interview with Kevin E. Taylor

1. Let's talk about your novel JADED. where did you come up with the concept for it? I have led a lot of men's groups in my days and started to realize that I kept meeting that same brother. He had a bad relationship with the wrong guy and was bitter. He picked the wrong guy to share love with and it failed. One day, I was riding on the bus from NYC back to NJ and the character of Joshua just starting talking, from his desk. Joshua's brokenheart took over my heart and I really wanted to talk back to him, but I realized that I had to speak for him first. I could feel him and I just started writing. I knew I had a novel in me when I would wake up and hit the computer before the shower or working out. I would have to get a statement on paper and after a while, I just dedicated certain hours to writing. The thing that kept haunting me was "WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE THROUGH WITH LOVE, BUT LOVE'S NOT THROUGH WITH YOU!?"

2. Have you yourself ever been "jaded", if so how? Ouch. Of course I have and mine was for the oddest reason. I got tired of being the "right man" after the wrong man. I kept meeting guys who were talking like they were open to a LTR, but who were so angry, so broken, so absent that they were just...jaded. That really started to get to me, especially when I lived in NYC. I was just heartbroken to find so many beautiful men who were just "not really looking for anything, but if something happens" with their hearts. I thought I was the only guy in the world who still believed in love...AND THAT PISSED ME OFF! (laughing).

3. I understand that you are a father. How did that come about? Ga'Vel Qwame is 17 now and have been with me since he was 13. He is the son of a woman in my church. He didn't have a father in his life and her other 2 children (from marriage) have their Dad. She asked me to spend time with him (as I do with young boys in my church, knowing that a movie or a day of fun can really change their lives) and I did. A movie became a day at the park. Then we would spend the weekend, just studying and trying to help him come out of his shell. Then, one day he called me "Dad" and his mother and I decided at the same time to come to each other about adoption. He's a great kid. He is going to grow up to be a great man because he's making all of his mistakes with a father present who can help him back up when he falls down.

4. How many years did you spend at BET as a producer? I produced at BET from 1993 (I started there in 1991) until 2002, when I left to finish UNCLUTTER (my first book, but that wasn't a novel) and concentrate on other projects. They still had me doing specials like BOYZ II MEN's COLOR OF LOVE video, which I covered in Africa, Spring Bling with 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes and other things. With TM3, my video production company, I am still working with BET, through BETJ. "LIFTED" (a gospel video show, hosted by TONEX) is a show that I have on the network now and "ROLE MODEL" (young singers/artists interviewing icons whose careers they have followed) is coming this Spring. "INTROspection" and "TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS" are coming this Fall.

5. If you could produce one big major project, what would it be? I have been talking about this for years. It would be "RECLAIMING DIVA: A JOURNEY OF BLACK WOMEN IN MUSIC." It's a 10 hour, week-long documentary, chronicling every woman who has ever sung! Each night is a different topic (from "SING IT, GIRL!" to "PAIN, THIS IS HER STORY") and BETJ and I are in talks about that project for next year's Black Music Month, because it is a HUGE endeavor, with every from Lena Horne and Nancy Wilson to Alicia Keys, Fantasia and Beyonce.

6. Why do you think so many people believe in LUCK rather than prayer? Honestly, I think that people don't really want to believe that God is watching them always. If that were so, that would mean that God was there when I got in trouble and if that's true, why wouldn't GOD JUST STOP ME! That thing about freewill is the reason that I think that so many don't like religion. People want God to bless them when they want to ignore the rest. Luck makes it a matter of choice. Grace is a matter of choice. I choose daily to be blessed, to be happy, to be creative, to be healthy. When I say that and pray that, God blesses me because I got what I asked for and then headed towards it! I asked for BET, but I had to quit my good government job and then join a temp agency that sent me to 3 different assignments before I walked into BET. That was a 2 year journey from saying "GOD I WANT TO WORK AT BET" to walking in the door.

7. How do you define success? Success to me is being able to sit alone in the quiet of my life and know that there isn't anything missing. Single as I am, I know that my partner isn't missing. I just haven't met him yet. Success for me is being able to look over my life and still say...WOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS A PART OF THAT. Success for me is peace of mind, knowing that it's all good and only getting better, daily.