Nigerian-American fiction writer Tomi Adeyemi has penned a six-figure deal with Fox 2000 for a movie adaptation of her debut novel, “Children of Blood and Bone.”
Several publishing houses were reportedly in the running to secure a book deal for Adeyemi’s “Children of Blood and Bone,” the first in a fantasy trilogy that is yet to be published, according to Ebony Magazine, but Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group eventually landed the deal by offering what some say is one of the most-lucrative publishing deals for a young adult debut novel.
Book reviewers describe the fantasy novel as “Avatar: The Last Airbender” meets Black Lives Matter. Either way, Adeyemi’s novel is a bold new approach to writing for the ever-popular genre of fantasy because its lead characters are Africans and it incorporates aspects of African mythology with a global appeal.
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A brief extract from the book reads:
With magic, Zélie’s family could stand against the royal guard. Her people wouldn’t live in fear. Her mom wouldn’t have hanged from that tree. Years after the king wiped magic out of Orïsha, Zélie has one chance to bring it back. To do so, she’ll have to outwit/outrun the crown prince, who’s hell-bent on erasing magic for good.
The forthcoming movie adaptation is expected to be a success since its producers, Fox 2000, are the same studio behind a number of cinema blockbusters, including “Twilight,” “Maze Runner,” and “The Fault.”
Adeyemi, 23, says that more than anything else, she hopes her work serves as an inspiration for young Black girls.
“I want a little Black girl to pick up my book one day and see herself as the star,” Adeyemi wrote on her blog.
“I want her to know that she’s beautiful and she matters and she can have a crazy, magical adventure even if an ignorant part of the world tells her she can never be Hermione Granger.”
Adeyemi is a graduate of English Literature at Harvard University. She later received a fellowship to study West African Mythology and Culture in Salvador, Brazil, and emerged as a fiction-writing genius.
She is currently based in San Diego, California, and in her free time, she offers Creative Writing lessons to young aspiring writers on her website.
