[Interview] Bunny Suraiya

Bunny Suraiya has worked in the advertising industry, first as a copyeditor and then as creative director.

She has also worked as a freelance writer and has contributed material to magazines that include Illustrated Weekly, JS, Time Out and Khaleej Times.

In this interview, Bunny Suraiya talks about her debut novel, Calcutta Exile (Harper Collins Publishers India, 2011):

When did you start writing?

My first short story was published way back in 1973, by eminent author, Khushwant Singh, when he was the editor of the Illustrated Weekly. After that, I wrote another short story for the iconic Indian youth magazine, JS. Shortly after that, I got into the profession of advertising as a copywriter, ending up finally as Creative Director with JWT and before that Ogilvy & Mather – and the long hours, crazy deadlines and relentless pressure drove all thoughts of writing anything not connected with advertising out of my head.

When I quit full-time advertising and went into freelance mode in the late 90s, I started writing again. Book reviews, travel features, opinion pieces, Delhi happenings for Time Out, London, and a fortnightly column for the weekend magazine of the Khaleej Times published out of Dubai.

I never actually decided I wanted to be a published writer; I just wanted to write this story about a city in which I grew up and which was home to so many communities – Armenians, Jews, Goans (while they were still Portuguese), British, Chinese – and most of all the Anglo-Indians – before it grew so severely alien to them that they felt they had no option but to leave it. As I did. There are so many Calcutta Exiles all over the world today – in Britain, Canada, Australia, America – and of course in the many cities of India where they have settled and frequently meet to reminisce about what was once the greatest city in Asia, the acknowledged second city of the Empire after London.

I woke up one morning in March 2010, and with no fixed plan in my mind, sat down at my laptop and wrote the first sentence: Ayah’s name was Sohag Khatun, but she was never addressed as anything but Ayah by the Ryan family with whom she had worked for nineteen years, first as a nanny to the children, then as a highly-valued cook and general factotum.

After that, the story just spooled out of my mind as if it was writing itself. I wrote every day for two hours – from 11 am to 1 pm – and put down about 1,200 words every session.

What was terribly exciting about writing Calcutta Exile was that the characters just took over the story, and often I would get up from a writing session and go back and read what was on the page and find myself completely surprised by the direction the story had taken thanks to the actions of the characters!

It’s obvious to me now that the story was in my mind at a subconscious level for years, and was just waiting to spring out. The book took me four months to write.

Who is your target audience?

My target audience is everyone. Everyone who enjoys a good story, everyone who has ever felt a sense of rootlessness and alienation from the place they live in, everyone who is unsure of their identity.

In this increasingly globalised and rapidly changing world, where people are either uprooted from their home regions or even where they have remained where they always were only to find that their homes have changed so much as to make them feel isolated, everyone is an exile. Exile is a state of mind more than a physical or geographic displacement; this insight is what motivated me to write this story of Calcutta Exile.

How did you chose a publisher for the book?

I was offered a contract before I’d even written the first word by a publisher who had given my husband, Jug Suraiya, a contract and an advance for his book. But I wanted to go with a different publisher as I didn’t want anyone – least of all myself – to feel that I was being done a favour because my husband is a senior journalist and well-known writer in India. So, when Harper Collins said they liked my novel, I was thrilled and decided to go with them.

The key advantage of going with Harper Collins is that they are owned by one of India’s largest media groups and their weekly newsmagazine, India Today, is very well-read and respected. I felt that there was a very good chance of my novel getting reviewed in India Today (of course, whether reviews turn out to be positive or negative depend on the reviewer), which was a plus. As it turned out, I got a wonderful review in the magazine, which contributed to awareness of the novel.

The disadvantage of going with Harper Collins is that they are very large, and bring out a new book every single day, which means that after the Delhi launch of each of these books, there are no further marketing efforts put in by them for any of their books – it’s on with the next! Luckily, because of my network of friends, all of whom have loved my novel, I was able to organise a series of well-attended launches in Goa, Bangalore and Calcutta, as well as readings at book clubs and other social groups. If you can’t do this, it’s probably better to go with a smaller, more accessible publisher who will work harder on promoting your book instead of leaving it to sink or swim.

Which aspects of the work you put into the book did you find most difficult?

When I first sat down to write, Calcutta Exile, I found the starting very difficult. I had much of the plot in my head, but each time I tried to start, I found the first words far too tame, not engaging enough for a novel.

My advertising background has taught me that if the headline doesn’t grab you, chances are you won’t go on to read the rest of the copy. Similarly with a novel; if the opening words have no oomph, your story is at a disadvantage, particularly with in-store book buyers, who often read the beginning before deciding whether or not to buy a book. Think of great opening lines: Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charms as the Tarleton twins were. And: Mother died yesterday, or maybe today, I can’t be sure. And: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Each of these openings arouses the reader’s interest, hooks them into the next sentence, and the next, and the next…

Striving for a similar effect, the sentence with which I opened my first chapter establishes rather a lot: It introduces Ayah, one of the key characters in the novel, gives the name of the family who will be introduced in the next sentences, tells the reader about her domestic skills, and offers a time-frame which gives the reader some idea about Ayah’s likely age and the length of her relationship with her employers.

It worked.

I know this because most of the feedback I’ve received from people who’ve read the novel, included the words, “I just couldn’t put it down; I read it virtually in one go.”

I loved every minute of writing Calcutta Exile because I fell in love with the characters – all of them. I enjoyed their daily company so much, that on the day I wrote the last words, I cried. I felt such a sense of loss, I was completely bereft. My characters had become more real to me than most of the people whom I meet on a regular basis.

What sets the book apart from other things you've written?

The kind of feedback I’ve received from reviewers in all the major media – print and television – as well as from readers whom I know as well as total strangers who’ve managed to get my email address or my phone number and contacted me just to tell me how much they’ve enjoyed reading it. I believe this is because of its authentic tone and feel.

As a writer, who or what influenced you most?

I lived in Calcutta for most of my life and the many of the characters in the novel are based on real people I knew, with parts of the story being autobiographical. The schools, streets, restaurants, shops and clubs actually existed and many still do. The story is set in the late 50s and early 60s – with flashbacks going back to the 30s and 40s – and is an interface between the India of the Raj and the new India against the richly textured backdrop of Calcutta in its glorious heyday.

I think the major influences for me in writing Calcutta Exile have been Jane Austen and Alexander McCall Smith. Both of them tell stories about everyday, ordinary people and the way they lead they lives and yet they make their characters so very interesting that the reader is dying to know more about them.

From the reader feedback I’ve received, I think my most significant achievement has been to create characters who are real, and a story that has the ability to move its readers to tears.  I think I have succeeded in that everyone who has read Calcutta Exile inevitably asks: What happens after this? When are you going to write a sequel?

Do you write every day?

I write every day.

I’m a late riser, waking up at 8 am, after which I read the papers with a cup of herbal tea and then (usually) work out for an hour, doing pilates and yoga.

I sit down at my desk at 11 am and start writing. I type very fast, using all my fingers, and have connected a conventional external keyboard to my laptop because I find it easier to use. I go at about 60 words a minute and do not stop until it’s 1 pm and thoughts of lunch drive me to the dining table!

