Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I was born in Sudan (by then) and I grew up in that nation. Historically, Sudan entered into civil wars before its independence from British powers in 1956. In 1955, the first civil war between Khartoum and Juba started. That war ended in 1972 with Addis Ababa peace deal between Juba and Khartoum. Then in 1983, the second and longest civil war broke out between Juba and Khartoum again and I was born in that year. This war ended with Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in Naivasha, Kenya on January 9 2005. You can see that almost in all my life, all I knew was war. But what influence my writing is the unusual man called Jesus. Even though there were many wars and killings including the death of all my 8 siblings, Jesus brings me hope and that is why I'm here today. After CPA and our independence, we need true peace in South Sudan. We also need technology and that is why I began writing about computers and how they work. I also write about peace making. Read my "Journeying with God" series for more information about my life and how I escaped death in many areas in my life.
Why do you choose self-publishing?
I did not choose self-publishing. I just find myself in such a situation for the following reasons. When I write my first book titled, "The Scarification" in 2012, I wanted to publish it. But the traditional publishers could not help me. I had to pay $650 or more for editing, design and publication and those days I was receiving a salary of 500 South Sudanese Pounds equivalent to $100 per a month. I tried all I can to get published, but the money issue could not allow me to do that. Because I could not pay for the service, I had only one option left and that means doing everything myself through a self-publishing platform such as Smashwords or KDP.
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