 |
| Koko Brown |
A couple of weeks ago I released my second sports-themed
romance, Jezebel. The story revolves
around a complacent exhibition boxer and a functioning alcoholic dancer during
the Great Depression. Sound like a downer? It’s not I just chose to write
characters who weren’t so darn perfect they make your teeth ache.
So how did Jezebel come about from a ten year old
manuscript? Last, summer I wanted to publish a story right away. As anyone
knows in this business, your next book is the best publicity. Unfortunately, my
muse had a different plan. After I pulled Heart
of Harlem (the original name of the story) out of an archived file folder,
I realized how much fun I had writing my soccer romance, Players’ Ultimatum.
The setting and the plot remained somewhat the same, but the
character development received a major overhaul. And I enjoyed every minute of
it. Not only am I a sports fanatic, I’m
also a huge history buff. For this
manuscript, I delved into everything from the Harlem Renaissance, social manners/etiquette,
period clothing, Broadway musicals, Naval brigs, race movies, the first
independent film companies, and about three dozen personal histories of boxers’
who fought between 1899-1950.
I loved every single minute of it! I discovered Young
Stribling, one of the first boxers to become a millionaire. He never fought in a
title match, but made his money traveling across America during the Great
Depression fighting exhibition matches. I ran across one of the coolest
maps detailing “the fun to be had” in Harlem’s nightlife scene during the
1930s. From this map alone, I was able
find the names of lesser known nightclubs, what dances were popular during the
time and how important the daily number was for many of the community’s
inhabitants. Practically the whole city, considering the money to be made from
the racket caused one of the biggest gangland wars in history. Dutch Shultz
ring any bells?
As a writer of a sports-themed romance, I also wanted to
make sure that readers got a taste of the sport. I hate reading a story about a professional
athlete who never gets on the field or inside the ring. In my opinion, that’s not poor character
development. On the other hand, because I write romance I also keep the action
to a minimum. I always have to remind myself that the hero isn’t romancing the
other team or his opponent, his eyes should remain firmly on the prize, which
is the heroine.
All in all, I feel Jezebel
really captures the essence of New York City during the 1930s. Hopefully, my
readers will get the same enjoyment out of reading it as I did writing it.
Want to learn more about me and my books? Visit my official website: www.kokobrown.net. For more about Jezebel or to read an excerpt, visit: www.kokobrown.net/taginterracialeroticromance/jezebel
