Books and Me!

I strongly believe in the written word. I fell in love with the art of literary expression as far back as secondary school and since then, it has been a complete love story. My love for the written word knows no limitation. I have hero worshipped geniuses like Shakespeare since forever. I believe that books have been important in preserving the cultural heritage of the human race, and this is especially true in Africa. African writers like Ngugi wa Thiongo, Mariama Ba, Kenneth Kaunda, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and even Chimamanda Adichie have found a way to lead us back to our roots with their fabulous penmanship. Books helped me understand worlds that were beyond my reach from Peter Abraham's "Tell Freedom" to Maya Angelou's "I know why the caged bird sings", I have looked beyond the shores of my country and have seen and heard the sounds of strange worlds. I owe my world view to these writers who sacrificed everything including their personal freedom to share their lives with me.

"Twilight at Terracotta Indigo" started as a small note that kept me busy whenever I found myself with too much time on my hands till I found myself spinning a suspense novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading afterward. Strange, isn't it?

Ever conscious of the social problems in Nigeria, I wanted to address the societal challenges faced by millions of Nigerian but yet I also wanted to entertain my readers. I wanted them to ponder on the evils of human nature and at the same time give them a reason to keep turning pages. And as I receive positive feedback plus generous compliments coming from those who have read the book, I believe it is safe to say, I did it!!!


Twilight at Terracotta Indigo can be purchased at the following Bookstores in Nigeria

Debonairs Bookstore 294 Herbert Macaulay Street (opposite Hoares Memorial Methodist Church), Sabo Yaba, Nigeria

NaijaSistas Bookstop 26 Festival Road off Adetokunboh Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria

The hub media stores, The palms, Shoprite. Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.

lifestyle store, Silverbird Galleria, Central Area, Abuja, Nigeria

"Twilight at Terracotta Indigo" can also be purchased via Amazon kindle - http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=twilight+at+terracotta+indigo&x=0&y=0



Short excerpt of the novel TWILIGHT AT TERRACOTTA INDIGO


MARLENE SAT in her office staring into space. An open book laid flat on her table, the tip of the pen in her hand pointing at an empty line in the page of the book. A soft knock on the door caused her to raise her head up. The pen fell unnoticed from her hand.
“Come in!”
A stocky man entered into the office, a pink measuring tape draped round his neck like a thin snake. Marlene recognized him as one of the head tailor Mary was talking about some days ago. She remembered that her manager called him Peter.
“Good afternoon Peter,” she said in reply to his quiet greeting. The man smiled uneasily,
“Sorry to disturb you ma,” he said bowing. “You have a guest downstairs in the reception area waiting to see you.”
“Where is Mary?” she asked, trying to hide her alarm. She was beginning to depend on her talkative manager to intercept visitors, or customers she didn’t know anything about.
“She went out for lunch, and everyone else is busy with clients.”
Marlene looked at the intercom sitting on her desk, wishing she could call the reception downstairs to ask them to discharge whoever had come looking for her. She shrugged before the tailor noticed anything unusual about her behaviour.
“Let the person in,” she said, pushing aside the client book she had been staring at since she came to the studio that morning.
“Ok.”
Marlene didn’t have to wait long before her guest walked in. She looked in surprise at the man approaching her desk with a big smile in an open friendly face. He was tall and handsome, and wore a suit that fit him like a second skin. He took the chair across without invitation.
“Hello! I have almost forgotten what you look like.”
“Hi,” Marlene answered, feeling her palm beginning to sweat as she fidgeted for the lack of courage to ask him who he was. This was the challenge of leaving the security of the house. She had to pretend that there was nothing wrong with her.
“Hey! Is that how you greet your friends now?” the man teased, still smiling at her. Marlene shook her head and offered him a weak smile.
“I am sorry, but I am afraid I don’t know you” she said, finding her tongue. Shock flitted across the man’s face before it was replaced by an open mouthed look.
“You don’t know me?” he asked, head cocking to the side as his fingers tapped his chin thoughtfully. The intensity in his eyes made her look away more often than she would have liked.
“Yes.”
“Marlene, you have been acting very strange these days,” he said slowly. “What is going on?”
The office began to feel too small, and Marlene’s heart picked up a bit. “I don’t know,” she said, looking through her glassy office at the open space where her sketch table was. I need Mary!
He laughed in disbelief, looking at her as if she were a ghost. “Are you serious about this?”
“Yes.”
The laughter died on the man’s face. “I thought you were being funny when I called you the last time, but I am not so sure anymore.”
Marlene suddenly realized who he was. Sherrie! The similarity of his voice with the man who had been calling her almost every day since she first called him became clear. This is the man I had an affair with?
“I have a problem with recalling things,” she admitted stiffly. She could not imagine what she saw in him. Femi was more her type.
“I am your boyfriend,” he said in a husky voice, sounding wounded at the same time. “We are dating.”
“But I am married,” she told him, feeling the accusing weight of the wedding ring on her finger. He sighed as he settled back into his seat. “Marlene, I don’t understand what is happening right now, but if you are serious about not being able to recall things, then you must know that we are in a relationship.”
Marlene shook her head in defiance, unwilling to accept the final evidence of her infidelity.
“You were going to leave your husband.” The man held her eyes in a hypnotic gaze as he spoke. “He lied and treated you badly. He was having an affair.”
“How do you know?” she asked, refusing to meet his eyes. She wanted to call the man’s bluff, but somehow found herself asking questions.
“You told me when you found out about it last month.”
As much as it was difficult to trust Femi, Marlene just couldn’t bring herself to trust the man in her office. He reached across and took her hand on the table. “Has your husband gotten a doctor for you?”
“Yes he has,” she said, looking at his hand against her own and feeling every inch the adulterer. She moved her hand slightly to dislodge his hand and he complied, pulling back into his seat
“I wonder what stories he is feeding you now.”
Marlene held herself up. “I am sorry, but I don’t see why I should trust you just because you claim to know me.”
“You trusted me before.”
His words brought back the dreams about the strange man who she associated with the person called Sherrie. Did I really trust you? The question crossed her mind as she sat looking at him. He was suddenly on his feet and by her side.
“Your husband has not been treating you right these past months, but you were happy with me,” he said, his face so close to her own that his breath fanned her face. Marlene lowered her eyes. “I have always gone the extra mile for you Marlene. I am the one you should trust.”
His fingers grazed her cheek as he spoke. She jerked away from his hand. “Please, don’t touch me,” she said, hating herself for sounding so feeble. The man strengthened to his full height. “Goodbye sweetie. Call me when you are ready to talk.”
Then he left her desk and walked away from her to the door, a small swagger in his steps. Stunned by the man’s words, Marlene laid her head on the desk and counted to ten till the storm passed. She raised her head again and inhaled deeply. Checking the clock on the wall, she was unhappy to see that it was just two in the afternoon. She could not wait to go home. So much for wanting to find out about her past!