Author Shawn Cosby of Gloucester, has a new book in publication, “The Rhythm of Time,” and it’s totally unlike the gritty noir crime novels he’s become known for writing.
The award-winning, New York Times bestselling author has written a children’s science fiction novel in collaboration with musician, record producer and Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, front man for the hip-hop band The Roots that serves as the in-house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Cosby said it all started in February 2020, when his agent said that Questlove had read Cosby’s work and liked his voice and style. The musician had an idea for a children’s book and was interested in having Cosby help him with the writing. Questlove had written a couple of nonfiction works himself, but this would be his first attempt at fiction.
The two met in New York City, at the studio where The Tonight Show is filmed, and they hit it off right away.
“He’s a kind, generous person,” said Cosby. “I was really struck by that. He was super down-to-earth.”
They found out they have a lot in common, including a love of science fiction and a certain level of nerdiness in their personalities. They went to work right away, in spite of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic began shortly after that introductory meeting. They did a lot of video chats, said Cosby, and were able to work together “in a very organic way.”
About the book
“The Rhythm of Time” is “high-velocity tale” for middle grade readers about two 11-year-old friends, Rahim and the girl who lives next door, Kaysia. Rahim is a regular kid who loves school and hip-hop music and whose traditional parents won’t let him have a phone, said Cosby, while Kaysia is a child prodigy, inventor and computer expert. They like to make music together, and Rahim is the one who always tries out Kaysia’s new inventions.
Kaysia decides to build Rahim a telephone, but she accidentally makes it a time machine, as well. When Rahim uses the phone, he is transported back to 1997, sees his father as a small child, and finds himself in peril as bullies come after him. But when he tries to return to the present, he discovers that he can’t do so without creating holes in time and changing the past. Able to communicate on the phone, Kaysia and Rahim work together to get Rahim home as suspicious government agents begin to investigate.
Cosby said it was great writing something different for a change—something light-hearted and humorous, without the dark, gritty edge of his normal fare. He said he probably couldn’t have thought up the storyline on his own, “but the opportunity came to me, and it was a fantastic experience.”
“It was important for me to write a relationship in which a boy and girl are just friends—not romantically involved,” he said.
As a longtime fan of Questlove and his band, Cosby said the collaboration with the musician was “a dream come true.” Questlove had the ideas, he said, and Cosby would write text based on the ideas, then send the work to him to read. Questlove, a native of Philadelphia, where the book takes place, would add the atmosphere that gives the novel a sense of place.
“Seeing it move from an idea to an actual book was very exciting,” said Cosby. “I’m very grateful we were able to put our heads together and create something special.”
Since the two men first began their collaboration, Cosby’s books have become international sensations, getting numerous favorable reviews, winning awards, and hitting the top of the charts for sales. With Questlove’s already well-known name on the cover, the book was sure to do well, but add in Cosby’s new-found fame and broadening fan base, and “the collaboration has become even more anticipated,” said Cosby.
Another major piece of the book is the illustrations, said Cosby. The artist “really nailed the way I imagined the characters,” he said.
The 256-page hardback book will hit the bookstores in April 2023, said Cosby. Published by Penguin Random House, it is geared toward ages 10 and up and priced at $25.99, but will be available as an Ebook for $11.99 and an audiobook for $27.
“I think kids will enjoy the story,” said Cosby, “and I think parents will appreciate that this musician and crime writer came together to create it.”
