Interview with
Neil Hope Rowland
Author of
Today I have the pleasure to present an author who was a regular freelance writer for Melody Maker, Blitz magazines. Neil Hope Rowland loves pop, rock, jazz, blues, and soul music, so the influence is in his writing too. He also reviewed fiction for Time Out London during the noughties. Humor is an important element
Your novel has features of a thriller, of a mystery story, a tale of star-crossed lovers... and even of humor. Did you deliberately set out to mix these genres?
My primary intention has always been to create a great story. A narrative that interests and intrigues the reader as well as myself. If a story has any hint of boredom or predictability I am likely to lose interest myself. So I feel that the reader will lose interest. It is quite negative and limiting to place novels into boxes, in the way we tend to do. Categorising them. Applying genres and then limiting ourselves to those narrow genres. As a reader I enjoy novels for their story, for their themes and characters. Whether the book is a horror or a romance matters to me less. Perhaps just to make my writing as varied and beautiful as possible, rather like a collection of flowers in a vase, if you like. You don't only have one type of flower necessarily; you mix them together, you arrange and curate, and so I like that variety. It just comes from me—that's what I'm interested in.
Why did it take you many years to write this novel? Is this novel personal to you?
Yes, I have to admit that this book took longer. The opening was a submission to a published short story collection actually. The ideas grew from there. But this story always felt like a bit of a ‘signature’ novel for me. I believe that's because it has a lot of that variety I talked about. It has a lot of thoughts in the novel and, obviously, also it's a very emotional novel. It's very engaging on that kind of emotional level for the reader. And yes, it is sort of—it is kind of more personal for me, this novel. It does include some elements of my own life story. This reaches deep into me and finds some angels and demons. But it isn’t a straight autobiography of course. There has to be some artistry. Otherwise it isn’t really a novel. And the reader helps by contributing their own experience and emotions. That is essential to authentic writing.
You have a sinister character known as The Entertainer. What is he all about?
He's first a sinister character, who haunts the Student Union building, at King’s College, London – which is where Joss and Aphra first meet, as students. The Entertainer is just that, a performer of the lowest type and something of a shock jock. He is the grist in this story, the malign influence, the stings and arrows of experience. He is constantly interfering in the lives of Aphra and Joss, using messages and communication to confuse them. He is the spoiler. I suppose it's sort of a metaphor as well for the way we mis-communicate; we get our signals confused sometimes in life and we have to fight against that—we have to battle against it. However, there’s more to the Entertainer. Reader, you will have to discover and to work him out.
Do you believe that the younger or Gen Z generation have it tougher in these times? How did you show that in your novel?
Everyone has had their struggles over the years, but in the novel, I do refer to the way... my novel is based in London, so the young couple—although we follow them through to middle age, it's not simply about youth—but of course, they have to battle with finding a place to live, finding decent jobs, paying the bills, and generally surviving in a big city. And I know this because I have a daughter who is in that position. But this adds great drama and context to the novel – contemporary life in London or any big city – the need to keep our heads above the surface and to thrive.
Is it more difficult to be a serious writer in these times? For example, with the challenge of social media and upcoming AI?
Remember that books are a beautiful thing for us. They improve our mental health and, of course, they also improve our physical health. They even stop us from, or help us not to, develop problems such as dementia. It's great, isn't it, to expand our thoughts, our imagination, and our experience of life in the world. Yes, we have to fight against the addictive qualities of screens and instant gratification. We have to make the effort to actually find a book, to support literature and writers. But of course I use social media to communicate with a readership, as well as to keep in touch and to make new friends. What we have to do is balance these things, as we did with radio, television and cinema. The demands on our attention are great. But when we find a book that we like, that we love, it gives us so much. That is the most intimate and personal art. The reader is full a partner in this, so it is the closest conversation possible.
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Interview with
Lynn Miclea
Author of
Today I have the pleasure to present a prolific author who is also an editor, musician, Reiki master practitioner, and dog lover. After retiring, Lynn Miclea further pursued her passion for writing, She has written numerous short stories and published many books including thrillers, mysteries, science fiction, paranormal, romance, memoirs, short-story collections, a grammar guide, self-hypnosis scripts, and children’s stories (fun animal stories about kindness, believing in yourself, and helping others).
How did you start writing?
I have been writing my entire life, but I did not get serious about it and become an author until I retired and had the time to really pursue it. After I retired, I saw an ad for an online writing class, and it looked intriguing. I eagerly signed up. Within one year of taking that class, I published my first book, which was a memoir of my mother’s heart-wrenching journey with ALS. After that, I wrote a few children’s books and then moved on to thrillers, science fiction, and mysteries.
What are you writing now, and what makes your current book or series stand out?
