Eight Popular Black Fiction Authors you should know about

Intrigue, romance, betrayal and even a little bit of religion; these contemporary fiction authors seem to have a little bit of something for everyone.

Carl Weber: fast-paced novels of modern America. Weber’s novels frequently focus on family or close-knit friends and their trials and triumphs in love and life.

Omar Tyree: author of more than a dozen books, Tyree’s characters are frequently faced with coming-of-age style life decisions in situations of wealth or celebrity. Tyree’s books can be blunt with frank sexual descriptions and violence.

Pearl Cleage: down-to-earth stories of real people, facing real problems. Cleage’s novels may lack glitz and glamour, but they have arm-loads of sincerity and character. Cleage’s first novel What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day was an Oprah’s Book Club selection.

Walter Mosley : his early fame was created by his hard-boiled mystery series starring PI Easy Rawlins set in mid twentieth century LA, but Mosley has a growing output that now includes historical fiction, social commentary fiction and even science fiction.

Zane is a phenomenon. Beginning as a self-published author, she is now the name in contemporary, urban, erotic romance. Her stories are filled with steamy scenes from the world of modern love.

E. Lynn Harris: Soap opera style dramas that frequently focus on gay and bisexual characters, Harris famously self-published his first novel and sold it from the trunk of his car. These are page turning stories of love and betrayal.

Kimberla Lawson Roby: primarily writes about female characters their lives and relationships. Roby’s Reverend Curtis Black series is the wildly popular story of a charismatic, womanizing preacher.

Eric Jerome Dickey: Like many authors who have several books under their belt, Dickey has a few styles in his writing. His early novels focus on primarily urban, upwardly mobile professionals in their lives and careers. His newer novels mix romance and the criminal underworld and include a trilogy (starting with Sleeping With Strangers) featuring Gideon, a hitman entwined in a world of danger and intrigue.