Writing POC Characters Right

Writing Race and Ethnicity Authentically: Sister Assassin: Vigilante

When I received this encouraging review, it reminded me why writing race and ethnicity with care matters so deeply:

“Sister Assassin: Vigilante is not your average revenge novel, it’s a powerful blend of trauma, healing, and justice wrapped in sisterhood and street-smart determination.”
“The story centers on three foster sisters, Nia, Kuan-Yin, and Valentina… Nia builds a mental health nonprofit for women of color, Kuan-Yin becomes a trilingual social worker trying to protect vulnerable children, and Valentina… well, she takes a darker path, one that turns vigilante justice into an outlet for healing.”
“Nia is a rock, fierce and quietly determined. Kuan-Yin’s discipline and compassion shine through her trauma. And Valentina? She’s the firebrand, spicy, street-smart, and impossible to forget.”
“Johnson’s portrayal of grief, PTSD, and recovery is raw and honest… The depiction of community, culture, and Black and brown womanhood is both authentic and affirming.”
(barnesandnoble.com)

These lines didn’t just compliment the book, they underscored the importance of honest, nuanced representation. So, how did I approach writing these three foster sisters, Nia, Kuan-Yin, and Valentina, in a way that felt real and respectful?

The Sisters and Their IdentitiesNia (Black Creole)

Described as “a rock, fierce and quietly determined,” Nia built a mental health nonprofit for women of color, a calling rooted in community healing and resilience (barnesandnoble.com). As a Black Creole woman, her heritage isn’t just an extra detail, it shapes her worldview, her advocacy, and the way she holds space for trauma and survival.

Kuan-Yin (Korean; trilingual social worker)

The review captures her as disciplined, compassionate, and fiercely protective of vulnerable children: “Kuan-Yin’s discipline and compassion shine through her trauma” (barnesandnoble.com). Kuan-Yin’s Korean background and her fluency in three languages inform her work as a social worker. She bridges gaps, translates not just language but emotion, and embodies healing through empathy.

Valentina (Guatemalan)

Valentina is “the firebrand, spicy, street-smart, and impossible to forget” (barnesandnoble.com). She pursues vigilante justice as an emotional outlet for the trauma they experienced. Her Guatemalan roots influence her resourcefulness, defiance, and survival instincts, melding cultural identity with the urgency of street-level retribution.

Why Representation Felt Essential

Representation here wasn’t an afterthought, it was foundational. Each sister’s racial and cultural identity informs how she copes, how she fights, and how she heals. When culture becomes the lens through which they see themselves and the world, the story carries weight. The review’s praise, highlighting “how Johnson’s portrayal of grief, PTSD, and recovery is raw and honest” and that “the depiction of community, culture, and Black and brown womanhood is both authentic and affirming,” means the intent translated on the page (barnesandnoble.com).

Where Authors Often Stumble and Why I Strived Not To

Many high-profile authors, like J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer, have been criticized for simplifying cultures, leaning on stereotypes, or using race as surface-level detail. These missteps often fall into patterns like:

Tokenism or marginalizing characters of color as background or trope.

Exoticization, highlighting skin color or language without depth.

Surface-level cultural touchpoints, dropping in food, customs, or language without context or meaning.

Lack of research or lived understanding, leading to misrepresentation.

Diverse Sensitivity & Beta Readers, Even though my team of betas are consistent I make sure they are diverse and can capture the nuances I write and correct me when I’m wrong. 

By contrast, in Sister Assassin, each sister’s identity isn’t just background, it’s embedded in their motivations, relationships, healing, and their very ways of being in the world.

Here’s How I Approached Writing Them

Whole people first. Each sister is shaped by her culture, but also by her passions, flaws, trauma, love, and fights.

Cultural specificity matters. Small details, like language, traditions, or signifiers of Creole or Guatemalan culture, came from researching and valuing lived experience, not stereotype.

Balanced creativity and sensitivity. I merged imagination with cultural markers in a way that honors authenticity over exotic flavor.

Seeking and honoring community. Reading work by creators from these backgrounds and listening to lived experiences helped inform choices and avoid missteps.

