Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
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Exclusive Interview with
John Monyjok Maluth
When did you start writing?
I started writing since 2002 when I was 19. It was back in the Magang (Malual Ding) village in South Sudan. I used exercise books and pens. I didn't know about computers until 2006. I began to use a computer later on in 2010.
What makes writing your passion?
Life. I believe life is a planned chance, an opportunity to live once. As I live, I learn. As I learn, I teach/share information. As I share valuable information, I serve. What can I leave behind when I die? There you go!
How long have you been writing?
22 years. But I started publishing books in 2012, and that's when I became and author. I used CreateSpace publishing first before I stumbled on Amazon KDP.
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
It was joyful! I made it at last. This was so true because I never wanted to selfpublish. But the publisher I knew made me try self-publishing, and I am not regretting it 12 years later.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
Ah, my main character, Panyim is my childhood name, a name believed at the Eastern Jikany community to belong to a beast that used to feed on humans during the rainy seasons a long the Sobat River (named by the British, since the river was so bat to cross due to water plants in it).
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
Publishers. They disappointed me. They couldn't tell me what I needed to do before they could publish my first book, The Scarification. Next, lack of sales after doing it takes to create a book that I believe can change the world, one person at a time.
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
Ah, I don't this I know what that means. I don't have anything called 'writer's block' because I write whenever I want to. I don't force it when I have nothing to write. But, hey, life has more to throw at me that I can't think of not having ideas at all. I can't have time to write it all. I have now published 100 books, and I can say I am just beginning.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
Purpose. I know I have to write even if it means writing for myself. I love reading my own works more than anyone else, I guess. The reason for everything I write encourages me to keep going. That's my fuel. Writing is my best way to talk to people as an introvert.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Curiosity. I would tell myself to keep going into the forest, listen to birds, wind, tree leaves, and nature in general. I live better when in a solitude. I love nature!
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
I do. I also have bad ones on Amazon. At first, I felt bad. Later on, I realized it was more about the person who wrote them, not me or my work. That's how I now react to it. I don't mind what they write. That's what they think. They're free to think the way they think.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Great. I love it, especially if I think it's honest. Good dishonest reviews are like a tobacco in the eye. Someone may later find out, and that could backfire. I look forward to honest reviews to help me correct things, if need be.
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Yes, my first novel is actually a fictional version of my autobiography: Life Cure. It captures my Autobiography Series very well, and in one book. I have ten (10) books in this series.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
Panyim! He's is myself in my books. He has his bad and evil sides. Nyakor was my childhood girlfriend, not a girlfriend as such, but a friend girl because she was a girl. She was more than a sister to me. She's one of my main characters I love, too after Panyim.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
I seem to be cover blind. I am not that visual. I think a good book cover can mislead readers. It matters what's in the book, not what's on the cover. That's hard to believe, but this is how I see it. However, book covers are important because about 98% of potential readers still judge a book by its cover, not by its content. I check the table of contents instead.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
Yes, I connect with them on my website and social media (WhatsApp and Facebook). I would like to connect with them more often. However, I hate phone calls. I prefer chatting.
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
I love it, but I don't depend on it 100% Why? Because people might not always mean what they are saying. Jesus, too, never trusted public oppinion. I appreciate it, but that doesn't determine what I do. I will still write even if nobody reads or appreciates my works.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
Wayne Grudem: he writes in a simple language. I love Dr. Neil T. Anderson, too. I love several authors.
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
Well, I would love the world to read my works, but I dream to inspire the next generations even more than the current one. I hate it when humans think they are educated yet they still fight against each other for unknown reasons and purposes: Israel-Hamas, Ukraine and Russia, etc.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
Yes, I have been doing that for several reasons: to correct something BIG. Language also changes over time, especially for me whose English is my 4th language. I also used AI tools to correct my English, but not to change my voice as an author.
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
I never thought about doing that as I believe I am the only me on the face of the earth, which keeps me writing regardless. I can't think of wishing to become someone else. This is against my philosophy.
