User:Lakishias/sandbox

Lakishia N. Smith is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. At the tender age of 9, she realized that she had a passion for writing and by the time she was 12, had already completed her first script, 32 poems and had begun writing her first novel; that she will be releasing in the near future. The targeted audience for this book she says would be the pre-teen audience. Smith attended Catonsville Community College where she earned numerous credits towards a degree in Mass Communications. During her years of study, she served as managing editor of the student newspaper as well as played a role on the special guest committee. After college she joined the team at Sojourner Douglass College where she served as the Assistant to the Vice President of Graduate and Professional Studies, Assistant to the Vice President of Finance and then Assistant to the Director of Sponsored Programs and Applied Research/Executive Assistant to the President; during this assignment, Smith also played a major role as Senior Managing Editor of Sojourner-Douglass College’s SPAR Info-Reader Newsletter.

In 2005 Smith self published her first novel “What Ever Happened 2 My King,” and sold thousands of copies. The novel quickly became one of the most requested street fiction novels in Baltimore City but though the demand for her first novel remained steady, Lakishia wanted to collaborate with the person that inspired the novel to make it more authentic; so, she teamed up with Mr. Damion (K.D) Schenck and together they revised “What Ever Happened 2 My King.” Smith expresses that Schenck is a long-term friend whom she gives praise to for always being one of her greatest supporters. Smith acknowledges that Schenck was a true encouragement for the first edition of the novel and also freely admits that Schenck who also goes by the name King Divine Allah was the inspiration for the books title. Schenck and Smith’s new edition of “Whatever Happened 2 My King” is scheduled to be released in the near future. Smith and Schenck are currently working on several upcoming novels as a duo as well as the independent film inspired by “What Ever Happened 2 My King” that they plan to begin the production of very soon. Smith also has plans to release an additional solo novel titled “Flip Tha Script” in the fall of 2011.

Born and raised in one of Baltimore’s toughest most debilitated neighborhoods; having to endure the many setbacks that come with its turf such as poverty, crime, heartache, and grief, she is proving to the world that it’s not where your come from it’s where you plan to go. Smith is looked at as a remarkable and very aspiring young lady who is on the rise and is already receiving the attention and respect of not only her targeted reading audience, but from readers of many different cultures.