In all that, my faith propelled me, so I would, as always, like to thank God, who is love; who is light; who gave me the compulsion, the need, to create, to craft, and to imagine.
My perpetual gratitude and love to Mummy and Daddy, Olukemi and Olufemi Babalola, whose unwavering love and support and belief have given me a confidence that has propelled me through the darkest and hardest of moments. I can do what I can do because of you. If you never doubted me, how dare I doubt myself? Thank you, Daddy, for your WhatsApp blasts of every single bit of news that has my name in it, and for ensuring that everyone who has met you knows that your “dear daughter” is an author. Thank you so much for answering every random message asking for elucidation on Yoruba grammar and diacritics immediately, and with such intellectual vigor and patience! My professor! Mummy, thank you for your no-nonsense tenderness, for giving me words that help to piece myself back together when I feel scattered, for reminding me who I am. Just knowing I have your blood in me, that you are part of me, makes me believe in my capabilities. My therapist! Thank you, parents, for always trying to understand even when you don’t and for your eager curiosity about my world even when it seems far from your own—thank you for sharing it with me. The joy is in making you proud.
Katie Packer! My dear KP. Book doula! Thank you so much for believing in this world as much as I do; for understanding this world as much as I do; for asking the questions that helped me enrich it, develop it, and challenge it, so it could be the best version of the story I could produce. Thank you for settling my nerves and being so capable even when I am having a meltdown! Thanks for understanding the need for Beyoncé references, thanks for understanding when I need time, and thanks for your effervescence and love. I am also glad that we always know when we’re in editor mode and diva/writer mode so the lines don’t get blurred! But I am also glad when you know that I need a friend. You have a sharp eye, and you are such a force, and I can’t wait till you run tings! KP, Bad B.
Elle Keck! Thank you for being in my corner and throwing your confidence behind both Honey and Spice and Love in Color—it truly means the world that you wanted to broaden out their community, and that you understood all the cultural references that were so precious to me and that helped form the flavor of the book. I always felt like I was in safe hands. I wish you all the best, always. Julia Elliott, thank you for taking over from Elle so seamlessly, with the same passion and enthusiasm! Grateful for the immediate trust you helped foster, and I don’t take it for granted.
Thank you to everyone in the Headline and William Morrow teams for all the energy, belief, and enthusiasm thrown behind the book.
Juliet Pickering, my Angel Agent! I am so grateful that I embarked on this roller coaster with you next to me. Honey and Spice has been part of my dream for so, so long, before Love in Color, and you always believed in it, always saw what it could be, even in its infancy （the blobby, distorted, embryonic stages that make me cringe upon revisiting）。 I can’t thank you enough for taking a chance on me. Thank you for being my advocate and friend （and sometimes manager）， thank you for patience （this is a running theme . . . I have a lot of meltdowns）， and thank you for your counsel—and your gentle pushing. Your wisdom and generosity are things I cherish, and I am blessed to have you on my team.
Jessica Stewart, my endlessly patient TV agent: thank you for understanding how much this book means to me, and for allowing me the space to work through it with no pressure—despite having other engagements! It means the world that you support me holistically, and it really helps reduce the aforementioned meltdowns.
My beautiful friends, my chosen family. I love you all. Amna Khan, for knowing my essence, and for never questioning my dreams, and for always seeing them with 20/20 vision. From adolescence to now, you have been by my side, with spiritual understanding and a deep knowing of myself that kept me grounded. Charlet Wilson, your heart is so golden and such an inspiration, and your kindness and support are such a galvanizing force—from a mug that says “Bolu Babalola puts the lit in literature” when my first book wasn’t even out, to framing a book cover for a silly little story I wrote when we were twenty-two. Dreaming big is easy when you have friends who see your dreams as reality. Asha Mohamed—thank you for reading the cringe stories I wrote during “private study” in sixth form and thank you for liking them and actually wanting to read them （even if you didn’t actually want to . . . thank you for lying about wanting to read them）。 You helped confirm that this is all I wanted to do—to write worlds people can believe in, to write new worlds that make people think about our world, people, our feelings. Daniellé Scott-Haughton! Thank you for being my big sister and my pastor—your fortification is not only sororal but spiritual, and I thank you for knowing when I need to be held and for giving me clarity when all I can see is my creative anxiety. Thank you for always being a single frantic call away. （I have a lot of meltdowns. OK? I’m an artist.） Candice Carty-Williams, my darling CCW. Your guidance is invaluable—thank you for knowing that sometimes all I need is a “I know it’s hard. And guess what? You will do it, because you can.” Folarin—cuz, bro, thank you again, for proofreading “Netflix & Chill,” that short story that got shortlisted for a competition, that got me signed to my agents. Thank you for never doubting. Sase!! My wifey. Thank you for being an endless source of laughter and light since we were seven to now. Grateful to have you by my side, and to be your sugar daddy.