Welcome To The Lion's Den

J. Kitana is a Cincinnati-born storyteller whose imagination has always been her favorite place to wander. A lifelong lover of movies, music, and books, she discovered early on that stories have the power to transport readers into entirely new worlds — and she eagerly accepted that invitation every chance she got.

From the moment she first held a brand-new book, J. Kitana felt a spark of excitement that never faded. Yet as she immersed herself in fictional universes, she rarely saw characters who reflected her own experiences. That realization became the foundation of her purpose as a writer: to create rich, engaging worlds where people who look like her belong naturally and unapologetically.

Rather than waiting for representation, J. Kitana chose to build it. Her stories are crafted with intention, heart, and imagination, offering readers characters who feel real, layered, and deeply human. She believes that when there isn’t a seat at the table, you build your own — and invite others to pull up a chair.

Drawing from a life full of diverse experiences and an endlessly curious mind, J. Kitana weaves pieces of herself into every book she writes. The result is fiction that feels personal, immersive, and alive — stories that welcome readers in and encourage them to stay awhile.

"If there is not a seat at the table, you build your own table and watch people bring chairs to join you."

My Beginning

I have always been a fan of books, but it wasn't until the summer before eighth grade that I read Copper Sun. It was the first book that made me cry. Despite my emotions this piece of literature made me understand how hard an Author must work. With my interest sparked I began to burn through YA books. As my interest began to require more, I went on to become a fan of a Fantasy author Karen Marie Moning. It was on a completely different level then Copper Sun, but I got a familiar feeling of being drawn in. This would like to spark my interest in writing.

Writing didn't begin for me until the age of fifteen. No computer, just a fresh notebook and a great pen. Writing was my escape, a solution to hard times. It started simply as YA fiction. They were inspired by the greatest Young Adult entertainment. TV shows like Degrassi and books by Sharon M. Draper. Then I discovered Wattpad. From there I explored every genre from YA fiction to Fantasy and fell in love. Writing was so much harder than reading, my interest faded, and my high school stories became a thing of the past.

My writing career prevailed because of my mother, who is an author herself. She stumbled upon a short story that I wrote. Initially she thought it was written by her and read through it. After reading she urged me to send a query to an Indie Publishing Company that she was signed with. I didn't think anything would come of it, but the query was loved. Some of you may know this short story as the "Rebirth" or "The Denouement Chronicles". Though I enjoyed the process, I still hadn't found my niche, the fire wasn't lit under my behind just yet.

My search for a genre that fit me began after that. It took a while to figure out that I was a genre hopper, so to speak. While I love Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, Urban Fiction is my first love. It's thanks to the many black authors that I have gotten the chance to read, that I found myself renewed and ready to try again. This time, I felt the fire underneath me.