Before the pandemic, I joined a small writing group that met in Central London. This is where I first met the delightful A.T Nartey. From the first day I met her, A.T was extremely enthusiastic about writing. I could feel the passion radiating from her. And with a wealth of ideas in her mind, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I was holding one of her projects in my hand. Over a year after meeting her, she has now published The Eden Project, a science fiction novel about a girl who mysteriously disappears. And now I hold the beautiful purple-coloured book in my hand (purple is my favourite colour), and I’m super excited for A.T to share The Eden Project with the world.
Today I will explore what The Eden Project is all about, and in the interview segment, I enter the mind of author A.T Nartey and find out what compelled her to write such a story.
About The Eden Project
Brianna is a loyal friend of Aniya, and there isn’t a thing she wouldn’t do for her. So when Aniya goes missing, its down to Brianna to search for answers. Her search leads her to a bunch of private YouTube videos that hold clues about what could have happened to her friend. Before Brianna can expose the truth, she is kidnapped and taken to a secret island where The Eden Project is underway. Will Brianna make it out and restore her friendship with Aniya?
An interview with A.T Nartey, the author of The Eden Project
Gary: Can you tell me a little about your backstory? Where are you from? What was it like growing up?
A.T Nartey: I was born and bred in London. I spent most of my former years moving around between North and South London with my big family. Growing up I would spend hours reading, writing, and drawing as books and art were my first loves.
Despite this, when I turned eighteen, I had to decide between a career in the arts or becoming an accountant like my father. Finance won out because at the time, I was driven by the idea of making money, and I embarked on a journey learning about business and taxation. As you can imagine I was only content working in accounting for a few years before my creativity started calling to me again. Now I’m never too far away from my laptop writing a book.
G: When did you first know you wanted to write?
A.T Nartey: I didn’t know it at the time, but I think I always wanted to write. The first time it ever occurred to me was in year six when we had to write a short story for our school project. My teacher at the time was very impressed. Only it took a long time for me to realize that you could actually have a career as a writer. In my teens, I was introduced to the world of Harry Potter which really spurred me on. But it didn’t occur to me until my late twenties when I wrote my first full-length novel.
G: You mentioned Harry Potter, but where else would you say your influences come from as a writer?
A.T Nartey: I find inspiration from all around me and from the ether, I would like to think. In recent years I have found inspiration from dealing with a mental affliction that I endured in my adult years. My experiences color my stories.
G: Tell us about The Eden Project. What’s it all about and where did the ideas come from?
A.T Nartey: The book is about best friends Brianna and Aniya. Set in Detroit where women and girls have been going missing for years. When Aniya suddenly goes missing too; Brianna is determined to find her even if it costs her her life.
The book is dear to my heart because it’s based on real-life issues. Mainly, on the large number of women and girls going missing in communities all around the world. For The Eden Project, I decided to set it in Detroit because 70% of the missing cases were of black women and girls who disproportionately go missing than any other community in the rest of the US.
At the time I didn’t realize the problem was just as bad here in the UK too because it is rarely reported on. And I’m sure it is reflected in the global statistics. I also layered in issues of colourism in the black community because still in the twentieth century we are dealing with women being mistreated based purely on the shade of their skin and this is often done within our own communities which I think is deplorable.
G: It’s extremely commendable to shed light on such sensitive real-world issues. And this adds much depth to the writing in The Eden Project. What was it like drafting the project for the first time?
A.T Nartey: Writing The Eden Project was a dream. From the day of its conception, it took two weeks to plot it and four months to write. Thankfully, the story just flowed.
G: When it flows that easily, it means you have a real strong grasp of the story. In terms of characters, which ones did you enjoy writing, and which ones did you find difficult?
A.T Nartey: I really enjoyed writing from Brianna, the protagonist’s perspective. She is so messy and acts before thinking. It was fun to see the messes she got herself into. Thankfully, none of the other characters were difficult to write. I wish all my books could work out so smoothly.
G: What were the biggest challenges you faced while writing this story?
A.T Nartey: Definitely thinking outside the box. The majority of the book is set in a futuristic utopian setting, so I had to think up what kind of world that would be and what technological advancements would exist there.
G: Speaking of the technology, tell us about some of the science fiction elements in the story and how it relates to the overall narrative. Without giving too much away.
