Danielle Allen (Photo by Pixels4U)
Aaliyah James is looking for true love. Breaking off a relationship with the wrong person, again, as she approaches 30, she’s ready to find that person who “gets her.” As she hesitantly agrees to turn to a dating app, she discovers the task is more difficult than she imagined, and it’s only further compounded by her curves and the stereotypes placed on overweight women. This sets the stage for “Curvy Girl Summer,” Richmond author Danielle Allen’s first traditionally published romance novel, available this month from Bramble, an imprint of Tor Publishing Group.
An educator and life coach, Allen has self-published 49 titles, mostly romance novellas. “What I love about romance is that you know you’re going to get a happily ever after, that is part of the deal, like it has to end on a good note,” Allen says. “But I love to put in twists and turns in all of my stuff.”
“Curvy Girl Summer” publishes June 11. (Image courtesy Tor Publishing Group)
Through writing “Curvy Girl Summer,” Allen sought to tell a story that isn’t often told in a typical romance novel: an overweight Black woman in the lead protagonist role. She notes that women who fall into this category are often portrayed as the sidekick or funny friend, and that it’s even rarer to see larger women assert themselves with partners who also love and respect them — including their bodies.
“I feel like in the story there’s the things that you hear about [the novel’s protagonist’s] body. When it’s especially negative, it’s from other people, it’s never from her because that’s not how her mind is wired to look at herself despite what society might say,” Allen says. “She is standing firm in who she is, and I wanted that to come through because there are so many of us who are healthy and happy and loved and celebrated, but you wouldn’t necessarily get that from media.”
In the novel, Allen portrays the daily realities faced by curvy women. The main character, Aaliyah, is struggling to live up to the image of her successful sister. Her family is discussing her future and prospects behind her back, and one curmudgeonly outspoken uncle — under the guise of concern — blames her weight as the reason for her inability to find a husband. Partly wanting to prove her family wrong and partly because she’s ready to find the one, Aaliyah sets off on a series of dates. Her first foray into the scene ends in (spoiler alert) her being stood up. But she meets a handsome and charismatic bartender, Ahmad, who suggests she meet her dates at the bar so he can watch over her. A friendship and some romantic feelings develop, but there’s a problem — he’s married.
While the author’s goal was to offer a relatable protagonist for curvy girls, she also hopes the story opens the eyes of everyone who reads it. “I hope that people have laughed and had a good time and got a little hot and bothered, but also, I hope that they see a love story, and Aaliyah’s love story is a love story,” she says. “It’s not quantified by her being fat or Black or a woman, but at the heart of it you’re watching her journey.”
“Curvy Girl Summer” will be available for purchase on Amazon and at other national retailers June 11. Allen is also embarking on a book tour, including local stops on June 22 at Petersburg’s Resist Booksellers at 1 p.m., followed by Barnes & Noble at Libbie Place at 6 p.m.
