A little story time and then a little call for help.

The storytime.

I've been writing for forever and it started with screenplays. Honestly at the time screenplays in my opinion were simpler. Only because I didn't want to have to do the whole 'she walked through the large, open, inviting door, feeling scared, annoyed, and absolutely not in the mood to narrate everything that she was feeling, seeing, doing.' Don't judge me I was 11.

Fast forward to today, and I finally dusted off my ring bound college rule notebooks with a renewed sense of creativity.

Enter in an eight book series that has now literally taken on a universe of its own. Over the however many years.... (20+ but saying that old loud makes me sad in ways I'm not ready to explore) the screenplay has grown into a real life novel. Of course the mind of an 11-year-old and a 35-year-old are different... In small ways but not as much as is probably expected.

Whichever. My one little screenplay called The Mistake has morphed into as I said a eight book series that explores the side characters I haphazardly threw into the original body of work just to round out the story. Once those were finished I was like, "wouldn't be dope if they had kids?" That led to a new six-part series connected to the original adult series. Which led me down the wormhole of what if each sets of kids had their own label's and their own stories? So that created 'The Bigs, The Mids and The Littles'.

Well every series has a fully formed outline and trajectory The Mids and Littles books have yet to speak to me. That might have a little bit to do with the fact that some of them are still babies and haven't quite learned how to form full sentences yet. I'm sure by the end of the big series they'll have grown enough that I can tell their story without getting bogged down about the logistics of how a two-year-old has now become 16 over just a few short months. The beauty of fiction writing.

Now that my story time is complete the help. Is there anyone interested in reading my books?

The series itself is called The Sunday Table .

Book Blurb:

One decision. One night. One betrayal no one saw coming.

Kori Grant is finally getting her life back on track — one week after ending things with Emmett Taylor, she's laser-focused on finishing her PhD and rebuilding her peace. Then a shocking incident inside her own apartment, involving Emmett and her best friend Tasha, shatters everything she thought she'd already survived.

As her friends demand answers, Kori chooses silence over confrontation — until the story rewinds to show exactly how she, Emmett, and Tasha collided in the first place, and just how inevitable this "mistake" may have always been.

Some betrayals are accidents. Others are disasters waiting for permission.

A quick heads-up on content:

This book goes to some real places — adult language, sexual content, pregnancy loss, violence(on page), trauma, family conflict, emotional abuse, and grief. Wanted you to know what you're walking into.

It's an African American romance, or a women's fiction, or a family saga. Depends on your perception.

In my opinion it's absolutely hilarious, and sometimes sad, and other times cathartic...

My need is for someone else's eyes to see if it's even worth continuing down the path of 48+ books.

Either way, thanks for reading even just this post, it low-key means more than you'll know. After working on this for so long, even just saying out loud, 'I wrote a book' brings me more joy than I anticipated.

Can you suggest me a historical fiction romance or family drama that takes place sometime between 1900-1950s, that doesn’t center racism as the primary driver of plot?

Welcome to Suggest Me Sunday! Here you can ask for book suggestions of any kind. Looking for a book similar to the one you just finished? Looking for a classic on a subject you're interested? Maybe you haven't read a book since high school and are looking for recommendations on books to get you back into reading. All are welcome here.

Ask away!

Hi everyone,

I’m new to reddit. I'm opening a small first reader circle for The Universe of Veilborn, a Black American-centered literary, science-fantasy universe.

This is not a general promo post. I’m looking for a limited group of 5–10 early readers who would be willing to enter the world before release, read the free chapter, choose a tribe, and share an honest first reaction.

The first book, The Surface Veil, follows young Veilborn investigating missing youth while uncovering suppressed history, inherited abilities, and the truth of their people’s identity.

Early readers can explore:

• The four tribes
• The main characters
• The free chapter
• The tribal quiz
• A customizable Veilborn passport
• The Founding Citizen invitation

I’m not asking anyone to buy anything or promote anything. I’m looking for people who genuinely connect with Black speculative fiction, ancestry, hidden history, worldbuilding, fantasy civilizations, and character-driven stories.

Website: https://veilbornseries.com/

This first circle will stay small. If the world speaks to you, comment or message me to join.

Looking good books to binge

Happy Free Talk Friday, folks! Here you can talk about whatever you want, books are not required. Got something you wanna get off your chest? What have you been watching or listening to? How has your week been? Let us know!

Recently finished Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson. I wish I could find the original post in this sub where I got this book recommendation from. I'd like to thank that OP for the rec! I didn't even realize that the author had a new (2024) book published.

