Mara Brock Akil has done it all, from showrunning to directing. Now the mind that helped shape classic series such as “Girlfriends” and Netflix’s “Forever” is attempting something new: being a novelist.
In June, Akil will release her first novel, “The Revelation of Dionne Daphne.” The book follows the title character as she navigates the magazine world in her early ’30s in 1990s-era New York City.
Daphne, a beauty editor at a prestigious magazine, has it all. A thriving career, a flourishing social life and more. All of it is upended when she receives life-threatening news from her partner, sending Daphne down a path of rediscovery few could have predicted.
“I wrote this novel with the intention of taking the reader through a story that may be familiar. One of isolation, shame, resilience and the redemptive power of love,” Brock Akil said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “My hope is that readers will see themselves in Dionne and recognize the weight they’ve been holding, and feel permission to release it.”
On Instagram, Akil shared the book’s cover and a deeply personal message about her intent.
“This story was born from a conversation with myself – an honest reckoning with how my own sexual trauma shaped my sexual agency,” she began. “Nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men in the U.S., alone, experience sexual violence in their lifetime – and too many of us carry the weight of it in silence.”
She added, “There’s a pattern of shame that shows up in our work, our homes, and our most intimate spaces — a cycle the world desperately needs to confront, heal and alchemize. Through the process of writing, I unearthed a truth that became a fictional tale, The Revelation of Dionne Daphne. In witnessing my own healing, I experienced a revelation. My hope is that this story offers a revelation for you, too.”
Pre-orders for “The Revelation of Dionne Daphne” are available now. The book hits bookshelves and online retailers on June 30.
