Akwaeke Emezi’s novel, Little Rot, is available now from Riverhead, so we asked them a few questions about writing, reading, procrastination, and more.

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What time of day do you write?
These days it’s usually at night between 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. because that’s when my cat Güs PonPon is asleep and won’t sabotage me working!

What part of your writing routine do you think would surprise your readers?
I don’t outline! Often I don’t actually know what my characters are going to do until I write them. I do have a general idea of the overall plot, but sometimes the characters hijack it.

How do you organize your bookshelves?
I predominantly read ebooks because otherwise I would have hundreds of books, so my bookshelves usually contain my collection of first editions and rare books organized by genre.

What is your favorite way to procrastinate when you are meant to be writing?
Probably by watching a wholesome low-stakes TV show like Leverage.

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Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi is available via Riverhead.