Bethany C. Morrow in Conversation With L. L. McKinney

Meet Naema Bradshaw: a beautiful Eloko, once Portland-famous, now infamous, as she navigates a personal and public reckoning where confronting the limits of her privilege will show Naema what her magic really is, and who it makes her. Teen influencer Naema Bradshaw has it all: she’s famous, stylish, gorgeous, and she’s an Eloko, a charismatic person gifted with a melody that people adore. Everyone loves her until she’s cast as the villain who exposed a Siren to the whole world. Dragged by the media, and canceled by her fans, no one understands her side: not her boyfriend, not her friends, not even her fellow Eloko. Vilified by those closest to her, Naema heads to the Southwest where she is determined to stage a comeback… to her family, her real self, and the truth about her magic. What she finds is a new community in a flourishing group of online fans who support her. At first, it feels like it used to — the fandom, the adoration, the community that takes her side — but when her online advocates start targeting other Black girls, Naema will realize that — for Black girls like her — even the privilege of fame has its limits. And only Naema can discover the true purpose of her power, and how to use it. Bethany C. Morrow’s A Chorus Rises (Tor Teen) is a timely confrontation of the evolving nature of popularity in a society that chooses “exceptions” and rewards “model minorities.” Morrow will be joined in conversation by L. L. McKinney, author of the Nightmare-Verse books.

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