I make no corrections until after I’m done, when I go back and read over what I’ve written and check on typos, etc.

I never write after lunch, because that’s the time reserved for doing the crossword ( I do the cryptic crossword from The Times, London, which is reproduced every day in a local paper I buy only for this reason), followed by reading, a walk when it gets cooler in the evening, and then dinner with a glass of wine and the music on.

What will your next book be about?

I’m not sure. It’s early days yet. But with so many readers of Calcutta Exile asking for a sequel, I just might oblige them – although I fear that most sequels never quite manage to live up to their precursors.

I am currently engaged in the very challenging and stimulating work of converting Calcutta Exile, into a play script for a theatre group that plans to stage it as a play. I have to work closely with the director because he understands stagecraft while I do not, and so the play will not take the linear format of the book; scenes will be sequenced depending on the requirements of stage management. My task is to ensure the story is told in direct speech issuing from the character’s mouths and it’s fascinating, because the novel has quite a bit of interiorisation, which has to now be turned into speech that is plausible and convincing from each of the characters by remaining in accordance with their personalities.

Photo credit: Priyanjali Ghose, MiD Day, December 5, 2011

Related books:

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Related articles:

• Bunny Suraiya on her novel Calcutta Exile [Video], NDTV, December 3, 2011
• Longing and Belonging [Book Review], by John Mason, India Today, November 11, 2011
• Oh Calcutta [Book Review], by Kushal Rani Gulab, The Hindustan Times, October 27, 2011

[Interview] Fungisayi Sasa

Zimbabwean poet and author Fungisayi Sasa lives in Milton Keynes.

She is the author of the children’s book, The Search for the Perfect Head (Eloquent Books, 2008).

One of her short stories was published in the anthology, Writing Free (Weaver Press, 2011) while her poems have appeared in places that include the Poetry International Web and Spilt Milk Magazine.

In this interview, Fungisayi Sasa talks about her concerns as a writer:

When did you start writing?

My dad unwittingly led me to writing during my early childhood years. He was very firm about studying and, as children, we weren't allowed to watch television during the week. And he would often take us to the local library.

At first, I didn't like these visits to the library because reading felt like work to me. But eventually I started enjoying it and through reading, my passion for writing grew and I started writing poems and short stories about my family and the annoying things they would have done to me. Instead of ranting and raving at them when they made me angry, I would write a story about them or write an angry poem. Writing was therapeutic.

When I was in Zimbabwe, writing was simply a hobby, I didn't think I could go anywhere with it. Even though I read many books, my mind didn't grasp the concept that I could be a writer.

When the political situation in Zimbabwe forced my family to flee to the United Kingdom, I found loads of career opportunities that included writing. I studied creative writing at the University of Bedfordshire and with guidance and support from my lecturers, I sharpened my skills. I gained the confidence to send my work out and I found that the thing with writing and becoming published is that you have to push and persevere.

I used to spend hours trawling websites and writing down their details, sending work by post or e-mail - hoping that somebody would be interested. I even used to write work specifically tailored for particular magazines and websites. I sent my work out to so many places and received so many rejections but I didn't let this deter me. I was motivated because I knew that my work was of a suitable standard. If I was asked to make changes, I would.

Have your experiences influenced your writing in any way?

My personal experiences are everything when it comes to my writing.

Some of my characters have my personal traits. They talk the way I do.

My writing flows more easily if it comes from my own personal perspective. For example, in the short story, “Eyes On”, which was published in Writing Free, the idea of stalking came from the fact that when I am on Facebook, I cannot randomly go on a person's profile and check out what they are doing because, to me, it feels like I am stalking them.

However, it would also appear that one of the wonders of modern technology and social networking sites is they appear to have normalised stalking to such an extent that we are not disturbed when we are followed around. It is probably because of this 'miracle' that the main character in “Eyes On”, isn't alarmed when he realises that he is being followed.

What are the most difficult aspects?

Starting writing anything is always difficult. The first sentence is always important to me. It has to make the right impact. If it doesn't, I can't continue.

I can write three pages but if the first sentence of the story or book isn't quite right, I will delete it all.

I don't start writing until the sentence sounds right in my mind. And while I wait for that, I plot the story in my mind and concentrate on characterization.

The moments I enjoy most come after I have finished the work because while I am writing, I can't quite see the piece as a whole. The great thing about finishing a piece is that I can dive back into it and start editing and tweaking it.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

Is every word relevant and important? This is what I keep asking myself. This is because as I write I can see a word repeated over and over again. When I see this happening, I remember the time, in my primary school, when my Grade 4 teacher said, “So, then and got are barred from society.” And there was this picture of a man behind bars and that phrase was written underneath.

I usually overcome repetitions like these by reading my work out aloud. If the writing flows well and each word sounds right, I am happy. If not, I tweak it a little bit.

Also, sometimes, motivating myself to write is really difficult. Some days I look at the computer and I think, “No, not yet..” It's not writer's block because the ideas are there, always buzzing in my mind.

What will you write about next?

Baboons … I am working on a re-write of a children's book that I completed sometime ago. I am doing this because I realised the story would work better if it was about humans. I am not saying the baboons evolve into humans, but that when I first wrote the story, I could see humans in my mind but I forced the story into being one about animals.

This conversation was first published by The Zimbabwean

Related books:

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Related articles:

• Petina Gappah [Interview], Conversations with Writers, April 10, 2009
• Speech given by Chiedza Musengezi at the launch of Writing Free, Weaver Press, September 19, 2011
• Writing Free [Book Review], By Sibusiso Tshuma, Panorama Magazine, October 14, 2011

[Short Story] Ophelia

By Ambrose Musiyiwa*

I am my Beloved’s but my Beloved is not mine.

We were sitting on the edge of the road when she asked me: “What do you think about my Beloved?”

I didn’t want to think about her Beloved.

“Well?” she probed — big, bright, brown eyes looking up at me as if I were a genii about to grant a wish.

“Well, what?” I asked, looking away.

“Well, what do you think about my Beloved?” she insisted.

“You might not want to hear what I have to say,” I said.

“I want to hear it,” she insisted.

“I don’t think I am the right person to ask,” I said. “I can’t be objective.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I want to here what you have to say.”

“You want the truth?” I asked.

She nodded.

“I don’t like Simba,” I said. “I think he is childish and mean and I think he is using you.”

My Beloved’s face darkened the way earth darkens when rain clouds gather around over it and a glint appeared in her big, bright, brown eyes.

“How can you say that about him?” she asked.

“You asked for the truth and I gave it to you,” I said.

My Beloved loved Simba. I could see it when the two of them were together. She had a special look she reserved for him. She looked at him the way a child looks at a favourite, loved, trusted uncle. She looked at him the way she looked at me when she asked: “What do you think of my Beloved?”

She got up and went indoors and I got up and went home and read William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience.

The hollowness remained.

I put Blake back in his place on the bookshelf.

Ophelia had a hold on me and nothing Blake could say could loosen the grip. I hungered for her with a hunger that fed upon itself. Nothing I could do, nothing Ophelia could do could dispel the hunger. And when we argued and fought, the hunger grew until it became an ulcer eating away at my insides.

