Rebekah Weatherspoon

Rebekah Weatherspoon is an American author and romance novelist. Her books often feature heroines who are Black, plus-size, disabled, and/or LGBTQ. She founded the website WOC in Romance. Weatherspoon received a 2017 Lambda Literary Award.[1][2]

Career

Weatherspoon previously worked at Disney and was asked by an executive to read Twilight due to the buzz around it. She then began to read fan fiction based on the book, as well as romance novels.[3] Weatherspoon wrote her own fanfic in digital fandom communities and received positive feedback. Her debut, Better Off Red, was published in 2011.[4] She published a trilogy called FIT featuring a BDSM story line under Bold Strokes Books in 2014.[3][5]

Weatherspoon has self-published and released her work through traditional publishers.[6] She is known for featuring Black women protagonists in her books, many of whom are LGBTQ or plus-size.[7] Her books often combine romance and erotica.[3]

In 2015, Weatherspoon was influenced by the We Need Diverse Books and #WeNeedDiverseRomance campaigns to found the website WOC in Romance.[3] The site shares information about romance novels written by women of color and those who are non-binary and gender fluid.[5]

On February 25, 2020, she published the debut novel in the Cowboys of California series, a Cowboy to Remember, a Western romance and a remake of Sleeping Beauty.[8][9] It received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly.[10] Kirkus Reviews stated: "An amnesia plot done right and a fantastic heroine mark a strong series debut."[11] Maureen Lee Lenker wrote in a review for EW, "most refreshingly, her cowboys don’t fall prey to any of the traps of toxic masculinity that can overwhelm the sub-genre. Instead, it engages only with the positive aspects – the boot-knocking inherent sexiness of cowboys; the hard work of maintaining a ranch; and the natural ethos of family and community."[12]

Personal life

Weatherspoon resides in southern California.[13] She has identified as queer[13] and pansexual.[2]

Accolades
  • 2014 - Lambda Literary Award (Nomination) - Lesbian Erotic Fiction, At Her Feet, Bold Strokes Books[14]
  • 2017 - Lambda Literary Award - LGBT Erotica, Soul to Keep, Bold Strokes Books[15]
  • 2018 - GO - 100 Women We Love[13]
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References
  1. Pereira, Carina (2019-12-18). "11 of the Best Debut Novels By Queer Authors for Read Harder 2020". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  2. Grimaldi, Christine (2015-10-08). "Can LGBTQ Romance Give Happily-Ever-Afters to Identities Beyond Gay and Lesbian?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  3. Perkins, Nichole. "Rebekah Weatherspoon Writes Kinky Sex with Funny, Real World Twists". Bitch Media. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  4. Weatherspoon, Rebekah (2011). Better off red. Valley Falls, N.Y.: Bold Strokes Books. ISBN 978-1-60282-610-6. OCLC 798578393.
  5. Faircloth, Kelly (2015-05-22). "Inside the Push for a More Diverse Romance Genre". Jezebel. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  6. Alter, Alexandra (2018-07-07). "The Changing Face of Romance Novels". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  7. Weatherspoon, Rebekah (2018-11-16). "Top 5 Reasons I Love Writing Lesbian Romance". AfterEllen. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  8. Walker, Savanna (2020-02-25). "Author Interview - Rebekah Weatherspoon, author of A Cowboy to Remember". BookPage.com. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  9. Day, Meagan (2019-12-01). "A Cowboy To Remember". Library Journal. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  10. "A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon". PublishersWeekly.com. 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  11. "A Cowboy to Remember". Kirkus Reviews. 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  12. Lenker, Maureen Lee (2020-03-06). "Hot Stuff: New romances find the sexy and swoony amidst sibling rivalry". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  13. "100 Women We Love: Class Of 2018 | Page 25 of 97". GO Magazine. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  14. Hertzler, Laurie (2014-03-06). "Minneapolis writers are finalists for Lambda Award". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  15. "29th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced". Lambda Literary. 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
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