A Beautiful Wilderness (ABW) is Keanu Omira’s Story of redemption. It’s inspirational fiction and is set somewhere between the present and the future. If you have read the book then you probably know that already.
Here are 10 things you didn’t know about A Beautiful Wilderness (ABW)….
1) WHAT INSPIRED ME TO WRITE THIS BOOK
Early one morning on my way to work, I was stuck in traffic and found myself on the same spot a whole 20 minutes. The time passed very slowly as I found myself drawn to a lame beggar settled beside the road, all set up for the morning. Several thoughts filled my mind as I watched what must have been his daily routine for many years in the past and probably for many years to come.
I began to imagine that, in any set of even slightly different circumstances anyone of us could have been in this man’s shoes; different parents, different country, different side of the town. Then I realized that I am where I am today just by the grace of God and I became thankful to God.
My imagination ran wide and wild and within those 20 minutes, the story line for this book was created and fully formed in my mind.
2) IT HAS A PARALLEL TOUCH POINT STORY LINE WITH ONE OF THE MAJOR STORIES IN THE BIBLE.
Try looking through the book of Daniel and you should be able to hazard a guess as to which one.
3) ABW TOOK ME 3 YEARS TO COMPLETE.
I started late in 2010 and rounded it up in Dec 2013. That is a long time in anyone’s writing career, but I did want to get the story development, flow and presentation as near perfect as possible.
4) ABW WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL TITLE I HAD IN MIND
The original title at the development stage of ABW was ‘Mirror on the wall’. But then I noticed that each time I picked up the manuscript the word – Snow White popped in my mind. That gave me an indication that the title was just wrong.
I eventually chose ‘A Beautiful Wilderness’ as I was rounding up the first draft, for the love of its originality, the play on words and the conflict it presented.
5) GOLDEN
I’ve never owned a dog but ABW has one that is full of life and is a bonafide member of the Omira family. He is a Golden retriever and it actually took me days to research on what his features and personality would look like. By the time I was through, I wanted to own a dog. *Smile*
6) WHAT IS HOMELESS LIKE?
How do I know what homeless is like? Many years ago, I would drive by a real life homeless settlement under a real life bridge on my way to work every morning. I studied and studied the activities of this Lagos colony. One fateful day I even experienced what it was like to be the victim of a robbery attack. A team of 4 young men shattered the windows of my car on the highway, snatched my bag and casually walked away to the car behind me. If all that wasn’t enough to feed my imagination then I wonder what else would be.
7) MIDNIGHT BLUE
I was in church one Sunday, when a friend told me the color of her hat was midnight blue. Both the colour and the name sounded so exotic and I immediately stored it away in memory knowing I would use it somehow in my next book.
8) WHICH CHARACTER IN THE BOOK IS THE AUTHOR MOST LIKE?
That has to be Bisi Sanders. I have been told that I can be prim, proper and panicky just like her.
9) HOW IS THIS BOOK DIFFERENT FROM MY PREVIOUS BOOKS
I think one major area is that ABW showcases some of the real struggles and temptations that even dedicated Christians face on a daily basis. For example, Cathy, a growing Christian who professes to love God, found it difficult to properly handle the challenges with her husband.
10) JACK
Jack is one of the minor characters in ABW and I found him to be such a lovable and unpredictable gentleman. He crept into the story during one of the early re-writes and I immediately fell in love with his character. I can’t let him go just yet, so I plan to write Jack’s story sometime in the very near future.
Interview by Hope.Dreams.Life.Love on http://elainepcantrell.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-beautiful-wilderness.html
