Author in the Spotlight Pat Cromwell~

Hello! Please welcome Pat Cromwell!  

 Pat is an interracial romance author who has taken on the responsibility of maintaining an interracial book list on her site. Each time a new book is released, Pat updates this list. Various authors can be found on this list.

CK: Pat, kudos to for creating and maintaining this list. When did you decide to launch the interracial book list?

 PC:  I decided to create the list back in November of 2009.  Prior to November, I wasn’t very knowledgeable of all the various on-line publishers.  I knew of only a handful of eBooks sites. Like clockwork I would check the sites hoping to find something with an IR theme.  That process alone was frustrating because many of the books are not labeled IR or the cover art is misrepresented.  As I discovered more and more sites and joined in on many of the discussion boards for IR themed books I realize that I wasn’t alone in the searching process.  I was putting together my website at the time and I wanted to do something different that would be helpful to the writer and the reader.  Thus the IR List was born.

CK:  Who are some of your favorite authors? 

PC: That’s a tough question because there are so many fabulous writers of IR.  I’d have to tag Shara Azod right off the bat.  When I read her books it is like sitting and listening to someone tell a story. On my instant buy list is Tammy Williams and I recently added Latrivia Nelson.  My all time favorite writer to date is Sharon Sala and of course I am a huge Christine Feehan fan.  Her Carpathian series is the best.

CK:  How do you keep up with maintaining this fabulous list?

PC:  It helps when writers and readers participate.  I encourage them to send me release information in advance.  Other than that, I spend Friday evening or early Saturday morning browsing sites for new release with an IR theme.  I hate it when I miss a book!  There are several sites that I can always count on.   I am always on the lookout for new ePublishers and especially new writers.  The downside to doing the list is the amount of money I spend!  My TBR pile grows every week.

CK:  Does this book list consist of all heat levels for IR romance?

 PC:  Definitely.  A book is eligible for the list as long as it is IR.  The genre isn’t a factor either.  I have M/M, paranormals, historical, etc. on the list.

CK:  Where can we point readers who are searching for various interracial stories?

PC:  The list is hosted on my website.  It is: http://www.patcromwell.com/irlistcurrent.htm

CK: What are the basic elements you feel readers are searching for with interracial stories.

PC:  I can tell you what we are not looking for – books that preach.  In my opinion the last thing an IR Junkie wants to read is a book with the central theme focused exclusively on the difference between the main characters race.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not so deluded to think race is not an issue today but it is not as mind boggling to see an interracial couple in this day and age, especially in the larger urban areas.  I’ll toss a book aside real quick if the heroine utters the words, “what will people think if I date a white man.”  Somehow it doesn’t seem right when the primary obstacle keeping the hero and heroine from their happy ever after is the color of their skin and the opinions of those around them.  Of course that is a generalization and there is an exception to every rule.  If the book takes place in the fifties for example, how could it not be an issue?  I’ve used it myself but not to the extent that it is the main focal point.

CK: Pat, thank you for allowing me to interview you. This list will be very informative for readers who are interested in discovering more books written by interracial romance/erotic authors. It was a pleasure having you.

Thanks and happy reading!