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Spotlight Author in Kwee, the Liberian Literary Magazine: February 2016




D. Othniel Forte of Kwee, Liberian Literary Magazine, interviewed me about my writing and my novel Liberia’s Deadest Ends. Here is the full interview:

Liberian Literary Magazine
Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture
February Issue 0216


Author Interview 2
Spotlight Author
MARTINA NICOLLS
Liberian Literary Magazine conducted an interview with
 Martina Nicolls, an aid consultant who has worked in several troubled spots.
LLM: First, we would like to thank you for granting this interview. Let us kick off this interview with you telling us a little about yourself....
I was born in the countryside of England and my parents migrated to Australia when I was two years old. I was the second of six children. My schooling was all in South Australia. At university I graduated in mathematics and education, but I also studied English literature, Australian literature, German literature, French literature, and Russian literature. I was a schoolteacher (primary, secondary, and special education) and I worked in vocational training units of the Education Department before working in universities in Australia. For more than 15 years I have been working as a humanitarian and aid development worker in developing countries.
Why writing?
I was always reading as a child, and I have never stopped. Words and the construction of sentences fascinated me, and I was always amazed at how words could have multiple meanings. Professionally my writing was non-fiction, but when I started working overseas my friends wanted to know more about the places and cultures, so they encouraged me to write about my experiences from a fictional perspective. I started writing my first book in 2005.
What books have most influenced your life/career most?
Travelogues, biographies, and autobiographies have influenced my work and my writing, because the people I read about are strong, courageous, adventurous, and determined problem solvers in spite of many challenges. Books that span many genres and cultures are of interest to me and shape my own writing.
How do you approach your work?
With my fictional stories about different countries, I start by research and planning the outline of my book. I conjure up characters and generally organize my work in historical periods or themes. I write when I can, in between my mainstream employment, sometimes for long stretches of time and sometimes only in the evening. I always write down ideas too, as I think of them. I edit a lot – and in fact I seem to do more editing than creating.
What themes do you find yourself continuously exploring in your work?
The themes I continually explore in my writing include individuality, friendship, solidarity, charity, truth, conflict, peace, family relationships, patience, transformation, purposeful work, life challenges, and life solutions.
Tell us a little about your book[s]- storyline, characters, themes, inspiration etc.
I have written a fictional story, called Bardot’s Comet, about a female mathematician in the 1960s. My other fictional books are about countries where I have worked, such as The Sudan Curse, Kashmir on a Knife-Edge, Liberia’s Deadest Ends, and The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament. 
Liberia’s Deadest Ends is set in Liberia from 2004 to 2012 after the declaration of peace, as the country recovered economically and psychologically through stabilization programs, truth and reconciliation, and community development. Hence the characters are based on real events and situations over the many times I visited Liberia and worked there.
For me, the book is about the end of the ‘deadest ends’ (a term that the writer Graham Greene used when describing Liberia) and the beginning of its rebirth, recovery, and reconciliation. I love hippos so I also added the theme of Liberia’s hippopotamus population returning to its homeland when peace was restored. I even have a giant wooden carving of a hippopotamus in my home.
What inspired you to write this title or how did you come up with the storyline?
The title ‘Liberia’s Deadest Ends’ is a reference to the Graham Greene novel, Journey Without Maps (1936) about his travels in West Africa. When I started my research, and told people that I was writing about my work in Liberia, they would quote this phrase. It was a starting point in the novel, representing the past that is behind the country and the peaceful future that lies ahead.
Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?
I think there is a message in the Liberian book for readers around the world to take courage from challenging situations, no matter how impossible they seem, even if they seem to go on endlessly. There is an end to hardship – ‘this too will pass’ is a phrase I use often. Conflict will end and peace will endure. Liberians have learned this through extreme suffering, but they have endured and shown extreme resilience through faith, solidarity, love, family, friendships, trust, truth and reconciliation. In misfortune, loss, and in tragedy, people find their own strength, their own truth, their own inner sense of peace and comfort, by reaching within or by reaching out.
Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your book?
Life is a long journey. And as Graham Greene’s title says, it is a journey without maps. There are u-turns, wrong turns, misguided turns, intentional distractions, unintended side trips, sudden disasters, unplanned godsends, a myriad of challenges, and even dead ends. By stopping, slowing down, breathing, and being grateful for everyday life experiences, we can take each step forward on a peaceful and meaningful course.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Writing is usually a solitary experience and one of concentration and determination. Write with at least one person in mind, and don’t worry whether the rest of the world appreciates your work or not. If you write with passion, from the heart, there will be an audience.
For practical advice I think writers should be readers. Read, read, and read some more. I read books from authors of various nationalities, experiences, and ages, because every author is unique with their own interpretations of their lives. Reading gives a writer a whole larder of techniques, styles, character definitions, genres, and plots to draw inspiration and energy from.
I also believe that nature is a source of inspiration, because it emits peace and creativity. Culture is also inspirational for me - all arts, such as music, writing, drama, dance, poetry, and painting. I surround
 myself with wonderful
 people, invigorating nature, and
 beautiful art for happiness, contentment, inspiration, and creativity.
What book[s] are you reading now? Or recently read?
I am currently reading Max Tegmark’s ‘Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality’ because I love books on mathematics and science. I am also currently reading Charles Timoney’s ‘An Englishman Abroad: Discovering France in a Rowing Boat’ because I love travel stories and adventures.
Tell us your latest news, promotions, book tours, launch etc.
I have recently released my new publication, The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament, which I am promoting and publicising.

What are your current projects?
The beginning of the year is a time for me to plan my future consultancies in aid development around the world. I have also conceptualized a new book, although I have not started writing yet – I am in the research phase, so it is too early to reveal it. I can say that it is not related to a country. I am also working on my blog, Feast or Famine, which I try to update every day with news, articles, and photography.
Have you read book[s] by [a] Liberian author[s] or about Liberia?
I have read quite a few works of Liberian poetry and songs, such as Bai T. Moore’s poetry anthology called Ebony Dust, and contemporary poets, as well as Bai T. Moore’s novella Murder in the Cassava Patch.
Any last words?
May 2016 be a special year for everyone, transforming dreams into reality.


Liberia's Deadest Ends is a novel based on fact. It is about trust and truth: what or whom to trust, and when. Truth in Liberia during the civil war had become distorted, embellished, abandoned, and abused out of bravado, fear, shame, or self-protection. No one seemed to know the difference between truth and rumor anymore. The novel is set in Liberia from 2004 to 2012, after the declaration of peace and the end of two protracted and bloody civil wars: December 1989-1997 and 1999-2003. The country is recovering economically and mentally through government stabilization and services; recording Truth and Reconciliation statements of human rights violations; and the criminal trial of former president, Charles Taylor. Jorja Himmermann, an international aid worker, monitors the resurgence of education programs, peace building, community development, child labor, and the protection of former child soldiers. As the country's past truths are revealed, Jorja seeks her own truths: of elusive pygmy hippos; the burns on her driver's body; the extradition of her British friend; and her relationship with an enigmatic Moroccan journalist. It reveals whom Jorja can really trust. 
Martina Nicolls writes from her own experiences as an independent aid worker in developing countries, primarily in post-conflict countries and those with transitional or emerging governments. She advises donor agencies, provides technical assistance, and evaluates humanitarian and development programs. She lives in Canberra, Australia. Publisher's Website: http://sbpra.com/Martina Nicolls Author Websites: http://www.martinanicolls.net  and http://martinasblogs.blogspot.com  


MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).





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