By Jude Owuamanam
She’s a chip off the old block. Born into the family of a literary icon and a retired army officer, Late Dr. Titus Chukwuemeka Nwosu and Major Catherine Nwosu (rtd.), in Amukwe Abba in Nwangele Local Government area of Imo State, Aretha has carved a niche for herself in the literary world. Her father, TC, as he was fondly called, was one of the literary giants of his genre, whose works transcended literary boundaries. Author, poet and publisher par excellence, TC, who died in 2020, was one of the pioneer English teachers at St. Finbarr’s Comprehensive College, Yaba, Lagos where he served as senior master and head of department, subject member, English, between 1961 and 1966.
He also served on the textbook revision committee, Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos, 1962-66. His book on lexis and structure was one of the standard text books on grammar used by the West African Examination council in those years. After quitting the African University Press, where he was the editor for many years, TC set up the Cross Continent Press, where he published most of his works. Among his works are Sirens of the Spirit (1970), Poems for the African Young, 1976, And The Heavens Wept, a poem he published in memory of Late General Muritala Mohammed, who was assassinated on February 13, 1976 and Six Dazzling Days, a poetic celebration of the pastoral and state visit to Nigeria of His Holiness Pope John Paul II, 12-17 February 1982. Some of his poems were also published in Selection of African Poetry, 1988, edited by Kojo Senanu & Theo Vincent.
His last place of call before his death was Vista Books Limited, which he set up with Late business mogul, Alhaji Abdulaziz Ude in 1990.
One of the monumental works handled by Vista Books, was the yet-to-be published, Groundwork of Igbo History. In 1992, late philanthropist and multi millionaire, Alhaji Abdulaziz Ude gathered 27 academics of international repute from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and others to produce a masterpiece on the history of Ndigbo from every perspective. The result was this master book on Igbo history from historical, archaeological, linguistic, anthropological, ritualistic, ethnographic, trado-cultural, antiquity and other sources of the history of Ndigbo. The book was edited by five scholars, Late Prof Adiele Afigbo and published by Vista Books Ltd
Areta Nwosu, author, engineer, life coach and designer, got her inspiration from her father. Her imagination ignited when she was a child and has been burning ever since.
She used her dolls and toys as ‘actors’ for her ‘films’ and even conscripted her sisters and brother to act out her stories. She covered pages of her exercise books with short stories and designs of clothing.
Her parents wondered why they had to buy her more notebooks than they did for their other children. No doubt Aretha inherited her writing skills from her father. Despite her science background, Areta has been writing short stories and novels ever since she was old enough to write. Despite obtaining a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from Nnamdi Azikiwe University and later, an MBA from the University of Leicester in the UK, Aretha writing skills have blossomed. She trained and worked as an engineer for a few years before transitioning into management
And that’s why she labels herself, “a writer by birth and an engineer by profession.” In the course of her work, she travelled to many countries within Africa and Europe.
But her passion for telling stories got stronger over the years and so, she left her job and signed up for a film-making course at the prestigious New York Film Academy, which she has just completed. Areta is currently focusing on her career as an author and film-maker.
Her first novel entitled Legacy of Strength was published in 2005 by mainstream publishers, Spectrum Books Plc, Nigeria and it was one of six books nominated for the Pat Utomi Book Prize in Lagos, Nigeria. It’s a book of fiction about mother/daughter relationships, drama and family secrets. The book was received well and as a result, she did a number of book-signings and television interviews. Legacy of Strength is available in bookstores across the country.
The Last Warrior Queen is Areta’s second published novel, This second novel, a fantasy adventure romance, was published in 2010 by CreateSpace, an independent American publishing company. It is now available on Amazon.com as an ebook and paperback.
Her other books include The Sons of Zik Series, an ongoing series of contemporary romance women’s fiction books. The books in this popular series are: ‘Pool Party’ in 2017, An Unexpected Match in 2018; Secrets, Scandals and Desire (Omnibus Version) in 2018; and A Dangerous Affair to be launched in 2025. These books are available as ebooks and paperbacks in online bookstores like Amazon and Bambooks.
Areta’s first non-fiction book, ‘Bodyshape Intelligence for Busy Professional Women’ is a self-help book aimed at busy, stylish and ambitious career women.
The book contains many salient points; some of which are: Five First Steps to Set Up Your Personal Stylist Home-Based Business; Four Steps to Set up Your Image Consultancy Website and Six Ways to Market Your Beauty and Fashion Consultant Business on Social Media. It was published in 2018 and is available as an ebook and paperback in online bookstores such as Amazon and Bambooks. She has written many short stories and plays; the most popular is the comedic play titled Husband for Two about the funny antics of members of a polygamous household. Areta spends her days reading, writing, working and doing a lot of travelling.
But for now, she’s based in Lagos.
Speaking about herself, Ms Nwosu said: “Writing brings me joy, especially writing fiction. It’s my passion. I can easily forgo sleep and food to write. For my stories, I do a lot of planning. Sometimes, months before. Then, I spend time doing lots of research, online and from books in our library.”
