A vampire story that twists and turns from New York to West Africa and back.
When schoolteacher Cynthia gets a tattoo at a block party in 1991 Flatbush, she doesn't realize she's embarking on a life-changing romance with an immortal Ghanaian vampire. Cynthia's affair with Safoa weaves together stories from nineteenth century Ghana, late twentieth century New York and a near future reality in Maryland that defies the utopian/dystopian binary.
Part of the Neon Hemlock Novella Series.
Ā
Liza Wemakor is a writer and scholar of speculative fiction and Black American literature. She was raised in New York and Atlanta, Georgia, and currently resides in Southern California.Ā
Ā
"Loving Safoa is a healing Black Sapphic love story that will leave you craving so much more than blood." - Shingai Njeri Kagunda
"Wemakor's writing is visually evocative, sensory, and sensual. Turns of phrase peppered throughout her prose invite you to read them twice, just to appreciate the beauty condensed within their apparent simplicity and the subtle humor that accentuates the tenderness of two lovers. Loving Safoa celebrates love between Black women and their chosen communities, which transcends all attempts at oppression, threats of despair, and even the vicissitudes of time." - Akotowaa Ofori
"Loving Safoa is a book that lingers, with characters that are easy to love and hard to forget." - Dante Luiz
"A sultry and deliberate love story beautifully paired with a fresh take on vampires." - Hache Pueyo
"Loving Safoa journeys across centuries and continents to infuse new life into vampire literature. Tender, harsh, sensual, cerebral and delightful, a debut made for your veins." - Samit Basu
"Wemakor's debut is a celebration of and welcome addition to the lineage of queer Black vampire literature. From her traumatic birth in historic Ghana into a liberated future for all, Safoa is a vampire of our time. With an earnest and established lesbian romance at its heart, Loving Safoa gives me giddy hope for the future of the Black vampire genre." - Tamara JerƩe
"With velvety prose, rich lore, and a complex cast, Loving Safoa is an enchanting addition to the canon of black vampire fiction. Wemakor's captivating worldbuilding and thematic acuity are proof that the timelessness of vampires is well-deserved." - Lachelle Seville
