It’s weird, because a lot of 32 CANDLES is about reconciling what you wanted as a teenager with what you get as an adult. Well, I can still remember reading excerpts and features on books in Essence as a teenager, and hoping that one day one of my books would make it into my favorite magazine.
Well, Essence remains my favorite magazine. Where else can you find ideas for both natural and relaxed hair, fashion tips for all body types, and features on black women, praised for being everything from glamorous babes to savvy nerds?
Still, I’m pretty sure it was the teenage me that screamed and acted a fool when my editor, Dawn Davis, told me that 32 CANDLES would be featured as Essence Book Club’s Book of the Month for their July Issue, which will hit newsstands in mid-June.
My father is still fond of telling me that “If you can dream it, you can make it come true.” Sometimes it feels like I’ve been fighting him on this proclamation all of my life. But the older I get, the more I believe.
And I just might tell my daughter the same.
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