We chat with debut YA author Jumata Emill about his novel The Black Queen, which offers important and nuanced conversations about race and diversity, white privilege, class issues, and policing in America.
Hi, Jumata! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Well, I’m a Real Housewives-obsessed, Marvel superhero movies aficionado who shops a little too much, should probably see a therapist to unpack why I watch so much true crime, am usually in the gym if I’m not writing who also harbors a love/hate relationship with the Deep South.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
Around the fourth grade. I wrote a skit as a class assignment for my school’s “Just Say No to Drugs” campaign and my teacher loved it so much that she let me cast my friends in the roles and showcase it to my classmates. The experience made me realize how much I loved storytelling and entertaining people.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first I think was a Dr. Seuss book, don’t remember which one but I had several in my library. I don’t know if there’s one specific one that made me want to become an author, but a series that’s responsible for my love of YA is Sweet Valley High. And a book I can’t stop thinking about right now is Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen.
Your debut novel, The Black Queen, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Twisty, Direct, Heartbreaking, Necessary and Timely.
What can readers expect?
The same page-turning suspense and twists readers love in a good murder mystery that also confronts difficult conversations around race, the criminal justice system, privilege, and modern-day segregation.
Where did the inspiration for The Black Queen come from?
A conversation with a former co-worker who casually mentioned that her high school had a policy where they would elect a white girl to serve as homecoming queen one year, and then a black girl the following year, alternating back and forth from year to year. It was seen as a way to ensure their homecoming courts had some diversity. I thought it was something so contrived but not surprising to hear being done in the South. That conversation stayed with me and I kept thinking the situation would make for a great premise to a story…if I added a murder.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
As problematic and difficult as she is, Tinsley’s arc was the most challenging and interesting to write. I really had to dig deep and have tough conversations with friends to understand how I could explore how a white person would confront their privilege and gain true understanding of how their ignorance or unwillingness to understand the nuances of race relations in this country contributes and perpetuates systemic racism.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting The Black Queen published?
Well, The Black Queen is the book I wrote to distract me while I was on submission for the first YA mystery I wrote that didn’t sell. I took some of the rejection feedback I was getting from that book and applied it as I was writing and revising The Black Queen. When it started to look like the first book wasn’t going anywhere, my agent felt strongly about The Black Queen and we decided to take another go at the submission process, and pretty early on got interest from who would eventually become my editor for this book.
Do you have any advice for those who may have set some writing resolutions for the new year?
They’ve probably already heard this before but I’ll say it again because I think it’s important. Keep writing and reading. Those two things are key. Every writer I know was a voracious reader first.
What’s next for you?
Working on another YA mystery (not a sequel to The Black Queen). Besides that, anxiously waiting for the new season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey to drop!
Lastly, are there any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker, House of Marionne by J.Elle and Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson.
