Today I'd like to welcome Dekevin Arscott, author of “The Life of Dexter K. King: The Rise” to The Thursday Interview. Before we get started, a quick intro!
I am an author who merely wants to share his philosophies through his stories. I live with the flow and usually act upon my soul's instincts. Most of my family come from Jamaica, but I was born in the US; Jamaican culture has been heavily influenced in my life even though my father, mother and I have lived in Florida ever since I was born. I like learning about spirituality, chakras and philosophy and practice martial arts on my spare time, but I cannot flee from my destiny and true hobby: storytelling through the apparatuses of writing books and ultimately TV shows and movies. I believe there are many paths set out for each of us, and while everyone's journeys may not fuse, we can all help each other progress forward on their road of life. I merely want to be a plethora of ideas that continue to be discussed for an eternity, that continue to make positive changes in the world, not just a man. So when my body is long forgotten, people will still remember me. Currently a sophomore at St. Petersburg College for Psychology. "The Life of Dexter K. King: The Rise" is my first book.
OK - HERE WE GO !!
No.1 Would you break the law to save a loved one? .. why?
For this question, my arbitrary answer greatly varies depending on unknown concepts like what my loved one has done to be in danger, what law I would be required to break in order to save my loved one, etc. But under most conditions, I would break the law to save a loved one in a heartbeat because of my special bond with a loved one. I don’t have that many loved ones, but those few that I have come to love are engraved into my psyche as my most precious people that I will support and protect until that enigmatic feeling known as true love is dispelled in any way or form. My loved ones have been with me through many ventures, and it is partially because of them that I grow, learn, and change for what I perceive is for the better; they encourage me, they help me progress towards my goals, whatever it may be. My loved ones are mirrored personalities of my own that make me feel that they understand me perfectly and I too them, and yet, their minds are still intricately different. We argue, discuss, and evolve from each other along with the environment and our own intuitive guides. Having said all this, if one of my loved ones are ever in danger, I would break the law to save them because I believe my bond with them transcends the law, and I will do what I believe is right. As the laws are made by men who follow a certain system they believe in, who have a certain code, I must follow my own code, my own system.
No.2 What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
I believe the difference between being alive and truly living is located at two opposite extremes of the spectrum, and yet the two are still one and the same. Being alive is simply surviving day to day as time passes on, and then one perishes without attempting to achieve any of their aspirations, without being able to experience all that life has to offer, without having a purpose or not knowing what to live for; Truly living is the moment when one realizes what they want in life, and then strive to accomplish their desires, it’s trying to experience all of life’s treasures before one draws their last breath. In essence, truly living is having the freedom to follow one’s own path.
No.3 What motivates you to write?
Many things motivate me to write, and I use writing as both a relaxing hobby and a method to brainstorm and bring out my thoughts concisely into the physical realm. I have been making stories ever since I was a child for my own boredom, and it seemed inevitable that I would ultimately put my stories and thoughts on paper. I believe the most compelling reason would be that writing is a perfect apparatus to convey my own unique voice to the world. Entertainment is one of the most successful ways to be heard; as humans, we easily retain more information while we are being entertained whether we realize it or not, and I believe the stories and other pieces I write perfectly shrouds my own philosophies and ideals in the veils of exciting tales and adventures that will stay with my readers for years to come. Every story, every piece of writing is a portal into another insight or perspective, and I believe I have my own unique perspective to show to my audience through entertainment.
No.4 Why do humans want children?
Humans naturally want children to further the human race, to keep the heritage and history of our many achievements and many failures alive through the offspring. I believe as humans, we are made to desire children to extend our own bloodline before we perish, and to download all of one’s own experiences and life lessons they have learned in their own timeline to the next generation. In a more pragmatic sense, a very influential factor that makes humans want children is that humans want sex and was not able to prevent the result.
No.5 What was the biggest challenge in creating your book "The Life of Dexter K. King: The Rise"?
The biggest challenge in creating “The Life of Dexter K. King: The Rise” is that when I began writing, my mind would constantly be invaded with new revisions for my book. When the book was finished, I went over and revised the book a countless number of times, always thinking of new scenes, new dialogue, new concepts to introduce my own philosophy, new plot twists, etc. When you create a book by yourself, the creativity is like a fathomless abyss; unable to see the bottom, and when there are no guidelines, you have to choose what the best material for your book is, which revisions ostensibly made your book better and what boundaries you should create by yourself. You can always get help and other opinions from your friends, but it is ultimately up to you how to create the scene you want everyone else to see, and how you illustrate the scene. My challenge was knowing when to say it was finished.
