Author Interview : Corban Addison Human Rights Activist and author of highly acclaimed The Garden of Burning Sand

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Corban Addison started out as a Human Rights Lawyer before thankfully following his dream to become a novelist.  His first two books A Walk Across The Sun and The Garden of Burning Sand focus on exposing the abuse of children in developing countries.  I said when I reviewed the Garden of Burning Sand that it was my favorite book of the year and though I've enjoyed reading and reviewing many books I still hold Garden up as my favourite book and the one that left me with a satisfying range of emotive responses which I still visit from time to time.

Corban very graciously offered to be interviewed  by The Crime Warp and I nearly bit his hand off so keen was I to say yes.

Liz:   When you made your research trip to Zambia did you go with an idea of the storyline and the type of characters you wanted to include or did you go with a completely blank canvas?

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Corban: I do my research in phases. First, I read a great deal about the subject matter and setting of the book I’m writing and sketch out characters and a basic story arc. Then I travel to the places my characters will go and try to live the story. When I’m on the ground meeting with people and seeing things firsthand, my sense of the story naturally changes. In a sense, my research is a dialectical loop, with thesis and antithesis combining to form the synthesis that ends up on the page.

 Liz: For an attorney who, I’m presuming, is more used to legalese than creative writing, where do you think your extraordinary talent for storytelling comes from?

Corban: I was born to write creatively. Stories come easily to me. I had to learn how to write legalese and was often quite frustrated with its limitations, as many judges and attorneys who worked with me would attest. This was one of many reasons I was delighted to start writing novels full time.

Liz:  In The Garden of Burning Sand  your minor characters kept the story grounded in the reality of being one of the disenfranchised in Zambia, for example, the Zambian youth who attack Zoe, the housemaid etc.  How difficult was it to write these characters and did you base them on people you met during your research trip?

Corban: During my research, I spent a lot of time with Zambians of all stripes, listening to their stories and learning from their experiences. I borrowed a great deal from them in writing the book, but I made very sure that none of my characters would be recognizable as a real person.

 Liz:  Whilst reading The Garden Of Burning Sand, my emotions ranged from anger to pity, to sadness to helplessness yet, when I finished reading it, I found that I was left with a very strong sense of hope.  How did you cope with the roller coaster of emotions especially when you were writing the dark parts of the book?

Corban: I’m a hopeful person, so I write hopeful stories. I’m also a realist, and I have no interest in sugar-coating reality. I think the two strands go together quite naturally. All of us are living our own stories, and hope (however grand or simple) is what gets us out of bed each morning. As an author, I want to take my readers into the dark spaces of human experience, but I’m committed to bringing my stories to a satisfying and redemptive resolution. As human beings, we can’t live without light. But unless we confront the darkness around us, we can’t appreciate it.

 Liz: One of the ongoing debates among organisations providing humanitarian aid is how to use the money they have most effectively, and indeed in The Garden of Burning Sand Zoe herself faces that predicament when the Aid organisation she now heads won’t release the money for the lifesaving operation.  How important was it for you to include that message in the book?

Corban: There are a thousand and one perspectives about humanitarian aid. Some laud it; others loathe it. The truth is more nuanced. There are lots of good people doing important work in the world. There is also a lot of waste and fraud. I wanted to make the question of aid personal for my readers—to give it a face, if you will. Many people argue that money can’t solve the world’s problems. While this is surely true, it’s also misleading. I wanted to show that some problems can be solved with money. I also wanted to show that wealthy people—who are often vilified in stories—can be heroes, too. The Giving Pledge promoted by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates is heroic in my opinion. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter whether the aid is private or public, it only matters that it gets into the hands of the people who need it when they need it.

 Liz: The Garden of Burning Sand, is, of course, fictional.  However, the types of personal sacrifice made by some of your characters is often made by real people and is often the catalyst for making lasting changes. (We need look only from, Gandhi to Mandela to Malala for evidence of individuals sacrificing for the greater good).  Can you comment on this?

Corban: Sacrifices arise from dilemmas—when a person is forced to choose between two or more competing loyalties. All of us live our lives hoping we’ll never have to choose between the people we love and the principles we believe in. But occasionally that happens, and when it does, it can have far-reaching consequences. In Garden, Zoe has to choose between loyalty to her father and brother and the demands of her conscience in testifying before the Senate. Jack has to choose between his ambitions and his desire to reconcile with Zoe. And Patricia Nyambo has to choose between loyalty to her husband and son and her lifelong commitment to the cause of justice. I’m fascinated by these dilemmas and I love to use them in my stories.

Liz: Now, Corban you are a Human Rights Activist and through your books you raise awareness of humanitarian issues.  Can you suggest a few small ways in which individuals can make a difference?

Corban: Empathy is a vital ingredient in a society as diverse as ours—indeed, inspiring empathy is one of my goals as a writer—yet all too often it is in short supply. We can teach our kids to care about people in need around the world. We can use our voices, our votes, and our signatures to advance causes that matter and to support those in power who champion them. And we can use our pocketbooks to fund organizations that are making a difference. For a few suggestions of non-profits I recommend, check out my website: 

www.corbanaddison.com.

Liz: Lastly, What’s in the pipeline for you now - More research trips, more books (I hope so), more interviews, time with the family or all of the above?

Corban: I just turned in the edited manuscript of my third novel, which will be released in 2015. It’s a story I’m passionate about, and I can’t wait for readers to get their hands on it. I’m working on a few more story ideas that I’m about to submit to my publisher. It’s my hope to continue writing books like Garden for many more years to come.

Liz: I am so pleased you spent the time chatting to us and best wishes to your family from the crime warp.