Gather round Sparkle Writers! The award-winning author of romance novels, Amaka Azie is in the spotlight! In this interview, she shares her writing journey with us and lets us in on great tips that have helped her achieve the success she enjoys today.
Could you please tell us about yourself?
I am Amaka Azie, an author of romance fiction set in tropical Africa and a part-time family doctor. I come from a large family and have four other siblings. An interesting fact about me is that I have a twin brother.
I was born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa, and spent most of my adult life between Abuja, Lagos and Benin City.
Now, I reside in England with my husband and daughters.
One of the favorite things I love doing apart from reading is painting. I’m an amateur artist and find art quite relaxing.
How long have you been writing and what inspired you to start writing?
I published my debut novel, Melodies of Love in 2016. However, I have been writing since secondary school as a young teenager.
I remember the multiple handwritten stories I passed around my classmates. They were quite popular, and there were queues of friends from my class and other classes waiting to read my books.
I was inspired to publish when I came across another Nigerian author, Tolulope Popoola (also a writing coach), who encouraged me to share my work after she’d read it.
As a medical practitioner, what is your work schedule like when you are writing?
I work part time, so I have a few days to myself. I do most of my writing then, and sometimes in the evenings when the kids are in bed.
I enjoy writing in the evenings, listening to jazz music and sipping wine. I find that my creative juices flow better at night. I’m not sure why.
So far, what has been your favorite part of being a published author?
Oh, this is an easy one. I love hearing feedback from readers. I’ve had people contact me via email, social media, and on a few occasions, face to face, telling me how much they enjoyed my books.
It’s awesome to hear that somewhere, someone purchased my book, read it, enjoyed and made an effort to review it. Very fulfilling feeling.
So, getting accolades for my work is like icing on an already beautiful cake.
Tell us about your first published book. What was the experience like?
I didn’t know what to expect. I’m self-published, and I needed to learn the ropes. I attended a creative writing course and then read a few books on publishing and marketing.
Melodies of Love, my debut novel was received well, and I felt encouraged to continue after that. I must say, I made a few mistakes initially with the marketing processes and paid for a few non-effective promotional packages.
However, I’ve learnt so much since then and grown a lot with my writing and marketing.
What is the most surprising thing you have learnt about your chosen genre?
There are a lot of people who snub romance writers. I’ve come across people who don’t consider the genre serious fiction. It used to bother me initially, but it no longer does. I’ve always loved romance fiction since I was a teenage girl.
I remember spending loads of money buying Mills & Boons and Harlequin romance novels, feeling dissatisfied that there were none with African main characters. That had left me yearning for romance fiction with characters that look like me, people I could identify with.
When I came across romance novels with African main characters from the pacesetters series that were popular in the 90s, I went wild, almost spending all my pocket money on them.
I think there are enough books depicting poverty, war, illiteracy, etc. in Africa. There should be books that show the mundane living of many Africans, too.
People also fall in love, get married and divorced, have children and raise them. There’s family life, education and wealth in Africa. All stories should be told.
I am proud to tell about the romantic side of Nigeria, of Africa.
What message do you hope readers take away from your books?
I’m not sure there are particular messages I try to pass on in my books. I don’t consider myself an inspirational author.
However, I want people to be entertained by my love stories, feel good about love and romance, but also to think around the themes I introduce in my novels.
In Thorns and Roses, the major theme was about the marginalization of the female child. Although it’s a romance story, I wanted that topic to resonate in the minds of readers.
Where can readers find more about you and your books?
The best place to find out more about my books and where to get them is from my blog.
Blog: https://amakaazieauthor.com/
You can also interact with Amaka Azie on the following platforms:
Amazon page: http://bit.ly/AmakaAzie
Goodreads: https: www.goodreads.com/amakaazie
Facebook: http://bit.ly/AmakaAzieFacebook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmakaAzie
Okadabooks: https://okadabooks.com/search?query=Amaka%2520azie
Bambooks: https://bambooks.io/author/Amaka-
Roving Heights: https://rhbooks.com.ng/product/thorns-and-roses/
Are you working on anything at present that you would like to share with our readers?
Yes, I’m working on the last of a trilogy of romance novels set in Abuja. I’m not sure what the title would be, but it involves the difficulties in legal justice in Nigeria.
I’m still in the beginning stages of that manuscript.
What is your candid advice to writing interested in the romance fiction genre?
It’s a fun genre. Read a lot of romance fiction, find out what subcategory you want to write—Sweet, sensual, erotica, paranormal, historical or a combination of any.
Be prepared to be snubbed and criticized by people who don’t take the genre seriously, but try not to take it to heart. A good number of the most successful authors write romance fiction.
Finally, be proud of the genre. It’s easier to write about hate and division than to write about and make people believe in the possibilities of love.