Blind Faith: Thrillers, Terrorism & Trusting God with Author Faith Ijiga

YouTube episode

In this engaging podcast episode, Nigerian author and podcaster Faith Ajiga shares her unique journey of overcoming challenges and crafting captivating stories. 

Despite being blind, Faith employs screen readers to navigate the digital world and bring her literary visions to life. Her passion for political, military, and crime thrillers is deeply rooted in her academic background in peace studies and conflict resolution. 

Faith channels her fascination with global conflicts and her personal experiences into powerful narratives, inspiring readers worldwide. 

Her story is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the transformative power of storytelling.

Faith Ijiga is a multifaceted creative force, serving as both a podcaster and an accomplished author. With a passion for storytelling that spans genres, Faith's literary journey is characterized by gripping crime, thriller, and suspense novels.

 A bachelor's degree holder from the National Open University of Nigeria, Faith's fascination with politics began to take root during her days in the university where she read Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. Today, she channels this interest into crafting compelling narratives within the realm of political, military and crime thrillers.

 Faith is the founder of The Christian Writers and Readers Club, an online community where Christian readers can discover new authors and books.

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C822LWZP

Email: authorfaithijiga@gmail.com  

On Facebook Author Faith Ijiga:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080224033740&mibextid=ZbWKwL  

On twitter/X Faithee_ijiga?: https://x.com/Faithee_ijiga?t=6gtdNWPKPhpiGe2YgWqorw&s=09  

Instagram /authorfaithijiga: https://www.instagram.com/authorfaithijiga?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==  

Amazon  Faith Ijiga: https://www.amazon.com/-/e,  

GoodReads Faith Ijiga: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22486325.Faith_Ijiga  BookBub  Faith Ijiga: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/faith-ijiga

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Transcript

Jan: Welcome to Just Talking About Jesus. Today's guest is Faith Ajiga. She's a multifaceted creative force serving as both a podcaster and an accomplished author with a passion for storytelling that spans genres. Faith's literary journey is characterized by gripping crime, thriller, and suspense novels. A bachelor's degree holder from the National Open University of Nigeria, Faith's fascination with politics began to take root during her days in the university, where she read peace studies and conflict resolution. Today, she channels this interest into crafting compelling narratives within the realm of political, military, and crime thrillers. Faith is the founder of the Christian Writers and Readers Club, an online community where Christian readers can discover new authors and books. Faith, I'm so happy to have you here.

Faith: Thank you. I'm excited to do this with you. It's been a while, though, so I hope I don't get to disappoint.

Jan: I just can't even possibly imagine you. Disappointing. What a great thing. Tell us a little bit about you.

Faith: Oh, okay. As you've mentioned earlier, my name is Faith, and, yeah, I'm from Nigeria, currently in Nigeria. I'm an author, a podcaster, and I love Jesus and give my life. I gave my life to Christ back in 2009. Since then, I've been, you know, following him not really strongly, you know, for some years because I didn't really know that much about God. And I was born in a Christian home, but I really gave my life to Christ back in 2009. Then in 28, in 2016, when I was, you know, when I gained an admission into the university, I came back home and I was like, okay, Lord, I'm here and I want to rededicate my life to you. And I did my rededication to Christ back in 2016. Then my journey with him started. I started my writing career, you know, so to cut the longest, I should tell you a little about me. So I give my baptism in 2009, and, well, the journey has been wonderful with Christ. There's been lots of trials, but God has been faithful through everything. And, yeah, I just add this one. I am blind. Yep. So everything I do on my phone, my computer is with a screen reader.

Jan: Tell us a little bit about that, because there's a lot of people that don't know about what. What adaptive things or, you know, just how you. How you get by. Tell us. Tell us about things that maybe that you use that help you, like using the computer or writing even.

