I’m a former bookseller turned writer! My first novel, Ben & Beatriz, is coming August 2, 2022 from Graydon House Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Not sure what else you’d like to know about me—I have two pets? I like Shakespeare (or as I call him, Billy Shakes)? I love musicals? I guess I could say that I’m a fierce believer that creativity makes the world better. It’s through making and processing art that we learn more about ourselves and realize what we can do to improve the world around us. For me, that’s reading and writing. And maybe reading my books will help you figure out what it is for you :)
Scroll down to get to know me through some of my favorite books!
Ulysses by James Joyce
Yes, really! This is the only book that makes me feel every facet of my humanity, and the book I turn to when life is really shit. Although if you meet a white guy who says Ulysses is his favorite book, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN.
Emma by Jane Austen
Structurally the perfect novel. Nuff said. And Emma’s character development and growth is some of the best in all literature. I once read Emma six times on a loop because I have a REALLY active social life.
For Brown Girls With Sharp Edges And Tender Hearts, by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez
This groundbreaking read makes the complex theories gatekept by elitist institutions (decoloniality, colorism, white supremacy, voluntourism) approachable in THE MOST empowering way. Required reading regardless of whether or not you're Brown or a girl.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Lyra was my role model growing up. Also, Mrs. Coulter is one of the best written characters EVER. It’s a rare children’s book that grows with you as you get older.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
THIS. BOOK. IS. EVERYTHING. It helped me process and understand subtle and implicit racism that was going over my head, but that I nonetheless experienced. A brilliant read for anyone looking to better understand racism; but it’s also just fun.
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
This is a book that snuck up on me—I liked it when I read it, but then found I couldn’t stop thinking about it…for MONTHS. I’ve since read it three times. It’s Jane Austen-esque in it’s structure in that there’s not much plot, but SO MUCH HAPPENS. Also a great representation of bisexual millennials.
A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore
THIS. BOOK. IS. ALSO. EVERYTHING. Romance? Yup. Meticulously researched and accurate portrayal of 19th century Oxford? Yup. Sexy hero? UNF. Badass heroine? YOU BET. If you haven’t read Evie Dunmore, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney could punch me in the face and I would thank her. Her writing is exquisite, and she somehow manages to be sparse with her prose while also making you feel like you’re in the character’s head. I could literally go on for paragraphs about how much I admire her (and I have).
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
If you don’t think that “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice” is the best opening line in all of literature, then you’re doing it wrong.
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
The title essay of this collection changed my life. His ability to balance the social and political with the utterly personal is unrivaled. There has never been a writer like James Baldwin.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve been as invested in characters as I was with Alex and Poppy. Like I was so invested in their story that I was straight up sobbing every time they FELT THINGS.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
The only novel that made me feel as seen as Queenie did was Ulysses (which, if you know me, is HIGH PRAISE). An accessible, gut-wrenchingly accurate, portrayal of how generational trauma affects millennials, and the complications that spring from experiencing abuse at the hands of someone from your own ethnic group.