Kola Boof

Well, the truth is the truth Troy.....ZANE oughta try it sometime. People like me...dying of brain cancer....are the types who will say any and everything. Facing death makes you feel as though you might as well just tell all. I tried to make friends with Thumper. He flatly rejected my attempts and was exceedingly hostile. In fact, our very last exchanges were about me trying to be friendly towards him. And for the record, people can look up the ORIGIN of our in-fighting. HE was the one attacking me and using my "African identity" to do so......in reality, he was JEALOUS of my charisma and the fact that people were far more entertained and into me. That's not my fault. I was gracious to Thumper and he was hostile. I gave it right back. Of course "Snooty black folk" (especially the book reading variety) are put off by bodacious "unruly" women like me. That take it too seriously and they don't even try to listen to anything that goes against their Snooty Attire. It's their own insecurity. Missing ABM is an understatement for me.

Troy, The reasons I don't post here are varied. #1---My ally ABM is no longer here. I was greatly disparaged and disliked and no one wants to be around people who dislike them. In 2008, I talked about being treated for brain cancer...not a single person said a single consolatory thing or came to see me at Loma Linda. (*Well Jackie Joice did). It was almost as though I wasn't a human being. It showed the underlying contempt & hatred for me. I continue to suffer with health issues (diabetes, heart valve disease) and I don't need the stress of always fighting things we should all be against (colorism)...or being told that I'm a fraud, don't exist and that I'm not wanted here. #2--I feel that everyone made up rumors about me, especially about my "sexuality"...and this has greatly impaired my ability to trust. I feel that people here did everything they could to keep me from being published...I believe members here have spread untold lies and half-truths about me throughout the industry in hopes of destroying me. No matter how I've tried to reach out and be friends with everyone, there has always been a moment of rejection or disingenuous feedback. I am very open and real and I don't trust the people here. I know for a fact that Deesha Philyaw took money in exchange for making up outrageous stories about me and my family. Claiming to be my friend and lying on me for corporate enemies who paid her. I know this to be fact. I'll never forget the link she co-signed claiming that I was really a White Male Racist (that he was writing my books). Tim or Tom something. I know that ZANE bad mouthed me and tried everything she could to derail my career. For no reason. She simply turned on me one day (*later I found out it was because I unknowingly slept with her husband Wayne years back). Which served her fat behind right considering the way she slandered my name. I could have made ZANE a ton of money writing erotica; I am excellent and imaginative writer; not to mention a Built-in PUBLICIST...but to this day...no one thinks about utilizing my TALENT & Charisma and exploiting my talents on "Business GP." NO---only White Jewish people have sense enough to do that. That's my main problem with Black folks in this industry. They don't even know how to set personal feelings aside and band together and utilize each other's talents to form something. We should have a MOTOWN of publishing by now! Shit. Bookstores are obsolete...publishing is now SHOW BIZ. Troy ...you said "Kola's antics"....I was serious. It wasn't antics. #3---Though I will fight and be combative with people over things I believe in....I generally have LOVE for all people. I don't stay mad long and I love everyone on GP regardless of how they feel about me. #4---I am busy writing...and take "free moments" to post on Twitter and Facebook where my fans are many and I can "see" them.

Carey, HUGS King. Thanks for all your kindness and support over the years. Unfortunately, I don't have time to visit that board. I'm ensconced in writing 3 different books. But I am so happy to see you!!! Yours always, Kola

Hello all, I decided to write about my personal experience being Vaginally Infibulated and how I felt watching the now infamous "Swede Cake Video" that purported to honor women and girls like myself. I hope you'll read what I had to say. LINK: http://www.owlasylum.net/?p=1823 KOLA BOOF

Troy, I still doubt that any BLACK Editor/Publisher would have signed Kola Boof. I sent several great manuscripts to **Third World Press** and they ignored me. Ditto that Paul guy at Black Classics Press. That to me....says everything about this issue. There is a very unfortunate "Tunnelvision" by Black people in literature. It's as though they've completely forgotten Zora, Baldwin, Alice Walker and everything about "the edge." Would a Black Truman Capote or a Black Norman Mailer be recognized by Black editors and Black Publishers? The treatment towards me says it's not likely. LIKEWISE....someone Black should have started their own Akashic Books by now. They should be savvy enough and cutting edge enough to make it happen. But there's mostly "safe conservatism" with Blacks in literature. They want to bore us to death. IF I wasn't "shut out" and such a pariah within Black American literary circles.....I would start a house.

