NEW YORK — Two leading young adult authors have a seven-figure deal to write a pair of novels centered on Black, queer characters.
FSG Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, announced Wednesday that George M. Johnson and Leah Johnson (no relation) will write two romantic comedies, starting in 2025 with “There’s Always Next Year.” The story is set around New Year’s Day and tells of two cousins looking to get their lives, romantic and otherwise, back in order.
“There is an African proverb that states ‘If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together.’ That is what the collaboration experience has been with Leah Johnson. As Black queer people, we are much more powerful when we combine our writing, creativity, and world build as authors together,” George M. Johnson said in a statement.
“If the book is even half as fun to read as it was to write, then brace yourself,” Leah Johnson said. “As books about queer folks continue to face bannings and challenges across the country, writing a book that’s rooted in joy about the way we love one another feels like a liberatory act.”