A Prophet Who Loved Her
Esther, a bisexual Nigerian girl with a beautiful voice and a rebellious spirit, and Elijah, the proud Yoruba son of a pastor, fall in love while growing up in Brixton during the 80s.
In 1990, Elijah unexpectedly ends their relationship.
Heartbroken, Esther travels to Chicago to pursue her music career.
18 YEARS LATER
Esther, now a retired R'N'B singer, returns to Brixton. She is searching for her abusive father, who has fled Nigeria under mysterious circumstances.
By chance, she reunites with Elijah. He is now a husband, a successful finance director and leader of his late father's church. Yet he is struggling to eradicate the homophobia in his ministry while his wife's depression suffocates their marriage.
Rekindling their friendship, Esther and Elijah travel across London to unravel the tragedy behind Esther's father's disappearance. Gradually, their romantic feelings for one another resurface and they begin an emotional and sexual affair, forcing them both to make a difficult choice...
Partly set in South London during the 1980s and interwoven with key events that shaped Black British history during that period, A Prophet who loved Her is an entertaining, emotional and thought-provoking tale of love, identity, racism and religion.
Praise for 'A Prophet who loved Her' |
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"Reading this book was akin to what I imagine time travelling to be like. As the main characters walked through Brixton Market, drank and exchanged secrets in the Atlantic pub (now the Dogstar), and made their way to and from school through Brockwell Park, I could easily see what they were seeing, hear what they were hearing and feel what they were feeling." - Blackbooksandnotes, Instagram review
"If this is what the author puts out as a first book, he has me invested in his future work. I don't how I came across this book, but I'm so happy I did." - Book Lover, Amazon Review "This was truly an enjoyable read" - Sorlebar, Instagram review |
Q&A
What inspired you to write this book?
I've always been fascinated by black British history, religion and the laws of attraction. I wanted to write a book which brought all these elements together. Then one afternoon, while bored at my office job, an idea about a black pastor falling in love with a bisexual black woman in 80s Brixton came to my head, almost fully formed. I couldn't stop thinking about this story for a whole year, like it just had to be put to paper.
I've always been fascinated by black British history, religion and the laws of attraction. I wanted to write a book which brought all these elements together. Then one afternoon, while bored at my office job, an idea about a black pastor falling in love with a bisexual black woman in 80s Brixton came to my head, almost fully formed. I couldn't stop thinking about this story for a whole year, like it just had to be put to paper.
Is this a Christian novel?
No, this is not a Christian book. It's a story that features Christian characters and religious themes but there's no Christian agenda. I am not religious myself but I have always found religion, particularly Christianity in African culture, to be a very interesting topic. Growing up, I went to church every Sunday which is where my fascination with religion started.
No, this is not a Christian book. It's a story that features Christian characters and religious themes but there's no Christian agenda. I am not religious myself but I have always found religion, particularly Christianity in African culture, to be a very interesting topic. Growing up, I went to church every Sunday which is where my fascination with religion started.
What's your writing process?
I am a plotter not a pantser so I spend a month creating a detailed story outline, building character profiles and doing research.
Once I've nailed the general story, I then spend around 3-4 months writing a first draft. When that is completed, I don't look at the manuscript for a month.
After that month, I print out the entire manuscript and go through it, line by line. I tighten the prose, fixing any typos and correct any plot inconsistences. This is the second draft and always the hardest part.
I send the second draft to my professional editor who does another thorough edit of the manuscript. Often, I need to make a lot more changes to the prose, plot and characterisation before I reach a final draft. Overall, it takes about 7-9 months to get to the final draft.
I am a plotter not a pantser so I spend a month creating a detailed story outline, building character profiles and doing research.
Once I've nailed the general story, I then spend around 3-4 months writing a first draft. When that is completed, I don't look at the manuscript for a month.
After that month, I print out the entire manuscript and go through it, line by line. I tighten the prose, fixing any typos and correct any plot inconsistences. This is the second draft and always the hardest part.
I send the second draft to my professional editor who does another thorough edit of the manuscript. Often, I need to make a lot more changes to the prose, plot and characterisation before I reach a final draft. Overall, it takes about 7-9 months to get to the final draft.
Is this the first book in a series?
Yep! A Prophet Who Loved Her is the first part in a planned trilogy. I am already in the preliminary planning stage for the second book, The Wife of a Prophet (Oct 2022)
But my next book is going to be a standalone YA novel, Flavours of Black, which has nothing to do with religion but has a lot to do with partying and Afrobeats. Let's just say I have a lot of varied interests!
Yep! A Prophet Who Loved Her is the first part in a planned trilogy. I am already in the preliminary planning stage for the second book, The Wife of a Prophet (Oct 2022)
But my next book is going to be a standalone YA novel, Flavours of Black, which has nothing to do with religion but has a lot to do with partying and Afrobeats. Let's just say I have a lot of varied interests!