This is another post in our Promote-Your-Book Series – a platform for budding authors in Africa to promote their books and literary works.
Today, we are featuring another writer from Osun State, Nigeria. His name is Michael Olusola and he is the author of the book, Actualize Your Vision.
In this interview, he discusses about writing the book, the inspiration behind the work among others. If you are writer out there, you will learn a lot. Enjoy!
Welcome to Konnect Africa! If you weren’t a Writer, what else would you be doing?
I would be a professional bass guitarist. Writing and playing the bass are the two things I enjoy doing most.
Let’s get up, close and personal; Give us a bit of history and ethnicity.
I am from Ikire, Osun state, Nigeria. I was born and grew up in Ilorin, Kwara state. I lived in Ilorin from birth till I graduated from the university. I came to Lagos state in 2011, shortly after concluding my one-year National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) scheme, to pick up a job alongside pursuing my writing and inspirational speaking career.
Education; Where and what did you study? Did you have to take any additional classes to hone your writing?
I studied Mathematics at the University of Ilorin, Kwara state. I actually developed while writing skill while I was a youth leader in my church, Abundant Life Chapel, Ilorin. We had a notice board in the church premises, and as a leader, I wanted the youth department to be relevant. So I started writing and pasting inspirational articles every week on behalf of the group. The more I did that, the more skillful I became.
Did you or your folks ever imagine you would become a writer?
I never thought I would be a writer initially. Leadership responsibilities brought out the writer inside me.
What are your influences as a writer? What influences your writing?
I am usually inspired by the desire to see people maximising their potentials and making their lives count. Another is the need to help people to connect the points in their learning curve. I discovered that a lot of people write to tell their readers ‘what’ to do without spelling out ‘how’ to do it. I have also had challenges figuring out how to apply certain lessons I got from books. So, I write on common topics but I make it more practical and applicable.
Kindly give a sneak peek into your new book.
Vision is the clear picture of a perceived future that can become a reality through persistent pursuit. When you discover your path in life and you understand what you were born to do, you would have a sense of purpose and become a visionary that is on a mission. Your vision will relieve you of the burden of living for mere survival. When people don’t pusue any vision, their lives end up becoming a series of happenstances. Time distinguishes the person who lives a ‘visionary life’ from the one who doesn’t. With just one life to live it is important to know how to live it to its fullest.
You can take a step further from achieving personal life goals to becoming an agent of national transformation, thereby, leaving your foot prints on the sands of time in your nation. When change agents put certain principles to work, they help a nation to unleash it’s potential, experience a turn around and change its status from an unreformed to a transformed one. The destiny of any nation lies in the collaborative efforts of inspired, transformed, informed and empowered individuals.
What were the challenges you encountered whilst writing and publishing the book?
The first challenge I experienced was that the laptop containing my first manuscript got corrupted by virus and I lost the document. That meant that I had to start over again. The second was looking for materials to buttress my points when writing the second part of the book that talks about national transformation. Books on similar topics are generally scarce, so I had to do the ‘leg work’ of going to several local book stores in search of materials.
Do you see yourself as a ‘genre specific’ author?
Yes, I write ‘inspirational’ articles and books. I like to call it ‘inspire- formational’ writing (a combination of inspiration and information). Inspiration moves the heart while information empowers the brain. I tell people that it is not good to take the heart on a journey without the brain.
Who are your favourite authors and what books have made the most impact on you?
David Oyedepo’s book on “Ruling your world” have had the most impact on me in pursuing my vision, dreams and aspirations. Sam Adeyemi’s book titled, ” Start with what you have,” got me thinking on how to make use of what I already have to get whatever I need for any project. John Maxwell’s books always challenge me to go beyond the superficial and get into the deep to mine treasures of wisdom (nuggets) to build my write ups.
Have you ever received a negative review of your book? What did you do about it?
I haven’t gotten any yet.
How do you prod yourself to write on those awful days when it just seems so hard?
I always remind myself that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
You are at a Writers Workshop; what do you tell the eager listeners who seek to better their skills?
I would tell them that the space for personal improvement can never get filled up. That they can always get better at writing no matter how good they are already.
What’s the best perk of being a writer?
For me, it is the joy of hearing about and seeing what a reader has achieved as a result of reading my article or book.
Do you believe that writers can change the world?
Yes, they can! Words (written or spoken) are powerful. The world was made by God’s Word. Even God’s word had to be documented in the Bible. So He is a writer. Books change individuals; individuals change their world.
Where can your books be purchased, online and offline?
They can be purchased offline (in local bookshops in Lagos, Nigeria). Interested readers can access (read and download) it at okAdabooks.com. It’s for FREE on that platform. Simply type “Actualize your vision” in the book search section.
Africa will rise when?
Africa will rise when Africans take responsibility. Without taking responsibility, we could continue to be liability to others. Change starts with the recognision of the need for a better future and a strong will to pursue it. We must uncover relevant facts, challenge silent assumptions and be willing to make necessary changes. It will take some time and sacrifices, but we will get there some day.
Inspire an aspiring African writer in one sentence…
The colour of your skin does not make your written ideas inferior to others.
Are you an African writer? Have you created literary works you would like the world to know about? KonnectAfrica.Net is giving you the opportunity to showcase your new book. Take this link to get started https://kadigest.com/promote-your-book/
