We are getting closer to the release date for my next book, My First, My Last! My First, My Last is a story I started last year, in May 2020. I started writing the book during quarantine. I’d gotten the idea for the premise of the story in a dream and explored it by adding in the elements that make a story one I’d love to read. I took on the weight of writing a new project while preparing the release of other’s last year to distract myself from all that was happening.
That didn’t really work out because I’d started and stopped this project several times while dealing with life and the surrounding scenes of life known as the pandemic.
Nevertheless, I did type the end and created a story about two friends whose destinies run into more obstacles than hurdles on a track. It stars characters who are relatable, who are – what I like to describe them as – frustrating, and characters who embody the saying that the people who hold us back the most are ourselves.
This story has layers, and it was those layers that made this story go from being a novella to a full fledge novel. They just kept on talking and adding to the story, and I loved it and hated it all the same.
Because the story starts when both characters are teenagers, we watch them, and their love blossom from inception. You literally witness the moment Ayla and Hassani meet for the first time. You’ll witness the highs, the lows, the wins, and mostly the loses. But most of all, you’ll form a connection with these two that will last long after the book reaches the end.
What to Expect
This story is told in four parts and mimics the start of a race. I wouldn’t categorize MFML as a sports romance as much as I categorize it as a friends-to-lovers novel however there are some sports elements present since our book bae is an academic track star for a decent part of the story. MFML is a slow burn novel. The characters don’t fall outwardly in love with each other like characters would do in an insta-love, but you see and notice the love almost instantly.
MFML leans more into adult contemporary romance than it does erotica but because of the detailed love scenes, the book still captures the erotic romance vibe I’ve been loyal to for almost six years.
This story is told in hindsight. I’m not sure if that’s a thing, but I somehow did it. While most stories are told in the past tense, which this story follows that formula as well, there are moments in parts 1-3 where the characters speak from the future, kind of breaking the “fourth wall” by acknowledging the instances they made decisions in fear and not out of hope.
By the way, that right there is the theme of the story – decisions being made from fear instead of with hope. This theme in the story builds the mountains that the characters must move and documents the growth they experience while doing so.
I can’t wait to discuss this book. There are so many elements in it. I am so interested in how you interpret them. I won’t be holding any book discussions but if you are a part of a book club that makes this read your book club pick, please reach out and invite me. I would love to be a fly on the wall of these discussions. I’ll probably even go live on my account for a quick chat about it after its release.
About that release, the book drops digitally Friday, June 25th. Paperbacks will be available shortly afterwards.
Want to read a sample of Chapter One? Click Here.