Tomi’s Interview

Hey boo…😘

How did your week go? Can’t believe it’s Friday already.

This week was great, I got my reading juice back and I’m grateful to the bookish gods for that.

Today’s post is very special to me, and I’ve been looking forward to it for a while now.

I got to interview Tomisin Juliet Faoye. A young brilliant Nigerian author, and she shared a lot about her writing journey, lessons, struggles, and regrets as a self-published author.

Read about her book on IG here

Get a cup of coffee or your favorite drink and enjoy the interview session. I’m sure you’ll learn a thing or two.

Don’t forget to like, comment and share

CA: Let’s start with the cliche….

so good to have you here today. I don’t want to paste your bio here; so tell us about yourself.

Tomi: Alright.

My name is Tomisin Juliet Faoye. I’m a fiction writer, a scriptwriter, and a teacher.

CA: Wow didn’t know you were a teacher…

That’s lovely

Tomi: Thank you… I teach English part-time in schools when I get the opportunity and I teach creative writing as well privately.

CA: Wow: I’m blown. 🤯

So your book, Tomorrow Feels Like It’s Going To Be Windy.

What inspired the title? Cos to be honest the title didn’t give anything away about the book. At all………

was it intentional or it just played out that way?

Tomi: Before deciding on a final title for the book, I used several working titles. At some point, I was even calling it ‘Ara and Chim’. Lol.

I considered titles like ‘A Mad Woman’s Tale’, ‘A Short Streak of Fortune’, ‘Tomorrow May Come With Thorns’, and so on before finally settling for the current title.

Tomorrow Feels Like It’s Going To Be Windy was a title my younger sister, an aspiring author wanted to give to a manuscript which she later abandoned. I took it up and gave it to my book because it really appealed to me.

CA: Okay, that’s amazing.

A mad woman’s tale. 😂😂You should write something else on that.

Tomi: I think I will😌🌚

CA: Can’t wait.

So, what inspired the story; is it from a personal place or it just came to you?

Tomi: It’s definitely from a personal place. I usually tell people that Aramide is my alter ego. She is the me I would have been if I didn’t have the holy spirit to soothe my demons. Lol.

The truth is that anyone who knows me would say; ‘Tomisin never gets angry’ and they wouldn’t be lying. But it’s not like no one ever gets on my nerves. People do but when that happens, I find myself unable to respond with anger or insults. I just let it go. But Aramide is the total opposite of that. So her character was born out of my needing to explore the other side of my good temper.

CA: Hmmmm we’ll get back to this.

Tomi: No wahala (no problem)

CA: I must commend your writing skills; the way you used indirect ways to convey some messages; it’s amazing I must say.

Tomi: Wow… Thank you so much😊

I just try to do the best I can😊

CA: And you did so well 🤗

So; How did you write this novel without fear; I mean this is your debut, right? And writing a political novel in our country; how did you do it?

Did you battle with doubt of any sort throughout the writing process?

Tomi: I definitely battled fear and doubt during the process.

I feared that the Christian audience would feel like the book was not Christian enough and that the political readers would feel it was not political enough. I also wondered what Jehovah’s Witnesses would think of the work as well. I abandoned it several times, but I kept returning to it and I’m glad I did.

CA: I can imagine 😔 but I’m glad you returned to it.

Let’s talk about the lead character Aramide.

Aramide is a handful; she stands for what she believes, isn’t afraid of anyone, and says her mind. What made you create such a character?

Tomi: I just wanted a very striking character. And as the book proceeded, Aramide started to evolve on her own. She started to reveal herself and go through her growth process.

One thing about creating characters is that all you have to do as the writer is to give them life. Once you do that, your characters will come alive and write their own stories.

CA: I see Aramide as fire, and Maduka as Ice. How did you bring these characters together without one consuming the other?

Tomi: I think when it comes to couples. It is necessary to have character traits that complement each other. Maduka’s calmness was good for Aramide’s fire.

