LITMIR.BIZ

      One of my aunties said to me over the holidays that she doesn’t get the lingo of Drama High and she couldn’t stand the language. I wasn’t hurt by her truthful words because I honestly didn’t write them for her generation. I am well aware that there are people out there who don’t get my flow and never will. That’s the beauty of having multiple writers for multiple audiences. And that’s why I write this series: for the readers who get how we live, write, and speak. Our culture is real and prevalent. What can I say? Fiction mimics reality and vice versa. I’m tired of writing about drive-bys, car jackings, and other violent crimes. But they are the reality of daily life for many of us. And hopefully the day will soon come when I can write about these and other negative deeds in the past tense only.

      When I heard that another family member was a victim of violence, I was in an immediate daze. This volume is dedicated to my cousin on both sides of my lineage, Khary Kidd, who was murdered during this novel’s creation. I will miss you always and treasure your bright smile and deep voice eternally. I love you and will keep a candle lit for you on my shrine.

      i live in fiction

      it’s all in my head.

      i live in a world

      between here and there,

      every and nowhere.

      i live in a place where I have the same face

      i had as a child.

      where ancestors come back in their prime

      and spend time refining our

      perfection.

      i exist in a place where

      word count is my sun

      and page count my moon.

      i come to and wash dishes, do laundry, cook dinner, and supervise the

      real lives of two other real

      people.

      and then, back to my

      characters.

      back to the weaving of this reality I crave to

      be in.

      i live for this fictitious place.

      i breathe in this make-believe space.

      my body is a vessel for its stories.

      and I live to tell them.

      l. divine

       2009

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      I’d like to go back and say thank you to the many educators who have influenced my life’s work. This list is in no way complete, but it’s a great start.

      Dr. Walter Allen, Dr. Valerie Smith, Dr. Richard Yarborough, Dr. Maureen Silos, Dr. Jenny Sharpe, Dr. Sid Lemelle, Dr. Robert Hill, Dr. T.J. Desch-Obi, Thomas Ennison, Nathan McCall, Baba Medahochi Kofi Zannu, Dr. Kwame Kalimara, SongoEniola Oladeji Kalimara, Elbert Shitamoto. And a special thank you to Khisna Griffin for being the best college counselor ever and to my first West African dance teacher, Nzingha Camara, whose course changed my life.

      And a very special thank you to my agent, Brendan Deneen, and my publisher, Dafina/Kensington, for keeping the series going. Thank you for your faith in Drama High. Our novels nourish my children, my audience, and myself. For that I am forever grateful. I feel like I’m living in a dream sometimes because life as a working writer is a divine blessing. Thank you for the sweet reality.

      THE CREW

      Jayd

      A sassy sixteen-year-old from Compton, California, who comes from a long line of Louisiana conjure women. She is the only one in her lineage born with brown eyes and a caul. Her grandmother appropriately named her “Jayd,” which is also the name her grandmother took on in her days as a voodoo queen in New Orleans. She lives with her grandparents, four uncles, and her cousin Jay. Jayd is in all AP classes and visits her mother on the weekend. She has a tense relationship with her father, whom she sees occasionally, and has never-ending drama in her life, whether at school or home.

      Mama/Lynn Mae

      When Jayd gets in over her head, her grandmother, Mama, is always there to help her. A full-time conjure woman with magical green eyes and a long list of both clients and haters, Mama also serves as Jayd’s teacher, confidante, and protector.

      Mom/Lynn Marie

      At thirty-something years old, Lynn Marie would never be mistaken for a mother of a teenager. Jayd’s mom is definitely all that and with her green eyes, she keeps the men guessing. Able to talk to Jayd telepathically, Lynn Marie is always there when Jayd needs her.

      Esmeralda

      Mama’s nemesis and Jayd’s nightmare, this next-door neighbor is anything but friendly. She relocated to Compton from Louisiana around the same time Mama did and has been a thorn in Mama’s side ever since. She continuously causes

Скачать книгу