They have no chance against me because I have that internal pressure.

If I look back on all the deadlines for my novels, I hit them all early, probably a month before. I don’t need deadlines because I am harder on myself than any deadline can be. I go on there to decompress when I feel too much pressure. And then I’ll go on social media and mess around, cause some trouble. Then maybe I’ll work on a chapter or a scene. Lately, I’ve been meditating in the morning. I don’t need to think about structure because it will take care of itself. I’ve written so much that a lot of things are intuitive now, like writing a novel. It is work, but it’s good work, and very, very fulfilling. I’ve loved it since I discovered it in the hospital. What is your process like? Your output is amazing. I spoke with Okorafor, 47, over the phone about her writing process, her hopes for the future of science fiction, the book that transformed her, and, yes, the gym. In the hospital, she picked up a pen and wrote a story. The procedure left her temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. At age 20, Okorafor underwent surgery to correct severe scoliosis. While West Africa has always occupied her heart and imagination, writing came later. The former is science fiction that’s rooted in Africa the latter centers on African Americans.) The U.S.-born child of Nigerian immigrants who never lost sight of their heritage, Okorafor was raised in suburban South Holland and Olympia Fields, but her family visited Nigeria annually. (She defines her work as Africanfuturism, not to be confused with Afrofuturism. Nigeria is the setting for most of Okorafor’s novels. It comes just two months after the release of the popular writer’s latest adult title, Noor, about a woman in Nigeria in the near future whose body is extensively augmented with biotechnology. The YA series follows a 12-year-old Nigerian American girl who discovers she has magical powers and embarks on high-stakes missions with her friends. Her newest work, Akata Woman, the third book in the Nsibidi Scripts series, hits shelves this month.

Photograph: Viking Books for Young Readers

Who fears death series