Weaving Tales of Love that Dissolve Barriers: Interview with CIMRWA Membership Director

There is a lot of big buzz going around the writing community about the new RWA chapter for authors of cultural, multicultural  and interracial romances.

So I decided to contact the chapter and interview Membership Director Angeline Bishop, where we discuss the Abalone Awards and what books fit into this chapter.

CIMRWA Membership Director Angeline Bishop

Why did you feel it was important to start a romance chapter for interracial, multicultural, and cultural romance writers?

The Cultural, Multicultural, and Interracial Special interest Chapter of Romance Writers of America (or CIMRWA) was started by three remarkable authors, A.C. Mason, Ambrielle Kirk, and Theresa Breaux. 

             Image from CIMRWA site

I didn’t have a hand in the hard process of creating this new RWA chapter so all accolades need to go to these women.  They are extraordinary and resolute in their convictions to see this chapter come to life. Their vision was very clear they wanted to advance excellence in ethno-cultural romance genre and support the professional goals of career-focused writers of Cultural, Interracial, and Multicultural romance fiction.  

So CIMRWA is an assembly place of ethno-cultural romance writers in our own part of RWA. We’ll embrace the diversity of our storylines and endorse our tagline ‘Weaving tales of love that dissolve barriers’ because we strongly believe love transcends all seen or imagined impediments, divisions, and obstacles.
 

Tell us about the Abalone awards.

Link to Enter Contest

The Abalone Awards contest for published and unpublished writers was created to support and recognize outstanding works of writers of Ethno-Cultural Romance. All entrants must be eighteen years of age or older by the date of entry. 


For Unpublished Authors
Now we must remind everyone that entries for the unpublished novels portion of the contest must be from a completed manuscript because we have wonderful judges from Harlequin, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Dafina Books, and Kensington Publishing that will be judging the finalists this year.  We want to wow these judges with the new talent, so please don’t let us down.

For Published Authors

We’re looking for published novel entries that have been released between December 1, 2011 and December 1, 2012. And we’re happy to state self-published novels are included in this contest.

Oh and before I forget, CIMRWA does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation so GLBTQ entries are welcome in any category that best represents the story.

The winners will be announced at RWA Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia in July so get your entries in.  I’ll be there with other members of the CIMRWA board to honor our Abalone Award winners. I hope to see many writers of Ethno-Cultural romance in attendance.
 
The chapter covers a lot of new types of romance writers. Could you explain the terms Ethno-cultural romance, Cultural, Multicultural, and Interracial Romance? 

 Ethno-Cultural Romance are stories that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and revolves around Cultural, Interracial, or Multicultural aspects of the character(s), location(s) or theme(s).

Cultural stories as stories of a particular social, ethnic, religious group; or stories containing character(s), location or theme(s) of a SINGLE CULTURAL group (such as Native American, African American, Israeli, Hispanic, Iraqi, Irish, etc.) A good example of this would be Legacy by Shirley Hailstock or To Love You More by Wayne Jordan.

Interracial stories are stories conducted, involving, or existing between different races. (MORE THAN ONE racial group.)  Which can also include interracial (character(s)) of multiple ethnic, cultural or religions heritage/ancestry.  A good example is My Nora by Holley Trent or Rush by Beth Yarnall.

And Multicultural stories contain characters of MORE THAN ONE culture relating to, consisting of, or participating in the cultures of different countries, ethnic groups, or religions. ‘Like Mayflies in a Stream by Shauna Roberts is a good example of this.









Will there be more contests through this chapter in the future?


We truly hope so but there’s a lot of work that goes into holding a successful writing contest. It’s quite a remarkable undertaking for a newly formed chapter but everyone is focused on making Abalone Awards the benchmark contest for CIMRWA and the Ethno-Cultural Romance community.

The CIMRWA board is fortunate to have our vice president, Emma Petersen handling the day-to-day management of the contest while our president, A.C. Mason, worked diligently to secure a great roster of judges from brilliant publishing houses.

What are some of the exciting activities and/or events coming up with CIMRWA this 2013?


