The Expert Book Smuggler

Edited by: Emilie Rose

Romance novelist Zoe Ashwood is loved by her fans for her range of paranormal and romantasy works, notably the expansive Black Bear Clan series which includes nine books and two boxed sets. The series features various orc-human relationships, specifically targeting readers who enjoy size differences in relationships. 

While Ashwood’s fans have largely enjoyed this series, the author has come under fire after a naming situation left fans confused, upset, and blocked.

The Name Controversy

Many, if not the majority, of these comments were left by Black users who did not fail to notice that they were blocked over concerns of racism. This is a common scenario in these situations: Black users call out racism, white author blocks users and white fans defend the author, usually while saying racist things themselves.

Ashwood’s readers defended the author by reminding others that her first language is not English. While that can easily lead to a situation such as this, there are a myriad of factors that contributed to the controversy. 

1. The name itself.
2. The strange excitement about the name.
3. Blocking Black people and others speaking out.
4. Issuing an apology that the harmed party cannot see due to being blocked.
5. The name of the series is Black Bear Clan and focuses on orcs which are often used as fantasy stand-ins for Black men. 

If you’ve read my rant review of B. Bonneau’s Seed, you will probably already be familiar with the issues that plague orc romances. Michael Laborn also discusses the issues in his post “Why racist monster smut is Tolkien’s fault” in which he draws the parallels between white women’s sexualization of Black men and orcs. One easily sees this when considering that the series markets every book to those who enjoy ‘size differences’.

Black men are often faced with racist stereotypes such as being aggressive, hypersexual, being ‘well endowed’, and as direct threats to white women. These same stereotypes have historically led to lynchings of Black men and boys at the hands of white men.

The series also largely focuses on power imbalances in which the damsel is under the mercy of her orc suitor. From being sold at auctions to becoming the ward of the orc the damsel lucks out that her brute isn’t really a brute after all. 

The Apology

The author posted an apology to her socials a few days later in which she expressed her intention to rectify the situation by changing the name of the character in all the previous books. Ashwood also stated that she worked with a diversity consultant on her next steps. These are both good things- it is important that part of your apology includes action. However, the apology should be geared toward the harmed party and that party should be able to see it and interact with it. Without making this an option, the apology becomes more of a performative action versus accountability.

Dear Reader,

Several days ago, I made a video announcing that I was writing a new book with a character who appeared throughout my existing orc romance series. The character’s name unfortunately bore a too-close resemblance to a racial slur when pronounced in American English.

I deleted the video with the announcement and stepped back from social media to learn how I could best take accountability for the harm I caused and develop a path for remediation.

With the help of an experienced diversity consultant, I now have a plan of action.

First and foremost, I apologize for missing the name’s resemblance to the slur. English is not my first language, and the near-homophone escaped me completely, or I never would have used the name. It is my responsibility to ensure my books do not cause harm to and align with the expectations of my target market, the US market. I failed to work with someone to ensure this was so. I am sorry for the hurt I caused with this character’s name.

Secondly, I have changed the character’s name in the entirety of the original series and I’m in the process of uploading the corrected ebooks to Amazon. I will also update all the downloadable bonus materials. The changes should show up in the next couple of days as the listings refresh.

Next, all the existing paperbacks will be updated with these changes.

I have started compiling the necessary information for my audiobook narrator. Updating the recordings will take the longest, both because it involves another person’s time and work and because of the long upload-to-publication period on various audiobook retailers, especially Audible.

Going forward, I will be working with a diversity consultant to ensure my works are respectful and not harmful to my readers.

I will be spending several days away from social media while I focus on fixing the issue as quickly as possible. You can reply to this email if you have any questions about the process I outlined.

Thank you for your time.

Best,

Zoe Ashwood

Where does this leave readers?

It is worth noting that Neekar is a character that has been featured in the series since the first book. Meaning, Ashwood’s largely white audience failed to make the connection on their own. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that many acted with outrage at the idea that the series they loved so well has issues with racism. They loved that book and they’re certainly not racist! 

White supremacy is all around us to the point that we often use racist sayings and words without knowing their origin. So much so that deconstructing from white supremacy is a never-ending process. We are all racist in some manner, because we all have deconstruction to do. When racism impacts everything from home ownership to employment, we cannot exempt ourselves from this label.

Instead, we should seek to gain active listening skills. We should aim to approach these situations with openness and curiosity versus defensiveness and anger. It is easier for many to lash out rather than do the actual work of understanding and unlearning. 

As for Ashwood? Unless you are the impacted party, it is not your apology to accept. Ashwood has taken small, tentative steps toward progress, but for many it will not be enough and her readers must accept that. 

Note: What’s the deal with? is a series that explores reasons why others dislike your favorite author. An author’s inclusion in this series is based on Patron votes. This series is intended for informed readership ONLY. This post is subject to updates and expansion.