My aunt Sheila: I remember what she said to me through my deepest depression, when the world felt bleak: “Write it out, baby.” These words have become my saving grace. Through the darkness and into the light, I have felt her love and faith that I can do anything I want in this life. She helped make me believe I could be a writer. “There’s always been artists in our family,” she said, like I was meant to be exactly this. Thank you, Auntie. I am deeply grateful.
Erica: She and I got that “play cousin” thing down pat. We’ve known each other since we were four years old, wearing tutus in ballet. It’s beautifully mind-boggling that Erica and I still enjoy each other’s company so deeply after so many years and evolutions. I am ignited by her spirit and have been since forever. She is effortlessly fun-loving, bold, charismatic, giving, and adventurous. They could strand Erica on a deserted island somewhere and somehow she’d end up making it the party of the year. She used to inspire me to do stupid stuff like sneak around the YMCA with her after swim class, and seriously, she’s made me a braver person just by allowing me to be next to her fire. If I am more naturally Arden, she is my Aurora. Thank you, “play cousin,” for being in my life and helping inspire this story.
Channelle and Cleo: The inspiration for Liberty is my gorgeous London cousin Channelle, who has stayed with me, in spirit and mind, since we turned the city wild together in 2006. Along with her sister, my other cousin and the real life Leolidessa, Cleo, we adventured and talked and danced and made friends and rode every train and bus around London for five weeks. They taught me how to haggle and flirt and speak up when I was upset. We spent time with their godmother, a queen who insisted on calling me “Yankee” and who inspired a lot of Gran Gran’s presence. I surrendered to a crazy, vagabond summer with family I felt I’d known forever but had actually just met, and it was everything I needed to start coming out of the emotional shell I had made for myself. I took so many notes and pictures of us, till the girls nicknamed me “Paparazzi,” because I was deeply infatuated with how powerful and amazing I could feel around them. It still remains one of the best experiences of my life. This book is in a lot of ways a fantasy snapshot of that month. Thank you, cousins. *On February 9th, 2020, my beloved cousin Channelle was lost to us under sudden and tragic circumstances. Through my disbelief, pain, and overwhelming grief, I have felt our love story pulsing evergreen in my heart. Channelle always saw me as more fabulous than I could fathom. She adored my klutziness, my nerdiness, and my big open heart: the things I tried to hide the most. She, too, prophesized me writing a book way before I planned to myself. How blessed am I to have had a best friend, cousin, and soul sister all in one? I miss her so very much and feel I must live fiercer and braver because that’s what she would want of me. I’m grateful this book immortalizes her as she was to me, a goddess on earth. I love you, Channelle, my Liberty, always and forever.*
Cara: This goddess was one of the first of my close friends to have babies, and woah … to watch her become a mother, to hear of her doing everything to make their existence as blessed as possible, and to see the woman she continues to evolve into has been a huge testament of love to me. Thank you, Cara, for sharing your truths and your titanium spirit. You are reflected in several of the characters of this novel and remain a beautiful inspiration in my life.
My father: My love of science fiction and fantasy storytelling is a direct result of the passion my father has for the genre. I can’t imagine becoming the writer of this story had it not been for my childhood obsessions with Dune, The Dark Crystal, Star Wars, Matilda, The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride, Labyrinth, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and every single one of those books and/or films was introduced to me, with deep reverence, by my father. His favorite pastime is watching a film and later dictating what would have made the story better. It’s adorable and fun to witness his fervor. In another universe, my father is the most influential movie critic of all time. I am a proud “black nerd” whose father is a proud “black nerd.” This book, for sure, is a “black nerd production.” Dad, thank you. I hope you like it, though I’m quite sure you’ll have notes. (Also, thanks for all the postcards).
Tulloch, my godfather: Have you ever been grateful beyond reason that someone is as kind to you as they are, especially when you feel like you have less than nothing to offer in return? Tulloch is a family friend who truly became my godfather through caring for me through the sickness and mental health struggles and unemployment that befell me after graduate school. I can still remember how, when I would tell a story about my day job hunting in NYC in 2010 (spoiler alert: there’s a recession and no one is hiring), Tulloch would laugh and laugh till he was crying and clutching his stomach. It was the highlight of my day, getting to talk to him and spin my life into a story that would make him laugh, even when it made me want to cry. He would shake his head at my self-doubt, as if to say, “But you, girl are going to make it. I know this, you’ll see.” His belief in me is unshakable, even though he’s seen me at my worst. He is the direct inspiration for the character Leo, and I am completely grateful for his influence in my life. Thank you, Tulloch, for being so very wonderful to me.
