Romance writers take it to the next level. (Deals).

With her novels If I Could and Rhythms, Donna Hill has proven that black romance writers can successfully crossover into the mainstream fiction market. Hill signed her first six-figure deal with editor Monique Patterson at St. Martin's Press, which published Rhythms in 2001. Now others are following in her footsteps. Francis Ray will make her trade paperback debut in May 2002 with I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, also acquired by Monique Patterson in a deal brokered by agent Manie Barron of the William Morris Agency. This year, Gwen Forster, Brenda Jackson, and Felicia Mason all make their hardcover fiction debuts on Kensington's Dafina imprint edited by Karen Thomas. Forster's When Twilight Comes will be available in February, Jackson's Perfect Timing will be released in May, and Masons Testimony in June.

Patterson also signed Darnella Ford, J.D. Mason, and Debra Phillips to two-book deals with St. Martin's. Ford's book, Rising, centers around a biracial woman who confronts her family about their dark past. It is tentatively scheduled for release in winter 2003. J.D. Mason's book, One Day I Saw A Black King, is the story of John King, a drifter since the age of 15, and his relationship with Connie, a woman wounded by her own past. Phillips's The High Price of A Good Man is the story of Queenie, a big, bold woman who bows to no man. Both titles are tentatively scheduled for fall 2002 release.