It’s been a minute because I did not send a newsletter in July (oops!) but I return with good news! I can finally share that I’ll be doing two events for the launch of Two Can Play That Game and I’m so excited to meet people and get to talk about this book I love so much.

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As always, I’ll be doing a New York City event at The Ripped Bodice on Tuesday, November 17 (launch day!) at 7 p.m. I’ll be in conversation with Alexandria Bellefleur, one of my favorite authors (if you haven’t read Written in the Stars yet please do!). You can grab your ticket here!

Additionally for the first time ever I’ll be doing an event in Philly at Cupid’s Bookshop on November 21 at 6:30 pm with one of my other favorite authors, Natasha Bishop (please read Only for the Week!). You can get your tickets here!

I’m also very excited to share that I’ll have gorgeous fan art postcards by Roosa-Mari to share at each of my events as well. You can see the stunning art below!

If you can’t make it to either of my events, never fear! The Ripped Bodice is also hosting a pre-order campaign so you can get a signed/personalized copy of Two Can Play That Game and this gorgeous fan art. You can pre-order here! Deadline to get your orders in is November 10.

And here’s the TL;DR

• Two Can Play That Game NYC Event w/ Alexandria Bellefleur - November 17 @ 7 pm (The Ripped Bodice)

  • Tickets here!

• Two Can Play That Game Philly Event w/ Natasha Bishop - November 21 @ 6:30 pm (Cupid’s Bookshop)

  • Tickets here!

• Pre-order signed/personalized copies of Two Can Play That Game with fan art here!

That’s all folks! I am so excited to be getting closer to the release of Two Can Play That Game. This is honestly my favorite book I’ve written so far and I can’t wait for you all to fall in love with Chelsea and AD so soon! See you on the road this fall 💙

Happy Pride Month! All the straights to the back, or whatever Joanne the Scammer said. I’m so excited to celebrate Pride this year. I’ve got a lot of events and Two Can Play That Game promotions so let’s dive right in.

Celebrate Pride With My Books

All of my books are queer so if you’re looking for something to add to your Pride TBR and haven’t had a chance to read If We Were a Movie or Sparks Fly yet now is the perfect time. Additionally, If We Were a Movie is available on Kindle Unlimited and both of my books are available in ebook and audiobook from the Queer Liberation Library.

Goodreads Giveaway

Berkley is running a Goodreads giveaway for 10 ARCs of Two Can Play That Game all month long. You can enter for your chance to win here!

Events

I mentioned these in my last newsletter but just a friendly reminder this is where you can find me this month, and there are more events on the way!

June 9: 7(Teen) Stories Up - 4 - 5:30 pm (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library)

Get your (FREE) ticket here!

June 10: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest Launch Event - 7 pm (The Ripped Bodice Brooklyn)

Get your ticket here!

June 17: Teen Time: Juneteenth Celebration - 4 - 5 pm (Brooklyn Heights Library)

Free registration here!

June 18: Authors on Authors with T.J. Alexander - 7 pm (Love & Legends Bookstore)

Get your ticket here!

Two Can Play That Game NetGalley Widget

As promised, if you are a Black and/or queer influencer I want to make sure you’re able to read Two Can Play That Game early so please fill out this form so I can get you a widget. Again, this is just for Black and/or queer influencers. I am trusting you all to use this form in good faith. Additionally, widgets will be sent on a first come, first serve basis and the form will close once we’ve hit the limit. You are welcome to share this form, but please make it clear who this is for before sharing. As my subscribers, I want to make sure you all get first dibs, but I will share the form publicly tomorrow.

That’s all for now. Now that my physical ARCs of Two Can Play That Game have arrived I do plan to do a giveaway (or two!) so keep an eye out for that. Until next time!

It’s been a while because someone (me) forgot to send a newsletter in April. Whoops! But I’m back now and with lots of news so let’s get into it.

Two Can Play That Game on NetGalley

Two Can Play That Game will be available to request on NetGalley starting today! However, there is an error in the current version that is being fixed so requests won’t be approved for a little bit. So while you can totally go ahead and request it now, I’ll also give everyone a heads up when my team lets me know the correct version has been updated.

Now, let’s talk about this error. Unfortunately, while I was doing my pass pages (i.e. when the book is formatted to look like a real book) I noticed in chapter 22 (page 117) I used the wrong pronoun for AD. This is incredibly disappointing for me as I am always the first to correct anyone who uses the wrong pronouns for AD. Early on in writing this book I debated AD’s pronouns, whether they would be she/they or they/them. Ultimately, I decided AD would prefer they/them pronouns. I thought I had made that change throughout the manuscript but this instance slipped the cracks.

Thankfully, I did catch it while doing my pass pages so this error will not make it into the final book (this is why we must read these books so many times!). However, what was used to create the egalley and the physical galley was this first pass and while we can update the egalley we cannot update the physical galley as they’ve already been printed.

