Three romance novels that Democratic activist Stacey Abrams wrote and published decades ago will be re-issued next year, the same year as the 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election.
Abrams published the three romance novels — “The Rules of Engagement,” “The Art of Desire” and “Power of Persuasion” — in the 2000s under the pen name Selena Montgomery. According to The New York Times, she wrote the first novel while attending law school and subsequently published seven more, all under the pseudonym.
“As my first novels, they remain incredibly special to me,” Abrams said in a statement Tuesday, reports
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 book’s publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, an imprint of Penguin Random House, describes itself as being at the “forefront of trends” and as having expertise in women’s fiction, romance, mystery and suspense.
The Democratic activist’s romance novels will be released in the same year as the 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election, a race in which Abrams may or may not run. While Abrams has acknowledged losing the 2018 gubernatorial election to GOP Governor Brian Kemp, she also refused to concede and said that the election was stolen from the voters.
“As I have always said, I acknowledged at the very beginning that Brian Kemp won under the rules that were in place,” Abrams told Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) of the 2018 election in a recent Senate committee hearing. “What I object to are rules that permitted thousands of Georgia voters to be denied their participation in this election — to have their votes cast out. And so, I will continue to disagree with the system until it is fixed.”
“Do you still maintain that the 2018 election was stolen? That’s your language,” asked Cruz during the hearing. In turn, Abrams responded: “My full language is that it was stolen from the voters of Georgia. We do not know what they would have done because not every eligible Georgian was permitted to participate fully in the election.”
The re-publishing announcement also comes as Abrams is set to release a new novel, “While Justice Sleeps,” that is set in the U.S. Supreme Court. The upcoming book, a thriller about a young law clerk named Avery Keene, is about a Supreme Court Justice who falls into a coma. From Amazon’s description of the book:
[Avery] is immediately notified that Justice Wynn has left instructions for her to serve as his legal guardian and power of attorney. Plunged into an explosive role she never anticipated, Avery finds that Justice Wynn had been secretly researching one of the most controversial cases before the court—a proposed merger between an American biotech company and an Indian genetics firm, which promises to unleash breathtaking results in the medical field. She also discovers that Wynn suspected a dangerously related conspiracy that infiltrates the highest power corridors of Washington