Jumata Emill talks his new book ‘The Black Queen’, ‘Real Housewives’, and how to avoid being a Karen
"The Black Queen" by queer author Jumata Emill hits bookstores this week.
The Black Queen by queer author Jumata Emill, which hits bookstores this week, is a must-read if you’re a fan of finger-pointing mysteries that keep you guessing to the very end. Set in the small southern town of Lovett, the book follows Duchess, a teen of Lovett High whose best friend’s body was found just a day after being crowned homecoming queen.
Nova Albright’s coronation was a huge leap making her the first Black homecoming queen to be crowned in their small town. But some people saw the statuesque blue-eyed ebony-skinned beauties coronation as a threat… such as Tinsley McArther, who would’ve done anything to be crowned homecoming queen like her sister, mother, and grandmother all were.
With a viral video circulating of the privileged teen making drunken claims to murder Albright, it’s obvious who did it… Or so we think? It’s a book with constant turns and speaks volumes or, as Emill says, “My whole purpose in doing this is that I wanted to have a murder mystery that actually has something important to say.”
In a conversation with Queerty, he expands on the book’s underlying themes, talks about his favorite murder mysteries, and reveals which Real Housewife emulates a character that readers will love to hate.
(@brownboywriting)
QUEERTY: What made you want it to be a murder mystery? And specifically, why for the young adult genre?
EMILL: I have always loved young adult reading. Even today, I just always gravitate to those stories because I feel like the teen years are the most formative years. I feel that you can tell the best stories then. Now, teenagers today can be at the forefront of like social change and social conversations.
But I also grew up on the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, and Sweet Valley High, but all those books are very white and also very heterosexual. They always told one specific story. I’d always read those books and think, “God, if I become a writer one day, I want to write stories that are like this but feature characters that look like me, sound like me and are going through the same things that I’m going through or having the same questions that I’m having.”
What I loved about the book is the fact that it tells the perspectives of two different girls from two completely different worlds. What it was like getting into their heads and did they struggle at all writing through the lens of either character?
I struggled with Tinsley…
Ha!
Yeah, I know! But you know, as for Duchess, I knew who she was. I knew why she was angry. And I knew who I wanted her to be. Writing her chapters was just a breeze. But Tinsley was really the challenge for me. And at one point, I really stopped writing the book because I didn’t know what it looked like for a white person to confront their privilege, ask those questions, and go through that character arc. Tinsley is very white so she’s very privileged too, and I had to figure out a way that I could force her to to feel some small part of what it would be like to have her narrative changed in the media. I had to somehow figure out how I was going to have her go through that and see what that felt like. Once I figured that out, I was like, “Okay, now I know what to do.” Then her chapters started to flow. I don’t want to say it was easier, especially in the beginning, because sometimes I just wanted to kill her off.
Same.
She’s absolutely the worst! But I also knew with her, I could really do something that I wasn’t seeing YA, and that was seeing a white character really confront their privilege and really start to see a character probably start out to be a future “Karen” and then go through something that sets her on a path that can be an ally.
That actually segues perfectly for my next question. Do you empathize with Tinsley? Because she’s a very difficult character to like. I think I was choking on miso soup when I read some of her dialogue, and I was just like, “WHAT?! Like, girl, HARD no!”
So tone deaf!
She gave me anxiety.
Oh, I know!
But do you empathize with her at all? Toward the end, she kind of puts in the work, but I also want to know more about your relationship with her specifically.
It wasn’t, it’ll the very end when even Duchess starts to realize, OK, you know, maybe there could be something there. I think it really happened when (and without giving any spoilers) I had to have her give up something that used to be important to her in order to get justice for Nova and to be a friend to Duchess. That even went through a conversation I was having with some of my Black friends. We were talking about how sometimes we don’t really take into account what our white allies might have to give up in order to support us in our fight for justice.
That said, what would you hope white allies would potentially get from reading this book?
