“NC Number 1!”
My son repeated those words over and over, but until this article came out, I didn’t realize their true impact.
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| 7′ 0.25″ (2.14 m) |
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Queen of Zazzau (yet again)
Amina is coming!
I’m in the final review period for this novel, which has been a long time in the making. I should be done with it in the next week. After that, we go to copy-editing, which could take upwards of 6 months (I hope less). In that time, we’ll also be working on cover art.
Finally, I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Queen of Zazzau
I know I've already said this TWICE. But, the third time is a charm. 2018 is the year! I'm not sure when in 2018; probably at the start of the 2nd quarter. I had hoped to have the novel published in time for Black History Month. Alas, it cannot be.
It goes into production in January. Provided the cover is ready by then, we can have it published in the next 4 months.
Fingers crossed! This has been a long time coming!
In the meantime, check out my short story, "Descent". Available in the AfroMyth anthology.
Also note that I have a new website. Eventually, I'll move the blog over there entirely. But until then, you can find me in both places.
It goes into production in January. Provided the cover is ready by then, we can have it published in the next 4 months.
Fingers crossed! This has been a long time coming!
In the meantime, check out my short story, "Descent". Available in the AfroMyth anthology.
Also note that I have a new website. Eventually, I'll move the blog over there entirely. But until then, you can find me in both places.
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| AfroMyth |
Friday, December 23, 2016
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Book Release
I should have good news, but do not. And it most certainly is not my editor's fault. She was ready; I was not.
I wanted to cut about 25,000 words from the novel and doing so has been a slow endeavor. Trying to decide what goes and what stays, what is important and what is of no consequence is not an easy task. We want to release a perfect product and cannot afford to cut corners. The work is anything but mainstream, yet we hope to attract a mainstream audience. To do so, we need the writing to be as tight as possible. Thus, I need to revise some of the wording. Again.
So, the release will be in 2016, though I can't say when. Can't even guess at it. Sigh.
Until then, I have survey results to analyze.
I wanted to cut about 25,000 words from the novel and doing so has been a slow endeavor. Trying to decide what goes and what stays, what is important and what is of no consequence is not an easy task. We want to release a perfect product and cannot afford to cut corners. The work is anything but mainstream, yet we hope to attract a mainstream audience. To do so, we need the writing to be as tight as possible. Thus, I need to revise some of the wording. Again.
So, the release will be in 2016, though I can't say when. Can't even guess at it. Sigh.
Until then, I have survey results to analyze.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Research, research, research...
I'm almost done with the preliminary research for my next title. I've learned so much stuff that I simply didn't know before, and I think it's awesome. I also found a beautiful, old map of West and North Africa with which I am totally smitten. So may towns/cities that I knew by name are listed on the map. It's been very exciting!
My next novel, by the way, is going to feature the 16th century Borno Empire. Idris Aloma and all that. There will be muskets! And Turks.
Why did I choose Borno for my subject matter? Because I think there is, as Ahmad Ibn Fartua (Idris Aloma's Grand Imam) put it, an "obligation placed upon later generations to follow the example of their predecessors and to bear a likeness to the honorable."
As an African--Nigerian, to be precise--I fear we have lost our way. We've forgotten our past. I want to help my fellow Africans remember the deeds of our forefathers, remember the honor of our ancestors, remember to strive to be the people we were meant to be and not the people 'they' tell us we are.
My next novel, by the way, is going to feature the 16th century Borno Empire. Idris Aloma and all that. There will be muskets! And Turks.
Why did I choose Borno for my subject matter? Because I think there is, as Ahmad Ibn Fartua (Idris Aloma's Grand Imam) put it, an "obligation placed upon later generations to follow the example of their predecessors and to bear a likeness to the honorable."
As an African--Nigerian, to be precise--I fear we have lost our way. We've forgotten our past. I want to help my fellow Africans remember the deeds of our forefathers, remember the honor of our ancestors, remember to strive to be the people we were meant to be and not the people 'they' tell us we are.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Afrocentric Books
I probably should have posted this sooner--marketing and all--but I have partnered with someone to bring Afrocentric Books to the world!
