Romance
Slam Jam 2001
by
Nathasha Brooks-Harris
What
will you tell your ancestors you’ve done with the talents they passed on to
you when you meet them on Judgment Day? Will they be proud of what you’ve done
or will they be ashamed of you because of what
you wasted? That was one question that Vivian Stephens, the founder of RWA, former Dell Candlelight Ecstasy and Harlequin editor
posed to the attendees of this year’s Romance Slam Jam, held at the Wyndham
Hotel and Resort in sunny Orlando, Florida.
Stephens
also implored the attendees to form an organization in which they would be able
to have more control over their own writing careers and could learn to do things
for themselves without having to depend on others to do it for them. That was
her only charge to the many people interested in rebuilding the now-defunct
organization, Women Writers of Color--a group she spearheaded several years ago.
She also suggested that some type of policy be instituted for potential
members to be approved by a governing body so that only serious writers would
gain entrance to the group.
Overall,
Slam Jam was like a big family reunion (but unlike most family reunions,
everyone got along).Many people met for the first time after having only spoken
to each other for many months online. At last, they matched names to faces and
hugged each other in sisterhood (and brotherhood) as if they were blood kin.
Only the brilliant Florida sunshine added to the warmth of the event.
Hosted
by “the two Brendas,” Jackson and J.Woodbury, and Jackie Perkins of Montsho
Books, Romance Slam Jam 2001 was a resounding success. There aren’t enough
adjectives in the dictionary to describe this conference--which was pulled off
champagne style on a beer budget. To coin the vernacular, Slam Jam was all that
and a bag of chips. Emma Rodgers, proprietor of Book Bazaar in Dallas, Texas and
her bookselling partner, Ashira Toshiwe, along with author Francis Ray
inaugurated Romance Slam Jam in 1995. Then last year, the Brendas volunteered to
host it in Florida. They picked up the mantle and rolled from there, along with
the help of Montsho Books’ bookseller extraordinaire, Jackie Perkins, the
Florida Romance Authors (Marcia King-Gamble, Eboni Snoe, Janice Sims and Kayla
Perrin) and the Sistahs of Distinction Book Club. A bevy of sponsors including
Lucille Harrison (Shaquille O’Neal’s mother) joined forces with them and
Slam Jam 2001 happened.
Here’s
a brief overview of what transpired over the four-day period:
An
Evening At CityWalk:
We
boarded two buses and went to City Walk at the Universal Studios. Imagine six,
uninterrupted hours of noise, fun, and mayhem. There were all sorts of
restaurants, clubs, and souvenir shops--not to mention tourists. Once we had our
admittance passes, it was up to us what we visited. My good friend, author
Natalie Dunbar and I, went to Latin Quarter first. We veered away from the crowd
for awhile and went there to check things out. We had a lovely Paella dinner
with fried plantains topped with a garlicky sauce and a tropical salad. It was a
bit of heaven on earth--oh so delicious. While dining, we saw a Latin-themed
show featuring two Flamenco dancers. It was a pleasant change from the usual
shows given at restaurants.
Actually,
we had gone to Emeril’s to eat, but the $75 a plate pricetag deterred us as
did a mound of pretty food in the middle of the plate. We were hungry as we had
just gotten in from our respective homes and wanted to eat
a generous, but healthy portion. That’s when we found the Latin Quarter
and were satiated beyond belief.
Next,
we visited a jazz club to hear some smooth music. The show didn’t start right
away so we went to the Motown Cafe to join our colleagues. When we arrived, the
DJ was spinning some wicked tunes. We hung out with our buddies and enjoyed
watching new author and live wire, William Frederick Cooper work his magic on
the dancefloor. The man has got some interesting moves! Then, we went back to
the jazz club to see the show, but the artist wasn’t what we thought, so we
ended our evening at the Motown Cafe.
The
fun continued on the bus until we were all finally too pooped to party. So off
we went to our respective buildings to get ready for a full day of activities.
Breaking
Bread With Your Favorite Authors/Breakfast Speech:
Author
Francis Ray spoke and lauded Leticia Peeples (the publisher of Odyssey Books,
the first publisher of African-American romances) and Vivian Stephens for paving
the way for African-American romance authors. She said that they stuck a toe in
the door and got it open. A nice touch was when Ray had the published authors to
stand and give a round of applause to the booksellers and authors. She pointed
up the fact that the publishing business is not fair and that it takes a lot to
stay in the business. She asked the authors to keep the same rosy glow in their
cheeks throughout the careers, although it probably wouldn’t be easy. Ray
encouraged us to follow our dream of becoming authors and to write the books of
our hearts.
