Ufuoma Emerhor-Ashogbon is the author of The Naive Wife Trilogy and creator of A Small World Universe. She is also the Chief Executive Officer, Fair Life Africa Foundation. In this interview, she reveals the inspiration behind her book which will soon be released to the public.
Ufuoma also offers services to SMEs in need of website design and maintenance. In this interview, she throws insight about her books and inspirations.
Excerpts:
What themes do you explore in your books?
As the name implies, the book series explores our interconnectedness in a small world, where our actions have consequences and affect others. So, we are looking at relationship issues; communication, trust, love, temptation, infidelity, marital breakdown, forgiveness, reconciliation, intimacy, and so on. The books are great for singles as well as married folks, offering guidance and inspiration to help them make the right choices and improve their relationships. The books also deal with abuse in all its forms, from neglect in An Emotional Affair, to child sexual abuse and trafficking in Broken, and emotional abuse and domestic violence in The Church Girl. In The Church Girl, we also explore institutional abuse, spiritual abuse and sexual abuse, when people in leadership exercise their powers to take advantage of others.
How were you able to churn out so many books, and what’s your writing process?
Let me share with you some revelations I shared with readers participating in the Readathon during our Ask the Author segment on a Monday when they asked a similar question. A reader asked: “Your characters are so alive that they literally jump off the page. Do you have to do surveys with individuals or anything similar when developing your characters?” I said, not at all! Have you watched or listened to any of my radio sessions? If you have, you will have heard me talk a lot about my writing process, at least with these books. I wrote these books as inspired on a whim, following my imagination where it will take me, while being guided by God a lot! My characters grew wings and started making decisions for themselves too, but for the most part, I have a general idea of what I want and just let it flow as I write. Of course, there has been need for research and all that, especially with Seasons 2, 3, and 4. I was forced to have an outline, because I would have been lost with so many characters. But they still ended up ignoring me. I did meet the Characters on IG, so I could remember things about the characters, while writing Season 2. I used it in Season 3. For Season 4, I needed to create https://asmallworlduniverse.com. Because, as much as I tried not to, I ended up creating new characters with each book.
Who are your target audience?
While people would suspect Christians are my target audience, the truth is, I am targeting those who are hurting, those losing or struggling with their faith, those who think they keep making bad decisions and need help, and those who think they don’t need God or He doesn’t exist.
Yes, Christians, particularly those who are strong in their faith, will love my books, because they are filled with godly wisdom and counsel. They will likely be challenged in the ways they see themselves in my characters and the struggles we all go through, because nobody’s perfect. Those looking to get married, engaged, or already married and wading through challenges, will find my books inspiring, enlightening, and thought-provoking, as well as entertaining. I am not targeting Christians. I am really trying to get people who wouldn’t normally give Jesus a second thought to look again. My stories are so real and relatable that you do not need to be a Christian to find them inspiring or entertaining. They pass across messages, the way Jesus taught powerful lessons through parables. So, while I love that Christians read and enjoy my books, I am actually looking for those skeptics, agnostics, or unbelievers who will pick it up, read it, find themselves engrossed and are ultimately convicted by the love and power of God.
Did you have any special training or read a lot before you started writing, and what is your advice for aspiring authors?
Reading a lot helps you to learn things and make bolder decisions when writing, so you will definitely become better by reading. You should read books in the area of your writing interest, as well as doing some ARC or beta reading for other authors. Getting such experience and opportunities can be helpful, but knowing when to change your focus is important. I think writing demands focus, and you can’t get into your own world when you’re neck deep in someone else’s. In my case, though, I had no training. I had no prior love for reading, only writing. I wrote poems, articles, and short stories on my blog, many of which I compiled into 10 collections, which I call ‘The Collections.’ They are also for sale on my website, www.ufuomaee.com/library, as e-books only.
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I actually didn’t read many books until I first published mine. When I started writing, I also read the writings of other Indie authors, to encourage them too. I still do not read a lot of books by other authors, because I am a slow reader, and I get easily bored if the stories are not so gripping. My stories tend towards scandal and drama. I like the excitement, it’s also God’s playing field, I like to give God problems to solve. And He loves to help me solve them. That’s how I write.