I wanted to tell you all first as I don’t want any of my readers to see this mistake without knowing that it will be fixed in the final. Of course, I’m disappointed there will still be versions of the book with this error, but my team has done everything they can to fix it and I am incredibly appreciative that they immediately took action when I flagged the issue.

With that said, I am still so excited for people to finally be able to read Two Can Play That Game. It is my favorite book I’ve written so far and I know you’ll love Chelsea and AD as much as I do!

Upcoming Events

I am going to be booked and busy this summer so here’s where you can find me!

May 30 - 31: Black Romance Book Festival (Sold Out)

• Saturday, May 30

  • Signing - 2 - 4:50 pm (Table #30)

• Sunday, May 31

  • Love, Growth, and the In-Between: Character Growth in Romance Panel - 10 - 10:50 am (M2 North Tower - Juniper)

  • Signing - 2 - 4:50 pm (Table #7)

June 9: 7(Teen) Stories Up - 4 - 5:30 pm (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library)

Get your (FREE) ticket here!

June 10: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest Launch Event - 7 pm (The Ripped Bodice Brooklyn)

Get your ticket here!

June 18: Authors on Authors with T.J. Alexander - 7 pm (Love & Legends Bookstore)

Get your ticket here!

I have a few more events coming up this summer that I can’t share quite yet so stay tuned! Until then, I hope you get the opportunity to read Two Can Play That Game. Talk soon!

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I’m so excited to finally share the cover of my third novel, Two Can Play That Game, with you all. Since you already know what it’s all about, let’s just cut to the chase.

Ta da!

I am truly obsessed with this cover. I had a vision early on of what I wanted it to look like and the artist (Mallory Heyer) and the designer (Lila Selle) executed it perfectly. Chelsea’s wink, AD’s tattoo, the O as a basketball! I love it so much! And surprisingly while there was a pink option I truly loved the blue. I think it’s perfect and captures the vibe spectacularly.

As a reminder, here’s the official blurb for Two Can Play That Game:

After a chance courtside encounter, a fake relationship between a rising influencer and a WNBA star gets a little too real in this swoony sapphic romance.

Chelsea has never cared about sports. But when she’s invited to sit courtside at a New York WNBA game, she welcomes the break from her usual routine. What she doesn’t expect is a basketball nearly colliding with her face—or the six-foot-four hottie who jogs over, flashing a heart-stopping grin, to retrieve it.

Adrienne “AD” Daniels is a player on and off the court, notorious for their inability to stay in a relationship. Still, something about Chelsea sticks with them—even though their instant connection can’t bring AD to offer more than one night.

But AD’s agent makes a pitch: Chelsea should pretend to be AD’s girlfriend. It’s a strategic move. AD, hoping to retire after this season, needs to lock down some brand deals—but their identity as a Black, nonbinary lesbian with a messy dating history makes sponsors wary. Chelsea, a sex-positive influencer, is ready to pivot her platform, and this feels like the perfect next step. With Chelsea’s network and AD’s star power, they could both strengthen their public images. Once the season ends, they’ll go their separate ways.

As the ruse starts to work and their connection deepens, Chelsea finds herself on unsteady ground. Falling for AD wasn’t part of the plan, and if she lets herself get too close, she might lose the future she’s finally starting to build.

Two Can Play That Game is on sale November 17, and you can pre-order your copy here!

I’m so excited to finally share the title of my third novel, Two Can Play That Game! If you’ve read Sparks Fly you’ll recognize Chelsea as Stella’s roommate. Chelsea has done some growing since the end of Sparks Fly and now it’s time for her own love story.

Two Can Play That Game goes on sale November 17. Check out the full synopsis below.

After a chance courtside encounter, a fake relationship between a rising influencer and a WNBA star gets a little too real in this swoony sapphic romance.

Chelsea has never cared about sports. But when she’s invited to sit courtside at a New York WNBA game, she welcomes the break from her usual routine. What she doesn’t expect is a basketball nearly colliding with her face—or the six-foot-four hottie who jogs over, flashing a heart-stopping grin, to retrieve it.

Adrienne “AD” Daniels is a player on and off the court, notorious for their inability to stay in a relationship. Still, something about Chelsea sticks with them—even though their instant connection can’t bring AD to offer more than one night.

But AD’s agent makes a pitch: Chelsea should pretend to be AD’s girlfriend. It’s a strategic move. AD, hoping to retire after this season, needs to lock down some brand deals—but their identity as a Black, nonbinary lesbian with a messy dating history makes sponsors wary. Chelsea, a sex-positive influencer, is ready to pivot her platform, and this feels like the perfect next step. With Chelsea’s network and AD’s star power, they could both strengthen their public images. Once the season ends, they’ll go their separate ways.