A
Moment of Relaxation:
After
breakfast, many of us had a moment of relaxation with a talented team of
masseuses. We straddled specially made chairs so that the masseuse could get to
our backs and necks. What happened after that was absolutely sinful. Several of
us talked about what we felt like doing, but couldn’t because our husbands
were back home. However, it was a perfect time to write those steamy love scenes
or drift off to sleep. Everyone was mellow and totally relaxed, but we resisted
all of those urges and used that time to network with other people.
Book
Clubs Coming Together:
So
often, we forget about the book clubs and they are one very viable vehicle of
keeping our work alive through the purchase and discussion of our novels. Circle
of Sisterhood, Prominent Women of Color, Sisters Who Enjoy Reading, Divine
Sisterhood , Just A little Romance, and Literary Sisters were the book clubs
represented during the roundtable discussion. They discussed how they got
started, some of their rules and regulations, what they’ve read and are
reading, their process of choosing books and some of the ways they give back to
the community. It was interesting to hear the diversity in the clubs as well as
to hear their excitement over having authors visit and talk about their work.
Their book discussion ranged from having a formal sit-down dinner before the
meeting to having literary activities to precede the discussion to talking about
the books while munching on finger foods. There was every variation in between.
The book clubs learned from each other, and they took time to hear what was on
the authors’ mind. Several of us attended and that worked out great for
everyone because we were afforded valuable networking opportunities. After
sitting in on that meeting, this author will never, ever underestimate the power
of book clubs or take them for granted again!
Vivian
Stephens Women Writers of Color Organizational Meeting:
Stephens
shared that 1983 to 1985 was the peak of the romance genre. She clarified that
statement by saying that romance is not as popular as before people don’t
understand or buy the books. She stated that the heart of the money is in the
genre romance books--the numbered books-- because the other kinds of romance
books come and go.
As
some of us know, Stephens founded Romance Writers of America in 1979. She told
us that their first conference was in 1981 and it was her gift to the group.
“When you give a gift, you don’t tell them what to do with it,” she
asserted. Today, Romance Writers of America is a far different group from what
she intended. She left her comments at that.
She
gracefully ended her talk by reminding us that, “We as black romance writers
are ascending. We’ve got 50 years ahead of us!...At this new millennium, it is
time for us to be serious about our business and to do for ourselves. Claim it.
Learn your craft.” Stephens was lauded with a rousing standing ovation.
Jammin’
With Slam Jam with Star 94.5 FM:
That
was an interesting evening indeed because after a tasty buffet, audience members
were given clues by our own LaShaunda Hoffman about various books and we had to
come up with the titles and authors. Gifts were given to the winners and judging
from the looks on the winners’ faces, they were thrilled.
The
best laughs came when some of the authors’ steamy love scenes were acted out by the readers. They did a wonderful job and raised the room
temperature several degrees with their hot depiction of those scenarios.
Panel
Discussions:
The
panel discussions covered the gamut from writing red-hot love scenes to
conflicts, to mystery and suspense in the novels to writing sequels. The men
even had their say and put their
spin on what’s happening in the romance industry. However, the most popular
panel was the Agent, Editor and Reviewers Discussion.
On
that panel, definitive answers were given to what the various publishing houses
and agents are looking for. For instance, Monique Patterson, editor at St.
Martin’s Press is seeking great voices and authors telling great stories.
Dianne Miller at Genesis Press advises aspiring authors to limit kids to one per
hero or one per heroine so that the focus will be on the romance. She says to
center the story around the romance and to tell a creative story. She also
hinted that she prefers romance, but will look at stories with sub-plots
containing elements from other genres. However, the above advice still applies.
The panel agreed that e-books won’t dominate the industry because readers
still like books they can hold in their hands and read in bed at night.
Luncheon
with Vivian Stephens:
During
the luncheon, Stephens explained that she sacrificed herself to put black
writers where they needed to be
because she wanted people to read about and glorify themselves. She wanted
readers to read about a middle class existence. She told us that when she was at
Dell Publishing, she bought several books by writers of color without
controversy: A Tender Mending by Leah Sanders and the first Hispanic
romance novel, Golden Fire Silver Ice by Maritza DeSilva. The books she
signed “floated the house,” and
was a precursor for today’s burgeoning multicultural romance industry. The
first African-American romance from Harlequin was A Strong and Tender Thread
by Jackie Weger (also signed by Stephens) . Stephen was also the editor who put
Beverly Jenkins in print, she informed us.
