DWN: Tell me a bit about yourself
TP: I was born in the 80s, the first of three children. I grew up in Lagos,
Nigeria in a household where I was surrounded by books from an early age. As
a child, I was a real bookworm; the introvert who preferred staying at home
reading to going out and partying. I left Nigeria for the UK in 2000 for my
university education. I studied Accounting and Business Economics for my
first degree, and after a year in the workplace, I went on to gain a Masters
in Finance and Investment. I started working in accounting jobs, while
studying for my professional accounting exams. In between all those trips to
the library to study at university, I met my husband and we got married in
2005. I switched careers in 2008 to become a writer.
DWN: Your sojourn into writing, could you tell me about that and how it has
been so far?
TP: Writing was always something that interested me since I was six years old. I
grew up around books and I enjoyed reading a lot. I remember writing my own
versions of the fairy tale stories I'd read.
When I became a teenager, I
wrote pages and pages in my diaries regularly. I found writing therapeutic;
it helped me to get things off my chest and sort through my private
thoughts.
However, it was never something I had considered as a career at
the time.
When I graduated from university, I was all about getting the
'professional' job - you know the one where you have to wear a suit, work in
a 9 to 5 office job, and get paid every month. I just assumed that work is
something you have to do to make money and nothing else.
In 2006, I came
across a few Nigerian blogs when I was searching for some information
online. I was immediately attracted to the idea of writing an online
journal, so I started my own blog. I enjoyed writing, commenting, meeting
people and joining a wonderful community of supportive bloggers. Before
long, I started looking forward to coming home after a long day at work and
unwinding by writing on my blog. One day, I wrote a short story and posted
it on my blog and it attracted positive comments from readers. I was
surprised and pleased that people thought I could write fiction and they
enjoyed my stories. So, I started writing some more. The more I wrote, the
more I realised I enjoyed it and I wanted to continue doing it. So I signed
up for a few writing classes, and started writing short stories. With time,
I knew that I should give up accounting to become a writer.
DWN: What are your influences as a writer? What influences your writing?
TP: I'm influenced by many things. For example, the books I read, movies I
watch, conversations I hear, music I listen to, etc. Anything can give me an
idea for a story or a character.
DWN: What do you do when you aren't writing?
TP: I'm reading, sleeping, looking after my family, listening to music, hanging
out with friends or working on my other interests.
DWN: Do you ever experience writer's block?
TP: I do experience periods of writer's block. When that happens, I read other
books, listen to music and jot ideas in my notepad for later.
DWN: Which do you prefer, writing with a typewriter, computer,
cell phone or old fashioned pen and paper?
TP: Nowadays, I do most of my writing on my laptop. I still carry around my
notebook for those days that I'm out and I want to quickly write down
something before I forget.
DWN: Let's go back in time; did you see yourself becoming a writer as a child?
TP: No I certainly didn't. When I was growing up, reading and writing were my
hobbies, but I never thought I could write for a living. I didn't know
anybody who was a full-time writer and it wasn't one of the options we were
given in secondary school. I ended up doing commercial subjects and choosing
to study Economics and Accounting at university.
DWN: You have a new book 'Nothing Comes Close', could you tell me a little
about the book?
TP: Nothing Comes Close is the story of two characters, Lola and Wole, and how
their relationship developed in spite of the challenges they had to face.
It's a story of love, friendship, betrayal, secrets, honesty, regrets and,
hopefully, a happy ending.
Lola is a confident career girl. She is feisty
and intelligent; she has her flaws, but she knows what she wants and she
stands for what she believes in. She often sees things in black and white,
and she is not afraid to speak her mind. Wole is mysterious and
unpredictable, but he's also loyal and he's got a sense of duty and justice.
Together, they make for a very interesting couple.
DWN: What were the challenges you encountered whilst writing and publishing
the book?
TP: Writing the novel was a huge learning experience. I'm a new writer so I
still have a lot to learn. The main challenge was the process of going
through several drafts and rewrites, but it was necessary to make the prose
better.
DWN: Which character(s) from your book can you relate with the most?
TP: I'll go with Lola. I like her no-nonsense attitude. She's not afraid to say
what's on her mind, but she's also got a vulnerable side. I also like the
fact that she found the courage to follow her heart towards the end of the
book.
DWN: Was there any particular research you had to conduct regarding the
characters?
TP: To construct Wole's background, I had to do a bit of research into a period
in Nigeria's history.
DWN: For you, what goes into naming the characters in your book?
TP: I wanted to choose names that my target reader would be familiar with, so I
chose mostly Nigerian names.
DWN: Why did you choose 'Nothing Comes Close' as your book's title?
TP: The title comes from something Wole said. He was admitting that nothing
comes close to having the love of the lady in his life. It is significant
because he regretted letting that love get away from him.
DWN: Are there any characters in your book that are similar in character to
you?
TP: No, they are not similar to me, but I would love having a friend like Lola.
DWN: What is your opinion of the current crop of Nigerian authors?
