1--What is the title of your latest release?
Book One of the Series is titled DESCENDANTS OF FIRE AND WATER
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
What might the world be like if Africa had never been colonized and trafficked? How might the country have developed? What might the African nation be like today?
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I’ve always been very interested in indigenous tribes of Africa. I wanted to go back to the origins of humankind, the origins of civilization, and find what stories there might be to tell that hadn’t been told before. I wanted to rewrite history and retell it in a new way, and the most poignant history of the modern world is that of Africa.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I would love to hang out with Essien. She could probably help me come up with a consistent workout routine and teach me to perfect my aim. She’s such a dedicated soldier, and that kind of commitment can be contagious or inspirational. At the same time, she tries to make ethical and moral decisions, which is a trait I value in my friends.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Fierce, passionate, sensitive
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned so much about the tribes of Africa, the over 5,400 different tribes that once roamed the continent. I learned about their migrations across the continent, how they joined and separated from other tribes, the languages they spoke and how they connect in language trees with modern languages. I also learned alot about the Igbo people and culture, their history and their language.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I started writing this book in 2012, and it has gone through so many different iterations. It was my thesis that I submitted to finish my MFA at University of San Francisco. I’ve always worked full-time, so I’ve never been able to just dedicate all of my time to writing. I tend to write a chunk of text and then edit it to make sure it’s developing the way I’d planned, and then I’ll write another chunk and continue the process. I might write a page or an entire chapter or several dozen pages before I edit. I let the vibes determine if I’m writing and creating or editing and revising.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love shrimp and grits. It’s such a classy but down to earth dish. The shrimp makes the dish feel luxurious and rich, but the grits make it hearty and filling. If there’s shrimp and grits on the menu somewhere, that’s what I’m ordering.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I can write anywhere! Cramped in economy on a plane in the middle seat, in a noisy and crowded coffee shop on a dreary morning or snuggled on my couch with blankets and pillows. I just need my laptop and a Wi-Fi connection, and I will churn out pages and pages. I don’t have a dedicated office space for writing, so that’s something I should probably work on developing as I’m writing Book Three.
10--Who is an author you admire?
My favorite author in the world is Laurell K. Hamilton. She writes the Anita Blake and the Meredith Gentry book series. I have been reading her books since I was 13 years old. I wonder if I’d even be a writer today if I hadn’t stumbled across Obsidian Butterfly on a public library bookshelf. I admire her longevity in the industry and how prolific she is at putting out a new book almost yearly if not multiple times a year. I did a presentation for my Professional Writing class at USF. She and I have even interacted on Instagram and Twitter, so she definitely knows I exist.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
After reading Octavia Butler’s Xenogensis or Lilith’s Brood book series, I was a changed person. As a novelist myself, as a reader, and as a human being. I was so intrigued by Octavia Butler’s mind, the creative melding of science and art, the imagination she had to create the worlds she created, to weave together the story she told so elegantly of the creatures that roamed those worlds. I am still in awe of the series, especially Dawn, the first novel, and Imago, the last. I felt so deeply moved by how well she was able to create this entirely new species from nothing except the beautiful hidden folds of her mind. It pushed me to write what I wish I knew, to write what’s just outside the bounds of limits of my knowing. I imagine the full measure of Octavia Butler’s impact on my life will not be assessed for some time because of how deep and enduring has been.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Finding out that Turner Publishing wanted to purchase my book and publish it was such a whirlwind of so many answered prayers and fulfilled dreams. Felice Laverne, my agent, has been magnificent with her commitment to and passion for Essien of Alkebulan. She really spearheaded sending out the book to publishers she felt would be most interested, and Turner was one of just a handful that she had targeted for the first round of send outs. We hopped on a Zoom call with my editor at the time, and I couldn’t stop smiling. It was like–such a surreal moment to know that other people had read my work and been as transfixed by it as I have been all these years. I still can’t quite believe its really happening, and I’m a published author.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love fiction, especially fantasy and scifi. I love reading about alternative histories and new worlds that are so unlike the world we live in. I love reading vampire novels, zombie tales, dystopias, anything with magical realism, and stories that invoke the supernatural or the metaphysical.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Lara Croft Tomb Raider is a movie I watch over and over again. Angelina Jolie is one of my favorite actresses, and she is such a badass as Lara Croft. I grew up playing the video games, so seeing it turned into a movie was like reliving part of my childhood. I love action movies, too, so anything with lots of shooting and diving off cliffs or entering forbidden zones is my type of entertainment.