As the ruse starts to work and their connection deepens, Chelsea finds herself on unsteady ground. Falling for AD wasn’t part of the plan, and if she lets herself get too close, she might lose the future she’s finally starting to build.

I’m so excited to finally be able to talk about this book. I think it’s so fun and definitely the most steamy book I’ve ever written. We’re still finalizing the cover (spoiler alert: it’s not pink!), but it should hopefully be ready to share soonish. In the meantime, you can pre-order Two Can Play That Game here!

In Other News…

I have a couple of events coming up and I’d love to see you there!

• Feb. 23: Wine & Pine, Volume 24 (NYC)

  • I’ll be joining three other authors at Ten Degrees Bar to do a reading. You can RSVP here.

• Feb. 24: Black Love on Repeat (Virtual)

  • Brain Lair Books is hosting a conversation between myself, Rachel Runya Katz, and Julian Winters all about Black love. Get your ticket here.

• March 5: Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions Launch Event (NYC)

  • I’ll be in conversation with Ahmad Saber to celebrate the launch of his novel Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions. RSVP here.

I'm also very excited to share If We Were a Movie is now available for purchase in the UK. Unfortunately, I only have the Am*zon link but if you’re in the UK you should be able to find If We Were a Movie in your local bookshop. Let me know if you spot it!

That’s all for now. I’ll see you soon for the Two Can Play That Game cover reveal, but in the meantime don’t forget to pre-order. Get your copy here!

I know I’m back in your inbox sooner than you’d expect, but I come with exciting news! Bar Louise in Brooklyn is hosting a Singles Night on February 3 and I will be there to do a reading from Sparks Fly. This is such an exciting partnership for me! I love Pasta Louise, Bar Louise’s sister restaurant, so much so I included it in Sparks Fly. I posted about that and the founder, Allison, reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in doing an event with them. Obviously, I said yes!

So, if you’re single, ready to mingle, and free on February 3, come join us for a fun night out. Tickets are $15 to get you in the door and there will be food and drinks available to purchase. You can also of course buy a copy of Sparks Fly, and I’d be happy to sign it for you. Get your ticket here!

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Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday. I’ve been using the holiday break to take a step away from social media and I feel so out of the loop. Other than seeing some tweets about Heated Rivalry I have no idea what’s going on on the internet these days. While it’s been nice to be unplugged I am having withdrawals. The number of times I went to post a thought on Threads and had to remind myself I deleted the app was too many times.

Anyways, I’ll most likely be back on social media next week, but I’m hoping I’ll be less plugged in than I was. I wanted to use this time away to write and I have! Even though I haven’t finished the draft I’ve been working on (yet!) I’m closer to the finish line than I’ve ever been, which is encouraging. I’d love to finish it this weekend before I go back to work on Monday but I don’t know how realistic that is, so we shall see. My real goal is to finish before I get my edits back for book three, which will probably be sometime soonish. I also can’t wait to start telling you about book three! It’s a sapphic adult romance coming out this fall and that’s all I’ll say for now, but I like it a lot and while I’m not excited to be back on deadline, I am excited to get back to work on it.

In other book news, today marks one month since Sparks Fly went on sale. With the holidays I feel like the publication of Sparks Fly happened a bajillion years ago. I can’t believe it’s only been a month, but so many exciting things have already happened, including Elle calling Sparks Fly one of the best romances of 2025! I’m excited for more readers to discover Sparks Fly this year and I’m already making plans for Valentine’s Day, which is the day Stella and Max meet in the book, so keep an eye out for that.

Buy Sparks Fly!

Until then, I realized I didn’t share my favorites of 2025 with you all so below find my favorite reads and favorite k-dramas from last year.

My Favorite Reads of 2025 (In No Particular Order)

1. Good Spirits by B.K. Borison

2. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

3. Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava

4. The Education of Kia Greer by Alanna Bennett

5. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

6. Bound by Ali Hazelwood

7. Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi

8. The Favorites by Layne Fargo

9. A Man for Mrs. Claus by Rebekah Weatherspoon

10. Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola

My Favorite K-dramas of 2025 (In No Particular Order)

1. Dynamite Kiss

2. Resident Playbook

3. Our Unwritten Seoul

4. The Potato Lab

5. Would You Marry Me?

And honorable mention to Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, which was my first C-drama (Chinese drama) and I absolutely loved it. I hope to get into more C-dramas this year, so if you have recs please share!

That’s all for now. I’ll be back in your inbox in February :)

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Hello friends!

The time has finally come. Sparks Fly, my adult romance debut is officially on sale, which means you can now get a copy wherever you buy books (or from your local library). I am so incredibly proud of this book and so happy to finally be able to share it with all of you.

When I first started working on Sparks Fly, I knew I wanted to tell a story about a late bloomer who was comfortable in her own sexuality but hadn’t found the right person to take that next step with. And then I wanted to give her her perfect guy. Thus, Stella and Max were born.

