Oakland native, New York Times best-selling author talks new book 'While We Were Dating'

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Oakland native Jasmine Guillory visited virtually with ABC7 on Midday Live on Monday to discuss her new book "While We Were Dating."

Guillory's sizzling romantic novel follows Ben Stephens, a San Francisco advertising executive, and Anna Gardiner, a movie star from Oakland. The book is already making a major summer splash with readers.

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"While We Were Dating" is the 6th book in Guillory's "The Wedding Date" series. All of the novels are interconnected standalones and are based in, or connected to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Guillory has been called a trailblazer in the romantic comedy genre. Each book features a cast of multicultural characters and a Black female lead.

"I knew that if I was going to write a book, it was going to have Black women at its core," Guillory said. "I mean I grew up in the Bay Area surrounded by my big Black family and I wanted to write stories that reflected the world that I grew up in, the people that I loved, and the people that I wanted to see on the page."

Actress Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine, bought the rights to Guillory's first four books. It's possible that readers could see their favorite characters come to life on-screen.

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Guillory's books can be purchased wherever books are sold. Signed copies can be ordered through East Bay Booksellers in Oakland.

Watch Jasmine Guillory's conversation with ABC7 News anchor Jobina Fortson in the video in the media player above.