Introducing The Black Diamonds Quartet—a New Series from Reese Ryan

Talking a new, spin-off series and the inspiration behind writing about Black Queens in classical music.

A year and a half ago, an unexpected invitation popped into my inbox. THEE Stephanie Nicole Norris invited me to collaborate with a host of incredible Black authors to do a special giveaway spotlighting Black romance.

I had no idea what I was going to write about. But there was absolutely no way I was passing on this opportunity to sit at the cool kids’ table. So I needed to come up with a story for the project. I knew that I wanted it to be connected to my Love & Music Suite—my first completely indie published series. But I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to make that happen.

Then it came to me.

There was a character in More Than Friends who flirted with the heroine, Leilani, prompting the hero to get it together, step up to the plate, and tell the heroine how he felt. It was important to me that this guy wasn’t a jerk about it when Leilani politely put the brakes on and bowed out. Instead, he was understanding and wished the two of them the best. Plus, he was an entertainment lawyer and the cousin of Ced—hero of Never the Right Time—Book #2 in the series. I knew Marcus Brown—a good guy who has been through some stuff—would be the perfect connection for a one-off, ancillary novella.

So I had my MMC, but now I needed to figure out who his leading lady would be.

Inspiration for The Black Diamonds String Quartet Series

The String Queens and me after their performance at my town’s local arts center.

Usually, I have very little recall of what inspired a story or character. But in the case of India Wells, I do. A couple months prior to Stephanie’s invitation, I had the privilege of seeing The String Queens, a phenomenal trio of Black classical musicians at my town’s arts center. The String Queens have been described as delivering an “authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound,” and let me tell you, no lies were told.

Admittedly, I was already a fan of classical music. Have been since my first elementary school field trip to the Cleveland Orchestra—one of my hometown’s many gems. But what made The String Queens so outstanding (aside from being incredibly talented artists) was their ability to appeal to people who are not fans of classical music.

They performed an incredibly diverse playlist that included Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major, “Amazing Grace,” “Smooth Criminal”, “Sweet Love”, and “Despacito.” There were soulful renditions of music by Sam Smith, En Vogue, Lauryn Hill, Blackstreet, Stevie Wonder and more. And their mashup of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and “Rolling” by Adele will forever live in my head rent-free.

The String Queens performing at my local arts center.

Their interpretation of popular songs we all know and love allowed them to connect with the entire audience across demographics of age, ethnicities, and musical preferences. Their storytelling drew us all in and made them feel like friends who came for a visit and whom we couldn’t wait to see again soon. I left there feeling joyful and invigorated, wishing I’d taken my viola lessons seriously when I was in elementary school.

Side note: If The String Queens come through your town, go see them. Buy and stream their music. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

It took several weeks before it hit me. But that electrifying performance by three, exceptional Black women making waves in a musical genre where we’re not often at center stage, inspired my heroine. I made my FMC, India Wells, a brilliant violinist who is passionate about her art and determined to use her gift to advocate for and encourage the next generation of Black, classical musicians.

In the course of writing the story, India reveals that she’s always dreamed of being a part of a string quartet comprised of Black women musicians. (Her idea, not mine!) So suddenly, this one-off side story in the Love & Music Suite (LMS) universe turned into The Black Diamonds Quartet—a four-book series that is a spin off of LMS and set in the same world in Atlanta, Georgia.

So if you read Marcus and India’s story, Made for Me, when it was a freebie in the Book Baes & HEAs promo, the book is now available as an expanded story with new content and an epilogue. The expanded version of the book introduces readers to the other three members of the string quartet: Phoenix, Ailah, and Racquel. And I can’t wait for you to meet them.

Buy your paperback, download the e-book, or read the book in Kindle Unlimited here.

Note: If you downloaded your e-book prior to Monday, October 13th and it doesn’t include the epilogue, check below to see how to get the updated version, which includes the epilogue.

Here’s how you update your Kindle book to the latest version: