L.L. McKinney facts for kids

L.L. McKinney is an American author who writes exciting books for young adults. Her real name is Leatrice "Elle" McKinney. She is known for her fantasy and science fiction stories.

Her first book, A Blade So Black, came out in September 2018. McKinney also started the PublishingPaidMe hashtag on Twitter. This helped show differences in how much money writers were paid.

Writing Career

L.L. McKinney loved reading and writing when she was a kid. She studied how to design video games in college. After that, she worked at Hallmark writing greeting cards. She kept this job even after her first book was published.

The Nightmare-Verse Series

McKinney's first book, A Blade So Black, was released in 2018. This book is the first in her Nightmare-Verse series. It's a modern version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. But in this story, the main character is a Black teenage girl.

The second book in the series, A Dream So Dark, came out in September 2019. The third book, A Crown So Cursed, is planned for release in 2023.

Nubia: Real One

In May 2020, McKinney announced a new young adult novel. It was also her first graphic novel, called Nubia: Real One. This book tells the story of a Black girl who has amazing superhuman strength.

The character, Nubia, first appeared in Wonder Woman comics in 1976. She was the first Black woman superhero in the DC Universe. DC Comics released McKinney's Nubia: Real One in February 2021.

Social Media Activity

McKinney is very active on Twitter, especially in the world of YA books. She uses her account to talk about important issues in publishing.

Speaking Out for Fairness

In early 2019, McKinney and other writers used Twitter to discuss a book called Blood Heir. They talked about how the book treated its African American characters.

In February 2020, she spoke out about Barnes & Noble's "Diverse Edition" books. These were classic books with new covers showing people of color. McKinney felt it was better to promote classic books by Black authors instead. Barnes & Noble stopped the campaign because of the feedback.

The #PublishingPaidMe Hashtag

On June 6, 2020, McKinney started the hashtag #PublishingPaidMe. She asked writers to share how much money they received for their books. The goal was to show if there were differences in pay between Black and white writers.

She created this hashtag during the George Floyd protests. These protests were happening worldwide to highlight unfairness. McKinney was inspired by another author, Tochi Onyebuchi, who asked for more openness about book payments.

McKinney collected information from over 1,200 writers through Twitter. The information showed that Black writers often received less money than white writers. This was true even for award-winning authors like N. K. Jemisin.

About Her Life

L.L. McKinney lives in Kansas City, Kansas.

Her Books

• A Blade So Black. 2018. Imprint/Macmillan, published September 25, 2018. ISBN: 9781250153890
• A Dream So Dark. 2019. Imprint/Macmillan, published September 24, 2019. ISBN: 9781250153913
• Nubia: Real One. 2021. DC Comics, published February 23, 2021. ISBN: 1401296408

Awards and Recognition

• Nubia: Real One, DC Comics, 2021 - Finalist for the 2022 Ignyte Award for Best Comics Team.
• Winner of the 2021 The Community Award for outstanding work in promoting fairness. This was for #PublishingPaidMe, shared with Tochi Onyebuchi.