ABOUT THE BOOK
Theo a 12 year old boy born to the greatest military mind in French history Matheo LA Laurentiis was traumatized by the death of his father during an investigation in Spain he contemplated suicide before being stopped by his adopted older brother Jules later he found a book in his father’s belongings that contained of his contingency plans if all went wrong after reading it he found out he had an uncle who knew everything his father knew so he traveled to find his uncle so he could get revenge for his father.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamikani Kafungu was born in Kitwe Zambia He immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 10 years old he started writing battle cry when he was 13 years old as a school project but gave up because he wanted to make his book longer some of his peers encouraged him to publish it so after 10 months he published his first book driven by creativity he wanted to take inspiration from anime, books and video games to make something eye catching and interesting.
Theo a 12 year old boy born to the greatest military mind in French history Matheo LA Laurentiis was traumatized by the death of his father during an investigation in Spain he contemplated suicide before being stopped by his adopted older brother Jules later he found a book in his father’s belongings that contained of his contingency plans if all went wrong after reading it he found out he had an uncle who knew everything his father knew so he traveled to find his uncle so he could get revenge for his father.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamikani Kafungu was born in Kitwe Zambia He immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 10 years old he started writing battle cry when he was 13 years old as a school project but gave up because he wanted to make his book longer some of his peers encouraged him to publish it so after 10 months he published his first book driven by creativity he wanted to take inspiration from anime, books and video games to make something eye catching and interesting.
Category
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FunTranscript
00:00Welcome to the Rhonda Grant Show with your host, Rhonda Grant.
00:03If you believe that there is more to life than what you see right now,
00:07and you want to find out more,
00:09listen in as her guests share their journey and their extraordinary experiences.
00:15If you love the writing process, and I promise, young authors, it is a beautiful process.
00:22If you truly love your story, and you love the way it's being written,
00:28then it can take 10, 20 years to write or finish.
00:32If you love the way you do it, then it won't matter how long it takes.
00:36Digital audio health by
00:40Cimetrax
00:46Courting your soul with Rhonda Grant
00:51I'd like to welcome to the show Yami Kani Kafungo, author of Battle Cry.
00:58Welcome to the show, Yami.
01:01Thank you for having me, Ms. Grant.
01:04You're welcome, and you may call me Rhonda.
01:06I am so impressed with you.
01:09You are a very young author, and you have already written a book.
01:14Can you think back to a time when you first started to write?
01:20When I first started to write, it was probably about when I was 9 or 10.
01:25I was a very imaginative kid, and I was a really big anime fan.
01:30Manga and anime always came into my mind, and that's how I came up with the ideas that I did.
01:37I obviously didn't publish them, but it was fun.
01:41It was kind of like an escape for me, a way to relax and bring my fictional ideas into life.
01:48I'd say I wrote when I was 9, and then I started this book when I was about 11 or 12.
01:59Wow.
02:01What struck me with this book is that the intonation that you had at such a young age,
02:09your ability to have characters carry on a conversation,
02:13and also give a really clear picture of what was going on in the book.
02:22Young Talent, who was the first person who said,
02:27I think you might have something here?
02:29My friend, Bram.
02:32He was a very brilliant child at that, very brilliant.
02:37He saw me writing.
02:39I asked him to read this because he was so brilliant,
02:41and I wanted a brilliant guy to see if this was brilliant or not.
02:45Yes, of course.
02:48It's actually good.
02:50He thinks I have an eye for this.
02:54He said, you actually might have to publish this.
02:57I would encourage you to publish it.
02:59Over time, more and more of my peers and then my parents also said,
03:04this is good, you should publish.
03:06Then a couple of months later to a year, I'm sitting right here in front of you.
03:12A lot of encouragement from my peers and family.
03:16Where did you get the idea from?
03:19I am a huge history fan.
03:21I love history.
03:23My mom loves movies, especially action movies.
03:27I was learning about history, and then my mom said,
03:32come, let's watch a movie.
03:34I forgot what movie we had watched at the time, but I thought,
03:38oh, this is cool.
03:40Then I went back to doing something for a world history class in high school.
03:45I thought, why don't I combine a little bit of medieval history and knights.
03:51Let me bring a little bit of action to this.
03:55I was like, oh, this actually might be good.
03:58This is actually very interesting.
04:00I dove in to this thing.
04:02I kept watching more movies with my mom.
04:05I kept diving in more than I needed to into learning about history
04:10and more of the ancient wars and tactics that went on.
04:13It just built so beautifully.
04:15I don't even know how to explain it anymore.
