Author Interview: Tomi Akinyanmi of ‘A Worthy Legacy’

Remember this book of African poems I reviewed a while ago? Well, I've just been informed that 'A Worthy Legacy' has won 4 awards:

• Silver Award in the Inspirational/Spiritual Category - The Young Voices Foundation,


• Second position in the Inspirational/Spiritual Category of the 2008 Reader Views Literary Award


• Second position in the Young Adult Non-fiction category of the 2008 Reader Views Literary Award and


• Top Book Awards by Black Pearls Magazine sponsored by EDC Creations.

In case you've forgotten, "A Worthy Legacy" is the story of a granddaughter who journeys to the Nigerian village of her childhood to join the rest of her family by her grandfather deathbed. As the family says their goodbyes, the old man begins to share the secrets of his long life and happiness...

Touching on subjects from character to perseverance, the elderly man faces death with dignity and with the fulfillment of having lived a life that he did not regret.

Tomi Akinyanmi is currently on a blog tour to talk about her book and here is our brief chat on all things writing:

What was your writing process like?
Generally with my writing, I get an idea and start work from there. With "A Worthy Legacy", it was a little different. I actually had some of the components of the story in the form of notes/ journal entries before I figured out the main idea. So this time it was like working backwards.

I started by looking at my old notes and as I went through the folder, I wrote down my thoughts trying as much as possible to organize what I’d written into categories and putting similar thoughts together eventually; the main idea took form.

Once I had the basics down, I began to tackle one category at a time. Of course, I had to go back over and over again to reread and rewrite until it felt just right. Then, I shared the product initially with family then with friends. I listened to the feedbacks, took notes then went back to review and rewrite as needed.

Afterwards, I passed the manuscript to an editor to review and help me refine it.

What advice would you give young writers from Nigeria and other countries whose voices are just being heard?
My advice to them would be to find a writing mate and critique each other’s work. They should also look for and join critique groups, go for readings, attend writing workshops and submit their work to magazines as well as contests in their genre. All these we help them be a better writer and give them exposure.

Finally, I’d say they should never give up no matter the response. Learn from your mistakes and continually explore new avenues. A budding writer should always find time to surf the internet for information.

What next after "A Worthy Legacy"?
I’m working on a journal companion to “A worthy Legacy” right now as well as a book on how the lessons of “A Worthy Legacy” can be applied in the present day. I also got the idea for a children’s book over the last weekend so have quite a bit of stuff keeping me busy for the next few months.

*****

What inspirational and encouraging words from a new writer who'd released her first book late 2008!

Tomi holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and regional planning. Since 2003, she has been a stay at home mum (she has 3 young children) dedicating her sparse free time to the development of her various talents, which include writing, drawing and singing.

Congratulations, again, Tomi! I'll be drawing strength from your advice (and achievements) as I work on my own writing. Looking forward to hear more about your upcoming projects :-)

Going for the Big Bad Wolf book sale?

I'd just read in Sunday Star (May 10) about BigBadWolfBooks selling "fantastic books at rock-bottom prices" from tomorrow until May 18.

My heart dropped when I saw Jodi Picoult's "Songs of the Humpback Whale" going for only RM8!!! I bought my copy from Borders for RM34.90 :-(

Sigh...if warehouse sales like this are becoming commonplace, there's no way I'm paying RM30++ for a novel anymore. The question is, when are such warehouse sales coming to PENANG???

The Big Bookstore in Gurney Plaza and Popular bookstores had been last bastions of budget books for me - now that the Big Bookstore has closed down, we're down to only Popular...

Are you going for the Big Bad Wolf Book sale? Do share any goodies you've got!!!

The Book Angel

Thanks to Sharon Bakar who blogged about it at Bibliobibuli, I found out that I had another article published :-)

I'm really grateful to this nice Chinese man who started my journey in reading - I wonder if he'll read the article in the Star and if he remembers it? If yes, I'd really like to meet him and thank him personally!

