Debut writers Kasim Ali and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo discuss their work and their experiences of being first-time novelists.

Kasim Ali’s debut novel Good Intentions, is a captivating and powerful modern love story. He has previously been longlisted for the 4th Estate Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Short Story Prize and shortlisted for Hachette’s Mo Siewcherran Prize.

Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s debut When We Were Birds is mythic love story set in Trinidad & Tobago, where two unforgettable outsiders are brought together by their connection with the dead. She has been shortlisted for the Small Axe Literary Competition and the Wasafiri New Writing Prize.