U.M. Agoawike is a Nigerian-Canadian author of short stories with vibes for plot and SFFH novels featuring everything but the kitchen sink. Their love of reading was sparked in first-grade where they preferred devouring the contents of their teacher’s bookshelf over the mortifying ordeal of being known. Beset by a tragic case of worldbuilder’s disease, they have a passion for ancient religions, cultures, and languages, which they use to conjure up a concerning amount of speculative realms. When not writing, they can be found watching horror movies, playing video games, or reading fanfiction. BLACK AS DIAMOND is their debut novel.