News For My Readers

Hey !

Vanessa here.

Hope you are all safe and beginning to take some time for yourself this summer. I'm taking a moment of reflection. After being in virtual lockdown these past two years, it has been great traveling to meet readers and to conduct historical research.

This year, I've been to Florence, Rome, Tuscan Country, Pisa, London, Blackheath, Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Orlando and we just hit the six month point. So many cities and sites and face--all I can say is wow.

Below are a few photos:

• My first stop in Paris ever (never made it outside of the airport.).
• The Duomo Cathedral in Florence is so beautiful.

I will share more throughout the year, particularly my research. Follow my Instagram to get more real-time event happenings and more.

Make fun memories this summer. It's so important.

Vanessa

Sister Mother Warrior

COMING JULY 2022!

Two women shape the heart of the Haitian Revolution. Sister Mother Warrior tells their story through their eyes.

Have you preordered? If you pre-order from Loyalty Books, Acapella Books, Kindred Spirits Books, and Malik Books. 

NEW HISTORICAL MYSTERY

Murder in Westminster

COMING AUGUST 2022!

The first book in a diversely cast Regency-set mystery series and featuring an amateur female sleuth who must solve her neighbor's murder after being listed as one of the prime suspects, to Esi Sogah at Kensington in a three-book deal, but Sarah Younger at the Nancy Yost Literary Agency (World). 

Smart, witty, and refreshingly diverse, this new Regency-set series from acclaimed author Vanessa Riley combines her signature emotional richness and attention to detail in a historical mystery featuring a strong, clever, and captivating heroine . 

COUNTDOWN TO MY NEW HISTORICAL FICTION

Sister Mother Warrior

USA Today picks Sister Mother Warrior as one of the 20 books you should read this summer.

"Riley follows her critically acclaimed historical novel Island Queen (2021) with a gripping tale celebrating the strength and resilience of exceptional Black women. Gran Toya is a West African warrior and leader of the minos (Dahomey Amazonians to the Europeans) until she is betrayed by an enemy and sold into slavery in the French colony of Saint Domingue, the future Haiti. Equipped with exceptional fortitude and healing powers, she soon becomes a mother figure to the enslaved, especially the young revolutionary, Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Marie-Claire Bonheur is the granddaughter of a wealthy white man and the woman he enslaved. Now her love for Jean-Jacques threatens to undo even the small protections her grandfather’s position affords her family. As tensions reach a breaking point on the island, Gran Toya and Marie-Claire work together to play pivotal roles in the battle for winning and securing the independence of Haiti and its people. Riley’s women-focused and illuminating retelling of the Haitian Revolution, one of the most successful uprisings of enslaved people in the world, is emotionally rich, deeply detailed, and unforgettable."— Enobong Tommelleo, Booklist

Thank you for all you do. Keep spreading the word. 

Be blessed.

That's all for now.

Till next time.