Almasi Ya Kifo follows two men looking to change their lives who wind up crossing paths thanks to the mythical fate diamond. What was your inspiration for the wild journey you take readers on in this novel?

The story is a morality lesson. The Almasi Ya Kifo diamonds possess an energy that heighten and intensify the demeanor and attributes of individuals. I wanted to show the effect this can have on human behavior, and the lessons learned. In essence, be careful what you wish for – you may get more than you thought!

Paulo and Joseph complement and contrast each other well in this novel, building tension for readers. What was your approach to writing the interactions between characters?

To highlight who people really are at their core and how greed can be infectiously consuming and controlling on human behavior.

Joseph is driven by avarice. He’s selfish and has a general disregard for others – unless he wants something from them.

Paulo is naïve, lacking sophistication – but an easy mark for anything that he believes will benefit him financially.

Joseph almost takes pleasure in telling Paulo to take the diamonds. It’s as if he knows what Paulo is going to experience.

Are you a believer in fate, or do you think that people make their own destinies based on the choices that they make?

It’s dynamic. We all have choices; free will that directs us along the path we’re going to take. However, it’s remembering that every choice has a consequence – whether the consequence ends up being a positive, or negative, outcome is the question.

Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?

Book two in the Fate Diamond Series, Xentastic, tells the story of the next person to receive the diamonds. She doesn’t possess the same all-consuming qualities that the readers have experienced in Almasi Ya Kifo. Readers will see the polar opposite of someone who’s not consumed by greed.

Almasi Ya Kifo is book one of five novels that make up the Fate Diamond Series. As the series develops, we will see not only the negative effects, but how the diamonds can also effect positive changes.

Ultimately, readers will see how my first novel, The Way You See Me Now, connects with the Fate Diamond Series.

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