Amerie isn’t just pushing her pen in the recording studio. The Grammy-nominated singer and author has announced her new novel, This Is Not a Ghost Story, will release June 10 via William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Per the book’s description, “Amerie’s dazzling, satirical adult debut tells the story of a Black man who walks into the light…to find himself in Los Angeles, where he becomes an instant celebrity for being the first visible and verifiable ghost.”
Amerie went to social media to share more insight about her upcoming book. “My novel is about a ghost—a Black man who is the first person to come back from the Other Side—but it isn’t really a ghost story. It’s an exploration of identity, race, celebrity culture, how we see the world and the people around us, and, perhaps most importantly, how we see ourselves,” Amerie wrote.
She continued, “I also wanted to explore what we desire and how that desire is so intrinsically tied to our self-identity and self-worth. A few topics even snuck up on me during the writing process, like the concept of found families and how we might find the people we need most (I went from skeptic to believer!). THIS IS NOT A GHOST STORY is a novel of reckonings and homecomings, of love and self-acceptance.”
This Is Not a Ghost Story will arrive two years after Amerie’s first children’s book, You Will Do Great Things.
Regarding the latter, she explained, “You Will Do Great Things is about the hopes and dreams we hold for our children, about the love and power they carry within them that is passed through generations, as well as the idea that, whether they be on large or small scales, children can and will accomplish great things.”
Aside from that, Amerie contributed to anthologies, including Cool. Awkward. Black., A Phoenix First Must Burn, and Because You Love Hate Me.
Outside of the book world, Amerie has been in the studio working on her new album with producer Troy Taylor. The highly anticipated album will mark Amerie’s first full-length project since 2009’s In Love & War.
Amerie and Taylor have been keeping fans in the loop with their progress in the studio via Instagram live broadcasts. So far, they have previewed several songs, including “Undeniable,” “Radio,” “Mine,” “Good Bad,” “Unsaid” and “The Way You Love.”
A release date has not been announced for Amerie’s new album. However, she confirmed it will release sometime this year.
Preorder Amerie’s new book This Is Not a Ghost Story. Watch her announcement below.
