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An Interview With Benjy Ikimi

Tell us a bit about yourself. What would you like us to know about you?

Well, I am 19 years old and currently in University. But, I am aspiring to become an author/actor/filmmaker and musician all in one.

I really don't like school that much as I am not one that likes to be bound by rules. I am always eager to collaborate with like-minded people on creative projects such as stories, comics or animation pieces. That is my life and oxygen...creativity.

What are you doing now? (Career? Married? Single? Children? Pets?)

At the moment I am singular person looking for a way to earn money and form a creative company for the various arts.

What is your favourite food?

Pounded yam and egusi soup (Nigerian Meal)
Pepperoni Pizza

What is your favourite colour?

Blue and Black are tied

What is your favourite sound?

The sound that Rage Against The Machine (Musical Band) create.

Who is your favourite person?

Too many to narrow down to one.

What is your favourite place?

Not really in this world. Some fantasy place where you can sleep all day.

What is your favourite memory?

Watching The Matrix Reloaded for the first time in the Cinema.

What is your favourite article of clothing?

My hat.

What is your favourite word?

Feel- it's incredible how one word encompasses so much.

What is your favourite writers' quote and why?

'You aim too high; but that doesn't mean you should aim any lower' Segun Kadire

What is your most favourite quality about yourself?

I am very different from most people.

What is the least favourite quality about yourself?

I am far too un-social.

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?

I would love to go to a cloud and look down at the world from up high.

What inspires you to write and why?

Matrix Reloaded, the bad things in Life and comics. Well, Matrix Reloaded gives me that energy while comics gives me that creativity. The bad things in life forces me to address them in a fictional format.

What is your favourite book and why?

Aesop's Fables. So many tales that are a perfect analogy of scenarios that occur in my life and in others.

What is your favourite genre and why?

Fantasy. I am an anti-realist and I aspire to see how far my imagination can be pushed.

List your three favourite authors (any genre) and why?

Alan Moore
Frank Miller
Brian Jacques

Alan Moore and Frank Miller are geniuses behind the pen. Their quality of writing is an inspiration and is unstoppably attractive.
Brian Jacques is a very fun writer that always keeps a smile on the reader's face.

What do you think makes a writer successful?

I think, it's the ability to keep the reader interested by good quality writing but most importantly, the ability to paint new kinds of images in the minds of the reader. A writer's success for me is based on their ability to construct a story that can be enjoyed and understood in any time-frame.

Whta is it that makes you successful as a writer?

I'm not too sure, maybe it's my willingness to be different and stand out from the crowd. Maybe...

What are your goals as a writer?

To always create something new, something that others have never seen before. To try and push the boundaries and keep the artistic medium of story-telling refreshing.

What is the best tip you can give to fellow writers?

I think the one thing I can say is to not be afraid of being too diverse or alternative. You should try your best to really create something memorable, exciting and new.

What do you hope to provide your readers with through your writing?

A learning experience, a new experience, a fun experience and a brief escape from the troubles of the real world.

List your three favourite online writer-resource sites and why (include URLS).

www.writersforum.com- You get some good feedback here
www.spoiledink.com- A good way of attracting readers to your writing and building up a fan base
www.writersintouch.com- You get some interesting feedback from this site that does help you.

If you have published a book, tell us about your publishing success (title, publishing date and company, where it is available to purcahse).

I recently published my first book called 'Pessions' in late 2005. It was published by Sanbun Publishers in India.

The story of how my book got published is quite extraordinary. I was sitting in my room one day and just came up with a concept of a world that had different coloured snow. It really interested me and I knew I had to write something about it. Then, I remembered when I read aesop's fables when I was younger. I loved the stories so much that I wanted to merge that idea into a book. So, I decided to start writing this story. There were problems on the way and I wasn't too sure whether I would finish it. I mean, at this stage, I was doing it just for fun. I had never written a story from beginning to end before which was why I was determined to finish this story. So, I just forced myself to finish the book on one Sunday and then it was completed.
To tell you the truth, I was just happy that I had written my first ever story in my life. I sent it to various publishers, not expecting to really get any replies. Many publishers either did not reply or were not interested in taking my book for publishing. Then, I got an email from Sanbun Publishers who wanted to read more after looking at my sample. Then, after they offered me the contract, the rest was history.

At the moment now, we are trying to get orders from bookshops but since I am a new author in India, it is hard for me to break into the new market. I'm just hoping I have a few lucky stars left in the reserve tank.

If you want to purchase the book, you can contact the publisher via email at sanbunpublishers@hotmail.com

How long did it take you to write your book(s)?

It took about a week to actually write the whole story.

What would you do differently if you could repeat the same publishing experience?

I don't think I would have done anything differently. I did all that I really could for the resources that I had.

What have you learned about the publishing world?

Well, i've learned that it's not kind at all to new writers. It seems that publishers want books that will sell in huge numbers rather than take a chance on something different and interesting from a new writer. I have found this un-fortunate as I have to now look at biographies of super-models on the front shelf.

This is your chance to 'Talk Back' to your readers. What would you like to say to them?

Well, any readers out there, I say you should pick up that pen and scribe that memorable story that all of us authors, readers, filmmakers, comic artists and average folk want to read.

What's the one thing that you want them to know about your writing?

I try to make my writing as interesting as possible. I never want the reader to be bored. I try to position myself in the mind of a reader and write from that view-point. I just hope for every page to grip the attention of them.

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