04:19That imaginary process is a very difficult thing to describe.
04:24You're in company with that.
04:27Tell me, did you ever dream about writing a book or content
04:33that you actually used in your book?
04:35Did you ever dream about it ahead of time?
04:37Dream in my sleep? No.
04:40Daydream all the time.
04:43It was a constant thing.
04:45I still do to this day because I just find it so fascinating
04:49that I'm willing to spend almost hours thinking and then writing
04:53and then playing around with different ideas.
04:55It's fun. I really enjoy this.
04:58I really do enjoy this.
05:00I think that's all I can say.
05:02Have you shared your writing in school at all?
05:07Yes, in eighth grade with a couple of my parents.
05:11All of them thought it was good.
05:13All of them had things to point out.
05:15I always wanted to ask for advice or ask what you liked
05:18or how it could be better.
05:20It was fun because it also made me a better writer
05:23but it gave me a chance to interact with my friends
05:26on something that I quite enjoyed
05:28and something they actually didn't mind helping me on.
05:34We had many amazing conversations about this
05:38and so much was just enjoying, if I'm being honest.
05:42It was fun.
05:44You've published your first book
05:46and later on we'll talk about where people can purchase your book.
05:50Do you have any dreams or have you already begun
05:55a follow-up book to this book?
05:57Yes, there is a follow-up book
06:01because the last friend I shared this with was really upset at me
06:05for the way the book ended.
06:07Because he thought it was a bit abrupt.
06:09There has to be a continuation.
06:11There has to be a continuation.
06:13It can't just end like this because I have questions.
06:15What's going to happen?
06:17I was like, I actually have to keep going now
06:19because he was so upset at me and told me to keep going.
06:21I was motivated to go again and keep going.
06:26Yes, because you might have a series on your hand here.
06:29Maybe.
06:31What does it feel like?
06:33You're a young student.
06:36You also play some sports.
06:40Do you want to talk a little bit about that?
06:44I think we can, yes.
06:46What sport are you enjoying?
06:50As of my freshman year, I was caught up with my book.
06:54I couldn't really jump into sports.
06:56But I have done many.
06:58Two sports in particular that I enjoy doing
07:00are European football and track and field.
07:04I began track and field in my 6th grade year
07:08when I was still back in Africa.
07:10They did this thing where it was like
07:12come outside, parents can come and see your children
07:15participate in these events.
07:17At particular events I was good at
07:19the 200 meter dash.
07:21That was one I was very fond of.
07:24And high jump.
07:26I think I was good at that.
07:28Hurdles, I tried but I never really continued.
07:33I think those two sports
07:35or one and European football
07:37the biggest sport in my country is football.
07:41European football.
07:43I have to say I fell in love
07:45from an anime actually.
07:47Not from actually watching the real thing.
07:49It was this certain anime
07:51and then I actually went to the real thing
07:53that I started playing with my friend often.
07:57I tackled a lot of positions
07:59but I prefer to be a goalkeeper
08:01because that feels the most comfortable with me.
08:03I love it actually.
08:05Those are the only two sports I play.
08:07I might think about
08:09jumping out of my comfort zone
08:11but as for right now I think I'll just
08:13stick to those two.
08:15So you talked about Africa there.
08:17You were born in Africa?
08:19I lived there for 10 years, yes.
08:21For 10 years.
08:23And do you miss it?
08:25I mean you're in the U.S. now.
08:27You came to the U.S. four years ago.
08:30And do you miss Africa
08:32and their ways of life?
08:34How is their ways of life different
08:36from what you're experiencing right now?
08:38I mean if I'm being honest
08:40I really do miss home.
08:42Maybe it's because I have a bias
08:44but I love my home.
08:46The United States is a great country.
08:48Don't get me wrong.
08:50It is a beautiful amazing country
08:52but you know
08:54home just felt more
08:56I'm used to.
08:58It was amazing.
09:00I experienced a lot of amazing things
09:02a lot of amazing natural attractions.
09:04It was beautiful
09:06I can say.
09:08I went to one of the best schools
09:10in my city
09:12in Cana Trust School.
09:14That was the school I went to.
09:16It was an amazing school.
09:18I can remember all my teachers by name
09:20and what grade
09:22because it was just that memorable to me.
09:24I can remember most of my class
09:27by name because it stuck with me
09:29so much that I can say
09:31it was a beautiful place.
09:33I would love to go back.
09:35I would love to visit my family again.
09:37Yes but to anyone who
09:39would like to go visit
09:41I would very much encourage you to go visit.
09:43Please.
09:45Beautiful.
