Intimate Conversation with Kai

Intimate Conversation with Kai

Kai  is a published and nationally recognized poet and writer. Her poem, Pre-Destiny was featured in the April 2008 issue of Essence Magazine and she was a Featured Poet in A Place Of Our Own (APOOO) national tribute in April 2008 and RAWSISTAZ Author Showcase, April 2007. She is a contributing poet in Step Up to the Mic: A Poetry Explosion, by Poetic Press (Xpress Yourself Publishing). A winner of the No Candles Infinity Contest, hosted by Osbey Books, Kai is credited for writing emotionally raw and thought provoking works.

Her short story featured in If It Ain't One Thing..., by Diva Books, Inc., received praise for its originality and realism. Similarly, her tribute to mothers, entitled Soften My Soul, featured in APOOO's Mother's Day Tribute, has resulted in an outpouring of praise and personal testimonies.

Additionally, Kai's poem My Baby Girl, was featured in the Fall 2008 issue of The Write Vibe, and her poem The Other Women is featured at Tribute to Black Women. Kai also serves as a Guest Reviewer for RAWSISTAWZ Reviewers. An alumni of Hampton University, SUNY Brockport and Georgetown University Law Center, she is a licensed attorney and proud parent.

BPM:  What are you most thankful for today?

I am always thankful for my children - they are a gift from God that I couldn't have foreseen.  My eldest son taught me pure love. As a child, he was so open and trusting and I remember wanting to protect his innocence from the world.  When my daughter was born, I was actually amazed at the sight of her.  It was a feeling of awe that I will never forget-for the first time I felt like I glimpsed just a bit of God's ability and it left me dumbfounded.  Every day my children make me laugh, even if I am hiding my smile while trying to be a disciplinarian. And I know they have no idea how very grateful I am that they exist. I dedicate everything that I am, or will ever be, to them.

BPM:  Do you have a favorite holiday menu, story or song? Share with us.

Homemade lasagna is a requirement every Christmas, along with the normal holiday meal. The tradition started when my mother in law, Carolyn Moore, would cook large South Carolina style soul food meals every holiday - I would make lasagna to have something at my house, even though we would eat at her house on Christmas day. After she passed away, I assumed full cooking duties (although my cooking will never compare to hers) but I kept making the homemade lasagna from her recipe, for nostalgia and as a quiet tribute to her.  That started in 1996. Lasagna has been apart of our Christmas holiday meal ever since.

BPM:  Have you ever considered what kind of legacy you want to leave future generations? 
What do you want to be remembered for?

My legacy is one of unconditional love.  That is what I strive for - to live life transparent and love without requirement.  I have made so many mistakes, trusted the wrong persons, opened myself up to humiliation-but when it was all said and done I forgave myself, brushed myself off and kept moving forward. I have to-my mistakes may be the template for the next person to avoid similar pain. So I speak on it; I don't hide it. It is the journey of this life that counts, the destination is so very secondary. And if my mistakes make my journey richer, then I accept and welcome them.  If my mistakes allow for a person to confide in me, to release the pain that they are holding because they know I won't judge them, then the experience wasn't for naught. That is my legacy. To love regardless and to accept people for who they are, regardless of their mistakes.

BPM:  Tell us about your latest book. What are two main events taking place in the book? What are the main subjects discussed?

In Daughter of the Game, Monique Waters is in the unique position of being the daughter of the major drug kingpin in the city without anyone knowing her identity.  She was raised by her schoolteacher mother, tucked away in middle class life. But her tangled relationship with her father and siblings leaves her wanting, and she searches for love in Armand Smith- a street hustler on the rise. In the midst of an argument, Armand brings Monique fully into his world for the first time, unfortunately, it is the night that he is attacked by his boss's enemy. Their goal is to kill everyone, including Monique. Although she survives, Armand did not save her. While he seeks revenge on his enemies, Monique searches for him-instead of caring for herself- and further jeopardizes her own life and the safety of her family.

In one climatic scene, Monique and Armand are pulled over by the police.  Armand is ready to die, going out with guns blazing is the way to forever etch his name in street legend. But Monique has a life to live for.  She is going to college, has a mother to think about, relationships to consider.  She uses her education and appeal to save them from the police--a move that enrages Armand.  He feels both emasculated and challenged--in his eyes, the move reveals that Monique could, under the right circumstances, turn traitor.  It's a decision that he doesn't forgive and his reaction to it causes the destruction of their love.

In another scene, Armand realizes that he is still being hunted by his enemies, even though he is on neutral territory!  The violation rips across his mind and he contemplates life and the unfairness of it all, the randomness of destiny that would make him a drug dealer instead of a lawyer's child, or something so much easier. That, coupled with the loss of a life long friend, changes everything.  The game goes out of the window, so does proper protocol.  He decides that for every life he lost, ten will be taken. He hides and overtakes his pursuer, killing one in the process and kidnapping the other for information. 

