Name: READ IT, WRITE IT Book and Writing Festival — Roz Stevens Books
Start: 2026-06-20T11:00:00-0400
End: 2026-06-20T16:00:00-0400
Location: Wellington Green Mall · Wellington, FL

Question 1

What order should I read the Grit, Gamble and Grace series?

Accepted Answer

Start with The Bolita Grift (Book 1), then The Styx and the Stones (Book 2). What He Kept is an optional novella set between Books 2 and 3. Fight of the Century (Book 3) is coming soon. The Numbers Man in Projects is a prequel novella that can be read before or after Book 1.

Question 2

What is the Grit, Gamble and Grace series about?

Accepted Answer

The Grit, Gamble and Grace series is historical crime fiction set in Jim Crow-era Florida from 1905 to 1935. It follows Jerome Redbone Blake, a bolita operator whose rise through organized crime intersects with land speculation, political corruption, and the survival of Black communities in early South Florida.

Question 3

Who is Roz Stevens comparable to as an author?

Accepted Answer

Readers who enjoy Colson Whitehead, Walter Mosley, Dennis Lehane, and Attica Locke will find similar qualities in Roz Stevens work. Literary crime fiction rooted in specific historical communities, with morally complex characters navigating systems of power and corruption.

Question 4

What is bolita?

Accepted Answer

Bolita was an illegal numbers lottery that operated throughout Florida and Cuba in the early 20th century. It functioned as both a gambling enterprise and an underground economy in Black and immigrant communities, often controlled by organized crime syndicates with ties to political machines.

Question 5

Is the Grit, Gamble and Grace series based on real history?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The series is grounded in real events and places from early Florida history, including the destruction of Black neighborhoods for development, the bolita lottery system, the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, Prohibition-era rum running, the 1918 influenza pandemic, and the Ashley Gang.

Question 6

Are Roz Stevens books available as audiobooks?

Accepted Answer

Audiobook editions are in development. Sign up for the newsletter at RozStevensBooks.com for announcements about audiobook releases and where to purchase them directly from the author.

READ IT WRITE It BOOK & WRITING FESTIVAL

roz stevens books

for business or media inquiries

READ IT WRITE It BOOK & WRITING FESTIVAL

National Black Book Festival 2026

roz stevens books

for business or media inquiries