An interview with author, Umari Ayim. Read our review of her book, Guardian of the Fall here. Scroll down for the cover reveal of the second edition of Guardian of the Fall which will be published soon.

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

Umari: I am from Ogoja, Cross River State. I was born in Cross River State and spent some of my childhood in Niger and Lagos States. I had my secondary education at Niger State, and then went to University of Lagos where I studied law.

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

Umari: I am a lawyer and currently practice as a consultant/legal adviser for start-ups as well as established businesses.

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

Umari: I started writing at the age of nine while at boarding house. It was a way to escape the reality of being away from home and among strangers I could barely relate with. The stories and characters that lived in my head provided me the comfort I needed at the time. My vivid imagination brought on by early exposure to books was a contributory factor was well. By the time I was in my final year in Junior Secondary School, most of my notes had been converted to little novels. I would pass them around my friends. The feedback encouraged me to write more.

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

Umari: I am not currently working on any book due to work demands, but I find time to scribble stories every now and then. These stories are sometimes shared on my blog www.umariayim.com. Other times I share them on my Social Media platforms.

LE: We just reviewed the second edition of your book, Guardian of the Fall which you kindly sent to us. We are curious about why you decided to do a second edition of the book.

Umari: I wasn’t too satisfied with the first edition because I did not think the book cover captured the story or exposed it to the reader in a way that a good book cover is supposed to. Also, there were some distracting loose ends in the plot that had been overlooked and needed to be tied up. In essence, the revision was predicated upon the need to provide readers with a book that was both aesthetically pleasing and engaging to read.

LE: Lastly, what are your hobbies?

Umari: I love to read. Books are among my favourite things in the world. I read books of all genres. I am not picky. Also, if it’s in print, I am reading it. I have connected and still connect with people over books. For introverts like me, they are excellent conversation starters. You are holding a book? We are best friends now.

Cover Reveal… ta dah

New cover for the second edition of Guardian of the Fall

Umari has 8 published books:

Apartment 7

Gentlemen of the Bar

Guardian of the Fall

Ila’s Burden

Just Friends

Moshe – Diary of a Love Struck Lost Child of God

Tamisho – My Story. My Life.

Twilight at Terracotta Indigo. Listen to Mo’s audio review of this book here.

Umari is on Twitter, Facebook and has a blog.