Which of the characters in this book were real people and which ones came from the author’s imagination? How hard was it for the author to write in the dialect of a fifteen-year-old slave girl? Who is the one person, dead or alive, she would most like to spend one hour with?
The Chronicles of Neffie is a powerful book. Which of the characters were real people and which ones came from your imagination?
Neffie herself is a combination of real-life characters. Neffie’s character is inspired by my great-grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers who were all strong women despite living during a time where slavery and racism ran rampant. My great-grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers were very strong women who refused to allow anyone to make them feel less than human or inferior just because the color of their skin happens to be of a darker hue. Massa Sanderson was a representation of my great-grandmothers’ and great-great-grandmothers’ slave masters. His character was semi-fictional. Miss Reisa was semi-fictional as well as some of Neffie’s friends. Everyone else came from my imagination, so they were completely fictional.
Which scene was your favorite?
Without giving too much of the story away, my favorite scene was when Neffie got Miss Reisa back by “screwing up” her cooking.
Which scene was the most difficult for you to write?
The most difficult scene to write was when Neffie stumbled upon her best friend getting raped.
Was there a character you hated?
Yes.
If so, which one was it?
It’s a tie between Miss Reisa and Massa Sanderson. Miss Reisa, who was a slave herself, saw nothing wrong with harming other slaves through her conniving ways and despicable lies. Sad to say, slaves like her did exist in real life and that to me is a bit unsettling. Just to know that some slaves had a part in getting other innocent slaves severely punished or whipped is quite disturbing. Massa Sanderson himself is manipulative and cruel, and he takes great pleasure in mistreating his slaves. If you thought he was cruel in this first novel series, wait until you read the second series.
How hard was it to write in the dialect of a fifteen-year-old slave girl?
To be quite honest, it wasn’t hard at all. I just tried to put myself in their shoes so I could tell the story the way they would have wanted the story told.
a young girl in the slave-trade labor force of West Africa, Women’s UN Report Network
There are going to be five more books in this series. Can you tell us anything about the other books?
Neffie is going to grow throughout the series from a teenage girl into a budding woman. She is going to encounter a number of setbacks, tragedies, and even a few triumphs, but they will all unfortunately come at a great cost.
How much research, if any, did you have to do to write this book?
I had to do some research, but for the most part, I was able to recall quite a bit from my memory. When I was growing up, my grandparents would talk about their parents and their grandparents, and I remembered a lot of their stories. I found it intriguing then and even more intriguing now.
How many other books have you written?
Three.
What are they and what are they about?
As a debut author back in 2015, I did not do my proper research when I released my debut novel Poka City Blues. Although it was well reviewed by Writer’s Digest and Readers’ Favorite, it did not receive the proper dues that it should have. The same goes for my two short stories “Spurned” and “Underneath the Pecan Tree.” With my second novel, The Chronicles of Neffie, I learned from the mistakes I’d made in past and prepared way ahead of time. I can see the proof that proper planning is essential and is the key. With over a 100+ Goodreads ratings and additional reviews that are posting on Amazon, The Chronicles of Neffie is doing well and I hope that more and more readers will read this incredible story and also share their thoughts.
When did you first have a desire to write?
Since I was a child, but I never took it seriously until I was in my late 20s.
How did you fulfill this desire?
By challenging myself in the fall of 2014 to write my first novel. Although I didn’t plan like I should have as an inexperienced independent author, I did write a story that was well received by those who did read it. I made a promise to myself that once I get a good reader base, I would re-release my first debut novel Poka City Blues.
Do you have a set time to write each day?
No.
Or do you wait to be inspired?
Absolutely. I always wait until I am inspired. I don’t like to force my writing because, in my opinion, the story won’t develop well because it is forced. I don’t like to force my writing and I don’t want to write a story that is forced.
What kind of books do you like to read?
I enjoy reading memoirs, historical fiction, and books of poetry.
How do you manage to balance your time between family, friends, and writing?
It gets a little hard sometimes, but for the most part, I tend to make it work. I don’t know why, but I write more when I get off from work. I also write a lot more on the weekends, which is usually late in the evenings.
If you could spend one hour with just one person, dead or alive, whom would you choose?
My beloved late father. Why? Because he told me before he passed on December 23rd that The Chronicles of Neffie was going to be one of my first best works, and not only that, she would touch lives. It is evident from the emails I receive and the reviews that I read from readers after they shared their thoughts in their review. I want to be able to tell him how “spot-on” he was and that he was right in everything he said.
Recommended Articles:
The Chronicles of Neffie – a Review
The Story Behind The Chronicles of Neffie – Guest Post by A. L. Gibson