I read the Song of Songs and the hunger became a wound which bled.

And for the next seven days Ophelia would not speak to me.

What had I been trying to prove?

For all I knew, Simba might love Ophelia as much as she loved him, as much as I loved her. I really had no right to say anything about him. And what Ophelia did with her body was her own business, not mine.

And I missed her. Even though I saw her everyday, I missed her.

She would not speak to me.

I filled my days with things to do and waited for her to call. A week passed and she did not call.

I went to her.

We took the beer I had brought with me, as a peace-offering, into the living room and Ophelia took two mugs from the kitchen and we sat on the cold, polished floor of the living room and leaned against the wall of the unfurnished room and the hunger was like a presence crowding in on us. And Ophelia felt she had to speak to shake off the presence and she said: “I am pregnant.”

I had a feeling all this had happened before.

Last year Ophelia had gone to Goromonzi where Simba was teaching. She had stayed with him for a week. A month later she found she was pregnant and did not want to have the baby.

Rudo. We had agreed to call the baby Rudo.

I had tried to dissuade her from aborting.

“But Simba no longer wants to see me,” she had said.

“He will come back to you,” I had said. “He always comes back. And even if he doesn’t, I don’t see what the problem is.”

“The baby will need a father,” she had said.

“I am here,” I had said.

But her mind was made up. She wanted an abortion.

Simba and Ophelia raised the money and I found the doctor who was willing to perform the abortion.

It had been for the best.

I suppose.

If she had agreed to my madcap idea, what were we going to give the baby? What was she going to wear? What was she going to eat? When she got ill, where were we going to get the money to send her to a doctor? I wasn’t working. Ophelia wasn’t working. Our chances of getting jobs were slim. And my parents had all but disowned me. If her parents had found out that she was pregnant, they would have chased her away from home.

“How long have you known?” I asked.

“A week.”

“Whose is it?”

“It’s Simba’s. Who else’s can it be?”

She drank the last dregs of beer that were in her mug and refilled it.

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Does Simba know?”

“Yes. I told him yesterday,” she said.

“How did he take it?”

“He wanted me to have another abortion. I told him I am keeping this one.”

It was past midnight. The station Ophelia’s portable radio was tuned to had closed and we hadn’t noticed.

We finished the remaining beer in silence and I got up to leave and she took me as far as the gate and we stopped and she asked: “Does he love me?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t know.”

Ophelia and Simba are now living together.

They have been living together for the past three years.

She hasn’t written.

Or maybe she has written and the letter is still in the post.

*Ambrose Musiyiwa has worked as a freelance journalist and a teacher. His short stories have been featured in anthologies that include Writing Now (Weaver Press, 2005) and Writing Free (Weaver Press, 2011). Currently he is working on another story.

[Interview] Myne Whitman

Myne Whitman was born in Enugu, Nigeria.

She has a Master’s degree in Public Health Research and is the author of two romantic suspense novels, A Heart to Mend (Authorhouse, 2009) and A Love Rekindled (CreateSpace, 2011), which are both set in Nigeria.

In this interview, Myne Whitman talks about her concerns as a writer:

When did you start writing?

I've been writing for a very long time, well, since I was about 11 or so. Unfortunately, most of those scribbles were lost when we moved cities. I started writing seriously around my third year in university, took a break for work and further studies and, now, writing is my full time career.

The decision to send my work out into the world matured in 2009 after I had been writing again for about six months full time. I had joined a writing group, started a blog, and people seemed to like what I had to write about.

I researched available options of publishing, and gave traditional publishing a try for a few months. The rejections I received had a common thread. While most agents liked my writing, they didn't think it suited them, and there were a couple that suggested I change some fundamental parts of my story. I found that idea abhorrent, and further research yielded some resources on self-publishing.

When I had satisfied myself that I understood what self-publishing entailed and was ready to face the challenge, I decided to go with Authorhouse to design, print and distribute my books. On the editorial angle, I drafted my manuscript several times, working with feedback from my writing group, beta readers on my blog, and finally an editor, to make sure it was ready for a mass audience.

How would you describe your writing?

My writing is romantic fiction.

It has been described as a marriage of literary and pulp fiction.

I write about the romantic experiences of the hero and heroine in my story, and frame them in a background of realistic day-to-day life of their setting. My stories are set in Nigeria where I grew up and lived for most of my life. My language is simple and direct, accented by the tones of local people in the Nigerian setting but adapted for an international audience.

My target audience is international ... anyone who has ever loved or felt emotions as they interacted with other people. I decided on romantic fiction because romance is universal ... most people will experience relationships more than anything else in their lifetime.

When I started A Heart to Mend as an 18 years old, I had at the back of my mind, not only the loads of Mills & Boon romances, but also the Pacesetters and African Writers Series I had devoured as a teenager. I was motivated to write stories that featured people like me, and that people like me could identify with.

When I went back to the story, I was living in the US, and in rewriting it, I made it a story in which I could share my background and world view with those that were different from me. For everyone who reads it, if there is one thing to take away, I want it to be the universality of what makes us human ... the experiences, the emotions, and the aspirations of life and love.

In the writing you are doing, which authors influenced you most?

The authors that I take as my role models include Nora Roberts, Danielle Steele, Buchi Emecheta, Cyprian Ekwensi and Helen Ovbiagele, among others. I love these authors because of their writing (their works drew emotions out of me, they made me think, and they also educated and informed me) and because of what they've been able to achieve (they are prolific, and their stories are accessible to a wide audience, the stories are those that a large number of people can relate to).

Have your own personal experiences influenced your writing in any way?

Mostly because my stories are set in locations that I've either lived in or visited.

Also, I write on themes that are universal, and I've personally felt some of the emotions I describe in my books. That said, nothing in my books are autobiographical.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

First and foremost, I want to tell a good story, one that will hook the reader into it and take them on a journey. I want my readers to enjoy my books, and I also hope that I will make them feel (laugh, cry, and think) while they read. Also, because I am self published, I'm concerned about how to ensure that my books are of very good quality.

I believe in my stories, and I believe in the message I want to pass through them so my biggest challenge is how to get my books to as large an audience as possible. I deal with that by investing a good amount of time in promotion. I also utilize the strategy of giving away free books in order to build a following.

My first book, A Heart to Mend, stayed at #1 on the AmazonUK Kindle store for romantic suspense (free) for over two weeks, with almost 20,000 copies downloaded. It was a very good feeling to know that even half of that number will read the story and it would fit into how they make sense of the world around them.

Do you write everyday?

I do not write everyday, not that I wouldn't like to though.

I write when I feel like it, and usually I would've been thinking about the story and so it comes easily to my fingers as I type (I used to write long hand, but I now write directly to MS Word on my laptop).

When I have start thinking about what to write, or whether it makes sense, then I stop.

How many books have you written so far?

I have written two books so far:

A Heart to Mend was published through Authorhouse in December 2009. It tells about the coming of age of a young woman, Gladys, who falls in love with Edward, a wealthy businessman. They become romantically linked but emotional issues from Edward's past make it hard for him to fully trust Gladys. Their relationship is further complicated when she becomes embroiled in a plot to take over his business.

