I have always been a voracious reader. I was possessed early on in life by a sense of wonder about the world and I sought to understand it by finding the answers in books. Thus in my early years, I was an indiscriminate reader. I read almost anything I could lay my hands on—not so much for my school books though.
Even though almost all books appealed to me, I was particularly interested in history. I loved to read about different peoples and their cultures, I was always excited to learn new things about the ancient world and all its mysteries. I also loved and craved novels, particularly mystery thrillers, serial killer novels, crime, and detective fiction with my least favorite genre being romance novels—I had read so many romance novels, and they all seemed to be telling the same story that I was forever put off from them.
Amongst my favorite authors were Nora Roberts, Danielle Steele, Robert Ludlum, Dan Brown, Sidney Sheldon, Agatha Christie, Chimamanda Adichie, and John Grisham.
My love for reading stories was nurtured by my mother who indulged me with story books at an early age, when I was old enough, she would give me money—and many a time I would walk miles from home to the bookstore—to go get story books myself. As I grew older my father’s inexhaustible collection of novels was there to whet my ever-growing appetite for books. I never really bought novels of my own, I just borrowed my dad’s—till this very day, I still raid his collections every chance I get.
In 2013 I came across a very fascinating book, The Shiva Trilogy—Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi an Indian author. I was immediately taken by his writing skills and prowess, he kept you at the edge of each page wanting to know what was next. His ability to neatly and seamlessly weave, history, fiction, religion, and science was unrivaled in my estimation. Perhaps another author that came close to Amish Tripathi was Dan Brown.
After reading the Shiva Trilogy, an incredibly high standard was set in my mind about novels such that when I picked up many novels after that, I put them down almost immediately because they failed to invoke in me an equal amount of mastery of writing or something surpassing what I had experienced with The Shiva Trilogy.
For years, I struggled to read novels and would read some for months never concluding them. For me The Shiva Trilogy, was the book to end all books, just as the Game of Thrones would have been the movie to end all movies, but for its disappointing ending.
So for years, I was content to believe that I wouldn’t find another author that would arouse in me similar passions as with the immortals of Meluha.
In 2020, a miracle happened, I was at my parent’s house, in usual fashion I browsed through my father’s library and picked up a book to pass time as I lay in bed, hoping I would be lulled to sleep once the book proved to be as uninteresting as I guessed, but boy was I wrong.
The book I picked up was The Burden of Proof by Scott Turrow. By the time I was done with the first chapter, I was in Nirvana. I had found what I was looking for—an author who knew how to use words skillfully. The words on the pages tasted like sweet chocolate on the tongue, they sang a symphony rivaling the genius of Mozart and Beethoven combined
I lamented, “where has this author been all my life,” when I thought I had lost a flair for reading novels, this book reminded me that I wasn’t the problem, but that I had just acquired incredibly high tastes that were extremely difficult to satiate.
I was enthralled by the way Turrow uses words like they were born from his loins or crafted in his image. I am definitely going to be reading more of Scott Turrow’s books cos, I can’t have enough of this good stuff, I’m hooked for good.
Haven read so much, both fiction and non-fiction, I have come to possess more than a decent amount of skill in writing. Writing essays, prose, poetry, and drama has been my passion since I was 16 when I penned down my first poem titled The Deity which is referenced below.
THE DEITY
Sitting atop
On your magnificently dressed throne
Clad with purple and onyx mixed with caramel
Protruding forth from your hand
A scepter
Born of justice
Formed in fairness
Your face shines
Like the feast of many moons
Your voice bellows
With the intensity of many quarrelling seas
Looking down
At the creation of your ingenuity
As the travails of a woman
Who has lost her children to Hades
I wondered at your patience
I marveled at your poise
Your heart pained
But not to be compared
With the gleam of hope
In your eyes
Siva laughed!
Brahma scorned!
But your magnanimity
Was as infinite as the universe
Only if I could see your face
Only if I could bath in the shine of your glory
Dancing to the tune of your mercy
Then shall my hope
Know no bounds
And my joy
Once gaunt become svelte.
Since this poem, I have written dozens more which I hope to publish someday. I have, however, published my debut novel titled “Hotel Shendam” which details an incredible event that takes place in a hotel lobby where a grievous crime is committed and the police have to work against time to uncover the perpetrator. sandwiched between all these thrills, is a debate on race and colonialism in Africa. One review describes Hotel Shendam as “A fun read, thought-provoking, very fair presentation of ideas, set in an area of the world where, as an American, I had no familiarity.”
I intend to get to the zenith of writing, both in fiction and in serious academic work. I am delighted to share this journey with you, my substack subscribers. That you find my writing interesting enough to have subscribed gives me the courage to continue writing. You can find my novel for order on Amazon in paperback and on kindle. It would mean the world to me, to see you have a copy of and read my novel. Link to book.
Please tell me about your favorite authors in the comments.
Charles Ekokotu (Pharm. D.) is a bibliophile, prose fiction writer, poet, and playwright. His first self-published novel, Hotel Shendam—a crime fiction novel featuring a debate on race and colonialism—is available on Amazon. A very fun read! Grab a copy now!