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WORK TITLE: A Lethal Lady
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WEBSITE: https://www.nekesaafia.com/
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PERSONAL
Born in Canada.
EDUCATION:Calgary Academy, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 2012; Toronto Metropolitan University (then Ryerson University), B.A. (journalism, English), 2017.
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Dancing, sewing, dog lover.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
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Canadian novelist Nekesa Afia has been writing since she was a child. After attending Calgary Academy in Alberta, Canada, she earned a degree in journalism and English at Toronto Metropolitan University. She published her first novel, Dead Dead Girls while still a student.
Afia’s “Harlem Renaissance Mysteries” series debut Dead Dead Girls takes place in Harlem in 1926, where young Black woman Louise Lloyd works at Maggie’s Café by day, rooms at Miss Brown’s boardinghouse, where she has a secret romance with fellow tenant Rosa Maria Moreno, and drinks and dances the night away at the hip Zodiac speakeasy. One night she gets into an altercation with a white cop and is brought to the station. But Detective Theodore Gilbert recognizes her as the Harlem Hero. When Louise was a teenager, she was kidnapped and managed to escape and free other captured girls, earning notoriety and the nickname. Now, she’s given an offer she can’t refuse: jail time or helping Gilbert catch a serial killer targeting Black women. Everyone in Louise’s orbit is a suspect, including Maggie, whose grandson runs a sleazy nightclub where one of the victims worked.
In an interview with Robert Lee Brewer at Writer’s Digest, Afia explained her desire to write the book: “I’ve always loved mysteries, and I wanted to write one with the main character who looked like me. I’ve always been fascinated with true crime, and I wanted to challenge myself to write a mystery.”
In Kirkus Reviews, a contributor noted: “Louise’s fight for respect and dignity is depicted with infectious passion. A promising, if uneven, debut novel (and series kickoff) with a vibrant setting.” Afia “couples tender relationships with strong senses of era and place. Afia has made an auspicious start,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, who added that readers will root for Louise who elevates the mystery. Booklist critic Karen Muller remarked: “Afia ably tracks how Louise goes from reluctant hero to detective.”
Afia talked about writing Louise Lloyd’s character with Katrina Niidas Holm in Publishers Weekly, saying she never got to see a character in a book that looked like her: “I love mysteries, and I love puzzles and putting things together, but I couldn’t find a really good mystery series I liked with a BIPOC protagonist. And I was like, okay, well, if I can’t find one, I’m gonna write it.”
The next book in the series, Harlem Sunset, set in Harlem in 1927, finds Louise “Lovie” Lloyd investigating the death of a long ago acquaintance. Louise gets her dream job working as manager of the Dove, a nightclub owned by her girlfriend Rosa Maria’s twin brother Rafael. One night she encounters Nora Davies, one of the young girls she was kidnapped with as a teen and rescued. The women spend the night at the club drinking and dancing. In the morning they awaken to find Nora dead, Rosa Maria covered in blood, and no one remembering what happened. Knowing that Rosa Maria can’t have killed Nora, Louise investigates. But when someone breaks into her apartment and writes “Guilty” on the wall in blood, Louise fears she may be in danger.
Afia’s second book “continues the personal stories of her compelling cast and deepens her atmospheric depiction of the Jazz Age in Harlem,” according to a writer in Kirkus Reviews. “Lovie’s fans will follow wherever she goes” as she triumphs and makes a decision that will change her life, noted Jane Murphy in Booklist.
In an article in Writer’s Digest, Afia described how the character of Louise evolved from Dead Dead Girls to Harlem Sunset: “I’m constantly thinking about how my characters can grow and change over the years… it’s more building a character with heart and personality, and then seeing what I can do to change it. Plotting out my character arcs was one of the first things I did when I began to plan out Harlem Sunset. I always want to build on their personalities, their flaws, and everything that makes them human.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, June 1, 2021, Karen Muller, review of Dead Dead Girls, p. 40; May 1, 2022, Jane Murphy, review of Harlem Sunset, p. 32.
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2021, review of Dead Dead Girls; May 1, 2022, review of Harlem Sunset; May 15, 2024, review of A Lethal Lady.
Publishers Weekly, April 19, 2021, review of Dead Dead Girls, p. 60; April 19, 2021, Katrina Niidas Holm, “PW Talks with Nekesa Afia: All She Wants to Do Is Dance.”
ONLINE
Nekesa Afia Home Page, https://www.nekesaafia.com/ (July 1, 2024).
Writer’s Digest, https://www.writersdigest.com/ (May 31, 2021), Robert Lee Brewer, “Nekesa Afia:On Approaching Genre as a Challenge”; (July 11, 2022), Nekesa Afia, “How I Made My Main Characters Grow in My Novel Series.”
Nekesa Afia
Twenty-four-year-old Nekesa Afia just finished her undergrad degree (bachelor's in journalism, with a minor in English) and is a publishing student. When she isn't writing, she's dancing, sewing, and trying to pet every dog she sees. She's been writing since she was a child and this is her debut novel.--This text refers to the paperback edition.
