U:  You've written several things, from articles to books, that have been major influences and even retrospect’s of hip-hop culture. What was your aha moment in deciding to write Platinum and Diamond Life?
AK:  My a-ha moment with Platinum came from my agent, actually. He's the one who said, ‘why don't you take the non-fiction story you wrote for Vibe about rappers’ wives and fictionalize it?’ It clicked and made sense. I started writing it immediately and Diamond Life was a natural progression once Platinum was completed.

U:  How important is it to hear the woman's perspective in chronicling the culture of hip-hop?
AK:  I think it's SO important. What we think, hear and feel when it comes to hip-hop music and culture is often only observed in the prism of being an observer. We're window dressing. But we're also stylists, mothers, wives, support systems, managers, label employees. We do have a lot of roles we play in hip-hop, but they are not always seen.

U:  What was your state of mind while writing the follow-up, Diamond Life?
AK:  Writing Diamond Life was not easy. It's written from the perspective of the men instead of the women so I had to go to a place I'd never been. And there's a completely new character named Lily who is quite different than anyone I've ever written about in fiction and I wanted to make sure I got her character right as well.

U:  Tell us about the plot or any new twists in Diamond Life.
AK:  I can't reveal the biggest plot twist in Diamond Life! But let's just say that Jake is going to finally let go and fall in love with someone interesting AND Ras will have to face the facts about the parentage about his adopted daughter. Drama!

U:  Do you think marriage, and relationships in general, are regarded differently when anchored by entertainment?
AK:  I definitely think marriage and relationships are regarded differently in the entertainment industry. There's no choice! You have the allure of beautiful people everywhere you look. You have yes-men and yes-women always willing to look the other way. You have all the money you could ever need to do anything you want. It's too easy to get yourself into a lot of trouble. And on top of all that, the world is watching your every tweet and your every move.

U:  We know that your piece in Vibe triggered the documented "Wifey" movement. If you were to write that piece in 2012, what would be different?
AK:  It would be very different. The women I profiled then were very doe-eyed and innocent. They were in denial about what was going on with their husbands and none of them were interested in being in front of the camera on their own. Things have changed quite a bit since then.

U:  If Platinum and Diamond Life were seasons of a current "Wifey" reality show, what would the name be?
AK:  I think considering platinum and diamond are both statuses conferred by the RIAA for the numbers of records sold, you could actually used the names of the books as show titles!

U:  If they were to be adapted for the big screen, who would you cast as the main characters?
AK:  Sanaa Lathan as Alex and Mos Def as her husband Birdie. Estelle as Josephine and Idris Elba as Ras. Tyrese as Z with Adele as his wife Beth. Alicia Keys as Kipenzi and Jamie Foxx as Jake. And Kerry Washington as Cleo.

U:  What are your summer travel plans?
AK:  Run around the backyard in the sprinkler with my two kids, my dog and a slurpee from 7-11. Every day.