15--What is your favorite season?
I love spring. It has the perfect weather, sunny and warm with a breeze and occasional rains. I love the bursts of color from blossoming flowers and the heavenly scents. I love the feeling of newness and restoration that happens each year when winter is over, and summer is just around the corner.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I like to keep my birthday celebrations super chill. If I do anything, it’ll be dinner and drinks with just a few friends. I’ve never been into huge celebrations; not even when I was younger or in college. A simple “happy birthday” from loved ones is more than enough.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I highly recommend Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. Even if you went to the concert, it’s still so inspiring to see moments on stage you might have missed or didn’t see. We got to hear Bey talk about her process as an artist and give an inside view of behind the scenes on tour. We got to see her as a mom, a side of her that fans don’t get to see, and it was beautiful. I hope it comes out on streaming services soon, so I can watch it again.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I love Thai cuisine. Tom Kha soup is my current obsession. The sour, spicy coconut milk soup is delicious with tofu or chicken. I like it with jasmine rice or rice noodles. My favorite place to order Tom Kha soup is this cool little spot in San Francisco off Mission Street. I lived there for three years, and at one point, I was having Tom Kha soup every day.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
If I said reading and writing, would that be too obvious? I love playing video games. I’m a gamer at heart. I love simulation games like The Sims 4, and role-playing games, like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. I also recently downloaded the new Oregon Trail game on iPhone. It’s nothing like the game from the 90s, but its still super nostalgic. I admit I spend hours gaming when I’m not immersed in a book or
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Book 2 of the Essien of Alkebulan book series will be out December 2024. Readers will get to pick back up with Essien where we left off in Book 1 for new adventures that reveal more of this alternative world, its people, and how it functions. Eventually, I hope to produce a 4 Book series about Essien of Alkebulan; I’m currently writing books three and four.
Essien of Alkebulan #1
What would the world be like if Africa had never been colonized—and if the transatlantic slave trade had never happened?
The only daughter among five brothers, Essien was raised in a village where women are bred to tend to their husbands and bear children. One night, after she is led by akukoifo—mythical beings of Alkebulan folklore—to a fabled river, Essien emerges from the waters with superhuman abilities: hands that burn with the flames they contain, and the strength to overpower any of the men around her.
Unsure of what this newfound power means, Essien returns to an unfamiliar world a changed woman. And when militant rebels destroy her father’s fields, leaving him crippled for life, Essien is left with no choice but to defy the social conventions of her upbringing and become the first woman to enlist in Alkebulan’s formidable military. Without the presence of her family and friends, surrounded by fellow soldiers who want her dead and powerful forces that seek to manipulate Essien’s inner magic for evil, Essien must learn to control and harness her new powers, even as she fights her destiny to become her country’s long-awaited goddess. But not everything is as it seems. Will Essien step into her destiny as Goddess of Alkebulan, or will she make a decision that will alter the course of Alkebulan history forever?
Fueled by ancestral magic and the power of gods on earth, Descendants of Fire & Water is the thrilling first book in the powerful new Essien of Alkebulan series.
Young Adult Fantasy | Fantasy Historical [Keylight Books, On Sale: December 3, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781684429912 / eISBN: 9781684429929]
Originally from Houston, TX, the hometown of Beyoncé and Meg the Stallion, Didi Anofienem is a novelist and educator residing in Los Angeles, CA. She earned her EdM from Teacher’s College, Columbia Universityin 2023, her MFA from Universityof San Francisco in 2017, a BS from UT-Austin in 2010, and a BA from Universityof Houston in 2014. Passionate about words, Didi wrote her first story at the age of 8. She grew up reading Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Ntozake Shange. Didi has written romance novels, a poetry collection, several short stories, plays, and personal essays. When she’s not teaching English, she spends her time traveling back and forth to Houston, re-reading her favorite authors, dancing to Beyoncé, and playing The Sims.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy