This is the Underground. We go by a different set of rules here―ones steeped in magic, history, and well . . . blood.

Maggie Grey always dismissed her grandmother’s tales as superstition. Bedtime stories of vampiric priests, midnight covens, and secret conjurers from her youth during the Civil Rights Era. Even Maggie’s stark white hair felt like nothing more than an inherited quirk. But when her grad school presentation retelling those stories catches the interest of her professor, she discovers the truth buried within them. He directs Maggie to Drew Collins University, a hidden HBCU beneath the streets of Atlanta where the legends come to life.

At DCU, necromancy is a major, students with claws and fangs roam the campus, and Maggie leans on a new circle of unlikely allies: Souxie, a mysterious priestess; Asha, a scarred siren; Isis, a water-bending nymph; and Quan, a snarky talking cat. Soon, Maggie learns she comes from the most feared bloodline in the Underground: the First Family, a lineage of vampires whose power has haunted the community for generations. That makes her not only dangerous but a target, especially to Namir, the sharp-eyed werewolf whose family has long despised hers. Distrust simmers between them, even as an undeniable pull grows harder to ignore.

When a murder shatters the campus, suspicion lands on Maggie. Not just because of what she is but because of the family she comes from. In a world where legacy is everything, hers might be the deadliest of all.

Beneath Atlanta lies a hidden world of magic and murder known as the Underground. And its secrets won’t stay buried forever . . .

Namir was supposed to get close to Maggie Grey, the newest arrival to Atlanta’s hidden magical HBCU, Drew Collins University. As a descendent of the legendary First Family, feared throughout the Underground, Maggie poses an existential threat to Namir’s werewolf pack, even if she herself doesn’t yet fully understand her own untapped power.

But the closer Namir gets to the mysterious white-haired girl, the more his desire grows. When their night together is shattered by a student found dead and drained on Legacy Row, suspicion falls squarely on Maggie and her vampiric bloodline. As rumors swirl and secret alliances form, Namir’s wolfpack begins to question his loyalty.

Meanwhile, buried grudges and forbidden passions ripple across a campus that’s already teetering on the edge of chaos. With each clue in the case of the Legacy Row murder leading to more questions than answers, Maggie can’t help but wonder: Was she the intended victim? Or is someone trying to set her up . . . ? And why are the powers that be so desperate to silence the truth?

A mighty family once fell in a maelstrom of bloodshed and forbidden love. And the curse is about to repeat itself . . .

When fantasy author Celeste Taylor arrives at Drew Collins University, she’s stunned to learn the magical HBCU is not only real but also populated with young witches, vampires, shifters, and other creatures that until now she’s only encountered in the pages of her books, not to mention her strange, recurring dreams.

Celeste is soon welcomed into the home of Maggie Grey, her friends, and their otherworldly talking cat, Quan. She may finally have found her place here in this world hidden in Atlanta’s Underground. Still, questions remain: Who is the terrifying, red-eyed man who led her there? What are her visions of three mysterious werewolf brothers trying to tell her? And what might her next story reveal?

Meanwhile, four students from DCU’s rival school, Society Hill, have vanished. As Maggie and the group once again become embroiled in a mystery, their path to discover the truth will entangle them in a dangerous web of sinister plots and a ruthless quest for power that could change the Underground forever. Unless they stop it first . . .

This edition features a signed letter from the author and two bonus scenes.

When darkness comes calling for two young agents, they’ll learn some secrets are better left buried―and some hearts are the hardest to protect . . .

DCU alum Himora Clarke has managed to land a job at the National Black Mythical Agency (NBMA), an organization dedicated to protecting all things magical. But while Himora’s fellow agents don’t have much patience for her social quirks (or lack thereof), she’s there to build a career, not make friends. Even when she’s assigned to the dead-end Mortal Affairs Department, she has no intention of putting her head down and going on coffee runs.

Meanwhile, Agent Trevor Coleman, a tenured and arrogant, and stubborn shifter prone to causing aggravation wherever he goes, would probably have been fired already if he didn’t possess such rare skills. In an effort to remind him who’s in charge, the brass have reassigned him to Mortal Affairs, reporting to none other than Himora Clarke.

Now, as the two investigate what started as a simple lead, each thread pulled begins to unravel a story the fearsome First Family would rather didn’t see the light of day. But navigating the dark forces of the Underground and their own complicated feelings for each other threatens to destroy Himora and Trevor . . . until they find a desperate, mysterious message from a student named Maggie Grey.

We're meeting to discuss The Secret World of Maggie Grey by Granger!

BOOK CLUB MEETING DEETS

When: Tuesday, September 14 @ 7PM CST

Where: Kindred Stories (2310 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004)

How: RSVP ONLY to let us know you plan to attend! Support the Kindred's Pick Book Club by purchasing a copy of the book from Kindred Stories here!

ABOUT THE SECRET WORLD OF MAGGIE GREY

This is the Underground. We go by a different set of rules here―ones steeped in magic, history, and well . . . blood.

