Milton Keynes author has 'dazzling' first novel published by Penguin

A female Milton Keynes author has had her first novel up by publishers at Penguin.

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn's book is called Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? and has already received rave reviews and been chosen in a string of ‘best of 2022’ press round-ups

One big fan is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who had chosen it for her online book clubThe novel is about a young British Nigerian woman’s quest for love and self-acceptance. In Bridget Jones style, chapters open with WhatsApp screenshots and details of Yinka’s online search history.

Lizzie, who works for Carers UK, deftly switches between humour and more serious subjects including colourism, dating as a dark-skinned woman in this country and dating as a Christian woman.

Her aim is to write stories that she and her friends have longed for but never seen in literature - romcoms 'where Cinderella is Black and no-one bats an eyelid'.

Yinka is a 31 year old British Nigerian woman who lives in London and is feeling the pressure to settle down, from her Nigerian mum and her many, many aunties.

When her cousin gets engaged, she takes her love life into her own hands and makes a plan – with a spreadsheet and KPIs no less – with the aim of finding a date for the wedding.

Readers see Yinka start to question herself – her hair, her skin colour – as she experiences dating as a dark-skinned woman whose culture straddles British and Nigerian culture. Alongside this search for love, Yinka finds out more about herself, with the help of her brilliant cast of friends and family.

Yinka Where Is Your Huzband? started life as a blog when, in 2014, Lizzie – like her lead character - was single and feeling the pressure to settle down. She is now happily married and lives with her husband in Milton Keynes.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? will be available from all good booksellers on March 31. A special edition copy can be pre-ordered from Waterstones now.