Get Nekkid!

 

Welcome Back Booklovers!

I'm so excited to share with you The Black Prose Club's readathon that will be taking place between October 4th-October 10th. Who doesn't want another opportunity to celebrate Black romance? So here are the prompts if you want to participate too. I'm going to take this as an opportunity to cross pick up a Black romance from my TBR. 

Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo

 

Welcome Back Booklovers,

I decided to end September with a fast paced romance read. The cover for this one certainly caught my eye but I wasn't sure I would read this until Berkley sent me a widget for the arc. 

This story is a about a young Nigerian woman named Azere who promised her father on his death bed that she would marry a Nigerian man specifically Edo and keep her roots despite moving to Canada. A wrench gets thrown into Azere's plans after a bad date ends ups in a one night stand with a mysterious man at a hotel. Later said mystery man the the Spanish Rafael shows up at her job as a new marketing director. As it isn't bad enough that they'll be working close together the drama gets taken up a notch. Azere discovers she's pregnant from their one night together.

I loved that this book opened up a discussion about immigration and the expectations and the pressure people place on themselves to do better. I liked that balancing two cultures was a talking point. This is a struggle immigrants and first generation people have. You want to fit into the culture of the place you reside but also want to hold on to your other culture. In ways our main character had to conform to fit in with the mostly white kids around her which included changing the way she spoke, dressed, ate, and acted. 

There were many references to Nigerian food, music, movies, and other cultural aspects which I enjoyed. Though at times I found things over explained to the point where it was clunky. Readers can look up things on their own if they're interested. No need to throw in a pop culture references and then go into a full paragraph detail behind it. 

I never felt like I fully got to know the characters in this story. Who is Azre outside of her family and lovers? Azere's mother is overbearing but true to life as she forces her uninterested daughter to go on dates with eligible bachelors, judges her for what she wears, and chides her on losing her culture. She has this deep need to please and sometimes their relationship is toxic. I know she's a hopeless romantic who loves rom coms and Nollywood films but I don't know about her career aspirations or what she truly wants in life. I don't feel like I really got to know Rafael either or gage his reactions to her family. The few chapters from his POV didn't really tell us much about him.

There was also this neighbor boy character who she used to babysit who was in the book for comic relief but none of it was funny. Everytime he popped up in my mind I was like, "Boy if you don't sit your little ass down." He used the strangest dated feeling dialogue to try and flirt with her.

Unfortunately the romance just didn't have enough chemistry for me. And at times this story falls back on that thing some interracial romance books do where the Black men the woman has dated in the past just couldn't compare to her new white love. All the Nigerian men wanted Azre to  be some woman willing to quit her job and raise the children. And while yes there are men like this it's a little hard to believe she couldn't find not one potential suitor who was more open minded. Specially she is encouraged to marry an Edo man but I don't recall her taking chances on Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, etc men. And she reflects on all the good non Edo men that she denied herself in an attempt to be the good girl.

I would say at it's core this is a story about an immigrant woman learning to come to terms with her identity and merging her cultures together. The sheer amount of drama can be overwhelming at times but the important conversations kept me moving forward.

A Neighborhood Walk, A Musical Journey by Pilar Winter Hill

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this picture book from Edelweiss in exchange for review. I love discovering new picture books for the children in my life. There's nothing like getting a child interested in reading by putting a vibrant story into their hands that they can relate to. 

The author of this story is Pilar Winter Hill who is a 14 yr old violinist who studies in Julliard's pre-college program. Her violin videos rack up the views online where she has nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram. I think it's wonderful that she decided to write this book to inspire young girls to pick up an instrument.

In this story the illustrations by Olivia Duchess paint the journey of Farmer's Market Day in the city for Penelope and her mother. As Penelope heads out the door after breakfast she comes across a saxophone player on the corner. The artwork is beautiful full of beautiful hues. I just wish the words on the page were a little more lyrical like a song. I think if it had a more song like flow it would resonate longer. But nevertheless it's a sweet story about a girl who discovers the instrument she wants play after a day filled with music. 

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! I'm back in the office and busier than ever lately which hasn't left a lot of time for reading. I wanted to read a mystery by a Black author and this mystery was different from the usual cozy mysteries I pick up. This reads more like a procedural too and it's been a few months since I've read one.

This one was a hard for me to get into. It's full of flashbacks and metaphors which sometimes caused me to miss what I read and I had to go back and re-read. The pacing was also slow and I was expecting something more fast paced. Plus I found myself detached from most of the characters. I don't necessarily need to relate anyone in a story but I do need to find them entertaining enough to spend several pages with.