We have the Mosaic Newsletter coming out this winter; it will feature the writers in our chapter, literary news, and chapter events.  We’ll also have an amazing seasonal chapter anthology that will showcase the writings of our members.  I think all writers have a few novellas we can polish up and submit for the public to enjoy. CIMRWA will also host be wonderful workshops and agent pitch sessions for members to develop their skills and get closer to their dreams of publication. This is a very exciting time.  We have ambitious goals and much of the work has already started. With the leadership of the CIMRWA’s board of officers, the efforts of the volunteers, the dedication of the national office staff, and support from you, I am confident that the CIMRWA can move forward in an exciting direction.  Together, we will strengthen the ethno-cultural romance genre and build the CIMRWA into a preeminent special interest chapter of RWA.

Thanks again for having me stop by.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach me at membership@CIMRWA.org.  Now please tell me where can I find the artist that animated you and Alicia? I need to give them a call. :-)

Sunday Comics: Fate's Kiss Episode #1

Starting today, the Fantasy Floozies are providing a free web comic series that moves the story along each Sunday.  Make sure you follow our blog to be updated on new comics.  Enjoy! 

Alania is a slave, and has been since she was four years old. 

She has no memory of her family before then. As a child she would do house work for her master, and take care of the man guests her influential master takes in. 

When she turned 13 her Master started the sexual assaults  and even though she has known no other life she still dreamed of being free. 

At the age of 20 she escapes into the city. While hiding from the men set out to bring her back Alania runs into a vampire who defends her. 

Although everything in his mind tells him to leave her there, Julian takes in the frightened girl and after finding she does not even have a name he offers her the name Alania. He continues to protect her hoping his vampire coven does not find out about him socializing with a human. Or that he has started to have feelings for her.

 

 

 

Such a tease Jackie! lol! 

Make sure you tune in next Sunday for Alania and Julian's journey.

Check out the artist.   Jacqulene Sheats

J.N. Sheats  Facebook  

Blog: Inside the Insanity

"I may not know how to do it, but I sure can learn..." 

A motto that has earned Jacqulene Sheats the title Jack of all Trades. Sticking her paws into animation, illustration, game development, and writing there is nothing she won't try at least twice.

The creative drive starting with Disney classics early in life, and fanning the flames with a deep seeded love for anime. She has been chasing a dream to release wild storms of fantasy upon the world one pencil and key stroke at a time.

January Book of the Month: Pivot Point by Kasie West

This year, we've started a new feature—a book of the month buddy read. Each month we pick a book, and Kenya and I both read it. Then we discuss it in an instant message chat and post an edited version of the chat here.

Our January BotM was Pivot Point. Yes, yes, I know it's February now! We'll try to post the BotM argument discussion during the designated month, but we won't always have time for a proper argument discussion before the month's end.

You can read more about our book of the month feature here. And feel free to read along in the future!

Pivot Point
by Kasie West

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

The Characters
Alicia: What did you think of Addie? And Trevor and Duke?
Addie’s best friend Laila was a throwaway character. Same old outgoing chick who gets into trouble.
Kenya: This is true. She was the cliché I'm-going-to-push-you-to-date-guys best friend. I get that these girls are out there. I'm exactly like this with my friends. But I'd like to see a new best friend character type.
Alicia: So . . . you're a cliché?
Kenya: Yes. But a HOT SEXY CLICHÉ!
Alicia: I don't think clichés can be hot and sexy. “An expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect.”
Kenya: They definitely can. I'm living proof!
Alicia: I'm so turned on.
Kenya: *flicks on gay porn . . .
Alicia: I'm gonna need you to get over the gay porn.
Kenya: Not happening. It's my new love.
Alicia: So what did we think of Addie? She was relatively rational, and you know my YA pet peeve is irrational heroines. So that's a plus for me.
Kenya: To me, she seemed like two completely different people in each path. She runs from Duke in one path, but she's rushing after Trevor in the other.
Alicia: Yeah, but she pursued Trevor as a friend, and it just turned into something more. I actually think that was indicative of the same character trait that made her run from Duke. She didn't want to admit her feelings for Trevor. I also think that, when she was with Duke, she was kind of overshadowed by the popular kids. I liked her better when she was with Trevor.
Kenya: :-o @ overshadowed by popular kids. Good point. Duke was cliché for me.
Alicia: Yes!
Kenya: But I didn't finish the book so . . .
Alicia: There was a little twist with his ending, but it fit within his cliché desire to be the popular guy. I thought her relationship with Trevor was cute. How they started with jokingly passing notes about zombie-killing. Seems like something I'd do.
Kenya: I absolutely loved the zombie killing stuff! That was the best part of the book.

