Brenda Jackson facts for kids

Brenda Streater Jackson (born February 2, 1953) is a famous American novelist. She is known for writing modern romance novels that feature multicultural characters. She was the first African-American author to have a book published in the popular Silhouette Desire series.

Many of her books have been on bestseller lists for The New York Times and USA Today. In 2013, she reached a huge goal in her career by publishing her 100th novel. She was the first African-American writer to do this.

Life and Writing Career

Brenda Jackson was born and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. After high school, she married her high school sweetheart, Gerald, in 1972. She later earned a degree in business administration from Jacksonville University. She and her husband have two sons, Gerald Jr. and Brandon.

How She Started Writing

In the early 1990s, Jackson started reading romance novels to relax from her stressful job. She loved the stories but noticed that the characters were not very diverse. She felt that people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds were missing.

She told her husband she could write better stories, so he signed her up for a writers' conference. At the conference, she met other writers and was inspired to start writing her own books.

Jackson wanted to write multicultural romance stories with African-American characters. Her goal was to show that "love is everywhere." Her first book, Tonight and Forever, was published in 1995. This book and her next few were about the fictional Madaris brothers. These stories showed professional African-American men who respected women. Jackson has said her husband is a big inspiration for her heroes.

Becoming a Bestselling Author

In 2002, Jackson became the first African-American author to be published in the Silhouette Desire series, a major line of romance books. This was a huge step for diversity in publishing.

Even after publishing 11 books in her first ten years, Jackson still considered writing a hobby. For a long time, she kept her full-time job as a manager at an insurance company. She retired from that job after 37 years to focus more on her writing.

Over her career, Jackson has worked with many major publishers, including St. Martin's Press, BET, Kensington, and Harlequin.

Awards and Recognition

Brenda Jackson has won many awards for her work. She was the first African-American romance author to appear on the USA Today and The New York Times bestseller lists.

• In 2012, she received the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. This is the highest honor from the Romance Writers of America.
• She also received the Sara Blocker Award in 2012 for her service to her community.
• Her novel A Silken Thread was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.
• Romantic Times magazine gave her a Career Achievement Award. Four of her books were nominated for the magazine's Reviewers' Choice Award.
• In 2001, she won six Emma Awards, which celebrate African-American literature. She won for Favorite Hero, Favorite Author, and Book of the Year.

From Book to Movie

In 2011, Jackson also became a film-maker. She was an Executive Producer for a movie based on her book Truly Everlasting. The movie was filmed in her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. It was a family project, as she worked with her son Gerald Jr.'s film company.

See also

List of romantic novelists