Although it was definitely challenging at times. I was working on Concrete Rose as the pandemic and shutdowns began, and it was the best escape to be able to go back to that simpler era.

The music is probably my favorite part of the '90s and being able to pay homage to that was fun.

(The light blue beeper and sagging jeans made me LOL!) What was one of your personal favorite things from the ‘90s? Did writing about the past present any unexpected challenges? There were so many fun references, from fashion to sports to music. The book takes place in the late ‘90s and when I was reading, I honestly felt like I had gone back in time. Starr definitely doesn’t know everything about Mav, which made writing his story a little easier. Yes, haha! There’s sooo much we don’t know about our parents. Plus, I think it always takes kids a while to see their parents as their own person, and not just mom or dad, haha. Yes, he’s such a strong character in THUG, but because we only see him from Starr’s perspective, we don’t get the full story. I also had to explore his relationships with his parents a bit more and discover who they were beyond his story. In THUG, he’s this pillar of sorts, but in Concrete Rose he’s just a kid in his father’s shadow. But I had to explore the details of all of those things, especially when it came to his reputation around the neighborhood. I knew about his relationships with King, Lisa, and Iesha, and I knew that he became a father at a young age. I knew some of the major things, like that his father was incarcerated when he was young, that he got involved in the gang and selling drugs at a young age. Not easy in the least! Now, we get bits and pieces of Maverick’s backstory in The Hate U Give, so I’m curious - how much of his story did you know before writing Concrete Rose and what parts did you need to explore further? But staying on the straight and narrow isn’t so easy when King Lords run in your blood 🙃. Balancing school, street life, and a child isn’t easy, so when he’s given the chance to straighten his life up, he takes it. His life is turned upside-down when he finds out he’s the father of a 3-month-old baby boy. While his father is in prison, he sells drugs to help his mom get by. In Concrete Rose, he’s a 17-year-old who’s known around the neighborhood as being the son of a King Lord gang legend.

Sure! Concrete Rose is a prequel to my first novel, The Hate U Give, and follows Starr’s father, Maverick. I’m doing well! Frankly, very excited for the end of 2020, especially since there are so many things to look forward to in the new year, including the release of Concrete Rose! For those that are unfamiliar, can you give a little description of the book? Haha I love that, that’s so good to hear. Thanks so much for chatting with me today! How are you? I hope you’ve been doing well during these crazy times.

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