A Love Rekindled was published through Createspace in March 2011. Efe is an independent woman who returns to Nigeria ready to face the future, after years in the United States. However, it is the past that she first has to confront when her former fiance, Kevwe, comes back into her life claiming he's never stopped loving her. He has to unravel the mystery of their broken engagement before she is willing to rekindle their love.

How would you describe A Love Rekindled?

A Love Rekindled is my latest book, and it took about a year to write and edit. It was first published in the United States.

I moved from Authorhouse to CreateSpace for my second book because I found that the latter's services were more affordable. The next advantage was that they worked directly with Amazon.com which my first book had shown me was my biggest market.

Which were the most difficult aspects of the work you put into A Love Rekindled?

I enjoy telling stories and giving free reign to my imagination. I think this is because I'm recreating the world through my characters, and breathing life into them in such a way that readers will be emotionally invested in what happens to them.

For me, the most difficult part of writing is the editing process. The primary reason being that I do not have a formal background in Writing, English, Communication or Literature. Taking several free online courses and joining writing groups have been very helpful in increasing my strength in these areas. I have also tried to improve my knowledge of the publishing industry in terms of branding, publicity and marketing.

What sets A Love Rekindled apart from other things you've written?

A Love Rekindled differs from A Heart to Mend in that it spans a longer period of time. Readers will be transported to the years at the turn of the millenium and to the days of first love and loss.

The two books are similar in that they are set in Nigeria and are about people dealing with issues of love, family, and personal development.

The book I'm working on now is about a woman who has just clocked the big 30 and has to determine whether marriage is the next step in her life as everyone one around her expects. Being seduced by a local lothario during a vacation to Nigeria does not make this decision any easier.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

I think it is too early to conclude, but I'll like to be counted among those that revived the writing of popular and commercial fiction in Africa.

Related books:

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Related articles:

• Myne Whitman, author of A Heart To Mend [Interview], Jaguda, December 29, 2009
• Have Nigerian Romance Novels Come of Age [Book Review], by Sylva Nze Ifedigbo, Critical Literature Review, January 24, 2010
• Onaedo, The Blacksmith’s Daughter by Ngozi Achebe [Book Review], by Gibril Koroma, Digital Journal, October 6, 2011

[Interview] Dylan Birtolo

Dylan Birtolo is the author of two novels, The Shadow Chaser (Inkwater Press, 2004) and The Bringer of War (Lulu, 2008).

He is also the co-author of Colonial Gothic, a role-playing game and has short stories that have been published in places that include the anthology of short stories, Ransom (Athor Productions, 2008)); the multi-media epic fantasy setting,  Baeg Tobar; and the e-zine, The Edge of Propinquity.

In this interview, Dylan Birtolo talks about his writing:

When did you start writing?

I started writing back when I was in third grade and we had to write out our stories in cursive writing on paper with the one inch margins drawn on them. I actually still have the very first story that I ever wrote. It was required to be one page long and tell a story, mine was 17 pages. At this point, I knew that I wanted to be a storyteller and share stories with people.

Ever since then, I have always been telling stories in many formats - writing, orally making up stories on the fly, running tabletop role-playing games. It didn't matter to me how I was telling the story, as long as these stories were getting out there.

I think it was high school when I decided that I wanted to be a published writer. This had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to make it a vocation, but solely was based on the fact that I knew I could share my stories with more people if I wrote them down in books. Plus, I just thought it would be wonderful to hold a book in my hands with my name on the cover.

Over the next several years, I tried a couple of ideas for a book, deciding to go right for that rather than try to get some short fiction published first. It wasn't until I was two years out of college that I stumbled upon my first idea for a novel that would turn into a full-fledged book. I shopped it around and tried to find both an agent and a publisher who might be willing to bite on it. It was a few years after that when I found a small publishing press that was willing to publish my first novel. From there, once it was done, I started trying to figure out how to market it and going to cons to meet other writers, editors, and publishers. The irony is, now I am getting into short fiction more after I published two books, rather than the other way around which is more standard.

How would you describe your writing?

Is frenetic an acceptable answer? Seriously though, I am writing a lot of short fiction currently and some game fiction. Everything that I write is fantasy based, and usually has a bit of a darker tone to it than most sword and sorcery fantasy.

I also write a fair amount of urban fantasy where I take the modern world and throw a twist into it that changes it significantly. I have submitted several short pieces for consideration into multiple, different anthologies at this time and am waiting to hear back about whether or not my stories are accepted.

I recently completed a contract for the game called Colonial Gothic. This was a cooperative effort between myself and another writer where we wrote letters from one character in the game world to another.

Most recently, I have been working with the creators of Baeg Tobar to create some short fiction that highlights pieces of their world that ties into their graphic novel, The Torn God.

Who is your target audience?

Honestly, my true target audience consists of my Beta readers and myself.

I try to create stories that I know that I would enjoy reading. I find that my writing is much more exciting if I am excited about creating it. Other than that, I do have a handful of friends that are my beta readers - a collection of about 10 people who read just about everything that I consider sending out. I like hearing their feedback and knowing that they enjoy the stories that come out of my head. This has expanded to the point that I now write for people who have read my current books and stories and want to read more.

Going to the same conventions year after year enables me to see the same friends and fans each year. I love to have new things to share with people who enjoy what I create and hunger for more. I have never actually written a story for a specific audience in terms of a certain age bracket or type of person.

In the writing you are doing, which authors influenced you most?

The strongest influences on my writing always go back to C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Specifically, the books the influenced me the most were The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings series, and The Hobbit. These books influenced me the most because of the fact that these are the ones that I grew up on.

The story in my family is that the first book I ever read was actually The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Of course I wasn't actually reading the book - I just had requested my mother to read it to me so often that I knew the first chapter or so by heart and would "read along". It still makes for a good story. But, these are the books that I have read the most. No matter which fantasy authors I read, every few years, I come back to read these series.

There are several authors I have read since then that I have enjoyed and think are wonderful, but those two definitely form my core influence.

I will say that the two authors that have had the most influence on my style, versus my content, would be Stephen King and Alan Lightman.

Stephen King's book On Writing is the best book I have ever read to improve my craft. With Alan Lightman, I was incredibly lucky to have him as a creative writing instructor. Not only did he improve my writing quality, but I also owe him for keeping me interested in writing. I can honestly say that if I didn't take his class, I would probably not be a published writer at this point in my career.

How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?

Personal experiences are key to writing, and I am no exception. I am a firm believer that you can only write what you know. Once you have experienced things, it gives you a very different perspective and enables you to write about it in a way that makes it more believable and put in details that you might otherwise miss.

I always try to incorporate my experiences into my writing, and at the same time, seek out experiences that fit with the type of stories that I write. That's why I picked up martial arts and horseback riding at first. I stay with them because I love them, but I wanted to know what it was like so that I could bring that to light in my writing. And let me tell you, it is very different to talk abstractly about wearing armor and getting on a horse and actually doing it. I think that having this knowledge and experience enables me to put in a lot more minor details and make my stories more believable. Hopefully this makes them more entertaining as well.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

My biggest concern as a writer is whether or not the story that I am writing is going to be both enjoyable and clear to read. If I am not writing something that is fun to read, then there is not much point in putting the time to put fingers to keys.

