Lovers ’N’ Bucktown is my debut novel—shaped by the Brooklyn that raised me.
I’ve been writing for years, but this was the story that stayed. The one that carried pieces of where I’m from, how I see the world, and the people who live in between love and survival.
Released on my birthday in June 2025, it marked more than a milestone—it was a decision to finally let my voice be seen.
Where My Stories Began.
About the Story
Lovers ’n’ Bucktown is a multi-layered coming-of-age novel set in early 2000s Brooklyn, following a tight-knit group known as the Bucktown Seven—Kendrick, Isis, Benny, Amina, Cassie, Tariq, and Larry—as they navigate the fragile transition from adolescence into adulthood.
The story begins in the summer after high school graduation, centering Cassie, Isis, and Benny as they step into an uncertain future—while those already ahead of them, like Kendrick and Tariq, are forced to confront ambition, responsibility, and survival.
As relationships deepen—Isis and Kendrick’s connection unfolding in real time, and Cassie and Tariq’s love tested by circumstance—the group is pulled into a world shaped by shifting neighborhoods, street realities, and the political undercurrents of a changing New York City.
Set against the backdrop of pre-9/11 Brooklyn, the novel captures a pivotal moment in time—where identity, community, and loss collide.
At its core, Lovers ’n’ Bucktown is a story about chosen family, the complexity of growing up, and the quiet ways a single moment can alter everything.
