By Wendy L. Wilson ·

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This season has been a virtual awakening for Kim Zolciak on Bravo’s breakout hit “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Not only did she conjure up the courage to get her singing career off the ground with her monster dance hit, “Tardy for the Party,” but she turned negatives into positives by creating her own wig line and dumping her very married mystery beau, Big Papa. As Zolciak and the rest of the housewives gather for tonight’s reunion show, the busy mom of two readies herself for her future Zolciak spoke to ESSENCE.com about rumors of her relocating to L.A., inspiring some Halloween costumes and those risque photos leaked online.

ESSENCE.COM: Now that the season is over, do you think you’ll return to do a third season?
KIM ZOLCIAK: Yeah, I’ll definitely be back. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do more music. We’ll see what happens with my love life between now and then. I’m just dating, having fun and I’m happy as hell. All the cast members have decided that the drama is too much. We’re past it all and people need to understand that a lot of what you are seeing now happened six months ago, like people can’t believe that NeNe and I have been hanging out together.

ESSENCE.COM: After the choking incident, how did you and NeNe get to a place where you could work together and be friends again?
ZOLCIAK: Time. I had to really let go of the negativity and for whatever reason, she and I have this connection. I don’t know why but that’s the way it works. She is a lot of fun but being her friend can be like a roller coaster ride.

ESSENCE.COM: You’ve become a huge inspiration behind many people’s Halloween costumes. How does it feel to be immortalized?
ZOLCIAK: People have said on my Twitter page that they are dressing up like me and I think it’s fantastic. I just say make sure you have your cigarette, wig and wine ready.

ESSENCE.COM: There are rumors that you might move out to L.A. permanently. Is that true?
ZOLCIAK: I’m out in L.A. more than I am at home in Atlanta these days. I’ve been in L.A. every week for the last four weeks, two flights on average a week. I love it there but I do have a life in Atlanta.

ESSENCE.COM: There were recently some photos posted online of you as you were getting out of a car and showed you weren’t wearing any underwear. What do you have to say about that?
ZOLCIAK: It was completely humiliating but it is what it is. You live and learn. Who even has their camera in that direction in the first place?

ESSENCE.COM: Have you had any time to just reflect on how things went down this season?
ZOLCIAK: I’ve made a lot of changes this year. I realized that my relationship was toxic and I actually had a song that’s in the top 100 on iTunes and was number three on the dance charts; I just couldn’t be happier. Look, everything happens for a reason. Big Papa and I still talk. I mean, we had a life together for four years, but I don’t even want to talk about him. He’s not in my life anymore.

Tune in to part one of a two-part reunion of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” on Thursday, October 29, at 10 P.M. ET.