Also....Troy please fix my profile so that I can add my photo. It's not allowing me to add photos. Kola Boof

LMAO!!! (at Troy looking like Donna Summer in that hood). Anyone who has her album covers will recognize the expression on Troy's face..... ~*~ There is a Black owned bookstore in Charlotte, NC. It is owned by a young black man who used to be a football player. I was invited there but then ended up not going. I did a 38 city book tour last year. It was amazing to find that almost no one else was touring!! Johnny Temple told me that book tours are dying out because they don't sell enough books and the expense of sending out the authors (esp. black authors) is crippling. The industry really is changing; it's dying. But at the same time, a new birth is taking place. It's "formless" in its infant stages. KOLA

Troy...you should have spoke up. Johnny is definitely someone you can "be open & honest" with. I do it all the time. And he has great respect for truth...even when it makes him look soiled. Also, you're right. Black Editors at the major houses cannot sign who they wish...and we as Black artists have no "black owned" power brokers we can go to in order to be published and heard. In my case...I'm not sure that a Black owned publisher would give me a voice. It seems that I am too outspoken & introspective for most of the Black literary establishment. If it weren't for White Jewish men like Johnny, I would likely be silenced. It is hard for me to put down Johnny...because he rescued my career and he lets me do whatever I want and he puts a lot of backing into me. I can say almost anything to Johnny and he doesn't get upset. So I advise you to always speak up with him. He won't take it personal. He's very aware and humble with Black artists. He will listen. KOLA

Thanks so much. NO...there is no DVD of the lecture or anything. Kola

So many aspiring writers ask me about becoming a writer. I think this interview is the only time I've been given an opportunity to talk in depth about the forces that shaped me into a writer and about what the processes are like. I feel lucky to have someone like Johnny Temple molding and controlling my career, because with the way publishing is right now...it's a total mess. There is no money in it. The audiences are fickle and the houses don't give much backbone and support. Anyhoo, it's my favorite interview I've done since Kam Williams (here at aalbc.com), which has always been my favorite. I encourage everyone who writes to keep on doing it...because eventually, once the business configures into its new shape, they are going to need strong writers. Storytelling is a part of the human condition that never goes out of style. Stay focused, believe in your voice and practice writing often!

What's been going on with Kola Boof? I just did the most amazing interview with nthWORD magazine....it has to be my most revealing ever. It's the first time I got to talk in depth about publisher Johnny Temple and many other topics...such as Naomi Campbell's desire to play me in a film. I still get so many emails from Thumper's Corner visitors asking me a bevy of questions...I think you'll really appreciate the blunt honesty in this interview and where I'm at now with my career. "Literary Bad Girl Kola Boof" (Sessions) http://shorts.nthword.com/2012/04/literary-bad-girl-kola-boof-sessions.html nthWORD magazine

WOW! This event was so successful and so different than anything I've ever done. Giving a lecture (to a roomful of black women doctors!) on a particular subject is much calmer and more invigorating than the normal free-reign book reading. I spoke on why I don't like being called a 'strong black woman' and prefer we think about replacing it with 'the living woman' as our mantra. The women overwhelmingly agreed to and related with the entire historical picture I painted of how this language (strong black woman) does at times box us in as ..."mule of the world"...."they're strong (not really women) & can take care of themselves"...."be a strong black woman & take it like a man." It was quite a strong reaction, a lovely bonding time & I sold a ton of books. I also fell in love with Atlanta. What a beautiful and serene city. Kola Boof