09:47Well yes I mean
09:49there is a strong pull
09:51to all humans I think
09:53to want to go back to
09:55their hometown
09:57or their home country
09:59because your young life
10:01is so impressionable
10:03that's why it feels like home.
10:05It doesn't matter how many countries
10:07you live in
10:09and go to school
10:11those formative years
10:13have a huge impression
10:15on the whole rest of your life.
10:17I love how candid you are
10:19about how much you loved
10:21and how much you remembered
10:23and as you miss them they probably
10:25really miss you as well.
10:27Thank you.
10:29Does your parents have any thoughts
10:31of you returning
10:33to your home country for a visit
10:35or anything like that
10:37in the near future?
10:39We plan to go August of 2025.
10:41We plan to go
10:43and see family again.
10:45My cousins are
10:47growing a lot older
10:49and it's kind of sad
10:51I'm not going to lie to you
10:53it's kind of sad because when I left
10:55they were small and now they're so big
10:57it's kind of sad not being there
10:59so I really want to go back
11:01and just see them
11:03and be with them again
11:05because I just miss it a lot.
11:07Yeah you feel
11:09that you've missed out on watching
11:11them grow up right?
11:13Yes.
11:15So what do you plan on doing
11:17with your life once you
11:19graduate?
11:21I mean you need to graduate from high school
11:23and then do you have thoughts
11:25of going on to education
11:27after that? As I'm being honest with you
11:29I do not know yet.
11:31It's something I
11:33don't like to think about
11:35but I know I have to think about
11:37I just want to take
11:39small steps at a time
11:41and just
11:43see out all my viable options.
11:45Maybe I'll know in the next year
11:47or two, maybe four
11:49but as of right now I don't know.
11:51Well the thing
11:53is you're just learning all
11:55the different things that you could do
11:57or be in the world
11:59and already starting as a writer
12:01the way you are
12:03we never know how these things will shape
12:05our destiny.
12:07Yeah indeed.
12:09I mean this could be the beginnings
12:11of you being a famous author.
12:13I like to think like that.
12:15Yeah there we go.
12:17Because there's not a lot of
12:19young people who
12:21would spend the time to write
12:23and I mean very young, you're very young
12:25to spend the time to write
12:27to have a confidence
12:29to share with their peers
12:31the work that they've done.
12:33I mean that takes a lot of confidence
12:35and so you're very serious
12:37about your work, you're very serious
12:39about your writing and
12:41because people said
12:43they didn't like it was the end of the book
12:45they wanted to know more and what's going to happen
12:47next which sort of gives you
12:49the inspiration
12:51to follow that up.
12:53And when you become quite a bit
12:55older and you look back
12:57you're going to see how significant
12:59this really was in your life.
13:01Now what was his name?
13:03Who was that that said that
13:05to me? Like you might not even remember
13:07who the person was but
13:09it doesn't matter that you remember
13:11them or not, it matters that
13:13they help guide you
13:15to write your next book.
13:17Is this correct?
13:19Yes it is.
13:21And so do you have the name of your next book
13:23set out yet?
13:25I mean the Bellacry part is going to stay
13:27that's certain.
13:29I have options
13:31but I feel I give out too much
13:33if I set it
13:35so I think I'm just going to keep
13:37my options to myself until
13:39the book is actually published.
13:41Yes because this could go into
13:43a series
13:45if you wanted it to. It could go into a
13:47series or you could take a different
13:49turn, right?
13:51And that's why people usually
13:53end up being interviewed after their first
13:55book is because
13:57it also helps
13:59define or undefine
14:01where you're going to go next.
14:03Right?
14:05Yeah. You're listening
14:07to Rhonda Grant with
14:09Courting Your Soul and today
14:11I have the great pleasure
14:13to be speaking with a young author
14:1514 years
14:17old and he's already writing his
14:19second book, Yamekani
14:21Kafu and
14:23can you let the audience
14:25know where they may
14:27purchase your book if they wanted to
14:29pick that up?
14:31My book, Bellacry
14:33Sent Into War
14:35can be purchased at
14:37Amazon, Writers Republic
14:39or Barnes & Noble.
14:41Those are the three
14:43places where you'll find
14:45my book, I assure you.
14:47I know of, yes.
14:49I want to tease a bit
14:51of my new book, the book that's
14:53going to come out later.
14:55It's very entertaining
14:57new characters
14:59a lot of references and inspiration
15:01and a little
15:03bit of, you know, just
15:05a comedic but yet relatable
15:07rambunctiousness
15:09is going to be added to this book.
15:11So everyone
15:13please be excited.
