across the sea

Three years ago I got my last PSC-CUNY grant and used it to fund a trip to Dakar, Senegal. Photos from that trip came up on Facebook this morning, which seemed fitting since I’m putting the finishing touches on The Return today. I still have quite a lot of fact-checking to do, and reached out to some groups in Senegal and Harlem, but the story is pretty much done. I’ve written quite a bit so far this year and still hope to finish two more novels this summer. I often move on so quickly that I forget about how my finished books are circulating in the world. But Jherane from the Rebel Women Lit book club in Jamaica reminds me that stories can cross seas. They’ll be reading Mother of the Sea this month and Jherane posted this photo on Instagram today. A perfect shot! So honored that they’ve chosen my novelette to read and discuss!

Digital books make it possible for readers around the world to avoid expensive delivery costs. A Wish After Midnight is on sale this month in the Kindle store for $0.99—if you don’t know about the NYC Draft Riots (which devastated the city from July 13–16, 1863), here’s your chance to learn more by reading my first historical fantasy novel. A friend told me yesterday that his niece in the UK loved The Ghosts in the Castle, and it will be required reading for Prof. Michelle Martin’s children’s literature graduate students as they tour England this fall. I’m planning to head back across the pond for my 45th birthday in late October, and my brother’s got me thinking about ringing in the new year in the Caribbean…so many seas to cross! And I still dream about New Zealand…

Okay, back to writing! Today’s task is learning about the colonial-era capital of Senegal, Saint-Louis…