I Sold My Next Novel!
Publishers Marketplace announced it yesterday, so it’s official.
It’s official because Publishers Marketplace said so, I sold my next novel! The official announcement was published yesterday, May 19. In case you’re keeping track, it’s been 10 years since I published my first novel, Substitute Me, so this almost feels like a new debut.
The Backstory
If you’ve been following my journey for a while, then you know I’ve always wanted to be a novelist. I chose to pursue journalism because that was the only way I knew how to be a writer with an actual 9-to-5 job. And. let’s be honest, because I’m nosy as hell.
I’m not going to lie, I loved my career as a magazine journalist, and then as a journalism professor. Everything I learned about storytelling, I learned on the job writing true stories and studying trends and current events. It may be a cliche, but real life is always more compelling than fiction.
Because of my job in academia and having three (adorable) children, my dreams to be a novelist were halted right after Substitute Me debuted. I always knew I’d eventually get back to writing fiction, I just didn’t know how long it would take me. The reason we moved to Spain, in fact, was because I was fed up with waiting for the right time to “take a break” from academia and “waiting for the kids to grow up.” With a push from the pandemic, I decided the time was now to go all in on my creative writing career. That was in 2021. And now five years later, I have my first book deal. And I promise it won’t be my last.
A Lick of Bitter for a Spoonful of Sweet
Even though I’ve written two novels since moving to Spain, I knew A Lick of Bitter for a Spoonful of Sweet had to be the first book to come out. Why? Because the story takes place in the south of Spain, the protagonist is a Black woman in her late 40s, and books, romance and magic all play a role in the tale. These are all of my favorite things, so the story reflects the passion and creative energy I feel in Spain. I want to give that same feeling, and the same energy to my readers. I also want to give them a juicy story to sink into and love.
Relaunching Lori L. Tharps into the World
I’m so excited that I get to recreate my literary life in Spain. My life now looks very different than how it looked in the United States. Here, my whole world revolves around writing, my own and the writing of the members of the community I launched for BIPoC women writers. Moving forward, I want to continue to write novels that explore the global Black experience, support my fellow writers, and make the world a better place for human created books and art. I’m excited I get to do that from this side of the Atlantic Ocean because I feel like I have access to far more than just a US based audience for my work. That’s why I’m so thrilled to be working with a UK-based publisher like Jacaranda Books. Secretly, they were my dream publisher and I am so excited to join their roster of authors.
In addition to the expat and anglophone community in Spain and the rest of Europe, I am looking forward to finding readers for my work in the UK, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya. For now. I’m open to going truly global in the years that come. My belief in the power of the written word is expansive.
Stay Tuned for Updates
Stay tuned to this space for more news about announcements. You can also check out my YouTube channel, where I share regular updates about my literary life. Thank you, as always, for supporting me and my work.