Doris Malgwi was born in Kaduna and her educational grooming spanned St. Barth’s Zaria and Ahmadu Bello Univerity, where she bagged a degree in International Studies. In this interview with IBRAHIM RAMALAN, Malgwi discusses her debut, The Crippled Eagle, her passion for writing, dwelling on the thriller genre, inspired by a variety of writers including Chika Unigwe, Mary Higgins Clark, Tami Hoag, Iris Johansen and James Hadley Chase, which her debut aptly typifies.
You recently debuted a novel and the book is a work of fiction, satirically depicting what mostly obtains in this country. Could you tell us a little more about the book?
The Crippled Eagle is a suspense thriller about a plot to kill the president, a young girl Chat stumbled on it because of her boyfriend Sunny who was a journalist. Sunny was killed because he was writing a story about it and the assassins assumed she had the prove of the plot and they came after her. Chat had to use her wit to stay alive and expose the assassins in the end.
To what extent did you rely on your imagination while writing the book?
The whole of The Crippled Eagle is a work of fiction. The story is entirely from my imagination. I had to rely completely on my mind and creativity to be able to write it.
What inspired you to write the book?
I get my inspiration from everywhere. Books. News articles. Political or general discussions. Stories from other people and alot of other places to name a few. The Crippled Eagle’s inspiration came from political news and discussions. Especially when political parties blame each other for what is wrong with their party. I figured why not write a book and try to portray that most of the problems of this political parties are from within. When everyone fixes the problem in their party more than half of our problems will be solved.
The title appears to put a lot of people in a suspense: ‘Crippled Eagle’. What essentially does it signify?
Yes it is a metaphor. Our country is a proud and regal Eagle as is depicted in our coat of arms. But the shenanigans especially by our politicians has Crippled this beautiful bird and has affected every part of this country. Many things are not working and except we change our ways this Eagle will never walk or work again.
What then is the role of research in your writing and how do you write?
A lot. I did plenty research from many sources. I read a lot of newspapers and listened to news especially during last year’s election. I Googled Nigerian political parties and the zoning of candidates. I even did my homework on the DSS activities to learn how it works so as to authenticate my work. Research has a very crucial part of any book be it fiction or non- fiction. It helps you get perspective on what you are writing and it’s also like a blueprint on steps to take during your writing process.
Though your debut can be said to be a crime thriller, is it generally the main import of your writings, are you likely to give a shot to other themes: romance, social commentary, science fiction and the rest in future?
I have always been fascinated by thrillers. Crime thrillers to be exact. Especially in fiction, thrillers can be fun to write. It can have twists and turns. Sometimes I am fascinated or excited even by an idea that comes to me. So for now I am much too intrigued with thrillers to write something else. Maybe sometime in the future I will venture to other genres but right now thrillers it is.
Tell us your publishing experience while publishing your debut
It was a lot of things. Fun. Tedious. Exhilarating. But most especially it was a learning process. This is my debut novel and it is far from perfect. But one thing though is I have learnt what not to do and what to concentrate on as I have already started the sequel for the novel. And I have become an expert in some things like editing and steps to publishing.
When did you start writing and what inspired you?
I started writing at a very early age. As young as ten. I scribbled on my exercise books and blank sheets of A4 papers. I started reading books though much earlier than that. From 7 years in primary school I spent most of my break and free time in our school library. I fell in love with Enid Blyton books which I collect now, I read most of the African writer series. In short by the time I was in JSS3 I have read all my literature books syllabus from SS1 to SS3. My literature teacher was very impressed. As I read books I realised I loved writing as much as I loved reading so I started writing and here we are.
How long did it take you to write your debut and what was the challenge(s)?
It took me at least four to five years. Got published in the fifth year. One of the major challenges I encountered was poor editing. I wasn’t good at it and most of the people I gave to did a mediocre job and that led to the second problem. Because of my editing errors it made most publishers disinterested in my work. Most of the rejection letters I got had the same message they loved the story line but had problems with my editing and they were too busy to edit it for me. Then there was the issue of I am a first timer and everyone wasn’t willing to invest, all the publishers I contacted were only willing to self publish. Finally I got a professional editor and a publisher got interested in my work.
Whose writings would you say has influenced you the most and what is your source of inspiration for writing?
Mary Higgins Clark. Tami Hong. James Haddley Chase. Enid blython. Ngugi wa Thiongo and our very own Chika Unigwe. My source of inspiration is God. These writers got me interested in writing and made me start but God and my family, especially my mother, husband and sister supported and sustained me till now. Writing is a thankless job. Some rejection letters will make you want to just stop. And belive it or not there are a lot of writers and it is very competitive profession. Many writers never get to be published. Without those people I would have stopped. They inspire me to do more, to push myself and never give up.
African writing is largely committed writing. Despite the descriptive realism of depicting a crime scene, which might carry the casual reader away, there are lots of issues that you seem to carry in your book as encompassed under its suspense-evoking title, what would you say are some of the sub-themes that can be found in your book and why are they important?
My main theme is heroism. How Chat through no fault of hers was thrust into a conspiracy she knew nothing about. Most people would have chosen the easy way; walked away or even hid. She didn’t. She an everyday girl was able to save the life of the president and expose the assassins in the process . Then there is show casing Nigeria through the activities of DSS that were called SSS in my book. They need to be applauded and encouraged. I also portrayed Nigeria in the 21st century as opposed to the loin clothes and thatch roofs prevalent in other books. Nigeria has grown and evolved, not as developed as America or UK but we have passed the era of bushes and foot paths.
How has your work affected your writing?
It has been very hectic balancing work, marriage, motherhood and writing. My work is what I do, but I love writing as such I make time for it. Most of the time my writing is relegated to the back burner but I do it. I write sometimes late into the night or when I have an idea I scribble it immediately on a piece of paper and transfer it later to my laptop. It is not easy but I am doing it. It makes the day fun and full.
What is your take on contemporary Nigerian writers and what do you think is their role in the general sphere of things in the country?
They are few. Some that write about Nigeria they write mostly about Nigerians in diaspora. And those that concentrate on Nigeria don’t write on contemporary issues they focus on civil war era. Or during colonial era. The ones that write on Nigeria as is are doing an amazing job. They shed Nigeria in a more realistic light. Don’t get me wrong we were ones in loins clothes and living in thatch roofs. But if we hope for others to know us for what we are we need to write on present day Nigeria. Our books are the canvass in which the world sees and relate to us. Most people outside Africa thing we are not evolved. I heard a newscaster say once that a musical artist was coming to Africa. As if there is a country called Africa. Some people have not traveled beyond what they can read. So I want to encourage contemporary writers to keep it up. They are the mouth piece and flag bearers of this country.
Our country is a proud and regal Eagle as is depicted in our coat of arms. But the shenanigans especially by our politicians has Crippled this beautiful bird and has affected every part of this country.
