You might have seen my novel 'Sugar, Baby' on the shelf of your local bookshop . It was a labour of love and the culmination of the preoccupations of my late teens and early twenties; my experiences with friends on the London nightlife scene, my degree in anthropology and my desire above all else to become an author. After much back and forth and various different incarnations, my book was finally ready for the world.
In its final form, it is a scandalous but hopeful account of a young mixed-race girl who rebels against her religious upbringing, befriends a group of models and embarks on a life as a 'sugar baby' - a young woman who dates wealthy older men in exchange for cash . It's a coming-of-age story with a twist which explores the twisty power dynamics and dark corners of the secretive world of high-class sex work and I'm so proud of it. I was warned as the launch of 'Sugar, Baby' approached, that the year would be a rollercoaster ride of heightened emotion that nothing could prepare me for.
I marked the launch day with Champagne, macarons from Ladurée and a late night at Ronnie Scott’s with friends. That was exactly one year ago today and though I've survived, I have to agree that the rollercoaster statement was accurate. The experience has been a unique one.
So here's a little round-up of the good, the bad and the ugly of one year as a debut author. The bad Let's start with the negative and get that bit out of the way. It's all well and good being a writer who does.