Faith: Okay, thank you. Yeah, I. Like I said, lying. You know, it started from childhood. I was Diagnosed with Cathar at. When I was just six months old. Then my. We did a surgery at the age of one, you know, you know, Catharis removable version surgery. But you know, mine was a failed surgery. So, you know, it ended up damaging my sight beyond medical repair. That was back in 1995, 96. So it's been a long time. So I should know, believe that there should be some medical remedy to my side condition right now. But I haven't really taken out the time to check. So moving forward, it was something I had to grow up with. I had to, you know, be bullied like classmates, you know, other kids, my church school, you know, around, you know, just around my environment. But I had a supporting and caring parents that, you know, always told me you can do this, you can make, you can make it in life. And I believe them. Then I went through secondary school, university and it was in the university that I discovered my love for writing. Because I don't really know if I should say I discovered it or, you know, that that's a different story on its own. You know, I, I can come back to that one if you like. So, but you know, moving forward, we had this laptop, I was given, I was given a laptop to, you know, go through my, you know, university education, which had a screen reader, came with a screen reader and I also had a phone, an Android phone at the time and also that also had a screen reader. So with my screen reader I'm able to, to do anything, virtually everything excited person can do on their phone as well. So it's been helping me navigate life on the Internet which of course for someone with my condition who doesn't go out that much, you know, online is the next best thing for us. You, you know, when you talk about places where we can go and be social or meet other people. Yeah. So it's very easy that way. Especially because, because of the kind of place where I live. So someone with my sight is sort of like, you face this in spoken stigma, you know, so you, you go to a gathering, a function and you have to stay one place. Nobody's carrying you around and you know, nobody because people are looking at you like what, what am I going to discuss with this? Discuss to this person? So they just leave you and well, it's been a serious challenge, you know, even, even though it's been long, 29 years now, if you ask me if I still prefer to be sighted to this, I'd say yes a hundred times. Yeah. So but with the help of my screen Reader. I am able to do everything that I'm doing, and I'm so happy and I'm grateful for that.

Jan: Wow. And I suppose that, you know, technology is advanced a lot more to be helpful, you know, to take into account the things that you need to be able to be successful. But I'm just so proud of you, Faith, for going through college and going beyond what even a lot of sighted people do. That's just so impressive.

Faith: Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you.

Jan: Besides being an author, you're a podcaster as well.

Faith: Yeah, that was how we met. Yeah.

Jan: Yeah. So I was able to be interviewed by Faith on her podcast about my writing, and what a delight that was. It was just. So you've written four books. How do you use fiction as a tool to speak truth into current society and political issues? Tell us about your books. So the things that you've. You've written and kind of what motivated you to write them?

Faith: Okay, first off, I've written five books, but. Yeah, but, yeah, but I also have other short stories that put in for magazines, anthologies, anthology collections, and so, you know, so on. So I have lots of words. But I guess the ones that are, you know, officially published under my name as a thriller author is there are five of them. Yes. Yeah. What motivates me back in school, I write peace studies and conflict resolution. So it's something that we're, you know, peace studies and conflict resolution. So it's something that deals with conflict. Both. The one you do, you want, you have within you. That's an intra conflict, then interconflict between two or more persons, between two or more groups, between two or more nations, between two or more continents. So we studied this from the personal level down to the world stage, and that included the World War II. So, you know, mostly our studies were centered around Africa. You know, countries in Africa, the wars, and, you know, everything. And you know, how people were breaking boundaries, you know, the successes we've made over the years and the ones and our faults and failures. So I became really intrigued because growing up, my dad always wanted us to always watch the news. He'd be like, tune this to cnn. I'd like to see. And we're like, oh, come on. We're just like every other kids wanted to watch movies, wanted to watch, you know, play games. Yeah. Really seem to, you know, watch Disney World and all that because we had the satellite in my home. But my dad always come back and he'd be like, change this. I want to watch the news. And, you know, back Then it got to a point he had to get a television in our own room so that when he comes home, when he returned, yeah, when he returned home, he'd you know, be able to watch and you know, listen to the news at the living room. So whenever he came back home, we just, you know, disappeared immediately. Like, okay, dad, welcome, welcome. And we just disappear into our rooms to watch, to continue watching our movies. So studying all this, the wars and everything, I realized that I was a bit intrigued. And I was like, wow, is this what has been happening in the country, the continent and all over the world? So there I decided to, you know, go deeper, do my own personal reading. So I got lots of books started reading or you know, reading stuff about, about different governments, about wars that's taking place. The First World War, the Second World War, the Cold War, the Gulf War and you know, even the American Civil War. So I've been, you know, reading and, and you know, it got me intrigued because I started following the news closely. Know this is, this was something that I couldn't do as a child or even as a teenager. But yeah, I was in my early 20s and I was, I was, you know, intrigued. It was something I, I couldn't tear myself away from. So that's. And I said, okay, back in 2020, I, you know, because I started writing in 2017. But in 2019, I started, you know, writing Christian theory fiction books. So I completed my first book, I completed my first book back in early 2020 and it was the Pandemic. And I was asking God, okay, what do I write? What do I write next? I was so confused, had lots of story ideas in my head, was a bit confused. I didn't know what direction to take next with my writing. Then one day my sister know gave me a book by Joe Rosenberg, this titled the twelfth Imam. And I read this book and while I was reading it, I heard God's voice telling me, this is what I want you to do. I want you to take this kind of writing and replicate it with what's going on in the country. So, so I'm from Nigeria and Nigeria has lots of issues, you know, political, politically, economically and socially even, you know, so there's lots of security issues and lots of kidnapping. My own dad has been kidnapped twice. And we had to pay, yes, and we had to pay for those, for both. We had to pay both times for him. Pay a huge ranks ransom for his Ra released from the hands of the kidnappers. And Nigeria has a very strong terrorist group known as Boko Haram. It's an Islamic terrorist group, and it's. It's been recognized globally and even by the U.S. terrorism department. I think that's. Some of the FBI can't remember the official name, so. But this was what happened. And I clearly heard God telling me, you know, that, you know, replicate this with what's going in. What's. With what's going on in your country, what was going on in Nigeria. And. Well, that was how I took it, and I've been running with it since then.

