The Passionflix adaptation of “A Man’s Promise,” book two in the Granger Brother series by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson, is out now, and we’re happy that after a wait of five years (A Brothers Honor released October 4, 2019) it’s finally here. And we have to say it was worth the wait. Jackson’s stories showcase Black people in a way we don’t often see.
In our exclusive interview with her, Fangirlish had the opportunity to speak about this, why she loves the second-chance Romance trope, whether she always knew that the Grangers story would be a three-book series, and what advice she would offer to other Black Romance authors.
On Whether she always intended the Granger Brothers’ story to be told in three parts:
“No. Not at all. I had been writing family sagas, but I would go from one brother to the next, and I would end the brother (story). They were not what I call a continuity. A continuity is where you know each one has their separate story, but you put a thread in there, either a mystery or suspense that carries through the entire book. usually, you don’t find the outcome until the third book or the fourth book or whatever. So I was offered a chance to be the first Black woman to write for Mira which was a line under Harlequin that was more… it wasn’t just a series…. This was one of their elite lines, and I was invited to write for them. They explained to me, ‘We want to give you a three-book deal, but we want the book connected in some way. And I had been talking to a lot of men who said, ‘My wife reads your books, but I’m more into murder mysteries. I’m not into the kissy, kissy bed bed books. But if you put a murder mystery in there, I might be interested. So that’s what I decided to do.”
On why It’s important for Black people to see themselves shown in non-stereotypical ways in books.
“Because I don’t buy into that scenario or that stereotype. I think that’s only a part of any race. You’re going to have the ones that just don’t want to do. And I think that over the years, they have focused on that because they think that’s what people think or people think they know. They don’t give us a chance to show who we really are. It’s no different when I started writing Romances 29 years ago (30 years ago, next year). It was hard for me to sell to a major publisher because they couldn’t picture our men being romantic. I’m like, ‘Really?’ my father always remembered Valentines for my mom. My uncles always took care of their family. They were hard-working, loving men. So that’s what I wanted to show. I wanted people to know that there are successful Black people. Everybody doesn’t live and thrive in the hood or are gangsters, as people think. So my role in all of my books is to show that there are successful Black women and men who love each other, and I think more of that needs to be seen.”
Jackson said a word here. This was such a fantastic interview to do. I could have talked to her all day. She is an incredible author and human. I felt the warmth from her and that she genuinely loves what she does and wants other Black authors to make a mark for themselves in the publishing world as well. She gave great insights and advice on what Black Romance authors can do. To see what she had to say, check out the full interview in the video below.
You can purchase Brenda Jackson’s books on her site.
Check out the trailer for A Man’s Promise, which is streaming on Passionflix now.
