One of the things I had to give up when my husband died was the publishing contract that I had on my middle grade/high school fantasy novel that I had worked so hard on and was so excited to see coming to print. It was a gutting decision, but one that I ha to make because I knew that with three kids on my own there was no way that I was going to be able to fulfill the terms of my contract. I balled my eyes out when I wrote the email that would begin the process of letting it too be a dream I had to let go of.
Sometimes though, after the tragedy and the chaos, the universe and a lot of hard work brings things back to you. This fall will bring back my dream of seeing The Sekrit Keepers of Slay Valley come to life on paper. I am so excited to share my first novel in about 10 years and hope that this signals a chapter in my life where my writing and art are again at the forefront of it.
Afia Atakora’s Conjure Women is a richly detailed narrative that takes us back to the pre and post Civil War South through the eyes of Miss May Belle and her daughter, Miss Rue. The chapters alternate viewpoints between the two women to showcase how different and still yet similar life is for women of color in the South during and after the war when freedom really didn’t mean that these women were in fact free.
