…but she’s offended because I have BLM on my header?

Where is the year going? I know 2020 is on a maaaaaaad one but it literally is my birthday next week and I’m just like huh? Weren’t we just put in lockdown? It feels weird celebrating a birthday in these circumstances. I’m the Queen of just being extra around this time but I just feel like blah. The world is so weird right now. I am currently sitting on my laptop, sweating like a crazy girl (it’s 32 degrees) and trying to finish work so I can watch Black is King.

I have been BUSY. Now I’m always busy but this has been on another scale. Literally drowning in work. I’m so pleased that The Diverse Book Awards longlist is done!!!! I can’t even believe we found the time to read all those books. Oh the relief is just on another level. It was a tough week getting everything together so we can drop the longlist today. Then a publisher had to pull out one of the kids books but the press release had already gone out. Le stress! The reactions to the longlist has been amazing and I’m so curious to know what the judges pick for the shortlist. I already have my three winners so I’m hoping we’re all on the same vibe! I love that we’re all celebrating UK Diverse books and I’ve read so many new books. The longlist is here

Remember how I said YALC got cancelled? Well Walker Books decided to host #AtHomeYALC and asked me to part of it! The line was so sick. I got to do the Teen Fantasy panel with author Joseph Elliot and it was so fun. We were all so nervous beforehand. I think because you can’t see the audience so it just feels weird but it all worked out. So glad I got the chance to still push Emily Knight I am…Becoming. You can watch my panel and others via this link – #AtHomeYALC Teen Fantasy Panel

Then YALC did a giveaway of my book that hundreds of RT which is so cool and I’m obviously in a great mood then this lady tweeted that she wanted to enter but she didn’t want to because my Twitter header has Black Lives Matter. I laughed for sooooo long. I am black with a black girl on the cover but she’s offended because I have BLM on my header?! Make it make sense. She then went on the whole All Lives Matter and I so wish I had the time to really check her cause I was in a right mood but I didn’t have time. So I left her a very classy response and then all my friends and publishing peeps jumped on her. It all worked out in the end!

We revealed our three authors for Hashtag BLAK! I can’t believe it took a whole year to find them all but it has so been worth it. So now we have Being Amani by Annabelle Steele, A Dance For The Dead by Nuzo Onoh and Ten Steps To Us by Attiya Khan. We found our two black authors just like we set out to do. And Hashtag has gone from having a few YA authors to load which makes me so happy!!! All their books are on pre-order www.hashtagblak.co.uk

I May Destroy You is AMAZING!

I finally met my nephew the other day. He was born during lockdown so it’s been about 4 months since his birth that me and my sister drove to Kent. The drive was alright but I had this dick literally on my car. The thing is my car is telling me a speed limit but he is trying to get faster. I’m thinking go around me then. Of course he doesn’t so I just ignore him. Then we hear this loud noise like someone is pressing a horn. Me and Lola are looking around like where is this noise coming from? I need to get over to the other lane so I move over and then the car behind me speeds up, the driver looks at me and the noise has stopped. That’s when I clocked that the fool was beeping me!! The cheek. My nephew is sooooo cute like he literally looks like a doll. It’s so strange to see the Bello features on a small human. Oh I want him to be a creative so bad. I need some allies in this fam!

DMX vs Snoop Dogg Versus was what I needed in my life. Ahhhh it was soooooo good! I swear these kids have no idea how epic X is. I stayed up till 4am and it was worth it. Versus is making up for all the concerts I booked that got cancelled.

Good Girls is back on Netflix!! Yay!!

Twitter is weird. They can literally keep racists like Katie Hopkins on there for years but when people are tweeting about what may be a cure for COVID they’re blocking accounts! Twitter literally told me to delete my tweet or I can’t access my account. Where is that energy for the racists please?

And are we wearing masks or not? Everywhere I’ve gone people aren’t wearing it but I thought it was the law? Just a few weeks ago I had to wear a mask to the hairdressers and now they’re saying I don’t need too. So confusing.

I just want to say a massive thank you to anyone who voted for me to win The People’s Book Prize. I didn’t win Best Children’s Book but Jessica won Best Non-Fiction and we only went and won Publisher of the Year!!!!!!!! The trophy came and looks very cool. Kind of can’t believe it.

It’s so hard doing all of this stuff. Just trying to keep up and still have a high standard but I will say that I’m really seeing the fruits of my labour and I’m so thankful to God that it’s all working out. I’m busy till October 🙂 but it’s all paying off and that’s what matters.

The next blog will be the Birthday Blog. I’m intrigued how this is working in these weird times. Now I’m off to watch Black is King. I swear Beyonce is everything. She is literally the only celebrity that I look up too.

Just because it’s not trending anymore, BLM will always be my main focus.

R.I.P Naya Riveria and Nicole Thea. I knew Nicole from Boy Blue when she was a teenager. I literally had no idea she was this popping YouTuber. And Naya was my fav in Glee. Who doensn’t love Santana. Heartbreaking and I pray they are both in peace.

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