However, she came very close to consuming him. She pushed him to the wall and he reacted. But in the end, they found a way to meet each other at the middle because of the love factor. I’ve seen this kind of scenario play out in real relationships around me and sometimes, amidst all the highs and lows, it’s beautiful to see two people come together despite all the odds.

CA: This is so true

And lovely.🥰

Tomi: Thank you😊

CA: Calabar, Abuja, Ibadan, and Umuahia were the highlights of the book. What made you use these places as the settings in the book?

Tomi; I think I decided to involve more than one location in the book because I’ve always loved books that take me on a journey.

It was a little challenging though because Abuja is the only place I’ve lived in so I didn’t know too much about those other locations. But I did some research and gathered relevant information. And I’m glad I did.

Hopefully, I’ll visit those places one day soon.

CA: And you wrote so well about these locations.

Please do visit soon 🤗

Tomi: I will😁😊

CA: Christianity and politics…. hmm how did you balance these 2 without overdoing or under doing it?

Tomi: Now this was a major concern for while I was writing the book. I know Christianity and Politics are two topics that don’t easily mix, but I was deeply interested in both aspects so I knew I had to find a way to make them work together. To achieve this, I just decided to tell the story as it was.. in a realistic manner.

CA: Wow……

I’m more than intrigued by your courage.

Tomi: Thank you very much😊

CA: You spoke about some churches and their doctrines. Weren’t you bothered that their members or followers will come after you?

Tomi: Lol… I am expecting some backlash and I’m prepared for it. It has not really started coming yet though.

CA: You’re prepared for it…

That’s a different level of courage 🫡

Tomi: Oh well😊🌚

CA: This is your debut and you did exceptionally well; Did you battle with doubts of any sort during the writing process? If any, how did you overcome them?

Tomi: I battled with doubt even up till the day I released the book for many good reasons.

The manuscript had been rejected by two Publishing companies early last year so I was skeptical. But then I knew that if I let my doubts win, I would never become an author.

I battled the discouraging voices in my head by reminding myself that I am not in a competition with anybody. I’m writing because it’s my favorite thing to do and because I believed I had a story to tell. I kept telling myself that that was enough reason to launch out into the publishing world. Today, I’m glad I did it.

CA: Rejection isn’t an easy pill to swallow 🥹

I’m glad you pushed through 🤗

Tomi: yeah……. Me too

CA: Love, hurts, abandonment, and reconnection. Can we talk about how they played a huge role in the novel?

Tomi: Yes, we definitely can.

Chima and Aramide’s love story is one that was laced with several hurdles. They were just two people whose life happened to on different levels, causing things to begin to go terribly wrong.

However, in the end, they pulled through after they got the chance to find themselves.

It might interest you to know that at first, I planned to end the book with Chima dying and Aramide going completely insane. I wasn’t planning a happy ending.

I’m glad I didn’t eventually do such horrible things to my dear Chima and Aramide!😊

CA: You would have had me to deal with 😂😂

Killing my Maduka… Agh😤

I wouldn’t have forgiven you 😩

Tomi: 😂😂😂😂😂

CA: Baba Ibadan 🫡

That man sah😂 what and who inspired his character?

Tomi: Yoruba movies inspired his character🌚

He is the result of watching so many Yoruba movies and adding a little spice to the herbalist characters they project.

On a more serious note though, I know how dysfunctional some father-daughter relationships can be so I just wanted to explore that a little.

CA: Let’s talk about Bridget and Mark.

What inspired them to be part of the story?

And Bridget and Aramide’s friendship 🥰 was a lively one.

Tomi: Bridget came into the picture because I know that every girl has that friend that is always available. Aramide needed to have that too.

And I didn’t want Bridget to be a vague character, hence the inclusion of Mark.

CA: Aramide’s journey to salvation was a huge roller coaster.

She was still showing stubbornness with the Holy Spirit and I related to that in a very high level.

How did you come up with such an idea?

