Am I a Beyoncé or a Rihanna?

Don't hold your breath...

You are probably thinking, “What's up with this title?”

Don't let me stress you too much, it was inspired by a quote from Tia Williams' book, A Love Song for Rickie Wilde: “Are you a Beyoncé or a Rihanna in terms of business?”

Rihanna embodies a fearless attitude, creating for herself without concern for others' opinions. She doesn't give a fuck, pardon my French. Conversely, Beyoncé meticulously tailors her work to astound her audience. Both are amazing women, if you ask me.

This quote resonated with me because I read it so soon after a recent conversation with someone who is fast becoming a friend—about the source of my creative inspiration.

He asked, “Are your stories personal?”

Initially misunderstanding the question, my first answer was “No.” That I write romance and fantasy, doesn't mean the stories are from my personal experience. My stories are art that I create because my imagination is overly active. This, I still maintain.

He wasn't satisfied with my answer, and continued to probe deeper because as a creative himself, he believes all art must come from the heart otherwise it's not authentic.

Only then did I understand what he was asking. And truly, my stories do stem from a personal place, emanating from happiness.

Happiness inspires my stories.

While my early writing leaned towards trauma narratives, influenced by societal and publishing expectations, that Africans can't write romance or fantasy because they believe all we know in our lives are struggle and suffering (gist for another day), I've since embraced a broader spectrum of storytelling.

Both narratives, of trauma and happiness, hold significance, but I prioritize uplifting tales. In essence, I identify as a blend of Rihanna and Beyoncé in my artistic approach—fearlessly creating stories that bring me joy while striving to delight my audience.

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Now, onto an exciting announcement: the expansion of my short story, "A Date for Valentine," into a novel titled "Rebound."

Coming up with this title wasn't easy. I wanted a title that reflects the theme without revealing spoilers, and I also wanted it to be a single word. You know, a change from my usual sentence and phrase titles.

“Rebound” finally came to me after plenty plenty ideas, I even asked Chatgpt.

And it fits the story perfectly. And God, am I enjoying writing this story or what?

Allah willing, it will be out in August, this year. The final cover reveal will be done before then.

This brings me to remind you all that A Crossfire of Hearts is releasing next month. Finally, after all the shege that story showed me. You can pre-order the ebook on my store, for Nigerians and on Amazon for my abroad people.

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In all my excitement about my upcoming books, there's something that I also want to share. It's about overcoming fear in the pursuit of my goals— this is more of a personal love note to myself amidst my recent struggles with imposter syndrome. But I hope it helps you too.

My challenges in March, including illness and fatigue, plus some recent workplace struggles influenced my introspection.

I prayed and asked God for peace, and he inspired me by putting these words into my head, “Don't fear the work, it's just work.”

These words made me calm. And now, I'm approaching all my work and challenges with this mindset.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Now, talk to me, how are you doing? How did March go for you? Do you consider yourself a Beyoncé or a Rihanna?

Gist me, tell me anything, I want to know.