Insight Forge with Terry Mante: My Journey To Fiction

From Columns to Characters

For the past two decades, I have written nonfiction – books, articles, and weekly columns that explore themes such as leadership, personal growth, work, and faith.

Many readers know me through Insight Forge (or its earlier forms, Life Sense and Personal Development Series), my long-running column in the Business and Financial Times, and other platforms. My goal has always been to use words to shape minds, challenge hearts, and inspire personal transformation.

Over time, I have felt a creative itch that bullet points and life principles alone could not satisfy. I no longer wanted to only explain truth. I wanted to make people feel it. I wanted to tell stories that stayed with people long after the last page, stories that stirred emotion, revealed hidden parts of the human condition, and sparked quiet introspection.

The Unspoken Dream

The truth is, fiction has always been a quiet dream of mine. It lingered in the background as I developed leadership frameworks, authored personal development books, and wrote practical articles. I kept whispering to myself, “One day.” But life kept happening, and that “one day” seemed more like a distant fantasy than a real goal.

Then came a moment of clarity. At the 2024 Pa Gya Literary Festival, my friend Petra Aba Asamoah looked me in the eye and said, “Terry, we need fiction from you.” It wasn’t a casual remark. It felt like a call to action. That simple sentence awakened something dormant in me. I went home determined to finally put pen to paper, not for a guidebook or a column, but for a novel.

The Fiction Trilogy

Now, I am proud—and admittedly a little nervous—to present my debut fiction trilogy. Each book stands on its own, but all three are connected by the themes of truth, power, conscience, and the choices we make.

1. Shifting Sands

This novel follows a disgraced business tycoon who is forced to navigate betrayal, public shame, and the painful process of redemption. It is a story about legacy, identity, and the struggle to rebuild when your empire crumbles.

1. The Underground Reformers

In this story, four whistleblowers risk their lives to expose systemic corruption within some of Africa’s most influential churches. It’s a tale of faith under fire and the courage it takes to speak truth to spiritual power.

1. Thus Saith the Candidate

Set in the fictional African nation of Azuraya, this political thriller tells the story of a charismatic presidential hopeful who uses religion as a tool to gain and maintain power. It examines how faith, when manipulated, can be both a shield and a sword in the hands of the ambitious.

Why Stories Matter

Fiction is not just about entertainment. It is a powerful tool for reflection, empathy, and revelation. While nonfiction gives us tools, strategies, and frameworks, fiction gives us mirrors. Through story, we encounter dilemmas, contradictions, and questions that no lecture or essay can fully address.

Fiction allows us to walk in the shoes of others. It lets us experience life from different angles—sometimes painfully close to home, sometimes refreshingly unfamiliar. In a world of rapid-fire opinions and over-simplified arguments, stories offer us space to slow down and reflect. They teach us not just what to think, but how to feel and why it matters.

A New Chapter, Not a Departure

This move into fiction is not a departure from my life’s mission. I am still committed to helping people think deeply, grow intentionally, and live meaningfully. Fiction is simply another lens through which I can do that. The same themes that run through my nonfiction work – integrity, leadership, transformation, faith – are all present in my fiction, just told in a different voice.

This chapter feels incredibly personal and fulfilling. I am still writing nonfiction. I still enjoy crafting articles and insights for those who want practical tools for everyday living. But now, I also have the freedom to explore what it means to be human through character and conflict, plot and possibility.

Let the Journey Begin

If you are curious to explore these stories and what they might awaken in you, visit books.terrymante.org. You will find drama, truth, and perhaps even a reflection of yourself in these pages. And if you enjoy the stories, you can thank Petra for that nudge I didn’t know I needed.

Let’s continue the journey of discovery together; this time, through the power of story.

The post Insight Forge with Terry Mante: My Journey To Fiction appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

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