Honey and Spice(114)
Elle Keck! Thank you for being in my corner and throwing your confidence behind both Honey and Spice and Love in Color—it truly means the world that you wanted to broaden out their community, and that you understood all the cultural references that were so precious to me and that helped form the flavor of the book. I always felt like I was in safe hands. I wish you all the best, always. Julia Elliott, thank you for taking over from Elle so seamlessly, with the same passion and enthusiasm! Grateful for the immediate trust you helped foster, and I don’t take it for granted.
Thank you to everyone in the Headline and William Morrow teams for all the energy, belief, and enthusiasm thrown behind the book.
Juliet Pickering, my Angel Agent! I am so grateful that I embarked on this roller coaster with you next to me. Honey and Spice has been part of my dream for so, so long, before Love in Color, and you always believed in it, always saw what it could be, even in its infancy (the blobby, distorted, embryonic stages that make me cringe upon revisiting). I can’t thank you enough for taking a chance on me. Thank you for being my advocate and friend (and sometimes manager), thank you for patience (this is a running theme . . . I have a lot of meltdowns), and thank you for your counsel—and your gentle pushing. Your wisdom and generosity are things I cherish, and I am blessed to have you on my team.
Jessica Stewart, my endlessly patient TV agent: thank you for understanding how much this book means to me, and for allowing me the space to work through it with no pressure—despite having other engagements! It means the world that you support me holistically, and it really helps reduce the aforementioned meltdowns.
My beautiful friends, my chosen family. I love you all. Amna Khan, for knowing my essence, and for never questioning my dreams, and for always seeing them with 20/20 vision. From adolescence to now, you have been by my side, with spiritual understanding and a deep knowing of myself that kept me grounded. Charlet Wilson, your heart is so golden and such an inspiration, and your kindness and support are such a galvanizing force—from a mug that says “Bolu Babalola puts the lit in literature” when my first book wasn’t even out, to framing a book cover for a silly little story I wrote when we were twenty-two. Dreaming big is easy when you have friends who see your dreams as reality. Asha Mohamed—thank you for reading the cringe stories I wrote during “private study” in sixth form and thank you for liking them and actually wanting to read them (even if you didn’t actually want to . . . thank you for lying about wanting to read them). You helped confirm that this is all I wanted to do—to write worlds people can believe in, to write new worlds that make people think about our world, people, our feelings. Daniellé Scott-Haughton! Thank you for being my big sister and my pastor—your fortification is not only sororal but spiritual, and I thank you for knowing when I need to be held and for giving me clarity when all I can see is my creative anxiety. Thank you for always being a single frantic call away. (I have a lot of meltdowns. OK? I’m an artist.) Candice Carty-Williams, my darling CCW. Your guidance is invaluable—thank you for knowing that sometimes all I need is a “I know it’s hard. And guess what? You will do it, because you can.” Folarin—cuz, bro, thank you again, for proofreading “Netflix & Chill,” that short story that got shortlisted for a competition, that got me signed to my agents. Thank you for never doubting. Sase!! My wifey. Thank you for being an endless source of laughter and light since we were seven to now. Grateful to have you by my side, and to be your sugar daddy.
Group chat edition: a source of laughter, encouragement, and reprieve. All pockets of supremely talented, wickedly funny, and ridiculously kind women (they are also hot).
PPE: I cannot say what these letters stand for, and if you ask I will say they stand for Platinum Praying Energy. One thing is for certain, though: you are platinum babes.
Twisty Bobcat Pretzels: Grateful that all of you are in a different time zone than me, because it means that even my all-nighters are punctuated with joy and a meme, a well-needed break.
i hate it here: Thank you for being a place where I can purge out all the things I hate so that I can return to the world as at least an ostensibly well-functioning person.
I don’t know how to name this one, because it’s the brain and lightning emoji? But those explain a lot, because you are both a source of light and intelligence.
My bestie-cousins! Shout-out to BIOgraphy—Ore and Ibzy—for allowing me the space to be my goofiest self, for laughing with me till we’re crying.
My blood sisters Bomi and Demi—thank you for your support and love and the fact that we don’t need to say much to know what it is. Gang gang.
Beyoncé—obviously. An artist dedicated to her craft and meticulous with her vision—a constant inspiration.
From London to Lagos to L.A., I have been graced with family, and what a blessing it is to be unable to fit everyone in this section. I trust you know who you are. I truly have been gifted with so much love and support in my life, and I want you to know that even if you haven’t been mentioned by name, you are so valued and appreciated.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my readership and my work’s community that have messaged me about my work and have helped carve a space for my voice and the stories and worlds I have dreamed of crafting and building. You breathe more life into the work than I could ever imagine. Thank you for seeing me. God bless you.
Love always,