah Weatherspoon now lives in Southern California where she will remain forever because she hates moving. With over twenty titles under her belt, Rebekah has covered sub-genres from suspenseful paranormal romance to steamy romantic comedies, and now young adult romance. With everything going on in...
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Kennedy Ryan
Black Romance Podcast
Dr. Julie E Moody-Freeman and co-host Dr. Carole Bell interview Kennedy Ryan, best-selling writer of Reel. New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Kennedy and her writings have been featured in NPR, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Glamour, Cosmo, Ebony, TIME, and many others. The audio edition of her novel Reel received the prestigious Audie® Award, and her Skyland series is...
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Adriana Herrera
Black Romance Podcast
Dr. Julie E Moody-Freeman and co-host Dr. Carole Bell interview Adriana Herrera, best-selling writer of A Caribbean Heiress in Paris. Adriana Herrera is a USA Today Best Selling and Audie winning author of over a dozen novels. Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean and loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her, getting unapologetic happy endings. When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working...
info_outlineVeronica Mixon, my guest today, was an editor at Doubleday for fourteen years from 1974 to 1988. She was hired as assistant to an editor of Romance and Science fiction novels and then promoted to editor when her boss left the press. She recounts her experiences during these years: creating Doubleday’s Starlight Romances, working with many writers, including Barbara Stephens, Millie Ragosta, and Rochelle Alers, building relationships with other Black editors at the time like Marie Brown at Anchor and Vivian Stephens at Dell. And in an unexpected turn of conversation, she talks about working with Octavia Butler on an article for Essence magazine and advocating with the editor for higher pay for Butler’s books.