Upcoming Books
Writing is a process that cannot be forced. Deadlines and writer's block are every writer's inflictions, and to keep them at bay, I work on multiple titles at any given time, with no deadlines. Below are my latest and ongoing projects and, hopefully, some of my best work to date.
I look forward to sharing these titles in their completed state in the coming months, years, and perhaps decades. In the meantime, contact me to get your hands on draft snippets and teasers.
A Portrait of Black Women (expt 2024)
This book is a culmination of thoughts, ideas, and recollections that form the portrait of black women. It is a long personal talk with my daughter in which I try to etch out the details of the portrait of black women, drawing from her own experience, her mother’s, her grandmothers’, and many other historical and living black women who make up the rich tapestry of blackness and black strength and whose actions and words and convictions and sacrifice shine an eternal bright light that will act as a guide for her. Although I originally intended this as a long private talk, I realised that other black and brown girls and women could also benefit from the guiding light of those who came before them. I realised that black parents could use the portrait to help soften the blow of “the talk” with their own black children. Both white and black men could learn a lot, too, and wake up to their responsibility to not block doors for women, for black women, to not take up all the seats in the spaces we share. So, in having this private conversation publicly, I hope to contribute my small share to the recognition and respect black women are owed and draw the world’s attention to the obstacles they still face while navigating the world in a female black body.
Blackout
Stu is thrust into an unprecedented crisis, his life upended by a profound moral, political, and philosophical awakening triggered by the tragic unraveling of his closest friends’ lives. His once comfortable, middle-class existence as a doctor in South London is now a source of discontent, a stark contrast to the societal expectations he grapples with.
In his quest to find meaning and make sense of the changes around him, Stu tries to understand his place as a black man in his adopted country.
Narrated in the first person by Stu, this is a candid story about his journey from a complex childhood to oblivion through a labyrinth of debilitating racial, class, and identity tensions that smoulder under the facade of a seemingly genial society. The fast-paced, raw, visceral narration reflects Stu’s state of mind.
He is a man running out of patience, time, and social appropriateness - not only in his life but also in his writing and use of language.
Gina Mars
Alone in her house around 2 AM, Gina Mars hears footsteps slowly and deliberately trudging up the stairs to her bedroom on the second floor, boding of imminent danger: an intruder, a burglar, a rapist, maybe all three. Gina panics and freezes with fear. The footsteps trigger in Gina memories of similar footsteps from childhood, trudging up the same staircase around the same time of the night, chilling, ominous, and carrying in their deliberate progress the foreboding threat of harrowing pain. But Gina knows it cannot be the footsteps of her childhood nightmares unless their bearer's ghost has returned to haunt her. Living alone in the huge, secluded manor house, Gina has always believed this day would come. But she didn't expect it to be today. The footsteps stop outside her door, followed by hesitant, deep breaths. As the doorknob begins to turn, Gina sees it: a weapon...
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Perched on the rooftop, looking into the backyard of a suburban bungalow, retired assistant police commissioner Charlie Stevens adjusts his machine gun one last time. He picks up his old binoculars and looks down into the yard. The men gather around a makeshift stage where their new leader, Jake Powell, is preparing to begin his speech. Binoculars dangling around his neck, his finger caressing the trigger, Charlie listens to Jake clearing his throat, performing a quick mic check and beginning to speak to the now silent and attentive group of primarily young white men. Charlie aims at Jake first and squeezes the trigger...
Watched
Clay Jones arrives home from work tired and desperate for rest. He asks his smart speaker to play his favourite playlist, but the speaker informs him he is being watched. Annoyed by this announcement, Clay updates the speaker's software. The update changes nothing. The speaker continues to inform him he is being watched. When he enquires who is watching him, Clay gets no helpful answer.
But this is just the start. Clay finds himself caught in an endless cycle of data and online activity that infiltrates every corner of his life. The people he once trusted now side with the data, not him. He is alone in this battle, with no one to turn to. How can he escape this nightmare, restore his reputation, and take back control of his life?
