LaConnie Taylor-Jones!
I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with rising romance star, LaConnie Taylor-Jones for an impromptu interview.Despite debuting last year with the title, When I’m With You, Taylor-Jones has experienced unprecedented success, hitting Mosaic’s best-seller list and earning rave reviews. Her forthcoming book, When A Man Loves A Woman, is due for an April release and no doubt, equal success. A native Memphian, LaConnie is a health educator consultant and holds advanced degrees in community public health and business administration. Married, she is the mother of four and resides with her family in Antioch, California located in Northern California. She is also an active member of the Contra Costa Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the African American Community Health Advisory Committee, Black Women Organized for Political Action, and the San Francisco Area and Black Diamond chapters of Romance Writers of America.
1. What drew you to the romance genre?
The romance genre drew me!!
The stories are fresh, smart and diverse. Simply put, romance fiction tells the story of two people. The only difference between romance fiction and other types of fiction is that the story centers on the love between two people and provides an optimistic ending.
I was first captivated by the genre in 1979 while a junior in college. As a matter of fact, I flunked an organic chemistry mid-term after staying up the entire night reading my first romance novel, “The Flame in the Flower” by the late Kathleen Woodiwiss. That night, I knew I was hooked for life.
2. Do you feel your background–not only ethnic background–has influenced the sort of topics you write?
Absolutely!! As a public health educator, I’ve found it easy to blend my enthusiasm for teaching health, social responsibility and social justice together with my love for reading the romance genre. And having taught primarily to African American men and women in community-based settings over the last fifteen years, a multitude of storylines blossomed and I’m having a lot of fun sharing them with readers.
3. Who have been your influences, and why?
Without a doubt, my parents have had the greatest influence in my life.
As a child, they instilled in me to never, ever give up on my dreams despite the obstacles before me. Moreover, they helped me foster the courage to strive all the more earnestly to reach the goal.
4. As an author in a field that can marginalize a writer by their particular microculture (gender, race, culture), do you feel in inhibited in any way?
Based on a 2006 report from Simba Information, revenue from romance fiction was estimated at 1.37 billion dollars. With the exception of religion/inspirational books, romance fiction outsold every market category with a whopping twenty-six percent.
With that said, there is no question that the literary industry can oftentimes categorize and scrutinize stories written by African American authors based on profitability, even in the romance genre. Nonetheless, I’m excited to be an author of the genre!
Do I feel inhibited?
Absolutely not!! Despite the many doors that have opened for African American authors over the years, we are faced with challenges, even today. I learned early on that I have absolutely no control over the components that comprise the literary world. However, I do have absolute autonomy over the stories I write and I’ll never allow inhibition of any kind to strip that power away from me.
5. What has been your best experience as a writer?
I absolutely love sitting down in front of a blank computer screen to begin the process of bringing my characters and story plot to life. I’m very meticulous in my efforts because it’s important for me to give my readers a quality product. I want them to not only enjoy the story but understand the characters and their plight the way I do. Believe it or not, I also enjoy working on the revisions from my editor. She’s fantastic and so far, we’ve been able to work in total sync to take my writing to the next level.
6. Any fond memories, anecdotes, etc concerning your path to publication?
The journey to publication was long and let me tell you, the road was B-U-M-P-Y!! It was a tedious voyage filled with one rejection after the other. But every single rejection was worth the wait the second I held the finished product in my hands for the very first time.
7. What do you think when looking at pioneers like Brenda Jackson, Donna Hill, Anita Bunkley, et al of the romance genre? What do you foresee the future entailing for black authors of romance?
I adore them!! These pioneers of African American romance along with so many others are to be commended for their courage and perseverance to stay the course. It is because of them that I’m where I am today.
And African American romance and the authors who pen the stories are here to stay!
8. What do you have up your sleeve for the future?
My second release, When a Man Loves A Woman hits store shelves April 1st and is the sequel to When I’m With You. The premise of this story is betrayal—not just any kind of betrayal, but the ultimate unfaithfulness no woman should ever have to go through. Readers will see how a woman’s life that was once shattered is made whole again.
My readers have totally embraced the Baptiste Clan and I want them to hold on to their seats. I recently sold the third saga entitled, If I Were Your Woman, which hopefully will make the ’08 production schedule. Also, there are two other Works in Progress as well. With all of this, I plan to stay pretty busy in 2008 and beyond.
9. What book published do you wish you could have written?
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
10. Any last remarks you’d like to make?
After reading my books, I hope readers will take away three things. First, I want them to understand the beauty and power of love that exists between the right man and woman, Secondly, I hope they come to know and cherish the importance of family. And finally, I trust they can discover some strategy from my stories that they can apply to whatever real-life situation they’re facing that will help them overcome it.
Check out LaConnie’s website at http://www.laconnietaylorjones.com/ to see how you can win a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com!
2 comments February 26, 2008
