I first met Piper Huguley at our local RWA meeting, Georgia Romance Writers. She struck me as sensible and mature. There was an innate dignity to her that I admired. You don’t always know if your first impressions of people will prove accurate, but in Piper’s case, mine did. What I didn’t pick up on, but have since discovered, was her passion for her work; for excellence and a personal authenticity that translates to everything she writes. Her fierce intelligence and commitment to a more diverse publishing landscape are blazing a trail I hope many will follow. I am learning so much from her example, and was honored to have her answer a few questions about her journey writing historical Christian Romance.
Kennedy: Piper, when I first met you, you were already a Golden Heart finalist. You have since been nominated for another GH. That’s an honor most will never experience once, much less twice. What did you learn both times around?
Piper: The first time around I learned that there were people who believed in my eclectic projects and I was grateful for that. It gave me hope that readers would be able to look beyond the color of my characters to witness two people fall in love in impossible circumstances. The second time around, it seemed that people took me a lot more seriously as a writer. I was very surprised to be nominated the second time because of the very edgy nature of the story. I only entered it to help fill out the Inspirational Category so that it wouldn’t be cancelled again. I never thought I would be nominated again with it!
Kennedy: You have a list of awards and nominations for your writing as long as my arm. Your settings are incredibly rich and the characters so authentic and real to the time. What informs your writing to create such authenticity?
Piper: Well thank you! I appreciate your kind words, but I honestly feel that these stories have been too long buried. My unofficial tagline is–“If the ancestors hadn’t fallen in love, we wouldn’t be here.” I’m still working on the tagline, but I do feel that energy of so many who have had to remain silent for too long. Their stories must be told. I try hard to be a worthy conduit of the past.
Kennedy: After quarter finaling in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award, you decided to self-publish that novel, The Preacher’s Promise and the prequel, Lawyer’s Luck. What led you to make that decision and how has that experience been?
Piper: Well, The Preacher’s Promise was really for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical Line. When they decided they didn’t want it, I put it in the Amazon contest to see if I could stir up some talk about it. Harlequin’s word count requirement is smaller than other places, so I couldn’t submit it anywhere else–so I decided to publish it myself. I’ve had a lot of support and help from many, including you and I appreciate the kindness that many have shown me.
Kennedy: I know you are serving on a panel this upcoming weekend at the Decatur Book Festival on diversity in publishing. What would you say is the greatest barrier to more diverse choices in publishing?
Piper: Given my adventures in publishing , I think one of the largest barriers is that the publishing world itself is not diverse. I appreciate the efforts that people are making in the #weneeddiversebooks campaign, and it’s great to see how some publishing folk are beginning to open their minds more. I’m hopeful that will make change, but more young people of color need to be encouraged to publishing jobs. It’s hard to see them choosing the publishing field now since everything is changing so fast.
Kennedy: If you had to recommend 5 romance writers of color to mainstream readers expanding their reading palette, who would they be? Where’s a great place for them to start?
Piper: Jeannie Lin, Brenda Jackson, Beverly Jenkins, Shobhan Bantwahl, or Ann Christopher.
Stalk Piper!
1866: Amanda Stewart promised her dying father to use her education to uplift their race and teach newly-freed slaves. When she arrives in Milford, Georgia, blacksmith and town leader Virgil Smithson tells her female teachers aren’t welcome there. But Virgil made his own promise—he told his dying wife that their daughter would learn to read and write. In Amanda, he meets a woman whose will is as strong as the iron he fashions. These combatants must put aside their personal feelings to learn God has his own plan that comes from the promises they made to their loved ones.
Great interview, Kennedy. But then you had a great interviewee. And you described Piper perfectly.
Julie, exactly! She’s pretty freaking awesome! Thanks for reading. 🙂
So excited to be here, Kennedy! Thank you for having me!
Anytime, Piper! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by Julie! I appreciate it!