Booked & Bothered: Why I Wrote a Novel About a Messy Girls Trip to Essence Fest Every summer, something magical happens in New Orleans. The streets buzz with music, melanin glows under the Southern sun, and the Essence Festival brings together culture, fashion, sisterhood, and soul. But while some folks go to find themselves… others go to lose their minds—and that’s exactly where my novel Booked & Bothered was born. It Started with a Group Chat You know the kind. The “Let’s take a trip!” chat where everybody’s excited—until it’s time to book the flight. I’ve seen friendships tested over hotel deposits, “who’s sleeping where,” and why somebody invited her . So I thought, what if I took all that real-life mess and gave it a stage? Cue: four girlfriends. A plan. A plane ticket. And drama that didn't get left on the jetway. Sisterhood Ain’t Always Pretty I didn’t want to write a perfect vacation story. I wanted real. Because sometimes your bestie is the o...