Hello again ~
Today, I am hosting M.O. Kenyan. Read on to learn more about this interesting author!
Genre: Fiction, Romance, African American, Erotica, Family
Saga
Release Date: July 2012
Digital ISBN 13: 978-14524673-1-3
ISBN 10: 1-4524-6731-5
Purchase link : www.5princebooks.com/buy.htm
Shades of Spring
1964~ Letters to my Daughter
Maxine tries to deal with her mother’s death in her own way.
But when she finds old letters revealing her family’s past she finds herself
creating a bond with someone else, not knowing how far their history goes.
Taylor is amused and infuriated with Maxine, and no matter
how hard he tries he can’t stay away from her. Now he finds himself being her
main supporter, the only one she can lean on as she travels back to the past.
And when the past is resolved they now have to think of their futures, while
they concentrate on their present.
Bio for M.O. Kenyan:
Twenty
three year old Kenyan girl with a little world in her head. When you have so
many voices in your head people may describe you as a schizophrenic, but in the
literary world, I am a story teller dying to share with the world the many
storied going on inside my head
Author Contact Info:
twitter; @MOK_Author
facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/MokAuthor?ref=hl
mokauthor.wordpress.com
Excerpt from Shades
of Spring 1964~ Letters to my Daughter
“Yes,
Maxine.” Maxine didn’t miss the hint of exasperation in the professor’s voice. When
she had raised her hand in class, she had seen the professor roll his eyes
before he forced a smile and called on her.
“I think we
should do African literature,” she began, almost bouncing off her seat. She saw
the relieved expression on the professor’s face. It always bothered her when,
each time she wanted to make a contribution, there was a look of dread on his
face. Maxine looked around the room taking in her classmate’s expressions and,
despite the frustration and anger she saw from most of them, she went on. “Especially
books by authors who wrote during or about colonization in Africa.” She didn’t
care what the professor or the rest of the class thought. She thought it was a
brilliant idea.
The resistance
from the class didn’t take long. “Why?” her
classmate Taylor yelled out from the back of the room. Maxine always felt like
his voice was constantly at the back of her mind, always disapproving of her
ideas or suggestions. There were times she thought Taylor’s voice was part of
her subconscious.
“What do you
mean by why?” Maxine slightly turned her head towards the back. She took in
quick, short breaths as she prepared to defend her suggestion.
“Why should
we?” Taylor went on, addressing the professor. “The books for this unit have
already been chosen. I don’t think we should add another book just because she
said so.”
“She has a
name.” Maxine turned her body to face Taylor. Her eyes narrowed as she burned
holes in his pale forehead with her acid gaze. “We can find the time,” she said
through clenched teeth. Maxine turned back
to face her professor. “As a student, I have the right to ask for more
knowledge.” There was no way the professor could deny her the opportunity to
learn.
“Get a private
tutor. Some of us don’t have time to squeeze in more reading,” Taylor hissed
out. Maxine could see the frustration on his face. He had reached his boiling
point, but she kept on pushing.
“As an African
American--”
Taylor cut in.
“Oh please,” he scoffed. “No one focuses on that stuff anymore.”
“That’s why I
suggested it. I think we should all remember that time.” Maxine’s voice was
like that of a little girl trying to wheedle her father into a new pony,
charming but unwavering because she wanted something and she wanted it badly. “We,
as Literature students and as people of this world, should care. It is where
our history begins.”
“Exactly! History!”
Taylor made his way to the front of the class and stood beside the professor.
Maxine held on
to the edge of her desk, her nails digging into the wood, and called on every
single patient cell in her body. She wasn’t going to let Taylor beat her, not a
chance. She needed to make an argument and a good one. With a smile on her
face, she also made her way to the front of the class. “As Literature students,
we also have to learn the African Literature
way of writing.”
“I think we
have learned enough about other types of writing,” Taylor smirked.
“I think the
fact that you said that proves what an air-head you really are.”
Taylor turned
to face Maxine. The anger in his glare displaced the warm humor in his usually kind, brown eyes. She could feel
his gaze burn into her, but she refused to look away. She wasn’t going to be
moved.
