Woo. Hey, girl. How you doing?

It’s been a minute.

I am coming back fresh off the high of Black Romance Book Festival, and when I tell you I am still in a state of shock, I mean it. This was my very first author event, and this year there were over 3,000 people in the building who, in some capacity, love Black romance.

And baby, when I tell you I felt the love, I mean it.

First of all... I had a line.

I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry while writing this, but the overwhelming amount of love that was shown to me—me—still has me smiling from ear to ear.

First and foremost, I want to thank the BRBF team for giving me this opportunity. Any year they allow me to come to Black Romance Book Festival, I will be there with bells and whistles on.

It is not lost on me that when I applied as an author, I had one book. One. Not much of an audience. Not much of a platform. Just a hope and a dream.

Then 2026 rolls around, the event happens, I have pre-orders, I sell out, I take countless pictures, and there are people who simply wanted to speak love into me and my work.

I am blown away.

Thank y’all.

Thank y’all for taking a chance on my art, connecting with it, and continuously supporting me. I am forever amazed by the community that has formed around these stories.

I also want to thank Black love.

Whew.

It is so beautiful.

It continues to shape me, inspire me, challenge me, and grow me. It is the reason I write what I write, and I hope I get to keep telling these stories with all of you for a very long time.

Now, a quick update on the release schedule.

I’ve adjusted things a little this year so I can continue showing up for y’all the best way I know how. Instead of three releases for the remainder of the year, there will be two.

The first is The Art of Touching You, my upcoming collaboration with Lawrence Baldwin.

The second doesn’t have a title yet, but it is a Christmas romance-erotica novella series that I’m partnering on with C.M. Barnes and Jsin Graham.

And for my 1:23 AM lovers...

This story belongs to Elijah.

Y’all get to spend time with our boy again, and you’ll get glimpses of Zaria and Lennox because they’ve become an important part of Elijah’s life in a really positive way. I’m excited for y’all to see what that looks like.

Before I get into Substack updates, I also want to talk about What I’m Not.

The book is out now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, but if you’d like a signed copy through my website, you can receive 10% off this week because it’s Hidradenitis Suppurativa Awareness Week.

Now don’t get me emotional.

This book is incredibly important to me because I’ve lived with HS since I was twelve years old. I’m thirty-five now, and I have the scars to prove it.

For a long time, it didn’t feel like love was attainable for me because of how I looked physically. Despite having a heart full of love, I often counted myself out before anyone else could. I convinced myself that love wasn’t meant for me.

Thankfully, age, healing, and truly learning to love myself changed that.

And let’s be real—once you hit thirty, you stop giving a damn about what people think anyway.

I’ve loved. I’ve been loved. I’ve been loved repeatedly.

Because of that, I wanted to put something on the page that showed that just because we live with a painful, debilitating disease that leaves marks behind doesn’t mean we aren’t worthy of love.

We are worthy of being cherished.

Worthy of being cared for.

Worthy of being pursued.

Worthy of being chosen.

That’s what Aniyah finds with Trevor.

This book is important for many reasons, but that’s one of the biggest. I wanted readers with HS to see someone living confidently, setting her own standards, refusing to shrink herself, and demanding the kind of love she deserves.

Aniyah does exactly that.

So if you’d like a signed copy, I’ll drop the Beventi link here. Use code HSSTRONG through the end of the week to receive 10% off your order.

Now for my Lola lovers...

Lola’s Love Chronicles returns next Monday, and baby, we are back in Magnolia Heights.

Our girl has officially met all three of her love interests, things are about to get spicy, and we still have one very important question hanging over our heads:

What the hell is Justin doing?

I know y’all are ready because I am.

I cannot wait for y’all to read what comes next and continue this journey with Lola.

That’s all from me.

I love y’all.

Bye. 🤎