ell, I attended the Literacy Signing last night. I hadn’t realized quite how long it was going to take, and I got fewer books than I had intended over all. I made an effort to avoid the long queues for major authors (even though I love and adore many of them) because I wanted to hit up authors who I either wouldn’t normally see, or who I liked and wanted to “boost.”

Not only did I get my 1:1 ratio, I beat it. I ended up with 10 books total (6 from African-American Authors). I wanted to do more, but it was 6:45 by the time I hit book #10, my friends were throwing me a birthday party starting at 7, and the checkout line was looking horrendously long.

So, I got:

Patricia Sargeant’s “You Belong to Me” (She’s a new author–this is her first book! I talked to her for a while, and she was an absolutely lovely person. I’m just dying to read this one.)

Shirley Hailstock’s “My Lover, My Friend”

Wayne Jordan’s “One Gentle Knight.” (Wayne, if you can’t tell by the name, is a man–he told me he loved reading romance, and loved writing it. He was very brave to enter those estrogen-filled halls.)

Francis Ray’s “Irresistible You,” which is set in Santa Fe, one of my favorite places in the United States.

And two books from Kayla Perrin–”Gimme an ‘O’” and “Getting Some.”

I’m really looking forward to getting to read and know these authors. I picked up four other books as well, and only wish I had had a little more time. Every author I met and talked to was truly wonderful. It’s true what they say–there’s a fabulous romance community out here. And it’s wonderful to be a part of it.

‘m gearing up for Nationals this next week, and boy am I excited! I’m polishing my professional yet comfortable shoes; I’m trying to figure out where I hid my business cards. I’m frantically reading all the advice that people have offered about how to prepare for Nationals, and thinking about how best to talk about the book I’m writing (I’m not officially pitching, since nothing’s done–but I wouldn’t mind letting people know what I’m working on!).

But amidst all this advice and hubbub, there’s something that I’m planning to do at the RWA Literacy signing this year, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since I started reading Karen’s blog.
I don’t know how many of you are aware of this, but many multiracial authors of romance aren’t shelved in the “Romance” section. They’re shelved in African American fiction, or the Hispanic section. They’re segregated away from the bulk of romance readers. Until I heard this, I had no idea. Since I’ve found out, I’ve tried to make it a point to search out romance books in other parts of the store. And I’ve found some wonderful authors who tell great stories. Some of them write about black people. Or Hispanic people. Or Asians. Or white people. All of them write about people, and since I read romances in part because I like reading about all the different paths to love, I’m glad I found them. I’ve liked (most) of the ones I’ve read–about in the same proportions that I’ve liked the romances shelved in the romance section. And I shamefacedly admit that I don’t read nearly as much as I can–because when I run into the bookstore in a hurry, looking to grab a quick read, it’s the romance section I head to first.

I don’t know about you, but I think it’s horrific that these authors are segregated from the so-called “mainstream” romance readers. It pisses me off that the powers that be think they know what I do and don’t want to see. And we can’t blame it all on the powers that be, because I hear stories about the Romantic Times convention, where readers didn’t approach African American romance authors.

Romance is about love and relationships and the building of community. We’re better than this, or at least we should be. Some higher-ups out there have decided that we need to be shielded from romance that’s “different.” We shouldn’t let them have the satisfaction of being right.

And so I have a pledge: At RWA’s literacy signing event, for every author I approach who I already know because I found her on the shelves of the mainstream romance section, I will buy a book from one author who I don’t know because she doesn’t get shelved with regular romance. I’m planning on buying a lot of books, and I’ll blog about every one.

Who’s with me?  Link to this post and spread the word!