Stacey Abrams came to national fame during her 2018 Georgia gubernatorial run and becoming a voting rights advocate and staunch supporter of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris thereafter. However, many may not know that the Democratic politician used to be a romance novelist, and some of her writings are about to be rereleased.
Berkley announced Tuesday that it has acquired rights to three out-of-print novels by Abrams that she had written nearly 20 years ago under the name Selena Montgomery. Berkley, a Penguin Random House imprint, will begin reissuing the books — Rules of Engagement, The Art of Desire and Power of Persuasion — in 2022.
“As my first novels, they remain incredibly special to me,” Abrams told The Associated Press. “The characters and their adventures are what I’d wished to read as a young Black woman — stories that showcase women of color as nuanced, determined, and exciting. As Selena and as Stacey, I am proud to be a part of the romance writing community and excited that Berkley is reintroducing these stories for new readers and faithful fans.”
The scribe’s other books include the nonfiction releases Our Time Is Now and Minority Leader. Abrams also will be releasing her legal thriller While Justice Sleeps on May 11, 2021, from Doubleday, also part of Penguin Random House.
Abrams may run again in next year’s gubernatorial election in Georgia and has also been in the spotlight as of late battling with Hollywood as she calls for movie productions and television shows to continue to stay and film in the state. Several production companies decided to stop filming in the state as part of a national boycott after Georgia lawmakers passed a new and more restrictive law governing voting.
Abrams has written eight novels as Selena Montgomery, with several still in print through HarperCollins. The most recent was Deception which was published in 2009.