Sparks Fly is the book of my heart. In it I got to explore not just what it means to be a late bloomer (there’s no one definition) but also bisexuality, being Afro-Latine, the cost of AI on creatives, and so much more. Moreover, it was such a joy to write. Even when it was hard it was fun, and I hope that shines through on the page. I genuinely made myself laugh while writing and the smut is pretty spicy, if I do say so myself. As a long time lover of the romance genre I wanted to pull together everything I love about some of my favorite romance novels but make it my own.

I feel like I succeeded, and I hope you feel the same. While I’ve had the pleasure of spending years with these characters, I’m so excited to pass them over to you. Enjoy!

Purchase Sparks Fly Here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop.org

It feels like forever since we last spoke. So much has happened since we last chatted so let’s dive right in.

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Cover Snob Pre-order Campaign

I’m so excited to share, in addition to my pre-order campaign with The Ripped Bodice, you can also pre-order a copy of Sparks Fly from Cover Snob. With your order you’ll also receive an exclusive character art print by Manex_Draws, a sticker designed by Ardently Bookish Designs, and a signed bookplate from yours truly. You can pre-order here!

The Ripped Bodice Pre-order Campaign

Speaking of pre-orders, this is your friendly reminder that the last day to pre-order a signed copy of Sparks Fly from The Ripped Bodice is November 24. Every pre-order will also include an exclusive fanart print by Emma Gillette. These copies can also be personalized, so don’t miss out! Pre-order here!

Launch Event

This is also your last reminder to grab your ticket to my launch event, if you haven’t yet. I’ll be at The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn on December 1 (so you’ll get the book a day early!) and I’ll be in conversation with THEE Alexis Daria. You can get your ticket here!

Must Read Books of December Sweepstakes

Last, but not least, I’m excited to share that Sparks Fly is included in this EPIC sweepstakes from Berkley.

You can enter for your chance to win all of these books here! Sweepstakes ends on Nov. 17 and is open to US residents only. You must be 18+ to enter. Good luck!

Okay, now for my real last bit of news! I finished the first draft of book three. I’m so glad to be free of this book for now. I genuinely love it and I cannot wait to share more of it with you all, but man was it hard to write. I felt like it was taking me forever to get through it and I know revisions will probably kick my ass but that’s a problem for future me. For now though, I am free.

That’s all for now. I won’t be in your inbox again until Sparks Fly goes on sale, which is so soon! Until then, stay safe, take care of each other, and take care of yourselves. 💕

We’re less than two months away from Sparks Fly hitting book shelves and I couldn’t be more excited! There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes and I’m so glad I can finally tell you about one them!

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I will be having a launch event for Sparks Fly on Monday, Dec. 1 at The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn and I’ll be in conversation with one of my all-time favorite authors, Alexis Daria. Tickets are now available here.

If you’re in NYC I highly recommend joining us for the launch event for two reasons:

1. You’ll get to go home with Sparks Fly a day before it officially goes on sale!

2. More importantly, you’ll also be going home with a postcard of this very steamy fanart Emma Gillette created of Max and Stella 😏

If you’re not in NYC or can’t make it to the event, never fear! You can pre-order a signed copy of Sparks Fly from The Ripped Bodice here. Each of these orders will also include a fanart postcard (while supplies last). As my loyal subscribers, I wanted to make sure you all got a head start so get your orders in quick! 😉

That’s all for today. I’m currently trying my best to finish the first draft of book #3 but it’s been a bit of struggle so keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Otherwise, I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me again soon as promotion for Sparks Fly really kicks into gear. Until then, I hope you’re all staying sane in these insane times. Ttyl!

It’s a book lovers favorite time of year (again). Barnes & Noble is doing another pre-order sale. At this point it almost feels like they’re doing these every other week, but I do love a discount so I won’t complain. From now until September 5 all pre-orders are 25% off.

That means you can pre-order Sparks Fly for the low low price of whatever 19 - (19 x .25) + tax and shipping equals. I stopped doing math after high school so you figure it out. Either way, it’s a discount! You can pre-order straight from B&N here.

If you don’t know, pre-orders are how you tell retailers and publishers there’s interest in a book. The more pre-orders a book has the more retailers and publishers invest in a book’s success. So, if you’d like to support me I highly recommend pre-ordering Sparks Fly. And if you’d rather pre-order from an indie or Bookshop.org I support that too. It doesn’t matter where you pre-order from (though please don’t support Am*zon) as long as you pre-order. Thanks in advance!

And while we’re talking about pre-ordering, here’s what I’ve got in my cart in case you’re looking for more reads to add to your ever growing TBR:

• Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow - I have heard literally nothing but good things about this one and I’m so excited to read it!

• Heartstick by Kristina Forest - Unless you’re new here (in which case, welcome!) you know I’ll read anything Kristina writes.