My latest books are crime thrillers and are part of a police detective series. The first of the books in that series is “Child Missing,” where a sweet seven-year-old boy suddenly goes missing. No clues are left behind, and there are no witnesses. The mother of the boy is frantic. Detective Sergeant Matt Holden, part of the local police department, knows time is critical in these cases, and he knows most child abduction cases do not end well. Two similar cases from two years earlier were never solved and have gone cold. Detective Holden fears this case could be another one that is never solved, and he can’t allow that to happen. Holden is determined to track down and rescue the missing child ASAP and bring him home before it’s too late.
There are five books in this police detective series, and they consist of exciting, dangerous, edge-of-your-seat stories of gripping criminal investigations. The first one, “Child Missing,” is a child abduction case, and the other four books in the series are serial-murder mysteries. Detective Holden is desperately working to solve all these difficult and baffling cases. Each of these books, although part of a series, is a standalone book, and these can be read in any order.
While writing this series, I did a lot of research into police work, talking with police officers, talking to police detectives, joining police groups, and getting a lot of insight and information about police procedures, protocols, and how they handle various situations. All of that was fascinating and eye-opening, and it gave me great insight and respect for what police officers actually do. And that helped me make the stories realistic, believable, and as compelling as possible. I hope all of that will grab the reader and bring them right into each scene.
What do you want your readers to get from your books?
In all of my stories, no matter what genre, I want the reader to relate to and care about the characters — the cops, the victims, and even the killer in the mysteries, and care about the characters in all my stories. I try to make the stories realistic and relatable so the reader can picture themselves in the story and get pulled right into the action and suspense. My goal is to make my stories come alive and be as authentic and compelling as possible.
I hope my stories and the characters in them grab at the reader’s heart and make them feel something, which is the key ingredient in making the stories strong and powerful. I strive to have my stories grip the reader so they keep turning the pages, wanting more.
I also try to give a complete and gratifying ending to all my stories, so the reader will feel deeply satisfied upon finishing any of my books.
What advice would you give to new writers?
My best advice for writers covers a few aspects. First, read and write as much as you can. Reading helps you learn what you like and don’t like, and it gives you insight as to phrasing, sentence structure, and developing characters. The more you read and write, the more you improve. Second, find your own voice. No one can write exactly like you, so don’t try to be someone else. Find and develop your own voice and your own style, and be proud of who you are. And third, develop your characters. Give them fears, insecurities, quirks, and depth so that the reader can relate to them and will be drawn in and care about what happens to them. Characters need depth to keep the reader engaged. And just one additional point — always use a professional editor so that your work will be polished, contain minimal errors, and be the best it can be.
What other genres or books have you written?
I have published over 40 books in many genres, including both fiction and nonfiction. These include thrillers, mysteries, sci-fi, paranormal, romance, short-story collections, memoirs, grammar tips, self-hypnosis scripts, and children’s books (sweet, fun, and uplifting animal stories). My goal is to touch people, move them, make them feel something, open up something within them, empower them, and bring a sense of depth, excitement, and wonder. I strive to have all my books do that, and that truly gives me a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
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The Mystery Series:
Ruthie (memoir of ALS)
Transmutation (sci-fi)
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Interview with
Dan Blacharski
Author of
Today I have the pleasure to present an author who lives in South Bend, Indiana with his wife Charoenkwan and their Boston Terrier, Pladook. Dan Blacharski enjoys going to Bangkok every winter to escape the cold, returning to the Midwest only after the tulips are in bloom.
The Music of Time looks at the curious phenomenon known as sleep paralysis, and ends in a time-travel romance. What is the story about?
Our main character Roman suffers from a rare form of parasomnia. Eventually, he realizes that those dreams are not just dreams, but memories. He sees a past life as a jeweler named Abraham, engaged to the love of his life, Eliana. When he awakens, he feels a profound love for a woman he has never met, and feels the deep sorrow and loss that Abraham felt so many years ago. He travels to Poland to uncover the truth behind his visions, and he becomes obsessed with an impossible goal: to save his lost love Eliana from her terrible fate. Along the way, he is guided by a mysterious child named Elizabeta, who jumps across lifetimes to guide and comfort him.
What is sleep paralysis and why did you make it the focus of your novel?
Sleep paralysis is one of the most curious phenomena I’ve ever encountered. It’s a state where you’re neither asleep nor awake, unable to move, and you seem to be stuck in a dream while also being aware of your real-life surroundings. You might have a sense of flying, of being in two places at once, or of seeing people, or even strange creatures, around your bed. It can be truly terrifying. I’ve suffered from this since childhood, and over time the sleep paralysis episodes became more clear. The strange waking dreams were always about being stuck in a crowded building, often in a strange time and place, being chased and in mortal danger. I would remember in vivid detail the location, the people, and a profound sense of hopelessness. To deal with this situation I started writing down those strange dreams. Eventually they became a novel.
