Morgan Radford voyaged through her family’s past hoping to find literary inspiration. Soon, her vision will become a reality when her debut novel drops in 2026.

In “Now Then,” the NBC News correspondent explores the life of an 18-year-old Harvard University freshman named Lily, who was raised by a Cuban immigrant mother and Black American father.

Lily finds herself surrounded by privilege at Harvard and, as she tries to find her place, she becomes drawn to a charming Indian-British student. Meanwhile, Lily’s path toward self-discovery leads her to the past of her mother, who fled Cuba during the Revolution. A mystery then starts to unravel around the secrets she kept.

“Now Then,” by Morgan Radford, debuts in the spring of 2026. Amistad

Radford incorporated parts of her own life into

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