Author Leye Adenle finds the plot as he writes

Sharjah - Adenle writes with a thrill to unfold the story and hopes the readers feel the same adrenaline rush

Leye Adenle, the award-winning crime writer, is in the UAE for the first time as a guest speaker at the Sharjah International Book Fair. We caught up with the author backstage before his panel discussion.
Adenle's first novel, Easy Motion Tourist, proves to be a compelling read as it contains a vivid illustration of a crime at the heart of the Lagos city. The story centres around a brave lawyer Amaka, who attempts to safeguard the poverty-ridden women of the town involved in flesh trade. The plot thickens after the murder of a local woman.
"I never start with writing the plot, I discover it as I write along," says Adenle. He fondly recalls a tip given to him by a fellow writer. "Take the main characters and throw them down a cliff without worrying about how they'll survive." Adenle writes with a thrill to unfold the story and hopes the readers feel the same adrenaline rush. On what inspires his character sketches, he says "extraordinary people in everyday settings".
Adenle admits that Stephen King's Firestarter has made him scream. However, crime isn't the only genre on this author's bookshelf. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee are among his favourite reads.
The author's obsession with the written word began quite early. "My brother and I would constantly draw comic strips or create imaginary characters at home."
Adenle comes from a family of writers; the most famous of whom was his grandfather, Oba Adeleye Adenle I, a former king of Oshogbo in South West Nigeria.
For aspiring crime writers out there, Leye Adenle hopes you "invest all your heart and soul into writing and never give up".
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Sharjah International Book Fair