Interview: Kenya Wright + Giveaway

Wahoo! I know it's been quiet around for a while but I'm back and with an interview! 



Interview with Kenya Wright





DL: Where were you when the idea for The Habitat Series struck you?


KW: I was jogging on a hot summer day in Miami which means scorching-hot-why-am-I-
out-here summer day. I was listening to a song called Bulletproof by Raheem Devaughn,
trying to think of a creative fantasy world for my story and the lyrics inspired me.

Here’s some of the lyrics:

Murder your sons, ravage your daughters
Here overseas and across the waters
Tanks and missiles, bombs and grenades
Inject the land with guns and aids

Immediately, this concept of a caged city full of violence and chaos came to me.
From there, I decided to put a poor college girl in the middle of this city.






DL: What was your favorite book/series as a child?

KW: Stephen King’s Carrie!
I was ten and forbidden to read it so of course I grabbed it from the library and
read it anyway. I’ve been a Stephen King fan every since.

DL: Can you pinpoint the moment where you knew that you wanted to be a writer?

KW: However, my ten year old step son actually inspired me to write this book. One day
we were walking around Barnes and Noble. I was telling him that I wished there were
more Urban Fantasy novels with different ethnicities.
He looked up at me and said, “You should write one. Your smart.”
I laughed and told him, thanks. However, that idea remained in my mind the rest of
the week. By the next week, I’d bought several books on writing a novel.

DL: The deaths in Fire Baptized are pretty gruesome! Who would you say is your favorite serial killer?

KW: He’s a fictional character, but my favorite serial killer is Hannibal Lecter.

DL: In your dream cast, who would play MeShack and Zulu?

KW: I love this question!

Jason Momoa would play MeShack. For those that don’t know him he is the guy
that played Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones. When I was creating MeShack I actually
thought about him for this character.

Chris Hemsworth would play Zulu. For those that don’t know him he is the guy
that played Thor!!

DL: How many books do you have planned for the Habitat series?

KW: Currently, I have five books planned for this series.

DL: Describe Fire Baptized in three words.

KW: Dark, edgy, and romantic.

DL: What has been your favorite read so far this year?

KW: Angelfall by Susan Ee.

DL: Where do you do most of your writing?


KW: The Miami metro transit system. I have a hour and half commute in the morning to

work and then the same time back home. Lots of crazy people ride public transit system so it ends up being a wealth of inspiration for my writing.


DL: You’re a bunny stuck in a cage. Tell me how you would escape without alerting your
owners.


KW: :-O! LOL!


I would gnaw at the bars, weakening the metal. It would probably take years, but eventually I’d bust my way out of there and hop to freedom!



Fire Baptized by KENYA WRIGHT


Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.

Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.

Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend MeShack and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.

While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?

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Chapter 3 Excerpt



The rush of wind lessened to a breeze. I opened my eyes and peeked over Zulu’s
shoulder as we turned out of Shango District. The habitat was divided into five districts. Each district was named and themed after a popular Santeria god. I lived in Shango’s flaming orange district. Zulu lived in Yemaya.

We entered the sapphire gates of Yemaya. A life-size statue of the goddess stood near the entrance, carved from spelled ice that could not melt. It shimmered in the moonlight, giving the effect of wavering liquid. Blue and white flowers lounged at her sandaled feet.

Even though it was in the middle of the night, Supes kneeled in front of her,
chanting. Their voices rose above the jeweled gates. Teal silk robes covered them. Cowrie shells, dyed in blue ink, draped their necks. Gone was Shango District’s smell of death and blood, poverty and depression. The soothing scent of the sea hovered in the air and seized me, stirring up memories of Orisha beach during the summer, salt on my tongue, sand between my toes, and the calming waves of the
ocean pushing me forward.

I sighed.

“You’re lucky to live here,” I whispered. Zulu’s body tensed under my arms.

“Luck has nothing to do with it," he said as we stopped at a light. "It’s a way for
my mom to pay me off. To make sure I don’t call her mommy in front of her
Pureblood friends.”

“So then, what do you call her?” I asked, watching a couple stroll by, hand in hand.

Each time the Pureblood laughed, her massive diamond earrings sparkled like
expensive champagne. I shook my head. Her jewelry could fund both MeShack’s and my education and provide us room and board for several years.