Genres: Historical Mystery
New and upcoming books
July 2024
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A Lethal Lady
(Harlem Renaissance Mystery, book 3)
Series
Harlem Renaissance Mystery
1. Dead Dead Girls (2021)
2. Harlem Sunset (2022)
3. A Lethal Lady (2024)
Hi!
I'm Nekesa Afia: mystery writer with a love of musicals. Other things I love are hot chocolate, long walks, swing dancing, and sewing. I'm a true crime obsessive and love to put together puzzles. DEAD DEAD GIRLS is my debut novel.
ALUMNI
Nekesa Afia: Writing Your Future
February 9, 2024 4 min read
The Calgary Academy Learning Commons is a magical place with books lining the walls, where if you sit down with the right books, you can read powerful stories written by an alum who stood in the same building years ago.
Dead Dead Girls and Harlem Sunset are two novels written by CA alum Nekesa Afia (’12). Known as the Harlem Renaissance Mysteries series, these novels follow protagonist Louise Lloyd in the 1920s as she helps solve murders in her local community.
Nekesa spent five years at Calgary Academy, where she honed her passion for writing, made countless memories, and learned lessons she still follows today.
The Beginnings of an Author
Nekesa wouldn’t say CA made her a writer, but the school certainly fostered her interests. Writing filled the gaps in the school day between and often during classes. She remembers drafting one-act plays in drama class (and performing in school musicals like The Lion King) and quickly writing down notes during class to capture new ideas in her head. She would sit in her classes thinking, “I have to write this down.”
After graduating, she pursued a degree in journalism at the Toronto Metropolitan University (then Ryerson University), where the diligent notetaking and study habits she learned at CA helped her thrive. After completing her degree in 2017, she pursued a certificate in publishing, fully intending to become an editor and work in children’s literature. Little did she know she would have a book deal by that summer.
Reflecting on her time at CA, Nekesa remembers how impactful the REACH principles (respect, enthusiasm, altruism, commitment, and honesty) have been in her life and career—she tries to exemplify them whenever possible. Commitment has been at the top of her mind as an author of multiple books.
“The REACH principles are the most important thing I took from Calgary Academy. I’m in my 20s and will still think, ‘let’s commit to this.’ Once I start something, I have to finish it, no matter what.” – Nekesa
Bringing 1920s Mysteries to Life
While Nekesa now has multiple published books, the experience of her first still feels like a dream. She remembers rewriting the novel countless times until a friend convinced her to focus on pitching to publishers instead, committing to receive as many rejections as necessary until her idea was accepted. While rejections were inevitable, she received a book deal a few months later.
After many submissions to agents and working with her publishing house on edits and proofreading, Dead Dead Girls hit the shelves in 2021.
While Nekesa’s books are captivating and loved, she never saw herself writing mysteries. The idea for Dead Dead Girls first came to life in one of her university history classes focused on 1800s London and New York. What started as a thought of “what if Jack the Ripper was in the 1920s” became multiple novels.
“It was so crazy that I wrote this book thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can write,’ and people saw the potential in my work. It’ll always feel so surreal.” – Nekesa
After many glowing reviews (including from the New York Times), Nekesa wrote the second book in her mystery series, Harlem Sunset. Looking back, she didn’t believe she would be where she is in her career now if not for her persistence—one of her biggest challenges was pushing through to her goal despite her worries.
“Learning to write was hard, but getting over that fear was everything… Learning to ignore reviews helped too.”
Nekesa encourages anyone interested in literature to read as much as possible from different authors. The more experiences someone has, the sooner they’ll find what inspires them. When writing, she believes everyone should write for themselves first—everything else will follow.
“I think that’s most important—writing genuine and authentic things. The ideas someone truly wants to explore.”
You can find Dead Dead Girls and Harlem Sunset at local bookstores or visit Nekesa’s Amazon store. Her next mystery, A Lethal Lady, releases on July 30, her third novel in the Harlem Renaissance Mysteries series.
Nekesa Afia: On Approaching Genre as a Challenge
In this article, novelist Nekesa Afia explains how she initially wrote a romance novel, but then switched over to the mystery and historical fiction genres to challenge herself, producing her debut title, Dead Dead Girls.
ROBERT LEE BREWERMAY 31, 2021
Nekesa (Nuh-kes-ah) Afia (Ah-fee-ah) is a Canadian millennial who is doing her best. When she isn’t writing, she is either sewing, swing dancing, or actively trying to pet every dog she sees. Dead Dead Girl is her debut novel.
Nekesa Afia
Nekesa Afia
Photo credit FizCo Photography
In this post, Afia explains how she initially wrote a romance novel, but then switched over to the mystery and historical fiction genres to challenge herself, producing her debut title, Dead Dead Girls, and more!
