Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant facts for kids
Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant are American authors who wrote many books together between 1990 and 2010. They are known for their popular novels that often appeared on bestseller lists.
Contents
About the Authors
DeBerry and Grant first met in New York City. They were both plus-size models, meaning they modeled clothes for women with fuller figures. They often competed for the same modeling jobs.
Together, they started Maxima magazine. This magazine was all about fashion and lifestyle for plus-size women. Virginia was the main editor, and Donna was the managing editor.
After Maxima magazine stopped publishing, they decided to try writing a book. Their first novel was called Exposures. They used a special pen name for this book: Marie Joyce.
Their second book was titled Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made. This time, they used their real names, DeBerry and Grant. This book became very popular! It stayed on the Essence Magazine Bestseller list for 18 months. For five of those months, it was the number one book.
The authors received special honors for Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made. The Black Caucus of the American Library Association gave them an Honor Award in Fiction in 1998. The book also won the Book of the Year award from Blackboard. Plus, the Go On Girl Book Club named them New Author of the Year.
Their next novel, Far From the Tree, also became a huge success. It was a New York Times Bestseller and an Essence Magazine Bestseller. Another book, Better Than I Know Myself, won two Open Book Awards. It was also listed among the Best African-American fiction of 2004 by Borders and Waldenbooks bookstores.
Donna Grant's Background
Donna Grant went to Barnard College and graduated from New York University. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Today, she still lives there with her husband, Hiram. Before she became a novelist, Donna worked as a plus-size model for over ten years. She was represented by a special division of Ford Models.
Virginia DeBerry's Background
Virginia DeBerry used to be a high school English teacher. She is from Buffalo, New York. Virginia attended Fisk University and graduated from SUNY at Buffalo. She is married to a jazz musician named Jerry Weldon. Virginia lives in New Jersey.
Working on Films
In 2008, DeBerry and Grant teamed up with Tyrha Lindsey and Tracey Kemble. They formed a company called 4 Colored Girls Productions. They hoped to make a movie based on their 1997 novel, Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made. However, they were not happy with the ideas Hollywood had for the film. So, the movie was never made.
In 2009, they spoke at the first California Book Club Summit. They were part of a discussion about how some African Americans felt about the book publishing industry.
Awards
- Black Caucus of the American Library Association 1998 BCALA Honor Award in fiction for Tryin' to sleep in the bed you made
- BlackBoard Bestseller List 1998 Book of the Year Award for Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made
- Girl Book Club, 1997 New Author of the Year Award
