Gemspread Publishing has announced the acquisition of Oluwabunmi Adaramola’s debut romance novel The Days We Long For.

The novel will be published under the publisher’s Harmattan Imprint, its traditional publishing imprint launched in late 2024 and overseen by Israel Peters (former editor at MDPI UK and an editorial board member at The Literary Platform, UK). The book is set to be released in the winter/harmattan season this year (November, December). 

In The Days We Long For, Firefunmi Sonuga is selectively mute with a social anxiety disorder, emotionally guarded and burdened by a past she can’t remember. But when a chance encounter with Fikun Oni–a former classmate with his own hidden scars–leads to an unexpected connection, Fire is forced to confront the fears that have kept her silent. The novel explores love, parental hurt, self-discovery and navigating hidden disability in Nigeria. 

Adaramola is a UK-based Nigerian storyteller, a third-year doctoral researcher and a module assistant teaching law. Her short stories appear or are forthcoming in Brittle Paper, The Kalahari Review, The African Writer, Sprinng, Akpata Magazine, AfriHill Press, Fiction Niche, Writers Space Africa, and elsewhere. She retweets (and occasionally tweets) on X as @theanjolaoluwaa.

Her stories, “Palmwine Promises” and “Amala is a Kaleidoscope of Colours and Feelings” appear in Brittle Paper’s 2023 and 2024 Festive Anthologies respectively. She notes that Brittle Paper has been instrumental to her success as a writer. She shares, “I am thankful to Brittle Paper for being one of the first publications to give my stories a home and for the constant support, feedback and encouragement from Tahzeeb [Brittle Paper’s Submissions Editor] on my writing journey.”  

Gemspread Publishing is a publishing firm committed to promoting and publishing the works of young and emerging writers across the African continent. They are popularly known for Ma Keke, a periodic publication that aims to promote a healthy literary writing culture through the Ma Keke Writing Contest. The press shared, “We’re excited to bring this beautifully written love story to readers who enjoy emotional depth, rich storytelling, and unforgettable characters.”

We are so glad to have been a part of Adaramola’s journey towards publishing her debut novel. We can’t wait to read it!