J.K. Muta, was born in Tanzania where she received her education through high school. She then moved to United States, where she got her degree in Business from NIACC and her degree in Finance from Upper Iowa University. J.K. Muta also attended Hamilton College in Mason City, Iowa. She is currently residing in the state of North Carolina with her family where, among other things, she is pursuing her writing career. J.K. Muta is author of two books, "Among Us", which was her first published book and her new book, "Under Man's Spell".
Richardson: Hello J.K., thank you for chatting with me! Please introduce your self to our readers.
Muta: I’m J.K. Mute author of Among Us and Under Man’s Spell. I was born in Tanzania where I received my education through high school. I then moved to the United States, where I got my College education. I graduated from Upper Iowa University with a degree in Finance. I also attended NIACC and Hamilton College, both in Iowa. I’m currently residing in the state of North Carolina with my family where, among other things, I’m pursuing my writing career.
Richardson: “Under Man's Spell" is second release. What is it about? How long did it take for you to write it?
Muta: Under Man’s Spell is my second book. My first book was Among Us which was pub
lished in 2008 by the same publisher as Under Man’s Spell. Different from my first book which mostly was based on my imagination, this new book has been inspired by the true events in my country of origin; Tanzania. It shows the disturbing impact of dogmatic tradition and superstition on individuals and communities. The book talks about abuse on children, women, and undesirables.
lished in 2008 by the same publisher as Under Man’s Spell. Different from my first book which mostly was based on my imagination, this new book has been inspired by the true events in my country of origin; Tanzania. It shows the disturbing impact of dogmatic tradition and superstition on individuals and communities. The book talks about abuse on children, women, and undesirables. There are children who are forced to marry older men so that their fathers can get the dowry. Both children and women are raped and there are no effective laws to protect them. Some people decided that old women with red eyes are witches and so they burn them to death.
Traditional healers and witch doctors tells people that they can make them rich if they will kill an albino and bring to them their body parts, which make people go hunting for albinos and kill them for their body parts. It is unbelievable that these things take place in the real world. It took me about one year and a half to write this book. I believe I was able to finish it quicker because I am very familiar with the issues and I wanted to bring awareness around the world and find some possible permanent solutions, as these issues are not only in Tanzania but also in other countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Mozambique, just to name some.
Richardson: What do you want readers to take away from this book?
Muta: What I would like readers to take from this book is involvement in their communities. To stand for those who seem to have no voice and speak up for them. To make differences in their own lives and their own societies. You don’t need to travel to Tanzania to make a difference; we all know there are people abused all around the world, so start in your own house, in your own neighborhood.
Richardson: Share with us your journey to becoming a published author- what are some of the lessons you've learned?
Muta: My publishing experience as a new author was not bad, and it was not bad because I had some realistic expectations. As much as I wanted to get published by Big Traditional Publishers, I realized how slim the chances were and so I made sure I had a backup plan which was Self Publishing and that’s what I did.
Muta: My publishing experience as a new author was not bad, and it was not bad because I had some realistic expectations. As much as I wanted to get published by Big Traditional Publishers, I realized how slim the chances were and so I made sure I had a backup plan which was Self Publishing and that’s what I did.
Richardson: What best form of advertisement works for you, in reaching your reading audience?
Muta: Advertising can be very expensive for the author especially when you are a self published author like me, but thanks to all the social networks which are mostly free, I have been able to reach readers around the world through different social networks such as twitter, Myspace, Facebook and Goodreads. This kind of advertisement works for me because it reaches many people in many places without breaking the bank.
Richardson: What authors influenced you?
Muta: I have been influenced by so many authors through my lifetime, every book I have ever read, has influenced me in one way or the other.
Richardson: Do you have any future projects readers should be aware of?
Richardson: Do you have any future projects readers should be aware of?
Muta: I am slowly working on my next book, this one will mostly take longer to come out than Under Man’s Spell, because of all the effort I have to put to promoting Under Man’s Spell so that it can get the attention it needs, to get the intended message to the people. I’m also planning to put together a children’s version of my first book, Among Us.
Richardson: Where can readers reach you?
Muta: I can be contacted through my website: http://www.jkmutabooks.com/