I really want them to understand that 1.) The conversation around race is very nuanced, and 2.) It’s very complicated. And it’s going to be different for every individual. It’s not just this one monolithic thing that everyone feels.
What I want white readers to realize is that you have to do more listening. You have to just really actively go out, seek out that information, seek out those stories. And I think reading is a great way to do that. What better way to get inside someone’s head than to read a book by a Black author featuring a Black character in their point of view and really walk in their shoes? Hopefully, my book can do that.
What’s it like having to provide a book and just create a book that has these conversations about race that so many people are still insecure about having?
I just want people to have those discussions. A lot of things can come out of that. Because it can’t come through just by doing these diversity initiatives, like in the book. Like, let’s just have a Black homecoming queen for one year, and let’s have a white one next year. And we fix it. But we’re not really fixing the issue because we’re not fixing why that’s even needed.
Exactly.
And that’s the tougher lift, you know? That’s the heavier lift. That’s part of the conversation and the type of lifting that we need to do.
I think the book definitely dives into that perfectly. Now, I wanted to ask something because it’s on your “About the Author” bio. Are you a Real Housewives Fan?
Yes!
Ah! OK, now who do you think emulates the character of Charlotte?
This is a good question! I have never been asked this question. I’m trying to think because she’s kind of a combination of so many of them. Probably. The closest I would say to her would be Ramona from New York.
Ohhh, OK.
Yeah, she’s like kind of aloof but still very nice-nasty.
Yeah, love to hate her.
Exactly, love to hate her. She’s kind of in-between Ramona and a little bit of Nikki from OC.
Amazing! Yeah, when I read your bio on the back of the book, I was just like, *GASP* I NEED to ask!
You know I named Tinsley after Tinsley Mortimer from New York!
I love that! And in terms of murder mystery and the whodunit genre, do you have any favorite films or series that you’re watching right now?
Nancy Drew on the CW for sure! It’s pretty much one of my favorites. They have queer characters it’s so diverse, and they address race issues throughout certain episodes. I just love how they’ve done it. I’m so pissed that it’s canceled! But if you haven’t watched it, it’s remarkable! I really love Veronica Mars. Of course, Knives Out.
Oh my god. Sooo good! I just watched Glass Onion.
I haven’t watched the second one!
Girl!
I know, but I’m excited! First of all, I love Janelle Monae. She’s so beautiful. And I heard she’s great in it.
I love her. She kills It. Just give her every award. And “Dirty Computer” is one of my all-time favorite albums ever.
Yes!
If your book were made into a motion picture or series, who would you cast as the main three Nova, Duchess, and Tinsley?
I thought about this, and I’m doing a disclaimer because the one person I’m gonna say could never play this role. But yeah, Duchess was inspired by Teyana Taylor.
Visually, I can see that.
Yeah, she has that butch vibe, but she’s also very feminine at the same time. That’s literally who I envisioned. But if I had to get a teenager to be Duchess, it would be Shan from the new Gossip Girl series. Tinsley… God, I don’t know! I want to say Jenna Ortega a little bit. She did good as Wednesday, and I think she’d play into the ice queen well. As for Nova, I honestly have no idea. But I feel like I want someone who’s a little bit darker-skinned to play her.
Let’s start a casting call right now. Why not?
Yeah! I should research this since I’m probably gonna get asked that a lot now.
And out of curiosity, who would you cast to play Charlotte?
Kristen Chenoweth.
That’s a good one.
Yeah! She used to play this character in the show Good Christian Bitches. And that’s literally Charlotte!
OMG, I remember that show! So good!
Yes! I think she would be fun and she can get angry really well. It would just be good to see her. I just have it in my mind. Either her or Michelle Pfeiffer. She’s like a vampire that never ages! Those would be my two pics. Now, if that happens, I’m telling you right now, if either two of these women plays this role, I’m literally gonna die.
We’re putting that out there. We’re aligning the chakras. I’m lighting the intention candle for you. It’s gonna happen!
Exactly! Let’s put it in the universe. If this happens, Joey, we made it!
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