I did it! 😱

I did it. I actually, unbelievably, not-in-my-dreams-but-reality did it!

I self-published my book. An entire 26-chapter, 44,000-word work of fiction. Arrrrrghhhhh!

Honestly, I still partly feel like I’m in dreamland and the other part of me is screaming that it wasn’t ready to be published but… let me tell you something.

I started the book when I was in secondary school, over ten years ago! Since then, it’s improved dramatically, even though I’ve tried to leave the original storyline as intact as possible.

I’ve had about three different friends read it and provide feedback including plot loopholes and grammar corrections. I’ve added/changed chapters and generally drawn this day out as much as possible.

Even though I had always dreamt of a day like this, I’ve always found a reason to avoid it. No more!

The book might not be perfect, maybe readers will find some editing errors and plot loopholes (hope not 😣) but the story is original. Originally mine.

I read it and get a sense of where I was ten years ago. I get a sense of my understanding of certain things, my wishes and hope.

Readers will probably not get this look into the meaning behind every sentence and chapter but that’s the beauty of writing. The readers get to interpret the story based on their own imaginations.

I might have thought up and written the story but I hope you, as the reader will visualize it’s moments in your mind’s eyes. Don’t limit yourself. Dream, cry, scream, forgive and grow along with the characters.

Deciding on the pricing for the book was very difficult. I realise that thinking I can get the hours I put in back in cash is very wrong. It’s my first published book, I want you – the readers – to get a glimpse of the stories in my head. I want to get constructive feed back and produce work of improved quality.

What I’m simply getting at is, between making the book affordable and free, I chose affordable.

Presently, my book is published on SmashWords and Okadabooks*. Click either link, buy a copy, enjoy the story 🤞🏾, and let me know what you think!

To commemorate this exciting event, I will post snippets from the book over the next couple of weeks and I hope it captures your interest enough to buy a copy!

A little about the book.

I call it Christian Fiction because the Christian faith is an important part of the characters’ journeys. The story centres around a 17 year old boy and his family, torn apart by loss, grief and unforgiveness. It follows their journey as they discover what things are important and learn to trust again. It’s a story about family, faith, friendship, loss and forgiveness. It’s part suspense, part drama and is bound to have you all up in your feelings😇.

You don’t have to be Christian to enjoy this book. Don’t worry, no weird unfamiliar words are used 😅. I hope it’s a good and enjoyable read no matter your faith or lack of.

I hope you guys are as stoked as I am for my next post. You get to see a snipet! For now, here’s the cover page. What do you think?

😊

*You can only get the book on the OkadaBooks app and not the OkadaBooks website.

©Ọrẹolúwa Matẹ̀milọ́lá 2021 All Rights Reserved

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