By JAPHET ALAKAM & ELIZABETH UWANDU

Ibe Darlington Ifeanyi is an engineer, author, poet and scientist. The Mechanical Engineering graduate from University of Nigeria, Nsukka turned author has worked with a telecommunications company for years and rose to the position of Operations Manager and Regional Manager in Nigeria and Ghana respectively. But because of his innate passion for writing,  the Dikenafai, Imo State born engineer who writes with the pen name Ibe Ifeanyi, quit his job and went into full time writing. In this interview, he explains why he quit his job for writing, how he has fared in the literary profession,  the challenges and other issues. Excerpts.

How do you reconcile writing and Engineering?
Writing has always been a part of me. It is something that comes naturally to me. Over the years I found out that I have the gift of story telling and I continued to horn my skill in the art of storytelling. I realized I had it in me and needed no one to remind me that I should put something out there. The rest was history when I eventually did it.

What kind of books do you write?
My stories are predominantly fiction. I write stories that hold my readers captive. The kind of things people can relate to. It is my way to educate and of course challenge existing norms.

What can you say about your latest work?
The Urashi Conquest is about a certain Sylvester Ike whose inordinate ambition pushed him to commit a heinous crime that would forever haunt him. In his quest for a meteoric political ascendancy, he got himself into a huge mess that derailed and truncated his future.

Ibe Darlington Ifeanyi

How many novels have you written?
I have written eight novels but have published two .”The Daylight Pestilence” is my first and “The Urashi Conquest” is the second. I can finish a full-length book in two months. What I need is the right support to promote my works and market my books across the country and around the world.

Tell us about your books.
The Daylight Pestilence is about a young man, Mark Elemuo, who went to Lagos to learn a trade but never knew that he had been billed to be used for a ritual sacrifice by Cyriacus and ‘the Brotherhood.’ Luckily for Mark, he escaped by the whiskers and had to survive a topsy-turvy life in Lagos. And the second book, Urashi Conquest, everyone wants to read. I released it on Easter Day and it has been one hell of a mad rush. Fact is, I can’t do it alone. I need distributors. I need bookshops. Running around is taking its toll on me. Self publishing is hell.

Have you entered your works for any award?
I just submitted “The Urashi Conquest” for the LNG Award. “The Daylight Pestilence” is a self published effort and most organizers of awards do not accept works from self published authors even though “The Daylight Pestilence” is one of its kind, according to readers across the globe. I put it up for the Cain Prize and hope they accept it.

Have you abandoned engineering completely?
Not really, I am just trying to write more before I go back to my practice. Combining the two was not easy. What pushed me to take the bold step to quit my job was to be able to concentrate and write. Someone out there would say I could have handled it but an Operations Manager out there would understand better. Sometimes it doesn’t rain but pours. They would agree with me that there are times you are pushed beyond the parameters of sanity and writing would be the last thing to come to your mind. Money is not everything in life. Sometimes one needs to make sacrifices for a greater good.

How have you fared internationally?
It has been quite awesome. The challenge I have is that of distribution. Both locally and internationally, I have not seen anyone who has read any of my books without developing goose bumps. My works are exceptionally compact, punchy and the plots are weaved in diabolical brilliance. Time shall tell but my works can be ranked with the best in the genre. Right now, I need agents to market my books.

Publishing in Nigeria is very costly and we don’t have traditional publishers anymore. I wouldn’t blame them because reading has gone to its lowest ebb. Very few people go to bookshops to buy books these days. People embrace vain things and consider reading as unprofitable, but I also think that with the right promotion and campaigns, people will buy good books.

Have you tried to introduce your books to schools?
University of Nigeria Nsukka, Igbenedion University and many others are using “The Daylight Pestilence.” I noticed that universities recommend small and cheap novels for their students and I don’t see how quality books would fare considering the cost of production? People churn out anything and feed the students and nobody cares. The government should help out here. Something should be done about the reading culture. Corporate bodies should support Nigerian writers, even as I plan to revolutionize thriller writing in this country.

What’s your take on the Nigerian literary circle?
To be candid, not much has been done. Writing in Nigeria can be quite frustrating. Publishing is high, and even at that you still have the problem of making people see your work. Marketing companies pay millions to promote musicians but no one gives a hoot about writers. We are atrophied. We are left to our fate. The amount it takes you to print 1000 copies of your book in Nigeria can be used to print 30000 copies in China. In the US, if you can secure the service of an agent, he or she takes your work to a traditional publisher who pays you royalties. For self published authors, what most of them do is push their works to Createspace who prints whatever number of copies they may need. The e-book goes to Amazon. So if you ask me I would say that not much has been done in the country.

What sets your mood for writing?
I’m an impulsive writer. I see stories in everything. Sometimes what I need to do is put pen to paper and I’m off and away. A lot of people around me saw the flair in me. It was as though everyone wanted me to write. One of my uncles introduced me into the literary world at a tender age. Another talked me into writing. My aunties made sure I finished my first novel. It has been like that.

Advice to aspiring writers?
The road is rough. Getting to your mark is not something you achieve suddenly. There are bound to be hurdles and landmines lining your paths but don’t give up. Hold on to your passion and pray to God to guide you. And don’t sit on your oars. Keep reaching out and continue to read. Let people see that you have what it takes.