Tomi: Probably from personal experience… I too have shown stubbornness with the holy spirit. But He has a way of working on her heart. I just wanted to tell a salvation story that people could relate to. I can only hope I succeeded in doing that.

CA: You did 🤗

Tomi: Thank God😁

CA: Your story is very relatable in one way or the other. in your author’s note; you said something about drawing inspiration from real life, bits and pieces of people you’ve noticed in your walk through life. how does that makes your book stand out? was it a strategy or it just played out that way?

Tomi: Ok… I believe that every writer draws from real-life experiences in their writings.

For me, it was a conscious action. I wanted to tell a story I knew by heart and adding the author’s note will bring this fact to the reader’s consciousness.

CA: Wow, that’s lovely

You said Aramide was your alter ego. Let’s go back to that point.

Can you throw more light on that?

Tomi: Yes, Aramide is exactly who I would have been if I didn’t have the Holy Spirit to keep me in check.

When I was much younger, I had a shaky temper and sometimes I would get angry, yell and cry when I was upset. I was growing with it, but thank God I was able to tame myself.

Everything Aramide said anything and did, I could have easily done had the holy spirit not fixed me.

CA: Wow 😮

What was your experience as a self-published author?

Tomi: Hmmm… It’s certainly not easy to self-publish. And honestly, I don’t know if I’ve done a good job of it but the truth is that in today’s Nigeria, there are only very few traditional publishing opportunities and they are reserved for those who have already achieved some success in their writing careers. I wasn’t in that number so I knew it was either I self-published, or I remained unpublished.

CA: Do you have any regrets? or wished you had done things differently?

Tomi: Well, yes. I don’t regret self Publishing, but I wish I had done so through another platform. I shouldn’t have published it on Amazon first. I should have gone for platforms that are indigenously African and invested in printed copies as well.

It’s not too late though… I’m moving things along little by little as the funds become available.

CA: everything will fall in place soon

Tomi: Amen o!

CA: what advice do you have for upcoming writers?

Tomi: To other upcoming writers like myself, I’d say only one thing; don’t stop writing! Because if God has given you a channel, it’s because he has a message for you to share with the world. Don’t stop writing!

CA: So; when you’re not writing; what do you do for fun?

Tomi: Read, watch movies, eat, and have good conversations.

CA: Who are your top 5 favorite authors?

Tomi: Five…

Francine Rivers is my favorite author of all time.

Others would include: Karen Kingsbury, and Catherine Palmer.

When it comes to African fiction, I don’t think I’ve found a favorite yet. I do admire renowned African Writers such as Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiongo, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

CA: At this point, I think Francine Rivers and Chimamanda are always on everyone’s favorite authors list 😂

Tomi: I’m telling you😂😂😂😂

CA: No pressure but are you working on anything 🌚 you’ll like us to know about?

Tomi: Uhmmm yes…

I’m working on two projects currently. One is a memoir, and the other is a series of interviews on religion.

I’ve also begun working on my next novel but none of these will be released any time soon though😊

CA: We will wait patiently 🤗

How do we reach out to you?

Your social media handles, and where to get your book.

Tomi: You can reach me via the following means

tomisin_juliet_faoye on IG

juliettomisin4@gmail.com

Tomisin Juliet Faoye on Facebook as well.

To purchase a copy of the Ebook, you can reach out to me by sending me a direct message either on instagram, whatsapp, or Facebook.

The book is also available on Amazon as an ebook and a paperback.

It’ll be available in bookstores in about a month or two.

CA: Can’t wait for the physical copies

Tomi: Me too😊

CA: Thank you so much for your time Tomi

It was fun having this conversation.

Tomi: I enjoyed it too.

Thank you😊🙏🏾

Hey boo🥰 did you enjoy the interview? Is it something you’ll like to see often? Let me hear your thoughts in the comment section.

Have a great weekend lovelies🥰XoxoComyAken

Xoxo

ComyAken