Talia Hibbert

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Talia Hibbert
Born1995or1996(age 29–30) [1]
Occupation novelist
LanguageEnglish
NationalityBritish
Genre Romance fiction
Years active2017–present
Notable works Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Website
www.taliahibbert.com

Talia Hibbert (born 1995/1996) is a British romance novelist. [2] She writes contemporary and paranormal romance. Critics describe her as a writer of diverse narratives, with characters of varying race, ethnicity, body shape, sexual orientation, and life experience. [3] [4] [5] She is best known for her 2019 novel Get a Life, Chloe Brown .

Contents

Early life and education

Hibbert was born to a half Roma, half Sierra Leonean mother and a father of Jamaican heritage, whose parents arrived in Britain as part of the Windrush generation. Hibbert studied at the University of Leicester. [6] It was during her final year at university that she decided to pursue writing professionally. [7]

Career

During her childhood, Hibbert dealt with negative comments about her dream to be a writer. [8] She used an inheritance from her great-grandmother to finance the beginning of her writing career. [8] She writes under the name Talia Hibbert as "my legal name is apparently difficult to pronounce". [9] She began self-publishing in 2017, putting out ten books in that first year. [10] Her first traditionally published book Get a Life, Chloe Brown was released in 2019 with Avon Romance, and is the first book of a family romance trilogy. [3] [11] [12]

Themes

Many of Hibbert's characters fall under the hashtag #OwnVoices, meaning they are part of a marginalized group Hibbert identifies with. [13] Many of her protagonists are black women. The main character in Get a Life, Chloe Brown lives with chronic pain. [3] [14] In her book A Girl Like Her, the main character, Ruth, is autistic. [8] The third book in The Brown Sisters series, Act Your Age, Eve Brown, features two autistic leads. [2] [15]

Hibbert's stories include characters with a diverse range of body types. [14] She has stated, "...it's always been really, really important to me that I represent diverse body types in my romance to show that all different kinds of people can be attractive and all different kinds of people deserve happy endings." [3]

In Hibbert's book Get a Life, Chloe Brown, she demonstrates the strain that chronic pain can place on both familial and romantic relationships. But, as a romance novel, Get a Life, Chloe Brown also shows how someone with chronic pain is deserving and capable of having a loving relationship. The book explores methods of reasserting a sense of control within a life that was once ruled by illness.

Hibbert's books reflect a change in the romance genre toward explicit consent during intimate scenes. [16] In the author's LGBTQ romance Work For It, one of the protagonists deals with finding love even while living with depression. [5]

Personal life

For much of her life, Hibbert struggled with undiagnosed health issues, until she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. [3] [4] [17] Hibbert's multiple issues with doctors inspired the topic of medical discrimination in Get a Life, Chloe Brown. [4]

Hibbert is queer and autistic. [18] [8] [19]

Bibliography

TitleSeriesPublication YearISBN/ASIN
Always with You2017B074P1NY4T
Operation Atonement2017B075W2PL6N
Bad for the BossJust for Him #12017B076XJJZHT
Merry Inkmas2017B077NTCPVP
Undone by the Ex-ConJust for Him #22018B078JM9D7Y
The Princess TrapDirty British Romance #12018B079K8MFJD
A Girl Like HerRavenswood #12018B07B9Z6846
The Roommate Risk (previously named Wanna Bet?)Dirty British Romance #22018B07C5LMBJ6
Damaged GoodsRavenswood #1.52018B07DFQXNM9
The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco (previously named Sweet on the Greek)Just for Him #32018B07FK6LQ7V
UntouchableRavenswood #22018B07G4KDTKK
Mating the Huntress2018B07HLV1R85
Rogue NightsRogue #62018B07JKQPZ9B
That Kind of GuyRavenswood #320199781916404335
Work For It20191230003333167
Get a Life, Chloe Brown The Brown Sisters #120199780062941220
Guarding Temptation20201230003816226
Take a Hint, Dani BrownThe Brown Sisters #220209780062941237
Wrapped Up in You20209781774532645
Act Your Age, Eve BrownThe Brown Sisters #320219780062941275
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute20239780593482339

Awards

WorkYearAwardResultRef.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown2019 The Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romance FictionWinner [20] [21] [22]
Take a Hint, Dani Brown2019 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Fiction Finalist [23]

References

  1. "All About Eve: Talia Hibbert on the Final Book in 'The Brown Sisters' Trilogy". Goodreads. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Talia Hibbert". HarperCollins Publishers: World-Leading Book Publisher.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Lenker, Maureen Lee (20 March 2019). "How Talia Hibbert's own experiences with chronic pain inspired her latest romance heroine". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Vivona, Veronica (26 March 2019). "Author With Fibromyalgia Writes Romance Novel Featuring Protagonist With Chronic Pain". The Mighty. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  5. 1 2 Geller, JeriAnn (14 February 2020). "Eight Romances to Swoon Over for Black History Month". BookTrib. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  6. Córdova, Zoraida (11 December 2020). "Talia Hibbert Keeps On Writing On". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  7. Grant, Kayla (5 January 2023). "Brown Sisters Series Author Talia Hibbert Makes Her Debut in the YA Genre With 'Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute'". Shondaland. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Krohn, Suzanne (11 March 2018). "Good Rep, Captain America, and What's Next - An Interview with Talia Hibbert". Love in Panels. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  9. "Sunday Authur Salon with Talia Hibbert". Mocha Girls Read. 31 May 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  10. Muchnick, Laurie. "The Joys of Romance (and Representation)". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  11. "Get a Life, Chloe Brown". Avon Romance. 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  12. Olmstead, Barrie (13 February 2020). "Commentary: Rom-coms making a comeback". The Lewiston Tribune. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  13. Perchikoff, Sarah (8 November 2019). "Get a Life, Chloe Brown is an exploration of romance, chronic pain, and living on your own terms". Fansided. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  14. 1 2 Tanabe, Karin (15 November 2019). "In 'Get a Life, Chloe Brown,' a woman transforms her Earl Grey life into something bolder". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  15. "Reading Order". Talia Hibbert. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  16. Lynch, Emily Hessney (12 February 2020). "Safe sparks". City Newspaper. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  17. Lenker, Maureen Lee (3 December 2019). "Hot Stuff: Five new romances tackle the struggle to feel deserving of love". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  18. "Talia Hibbert: An Author Diversifying The Romance Genre On Their Own Terms". Pulse Spikes. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  19. "The Joys of Romance (And Representation)".
  20. Doherty, Alison (14 February 2020). "The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction Announced". Book Riot. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  21. "Publishing Industry News: Feb. 21, 2020". Door County Pulse. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  22. "The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction". The Ripped Bodice. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  23. Gentes, Brian (15 March 2021). "2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 12 January 2022.