Charles Umerie

1. We are happy to have you on our blog. Tell us about yourself.

My name is Charles Umerie, and I’m 27 years old. I’m a writer, and so far I’ve written a book, movie scripts, essays, and articles.

2. I read your book, Kingdom Tales, and I must say it’s a good read. Can you tell us more about it?

Kingdom Tales is my first book and it’s an allegory to the events that took place in Africa towards the 1960s. That was a time many African countries got their independence, and after that came a lot of civil wars. So Kingdom Tales was based on those events, and at the same time, I made sure it’s entertaining so people can read it and enjoy it. Even those that doesn’t know anything about these places can still read it and enjoy it as a simple fairytale.

3. What inspired you to write it?

As an African writer, I feel like there’s nothing more important and inspiring than writing about the growth of Africa. That’s the inspiration behind it.

4. This question is definitely for young writers out there. I know a lot of them complain of not being able to complete their book. So can you tell us how you wrote your book, what methods did you use?

I honestly do not have any secret formula for writing a book. People are different, and they have different ways of writing. But what you can do is whenever you start, make sure you finish it. No matter how unprofessional your work might seem at first, you just have to finish it. That would be your foundation, then you go through it over and over again, rewriting, adding and removing certain things.

5. Do you have unpublished work? Or a book you are still working on?

I have another book coming out this year. It focuses on the Mali Empire in the 14^th century. I also want to use this book to let people know more about the Mali Empire and its surrounding at that time. Most schools don’t teach that anymore, so I will inform and entertain at the same time with this book.

6. How would sum up the reading culture in Africa now?

I can only speak for Nigeria, and in my own opinion, I think the reading culture in Nigeria is quite low. People would rather watch or hear it, than read it. The low literacy level and few number of libraries in Nigeria also play a part in that.

7. It was definitely nice having you. To surprise our readers, tell us one weird fact about you. Something about you that is almost unbelievable to anyone that knows you.

I forget things very easily! A lot of people don’t know that, but I have learned to manage that. Thanks for having me.

Thank you so much, Charles, for participating in this blog interview.

Charles’ book can be purchased at https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Tales-Charles-Umerie/dp/1329727010