Monday, 17 February 2014

Omowaire unveils maiden novel, Dead Roses in Lagos


ADA DIKE

Omowaire

As many people all over the world were preparing for the celebration of Valentine’s Day since last week, people in the literary world were not left out, that is why the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), not only converged for a book reading and presentation, but also took turns to read love poems in preparation for today’s celebration, Valentine’s Day.
A female novel writer, Oluwakemi Omowaire, last weekend, February 7, 2014, unveiled her maiden novel, ‘Dead Roses’ at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos.
Published in 2013 by Kraft Books Limited, the synopsis of the book revealed that ‘Dead Roses’ is a book which tells the interesting story of love, friendship, family and betrayal.
Setting the pace, the chairman of Lagos State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr. Femi Onileagbon, said he guessed everyone was set for the Valentine’s Day.
“There  are always two sides of a coin. I have a feeling that Kemi has something deeper before writing her book. ANA is elated to identify with her. She is a registered member of ANA,” Onileagbon said.
Omowaire, who read some romantic part of the book on pages 146 and 154, revealed that ‘Dead Roses’ was a story her cousin told her about a lady in a secondary school who was raped to death on a Valentine’s Day, so she centred it around a female character and named her Adebola.
Below is the poem she read from page 154:
Pink Lips,
Your love, like a thief
Sneaked in, Crawled in,
Through the cracked walls of my heart
And like a wall gecko
It has found a home in there;
Exploring it, knowing it, and loving it.
The mere thought of you
Shimmers my heart and makes it soar with joy,
How much better can I tell of this love?
I indeed now know how much to love
For your love itself had taught me how.

.....Your love is like the light of the moon,
So bright and clear
Yet cool and friendly,
It gives way to no darkness
And disappears not when the dawn approaches,
It goes not into hiding.
But in my heart it glows with the light of the dawn.
My heart tells this to you
It tells it with such peace and ease,
Like a walk in a moonlit night.
I knew it since I knew it,
That everything you are I all I’ve ever wanted.


While explaining why she chose ‘Dead Roses’ as the book’s title, she said: "I had many titles after I wrote the book but we decided to settle for Dead Roses because of how she died. Some of the titles I chose were: When the roses were red and others, but my publisher suggested we use ‘Dead Roses’.”
The creative entrepreneur who also paints artworks and does interior designs has completed writing another book titled “When Everything good comes,” which has a happy ending. It will be released in April ending or May this year.
She has a background in biological sciences and a degree in Psychology.

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