The Story Behind: Hopefully Unconditional
Two hesitant hearts. One redefining love.
Dr. Ezekiel Thompson learned a lot from his parents about love: that it’s cruel, unforgiving, and must be earned. And he’s spent his whole life being exactly who they want him to be, sacrificing pieces of himself along the way. But will finishing his neurology residency be the final push he needs to gain their ever-elusive affection, or will Hendrix, his new colleague who challenges everything he thought he knew about love, upend the life his parents planned for him—including the girlfriend they handpicked?
Dr. Hendrix Ingram-Jones knows love is kind, it’s freely given, and unconditional. He’s waited diligently to find the person who’ll love him as fiercely as he’ll love them. But after a series of heartbreak and tears, he questions if he’ll ever find his Mr. Right. Close to giving up on love altogether after his last relationship, he meets Zeke, coworker turned best friend. And he’s exactly what he’s looking for—if not for his girlfriend. Battling with his reality, Hendrix considers risking it all by confessing how he truly feels.
My debut novel, Hopefully Unconditional, will be available September 8th! It features the love story of Zeke, a neurology resident, and Hendrix, a medical SLP. More than that, it features someone who’s been taught not only that love is conditional, but that he’s unworthy of love in any form, meeting someone who teaches him otherwise. But the issue with unconditional love when you’re used to things being conditional, is it’s hella suspicious. So, Zeke initially wonders what Hendrix’s ulterior motive is for being so nice.
On Hendrix’s side, he grew up getting unconditional love from his parents. It’s the norm. So it’s not a question of if he’s capable of loving someone unconditionally. His main concern is if he’ll ever meet someone who won’t take his love for granted—like in his previous relationships. His most recent one ended with him being cheated on, so he’s even more skeptical about finding Mr. Right.
“Because if someone he’s only known for six months treats him better than people who have known him his whole life, the problem isn’t Hendrix, it’s everyone else. ”
When crafting their world and love story, six things were super important to me.
Black Stories Without Racism - As a Black woman, I’ve been exposed to all kinds of Black stories in media that heavily feature having to overcome a fuck ton of trauma, including racial trauma. While I don’t deny those stories should be told, I have zero interest in telling them. I’m interested in telling Black queer romance stories where the characters (who are all Black unless otherwise stated) are allowed to be sensitive, silly, nerdy, etc., without everything being filtered through historical disenfranchisement and discrimination. Growing up, I loved shows like A Different World, Living Single, and others, where excluding a special episode or two, the focus is largely on Black people living unapologetically without filtering it through a traumatic lens. Please note, no racial trauma doesn’t mean there’s no trauma at all, but the only trauma I delve into is childhood trauma.
Multidimensional Black Men - The depiction of Black men in the media has always been overwhelmingly problematic. They’re seen as angry, emotionally stunted, disloyal, toxically masculine, and so much more. It’s why I prioritize writing Black MMCs that defy stereotypes. They cry, they bake, they like giving and receiving flowers, they care. The foundation of all my MMCs is that viral trend from a year or so ago with Black men frolicking. The joy, the nature of being carefree, the beauty—so diverse yet still so wonderfully Black. I also think it’s important to have other emotionally stable, loving Black men in their corner and in this book it’s Frankie, Hen’s dad.
Side note: I also don’t mention size when describing their dicks in explicit scenes. It feels icky and stereotypical. So if you’re looking for a book talking about “huge Black cock”, or some shit like that, my books won’t be for you.
External Homophobia Only - What if we lived in a world where people could just be queer without shame and only a very small percentage of people were against it? In this book, and all my books, the homophobia will only come from shitty parents. Literally everyone else is welcoming and accepting. So, although this story features Zeke’s gay awakening, he doesn’t hate himself for what he discovers. Much like point 1 above, while I don’t deny those stories should be told, they won’t be told by me. I prefer a queer normative approach. Is it unrealistic, especially given the current political climate? Yes. But as a queer Black American, having books where self-discovery doesn’t immediately spark self-hatred is important. Plus, this is fiction.
Shitty Family Consequences - I’m sick of stories where the parents are horrible to the queer MC(s) with little to no consequences. So many of those stories either gloss over the ramifications of the parents' cruelty or feature a change of heart as the happy ending. As someone who's been no contact with my parents for a very long time, I know from personal experience that sometimes the happy ending is choosing yourself and loving yourself enough to no longer be around shitty people, whether they're family or not.
No Demonization of Women - It’s important to me that my stories also feature badass Black women who the MMCs can go to that will love them, support them, and call them out if necessary. I’m sure you can tell based on the blurb that Zeke’s girlfriend is established as an obstacle to their relationship, but she’s not demonized just for being a woman. She does some questionable shit, but it was important for me to mention the motivations behind her behavior as well. Ultimately, the biggest obstacle is the one Zeke’s been dealing with his whole life: his parents.
Non-Toxic Love - I knew from the beginning that Zeke would be from a toxic family and only have experience with toxic love. So if Hendrix treated Zeke the way his parents do, it wouldn’t shift his worldview. It’s because Hendrix treats him so much better than he’s used to that Zeke starts to question what treatment he deserves. It’s endearing to watch Zeke go from, why is he being so nice to me > he’s such a nice person > I deserve to be treated with kindness.
“I don’t know what your dad said, and I don’t need to know. I just wanna remind you that what your dad thinks of you doesn’t have to impact what you think of you.”
Major Takeaway:
After reading the book, I hope what sticks out the most is the transformative love between Hendrix and Zeke, where the mere improbability of being loved by Hendrix helps Zeke love himself more.
Don’t get it twisted, the relationship is just as monumental for Hendrix, which is why it’s dual POV. You get to see their friendship and blossoming love from both of their perspectives.
If you enjoy emotional hurt/comfort, found family, and gay awakening, this story is for you.
What’s Next for Zeke & Hen?
The Hopefully Series follows Zeke & Hen through three stages of their relationship. The first draft of book 2 is complete and the first draft of book 3 is 50% complete. I tentatively plan to release both of them next year. I can’t wait for you to see how their relationship evolves.
If you wanna stay in the loop and get an exclusive look at books 2 and 3 (and all my subsequent books), sign up for my Romance and Randomness newsletter.