Jan: Yeah. And I think it's so good to be able to read something similar to what you want to write, because it also, especially as a new writer, to get an idea of even how to go about it. Because you're right. You have a whole bunch of ideas, but how do you. How do you put them down in a way that makes sense? So. Yeah.

Faith: Yeah, yeah.

Jan: That is really interesting. Yeah. So how is. How has your faith journey shaped your writing and what you're doing with that?

Faith: Wow. Thank you. I experienced a lot of challenges, you know, when I started writing that. Several times I had to stop and ask God, are you the one really sending me on this, or was I just intrigued by this man's writing, this author's writing? And I was like, okay, if you're the one, you know, show me what to do. Since 2020, when I. I graduated since 2020. And since then. Since then, I've been applying for jobs, applying for jobs, but haven't been able to get any official job. I just get maybe a gig one, you know, once or twice. And, you know, but. And I. There were times I was frustrated. Sometimes I called my sister and I was like, I can't do this again. I can't do this because I was writing. But I really wasn't getting what I. What I needed to sustain me financially, to write. So it was during those times that I was, you know, going through life, and I had to. And I realized that God was, you know, using it to process me. There were several stuff, you know, God was trying to pull me to make sure that I become, you know, the kind of person that reflects the kind his life in me, his glory in me. And it was a challenge. Like I said, there were. There were lots of discouraging times. There were times, you know, my. My mom was a bit fed up, and she was like, okay, you go get a job. You will get married and leave my home. And, you know, so I went through all that stuff. There were times she tell me, you know, what you're writing is it more important than you know, the food we're going to eat in this house? And you know, just very tensed moment and I found myself clinging more, more, more onto you know, to God. And I kept, you know, there were times I tell him God, I'm so frustrated. I'm sad, I don't know what to do. But I still tell him that okay, I love you and, and I know you're faithful. Just help me to go through this. Help me to realize, help me to stand, help me to still in spite of everything present myself to, to you as by my walk to you as a living sacrifice. So this journey has really improved me spiritually, mentally, emotionally. You know, it, it's really, really shaped me shift my faith journey with God because that's helped me to trust more in him.

Jan: Isn't that just like, like God to do though? Because he sees even like say you take the story of Joseph. I mean first of all he's rejected by his brothers and he gets sold and he goes to Egypt and he's in the Pharaoh's house and all this. But every, every step of the way is because God's end plan was for him to be able to save a nation. But he had to learn the leadership, leadership skills in order to do that right. And, and God does the same with us. You know, it's just he takes us, he knows what the end game is and he knows the desire of our hearts. So I think he takes whatever he, he knows as he does, he knows it's through and through so he can take us to that, that place that will fulfill the desires of our heart.

Faith: Yeah. Yes. You know, because it got to a point where it was too much at some point I like, okay, maybe I should turn back because I had lots of discouragement would call me and say what are you writing? What do you know you're writing? Just come over here, come over, come and come and stay with us and we'll help you get a job. We'll have to do this. But I knew God wasn't, you know, allowing me to go to those places and I stay back. At some point I had to move out of my family home, go stay with my younger sister who was a police officer. And yeah, it was really, it's really been a hard journey. But it's something that I don't really regret working through.

Jan: Wow, that's neat. Do all of your stories have settings in Africa?