A.T Nartey: Brianna finds herself on a utopian island. Everything is futuristic and automated. From the background of the walls to the way you order clothes has something to do with advanced technology.
G: It’s an interesting take on futurist technology, and it will draw many parallels to real life for many readers. How intense is your outlining process?
A.T Nartey: I am an outliner. With previous books, I used to outline heavily until I had almost 20k of just outline. But for The Eden Project, I broke with tradition and plotted lightly and pantsied the rest. I think I will do this more often in the future.
G: How long did it take you to draft and edit this work overall?
A.T Nartey: It took me four months to draft The Eden Project and two months to edit. I tend to write quite clean drafts so editing is minimal. I also paid a professional editor to go in and polish it up.
G: The cover artwork is really nice, how did that come about?
A.T Nartey: I frequent Twitter. Luckily, around the time I became interested in finding a cover designer there was a tweet of cover artists displaying their work. I saw one artist whose work really caught my eye and I booked him straight away.
As an indie author, I have full control and access to my work. If it succeeds, or if it fails, it’s all down to me. – A.T Nartey
G: What’s a good thing about being an indie author?
A.T Nartey: As an indie author, I have full control and access to my work. If it succeeds, or if it fails, it’s all down to me. It requires you to think outside the box, be proactive and be your best self. I do hope to be a hybrid author one day, but for now, I am languishing in being my own boss.
G: On the flipside, what’s a bad thing about being an indie author?
A.T Nartey: I have thought about this long and hard. The bad thing about being an indie author is the amount of money it takes to make a book its best. If I could afford a developmental editor, a line editor, a copy editor, and a proof-reader I would. However, it’s a lot of money to hire just one.
The difference between traditionally published books and self-published books is normally the number of eyes that’s been on the book to kick it into shape. I would like to be able to work closely with an editor so I can learn my weaknesses and know how to better develop books. Other than that, marketing is also something you will have to do by yourself. The way you can protect yourself from disappointment is to not expect big things with your first book. Be consistent and keep putting out quality work and I’m sure you will be able to appeal to your audience. A good cover is also important.
As someone who hopes to be a hybrid author one day, I fear others trying to dampen down my stories to make them palatable to other audiences. – A.T Nartey
G: As a black author, do you feel any added pressure when publishing your work?
A.T Nartey: 100%. There have been great changes in the industry. More BIOPIC writers are now being published, which is great. But I still learn of ways the industry is policing nonconformist literature by withholding the stamp of marketability.
As someone who hopes to be a hybrid author one day, I fear others trying to dampen down my stories to make them palatable to other audiences. This is why it’s so great to be a self-published author, you can keep your voice. Going forward I hope to write to black audiences and reflect on things that plague our communities and I am not apologetic if it doesn’t appeal to everyone.
G: Do you see attitudes towards black authors changing?
A.T Nartey: Yes, in some ways and then no in others. I believe that the change is happening because black readers are picking up black books. There is a big audience of black readers that have been previously overlooked. When I am trawling through Instagram and Twitter, I am pleasantly surprised by how many people are eager for books written by black authors.
However, for example, the romance books which seemed to do best are those with interracial relationships. There is nothing wrong with interracial relationships, but why do the black-on-black stories never do as well? I do think that things are changing however, in a few more years with the increase of black writers I believe things will change for the better.
G: Thanks for shedding light on that. Back to you, what can we expect from you in the future?
A.T Nartey: I have completed my second book The Trellence. I am in two minds whether to self-publish it or go through the traditional route. If I self-publish it, it will be out by the end of the year and if I find an agent. Keep your eyes peeled. On top of that, I have started writing my third book, which I intend to be a fantasy series of three books.
G: That sounds exciting, I can’t wait to hear more. Do you see yourself sticking with science fiction and fantasy, or will you expand to more genres in the future?
A.T Nartey: I think I will stick to writing fantasy, scifi and urban fantasy for now. I can’t speak for the future but all the ideas I have fall into these genres.
G: Thanks for answering my questions. I can’t wait to purchase your future work.
Where to Follow A.T Nartey
– A.T Nartey Website
– A.T Nartey Twitter
– A.T Nartey IG
– A.T Nartey on Goodreads