This story follows PI Grayson(Gray) Sykes who is a PI on her first solo case. She's already stumbling through it when she finds herself relating to the missing woman Isabel Lincoln in several ways. This case brings up many horrible haunting memories for her that she's been trying to escape ever since rebuilding her life after leaving an abusive relationship. The threat of her ex is always looming over her as he still tries to She early on projects much of herself onto Isabel. And she's not the most prepared PI since she meets with her client without being ready to take notes, where's very bright colors on stakeouts, and makes careless mistakes. Just when you think you understand how this book is going to go it takes an unexpected twist.

I wish this book would've cut down on some of the descriptions of everything Gray ate and drank. She also suffers from chronic pain and at times feels like her body will shut down. This is depicted with several mentions of  her popping pills followed by her downing alcohol to try and dull her internal pain. I know authors do that to build up atmosphere but it tends to be repetitive after the umpteenth time it happens. At times the plot was too slow moving and contained some filler which I'm not a fan of in mysteries. 

For me the book didn't start to really pick up until after the 60% mark. After that I found the pacing to be steady and the action was continuous. Though that manic anxious feeling present throughout the story still remained. 

Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! I'm back with another Middle Grade review. This year has been a good year if you're looking for fantastical middle grade stories. And if you've been following me for awhile then you know I loved Rena Barron's Kingdom of Souls. So I was excited when she sent me a copy of Maya and the Rising Dark for review.

This Middle Grade fantasy kicks off with school ending for the summer. Maya is excited to be done with school and looking forward to finally being able to attend Comic Con this summer with her father. But then strange things start happening that she can't ignore. And she discovers a big family secret. Her father is an orisha and a guardian of a veil between their world and a dark world. And there are several orisha living in her community watching over her and her friends. But the worst comes when her father is captured by the Lord of Shadows and his darkbringer army. Now it's up to Maya and her friends to use their godling powers to defeat him before he is able to cross the veil. 

One thing I really enjoyed that made this different from the usual story is that there wasn't one chosen one with a team surrounding them. All of Maya's closest friends found out at the same time as her that they are half orisha. And her friend Frankie was the first to display and use her powers. So her friends are able to use their powers alongside her to help save their world.

This story does a great job introducing children to African gods and goddesses they may be unfamiliar with. It also introduces them to creatures such as elokos which are vicious forest dwelling creatures. The mythology isn't overly complicated and is explained in a way young readers will be able to follow along to truly immerse themselves.

The action packed scenes and fast pace will be sure to keep young readers entertained. And the sense of community and family will make the story all more relatable to them.  The Chicago setting is also one we don't usually see in stories so I liked how that was incorporated. 

Overall a this is a solid start to a series and a great story for beginner fantasy readers.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

 

Welcome Back Booklovers!

Legendborn was a book I had been intrigued by since it was announced 2 yrs ago. I'm not the biggest fan of retellings but the King Arthur lore is something different I'm not as familiar with. And then after seeing that cover I just had to make sure I read it this year. I received an arc from Margaret K. McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review.

One thing that caught my attention right away while reading was the college setting. Now they weren't actual college students but apart of an early college program at UNC–Chapel Hill that allows high schoolers to take classes and live on campus. There aren't enough YA books taking place on college campuses so this was a much appreciated change from the norm. However I would've liked it even more if they were all at least 18/19 year olds and if the setting was used more. It mostly seemed like it was set on a campus to avoid parents having to be around. There wasn't enough of a balance with campus life.

Being set at a university also made it more realistic for the secret society that our main character Bree gets involved in. Bree has recently lost her mother in an accident but she's not so sure it was actually an accident. And her search for the truth leads her into this secret Authurian society. Bree enlists help from reluctant Legendborn Nick in piecing together the mystery. Legendborn are demon hunters descended from the original Knights of the Round Table. And never once did the writing shy away from acknowledging that these secret societies are notoriously white and filled with legacy members and overt racists. Bree is the only Black girl and people question how she was accepted as a page and if she belongs there. Some of their questioning is legitimate as she comes into this order having no training while others have been training their entire lives and she knows very little about their world to her detriment. But there's that underlying tone of why her when she's not one of us.

I wasn't expecting this book to also tackle rootwork going back to it being used during slave times. To me this aspect was the most interesting part of of the story. More and more fantasies are starting to feature this. This story worked best when it embraced African-American history and tradition.

