By Matt Levine
Sigma Tau Delta, an English honors society at the University of Maryland hosted a question and answer session Wednesday, Oct. 30 with the author of the supernatural novel “Strange Things Await.”
Stone, a graduate from the University of the District of Columbia, had a dream one night that inspired her to write “Strange Things Await.” The story is set in a boarding school for supernatural creatures, and its plot line revolves around the between two witches who were formerly friends.
Stone explores the relationship between the two, and whether it’s strong enough to save the school from a rampant monster.
Stone started writing the story during her final semester of college. It took her five months to complete, even without much preparation.
“The novel did not really have anything planned out, or an outline,” Stone said. “I just wrote it down and kept writing, kept writing and ended up finishing a book.”
She described finishing her novel as a feeling of excitement and relief.
Stone said the book is aimed at readers in their late teenage years to young adult years.
Stone is not just an author. She also created Black Glory LLC and Black Glory Publishing House to create more diversity in authors whose novels get published.
“[Black Glory Publishing House] came about when I continued to see how there’s a lack of diversity and a lack of platforms for people of color and other underrepresented groups,” Stone said.
Kian Kelley-Chung, a senior English major and the president of the honors society, said he thinks it’s extremely important for his chapter to host these kinds of events for their members.
“I think it’s always a great opportunity, especially because she’s also a member of STD,” Kelley-Chung said. “It’s always great for our members to see another one of our members be a successful author and get an opportunity to say to themselves, ‘I could see myself in her… as a Sigma Tau Delta member I also have the opportunity to go and do something like she did.’”
Sophia Harrison, a senior English and anthropology double major and the group’s secretary, said she finds events like this extremely beneficial.
“It is really important because it allows you to meet people in your major, which is helpful because once you get to higher level classes you start to see more familiar faces,” she said. “I think it’s great to connect with people like Jamila Stone and to hear her story and how she took advantage of her undergraduate years, and also being an English major too.”