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Taj McCoy writes beachy romance novels because it’s what she enjoys. The Oakland native and law grad could talk political theory and social commentary all day. And does, only in a way that’s engaging, exciting, uplifting and sexy.
“This is what I want to write,” McCoy told HuffPost. “And I shouldn’t have to give that explanation. But the very happiest I can be is writing about Black love, Black joy, Black excellence. That’s what I want to see all day every day. Being at the center of that... that’s the best place to be.”
With a debut novel out next month called “Savvy Sheldon Feels Good As Hell,” McCoy knows firsthand how Black authors and Black literature can be pigeonholed into more academic or sociological themes.
“The industry so often is often looking for those ‘issue books’ to talk about and to teach in the classrooms. And that’s absolutely fair — to an extent,” she said. “But it then feels like the industry is really just looking to capitalize on our pain and our trauma, when we are complex people just like everyone else, and we experience love and joy. We can be affluent. We have the ability to do a lot of things.”
Although “beach reads” and more romance/young adult-type novels may be dismissed in hoity-toity literature circles, Kai Harris, a professor of creative writing and author of the debut novel “What the Fireflies Knew,” said that writing and highlighting these books by Black authors increases the representation of Black joy and love in the media and disrupts the racist narrative that being Black is innately filled with tragedy or despair.
“It’s super important for us as Black people to see ourselves as we actually are, not as the world sees us, or imagines that we are,” Harris told HuffPost. “Sometimes, the way that Blackness is presented in media would have you believe that it is all tragedy and despair. But truthfully, being Black is super dope. It’s so rich and layered and complex. And there are so many beautiful things about Blackness that are not being highlighted in books, television, film, etc.”
Harris and McCoy both shared that wanting to write about the positive parts of Blackness, and create relatable Black characters, inspired their debut novels.
“Growing up, I felt like I didn’t see myself in books,” Harris said. “When I did read books with Black characters, usually they were in slavery, or some kind of situation that didn’t look like my life. I didn’t read books where there was a young Black girl as the main character. And she was just an ordinary Black girl. And she just had an ordinary life. And the book was about her just like playing with friends, and catching fireflies and learning stuff.”
McCoy added that creating relatable and borderline aspirational Black characters — like the characters you’d see in, say, a predominantly white Kate Hudson rom-com — is especially important in a world taken over by police brutality.
“It’s important to see Black men be lovable. It’s important to see Black men be happy and professional, and excellent and joyful,” she said. “We need to change the narrative by showing Black love, Black joy, Black excellence.”
In addition to engaging and connecting with Black readers, McCoy and Harris noted that writing and highlighting books across genres by Black authors can inspire readers to confront their own internalized racism.
“In [‘What The Fireflies Knew’], I tried to spend time showing some of the most beautiful moments of Blackness as slowly and quietly and ordinarily as I could,” Harris said, adding, “It’s important for Black people to read and see that, but also for other people to be able to look into this experience and see more than the tragedy and despair lives, to know that Black authors are able to write more than just political or tragic books. To see into Blackness, in all of its unique dopeness.”
McCoy said that her work is meant to be relatable for some, but eye-opening for others. “Either way, the hope is that it draws people in and makes them want to continue reading,” she said. “You want them to open it up, you want them to keep reading, and hopefully put other people on so that they read it, too.”
In addition to their own debut works, McCoy and Harris shared some new and upcoming 2022 debut novels by Black authors about Black love, joy, excellence, girlhood, friendship, fashion and otherwise ordinary life.
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