An interview with Nkem Akinsoto. Read our review of her book, A Love Rekindled here.

LE: Hello Nkem, please tell us a bit about yourself.

Nkem: My name is Nkem Akinsoto (pen name Myne Whitman) and I’m from Asaba, Delta State but grew up and went to school in Enugu and Anambra States (NAU – Unizik for University).

LE: What do you do for a living? Is writing your full time job?

Nkem: The decision to send my work out into the world matured around the middle of 2009. I had just recently moved to the United States and being unable to work at first, I joined a writing group, started a blog, and people seemed to like what I had to write about. A few years ago, I went back to a career in public health and I currently work full time for an academic medical center in Seattle, USA.

LE: When did you start writing and what prompted it?

Nkem: I’ve been writing for a very long time, well, since I was about 11 or so. Unfortunately, most of those scribbles were lost when we moved cities. I started writing seriously around my third year in university studying Biological Science, took a break for work and further studies, published a couple of books and now taking another break.

LE: Are you currently working on any book and if you are, what is it about?

Nkem: The book I’m working on now is about a woman who has just clocked the big 30 and has to determine whether marriage is the next step in her life as everyone one around her expects. Being seduced by a local lothario during a vacation to Nigeria does not make this decision any easier. This book is taking time so not sure when it will be ready.

LE: Good to know. We’ll look forward to it. Lastly, what are your hobbies?

Nkem: I love reading novels for fun, travelling, hanging out with my husband and other friends, watching TV and movies, playing board games as well as biking and hiking in good weather.

Nkem has three published books:

A Love Rekindled

A Love Rekindled was also published as two books; Love’s Beginning and Love’s Second Chance

A Heart to Mend

A Heart to Mend was also published as two books; Love Happens and Love Battles

A Kind of Bravery

Nkem is on Facebook, Twitter and has a blog.