WoW Blog

Now that the holiday season has come to an end and we’ve set our New Year’s goals, we want to encourage you to add just one more thing to your list—schedule your flu shot. Anyone can get the flu, even those of us who are healthy, and the fact is serious problems related to the flu can happen at any age. Flu season doesn’t end until March, and as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting the flu has become even more important. Women who are pregnant or have given birth in the last two weeks AND children under the...

Namina Forna is breaking into the Young Adult Fantasy world in an explosive way! Her debut novel, The Gilded Ones, will be released on February 9 and has already been compared to The Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.   In The Gilded Ones we meet Deka, a sixteen-year-old girl who lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. On the day of the ceremony, Deka's greatest fear becomes real -- and she knows she will face a consequence worse than death. Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a...

Desmond Hall's debut young adult Your Corner Dark novel follows Franklin, a Jamaican high school senior who has several difficult decisions to make and each one has lasting consequences. Each situation requires more and more of Franklin. At the end of it all, what will be left? The way Hall pays attention to detail gave this story a very cinematic experience ... you could feel the heat of the Jamaican sun, hear the Sizzla emanating from somewhere far off, see the lusciousness of the countryside. It's all very enveloping. This shouldn't be surprising however. While this may be Hall's first...

  In advance of their latest project, Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It, powerhouse creative couple Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney were gracious enough to sit down for a blog interview with me. My questions covered various topics including advice for budding creatives, what's been keeping them sane with everything going on lately, and what could possibly be on their bucket list?! Enjoy the conversation and nuggets from Andrea and Brian! Their answers will be bulleted.  _________________________ Through my work as a bookseller, I come into contact with many self-published authors. The world of self-publishing can be rough,...

On August 5, 2020, I had the pleasure of speaking with author Kristina Forest in advance of her upcoming YA romance novel, Now that I've Found You. We had a wonderful conversation and were able to cover a variety of topics.  Because the subtitles in the video are not 100% accurate, I've included my interview questions below... I love the fact that you (Kristina) champion stories that feature the average Black kid. While all of our stories have value, sometimes it feels as though diverse literature for children can be kind of heavy. The stories usually revolve around overcoming slavery...