Why I Named My Brand After a Promise to Black Women

Starting this indie author journey, I’ve always pondered what I would call myself. What would my pen name be? How would my brand be portrayed? I didn’t want it to be anything generic like my first and last name. I wanted it to be unique. As a Black woman venturing into the publishing industry, my story will automatically be unique. And so will the stories that I write for other women.

I understand that my first name doesn’t really have a meaning. I love my first name, Brittany. I love my middle name even more, just because of the powerful name that it is. Jay’na, by many people, is spelled in different ways. My mother decided to put an apostrophe in it. She had to be fancy.

I took a deep dive into researching how I wanted people to feel when they read a book by me or learned about the Brittany Jay’na brand. I wanted women, especially Black women, to understand that they’re welcome. I wanted them to feel a certain presence because, wholeheartedly, my mission is to write romance stories for Black women where they’re not only cherished, but yearned for and adored.

The Idea of the Strong Black Woman

As Black women, in today’s society, we’re always considered to be “strong women”. We are never put into a space or even allowed to be in a space where we can just be soft. Sometimes, we always have to fight. We’re always taking the leadership role to take control, even when we don’t want to. Sometimes, we’re tired, and we just want to be.

I started noticing a trend as I grew up reading books before venturing into the romance space. A lot of the women who looked like me were either friends or sidekicks. You really didn’t know their background or origin story. You also were frustrated with how they were depicted. I know personally, for me, I’m constantly surrounded by strong Black women who’ve had to fight, who’ve gone through so many tribulations and trials.

Embracing the World of Romance Novels

I understood that when I stepped into this industry on my own to write my own stories, I did not want to write something generic. I wanted something that, for generations to come, if a young Black woman decided to read my romance story, she would feel soft. She would be able to feel like “I can be loved, I will be loved”. The way that is depicted in the story, and in a healthy way, by men who cherish the woman in their life, they adore them, they protect them, they lift them, and they affirm them.

When you read my stories, I want the words to pop off the pages. I want it to penetrate your heart, your mind, and help you to learn that you are okay. You are enough, and there is somebody out there who’s for you. Even if my story is fiction, I want that feeling for you in real life. And that’s the Brittany Jay’na mission.

From a Personal Perspective

I, myself, am a single woman. I’m not married, and I’m not dating at the moment. I am open to it if it happens. I’m also not out there trying to pursue something that hasn’t happened. I know it will happen when it’s supposed to happen. I also want to be in that healthy headspace.

Even the heroines in my story, I’ll write and publish to the world…I understand that they will deal with real life that we deal with. They will have things that they’re going through, but I don’t want those things to hinder them from being able to evolve. Or have a story where they’re able to grow and to change and to become an even better them. We’ve all had to endure healing. We’ve all had to understand that to become our best selves. We have to take care of our inner selves before we can even allow someone else to.

Being In Your Soft Girl Era

I feel like being able to recognize that is what makes what I plan to share so unique. I know there are probably other authors out there who do the same thing. That’s okay! Because there should be more of us. Right now, sometimes I get a little sad about where books have gone, especially in romance. It sickens me about some of the unimaginable things people write about, things that people have dealt with in real life and don’t want to recall.

I’m glad that I am on this journey and sharing my mission with you because Brittany Jay’na is going to be in that “love girl” era or that “soft girl” era. That’s truly how I picture all of my female characters. It’s okay to be soft, it’s okay to just be. I’ve learned that myself through what I’ve had to endure. It’s okay to accept help. It’s okay to accept compliments even when they feel uncomfortable. Accept them and listen to them because other people see things in you that you may not see in yourself.

I am ecstatic about what is to come. I am looking forward to the new book that I am currently writing. I’m a little behind on the writing process, but that’s okay. I know that book, that character, she has her support system behind her, just like I do, pushing her and encouraging her. Then, the hero in the story also comes to continue to elevate her on top of her community.

The Art of Community

At Brittany Jay’na, you can consider us your community if you need that safe space. I will always call my members “Sweethearts”. Because we can be sweet at heart, sweet by nature, especially when we are soft and in that space where we feel like we trust people around us and that we’re okay. Trust me…being in survival mode is the worst feeling ever. I had to endure that for four years before I moved back home.

Being back in a soft place feels great. I feel like I can think with clarity, and I want that for other women. That’s why the community I have will always be the Sweetheart Chapter. I want you to be soft too, and I want you to feel safe. I want you to feel like you have a trustworthy place to go to just to take the world off, take the stress off, so that you can just have a little bit of reprieve. You are entitled to that!

That’s what this platform and this community are here for. I hope that you join me and all the others who will also be able to do that as well.