Chew the Cud

Ruminations on Writing, Publishing Industry, and Life

Reminder: Give Yourself Grace

I knew—just like everyone else—that 2025 was going to be a challenging year. I was out on leave for the first quarter of the year, and I was able to wrap myself in the love of my family. It felt good to tune out work, and the world. When I went back to work, I hit the ground running, catching up on my inbox, and projects, and campaigns. I wrangled my inbox and then kicked off April with a work trip attending C2E2. It had been years since I had been in Chicago, and had attended the convention. It was a lot of fun, then I was off to Santa Monica for work to attend Yallwest. Another fantastic time with amazing readers. It felt like my transition back to work was filled with catching up with delightful authors, and the hardcore fans who love their work. It was the joy I needed in my life, something to look forward to because everything else in the world is in chaos.

By summer, there was increases in the chatter about ICE, immigration, raids etc. I couldn’t help but think about those within my circle whether friends or family who were now navigating the streets in complete fear and panic that at any moment, their freedom could be stolen from them like air snuffing out a flame—it could happen so quickly. I suddenly felt the panics and reality of all those who could slip away from me in the blink of an eye. By July I was anxious for what each day would like. And then I received a call from my sister while I was in San Diego working another convention. Another family member had died. While she broke the news to me over the phone, I lathered my arms and legs with lotion continuing to get ready for work. I don’t think the death news had hit me the same way it did my sister. She helped raise the deceased so she felt the impact more deeply. But for me, that was not the case. All I could think about was my childhood and the moments spent with this person. I truly didn’t know how to feel, because who ever really knows how to process death—grief.

For me though, I realized it wasn’t just sadness that I was feeling. It was relief. I’m not quite ready to unpack these feelings, but I knew that I needed to give myself the space, and the grace to allow those emotions to process. There’s so much emotional overstimulation that’s happening in our world and we’re so primed to force ourselves to just keep going and to not fully deal with things. This summer I didn’t allow myself to do that. I took the moment to feel and process. I think more of us should do this.

Welcome Back to Black Girl Dreaming.

A newsletter where I share notes on life, lessons learned, my big ol’ dreams, and my quest to conquer all of the things. I am excited to have y’all here with me on this journey. If there’s anything you’d like me to discuss, feel free to drop me a line, or hit me up in the comments section. And as always, thanks for reading!

TENDERNESS: MEDITATIONS ON LOVE, LOSS, & LIBERATION

Over the last year I’ve been chipping away working on my memoir. I’ve had to sit with a lot of things, asking myself many questions. In my memoir I will be examining the meaning of love, loss, and liberation. Inspired by bell hooks’ All About Love and James Baldwin’s quote “Love takes off the mask we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. I use the word “love” here not merely in the personal sense but as a state of being, or a state of grace—not in the infantile American sense of being made happy but in the tough and universal sense of quest, daring, and growth” I find myself exploring several different events and people who have shaped my life and made me the woman that I am today. Writing nonfiction is always cathartic for me, so I’m excited get this out into the world with the hopes that it inspires others to tell their own truths.

Writing about the traumas and joys of my life is complex, so I do tend to work on other projects at the same time so that I strike a balance. So recently I’ve been outlining and brainstorming for two works-in-progress. After coming off of the Locus win for the amazing anthology that I co-edited with Desiree Evans, I’ve been eager to get my debut novel out. I’ve been working on a YA horror and a YA fantasy. I recently had a

HERE’S WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Watching

I’m currently watching Tyler Perry’s Sistas and

Reading

I’m in a reading pause because life is a lot right now. But please give me recommendations and tell me all about what you are reading!

Eating

These days I’m getting my fill of Ramen. I’m obsessed with Roc N Ramen in New Rochelle. You can catch me there likely two times a week at this point lol.

I’m building up my online presence on reader sites, follow me on BookBub, Goodreads, and Amazon.

That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates, even though I’m kinda on hiatus, I pop online every now and again. xo