INTERVIEW:
What is your favorite
thing about being a writer?
I love the fact that
I can create different worlds, characters and be a direct influence to a
character’s life.
What genre(s) do you
write?
I write Romance and Fantasy. It’s easier to make two people
from different worlds and with different personalities fall in love. And
creating a beautiful guy who suddenly turns green is awesome too.
What was the hardest
part of writing your book?
The hardest part would be keeping in touch with reality. Even
in writing fantsy I want to keep close to reality. The last thing I want is a
reader to go like, “oh Please, are you serious!”
Are you a plotter or
a pantser?
I plot, I think it’s important to know where you want to go
at a certain point in the story. But apart from the basic skeleton I let the
story and the character’s lead me. I could never force an independent character
to suddenly rely on someone else.
Why do you think
people should choose your books over another author?
I think every author drums their own beat and everyone
should dance to it. You can’t possibly say choose mine cause I am better. We
all have our audiences.
What do you hope
readers take with them after reading one of your stories?
That I put in my 100%
into the story. Hoepfully they can find a little piece of themselves in the
story and maybe and Oh! Moment.
Is there a message in
your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I try to push the neccesity of love and family and truth to
oneself ij everything I write. At the end of it all when we are stripped bare
all we have are the self, love and family.
How long have you
been a writer?
I would like to say all my life, but the first novel I ever
wrote was a fantasy trilogy (not yet published) back in 2010.
How much time did it
take from writing your first book to having it published?
My first book forever. My first published book (shades of spring 1964) took about a
month to write and four to publish. In total it took about six months before it
became and E-Book.
What other careers
have you had?
I’m still a student, so I wouldn’t call
anything else I have done a career. But from being a receptionist I learnt a
lesson in human interaction, an intern at BBC I learnt the importance of truth
in a story and from being a legal aid I learnt the importance of work.
Do you write under
more than one name? Why?
I write fictional romance
under M.O Kenyan, although my fantasy books are yet to be published, I write
under M.O Knight. I think it’s important for their to be separate names for
separate genres. It helps your audience distiguish which genre the book is
written in without having to read the back cover.
Are any of your
characters based on real people or events?
Most of my writing if not all have a piece of me in it. And
if I have interacted with you in the past twenty three years you are probably
in it too. But I try not to make it so obvious.
How would you
describe yourself if you were “speed dating” your readers?
Loyal, honest and a contradiction. Happily ever after is not
my thing, yet I make sure all my characters get to that point.
What’s something fans
would find fascinating about you?
I honestly don’t know. Most people think I’m crazy but
considering all the voices and people in my head maybe I am.
What else would you
like readers to know about you or your work?
Besides the 100% I do my best to please myself first before
anyone else. Being tru to myself and my characters is important.
What books or authors
have most influenced your life?
Nora Roberts, Stephanie Meyers, Nicki Charles, Brenda K.
davies, Stephanie Meyers, Ruth Ann Nordin and the list goes on.
How do your family
and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?
One word, interesting.
Where are you from?
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya.
How do you come up
with the titles?
I come up with title before writing some of my books. And
sometimes a sentence or a word just jumps at me. No real thought process I am
led by instinct.
Has your life changed
significantly since becoming a published writer?
Honestly no, maybe. Having my work out there does make me
nervous on how people receive it. But I am yet to have my Oh my God moment. I
dodn’t know why.
Do you work on one
project at a time? Or do you multi-task?
I write books one at a time. But plots and ideas may come to
me at the same time. I may say multitask because if I think of a story and a
scene seems very crucial to me I will start with that, then be done with it
before I start working on another scene.
When not writing, how
do you relax?
I sleep.
Please tell us 5
miscellaneous facts about yourself.
I am impatient, and when someone gives me a bad impression
that’s what sticks with me. I like getting somone commited to my work as much
as I am. If I don’t I loose interest.
Please share with us
your future projects and upcoming releases.
I have a number of books that I am now comfortable with
quering. ( THE MARA SONG- valentine themed) Right now I am writng a book called
ONE PERCENT. It’s about a woman who only
knows how to interact with life by measuring her odds.
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