Blog
The Fashion from Black History that Inspired the Runtellum Wardrobe
Today, we take a behind-the-scenes look at the history that inspired the wardrobe for a formidable group of female storytellers in A Chorale of Beating Hearts, the second book in the Songs of Aryam YA fantasy series. The Runtellum is a highly skilled, lethal group of...
50K Milestone on Book 2
Friends, I’m excited to share that I’ve officially crossed 50,000 words in the sequel to A Chord of Silver Moons! Hitting this milestone was not as easy as it was when I was writing Book 1. Over the years, I’ve written several “first books” of a series but very few...
A Chord of Silver Moons Q & A
Bound by a bloodline oath to defend the princess of Beldemar, a distracted teenage guardian scrambles to access her legendary spirit weapon to fight the creatures slipping from the Shadows. T-8 days until A Chord of Silver Moons is out in the world. I am so excited to...
Valkyrie Training
Have you ever read a fantasy book that inspired you to hit the gym? Last month, I reread A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas and fell in love with Nesta Archeron and her bookish Valkyrie tribe all over again. I just find this book oddly empowering. By overcoming...
Mythology in Songs of Aryam
Myths have always been more than just stories. They are what shape societies and help them understand the world and themselves. Lately, I've been obsessed with finding tales from the West African diaspora. Many of these stories have inspired some of the events and...
Amina Lovell’s Opal Island: A Review
A stunning, clever, and palpable coming-of-age story about family legacy, magic, and political turmoil. Conflict brews on both sides of a mystical barrier that divides Opal Island into two factions: Parish One and Parish Two. Fueled by ambition, greed, and prejudice,...
Why I Started My Own Independent Press
Each path to print comes with its own set of pros and cons. When I first decided I wanted to become an author, back when I was 19 and a sophomore at The University of Michigan, self-publishing felt like the most natural thing in the world to me. I'd grown up writing...
The Comic Book and Other Writing Updates
I've been quiet lately about what I've been up to, but that's because I've been more focused on the "doing" rather than the "saying." I promise, I've been busy. Firstly, The Moon's Maiden, a comic book prequel to my YA Fantasy series, Songs of Aryam, is scheduled for...
I’m Publishing a Comic Book
In anticipation of my debut YA fantasy novel, I'm publishing a comic book prequel. It is in the works! I will share more about the comic book soon, but let's dive into the reasons behind this project. I hope these reasons will resonate with comic book fans, supporters...
Transmedia Storytelling & The World of Wakanda
This weekend, I attended VirtuousCon and sat in on a panel entitled "Worldbuilding Wakanda: Beyond the Comics." The panel was hosted by Angélique Roché (a journalist, attorney, and writer) and explored how the esteemed creators Evan Narcisse, Sheree Renée Thomas, Fred...