Royals Behaving Badly
English professor Dr. Sarah Olutola has a secret life.
She's known to most of the Lakehead community as a respected scholar of literature, critical race studies, and postcolonialism. But she's also an accomplished YA novelist who writes under the pen name Sarah Raughley to distinguish her fiction writing from her academic work.
Dr. Olutola (right) after a television interview with CHCH Morning Live host Annette Ham (left) promoting The Queen's Spade. Dr. Olutola will be releasing a follow-up novel about Sarah's daughter, Victoria Davies, and Victoria's time at the boarding school she was sent to after Sarah died of tuberculosis. You can learn more about Dr. Olutola's work at SarahRaughley.com.
Dr. Olutola's latest book, described as The Count of Monte Cristo meets Bridgerton, is attracting praise and devoted fans.
"The Queen's Spade is a historical young adult/adult-crossover novel," Dr. Olutola says. "It's inspired by a real person—Sarah Forbes Bonetta—who lived during the 1800s."
A Stolen Princess
"Revenge, murder, and political intrigue will captivate readers." Kirkus Reviews
The idea for The Queen's Spade arose while Dr. Olutola was researching her Bones of Ruin trilogy set in nineteenth-century London. "I came across references to a Nigerian girl named Omoba Ina."
Omoba was a princess of the Egbado Clan of the Yoruba people. Her world fell apart when the neighbouring Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin) raided her village. The invaders killed her family in a ritual sacrifice to the King of Dahomey—everyone except Omoba. 
A British naval officer rescued the orphaned seven-year-old girl, brought her to England, and renamed her Sarah Forbes Bonetta. Shockingly, he then gave her to Queen Victoria as a gift. "The queen made Sarah one of her goddaughters because she seemed amiable and docile, almost like a doll," Dr. Olutola says. "But Sarah was probably very traumatized. It reminds me of the stories of immigrants and refugees."
"The abolition of slavery in British territories in the 1830s didn't end racism," Dr. Olutola says. "You can see its legacy today as democratic countries slide into authoritarianism and facism—a lot of this is to do with a fear of Black bodies. People have often said, 'Don't play the race card,' but here we are."
Sarah's connection with Queen Victoria made her a figure of public fascination who was tracked in society columns. She was also put under a microscope and picked apart in public discourses about race and white supremacy.
"Someone with even a drop of Black blood couldn't be part of the monarchy," Dr. Olutola says.
Although Queen Victoria was fond of Sarah and provided for her care, "there was a level of dehumanization in that affection," Dr. Olutola says. The queen exerted control over every aspect of her goddaughter's life.
The Queen's Spade
The main action of The Queen's Spade takes place in 1862 when Sarah is plotting against the British monarchy and aristocratic society.
Dr. Olutola’s book title and book cover are an allusion to the “Queen of Spades” playing card. “‘Spade’ is also a word used as a slur against Black people,” Dr. Olutola says. “The dagger Sarah is holding symbolizes the bloodiness of the revenge she wants to enact, as well as the violence of colonialism. She was part of a group of Black people who were erased from history. I wanted to un-erase her.”
"Sarah was given to an African king, and then a British queen, before being unwillingly married off by Queen Victoria to an African businessman when she was only 19."
In a letter the real Sarah wrote at the time, she said: "I know that the generality of people would say he is rich & your marrying him would at once make you independent, and I say 'Am I to barter my peace of mind for money?' No – never!"
In real life, Sarah was forced to comply, but Dr. Olutola wanted to tell a what-if story.
"A young lady can take only so many injuries before humiliation and insult forge a vow of revenge." The Queen's Spade
As a Black woman, there were lines Sarah wasn't allowed to cross, so Dr. Olutola asked herself, "What would have happened if Sarah became romantically involved with an heir to the British throne?"
To find out the answer, you'll have to pick up a copy of The Queen's Spade.