I liked when it dove into the history of African Americans in the South including the monuments to racist white men. The nice thing about this story being set on a real campus is that you do learn quite a bit about UNC Chapel Hill. Bree is taken to the Unsung Founders Memorial by a woman who used to know her mother back in their college days. This monument consists of a black granite tabletop being uplifted by bronze figures representing the slaves that built the school from the ground up.

I wasn't that interested in the Arthurian magic system unfortunately. Bree pretty much pieced it together rather quickly with no initial shock. But at the same time things felt very vague. And I don't feel like I have a good grasp of how it works and what everyone's power are. Plus the minor characters in this story were all forgettable to me. I can't remember any of their names besides Alice and only because she was so annoying and a crappy friend. 

Romance is also a big part of this story and romance in fantasy can often be hit and miss. While I'm not the biggest fan of insta-love I do feel that Bree and Nick had nice enough chemistry together but I still didn't care about them as a couple. Also a love triangle was brewing and I'm not a fan of those. I'm also not a fan of the good guy vs bad boy dynamic which this played into heavily. And I felt that despite these boys being teens the writing was telling the adult readers it's okay to lust after them. Bree did not need two white love interests in this very white world she's in especially in the same circle. If there had to be a love triangle it would've been nice it one of the guys was not connected to the society. And how was Sel's aggressive behavior never once read by Bree as racism? Especially in The South? He actively wanted to kill her for most of the book! 

The pacing was initially very fast and after tackling a more lengthy and confusing high fantasy earlier this month it was nice to dive into something a little easier to understand. But at the same time the timeline really didn't make sense and a semester's worth of drama was packed into the timeframe of a couple of weeks. Rather than gradually learn about this society everything is jam packed and info dumped without being given a chance to process.

For a book that was advertised as Black Girl Magic there was very little in it. Bree felt like a token within her own world. Just as Bree's father was concerned about her meeting other Black people I also hope she makes some Black friends. Maybe she can join a Black group on campus. UNC Chapel Hill in real life has a huge Black Student Union and it's the largest student run organization on campus with a huge presence. It felt strange to me as someone who has gone to predominantly white schools that she never sought out a group of people who looked like her while facing all this racism. Especially since being in such a predominantly white world can mess with your emotions and bring out insecurities. 

If you're a big fan of contemporary YA fantasy specially the ones from the 2010s and want one with a non white leading lady I suggest you give this a read. It has a The Mortal Instruments and The Vampires Diaries feel.

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

Welcome Back, Booklovers! My latest read releases just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month and features dual POV from two Afro-Latinx teens. I actually didn't read the synopsis before I dove into this story. I just knew it was an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling featuring Black Latinx teens. I've been trying to read all the YA novels I see with Black couples that release this year. 

This book is a well done magical realism story about Pheus a gifted young musician at heart spending his summer in the Bronx with his father, and Eury a girl born and raised in Puerto Rico who is spending the summer with her aunt and cousin while she works past some trauma.

Eury is dealing with a spirit who has been present in her life since she was younger and her parents split up. This spirit followed her from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria displaced her family to Tampa and now New York. Pheus is a believer in what is tangible but Eury has him wanting to help her find her demons.

I liked Pheus's group of friends and how authentic and real they felt. I live on the East Coast in a Latinx neighborhood and these felt like teens from my neighborhood. Liliam Rivera did a great job capturing their voice in a way that will be effortless to teen readers. The Spanish language is regularly included and I liked that not everything they said was translated. 

At first this story feels like your typical summer love contemporary but then things switch in the second half as it dives further into spiritual beliefs. So you might believe at first that Ato is all in Eury's mind. The incorporation of life after Hurricane Maria was very well done as our author didn't shy away from painting a vivid picture of the reality of the story. How Eury and her mother thought it would be a hurricane that would just pass like many others and instead this one literally ripped the roof off their heads.

Another thing this story did that stood out was give very present and involved parents. Oftentimes in YA the parents are not as involved as they should be. With Eury's mother we explore how in some cultures people would rather cling to their faith then admit that a family member is struggling with their mental health. Pheus' dad is always around to give his son helpful relationship advice and remind him of who his people are. 

I received an arc from Bloomsbury YA in exchange for an honest review.

Where the Black Romance At?

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm back with some thoughts and some books on my TBR.

Any romance lovers notice how all the buzzed about diverse romance is interracial? I think just about every week on Book Twitter someone mentions loving Black romance yet will mention Get a Life, Chloe Brown or The Wedding Date. And that's fine if those are your faves. But they aren't Black romance. And for the sake of this discussion I'm only concentrating on traditionally published books because the books you find on Kindle Unlimited are a whole different discussion.

