Interview with Stephanie Odili

Hello. Can you introduce yourself and what you do?

Hi, my name is Stephanie Chizoba Odili. I am a novelist and the author of Deafening Silence.

When did you start writing?

I started writing when I was 7 years old officially.

What has been your biggest challenge in the industry?

I would say it’s getting people to actually read.

Do you have a role model in your career? Who?

I have lots of people I look up to in my career as a writer. But I’ll start by saying the very first person. Back to when I was 9 years old- Buchi Emecheta of blessed memory.

What kind of books do you most identify with or love writing?

I love writing fiction and I identify with any book that has depth and is very captivating.

What is your source of inspiration?

There beautiful people and things God has created have in one way or another inspired me.

Describe a real life situation that inspired you ?

I woke up one morning at my grandmother's house in Enugu. I sat on the bench outside. I admired the red ground, the naked children playing, the smell of rain, the feel of the outdoor. So much more. As I breathed it all in, I knew that I needed to write about it. Eventually this inspiration was featured as a chapter in my novel.

What do you like and dislike about your work

I like that it allows me to think and learn. I like that it makes me travel with my mind and thoughts, that it let’s my imagination become free. I don’t like that people sometimes under-appreciate writing and don’t pay for services as they should.

Professionally, what’s your goal 5 years from now ?

To have fully established myself as one of Nigeria's celebrated novelist and poet. To have opened the office for my publishing company. To have made a record breaking difference with my patriotic activism.