I hated her for flaunting her wealth and looked in another direction.

“I usually call my mom by her first name,” Zulu replied.

“Which is?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Nice try, Lanore,” he said. “If you want to know my secrets, then tell me yours.”

I laughed.

Zulu maintained a reasonable speed as we passed high-end restaurants painted in cobalt blue. An aroma of slowly roasted meats and simmering delights tugged at my senses. Crystal fountains glowed, producing playful shadows of fish. Luxury condos with bricks the color of the ocean decorated the clean streets. There was no litter—anywhere. Nothing to suggest Supes walked on the sidewalks at all.


Supernatural History of Fire Baptized
By Kenya Wright

Imagine a world where you walk outside, look up into the sky, and see the sun's rays peek through a barred
ceiling. That's Lanore’s and every other supernaturals' existence.

SUPERNATURAL HISTORY

Pre-Habitat Years
Back in the 1970s, supernaturals secretly lived among humans. It was a time of social unrest. Women sought
to redefine their societal roles. Students held anti-war demonstrations. Homosexuals contested discriminating
law. Supernaturals existed within all those groups. They marched, protested, and rioted while keeping their
species identity a secret.

This all changed when the Black Panther Party was created. The revolutionary organization consisted of black fur-coated Were-leopards and Were-jaguars. They were so controversial that the FBI labeled them terrorists and began surveillance operations on them. One night after a meeting, the members went to the woods and shifted. To say the FBI was shocked is an understatement.

The Probe Period:
The FBI shot or trapped the party members. The imprisoned were tortured and questioned about other
supernaturals’ existence. Magical species were revealed. The government conducted probes in schools,
hospitals, and prisons. Supernaturals fled to refugee camps in third world countries, but their safety was
short lived. The United Nations coordinated a world probe. Any discovered supernaturals were delivered to
laboratories or concentration camps.

The Supe-Human Wars:
Supernaturals began to fight back. Shapeshifters, Vampires, and Trolls fought together side by side. Fire
Witches summoned Demons to help in the battle. Fairies cloaked headquarters in glamour, hiding them from
Human eyes. Sirens produced songs to gain Human support.

In the end, the Human’s machinery won. The government had conducted extensive testing on imprisoned
supernaturals. Each species’ weakness was exposed. Weapons were invented. The supernaturals, that weren’t killed, surrendered.

The Habitat Years:
The Sirens’ songs gained PETA’s support. The group protested the inhumane treatment against magical species and forced countries to seek alternative methods in dealing with supernaturals.

Later, caged supernatural cities were established and called Habitats. Governments built walls around poverty stricken areas and attached bars to the walls that extended thousands of feet into the air and covered the area like a ceiling. Each habitat was categorized by religion. Supernaturals were allowed to choose the habitat they wanted to live in.

My story Fire Baptized is set in the Santeria habitat outside the city of Miami. Here’s an excerpt displaying
Santeria’s setting. FYI, Lanore is on the back of a motorcycle with Zulu riding to his condo.

About the Author

Kenya Wright always knew she would be famous since the ripe old age of six when she sung the Michael Jackson thriller song in her bathroom mirror. She has
tried her hand at many things from enlisting in the Navy for six years as a Persian-Farsi linguist to being a nude model at an art university.

However, writing has been the only constant love in her life.

So here we are Kenya is publishing her first book, Fire Baptized, the urban fantasy novel she always wanted to read. This novel is the first book in a series.

Will she succeed? Of course.

For she has been coined The Urban Fantasy Queen, the Super Iconic Writer of this Age, The Lyrical Genius of Our Generation. Granted, these are all terms coined by her, within the private walls of her bathroom as she still sings the Michael Jackson thriller song.

Kenya Wright currently resides in Miami with her three amazing, overactive children, a supportive, gorgeous husband, and three cool black cats that refuse to stop sleeping on Kenya’s head at night.

Author Website // Twitter

Giveaway

Kenya was nice enough to offer up a copy of Fire Baptized  to one lucky follower! The winner will have the option of either a paperback or ebook copy. Paperback copies are only available within the US. All entrants  must be 13 years or older or have the consent of a guardian. 

Bonne chance!




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