I feel like we put out weekly reminders that Black romance is between two Black people. It's not just romance written by a Black author or romance with a Black woman as one half of the couple. But when I'm reading what's labelled as Black romance from a traditional publisher I notice that often one of the characters is mixed race. Which is a different dynamic itself that effects how they navigate the world. And sometimes it feels like the publisher is telling us, "Don't worry that person isn't too Black". Why are publishers so afraid of Black couples? Where are the Black romances with the illustrated covers that Twitter and Booktube and Bookstagram can't stop talking about?

And why is race never a factor? Especially in those ones that are series? So the good sis and all her best friends or all her sisters find them a nice man of a different race and not once does it come up? Most of the ones I see are Black women and white men pairings.  There's no microaggressions from his family or friends? I think I read one and a half books where this was clearly addressed. 

One book I read recently where racial injustice was a major theme the lead had no problem taking white peen while every other white person in the book was the enemy. We'll go on and on about white people and their microaggressions and then center them in our narratives? Why is that forbidden IR romance so popular? And why are many of these women always fresh off a bad relationship with a Black man?

And let's talk about the language used? Why are the white guys the brooding bad boy while the black guys are players? When I was looking through romance to find books I wanted to read I noticed player came up a lot when it came to Black romance. The player stigma isn't present in these IR romances. The man can just be the town hottie who all the women fall over themselves for. 

Why are Harlequin and Dafina the main ones really giving us traditionally Black romance? There are some great reviewers(@trinielf, @BBrReviews, FunmiReadsHEAs, @jazmenvert) on Twitter that are always showing love to self-published and indie published Black romance writers. And that seems to be where you have to go to find good Black romance lately but I want to see more on the bookstore shelves as well. 

There's nothing wrong with dating any color, creed, or race you please. I've read plenty of IR books that I've enjoyed. But if we truly want to be more reflective of the world around us we need to acknowledge that Black couples matter too.  How many gorgeous Black couples do you see on social media?

So I looked over all my romance reads for the past year. Books specifically marketed as romance not fantasy with a romance in them. And definitely I need more Black romance in my life. I've been strongly promoting Young Adult Black romance here and we need more of that as well but I want to read more adults. So here are 5 Black Romance books I plan on reading by the end of the year. And if you wanna join in they're all affordably priced as well.

If I Don't Have You

Forbidden Promises

If the Boot Fits 

Second Chance on Cyprus Lane

How to Catch a Queen

My Fall Picture Book Recommendations

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! So last week I came with some recommendations for the MG crowd. This week I'm back with the picture books you and your little ones can enjoy together.

Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family

Chocolate is the perfect treat, everywhere!

As a little girl and her father bake her birthday cake together, Daddy tells the story of her Grandpa Cacao, a farmer from the Ivory Coast in West Africa. In a land where elephants roam and the air is hot and damp, Grandpa Cacao worked in his village to harvest cacao, the most important ingredient in chocolate. "Chocolate is a gift to you from Grandpa Cacao," Daddy says. "We can only enjoy chocolate treats thanks to farmers like him." Once the cake is baked, it's ready to eat, but this isn't her only birthday present. There's a special surprise waiting at the front door.

Not Quite Snow White

Tameika is a girl who belongs on the stage. She loves to act, sing, and dance—and she’s pretty good at it, too. So when her school announces their Snow White musical, Tameika auditions for the lead princess role.

But the other kids think she’s “not quite” right to play the role.

They whisper, they snicker, and they glare.

Will Tameika let their harsh words be her final curtain call?

The Day You Begin

There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.

Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael López's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.

Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment

When Parker Curry came face-to-face with Amy Sherald’s transcendent portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery, she didn’t just see the First Lady of the United States. She saw a queen—one with dynamic self-assurance, regality, beauty, and truth who captured this young girl’s imagination. When a nearby museum-goer snapped a photo of a mesmerized Parker, it became an internet sensation. Inspired by this visit, Parker, and her mother, Jessica Curry, tell the story of a young girl and her family, whose trip to a museum becomes an extraordinary moment, in a moving picture book.

Parker Looks Up follows Parker, along with her baby sister and her mother, and her best friend Gia and Gia’s mother, as they walk the halls of a museum, seeing paintings of everyone and everything from George Washington Carver to Frida Kahlo, exotic flowers to graceful ballerinas. Then, Parker walks by Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama…and almost passes it. But she stops...and looks up!