No.6 What is the most important thing you have learned in life so far?
There are many important things I have learned in life so far, but if compelled to choose, the most important thing I have learned would be that life is never in just black and white, and everyone has their own paths to pave. I believe one has to follow their own intuition, their own instincts in life in order to truly succeed at achieving their dreams and goals. Humans have evolved immensely over time in our psyches, and our skills, likes, dislikes, and values have divided into an infinite number of branches that leads back to our primal nature; we’re more diverse than ever in this age, and the only one who could possibly have a clue to the way of life you should pursue, it would be yourself. Trust yourself, be confident, and follow your own dreams.
No.7 How did you come up with the title "The Life of Dexter K. King: The Rise"?
I came up with the title "The Life of Dexter K. King: The Rise" pretty quickly because of its ambivalence. I wanted the reader to not know what to expect when they read this book. Just like my book’s immense content, I did not want the book title (or even the book cover) to portray any hint or theme so it would appeal to anyone’s curiosity. For the subtitle, I wanted to show that this book is indeed the one of many in its series.
No.8 How do you handle personal criticism?
I handle personal criticism as blunt advice. While I do feel upset when someone feels that my work is not to their liking or that my work could be better, I don’t feel as if I failed. I take criticism as if it was a discussion to help improve my writing skills. There is always something you cannot see when you view your own work, and there is always something that could have been done better. I distinguish which criticism is valid, and I assimilate it into my psyche.
No.9 Why should people read your book?
I guarantee that readers will see clear moving pictures as they begin to read my book. The reader will easily be able to place themselves in the first-person perspective of the perspicacious young man, Dexter K. King as his mundane school life drastically shifts upside down when he starts his destiny. The reader will be able to empathize with the anti-hero as he inadvertently embarks on a grim adventure into the criminal underworld; love, joy, pain, clarity, hope, hopelessness, even apathy engulfs not only the main character but the other characters that have their own, very well-developed history, motivations, desires and regrets. The story line is also very carefully-crafted and lucid along with my own poetic, philosophical signature and perspective that is etched into every precarious journey that Dexter endeavours to survive and find his own happiness in an unforgiving reality of a gangster. The story takes the massive and lucrative criminal underworld through the unique perspective of an open-minded, young adult who attempts to pave his own path of a gang leader while still struggling to keep his own humanity, his own morals, and his own soul as he leads the Okami--an organized and very influential syndicate that has multiple sources of income from credit card fraud and delivering weapons to other gangs in foreign countries to running an international airline. This book explores many concepts of life and with my many suspenseful twist and my graphic storytelling that conveys frantic, realistic and intense fight scenes, gunfights, and dialogue, the reader will not want to stop reading. The book's overall tone is dark, but I add subtle touch of romance and love, humor and poetic hope that I know will perfectly fit in with the book as a whole with all of its many themes and symbols!
No.10 Why is there something rather than nothing?
There is always something rather than nothing where there is life. Where life came from or how it came to be, I don’t believe anyone will know. But we exist, the universe exists, something exists, and so does nothing. If anything, something and nothing seamlessly coincides in this realm just as life and death circles around each other, just as reality and dreams have a thin threshold of becoming the other, just as time and space is as ambiguous as something and nothing.
Thank you Dekevin :)
For taking the time to answer my questions
& the best of luck with your new book!
Check out “The Life of Dexter K. King” on
It turns out that Dexter's father (who has been missing for eight years) was really the leader of a powerful and ruthless criminal gang, and after recently dying, his remaining family must also be eradicated so their secrets can continue to be concealed-as noted in their organization's creed. So what does Dexter do to avoid the death of himself and his mother? He takes the place of his father and joins the gang of course! And thus, Dexter's metamorphic journey into the deep abyss known as fate begins. This road into oblivion is grave, instilled with murder, grief, regret and betrayal, and yet, this path is also infused with life, love, happiness, and the truth-two sides of the same coin. Welcome to the Okami, a pack of bloodthirsty wolves that reign over the underworld with staggering authority, a merciless band of warriors that claim power as their only divine ruler, a triumphant troupe of soldiers that create an orchestra of chaos and destruction wherever they choose to roam, and the leader of them all, Dexter King.
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