Jay Ellis, known for his standout roles in TV series like “Insecure” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” has expanded his talents to the literary world with the release of his new book.

During Essence Fest, Ellis said that the concept behind his book, “Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?: Adventures in Boyhood,” began during the pandemic.

“My mom is like the keeper of stories and the keeper of pictures and family lineage on both sides of our family,” Ellis said. “I was going through all these pictures of my childhood and I just, every time I saw a picture, I would have a, like a flash of a moment from my childhood and I’d ask my mom about it and she would tell me a story that my dad would tell me a story. Then my grandma was on FaceTime with one of my little cousins telling us a story.”

Ellis’ imaginary friend, Mikey, helped him throughout formative years that included being a constant new kid in school, losing his teenage cousin in a mistaken-target drive-by, the shame and fear of being pulled over by cops almost a dozen times the year he got his driver’s license and more.

“Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?” provides a humorous and heartfelt look at his childhood and the imaginary adventures that shaped his creativity and life.

Though he addresses various issues and topics in his book, Ellis calls his book a “love letter.”

“I just realized I wanted to tell these stories from my childhood that are really a love letter to being an 80s baby who came of age in the 90s, a love letter to the village that raised me, and a love letter to all the cities I raised hell in growing up,” Ellis said.

Ellis is currently on a book tour until Aug. 19.