November Author Spotlight: LaQuette
Nov 28, 2022

BIO

2021 Vivian Award finalist and DEIA activist in the romance industry, LaQuette writes sexy, stylish, and sensational romance. She crafts dramatic, emotionally epic tales that are deeply pigmented by reality's paintbrush.

This Brooklyn native writes unapologetically bold, character-driven stories. Her novels feature diverse ensemble casts who are confident in their right to appear on the page.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BOOK(S)!

I write sexy soap operas featuring Black, POC, and multicultral character, that are mostly set in Brooklyn, New York.

HOW DO YOU WEAVE YOUR CULTURE INTO YOUR WRITING?

All of the things my sister and cousins laugh about from our childhood ends up my books.  I also do it by adding things that are particular to the culture.  In A Very Intimate Takeover, my Brooklyn billionaires are also sneaker-heads.  They talk mergers and acquisitions by day, and once work is over, they're talking about custom made Jordans.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?

I love seeing Black people find joy.  So often, the only stories of ours we get to see are those featuring strife, pain, and trauma.  I write about our happiness. I write to show the world we love and we are loved.

WHAT BLACK AUTHOR HAS INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST?

Rochelle Alers, Frances Ray, Zane, and Naima Simone.  The first two ladies taught me our stories deserve to be told.  The last two taught me it's okay to pour as much emotion and heat in a book as I want.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GET OUT OF YOUR BOOKS?

I hope they will enjoy the emotional ride and all the sexy times.  I also hope they enjoy seeing Black people thrive, live, and love.  Most importantly, for my readers who are Black, I hope they see and enjoy the homage I pay to our culture.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A BLACK CREATOR IN PUBLISHING?

Seeing the mental gymnastics people will go through to rationalize their marginalization of Black stories and Black storytellers.  It's exhausting, quite frankly.

IS THERE ANY PROJECT YOU ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT CURRENTLY (W/OUT GIVING TOO MUCH AWAY)?

I'm very excited about my upcoming release from St. Martins Press, Vanessa Jared's Got A Man.  It's a tale of a 40-something divorcee who finds a great girl gang and a new love while putting a stop to her ex's shenanigans in a small town in the Pocono mountains.

BEST TIP ON WRITING CRAFT?

Ignore the voice that tells you your writing isn't special enough.  Your experience and your voice bring a uniqueness to a tale that no other writer can replicate.  So what if someone else has already told a similar story. They can't tell it like you and that is what will make it different.

ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER BLACK CREATORS?

Never let anyone silence your voice.  I work very hard to intentionally bring culture into my work.  If a publisher can't support that, we can't work together. Those special bits of our experience that I share in my work is truly the secret ingredient to my writing.  Don't ever let anyone try to remove you, and what makes you special, from your work.

FUN QUESTION! IT'S THE FIRST MET GALA FOR BLACK CREATORS! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING ON THE RED CARPET?

Something red with a low-cut bust line and a split so high, I might get ticketed for indecent exposure.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU?

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