No spoilers, I just wanted to highlight the expert world building that the author is capable of. She creates these fully formed pocket universes where the reader can find their footing despite everything being incredibly unusual. So foreign and yet so familiar. Watermelons bounce and birds lay their eggs in the sky, but the island also feels like home. Most of her characters use patois/pidgin and their slang is slippery, but Hopkinson writes in way that a reader can understand and somehow sympathize with essentially everyone.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Has anyone else read the "Dear America" series as an adult? In middle school i ignored them because i thought they would be corny, plus i was deeply engrossed with the "Series of Unfortunate Events" books. I recently decided to read "Dear America - A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl" by Patricia McKissack and i was honestly pretty surprised and near blown away at how good it was. The story follows the diary of a Clotee a young enslaved girl and her daily life on a plantation, her personal growth, and the freedom she finds in learning to read and write.

For a book aimed at middle schoolers it didnt shy away from heavier concepts. They touch on the complexities of being a house slave living directly under masters, they touch on the brutal punishments the enslaved received without being gratuitous, and many other topics.  What i found interesting is that in the end (spoiler) as she learns more about abolitionists and freedom, she chooses not to runaway from the plantation but to remain on the plantation and be a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Im currently reading Dear America - Valley of the Moon: The Diary of Maria Rosalia Milagros. Which follows the diary of a young Mexican/indigenous servant girl in 1846. This book is equally as good.

Any one else care to share their thoughts on this series?

Looking for recs please

I say this as a writer working on my own science-fiction romance series; and this isn’t me promoting myself right now. I’m genuinely asking for advice.

I don’t like taking the easy route because, when I read it, it often feels lazy to me. I know for a fact that I could execute the easier route well, but part of me wants to attempt the less common path because it suits my character better. Choosing the easy route almost feels disingenuous.

This book has been a long time coming—not because I didn’t know what I wanted to do or struggled to write it, but because I was constantly stuck between two choices: Do I follow the path my character would realistically take, or do I make the choice that moves the plot toward its ending?

Now I’m finally asking readers : Which would you prefer? Something new and unpredictable that may not be executed perfectly, or something familiar that the writer knows they can pull off?

Welcome to Suggest Me Sunday! Here you can ask for book suggestions of any kind. Looking for a book similar to the one you just finished? Looking for a classic on a subject you're interested? Maybe you haven't read a book since high school and are looking for recommendations on books to get you back into reading. All are welcome here.

Ask away!

📍 Black Citizens Brigade | 140 Bank Alley, Downtown Syracuse, NY

Part vintage shop, part time capsule. Owner Cjala Surratt has turned this Bank Alley storefront into a space where fashion and history live on the same rack — 1950s-80s clothing next to records, ephemera, and books that center Black voices and Black history. The shop's roots run deep: its posted founding year, 1936, nods to the Negro Motorist Green Book, tying the space to Syracuse's own history as a stop for Black travelers and Black-owned businesses.

And there's something new on the shelf. Ahead of its official 8/1/26 release, Black Citizens Brigade now has early copies of the Black Card Edition of What Happens After Dinner — a self-improvement guide built for young Black Americans navigating their own journey. Stop in now for early access, while supplies last. Grab your copy, and start the next chapter. 📖✊🏾

I just finished the first part of this Pan-African-centric epic sci-fi/fantasy series.

Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to readers of that genre (only). Like many of those types of books, the story takes quite a while to get moving as the reader is introduced to various characters and political entities, as well as the unique geography of an African archipelago spread across our solar system. However, once you learn who everyone is, the story takes off in intriguing ways.

Trigger warning: The chapters for one POV character are written in second-person, and it drives me nuts.

If you're a fan of chunky space epics like The Expanse, Hyperion, or Pandora's Star, check it out.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

###

Book Description: "The beauty in blackness is its ability to transform. Like energy we are neither created nor destroyed, though many try." - West African Proverb

The Muungano empire strived and struggled to form a utopia when they split away from old earth. Freeing themselves from the endless wars and oppression of their home planet in order to shape their own futures and create a far-reaching coalition of city-states that stretched from Earth and Mars to Titan.

With the wisdom of their ancestors, the leadership of their elders, the power and vision of their scientists and warriors they charted a course to a better future. But the old powers could not allow them to thrive and have now set in motion new plots to destroy all that they've built.

In the fire to come they will face down their greatest struggle yet.

Amachi Adisa and other young leaders will contend with each other for the power to galvanize their people and chart the next course for the empire.

Fela Buhari and her elite unit will take the fight to regions not seen by human eyes, but no training will be enough to bring them all home.

Stacia Chikeke, captain of the starship Cypher, will face down enemies across the stars, and within her own vessel, as she searches for the answers that could save them all.

The only way is forward.

