The sultry part of summer is upon us and, with temperatures outside soaring, we invited best-selling author and owner/operator of Garden Avenue Press, Delaney Diamond, to join us and share what’s happening with her publishing company, her writing, and the exciting roster of authors she’s brought on.
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You’re an accomplished romance writer. What inspired you to start writing, and why romance?
To be honest, I wasn’t “inspired” to write. I’d won some writing contests back in high school, but I never seriously considered writing as a profession. I was working an 8-5, miserable and stressed, when I decided to quit. I’d saved some money, so I had time to take a break until I found another job. During the interim, I started writing, thinking it could become a side gig, and chose romance because I love the genre and have been reading romance novels since I was 11. Long story short, my first book was published by a digital press and did better than I expected. That’s when I decided to consider writing as a career, and now, almost eight years later, I’m a slave to words, lol. I love what I do and didn’t realize I needed a creative outlet. The only drawback is that I wish I could write faster. So many ideas, so little time.
Do you remember the first romance novel you read? What was it and who was the author?
I don’t remember the first romance novel I read, but I remember it was a novel by Barbara Cartland. Her books were my gateway into romance at eleven years old. I got them from the library on my way home from school, eventually graduating to Harlequin Presents.
You own and operate Garden Avenue Press. What made you decide to get into publishing?
In the past, I’ve been contacted by authors who had writing or publishing questions, and I realized there might be a need for a more hands-on approach to the process that writers might not be getting from other avenues. So for me, Garden Avenue Press is a passion project. I wanted to establish a boutique publisher that welcomed seasoned writers who simply didn’t have the time or energy to publish. They don’t want to deal with the business aspects, they just want to write. I also wanted to establish a company that works with less seasoned writers, those who want to learn the ropes about marketing and writing. I can spend a little more time with writers like that, offering advice and sharing what’s worked for me over the years. Just as important, I wanted to establish a company that welcomes manuscripts with characters of color. Those stories should not go untold.
There’s been a lot of discussion in Romancelandia about inclusion, diversity, and the barriers authors of color face. What are your thoughts?
It’s upsetting conversations of inclusion and diversity are often met with animosity and make people “uncomfortable.” Self-publishing and digital presses have leveled the playing field somewhat, allowing marginalized authors to get their stories told so that marginalized readers can see themselves falling in love, fighting crime, and saving the universe. Unfortunately, we have a really long way to go in terms of traditional publishing. The Ripped Bodice’s diversity survey focused on authors of color writing in romance, and the percentage of authors contracted by traditional publishers declined from 2016 to 2017. Think about that. It demonstrates that for all the conversations about diversity and inclusion, demonstrable change is still a long way off.
You're determined for Garden Avenue Press to be part of that change. Tell us a bit about the impressive roster of authors who are publishing with you.
I’m working with an amazing group of writers! Our first release was last year, and it’s a very funny and sexy novel by Chanta Rand titled First Love Second Chance, and JL Campbell’s women’s fiction project The Thick of Things was released earlier this year. Both of these women are seasoned writers I was excited to work with. Avery Aston is a newbie to the publishing world and did a great job kicking off her International Romance series with When in Barcelona, so expect more from her. We have three, possibly four more books planned for release before the end of the year, two of which are from Nyora Rene’s All or Nothing series.
What type of books do you publish at Garden Avenue Press?
Because we’re a boutique publisher, we can’t be all things to all people. We publish women’s fiction with strong romantic elements and various types of contemporary romance, including new adult and romantic suspense. Mostly I’m looking for series books because it gives us a better chance of establishing branding and building a readership for the author.
Are you currently accepting submissions? If so, what kind of kind of stories are on your wish list?
Yes, we’re always accepting submissions. I’ve yet to see a submission for historical romance, so if you’re reading this and write historical romance with persons of color, go ahead and submit! I would also love to get more romantic comedy.
What can we expect from Garden Avenue Press? What upcoming releases should we be looking forward to?
