Eniola Prentice was born in Lagos Nigeria where she began to pen her stories as early as nine years old, inspired by an eclectic group of writers. Her budding writing career was put in the back burner as she pursued her dream of becoming a medical doctor, completing her undergraduate degree in Chicago, Illinois and her medical degree in Washington, DC.
However in the third year of medical school inspired by the holy spirit or the voices in her head (she would prefer to blame God for this one) and the unique and inspiring stories of friends that became her family in medical school she began to write her debut novel and series, Still. She hopes that her writing compels challenges, inspires people and draws people to the Christian God’s redeeming love. Please read her exclusive interview with RML below...
Q: When did you start to write?
I officially started to write about two to three years ago but I have been writing all my life.
Q: Is this your first book, can you tell us more about it?
Yes it is my first book. I began writing the novel in the third year of medical school. The stories of my friends in med school including my life story seemed to be playing out in med school. I thought it would be interesting to catalogue those stories and memories. My friends and I had a lot fun in medical school so Still is somewhat of a memorial of that time in my life. The novel is about four characters , their intertwining relationships, friendships in med school and med school itself.
Q: Why did you decide to write Still? What inspired it, and is the four part series already done?
I wanted to write Still because I felt it was important to tell my story because it had not been told me before. Honestly, writing this novel while in medical school was not easy but I did it by the grace of God. I would have to say God inspired it and kept the flames burning when I wanted to give up.
LOL. In my head the four part series is done. I will have to write the rest of the series. I broke it into four because I wanted to present a more realistic portrayal of medical school because medical school is four years in the States.
Q: Your book is set in medical school, is there any particular reason for this? Do you have personal experience of this?
Yes. I went to medical school and I am a doctor now. My personal experiences and the relationship I had with my friends in medical school was another driving force for the novel.
Q: Do tell us more about atheist Fadesola, are there many like her in Nigeria?
Fadesola is not a typical athest. She’s someone that has been emotionally hurt and chooses not to believe that there is God. She makes that choice because she’s angry with God and it is easier for her to believe that God doesn’t exist than believe He exists and allowed all the horrible things she has experienced in life happen.
I don’t know if they are many like her in Nigeria. I do know my own personal beliefs and know that in my walk with God I have held on to the same erroneous beliefs, I don’t think her thought process is unique in that respect. It’s very difficult to change thought patterns and I couldn’t explain it to you in this one interview. It took accepting that God loved me by faith and understanding it for myself by studying the bible to break the thought process.
Q: How do you go about choosing the particular issues to tackle through your writing?
It came organically. I did not over think the plan for the novel during the initial stages. I tackle suicide, mental illness and alcoholism.
Q: Did you have to do a lot of research to situate your book in the appropriate place and time?
No, not really. Since I went to medical school it wasn’t necessary.
Q: What was your publishing journey like?
It has been both interesting and challenging. I went into it being a little naïve and I lacked a lot of basic information. My advice for anyone would be –do your research first. Whether you are self publishing or publishing traditionally, both routes have their unique challenges.
Q: So you are self-published, what has the business side of writing been like for you?
The business side hasn’t been as challenging as I thought it would be. I have tried to be prudent with choosing what I wanted to invest in. The bulk of my investment with money went into editing. I thought it was necessary because a badly edited book affects the reader’s experience the most. Having tech savvy website wasn’t as important to me and since it did not directly involve the readers experience I did not invest as much money into that.
Q: Tell us more about your own life, where are you originally from and how does that affect your writing?
I am originally from Nigeria. I spent all my life in Nigeria before I moved to the States for college then for medical school. A lot of my identity revolves around being Nigerian so it affects my writing because I tend to infuse my culture into my writing. The novel is also somewhat autobiographical in a way, so my life experiences affect my writing.
Q: What's up next for you?
In terms of writing, book two of the Still series. I would also like to get more involved in indie publishing by helping other likeminded authors publish their work.
Q: What do you do in addition to writing? Where can readers find you online?
I am a medical doctor. I am starting residency next month and I am excited about that. They can find me at eniolaprenticewrites.blogspot.com
Q: Please tell us where we can find the book for purchase.
You can find the book on Amazon. It will also appear on smash words and other retailers including Barnes and Noble and Apple store.
About the book
A broken soul,
an alcoholic,
a certifiable genius,
a Christian man
and a secret that will destroy the bonds of their friendship.
When self-proclaimed atheist Fadesola, gets into medical school she believes that it’s a fresh start of sorts for her. Until she discovers her class mate is charming and handsome Tayo Smith, a man she encountered in a violent moment years ago. This revelation shatters Fadesola’s already fragile emotional state but hope comes where she least expects it. A seemingly innocent friendship with Tayo’s friend, Ladi, slowly develops into a smoldering relationship with both afraid to acknowledge their mutual feelings.
Things get even more complicated when Nikky, Fadesola’s classmate and friend, ignores her desperate warnings and decides that Tayo is the man she is meant to be with. However, within the complexities of this friendship these flawed individuals will experience God’s redemptive grace in a setting each believed his love would never find them. Still, the first book of a four part series is a coming of age story about navigating through medical school in the first year, complete with hilarious hook ups and breaks ups, legendary parties and incessant studying, and experiencing the triumph of success and disappointment of failure.
1. Readers can follow Still and the rest of the books in the series on facebook here.
2. They can also follow the #stillbyEniolaPrentice hashtag on twitter to follow the author and the bloggers to keep up to date with the reviews.
To keep up with Eniola Prentice and the Still book series, readers can sign up on her blog here, on Twitter and on Google+
Giveaway
One person will win a signed paperback copy of the novel and a 40 dollar gift card. The winner will be announced on the last day of the tour, June 17th on Eniola'smblog and the winner will be notified by email. The giveaway is only open to residents in the United States and Canada. You can also go to the Author's blog to register.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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