Beverly Jenkins was born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan. She is an American writer who creates historical and modern romance stories. Her books often focus on the lives of African Americans in the 19th century. In 2013, she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. In 1999, she was named one of the Top 50 Favorite African American writers of the 20th century by the African American Literature Book Club. Jenkins writes about a time in African American history that she believes is not often discussed. This made it hard for her to begin publishing her stories because some publishers were unsure how to handle books about African Americans that did not focus on slavery. Jenkins studied Journalism and English Literature at Michigan State University. She currently lives in Southeastern Michigan.

Early life

Jenkins was born in Detroit in 1951 to her parents, a high school teacher and an office worker. Jenkins grew up surrounded by books and stories. Her mother read to her while she was in the womb and gave her soft cloth books as a baby. Jenkins would chew on the cloth books while her mother encouraged her to say, "Eat those words, baby. Eat those words." Jenkins read many books at her local library, including Alice in Wonderland, Dune, works by Zane Grey, and stories by early romance writers such as Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, and Phyllis A. Whitney. Her first writing experience began when she became the editor of her elementary school newspaper. Jenkins attended Michigan State University in the spring of 1969.

Career

Jenkins worked full-time at the checkout desk of the Michigan State University library. During her lunch breaks, she read articles from The Journal of Negro History (now called The Journal of African American History). Later, Jenkins and her husband moved to Ypsilanti, where she worked at the reference desk of Parke Davis Pharmaceuticals and began writing romance novels for fun. A colleague suggested she find an agent and publisher, so she sent her manuscript to Vivian Stephens, who agreed to help her publish her book. Avon published her first novel, Night Song, in 1994.

Although Jenkins has written books in many types of romance stories, most of her books are historical romances. Jenkins calls herself a "kitchen table historian." She compares American history to a quilt with some pieces missing—the parts about minority history. She uses her books to put the pieces back together by sharing parts of Black history that are rarely taught in school. Slavery and the Civil Rights Movement are important parts of African American history, but they are not the only parts. For example, her first three novels, Night Song, Vivid, and Indigo, include characters like a schoolteacher, a cavalry officer, a female doctor, and Underground Railroad heroes. These characters were inspired by real events in history.

Jenkins got ideas for her book Forbidden from two historical events. First, she read about a luxury hotel owned by African Americans that was found during an archaeological dig in Virginia City. She also heard a story about a man who saw a Black woman walking through the desert with a cook stove balanced on her head. Jenkins includes lists of books with her historical romances so readers can learn more, if they want to.

Awards

• In 1996, the author was nominated for the Romantic Times Historical Love and Laughter award.
• In 1999, the author won the Romantic Times Western Historical Romance award.
• In 2000, the author won the Romantic Times Multicultural Romance award.
• In 2007, the author was nominated for the Romantic Times Historical Storyteller of the Year award.
• In 2010, the author's book A Second Helping won the Romantic Times Multicultural Fiction Novel award.
• In 2011, the author's book Something Old, Something New won the Romantic Times Multicultural Romance award.
• In 2013, the author's book Destiny's Embrace won the Romantic Times American-Set Historical Romance award.
• In 2013, the author's book A Wish and a Prayer was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Literature.
• In 2016, the author's book Forbidden won the Romantic Times Historical Romance award.
• In 2017, the author received the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award.