Manyika is a San Francisco State University Literature professor and author of the novel, In Dependence [Legend Press, 2008]. She was raised in Nigeria and has lived in Kenya, France, and England. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and is the judge of 
’s inaugural Flash Fiction competition.
In African Writing:
Author for Sale 11 (Essay) 
The man in the bookshop says, just do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. So I reflect on his words thinking that had this been a more traditional book tour, I would know what to do. I would read passages from my novel, answer questions and then sign books. But this is something different and because I no longer live in England, I do not know if this is now the norm or merely unique to the Birmingham bookshop in which I stand. It is certainly not as glamorous as book readings, but given the dismal state of the economy, perhaps it’s more sensible.
‘Excuse me sir, excuse me madam, could I interest you in a new novel?”
continues...
The Sarah Ladipo Manyika Interview 9 (Interview)
: How long did it take to write? And would you say your 'intentions' were accomplished?
SLM: It took me several years to write this novel. At the time that I began to write the novel I was looking for a really good love story set in geographical locations and historical periods that I was particularly interested in (namely West Africa from the 1960s to present day) and because I did not find that story, I ended up writing the story that I wanted to read. And so in that sense I accomplished what I intended...Oh – and one more thing on intentions … when I wrote this novel I gave it a sound track and envisaged it as a film. For the lead character I had Chiwetel Ejiofor in mind, but alas, this intention has yet to be realized.
