SO I WROTE A BOOK

 

Over the last two years, I’ve been working on my first novel The Underground. Working on it started as an outlet during a stressful job and has accumulated into something I’m extremely proud of. Here’s how it started.

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THE UNDERGROUND

A novel by Brianna Cole.

As a child, reading was my escape from everything. I loved playing with toys, I loved video games and music. But reading was always the tried and true de-stressor. Being able to escape into a fantastic world of heroic individuals, magical realms and poetic love was a gift bestowed onto me by the authors I respected. I started with mystery and romance novels. I loved everything from Jane Eyre to I Know What You Did Next Summer.

“And that’s what people want to see when they go to the theater. I believe at the end of the day, they want to see themselves - parts of their lives they can recognize. And I feel if I can achieve that, it’s pretty spectacular.” — Viola Davis [via BrainyQuote]

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Yoruemi

An orphan in an underground world who discovers her magical roots and the legacy her family left for her.

As a young teen, I read a bit of manga and a metric ton of fantasy and adventure titles. Novels like the Thirst series, the Sookie Stackhouse novels, to the Night World books (and literally anything written by L.J. Smith) shaped my creativity and served as my inspiration. The one issue I had when reading, was my inability to ever be able to fully place myself in the main character’s shoes. Granted, I was grateful for all of the strong female leads I was able to adventure with. But there was something missing.

“I’m interested in having people of color at the center of their own lives. We don’t need to be saved by anyone. We do not have to have someone sweeping in on a white horse or someone saving the day or assisting us in our own narrative.” — Ava DuVernay [via CBS News]

Aside from a few titles I bought at my local Barnes and Nobles, like Julie Kagawa’s Immortal Rules series, I was missing a little color. I was a little black girl that couldn’t find many fantasy novels about little black girls. It wasn’t an end-all need for me to enjoy my escapism, but it was something I wanted to experience. So what to do? Luckily, lately, I’ve seen more and more titles with strong black female leads.

“I consider myself a crayon... I may not be your favorite color but one day you’ll need me to complete your picture.” — Lauryn Hill [via InspiringQuotes.us]

But I felt a need, a want, to participate fully in painting imaginative worlds like Christopher Pike, Lauren Kate, P.C. Cast, and Kristin Cast. But with the lead that looked like me, my friends, my family. So, on a slow day at work, I asked if there was anything left for me to do. My supervisor said no, take a break, but stay at your desk. So I opened Google Docs and started to type.

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” — Maya Angelou [via BrainyQuote]

So everyone, meet Yoruemi Folami, the black female lead in a complex land filled with diverse characters. This is The Underground.

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