The biggest problem that I have with this is my internal editor - where I will rewrite the same sentence multiple times trying to get it just right. The biggest way that I deal with this is I learn not to listen to the editor - to pound out that first draft and stay excited about it. I find that if I just keep writing my first draft, my energy and excitement stays up, which usually keeps the story moving along at a steady and enjoyable pace. I can always do the editing after the entire first draft is complete.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

The biggest challenge is getting my writing out there.

Personally, I do not have problems with the writing, and while I don't enjoy the editing, I think I do a decent job at it. Even if I don't, I do have a couple of friends who are good at editing and are more than willing to read through my material.

However, getting my writing out there is a problem that has no simple solution. With short fiction, I need to find someone willing to buy a story. With books, even if you have the best book in the world, it doesn't do any good if no one knows about it.

I deal with the problem in two different ways depending on whether we are talking about short fiction or novels, because they really are two different beasts.

With short fiction, I find that getting the fiction accepted in a reputable market is the hardest part. True, you can publish it on your own website for free, but then you are left with the problem of getting people to your website and convincing them to spend the time to read your material. If they do not know you and you don't have a reputation, I feel like the odds of this are significantly small. Instead, what I choose to do is write short pieces for markets that already have a fan base. This can be something like monthly e-zine like The Edge of Propinquity, the graphic novel and surrounding stories of Baeg Tobar, or inclusion in a short story anthology. I find that all of these are ways to get your writing noticed by even more people. In these cases, you can be pretty sure that you will have more than just your effort going into the promotion of the writing. This communal marketing helps immensely.

For books, it is much harder because in these cases, usually you are doing all of the marketing yourself. Granted, you may have some support from your publisher, but I have been told that is unlikely. I have not been published by a large publishing house, so I do not know if it is different in that case. With a small house publisher or independently publishing, you will definitely have to do all of the marketing yourself. I am not sure what the solution to this is, but I can say the different things that I try: having a website, maintaining a blog, having a mailing list, going to conventions, posting in forums, and getting more short fiction out there which hopefully leads people to your novels. This marketing plan is still a work in progress.

Do you write everyday?

I do write every day, but I do not write fiction every day. I have another job that pays the bills and that is being a technical writer.

Even though it is a different style of writing, it has improved my craft significantly. It has taught me how to tighten up my writing, express my ideas more clearly, and be less repetitive. If I was not a technical writer for my day job, I know my writing skills would not be even close to where they currently are.

With my fiction writing, it is a very different beast. Because of my schedule, I am not able to get fiction writing done on a regular basis from Monday to Thursday. However, there are times when the desire to write a story is so strong that I need to make the time to write.

When I have decided it is time to write I have my rituals. I turn off all distractions, because otherwise I can't keep the writing flowing. It is too easy to get distracted and lose a train of thought, which is devastating especially in the middle of an action scene. Then I get myself a beverage, what it is varies based on the time of day. It can even just be a glass of water, but I need something there to sip on when I am gathering my thoughts. The last step is the music. What music I play depends on the story or scene that I am writing. I find that my music and the tone of my writing often go hand in hand. Regardless, I do have a preference for music that either has no words, or that I know the words so well I don't think about them. Otherwise, I might start listening to the words of the music, which makes me unable to write.

How many books have you written so far?

I have written two novels so far. The first is called The Shadow Chaser and was published in 2004 by Inkwater Press. It is an urban fantasy novel that tells the story of a world where people have the ability to shift between their human form and an animal form at will. A young man named Darien is thrust into this world because he is a shifter even though he doesn't know it. He is stuck between two warring factions who are both trying to recruit him because even among the shifters, he has a unique ability that makes him potentially more dangerous.

My second novel is The Bringer of War and it was published in 2008 by Lulu. Yes, I self published my second novel because I made the decision that it was more important to make the book available to my fans than to try to publish it traditionally. This novel is a stand-alone sequel to The Shadow Chaser and delves deeper into the conflict between the two warring factions of Shifters. It tells the story of what Darien does once he has access to his powers, and how another player gets involved - one who has the same abilities as Darien.

What advantages or disadvantages has self-publishing your second novel presented?

The Bringer of War was self-published through Lulu. This was a decision that I spent a lot of time debating about. I tried to get it traditionally published, but I was pressured for time. I very much wanted to make sure that it was available at GenCon 2008 so that it would be available to my fans who had enjoyed the first book and kept coming to my table for two years to see if I had anything new. It got to the point where I knew that the only way it would be available by then would be to self-publish, so I opted to go that route.

However, going with a self-publish book takes a lot more work if you want it to be of the same quality as a traditionally published novel. I spent a lot of time and effort into getting artwork for the cover, laying out the book, line editing the book, etc. I also called in a lot of favors and did put a fair amount of money into the process as well in terms of paying artists and editors for their work. The traditional rule is that money should always flow to the writer, but I decided to violate that rule in this case because I was self-publishing and wanted a quality product. In the end, I believe I succeeded, but it was far from simple.

I can honestly say that I would not self-publish again. The amount of work that it takes to finalize a quality product is simply not worth it. By the time that my novel was available, I had lost my enthusiasm for it and was not excited to market it and get it out there like I had been with the first novel. This is perfectly understandable because your excitement and energy will only go so far, but it is not a good way to handle the release of your book. You should be excited about it and do everything you can to make it available and known. No one else will market it for you, and honestly, no one else should because no one is going to as excited as you are about your book.

Which aspects of the work you put into The Bringer of War did you find most difficult?

I think that the marketing aspect is the most difficult. I think this is because there is no clear idea of what works and what doesn't. The problem with marketing is that you can put a lot of time and effort into it (and possibly money too), and have no good way to measure the effect it might have.

There are a lot of things that you can try that have no effect whatsoever. So it becomes a question of how you will market yourself and how you will determine what is worthwhile. You only have so much time - where will you devote it? I have a feeling that marketing also is susceptible to the law of diminishing returns.

The best way that I deal with these aspects is I do the marketing aspects that I enjoy doing. I enjoy going to conventions and meeting other writers and editors. I enjoy talking with potential readers and past readers to see what they liked and didn't. I like updating my blog and sharing details and writing thoughts with anyone who reads it. I enjoy sending out emails to the mailing list because it reminds me that I have people who enjoy what I create and seeing the stories that I come up with. I don't know if this is enough, but that is the wonderful thing about marketing - no one knows what works. There is no single solution that works for everyone.

Which aspects of the work you put into the novel did you enjoy most?

I love the creation of the first draft. This is by far my favorite part.

Everyone writes differently, and what works for me will not work for another writer. But, when I am writing, at least with a novel, I often don't know what is going to happen. Yes, I have the big-picture events planned out for consistency, but the minor details are as much of a surprise to me on my first writing as they are when someone is reading it for the first time. Because of this, I think it is very exciting to create the first draft to see what happens. It is like reading a story that you are enjoying, watching the characters come to life and start to take charge of the story. Eventually it gets to a point in the story where I don't feel like I am writing any more and I am just documenting what happens. That is when it gets really exciting.

