Preface

The journey

Stories have a way of finding us long before we know we’re meant to write them. Mine began in St. Rose, Louisiana, a small town along the Mississippi River where books became my window into worlds far bigger than my own. As a young Black gay man, representation was rare, but the stories I discovered — especially those that centered love, identity, and possibility — planted the seed for the writer I would one day become.

This website is a home for that journey. It traces the path from a single short story written in a college classroom to the thirteen-year creation of Image of Emeralds & Chocolate, my breakout novel blending Black gay love with the supernatural. It honors the mentors, friends, teachers, and unexpected champions who kept asking, “What happens next?” even when life pulled me in a dozen directions. And most of all, it celebrates the readers who saw themselves in my work — sometimes for the very first time — and gave these stories a life far beyond the page.

My mission here is simple: to share the stories that shaped me, to uplift the LGBTQ narratives that shaped us, and to invite you into the ongoing journey as new chapters unfold. Whether you’re discovering my writing for the first time or have been with me since the early days, I’m grateful you’re here. Your curiosity, your openness, and your support make this work possible.

Welcome to my story. I hope it inspires you to hold onto your own.