Getting to Know The Author: Oumar Dieng

Getting to Know The Author:
Oumar Dieng

By: Brittany Perez ( Oh My Bookness )
@ohmybookness
Bperezbookreviews@gmail.com
June 5, 2015

Thank you for agreeing to this interview Mr.Dieng, first off could you give us a brief introduction to you as a writer?

Q. What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

My Family and the relationships that I managed to maintain and continue to build over the years with various people I have met.

Q. What authors do you like to read? What book or books and or authors have a strong influence on your writing and choices to write within certain genres?

Growing up, I was influenced by Victor Hugo, Agatha Christi and Mark Twain. I have a hard time confining myself to a certain genre. I published a children’s book and a poetry book. But I also have a parenting book coming out in 2015 and a young adult fiction in the works. I write based on how inspired I feel. If it happens to be a sci fi short, I ran with it.

Q. When did you realize you wanted to be author?

I realized I wanted to be an author when I was 11 years old. My father died of a stroke and my way of coping was to write short stories and poems. By age 13, I really got into it and started writing because I enjoyed the creative process.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I see myself still writing in 10 years and beyond. I will be in a place where I continue to help fellow and aspiring authors a lot more so they can get their work out there.

Q. What is your favorite part and least favorite part of the publishing/writing process?

My favorite part is seeing a book in print because I can think back to when the process started with a simple idea that I had while in the shower or jogging. To see that idea come to life, in a manner of speaking, is very fulfilling. My least favorite part is the sheer amount of work it takes to promote your work, especially if you are self published. It takes a lot of planning and discipline to get from conception to launch.

Q. Is there a Subject you would never write about as a author? If yes, what is it? If No, why?

As a writer, feeling comfortable is part of the creative process. If I feel uncomfortable about a topic, it affects my writing. So I stay away from topics that cross moral and ethical boundaries or could be perceived as hateful or disrespectful to a person or persons.

Q. Do you read your reviews? How do you deal with good and bad reviews? What's your advice to other authors and upcoming writers with dealing with bad reviews?

Yes, I do read the first reviews I get. I do read the bad reviews too. Bad reviews are not necessarily a bad thing. If a review is sincere and accurate, it can be an opportunity to improve your work. If someone leaves a bad review, I try to not take it personally. Instead, I remain impartial and analyze what they said and why. If I find that it has merit, I will make adjustments. If not, I just move on without taking it personal. If you try to please every reader, your writing will never be consistent; be true to your style and stick with it.

Q. What is your best marketing tip?

Start promoting your book at least 6 months before it comes out. I have a webinar series on my blog where I talk about promotion strategies and lead time for each strategy. Build a list of people who are interested in the book and stay in touch with them. If you can pre-sell the book, do it. This strategy works very well when it is done at book signings and book expos.

Q. Is there a certain type of scene for you to write than others? Ex.Love, action, racy, murder, etc.

I particularly like to describe scenery. I enjoy the process of visualizing the scene and turning the visuals into words that will convey what I see in my head. When I write a scene, it is like I am already there and just need to describe what I see, feel, smell, do and hear.

Q. How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the project. But generally between 6 months to a year, if I manage to focus on one project only.

Q. When did you write your first book and around what age were you? When did you first get published? What was your first novel, essay, or short story to get published? My first poetry short got published in 1995 as a result of being one of the top 3 finalists in a national poetry competition.

I wrote my first book at age 15 but did not publish it. It was an autobiography. Crazy, right!? A year later though, I produced a collection of poems to ease my way into the publishing world.

Q. What do you think makes a good story?

A good story has to be entertaining first and foremost. After that, it needs to be creative, unique and reflect the author’s style. But most of all, it has to be written with the reader in mind. People read books to escape, therefore they should be transported to a world they could not have imagined themselves.

Q. When did your first, without any hesitation call yourself a writer?

I always felt I was a narrator and a storyteller first but after I won a price in a competition at 16, I embraced the appellation of writer.

Q.what is your least favorite part about the writing process?

It absolutely is the formatting process. To get a good first draft, the story has to be not only stitched together but formatted even at a minimum along with page numbers, layout, etc… Since I do my own formatting, it takes a while to go through it all. In fact for my upcoming young adult novel, Sali and the Five Kingdoms, I will have someone else do the formatting and layout so I can focus on what I enjoy doing: writing.

Q. Describe your writing style in 10 words or less?

I tend to be a little too meticulous while I develop the characters and the locations/worlds. To overcome that, I have learned to just write the story and let the characters emerge on their own. In other words, the first time I write about a character in a scene, the reactions that I give to the character and how I felt about the reaction determines what type of character they become.

About a book:
The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow:

Q. What were your goals for The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow? How well do you feel you achieved them?

My primary goal was to write an entertaining story that would challenge the reader from a vocabulary standpoint so that they would pick up a dictionary and discover or re-discover a new word. Having read some of the review, I believe I achieved that goal.

Q. Can you give a brief description of the book?

A ruthless suburban cat that terrorizes all animals reigns supreme at a farmhouse, until a faithful day when he meets an unexpected foe. An extraordinary journey begins, revealing a hidden and wondrous world that spans the four corners of the earth. Everything changes…

This Children’s book is the first in the "Griot Tales" series. The book seamlessly infuses educational and fun facts while maintaining children's interest in the storyline.

Q. What did you find the most challenging about writing the book The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow?

Adapting the storytelling format I wanted to use in a way that would make sense to readers was more challenging than expected. But I think I found the right formula in the end.

