Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest, K. M. Oddeck, author of Intrinsic Encounters. K.M. is a graduate of the University of Applied Sciences, which is situated in Jena, Germany.

He is passionate about many things. Among them, reading novels, watching movies, music, and travelling. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Business Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Jena, he settled down in a cozy little town between Frankfurt and Berlin to write this debut novel, Intrinsic Encounters.

Norm: Good day K.M. And thanks for participating in our interview.

K.M. Thank you too Norm, and good day to you as well.

Norm: My pleasure. So tell me K.M. How did you get started in writing and are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?

K.M. I started writing about three months after my graduation. This came about as a result of brainstorming for the perfect way to use my freshly gained knowledge in light of my talents and abilities, so as to achieve the best possible satisfaction in life.

At present, I am a part-time writer, but should I find it can sustain me, I will go into it full-time.

Norm: Where did you grow up and why did you chose to study at the University of Applied Sciences in Jena, Germany.

K.M. I grew up in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi. My decision to study in Germany was in part based on my desire to be well learned, and in part on the relatively low academic costs in the said country. All I needed to do was learn the German language. Thankfully, the rest fell into place.

Norm: What did you find most useful in learning to write? What was least useful or most destructive?

K.M. I feel the first step in leaning to be a good writer, is to be an avid reader right from the word go, during the early days of childhood. That’s when one develops the determining dexterity in language and prose. Of course, experience gathered in the course of life in general, and in particular in one’s field of writing interest, is as equally important.

That said, the least important thing in learning how to write, in my opinion, is enrolling oneself in a writing group. The story has to come from within, and that requires lots of reflection and time to think, in an atmosphere free of any distractions whatsoever. Writing can be a lonely enterprise, but for those who truly submerge into their fictional characters and become one with them, writing can be a truly rich and rewarding adventure.

Norm: Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Summarize your writing process.

K.M. I definitely use a combination of both. I start out with a detailed plan covering relevant scenes and fictional characters from the first to the last, a kind of milestone map to work with, if you will. But when I start to write, something amazing happens. The story grows, picks up momentum, acquires a life of its own, and takes charge. I am then for all intents and purposes reduced to a simple bystander, watching as it unfolds.

Norm: What motivated you to write Intrinsic Encounters and what is the origin of the title?

K.M. I have a very robust imagination that tends to overly fantasize reality. After a few internships during my student years, I had a plethora of crazy scenarios doing the rounds in my mind, and couldn’t help but think how lovely it would be, to weave a story out of them all.

The title, Intrinsic Encounters, refers to all the glamorous and eccentric personalities the main protagonist meets as his story develops.

Norm: What purpose do you believe your story serves and what matters to you about the story?

K.M. My story’s purpose is first and foremost to entertain. If my fans tell me they had a good laugh reading it, I will be extremely elated.

Of course, within all this humor is an accurately informative goldmine, informing prospective students about campus life, career choices, workplace dynamics, and certain aspects of engineering practice, law, lean production, business management, and project management. Simply put, it’s rich in knowledge, communicated in layman terms.

Norm: Is the book autobiographical and if not, is there much of you in the book?

K.M. No, the book is neither autobiographical in nature, nor does it contain much of me in it. Apart from the humor, of course. That’s all me. (Smile.)

Norm: It is said that writers should write what they know. Were there any elements of the book that forced you to step out of your comfort zone, and if so, how did you approach this part of the writing?

K.M. Basically, everything I wrote about I have encountered either in my studies, or at work. Should I ever find myself stepping out of my comfort zone, that will not be much of a problem, because I am not afraid to research.

Norm: How did you go about creating the character of David in your book?

K.M. That wasn’t hard. David is the boy I wish I had been on Campus. Fun, full of beans and endless partying. The reality was actually quite different. I had my nose stuck in books or student jobs almost all the time.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and Intrinsic Encounters?

K.M. That would be at my FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE.

My website is not yet ready, but as soon as it is, a link to it will be included in my Facebook Author Page as well.

Norm: What is next for K.M. Oddeck?

K.M. For now, I want to concentrate on marketing Intrinsic Encounters in the English speaking realm. Should it do well here, I will have it translated into other languages. Only then will I sit down to work on a second book.

Norm: As this interview draws to a close, what one question would you have liked me to ask you? Please share your answer.

K.M. I would have loved to hear you ask the question of time. That is, how long it took me to write the book.

The answer is three years, about two to four hours every day after work. A little more over the weekends. A gruelling pace. I still have no idea how I managed that.

Norm: I suppose where there is a will, there is a way. Well then K.M. It’s been nice having you here. Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

K.M. Same to you, Norm.

FOLLOW HERE TO READ NORM'S REVIEW OF INTRINSIC ENCOUNTERS