Mbo explains reading, writing love
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Sunday August 6, 2023 06:00
He added that his mother and two brothers were also avid readers and story tellers as well. He explained that the untamed beauty of his surroundings in Mbalambi village and the ongoing civil war in neighbouring Zimbabwe provided inspiration for his ultimate interest in writing. "I started writing short stories when I was 14-years-old.
But setbacks and a lack of access to computers hindered me from publishing my work. Despite these challenges, my passion for writing never waned. Encouraged by my English language teacher in high school, I continued to hone my skills by writing compositions and short stories.
But it was not until my time in the Republic of Ireland as a medical student, when I was doing a rotation in Psychiatry as part of my training that I started writing full-length novels. Listening to patients' real-life stories and recording their experiences in detailed notes helped me rediscover the power of descriptive writing. This renewal of passion led me to write a manuscript in 2004, which unfortunately got lost due to technical difficulties, resulting in a period of demotivation," he explained. He said a fortunate rediscovery of a lost floppy disk in 2009 sparked the publication of his first novel, "Wrong Turn" adding that since then, he had written 14 additional novels, with each release driving his determination to continue writing.
He has recently published his new book dubbed, 'A Trail Of Dolour' which is his 15th novel. He explained that the novel was about a 15-year-old girl named Chawada, who one day after school receives a call from a stranger, who told Chawada that her life was in danger and she should not trust anyone, including her own parents, but she could be saved if she met the stranger.
He added that suddenly paranoid towards her own parents, Chawada agreed to meet the stranger but what she found out when she met the stranger, a woman who called herself Jane, would put Chawada between a rock and a hard place as she suddenly found herself running for her life. He self-published the novel through INGRAMSPARK in November 2022. It has 406 pages and 42 chapters. He further explained that he was inspired to write A Trail Of Dolour on the spur of the moment as he was relaxing on a bench in some mall, observing people. He said when he noticed how the virtual world seemed to be taking over the real one, especially amongst young people, but particularly teenagers; how they were slowly sailing away from the real world and getting solely absorbed into the virtual one. He added that that made him realise how vulnerable that made them in the real world where drugs and their ilk were, how they do not realise that the very virtual world they are veering towards, which is stirring untoward curiosity inside their minds, was what was actually their ultimate nemesis and what made them vulnerable.
"The question is, how far do you go along with ‘What If’? And with the way the virtual world is gripping young people, do they have enough conscience and instinct to restrict themselves? Or would they go on and on until they learn a practical lesson? Would they even learn anything from the practical lesson? Or would the virtual world suck them back in, and they would ultimately not be able to fathom what is happening in the real one?" he questioned. Moreover, he explained that the theme behind the book was the ‘What If’ concept that curiosity breeds. He added that it was either one tries it or not adding that whichever side one chooses, if it goes awry, a person will be left thinking, “If only I had chosen the other side. But then ‘What If’ does not just end there. Whichever side of the coin you choose comes with its own ‘What Ifs’. Because the question is always, “Which side do I choose? How far can young people go, and with the way the virtual world is gripping them, do they have enough of a conscience and instinct to restrict themselves? My book targets people of all ages.
I used simple and straightforward language, no swear words or anything like that, nothing prejudicial in any way, and, fast-paced as it is, it is easy to follow," Mbo said. Even though he is one of the best writers, he said he had not yet got much feedback from the public because the book only just arrived in Botswana a few weeks ago. Speaking of the challenges he faced when writing, Mbo indicated that time was the main constraint because he could only write when he was completely free and off duty. He also pointed out that writer’s block was also oftentimes his foe saying once it kicks in, it could be ages before he continues writing. However, he pointed out that writing a new story was always fun to him, as long as he was in the groove of it. He explained that was the reason why it took him about four weeks to write the first draft of 'A Trail Of Dolour’. His challenge was the editing that took him at least year. Amongst his 14 books include: Wrong Turn; A Crisis Of The Heart; The Five Litre Container; The Basketball School;
The Missing Corpse; The Village Doctor; The Other Four; The Missing Horses; The Convert; The Traditional Hospital; The Stolen Souls; The Stolen Documents; The Shebeen Prophets; and The Chatterboxes. Mbo further explained that he wishes to have published at least five more books in the next few years. He added that it would be nice if one or two of his books could be turned into a movie, and one or two being prescribed for in schools. Apart from being an author, Mbo is a doctor with a special interest in Psychiatry. The book, which is set in Francistown, is available at Exclusive Books at the Airport Junction, and can be ordered via online bookstores such as AMAZON, both in paperback and e-book formats. Booksellers can order it via INGRAM at a discounted price.