The book starts in the American Midwest and ends in Krakow, Poland. What is your relationship to these two very different locations?
The book starts in my hometown of South Bend, Indiana. Many authors focus their novels around familiar places, and it seemed like the logical place to start. I chose Krakow as Roman’s final destination, since I spent time there and found it to be one of the most beautiful places in Europe. One of the reasons I traveled to Poland was because of those dreams. When I realized that the dreams were glimpses into a horrifying past life in wartime Poland, I knew I had to travel there.
The book has very colorful characters in both countries. How did you come up with characters such as Roman’s friend Ziggy, Jadwiga’s quirky friend Pola, and his lost love from another time, Eliana?
The novel is not autobiographical, but it is based on my own experiences, places I’ve lived, and people I’ve known. I believe this makes the novel all the more believable and realistic.
What’s next on your writing agenda?
My next novel, to be published by Next Chapter Publishing, is a crime thriller called SINGTO. Also starting in the American Midwest with scenes in Bangkok, SINGTO follows our main character as he uncovers corruption and conspiracy that moves across continents.
To uncover the truth, he becomes entangled with SINGTO, a powerful Bangkok crime boss with a strict personal code. “Singto” means “lion” in Thai, and when The Lion gets involved, everything changes.
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Interview with
Peter Okonkwo
Author of
The interview questions were submitted by Godwin Nket, a reviewer.
At the heart of Kwame, Come Home is the theme of grief. The sorrow of a mother occasioned by the sudden disappearance of her son. This theme has become a motif in your collections, particularly Fate, in the Dungeon of Doom and, now, KCH. Is it a deliberate subject matter you choose to write about because it pervades mainstream contemporary African poems, or is there something you intend to reveal to your reader about grief in Africa, and what is that thing?
This is an amazing question. The story of Kwame actually began in Fate in the Dungeon of Doom back in 2020. At that time, it was published as one of the scattered poems included in that collection. However, something within me wanted to develop Kwame’s story further. I felt there was so much more to explore, and that was why I decided to create a separate book entirely for Kwame Come Home, so I could properly tell not only Kwame’s story but also the stories of his mother, Vanessa, Etean, his friend, and others connected to his journey.
That was what led to the creation of Kwame Come Home. However, the story is not even complete yet. There is still another installment to come, which will be like the finished version of the book. So, this current work is essentially the first volume in a larger series.
The grief and sorrow of a mother, particularly that of Vanessa, are deeply universal. I believe many African women who have experienced similar circumstances would understand, empathize with, and resonate strongly with her pain. I have received responses from readers across different African countries—not just Nigeria—who have told me, “This story reminds me of my own experience,” or “It reminds me of my mother.”
And I think that is truly powerful. It shows that the story of disappearance and migration is not merely my personal perspective but a reality experienced by thousands or maybe millions of people across the world. I love reading reviews that remind me I am not only carrying Vanessa’s grief but also telling the stories of countless others who have been separated from their homes, their families, and their lands in search of greener pastures.
I find the immigration escapades in the collection quite interesting. Please, can you briefly share how this reflects a fragment of post-independent Africa? I would also like to know: at what point does a family’s personal grief over the loss of a relative to the road reflect a collective grief over a continent’s failure to provide economic safety to its citizens, and how people react to these losses?
Thank you for that thoughtful question. The immigration journeys in Kwame Come Home are intended to reflect one aspect of post-independence Africa's complex reality. Political independence brought hope, but for many people, economic opportunities, stable institutions, and social mobility have remained uneven. As a result, migration—whether within Africa or beyond it—has become both a survival strategy and a pursuit of possibility. The characters' journeys are therefore not simply individual adventures; they echo the experiences of countless Africans who leave home carrying both hope and uncertainty.
Regarding grief, I believe there is a point where a family's personal loss becomes part of a larger collective sorrow. When deaths occur repeatedly along migration routes, they stop being isolated tragedies and begin to reveal deeper structural problems. A family mourns a son, daughter, sibling, or parent, but communities often recognize that the loss is tied to broader conditions that pushed that person to take dangerous risks in the first place.
In that sense, the grief is both private and public. It is the pain of losing a loved one, but it is also a reflection on unmet promises, limited opportunities, and the difficult choices many people face. People's reactions often reflect this dual reality: there is mourning and remembrance, but also resilience, frustration, and sometimes a questioning of the social and economic circumstances that made such journeys seem necessary. Through these stories, I wanted to explore how individual lives are shaped by larger historical and economic forces, while still honoring the deeply human experiences at the heart of those losses.