15:15I might release it, release date might be
15:17January
15:19between January and March of 2025.
15:21Okay.
15:23So just be ready. Maybe it might be earlier
15:25but yes.
15:27And also
15:29I will give out more details
15:31on my social
15:33media. My Instagram
15:35is kani3.16
15:37all lowercase
15:39no spaces just
15:41kani3.16
15:43k-a-n-i
15:453.16
15:47and just
15:49give me a follow and
15:51I might follow you back and
15:53I'll try and keep all of you updated
15:55on my situation
15:57and how writing is going.
15:59Yeah, so thank you for that.
16:01Yeah, that's wonderful. Okay.
16:03You know, the listening audience, they're going to be wondering
16:05how actually did
16:07you develop these characters that
16:09you have in this book?
16:11I think it's best we start
16:13off with the main character, Theo.
16:15Theo is
16:17an innocent child, an innocent
16:1912-year-old. He's
16:21fun, outgoing,
16:23brave, but at the same
16:25time unknowing of the world around
16:27him. He is
16:29or should I say he was
16:31like me.
16:33I have changed a bit
16:35but a big part of Theo is still
16:37in me and I think
16:39that's why I'm connected with him so
16:41much. Another character
16:43that I found
16:45quite interesting was
16:47Theo's father, Matteo.
16:49I should probably
16:51include that Theo is just
16:53a shortened version of Matteo because
16:55he is Matteo Jr. after all.
16:57So, his
16:59father, Matteo, he is
17:01the greatest military
17:03mind of the century
17:05in the world right now.
17:07Quite possibly the most famous person
17:09in all of Europe and that
17:11is because of his extreme military
17:13brilliance. He
17:15actually created a whole new ranking for
17:17himself called the Supreme Knight ranking
17:19which he is the only person
17:21to ever win.
17:23Theo looks up to Matteo a lot
17:25and Matteo is many things.
17:27On top of being a great leader,
17:29I tried to write him as a great
17:31father who is
17:33very brave and
17:35very
17:37initiative. He enjoys to take
17:39the initiative and lead
17:41others who might not be able to lead
17:43themselves into tough situations.
17:45He was by far
17:47my most favorite character
17:49to write in this book because of
17:51what he did in Spain and the way
17:53it got captured. Oh, they gave
17:55too much. But
17:57yes, he was by far one of
17:59the most interesting and
18:01significant characters that will play
18:03in the story. Another
18:05one I should include is
18:07Theo's adopted
18:09older brother, Jules, who is just three years
18:11older than him.
18:13Jules was the last
18:15character I added.
18:17Part of me still doesn't know why I added him.
18:19But, he
18:21is very, very
18:23dedicated, a very disciplined
18:25child. He looks up to
18:27Matteo a lot and
18:29thanks to the fact he wants to be like him.
18:31He takes his job as the
18:33older brother and a squire to Matteo
18:35very seriously and he is
18:37quite skilled and
18:39brilliant with taking initiative. He's a fast
18:41learner and will do anything to
18:43improve. We might consider him
18:45a people pleaser. A fun fact about Jules
18:47is that he has competed in many tournaments for
18:49squires, but he's never lost. I think
18:51that's just a thing I like to add in.
18:53He loves Theo and
18:55I think as we read into the book
18:57after Matteo goes to Spain, you'll
18:59understand why he loves Theo so much
19:01and how he shows his love to Theo.
19:03These two may not be characters, but
19:05they are big, really
19:07significant. That is, the countries
19:09of France and Spain. Matteo
19:11is French and the
19:13country they go to war against is Spain.
19:15Now, often I get asked,
19:17why did you choose Spain? Why did you choose
19:19France? Is it because you're biased?
19:21If I'm being honest, maybe a bit,
19:23but the three countries I originally thought
19:25of were England, France, and Spain.
19:27Though England has a very
19:29rich history and
19:31in my eyes is probably the
19:33most significant and dominant
19:35empire in the world,
19:37in history, as a matter of fact,
19:39I preferred France.
19:41I went with France
19:43mainly just because of their history with
19:45knights and I
19:47chose them to oppose Spain because
19:49they're just so close together.
19:51But when I say oppose, I'm not
19:53trying to say, oh,
19:55Spain is a bad guy, France is a good
19:57guy, because in my eyes,
19:59war isn't like, or
20:01war is rarely good guy, bad
20:03guy, good guy, bad guy.
20:05It's more, I like to think of it more
20:07as a
20:09disagreement, I would say.
20:11It's where there are no
20:13wrong sides.
