I also never write about characters whose lives I don’t have at least some sense of or a genuine interest in. Having a deep interest in my characters… - Sarah Ladipo Manyika

My first thought is that there are, of course, harsher forms of exile. Morayo does at least have a comfortable place to live, food to eat, and access to health care. I also suspect that Morayo, with thoughts of the ethnic and religious strife that had taken place in her home city of Jos, might be quick to say that the internally displaced face the cruelest form of exile.

When was the last time you failed or faced rejection as a writer and how did you cope with it and what did you learn from the experience?

For my second novel, I did almost no historical research. With Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun I played much more with form and with voice than I’d done in the past. As such, it was particularly gratifying to have the novel shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize, a prize that rewards innovative approaches to fiction.