When a reader picks up a Presents book, they know what they’re going to get – passion, glamour, and high-stakes seduction! As with all Harlequin series, each author takes on the reader-promise differently.
In Royal Bride Demand, LaQuette’s latest Presents title, she blends history, Black futurity, and steamy romance to create a brilliant conveniently wed, royal reunion story.
We are so excited to have LaQuette join us on the Write for Harlequin blog today to talk about her work on Royal Bride Demand!
Harlequin: LaQuette, how do you use the Presents framework as a starting point in your writing?
LaQuette: When I learned that Harlequin Presents was interested in me writing for the line, I was so excited. Presents is all about luxury and grandeur with strong heroines who go up against powerful heroes and hold their own beautifully. I am known for my strong heroines. I constantly work to dispel the idea that because a woman is strong that somehow translates to her not needing care. My heroines are self-possessed, and they make sure the heroes understand they won’t stand for being treated like anything less than the fabulous divas they are. Presents having this built-in structure meant I could bring Brooklyn glam and flare to this iconic line in a fun way.
H: What inspired the fictional kingdom in this story?
LaQuette: Once I learned I was writing for Presents, I knew I had to write a royal story. Again, Presents is known for glamour, exotic locations, and the fantasy of royalty. The challenge for me was how to do all of that, but Brooklyn style. This was going to be my opportunity to bring an African American spin to a royal story, and I couldn’t have been more excited.
When people think of Black royalty, Africa often comes to mind because there are such rich histories of Black kingdoms there. As an African American, I wanted to imagine what might a Black kingdom look like that was born from the perseverance, determination, and survival of my enslaved ancestors. Because I’m both a Black history buff and a Brooklyn girlie, I began to investigate historical events concerning enslaved people in New York. That’s when I discovered the New York Slave Conspiracy of 1741.
This was an actual historical event where enslaved people and abolitionists were blamed for the sabotaging of government buildings. There was no proof this was true. However, that didn’t stop slave masters from convicting enslaved people, or those sympathetic to their cause, of this crime. If you were an abolitionist, the punishment for this offense was exile from the American colonies. If you were enslaved, you were either put to death or sent to the Caribbean for a harsher enslavement experience. I decided that this very real history that so few people know about needed to be part of this story. The fictitious kingdom of Nyeusi (Nyeusi being the Swahilli word for Black) began to form in my mind as an imagined refuge, a promised land, for my enslaved ancestors who were shipwrecked after overcoming their oppressors at sea. It was my way of celebrating my cultural heritage while aspiring for a future my ancestors couldn’t’ve imagined. It was an honor, an absolute gift to be able to do that.
H: How does your educational background influence your writing?
LaQuette: I’m currently working on a Ph.D. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Stony Brook University. My area of interest is Black feminism, and I’m investigating specifically how Black romance authors use Black interiority to create Black joy and Black futurity. Essentially, I’m examining how Black romance authors can drown out the noise of afro-pessimism (the social death the world insists Black people must endure for the price of being Black) and exist in and dream of joy. The ability to do this is no small feat. Having the audacity to imagine Black futurity (Black people living and thriving without the threat of racism) is almost a superpower if you think about the historical condition of Black people in America and abroad.
If you can’t tell, I’m very proud of my culture and my people. My educational background means I get to use what I’ve learned to create worlds where Black people are not intended or expected to struggle. The struggle narrative is one that’s been repeatedly perpetuated in popular media. Me writing romances for Black people, who live unapologetically well because they can and should, is the ultimate example of the perseverance and determination I’ve always known my people to possess.
What does my belief in Black joy and Black futurity mean in terms of reader promise?It means every book I write will feature Black people in general, and Black women specifically, being loved, cherished, supported, and fulfilled both personally and professionally. Some might call that resistance, and while resistance may be an outcome, it’s not the reason I write. I write so that people who look like me, people who haven’t always been represented well in the romance genre and popular media, can see themselves on the page and know they deserve love too. I write to celebrate my people and my culture. I write, because we have and are joy. And truly, as far as I’m concerned, there is nothing better to write about than people embracing joy and being in love.
Royal Bride Demand is out now!
His marriage decree… comes with a crown!
To take over the throne from his ailing father, Prince Jasiri Adebesi needs a bride, fast. The plan? Marry Reigna Devereaux, the woman who got away. The hitch? She has no clue he’s heir to the island kingdom of Nyeusi…
Reigna doesn’t know what’s more astonishing, Jasiri’s royal secret or his wedding demand. But when he offers Reigna her beloved childhood home, she doesn’t hesitate to say “I do.” She still doesn’t feel ready to relinquish her hard-won independence…yet as Jasiri’s chosen queen, there’s nothing to stop her from surrendering to their scorching chemistry!
