Christina C. Jones and Jessica P. Pryde
April 18, 2023| 49:10 | In this episode, Julie is joined by Black Love Matters write and When in Romance podcast co-host Jessica P. Pryde to interview Christina C. Jones, a best-selling romance novelist and digital media creator. They discuss Jones' self-published romance novels as well as her experiences publishing and marketing romance novels through her self-built online platform. Christina C. Jones' audio and eBooks can be purchased at Christina C. Jones Romance (beingmrsjones.com).
Christina C. Jones is a best-selling romance novelist and digital media creator. A timeless storyteller, she is lauded by readers for her ability to seamlessly weave the complexities of modern life into captivating tales of Black characters in nearly every romance subgenre. In addition to her full-time writing career, she co-founded Girl, Have You Read – a popular digital platform that amplifies Black romance authors and their stories. Christina has a passion for making beautiful things, and be found crafting, cooking, and designing and building a (literal) home with her husband in her spare time.
Jessica Pryde is a Contributing Editor for Book Riot, where she is the co-host of the When In Romance podcast and writes about bookish things of all kinds. She is also the editor of the 2022 essay collection, Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters. Having earned an AB in the Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis and her MLIS at San Jose State University, she is now a librarian for a public library system in Southern Arizona, where she lives with her husband and an ever-growing collection of Funko!Pops.
Jacquelin Thomas with Rochelle Alers
April 4, 2023| 1:10:13 | Julie is joined in this episode by two best-selling and award-winning romance writers: Rochelle Alers and Jacquelin Thomas. In this episode, Alers joins as co-host of the show to talk with Jacquelin Thomas about her experiences publishing romance, romantic suspense, mainstream fiction, and young adult fiction.
Something resembling an artistic flare ignited within Jacquelin Thomas when she was just eight years old. She didn’t realize her newfound interest in creative writing would become a lifelong passion. In 1995, Jacquelin immersed herself in writing and her first book, Hidden Blessings, was published in 1997 by Kensington Publishing. BET adapted this title into a made-for-television movie. In 2005, Jacquelin was an honoree at the Houston Black Film Festival for the movie adaptation of Hidden Blessings. Jacquelin is published in romance, romantic suspense, mainstream fiction and young adult. She has published with Kensington Books, Genesis Press, Hachette, Harlequin, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Putnam.
Jacquelin’s young adult novel, Divine Confidential, was nominated for a 2008 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Young Adult Fiction. Her books have garnered several awards, including two EMMA awards, the Romance in Color Reviewers Award, Readers’ Choice Award and the Atlanta Choice Award in the Religious & Spiritual category. She was the first recipient to receive the Writers Achievement Award at the North Carolina Book Festival in Winston-Salem. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine. Jacquelin released her 94th title in December 2022. She and her family reside in North Carolina.
Rochelle Alers is the bestselling author of more than eighty novels with nearly two million copies in print. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Golden Pen Award, Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. A member of Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority, Inc., Iota Theta Zeta chapter, she lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island, New York. Visit her online at www.rochellealers.org.
DL White
March 28, 2023| 1:19:10 | DL White joins Julie to talk about White's experiences writing, publishing, and marketing romance novels through her self-built online platform. DL White's eBooks, print, and audio books can be purchased at
booksbydlwhite.com/books.
DL White is an Atlanta based author of adult fiction, women's fiction and contemporary romance. She lives in Atlanta, GA and s an avid reader that devours books. She blogs her thoughts on books and writing at Books by DL White.com.
Natalie Dunbar with Barbara Keaton
March 21, 2023| 55:48 | In this episode, Julie and her co-host romance writer Barbara Keaton speak with award-winning romance writer Natalie Dunbar. They discuss Dunbar's experiences publishing with Genesis Press, Parker Publishing, Silhouette, and Kimani Arabesque.
Escape to Natalie Dunbar's world for an enjoyable and satisfying read. She writes smart, strong women and loving, irresistible men. There is always a happy ending. Her books run the gambit from contemporary romance to paranormal romance, science fiction romance and romantic suspense. An engineer living in the Detroit area, she has been a longtime member of RWA. She has written for Genesis Press, BET Books, Harlequin and Silhouette Bombshell, Harlequin Intrigue, and Silhouette Romantic Suspense, Parker Publishing, and Dana Lorayne Publishing. Her books have been featured on Romance in Color, Black Expressions Book Club, and Romantic Times. Her first novel, Best of Friends, was a Black Expressions Book Club pick. Her books have also been featured in articles for Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, The Oakland Press, The Warren Weekly, and The Eastsider newspapers. Visit her website at nataliedunbar.com. Follow her on Twitter:@nataliedunbar16 FB: https://www.facebook.com/natalie.dunbar.779 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalie.dunbar.779/
A Chicago native, Barbara Keaton loves the city and says she cannot imagine living anywhere else. Educated in Catholic schools up until 12th grade, Barbara credits the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the oldest order of black nuns, and her late maternal grandfather, Thomas Hill for her love and respect for the written word.
Barbara’s first romance novel, All I Ask, was published in 2000. Since then she’s gone on to write thirteen total romance novels which celebrate black love. In addition to her books, she’s also written several articles and editorials that have appeared in various publications: Today’s Black Woman Magazine; The Chicago Crusader; The Chicago Defender; The Chicago Reader; Bronze Thrills; True Confessions; and, Affaire de Coeur.
Barbara holds a MS in Journalism from Roosevelt University and belongs to several civic and professional organizations, namely Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In her spare time, she’s an avid reader and writer. Married to a minister, Barbara has no children of her own, but she considers her niece and nephew, Stephanie and Matthew, and her step-daughter, Candice, as her “babies”. In addition, she’s a grandma and a great-aunt. Barbara lives by a personal credo: I ANSWER TO TWO—MY GOD AND MYSELF!
Seressia Glass
December 8, 2022| 1:11:53 | In this episode, Julie speaks with award-winning romance writer Seressia Glass about her experiences publishing with Genesis Press, Parker Publishing, Simon & Schuster, and Berkley. They also discuss Glass's Shadowchasers series and The Love Con.
Seressia Glass is an award-winning author of romance and urban fantasy. She lives south of Atlanta with her husband, son, two attack poodles, and a bulldozer of a Cane Corso. When not writing, she likes collecting purple things, jewelry, and spends way too much time watching K-dramas and anime.
Black Romance and Historical Spaces
December 1, 2022| 1:27:06| Join Black Romance Authors Katrina Jackson and Elysabeth Grace as they discuss writing Black historical romance. The authors engage the question of readerly and publishing perceptions about the place of African/African diaspora love in historical spaces.
Katrina Jackson is a college professor by day who writes erotica, erotic romance, and historical fiction in her spare times. She writes racially diverse and often queer stories that show love and the world in all its beauty and colors.
Elysabeth Grace is the author of sexy historical, paranormal, and contemporary romances. She writes stories filled with adventurous and strong women, Black and multicultural relationships, and of course the happily ever afters.