Wednesday, November 11, 2020

What's in a pseudonym? Ask Stacey


I know the RtG plan was for the genre-istas to write about Christmas romances this month. I admit, after the turmoil 2020 has presented so far, many people really need something festive. But if you’ve read my posts before, you know I often find myself straying from the group. For this month, I knew I had to write about a writing queen, Selena Montgomery. 



Montgomery is an award-winning author of eight romance novels. Her tales include the love stories of a lawyer and sheriff, two undercover agents, and a sexy ethnobotanist. Her books share one goal, illustrating that Black women can be “as adventurous and attractive as any white woman” in fiction.

Have you ever heard of this prolific author? Maybe you don’t think you have. But unless you’ve spent 2020 in a cave, a place I have sometimes wanted to be, chances are high you've heard a lot about the accomplishments of Stacey Abrams from Georgia. Stacey and Selena are one and the same. 

 She's a politician, lawyer, voting rights activist who was instrumental in helping turn Georgia purple - and a successful author. She began her novel writing career in college by reading. Aristotle taught her story structure, Pearl Cleage showed her how to sustain tension, and she used the books of Nora Roberts as a master class in characterization. 

She wrote her first novel, Rules of Engagement, during her third year as a student at Yale University. Under the pseudonym Selena Montgomery. According to her website, her books have sold over 100,000 copies. She’s proud to place romance writer alongside her other accomplishments, and says,  
"Telling a well-crafted story is hard. Full stop. Regardless of genre, good writing is good writing. Romance is one of the oldest forms of storytelling, and I’m honored to be in the company of extraordinary writers." 
She has also written a number of nonfiction books, including a 2018 memoir. 

In between writing, running for governor in Georgia, and working to get the state of Georgia to vote for a Democratic candidate, she founded Fair Fight. Fair Fight is a voting rights organization that has helped register 800,000 new voters. All that and somehow she found the time to write and sell her ninth novel, While Justice Sleeps. 

 Here’s what Stacey Abrams said about her new thriller: “Drawing on my own background as a lawyer and politician, While Justice Sleeps weaves between the Supreme Court, the White House, and international intrigue to see what happens when a lowly law clerk controls the fate of a nation.” 

While Justice Sleeps will be released under her own name in May, 2021. 

 Just thinking about all she accomplishes tires me out. "The act of writing is integral to who I am," she said a few years ago. "I’m a writer, a politician, a tax  attorney, a civic leader and an entrepreneur. I am proud of what I’ve accomplished."

And I am proud for her.

7 comments:

peggy jaeger said...

Barbara - thank you so much for this post!! I knew this about Stacy and I have always admired her for her wonderful writing - but the fact she is such a mover and shaker in the political world is fabulous, because she totally destroys the archaic notion of most men that romance writers are middle aged, lonely, women sitting home all alone and fantasyzing about the perfect male while they eat their emotions.

Marcia King-Gamble said...

I'm proud to say our paths have crossed. Selena/ Stacy and I were both among the stable of Arabesque writers back in the day. To Peggy's point, most of us are accomplished women with outside interests. I'm extremely proud of this lady. So happy you featured Stacy, Barbara.

Judith Ashley said...

Barbara, I knew Stacy Abrams wrote romance but I hadn't known her pseudonym. So glad she is still writing (actually I'm amazed with everything else she is accomplishing) and now using her own name. Thank you for Celebrating this amazing woman here today. In many ways your post is a holiday romance story.

Barbara Binns said...

Peggy, Marcia and Judith, you are all so lucky to have known this. I literally found out my newest heroine was a romance writer only a week or so ago. I am now dedicated to finding her book about the ethnobotanist. There are so few sexy scientists in romance. And yes, I am going to grab her thriller the minute it comes out.

Lynn Lovegreen said...

That is past awesome. You had me at ethnobotanist, then I read on to discover one of my role models writes romance! Thanks for the post, Barbara.

Peggy said...

Very uplifting post. I had no idea. Thanks very much.

Maggie Lynch said...

Stacy Abrams is a hero in my mind. Her persistence over the past ten years to fight against voter suppression and make sure every vote counts is legendary. I have read some of her nonfiction but didn't know she wrote fiction. What an amazing, hardworking woman. Someone who is definitely an inspiration to me.