While he tortures his captive, Armand finds out something that he never expected - his enemies have Monique. It's a fact that he can't wrap his mind around and the helplessness of not being able to protect his love--his woman--sends him into overdrive. It's time to go savage-all bets are off.

This book is about family--those who love, live and support those who live "the game." Dealers and hustlers aren't all blatant monsters with no code, no ties, no love, no loyalty. Circumstances create personas behind which people live and hide to survive. And there are networks of people around them who are also affected, also harmed, also tormented, also loved. Daughter of the Game examines the story of those who are tied in by love and life, whether they want to be or not.

BPM:  How may our readers contact you online and pick up your latest work?

My website is http://www.authorkai.com/ and my email is discoverkai@yahoo.com. Please send me an email- I will definitely respond.  Daughter of the Game is a trilogy, the second release - The Secret Keeper - will be available in early spring 2011.  A sneak peak at the prologue is currently available on my website at http://www.authorkai.com/.

My next novel, The Loudest Silence, will be available this winter. It is the story of the destruction of a marriage - when there are no more words left.  I have had numerous men approach me about this story-amazed to have read something that captures that silent frustration they felt. A sneak peek at the prologue for The Loudest Silence is also available on my website at  http://www.authorkai.com/.

Intro for The Loudest Silence by Kai

The Loudest Silence - Where every cruel, silent action is met with a definite, louder reaction...

"The tables have turned," Lani thought, watching her husband Terrance beat his hands against the hood of her car. Lani locked the doors. She flinched as Terrence slammed his golf club against her windshield. Lani punched her horn in anger. Terrance had some nerve. He had left her; had walked out on their life without looking back. Terrence had started this battle when he ran to his "best friend" Kenya, after another argument, like the punk Lani believed him to be.

Now, Terrence had her trapped in her car, watching him act like a maniac as he tried to figure out where she had been, who she had been with. Terrence didn't even know the half of it and he deserved it. He deserved every minute of agony. This was payback for the cold silence Terrence had subjected Lani to during her times of need. The time had come for Terrence to realize that for every cruel, silent action he took, Lani would respond with a definite, louder reaction.

Daughter of the Game by Kai

ISBN-10: 0984388109

ISBN-13: 978-0984388103

Author website:  http://www.daughterofthegame.net/

Daughter of the Game by Kai

In Daughter of the Game, the game devours life and life devours love. It's obvious that Armand is a hustler on the rise. As long as he keeps that life separate from Monique, she is willing to be his everything. Needing Armand's love, she hides her true identity. Armand has no clue that Monique's father is the ruler of all vice, so deep in the game that most hustlers work for and answer to him without ever knowing it. In a moment of weakness, Armand submerges Monique into his underworld, exposing her to his secrets and risking her life to his enemy. When that enemy turns out to be her father, Monique finds herself in a cruel tango between family loyalty and all consuming love. Can true love outlast the game? Or must love be sacrificed for both of them to survive?

Daughter of the Game Book Review:

Monique Waters is ensnared in the middle of a deadly drug war. Making the situation more precarious is the fact that the warring factions are her father and her boyfriend. For over a year Monique was successful at keeping both parts of her life totally separate. Her boyfriend Armand only knew Monique as the college student who's being raised by her school teacher mother. While Monique's father Pete is convinced that Monique will be the only one of his children that will fully escape his street dealings. Monique's mother severed her relationship with Pete many years ago to ensure that as well and the decision seemed to be a wise one until Monique falls for Armand.

When Armand's benefactor Titan crosses Pete, Pete decides to retaliate by knocking off Titan's top protégé who just happens to be Armand. Pete's assault places Monique directly in harm's way and sets off a chain of events that shifts the book into overdrive. The entire novel encompasses a 72 hour period that will be seared into the minds of readers. Author Kai does an extraordinary job demonstrating how urban fiction can be done correctly.

The premise of Daughter of the Game is in no way new but what made it stand out against other stories with similar plots is the realism and character development exhibited. Monique wasn't a spoiled princess dating a drug dealer as a way to rebel against her dad. Pete wasn't an over the top drug lord flaunting his wealth with purchases that he wouldn't be able to justify to the IRS. With Daughter of the Game Kai effectively showcased that an urban book doesn't have to be filled with stereotypical characters to be believable. Authentic heartfelt characters that readers can sympathize with will give the novel all the street credibility it needs to be convincing.

This review, which was unsolicited but greatly appreciated, was posted by a reader on amazon.com

- By Hotchklate "Coast2CoastReaders" (Bronx, N.Y.)