How To Attract the Right Person On Social Media - Be Yourself!

By Nkem Akinsoto

Every day we hear of couples who get married after meeting each other online and on social media. Whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or simply private messaging forums and even blogs, all have registered several romances that end in marriage or some kind of long-term relationship.

A few days ago, news of the traditional wedding between two Nigerians who met on Twitter swept the blogosphere. Oyinkansola had replied a DM (direct message) sent by Olaoluwa and 3 years later, they are now husband and wife. Olaoluwa's DM to Oyinkansola was his first attempt at sending a DM and she was the first lady who replied him.

Those Little Things - 3 Ways To Show Love To Your Partner

By Nkem Akinsoto

When you are in a relationship, whether married or yet to be, the easiest way to keep the love and romance alive is to keep looking for ways to make the other person happy. Even if you don't get it right all the time, the fact that you are making efforts to do so goes a long way to show that you care and appreciate your spouse or partner. And in my personal experience, I have found that often, it is those little things that are the most important when it comes to laying a foundation of love and sweet memories in your relationship.

South African Performers Visit US To Raise Funds For Community Development

Above is a group of women flying into the Chicago area from South Africa. These women are part of a non-profit organization called SAFCO, (Service Association For Community Organizations). They perform Cultural dances and have been to many countries in the world.  They have won many Global and National Awards, including Africa Achievers Award 2015, at the World Leaders Forum, Dubai.

I am showcasing them here so those interested can invite these talented South African SAFCO women to perform. They can perform, during their stay here in the United States (around 2 months plus or minus), as part of the fundraising efforts for their cause. Profits from their performances go towards housing orphans and underprivileged in Africa, and fulfilling the mission of the organization which include:

August 1st is National Girlfriends Day - Empowering Women To Live a Healthier Life

August 1st is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Girlfriends Day and is to celebrate female friendship and support. It is also used to highlight how we women can help each other stay safe and live a healthy life. So I'm sharing the infographic below with an outline of checkups women need make their health a priority throughout their lifetime.

How Learning to Compromise Has Helped Me Have a Happier Marriage

By Nkem Akinsoto

Atala and I had a shortish and mostly online relationship before getting married, as some of you may already know. He was in the United States and I was in Edinburgh, and he visited only 3 times before we got married after dating for just about 6 months. I want to add that before then we'd known each other for over a year online, and had corresponded as friends for about 6 months before we started dating. But that may not have much to do with this post I'm writing, or does it?

After getting married, we soon found out that marriage can be very complicated. I've heard people who say the first year of marriage is the toughest, however, ours was mostly filled with happy moments, and added to the happiness we both already had in each other, separately and together. In that first year, having date nights at home all the time, and going out regularly was one handy trick I used :)

Happy 4th of July Everyone! #IndependenceDay Is For BBQ, Fun and Fireworks!

#FourthofJuly is a holiday in the United States, and we got the day off work yesterday, with which Atala and I basically chilled out. OK, we went shopping at our local African store and then binge watched Sensate on Netflix. Who else has seen the show, and what did you think, we're currently on episode 9. I want to say too much sex, but that can possibly be a good thing, right? LOL...

On Sofia Vergara & Ex Nick Loeb's Bitter Feud Over Frozen Embryos - My Take

By Nkem Akinsoto

Nick Loeb and actress Sofia Vergara between 2012 and May 2014, when the couple split. Since then, Sofia has moved on, and is now engaged to fellow actor Joe Manganiello. But her past is coming back to make headlines as she and her ex battle over frozen embryos they made in planning a family while still engaged in 2013.

Sofia and Nick were using IVF to grow their family and had completed the first part successfully, which entailed combining her eggs and his sperm into female embryos in preparation to getting either Sofia or a surrogate pregnant. However, the couple split before their plans could end in pregnancy and a baby.

Welcome To 2015 And Happy New Year!

At midnight I shared new year messages to my various social media, but I won't forget to also post this here. Hope everyone crossed over successfully. Wishing you all a marvellous and fulfilling 2015. I'll certainly be looking forward to another year of adventure and wonder.

Nothing beats the excitement of the anticipation of good things and a new beginning. And don't beat yourself up if like me your 2014 wasn't all you imagined. Sometimes it is not just the destination that matters but also the journey and the joy we take from the everyday. So close your eyes and make a wish. I pray that all our dreams will come true in their due time.

Out of Town For Thanksgiving and Beyond - Please Bear With Me :)

Hi guys, got a couple of emails and messages asking why the break in transmission. Sorry my dears, I was travelling yesterday, and currently out of Seattle fot the next few days. I'm sure you can guess where we are?

So we're going to enjoy it here, it's my first time and the sight seeing has already started. I'll drop in when I can but bear with me if it's not very regular. Happy Thanksgiving preparations for my US peeps.