20:15They're just two people that don't
20:17agree because they're people,
20:19very good-hearted
20:21people that just will not
20:23agree on this one certain
20:25topic and irrational
20:27decisions tend to be made. That's how
20:29I like to think of a war most of the time.
20:31And
20:33those two countries,
20:35for me, they
20:37will deliver an interesting
20:39war, I will say.
20:41Yeah, I think that's
20:43as far as I go with the characters.
20:45Mm-hmm. What inspired
20:47you to delve into history?
20:49I loved social studies
20:51when I was younger. I wanted to
20:53visit places and go see the world.
20:55And as I grew older,
20:57I started to go picking up
20:59on US history, which I
21:01still love to this day. It's one of my
21:03favorite topics of
21:05history to pick up on.
21:07And then I also love world history,
21:09which I took this year in freshman year.
21:11Mm-hmm.
21:13These two pieces of history, for me,
21:15are so
21:17cool, I can say.
21:19But my love for history
21:21always stemmed from, it's fascinating
21:23to see people
21:25do crazy things and how
21:27one man can change the course of history
21:29forever. I mean,
21:31many figures did it. We have George Washington,
21:33Napoleon,
21:35Alexander the Great.
21:37So many figures that, without them,
21:39we might live in an entirely different world.
21:41So I think
21:43history is more, it's not really a
21:45subject. It's more of a story,
21:47the story of humanity. That's
21:49how I like to feel it. I think that's why I love
21:51history so much. Beautiful. Yeah, it's a
21:53story of humanity. Your book
21:55that you're writing right now, that you finished
21:57writing, I love
21:59the animation in it.
22:01And so you've been able to take your
22:03love for history and
22:05write a book that
22:07has a lighter sort of sense
22:09to it than our true history,
22:11right? Mm-hmm. Who helped
22:13you with the graphic design of
22:15the book? It's actually a funny
22:17story behind that, actually. So,
22:19I'm a big anime fan. Mm-hmm.
22:21I also tend to doodle
22:23every once in a while on a piece of paper.
22:25Yes. So,
22:27when I was doing my
22:29publishing, they said,
22:31do you have any
22:33idea for a cover? And I was like,
22:35oh, no. I thought you guys were just going to read
22:37and come up with this full cover.
22:39And they told me, oh, that's your job.
22:41So
22:43they said, okay, we can give you
22:45half an hour. And I was like, oh, no.
22:47So I get a piece of paper, I
22:49sit down, and in silence
22:51bramble. Jules
22:53on the right, Matteo on
22:55the left. Matteo looking
22:57worried. Jules looks ready
22:59to do something.
23:01People under pitchforks
23:03and shovels,
23:05an angry mob, because
23:07that's literally how it's
23:09going to be, like an angry mob.
23:11And a beautiful sunset in the background.
23:13And I just sent it to them and said,
23:15can you guys make something out of this?
23:17And they did, and I actually love
23:19the cover a lot. Yes,
23:21it's really nice.
23:23I wondered, actually, if you had done it.
23:25I did most,
23:27a good chunk of it. Yes.
23:29Very nice.
23:31Well, and I mean, they have graphic artists
23:33who can take that idea
23:35and, you know, put a lot
23:37of really nice colors in it, which they
23:39have done. Did you choose the
23:41colors as well? Yes.
23:43I chose colors as well. The title
23:45was them. I'll give them the credit for that.
23:47The title and, like, my name being there,
23:49that was them. But the background,
23:51the people with pitchforks at the bottom
23:53and the characters, that was me.
23:55I'll take credit for that one.
23:57Wow. Sensational.
23:59It really is. Thank you.
24:01So,
24:03would you like to describe to the audience?
24:05Because, you know, we probably have some young,
24:07budding authors in the
24:09audience today listening.
24:11And they're going to want to know,
24:13what was your process when you
24:15started to build this book?
24:17Because it is a building, because you have to
24:19think about ahead of time
24:21with the chapters and different things
24:23like that. So, can you talk
24:25briefly about that? My writing
24:27process was
24:29very complicated. It was my first
24:31time actually, like, writing
24:33and this was the longest time I've spent.
24:35I think I spent, like, almost over
24:37a year writing this book.
24:39So, I'd say it begun
24:41somewhere when I was in eighth grade.
24:43I was told
24:45there was a competition and I was interested
24:47in this. I was writing. And then
24:49I said, okay, let me get to work. They tell me
24:51we're sorry, it's too long.
24:53You have to shorten it. So,
24:55I dropped out of the competition and
24:57I said, let me keep writing this.