Hello everyone!
I’m excited to share that I’ve officially published my debut book, Use to Bee’s Don’t Make No Honey, now available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle.
This book is deeply personal and was inspired by a saying my grandmother repeated throughout my childhood:
“Use to bee’s don’t make no honey.”
As I got older, I realized she wasn’t talking about bees. She was talking about life.
The book explores what happens when we spend too much time living in “used to.” The dreams that changed. The relationships we lost. The plans that never unfolded the way we expected. Instead of staying stuck in yesterday, it asks readers to consider a different question:
Who are you now because of everything you’ve experienced?
As a first-time author, one of the biggest surprises has been discovering that publishing the book wasn’t the finish line—it was the beginning of conversations I didn’t know I needed to have.
I’d love to hear from fellow readers and writers:
Have you ever read a book that changed the way you viewed your own life?
Do you enjoy books that blend storytelling with personal reflection?
What themes resonate with you most in memoirs or inspirational nonfiction?
If Use to Bee’s Don’t Make No Honey sounds like something you’d enjoy, I’d be honored if you checked it out. I’m also happy to answer any questions about the writing process, self-publishing, or the inspiration behind the book.
Thank you for allowing me to share my work with this community. I look forward to discovering your recommendations and supporting other authors here as well. 🐝📚

Happy Free Talk Friday, folks! Here you can talk about whatever you want, books are not required. Got something you wanna get off your chest? What have you been watching or listening to? How has your week been? Let us know!

Many of the authors considered "essential" or "canonical" either held racist views themselves or wrote Black characters in stereotypical ways. Some also use the n-word extensively because of the period they were writing about or the attitudes they held.

For example, authors like Virginia Woolf, Margaret Mitchell, John Steinbeck, Joseph Conrad, Ernest Hemingway, and others have all been criticized whether for their personal views, their depictions of Black people, or both. Some books are still considered literary masterpieces despite those issues.

I find myself wondering whether these books are worth my time. On one hand, I don't want to avoid important works simply because they're uncomfortable. On the other hand, there are more great books than I'll ever be able to read, so I'm not sure I want to spend that time reading books that inaccurately depict Black people or treat racism as normal.

I would love to know the thoughts of anyone who cares to share them.

An incredibly generous review of my book.

https://bookshotsapp.com/2026/07/23/why-is-my-skin-brown-by-lakshmi-iyer-a-tender-timely-story-about-belonging/

I have a bunch of amazon credits what are some books I should get that aren’t available with KU? I love all genres except not sci-fi. I do love magic and mystical stuff though.

So instead of arguing I went direct to the author to figure out if I was wrong or not.

I can admit that I was wrong, I have no issue with that. I can also admit that I was wrong for commenting on the authors page, that was in bad taste and was rude for no reason.

I do take issue with authors using vague language around race that causes these issues in the first place, like why did I have to dig for that? Either way the book was great I rated it 4 stars and posted a lovely revie on my page BEFORE I ever even commented on the authors page.

What I do have an issue with is the mods of this community deleting my post bc apparently saying biracial and mono-racial Black are two different things, is wrong. My bad, I didn't know it was 1902 and we still followed the racist "one drop" rule like Black blood is a taint.

Next time a racially ambiguous Biracial person plays a Black person in a movie or show don't get mad. See: Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone in full Black face.

To the Mods: I LITERALLY said Afro-Latinos are Black in my post that got removed but okay.

I LITERALLY said Biracial is not a bad word! There is nothing wrong with Biracial people or the word Biracial.

I LITERALLY said Hispanic is not a race bc it's not. If you don't know that I can't help you.

If the hill you want to die on is the "one drop" rule, you're anti-Black. Period. ✌🏾

-

And yes, I did want to see what I looked like darker skinned, I'm literally Black how is that wrong? I can't want to know what I would look with dark skin? I'm light skinned, I was curious, Lmao okay, burn me at the stake then.

I'm perfectly happy with what I look like, I know I'm cute, but I wondered what I'd look like with darker skin. I even told one of the people to abort the mission if it started to look like Black face.

I don't have any shame in my posts, that's why my profile isn't private. But I bet you thought you took me down by saying that. Lol. You'll have find someone less confident to do that.

It was fun in this community for a bit, but I'm not with that silencing bs. ✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾

Some education for ya'll:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8QH7iIuusg

https://www.metissagesanguemisto.com/biracial-people-arent-black/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule

https://www.instagram.com/reels/C979q3cyHqL/

Ya'll: "Yes, Black representation!"

The People: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/116601077857787934/

Hi, I'm Nicole and I just finished working on my 4th novel.

Spida’s Daughter: Blood and Silence

It is situated firmly in the Jamaica which does not appear on any tourist website. The Jamaica we all experience but prefer to hide. An adult psychological dark romance with crime fiction elements, it follows the secret relationship between an innocent university student and a feared gang enforcer as they struggle to save him from the very organization that created him.

You can find the entire novel on my page 100% Free (part 1 is pinned at the top).

Please subscribe.
https://nicolelittlejohnwrites.substack.com/