Niobia Bryant

Niobia Bryant (born November 24 in Newark, New Jersey) is a bestselling and award winning African-American novelist of both romance and mainstream fiction. She also writes Urban fiction as Meesha Mink and Young Adult fiction as Simone Bryant.

Biography

Niobia Bryant was born and raised in the Central Ward of Newark, New Jersey to Letha and Ernest Bryant. She has one brother, Caleb. She credits her mother for introducing her to books at an early age. Bryant was educated in the Newark Public School system and graduated from University High School, eventually earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Behavioral Science with an accompanying Psychology minor from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.

She wrote and sold her first short story Hush, Hush to African-American confessional magazine JIVE Magazine in 1999. After having nearly a dozen short stories published within a few years by Jive, Bronze Thrills and Black Confessions, Bryant reportedly finished her first book, an African-American romance she entitled Down Home Girl. After offers from two publishing houses, she accepted the deal with BET Books/Arabesque. The title was changed to Admission of Love and her debut was released August 2000 to rave reviews. Her second book from BET Books, Three Times a Lady (2001), became her first national bestseller. In 2003 Three Times a Lady was selected by the Books for the Blind (Talking Books) program to be transcribed into an audio recording supplied free of charge to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Since her 2000 debut, Bryant's romance books have consistently received top reviews, hit bestseller lists, and garnered award nominations and wins.

In 2007, her first mainstream Live and Learn was published by Kensington Publishing. In her mainstream books the subject matter steered away from the happily ever after of romance and took on more complex and darker themes like adultery, drug addiction, and domestic violence.

In 2008, Bryant teamed up with a fellow romance author to write the urban fiction Hoodwives series for Simon & Schuster/Touchstone.

On her website Bryant calls herself "A chameleon of the written word". With the addition of her upcoming YA series for Harlequin/Kimani Press TRU line, written for the pre-teen through teen readers, Bryant now has the distinct honor of writing simultaneously in four different genres for three powerhouse publishers: Simon & Schuster (urban fiction), Kensington Publishing (romance and commercial mainstream fiction), and Harlequin (YA fiction).

Currently Bryant writes full time, splitting her time between New Jersey and South Carolina.

Bibliography

Writing as Niobia Bryant (Romance-Mass Market Paperbacks)

• Admission Of Love (2000) BET Books/ Arabesque
• Three Times A Lady (2001) BET Books/ Arabesque
• Heavenly Match (2004) BET Books/ Arabesque
• Can't Get Next to You (2005) BET Books/Arabesque
• Let's Do It Again (2005) Harlequin/Arabesque
• Heated (2006) Kensington/Dafina Romance
• You Never Know (2006) Harlequin/Arabesque (Anthology Collaboration)
• Count On This (2006) Harlequin/Arabesque
• Hot Like Fire (2007) Kensington/Dafina Romance
• Make You Mine (2009) Kensington/ Dafina Romance
• Fever (2009) Kensington/Dafina Romance

Writing as Niobia Bryant (Mainstream-Trade Sized Paperback)

• Live And Learn (2007) Kensington/ Dafina
• Show And Tell (2008) Kensington/ Dafina
• Message From A Mistress (TBA) Kensington/ Dafina

Writing as Niobia Simone (Erotica)

• Caramel Flava edited by Zane (2006) Simone & Schuster/Atria (Anthology Collaboration)

Writing as Meesha Mink (Urban Fiction)

• Desperate Hoodwives (1/2008) Simon & Schuster/Touchstone
• Shameless Hoodwives (8/2008) Simon & Schuster/Touchstone
• The Hood Life (1/2009) Simon & Schuster/Touchstone

Writing as simone bryant (Young Adult/YA fiction)

• The Pace Academy Series: Fabulous (2009) Harlequin/Kimani TRU
• The Pace Academy Series: Notorius (2009) Harlequin/Kimani TRU
• The Pace Academy Series: Glamorous (2010) Harlequin/Kimani TRU

Awards

• Nominee - Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award/ Best African-American Romance
• Winner - Romance in Color’s Reader’s Favorite Award/ Best Multi-Cultural Romance
• Nominee - Romance in Color's Reviewer's Choice Award/ Best Multi-Cultural Romance
• Two-time Winner - Shades of Romance Award/Best African-American Romance
• Multiple Nominee - Romance Slam Jam’s Emma Award
• Nominee - African-American Literary Awards/ Best Romance (Heated)
• Awarded Romantic Times Top Pick (4 OUT 5 RELEASES)