Changa's Safari was one of the 'Big Three,' the three books I wrote between 2005 and 2008. With Changa, I wanted to write a sword and sorcery book with an African main character and a book that combined my love for Sword and Sorcery and history. I also wanted a character whose adventures extended beyond the continent, a character that would be a hero wherever he went. Lastly, I didn't want a character that just wandered from adventure to adventure. I wanted a character that had a reason for his journey. When people would ask me to describe Changa back in the day, I would say he was 'Conan with a job.' 🙂
My earliest visual inspiration for Changa was Michael Clarke Duncan. I remember seeing him in The Scorpion King and saying, 'This man needs his own movie!' Part of my naïve plan was to send him the book once I was done in hopes that he would make it a movie. Sadly, that was not to be.
When I finally released the first book, some people mentioned that it reminded them of Sinbad. To be honest, Sinbad never crossed my mind until I was well into the book. So as an inside joke, I named Changa's main dhow the Sendibada, which according to the African names book I got it from, was the Swahili word the name Sinbad was based.
With all the images I had of Changa, it was this image by Matteo Illuminati that brought everything full circle for me. I got emotional seeing Changa and Panya on that deck sailing to new adventures, an image I felt broke the stereotypical of seafaring Africans.
And lastly, it was very important to me to finish Changa's adventure. It's difficult for authors, Black authors specifically, to tell their stories in a series unless they publish them themselves. Sometimes it takes years, other times it could take decades. I was determined to share Changa's entire adventure and bring it to what I hope would be a satisfying conclusion. It's a series that I'll always be proud of, and one I hope those who read or will read it enjoy.
If you haven't joined the Safari, just click the link below. It will take you to all things Changa.
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