Deal Sharing Aunt: Rise by D.U. Okonkwo Excerpt & Interview

About The Book

Title: Rise

Author: D.U. Okonkwo

Publisher: A Few Words Press

Publication Date: January 6, 2015

Pages: 292

ISBN: 978-0993161711 (Paperback) / 978-0993161704 (eBook)

Genre: Literary Fiction

Format: eBook (.mobi / Kindle), ePub, PDF, Amazon

The extraordinary story of how a facially-scarred and reclusive sculptress breaks free upon discovering the true source of self-esteem.

Riana “Ria” Ofor is a gifted sculptress whose beautiful creations could draw crowds. But due to the childhood accident that left her facially-scarred, she avoids selling her work publicly, instead scraping a living through online sales. But when a home repossession notice arrives, both her love for sculpting, a well as her home, suddenly come under threat.

Now she is forced to step out of her comfort zone and enter the very public world of gallery showings. When she does land a gallery contract however, she finds herself the target of a rival artist after the very same contract. And with malicious lies, he intends make her regret taking what should have been his. Now, for the first time, Ria must look to find a truth that conquers all lies.

Book Excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

Ria appreciated the beauty of the headless female sculpture standing before her. A sculpture without its head has its own particular beauty. Strong sculpted legs, intricately crafted torso and powerful shoulders; the beauty of creation.

She squatted in front of the sculpture and ran a slender hand over its flanks. The modeling clay she had chosen had done its job; its durability ensuring the legs of the sculpture came out strong and smooth, the hips gently curved. Six weeks into the making, this piece would be larger than any piece she had previously sculpted, and certainly more challenging.

Here in her art studio which spanned the basement of her small house in London’s Bermondsey, clay statues of ancient kings and queens graced the long wooden shelves resting against the studio’s ivory walls. A small sink sat at the far end against the wall beside her large white storage cupboard, and two years ago she had bought a two-seater sofa and tucked it in the far left corner. Her small stereo, which she only put on when sketching, rested on a table beside it.

Time to begin its head, she decided, and her firm full lips curved into a smile of anticipation. Creating the head was her favorite part. If the legs, shoulders and torso possessed their own particular beauty, then how she created the sculpture’s eyes, slanted its mouth, and molded the chin brought out not just beauty, but the sculpture’s personality.

Ria got to her feet. A slim young woman with close cropped tightly curled black hair; she had a delicate oval face with a beautiful dark chocolate complexion that the faded pink burn scars that ran from the apples of her cheekbones to her collarbone couldn’t mar.

She reached for her apron and tied it around the long-sleeved white t-shirt and soft faded blue jeans she’d pulled on that morning. Sculpting was arduous and messy work, but for her, one of the perks of being a full-time sculptress was that she went to work in her most comfortable clothes.

She moved to where the armature waited atop the worktable. Shaped like an egg, an armature’s rigid metal framework ensured effective structuring of a sculpture’s head.

Collecting an armful of old newspapers from the white storage cupboard in the corner she rolled them into balls then began to fill the armature with them. Once thoroughly packed she secured it in place with a small plastic bag. Next the clay. She took a moment to relish the solid yet light weight in her hand. Then, detail by detail, piece by piece, she began adding more and more clay to the stuffed plastic bag, melding and smoothing it against the bag’s slippery surface. She hummed as she worked; following the measurements she had set out when the idea had first flown into her mind. Her deft and skilful fingers, armed with her trusted sculpting chisel, manipulated the clay.

The sharp slap of the letterbox upstairs stopped her. She stretched her arms high over her head, working out the stiffness in her shoulders caused from bending over the armature. After cleaning her hands she left the studio, heading up the pink carpeted stairs to the ground floor.

She plucked the white envelope lying on the doormat. June sunlight shone through the glass panel in the front door, and the click of women’s heels sounded on the pavement outside as they made their way to work. Once the morning rush was over and it was quiet outside she’d go for her daily morning walk and think over the next steps to completing the sculpture.

Breaking the seal of the envelope, she pulled out the letter.

Dear Ms. Ofor,

Account No: 17032007-55GM Property: 55 Garden Mews

Please be informed that payment due on the above-referenced account

has not been met. We have made several unsuccessful attempts to contact you.

Our records show that your account is in arrears of £11,509.

Please make arrangements to clear the outstanding amount within 28 days or the

case will be escalated to our solicitors, whereupon they may be forced to take legal

action, resulting in the repossession of the property.

If you have since made arrangements to clear the aforementioned amount, please

ignore this letter.

About the Author

Born and raised in London, D. U. Okonkwo writes commercial literary fiction. She graduated from the University of Salford with a BSc in Business with Spanish which included an ERASMUS exchange living in Salamanca, Spain. RISE is her first novel.

To learn more about D. U. Okonkwo, visit her website at: www.duokonkwo.com She is also on Twitter @duosays, and keeps a blog at www.duosblog.com

Interview:

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I had enjoyed writing since childhood, but I realized that I wanted to do it professionally when I had the idea for RISE.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Oh it really depends on the book. The length of time it takes has so many different factors: what the book is about, it’s content, the character journey, what the character learns. S

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

On a good day, I’d get up before work and get a couple of solid hours of writing done. In that time, I can usually churn out around 700-1000 words.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Hmm, I don’t’ think I have any J

How do books get published?

I self-published RISE, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Rise is my first novel. The idea came to me while I was browsing in a bookshop years ago.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I wrote my first story when I was ten.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

When I’m not writing I’m with friends, listening to music, or catching up on my sports; I’m a big tennis fan and also enjoy football.

What does your family think of your writing?

I’m very blessed to have a super supportive family when it comes to my writing. And each of them have played a part in brining Rise into the world.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Probably how much editing, plotting and structure I’d have to do. Each time I’d thought I’d finished, there was something else to change. Also, how much I learned about the what my main character was learning was a surprise. When I began the book I believed I had a solid understanding of the themes in the book. Uh…no, I had a lot to learn.

Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?

I always say these because they help me:

1. Read a lot

2. Try and write the best book that you

3. Only send your book out into the world when it’s ready

4. Share what you learn about writing with other authors.

5. Learn as much about the publishing industry as you can.

What do you think makes a good story?

I think relatable characters, a strong storyline, a strong beginning, middle and end. And conflict. Definitely conflict.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I wanted to be an ophthalmologist. Completely different from writing, I know!

What would you like my readers to know?