Parker saw the possibility and promise, the hopes and dreams of herself in this powerful painting of Michelle Obama. An everyday moment became an extraordinary one…that continues to resonate its power, inspiration, and indelible impact. Because, as Jessica Curry said, “anything is possible regardless of race, class, or gender.”

Songs in the Shade of the Cashew and Coconut Trees: Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes from West Africa and the Caribbean

Songs about children playing in the schoolyard, sisters braiding each other’s hair at the beach, and parents dancing late into the night mesh together thanks to the music. A wide array of styles—nursery rhymes from Gabon, lullabies from Cape Verde, and rumbas from the Congo—are performed in more than a dozen languages. Luminous artwork and homegrown instruments round off this wonderful celebration of history, language, and culture. Lyrics appear in their original language and in English, along with notes on culture, a world map, and a code for song downloads and print-outs.

Islandborn

Every kid in Lola's school was from somewhere else.

Hers was a school of faraway places.

 

So when Lola's teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can't remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola's imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island.  As she draws closer to the heart of her family's story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela's words: “Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you.”

Thank You, Omu!

Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu's delicious stew! One by one, they follow their noses toward the scrumptious scent. And one by one, Omu offers a portion of her meal. Soon the pot is empty. Has she been so generous that she has nothing left for herself?

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

Changing course I recently finished a Middle Grade Horror story and wanted to share that with you. Especially for my followers looking for books for their young sons, nephews, and cousins. This story has a male protagonist Justin and features a new twist on a beloved childhood game. Releasing just in time for Halloween this is a must pick up. I was lucky enough to receive an arc from Scholastic Press in exchange for an honest review.

The book starts a little over a year after Justin's mother has died and his friend Zee has recently reappeared. The story gets right into the creepiness expected from the title and cover as Justin and some other friends from the neighborhood gather at Zee's house for his birthday and start a game of hide and seek. Now slowly friends are disappear and strange marks are appearing on them. Justin and his friends soon learn you can't break the rules of Hide and Seek unless you want to be hunted down by The Seeker.

When the Seeker hunts them down the children find themselves trapped in a land called Nowhere that looks similar to their own world except their greatest fears come to life there.

Daka Hermon does a great job keeping this book fast paced and enjoyable with just enough scary elements to earn it's horror spot. She also mixes the perfect amount of humor to add a bit of levity. She rounds it out by with a good portrayal of grief and loss that will be relatable for some kids. Justin is reeling from his mother's death throughout and must confront his fears about relieving those moments. He's also dealing with panic attacks and anxiety and on top of that there's the worry that he and his sister will lose their house to bill collectors.

It's a mostly Black group of children and the story is set in small town Tennessee. Children who are about 9/10 years old and like creepy things will enjoy this one. Overall a very solid debut story.

Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston

 

Welcome Back Booklovers, 

I've been reading more adult fantasy this year. And while I usually don't lean towards to 500+ page stories the cover intrigued me. Plus I hadn't heard anyone talking about it so that only peaked my interest more. This story is by accomplished author and playwright Andrea Hairston who is a new to me author. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into but it was a hell of a journey.  I received an arc from Tor Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I do want to preface this by saying that if you don't like slow-burn fantasy then this book is not for you because book 1 reads very lengthy and even at times repetitive as it sets up the story that leads to the present day journey. Andrea Hairston is a very descriptive writer which means we got beautiful descriptions of the foods they feasted on and the lands they wandered. You could practically smell the brine, hear the gulls by the sea, and taste the nut butter and sweet mango slices. She uses very lyrical language to set up the atmosphere in which this story takes place. She does a great job setting up the atmosphere of the world they live in.

Djola is the male protagonist and he is the Master of Poisons who has been trying to use his wisdom to help the Arkhysian empire as the earth is dying. As right hand to Emperor Azizi he has been warning him since the poison deserts started to appear and urging him to practice conservation. However for years his pleas have fallen on deaf ears until farmland dries our and rivers disappear. Now at  this time the people claim it's too late to change their ways.

We follow Djola as he ends up being exiled and apart of a pirate crew as a healer while coping with being separated from his family. To save them and restore his position as the emperor's right hand he must find a cute. During his exile he is working to master Xhalan Xhala, a form of ancient Lahesh conjure which will help him purify the land.

It's actually an interesting way to touch upon climate change which affects us all however people were very quick to deny and ignore until it became more apparent. And the idea of personal responsibility when many have the what's done is done mindset. 