I will tell you, I am a natural editor. I have edited everything I wrote. And I now edit for others. I am not one to say, “Your first draft is rubbish…” My first draft of The Church Girl was amazeballs! But having an editor you trust, who appreciates your writing style, knows your subject well, and respects your choices is great for getting a masterpiece, so I would encourage you to get one.
What can we expect from a small world season five?
Season Five is the happiest season of all, which is set in the happiest season of all! As with the other books, we follow the lives of Nigerians living in Lagos, for the most part. We are going to at least one Nigerian wedding, a 30th birthday party, Christmas parties and get-togethers, and of course, a New Year’s Eve party to close out the season. Non-Lagosians get an idea of what Christmas is like in Lagos as I showcase some real places of interest in this fictional story set in 2016. You can expect to see growth in the characters, reconciliation of lost lovers, romance between old and new friends, and of course, the usual drama, as some characters battle temptation and jealousy, while others deal with heartbreak and loss.
What else do you do besides writing?
I also run a charity, Fair Life Africa Foundation, which I co-founded with my father, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, in 2010. We work with those less fortunate, with a special focus on children in need and education. Besides this, I also have Ufuomaee Business Solutions, where I offer my services to SMEs in need of website design and maintenance. I also help new and experienced authors who need professional support publishing their books, with editing, ebook formatting, cover design and more. I also have the privilege of being a mother to two handsome boys, Temisan Jason and Ejiroghene Jeremy. Life with them has inspired some new themes in my writing.
How do you deal with writer’s block?
Writer’s Block, I used to say I don’t believe in it. I probably still don’t. I don’t think my lack of writing lately has been due to that. I write deeply emotional and spiritual stuff that comes from my heart, and my heart suffered a massive case over the last few years, which has meant that it has been quite painful writing sometimes. I told God and myself that I did not want to write another book about marriage before I started writing ASW 3! Then I wrote about a marriage retreat! I still think I’m tired of writing about marriage, especially since I didn’t have a good one. Also, I can see new themes I don’t feel ready to explore developing in Seasons 4 and 5, so I have been weary of continuing. But the Lord reminded me recently that it has never come from me, the knowledge and wisdom I share through my stories. So, I am still The Lord’s Writer and we move as led!
What is A Small World Readathon all about?
A Small World Readathon is a promotion I am doing at the moment to create awareness about the eight published books of A Small World Universe, and the upcoming ninth book, the fifth season of A Small World, tagged New Year’s Eve. So, A Small World Universe actually started with The Church Girl, my first self-published title, which was also my first story series on my blog, ufuomaee.blog. As a story series, I started with just seven chapters, in my first attempt, but with God’s help, I was able to dive deeper into the story and wrote a saga that was made up of three related stories; The Church Girl – Extended Version, He Cheated!, and The Church Girl – The Guardian. These three story series were later published as one book, divided into two parts, The Church Girl, in May 2017. The Church Girl has received so many amazing reviews. You can check them out at https://ufuomaee.com/the-church-girl-the-book. It is probably my most popular title. Recently, it was reviewed on the award-winning Book on Review with Benji show, on Classic FM 97.3, and it joined a special league, the Hall of Ten, as Benj calls it! They gave it a 10/10. A Small World came about because my readers couldn’t get enough of the story and wanted it to just keep going. So, rather than just limiting the story to the characters I had introduced in The Church Girl, I decided to combine this story with Broken, a free book I had published as a story series in 2016, and An Emotional Affair, the first story that I actually completed from start to finish, which was also a story series on my blog in 2016. I wrote A Small World Season One – Valentine’s Day in February 2017, as a story series on my blog before releasing it as a book later that year. Since then, I have published three more seasons, A Small World Season Two – Three Weddings and A Funeral, A Small World Season Three – A Few Good Men, and A Small World Season Four – The Accused, which was published in January last year. A Small World Season Five – New Year’s Eve is set to be released on December 21, 2024.
Tell us more about the readathon, how can people take part?
Yes, I am currently hosting a Readathon, where curious readers and fans of Christian Fiction Romance books are reading all the books together. The #ASWReadathon started on the 17th of September and will end on the 2nd of December. It’s not too late to join! You can be a part of a community, reading along with other readers, having deep discussions, and just enjoying the books and sharing lessons together. You can also win prizes, books by me and other fantastic authors, and merchandise. There will also be a grand prize for one of the lucky participants in December!
