Sandra Kitt
Encyclopedia
Sandra Kitt is an African-American author
of contemporary romance novels. Her works have frequently made it to Essence magazine's "Black Board" bestseller lists.
as the eldest of four children. Her dream was to illustrate children's books. After graduating from the Music and Art High School in New York, she earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from CUNY. During college she worked part-time at the astronomy library at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Although Kitt was comfortable with the job of cataloging the collection, she enrolled in classes at the Hayden Planetarium
to learn more about astronomy
so that she would be better at her job. Through these classes she met many guest speakers such as Carl Sagan
and Isaac Asimov
. In 1986, Asimov asked Kitt to illustrate a book he was writing on Halley's Comet.
. Kitt called the editor, who requested two of Kitt's novels. Within a week, the editor had purchased both books, Adam and Eva and Rites of Spring. In 1984 all three of her novels were published, making Kitt the first black author to write for Harlequin.
In 1995, Kitt emerged from the romance genre with her first mainstream novel, The Color of Love. This book has twice been optioned for film, once by HBO, and had nine printings by 2002.
Her novels featured African-American characters, who rarely appeared in the gothic romances which she enjoyed reading. Kitt was one of the first authors within women's fiction to write from both the female and male point of view. Unafraid to tackle social issues in her works, Kitt has used her novels to study surrogate motherhood, abandoned children, race relations, and interracial/class differences. She has also often tackled interracial relationships.
Kitt has been able to use her fine arts degree to illustrate one of her novels. In 1993 she designed and painted the cover that was eventually used for her novel Love Everlasting.
In 2000, Kitt was nominated for an NAACP Image Award
for contributing a story to the anthology Girlfriends. Kitt has been nominated three times for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards. She is a recipient of their Career Achievement Award.
In 2003, Kitt retired from her job as a museum librarian. However, she remained active in the Special Libraries Association.
In addition to her writing, Kitt teaches a publishing and creative writing
course at a college. She has also written two film scripts and has interned with ABC
for daytime soap operas.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of contemporary romance novels. Her works have frequently made it to Essence magazine's "Black Board" bestseller lists.
Early years
Sandra Kitt was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as the eldest of four children. Her dream was to illustrate children's books. After graduating from the Music and Art High School in New York, she earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from CUNY. During college she worked part-time at the astronomy library at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Career
Following her graduation, she spent several years working at a small advertising agency before returning to CUNY to pursue a master's degree. After completing half of the work required by her master's program, Kitt left school to become the head librarian at the astronomy library where she had previously worked.Although Kitt was comfortable with the job of cataloging the collection, she enrolled in classes at the Hayden Planetarium
Hayden Planetarium
The Hayden Planetarium is a public planetarium, part of the Rose Center for Earth and Space of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, currently directed by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson....
to learn more about astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
so that she would be better at her job. Through these classes she met many guest speakers such as Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
and Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. In 1986, Asimov asked Kitt to illustrate a book he was writing on Halley's Comet.
Writing career
Kitt began writing in the early 1980s for her own enjoyment. In six weeks, she had transformed her first idea into a 500-page manuscript. She continued to work on her ideas, finishing two additional manuscripts in the next year and a half. Shortly after finishing her third story, Kitt read an article in the New York Times about an editor who was beginning a new line of books for HarlequinHarlequin Enterprises Ltd
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a Toronto, Ontario-based company that is a publisher of series romance and women's fiction. Owned by the Torstar Corporation, the largest newspaper publisher in Canada, the company publishes approximately 120 new titles each month in 29 different languages in 107...
. Kitt called the editor, who requested two of Kitt's novels. Within a week, the editor had purchased both books, Adam and Eva and Rites of Spring. In 1984 all three of her novels were published, making Kitt the first black author to write for Harlequin.
In 1995, Kitt emerged from the romance genre with her first mainstream novel, The Color of Love. This book has twice been optioned for film, once by HBO, and had nine printings by 2002.
Her novels featured African-American characters, who rarely appeared in the gothic romances which she enjoyed reading. Kitt was one of the first authors within women's fiction to write from both the female and male point of view. Unafraid to tackle social issues in her works, Kitt has used her novels to study surrogate motherhood, abandoned children, race relations, and interracial/class differences. She has also often tackled interracial relationships.
Kitt has been able to use her fine arts degree to illustrate one of her novels. In 1993 she designed and painted the cover that was eventually used for her novel Love Everlasting.
In 2000, Kitt was nominated for an NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
for contributing a story to the anthology Girlfriends. Kitt has been nominated three times for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards. She is a recipient of their Career Achievement Award.
In 2003, Kitt retired from her job as a museum librarian. However, she remained active in the Special Libraries Association.
In addition to her writing, Kitt teaches a publishing and creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
course at a college. She has also written two film scripts and has interned with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
for daytime soap operas.
Novels
- Rites of Spring (1984)
- All Good Things (1984)
- Adam and Eva (1984)
- Perfect Combination (1985)
- Only With the Heart (1985)
- With Open Arms (1986)
- An Innocent Man (1988)
- This Way Home (1989)
- Someone's Baby (1991)
- Love Everlasting (1993)
- Serenade (1994)
- Sincerely (1995)
- The Color of Love (1995)
- Suddenly (1996)
- Significant Others (1996)
- Between Friends (1998)
- Family Affairs (1999)
- Homecoming (1999)
- Close Encounters (2000)
- She's the One (2001)
- Southern Comfort (2004)
- The Next Best Thing (2005)
- Celluloid Memories (2007)
- For All We Know (2008)
- RSVP with Love (2009)
- Promises in Paradise (2010)
Omnibus
- For the Love of Chocolate (1996) (with Margaret Brownley, Raine Cantrell, Nadine Crenshaw)
- Baby Beat (1996) (with Sandra Canfield, Marisa Carroll)
- Sisters (1996) (with Anita Bunkley and Eva RutlandEva RutlandEva Rutland, was born in Atlanta, GA in 1917. She is the author of more than 20 romance novels. She is the author When We Were Colored: A Mother’s Story and, No Crystal Stair and is the winner of the 2000 Golden Pen Award for Lifetime Achievement....
) - Girlfriends (1999) (with Anita Bunkley and Eva RutlandEva RutlandEva Rutland, was born in Atlanta, GA in 1917. She is the author of more than 20 romance novels. She is the author When We Were Colored: A Mother’s Story and, No Crystal Stair and is the winner of the 2000 Golden Pen Award for Lifetime Achievement....
) - First Touch (2004) (with Francis RayFrancis RayFrancis Ray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling African-American writer of romance novels. She is a native Texan and lives in Dallas. INCOGNITO, her sixth title, was the first made-for-TV movie for BET...
and Eboni Snoe) - Have a Little Faith (2006) (with ReShonda Tate Billingsley, J D Mason and Jacquelin Thomas)
- Back in Your Arms (2006) (with Celeste O. NorfleetCeleste O. NorfleetCeleste O. Norfleet is a contemporary African American novelist of romance and young adult novels.- Early years:...
and Deidre Savoy) - Cougar Tales (2009) (with Deidre Savoy and Evelyn Palfrey)