Roseanne A. Brown

Roseanne A. Brown is a writer that needs to be on everyone's radar.

Before I get into her incredible debut, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, I'll catch you up on her bio.

When she was only three years old she immigrated from Kumasi, Ghana, to Maryland. Immigrants are bad-ass, and, as aptly put by Lin-Manuel Miranda, they get the job done.

Moving to a new country is hard enough on its own, but learning English as a second language makes it even more challenging. It wasn't until she started reading the Harry Potter series that English really clicked for her.

Not only did Harry Potter help her learn English, but also kicked off a deep love for reading and writing, especially fantasy. When she was growing up, though, she noticed a definite lack of Black representation in fantasy books for kids.

So she set out to change that.

Roseanne pursued her literary endeavours with gusto, graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in journalism, working as a teaching assistant for the school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program, and then as an editorial intern at Entangled Publishing.

Roseanne kicked NaNoWriMo's ass in 2016, writing over 15,000 words on the last day to meet her goal. She advises other writers not to do this, as she had to deal with an injured wrist for weeks afterwards.

In 2017 she entered A Song of Wraiths and Ruin into Pitch Wars, and was selected by a mentor. It took rewriting the book several times before she got it to where it needed to be and signed with her agent Queressa Robinson at the Nelson agency shortly after. The following year she paid it forward and was a mentor for Pitch Wars 2018.

She looks back on her time with Pitch Wars fondly, and encourages other writers to submit their manuscripts when they're ready!

Now to her amazing debut novel, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin.

You gotta read this book. I'm telling you. Just do it. It's literally an instant New York Times Bestseller.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is an absolutely incredible YA Fantasy novel, the first in a duology, published in 2020. The world is inspired by West African folklore, has character's you'd die for, and my favourite trope of all time: enemies-to-lovers.

Roseanne's characters Malik and Karina keep you on the edge of your seat as the story progresses, with each reader picking sides in war where it seems impossible that either will win. While, of course, hoping they take some time for smooches in between trying to murder each other. Obviously.

Roseanne has been very open about her struggles with anxiety, and Malik's character embodies all of those fears and challenges. Malik uses his anxiety for the greater good, empowering himself and the magic he wields to protect those he loves. I love Malik. #TeamMalik

Karina's is badass princess who uses sarcasm and snark to hide her gooey cinnamon-roll interior, and must overcome her family's tragic history and her own trauma to save her people... from Malik.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is a book I just couldn't put down. I can hardly wait for the second book, A Psalm of Storms and Silence, to come out some time this year.

And, I mean, just look at these covers!!

Roseanne's books will be treasured by many throughout the years, of that I have no doubt. Not only is she an incredible writer, but she's also a fantastic mentor to other writers, engages with the writing community on Twitter, and continues to be a voice to others struggling with anxiety.

She inspires me, and so many others, too.

You can follow Roseanne on Twitter! @rosiesrambles

I reached out to Roseanne for her permission before posting this story.

Other amazing books by Black authors debuting 2020 / 2021:

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender - May 2020

You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson - June 2020

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow - June 2020

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron - July 2020

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle - January 2021

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna - February 2021

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers - February 2021

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart - April 2021

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron - July 2021

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson - July 2021

Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis - August 2021

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood - November 2021

* Keep an eye out for more! *