First Floor on Fire

First Floor on Fire reveals the life of a young African-American woman and her struggle to survive adolescence in a rough inner-city. The story has a passionate anger, raw tragedy and emotional complexity that could appeal to audiences who loved Sapphire's Push.

The story centers around Nevaya Briggs, a strong, fragile, complex teenager who must fight a predatory adult who thinks he's saving her, an abusive mother, a collapsing school system and a violent classmate. Her ally is her gay brother Donyair, who must fight battles of his own. A seasoned teacher, Ms. Dee, tries to protect Nevaya, but this hardened girl has learned to never trust adults.

Almost everyone in Nevaya's life has let her down, and she will fight anyone to save herself.