Interview with Poet Balthazar Rodrigue Nzomono-Balenda

Balthazar Rodrigue Nzomono-Balenda ( August 29, 1981), known as Rodrigue or Balthazar is a French-born Danish author and he is originally from the Republic of the Congo. Balthazar was born in Oullins, which is a suburb in Lyon, in France and his parents were diplomats in South Africa, before he and his family moved to Denmark. His parents, André & Rose Nzomono-Balenda were diplomats under the mandate of the former Congolese president, Pascal Lissouba. In 1997,there was civil war in the Congo As presidential elections scheduled for July 1997 approached, tensions between the Lissouba and Sassou camps mounted. On June 5, President Lissouba's government forces surrounded Sassou's compound in Brazzaville and Sassou ordered members of his private militia (known as "Cobras") to resist. Thus began a four-month conflict that destroyed or damaged much of Brazzaville and caused tens of thousands of civilian deaths.

Balthazar has written two books, The Depth of My Soul and The Struggle of Power & The Fight for Survival. He is a multimedia designer and a student at the Nordic Multimedia Academy (NOMA). Balthazar identifies himself as a French – born Congolese because he is more connected with the Congo and France than Denmark. He speaks French, English, Lingala, Norwegian, Danish, partially German, Dutch and Afrikaans. Balthazar learns Chinese and Japanese in his spare time, he writes poems, he paints, he goes out and enjoys himself. Balthazar is also a member of the International Society of Poets, which runs poetry.com and he sometimes publishes poems at poetry.com. There will be more books from him this year.

You can visit his website at www.ganymedeweb.com.

Welcome to The Writer's Life, Balthazar. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

I was born on August 1981, In Oullins, which is a suburb of Lyon in France. I am originally from the Republic of the Congo and I am a multimedia designer student in Denmark. I have begun writing books this year, since January, but I have been writing poems for 6 years and I am a member of the International Society of Poets. I write poems at poetry.com.

Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

I wrote this book because I was inspired by CNN's way to provide news to us and I have learned a lot from the news channel. I have written this books because I want to share with my readers about the injustices that we face in this world: war crimes, relationship problems, dictatorship, corruption, abuse, xenophobia, poverty, hunger etc. In the book, I also focus on hope for peace and justice.


What kind of research was involved in writing “The Depth of My Soul”?

The research was involved by watching the news and going on the internet to learn lots of things. The title describes how emotional I am when I write about such circumstances.


How much input did you have into the design of your book cover?

I did not design my book cover, I was lucky that my publisher has several book covers that I can choose. I am very grateful to I-Proclaim for that.


Has it been a bumpy ride to becoming a published author or has it been pretty well smooth sailing?

I am still in the process of promoting and I acknowledge that there were times that I was frustrated. But I accept that it's hard work and patience. I am a new author so I learn by experience.


For this particular book, how long did it take from the time you signed the contract to its release?

There is a form that I need to fill up and send to I-Proclaim as quick as possible , then I will sign a contract with my publisher.


Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/is is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

No I don't have any agent.


Do you plan subsequent books?

Yes I am going to publish more books this year.


Are you a morning writer or a night writer?

I am a night writer because I have other activities in the morning. Sometimes, I write in the morning when I have nothing to do.


If money was no object, what would be the first thing you would invest in to promote your book?

I would advert with CNN, MNSBC, Fox News etc. I would also write articles and contact many publishers across United States, France, Denmark and other countries to promote my book.


How important do you think self-promotion is and in what ways have you been promoting your book offline and online?

It is important that I promote myself so that my audience can know the man behind the book. It is also important for me to be open to my audience so that I bring awareness to them and be opened for questions. I promote my books online to make it easier for my audience.


Any final words of wisdom for those of us who would like to be published?

I would advice you to be yourself and being an author is an experience. Think about your audience because at the bottom line, it is about them, not you. Set yourself a goal for what do you want to achieve with your books and go for it. Let the doubters do the doubting and then you do the believing.


Thank you for coming, Balthazar Rodrigue Nzomono-Balenda! Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?

Yes I would like to tell my readers that they can find my book at i-proclaim .com and it even has a bookstore. To make it easier for my readers, I would advise them to go to http://store.i-proclaimbookstore.com/depthofmysoul.html. I would also like to tell my readers, that the I-Proclaim publishing house is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

3 comments:

  1. Welcome to The Writer's Life, Balthazar!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent interview. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but that's a very powerful cover.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:09 AM

    Thanks, Dorothy

    ReplyDelete

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