Scarberryfields: Can you tell us a little about your nationality?
Habibo Haji RN: I’m from East Africa, Somalia
to be precise, where I lived until I was 14 years of age. The civil war broke
out in 1991, causing chaos over the whole country. I
immigrated to Kenya with my mother and siblings and lived in the largest
refugee camp for a total of three years before being selected to immigrate to
America.
Scarberryfields:
When you finish a novel, do you miss the characters?
Habibo Haji RN: This book is actually based on
my life experience in the refugee camp and living in a very primitive village
in Somalia as a nomad. Through my experience as a nomad, I went through many
hardships, such as rape, beating and starvation for many months and years. The story also focuses on my struggle of
immigrating to America without knowing a word of English, and how I overcame
the odds to now work at the most prestigious medical facility in the world - the
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Scarberryfields:
While writing, if you need help with punctuation, grammar, etc., where do you
turn?
Habibo Haji RN: My good friend, Joe Culhane
has been helping me throughout the writing process. Therefore, without him this
book would not be in publication. Many thanks to him.
Scarberryfields:
With the number of hours spent writing, do family members support you or
complain about the time spent away from them?
Habibo Haji RN: I have no family support,
because it’s just my 3 children and me. Therefore,
times can be tough especially with the writing process. I do want, however, to show young men and
women that with persistence and patience, you can and will accomplish many
things.
Scarberryfields:
Does writing benefit you in any way and if so, how?
Habibo Haji RN: Writing this book was very beneficial
for me because it allowed me to reexamine my life from earlier years to where I
am now. Many of the memories were not very pleasant so it allowed me to make
peace with the past and be hopeful for the future.
Scarberryfields:
When you’re writing, do you shut-off all social networks?
Habibo Haji RN: I like social networks so I
multi-task because, as you can guess, a single mom with 3 kids needs to multi-
task to get things done. I sometimes read postings in Facebook or Twitter to
get me through the day.
Scarberryfields:
Did you use any family members as Beta readers for your debut novel?
Habibo Haji RN: I have had a few friends that read
the book, which was very helpful.
Scarberryfields:
Do you feel social networking as a marketing tool, is beneficial?
Habibo Haji RN: I think social networks are a
great tool to use for marketing, because you can reach people that you would
not normally have contact with.
Scarberryfields:
What is the last book called that you completed and published?
Habibo Haji RN: Conquering the Odds, Journey of a
Shepherd Girl.
Scarberryfields: Where can readers go
to find your books?
Habibo
Haji RN: You can find
my book here:
Habibo Haji RN: http://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Odds-Journey-Shepherd-ebook/dp/B00B0QQIA4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359039046&sr=1-1&keywords=habibo+haji
This sounds very interesting...I am anxious to read your book and to learn of your life in east Africa prior to your immigration.
ReplyDelete