In this tell-all book, she explicitly describes life with a Long Island, New York, pimp-in-training named AZ between 2008 and 2013. She hopes the vivid details about pimping, prostitution, sex trafficking, and mental and emotional abuse will serve as a warning to young women worldwide. In a brief excerpt from the book, Karen Joy describes how AZ preyed on young and impressionable women to build a pimp empire.
“Once homeless, Nina stayed at a local trap house with some drug dealers. A dealer they called Uni introduced her to AZ. Knowing Nina was extremely marketable. AZ lured the pretty young girl in with promises of a life of luxury. The bubbly teenager was easily persuaded by the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Nina became AZ’s number one money maker.”
We had the privilege and honor of getting access to Karen Joy for a few quick questions we were eager for her to answer. This book is definitely a page Turner and one you’ll want to finish when you start.
FEMI Magazine (Keziah Preston): Do you ever wish you had made different decisions about being with AZ?
Karen Joy: No. I have to take the good with the bad. Everything I experienced in life has made me who I am today.
FEMI Magazine: If you could tell 2008 you anything, what would you say?
Karen Joy: To change my circle of friends, eliminate relationships with dysfunctional people, and establish relationships with functional people. I am going further in life with the circle of friends I have around me now.
FEMI Magazine: If this book became a motion picture, who would you want to play your main characters?
Karen Joy: For my character, I want Taraji P. Henson to star as the older version of me. If not her, I don’t mind starring as the older version of myself because I am now weaker and wiser. The character would be more befitting for who I am today.
I want each actor and actress to represent each character’s nationality. Cardi B would star as Lexy, and Lucy Liu would fit Shi’s character well. I am not sure yet who would portray Nina. Suga was from the Bronx with a bold, energetic, and wild personality. I do not believe anyone in the industry can fit her character. Most actresses are more professional, and she was really from the street.
I changed Kal’s appearance in the book because he threatened to sue me. In reality, he is short, thin, and light-skinned, but I changed the character’s physical appearance to a tall and overweight guy with a dark complexion. J.D. Williams, who starred in “The Wire,” would be a perfect fit for Kal because he looks and acts like him. Mack Miles is another actor who can portray Kal.
For AZ’s character, I believe Treach from the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop trio Naughty by Nature would be a good portrayal.
FEMI Magazine: How is your relationship now with Shi and Nina?
Karen Joy: Shi was young but also more mature than Nina because she perceived me to be on the same level as her. She also saw herself as competing with me. Shi was always abrasive and wanted to challenge me because she wanted to be AZ’s number one woman.
Nina was young and very immature, so, in her mind, she and I had a mother-daughter relationship even though she was challenging to manage. To her, I was a mother figure. Nina lives in one of my rental units. I am teaching her about finances and trying to help her increase her income by investing in CDs. I met her at 18 and in the streets because she had no family. Nina viewed me, or anyone like me, as a positive figure she could get love from. Even if the love was tainted, it was still a relationship she did not have.
FEMI Magazine: What inspired you to write the book now and not in 2013?
Karen Joy: I had to wait until the statute of limitations was over to avoid incriminating the people who inspired the main characters because, in 2013, they were deep into criminal activity.
FEMI Magazine: What’s next for you now that this book is complete?
Karen Joy: “Diary of a Pimp’s Wife” part two because all my readers want to know what happens to the characters since I wrote several cliffhangers in the book. I also want to establish a media company because we (Black authors) can tell our stories. I want to start with books and advance them into television and film to have three revenue streams.
FEMI Magazine: How did your life between 2008-2013 change you for the better, and how did it change you for the worse?
Karen Joy: My life has improved because I am no longer naive and overly giving. The devil does not come to you with horns but rather through the form of a friend without horns. I am also no longer gullible when I see these friends approaching me.
My life has worsened because I am more hardened and saddened by the turn of events. The outcomes have forced me to put up a shield against good and bad people because I do not know who to trust.
FEMI Magazine: How have you taken time to heal and rebalance after that lifestyle ended, and what have you found that helps you the most?
Karen Joy: Yes, I have taken time to heal and rebalance after the end of the lifestyle by quieting the noise, living in peace, and reflecting on myself. I am rebuilding my life and removing all the damaged pieces. I also like to read and develop my craft in writing. I am returning to the person I used to be in sports by not drinking and smoking. I have also stopped being around people and frequenting places associated with that lifestyle. I am exercising and working on my mind, body, and soul.
FEMI Magazine: What was the most significant lesson you would say you learned from that lifestyle?
Karen Joy: The most powerful lesson I have learned about that lifestyle is everyone likes the strip club but no one wants their daughter to be a stripper. However, they are our daughters and deserve our love, attention, and protection. This is why I wrote “Diary of a Pimp’s Wife” to educate people about the lifestyle.
As the world’s oldest profession, prostitution will continue, but at least through my book, people will be better aware of the lifestyle’s pitfalls. Through the “Diary of a Pimp’s Wife” pages, young women will not get involved; if they do, they are better educated about what they are engaged in.
Be sure to order your copy of Diary of a Pimp’s Wife today by clicking HERE!
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