What sets The Bringer of War apart from the other things you've written?

This book has a lot more action and a lot more intensity in terms of outright violence than my previous works. There are many scenes where people are being brutally attacked by different animals. I won't say that I went into excessive or even vivid detail, but there are some details in there that will and have make some readers a little uncomfortable.

While my stories have always been a little bit darker, this was the first time that I showed the darkness as clearly as I did.

All of my stories have a tendency to move pretty quickly because of the fact that I know I write action well. The best scenes in any of my writing, according to my readers, are my fight scenes. I seem to have a talent for writing combat in a way that flows quickly and is easy to follow while keeping the excitement up. So, I tend to put a fair amount of action in all of my stories and try to keep it moving at a steady clip. My first draft actually needed a couple of extra scenes added because as one of my beta readers said - "You need to slow it down once in a while, otherwise when the person gets to the end they feel like they ran a marathon."

What will your next book be about?

I'm not sure since I am currently focusing on my short fiction. However, I am toying with the idea of another urban fantasy novel, but set in a different world than the one of my previous two novels.

I have a short story published in The Edge of Propinquity that talks about a young man, a martial arts practitioner, who learns that oni - Japanese demons - actually exist and masquerade as humans. The only weapons that can harm them are traditionally-made Japanese swords. Over the course of that short story, he becomes an oni hunter. I am thinking that my next novel will expand on this short story - several years after the events of the short.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

My most significant achievement is getting my first book published. I am still new enough to writing that sometimes I can hardly believe that I actually have a novel out there with my name on it - let alone two! It still feels like a big deal and is something that I am very excited about. I love sharing it with people and hearing what they have to say.

I have taken many steps over the years that I am really proud about, but finishing that first novel and getting it published is definitely the biggest step I ever took. I can still remember what it felt like to open that box the first time and pull out a copy of the book. I will never forget that feeling.

[Interview] Bosley Gravel

Bosley Gravel was born in the Midwest and grew up in Texas and southern New Mexico.

His work includes the novels, Servant of the Mud (Shadowfire Press, 2009) and The Movie (Bewrite Books, 2009).

In this interview, Bosley Gravel talks about his writing:

When did you start writing?

I’ve been writing stories ever since I can remember.

I first sought publication in the mid-90s, but that didn't amount to much. In 2006 I took up writing again and have written close to half a million words since then. About 200,000 of those have seen publication in some form.

Between 1996 and 2006 the Internet became a critical tool for writers and I’ve leveraged that in a predictable way by targeting online journals, using it for research and making cheap, efficient submissions via email.

The number one thing I did to achieve the goal of publication was to write every day and study the craft of storytelling. As for the reasons for seeking publication, that is hidden in treasure chest and buried deeply somewhere between my ego and my id.

How would you describe your writing?

My novels typically involve plots centering around personal growth.

I tend to use simple structures and complex characters (all male so far) who, through extraordinary circumstances, must come to terms with a hidden aspect of themselves. These characters have built entire worlds of myth around themselves and subsequently struggle to align themselves with both the myth and the reality of their lives.

Essentially, these are coming-of-age stories built on top of the hero’s journey formula. If that sounds rigid, it’s not.

I pride myself on not being afraid to take a chance and follow some strange and unusual paths. For example, I’ve written about an independent filmmaker who struggles to get his absurd imagination on the big screen; a troubled polymath who must come to terms with not only the brutal world, but his own fears of loss and love; a handsome anthropophobic accountant who finds his true nature in a new found world of organized crime and sorcery; a gifted musician who is orphaned at an early age and soon learns that even fame and fortune can not fill an empty soul; a could-be messiah who must come to terms with both his human needs, and his divine responsibility.

With my short fiction pretty much anything goes though. Most of that is available online in some form or another. A lot of it is genre stuff with emphasis on plot and trope, some literary and some just a kind of unclassifiable other. In my short fiction I’ve written everything from splatter-punk horror to morality fables.

I read widely and I think my fiction reflects that.

Who is your target audience?

I’m sort of a selfish writer, I hate to say.

I don’t think much about audience and, since I don’t really stick closely to one genre, I pay for this by not having consistent readership. When I write, the only loyalty I feel is to the story and, ultimately, to the protagonist.

With that being said, I have a handful of faithful readers who read early drafts and I’ll often oblige their tastes or tailor content for them in some fashion. But it will always be on terms that are true to the character or story.

Which authors influenced you most?

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn had a tremendous influence on me. I still go back and read that book occasionally. The depth and layering of both the Huck character and the story itself has had a big impact on me and introduced me to concepts of irony and metaphor in fiction -- although I didn’t know that the first time I read it of course.

Also, there is a book called Wyvern by A. A. Attanasio that is story about a Bornean native/Dutch half-breed who goes from the jungles to the shore of America in the 1500s. It’s really a story about destiny and human potential. A great book.

In terms of something I’ve read more recently, I think Rebecca Wells wrote some excellent short fiction in Little Altars Everywhere and Ya-Yas in Bloom.

Little Altars Everywhere, in particular, inspired me to start writing again after a 10-year hiatus. I was impressed with the depth of her characters and the simplicity of her prose.

Ray Bradbury, Clive Barker and William S. Burroughs, Kurt Vonnegut, Poppy Z. Brite, Louis L'Amour and Lawrence Block have also all made significant contributions to my writer’s toolbox.

How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?

My writing is in stark contrast to my day job.

I deal primarily with computers and computer networks in the real world and, when I sit down to write, it’s the last thing I want to think about. So my stories almost never contain elements of technology. In fact a good deal of my longer works are set pre-1990 in order to avoid having to deal with the Internet, texting, cell phones, etc. I find all of that terribly boring.

Obviously though, as I writer, I’ve been gathering details on people, places and situations for years, and these come out in my writing. I think all the ups and downs of my life do come out in some way or another in my writing. I’m a bit reluctant to reveal any specific details though, so like the reasons for seeking publication, it will have to remain a mystery.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

I think writers have an obligation to tell the truth.

The truth isn’t always pretty and the truth is often subject to perspective. Worse yet, the truth is sometimes fluid and changing.

I get concerned that a reader will misinterpret something I’ve written and use it to justify a rigid view of the world.

In the same vein, it would bother me a bit if I thought people were associating me too closely with my characters.

I try to avoid the problem of having too loud a moral voice by writing about people and less about ideas.

Apart from being accused of evangelizing some half-baked belief, my only other real worry is being a bore -- the worst sin ever for a writer (makes me shiver just thinking about it).

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

The biggest challenge is finding the time to go back and edit what I’ve written.

By the time I’ve completed a chapter or a short story or even an novel, my imagination is already taking me to the next one, and the previous one becomes a lot less shiny and pretty.

The only cure for this is discipline, and the desire to be published. No editor wants a first draft on his desk; well, no editor in their right mind, anyway. The only real way to deal with the final polish is to just go ahead and do it.

By the same token, I try to avoid over-polishing a piece. I think too much commercial fiction is edited to mush and really has no remaining voice. I'd rather not do that.

