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Writer's pictureJessica Cage

Celebrating POC Authors in Fantasy: Delizhia Jenkins



Delizhia Jenkins is an Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance author who currently resides in Inglewood, CA. The love for writing began in elementary school when the passion for storytelling developed into a journey of writing. Over the years, she honed her craft for storytelling and the written word by excelling in subjects such English and English Literature; and by indulging in her favorite past time which involved reading the works of Anne Rice, K'Wan, Christopher Pike, Carl Weber, Omar Tyree and finally the late L.A. Banks. J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood also claimed her heart and author Karen Marie Moning joined the ranks of Miss Jenkins' all time favorite authors.

Miss Jenkins began publishing in 2013 with her first African American romance novel, Love at Last. After that, it was realized that her true magic rested in her writing about the ancient, the esoteric, and the supernatural. Moreover, since 2014, after her release of Nubia Rising: The Awakening, Miss Jenkins remained true to herself and her calling. And of course, being a true romantic at heart, it was important for her to fuse romance with the paranormal with a dash of "color." Miss Jenkins prides herself on writing for "the woman without the fairytale" and of course bringing magic and melanin to each book she writes.


 

Interview with Delizhia Jenkins


What genre(s) do you write in?

Paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

When did you decide that you wanted to write in your Genre?

I've always read anything and everything involving supernatural entities. When I decided to publish seven years ago, it was a no-brainer.

What things in your life do you draw inspiration from?

Daily encounters with people and my own journey with spirituality are what I tend to draw from. Sometimes, I also pull from personal experiences.

What is the purpose of your writing? Is there a specific message that you hope to convey?

I write for the woman without the fairytale...and the woman who still believes in magic...and the single mother who sees beyond the veil and carries the belief that dragons and fairies do exist. I write for the grown woman who craves a little bit of fantasy.

How much of yourself is reflected in your writing?

I always tell people they can find me in my books.

What can readers expect to see from you in the next year? Any new releases, features or celebrations?

I plan to release the final two books in The Vampire Hunters Academy series and to continue where I left off with my Shadows series. There are a few things that are up in the air right now and if readers are interested in remaining up to date, I encourage them to subscribe to my website.


 



Excerpt from the book:


“It didn’t have to be this way…” Cain growled as he inched closer.


The first rays of the sun began to creep over the horizon, forcing its way through the treetops. Adam had always treated him like a monster, Aklia had fought him like one, then he would become exactly that. Aklia lunged again, only for him to smack her down to the ground. Each time she attempted to rise, he leveled a fist to her head…and still she would not break.


“I refuse for my children to befallen a legacy such as this,” she murmured through a bloodied and swollen lip. Her nose was broken, both of her once beautiful eyes blackened and swollen. Her blood dripped to the earth and still she stood against him…how poetic, Cain would later think when memories of her death would surface.


“I did not ask for this,” he told her.


“Neither did I…” she said as she found the strength to stand. She swung again and missed as ducked out of the way. She doubled back, with a series of successful punches while he returned a few of his own. Exhaustion began to claim her, and tired of the games Cain’s punch happened just the two fell into sync, his fist connected with her temple just as she flung her sword. The instant her sword left her hand, he watched as her life essence separated from her body. Her lifeless, glossy eyes stared back at him as she collided into a giant tree while the sword remained steadfast in its direction.


Cain felt the cold blessed metal impale his black heart all the way through to his spine. The metal scorched his flesh like acid and in the few moments he had to cling to life, he thought of Luluwa, the fabric of his soul, his peace and his sanity. He remembered her kindness towards him when Adam was at his cruelest. He remembered how she dared to run away with him the night following his brother’s murder. Her beautiful spirit still remained intact even upon her transitioned into a blood drinker. She refused to feed on women or children, only demonstrating her violent streak when necessary. Her beauty would forever be ingrained in his memory.


And poor Selene. Who would protect her from the humans whom he ruled over? Once his death was discovered, Selene would be killed to prevent her from reaching maturity. And Eliana, wherever she was, he hoped that she would continue to thrive. His legacy would be her own. Out of all of his children, Eliana had stood out and he admired her for her strength and tenacity.


As he fell to his knees, blood dripped onto his hands, spilling from his wound. He took another look around him, reminding him of how lonely the embrace of death was. Aklia had fought him with everything she had without fear, and even as she stood face to face with death, never did she once cower or beg for mercy. No, she accepted her fate while exacting her own deck of vengeance. It would be many years from this moment that Cain would reflect on this moment. Aklia defined what it would mean to be a “huntress” and it would be almost a millennia before he encountered another of her ilk and strength.


How was it fair that one never asks to be born, much less be born to the circumstances that would forever define his path and still find himself punished for decisions made? How? How was it fair that he suffered punishments for the sins of his mother and the resentment of his father for a crime committed long before he was even a thought? How was it that he, the first born of woman, and not from the earth be subjected to a curse that none knew existed? Never was he good enough for the Creator, nor the person whom he long believed to be his father…the only person who readily accepted him as he was had been reduced to ash. Perhaps there was life beyond the physical. Maybe he would be permitted freedom from this world as he too was weary of it all: the running, the shame, the hiding, the thirst for blood… Maybe, Aklia had actually set him free.


Or maybe, this was only the beginning.


 

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