Concede to Kismet.
Write Your Own Story.
If there's a book you really want to read,
but it hasn't been written yet,
then you must write it.~ Toni Morrison
Welcome to Conceding to Kismet. This is the home of fiction of Inda Lauryn and the nonfiction of TaKeshia Brooks. No matter the genre or style of writing you like, you can find it here. Check out some free reads from Inda Lauryn including previews of her available works In Time, The People in My Head and One Last Dance, Little Sister? as well as her upcoming releases. You can also read Lauryn's fantasy web series The Final Resistance. Check out the scholarly work from TaKeshia Brooks like Dream Factory Deferred: Music Video, History and Black Womanhood.
At this time, these works are only available at Amazon.com and the Createspace Bookstore, but we will allow ordering directly from the website as soon as possible. In the meantime, please feel free to look around and check out Kismet's style. There will be something here you like.
At this time, these works are only available at Amazon.com and the Createspace Bookstore, but we will allow ordering directly from the website as soon as possible. In the meantime, please feel free to look around and check out Kismet's style. There will be something here you like.
New News: Inda Lauryn is now a Yahoo! Contributor. You can find articles on pop culture and short stories on her page.
TaKeshia Brooks' Dream Factory Deferred: Black Womanhood, History and Music Video is also now available for free on Lulu.com. This is a PDF file, but if you would like it available EPUB form, please contact Kismet.
You can contribute to the new work in progress on black women who make music outside the bounds of R&B and rap. Go to Inda Lauryn's IndieGoGo page to find out what you can do to see this work come into fruition. If you cannot make a contribution, please consider spreading the word to someone who can.
Read Raychelle Muhammed's interview with Inda Lauryn at Raychelle Writes.
Artist (Author) Statement
As many stories as I have, the one that eludes me is the story of when I began to write. All I know is that I learned to write my name before I entered kindergarten with the help of a brother and sister. I don’t remember the moment beyond that when I fell in love with books and reading, so any story along those lines would be just as much of a fabrication as anything else I pen.
I do remember that I had delusions of being an author (an author, not a writer) by the time I was in first grade before my academic performance threatened to hold me to much loftier goals. My delusions then turned o nerdier occupations that straight A students get into: doctor, lawyer, scientist, etc., something that was supposed to make not only a name but also a large paycheck. Needless to say, my career goals were not clearly focused and I continued to make straight As in all subjects.
The one thing that never changed in all that time was my love of reading. I entered undergraduate studies with a concentration in communications. However, I selected English as my minor since I felt the ability to write well would serve me well in my future occupation. Since I ended up in graduate school, this seemed to be a wise choice.
After a few years, I realized I would not be given the opportunities I needed to further the scholarship in my discipline. Still, it did not occur to me then to turn to the very thing I used to keep myself sane in graduate school could be a way of life – writing.
Even though my literary heroes are Gayl Jones and Zora Neale Hurston, I do not pretend that I am in the same league as their genius. However, after converting a few scripts into short stories and penning many others, I did realize I had my own distinct voice and I was heeding the advice of my literay foremother Toni Morrison: “If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” I get great satisfaction out of the stories I write. Perhaps others will; perhaps they will not. In either case, I keep writing.
The novella collection entitled The Innocence of Others is now available on Amazon.com as a paperback.
As many stories as I have, the one that eludes me is the story of when I began to write. All I know is that I learned to write my name before I entered kindergarten with the help of a brother and sister. I don’t remember the moment beyond that when I fell in love with books and reading, so any story along those lines would be just as much of a fabrication as anything else I pen.
I do remember that I had delusions of being an author (an author, not a writer) by the time I was in first grade before my academic performance threatened to hold me to much loftier goals. My delusions then turned o nerdier occupations that straight A students get into: doctor, lawyer, scientist, etc., something that was supposed to make not only a name but also a large paycheck. Needless to say, my career goals were not clearly focused and I continued to make straight As in all subjects.
The one thing that never changed in all that time was my love of reading. I entered undergraduate studies with a concentration in communications. However, I selected English as my minor since I felt the ability to write well would serve me well in my future occupation. Since I ended up in graduate school, this seemed to be a wise choice.
After a few years, I realized I would not be given the opportunities I needed to further the scholarship in my discipline. Still, it did not occur to me then to turn to the very thing I used to keep myself sane in graduate school could be a way of life – writing.
Even though my literary heroes are Gayl Jones and Zora Neale Hurston, I do not pretend that I am in the same league as their genius. However, after converting a few scripts into short stories and penning many others, I did realize I had my own distinct voice and I was heeding the advice of my literay foremother Toni Morrison: “If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” I get great satisfaction out of the stories I write. Perhaps others will; perhaps they will not. In either case, I keep writing.
The novella collection entitled The Innocence of Others is now available on Amazon.com as a paperback.
If you would like to set up an interview, provide a review or are interested in a virtual book tour, please contact conceding2kismet@gmail.com! If you are interested in obtaining copies of books for review, you must be willing to accept an e-book copy.