Getting Recognition For Blogging And A Picture For Those Who Want to See Me :)

So I stared blogging back in 2009 as a romantic fiction writer, and for a couple of years, I focused on hyping my books and that of other guest authors. By 2011, I started blogging for money but remained in the romance niche, with topics on relationships and personal stories.

In 2013, there were certain incidents that made me dramatically scale back on personal stories, and around the same time, I decided to increase my earnings from blogging. After reaching out to a few people that I felt could help me build a platform niche in relationships, I found no interest and the only option seemed to be entertainment and news reporting.

How Do You Express Love To Your Soul Mate?

by Nkem Akinsoto

I believe in soul mates because I believe I found mine and married him. But when I say soul mate I'm not saying that Atala is a knight in shining armor or that I won't be able to live without him, but Atala is the love of my life and I don't know that there could be any like him for me.

I am not perfect, not by a long shot, but he understands me and accepts me, flaws, mistakes, imperfections and all. He is also not perfect, but he is amazing, awesome, and understanding in all the ways I need him to be.

We are both complete but we choose each day to complement and compliment each other. He brings out in me a sweet and beautiful heart, making me thankful to have him in my life. And I have no doubt in my mind that it is the same for him.

I'm Going to London To See The Queen. Who Else Wants to Meet up?

So we're off to London soon for a vacation and I've already checked off Buckingham Palace for a visit with the Queen. I just hope she's around and won't be like Obama who was too shy to meet up when we visited him at the White House in DC, LOL... I guess I'm just excited to be going off on vacation.

Do You Remember Your Firsts With Your Partner?

By Nkem Akinsoto

The online and long distance beginnings of my relationship with Atala is legend by now [Read Here], but suffice to say, we met for the first time already having deep feelings for each other which we refused to call love, and we lived thousands of miles and continents apart.

How Celebrating Wedding Anniversaries Has Made Our Marriage Stronger

By Nkem Akinsoto

Atala and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on Valentine's day back in February. It was a couple of weeks after I returned from my 3months stint in Nigeria, and I remember leaving some threads hanging loose and a few people asking me to extend my stay for a couple more weeks so I could tie them all up neatly before returning to the United States. I told them plainly, not gonna happen. I care a lot about succeeding in my business and will make allowances on how it would affect my time with Atala and thus our relationship, but my wedding anniversary is very important to me.

Why You Should Not Call Your Daughter Bossy But a Boss Lady

By Nkem Akinsoto

Yesterday, there was the news that the Girl Scouts with support from Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, wants to ban the word bossy, used as a perjorative against little outspoken girls who begin to show leadership qualities early in life. A discussion with Atala took me down memory lane.

My Truth on Valentine's Day as Atala and I Celebrated 5 Years of Marriage

I am a romantic, but I never thought marriage was easy, not even before I was married. When people say they were misled by romance novels into thinking relationships are a fairy tale, I say in mind, really? I've read thousands of romance novels and never had that delusion.

A Radio Interview on Love and Relationships in Nigeria with Zoe Chinaka

One of the most interesting conversations on relationships I had while in Lagos was with Zoe Chinaka, a radio personality with Nigeria Info 99.3 FM on her show called The Woman. We got gisting about love, romance, writing, relationships in Nigeria, and more. Lucky for me, we got a video of some of the chat, enjoy...

Who Wants to Be Part of a TV Studio Audience This Wednesday?

Yes, it's another invitation. And an opportunity for you to appear on TV while asking me that burning question you've always wanted to throw at me. LOL...Third Eye is a programme that puts creatives on the spot, plumbing the depths of who they are and where their art comes from. And it is my turn to defend my writing and the thinking behind my genre. Ozi Okoli is providing the HOT seat, now, we need a studio audience to help fire the questions. So...

A Cordial Invitation - NS Publishing Launches 14 Titles as it Hits The Market

Hello All (Bloggers, Readers and Friends)

INVITATION TO THE NAIJA STORIES BOOK LAUNCH HOSTED BY NS PUBLISHING LIMITED AND THE BRITISH COUNCIL

NS Publishing Limited in collaboration with the British Council is pleased to invite you to the launch of our branded Naija Stories fiction books. There will be 14 titles premiered on that day, 10 of which are collections of short stories from our highly popular website, www.naijastories.com

In Which I Find Myself on TVC

Soon after I arrived in Lagos last November, I attended a writing and publishing workshop as part of the Lagos Books and Arts Festival 2013. At the event, TVC was one of the channels there to cover it, and the producers asked for a quick interview which I granted. I do not have TVC at home, and it was friends that called or wrote to tell me they saw me on AfricArts, a TVC programme that promotes all things Art. Today, I finally learnt it has been on Youtube all the while. Enjoy...