Interview With Author Chika Unigwe

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?  I wanted to write a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that was both culturally relevant for me and contemporary. It was also inspired by a true story I heard years ago which haunted me for a long time 

 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for? It is about resilience, about grief and its nature; about community. It’s written for everyone who loves good storytelling.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? This is a really difficult question. Perhaps that community is important?

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title comes from the protagonist who is a middle daughter. The cover was decided by the art department of my publishing house. I really love it.

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

Persist.

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? This is such a massive question that I feel ill-equipped to answer. I am, as a writer, not a part of the book industry with the expertise to answer this. As a reader, I can only speak to the kind of books I read: what one may call literary fiction. I have always found them available. However, in the past fifteen or so years, there seems to be more availability of literary fiction from the global south available. That doesn’t answer the question at all, I know.

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?   I am a voracious reader, a good listener and a collector of words. I couldn’t be a writer at all without these. I have notebooks full of scribbles. When I had a dry spell during the writing, I read (other books or my notebooks). Every writer I know comes to writing through reading. And through listening.

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? My writing style? Clear, concise sentences with the cadence and rhythm of my Igbo language. I love playing with language which is why English is such a joy to write in: it is malleable, you can enter into it and make words do unheard of things.

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Getting up every day and doing the work and dismantling it and starting again for the 8 years it took from the first draft to the final version. 

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? They are sure to be entertained by the language of it. That’s why we read fiction: to be thrilled by language. Everything else is a bonus. And there is a lot of everything else in The Middle Daughter. 

 

Chika Unigwe was born and raised in Enugu, Nigeria. She graduated from the University of Nigeria, KU Leuven (Belgium) and has a PhD from Leiden University, Holland. Author of The Middle Daughter, Unigwe’s previous work includes novels On Black Sisters Street and Night Dancer as well as the short story collection Better Never than Late. She was also a contributor to Of This Our Country: Acclaimed Nigerian Writers on the Home, Identity and Culture They Know; Lagos Noir; New Daughters of Africa; and Regiones Imaginaires. Find her online at ChikaUnigwe.com 

 

Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

Read This!

How & Why Should Authors Guest-Blog?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/06/how-why-authors-should-guest-blog.html

 

A Book Award Authors Should Avoid!

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-book-award-authors-should-avoid.html

 

Raising Books To Be Successful

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/06/raising-books-to-be-successful.html

 

Book Marketer Brian Feinblum Interviewed By Book Shepherd Cathy Fyock

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/book-marketer-brian-feinblum.html

 

8 Ways to Market Your Book

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/06/8-ways-to-market-your-book.html

 

Can You Sell Books Through Laughter?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/sell-books-through-laughter.html

 

12 Habits of Highly Successful Authors

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/12-habits-of-highly-successful-authors.html

 

Do You Have A Yes Attitude?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/do-you-have-yes-attitude.html

 

Author Website Do’s & Don’ts

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/author-website-dos-donts.html

 

Should You Write Another 10 Books?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/should-you-write-another-10-books.html

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.