Article 12

Habibo Haji RN:I’m from East Africa, Somalia to be precise, where I lived until I was 14 years of age. The civil war broke out in 1991, causing chaos over the whole country.   I immigrated to Kenya with my mother and siblings and lived in the largest refugee camp for a total of three years before being selected to immigrate to America.

Scarberryfields: When you finish a novel, do you miss the characters?

Habibo Haji RN:This book is actually based on my life experience in the refugee camp and living in a very primitive village in Somalia as a nomad. Through my experience as a nomad, I went through many hardships, such as rape, beating and starvation for many months and years.  The story also focuses on my struggle of immigrating to America without knowing a word of English, and how I overcame the odds to now work at the most prestigious medical facility in the world - the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Scarberryfields: While writing, if you need help with punctuation, grammar, etc., where do you turn?

Habibo Haji RN:My good friend, Joe Culhane has been helping me throughout the writing process. Therefore, without him this book would not be in publication. Many thanks to him.

Scarberryfields:With the number of hours spent writing, do family members support you or complain about the time spent away from them?

Habibo Haji RN:I have no family support, because it’s just my 3 children and me.  Therefore, times can be tough especially with the writing process.  I do want, however, to show young men and women that with persistence and patience, you can and will accomplish many things.

Scarberryfields: Does writing benefit you in any way and if so, how?

Habibo Haji RN:Writing this book was very beneficial for me because it allowed me to reexamine my life from earlier years to where I am now. Many of the memories were not very pleasant so it allowed me to make peace with the past and be hopeful for the future.

Scarberryfields: When you’re writing, do you shut-off all social networks?

Habibo Haji RN:I like social networks so I multi-task because, as you can guess, a single mom with 3 kids needs to multi- task to get things done. I sometimes read postings in Facebook or Twitter to get me through the day.

Scarberryfields: Did you use any family members as Beta readers for your debut novel?

Habibo Haji RN:I have had a few friends that read the book, which was very helpful.

Scarberryfields:Do you feel social networking as a marketing tool, is beneficial?

Habibo Haji RN:I think social networks are a great tool to use for marketing, because you can reach people that you would not normally have contact with.

Scarberryfields: What is the last book called that you completed and published?