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Grammar and Mechanics
Do you remember the difference between the 8 parts of speech and how to use them? Are you comfortable with punctuation and mechanics? No matter what type of writing you do, mastering the fundamentals of grammar and mechanics is an important first step to having a successful writing career.
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Name: Nekesa Afia
Literary agent: Travis Pennington, The Knight Agency
Book title: Dead Dead Girls
Publisher: Berkley (PRH)
Release date: June 1, 2021
Genre: Mystery, historical fiction
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
IndieBound | Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]
What prompted you to write this book?
I was prompted to write this book because I’ve always loved mysteries, and I wanted to write one with the main character who looked like me. I’ve always been fascinated with true crime, and I wanted to challenge myself to write a mystery.
(5 Tips on How to Write a Cunning but Cozy Mystery Novel)
How long did it take to go from idea to publication?
It took five years. Dead Dead Girls was my 2017 NaNoWriMo project. It changed wildly during the process. In the beginning, it was about a woman named Lela Leigh who worked for a shady, CIA-type organization. It took a lot of finessing and rewriting to get the book to where I wanted it to be.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
The entire publishing process has been a dream. I’m honestly surprised how well the book has been received so far. It’s a story I really believe in.
(23 Authors Share Tips on Writing Mystery and Thriller Novels That Readers Love)
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I surprised myself by being able to write a mystery. Before this, I wrote a romance novel that will never see the light of day. I wrote a mystery simply to challenge myself. The research and work that it took to build a world that is realistic and alive were surprising as well. I found myself researching very odd subjects.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that readers get another look at the 1920s as a time period as a whole. I hope they fall in love with the time period, but also realize that it wasn’t all sunshine and roses.
Nekesa Afia: On Approaching Genre as a Challenge
If you could share one piece of advice with other authors, what would it be?
Patience! I always say patience. Keep your head down, focus on your own progress, and be patient.
How I Made My Main Characters Grow in My Novel Series
Author Nekesa Afia shares how she went about growing her characters from the first to the second novel in her series. She picks four characters who appeared in both novels and (without spoilers) sheds light on how they've changed.
NEKESA AFIAJUL 11, 2022
The thing about writing a long running (we hope!) series is that the characters need to grow and change. When I sat down to start drafting my sophomore novel, Harlem Sunset, which is also second in a series, the first thing I thought about was how I wanted my main characters to be the same, but different.
(5 Tips for Creating a Fully Realized Historical Setting.)
We all learn lessons, and for my main character Louise, every book holds a lesson. Everything is meant to teach her something. Whether she actually decides to learn from it or not is her business, but the lesson is there!
I’m constantly thinking about how my characters can grow and change over the years my books take place. Yes, some of that is location and the time period, but it’s more building a character with heart and personality, and then seeing what I can do to change it.
Plotting out my character arcs was one of the first things I did when I began to plan out Harlem Sunset. I always want to build on their personalities, their flaws, and everything that makes them human.
I’ve written before about how I made my characters feel so real. Now I’d like to visit the sequel (#spoilerfree) and talk about what changed and what stayed the same with a few of the Harlem Renaissance characters.
How I Made My Main Characters Grow in My Novel Series
1. Louise Lloyd
At the end of Dead Dead Girls, Louise really, truly thinks that the worst of her life is over. She’s ready to move on with her girlfriend and her best friend and live her best flapper girl life. Of course, that’s not going to happen. Her growth is in how she handles it. In a change from Dead Dead Girls, Louise is all in this time—for Rosa Maria. Louise’s love for Rosa Maria drives this book.
As the main character, it’s Louise who the reader follows. And she has grown considerably since the end of Dead Dead Girls. She has a new job, a new apartment. She’s even quit drinking and smoking. Louise is committed to living her best life possible. But she’s still wary of men, still stubborn, still easily outraged. She still feels the need to stick her nose in everything.
She’s still piecing herself together. She’s still in a hurry to be someone and do something, and with a new case to handle, Louise will have to use the experience she got in the first book, and nothing is what it seems.
With Louise, it has to be baby steps, learning one thing at a time, or else she’ll hit a wall mid-series. It’s often one step forward, two steps back with Louise. I tried to hit a balance in her traits to show her growth.
2. Rosa Maria Moreno
Rosa Maria remains Louise’s stalwart, steadfast girlfriend. And her life is turned upside down when she’s accused of murder. But she remains practical and introverted, with her eyes on her goals. In Dead Dead Girls, Rosa Maria was Louise’s beacon of support, of warmth, her home. Now, it’s her that Louise is fighting for through this entire book.
Rosa Maria has her own goals. She wants to be taken seriously at her job and wants to finish the book she’s writing.
#Lousa has taken a big step since the end of Dead Dead Girls. Living together, their lives are even more intwined. They get to sleep in the same bed, they get to inhabit the same space without judgement. But their relationship is also threatened over and over.
With Rosa Maria, I wanted to focus on her getting her goals, much like Louise in book one. Whether she gets her goals remains to be seen.
