Giving Them Their Flowers: An Ode To My Favs

Hey everyone! You all may not know this but it’s my birthday week (and I do love birthdays) so I wanted to do something different for this week’s post! I wanted to use this blog post to give some of my favorite authors their flowers while they are still here. Nothing hurts more than to give people their flowers when it’s too late for them to receive them. We have especially experienced this in the last year. I also believe that Authors Of Color are not receiving the flowers they deserve and I want to change that with this post. Here are some of my favorite authors, their books and why I adore them so much! I’ll also share pictures I’ve taken with them, if I have one!

• Ibi Zoboi
  • Books: American Street, Pride, Black Enough: Anthology, My Life As An Ice Cream Sandwich, and Punching The Air.
  • I completely ADORE Ibi Zoboi! It is because of her first book, American Street, that I was able to see a Haitian girl as the main character. This extremely important to me as someone who was returning back to reading after many years of inconsistent reading or rather reading books that didn’t reflect/represent me. American Street made me more curious about Haitian culture and I sincerely appreciate all of her work & who she is as a person. Without knowing it, Ibi helped jump start a healing journey for me with a part of my heritage that I felt disconnected to. I also love talking to her when I’ve gotten to see her in person and virtually (her husband is also super cool, what’s up Mr. Z!)!

• Maika & Maritza Moulite
  • Books: Dear Haiti, Love Alaine & One Of The Good Ones
  • I absolutely love Maika & Maritza! Their first book, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine; changed my life. It gave me the motivation to start learning Haitian Kreyòl and desire to visit Haiti that I didn’t have before (COVID is being a whole a$$ beeotch in keeping me from doing that right now). I blubbered like I had just finished watching the best but saddest movie after reading DHLA and they also had me crying while reading OOTGO as well! Aside from that, they were so cool when I met them and I love their energy together & apart! It’s going to be like a family community whenever we can do in-person events again! *cues up the Konpa music*

• Tiffany J. Jackson
  • Books: Allegedly, Monday’s Not Coming, Let Me Hear A Rhyme, Grown, The Awakening Of Malcolm X, Blackout (Co-authored with Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, Ashley Woodfolk & Dhonielle Clayton 6/22/2021), White Smoke (9/14/2021) & Santa In The City (10/12/2021).
  • Without Tiffany, this blog would actually not exist. It was because of a candid conversation I had with her after a book event that eventually led to the creation of this blog & I’m so appreciative of that night. Aside from this, her books always makes me want to throw things (but then pick it back up and apologize to it). I love books that make me feel intense emotions in the span of the few hours that it takes for me to finish (because I can never put them down & cannot sleep until I see what happens in the end) and that is always her books for me. I also miss her asking me “But did you die?” when I fuss after finishing at events, lol.

• Dhonielle Clayton
  • Books: Tiny Pretty Things & Shiny Broken Things (co-authored with Sona Charaipotra), The Belles & The Everlasting Rose and Blackout (Co-authored with Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, Ashley Woodfolk & Tiffany D. Jackson 6/22/2021)
  • I sincerely appreciate Dhonielle in all her work for the publishing community to uplift Authors of Color, We Need Diverse Books and Cake Literary! Dhonielle wears so many hats and she keeps it all the way one hunnit with her observations & experiences. She’s been such a huge inspiration to the mission of this blog & my reading journey (The Belles Series covers remain two of my favorites of ALL TIME). She’s about this bookish life and she deserves to have A LOT of respect placed on her name! Seriously, Dhonielle should have a boatload of flowers & props given to her (I know I’m not the only one who thinks so either, ask any author, blogger or bookstagrammer).

• Brittney Morris
  • Books: SLAY, The Cost Of Knowing (4/6/2021), Spider-Man: Miles Morales-Wings Of Fury & The Jump (2023)
  • From the moment I read SLAY, I knew that Brittney would be a favorite. I was literally ready to fight for that ARC when I saw it at a bookish gathering and I’m so glad that I got it without any altercations! That book blew my mind and had to be the second book I wrote about for this blog. I simply adored SLAY & Brittney…just so you know, I also feel the same way about The Cost Of Knowing (don’t you worry, a blog post will happen for TCOK too)! Another thing that I appreciate about Brittney is that she is so down to earth and kind. Everyone needs to go get her books (well, pre-order The Cost Of Knowing) ASAP, I’m not even kidding!