The Plot
Kenya: Truthfully, I stopped at Chapter 15 and still am not sure what the book is about. My assumption of the plot: A girl checks out two future paths to decide which parent to live with after a divorce.
*shrugs and continues watching gay porn
Alicia: I think it was about a lot. In one future, her dad was investigating a murder that seemed to relate to this one guy in particular, and in the other future her best friend kept running into that guy. And it kind of all blew up at the end. I really enjoyed how the plots wove together. Very Sliding Doors.
Kenya: It really is fascinating. (Gay porn, I mean.)
Alicia: I'm just ignoring you now.
And after the search was over, the choice she had to make was so hard because both futures had major downsides. It was a little heartbreaking. I had serious feels!
Kenya: You know what I hated? Addie was so mean to her mom, but not her dad.
Alicia: We're not discussing characters anymore! Stop trying to contribute when you didn’t do your homework! You get an F at reading.
Kenya: Fine! :-/

Favorite Line or Scene
Alicia: So . . . I didn't know we were going to do the fave line thing, so I didn't highlight any good ones on my Kindle.
Kenya: You suck! Let me get my iPad out. I always highlight. It is called Close Reading. As a writer you should be Close Reading.
Alicia: As a writer, you should be kissing my behind. And I think it’s only Close Reading if you actually finish the book.
Kenya: :-o
Alicia: Okay, I have one thing highlighted that I thought was cute, but I dunno if it's my fave. When Duke is trying to get with Addie, and she says they have nothing in common: "We're like magnets, Addie,” he calls after me.
Kenya: :-( You would pick that.
Alicia: I don't like your attitude.
Kenya: Here is my favorite scene: "You sound happy. Why are you happy?" Laila asks.
I start to put away my laundry. "Because I'm going out with Trevor and his friends on Friday."
Alicia: Are you going to type out the entire scene? ’Cause I'm bored right now.
Is this going to take long?
See how much I typed, and you haven't finished yet.
*bored
Kenya: "Aw, I'm like a proud mother bird watching my daughter fly from the nest. Fly, little bird, fly. Oh no! Don't fall. No, that's the ground. Addie, watch out for the ground. Man, tough luck. You'd better come back home."
Done.
(impatient a-hole)
Alicia: Oh, yeah, that was awesome. That definitely gets the best-line award!
Kenya: *returns to gay porn

World-Building
Alicia: World-building?
Kenya: Not bad. Decent. She didn't drag on and drop info dumps. She slipped in valuable info at great times.
Alicia: Yeah, I thought it was integrated well. And right away, she introduced the mental ability to change other people’s perceptions of their surroundings. The mental superpowers were cool.
Kenya: For example: Duke talks to her and says, "Are you a Naturalist? Do you want us to merge with Normal society?" Great slip in without boring me.
Alicia: It seemed realistic—like there could really be a compound where these psychologically advanced people hang out. Good example. I may increase your reading grade to a D.

Would you take it to bed with you?
Alicia: Well, I adored it. I thought it was so unique and fun, and the ending blew me away. So yes! I'm excited to get my hands on the sequel. I want to know what happens with Addie and her love interests because that was left open-ended after she chose one of the future paths.
Kenya: Yes. I would take it to bed with me, but only to prop under my feet as I read something else. I believe the writing and world rocked! But this book just wasn't my thing. I love dark, edgy, action-packed scenes or hot sensual scenes. This simply wasn't for me, but I believe that others will devour it.
Alicia: “Sensual scenes”? Dude, it's YA.
Kenya: Which guy did she pick?
Alicia: I'm not telling you that. If you had done your reading, you’d know the answer.

Giveaway: Movie Tickets to Beautiful Creatures

Movie Ticket Giveaway!
We're giving one winner two movie tickets to Beautiful Creatures—or the movie of your choice. The prize will be awarded as a $25 Fandango digital gift card. Before we issue the prize, we'll email the winner to ask if he or she is outside Fandango's service area, in which case the winner can tell us where to purchase the movie digital gift card.

But before we get to the movie tickets, first you have to suffer through my ramblings about why I haven't read Beautiful Creatures, the book on which this move is based. (Or you could just skip to the bottom, but then you'd miss all the fun.)