Check out Nekesa Afia's Harlem Sunset:
Harlem Sunset, by Nekesa Afia
IndieBound | Amazon
(Writer's Digest uses affiliate links.)
3. Rafael Moreno
Rafael has probably gone through the biggest, most visible change from Dead Dead Girls to Harlem Sunset.
Louise and Rosa Maria’s changes were more internal. But our favorite lazy gay is now a business owner who is possibly caught in a small love triangle. Even though he has a business to run, he hasn’t lost his charming, fun-loving qualities. He’s the same guy, deep down, just with a lot more responsibilities.
This time around, I wanted to show him as more mature, even though he’s still the man Louise can turn to, and still looking to have the easiest time possible. He’s Louise’s sounding board, and probably always will be.
4. Josie Lloyd
Josie has the saddest arc in Harlem Sunset. After the loss of someone very close to her, she is untethered.
To put it frankly, in this book, Josie has to fight to choose what she wants. She has to decide that she wants to live, and then do it.
Josie is still 17. In Louise’s eyes (and mine) she’s still a literal child. She has the whole world ahead of her for the taking, and she just needs to decide to do it.
Where Louise and company were at the beginning of Dead Dead Girls is not the same as where they are at the beginning of Harlem Sunset. Everything in the past has to somehow influence the future, and for me, that’s the most thrilling part about writing a series. I’m excited to see how my characters grow and change as I continue writing.
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CHARACTER ARCWRITING CHARACTERSNOVEL SERIES
Nekesa Afia
BY NEKESA AFIA
Twenty-four-year-old Nekesa Afia recently finished her undergrad degree (bachelor’s in journalism, with a minor in English) and is a publishing student. When she isn't writing, she’s dancing, sewing, and trying to pet every dog she sees. She’s been writing since she was a child and this is her second novel.
Black History Month – Interview with Nekesa Afia, Author of Dead Dead Girls; On Writing a Historical Mystery & Centering Queer Black Women
FEBRUARY 10, 2021 CW @ THE QUIET POND2 COMMENTS
Black History Month - Interview with Nekesa Afia, Author of Dead Dead Girls; On Writing a Historical Mystery & Centering Queer Black Women
One of my favourite things about historical fiction is that I get pulled into a world close to what someone in the past lived through. Though I don’t depend on historical fiction to educate me, it is also a pretty cool opportunity to learn about periods in time that existed and shaped lives and history, and to also get a perspective into the past and how it led to society today. Books like Homegoing, that explore Black and African-American history are phenomenal, and I always want more.
We know that I adore historical fiction, but I have never considered myself a mystery fan. However, when I read the blurb for Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia, I stopped myself: but what if I haven’t given it a chance? Cue Dead Dead Girls, with its intriguing hook and about a young queer Black woman solving mysteries set in the Prohibition Era? Sign me up immediately, because this book sounds absolutely phenomenal and I cannot wait to read it.
I have such an exciting author interview with Nekesa to share with you all today. I love all the interviews that I do with authors, but I especially love this one. I was excited for Dead Dead Girls before, but I think after reading this interview, my excitement grew tenfold. I hope that you’ll love this interview as well.
DEAD DEAD GIRLS BY NEKESA AFIA
The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set in 1920s Harlem featuring Louise Lloyd, a young black woman caught up in a series of murders way too close to home…
Harlem, 1926. Young black girls like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead.
Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She’s succeeding, too. She spends her days working at Maggie’s Café and her nights at the Zodiac, Manhattan’s hottest speakeasy. Louise’s friends might say she’s running from her past and the notoriety that still stalks her, but don’t tell her that.
When a girl turns up dead in front of the café, Louise is forced to confront something she’s been trying to ignore–several local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks. After an altercation with a local police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or let a judge make an example of her.
Louise has no choice but to take the case and soon finds herself toe-to-toe with a murderous mastermind. She’ll have to tackle her own fears and the prejudices of New York City society if she wants to catch a killer and save her own life in the process.
Find this book on:
Goodreads | IndieBound | Blackwells| Bookshop | Penguin Random House
AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH NEKESA AFIA
CW: Hi Nekesa! A warm welcome to the Pond – it’s so wonderful to have you visiting us today for Black History Month! For our friends out there who might be only meeting you for the first time, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Nekesa: Hi! I’m so glad to be here. I’m Canadian, I’m a millennial and Dead Dead Girls is my debut novel. Aside from writing, I’m an avid sewist, and I’ve been making my own clothes for four years now. I also swing dance, or used to before a pandemic. I’m always trying to keep myself busy and trying to learn or do something. I’m clearly a history fan; my favourite eras are the 1920s and the 1950s.
CW: I was so delighted to learn about your book, Dead Dead Girls, which is an adult historical mystery about a Black woman who gets caught up in a series of murders. This book sounds so awesome – can you tell us a little bit more about it and what you’re most excited for readers to discover in your book?