TP: There are many brave new authors finding their voice, honing their craft and
publishing their work. And that's a good thing.
DWN: Most Nigerians grew up reading about foreign (non-African) characters,
did you? If yes, how do you marry that with having to write about purely
Nigerian characters?
TP: I grew up reading lots of different books; fortunately, I read a mix of
foreign and African books. I enjoyed both, some allowed me to escape and
imagine different people, while some allowed me to see my own reality in
fiction. It wasn't difficult for me to portray Nigerian characters, since I
started writing on my blog and I knew my audience could relate to my
stories.
DWN: Is 'Nothing Comes Close' your first publication?
TP: I previously published part of a series with seven other writers, but
Nothing Comes Close is my first full length novel.
DWN: What was your experience getting publishers for your book?
TP: From my experience, I knew there were not many publishers willing to take a
chance on new writers like me. I had met a few publishers who found my work
interesting, but they always said that it wasn't commercially viable because
it was regarded as 'ethnic fiction'.
But, I believe that I have to tell my
stories and there are readers who want to read about people like them in
books. So, I did a lot of research and decided to take the chance and become
a publisher myself. It seemed like a good idea to try and be proactive about
getting my work out there, instead of waiting endlessly for whenever a
publisher would notice me.
DWN: Why is your book 'Nothing Comes Close' relevant in this day and age?
TP: I was having a conversation with a lady one day and she said that while she
enjoys reading books published by African writers, she was fed up of reading
about wars, poverty, rapes, murder and so on.
She wanted African stories
that were not about some bigger agenda. And I agreed with her. I think we
need more stories that the average African can relate to, stories that focus
more on the human beings and not on some perception of how people want to
view Africans.
DWN: Do you see yourself as a 'genre specific' author?
TP: No I don't. I mostly write short stories and flash fiction that don't fit
into any genre. When we started writing the initial In My Dreams It Was
Simpler series, we didn't define it as romance or anything. It was just
fiction. I'm fascinated by people and relationships, so I started writing
Lola and Wole's story because it was what I observed around me.
I saw people
struggling to make certain decisions when it came to their relationships,
and I tried to capture that in fiction. Relationships are one area of life
that every adult has to deal with - we're either searching for the right
person to be with, or trying to make the best of our current status.
DWN: Does your book fall into any particular genre?
TP: I suppose it would fall under the category of "women's fiction" which
includes chick-lit and romance. But there's a bit of mystery and thriller
elements in it as well, so it doesn't fit neatly into one box.
DWN: Love is one of the major themes in your book, are you a hopeless
romantic?
TP: I like romance and I want good relationships to have happy endings. Does
that make me a hopeless romantic?
DWN: What is the greatest lesson in love you have ever learnt?
TP: Love is more than butterflies in your tummy and going weak at the knees.
Love is like a precious garden. It has to be worked on, cared for and
protected so that it grows more beautiful over time.
DWN: What was the last book you read?
TP: I've just finished reading The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka
DWN: Who are your favourite authors and what books have spoken to you most?
TP: Different books have spoken to me at different times in my life, including:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, On Black Sister's Street by Chika Unigwe,
The Help by Kathrny Stockett, Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie,
and The Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
DWN: If you could go back in time is there anything about your book and the
publishing process that you would like to change?
TP: Not really. I just wish I knew beforehand that I would need lots of patience
to deal with the slow process of writing, editing and publishing.
DWN: With regards to your writing, what has been the best decision you have
made this far? The worst?
TP: Best decision was to leave Accounting and embark on this writing journey.
Worst decision? Trying to publish something before I was really ready.
DWN: Do you have any projects you are currently working on? What is next for
you as a writer?
TP: I'm working on my next book, and also a collection of flash fiction.
DWN: What are your words of advice for budding writers?
TP: Read, read and read. Read many books in the genre you're interested in so
they can give you ideas of what to do and what to avoid. Also read outside
of your chosen genres. Then start writing your story and don't stop give up
if it seems difficult. You can only get better by practicing often.
Thank you :)
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Tolulope Popoola was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She moved to England for her university education where she studied BA Accounting and Business Economics and a Masters in Finance and Investment. She started blogging in 2006, which rekindled her love for writing and telling stories. A few writing classes and an online fiction series soon followed and Tolulope quit her Accounting career to write full-time. She now writes short stories, flash fiction, and articles for many print and online magazines. Nothing Comes Close is her first novel. Tolulope lives in London with her husband and daughter.
You can interact with Tolulope online via:
Blog:
www.onwritingandlife.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TolulopePopoola
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TolulopePopoola
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/TolulopePopoola
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tolulopepopoola
Where to buy the ebook:
Kindle US, Kindle UK, Kindle Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain)
Kobo , Apple iStore , Sony Reader store , WH Smith , Smashwords,
To buy the paperback
Amazon US , Amazon UK, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble, BOOKS etc. , Book Depository, Foyles , Blackwells