Do you write everyday?

I write every morning. I go for about 500 to 750 words; on occasion more. I just grab a cup of coffee and write a page or so, get my kids out the door for school, then hack out another page or two.

I've written about five novel-length manuscripts. Two of those were released at the tail end of 2009, one as an ebook, and the other as a paperback. The others remain in various stages of drafting.

The two that have been released are:

• Servant of the Mud, Shadowfire Press, Dec 4th 2009. This is a mythic urban fantasy that follows Pauly, a reluctant Christ figure, who transitions from an irresponsible street kid into something far more, and
• The Movie, Bewrite Books, Dec 10th 2009. This is a story about a small town kid with big dreams, and a very weird imagination.

What would you say your latest book is about?

In The Movie, the unemployed young feller’s dream is to break into Hollywood with a DIY movie called Cannibal Lesbian Zombies from Outer Space -- versus -- Doctor Clockwork and his Furious Plastic Surgeons of Doom. This was the book’s original title and still stands (in small print, artfully hidden in the front cover image -- my publisher added The Movie as main title).

See what I mean about my characters taking myth and building reality?

How long did it take you to write the novel?

Twenty-four very, very busy days.

How did you choose a publisher for the book?

I’ve always been keen on small presses. I’m still cutting my teeth as an author and I like the idea of dealing with editors who are hand-choosing their projects and not having them assigned by acquisition folks.

I like the idea of a ‘mom and pop’ style press in this day and age.

BeWrite Books was one of the handful of small presses that turned up in my research as being flexible and open to literary-type fiction that is fun and unpretentious.

What advantages and/or disadvantages has your association with BeWrite Books presented?

BeWrite has been everything I’d expected it to be ... and more.

Craft is obviously very important to the staff, and it shows in their titles and the attention my manuscript received (the first draft took me twenty-four days ... it was almost a year in edit as revisions passed between me and BeWrite Books over and again).

The disadvantage, I suppose, is that small presses can’t afford the media-blitz marketing big publishing can do ... with an emphasis on can. It doesn’t look like big publishers do much advertising for their authors these days anyway, other than a select few.

I think in the day and age of virtual everything, handling distribution/production the way BeWrite does it is the future that big publishing will eventually yield to anyway. So that’s really less of a disadvantage and more of a ahead-of-their-time kind of thing with BB ... but it still limits sales.

Bewrite’s no-pulping methods are a lot better for the environment. And while I’m rarely seen hugging trees, I think being frugal with our limited global resources is important.

Which were the most difficult aspects of the work you put into The Movie?

This book wrote itself. I’m told every author gets one of those sooner or later.

I think the most difficult thing was to go clean up the prose and punctuation, etc.

I read once that Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road on a single sheet of paper that rolled continuously through his typewriter, he used no punctuation and no indents. My manuscript was not much different.

Which aspects of the work did you enjoy most?

This book was just fun to write. The characters all have an innocence about them, an innocence they’ve chosen to indulge. In direct opposition to this innocence is the lead character’s screenplay with these bizarre and decedent scenarios.

I enjoy deliberately blurring opposing concepts like that.

I’ve had beta readers from all over the world, from middle aged American housewives to Australian teenagers, even a moderately curmudgeonly (but brilliant) Scottish editor -- they've all loved it.

The idea that I could write something that would be enjoyable by such a vastly different group of people is immensely encouraging.

What sets The Movie apart from other things you’ve written?

This is the most light-hearted manuscript I’ve written. My other books tend to be dark and only cautiously optimistic about human nature.

In this case, caution is thrown to the wind and I’m thrilled that it came out this way.

It’s also written in first person which is a rarity for me.

In what way is it similar to the others?

It includes several hallmarks of a Bosley Gravel story: male protagonist with a somewhat flawed sense of reality and vivid imagination, a meta-story woven into the story proper, love, sex, death, the absurdly tragic ... and the tragically absurd.

What will your next book be about?

My current novel manuscript, American Woman, is about Hollywood Tommy.

Tommy is a self-absorbed womanizer, who as a way to deal with a mid-life crisis, rekindles a relationship with his ex-wife and his children in suburbia.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

Writing one word after another. Finding a reason to do it each and every day.

Having the guts to get things in front of editors and readers.

Aspiring to write a book better than the last one I wrote.

Having the guts to get my work out there to editors and readers.

Related articles:

• Interview: Bosley Gravel, By gapyeargirl123, The Book Bundle, September 2009
• William Gibson On the Future of Publishing: Made to Order Books, By Steven Kurutz, Wall Street Journal, September 6, 2010
• The future of the book, By Chin Wong, Manila Standard Today, September 21, 2010

[Interview] Nana Awere Damoah

Nana Awere Damoah is a Ghanaian Chevening alumnus who studied in Ghana and in the United Kingdom.

He keeps a blog of his articles at Excursions in my Mind.

So far, he has written and published two books, Through the Gates of Thought (Athena Press, 2010) and Excursions in my Mind (Athena Press, 2008).

His short stories have been featured in Ghanaian newspapers and magazines that include The Mirror and The Spectator as well as in the anthology, African Roar (Lion Press Ltd, 2010).

In this interview, Nana Awere Damoah talks about his writing:

When did you start writing?

My very first article, published in Through the Gates of Thought, was written in 1993 -- so I trace my writing life to that year. I was 18 years old then. But my appreciation of the literary form and my involvement in things literary actually started much earlier, in preparatory school, in the early 1980s when each class had to perform a play a day before the vacation day ... Small beginnings, appreciation of the arts, learning the rudiments of prose and poetry.

I remember being taught, in preparation for the Common Entrance in preparatory school, to answer the question: "Write a story ending with ‘…  and the boy learnt a lesson for life, that obedience is better than sacrifice" ... Small beginnings of creative writing.

Then in Form One, in 1986, I wrote what I consider my first creative work, in (you won’t believe this) my history class: “A Day in Carthage”. It was purely fictional, and I loved it!

In the sixth form, we wanted to form a Literary Club and that was what led me to write that first article published in Through the Gates of Thought.

My first break as a writer came in 1995 when I submitted a short story, ‘The Showdown’, to the popular weekly newspaper, The Mirror -- and it was published! Seeing my name in print, knowing that this newspaper was the best selling paper in Ghana and circulated all over the country, gave me immense confidence and encouragement.

My skills were further honed when I joined the Literary Wing of the Christian fellowship during University.

In my early days, and this hasn’t changed much, I wrote a lot during the day, in my study notebooks, on sheets of paper, whenever and wherever inspiration hit. I continued to submit stories to The Mirror, The Spectator (which published one story), magazines on the University campus and shared my writings with the Literary club and also posted them on notice boards in the Department and my hall of residence, Katanga Hall. Some of them were published, some were rejected!

I also did a lot of reading in the secondary school and University, to learn about various writing styles.

I started my writing journey with essays, but moved swiftly into short stories. In 1997, I entered and won a national competition for true short stories. I got into poetry in the University, during my undergraduate years, and used to recite my poems in church. I started writing these essays which form the material for both books, in Oct 2004 and circulated to my friends via email. When I was in the UK for my masters, I started updating them on my first blog, Excursions in My Mind.

