Question:
Can you tell us a little bit about Tracy, the main character in the book?
She is determined to get justice for her father, who sits on death row for a crime he never committed – why did you decide to craft the story from her point of view and how do you think readers will view her?
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Answer:
Tracy Beaumont is my fictional hero, braver and bolder than me.
As a teen, I was an activist and a leader in social justice organizations, so she and I have the same dogged determination. Her life experiences amplified her need for persistence and I wanted to build from that for her character.
I wrote her in honor of the activists and student leaders I have worked with over my career who paved their own way, often making the impossible, possible. I wanted those students like mine to feel seen. To feel inspired.
I also wanted to honor all the Black women who lead movements and organizations that often don’t get their due credit. Black women were behind the Black Lives Matter movement, and so many Black women are putting in hard work for change. I wanted a heroine for Black young women to see a character who is unapologetic and takes up space—regardless of how others view her.