Writing Race and Ethnicity Authentically: Sister Assassin: Vigilante

When I received this encouraging review, it reminded me why writing race and ethnicity with care matters so deeply:

“Sister Assassin: Vigilante is not your average revenge novel, it’s a powerful blend of trauma, healing, and justice wrapped in sisterhood and street-smart determination.”
“The story centers on three foster sisters, Nia, Kuan-Yin, and Valentina… Nia builds a mental health nonprofit for women of color, Kuan-Yin becomes a trilingual social worker trying to protect vulnerable children, and Valentina… well, she takes a darker path, one that turns vigilante justice into an outlet for healing.”
“Nia is a rock, fierce and quietly determined. Kuan-Yin’s discipline and compassion shine through her trauma. And Valentina? She’s the firebrand, spicy, street-smart, and impossible to forget.”
“Johnson’s portrayal of grief, PTSD, and recovery is raw and honest… The depiction of community, culture, and Black and brown womanhood is both authentic and affirming.”
(barnesandnoble.com)

These lines didn’t just compliment the book, they underscored the importance of honest, nuanced representation. So, how did I approach writing these three foster sisters, Nia, Kuan-Yin, and Valentina, in a way that felt real and respectful?

The Sisters and Their IdentitiesNia (Black Creole)

Described as “a rock, fierce and quietly determined,” Nia built a mental health nonprofit for women of color, a calling rooted in community healing and resilience (barnesandnoble.com). As a Black Creole woman, her heritage isn’t just an extra detail, it shapes her worldview, her advocacy, and the way she holds space for trauma and survival.

Kuan-Yin (Korean; trilingual social worker)

The review captures her as disciplined, compassionate, and fiercely protective of vulnerable children: “Kuan-Yin’s discipline and compassion shine through her trauma” (barnesandnoble.com). Kuan-Yin’s Korean background and her fluency in three languages inform her work as a social worker. She bridges gaps, translates not just language but emotion, and embodies healing through empathy.

Valentina (Guatemalan)

Valentina is “the firebrand, spicy, street-smart, and impossible to forget” (barnesandnoble.com). She pursues vigilante justice as an emotional outlet for the trauma they experienced. Her Guatemalan roots influence her resourcefulness, defiance, and survival instincts, melding cultural identity with the urgency of street-level retribution.

Why Representation Felt Essential

Representation here wasn’t an afterthought, it was foundational. Each sister’s racial and cultural identity informs how she copes, how she fights, and how she heals. When culture becomes the lens through which they see themselves and the world, the story carries weight. The review’s praise, highlighting “how Johnson’s portrayal of grief, PTSD, and recovery is raw and honest” and that “the depiction of community, culture, and Black and brown womanhood is both authentic and affirming,” means the intent translated on the page (barnesandnoble.com).

Where Authors Often Stumble and Why I Strived Not To

Many high-profile authors, like J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer, have been criticized for simplifying cultures, leaning on stereotypes, or using race as surface-level detail. These missteps often fall into patterns like:

Tokenism or marginalizing characters of color as background or trope.

Exoticization, highlighting skin color or language without depth.

Surface-level cultural touchpoints, dropping in food, customs, or language without context or meaning.

Lack of research or lived understanding, leading to misrepresentation.

By contrast, in Sister Assassin, each sister’s identity isn’t just background, it’s embedded in their motivations, relationships, healing, and their very ways of being in the world.

Here’s How I Approached Writing Them

Whole people first. Each sister is shaped by her culture, but also by her passions, flaws, trauma, love, and fights.

Cultural specificity matters. Small details, like language, traditions, or signifiers of Creole or Guatemalan culture, came from researching and valuing lived experience, not stereotype.

Balanced creativity and sensitivity. I merged imagination with cultural markers in a way that honors authenticity over exotic flavor.

Seeking and honoring community. Reading work by creators from these backgrounds and listening to lived experiences helped inform choices and avoid missteps.

The Bigger Conversation

So, can authors write characters outside of their race or culture authentically? Yes. But not without responsibility. It’s about going beyond surface and engaging deeply, respectfully, and thoughtfully.

The difference between making missteps and making meaningful representations often comes down to care.

Let’s Talk

Which books have represented race and culture with care, or failed you?

How do you feel authors should approach writing characters from backgrounds they don’t share?

What aspects of cultural identity in fiction feel meaningful versus performative?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, I’d love to keep this dialogue going. And if you’re curious about Sister Assassin: Vigilante, here’s the link to learn more or read it:

Sister Assassin: Vigilante on Forever Seven Press

Because stories are stronger when every identity is honored with truth and depth. 

The Bigger Conversation

So, can authors write characters outside of their race or culture authentically? Yes. But not without responsibility. It’s about going beyond surface and engaging deeply, respectfully, and thoughtfully.

The difference between making missteps and making meaningful representations often comes down to care.

Let’s Talk

Which books have represented race and culture with care, or failed you?

How do you feel authors should approach writing characters from backgrounds they don’t share?

What aspects of cultural identity in fiction feel meaningful versus performative?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, I’d love to keep this dialogue going. And if you’re curious about Sister Assassin: Vigilante, here’s the link to learn more or read it:

Sister Assassin: Vigilante on Forever Seven Press

Because stories are stronger when every identity is honored with truth and depth.