What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
My daughter asked for a story with a female hero. After Harriet Tubman and Hidden Figures, I turned to older, scholarly books that weren't intended for mass consumption. Dona Beatriz always intrigued me because I'd never heard anything about her before or after one professor brought her up in a class, and she was a definite badass. So she was up next with a few following her since. The story just kept getting longer with each retelling, and here we are.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be? (Meant to be fun. Skip if you need to!)
Beatriz: Ambitions az a Ridah by Tupac Shakur [thinking about it as a wrestling entrance theme]
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
History is my favorite to read, while Historical Fiction is my favorite to write.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
All We Say: A History in 15 Speeches by Ben Rhodes and Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality by Tomiko Brown-Nagin.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
A pair of dance scenes I won't say more about.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I love writing at 2am when everybody else is knocked out, despite what it does to my next day.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I wish I did. My life is a freestyle; I'm making it up as I go along.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Lukango, of course.
