Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (born 13 October 1999) is a British and Nigerian novelist, short-story writer and columnist. Her debut novel, the young adult thriller '' Ace of Spades'' (2021), received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, and reached the top ten on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Additionally, Àbíké-Íyímídé has contributed writings to several publications, including '' The Bookseller'', ''

gal-dem ''gal-dem'' (stylised lower case) is an independent British online and print magazine produced by women of colour and non-binary people of colour. History and profile The magazine was founded by Liv Little in 2015. It produces one printed issue ...

'', ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' and '' Reader's Digest''.

Early life and education

Àbíké-Íyímídé was born and raised in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

in South London. She lived in Aberdeen, Scotland while studying English, Chinese and anthropology at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

. She currently lives in London.

Career

Àbíké-Íyímídé's debut novel, '' Ace of Spades,'' is a young adult thriller with themes of "homophobia in the black community, institutional racism and the diversity of thought among black people". In 2018 she gained an agent and a UK book deal for ''Ace of Spades'' with Usborne Publishing. In 2020 she gained a US book deal with

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...

for ''Ace of Spades'' along with a second novel, for a seven-figure sum.

Bibliography

*'' Ace of Spades''. New York:

Feiwel & Friends Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...

, 2021. . London: Usborne, 2021. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abike-Iyimide, Faridah Muslim writers 21st-century English women writers 21st-century British novelists 21st-century Nigerian novelists British women novelists Living people British people of Nigerian descent British writers of young adult literature Nigerian fantasy writers British fantasy writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers Black speculative fiction authors Nigerian women writers Writers from London Alumni of the University of Aberdeen 1999 births