Q. Why did you write this book?
A. I lived many years in Africa and have accumulated many
stories and anecdotes about life there and interactions amongst people. A
number of these items have been published here and there. I wrote an earlier novel entitled State
of Decay. In some ways The Last Rhino is a sequel. At least in the sense that I used several
characters from State of Decay and made vague references to their
backstories. So, when I started thinking about a new book, I already had a
setting – Africa – and a protagonist – Philippe. I just had to figure out a
plot.
I find that fiction reveals as much in general terms of
knowledge as does non-fiction. A realistic setting and reference to authentic events
and places generates genuine understanding of issues. The fictional part of it permits the author
to create plot, concentrate on problems and to people the story with characters
of his own choosing.
Q. Do you have the plot mapped out ahead of time?
A. No, I do not. I know that some writers think it all
through in advance and even outline where it is all going to go. Part of the
fun for me is figuring it out as I go along…and as I go back to add something
or flesh out a shorter bit. I mull things over while I reread and often get a
new idea. I am indebted to reader/reviewers
who have pointed out what was good, what was bad, and what needed to be
improved.
Q. What is the major theme of The Last Rhino?
A. Obviously, conservation is a key theme. Poaching is a real problem that has
devastated big game throughout the continent. The Congo is no exception. I did
want to draw attention to this crisis. I hope that the book does that.
I realized as I was writing that another theme is that of
second chances. Most of the characters
experienced difficulties in earlier phases of their lives. For example,
Philippe gets to rebound from traumatic loss, both in his sense of self and
mission but also in love. Godfrey and Sia sustained terrible shocks at the
hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army.
Christopher goes from limited prospects to possibilities and so forth. One
of my reviewers was pleased with the depiction of women, especially Marie. On
the larger scale Garamba and its creatures have a second chance, as does the
Congo itself – if, and it is a big if – if it can manage to bring some order
out of chaos. I left some hope that
there might be a second chance for white Rhinos as well.
Q. What is the most fictional part of the story?
A. Most everything in the book is based on reality, but the
Wayamba people as a tribe living near the park are fiction. Even so, their
philosophy of life: self-contained, disdain for the modern world, living in
harmony with nature and aspects of their political system can be found in real
tribes in eastern Africa. I adapted what I needed for my plot.
Q. What about the rhinos?
A. Sadly, the white rhinos which used to range widely in
Garamba Park are gone. The remaining
ones were probably killed by poachers about ten years ago. Only two northern
white rhinos remain alive. They are zoo bred females, now captives in the Ole Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. It is hoped that one or both might be artificially
inseminated by sperm from a southern white rhino, but this remains
problematical. A healthy population of southern white rhinos exists in southern
Africa and efforts are well advanced to protect black rhinos throughout their
range in eastern Africa. Yet, despite such efforts rhinos remain in
danger of extinction as long as habitat is lost, and their horns are valued for
medicinal and other purposes in Asia and the Arab world.
Q. Tell us about the cover photo.
A. The photo is of a white rhino. I took it in Meru Park, Kenya in 1983. Although well protected, accompanied daily by rangers and housed overnight in a corral, sadly that animal and two others were slaughtered by poachers a year or so later.
If readers have questions for the author, please post them in a comment.
