You’ve explored life for 19th century African-Americans in Again, and now in Gold Mountain. What drew you to exploring the lives lead by African-Americans during this period in US history?
With Again, I was particularly influenced by two books I’d previously read that depicted the 19th century in rich, detailed imagery – Robin Schone’s Gabriel’s Woman (romance) and Caleb Carr’s The Alienist (a historical forensic mystery/thriller). Both stories were intricately told, where even the minutiae presented helped to provide a well-developed sense of those places during that age. You could tell that both novels were well researched and I wanted to integrate that kind of essence into my own story. With Gold Mountain, the publisher’s call was for a historical to mark African-American History Month, and I decided again to present the 19th century because it is a distinct American period that provides so many rich tales as well as some unexplored history.

Does the interracial aspect enhance the story and the history? Does it make historical accuracy more difficult to maintain?
The interracial aspect provides an interesting turn in my stories as it provides a challenge in telling the historical tales as accurately as possible. I/R romances have existed since nearly the beginning of time and are even presented in the Biblical accounts of the lovers in The Song of Solomon and the relationship between Moses and his Cushite (Ethiopian) wife. Yet, it is only recently that publisher’s have seen that there is a market for interracial stories, especially those that feature African American women. Because the stories are only now being told, the interracial facet provides a fresh twist to often-told romantic tales.
As for maintaining historical accuracy, it is important to present the barriers that were in place during that time. However, although not as prominent as intra-racial pairings, interracial pairings did indeed happen despite cultural, racial and sometimes legal barriers. In Again, however, those barriers were too much to overcome for Joseph and Rachel, the historical protagonists in the story and led to their tragic end. But know that this outcome would have been rare; pairings of different ethnicities did flourish during this time. The persistence of love and affability does indeed overcome many difficulties, not to mention just good old fashion attraction.

What sources did you use to create a balanced, yet truthful viewpoint for your novella?
Because of the stringent time limit (I had about a month to write Gold Mountain ), I relied solely on the Internet to find sources regarding what happened not only with African Americans in the west, but also with the Chinese immigrants working the Transcontinental railroads and the gold mines. Years ago, I’d read about the pairings between Asian men and black women in the 19th century west. Many of these relationships arose because of the lack of Asian women in the States at that time. I was surprised to read about these romances because I had assumed that during that particular time the insularity of the Asian culture would have prevented these women and men coming together. But the burgeoning West of the 19th century was also a time of breaking down many social barriers. Black women figured prominently as entrepreneurs and community leaders. Chinese workers actually fought for their rights through the enterprises of the corporate families or through legal means. They brought law suits against unfair working conditions and wages. Pioneer women fought alongside men and had to survive the same travails that men often encountered. All of these facts are easily discovered through the many sources available from just a few Google searches.

What do you feel is the main purpose/goal of an African-American historical romance?
I believe it is important that readers know there is more to the African-American saga than just tales of slavery and ignominy. African Americans have rich tales of love and family but rarely are these tales presented in the fully developed way other stories are told. These romances simply open up the historical vista for many readers, providing them with a more precise perspective of blacks throughout the ages. We as African Americans lived, worked and loved as did any other ethnicity on this Earth. The tale of love and sex is timeless no matter the variances in melanin of the skin.
How do you reveal the ugly side of history as it pertains to minorities?
History has its ugly side and some of that ugliness persists even today. I feel it is important to present the violence and prejudices that real people faced at that time. I sometimes flinch at the derogatory language that spews from a character’s mouth, but that is the language that would have been commonplace during that age, and it would be less than honest to substitute euphemisms. For example, in Gold Mountain, the words “coolie” and “Chinamen” are featured consistently; although they are considered derogatory in today’s world, back then, that was how many westerners referred to Asians. Although I may hesitate to write the N-word (as I do now), I feature the word in all its ignoble venom in my works. Not only does the slur define that time period, it also defines the characters that use it. Regarding violence, I try not to use it salaciously, but rather to underline the dangers my characters face.

Did you discover anything unexpected during your research?
I did discover many details surrounding the life of an Asian immigrant working the railroads. They were fastidiously tidy and clean, self-sufficient and admirable workers. Also, I did not realize until my research that the Triad and the Tong existed even during this time, and that despite their subsequent criminal enterprises, they arose as a protective society for the newly arrived immigrants. I already knew from previous research the many inroads black women made in the west, but had not realized how varied and multifaceted those inroads were until researching for the novella.

Do you think it possible for historical romances featuring non-white characters to appeal to the general historical romance audience?
It’s possible and probable for mainstream readers to be attracted to historical romances featuring non-white characters, as was the case with some readers who bought Again. It has also been proven with Suzanne Brockmann’s books featuring the Sam and Alyssa characters that mainstream readers will not let racial differences interfere with a good romance. However, unfortunately, there will always be that contingent of readers who strictly define their romances to those who they can racially “relate” to. And the misfortune is theirs as they may be missing out on some wonderful stories.
As an interesting aside to this issue, I’ve long noted that mainstream audiences are open to interracial romances featuring black women and white men when they have gotten a chance to know the characters. Somehow race takes a back seat and attributes like attractiveness and personality become the driving force for a pairing’s popularity. I saw this some years ago with the fans of Poltergeist: The Legacy who wanted a romance between the characters Derek Rayne (white) and Alexandra Moreau (black). Unfortunately the writers never gave their fans what they wanted. Currently, I see this same fervor with many fans of the new drama Vampire Diaries. I am somewhat surprised to read the many fan forums asking for a pairing between bad boy vampire Damon (white) and nascent witch Bonnie (black), who ironically was white in the books but has been transformed for the show. The zeal can get almost vehement for the Bamons (the pro Bonnie-Damon fans), and it would be interesting to see if the show’s writers will take this zeal into account for future stories.
I would very much like to see this zeal for well-presented romantic pairings no matter their race or ethnicity. Actually, sometimes the differences make for an added level of excitement and complexity.

What do you foresee for your career in the future?
I wish I could see that far into the future, but for right now, I’m slowly easing back into writing longer works of fiction. For a while, I subsisted on writing short, short fiction having taken a hiatus due to personal issues. Given the economic climate and the general decline in hard book sales, I’m sussing out the viability and durability of e-book publication and may concentrate most of my efforts there for the meanwhile.

Since you’ve been published as a contemporary romance writer, could you see yourself writing historical romances, permanently?
I don’t see myself writing any particular genre exclusively. I tend to go where my imagination takes me. I’m interested in writing some romance, but am equally interested in contemporary thrillers or mysteries, and maybe even some horror and sci-fi.

Finally, what would you like readers to take away from your novella?
Just a good old fashioned tale that entertained and revved their hearts a bit.

Visit Sharon Cullars at her blog, and purchase Gold Mountain at Loose-Id February 23rd.

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