24:59And they,
25:01it was very interesting because
25:03originally it happened in the Arabian
25:05Peninsula. And the original character's
25:07name was Mohammed Senior, Mohammed
25:09Junior. And it was going to be this whole
25:11thing that took place, like,
25:13literally when the first civilizations
25:15were being made. And then
25:17I looked over it
25:19again. I read over it again
25:21myself and I realized
25:23this is garbage.
25:25This is horrible. Oh, no.
25:27I liked the base
25:29idea. I liked the basis of the book
25:31but everything built upon was
25:33horrible. So,
25:35I scrapped everything.
25:37I took that word
25:39document and I removed
25:41everything from that word document.
25:43And I started afresh with the base idea.
25:45My friend, Bran,
25:47who I said is brilliant, gave me
25:49the three countries,
25:51England, France,
25:53and Spain. And I chose
25:55France and Spain.
25:57And I began to build my story
25:59over that. And then
26:01once the story just kept unfolding,
26:03it was
26:05more beautiful. It was more structured.
26:07The characters had more depth in them.
26:09But then as I was going through,
26:11a crucial part I thought was names.
26:13I had to give them a name that
26:15sticks out. I can't name everyone
26:17a really common name that
26:19almost everyone has because
26:21it's going to be hard to pick out that specific person.
26:23So, I want to give them a name that has
26:25rarity but at the same time has meaning
26:27and significance. So,
26:29I thought to Mohammed and I was like
26:31Mohammed, Mohammed, Mohammed.
26:33Oh.
26:35Then I wanted to keep the M part but I was thinking,
26:37what can I do? But then I
26:39thought back to my grandfather
26:41actually. His name is
26:43Matthew. And he named
26:45three of his kids Matthew.
26:47Matthew, Matthew,
26:49Matthew. And then I did some research. Matthew
26:51and then gave Matthew. It just
26:53happened. And if
26:55you'll happen to notice, if you read into my book,
26:57you'll notice that the main character, Theo, is actually
26:59Matthew the fourth
27:01which came from my grandfather.
27:03In his side of the family, then being four Matthews
27:05in my book there, four Matthews.
27:07And as the character
27:09as the story went on,
27:11it was interesting
27:13because I didn't want
27:15that to be a clear good
27:17bad. I wanted that to be
27:19like a complexity of
27:21agree and disagree.
27:23I wanted
27:25to have more depth than your classic
27:27Black and White, which
27:29I'm not against a Black
27:31and White story. I love
27:33The Lion King. Very good Black
27:35and White story but I just
27:37felt I needed to add
27:39a little bit more complexity
27:41to the book. As I was
27:43entering my polishing phase,
27:45I thought to myself,
27:47oh, this is beautiful.
27:49And then I was like, let me just end
27:51this with a bang, an abrupt
27:53ending. Perfect.
27:55Because I thought, what if I want to write another one again?
27:57And then I told myself,
27:59it's ended abruptly. And if people
28:01like it and want more,
28:03we give them more.
28:05Perfect. So I ended
28:07it abruptly on purpose. I know
28:09some people think the ending was bad but I just
28:11want people to know that it was on purpose
28:13and it just
28:15was beautiful, I can say.
28:17Yes.
28:19I think that was the beauty of my writing process.
28:21Yeah, and so from the time
28:23you scrapped your original idea
28:25that was inspired by a competition
28:27coming up to when you started
28:29to write the way you wanted
28:31to write, basically,
28:33because I know with competitions you have
28:35rules, there's rules in the competition
28:37that you have to follow, like how many
28:39words and different things like that.
28:41So, how long
28:43did it take you to write your book
28:45from the time that
28:47new process started?
28:49It started in October, that's when the
28:51competition started. I scrapped everything
28:53by
28:55April, so from
28:57April to
28:59again October, so that's April,
29:01then those four months,
29:03then September,
29:05six, eight,
29:07between eight and six months.
29:09That's when the whole new thing
29:11came around. Yeah, and I mean
29:13a lot of people don't know how long it
29:15takes to write a book and they think
29:17that's a long time. I know when I wrote my book
29:19I had big aspirations to have
29:21it done by next month,
29:23right? And it took me a year.
29:25It took me a year because
29:27just because of moving things
29:29around and really
29:31making it into a masterpiece,
29:33right? And so
29:35sometimes people will become
29:37discouraged if they think it's going to take them six
29:39months or eight months to write a book.
29:41What would you say to them?
29:43If you love the writing
29:45process, and I promise
29:47young authors it is a beautiful process,
29:49if you truly
29:51love your story and you love
29:53the way it's being written,
29:55then it can take ten,
29:57twenty years to write or finish.