• The Book Tour by Emily Ohanjanians - I’m a sucker for a book set in the world of publishing and we don’t often see the story be about an author and their publicist, which if you’re a publicist or work with a lot of publicists like I do, you know that relationship, even in just the business sense, can be very interesting so as a romance I can’t wait to see how this plays out.

• Revolve by Bal Khabra - I’ve been in love with Bal’s writing and this series since I read Collide so I cannot wait to get this book in my hands!

• Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi - Sorry to say I’d get this just for the sprayed edges, but I will also be getting it because I love Akwaeke’s writing and you had me at throuple with the devil tbh.

• Eternal Ruin by Tigest Girma - Immortal Dark wrecked me so I’m ready and prepared for the sequel to destroy me.

That’s all for this week. We’re less than three months out from the release of Sparks Fly (!!!) and I’m both excited and nervous, but mostly excited. Soon I’ll have more to share about the launch event and signed pre-order campaign, with custom fanart! For now, I leave you with this teaser because why not?

She broke away from the crowd, turning on her heel too quickly to stop her body from colliding directly into the tall and broad-shouldered man who was standing right behind her. Stella also couldn’t prevent her boobs, which often had a mind of their own, from pressing directly into the glass in his hand, tipping it over and spilling his drink down the front of his white pressed shirt.

“Fuck me,” Stella muttered.

The man, who’d been staring down at the stain now spreading on his shirt, looked up at her then and his lips twitched.

“If that’s what you wanted, all you had to do was ask.”

See you all next month! :)

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As you may have guessed today is the best day of the year, also known as my birthday! If I’m doing what I’ve promised my therapist, I am totally offline enjoying the sunny beaches of the Dominican Republic and finally giving myself a break. Just thinking about it I truly can’t imagine it.

This year I’ve been on full go mode with two book releases plus my day job and I fear it has finally caught up to me. Your girl is tired! But I’m never too tired to celebrate my birthday and since I won’t be online to celebrate I wanted to ask if you all wouldn’t mind celebrating for me?

I’ve created social assets for you to share on whatever platform your heart desires. You can find them here, however you do not have to use these. I just wanted to make this easy. All I want for my birthday is for people to buy my books so I’m hoping with your help they will!

Now, while I always want gifts for my birthday there is something in this for you as well. If you decide to post, fill out this form with either a link or a screenshot to your post, and I will send you the NetGalley widget for Sparks Fly, once I’m back stateside next week. AND one lucky winner will receive a finished copy of If We Were a Movie and an ARC of Sparks Fly signed and personalized if you’d like. This winner will need to be based in the U.S. for shipping reasons, but all my international girlies can receive the NetGalley widget.

Note: you will need to log into Google/Gmail to fill out the form.

Because this is such a luxurious prize, feel free to tell a friend to participate as well. They do have to be subscribed to this newsletter to be entered into the giveaway and the post most go up on my birthday (August 2). Otherwise, all are welcome!

And that’s all for today folks. I hope you all are enjoying your summers and are also allowing yourselves some time to rest. See you all when I return!

We’re officially five months out from the release of Sparks Fly and I’m currently done with events for If We Were a Movie (there’s one more in August but more on that later!). This means I’m switching gears and entering full promo mode for Sparks Fly. That doesn’t I’ll stop talking about If We Were a Movie (I have more news that I’ll hopefully be able to announce soon!) but my main priority will now be convincing you and everyone I know to pre-order Sparks Fly.

With that said I’m happy to let you all know Berkley is currently running a Goodreads giveaway to give 10 lucky readers an advanced copy of Sparks Fly. You can enter for your chance to win here! You will need a Goodreads account to enter.

Additionally, we’ve got three incredible blurbs for Sparks Fly, and because I love you all I’m sharing them with you first!

• “Both sexy and sweet, Sparks Fly is simply… delicious.”—Lauren Blakely, #1 New York Times bestselling author

• “An irresistibly steamy ode to late bloomers, Sparks Fly perfectly captures the infectious giddiness of fully coming into one’s own. The prose is smart, the spice delectable, and the love between Stella and Max gentle, authentic, and, indeed, sparkling. Zakiya N. Jamal’s adult debut is a must-read for your shelf!”—Katie Naymon, author of You Between the Lines

• “Timely, relatable, and a true pleasure, Sparks Fly takes the millionaire fantasy and turns it on its head in the best way. Watching late bloomer Stella and the dashing Max navigate bisexuality, love, sex, friendships, family, and the workplace feels like stepping into a complete world. I’ll read anything Zakiya writes.”—TJ Alexander, USA Today bestselling author of A Gentleman’s Gentleman

I’m so grateful these authors took the time to read Sparks Fly and give it such high praise, especially authors I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

That’s all for now on the news front. As I said, I will hopefully have more news to share soon but until then here’s some of the things I’ve been enjoying lately:

• K-Pop Demon Hunters: This movie was so good! I will be watching it again. If you haven’t tuned in yet you must! Be warned you will become obsessed with the soundtrack, but it’s so good it’s worth it!

