Interview with Funmilayo Falade

Published 2016-12-11.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I decided to become an indie author because I wanted an opportunity to connect with readers in a timely fashion. I did not want to put a hold on books that i felt the readers needed or wanted to read at that particular time. Some books as well as stories are time sensitive and i felt that if i waited to get published by a publishing house, that the relevance of my books would be diminished. Besides, I really just wanted to move on to the next project, there is always some new idea bouncing around and I did not want to lose them.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Amazingly! There is such a wider reach with smashwords
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Seeing a look of absolute delight and amazement on the reader's face.
What do your fans mean to you?
Fans for me are people that I believe I am responsible for. I believe that my writing provides some guide to them on how to live well and if someone follows you, they give you access into their lives and that is not something i take lightly
What are you working on next?
A Memoir meet fiction work. They are a collection of stories based on a Nigerian family navigating, Adultery, Illegitimate Children, Divorce, Cultural conflicts and the roles of the extended family in a given marriage.
Who are your favorite authors?
Ted Dekker, C.S Lewis, J.K Rowling, David Eddings, Raymond Feist, J.R. Tolkien,
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Ideas that bounce around my head and trying to figure out how to make them a reality
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Movies, TV Series, Reading, Music, Teaching and Playing with Children
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
It is quite easy actually, i did a lot of reading early to discover the genre i like so i just look up similar books in that genre on Google and voila! I have my next book
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes!!! It was a children's book... i may have lost the manuscript though
What is your writing process?
My mind gets triggered by something which leads to an idea. I do a short sketch that covers the intro and how i want it to end. I abandon it for months at times and then i come across it much later and start to write.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
Yes. It was the Ugly duckling. I totally felt like the ugly duckling and i was just six at the time but i remembered that it made me feel like there was hope for me, that maybe if i didn't fit in it was not my fault and i was just in the wrong place.
How do you approach cover design?
Hmm... I ask for a lot of help
What are your five favorite books, and why?
Obsessed by Ted Dekker, The Hobbit by J.R Tolkien, Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
What do you read for pleasure?
Fantasy
What is your e-reading device of choice?
My Lenovo Tablet
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
Recommendations based on books read
Describe your desk
Freaking messy, Papers of ideas and notes all over the place and a lot of make up
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
Lagos, Nigeria. I met all the right people who inspired me to write
When did you first start writing?
At age 8
What's the story behind your latest book?
I was walking towards home six years ago, when I suddenly came across a thrift book seller. I was so excited seeing all the books laid out and asked him to sell me a novel. Absent mindedly, he thrust his hand into the pile of books and handed one to me whilst he turned to attend to his other customers. The book he handed to me was The Wizard of OZ.. I was disappointed because it was a children's book and he did not have any other novels. I decided to gift it to my little cousins.
Out of curiosity I started to read the book. It was as though someone had turned on the lights in my head because I got more and more inspired reading the conversations that transpired between the characters. So I dug for all the fairy tales I could find and I started to write out what I had learnt. Not long after, a friend called on me to write a column in her magazine and I pitched the idea successfully to her. Years after, I came across the articles and i was learning from it all over again so i decide that i would put all the articles together into a book so that i could share it with the world
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Books by This Author

Inspired by Fairytales
Price: $4.49 USD. Words: 9,420. Language: English. Published: December 8, 2016 . Categories: Nonfiction » Inspiration » Personal inspiration
Originally written as a Magazine series for The Inspired Life Project Magazine, Inspired by Fairytales is just what it says on the cover: Inspiration drawn from fairytales. This book will inspire you to chase your dreams, recover what you have lost, teach you to sustain and keep what have and embrace courage.