She ended her keynote address by reminding writers not to let anyone define our existence and to remember who we are. “Pursue that talent within everything within you.,” she underscored. Stephens asked us to recite the lyrics to “Lift Every Voice & Sing,” (also known as the Negro National Anthem), then to sing it. We did as she requested. That moment was heart-rending as we held hands and made a joyful noise.
Author’s
Booksigning Pavillion:
Imagine
a ballroom converted into a mega signing session with some of the biggest
romance authors meeting and greeting their fans. There were many new faces
included such as Cindi Louis (Crazy Thing Called Love), William Frederick
Cooper (Six Days In January), Kim Louise (Destiny’s Song).
and D.J. Coleman, (How I Made It Over). However, it was like going
home to be with family because the established authors embraced the new authors
with love and sound advice.
What
blew this writer/author away was the loyalty of the fans. They showed up with
suitcases of books from last year that they wanted the authors to autograph.
They went from table to table to get them signed and waited patiently if those
lines were long. They also brought empty suitcases to fill up with this year’s
purchases. Now those are fans any author would love! It was wonderful to witness
the way the fans’ faces lit up as they met their favorite authors and got
their books autographed. They treated them like literary royalty and many posed
with the authors in photos and hugged others. Clearly, they were grateful to the
authors for their stories and openly thanked them for writing the tales.
First
Annual Awards Banquet:
The
piece de resistance was the First Annual Awards Benefit. We ate a gourmet meal
to the sounds of soft jazz music by a local band. Then, the festivities got
underway.
Awards
were presented by authors who
weren’t nominated , Lucille Harrison (a diehard romance fan), a few fans, and
aspiring authors. That added a supportive touch to the
event.
There were three high points of the awards ceremony. The first was when “The
Hotties” from Delphi’s Color Of Love website read several love scenes from
the nominated books. They held the audience in the palms of their hands and some
of the male attendees were overheard asking if that was what their women were
reading and if the bookstore was open so they could buy some of those books! The
next was when author Raynetta Maness sang two heartfelt songs to her colleagues.
I will get to the third one shortly.
The
awards were won as follows:
-
FAVORITE HERO - Jake Madaris from Secret Love - Brenda Jackson
-
FAVORITE HEROINE - Sarah Sterling from Just Before Dawn - Rochelle Alers
-
FAVORITE BOOK COVER - Always and Forever - Beverly Jenkins
-
FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR - Secret Love - Brenda Jackson
-
FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR - Deirdre Savoy
-
FAVORITE AUTHOR OF THE YEAR - Brenda Jackson
-
FAVORITE SEQUEL TO A BOOK SERIES - True Love - Brenda Jackson
-
FAVORITE STEAMY ROMANCE BOOK - Always and Forever - Beverly Jenkins
-
FAVORITE BOOK WITH CONTROVERSIAL CONFLICTS - Precious Heart - Doris Johnson
-
FAVORITE ANTHOLOGY OF THE YEAR (tie) - Welcome to Leo's -Alers, Hill, Jackson and Ray/Della's House of Style - Alers, Hill, Mason and Ray
-
FAVORITE LOVE AND REAL LIFE BOOK - Love Miracles - Jacqueline Thomas
-
FAVORITE ALL-NIGHTER BOOK (tie)
-
FAVORITE THRILLER, KILLER AND ADVENTURE BOOK - Just Before Dawn - Rochelle Alers
It
was a Brenda Jackson and Rochelle Alers night. They, and all of the winners, won
a beautiful glass Emma award - designed by Brenda Woodbury and Jackie Perkins - so named to honor Emma
Rodgers, the creator of Romance
Slam Jam. That brings this writer to the third high point of the evening. Anyone
who knows Rochelle Alers knows that she is never at a loss for words.
Well, notch it down because she could not open her mouth one of the times she
won an award! She was flabbergasted, shocked, etc. when she won award after
award. She couldn’t say a word, but she recovered and later spoke eloquently!
