Episode 7- A Conversation with Author Nicole Falls

Black Romance Has A History

Our final interview for this season is with Nicole Falls, self-published author of more than twenty Black romance novels. Nicole is a Chicago native, podcaster, editor, and a staunch supporter of Black romance. Her most recent release is Excess Baggage and she’s recently soft-launched Black Romance University. In this episode, we talk to Nicole as a life-long reader of Black romance about her favorite authors, the important role of libraries and bookstores as a young reader, the African American fiction section, and the glory of romance anthologies among other juicy topics!

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music by Purple Planet

Follow the hosts on the interwebs:

Steve Ammidown

Website: https://romancehistory.com/about/

Socials

IG: @romancehistorian

Bluesky: @stegan.bsky.social

Nicole M. Jackson/Katrina Jackson

Websites:

https://www.katrinajacksonauthor.com

https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/history/faculty-and-staff/nicole-jackson.html

Socials

IG: @katjacksonbooks

Our guest: Nicole Falls

Website: https://nicolefalls.com/

X (#PillowTalkWithNic): https://x.com/_nicolefalls?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_nicolefalls/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@niccytok

#TheShop: https://theshopbynicolefalls.com/

Black Romance University Instagram:

Latest Release:

Excess Baggage (Flights & Feelings, Book 1)

Mentioned in the Episode:

Carla Fredd, Brenda Jackson, Felicia Mason, A Valentine Kiss, Arabesque

A.H. Cunningham, Out of Office

Marcus Books

Erika Hardison, “Remembering The Black Expressions Book Club,” Book Riot, August 17, 2021. https://bookriot.com/the-black-expressions-book-club/

Mimi Swartz, “Vivian Stephens Helped Turn Romance Writing Into a Billion-Dollar Industru. Then She Got Pushed Out,” Texas Monthly, September 2020, https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/vivian-stephens-helped-turn-romance-writing-into-billion-dollar-industry/

Nicole Falls, We’ve Only Just Begun

Rochelle Alers

Shirley Hailstock

Leslie Esdaile Banks/L.A.Banks

Eboni Snoe

Robyn Amos

Kayla Perrin

Eric Jerome Dickey, Friends and Lovers

Michael Baisden, Maintenance Man

Omar Tyree

Colin Channer

E. Lynn Harris, Eric Jerome Dickey, Colin Channer, Marcus Major, Got to Be Real: Four Original Love Stories, New American Library, December 2000

Further Reading:

Carina Thomas, “For 64 years, the oldest U.S. Black-owned bookstore inspires,” Berkeley High Jacket, November 3, 2023. https://berkeleyhighjacket.com/2023/features/for-82-years-the-oldest-u-s-black-owned-bookstore-inspires/ (This is Nicole Jackson’s high school newspaper. She’s a very proud Yellowjacket.)

Hari Sreenivasan, “Why this small, Black-owned bookstore is hallowed ground for some,” PBS, February 28, 2021. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-this-small-black-owned-bookstore-is-hallowed-ground-for-some

Anna Gooding-Call, “A History of Racism in American Public Libraries,” Book Riot, March 8, 2021. https://bookriot.com/racism-in-american-public-libraries/

Gregory Frost, “In Remembrance of L.A. Banks 1959-2011), Reactor, August 2, 2011, https://reactormag.com/in-remembrance-of-la-banks-1959-2011/