Come, let me catch you up

The heat in New York has a way of slowing time down, pressing into the pavement and demanding that we pause. It is the time when the words come easiest, when the ancestors feel closest, and when I can sit with the characters who still have more to say.

July was a month of movement and beautiful connection. We spent a Sunday navigating the streets for Pages in the City NYC, celebrating the words that shape us. I also had the profound joy of sitting down with Amanda Coreishy and a brilliant group of independent authors on July 12th to talk honestly about the realities of indie publishing. We unlearned the need for gatekeepers together.

The work of bringing Scarlet Yearnings Beyond First Glance into the world has been a labor of love, and seeing how these stories, about the choices we make after the first spark fades, are resonating with you has been a deeply humbling experience.

And then something happened that stopped me in my tracks. Scarlet Yearnings is now available in Spanish. Doce Cuentos de Amor, Deseo y Segundas Oportunidades. I sat with that for a long time. These stories, born out of my specific world, my specific woman, my specific Caribbean sensibility, are now traveling in another language. The ancestors are not surprised. I am still catching up to them.

There is also something new taking shape. Stand Clear is coming, and I am not ready to say too much yet, only that it is a story of love, return, and the life you build when you stop running. When it is time, you will be the first to know.

Now, as we settle into August, the work shifts from releasing the stories to living inside them with you. Last week, I joined the community at Cindelle’s Bookstore in New Jersey for A Midsummer Night’s Romance, reading alongside fellow writers. It is in these rooms, sharing the cadence of storytelling and the realities of mature intimacy, that the real work happens.

We tackled the question, “What is romantic comedy? Can Black stories be classified as such? Who gatekeeps what fits within a genre?”

I want to invite you into more of these spaces. As a storydoula, my greatest joy is helping readers deepen their connection to the pages they turn. The story continues wherever we show up next. If you are part of a book club, or if you organize literary festivals, university series, or cultural events, I would love to join you. We can explore the complexities of love, diaspora storytelling, and intergenerational healing. Whether it is a virtual book club visit, a panel discussion, or a keynote reading, I am here for the conversations that feel like they were always supposed to happen. You can find more about bringing these discussions to your community in my media kit, or simply reach out directly.

Looking ahead to the rest of this month and into September, there are beautiful moments on the horizon. On August 29th, I will be at the historic Adam Clayton Powell Jr State Office Building for the Harlem Book Fair. The next day, August 30th, we gather for the virtual launch of Reputation, a book by Amanda Coreishy that explores what happens when love asks a woman to compromise her faith and family. And as the air begins to change in September, I will be joining Well Read Sistas NYC on the 19th for Behind The Pages, a virtual author chat diving deep into Beyond First Glance.

The stories belong to you now. If this work speaks to you, please help it travel. Request it at your local library, ask for it at your neighborhood bookstore, or gift it to a friend who is ready for it.

QOTW - How are you navigating the heat of this season, and what stories are keeping you company right now?

Àṣẹ, Scarlet

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For the entire month of August 2026, I am running a 20% discount on all print titles in my Ko-fi shop. This includes the new Spanish paperback of Scarlet Yearnings, as well as the English editions and Scarlet Birthright. (Stand Clear is not included.)

You can use the code DESEO20 at checkout.

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