Who’s In the Hot Seat? Author Latrivia Nelson

Have you ever heard the saying, when “God made so and so, he broke the mold”? I’m going to take my poetic license here and say that when God made best-selling authors, Latrivia S. Nelson decided to take the traditional model, bash it to kingdom come, and then redesign it into an author in control over their own titles, but with an ability to amass a huge audience and sales that can make your head spin.

It takes years, if ever, for published authors to make their mark, not so with Latrivia S. Nelson! This Memphis, Tennessee is the rock star of interracial romance with a following that rivals Moses.  Her fan base is so loyal that they’ve catapulted her to a #1 best seller on Amazon more than once!

The Ugly Girlfriend

But what really draws me to this author who penned her first book in crayon at the age of four is her successful juggling act.  On an average day, Latrivia S. Nelson completes what most people do in a week. 

Besides being a loving wife and doting mother, Ms. Nelson runs her own publishing house, Riverhouse Publishing, hosts a popular weekly blogtalk radio show, The Skinny, and releases several best selling titles a year with such aplomb she’d make your head spin.

When does she sleep, right?

Well in between answering hundreds of email, meetings, taking care of her family and writing at four in the morning, Ms. Nelson manages to catch some shut eye.  And it seems to work for her because besides her own books, she represents four other authors. And in 2012, she’ll start a new imprint specifically for undiscovered romance authors to help push their work. (This dynamo doesn’t stop!) 

When asked why she started her own publishing house, Ms. Nelson said, “I didn’t take rejection well, and I didn’t like waiting on approval.  So, when I was told that interracial romance was too narrow of a genre to really be noticed, told my stories could not involve complicated love triangles and told that even if I did change, I might not be good enough, then I put my MBA to use and started my publishing company.”

From writing and publishing her own books, Ms. Nelson then branched out into radio with The Skinny. “Being raised in the South, “interracial” was a bad word.  My family has always been very liberal and so were all of my mentors.  So, I was taught to fight the norm.  

“The Skinny on Interracial Romance is a radio show devoted to exposing the “I” word.  While I’m in a big little city, there are so many women and men in small town America that have no one to discuss matters regarding interracial relationships with.  But with The Skinny they can do just that with anonymity and fun.  And they can connect globally with people who believe that love is the true universal color.  But don’t get me wrong.  We also talk about hard issues in order to have a balanced discussion and to give people a voice.”

Ivy's Twisted Vine

When asked what inspired her to get serious from her Crayola days and finally pen her first interracial romance, Ms. Nelson responded simply, “I was involved in a serious interracial relationship prior to writing Ivy’s Twisted Vine, and I met and married my hubby, Adam, after I started the book.  I was the college queen (although Ivy’s Twisted Vine is not my story), and I put so much of myself into it.

My husband came home one day, read ITV  from cover to cover, looked me in the eye and said, “Let’s get you published.”  He’s always been behind me, pushing me, encouraging me and often irritating me, since we first married.  So, I knew he was not going to let this go until it was done. 

“The next novel came in 2010, exactly 2 years later.  I was inspired by Eastern Promises, an ex-boyfriend who happened to be 6’7” and Russian (but not mafia).  And the list now goes on, though I have to say that I ran out of boyfriends a long time ago.”

Speaking of boyfriends and heroes, I pointed out to Ms. Nelson that I loved how her heroes, although very alpha had this edge of vulnerability to them, without being wimpy, which is rare in romance novels since heroines tend to shore up vulnerability like stock options.  

“I spend a lot of time observing men.  I go to lunch alone and watch them.  I watch them in church, at social functions, at our home.  And I listen to them.  I use various combinations of men to make characters that I think a woman will pay to read about.” 

“From my experience, men are vulnerable. And you can hurt them as easily as they can hurt you (though they are not as quick to show it).  That’s what The Lonely Heart Series is about.  Each man finds a strong, black woman, but he’s the lonely heart more so than her.”

Well I’m giving her my thumbs because her hero’s are a perfect foil to her heroines who are just as strong, yet not the stereotypical “strong, yet angry black woman” women of color all dread. 

“A black woman has the right to be hard nosed about certain issues. And she had the right to be angry about certain issues, but I hate when those are the only two things that are used to describe a human being capable of so many other emotions and filled with complexities that God himself gave us.  If my characters are angry, I show you why.  If they won’t budge, there is a reason.  But I try to show everyone as fallible, capable of change and eager for a new experience in their lives.  To me, these are the types of characters that my readers want to read about.”

