“Nothing in my life is organized, especially not my books,” says the romance novelist, whose most recent book is “On the Corner of Hope and Main.”

What books are on your nightstand?

Fiction: “The Blacksmith Queen,” by G. A. Aiken. Nonfiction: “The Original Black Elite,” by Elizabeth Dowling Taylor.

What’s the last great book you read?

Last great book I read? Hmm. There are so many that fit this category, but one that stands out is “Empire of Sand,” by Tasha Suri.

Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time?

“Dreaming of You,” by Lisa Kleypas — a romance fiction classic.

Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).

One of the downsides of being a published writer with never-ending deadlines is not being able to read when you want. My ideal would be a month somewhere warm, on the water, with no deadlines, phone calls or knocks on the door. There’d be lots of good food prepared by someone else, coffee and snacks.

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

A favorite that should have been more widely embraced. “Black, Red, and Deadly: Black and Indian Gunfighters of the Indian Territory, 1870-1907,” by Art T. Burton. Burton is an American history treasure.

Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?

Novelist at the top of my list and at the top of her game: N. K. Jemisin. Others are Rebecca Roanhorse, Ilona Andrews, Daniel José Older and Alyssa Cole. Critics and journalists: Karen Grigsby Bates from NPR, Callie Crossley from WGBH, Michael Harriot from The Root and the syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. No playwrights come to mind, but Nikki Giovanni continues to move me with her poetry.

What book, if any, most influenced your decision to write romance or contributed to your artistic development?

I’ve been an avid reader all my life, and I believe every book read has contributed to me becoming a writer of all the subgenres I’ve been published in.

Has a book ever brought you closer to another person, or come between you?

I don’t know of any book that has come between me and someone else, but the ones I’ve written have created bonds between my readers and myself that fill my heart. When I lost my husband to cancer in 2003, their wisdom and support were one of the keys in my getting past the blinding darkness of grief.

What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?

One of the most interesting items I’ve come across recently was the story of Ephraim Williams, an African-American owner of a 19th-century traveling circus.

Which subjects do you wish more authors would write about?

I’d love to see more work focused on the Great Exodus of 1879, the first large migration of African-Americans out of the South after the gutting of Reconstruction.

What moves you most in a work of literature?

What moves me most are characters I can root for, a great plot and a satisfying ending.

Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

I love fantasy and sci-fi, but there’s no genre I won’t read.

Who’s your favorite fictional couple?

Kate Daniels and Curran from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.

Do you distinguish between “commercial” and “literary” fiction? Where’s that line, for you?

I prefer commercial fiction because it usually lacks angst-filled navel gazing.

How do you organize your books?

This question made me laugh. Nothing in my life is organized, especially not my books. I have three large bookcases crammed with the nonfiction I use for research. In the hallway between my bedroom and office are five knee-high stacks of more history books that for now have no home. Hoping to purchase at least two more bookcases sometime during this lifetime.

What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?

Most surprising book on my shelves might be “Deadly Doses: A Writer’s Guide to Poisons.”

What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?

“The Black Man: His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements,” written by William W. Brown in 1863. I’d been looking for it for years. I’d given up hope when a reader noticed it was back in print and sent me a copy in the mail.

What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?

I was a voracious reader. I read newspapers, cereal boxes, every book in my local library, my dad’s college biology books — anything I could put my little eyeballs on was fair game. The author that stands out for me as a young reader: Beverly Cleary.

How have your reading tastes changed over time?

I’m still reading as much and as widely as I can, so that hasn’t changed. What has changed is being able to enjoy works by authors of color. There were very few when I was growing up in the late 1950s and early ’60s.

Do books serve a moral function, in your view? How so?

I believe they do. Books can entertain, educate and inspire readers to be more. They can allow us to share the experiences of people from different cultures and places, and open the world to children like myself who’d never been more than a few miles from the east side of Detroit. I always say the best gift you can give any child is a library card.

You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

My guests would be: Toni Morrison, Benjamin Quarles and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

If you were to write something besides romances, what would you write?

I’d write fantasy.

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

In the overrated, didn’t-like category, I’d put all the so-called classics I was forced to read in high school, from “Moby-Dick” to “The Scarlet Letter.” I don’t recall a recent book I didn’t finish.

What do you plan to read next?

Next to be read? Not sure, but my Kindle is so stuffed it needs a month at a gym. I’m sure I’ll find something inside to enjoy.