Sauce Drop EP8
Murder, Law & All The Secrets In Between: A Conversation on book “Conflict of Interest” by Michael Oyinloye
Book: Conflict of Interest - An Akinyemi Law Thriller
Good evening everyone. Tonight we are not just discussing a book, we are putting a murder case on trial.
Our topic is “Murder, Law & All The Secrets In Between” inspired by the book “Conflict of Interest” by Michael Oyinloye_who is our guest today. We warmly welcome him 😊
A dead Barrister. An accused woman found in his bed. No memory. No alibi. And a courtroom full of drama.
In a country where everyone has something to hide, how do you prove innocence when everything points to guilt? Our guest will answer few questions drawn from his interesting book.
Questions
1. “A dead man. An accused woman. A courtroom full of drama. And a family full of secrets." Which of those four came to you first?
2. Let's talk about the accused woman - is she a victim, a villain, or something messier?
3. Without spoilers, how much of this case was inspired by real courtroom drama in Nigeria?
4. How did you balance accurate Nigerian law practice with making it thrilling for non-lawyers? Did any SANs fact-check you?
5. Courtroom thrillers are huge internationally. You said it can stand next to international thrillers - what makes this African thriller unmistakably Nigerian?
Quick exercise for everyone: If you were on this jury - Barrister Williams is dead, side-chic found in his bed with no memory. Guilty or Not Guilty on first impression? Let's hear 3 people and why.
6. [Final Question for Author]: What's next for Akinyemi Law? Is Book 2 already in the works? And where can we get Book 1 tonight?
@thebookpolitics Thank you so much for having me. It's a privilege to be here 💗
1. Definitely a courtroom full of drama. Before I started writing properly, I watched a good amount of legal drama TV shows, so I already had a bias for tense, dramatic courtroom scenes. It was like dominoes though. Once I knew I wanted my courtroom scenes to be dramatic, I had to think of a case worth the level of drama I envisioned. That's how Yetunde Ogunniyi's case was born
2. To me, the accused woman is a human being in love, trying to figure her life out. Is she a victim? To a degree. She's a victim of a patriarchal society, ready to point their fingers at a woman at the slightest inclination. A villain? I don't think so. Did she have tendencies? Maybe. But then again, aren't we all flawed in some way?
3. Actually, the courtroom drama wasn't inspired by real-life drama. It was inspired by fiction through and through.
4. Hmm... Well, it was about finding the balance. I did a lot of research because I'm not a lawyer and I don't know the first thing about legal procedures in Nigeria. The point was to do enough research to sound like I know what I'm talking about, but not too much that it comes off as boring to me and to the readers. And I think I found that right balance.
And no... Nobody fact checked me 😂😅 don't know if that's a good thing or not.
5. Yeah, I do believe Conflict of Interest can and should stand ten toes down with international thrillers. What makes this book unmistakenly Nigerian? It's unapologetic. That's why. I was very particular about the dialogue. A lot of the time, I've seen Nigeria and Nigerians represented in ways that are completely alien, so I made sure my book sounded Nigerian. The themes addressed are the realities of the average Nigerian, and I'm sure it resonated with readers. And at the same time, I didn't compromise when it came to quality of work. Call it Nigerian excellence 😂😏
6. Conflict of Interest is available for purchase on Amazon and in leading bookstores across Nigeria and Ghana. From Roving Heights, to Heych Books, Book Peddler, Readers Hub, City Reads, Dainz Books, Luce Bookstore, Buy Books In Port Harcourt, The Lit Loft, BookBlissOnline and Lumbooks. It can also be gotten from my publisher: Tales and Whispers.
What's next for Akinyemi Law? I have plans. I definitely have plans. Is Book 2 in the works? Can't confirm or deny 😏 We'll see in the coming days.
@tomi Was it hard writing a main character who doesn't remember? How did you make people root for someone who can't even defend herself?