I had an article published last year in the Romance Writers’ Report, the member magazine of the Romance Writers of America. My focus is how writers can create characters that come from different cultural backgrounds than their own, as well as romance industry trends in multicultural romance.

I’ve interviewed several editors, cultural experts and authors who have lots of interesting tips and hints. According to one cultural expert, three big pitfalls are religion, politics, and interestingly enough, physical proximity. Remember the “close-talker” episode of Seinfeld, where Judge Reinhold plays a character who constantly invades people’s personal space? Different cultures define personal space very differently. How close you stand to someone is established as an infant and practically set in stone by age five.

Click here for printout of the article