Faridah Àbíké-ĺyímídé “Ace of Spades”
This World Book Day we have been lucky enough to speak to the amazing debut author of Ace of Spades, Faridah Àbíké-ĺyímídé! Faridah talks about her debut novel, the writing process and her favourtie books!We are very excited to see your debut novel Ace of Spades published this summer!
Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Thank you! Ace of Spades can be pitched as Get Out meets Gossip Girl and it follows Devon and Chiamaka, two very different Black students, in their senior year at Niveus Private Academy. Things take a turn for them both when an anonymous texter who calls themselves “Aces” begins releasing secrets about them and other students at the school. What starts off seeming like a high school prank soon becomes dark and twisted. Devon and Chiamaka must team up and take down this anonymous bully before it’s too late.
Wow! We’re hooked already. How did you come up with the book title?
I really love titles that have double or even triple meanings and Ace of Spades has many meanings! One of the none spoilery meanings behind the book title is the theme of “playing a game” and the “Aces” figure toying with their lives in the same way a dealer toys with the cards. There’s also a lot of discussion about race and white supremacy in the book and so the Ace of Spades card literally being black and white is a subtle nod to those themes.
How did you find the writing process? What did you enjoy the most and the least?
I found the writing process really difficult. Writing a thriller often requires months and months of meticulously planning plot points and twists. I’ve been working on this book since 2017 and so it has nearly been 4 years and I am really proud of how far it has come! The thing I enjoyed most was probably writing the relationship between Devon and Chiamaka. They are such different people and I really love their friendship and how it develops. The thing I least enjoyed was the amount of rewrites it took to get this book right. There was definitely a lot of tearing my hair out!
A really long process! So, what inspires or keeps you motivated to write?
The promise I made to my child self to write millions of books – which is probably a very lofty dream, but I’m going to try anyway!
We are sure you will! If Ace of Spades was adapted into a film, who would you want to play your lead characters?
I would love to have new Black talent!
When did you start writing? Did you always know that you wanted to be an author?
I’ve been writing since I was a toddler, which is very cliché but there’s photographic evidence! Even before I knew where books came from, I loved telling stories and attempting to write them down.
What is the best advice you got and what advice would you give to any budding new writers?
To finish a book, start to finish, no matter how bad it is. The first book you finish doesn’t have to be perfect, or even good. It’s there to tell your brain that you have the ability to finish writing a book (which is a very difficult hurdle).
Great advice! Are you doing anything to celebrate world book day?
Yes! I will be revisiting some of my favourite childhood stories.
What was your favourite childhood book?
I really loved Handa’s Surprise when I was a child, I think it was the first time I saw a character who looked like me and it was also the first portrayal of Africa I saw in a book.
If you could spend a whole day with any fictional character, who would it be any why?
Going to cheat and say the entire main cast from the Fence graphic novel series, they just seem like a lot of fun to hang out with!
What book are you reading at the moment?
Know My Name by Chanel Miller – it is a beautifully written memoir about the author’s experience with sexual assault. I’ve been reading this book very slowly as it is quite heavy, but I highly recommend it! Trigger warnings for rape.
You can pre order at any of these places @foylesforbooks @bookdepository @whsmithofficial @blackwellbooks @amazonuk @waterstones
We’ve ordered ours, now just patiently waiting !
