Thriller & Suspense
No Jazz for the Leaving
Coming March 2026Set between the fictitious Sumbu, Kinshasa, and Paris, No Jazz for the Leaving narrates the story of two men who are on a journey towards freedom.
Troubled saxophonist Mulumba is tired of the smallness of his village and dreams of becoming a mainstay in Kinshasa’s 1985 rhumba scene; he wants to headline shows in Paris.
French cleric-masquerading conman Mr. Morgan left 1937 France and can’t return until he pacifies the fiend living in the African relic he stole that year.
This is the story of happiness and horridness, music and magic, dreams and darkness—Kinshasa will test them both. Paris might end them.
The Creative Process
It took me seven years to complete this project, not because I couldn’t have done it in one. It took me this much time because of authenticity—I didn’t want to be the one to tell this compelling narrative; it’s not in my place.
As a creator, my job was to create the reality of where things were to happen and allow the featured personalities to tell their own story, no matter the consequences. In the duration of that time, this cast of well-crafted characters would interact amongst themselves and with their worlds in ways I could never have properly written myself. They are the ones who evolved into this vivid and poetic prose you are looking at.
But my joy is not only that the story turned out great, but that it is authentic, having been let to happen without pressure from the penner and the publisher (that’s why I love my publisher). It’s more than safe to say, good things take time.
Praise for No Jazz for the Leaving
This book demonstrates storytelling at its finest. Every line is perfectly curated to not only keep
the reader engaged, but to actually convey the message it carries with clarity and simplicity . . .
It is surely worth the read.
Samuel M.
Honored to have read such an amazing story. Great characters and exotic setting. Wording and
dialogue so eloquently and beautifully written. You could smell the spices and feel the heat. Takes
you back to a time and place long ago. Highly recommend!!!
Maureen H.
No Jazz for the Leaving – Paperback
Set between Sumbu, Kinshasa, and Paris, No Jazz for the Leaving follows a saxophonist chasing fame and a conman haunted by his past. As music and magic collide, both men are tested by the cities that promise them freedom and...
No Jazz for the Leaving – Hardcover
Set between Sumbu, Kinshasa, and Paris, No Jazz for the Leaving follows a saxophonist chasing fame and a conman haunted by his past. As music and magic collide, both men are tested by the cities that promise them freedom and...