In your collection, Vanessa is Igbo (or is married to an Igbo), yet she offers sacrifices to Yoruba gods instead of Igbo gods. This presents a disparity with the ethno-religious reality of Nigeria. How does this narrative disparity present authentic sociological background of your character; or is it an attempt to present an alternative to the ethno-religious sentiment in Nigeria, where an Igbo (or someone married to an Igbo) can worship Yoruba gods instead of (their) Igbo gods?
This is another thoughtful question. I must first clarify that Vanessa herself is Yoruba, although she is married to an Igbo man. She was born in Yorubaland, and both of her parents are Yoruba, while her husband, Chibuike, is from Imo State in southeastern Nigeria.
Therefore, when she sought spiritual intervention, she offered sacrifices to the Yoruba deities she was familiar with—to Ogun, Sango, the god of thunder; Osanyin, the one-eyed, one-legged deity associated with healing herbs; Obatala; and Yemoja, through rituals involving rivers, herbal mixtures, and traditional practices. This was in contrast to consulting Igbo deities such as Amadioha and others.
However, I am not trying to create any form of ethnic or religious disparity within the Nigerian context, nor am I suggesting that one deity is stronger than another. In fact, as portrayed in the book, none of these deities necessarily provided Vanessa with the answers or healing she desperately sought.
Vanessa’s actions were driven by the depth of her grief, sorrow, and personal tragedy. She is a devoted Christian, and turning away from her Christian faith to consult these deities was a significant and painful decision for her. She sought out the gods that were accessible to her—those whose language, rituals, and traditions she understood and believed could offer an immediate response to her suffering.
I particularly appreciate the aspect of your question that explores how this cultural and religious complexity contributes to the authenticity of the character’s sociological background. Vanessa is a Yoruba woman married into an Igbo family, and her choices are shaped by that personal history rather than any attempt to promote ethnic or religious sentiment.
To be honest, I never anticipated this particular angle of interpretation, so I find your question both fascinating and refreshing. It genuinely makes me smile, and I must say that these are truly beautiful and deeply engaging questions.
Most times, when we discourse immigrant experiences, especially among young Africans fleeing the continent in quest for greener pastures in Europe, we hardly pay significant attention to the effect those choices have on family members, parents, siblings, especially when, like Kwame, they leave without saying goodbye. How does Vanessa’s experience evoke these often-unvoiced predicaments of parents and loved ones over the loss of relatives to forced migration?
Thank you so much for this question and for bringing attention to this important aspect of the story. I think one of the things that is often overlooked when discussing illegal migration is the misery and emotional suffering experienced by the families of those who embark on such journeys. We often focus on the individuals who leave—the hardships they endure, the dangers they face, and the struggles they encounter—but we sometimes forget the pain of those they leave behind.
Families are left with endless questions: Where is their brother? Where is their son, husband, wife, or child? Are they safe? Are they alive? Will they ever return home? It is this unbearable uncertainty and longing that I sought to portray through Vanessa’s voice and her desperate desire to have her beloved son back.
Everyone who embarks on these dangerous journeys goes through immense suffering, pain, and endurance. We often see heartbreaking stories in the news of migrants who lose their lives at sea, including mothers traveling with their babies on overcrowded boats. Many people look at such stories and ask, “Why would a mother put her child through such danger?” But they often fail to consider the circumstances that led her to make such a desperate decision. Many mothers choose to take their children along because they cannot bear the thought of leaving them behind.
What we also forget is that these migrants have families too. The woman carrying a child on that boat has a mother, a father, siblings, and loved ones who care deeply about her. In many cases, migrants do not even tell their families where they are going. Some, like Jide, tell their loved ones that they are simply going away to find a job. Others say they are relocating, concealing the true nature of their journey.
There is a profound pain in not knowing whether you will ever see your loved one again—whether they will survive the journey, return home, or become trapped in an uncertain existence elsewhere. Some arrive at their destinations only to become refugees, moving from one country to another, struggling to settle, living in fear of being discovered, and constantly seeking safety and acceptance.
Migration, especially when it occurs under such desperate circumstances, carries many layers of pain. There is the suffering of the person who leaves and the equally devastating suffering of the family members who remain behind. And I so much try my best to paint that through Vanessa's dire lamentation and this is one of the ways Vanessa's experience evokes this often unvoiced predicament of parents, loved ones and friends over the loss of relative to forced migration.
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Much thanks, Uvi, for your feature of my book today! So appreciated! ox
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Sarah! Can't wait to read it :)
DeleteThank you so much for this opportunity, Uvi. The presentation looks fantastic, too.
ReplyDelete