Ubuntu

Hello fellow ParanormalRomantics; big thanks to Rebecca for inviting me over today. J

So, a little bit about me, and why I’m here right now – my name is Zee Monodee, and I’m the Managing Editor of the brand-new Ubuntu line at Decadent Publishing. Set to launch in March 2013, Ubuntu is a line of stories set in Africa and featuring African characters, culture, mores, and locales.

Pretty limiting, you might think? Well, let me tell you that you have another think coming *wink*

I was born on the island of Mauritius (cue the geography lesson – my island is located in the southern Indian Ocean. East of Africa and Madagascar, lots more south from India) and I’ve spent most of my life here. Throughout the years I grew up, I’ve visited some of the most beautiful beaches in the world located right here, as well as deep forested areas where the sun barely peeks in. Step away from the big buildings of urban areas and taken a hike into the sprawling country villages. Along the way, you’ll probably find every free land occupied by sugar cane plantations.

Imagine my surprise when, one day, I figure out Mauritius is considered part of Africa! I’m like, hello? Where are the big Serengeti plains, the wild animals, the dry earth and red dust, the spindly trees? And as far as I know, Mauritius has people of all colors, races, cultures, and religions. So how on earth could we be part of Africa?

Well, it so turns out that not only Mauritius is in fact part of sub-Saharan Africa – Africa itself is much, much more than the stereotypical idea everyone, myself included, have of it.

Urban and rural areas; modernity and technological advancements in the time of the Internet and satellite reception everywhere; races of every color from the palest white to the darkest black; cultures originating from native black African tribes and the Arab people of the Maghreb, with throwbacks to Indian, Chinese, and European cultures mixing in for good measure – that’s the Africa of today.

And it’s this Africa that we want to showcase in the stories to come out of the Ubuntu line.

Whether you’re writing a multi-generational saga spread over many books and that layers the complexity of this continent in its words, or you have a category-type romance that touches lightly on the setting/culture of Africa, we want to see your stories set in Africa and that features characters of African origin.

And since I’m on a blog named Paranormal Romantics, I’ll add this – why not have a paranormal romance set in Africa? Did you know that Madagascar is still known as the land of Black Magic? On this backdrop, can a writer not place vampires, weres, genies, witches, and more, in this setting and world?

You can find more about the Ubuntu line (the specs sheet as well as length and heat guidelines) under the Submissions tab on the www.decadentpublishing.com website. I am also just an email away if anyone has any questions or queries, at this address zeemonodee@gmail.com

Thanks for this opportunity to tell you more about this brand-new project – we’re all terribly excited about this at Decadent Publishing. Big thank you again to Rebecca for inviting me.

From Mauritius with love,

Zee