BY CASEY WOODS

Magda Montiel Davis' current controversy comes as she is finishing a lengthy examination of her last.

The mother of five is now editing a 1,500-page manuscript for a book she calls The Kiss -- about her affectionate encounter with Fidel Castro, then communist Cuba's leader, a smooch that made her an outcast among many Cuban exiles.

''In the book I call it the ``The Kiss'' with a capital ''T'' and a capital ''K,'' said Davis, 54, of the book to be titled The Kiss.

``It's about the events, the effects on my family, on my work and how I grew from it.''

The only thing stopping her from finishing the book, Davis said, is the bitter custody case that put her back into the headlines. Friday's chaotic hearing brought new accusations that Davis concocted evidence to help a Cuban father obtain custody of his 4-year-old daughter, who is currently living with foster parents in Coral Gables. The birth father wants to get the child back and then to return to Cuba.

Davis, a veteran immigration lawyer, denies fabricating evidence, saying she would not risk her Florida Bar card for anyone.

During court breaks, she has faced cameras -- and accusations -- with the same headstrong stance that carried her through the threats and taunts that followed her meeting with Castro.

In 1994, she attended an emigration conference in Havana, where government cameras recorded Davis kissing Castro on the cheek and calling him -- in Spanish -- her ``great teacher.''

The tape went all over television, stunning scores of people who wondered how she could call Castro -- who has been accused by human rights groups of jailing journalists, beating up dissidents and denying democratic elections -- a great teacher.

''My reading materials became bomb manuals, my visitors were agents from the FBI,'' Davis said of the two years after the encounter.

The family even had a bodyguard with a Rottweiler named Ringo.

Alfredo Duran, a lawyer and Bay of Pigs veteran who supports dialogue with the Cuban government, called Davis a top immigration attorney who was sometimes too outspoken for her own good: ''I have a great deal of respect for her. Unfortunately she paid a very high price for doing what she believed.'' On Radio Mambi-710 AM radio Friday afternoon, Davis was not the main event. The focus was mostly on a women's health fair and on the South Florida congressional delegation's visit to Eastern European countries to lobby for a hard line against Cuba.

Radio host Ninoska Pérez Castellón told listeners that the community already knows Davis' feelings toward exiles and her disdain for their struggles and suffering.

Still, on her popular Spanish-language radio show, some callers blasted Davis, calling her a liar. One man gave out her office phone number on air. Castellón urged listeners to call the Florida Bar Association and demand an investigation.

Nonetheless, the current case's reaction does not approach the fury of the past, highlighting to many the differences between this custody battle and the one for Elián Gonzalez, as well as a maturing of attitudes in South Florida.

Davis said she has subsequently attended other conferences in Cuba, but generally focused on building her law practice and writing her book. This case put her and her husband, attorney Ira Kurzban, before the cameras again.

''I think its terrific that after the Elián saga that she would take on a case like this,'' said DePaul University professor Felix Masud-Piloto, who attended the conference where Davis kissed Castro. ``It again shows the kind of political backbone she has.''

Davis says she's happy with the way things turned out, despite the current accusations.

''I think I've had enough controversy for a lifetime,'' she said.