Hey hey heyyyy
I’m very excited about today’s post because it’s been a HOT while since I featured or interviewed someone and our guest is someone I’m well acquainted with, she’s a borabestie so of course I’m excited to have her on!
Let’s begin, shall we?
Do you mind introducing yourself?
Hi hi. I’m Zia. Unrepentant ARMY, Derek Morgan stan and baby girl. Very invested in the soft life and avid reader. I write too, sometimes. Usually. When the story no gree free me.
So Zia, we knew each other for quite a while before losing contact and imagine what brought us back together?
I think it was that BTS group? Oh yeah, it was the PROOF album pre-order group. Did you end up getting your album, IB?
Yeah I did😂 after many hustle.
We’re both huge fans of BTS but I’m also a huge fan of your blog and when I say huge, I mean it. My favorite till date has got to be “Happy Little Pill”. I am so fascinated by that post that I sometimes go back to read it again. What inspired it?
Oh I’m so flattered, grinning like a fool here. Thank you, thank you.
Happy Little Pill is something that had been spinning around in my mind for a while. You know how you’d have half formed story ideas in your head but needed something to put them together. Kai was supposed to be a guy but like I didn’t think that would fit in with the way the story was in my head.
Also, it was inspired by Troye Sivan’s Happy Little Pill, huge Troye Sivan fan sef. So anyways, the idea was bouncing around in my head but I didn’t know how to do it justice. Then I read Eloghosa Osunde’s Grief is the Gift that breaks the Spirit Open, she’s my favourite Nigerian writer btw, then it clicked, this was exactly how HLP was supposed to be. I had been having writer’s block because Happy Little Pill was blocking me from writing any other story but when I started writing it, I finished it in an hour.
Believe me, I understand that feeling.
Hope you don’t mind me asking but are you finally going to tell us which kiss wasn’t fiction in “Much ado about (a) kiss(ing)”?
Lmaooooo. The truth is all of those kisses are real. People guessing which one was fiction is one of my favourite things about that post.
You know you can be sued for that, right?😂
Every writer is very different. Some feel inspired from things around them, some from what they watch or while they’re sleeping. What makes you feel inspired to write?
Ah, that one is hard to be honest. Inspiration for me comes from pretty much anywhere. I can be eating or sleeping and then boom, story idea. It’s a lot less now that capitalism is wiring my ass but yes. The most common things that get me inspired is music and taking a shower. I don’t know how that taking a shower one works but I’ve gotten some of my best ideas while I was in the bathroom.
Really?? I should try taking longer showers😭
Just curious, have you ever written while you were angry?
Yes I have. It’s usually poetry though. A lot of poetry. It’s easier to make sense of my emotions when I’m writing them down without worrying about sentence structure.
When is your favorite time to write?
Before I started working and lost all my creative juices (this is an exaggeration but still), my favourite time to write was in the night. There’s something about being half-asleep that seems to unlock my brain.
Personally, what are your favorite works written by you?
Wow, you’re asking me to choose. Well, it’s Paradise. Paradise is pretty old and it’s what started the Stories Songs Tell series, where I write stories inspired by songs. It’s inspired by Coldplay’s Paradise and I can’t tell why it’s my favourite, just that it is.
Follow it up with Isn’t It Something? That one resonated with a lot of people and that warms my heart. After that is Airplane Mode, because Fireboy really did write that song for me.
Sure, if you say so
I know you also take on writing jobs and as someone who is experienced in that field, there’s a certain pressure I feel when I’ve been writing “for people” for so long, I feel like I’m beginning to lose my own voice. Do you get that kind of pressure or do you feel any pressure at all from having to take writing jobs and still write for yourself?
Yeah, that’s a big thing. I have taken a step back from fiction writing for other people even though I still do content but damn. I really do think it affected my voice and the way I write, I have to start rediscovering myself. That pressure is huge.
It really is. I’m so glad I’m not alone in this.
In your New Year’s post, you asked the universe to give you a soft life. How has 2022 been for you so far?
Be like the universe no answer my calls sha. 2022 hasn’t been easy at all. It’s better than last year but even though, wow, it’s like they want to know how far down I can go with the amount of L’s i don chop. We keep pushing sha, if the universe doesn’t give me soft life, I’ll take it for myself.
Before we end, do you want to give shout-out to some of your favorite bloggers or writers?
Favourite bloggers – You, obviously. A dedicated fan of reading your blog posts as emails. Particularly loved the BTS thing you did during Festa. I don’t read a lot of blogs tbh, except they’re work related and wow my life is sad, send help.
Favourite writers – Eloghosa Osunde, I’m in love with that woman and I’m thinking of how to steal her from her partner. Emmanuella Omonigho is another of my favourites.
Aww don’t let me blush!
Okay before I leave you be, do you have any final words?
I really can’t believe you wanted to interview me, I thought it was a glitch in the matrix but thank you, I feel incredibly honoured that you came to me. Also, send sugar parent or help please, sapa wan finish boys. Oh oh, and tell your people to read my blog.
You’re welcome😂 and y’all heard my girl! Make sure you check out Zia’s blog! She is an amazing writer and I have so much love for her works.
Thank you Zia for agreeing to do this! Love you!💜
That concludes today’s post! I hope you enjoyed reading it.
As a writer, can you relate to Zia? Do you also write when you’re angry? Being a writer, do you feel any pressure whatsoever?
It's IB!! 