29:59If you love the way you do
30:01it, then it won't matter how long it
30:03takes. Yeah, that's a beautiful
30:05answer because you can lose
30:07yourself, and I don't mean
30:09like you lose all sense of time
30:11when you're involved in
30:13your book. And
30:15the fact that you've written a book and
30:17went to school, and I imagine you're
30:19quite a high achiever in
30:21school as well, if you're doing
30:23this on the side. So
30:25you learn so much
30:27by being able to produce a body
30:29of work at your age
30:31and still being able to
30:33manage your school life and your friends
30:35and all of that. What advice would you
30:37give to young authors?
30:39The advice I would give to young authors
30:41don't do it
30:43out of competitiveness,
30:45don't do it
30:47for the seeking of attention, fame,
30:49don't do it even for money.
30:51If you really want to be
30:53happy with what you've done, then
30:55do it because you want to do it.
30:57Do it because you want to take the time
30:59out of your day to sit
31:01down and write, take the
31:03time of your day to think. If you
31:05do it that way, then I promise
31:07you that it
31:09will be
31:11one of the best moments in
31:13your life. Whether the book
31:15is really
31:17good or the book is really
31:19bad, if you really enjoy the process
31:21then the book can be amazing.
31:23If you enjoy it, then it's amazing.
31:25That's the advice I can give others.
31:27Do you feel that you've been called
31:29to your journey, crafted it
31:31or a bit of both?
31:33My journey, I can say
31:35maybe, it was
31:37quite unexpected
31:39because in the moment
31:41before the competition, I was
31:43quite bored. I wasn't doing
31:45a lot at the time.
31:47It was literally just go to school,
31:49come home, take a nap,
31:51play video games,
31:53eat and sleep.
31:55The first couple
31:57weeks of doing it, it's fine, it's relaxing.
31:59Then after a few
32:01months, this is boring.
32:03I wanted to do something.
32:05Then the competition came around and I thought,
32:07wait, let me enter because what do I have to
32:09lose? It doesn't cost me anything.
32:11Then it just
32:13kept going. I thought, wow,
32:15if the competition hadn't really happened, I would
32:17still be coming back from school and
32:19eating and playing video games
32:21and sleeping all the time. I thought,
32:23this is
32:25actually pretty good.
32:27You're speaking to
32:29young adults
32:31who are doing just that
32:33and they don't know what else
32:35to do. They may not think,
32:37I could be writing a book instead of spending
32:39all this time with video
32:41games. Did you want to comment
32:43further on that?
32:45To those young adults who
32:47think they can't
32:49write a book,
32:51I'll give you an honest piece of advice
32:53from me. I was not
32:55the biggest bookworm in the
32:57world. I was not a nosediver
32:59into books.
33:01I know people tend to think that
33:03authors are the
33:05biggest bookworms who have
33:07hundreds of thousands of collections
33:09of books.
33:11In my experience, I wasn't.
33:13I was not the biggest fan of reading.
33:15It
33:17wasn't until I came to the United
33:19States that the librarian at my school
33:21said, how about you read this
33:23story? It's called The New Kid by
33:25Jerry Craft. I thought,
33:27oh, maybe.
33:29Even though it's not like
33:31your traditional book, it was more
33:33of a graphic novel, I said,
33:35let me try this. Why not? I dove in
33:37and I related to the main character
33:39Jordan so much that I said,
33:41I'm going to read the other two books and I'm reading
33:43the third one right now.
33:45My mom said, why don't you read this book?
33:49It's called The Judge's List
33:51by John Grisham. I was like,
33:53oh, crap. The main character,
33:55I think her name was Lacey.
33:57It's been a while since I read the book.
33:59She inspired me a lot.
34:01To those who think that
34:03I'm not meant to read,
34:05I'm going to tell you from me, I wasn't
34:07the biggest bookworm.
34:09I know it sounds like
34:11I read a lot out of what I said, but really,
34:13I don't read as much as people
34:15think I would read.
34:17It just shows that
34:19you need imagination because
34:21all my work didn't come
34:23from books.
34:25They came from anime, manga, real life
34:27experiences, real world events
34:29that count. You can get inspiration
34:31from almost everywhere in my eyes.
34:33I would encourage
34:35open your laptop,
34:37pick up the pen, start
34:39writing. Even if you
34:41can only get five sentences
34:43the first time, get those five
34:45sentences in. You can do another five
34:47in an hour
34:49or maybe stop for the week.
34:51That's what I did. Then do
34:53half a page the next week.
