Hi, I'm Qwantu Amaru (kwan-too-a-mar-oo) - best-selling award-winning novelist of One Blood - a Kirkus Reviews Novel of Remarkable Merit. Nice to e-meet ya! I was born in Pittsburgh, PA and remain true to the values instilled in me while living there until I was five years old - work hard, family first, and look out for opportunities. My grandmother owned a salon and was a true entrepreneur which inspired me to go out and build my own dreams. We moved to Louisiana when I was 11 and the six years I spent in this unique state from junior high through high school became the backbone of my first novel, One Blood. One Blood represents a lifelong dream for me. It took me 12 years to realize this dream but the critical and audience response let me know that my dreams were not in vain. Hope you pick it up and let me know what you think! I've always been an avid reader and Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury were some of my early favorites. Later on, I discovered Stephen King and never looked back! I've been fortunate to live all over the US and overseas as well and this diversity of experience certainly informs my work. Follow me on twitter: @onebloodbook