Goodbye?

There comes a time in a writer's life where... (SNORE!)

NEW OPPORTUNITIES, NEW CHANGES!! (Now that sounds like I'm yelling. All that's missing is bright and flashing neon text.)

Look y'all, here's the deal... (*scrunches up face*)

Okay, I'm just going to say it. I'm ending this blog. It's time to move up, move forward and try new things.

But I won't stop blogging and writing. I'm simply switching to a new platform with a new look, new name and (slightly) new content.

While this is going on a new chapter in my life has begun. All of this will soon be posted my new blog:

https://barbchambers.wordpress.com

And now for the social media plug...

Feel free to follow me there, on Twitter (@BarbC219) and on the Facebook page (which will only see a name change) if you haven't checked it out already.

This was my first blog and in the 4 1/2 years (yes, including the hiatus) that I've had it, I've learned a lot about writing and myself. At the risk of sounding clichéd, I'm excited to see what this new chapter will hold.

Love and Books and Representation

I'm not talking about the love of books, I'm talking about the romance in them. Reading about romances in books are so common that it's a little surprising when a book doesn't contain romance or where romance isn't the main part of the book. Especially in YA. (Oh, those teens with their raging hormones...)

Image courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

First things first. A disclaimer. I don't read of stories that just focus on romance and nothing else simply because I've never been a huge fan of them. The "he-said, she-said", *kissy, kissy*, "be still my heart" thing quickly gets stale for me when the story doesn't show anything else going on in the character's lives. That's not to say that I won't read them at all. It's just that I don't go out of my way to add the latest romance novel to my TBR list. 

If and when I read a story that's mainly romance, I need for there to be a subplot or major theme going on to keep my interest. Like paranormal romance or urban fantasy for example. You have two (or multiple) love interests but then you also have major world building that needs to happen. And to make things more interesting, the world and its inhabitants have flaws that affect the main character(s).

And if it's not paranormal romance, perhaps it's a contemporary novel about spies, heists, secret societies, secret agents, etc. that just happens to have the romance thing thrown in there. Two characters are close to locking lips until something around them blows up, ruining the moment. Why did it blow up, who set it off and what's going to happen to them next. 

On the other hand, the few romances that I've read (and the many that I've heard about) are mainly centered around white people. White man meets white woman and you know the rest of the story line. The same tropes are played out over and over again with many characters that can look similar over time. This is in YA, NA and Adult romance.

However...

YA is making major steps in bringing novels that center LGBT+ characters to light. Go to YouTube and search '2017 anticipated reads' and you'll see what I'm talking about. Also, check out Epic Reads too. More and more YA novels are including LGBT+ characters.

In adult, the romance books expand some. There's historical romances, paranormal, erotica, dark, contemporary and African-American. (To be honest, I really don't see why Af-Am romance has to sit separately from the rest of the romance novels but that's just me and we don't have to talk about that right now.)

So now we have all of these sub-genres, themes and subjects going on in romance novels. So what about two characters that are from two different cultures or whose skin colors just happen to be different? They have to be in there somewhere, right? Perhaps I'm not paying attention enough but I don't see a whole lot of mixed couples in mainstream romance books for YA, NA or adult. Especially showing black girls/women with a male love interest that isn't always black.

If I'm wrong and it turns out that there are plenty of interracial/intercultural romance books that are mainstream, please let me know what they are. I'd love to check them out.

"Why does it matter?" 

Well, why does seeing more people of color and women in movies, tv and ads matter? Why does having a person of color or a female representative in politics matter? 

Representation. I like to see people who sorta look like me getting the spotlight for a change and I'm guessing you do too. People aren't all one particular color, one particular gender, etc. When we hear a story, we want to be able to relate to the character on more than one level. We like to see little bits of our story being told to the world through a character that can identify with something with us besides a name or personality trait.

With all of that being said, there's one thing that I'd like to see become a norm across all genre of fiction and across multiple age groups: have more black girls and women becoming main characters.

Lose the stereotypical personality. Lose the stereotypical background/family life. Just like white people aren't all the same, people of color in any given race/culture aren't all the same either. 

Now in YA and NA, I'd love to see more mixed couple romances... period. The issue of the book doesn't always have to be centered around racism. For example just making something up from the top of my head...