The
awards were fair and although Brenda Jackson was a co-hostess of Slam Jam, she
had no involvement in anything regarding that part of the conference. She was
excused to keep things fair and was in the dark about anything award-related. No
one knew who had won because the attorneys who tallied the votes delivered the
envelopes to the hotel just before the Awards Banquet. I can personally vouch
for that because yours truly opened the envelope for Favorite Love & Real
Life Book award and presented it to the winner, Jacqueline Thomas, with author
Gail McFarland.
Congratulations
to all of the authors who won. The choices were hard, but their fans spoke and
all of their hard work paid off.
Even
the next day, both Brenda and Rochelle were still in shock over having won so
many awards. They said they had no idea they’d sweep the award ceremony like
they did and were both humbled and grateful from the experience. And they were
both just as nice and down-to-earth as they were before their wins.
A
big congratulations to Carolyn Hall, (a Hottie), who
won the first and second place award for the Aspiring Writer Contest. Her
manuscript will be read by St. Martin’s Press-- a great honor that just might
lead to a sale. She must have been ecstatic about those wins, but she kept it in
stride and just said thank you.
Emma
Rodgers and Francis Ray received special awards to honor them for all they’ve
done and for their initiating Slam Jam.
The
evening ended on a high note with everyone’s favorite authors being recognized
by those who love their work.
Every
good thing must end. Romance Slam Jam was officially over on Sunday. The weather
had been sunny and balmy, but early Sunday afternoon, the heavens opened up and
rain poured from the sky. We had all had a great time and were saying our
goodbyes to friends--old and new-- and preparing for our trips home. God smiled
on the sixth Romance Slam Jam 2001 and saw fit to give the Floridians some
much-needed rain to help relieve the drought. In a word, I can’t wait until
Slam Jam 2002. Thanks, Rochelle and Viveca for telling me to come! I owe
y’all!
Remember
the name Cynthia Hawthorne at Slam Jam 2002. At every conference, there’s one
person who makes an indelible impression. She’s that one. At last Slam Jam,
Cindi Louis vowed that she was going to publish a novel--and guess what? She
did! Next year, Hawthorne will be the one we’ll celebrate because her
already-completed novel about domestic abuse will be sold! Like Louis, she has
the right elements to make a sale as well as some popular published mentors
advising her. Just remember you heard it here first. Will you be there to join
me in toasting her sale next year?
To
the two Brenda’s, get some rest and do something good for yourselves. You
deserve it for a job well done!
Sidebar:
Romance Slam Jam 2001: From A New Author’s Point-of-View
When
I went to Slam Jam 2001, I had no idea what to expect. I had come upon authors
Rochelle Alers’ and Viveca Carlysle’s suggestions because they told me that
it would be excellent. Their words proved to be prophetic.
Although
I am a new author awaiting the May 2001 sale date of my first romance novel, PANACHE
(Domhan Books), the readers and romance fans embraced me with open arms
-literally and figuratively. They made me feel larger than life as if writing a
book were the most wonderful thing in the world. I explained that my book
wasn’t in the Montsho Bookstore in the Lemon Room, but they said that didn’t
matter because I was still an author. They had no idea what their words
meant to me and how good they made me feel. They said they’d buy my book and
Jackie Perkins, the bookstore proprietor as well as several other booksellers,
promised to order Panache so that it would be available on its
publication date.
I
didn’t really feel like an author without a tangible book in tow until many
people asked me to autograph my photo and bio in the Souvenir Journal as well as
to take photos with them.
I
met some wonderful people during Romance Slam Jam and reunited with several
long-lost, never-met-in-person friends such as Francis Ray, Bettye Griffin, and
Gail McFarland. Those ladies (and fantastic authors) will always hold a special
place in my heart because we go way back since my confession magazine editing
days in the late 1980’s and I take great pride in their success. It was so
nice to meet them in person after years of e-mail and phone calls.
The
impressions of the people we meet
can last for a lifetime. The way the readers, fans, and sister (and brother)
authors welcomed me into their prestigious fold will remain with me forever.
There weren’t any divas at Slam Jam. Everyone was friendly and real. I will
never forget it and will say with great humility that I am so happy to be
counted as one of them.
On
a final note, my heart is full when I think about the two Brendas. They are two
of the nicest, warmest women I have ever met. Talk about organized and being
able to get a job done, they are an unbeatable team. They are new friends and I
feel that my life has become so much richer as a result of meeting two
phenomenal ladies who epitomize the true meaning of Southern hospitality!
Thanks a thousand times for all you did to pull Slam Jam and helping this Yankee
gal feel so at home!