Beautiful Creatures
by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Movie Release: February 14, 2013

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I'm really looking forward to this movie! The trailers look dark and edgy, and that's what I want. Usually, when I'm excited about an upcoming movie that's a book adaptation, I run out and pick up the book. Not in this case.

I love young adult books, I'm learning to love contemporary romance, and I love paranormal books. Despite all this, I have a love-hate relationship (mostly annoyance) with young adult paranormal romance. Why? There's so much depth available there, between the potential romance and the paranormal creatures and young adults with emotions running high. So much complexity and feeling can potentially be inserted into a young adult paranormal romance book. But most that I've read have turned out to be disappointingly superficial.

I'm not going to point fingers at particular young adult paranormal romance books I didn't like. Instead, let's focus on the positive: I highly recommend Daughter of Smoke and Bone (by Laini Taylor), and I had a lot of fun with the Hex Hall series (by Rachel Hawkins).

What young adult paranormal romance books would you recommend? One of the entry options for the giveaway is leaving a comment, so give me a recommendation please!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway runs until February 13, and the movie opens on February 14. Remember: if you're outside Fandango's service area, we'll purchase the movie digital gift card from the movie website of your choice.

  See you at the theater!

Interview with Kasie West, Author of Pivot Point

As you may (or may not) know, we've started a new Book of the Month (BotM) feature. For each BotM, Kenya and I will both read the selected book and then post a joint review/argument/discussion.

Our January BotM is Pivot Point, by Kasie West, which is an amazing and original young adult science fiction novel. I read Pivot Point early in the month and, like the fangirl I am, emailed Kasie to request an interview. She agreed—because she rocks! I had a lot of fun coming up with questions, and I just love her answers.

The interview is below, and check back soon for our BotM review.

Pivot Point
by Kasie West
Publication: February 12, 2013

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Alicia: If you could be "psychologically advanced," like many of the characters in Pivot Point, which ability would you choose? And why?

Kasie: As you might imagine (considering the book I wrote) I get this question a lot. And every time I want something different depending on what's happening in my life at the time. Ha. So today, since I just got back from the gym, and going to the gym is so much work, I'd love the ability to be able to make myself stronger without having to work out--increase my metabolism, send increased blood flow to my muscles. It's all mind power. Now, if I just think hard enough maybe I can do that without a mental power. I'll let you know if it works.

Alicia: What about a non-mental super power—what would you choose? And why?

Kasie: Flying for sure. I really really want to be able to fly. Why can't I fly?

Alicia: Let's say you live in a secret compound with a bunch of people who have mental abilities—much like the Compound in Pivot Point. What would you do for fun?

Kasie: Ha. I like this question. I'd mess with people's minds, of course. :) No, I think we'd have to have lots of ability v ability competitions. Like with Telekinetics--who could hold the most objects off the ground for the longest.

Alicia: With so many books these days featuring physical superpowers, what inspired you to focus on mental powers?

Kasie: I do love physical superpowers too. But to me, mental powers almost seem attainable. Like they are just one step away from being a reality. If we can figure out how to use our brain more effectively, wouldn't that be the next step? I love that thought. I love supernatural that makes you look around and wonder if it's already happening around you.

Alicia: What's your favorite thing about being a writer?

Kasie: I have four kids so I love that this is a career I can do from home. But I love love love creating a person on paper. I love exploring and learning about that person and telling their story. It is so fun for me.

Alicia: Do you have any new writing projects or upcoming books you want to tell us about?

Kasie: In July my contemporary THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US comes out. I love this story so much and hope others will as well. Then of course, the sequel to Pivot Point will be out next February and another contemporary in the summer of 2014. These books are keeping me pretty busy, but I always like to be writing something new. So yes, I have a few other projects that are in their very early stages.

Lightning round!
Favorite movie? Pitch Perfect
Favorite TV show? American Idol
Favorite food? Mexican
Favorite animal? Kitten
Favorite color? Blue
Favorite book? GAH! That's an unfair question. There are too many. :)
Print or ebook? Print. (But I'm not an ebook hater)

Website
Twitter

I love to write--too much. It's a sickness really. My debut novel, PIVOT POINT, will be published by HarperTeen Feb. 12, 2013. (Followed by its sequel a year later.)

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, my contemporary YA novel, will be published in the Fall of 2013 (HarperTeen).

My agent is the talented, funny, and sometimes crazy, Michelle Wolfson.