Nekesa: I’m excited for readers to explore another version of the prohibition era. It’s typical to look at this era with rose coloured glasses, and think that it was all Gatsby parties and raging til dawn. And while that’s mostly true, there was still major injustice. Louise Lloyd, the protagonist, is just a woman trying to find her way in the world, and with that, I think her story still resonates and is quite modern.
CW: I know that you worked really hard on Dead Dead Girls – which makes me even more excited to read it when it comes out in June 2021! What sort of research did you do for Dead Dead Girls, and how can we expect the historical setting – 1920’s Harlem – to shape the protagonist, Louise’s, story?
Nekesa: I always say that I could have written this story in the 2020s, and the only thing that would have changed was the fashion. I’m a huge Historical Fiction person, and part of my longing to write a period piece was to see myself as the main character and not the side character, villain, or victim, if we even exist at all. Part of writing in an era that you don’t live in is accepting the fact that you’ll never be able to get all of the details correct. It’s impossible. For me, it was a lot of reading, and a lot of scouring the internet for extant garments and patterns for clothes. I’m also lucky to have brilliant siblings who don’t mind being asked weird questions.
CW: I love that Dead Dead Girls is a queer historical mystery. Often history is told in heteronormative ways, so I love that Louise is, as you describe, is a ‘tiny, tired lesbian’. What does writing queer characters mean to you?
Nekesa: That description was supposed to be a joke, but there is a lot of truth in it. I tried to write someone like myself. I wanted to see myself in pages of a book. That was my main goal. Writing characters who are unapologetically themselves in every way possible was what I wanted to do. Another major component to queer stories is that there is an element of shame or disgust, and I wanted a character who was proud of herself. The 1920s was not a great time for LGBTQ+ people, or Black people, or anyone who wasn’t a straight white Christian man. But making someone up who has come to terms with herself and has accepted who she is, really helped me love myself.
CW: As my co-blogger best put it in her interview last year with mystery author Naomi Hirahara, race in mystery novels featuring characters of colour often add another layer to the story, because of the complicated relationship people of colour, especially Black people, have with the legal system. In the blurb for Dead Dead Girls, it sounds like this complicated relationship is explored, especially when Louise is given a choice to either help them solve the case or be prosecuted. How does Dead Dead Girls, as a mystery novel, interrogate the justice system and the injustices that Black women face?
Nekesa: This is a really, really good question. The thing about Dead Dead Girls is that Louise is put into an impossible situation. No spoilers, but her reason for arrest is minor, and the ultimatum she’s given is a little ridiculous. But she is in a position that’s very different from the white men who are investigating this case. She’s a Harlem native. She’s able to go to clubs and get the respect of the girls. She’s clever, scrappy, and street smart. She’s the police scapegoat and she realizes that.
Louise only takes the case because she doesn’t want to go to jail. That’s it. It’s self preservation. But she finds that her position is unique. Louise is the person who cares about these girls, wants to solve the murders and is the one standing up for lives that the police are indifferent about.
I put her between a rock and a hard place, and she will thrive through the novel.
CW: Mystery novels sound so complex to write, and I take my hat off to anyone who writes mystery stories! What was your biggest challenge while writing the mystery aspect of Dead Dead Girls? And what are you most proud of?
Nekesa: I was coming off of writing a romance novel when I started writing the project that would be Dead Dead Girls. The hardest thing was patience. With mysteries, you have to reveal the right information at the right time, and not jumping the gun, so to speak, was so hard.
I’m proud that I managed to write something complex that I’m proud of. I was always a fan of mysteries and writing one felt like the biggest mountain to climb. Within the story, I’m so happy with the fact that I managed to create characters that readers love, and that I gave new life to a distant decade.
CW: I cannot wait to read Dead Dead Girls! What are you working on next?
Nekesa: Dead Dead Girls has a sequel coming out in 2022! That’s what I’ve been focusing on. I’ve been exploring different aspects in Louise’s world for this one, and I’m very excited about it.
CW: And my last question is one that I like to ask all of our friends! What is a food that reminds you of ‘home’ – wherever or whoever that may be?
Nekesa: Macaroni and cheese! It’s my favourite comfort food. I usually try to make it myself, but there’s a place near me that makes it perfectly with pulled chicken on top and it is the perfect way to pull myself out of a bad mood.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Twenty-four-year-old Nekesa Afia just finished her undergrad degree (bachelor’s in journalism, with a minor in English) and is a publishing student. When she isn’t writing, she’s dancing, sewing, and trying to pet every dog she sees. She’s been writing since she was a child and this is her debut novel.
Find Nekesa on: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Newsletter
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: NEKESA AFIA
28 June 2022 by Manon Wogahn Leave a Comment
Today’s featured author is Nekesa Afia. Nekesa’s debut, Dead Dead Girls (Berkley, 2021) got my attention last year with its glitzy 1920s Harlem setting and fiery protagonist. Its sequel, Harlem Sunset, is on shelves as of June 28th.