Hello all, I am lecturing at Emory Medical University in Atlanta this Friday ...in the Whitefield Biomedical Auditorium....at 6:15 pm. My lecture is called "The Living Woman"...as opposed to the "strong black woman." http://booktourkola.webs.com/emoryunivkolaboof.htm You can click the link for more details. I am also coming to DENVER and NEW YORK CITY in May. The exact dates haven't been set. If you haven't already, check out the amazing reviews & plaudits for my current Akashic bestseller, "The Sexy Part of the Bible." Hope to see you soon. Kola Boof

I support abortion 100% When I was 17, I had an abortion. It was the best decision I could have made. (I am already adopted & know the foster care/adoption system---so I wouldn't trust any fetus of mine to that Russian Roulette road. Abortion was best). I had two sons later, starting at age 29-30. My Black American Mum raised us that we shouldn't have a baby before the age of 25. Now looking back, I totally understand why she always preached that. Women need to take time to become fully adult women...they need to travel, experience the world and get to know themselves. They need to create the financial stability necessary to feed, house & protect a child. Many girls in the black community (most in fact) are not well raised, are not loved and are not given many options on being themselves or valuing "womanhood." The Black community absolutely hates Black girls--they are the "scapegoats" of the black social hierarchy. are not taught to think very highly of themselves, in fact most Black girls are called Hood Rats in Black American culture. Therefore, they seek love & acceptance from the 1 thing that doesn't judge---a baby. Good luck to those girls who ruin their lives before they've ever began. If men could get pregnant....abortion would be FREE....no questions asked. Women are the owners of their bodies....if they want to abort, then that decision is solely theirs. It only cost $400 for an abortion. But it costs Tax-Payers $400,000 to finance a child's life from birth to age 18 under various welfare pay outs. Abortion is a NECESSARY legal option and women must fight to protect this right.

Thanks so much, Crystal. Yes, you really should read it over. It's a very nuanced & deep book.

Oh wow. What a fabulous review. I'm so glad you liked it. I am now writing my next book, "She Wiped It On the Wall." Which is a totally different story about black women and religion. It's less controversial but just as powerful, I think you will love it. Don't forget to leave a review on Good Reads or Amazon.Com for me sister. tima usrah (through fire comes the family) KOLA BOOF

I guess you don't read the Black women's blogs, Troy. There was a call for a boycott before the film even opened but everyone tried to ignore those blogs. The 2nd week box office fell by 53% Gee--what you think caused it to crash that severely?? According to "Ticket Box-office Tracker".....Older black women have been supporting the film strongly. But overall, Black women's audience is very low. How many Black Women really want to pay $16 to watch themselves erased from history & watch a Black man romance a white woman? All 2,000 of the Tuskegee airmen married Black women BTW. And there were Black Female Pilots & soldiers in Italy with those men. Not to mention 900 Black American nurses were imported to Italy to take care of the pilots. CNN recently reported on several "love stories" that were quite epic between Black Male & Female Pilots during that era. None of that was shown in the movie. NONE of the actors you mentioned are interested in Black women--they all married White. So yes, many DUMB black women are fawning over men who would never notice them. But the "thinking" black women are not supporting this movie and the box office shows that. I do notice a STRONG WHITE AUDIENCE attended the opening week, though.

I, of course, am part of the Black women boycotting the film. But I don't have anything against anyone else going to see the film. It's simply not in my best interest to support it & nobody I really want to see is in it.

