Alumna Nekesa Afia publishes first book in her historical mystery series

Alumna Nekesa Afia (external link) ’s Dead Dead Girls (external link)  takes place in Harlem during the 1920s with Louise, a “tiny tired lesbian who has a bunch of opinions,” as Afia describes her. We follow Louise who’s trying to solve a mystery involving young Black girls showing up dead around the city.

It all started when Afia took a history course in her final year of undergrad, where she learned about the 1920s and combined this knowledge with her love for mystery to create what would become her debut novel.

“I really loved the process of writing it because I was coming off of writing a romance that was in a contemporary time and it was a straight romance. Picking up a historical mystery with a lesbian protagonist could not have been more different than what I was writing previously.”

Afia hopes to show readers another side of the 1920s with Dead Dead Girls, where it’s not “looked at with rose-coloured glasses.”

It wasn’t as great as it seemed, “especially for people who were not white.”

Placing herself in the shoes of a woman nearly a hundred years ago, Afia scripted out what life would be like for a young Black woman. “Where does she live? Who were her family? Where would she go dancing?” 

Although Afia says Louise came to mind fully formed, “those small details help make the novel feel alive.”

Having characters from the LGBTQ+ community

“Most LGBTQ+ protagonists are defined by their sexuality, so I knew I didn’t want that.”

Afia says Louise’s sexuality helps her figure out her own and wanted it to be in the background of the novel. She says, much like Louise the character, “I’m busy, I have other things to do.”

While researching for her novel, Afia knew Louise could be imprisoned for her sexuality, and she says that is another reason her character is not open, “she’s a secret.”

“Louise is gay, and if you’re a homophobe, you’re not gonna like this book.”

Writing inspiration during COVID-19

Afia finds that during the pandemic, it has been hard to be consistent with her writing goals.

“Right now, I’ve been trying to focus on doing what I can every day, but I’d love to get into a more solid routine where I’m writing 1,000-1,500 words a day.”

“I’ve just been everywhere in this pandemic, and it’s hard to be constant [with writing].”

Afia began writing Dead Dead Girls while she was finishing her undergrad and said having a routine and being able to work outside of home motivated her to finish the novel.

“It’s just so hard to stare at the same walls every day and have to be like, ‘it’s time to think of something really cool that someone can do,’ and write it down,” adding, “it is mind-numbing.”

Afia finds that she’s turned into a nighttime writer, as opposed to when she would wake up early before class to write. “Having deadlines does help,” but during COVID-19, it has been hard for Afia to feel motivated to write.

Compared to writing her first novel and her upcoming novel, Afia says, “I’m a little more chill now.”

The second novel of Afia’s series, Harlem Sunset (external link) : A Harlem Renaissance Mystery, comes out June 8, 2022. Afia says there are a couple of new characters she likes and to watch out for them. “It’s focused on one murder victim instead of a lot of murder victims. I tried to draw it out.”