“I want women to feel as beautiful as they are.  Society would have us beaten down, unhappy, exposed the elements and at the mercy of a man’s opinion.  But I don’t think we should be seen that way, and I don’t think we should see ourselves that way.  No matter what race you are, but specifically for black women all over the world, I want you to walk away feeling entertained, empowered and ready to refuse to play the supporting role in life or in make-believe anymore.  We demand to be the lead!”

Speaking of empowered, Ms. Nelson recently released The Grunt as a part of her Lonely Heart Series.  The longest of all of her other novels, The Grunt revolves around Marine Staff Sergeant Brett Black recently returned from Iraq, re-erecting his life after a dissolved marriage and his finding new love with the quirky Courteny Lawless. 

Let me just tell you this book blew me away.  It wasn’t just some stars and stripes, parades and picnic kind of romance novels. The Grunt exposes the harsh reality of a returning soldier to the standard issue military marriage many in the media and mainstream romance shy away from.  So I wondered was it a struggle to write this book because at times this book was almost too much for me and I have a pretty tough skin. 

“No research was needed for The Grunt.  As a Marine wife, who has walked the walk for years, I felt comfortable writing this story.  I learned so much about people and their propensity for good or evil while my husband was in the Corps.” 

“A lot of these women would do horrible things as soon as their husbands were gone to Iraq, and it just was ridiculous.  A lot of men and women served so bravely and were never recognized.  Too many men and women have emotional scars that they don’t feel comfortable discussing, whether as a spouse or military personnel.  The list just goes on and on.  Everyday that I was there, I learned a lesson, and I learned to be grateful and to try harder.”

“My husband came home from his tours changed forever, but we still had to move on, raise our family, and recover from this part of his life as a family.”

“It’s not easy now.  It was not easy then.”

“It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.  But it made me stronger, because I watched him refuse to die, refuse to give in or refuse to give us up.  He fought his demons and fought the status quo, because his little wife didn’t look a thing like him.  Plus, our little “dusty” kids were just as mismatched as we were.  The good thing is that he was very established before he went into the Corps.  And we came out of the Corps as a stronger unit and financially stable.  It took a little of everything, and a lot of prayer.”

Since her finger is always on the finger of the publishing industry as both a writer and publishers, I was curious how Ms. Nelson viewed the interracial market and if she predicted any trends.  “I’m excited about the explosion because it means several things:

• The publishing industry will have to take the IR genre more seriously.
• The world is becoming more tolerant of bw/wm relationships.
• Hollywood will have to take notice and create more movies and shows with IR couples.
• The bookstores will have to eventually have an IR section.
• More IR authors will emerge, which means new ideas. 
• Because of pioneering authors who wrote in the genre, we now have the ability to shape the genre (considering it is so young) and create meaningful dialogue through our writing.
• Dating between bw/wm are on the rise, which takes the stares off of the pioneers.  (Just kidding.  The pioneers like the Lovings have been around forever).

If you’re wondering when Ms. Nelson’s next offering will be, you don’t have long to wait!

“I’m always surprised by the growing response from readers globally.  I have readers in over 30 countries now.  And they all write to me.  This is a great way to connect to other women and to grow as an author.  I love it, and I welcome it.”

“And yes I do write with the readers in mind.  Everyone has a different flavor. They like the bad guy. They hate the heroine.  They wish that the story had ended another way.  It’s so much fun.  So, I can’t please everyone, but I try to write a story that I would love to read.  If I get excited when I’m writing a book, then I can’t wait to send it to the readers.”

“I’m currently writing three paranormal books, one of which is with one of the top guitarists in the US, Scott Bartlett.  I’m writing a romantic suspense that probably won’t be out until this time next year, and I’m writing a murder mystery that involves an interracial hero and heroine due out in the spring of next year. I’d like to try a lot of different things, simply because I enjoy it so much.  Plus, I like being challenged.  It’s gratifying on a personal level, and it makes me learn more about myself.”

Some of Ms. Nelson’s upcoming titles include:

Taming the Rock Star (The Lonely Heart Series): Rock star falls for jaded music reporter

Gracie’s Dirty Little Secret (The Lonely Heart Series): Manhattan Radio Host exposes that she only dates white men, which creates drama in her life and on her job.

Unleashing the Dawg (The Lonely Heart Series): Editor of local Memphis magazine falls for roommate’s brother. 

Despite her frantic pace, Ms. Nelson is always open to helping new authors and offering advice!  “Keep writing, keep dreaming and keep putting your work out there by means necessary.  If you don’t know how, give me a call at the office.  I’ll help you.”

***

The Grunt

 by Latrivia Nelson

Riverhouse Publishing, LLC