Read along for my interview with Nekesa, in which we chat mysteries, book recs, and the Roaring Twenties.
Connect with Nekesa on Instagram, Goodreads, and her website. Grab a copy of Harlem Sunset from your favorite retailers here.
Nekesa Afia
Hi Nekesa! Thanks so much for joining. Both your books, Dead Dead Girls and Harlem Sunset, are set in 1920s New York City. What kind of research did you do while writing, and/or is there a reason you picked this time period? If you were to put Louise Lloyd in another time period, what would it be?
Hi! Thank you for having me.
I picked this time period because it’s been an era I’ve always been fascinated in. I’ve always been interested in history, and there was something about this decade, with the ban on alcohol, and the way it backfired, and how the time was so romanticized in literature. I always say I could have set these books now and barely anything would change. If I had to choose another decade, I think I would go for the swinging sixties, and Lou could wear mini dresses and go-go boots!
I did a ton of research. There are so many things we take for granted-clothing, food, work, travel-that we do every day. I had to figure out what Lou would do and who she would be back in the 1920s. It’s fun research, but she’s a whole person who is ninety-four years older than I am, so the research could be complicated too. Aside from the lifestyle, I also had to figure out how to be a murderer really quickly. I spend a lot of time researching death methods, which is grim.
Your heroine, Louise Lloyd, is a fiery, determined young woman—which makes for fantastic detective. What qualities do you love most about Louise? Were you inspired by any historical or literary figures when crafting her character?
I love Lou! She suffers no fools and I tried to make that evident from the first page. I didn’t base her off anyone in particular, but the greatest thing about my friend group is that I am surrounded by wonderful women who are unique in their own ways. Lou has their confidence, their maternal nature, their love of laughter and dancing. My mother will tell you I based Lou off of myself but that’s not true. She’s way cooler than I am.
Mystery, as a genre, has historically lacked diversity, from its detectives to its victims. Dead Dead Girls and Harlem Sunset center Black and queer experiences, and to see that in the mystery space is exciting and important. What has writing this series meant to you? Why is it important to tell these stories?
I have always loved mysteries. I was always a Nancy Drew girl. But growing up, characters like me were always the side characters, and I never got to see myself as the star. Writing this series has been the greatest gift to child me. I also set these books in a time period that has been so heavily romanticized that people see it was the best time. And the prohibition was great. For straight white men. Even for straight white women. But for any other race or class, it really sucked. So being able to shine a light on a more realistic view of the 1920s has been really great. It has also been horrible to learn about the racism and homophobia and then inject it into my writing. But it’s been necessary.
(Also, maybe this is too much to include in one question, but I’m curious—do you have any book recommendations, especially mystery, for readers looking to diversify their shelves?)
A couple of quick recommendations: My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa (and scope out her next one: You’re Invited). The Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries by Mia P. Manasala, starting with Arsenic and Adobo. I think there are two or three books in the Hollywood Homicide series by Kellye Garrett, and her newest, Like A Sister, is centered around Hollywood as well. Naomi Hirahara also writes historical mysteries, her latest is Clark And Division.
But the best place to find crime novels by writers of colour is this database!
Can you share a bit about how you write mystery? Are you an outliner, or do you like to write and see how the mystery unfolds? What does your writing process look like?
My process is a little chaotic. It depends on the story I’m ultimately trying to tell (content dictates form), but I always try to at least have the who, what, when, where, and why of the murder that is at the heart of the story. Then I have to figure out how to get Louise into it, as she will not want to solve the crime. I try to balance the mystery with her life and relationships. I try to write in a linear fashion to keep the story going and I try to write about 1,500 words a day when I’m on deadline.
Lastly, what can we expect from you next? Will Louise return in a third Harlem Renaissance Mystery, and/or do you have other projects in the works?
While I am working on other secret projects, there will be at least two more Harlem Renaissance mysteries! The third sees Lou make a big life change and I’m very excited about it!
Afia, Nekesa DEAD DEAD GIRLS Berkley (Fiction None) $15.99 6, 1 ISBN: 978-0-593-19910-7
During the Harlem Renaissance, a young Black woman searches for a serial killer and finds her adult identity in the process.
In the winter of 1916, teenage Louise Lloyd is abducted from the streets of Harlem and thrown into a room with a handful of other girls. She lashes out at her captor and manages to escape, earning a bit of notoriety and the nickname Harlem’s Hero. Ten years later, Louise frantically dances every night away at the Zodiac speak-easy while living in Miss Brown’s boardinghouse and carrying on a secret romance with Rosa Maria Moreno, who rooms across the hall. Rosa Maria's twin brother, Rafael, the bartender at the Zodiac, gives Louise free drinks. One night, she drinks too much and gets into a scuffle with loutish Officer Martin but is spared incarceration by Theodore Gilbert, a detective who recognizes her as Harlem’s Hero and enlists her help in finding a serial killer who's been preying on young Black women. Fired with a strong sense of mission, Louise strikes out in multiple directions, even investigating her own workplace, Maggie’s Café. Though Louise considers her boss a surrogate mother, Maggie also runs a sleazy nightclub managed by her grandson, where Dora Hughes, the latest victim, worked. The mystery is slapdash, with a series of female victims and suspicion randomly ricocheting among multiple male characters. But Louise’s fight for respect and dignity is depicted with infectious passion.
