borywrites

Woke up to a dream review in the @nytimes by none other than @askmateo! Floored by how beautiful this is—I couldn’t have asked for a better critical, thoughtful assessment of my work in the paper of record. On a natural high right now that is so pure. Feeling grateful, thankful. Ya boy with a rave in the NYT! Just incredible.

It’s here! Pub day. Today, this novel that I poured a decade-plus into writing hits the shelves and ya boy can officially call himself a published novelist! Thank you first and foremost to God for this exceptional blessing, and your impeccable timing. Thank you to everyone who has shared a word of support, a blurb, a like, a share, a comment, or a review over the past several months. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you to the booksellers out there who have talked the book up and shown me love: Without you, us writers would be nothing. Thank you to my incredible team: my agent @dani_bukie, my editor @cararreilly, the marketing wizard @anne_jacon, my publicist @elenahershey, and the rest of the wonderful team at @doubledaybooks & @penguinrandomhouse who have been hard at work behind the scenes getting the word out and promoting this book: I’m so, so happy to have you on my side. Thank to my loved ones, my family, my friends—new and old—and the places that shaped and molded me: The Bronx, Loíza, P.S. 86, M.S. 118, @mountstmichael, @cornelluniversity, @umiami_mfa, Miami. I left it all on the page with this book, ya’ll. I hope you go out and buy it, enjoy it, tell a friend about it, write a review, or share a pic, and help me get it into the hands of as many readers as I’m meant to reach. Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙏🏾

My peoples! VICTIM is hitting the road soon with some wild special guests, and will be making stops in Miami, the BX, BK, St. Pete/Tampa area, and Texas. If you’re around, I would really love to see you out there—so please save the dates! We’re kicking things off in MIA, which is free and open to the public, and then heading Uptown to the Boogie Down at the Lit. Bar (a ticketed event, so RSVP asap!), before more, free, stops in BK, Tampa and later in April a stop right outside of Dallas. I truly can’t wait to be out there meeting and interacting with readers and hearing what you all have to say about Javi and his messiness. I’m looking forward to some fun, fruitful conversations. For more info on each event, and to RSVP, please hit the link in my bio! Huge thanks to Ernesto Quinonez, @xochitltheg, @kristen__arnett, and Dwyer Murphy for agreeing to chop it up with me! If I’m not coming to your city, write letters and protest! But also, you can order VICTIM through my hometown store, @booksandbooks, which is selling signed copies (link for that in the bio, too). Hope to see you out there.

🎄FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY🎄 It’s the holiday season and I’m in a giving mood. From now until Friday at 10 a.m. ET I’m running a giveaway right here on IG where you can enter to win a signed hardcover copy of VICTIM for you and a friend, as well as a couple of custom bookmarks, too. The deets are below! TO ENTER: 1) Follow me @borywrites 2) Like this post 3) Tag a friend who has the flyest taste in books for a chance to win both copies for your next buddy-read RULES: No purchase necessary. Giveaway ends on 12/13 at 10 a.m. EST. U.S. entries only, and entrants must be 18 or older. I will reach out to winners from this account via DM. Any other account reaching out about this giveaway is a fraud so don’t listen to them. P.S. If you’ve already read VICTIM, but know of some friends who might enjoy it, feel free to tag them to get the party started.

Happy Art Basel weekend! Don’t miss placing your bid on this year’s hottest piece of art. (Link in bio)

Many thanks to the good people at Lit Hub for choosing VICTIM as one of their favorite reads of the year! Honored to be in this excellent company, and touched by the words that editor Dwyer Murphy had for my novel and my writing.

Yesterday was wild. Not only did I receive the honor of VICTIM being chosen as one of the Best Books of 2024 by @npr, but a few friends alerted me to the fact that my novel was shouted out on air as part of the nationally aired Morning Edition! Many thanks to NPR and Andrew Limbong for showing the novel so much love, and congrats to all the other wonderful friends and peers I’m grateful to accompany on this fine list.

Dream fulfilled! After many years as a spectator and author party crasher, it was incredible to finally be a participant at this years @miamibookfair. Grateful for the family and friends who showed love and came out to support, grateful for the new connections, grateful for my excellent panel mates and homies @melissamogollonwriter & @asha.sue.elias, and grateful to @booksandbooks, @mitchellakaplan, and all the other sponsors and hard workers behind the scenes for keeping the literary culture alive and well in the 305.

I’ve attended the Miami Book Fair every year since moving to the city in 2016 and it has long been a dream of mine to be up on stage with a book of my own. I’m so hype that my dream will come true this weekend, and even better, that I’ll be in the company of two incredible authors, friends, and fellow 305 representatives. Please join @asha.sue.elias, author of PINK GLASS HOUSES, @melissamogollonwriter, author of OYE, and myself this Sunday at the fair at 11 a.m. for what is sure to be a fun time. Many thanks to @booksandbooks, @mitchellakaplan, and the Miami Book Fair for the invite and for dubbing us “New Miami Stars” (how cool is that?). Hope to see you there!

Last month, I had my most memorable book talk yet. It didn’t take place at a bookstore, or a university, but at Everglades Correctional Institution, a men’s prison here in Miami that I used to teach at nearly 6 years ago. Thanks to Exchange for Change, I was able to return and spend time with 30 or so men, some of whom were my former students, who had read and discussed VICTIM over the course of ten weeks. When I arrived, each of them held up a copy that the Books & Books foundation was gracious enough to donate, and we spent our time having an incredible conversation about the book, the writing life, and life in general. It was a special opportunity for me, and I’m so grateful for it. This week, Miami comes together for Give Miami Day to support our amazing nonprofits that do so much for our community. I want to encourage you to donate to Exchange for Change, an organization that I promise you really does the work, and doesn’t just talk about it. Hit the link in my bio to find out how to donate, and to read a newsletter post I wrote reflecting on my recent visit to Everglades Correctional.

I’m extremely honored that VICTIM has been nominated for a @goodreads choice award in the Best Debut Fiction category! The people choose the final winner, so if you enjoyed VICTIM, or just want to support me, please place your vote by November 24th using the link in my bio. Many thanks, it’s dope as hell to see the work recognized in this fashion.

International Drew that’s my handle… nah let me stop. But in all seriousness, I’m excited to share that VICTIM is spreading beyond the U.S in some special ways. First, @66thand2nd in Rome will be publishing an Italian translation of VICTIM next year and I’m so honored that it will be translated by the great @callgenova, who has been a wonderful supporter of the book. I studied Italian in HS and in college, but I don’t remember very much. This will be a great excuse to brush up and maybe even make a trip out there. Meanwhile, out in the UK, I’m proud to have a new short story publish in @somesuchandco . “Spark” is a slice of life piece that includes major players from VICTIM and is mostly set at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, which, despite being surrounded by beautiful beaches in Miami, I miss dearly. I love this story so much and though it didn’t make it into VICTIM, I’m so hype that it found a loving home—and that I get to export some BX flava across the pond. The story is available to read by purchasing the latest issue called Tension over on their page.