The other protagonist Awa is a young sprite from a poor family who is sold by her father to griots called The Green Elders. We follow her journey over the course of a few years as she creates a new family and comes into her own with her powers. As a character I thought she really became interesting when she was ripped from her new family and forced to survive. I found myself leaning more towards her narrative.

The Smokeland was an interesting take on the astral plain/realm often found in fantasy stories. I enjoyed the scenes when Djola and Awa connected with the Smokeland and the lines of reality sometimes got blurred. These scenes were even stronger when their paths finally crossed.

Another interesting thing is the usage of non binary characters in a way that feels very natural and not  thrown in for additional diversity. The queer relationships were something I thought she took great care with developing. 

If you are an experienced fantasy reader looking for an epic tale I think you will enjoy this. This is a vast world that you are dropped in and navigate your way through. The story truly started coming together for me after the 40% mark. I would love to listen to this one on audiobook as it's a fascinating world with very metaphor heavy writing and vivid descriptions. 

Interview with Author Kellye Garrett

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

I'm back with another interview with one of my favorite mystery authors Kellye Garrett. If you've been following me for awhile you've heard me talk about her series. It's one I highly recommend for people just starting to get into the mystery genre but not quite sure how they feel about it. She actually gifted me an arc of Hollywood Homicide back when I getting back into consistently reading. And I still have it on my bookshelf to this day. I want to do another series reread before I post a blog review but I wanted to introduce you to the author I always rave about. She gives an update on the continuation of the Detective by Day series, reflects on her work in television writing and talks about her involvement with Pitch Wars and Crime Writers.

What drew you to the mystery genre?

I’ve always loved it since I picked up my first Encyclopedia Brown book. Cozy mysteries (aka lighter weight amateur detective novels) were among the first “adult” books I read as a pre-teen. (I also read Jackie Collins but shhh.) I have an overactive imagination so lighter mysteries let me get my mystery fix without having nightmares about kidnapping and torture.

How has your experience as a TV writer helped shape your experience as an author?

Overall, it helped temper my expectations of what my career would be. I think a lot of debut authors think they’ll be the next Stephen King. As someone who was not the next Shonda Rhimes during my TV career, I knew that the odds for instant bestseller success with my book were slim. So I was--and still am--able to enjoy the smaller successes I have like when my book is on the TODAY show or when it wins an award.

As a writer, it helped me with plotting. For example, TV has what they call “act outs” which were a climatic moment right before the commercial break (remember those?) to make you sit through toothpaste commercials to find out what happens next. For me I try to do that with all my chapters so you’re like “Ooh let me stay up and read a few more pages.”

What is your writing process like? And how long did it take you to write Hollywood Homicide?

My writing process is doing everything else I can think of on Earth including cleaning my and your toilet before I finally force myself to write. I’m not one of those people who consistently churn our 5,000 words a day. I don’t even write everyday. And I’m finally allowing myself to be okay with that.

I got the idea for Hollywood Homicide around 2011 after being dead broke in L.A. and driving past a billboard offering a $15,000 reward for info on a murder. My first thought was “I should try to solve that.” Dumbest idea ever for real life. But it turned out to be a great idea for a book.

I finally finished a draft in 2014. My agent started trying to sell it early 2015 and every publisher said no. One even said no twice! We finally sold it to a mid-size publisher in 2016. It came out in 2017. So not quite an overnight success over here. 

How much say did you have in the cover designs of Hollywood Homicide and Hollywood 

Ending? 

Hollywood Homicide wasn’t actually the original title. I originally was going for an acronym theme because I thought I was cute so I named it IOU. (The acronym theme is still heavy in the book including all the main characters' initials are acronyms like SMH for Sienna Michelle Hayes.) My agent hated that. So we switched it to Pay Day, which I loved.

My publisher originally went with a more traditional cozy cover but ended up hating it. So they switched to the cover that we got, which is more graphic novel-looking and focused on my MC. I loved it because you never see a black woman on the cover of a cozy. But because of the cover, they switched the title to Hollywood Homicide so people knew it was a mystery.

The covers for Hollywood Ending and Hollywood Hack (which is still a file on my computer thanks to my publisher closing but still has a cover I cannot get removed from the Internet despite my best efforts) were both my ideas.

Will you be continuing the Detective by Day series?

Not at the moment. My publisher still owns my rights to the first two books and they stopped releasing new books before I could finish the third one. It’s great because it means my two books are still available for purchase but it also means that another publisher won’t pick up the series if they can’t get all the rights to all the books in the series.