A promising, if uneven, debut novel (and series kickoff) with a vibrant setting.
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"Afia, Nekesa: DEAD DEAD GIRLS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A658194756/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9e0782a3. Accessed 24 May 2024.
Dead Dead Girls: A Harlem Renaissance Mystery
Nekesa Afia. Berkley Prime Crime, $16 trade paper (336p) ISBN 978-0-593-19910-7
Set in 1926 Harlem, Afia's atmosphetic debut and series launch introduces Louise Lloyd, a 26-year-old Black waitress who lives for nights spent drinking and dancing. After Louise punches a white patrolman to prevent a racially motivated arrest, she fears she's facing a prison sentence. Then Det. Theodore Gilbert extends an offer: help him catch the serial killer preying upon neighborhood Black girls, and he'll expunge her record. Louise will have an easier time of extracting information from victims' loved ones than Gilbert--a white Brit--and he already knows her to be brave and resourceful, since Louise escaped a kidnapper and freed her fellow captives when she was a teenager. Louise immerses herself in the case, taking increasingly big risks to uncover the truth as the body count climbs. Readers will root for intrepid, fiery Louise, who elevates the mystery despite a disjointed investigation and haphazard denouement. The author couples tender relationships with strong senses of era and place. Afia has made an auspicious start. Agent: Travis Pennington, Knight Agency. (June)
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"Dead Dead Girls: A Harlem Renaissance Mystery." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 16, 19 Apr. 2021, p. 60. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A662131852/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=559f7d1f. Accessed 24 May 2024.
Dead Dead Girls. By Nekesa Afia. June 2021. 336p. Berkley/Prime Crime, paper, $16 (9780593199107); e-book, $ 11.99 (9780593199114).
In 1916, a Black teenager, Louise Lloyd, is abducted on her way home. She escapes, saving three other Black girls and earning the nickname "Harlem's Hero." Ten years later, she's still trying to live down that moniker, working in a Harlem cafe in the day and dancing the night away at a gay speakeasy, the Zodiac, in the West 50s. Her life changes when she finds a dead body outside the cafe, a third death attributed by the police to the "Girl Killer." The next night, as she and her friends leave the Zodiac, Louise sees the police roughing up another girl. She intervenes and, losing her temper, punches an officer. After Louise's arrest, the detective on the Girl Killer case offers to drop charges if she will help them investigate. Even as she has little choice, she doesn't know how dangerous a deal she has made until subsequent deaths bring the killer close. In this atmospheric debut mystery, with a sequel already planned, Afia ably tracks how Louise goes from reluctant hero to detective, infusing the transition with the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. --Karen Muller
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
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Muller, Karen. "Dead Dead Girls." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 19-20, 1 June 2021, pp. 40+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A666230148/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=92a1ad2f. Accessed 24 May 2024.
Afia, Nekesa HARLEM SUNSET Berkley (Fiction None) $16.00 6, 28 ISBN: 978-0-593-19912-1
There's no rest for Harlem's Hero as another killer disrupts the high times of the Harlem Renaissance.
Louise Lloyd is slow to recover after the trauma and notoriety stemming from a life-changing experience a year ago, when she shot a serial killer who prowled Harlem speak-easies and preyed on Black girls in Dead Dead Girls (2021). Now, in 1927, Louise settles back into the nightlife of the Harlem Renaissance. With her lover, Rosa Maria, at her side, she drinks and dances every evening at the Dove, a hot new club opened by Rosa Maria's twin brother, Rafael. But trouble seems to follow Harlem's Hero like a shadow. One morning, Louise wakes up at the Dove with little memory of the night before. Nearby are the sleeping Rosa Maria and Rafael and the corpse of Nora Davies, a young woman who reintroduced herself to Louise at the club only hours ago after they'd met briefly a decade before. Later, Louise finds the door of her apartment ajar, the word "GUILTY" written on one wall in red paint. Feeling compelled to find the killer, she turns reluctant sleuth again. Louise's investigation places her in mortal danger, strains her relationship with Rosa Maria, and ultimately becomes a journey of self-discovery. Afia's second Harlem Renaissance mystery continues the personal stories of her compelling cast and deepens her atmospheric depiction of the Jazz Age in Harlem.
A vivid crime story and an engrossing depiction of an era.
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"Afia, Nekesa: HARLEM SUNSET." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A701896561/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=70226add. Accessed 24 May 2024.
Harlem Sunset. By Nekesa Afia. June 2022. 304p. Berkley/Prime Crime, $16 (9780593199121); e-book, $11.99 (9780593199138).