• Rin Chupeco
  • Books: The Girl From The Well & The Suffering; The Bone Witch, The Heart Forger & The Shadowglass; The Never Tilting World & The Ever Cruel Kingdom; & Wicked As You Wish
  • I love, love, LOVE Rin Chupeco! They are an author who I really wanted to meet after reading most of their books at the time and actually lamented about the impossibility since Rin lives abroad. I love their books soooooo sooooooo SOOOOOOOO much! I love their level of humor and snark weaved into their story telling & the cast of characters they put together, I just adore Rin so much! I’ve read all of their books and feel like everyone else should too! I was SO EXCITED when I got the opportunity to meet Rin when they came to New York! I may or may not have been like an excited puppy while waiting on line to have all my books signed (I had them all but WAYW because it wasn’t out yet & didn’t have the ARC at the time). Shout Out to Tochi Onyebuchi for taking our photo who also made us laugh after this one was taken!

• Rena Barron
  • Books: Kingdom Of Souls & Reaper Of Souls; Maya And The Rising Dark & Maya And The Return Of The Godlings (9/21/2021)
  • If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may know that I’m a stan of Renas’! I think she is the bee knees and I stay in her DMs on instagram (to which she is so gracious about, thank you Rena). Her book Kingdom Of Souls is essentially what launched this blog. I appreciated how Rena fully embraced my blog post about Kingdom Of Souls and even quoted it (this is the biggest compliment I ever could’ve received then and even now *insert crying emoji here*)…and that she’s read my subsequent posts about her other books. I just love her writing style, her world building & character development, I just think she is everything! Periodt! Rena also gave literary birth to my first book boyfriend, Rudjek, and we know how I stan for him too (I wish he were real…*sigh*)!

• Sandhya Menon
  • Books: When Dimple Met Rishi, There’s Something About Sweetie & 10 Things I Hate About Pinky; From Twinkle With Love, Of Curses And Kisses & Of Princes And Promises (6/8/2021); and under Lily Menon-Make Up Break Up.
  • Like with Rin Chupeco, I had lamented about the possibility of not ever meeting Sandhya Menon because I instantly fell in love with her writing and she lived on the other side of this country (this was before I knew authors travel sometimes). I adore her characters and their stories…the way that her books evoke emotions like sadness and joy at the right moments and that overall, when you finish, you feel such a warm & fuzzy feeling all over…like you’ve just wrapped yourself up in your favorite fluffy blanket and sipped on your favorite tea from your lucky mug. Aside from her writing, she’s like the SWEETEST human being! Sandhya is so super kind and gracious to her readers & street team. I also really appreciate her trust in me when it comes to her street team. Sandhya is actually the reason I first got on an instagram live! I just adore her so much and was so excited to meet her at Bookcon in 2019 (this feels soooooo far away *sobs*)!

• Nic Stone
  • Books: Dear Martin & Dear Justyce, Odd One Out, Jackpot, Clean Getaway, Shuri, Shuri: The Vanished & Shuri 3 (Title unannounced 11/2/2021), Blackout (Co-authored with Dhonielle Clayton, Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, Ashley Woodfolk & Tiffany D. Jackson 6/22/2021) & Fast Pitch (8/31/2021)
  • This couldn’t be a fav author post without talking about The queen Nic Stone…this here blogger STANS Nic Stone and everything she does! Nic’s book Shuri jumpstarted the Magical Black Kids Book Club and the MBKBC also stans for Nic! I remember being at Angie Thomas’ launch for On The Come Up in NY and seeing her…freaking out then writing in my stories that I saw her (but was too scared to approach her) & she responded that I should’ve said something! From then on, I always approached her at book events & we’ve taken selfies at almost all of them! She’s so kind and gracious to those she speaks to as well as is so supportive. I also love all of her books so very much and her ability to show the world through kid/teen eyes. Nic deserves every accolade she receives, seriously, and to say I adore her is a severe understatement!

Well, I’m going to cap it here but there are other authors that I love that I didn’t highlight here but think highly of like Jordan Ifueko (Raybearer & Redemptor 8/17/2021), Amanda Joy (A River Of Royal Blood & A Queen Of Gilded Horns 3/16/2021), Angeline Boulley (FireKeeper’s Daughter 3/16/2021), Maurene Goo (Since You Asked, I Believe In Something Called Love, The Way You Make Me Feel & Somewhere Only We Know) and LL McKinney (A Blade So Black, A Dream So Dark & A Crown So Cursed 11/9/2021; and Nubia: Real One)! I didn’t mention favorite books because my hope is that you all will pick up their books and pick a favorite of your own *Kool-Aid smile*! All these authors deserve their flowers while they can still smell them (if they are allergic then they can be given their favorite snack) and I’m giving it to them now! I hope you decide to give some of your favorite authors their flowers (or snacks) as well because they deserve them!

I’m wishing you all Happy Reading and as usual I’m sending Bookish love your way! Feel free to find and follow me on all of the social medias: Instagram @bookishgirlmagic, Twitter @bookishgrlmagic and Clubhouse @bookishgrlmagic, especially on Tuesdays for the Pub Day: YA Edition room under the Diverse Shelves club for more bookish banter! BYEEEEEEE!