NK Chats To… Elliott Ajai-Ajagbe Daley

Published December 22, 2025 | By Laura

Hi Elliott, thank you so much for joining me today as we shine a light on your book, Winter Solstice: Precipice of a Dream. Can you tell us a bit about your journey as a young Black author. How did writing begin for you?

When I was little, I really struggled to read. I remember proudly spelling “is”, “I-Z” in class — and everyone laughing at me. In that moment I promised myself I’d crack the literacy code and write a book of my own some day. Soon after, I was put in a reading recovery programme, and thanks to them, I quickly caught up. From there, I became obsessed with reading — I couldn’t stop and teachers had to keep taking me to the library to get more books.

Who inspired that love of reading?

My mum. She was an actress, clown, and children’s entertainer — she filled our home with stories and imagination. She used to play these videos with a catchy tune that went, “YOU CAN READ!” to encourage me. After I finally learned, I fell completely in love with books. She also got me and my brother into circus skills training — I even dreamt of joining the circus at one point!

What inspired Winter Solstice: Precipice of a Dream?

It started with my childhood belief in Santa. We didn’t have much money growing up, and I remember one year, when we were living at a shelter, Santa came to visit. When I saw he was Black, I said to him the same thing society had said me to me my whole life: “Santa isn’t black”.

Then I pulled off his beard to prove it — turns out it was my mum’s godfather just trying to bring the kids some Christmas joy. That moment really made me question what Christmas meant to me. All the media told me Santa couldn’t be black, but the only real Santa is the one that shows up and mine was a loving member of my black family. Did anything else matter?

As I got older, I started to see Christmas as both magical and difficult — a time of love for some, and pressure for others. One Christmas, an image popped into my head and to me it perfectly sums up what Christmas has become: a corporate Santa with a cigar in a gothic sleigh. He had armoured reindeer and elves pointing guns at the humans who were on their knees in the snow, holding up piles of cash, as every time you see Santa, it’s time to pay. He is the ultimate symbol of capitalism. That image blossomed into a world and that world inspired this story..

That’s a bold take on Christmas! How do you see your story reflecting today’s world?

Every year, we’re told to buy gifts — it’s the perfect corporate plan. Santa, for me, represents those at the top profiting from our manufactured need to spend our way to joy. He’s become both a religious and capitalist figure — like an “elven Pope.” The story explores toxic capitalism, religious manipulation, and the Humbug’s fight against a twisted system of control and punishment.

And yet, you still sound quite fond of Christmas.

Oh, I love the warmth and kindness it brings out in people, I just dislike the financial pressure it adds to everyone’s lives. When I was 18, I told my family I’d bring myself, food, and drink to Christmas — and if that wasn’t enough, I was in the wrong place. It took the pressure off everyone. We now do a little Secret Santa and focus on enjoying time together.

What can readers expect from the next books in the Winter Solstice saga?

This mission to take out Santa is epic! In the next two books, we learn how each character is tied to him and uncover more of the context, lore and each character’s personal story. Readers will discover why these people are willing to risk everything to stand against this regime.

You’ve also started your own publishing company, Pyrose. What inspired that?

I faced challenges with publishing Winter Solstice and realised how tough it is for writers to be heard. With Pyrose, I want to give others that platform for great storytelling — poetry, adult fiction, children’s tales — whatever moves people. I’m also working on a new children’s series, Veiss and the Dreamland Saga, inspired by my son. Each story teaches lessons like courage, kindness, and friendship through dream adventures.

What shaped your voice as a writer?

Poetry. Writing an entire story was daunting, but, poems felt manageable — short, complete and full of meaning. I wrote about anything: video games, politics, nights out. Later, I started writing plays, then novels. I always ask, “How do I want people to feel about this?” and research deeply to make sure to build as vibrant and believable a world as possible.

And your biggest influences?

Roald Dahl, Terry Pratchett, and R.A. Salvatore. Dahl showed how to turn struggle into adventure; Pratchett brought wit and depth; and RA Salvatore’s character work inspired me massively. He even replied to my message once — that encouragement pushed me to finish Winter Solstice.

Race plays a powerful role in your story too.

Yes, but I wanted to tell a story about unity. The rebellion is led by a Black protagonist and a story about a family that happen to be black. That’s what I wished I’d seen in my life growing up and something I noticed was missing from the media, but the bigger message is about humanity — power structures, not colour, are the real villains. History and the present are full of subverted systems dividing us and I wanted my world to reflect that.

There’s a quote in the story I really liked, “In the history of the world, has the spider ever shown mercy to the fly?” Could you explain what you meant by this?

The spider is a legendary predator, quite literally the stuff of nightmares. It’s calculated and ruthless nature, as highlighted in this quote, perfectly illustrates the power dynamic at play throughout the story, between the regime and the people, between the protagonists and antagonists and within the individual. In a world of predators and prey, who do you rather be, the fly hoping for mercy, or the spider?

Finally, what do you hope readers take from your work this Christmas?

I want to share what Christmas means to me: an excuse for love, time and appreciation. Even though I’m trying to take out Santa, I don’t want to kill the magic of Christmas, only the corporate corruption. I hope readers see that the greatest gift we’ll ever get is free, an annual excuse to spend time with the people we love.

About Elliott Ajai-Ajagbe Daley –

Elliott Ajai-Ajagbe Daley is an East London author, poet and drama-based educator whose storytelling spans poetry, theatre, children’s literature and graphic narrative. Known for his work with institutions including the Lyric Theatre, the V&A Museum and TEDx, he has taught and performed internationally, championing creativity as a tool for empowerment.

Winter Solstice: Precipice of a Dream is his debut novel.

Click to buy Winter Solstice: Precipice of a Dream on Amazon UK, Amazon US and Waterstones.

About Winter Solstice: Precipice of a Dream –

A Darkly Poetic Christmas Fantasy Reimagines Power, Belief and the Myths We Inherit

“What if Santa wasn’t a symbol of joy — but the world’s most powerful CEO?”

In Winter Solstice: Precipice of a Dream, East London writer and storyteller Elliott Ajai-Ajagbe Daley offers a genre-blending fantasy that turns Christmas folklore inside out. Through a mix of poetic prose, political myth-making and imaginative worldbuilding, the novel follows a Black British family living under the rule of a corporate, quasi-religious Santa empire — a world where wonder is regulated, belief is commodified, and imagination becomes an act of rebellion.

Rather than retelling Christmas as we know it, Daley reframes its mythology entirely: Santa as an institution, the North Pole as a centre of surveillance and power, and holiday “magic” as something mined, marketed and monetised.

The result is a literary fantasy that sits at the intersection of folklore, satire and social allegory.

Click here to find out more about Pyrose Publishing.