34:55Just build your love
34:57for it. I promise you it is an amazing
34:59process and just a way to let your mind
35:01unfold because you can see the beauty
35:03of imagination in it.
35:05I think
35:07that as human beings, we all
35:09have an imagination. We all
35:11think up really neat things.
35:13I think that when
35:15the youth and the adults
35:17are distracted all the time
35:19with social media
35:21and video games
35:23and all the sorts, we discard
35:25our imagination.
35:27We almost quit having imagination.
35:29You are
35:31a very wise young
35:33man. For 14 years of age,
35:35you have a lot of really good
35:37substantial
35:39advice for
35:41people who will be listening
35:43and wonder if they
35:45should spend time
35:47using what's in their imagination
35:49and putting it down on paper.
35:51It's incredible all the advice
35:53that you give. It's just amazing.
35:55Thank you. What extraordinary
35:57discovery have you found in your life?
35:59In my life? Well, I'll tell
36:01you, my life has been
36:03quite eventful, I can say.
36:05Leaving my beautiful
36:07home, my beautiful home country,
36:09my friends, the people I knew, and just coming to the
36:11United States, that was a big move for me.
36:13I thought to myself,
36:15how can I do this? I can't do this.
36:17I have too much connection
36:19back home to just let go.
36:21When I came here,
36:23I thought, oh no.
36:25I actually did try it for
36:27a couple of sports teams
36:29that I didn't end up making, and that was
36:31quite discouraging for me,
36:33especially seeing others who did.
36:35It kind of
36:37left me in this state of, fine.
36:39Quickly, as I
36:41know, I stopped enjoying
36:43going to church. I would find excuses to
36:45stop going to church. I was in the state of
36:47just existing for the purpose
36:49of existing. I was just there
36:51to be there.
36:53When you live your life like that, it
36:55becomes null. Life feels
36:57meaningless. It's not until
36:59I actually
37:01started feeling
37:03something or started actually
37:05trying to do new
37:07things that life gives itself
37:09meaning again.
37:11Then, as
37:13I started writing my book again,
37:15I started going back to a
37:17new church.
37:19Life just had more and more
37:21and more to offer. I feel
37:23happier than I was.
37:25I know it sounds,
37:27might I even say, cringy for
37:29the people of my age watching this,
37:31but I'm telling you,
37:33it is a beautiful thing.
37:35Just feel,
37:37give yourself a purpose. Give yourself a
37:39reason. I promise you,
37:41I know some things we do don't work out.
37:43It's hard to accept that,
37:45but if you just
37:47open your eyes to this beautiful
37:49horizon that is in front of us,
37:51you can do so much more.
37:53That is what I believe.
37:55Have I been called to do this?
37:57Do I believe
37:59something has changed in me? Have I
38:01discovered something? I have discovered
38:03a whole
38:05secret side of myself that I didn't know.
38:07A side that
38:09wants to think deeper, wants to know more,
38:11wants to do more
38:13stuff. This side of me is just
38:15much more ambitious, I can say.
38:17It
38:19gives...
38:21How can I describe it?
38:23It's like watching a flame
38:25burn.
38:27It's like lighting a forest
38:29or a campfire.
38:31Throw a little bit of
38:33lighter fluid and imagine there
38:35it just burns.
38:37It's so beautiful to see
38:39and so beautiful to feel that
38:41I promise you,
38:43I hope everyone can find
38:45what they found. I hope they find it,
38:47what I found. I hope they can
38:49because this fire that burns
38:51is an experience
38:53that I believe every human being should
38:55experience at least once in their lifetime.
38:57Well,
38:59that's just wonderful. Thank you
39:01so much and thank you
39:03so much for being on the show.
39:05You're inspiring
39:07and I think
39:09I see a really big future for you.
39:11You've had the opportunity
39:13to
39:15surround yourself with people
39:17who have believed
39:19in you and has lended
39:21a hand to help you get to where you're
39:23going and there's nothing
39:25better than that. Thank you for that.
39:27I appreciate that a lot.
39:29You're welcome.
39:31Thanks so much for being on the show
39:33and I hope to talk to you
39:35another time.
39:37Thank you for having me. I hope to speak to you again someday.
39:39You're welcome.
39:41I do too.
39:43Thank you for listening to Courting Your Soul
39:45by Rhonda Grant
39:47whose podcast has been treated
39:49with digital audio help
39:51by my sponsor, SymaTrek.
39:53Theme song for Courting Your Soul
39:55is Sun On The Water
39:57composed and performed
39:59by John Park Wheeler.