Faith: Yeah, they do, but, but I think how I'm going to put it this, I'm going to put it this way. I have one book of mine titled the Kind of Cipher. So it's set in Nigeria and the United States. Then I have this book coming out this year that should be in September, and it's set in. Is set in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is in Africa, and it's set in the United States. It says in France and it's set in China. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I, I like to write stories that has Africa in it, but I like to do it on a global stage, make the stake higher. Yeah, that. So that. So that people from. Because I have lots of readers right now in the United States, so, you know, even more than I do over here in Nigeria. So it's really been wonderful how God is, you know, working everything out for his good. So in order to make sure that I give some, you know, I give my readers what, what they are familiar with, I try to bring in different parts of the world and give them, you know, what they would like reading. That's what Joe Rosenberg does with his books. He sets his book in Middle East, North Africa and the United States. And, you know, since I heard God clearly, you know, telling me to replicate this with what's happening on the African continent, that's what I've been doing. And my book, Jungle justice is set in Nigeria and the United States. Yeah. So I. So that's how I've been writing my, my books.

Jan: And, and doesn't it. Do you do some challenging our assumptions about justice and vengeance then in that particular book? Right.

Faith: Yeah, actually, Jungle justice is set on your. Is. Is actually a story that is based on. Is based on a real life story. Yeah, it's actually. It features the lynching of. Of a girl, a college student who died, who was killed and her body was set on fire back in May 12, 2022. Yeah. So, yeah, to cut it. And then I also pictured lots of terrorism, you know, so it's a. It's a bit. The book is. The story is. It's scary, you know, so some people read it and they're like, oh, this book is too tense for me and I think I'm gonna have to, you know, stop here. But if it's. If anyone who likes, you know, political thrillers, military thrillers, and can, you know, stand the tough part, then I would highly recommend the book to them. Because though it's set on, it's based on a real life story, there are also some fictional elements in the book that would keep the reader going and hopeful for the future as well, it.

Jan: Sounds like something that would make a good movie.

Faith: Yeah. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Jan: I can see all kinds of action parts going and cutting back and forth and.

Faith: Yeah, yeah. You know. And, you know, most times people recommend my book to male readers, you know, in the industry, because I think that's really what male fiction readers, people who love reading Christian fiction, political and military thrillers, likes to read because there's little to no romance in my books. I'm sorry, but I'm not really good with romance. Yeah. I just deal with the hard. The hard stuff and, you know, everything that just goes boom, you know.

Jan: Well, you could do an audiobook, though, and have sound effects in the back of it, too.

Faith: Whoa. That's a pretty.

Jan: That's it.

Faith: I never really thought of it that way, but it's something huge to consider. I just completed an audiobook of a short story I wrote last year titled Operation Red Viper. So. Operation Red Viper. So I think I'm gonna put what is set to consideration and I'll see if I would add the effect before publishing that one. Thanks for that suggestion.

Jan: Yeah. Yeah. So what's next in your. What's God telling you to do next?

Faith: So I have a little issue currently with some personal stuff that I'm working on. And I'm, you know, that in that area, I'm asking God for his direction. And, yeah, I haven't gotten any clear, you know, next step to take or. But there are some things I'm trying to do right now, which is I'm trying to. Like I said, I have a book coming up in September and it's titled the Silent Protest. It's also based on a real life story. You know, I could explain that one if we still have more time. And I have a Christmas thriller coming up. And this thriller is set in the United States, Israel, and I'm trying to think of this third country. I'm so sorry. It's been a while. I wrote. I touched the book. So I'm currently at the editing stage. Yeah. Morocco. Marrakesh in Morocco. So Morocco is North Africa. Yeah. And it has something to do with the CIA. Two CIA agents, you know who. One is one originally from the United States and one is a Nigeria, who. A Nigerian who went to school in the state and, you know, got inducted into the CIA. So she and him, they go on this quest to find this missing relic from, you know, known as the Star of Jerusalem. So it's nothing that I'm currently working on, and I was going to publish it last Christmas but was unable to do that. So I'm hoping I get to release it this November.

Jan: Yeah. Oh, that sounds interesting. Very good.

Faith: Yeah. Thank you.

Jan: Oh, well, we're running out of time. I'm going to put links to your books and all of your podcasts and things into the show notes so people can find you. And is there anything else you'd like to add?

Faith: Well, I. There's something I'd add. There is to say that, you know, where. Anywhere I find myself, you know, able to talk about myself and what I do, I'm really, really grateful for that. And first of all, I'd like to say that it's all God, and he's faithful, and he's very good. And I'd also like to say thank you so much to you, Jan. I was so excited, you know, getting an invitation to come here, and I'm so glad, and I'm, you know, grateful for what you're doing, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to be interviewed.

Jan: I'm just happy that I got to spend time with you again because it just. You're a delightful person, and it's just been a pleasure.

Faith: Yeah. Thank you so much. Thank you.