• Twinkling Watermelon: Who would I be if I didn’t tell you about a k-drama? I literally (re)subscribed to Viki so I could watch this one because so many people told me it was amazing, and they were absolutely right. I loved every aspect of this show and the twists really got me. I highly recommend going into the show without knowing anything!

  

• Lovely Runner: Another k-drama? Well yes! After watching Twinkling Watermelon I did what I always do when I finish watching a k-drama; I went on TikTok to watch fanedits. In the midst of doing that a drama kept coming up as a great follow up to Twinkling Watermelon and that was Lovely Runner. Now in all honesty, I don’t think Lovely Runner compares to Twinkling Watermelon. The bar was simply too high. However, I did really enjoy this series and I watched it rather quickly because I was thoroughly hooked. Highly recommend if you’re a fan of “he falls first and harder”. This one is also on Viki.

• Gaysians by Mike Curato: I listened to the audio of this, which I typically wouldn’t do for a graphic novel but it was available for free as part of Libro.fm’s ALC program so I figured why not. Also, David Levithan recommended it when we were on a panel a couple of weeks ago and David reads literally everything so if he recs it I’ll read it. And this didn’t disappoint. I absolutely loved this exploration of the gay Asian community and I would love to read more books like it. I do now have the graphic novel so I think I’ll reread that version to get the full experience with the art.

And that’s all for now. I know the world is *checks notes* get worser by the day but I hope this newsletter was a bright spot for you. See you next time! :)

I know it’s only been a week since the last time I was in your inbox but it’s basically June so really I am still doing the "one email from me a month” thing. But anyways, the reason I’ve returned is because my ARCs of Sparks Fly have arrived!

It’s honestly surreal to be holding this book in my hands. I’ve been working on this story for so long I can’t believe we’re getting this close to it being a real book that people will be able to buy in bookstores. I am both so excited and incredibly nervous. But mostly excited.

I think.

Anyways, stick around to the end for how to enter to win a signed ARC of Sparks Fly!

Before that though, I must also tell you that Sparks Fly is available for request on NetGalley! If you’ve never heard of NetGalley it’s a platform where reviewers, booksellers, librarians, and really anyone can create an account and request early digital (or audio) copies of books before they go on sale. Of course, there’s no guarantee you’ll get approved (and I have no say!) but if you’d like to try your luck you can request Sparks Fly here.

Additionally, while I have no say in who gets approved on NetGalley, my pub team has agreed to let me gather a list of Black readers to send a NetGalley widget to so you can start reading without needing approval. So, if you are Black reader, I’ve created a form for you to share your NetGalley email so I can share that info with my publishing team. This form closes on Monday, June 2 and you can fill it out here. We’re using the honor system here so please only fill out the form if you are a Black person.

Lastly, the moment you’ve all been waiting for (or scrolled to the bottom to see) it’s giveaway time!

Sparks Fly ARC Giveaway

The rules to enter are very simple. First, you must live in the U.S. Second, you must be 18 years old or older. This book is not for kids! Third, you must be subscribed to this Substack and comment on this post that you’d like to be entered in the giveaway. You can also flower me with praise, but that won’t earn you extra entries. That’s it! Giveaway will close on Friday, June 6 at 11:59 pm ET. Feel free to share this post with your friends, but they do have to subscribe to be entered to win. I will contact the winner with a message on Substack once the giveaway closes.

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And that’s it for today. See how I kept this short and sweet? I’m so kind. 😌 Ttyl!

It’s been one month since If We Were a Movie went on sale, and honestly I’m tired, but for good reason! I’ve been on the road! I went to YALLWEST and Gaithersburg Festival, and I still have a couple more events booked for June, but more on that later. The point is I’ve been outside, and I’m having a blast meeting so many readers and other authors. Everyone has been so kind and supportive, and I honestly still can’t believe people are not only reading my book they’re also enjoying it! I mean I thought it was good, but I’m glad you all do too.

If you weren’t able to make it to any of my events yet, never fear! Here’s where you can find me in June:

The Barnes & Noble Union Square Pride Festival

I’ll be on the YA panel at B&N Union Square’s first pride festival on June 16 at 6 pm! I’m so excited to be in conversation with all these amazing authors. The event is FREE but you do need to reserve your ticket here!

The Bronx Book Festival

You can also find me at the Bronx Book Festival on Saturday, June 21. Tickets are $23 and are on sale now. You can grab yours here!

And those are all the events I can talk about for now, but there are more on the way so make sure to keep an eye on your inbox!

