Tomi Adeyemi is a bestselling Nigerian-American author. Her first two books ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ and ‘Children of Virtue and Vengeance,’ debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.

Early Life and Career

Adeyemi was born on the 1^st of August, 1993, to Yoruba parents. She is one of three children. She graduated from Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale, Illinois, USA, in 2011 and studied English Literature at Harvard University. After Harvard, Adeyemi went to Salvador, Brazil, where she studied West African mythology. She is the founder and primary instructor at the Writer’s Roadmap, an online creative writing course. Her website tomiadeyemi.com is listed in Writer’s Digest Best Writing Advice Websites 2020.

Adeyemi’s debut novel, ‘Children of Blood and Bone,’ a young adult book in the fantasy genre, was published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers in 2018. She is credited with saying that she chose writing as a career because it is what she has always wanted to do since childhood. ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ is the first book in the ‘Legacy of Orisha’ trilogy; before publication, the movie rights to the trilogy were acquired by Fox 2000 Pictures and later by Paramount Pictures after Fox let the rights lapse. Adeyemi will be the executive producer for the film as well as the scriptwriter. The trilogy’s first two books are ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ and ‘Children of Virtue and Vengeance’ third book ‘Children of Anguish and Anarchy’ is yet to be published.

Children of Blood and Bone received extensive critical acclaim upon publication. Adeyemi was named among the Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019 and the Time 100 Most Influential People in 2020 – under the Pioneers category.

The book won the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction in 2018. The Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Hugo Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book in 2019.

According to Adeyemi, ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ was written to address the primarily white characters found in young adult science fiction novels. “I had a lot of different reasons for writing the book, but at its core was the desire to write for black teenage girls growing up reading books they were absent from. That was my experience as a child. Children of Blood and Bone is a chance to address that. To say you are seen.”

The idea for the ‘Legacy of Orisha’ came while Adeyemi was studying West African mythology in Brazil. “I was in a gift shop there, and the African gods and goddesses were depicted in such a beautiful and sacred way … it made me think about all the beautiful images we never see featuring black people.” She does not believe her books will ‘magically fix publishing,’ but she hopes they will start ‘the changes moving’ so that there will be ‘even more great stories, where we see ourselves and are heard.’