Guest Author: Netty Ejike
Hands up any African writer out there who’s struggling to get published. Hands up anyone who’s seen an awesome writing competition that s/he wasn’t eligible for because s/he lives in Africa (with the occasional exception of South Africa). Hand up if you’ve felt like self-publishing is the only way your work will ever see the inside of a printed book page. I can just see some of you nodding your heads, saying, “Aye.”
The challenges of an African writer, is what my fellow West African writer, Netty Ejike, is going to talk about today.
Please, share your thoughts and make her feel welcome to casa Empi.
Over to you, Netty.
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Hello,
I am Netty Ejike from Nigeria. I’m highly opportune to be hosted here. A big thank you to Empi. It’s my pleasure sharing my experiences as an African writer.
Being an African writer is easy enough, but why mine is a bit difficult is because I write mostly about Americans, and I write romance. These are the two factors that always attract lots of questions from people I come across.
They often wonder about my characters. I simply feel comfortable writing about Americans, not because our people aren’t romantic—oh, we definitely are. I think interest and my favourite genre influenced my writing. I loved reading Mills & Boon and Harlequin novels when I was growing up.
When I began writing at the age of twelve, I thought it was only for my pleasure and those of my school friends. By the time I became an adult, I became worried. I sat down and asked myself a big question: Will people not crucify me for being a Nigerian and writing about foreigners? It took some persuasion from my close family members before I published my first book.
Ah, what a relief that I finally published the kind of book I love reading, and yet I wasn’t criticized as I’d expected. Many of my fans liked the fact that I write about foreigners, but some insisted that I should come back home. That led to my third book being based in Enugu, Nigeria.
I’ve come to appreciate readers and respect their opinions. Without them, who are we writing for?
Coming to the topic of romance, we don’t have many romance writers in Nigeria. This is basically because we feel sex shouldn’t be publicly discussed, what more written down. Being a married woman gave me an edge, because it made me look responsible in the eyes of the public. I’m almost sure that if I were not married, I would have been looked upon as being promiscuous. But this shouldn’t be so. Writing is the expression of the mind, irrespective of the material being written down and the personality of the writer herself. I must say I am proud to be a romance writer even though it still shocks a lot of people when I tell them I am one.
In my novels, I try to highlight the sexual aspect of my characters, in a way passing the message across to my people how sex should be enjoyed…
My books include:
Obsession
His Sin
Stormy Affair
An Impious Proposal
Heart Whisper
After the Deed (Awakening Series)
Surprise package (Torn Apart Series)
Bewitching Corals Series
Read excerpts of my books here.
Thank you and happy reading.
Netty
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Where to find Netty Online:
Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Amazon | Smashwords
