I.C. Kanu is an editor, writer, and avid lover of
all things literature, having spent most of her childhood years devouring books
by her favorite authors at the time - Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene. I. C. Kanu
is a graduate of the University of Toronto with an Hons. B.A. in English
Literature and double minors in Political Science and Philosophy. When she's
not editing or reading anything in print, she's either enjoying quality time
with family and friends or parading pet stores, grinning at adorable baby
animals.
What
inspired you to write The Truth About Us?
First of all, there are two things that motivate me to write: my intense love for writing, and my desire to share. With the desire to share, my motivation lies in giving the world an opportunity to see things a little differently; perhaps it may not be the best perception, but it’s a different perspective nonetheless. I'm always looking for life topics to write about that can be reflected and pondered on, a theme so real that it resonates in the minds of readers for a long time and makes them see things a little differently than they normally would. As portrayed in most of my poems, I love to reflect and ruminate about the various things we individuals go through in life, from love and joy and happiness to pain and bitterness and suffering, and so on. And so the more I ruminated on human pain and suffering, this idea came to me and I began to wonder, what if the pain that we feel is inflicted by a loved one, someone we hold dearly? What would be the longevity of our human temperament? To what extent can our forgiving spirit go when faced with a certain truth? And thus, The Truth About Us (TTAU) was born.
First of all, there are two things that motivate me to write: my intense love for writing, and my desire to share. With the desire to share, my motivation lies in giving the world an opportunity to see things a little differently; perhaps it may not be the best perception, but it’s a different perspective nonetheless. I'm always looking for life topics to write about that can be reflected and pondered on, a theme so real that it resonates in the minds of readers for a long time and makes them see things a little differently than they normally would. As portrayed in most of my poems, I love to reflect and ruminate about the various things we individuals go through in life, from love and joy and happiness to pain and bitterness and suffering, and so on. And so the more I ruminated on human pain and suffering, this idea came to me and I began to wonder, what if the pain that we feel is inflicted by a loved one, someone we hold dearly? What would be the longevity of our human temperament? To what extent can our forgiving spirit go when faced with a certain truth? And thus, The Truth About Us (TTAU) was born.
How
long did it take you to write this book?
At first, TTAU started off as a very short story with very few pages (it had a different title then) in 2010, but like my other short stories, I hadn't really considered publishing it, so after writing a few chapters, I put it aside for a long time to focus on my full time job and other side projects. It wasn't until early 2013 that I went back to my draft, and the more I thought about the plot and what I wanted to reflect on the story, the more convinced I became to turn it into a novella, develop the story and characters, go deeper into the issue of forgiveness and human temperament, and see what happens. So to answer the question, it took me about 4 years to finally complete it.
At first, TTAU started off as a very short story with very few pages (it had a different title then) in 2010, but like my other short stories, I hadn't really considered publishing it, so after writing a few chapters, I put it aside for a long time to focus on my full time job and other side projects. It wasn't until early 2013 that I went back to my draft, and the more I thought about the plot and what I wanted to reflect on the story, the more convinced I became to turn it into a novella, develop the story and characters, go deeper into the issue of forgiveness and human temperament, and see what happens. So to answer the question, it took me about 4 years to finally complete it.
What books and
authors have most influenced you?
I’m an avid reader and I have acquired tons of favorite authors over the years;
however, two of my favorite authors still remain my most influencers: Danielle
Steel and Sidney Sheldon. I got introduced to Steel as a teenager, and I
instantly fell in love with her writing style. Steele captured my mind
with the way she weaved words that moved you to the core, the way she made you
fall in love with her characters, feel their heart ache, their pain, joy, their
every move. It's the emotions that she brought out in me that has
influenced my writing and have fueled my desire to move my readers through the
actions and feelings of my characters. Sidney Sheldon's writing style
blew my mind when I first discovered it. I was shocked,
appalled, intrigued by the somewhat abruptness of his story-lines,
the ruthlessness of some of the characters, the way they made me
laugh, cry, and laugh out loud some more, and it greatly influenced the way I interlaced
my own storyline, to create that element of shock, of excitement, of the need
to find out more.
If
you were to write in a different genre, what would it be?
Literary Fiction. In fact, my next book leans heavily on this genre, and it's definitely one of my favorite genres to read. I have been influenced enough by literary classics like Jane Austen, Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, Vladimir Nabokov, that I just couldn't keep my writing urge away from this genre for too long. I always knew that I would one day write a literary fiction. Let’s hope it shall be a success!
Literary Fiction. In fact, my next book leans heavily on this genre, and it's definitely one of my favorite genres to read. I have been influenced enough by literary classics like Jane Austen, Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, Vladimir Nabokov, that I just couldn't keep my writing urge away from this genre for too long. I always knew that I would one day write a literary fiction. Let’s hope it shall be a success!
Do you have a
current work in progress?
I do, as I mentioned earlier. I can’t really say much about it, in fact I can’t give away its title because it’s not 100 percent confirmed that I’ll be keeping its current title. But I will give a brief synopsis. It’s the story of a 15yr-old girl, Thelma, who faces a heavy loss when her parents die unexpectedly and she's left with an older brother and two younger siblings. She teams up with her brother to look after the younger ones as they struggle to live life as normal as they could. Thelma, a strong, determined and enduring young lady battles with and conquers poverty, homelessness and other adversaries as she struggles to survive and keep her family afloat. She is smart, insightful, and readers won't help but love and feel for her as they go through her trials with her. The release date of this work is yet to be determined. And it’s actually a full novel this time, not a novella.
I do, as I mentioned earlier. I can’t really say much about it, in fact I can’t give away its title because it’s not 100 percent confirmed that I’ll be keeping its current title. But I will give a brief synopsis. It’s the story of a 15yr-old girl, Thelma, who faces a heavy loss when her parents die unexpectedly and she's left with an older brother and two younger siblings. She teams up with her brother to look after the younger ones as they struggle to live life as normal as they could. Thelma, a strong, determined and enduring young lady battles with and conquers poverty, homelessness and other adversaries as she struggles to survive and keep her family afloat. She is smart, insightful, and readers won't help but love and feel for her as they go through her trials with her. The release date of this work is yet to be determined. And it’s actually a full novel this time, not a novella.
Where readers can find
your latest achievements?
The Truth About Us can be purchased on the Amazon link here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KNL0PG0. To find out more about my other books, to follow my blog,
and to know more about my writing, please visit my website at www.ickanu.com. You can also like
and follow me on my Facebook fan page here: www.facebook.com/author.ick. Also, for a limited time only, The Truth About Us will be available for FREE download between October 10-12, 2014. Save the dates and
be sure to get your FREE copy ASAP!!
Here is a sneak peek of The Truth About Us:
Aaron and Eden’s nine-year-old son
almost dies from a hit-and-run. Both parents are frantic as they fear the
worst, and they attempt to do everything in their power to ensure they don't
lose their only child. In the process of doing this, hidden truths are suddenly
revealed like an open can of worms, and both Eden and Aaron deeply wish they
could get the worms back in the can, as their marriage stands in great jeopardy
with these deep revelations. Can their marriage survive this threatening
ordeal?
Narrated in two voices, The
Truth About Us is a short but gripping read about betrayal, loss,
and the true concept of love and forgiveness.
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