Drew: I can still vividly remember seeing The Matrix: Reloaded with you and the Meshuggeneh Ninja Clan in high school, and then gifting you my leather “Trinity” coat because I knew, deeply, that you had a love of cosplay like I did. Over the years you have given me support, laughter, art, jewelry, music, paints, advice, love, loyalty, and Burning Man. You inspire me to be a creator and a passionate, open-hearted human, and I’ve definitely made out like a bandit in this exchange. Your friendship is one of the most valuable treasures in my life. In another universe, we are very definitely a brother and sister creative wonder duo. Thank you so much, Oz. I can’t wait to share this accomplishment with you.
Wild Women Book Club, Burning Man Tribe, Bay Area Writing Community: I have evolved rapidly as an artist because I have had the chance to be witnessed, and to witness others, in community. I remember reading my work at my very first open mic at The Octopus, and being stunned by how attentive the audience was, how easily people asked, “Where can I find more of your writing?” with complete confidence that I was prolific and published. I have been challenged and inspired and supported by these tribes. Thank you for showing up to my performances and asking how my novel is coming and giving feedback and listening to me complain about plot holes or editing or rejection letters. And to specific souls within these tribes, who know who you are, you have been my lifeline during my evolution into an author. Thank you for not only tapping into my art and productivity but also encouraging my heart and spirit. I hope you all enjoy this addition to our creative cauldron.
Patrons: To my supportive Patrons who have followed this journey on Patreon, I am so grateful for you. I have enjoyed updating you on this roller coaster and having you be an online container for the highs and lows. Thank you for knowing I have the continued belief in others to be a creator. Thank you.
My teams at She Writes Press and SparkPress: I feel so very lucky to have found publishers who deeply believe in my writing. Lauren Wise and Taylor Brightwell, you and your teams have been a dream to work with. Thank you for your clarity, talents, time, encouragement, patience, energy, and everything you have done to make this publication a reality. Additionally, every single one of the goddesses says, “Thank you.”
About the Author
photo credit: Rich Jarvis
YODASSA WILLIAMS is a powerful conjurer of black girl magic (70 percent Jedi, 30 percent Sith). A Jamaican American writer, speaker, and award-winning performing storyteller, alumna of the VONA/Voices Travel Writing program, and the creator of the podcast The Black Girl Magic Files, Yodassa (Yoda) launched Writers Emerging, a wilderness writing retreat for women of color and nonbinary people of color, in 2019. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently resides in the Bay Area. The Goddess Twins is her debut novel.
SELECTED TITLES FROM SPARKPRESS
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Above the Star: The 8th Island Trilogy, Book 1, Alexis Chute. $16.95, 978-1-943006-56-4. Above the Star is an epic fantasy adventure experienced through the eyes of three unlikely heroes transported to a new world: senior citizen Archie; his daughter-in-law, Tessa; and his fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Ella. In this otherworldly realm, all interests are at war, all love is unrequited, and everyone is left to unravel the truth of who they really are.
But Not Forever: A Novel, Jan Von Schleh. $16.95, 978-1-943006-58-8. When identical fifteen-year-old girls are mysteriously switched in time, they discover the love that’s been missing in their lives. Torn, both want to go home, but neither wants to give up what they now have.
Tree Dreams: A Novel, Kristin Kaye. $16.95, 978-1-943006-46-5. In the often-violent battle between loggers and environmentalists that plagues seventeen-year-old Jade’s hometown in Northern California, she must decide whose side she’s on—but choosing sides only makes matters worse.
The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman: A Novel, Brady Stefani. $17, 978-1-940716-34-3. When 15-year-old Courtney Hoffman starts getting visits from aliens at night, she’s sure she’s going crazy—but when she meets a mysterious older girl who has alien stories of her own, she embarks on a journey that takes her into her own family’s deepest, darkest secrets
About SparkPress
SparkPress is an independent, hybrid imprint focused on merging the best of the traditional publishing model with new and innovative strategies. We deliver high-quality, entertaining, and engaging content that enhances readers’ lives. We are proud to bring to market a list of New York Times best-selling, award-winning, and debut authors who represent a wide array of genres, as well as our established, industry-wide reputation for creative, results-driven success in working with authors. SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint, is a division of SparkPoint Studio LLC.
Learn more at GoSparkPress.com
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