After a while, friends who received my Empower series started encouraging me to publish a compilation for a wider audience. That was around 2005 whilst I was studying for my Masters in the UK.

I did a compilation and seriously started looking for options, whilst still writing the articles and sharing them online. On my way to Ghana, after a business meeting in Israel, I saw an advert in the Economist by my publisher and I decided to submit my manuscript.

That was in November 2007.

My first book was published in October 2008.

How would you describe your writing?

I write fiction, non-fiction, and poems.

I like to refer to my non-fiction as reflective, rather than motivational. The analogy in the differentiation is this: a motivational book may provoke you, positively, to start running, in whatever direction -- that is speed. A reflective book, which is more than (yet inclusive of) motivational, will cause you to run, in a direction, knowing where and why you are running -- that is velocity. Because it matters not how hard you row the boat if you are headed in the wrong direction.

Who is your target audience?

I write with young adults in mind, mostly.

I have, however, had middle-aged readers react very well to the books, because I believe the lessons adduced in the writings are universal -- across ages, cultures and social classes.

We practise oral tradition in most African cultures, where the thoughts, ideals and knowledge of the family, tribe or clan are transmitted from one generation to the other without a writing system. However, this system is flawed in the sense that a lot of African innovation, experience and culture have been lost.

I think of my descendants ... two, three or four generations from now; I think of my children ... 40, 50 years from now; I try to remember the stories my dad shared with me about his life’s experiences. Will my descendants know what I am going through today, what my wishes were for my generation and for them? Can the lessons I have picked up from the varied peregrinations in my life be crystallised for eternity, for the benefit of those yet unborn?

My attempt to answer these questions gave birth to my Empower series of articles, which form the materials for both Excursions in my Mind and Through the Gates of Thought.

In the writing you are doing, which authors influenced you most?

In terms of how I write in my Empower series which form the material for my two books -- Through the Gates of Thought and Excursions in my Mind -- Dale Carnegie has been a great influence on my style and the simple approach in my writing.

In terms of my works of fiction and drawing on my culture, Chinua Achebe has had a strong impact on me, and his book Things Fall Apart is an all-time favorite.

I look to the Bible (David, Solomon) for inspiration for my poetry.

I am, however, a voracious and indiscriminate reader and have been influenced by numerous writers of varied styles and genres. For instance, in my teenage years, I read a lot of fairy tales translated from Russian!

How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?

As indicated above, I draw lessons from my personal experiences, and also from what I read and hear.

I see myself as a distillation plant, that takes issues around me -- mundane, routine everyday occurrences -- as my raw material; then reflects on and processes them, producing various fractions, fit for use by my readers.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

In sharing thoughts through my writings, my earnest hope is that I may be able to change even one mind. If I can change one such mind, I would have contributed to the agenda of building our nation, our continent, our world.

Thus, in my books, I ensure the reader is not left hanging without an action point; each article provokes the reader to take an action, upon reflecting on the main points.

In my works of fiction, the main aim is to project African culture and folklore, which is where I am researching more and more these days. I am in love with our traditional sayings and proverbs and seek to incorporate them more in my stories. This is evident in my story, "Truth Floats", which appears in African Roar.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

Being able to juggle my full time job with Unilever in Ghana (I am presently the Research and Development Technical Manager), my family and social responsibilities, and my passion for writing!

Seeing my writing as an extension of my Christian ministry, as the main vehicle and medium for me to impact my generation and beyond, helps to keep me focused. Because I see it as such, I invest and make time for writing, knowing and believing that through this talent, I can be significant. My wife has been quite supportive in this endeavor, giving me room to indulge in my literary passion and ministry.

Do you write everyday?

My principle is to write, think about my ideas or read daily. At least two hours a day. When I write, it is usually at dawn: when the world is asleep, my thoughts are clearer.

Usually I would have the idea in my mind, and would ruminate on it for some time. It took me three years to write one particular article; some articles take me a week from inception to finish.

I sit behind the PC and just write, once I have the flow in my mind. Then I do my edits, and do further research for quotes etc to enrich the scripts.

I never send out the first draft -- one rule of mine is to let the sun go down on my writing.

I write in chunks -- a chapter at a time. For my books, I circulate the articles, chapter by chapter first and get more inputs/feedback from my online readers and friends, to help enhance the final product.

How many books have you written so far?

I have two non-fiction books:

Through the Gates of Thought (Athena Press, April 2010) and Excursions in My Mind (Athena Press, October 2008).

I have also contributed to one anthology, African Roar (StoryTime, June 2010).

How did you chose a publisher for your latest book?

My latest book, Through the Gates of Thought, took about two years to complete.

It is an eclectic collection of stories, articles, poems, which touch various aspects of everyday life. I write about everyday events, common thoughts, normal issues -- but in a style that distills the key essence of life's lessons.

The stories will cause you to pause and think, think and reflect, reflect and take action -- an action for a positive change. Through these, I seek to affect my society, community, continent, world -- one mind at a time.

Through the Gates of Thought was published in April 2010, in the UK and USA. Athena Press published my first book and I stuck with them. I am happy so far with their professionalism, the thoroughness of the publishing process and the quality of the finished product.

Which were the most difficult aspects of the work you put into Through the Gates of Thought?

None, really.

Perhaps making the time to complete within my targeted schedule.

I enjoyed the interaction with readers online as I blogged the various chapters. And to hear the impact it had had on people.

Finally, the opportunity to mentor young readers who write to me to advise on their own writing, and other aspects of life -- it makes writing worthwhile and is in line with my vision to affect lives.

What sets  Through the Gates of Thought apart from other things you've written?

The interesting bit about my books is that each chapter is a standalone, unique in the lessons and thrust. So Through the Gates of Thought is as unique as the number of chapters it contains!

Personally, I see maturity in this second book as well. I keep reading the chapters again and again, as I go through similar situations.

In what way is it similar to the others?

The similarity comes with the simplicity of the topics intertwined with the power of déjà vu: stories that remind you of your own experiences, lessons of everyday life served with a different perspective, making you look at your experiences again -- resulting in new learning, all your own.

What will your next book be about?

I am already in chapter four of the next book. I am yet to find a title for it!

Its focus is more inspirational and aims to provoke the new generation of Africans, especially, to be the game-changing generation for our continent.

A long-intended project is to write a novel about the legendary spider in Ghanaian folklore.

I am also doing a compilation of my poems for publication soon -- we live to see which of these three books will out first!

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

Can I give two?

First, winning the first prize in the Step Magazine National Story Writing Competition in 1997, which led to my story being published as part of an anthology.

Second, getting published, with my name on the cover of two books!

Related articles:

• An Interview with Author Nana Awere Damoah, By Nana Fredua-Agyeman, ImageNations, July 05, 2010
• Author Interviews -- Circles and Excursion in my Mind, By Boakyewaa Glover, Boakyewaaglover.com, November 16, 2009
• Nana Awere Damoah: Excursions In My Mind [Interview], By Awo Sarpong Ansu, Jamati Online, November 18, 2008