Q. What genre is The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow?

It’s a Children’s book but I think of it as a hybrid type of book because it is written in a way that even adults would find the story entertaining.

Q. Why this particular genre for this book?

I grew up listening to amazing stories and folktales passed on by generations. Those stories really challenged my imagination growing up. I wanted to tell a story of my own that would have the same effects on others.

Q. What was the inspiration behind the novel The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow?

The inspiration came from the fact that I wanted to use a Senegalese style of storytelling which always includes an element of intrigue, some sort of self-discovery journey and a lesson learned at the end.

Q. What was your inspiration for the characters? Can you give a little insight into them? What about them would draw the reader in, catch their interest?

The inspiration for the characters was intrigue really. I wanted to use animals because the story felt more like a fable with animals in it. There is also the fact that I had a cat that died around the time I had the idea to write the book. He was big, fluffy and very fearful of anything out of the ordinary. Many people don’t know that the names of my characters actually have a hidden meaning. For instance, I have a character named Tegrof, he is very forgetful and odd. His name backwards spells “forget.” Another character, “Magby” is wise and solemn. His name means “the elder” in Wolof (a west African language).

Q. What did you like most about writing this book?

I enjoyed bringing originality to, not only the story, but the way it is structured. It is very different from how many other tales are written.

Q. What was your least favorite part about writing this book?

I think my least favorite thing about writing it was having to change the vocabulary to make it fit a certain grade level, which is an important part nonetheless.

Q. What challenges did you run into when writing The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow?

I had a poor editor in the first round of edits and I wish I had gotten a different editor sooner. So when my advanced copies went out, there were issues with the manuscript still. I finally got a different editor who did a great job. But that initial issue cost me a considerable amount of time and money.

Q. Can you give us a brief except from the book to give readers a taste of what to expect?

Sure, here is an excerpt:

Much to Silky’s surprise, Tegrof says, “To get home, you must cross Lava Valley.”

“Lava Valley?! What is that?” asks Silky.

“I can’t say any more,” says Tegrof, turning his back on Silky.

Silky taps Tegrof’s shoulder to get his attention. Tegrof jumps, startled by the cat’s presence.

“You scared me! Who are you?” the lizard asks.

“What do you mean ‘who are you?!’ I am Silky the cat. You know, from Minnesota. I just introduced myself to you.”

“You did?”

“Well, yes. Yes, I did!”

“Sorry. My memory is not what it used to be since I got stuck in this valley.”

He points to Lava Valley, a vast area of cooled lava flow covering the entire valley floor. “There was fire everywhere, everywhere I tell you!”

Q. What was the hardest thing about writing The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow?

I had an extra character that I decided to cut out of the final version of the book. That somewhat affected my approach psychologically. I feel as though the book is missing a character.

Q. Overall do you feel The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow is successful in its plot development, character development, overall just a successful novel in your own opinion?

I believe so. I wanted the book to be short but not too short. Hence, the character development had to be somewhat deep but not too deep to be out of balance with the story. Each character has unique traits that make the story believable.

Q. If there is anything you would change about the book if you had a chance?

If I had to redo it, I would do away with the illustrations and make it a chapter book.This is because, there is a lot more story to be had from these characters. I am considering a sequel to this particular book. But the good news is that it is part of a series; more books will certainly follow.

Q. Did you use any references to help write The Cat Who Was Afraid of His Shadow?

I did some research mainly to confirm that my geographical references were correct and that my characters made sense in their respective envrionments.

Q. Tell us a little bit about the main cover for Cat Lost His Shadow, give insight behind the inspiration for it? How did it come about?

The cover came into focus after I decided to have the cat’s story be told in a bucolic setting. A barn was a natural element to add, then I toyed with the title to incorporate a “spooky” vibe into the cover to show the cat’s reaction to its own shadow.

Q. who designed the book cover? Were you involved in the creative process?

The designer was a freelancer I hired. Yes, I was very much involved in the process. I knew exactly what I wanted the cover to look like. But I allowed the designer to take some liberties with the interpretation of the cover.

Q. do you believe the cover plays an important role in the buying process?

Absolutely! A good book cover is a must. Never, ever try to create a book cover on your own. That would be a big mistake: people do judge a book by its cover.

Q. In what for formats is your book available?

The book is available in audio format, ebook, epub, mobi and on print.

Last But Not Least:

Q. Any advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

To aspiring writers, I would say to not cut corners on the publishing process. Get a professional editor and a professional cover designer. And make sure to start promoting your book long before you publish it. On average, it takes about 5 books before you start seeing good results, so make sure you want to do this.

Q. What are you working on right now? Anything?If so what is it called?What is it about?When can readers look forward or reading it?

I have 3 projects going currently: a self help parenting book called “Raising Perfect Children” and a poetry book called “Savannah Sun: Inspirational Poems from a Son of Africa.” Both books will be out later this year.

A young adult novel, my first, will come out in 2016. It is called “Sali and the Five Kingdoms”

Q. Is there anything add I did not go Over?

No. You were very thorough.

Q. how can readers discover more about you?

I am very active on social media but you can visit my blog and sign up for my newsletter to get updates from me every 2 to 3 weeks. Or just send me a message.

-website

http://Oumardieng.com

-blog

http://Oumardieng.com

-Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/GriotTales

-Twitter

https://twitter.com/odieng

-linkedin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/oumardieng

-Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com/oumardieng