In other news, I finished going through my first pass pages for Sparks Fly last week. If you don’t know, first pass pages are the first time the book starts to actually look like a book. It’s formatted in a PDF and the first pass is to catch any small errors we may have missed in copy edits. This was my first time reading the book in months so it was nice to catch up with Stella, Max, and all the other characters again. The hard part was knowing that the first pass was used for the advanced readers copy (ARC) that early readers are going to read, so all those little mistakes I caught are still going to be in there. Thankfully, I didn’t change anything too major but still I will try not to think about it for my sanity.

Speaking of ARCs, they are allegedly en route to my home and I’m so excited to get them! Of course, I will be doing a giveaway just for you all, so if you know anyone interested in grabbing an early copy of Sparks Fly make sure to tell them to subscribe to my newsletter! The digital ARC, or e-ARC, will be going up on NetGalley in June, but I’ll also give you guys a heads up when that happens. I am both excited and nervous for people to start reading this one. I still find myself wondering if I got the story right or if the blow job scene makes sense anatomically.

These are the fun questions that go through my head! But despite those scary thoughts reading my pass pages reminded me how funny and heartfelt I made this story. While the hook is about a virgin going to a sex club to finally swipe her v-card, the story also talks about a lot of issues near and dear to my heart. And it’s also fun and steamy! I think it’s some of my best writing (so far) and I hope you all feel the same when you finally get to read it.

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That’s all for now, re: updates. But, this newsletter is, in theory, also about k-dramas so here’s what I’ve been watching:

Resident Playbook

This spin-off to Hospital Playlist, which is one of my all time favorite k-dramas, had a slow start but when it got good it got very good. The show follows four first year residents (plus their chief resident) as they navigate the OB-GYN surgical department. The finale aired on Sunday and I’m having trouble accepting it’s over so I’ve been rewatching my favorite episodes this week. I simply can’t get enough and if there isn’t a Season 2 I’ll riot. I do recommend watching Hospital Playlist first if you haven’t seen it yet. There’s a cameo in almost every episode of Resident Playbook and it truly hits different if you’ve watched Hospital Playlist. That said, I think the show can stand on it’s own as well.

The Potato Lab

I’ve seen no one talking about this show and I don’t understand it. It’s so good! I was hooked right from the start and was so addicted I downloaded the whole season so I could watch it on my flights to and from YALLWEST. This is another show where I’d love a Season 2 (and the finale seemed to imply there’d be one so fingers crossed). The show follows Kim Mi-kyeong who works at, you guessed it, a potato lab. But when the lab is taken over by the company she used to work for, a new director is brought in and shakes up her whole world, in more ways than one!

Lastly, here’s what I’ve been reading:

• Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan - If you haven’t tapped into Kennedy Ryan’s books yet now is the time. This was the perfect end to her Skyland series, and for OG Kennedy fans there were a couple cameos from her older titles as well.

• The Education of Kia Greer by Alanna Bennett - I just started listening to the audiobook of this and I’m already hooked. I’ve known Alanna since 2015 when I (briefly) worked at BuzzFeed and getting to read her book has been such a joy.

• And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters - This is a book I’m working on and I’m obsessed with it! It’s a 1930s cozy mystery romance. It’s not out yet, but I highly recommend adding it to your TBR (or requesting it on NetGalley, if you’re on there). It comes out on October 14.

Before you go, if you haven’t gotten your copy of If We Were a Movie yet, you can purchase a copy here (or listen to the audiobook on Spotify!). And you can pre-order your copy of Sparks Fly here! Ttyl!

The day has finally come. My debut novel If We Were a Movie is finally here and I feel so many things. I first started working on this book in February 2022 when it was titled Would You Like Butter With That? and was a straight romance. As you can see a lot has changed, but what has changed the most is me.

I’ve had this story with me in my brain and on my computer while I’ve gone through some of the hardest moments of my life. This story was there when I quit my job with a viral blog post. It was there when my family suffered loss after loss after loss and I wasn’t sure we’d survive it. It was there when my dog died and it was there when I questioned why I was bothering to write a book when the world seemed to be going straight to hell.

But along with the lows I’ve also experienced so many of my greatest wins with this book. I got an agent, I got a new job, I got another book deal, and though it feels almost odd to say in these trying times I’m honestly the happiest I’ve ever been (shout out to my therapist!).

If We Were a Movie has been mine for over three years. With every rewrite and revision I fell more in love Rochelle, Amira, and all these characters that somehow went from my head onto the page. They made me laugh, they made me cry, and they made me believe that a better world can and will exist.

And now they’re yours. I hope these characters bring you the same joy they’ve brought me and you fall in love with them as I have. Wherever they go from here, I leave that up to you. Happy reading!

Purchase If We Were a Movie:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Bookshop | Walmart

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I’m so excited to finally share all the places you’ll be able to catch up with me in the next few months as I celebrate the release of If We Were a Movie. Below are all the details and tickets are now available for my launch events with Kristina Forest and Ebony LaDelle so please get ‘em while they’re hot!

