Author • Filmmaker • Publisher • PhD Researcher

S.S. David is a Nigerian-British author, filmmaker, publisher and PhD researcher whose work explores power, identity, history and the lives of women too often written out of the record.

She has written four books, including The Impossible President, a political thriller that imagines Nigeria’s first female president. First published in Nigeria and now available worldwide, the novel draws on years of research into Nigerian history, politics and the experiences of women navigating institutions not designed for them. It remains her most ambitious work to date.

David’s interest in storytelling began early. At thirteen, she completed her first novel and, despite being told by publishers that the manuscript was too mature for a writer her age, she continued writing. That determination eventually led her to study English Language at university before beginning her career as a journalist.

She worked as a reporter for People’s Advocate, rising through the ranks to become a senior correspondent attached to the State House of Assembly. The experience provided a close-up view of politics, power and public life, subjects that continue to shape her fiction.

Alongside her writing, David has built a career in publishing and film. She is the co-founder and CEO of Arrow Gate Publishing, the independent London-based publishing house she established with her husband, John David, in 2013. Through the company, she has championed new voices and helped bring diverse stories to readers in the UK and beyond.

Her academic work sits at the heart of her creative practice. She holds a Master’s degree in Creative, Digital and Professional Writing, graduating with Merit, and is currently undertaking doctoral research at London Metropolitan University. Her PhD focuses on women who have been marginalised, overlooked or erased from historical narratives, a theme that runs throughout her writing.

As a filmmaker, David has written and directed documentaries that challenge stereotypes and open conversations about race, identity and representation. Her first documentary, Chasing Humans, examined unconscious racial bias affecting young Black men in Britain and was selected as one of the standout productions at the London Mets Final Cuts Film Festival in 2020. Her second documentary, The Human Story, was released in 2021.

Whether writing fiction, making films or conducting research, David is interested in stories that are overlooked, ignored or forgotten. Her work asks who gets remembered, who gets left out and what happens when those voices finally take centre stage.

The Impossible President

In Nigeria, where power is a man’s game, Tinuke Sharon Nwosu dares to dream. Thrown into a world of ruthless politics, Tinuke manoeuvres through a treacherous landscape where corruption is the currency and terror lurks in the shadows. As she ascends through the ranks, each step is met with fierce opposition from those who believe a woman’s place is anywhere but in the seat of power. But Tinuke is no ordinary woman. Haunted by personal tragedies and fuelled by an unshakeable vision for her nation, she wages war on two fronts: against the deeply entrenched system of corruption and the demons of her past. Tinuke’s resolve grows stronger with each challenge, inspiring a movement that threatens to upend the status quo. “The Impossible President” is a pulse-pounding journey through the heart of Nigerian politics. One woman’s audacity challenges an entire nation to reimagine its future. The story is one of resilience, ambition, and the indomitable spirit of those who dare to dream in the face of overwhelming odds. The second edition is out on Oct 20 2026.

The Feet of Darkness: Can Love Overcome Darkness

Somewhere unseen, darkness is winning, and it’s coming for everyone. An angel named Jezreel has only three unlikely people standing between humanity and annihilation – Michael, a British scientist who doesn’t believe in any of this; Sharon, a young woman whose entire life has been one long unsolved mystery; and David, a sword-bearing believer about to discover how far his faith can be tested. None of them asked for this fight. All of them are the last line standing between the world and the dark. A supernatural thriller about chosen people, impossible odds, and whether love can survive what’s coming. David established herself as a literary force with the publication of ‘The Feet of Darkness’. The novel explores the struggles of a British scientist who becomes embroiled in a plot that will change his life and the world forever. Arrow Gate published the second edition in 2013.

Cydonia: Rise of the Fallen

 Aaron Cohen was once a priest. Now he’s the only thing standing between humanity and its end. When a demonic bloodhound under Tyrus’s command, the son of Lucifer, tears through the Vatican, Aaron is drawn into a war he never trained for. He has thirty days to get the Ark of the Covenant and the Stones of Fire to safety before the forces hunting them use their power to wipe out the human race. The trail runs from Rome to the ancient church of St Mary of Zion in Axum, Ethiopia, one of the last places on Earth still standing between the Fallen and total ruin, with assassins on his heels and no room for error. A globe-spanning supernatural thriller about a reluctant hero, a countdown he can’t stop, and a fight between good and evil unfolding in real time.

Tales of Five Lies

Christine White has it all. Money, beauty, a life most people only dream of. She’s also easy to fool, and that will cost her everything. One cloudy night, she witnesses a crime she wasn’t meant to see. The killer is still out there, and Christine must unravel the truth before it catches up with her. But the deeper she digs, the closer the answers creep to her own front door. This tightly woven novella weaves five lies into a trap, as secrecy and grief tangle with faith and family, and every revelation costs Christine White something she can’t get back.

Sandra’s books are available worldwide, wherever books are sold.