SwagHer Spotlight: Jill Kapri

Jill Shawntaye Kapri, born on September 4, 1993, in Tallahassee, FL, delivers a hood envy tale entitled, Hoes in da Hood. Jill was raised by her mother and late father in Chattahoochee, FL. At the age of nine, she had to deal with her father’s death, who was shot and killed. His death took a major toll on her. She turned to poetry to help her cope with his passing. As time progressed, she discovered that she loved to write urban fiction short stories. She is now a self-published author with four released books with Hoes In Da Hood and Hoes In Da Hood Pt. 2 being the most successful. The journey of her writing career has been blissful, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything. She enjoys spending her time reading books, listening to music, and being a full-time mother. She understands that being an author is a full-time job, and she has been tackling it, pen first.

 

Christina: What is your SwagHer? What makes Jill, Jill?

Jill: Jill has a great heart. She tries to see the good in everyone. She is a go-getter and doesn’t let anything hinder her from getting to the next level.

Christina: Tell us a little about your book series, Hoes in da Hood. What was the inspiration behind that? 

Jill: My first cousin inspired Hoes In Da Hood. We both come from the hood, so we know first hand how it is living in an urban community with women using whatever they got to get what they want. A lot of people sugar coat how it really is in the hood, so I felt like, if I was going to tell the story, I might as well take the gloves off with it and give it to my reader’s blood raw. 

I wanted to give up on writing once my first two books didn’t go as well. But my cousin told me that was not an option. I had what it takes to be a great author. I just needed to put my thinking cap on. So while we were standing there in the middle of an apartment complex, she gave me a look, and that look told me what I needed to do in so many words, it made my mind start spinning, and from that point on, the ideas just started pouring in.   

Christina: Your father was shot and killed when you were just nine years old. How did you deal with that? Was writing your way of coping with his death? 

Jill: It was very hard, very tough for me. My dad was my best friend. I met him when I was four-years-old, and he never left my side from that point on. I was spoiled beyond measure. We lived thirty minutes away from one another, out of seven days a week, my father made it his business to see me, pick me up, and spend time with me a few times out of a week. 

I was really close to him. So that shattered my world. His death took a major toll on me. I felt like it was my fault somehow. I shut down and stopped talking to people. I couldn’t even talk to my mom for some days. My mom bought me diaries and journals for some odd reason, and one day I just picked up my journal and wrote a poem to him, telling him how much I missed him and how lonely I felt. That alone made me feel better, like I was able to talk to him again. That was the beginning of writing for me to express my feelings and my thoughts.

Christina: What is your writing style? When you get ready to write a new book, what do you do? Is there a process? 

Jill: Honestly, I don’t have a writing style. I’m a single mother of three. I also work a full-time job, so I write when I get a chance to. I don’t have a process either; I don’t do traditional writing, I sit at my computer at work or my laptop at home and write and polish it up later.

Christina: Out of all the women in Hoes In Da Hood, which one do you relate the most to, and was she inspired by someone in your life? 

Jill: Relatable to me? I would definitely go with Shantelle. I can relate to all of their stories in many ways, but Shantelle’s story was my story a year ago. I took my situation and built her story out of my weaknesses. 

Christina: Where can our readers purchase your books? 

Jill: Hoes In Da Hood and Hoes In Da Hood, Part 2 can be purchased on amazon. 

Christina: Are you working on any new books now? What can we expect next from you? 

Jill: I am working on part three and hope to have it released by the end of the year. I have a few new books in the works as well, including my memoir A Diamond From The Rough: Thee True Story Of Jill S. Kapri. My goal is to release anywhere from 3 to 6 books over the next six months. That’s a challenge for me right now. I am super excited about that.

Christina: How would your friends describe you? 

Jill: Real. Lol. My friends would describe me as being that person who is willing to listen to them at any time. I’m always there for others. I love helping people, and my friends would vouch for me that I have a huge heart.

Christina: Do you have any upcoming events or projects that you would like our audience to know about?

Jill: No, not right now. But I will say to the audience to be on the lookout because there is a new self-publisher coming in to change the game. 

Christina: Is there anything else you would like to share? 

Jill: I would like to leave a message for all of the new upcoming self-publishing authors, and that is, don’t ever give up, always stay consistent, don’t focus on what someone else may be accomplishing, focus on yourself, and no matter what, write that book!!!

 

Connect with Jill:

Instagram: @authorjillskapri 

Facebook: Author Jill.Shawntaye Kapri