Friday, April 4 - 1:45 p.m. ET

Adelphi Writers and Readers Festival

Garden City, NY

Register here!

Saturday, April 5 - 2 p.m. ET

Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Conference

New York, NY

Register here!

Tuesday, April 22 - 7 p.m. ET

The Ripped Bodice w/ Kristina Forest

Brooklyn, NY

Register here!

Thursday, April 24 - 7 p.m. ET

Grand Gesture Books w/ Ebony LaDelle

Virtual Event

Register here!

Saturday, May 3

YALLWest

Santa Monica, CA

Saturday, May 17

Gaithersburg Book Festival

Gaithersburg, MD

Saturday, June 21

The Bronx Book Festival

Bronx, NY

Register here!

Win a copy of If We Were a Movie!

ICYMI HarperCollins is currently running a Goodreads giveaway for 10 copies of If We Were a Movie! You can enter here!

Sparks Fly is available for pre-order!

While we’re entering the home stretch leading up to the release of If We Were a Movie, I can now also talk about my adult debut, Sparks Fly. I won’t be in full promo mode until If We Were a Movie is on-sale, but this is friendly reminder that you can now pre-order Sparks Fly wherever you buy books.

I’m so excited to finally share the cover of my adult debut novel, Sparks Fly! I’ve been working on this novel for so many years that it feels almost surreal that it now has a cover and will be released into the world later this year (December 2, to be specific). I said this back when the book was announced but Sparks Fly is the smutty bi4bi romance of my heart and I think the cover perfectly captures all the vibes of the story.

So, without further ado, here it is!

Can we get into the hand grip? Hello? 🥵

I’m literally obsessed and I hope you love it as much as I do. Major thanks to illustrator Alex Cabal for the amazing art and the designer, Lila Selle.

And here’s the official description:

A late bloomer has an instant connection with a stranger at a sex club, only for their chance encounter to upend her life in this adult debut from author Zakiya N. Jamal.

When Stella Renee Johnson's roommate invites her to a sex club party but bails at the last minute, Stella decides to use the opportunity to finally cash in her V-card. But just when things are heating up between Stella and a sexy stranger, they realize they don’t have protection and Stella, taking it as a sign this wasn't meant to be, flees.

Frustrated in more ways than one, Stella is shocked to learn that the digital media website where she works is partnering with an AI company. She's even more shocked when the alluring man from the previous night walks in. Max Williams is the CEO's brother and the creator of the AI program now threatening her job.

Despite the conflict of interest, Stella and Max can't resist their magnetic attraction toward each other, and agree to keep their personal lives separate from what’s happening at work. But the more similarities they discover at home—both Black, book smart, and bisexual—the more they butt heads at work. Stella and Max must decide whether to think with their heads and walk away from their budding relationship, or follow their hearts and take a chance on love, no matter the cost.

Sparks Fly is now available for pre-order! Purchase your copy here. I don’t have any word yet on ARCs but as soon as I do you all will be the first to know 😉

Other Book News

In case you haven’t already heard, there’s currently a Goodreads giveaway for If We Were a Movie. You can enter for your chance to win a copy here! See you all next month, which is also pub month (Ahhhh!).

I’m so excited to share you can now pre-order a signed and/or personalized copy of If We Were a Movie from The Ripped Bodice! You can pre-order to pickup at my event (more details soon!) or you can have it shipped, and they ship internationally.

The deadline to pre-order is April 15 so get your orders in now. You can purchase yours here!

I’ll have an update on all my events, both in-person and virtual soon. In the meantime, we’re about two months away from on-sale and I’m so excited to finally share this book with all of you.

Also, in other book news, I have seen the cover for Sparks Fly and I cannot wait to share it with you next month, which is only a couple weeks away!

Until then, I hope you’re all finding ways to stay sane in these crazy times. Sending you all my love and I’ll back in your inboxes in March. :)

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Happy New Year friends! The year is 2025 and I have not one, but TWO books coming out this year, which seems insane honestly. With that in mind we’re hitting the ground running with a sale!

I’ve partnered with Tertulia, a new site to buy books, so you all can pre-order If We Were a Movie at a discount. From now to February 6, you can pre-order If We Were a Movie for 25% off when you use the code MOVIE. AND if you sign up for a FREE 30-day trial membership for Tertulia, you can pre-order the book for 50% off. That means you can get If We Were a Movie for the low low price of $9.99. A steal for a hardcover!

You can pre-order your copy here! And you can find all the pre-order links for various retailers here!

In other book related news…

I have seen the cover for my adult romance debut, Sparks Fly, and it looks perfect! I’m so excited to share it with everyone, which will hopefully be soon. In the meantime, you can add it to your Goodreads shelf here!

That’s all for now. I hope you all had a great holiday season :)