How would Dayna and her friends be dealing with this pandemic?

I love this question! Let me think.

Emme refuses to leave her house anyway so she’d be fine. Sienna would be miserable because she couldn’t go out partying every night and when she did go out, she’d have to cover her face. Aubrey would be on Mask patrol, yelling at all the Karens who refused to put them on. 

And SPOILER....I said SPOILER. STOP READING if you don’t want to be spoiled. Dayna and Omari would be holed up together in his place eating tons of pizza and having lots of sex.

You were the 2018 managing director for Pitch Wars and still serve on the committee. What made you get involved with it?

For those who don’t know, Pitch Wars is an online mentoring program where more established authors spend three months helping an unagented author revise their manuscript for an agent showcase. 

I was a mentee in 2014. Hollywood Homicide was actually my Pitch Wars Book. I then became a mentor in 2015 and have mentored six amazingly talented people in the past five years. All six have agents and five of them have book deals. So as a Pitch Wars success story myself, I know the benefits. I think we’ve had over 400 success stories since Brenda Drake founded it in 2012, including Tomi Adeyami’s Children of Blood and Bone and Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient.

Are there any writers you’ve connected with through Pitch Wars that we should keep on our radars?

Yes, all of them. Lol My 2017 mentee is named Mia P. Manansala. Though she didn’t sell the book we worked on, she sold the one after it! Her #ownvoices Filipino-American culinary cozy debut, Arsenic and Adobo, will be out with Berkley on May 4, 2021. 

I’m reading it now and it’s very smart and funny. Plus it has some amazing Filipino food. Don’t read it hungry.

You are also the cofounder of Crime Writers of Color. Can you explain the purpose of that group for those who are unfamiliar?

Because of my experience with Pitch Wars and mystery organizations like Sisters in Crime, I knew the value of community and knowing people going through the same things you are. And I was surprised that there wasn’t already a Crime Writers of Color. So Walter Mosley, Gigi Pandian and I formed the group in June 2018 just as a safe space for crime writers of color to network, support each other and discuss the unique issues of trying to write in a genre that doesn’t always value our voice.

Today we have over 250 members in all stages of their career as well as a podcast. You can check our some of our books and podcast here: https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/.

Can you name some of your favorite mystery books?

I’ll go old school. The the three authors who made me really want to write a mystery were Sue Grafton and her Alphabet series about a white woman PI; Barbara Neely and her Blanche White series about a deeper complexions black maid; and Valerie Wilson Wesley and her Tamar Hayle series about a black woman PI in my native New Jersey. 

I never got to meet Sue Grafton but I did get to correspond with Barbara before she passed. (I was fangirling more and more with each email we exchanged.) And Valerie and I have an event along with Rachel Howzell Hall (another amazing black woman author who has a new book out called And Now She’s Gone) on October 10. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2800168216880543/.

Do you have any projects you’re currently working on that you can talk about?

Yes though it’s still a work in progress. I have been getting into more domestic thrillers/suspense lately, which is another genre that desperately needs more diversity. The genre is interesting because of the tropes--a woman who goes missing or loses her husband, etc.--aren’t going to work for black women. Like if my baby goes missing, they are putting me in jail. So I decided to see what would happen if I wrote a domestic suspense with a black woman main character. My pitch: Like A Sister is a Megan Miranda-esque #ownvoices domestic suspense novel about a woman looking into the overdose death of a one-time reality star found within blocks of her house—her own estranged younger sister.

You can follow Kellye on Twitter @kellyekell , Crime Writers of Color @CrimeWoC, and Sisters in Crime @SINCnational 

Some Back to School Recs for Your Minis

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The little ones are heading back to school during the strange times and whether they're doing online school or in person school it's important to keep them reading. So here's my recommendations for your young readers who are eager to explore new worlds on their own.

Dragons in a Bag 

When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she's not his grandmother--but she is a witch! She needs his help delivering baby dragons to a magical world where they'll be safe. There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: don't let them out of the bag, and don't feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax and his friends Vikram and Kavita have broken both rules! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever?

Gloom Town

When twelve-year-old Rory applies for a job at a spooky old mansion in his gloomy seaside town, he finds the owner, Lord Foxglove, odd and unpleasant. But he and his mom need the money, so he takes the job anyway. Rory soon finds out that his new boss is not just strange, he’s not even human—and he’s trying to steal the townspeople’s shadows. Together, Rory and his friend Isabella set out to uncover exactly what Foxglove and his otherworldly accomplices are planning and devise a strategy to defeat them. But can two kids defeat a group of ancient evil beings who are determined to take over the world?