Maggie Grey always dismissed her grandmother’s tales as superstition. Bedtime stories of vampiric priests, midnight covens, and secret conjurers from her youth during the Civil Rights Era. Even Maggie’s stark white hair felt like nothing more than an inherited quirk. But when her grad school presentation retelling those stories catches the interest of her professor, she discovers the truth buried within them. He directs Maggie to Drew Collins University, a hidden HBCU beneath the streets of Atlanta where the legends come to life.

At DCU, necromancy is a major, students with claws and fangs roam the campus, and Maggie leans on a new circle of unlikely allies: Souxie, a mysterious priestess; Asha, a scarred siren; Isis, a water-bending nymph; and Quan, a snarky talking cat. Soon, Maggie learns she comes from the most feared bloodline in the Underground: the First Family, a lineage of vampires whose power has haunted the community for generations. That makes her not only dangerous but a target, especially to Namir, the sharp-eyed werewolf whose family has long despised hers. Distrust simmers between them, even as an undeniable pull grows harder to ignore.

When a murder shatters the campus, suspicion lands on Maggie. Not just because of what she is but because of the family she comes from. In a world where legacy is everything, hers might be the deadliest of all.

*ships in 7-10 business days

Introduce little learners to the Juneteenth holiday with this 250-word board book about its origins and traditions.

What are the origins of America’s newest national holiday? With simple, age-appropriate language and colorful illustrations, this little board book introduces children to the events of June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform the people of Texas that all enslaved people were declared free and the Civil War had ended. The book also connects those events to today’s celebrations. Thoroughly researched and historically accurate, The Story of Juneteenth distills a pivotal moment in U.S. history and creates an opportunity for further conversation between parent or caregiver and child.

*Ships in 7-10 business days*

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Color Purple: a “moving, tender” novel of a Deep South tenant farmer’s quest for a new life (Publishers Weekly).

Grange Copeland, a deeply conflicted and struggling tenant farmer in the Deep South of the 1930s, leaves his family and everything he’s ever known to find happiness and respect in the cold cities of the North. This misadventure, his “second life,” proves a dismal failure that sends him back where he came from to confront his now grown-up son’s disastrous relationships with his own family, including Grange’s granddaughter, Ruth Copeland, a child that Grange grows to love. Love becomes the substance of his third and final life. He spends it in devotion to Ruth, teaching and protecting her??—??though the cost of doing so is almost more than he can bear.

Celebrate the release of Watermelon & Red Bird Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteeth & Black Celebrations with James Beard Award nominated food writer and chef Nicole A. Taylor!

Event DEETS: 

When: Thursday, June 23 @ 7:00 PM CST

Where: Assembly HTX (2015 Berry Street, HTX 77004)

How: Space is limited. Tickets With Book includes all the necessary materials for cocktail class. Ticket Without Book is for the author talk and materials/supplies for cocktails. 

About the Book

On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, informing the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. A year later, in 1866, Black Texans congregated with music, dance, and BBQs—Juneteenth celebrations.

All-day cook-outs with artful salads, bounteous dessert spreads, and raised glasses of “red drink” are essential to Juneteenth gatherings. In Watermelon and Red Birds, Nicole puts jubilation on the main stage. As a master storyteller and cook, she bridges the traditional African-American table and 21st-century flavors in stories and recipes. Nicole synthesizes all the places we’ve been, all the people we have come from, all the people we have become, and all the culinary ideas we have embraced.

Watermelon and Red Birds contains over 75 recipes, including drinks like Afro Egg Cream and Marigold Gin Sour, dishes like Beef Ribs with Fermented Harissa Sauce, Peach Jam and Molasses Glazed Chicken Thighs, Southern-ish Potato Salad and Cantaloupe and Feta Salad, and desserts like Roasted Nectarine Sundae, and Radish and Ginger Pound Cake. Taylor also provides a resource to guide readers to BIPOC-owned hot sauces, jams, spice, and waffle mixes companies and lists fun gadgets to make your Juneteenth special. These recipes and essays will inspire parties to salute one of the most important American holidays, and moments to savor joy all year round

About the Author

Nicole A. Taylor (@foodculturist) is a James Beard Award-nominated food writer, master home cook, and producer.  She has written for the New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine. Nicole is the author of The Up South Cookbook and The Last O.G. Cookbook. She is the executive producer of If We So Choose, a short documentary about the desegregation of an iconic southern fast food joint. Nicole is the co-founder of The Maroon, a marketplace and retreat house focused on radical rest for Black creatives. She lives in New York City and Athens, Georgia, with her husband and son.

About the Moderator

Chef Vicky V (@thequeenofyum) is a United States-based, Houston native Chef Consultant/FoodStylist/Influencer/Media Producer/ & Black Restaurant Liaison. Chef Vicky V is the powerhouse for food media and championing people to expand their palates while living life beyond the stereotypes! Chef Vicky V garnered professional training in Philadelphia at JNA Institute of Culinary Art. After moving back to Houston she has successfully navigated as a food media personality. She has recently centered in on the Food & Travel/ and Unique brand forward recipe development.

Chef Vicky V has rebranded herself as the Queen of Yum in 2020 with a powerful engine of followers she calls the “yumcrumb” behind her! She has
worked with many Regional and National brands to create delicious, colorful, beautifully aesthetic food media with engagement reaching in the multiple of millions.