Today we’d like to introduce you to Darby Baham.

Hi Darby, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

Probably like many writers, I’ve been in love with the written word for as long as I can remember. It’s how I’ve always best expressed myself, how I’ve come to understand the world around me, how I’ve explored all the emotions that come with being an overthinker and an oldest daughter, and so much more. It wasn’t until my first job as the high school sports reporter for the daily newspaper in New Orleans, however, that I realized my passion could be used for more than just my personal expressions.

That one opportunity at 17 set me on a path that would encompass everything from mentoring young people as they learned the art of writing to penning columns for The Washington Post. Along the way, I started (and, after seven years, ended) my own blog, failed many, many times at writing my first book, and eventually learned to trust myself and my voice and believe in what I had to offer to the world.

Today, I live in NYC, and I’m in the middle of a tour for my fifth book published by Harlequin, the largest romance publisher in the world. And while I’m incredibly grateful, it can feel very surreal at times. Even when I dreamt of being an author as a young girl in second grade, I had no idea I’d actually make it. I certainly didn’t know I’d be using my words to help all kinds of people (but especially Black women) feel seen and believe that love is possible for them. So, I don’t take any of it for granted. Each time I set my mind on a new novel or storyline, I consider what I want the reader to be able to relate to, what I want them to come out of the book having experienced, and how important reading stories that felt like home were (and still are) to me and my understanding of life and love and what I deserve and desire as a woman.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Well, no, lol. But I imagine most people’s roads aren’t and the truth is mine has led me to where I am now, so I can’t complain. The beauty of some of the struggles I experienced, such as the countless rejections I received while working on my first book, is that they forced me to decide what was really important to me. I’ll be honest; when I first began to really try my hand at writing a novel, I was in my early to mid twenties, and I had no clue what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted to write something that women like me could relate to and that they wouldn’t want to put down once they start digging into the pages.

But I struggled trying to figure out what that story would be and how to make it compelling and relatable to others. Rightfully so, then, I had a lot of people tell me no. Sometimes they thought the concept was interesting but the execution was lacking. Other times, they didn’t understand the point of it. And often, I didn’t even get any real feedback; just the cold rejection of a canned email or no response at all. All that did, though, was force me to hone in on my craft.

I started my blog so that I could get into the practice of writing and connecting with other women like me through that medium, learning what was important to them beyond my circle of friends, and figuring out how to shape stories so that they felt just as true to them as they did for me. I spent seven years pouring my heart into that blog, and then when I thought I was ready again, I completed another version of the book, pitched it to literary agents, and guess what? I got more rejections.

I could have quit then. I certainly considered it as I was moving up in other parts of my career and also experienced a life threatening incident that shook me and my family to our cores. Maybe being an author just wasn’t in the cards for me, I sometimes questioned. But every time I thought about giving up on that dream, something or someone came into my life and reminded me that I couldn’t.

Not long after I’d received the latest rounds of book rejections, I was offered a chance to write for The Washington Post—another dream come true. It was during that time that I finally realized the story that was worth me telling, and on a personal note, it was when I started understanding how much the concept of perfection had been derailing my own growth. One of the columns I wrote for the Post was about a dress I’d deemed as the perfect date dress when I first purchased it, and because of that, I’d let it hang in my closet for years for fear of wasting it on something that wasn’t the perfect date. What I came to realize, and what I discussed in that op-ed, was that I’d also been living my life like that dress—beautiful to look at, but unfulfilled.

Importantly, because of the blog and conversations with friends, I knew other women could relate. That story eventually merged into The Shoe Diaries, the first installment in my romance series with Harlequin. It’s about a young woman who realizes she’s done all the things she was “supposed” to do, but still finds herself unhappy. To address that, she sets up a risk list with the intention of learning how to trust herself and her instincts again. It’s a book of twists and turns but one that eventually leads her to taking a second chance on the man she’s loved since college and finally believing that, above all, it’s always worth the risk to follow her heart’s desires.

I couldn’t have told that story ten years before, not in any real or authentic way. It took me going on that very un-smooth road to get there, but I’m so so glad I did.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I like to say that I’m a storyteller on a mission to make women like me feel seen and believe that love is possible for them. I’m an author—a romance author, to be specific—who centers Black women and their love lives and friendships in her books; a communications specialist who cares deeply about mental health, the criminal justice system, and the ways we show up for young people; a sister and daughter who proudly rides for her family and friends at all times; and a believer and lover in the power of a great big belly laugh.

You get a piece of all of that when you read my books.

Thus far, Harlequin has published five books in my Friendship Chronicles series, with number six due out in the summer. It’s a series that centers the dynamic love lives of Black women and serves as my love letter to the friendships we have with each other that both encourage and push us to move beyond our fears. My latest, Falling for the Competition, was released in November—a rivals-to-lovers romance with lots of steamy chemistry and witty banter that will have you both swooning and laughing throughout. It’s a book perfect for everyone who loves a fated meet cute that twists into a deliciously satisfying happy ever after, with some friendly (and not so friendly!) competition in between. But it’s also for anyone who has ever mistakenly believed they needed to show up excellently at all times in order to be loved and felt weighed down by the pressure of that notion.

These days, I’m most proud of the way I have learned to embrace the lovergirl part of me. There was a time when I shied away from it, believing that it made me weak and vulnerable to people taking advantage of me. I even went three whole years without letting anyone give me more than a “church hug,” and it turns out, I loooove hugs! So, now?? I show up in love in everything that I do. It’s my act of resistance and joy. Shout out to my therapist! I am also a proud recovering perfectionist, and I am passionate about getting others to understand that they don’t need to be perfect to be loved.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?

I’m going to keep this light and say something a lot of people may not know is that I have 9 tattoos (with serious thoughts of 2 more). A former boss once jokingly said that I remind him of the moment the world realized Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg had a lot in common. And I mean, honestly, that is kind of my aesthetic: suzy homemaker who won’t ever pass up a chance to dance to Back that Azz Up as soon as the beat drops :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.darbybaham.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darbybaham/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDarbyBaham/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darbybaham/
• Twitter: https://x.com/darbybaham