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
As I said earlier, I don't mind about them at all. They are free to think the way they do for their own reasons and purposes. I can't stop them. However, I would encourage every reader to first read my works themselves before they make up their minds based on what they read online about me and my works.
What would you say to your readers?
Ah, I love them! They support me much more even though I can still write without them. I write for myself at first. I am a reader first, and a writer second. However, they are my supporters, my backbone, and I need them to affect and impact the world through my pen.
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I am a South Sudanese, living in Juba with my wife, Elizabeth. I have 8 children. I struggle to feed them and send them to school. However, I am glad for being a father, and a husband.
What is your day job if you have one?
I work as an IT Officer with Yo' Care South Sudan (yocare.org). I manage their website, webmail, communication system, and more. I also fix common computer errors, install apps, Windows, antivirus, and restore lost data. I love IT work!
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
Computing. Walking around in the bushes. I love animals and I try to talk to them. They seem to notice that.
Did you have a happy childhood?
Yes, deep in the villages. I was in touch with nature as a child. Most of my childhood life knew nothing about money, sweets, sugars, balls, modern dolls, and much more. I used to play with the soil and dirt. Loved it!
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
Yes. It was about how people live their lives out of purpose. I thought people ought to live in peace and harmony with each other. But born and raising during war, my experience was the opposite: intertribal conflict. I wished life was better than that. Thus, I started to think differently than most people.
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
Yes, many short stories are unpublished as for this time I wrote this answer. They are about many things: nature, people, animals, etc. Imagine if Israelis and Palestinians live in peace with each other. What if there is no more wars and conflicts in the world? Yes, speculative fiction.
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
I think competent-based curriculum is a must-have for every country. I believe in principle, purpose, and potential for each child. Principle in this case means the laws in which something must operate. Humans must remain attached to their source, their Creator, without religious rituals. That's vision for a child. I can explain more if asked.
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
1. Sell 100 books or more per day. 2. 90% of my readers should read the books. 80% of my readers should understand and apply lessons learned.
What is your favorite music?
Gospel music: Bill Gaither.
Share a secret with us 🙂
In the ancient city of Nasir, where the moonlight dances upon cobblestone streets, there exists a forbidden library. Its shelves sag under the weight of forgotten knowledge, and its corridors echo with the whispers of long-lost sages.
Deep within, guarded by a spectral librarian, lies the Codex of Ephemeral Truths. Its pages shimmer like liquid stardust and each word pulses with the heartbeat of forgotten civilizations. Here are a few secrets it reveals:
1. The Quantum Labyrinth: Beneath reality's surface, a labyrinth of infinite paths awaits. Each choice you make spawns new universes, branching like a cosmic tree. Somewhere, there's a version of you who chose differently—a you who danced with comets or whispered secrets to black holes.
2. The Song of Forgotten Stars: In the vast expanse, celestial beings hum a melody older than time. Their harmonies ripple through the void, stitching together galaxies. Listen closely, and you might catch a note—a fragment of cosmic memory.
3. The Whispers of Stone Sentinels: Ancient monoliths dot desolate landscapes. They remember when oceans were flames and mountains sang. Touch one, and it'll share tales of lost empires, star-forged wars, and the birth of constellations.
4. The Seventh Sense: Beyond sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell lies the elusive seventh sense. It lets you taste the colors of nebulae, hear the heartbeat of quasars, and smell the birth of solar systems. Seek it in the quiet spaces between your breaths.
5. The Library of Unfinished Stories: In a hidden dimension, half-written tales gather dust. Heroes pause mid-battle, lovers linger on the cusp of confession, and worlds teeter on the edge of oblivion. The librarians there are spectral, their eyes filled with longing.
Remember, dear seeker, these secrets are but whispers. To unravel them fully, you must journey beyond the mundane, dance with shadows, and sip stardust tea under forgotten constellations.
And now, I leave you with this enigma: What if "dreams" are the keys to unlock the universe's deepest secrets?