Jacaranda Books has acquired the debut novel by Musih Tedji Xaviere, one of the joint winners of the 2021 Pontas & JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize.
Xaviere’s novel is expected to be published in the summer of 2024. The book is a coming-of-age story that explores themes of identity, family, and love. It follows the journey of a young girl named Amina who is forced to confront her past and present when she discovers a family secret that threatens to upend her life.
The novel is set in Cameroon and France, and is written in English and French.
The prize was launched by Pontas Literary & Film Agency and JJ Bola to support unagented, unpublished and underrepresented writers from Black, ethnic minority, LGBTQ+ and working class backgrounds who are currently working on a novel. The winner of the prize receives a £1,000 grant to support their writing, mentoring from JJ Bola and Maria Cardona, and representation from the Pontas Literary & Film Agency. The novels submitted do not need to be completed at the time of submission. The winner and shortlistees of the prize are selected by literary agents Anna Soler-Pont and Maria Cardona, and established writer JJ Bola based entirely on their assessment of the writing.