The first two books in Nyora Rene’s All or Nothing series release in September and are Love Rekindled, a second chance romance, and Ready for Love, a friends-with-benefits story. The first two heroes are basketball players, an added bonus for readers who enjoy sports. Love Remembers is a mature romance for the grown and sexy by Colette Miller-Watkins, and we’re shooting for an October release on that one.
What’s next for you on the writing front? Do you have any upcoming releases or current works-in-progress to tell us about?
Absolutely. The third book in my Brooks Family series releases on August 10th. It’s a fake relationship novel called Wild Thoughts and was a lot of fun to write. There’s a little bit of comedy and plenty of sexy times. According to my editor, and I quote, “Malik is fire!” I can’t wait for readers to meet him and Lindsay.
I intended to kick off my romantic suspense series this year but decided to table it until next year since I’m still in the research stage, but I do plan to release one more book after Wild Thoughts, though I’m still figuring out which one that will be. I’ll see where my muse leads me.
What fictional character is your book bae (book boyfriend) and why?
I always fall for my most recent hero, so right now Malik from Wild Thoughts is my book bae. He’s funny and an introvert, a metal sculptor, and protective of the heroine, Lindsay. A man’s man—kinda rugged but with a soft spot for Lindsay.
If you could be any fictional character who would it be and why?
I would be Brenda Leigh Johnson from “The Closer.” It would be lovely to eat all the chocolate you want and still be thin as a rail. She’s also a genius when it comes to crime-solving and getting people to confess. It would be nice to put my fascination with crime to good use, saving the world from criminals.
If you could turn any of your books into a movie, which one would it be?
I had to think long and hard about this. If you ask me this question in a few months, I may have a different answer, but for now I’ll say Princess of Zamibia. It would be interesting to see how a director recreated the scenes I wrote. Dahlia is forced to become the wife of the future king of the fictionalized country of Zamibia, and I’d like to see their arguments play out on screen, as well as the pomp and pageantry of this west African nation and the beauty of Mozambique, where they went on their honeymoon.
What are you currently binge-watching? What’s your favorite so bad it’s good movie and why?
A couple of weeks ago I got hooked on “Goliath” on Amazon and binge-watched both seasons, but I’m not binge-watching anything now. I’m open to suggestions. [My favorite so bad it’s good movie is] Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle *hangs head in shame*. I enjoy comedies and it’s hilarious and random and crazy fun without having to think. There’s even a romantic subplot to satisfy the romantic in me.
What’s on your TBR list?
My very long TBR list includes If Only for One Night by Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley, which was recommended to me by a friend. Temptation Island by Rachel Woods is a romantic suspense with African-American characters that I happened to stumble across and look forward to sinking my teeth into. Other books on the romance front that are high on my list are The Marriage Predicament by Sundari Venkatraman and Beauty and the Blitz by Sosie Frost.
I’m a big fan of psychological suspense. There are so many books coming out all the time I can hardly keep track, but on my list are Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale, The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland (her novel The Secret Mother was excellent), and The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro.
In the meantime, I’m currently listening to Michael Connelly’s audiobook The Reversal.
One last, all important question. Zombie apocalypse or vampire plague: Which one are you more likely to survive and why?
Zombies are out because I’ve seen enough movies to know they’re tenacious as hell. I’ll go with the vampire plague, because isn’t there a rule that they can’t come in unless you invite them? As long as I stay my butt at home, I should be safe. Yes, vampires. Also because I usually have garlic and can put together a cross pretty quickly if necessary. But let’s hope neither happens, shall we?
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In a world where most of us can get virtually everything delivered, she makes a good point! Unless your name is Buffy, Kendra, or Faith... staying at home sounds like a solid survival plan.
We had a lovely time interviewing Delaney and think you should totally pick up Wild Thoughts (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks) when it releases on August 10th (I mean, look at this cover!) and take time to go through Delaney’s backlist and all the available books from the talented authors at Garden Avenue Press.
You can learn more about Garden Avenue Press, including submission guidelines and signing up for their newsletter, over at Garden Avenue Press.com. Delaney can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and over on her website at DelaneyDiamond.com.