{YA action/adventure novel: girl gets an invitation to join a super secret government agency and is the first black girl to do so. She's tasked with trying to stop the potentially biggest heist in the country. But when she notices that the leader (who just happens to be an Asian-American guy) starts paying a little extra attention to her and her ideas, she begins to fall for him. Now she must learn to balance a potential relationship and doing well on her first assignment.}

Now doesn't that sound fun?

"So what needs to change?" First it starts with the reader. We need to voice our opinions. Write blog posts, start a forum discussion, post stuff to Twitter and Facebook then tag publishing companies in it. Make YouTube videos. Connect with the writers that are writing the kind of stories that we're interested in. 

"Okay. And then?" Then comes the writer. Numerous authors have said in so many words to write the story that you want to read. Write that book and don't give up. (I know, I know. Easier said than done.)

"What next?" Then we need publishers that are willing to help get those books published and sold. We need representatives that are as diverse as the stories that we want to see and we need representatives that are willing to listen, learn and move forward. They're out there. I know it. On the other hand, maybe writing the actual book isn't your thing. Maybe it's in publishing.

"But what if the author I like is self-published?" Then support them. Follow their social media pages, buy their books and leave reviews on the appropriate sites. (I've heard from quite a few authors that just posting a review to Goodreads isn't sufficient enough.) If you love their book(s), submit a request to your local library to buy some copies.

Whew! This post quickly went from romance in books to representation. I guess in so many words, I'm saying that I'd love to be able to fangirl over mainstream books across ALL genres that feature black girls as the main character(s).

I've done enough talking. I want to hear from you all now. As a reader, what kind of untold or underrepresented stories do you want to see included in mainstream books? 

If you're not a reader, (thank you for taking the time to read this long-behind post, by the way.) what stories would make you want to pick up that book? Cause ya know, everyone's a reader. Those that say they aren't just need to find out what books are for them. 😉

New Years 2017 and What I'm Learning

Well fam, 2016 is on its way out the door and 2017 is on its way in. How are you all feeling? Hopeful? Excited? Unenthused? Sad? Worried? *Shoulder shrug*?

2016 sucked. Yeah, there were some learning experiences that will make me a better person... blah, blah, blah. For me this year was another one of battles, personal struggles and a constant feeling of failure, inadequacy and when you factor in the news stories, helplessness. But now, I'm feeling (dare I say) a little bit hopeful with a *shoulder shrug*. 

I've always been a little cautious about being too hopeful for the next year because there's always the chance of hopes being dashed or unmet. And no one likes getting hurt or diappointed. This time seems different and I don't know why. Perhaps it's maturity or circumstances but most likely it's God at work because I have a few things that I'm looking forward to for the next year:

• Fitness: I'm doing more 30 day fitness challenges using an app that I downloaded a few months ago. Hello arms, abs and cardio!
• Writing, writing and more writing: I've finally started my novel and I have a couple short stories in the works as well. I'm learning that I'm missing out on networking and having a good support system of fellow writers. My goal is to change that.
• #BlackGirlCoding: I've become more intentional about learning about computer programming. So far I'm learning JavaScript and HTML/CSS through Khan Academy and Codecademy. I don't know what all I want to do with it quite yet. I'm still learning about all of that. Although, the idea of making an app or being able to edit my own website sounds very intriguing. 
• What else? There's more but I'll reveal those in due time.

I've recently realized why making new year resolutions never worked for me. I've always seen them as a form of planning. Normally, I'm a planner all the way. It's in my blood. Writing, meals, day-to-day routines, trips, life, etc. But when it comes to making life changes, anything I make extensive plans for ends up falling flat. It's so easy to focus on what needs to be done, how it should be done, when to do it and for how long. When the time comes to actually going through with it, the idea is tired, worn out and uninteresting to me. If there's a life change that I want or need to make, I just have to stop overthinking things and do it. Is anyone else like this? (Kind of reminds me of Nike's slogan.)

To this day, I'm still skeptical about making new year resolutions. Instead I make and work on goals throughout the year and then keep a mental list of things that I'd like to do in the new year. I'm {still} learning to be willing to step out on faith. Sometimes, the step might actually feel like a leap over the Grand Canyon.

Maybe 2017 will be a better year. And maybe it won't. Who knows. But if we continue to sit around and wait until the next year to make changes in our lives and our world, nothing's going to get done. Don't get it twisted. Planning isn't bad. But when you rely on planning too much it can turn into a cop out.

Anyways, where ever you are, Happy New Year. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay positive.