Now that I've said it, I think that sentence is a little misleading. So, instead, let me post the company's Mission.
As you can see from the mission statement, we are hoping to publish novels with an African twist. By African, we don't mean "bred in the Motherland", we simply mean that at least one main character is of African descent.
I am a HUGE fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy stories, but I have to admit that over the years, I've read less and less of them. Why? Because of the dearth of Black characters. My search for characters with whom I could relate took me further and further away from the traditional SciFi/Fantasy that has dominated the mainstream for so long. I no longer wanted to read about pasty white vampires or Saruman the White or good white elves and evil black elves.
I know that our preference towards stories featuring characters of African descent makes Afrocentric Books about as biased as the Big Houses who apparently think SFF is strictly white bread. Indeed our slogan is "Unapologetically Biased".
So how do we differ?
1) We are a tiny publishing company.
2) We don't give a shit about the status quo--White people aren't the only ones living on alien planets or facing down dragons with a sword in one hand and a flaming ball of magic in the other.
3) We haven't forgotten about the other people of color--the remaining characters can and should be diverse--Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Maori, whatever! Only one main character must be of African descent, and as you can see by our submission guidelines, that character doesn't necessarily have to be Black.
4) Afrocentric Books is but a single imprint of a larger company, a larger company with other imprints that do not require one main character to be of African descent.
If you're an author with a kick-ass story to tell, particularly if it is unconventional or non-mainstream, check us out.
Afrocentric Books's first novel is scheduled for release in May or June of this year. It is a work of Historical Fantasy, which takes place in medieval West Africa. To be exact, it is a Fictional Autobiography with a dollop of Mythical Realism and a dash of Paranormal Romance. Make what you will of that.
In the meantime, stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen!
UPDATE:
My editor says that June is too optimistic a timeframe for the novel's release. Boooo! However, it will be released in 2015. There, I said it! Now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Now that I've said it, I think that sentence is a little misleading. So, instead, let me post the company's Mission.
People of African descent live and thrive all over the world. Yet, when it comes to the most popular literature, the settings and the characters are decidedly Eurocentric. We are here to change that. We are here to start a new movement. We are here to immerse you in the colors of the African diaspora.If you immediately clicked on the above link, please bear with us. The website is in progress and we are toying around with the colors, fonts, and everything else.
As you can see from the mission statement, we are hoping to publish novels with an African twist. By African, we don't mean "bred in the Motherland", we simply mean that at least one main character is of African descent.
I am a HUGE fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy stories, but I have to admit that over the years, I've read less and less of them. Why? Because of the dearth of Black characters. My search for characters with whom I could relate took me further and further away from the traditional SciFi/Fantasy that has dominated the mainstream for so long. I no longer wanted to read about pasty white vampires or Saruman the White or good white elves and evil black elves.
I know that our preference towards stories featuring characters of African descent makes Afrocentric Books about as biased as the Big Houses who apparently think SFF is strictly white bread. Indeed our slogan is "Unapologetically Biased".
So how do we differ?
1) We are a tiny publishing company.
2) We don't give a shit about the status quo--White people aren't the only ones living on alien planets or facing down dragons with a sword in one hand and a flaming ball of magic in the other.
3) We haven't forgotten about the other people of color--the remaining characters can and should be diverse--Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Maori, whatever! Only one main character must be of African descent, and as you can see by our submission guidelines, that character doesn't necessarily have to be Black.
4) Afrocentric Books is but a single imprint of a larger company, a larger company with other imprints that do not require one main character to be of African descent.
If you're an author with a kick-ass story to tell, particularly if it is unconventional or non-mainstream, check us out.
Afrocentric Books's first novel is scheduled for release in May or June of this year. It is a work of Historical Fantasy, which takes place in medieval West Africa. To be exact, it is a Fictional Autobiography with a dollop of Mythical Realism and a dash of Paranormal Romance. Make what you will of that.
In the meantime, stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen!
UPDATE:
My editor says that June is too optimistic a timeframe for the novel's release. Boooo! However, it will be released in 2015. There, I said it! Now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
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