I was surprised and happy to have TWO BOOKS make the top 20. #2--Diary of a Lost Girl #15--Kola Boof Unplugged I wish that "The Sexy Part of the Bible" (my current book) had done well in e-books. It has sold pretty strong in paperback. Kola

I consider myself a very strong woman who protects & asserts herself. But even I....have had horrible trouble trying to insist that a man wears a condom when penetrating **MY BODY**. It's very sad. We really are weak to men. Some of us have horrible insecurity and fear rejection if we don't give in to the male's desire for flesh on flesh. Others are unfairly asked to "prove you love me" by not demanding a condom. Then there's the ones of us who really want that "feel" of real dick inside us. No plastic popsickle wrappers and stuff. Humans need touch; connection; ownership of each other. Sex is one of the few "condoned" activities where people get to show their real true souls...good and bad. So this is a very hard topic, because sex is so fleeting yet so important for our emotional and psychological health. I have been lucky and not contracted any diseases in my 41 years. But God knows, it's not because I was necessarily safe. Since the AIDS virus & Herpes hit the scene...I would say that I have been "flesh to flesh" with 25% of my encounters. And doing the "oral"--I just can't do it with a rubber on the guy. Takes everything away from the act. So I had to get "picky" about who got a Soul Kiss and who didn't. Sex is awful for our generation. We really are haunted and terrorized by sex. I envy the 1960's and 1970's "sexual revolution" Orgy time generation. I wish we all could hump so freely.

Say it again.

Cynique.....your placcard said it all. That has been the truth from day one on earth. I don't think it will ever change. One huge problem with people is 'denial' following shock. Troy, So many of our lives are literally destroyed & reshaped by people's failure to watch out for children.

THANKS KING! Hugs.

Troy, This will come as a shock to you....haha....but Johnny Temple says I'm one of the EASIEST authors he's ever worked with. He thought I would be a diva and found me to be (his words) "a joy to work with." My people at Akashic (Johnny, Ibrahim & Zach) are like good friends. We haven't had a single argument. They spoil me and I work really hard both writing & promoting. I am exceptionally sweet Troy. I only become difficult when I feel that I'm being attacked or dissed. When it comes to "WORK", I'm really focused and competent and cheerful. You never got to work with me that's all. Kola

You know Troy, I'm going to confide something. And this is really true. To be a "breakout" success in life....you have to take risks & stand for something. That is what separates the Icons from the merely talented/hard working. The Black Editors in New York are not very savvy or visionary---or they would have signed me years ago. On pure writing skill & drive alone (ignoring all public bullshit), they would have done what Johnny did and said "this person, eccentric & controversial or not, is a gifted writer and has a point of view." Instead, they actually held it against me that I was "African" (she's not one of us, even if we did raise her & give her that mouth)....they operated on PETTY he said/she said to the point where I became haughty and belligerent, mainly because I was so often being lied on and attacked by their inner circles. None of them, in my opinion, have the courage or integrity to truly be great. They want to be safe; they want to protect their jobs and only publish what is familiar or already successful. Johnny Temple is nothing like them, Troy. He's cunning, open and deep. There is NO REASON on earth that I should have spent 10 years without a black editor in NYC at least having lunch with me to discuss **WRITING**. (a) I had a following in both Europe and America...(B') I was getting A-list Media bookings that their authors on major houses couldn't get © It was known that people "cried" reading my books & were passionate about my books. All the signs, Troy. But Stephen Elliott (a White Man) did approach me to write a short story for "Politically Inspired" and that led to editors at The New Yorker & Paris Review requesting that I write stories for them. Neither of those magazines chose to publish the stories I wrote ("Sexy Part" was one). But they did begin predicting in their circles that I would be a major author. The award I won in Sweden for "I Am My Own Daughter" continued demonstrating that I had genuine talent and originality. Being published in "Harper's Magazine" continued my popularity with a White literary clique. With all that.....not a single BLACK editor in NY would read my work. Right now....my books are banned from Eso Won Bookstore in Los Angeles. A black male owned bookstore. National Book Award nominee Wanda Coleman is also banned from the store (she criticized Maya Angelou in a bad review she wrote of Maya's work). The pettiness among Black business & arts people is stupifying Troy. They want to work with "friends" and banish anyone who is "weird" & not status quo from existence. That's not smart business. Your "upstarts" (provided they have talent to back up their quirkiness) are usually the big fish in any form of entertainment, media.