Brenda Jackson facts for kids

Brenda Jackson (born February 2, 1953) is an American novelist. She writes modern romance novels that feature characters from different cultures. She was the first African-American author to have a novel published in the Silhouette Desire series. Many of her books have become bestsellers on The New York Times and USAToday lists. In October 2013, Jackson reached a big milestone. She published her 100th novel, becoming the first African-American author to do so.

About Brenda Jackson

Brenda Jackson grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. She married her high school sweetheart, Gerald, in 1972. She earned a degree in business administration from Jacksonville University. Brenda and Gerald have two sons. Gerald Jr. is a filmmaker in Jacksonville. Brandon works as a Political Officer in the US Foreign Service.

How She Started Writing

In the early 1990s, Brenda started reading romance novels to relax. She liked the stories but noticed that many characters were not from diverse backgrounds. She told her husband she could write better stories. He then signed her up for a writers conference. At the conference, she met other authors like Francis Ray and Rochelle Alers. This inspired her to start writing.

Brenda wanted to write multicultural romance novels. Her goal was to show that "love is everywhere." Her first novel, Tonight and Forever, came out in 1995. This book and her next few books were about the fictional Madaris brothers. She used these stories to show professional African-American men. These men were "appreciative and respectful of women." Her husband inspires many of her male characters. She sees him as "a very strong African-American male [who] is supportive and centers his life around his family."

In 2001, Jackson released her first mainstream novel, A Family Reunion. The next year, in 2002, she made history. She became the first African-American author to have a novel published in the Silhouette Desire line. Even after writing 11 books in her first ten years, Brenda still saw writing as a hobby. As of 2005, she also worked full-time as a manager at State Farm Insurance.

Brenda Jackson has worked with many publishers. These include St. Martins Press, BET, Kensington, NAL, Harlequin/Silhouette, and Harlequin Kimani Romance.

Brenda Jackson's Achievements

Brenda Jackson has received many awards and honors. She was the first African-American author to have a book published by Harlequin/Silhouette Desire. She was also the first African-American romance author to appear on USA Today's Bestsellers List. Later, she also made The New York Times Bestsellers List.

In 2012, Jackson received the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. This is a very high honor from the Romance Writers of America (RWA). It recognizes her important contributions to the romance genre. She also received the Sara Blocker Award from Florida Memorial University in 2012. This award is given to women for great service to the university and community.

Her novel, A Silken Thread, was nominated for an "NAACP Image Award" in 2012. She has won the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Four of her books have been nominated for Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice awards. Her novel, One Special Moment, won the Reviewers' Choice Award in 1998 for Best Multicultural Romance.

In 2001, she received twelve nominations at the Romance Slam Jam's first annual Emma Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in African-American literature. Jackson won in six categories: Favorite Hero, Favorite Author, Favorite Book of the Year, Favorite Sequel Continuing Book Series, Favorite Anthologies, and Favorite All-Nighter. In the same year, she won the Romance In Color Award of Excellence for her novel Secret Love.

Brenda Jackson is a member of the First Coast Chapter of Romance Writers of America. She retired after working for 37 years as a manager at a major insurance company.

Becoming a Filmmaker

In 2011, Brenda Jackson added "filmmaker" to her list of accomplishments. She became an Executive Producer for a movie based on her novella, "Truly Everlasting." This movie is part of her popular Madaris Series. She partnered with her son, Gerald Jackson, Jr.'s film company, Five Alive Films. They released the movie, Truly Everlasting, on DVD in November 2011. The movie also included a soundtrack with 10 original songs. A special edition of the novel, Truly Everlasting, was also re-released. The movie was filmed in Jacksonville, Florida.

See also

• List of romantic novelists