* * * * *

A woman recalls a school holiday spent at a bookshop in a shopping mall and her love of reading which was nurtured by a kindly soul.

I WILL remember that day in December, 1983, forever. I was in Primary Three and was browsing around the stationery section of the (now closed down) Berita Book Centre in Sungai Wang Plaza.

Fascinated with all things cute and colourful, I spent almost an hour there before arriving at the children’s book section. I must have spent another hour immersed in books from the Ladybird series. It was my school holidays, and I had all the time in the world to browse while my mother worked at a beauty salon.

I must have been on my fourth or fifth Ladybird book when a young, Chinese man in spectacles approached me.

“Hello, how many books have you read already?” he asked with a friendly smile.

I shook my head as I really didn’t know – I’d simply taken the next one on the swivelling book rack after finishing one. Besides, my mother had repeatedly told me that I should not talk to strangers.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“I am nine years old.” I replied. He smiled and said that I was too old for Ladybird since I could finish so many books in one sitting. Then, he suggested that I follow him to another section where he was sure I would enjoy the books.

I remember being led to a section with rows and rows of paperbacks arranged according to their colourful spines – red, orange, yellow, blue, green and purple. He ran his finger across the books, stopped at one and picked it out.

“Try this and see if you like it. If you don’t like it, I can find you another one.”

It was The Tales of Betsy May by Enid Blyton. I said thank you and gingerly turned to the first page. I was getting nervous because he seemed quite enthusiastic about recommending the books.

You see, I knew very well that I couldn’t pay for the books. And my mother would surely scold me if I did something wrong at the bookshop – like reading all the Ladybirds for free. Was this man forcing me to buy a book?

He must have sensed my worry because he quickly assured me with another cheery smile, “Don’t worry. You don’t have to buy the book. If you finish this book and you would like to read another, you can sit here and read it also. Nobody will disturb you here. You can read all you want, okay?”

Wow, what magic words!

I felt an instant relief and attacked the book happily. He left to carry on with what he was doing.

I read the book and was soon immersed in Betsy May’s adventures. When the day ended, I took note of the page number, returned the book to its shelf and returned to my mother’s workplace.

I went back to Berita Book Centre every day after that but the young man never came to speak to me again. He smiled at me when he saw me coming but left me alone.

I soon finished The Tales of Betsy May and moved on to another book. I think it was The Naughtiest Girl in School is a Monitor, also by Enid Blyton.

My mother didn’t know how I spent my time until one day when I was completely lost to the world around me, experiencing the British boarding school adventures of The Twins at St. Clare’s, again by Enid Blyton.

I was enjoying the book so much I forgot the time! When I finished and glanced at my watch (my mother had specifically bought it for me to keep track of time), I was horrified to see that it was already 7.30 pm.

I was two hours late in meeting my mother!

When I didn’t show up for tea at 5.30pm, my mother waited a while. At 6.00pm, she had gone to the information counter and paged for me, at least 10 times. At 6.30pm, she was beside herself with worry and went around to every kiddy arcade and toy shop in the shopping complex to look for me. I think she enlisted my uncle’s help too.

By 7.00pm, they decided to lodge a missing person’s report at the complex security centre. While they were in the midst of describing my dress to the security guards and showing them my photo, I showed up.

I’m afraid I can’t remember if my mother was extremely angry or relieved to see me then. All I know is that the bookstore was the last place they’d think to search!

After that day, my mother was rest assured that I was safe at the bookstore and that was where I spent the remainder of my school holidays.

Thanks to the kind man, I went on to develop a love for reading, and amassed a huge home library of books. I also became an English teacher and continue to recommend or buy suitable books for my students, friends, relatives and their children.

I still don’t know who you are but I am truly blessed to have met a Book Angel like you. May God bless you!

* * * * *

Original article appeared in Sunday Star, 19 April 2009.