L.L. Kinney Author of A Blade So Black – I Talk Sh*t and Read #2

In the second episode of I Talk Shit & Read, I spent some time with  L.L. McKinney (aka Elle) about her debut novel A Blade So Black. 

https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=8893106
Guest: L. L. McKinney
Because the Twitterverse has no chill, we started off discussing an online controversy surrounding a YA novel, Blood Heir, the author eventually decided to pull in order to address racially problematic elements in the writing. (I wanted to hyperlink to an article about the issue but damned if I'll promote clicks to skewed hot-takes that just want to bash anyone who vocally took issue with the novel or the marketing direction. I asked about Elle focused on pointing to the initial marketing "blurb" labeling the story "color-blind" and how that in-and-of-itself is problematic, in publishing and in life.  Our conversation took off from there.

Elle went on to share how exploring fear, its physical effects, and a concept of accountability influenced the creation of "Wonderland." How race