This week’s Feature Friday author spotlight is Lisa Stringfellow. Her debut title A Comb of Wishes will release on February 8, 2022. Sistah’s Place is celebrating Black History month with Black Authors like Lisa who are making an impact on youth, writing her own narrative for the world to see, and allowing her magic to be released.
Lisa Stringfellow writes middle-grade fiction and has a not-so-secret fondness for fantasy with a dark twist. Growing up, she was a voracious reader, and books took her to places where her imagination could thrive. She writes for her twelve-year-old self, the kid waiting to be the brown-skinned hero of an adventure, off saving the world. Lisa’s work often reflects her West Indian and Black southern heritage. She received the inaugural Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Manuscript Award in 2019 for an earlier draft of A Comb of Wishes. Lisa is a middle-school teacher and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her children and two bossy cats.
Book Summary:
Ever since her mother’s death, Kela feels every bit as broken as the shards of glass, known as “mermaid’s tears,” that sparkle on the Caribbean beaches of St. Rita. So when Kela and her friend Lissy stumble across an ancient-looking comb in a coral cave, with all she’s already lost, Kela can’t help but bring home her very own found treasure. Far away, deep in the cold ocean, the mermaid Ophidia can feel that her comb has been taken. And despite her hatred of all humans, her magic requires that she make a bargain: the comb in exchange for a wish.
But what Kela wants most is for her mother to be alive. And a wish that big will exact an even bigger price…
Praise Reviews:
“Imbued with a magic that felt as real as the concrete and beloved world in which it is set, this story moves with a plot that is both surefooted and wild, both inexorable and surprising, both cerebral and emotional. I loved it so much.” –Kelly Barnhill, author of the Newbery-winning novel The Girl Who Drank the Moon
“Captivating and creative, magical and moving, this enchanting tale about grief and abiding love will hold you spellbound. What a joy and honor to welcome this brilliant new voice, as beautiful as the ocean and as bright as a mermaid’s tears.” –Padma Venkatraman, Walter Award-winning author of The Bridge Home
Grab your copy of A Comb of Wishes debuts on February 8, 2022. Learn more about Lisa Stringfellow by visiting her website at https://www.lisastringfellow.com/ Did you register on her website to help her celebrate her release day?
Credits: Photo’s and book phot and info provided by Publicist Grace Fell