I am a huge supporter of interracial relationships. I have read tons of books in the genre and I came to find out that some of the same things I hate in many interracial romances are the same things that other readers do not like.

Interracial romance is any romance consisting of a couple from different races. Black women and white men romance dominate book sales. Some interracial romance books have become too predictable and it's important to stand out in any genre.

Below are things you might want to avoid when writing interracial romance.

The so-called Independent Black Woman Heroine:

There is a difference between a strong black woman and a mean and arrogant black woman. You don't want to create an unrealistic character that is so untouchable readers cannot relate to her. Sometimes this feeds into the stereotype of “the angry black woman” and it is offensive to black women who are the majority who read interracial romance novels.

Lame Hero:

Many heroes in IR are painted as weak and it seems to be to build up the strength of the heroine. There is nothing worse than a wimpy hero who lets the heroine treat him like dirt. Just like no one likes a weak heroine people really hate a wimp for a hero.

Lack of Chemistry between Hero and Heroine:

Some might think that the most important thing is race in an IR romance but people who truly support IR know that race is a very small part of it. The hero and heroine must have chemistry no matter what kind of romance you’re writing. The characters’ races should not be your only focus. At the heart of the book, it’s still a romance and a romance has to evoke emotions in readers. You want to create characters so drawn to each other that the reader’s heart palpitates whenever the characters are in the room together. Focus on chemistry and less on color.

Clichés:

Stray away from stereotypes that turn your characters into cardboard cutouts. Remember that a person’s race does not make them who they are or dictate how they act. Their race is a part of them, it’s not who they are. Writers need to step out of the box in order to bring a dynamic interracial romance to the forefront.

Check out these authors of interracial romance and erotica:

Charisma Knight
Stephanie Morris
Lena Matthews
Tressie Lockwood
Serenity King
Bridget Midway
Yvette Hines
Dahlia Rose
Aliyah Burke