In this second Harlem Renaissance Mystery (following Dead Dead Girls, 2021), Louise "Lovie" Lloyd is still coming to grips with her kidnapping, her sister Celia's death, and the killing of the man responsible for it all. It is now 1927. Lovie is turning 27 and has found the perfect gig, managing a hot new club called the Dove, owned by her friend Rafael Moreno. Louise is in a romantic relationship with Rafael's sister, Rosa Maria. On the morning after Lovie's birthday celebration, a woman is lying dead in the middle of the Dove's dance floor. None of the party has any memory of the previous night. The police point the finger at Rosa Maria. At once brazen and riddled with self-doubt, Lovie, determined to clear Rosa Maria and solve the crime, comes under attack. Her apartment is vandalized, she's almost run over, and she receives scandalous photographs of herself, which are published in a newspaper. She triumphs and makes a decision that will change the course of her life. Lovie's fans will follow wherever she goes.--Jane Murphy
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Murphy, Jane. "Harlem Sunset." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 17, 1 May 2022, p. 32. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A711045739/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=46cad986. Accessed 24 May 2024.
Afia, Nekesa A LETHAL LADY Berkley (Fiction None) $18.00 7, 30 ISBN: 9780593548806
A woman of the Harlem Renaissance uses detecting skills she's honed back home to solve a baffling murder in Paris.
After 10 months in the City of Lights, Louise Lloyd has settled into a stimulating routine: working at the parfumerie Allaire's by day, hanging out with a group of artists at Le Chat Noir in the early evening, and dancing ecstatically until closing time at Aquarius. Her neighbor is the prickly playwright Ciarán Dunne. Refreshingly, Louise encounters far less racism in Paris than in New York. Still, she misses her beloved Zodiac in Harlem, the site of two previous sleuthing adventures. News of her triumphs has apparently crossed the ocean, because when talented painter Iris Wright, a "temperamental" member of the Le Chat Noir group, goes missing, her sister appeals to Louise to investigate, an offer she can't resist. Her eagerness to solve the mystery is amped up when she meets Iris' husband, Philip, an elitist jerk. Afia's ebullient portrait of 1928 Paris is highly entertaining, but the novel is stuffed with characters and subplots that threaten to swamp the mystery. Besides separate, albeit sometimes overlapping, groups of characters at the parfumerie, Le Chat Noir, and the Aquarius, there are intermittent letters from Harlem updating Louise on the lives of her friends Rosa Maria and Rafael. Louise's interest in photography puts her in touch with a group of female artists, and she still manages to solve the mystery. Whew!
A busy, bubbly Jazz Age romp capped by a mystery.
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"Afia, Nekesa: A LETHAL LADY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A793537074/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=87b53ad1. Accessed 24 May 2024.
In Afia's debut, Dead Dead Girls (Berkley Prime Crime, June; reviewed on p. 60), Louise Lloyd, a Black former showgirl, reluctantly helps police hunt a serial killer in 1920s Harlem.
What inspired this book?
I wrote it for National Novel Writing Month in 2016. I had just finished writing a romance, and I wanted to challenge myself, so I decided to write a mystery. I was watching a lot of Prohibition era--set TV, and I was also studying that period in my history class, so I was like, "I love this era! I'm going to write a Prohibition-era mystery!"
What made you decide to set the book in Harlem?
I love the Harlem Renaissance--it was this period of growth, and art, and music, and fashion. That post-WWI generation had such brilliance and creativity, and they were so alive and fun even though they had just gone through a war, and the world was a mess. They managed to figure out what they wanted to do, and do it on their own terms, and I think that's so inspiring.
What was it about Louise Lloyd that made you feel you needed to tell her story?
I read a lot, and something I didn't get the luxury of growing up--and even still kind of now--was seeing a main character who looked like me: I love mysteries, and I love puzzles and putting things together, but I couldn't find a really good mystery series I liked with a BIPOC protagonist. And I was like, okay, well, if I can't find one, I'm gonna write it.
The 1920s were a difficult time to be female, Black, or queer. Louise is all three. Can you talk a bit about how her identity shaped the book's plot?
She has to find who's killing these young Black girls who are exactly like her sisters. She's been through a lot, and she knows the world has kind of failed her, and she doesn't want to fail anyone else--she wants to make sure all the girls are safe, and can live their life, and be who they want to be. She wants the world to be a better place, specifically for Black women. She also has to keep part of herself secret--she can't tell anyone about her relationship or she'd go to jail. There's a lot of pressure on her, especially because she grew up in a strict household, and there's so many ideas of who she should have been, and what she should have done, but she rebelled against all of them. So, I think most of the story is her trying to find her way, and trying to figure out who she is.
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Holm, Katrina Niidas. "PW TALKS WITH NEKESA AFIA: All She Wants to Do Is Dance." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 16, 19 Apr. 2021, p. 61. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A662131855/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=488204ec. Accessed 24 May 2024.