 

Arcade and the Triple T Token

While at the library—Arcade’s favorite place to chill—a mysterious old woman gives him a golden arcade token that grants him a unique gift. A gift that allows him to time travel between different places, including his own future. From sitting in the dugout with Babe Ruth to hanging on to the back of a bucking bull to performing life-saving surgery on a dog, Arcade has no shortage of adventure! Together with his older sister, Zoe, Arcade explores life’s biggest thrills and challenges, and the two also have a big mystery to solve. Who is the rightful owner of the incredible Triple T Token that leads to such astounding adventures?

Ways to Make Sunshine 

Ryan Hart has a lot on her mind--school, self-image, and especially family. Her dad finally has a new job, but money is tight. That means some changes, like selling their second car and moving into a new (old) house. But Ryan is a girl who knows how to make sunshine out of setbacks. As her brother says when he raps about her, she's got the talent that matters most: it's a talent that can't be seen, she's nice, not mean!

Ryan is all about trying to see the best in people, to be a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend. But even if her life isn't everything she would wish for, when her big brother is infuriating, her parents don't quite understand, and the unexpected happens, she always finds a way forward, with grace and wit. And plenty of sunshine.

Something to Say

Eleven-year-old Jenae doesn’t have any friends—and she’s just fine with that. She’s so good at being invisible in school, it’s almost like she has a superpower, like her idol, Astrid Dane. At home, Jenae has plenty of company, like her no-nonsense mama; her older brother, Malcolm, who is home from college after a basketball injury; and her beloved grandpa, Gee.

Then a new student shows up at school—a boy named Aubrey with fiery red hair and a smile that won’t quit. Jenae can’t figure out why he keeps popping up everywhere she goes. The more she tries to push him away, the more he seems determined to be her friend. Despite herself, Jenae starts getting used to having him around.

But when the two are paired up for a class debate about the proposed name change for their school, Jenae knows this new friendship has an expiration date. Aubrey is desperate to win and earn a coveted spot on the debate team.

There’s just one problem: Jenae would do almost anything to avoid speaking up in front of an audience—including risking the first real friendship she’s ever had.

The Forgotten Girl

On a cold winter night, Iris and her best friend, Daniel, sneak into a clearing in the woods to play in the freshly fallen snow. There, Iris carefully makes a perfect snow angel -- only to find the crumbling gravestone of a young girl, Avery Moore, right beneath her.

Immediately, strange things start to happen to Iris: She begins having vivid nightmares. She wakes up to find her bedroom window wide open, letting in the snow. She thinks she sees the shadow of a girl lurking in the woods. And she feels the pull of the abandoned grave, calling her back to the clearing...

Obsessed with figuring out what's going on, Iris and Daniel start to research the area for a school project. They discover that Avery's grave is actually part of a neglected and forgotten Black cemetery, dating back to a time when White and Black people were kept separate in life -- and in death. As Iris and Daniel learn more about their town's past, they become determined to restore Avery's grave and finally have proper respect paid to Avery and the others buried there.

But they have awakened a jealous and demanding ghost, one that's not satisfied with their plans for getting recognition. One that is searching for a best friend forever -- no matter what the cost.

Just South of Home

Twelve-year-old Sarah is finally in charge. At last, she can spend her summer months reading her favorite science books and bossing around her younger brother, Ellis, instead of being worked to the bone by their overly strict grandmother, Mrs. Greene. But when their cousin, Janie arrives for a visit, Sara's plans are completely squashed.

Janie has a knack for getting into trouble and asks Sarah to take her to Creek Church: a landmark of their small town that she heard was haunted. It's also off-limits. Janie's sticky fingers lead Sarah, Ellis, and his best friend, Jasper, to uncover a deep-seated part of the town's past. With a bit of luck, this foursome will heal the place they call home and the people within it they call family.

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer

Otto and Sheed are the local sleuths in their zany Virginia town, masters of unraveling mischief using their unmatched powers of deduction. And as the summer winds down and the first day of school looms, the boys are craving just a little bit more time for fun, even as they bicker over what kind of fun they want to have. That is, until a mysterious man appears with a camera that literally freezes time. Now, with the help of some very strange people and even stranger creatures, Otto and Sheed will have to put aside their differences to save their town—and each other—before time stops for good.